Biblical Truth Made Simple

When I use to do Archery I did could to achieve one goal and that was to shoot a perfect 300 at the indoor nationals. I spent countless hours practicing and tuning my equipment to achieve this. AS a Christian I can honestly say that there are times I do not put that same effort into seeking Christ. We need to seek Christ fervently in everything that we do, if we want to change not only ourselves but the world around us.

There is one thing we can always accept with certainty, that is Jesus is who he says he is. With that there is hope, hope that gives us peace in all things.

The heart of every man should be one of praise and thankfulness. Sadly we to often take things for granted.

When you open a new box of chocolates there is always a diagram showing each chocolate and what is inside. This helps us to choose the ones we like. For me that means all the caramel ones go first. I wish people were the same because what appears on the outside is not always a reflection of the inside. God does not need a diagram he knows our hearts and where are hearts are so goes the rest of our lives.

I once was lost and now I am found.....it is a terrifying thing as a child and even as an adult to be lost. And what joy and relief is there when we are found. So it is with all people. We re Love'lost in the darkness of sin until Jesus shines alight into our hearts and we are found.

Simply, he [sinful man] must repent and believe. He must forsake his sins and then go on to forsake himself. Let him cover nothing, defend nothing, excuse nothing. Let him not seek to make terms with God, but let him bow his head before the stroke of God's stern displeasure and acknowledge himself worthy to die. Having done this let him gaze with simple trust upon the risen Savior, and from Him will come life and rebirth and cleansing and power. The cross that ended the earthly life of Jesus now puts an end to the sinner; and the power that raised Christ from the dead now raises him to a new life along with Christ. A.W. Tozer

Jesus planted the seed of the church and it continues to grow. Our purpose is to tend the garden, by staying true to the word of God. We are not tasked with sitting idly by, but are to be actively moving God's kingdom forward.

What are you afraid of? What causes you anxiety? Franklin D Roosevelt said "We have nothing to fear but fear itself." I say you have nothing to fear if you fear God. If you recognize the total and complete sovereignty of God. If you have put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ for your salvation. The inevitable results of that is a life full of joy and confidence, a life where fear is no more.

Complacency is one of the greatest threats to the church in modern times. We sit back and wait for things to get bad so Jesus will come and make things better. We forget the we are in a war that we have already won. We are not on the defense against a world in chaos but on the offense because our King reigns high and is breaking into this world more and more every day.

The road to the cross is not a passive road. It is not a leisurely stroll. We have work to do as we travel. God will plant along the road and we are the tools of his harvest gathering up believers as we go. Also along the road we will encounter those that are in need and we are roadside assistance to help them get on there way to eternity.

If you were to do a survey of what it takes to be a good leader, thing such as knowledge, wisdom, strength and power would be at the top of the list. When the reality is that if we fail to put God first there is no knowledge, there is no wisdom there is no strength and there is no power. While this podcast is directed at fathers and husbands, there are things we all can learn from putting God first.

We are all on road somewhere and we are all carrying a cross. For some that cross will lead to death, for others it will lead to life. You either die in your sin or put to death your sin.

Whether you have a lot of faith, a little faith and at times even no faith Jesus will meet you where you are. To many of us focus on our circumstances and not on Jesus. Jesus is aware of our circumstances, and he is always with us no matter if our faith is big or small.

There are things that do not mix well, oil and water, rain and golf, brussel sprouts and anything. The world sees boldness and humility as opposites. In God's economy they are as well suited for each other as cheese and pizza. Our boldness comes by our faith and out faith comes by our humility.

Some times the best way is not the most common road traveled. Robert Frost in his poem "The Road not Taken" ends with these words, I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference" The road to the cross is one traveled by few but can make a difference in many.

Most of us just want to be happy. Now what makes us happy can mean many things. Sadly there is nothing in this world that can truly make us happy. Happiness in this world is fleeting at best. True happiness is found when we look beyond this world. Happiness is a result of being content, with our circumstances. Happiness is found in a right truthful relationship with Christ.

When you choose the road to the cross you will be asked to leave everything, there is nothing you need to bring with you. You will be asked to pay nothing as there is nothing you have that will be required on the road. We give up everything and bring nothing because, Jesus gave up everything so we would have everything.

What makes my WAZE GPS so useful is that people on the road ahead warn us about trouble. As we travel down the road to the cross there is One who has gone before us to prepare the way. To warn us and keep us on the right path.

Maps are a thing of the past. The majority of us use our GPS to get where we need to be. There are times we think we know a better route, and that usually at least in my case gets me lost. God has give us our own GPS to keep us on the road to the cross. When we think we know better it always causes us trouble.

We often here people say "I am a work in progress" There is much truth in that we are all a work in progress. For the Christian we are working to be more like Christ. The one pothole many of us encounter on the path is sin. It can cause our road trip to be bumpy. It is repentance that fills in those potholes. True repentance, is more than remorse it is a change in direction. It is achieved by developing a true love for God.

The road tot he cross is not a sprint but a marathon. It is not a trip taken quickly less you miss some wonderful things. Every word and letter God places on the pages has meaning and we need to slow down and take it in. Along the way we need to stop and smell the roses.

The road to the cross was never meant to be traveled alone. John the Baptist was born with a purpose, He was to be the herald to the King. When we are born again we are called to encourage others to join us on this journey. We become heralds to the New King calling everyone to the cross.

We are taking a road trip. The road will at times seem very bumpy and makes us uneasy. rest assured we do not travel it alone. The road to the cross is very treacherous, the rewards in the end are worth the journey. God never had a plan-B the cross was always plan-A. He has, is and will always be in total control down to the smallest detail. There is nothing that is left to chance.

Living a life that is centered on truth is not easy. Truth can be abrasive to many, but it is only be truth that we are saved. What the world calls truth is only lies that bind us to sin. When we compromise, and water down the truth we castrate it. The Christian is set apart because the live in truth.

Excuses we all make them. There are no excuses when God calls us to a task. Sadly we often find excuses not do the things God wants us to do , but find no excuse to do the things we want to do. As a result we miss out on the many and great blessings found in doing God's work.

I am a chronic procrastinator, it is a fault I am working on as soon as I get the time to do it. There is one thing that none of us can procrastinate on and that is getting right with God. There is a day coming and not one of when that days we will stand before God. Without Christ we kneel and face his wrath. In Christ we kneel and face his grace and mercy. Make no mistake the day is coming.

Have you ever prayed and gotten something so far from what you thought you would get that you questioned God? We often think God is obligated to give us exactly what we ask for and very often he does but not in the way we want. Whether we are seeking justice or prosperity we must be prepared to accept the answer God gives us. Yes we doubt, that is human nature, but faith gives us the peace to know no matter the answer God is good.

Feelings matter, we all have them. They do not matter when it comes to truth. Whether we feel something is true or not has no bearing on whether it is or not true. When we let our feelings dictate how we see God's truth we are no longer worshiping God, we are worshiping self.

All Christians want to talk of God's grace, mercy and faithfulness. Some might talk of his holiness and righteousness, very few will speak that he is a jealous God, a God of vengeance and wrath. Yet they are all characteristics of the God we serve. You can not remove one without compromising the others. Our God is slow to anger but there will come a time when we will say enough is enough so it was with the city of Nineveh. Yet inside this message of judgement there is hope.

There will come a time will all of us will stand in judgment before God. There will be no defense attorney using elegant words to try and get us a lighter sentence. Judgement will have already been made. The good news is that God has already provide for us a path of redemption through Christ. As we live our lives God asks of us three things. To do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly before our God.

We live in a very self-centered world. Well the bad news is that it is not all about you. Every breath you take, every sunrise you witness is because of God's great faithfulness, mercy and grace. The purpose of our lives is not self but obedience to God. God is not thinking whether the task he has given you is worthy of your time, he is not considering how you feel about it, he is doing it for his glory. The end results is that God is glorified, and in that we find peace for it is always for our good.

Pride G. K. Chesterton said, "“If I had only one sermon to preach it would be a sermon against pride” Pride is the driving force behind our sin. It no longer becomes about God's glory in becomes about our glory. It no longer is about God's grace, it is about our works. When pride goes to far God will humble us. And there will come a day when al the peoples of all the nations will be humbled.

We often live under the assumption that we are in charge. We claim to be living for God, but the reality is that we are living for ourselves. Nations go about their business as if God does not exist, condoning injustice and sin. The reality is that there is one God who is over all nations and all people. He is also the one Judge who will hold all nations and people accountable.

It seems that in todays world you are not normal unless you are afraid of something. It is almost as if we are addicted to fear. Everyday the media informs us of something else we need to be fearful of. How do we break this addiction to fear? The answer is found in a proper relationship with God and right understanding of what fear is.

Every decision we make has consequences. There is one decision that has eternal consequences. A day is coming when all people and all nations will face God's judgement. We have a choice to either live a life filled with hope and anticipation of that day, or a life filled with doubt and fear.

We have often heard people say "Every day is a gift from God". What we miss that even the bad days are from God. Very often the bad days are a result of us forgetting God and living how we see fit. Then when God disciplines us we pout and get angry. Our reaction to God's discipline should be humility and repentance. Our response should always be to listen to his word, be sober minded, mourn for our sin and pray for his mercy.

Hosea is a story of betrayal and redemption. It is an account of God's love for his people even when they betray him. Even when we are not committed to him 100% God is always committed to us 100%. He is always calling us back to him, even as he disciplines us.

Revival can be defined as a recall, return or recovery from a state of neglect. We have all been there, in a place where our focus is on everything but Jesus. We al need revival. If we seek to be the hundred-fold Christian we will need revival. Revival is not the responsibility of the community or the church. It starts with each of us as individuals.

Free is a marketing illusion. Ask for my book and I will send it to you for free just pay shipping, which is usually more than the boo is worth. While we paid nothing for our salvation we are saved by grace alone, Jesus paid it all. If we seek to be all in for Christ ,if we seek to be hundred-fold Christians there will be a cost. Anything worth obtaining has a cost.

Easter is a celebration of a monumental point in history a point that changed the word forever. Yet we celebrate it one day and it is an after thought the rest of the year. Christ rose from the dead and because of that he lives in me. Because of that I have been resurrected from death to life. Romans 6:4 declares, "We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life." Every aspect of our day to day lives should reflect this reality.

Very few of us are willing to give 100% to anything. Because giving 100% means things are going to get uncomfortable. God has not called us to a life of comfortable Christianity. He is not seeking 50%, or 80% he is seeking 100%. We need to break out of the crowd and out our comfort aside and seek to be the hundred-fold Christian. So lets take those first steps down the narrow path together.

There are not many that are not familiar with the phrase "God will not give you more than you can handle." It is often said to comfort those in times of trouble. Sadly it can also drive people form God instead of to God in times of trouble. God dives us things we cannot handle every day, anyone who has raised a child can testify to that. So what is his purpose in doing so? How should we respond? Listen to our newest podcast as we attempt to answer these questions.

I know we have all said or heard someone say "We are all God's children" While it sounds good it is not true. Being a child of God is not an inalienable right. Yes God is faithful and merciful to all of his Creation. To be a child of God is a right bestowed upon those that have given their hearts over to Jesus as Lord and Savior. With that comes peace, hope and jot that cannot be measured. Are you a child of God?

Only 17% of Americans claim to be very happy. If the pursuit of happiness is indeed a part of the American dream we have failed miserably. Perhaps it is because happiness is not something you pursue by a by product of pursuing the right thing. When we pursue to be obedient to God the results are happiness, peace, joy and hope.

There is a responsibility for us to be working we are the means by which God accomplishes much. The reality is that he does not need our help in any way, shape or form. We are blessed that he calls us to work beside him for his glory. To say we can help ourselves is denying God the glory and God's sovereignty.

There are times in all of our lives when we feel lost. There are times when we are lost and do not realize the danger we are in. The good news is that we have a Shepherd who will never abandon or stop seeking His lost sheep.

We often think of the prodigal son as a believer who has wandered away. While this is true it can also be said for those who have yet to believe. God has already given us so much and we often like the prodigal son use it for our own pleasure and waste what he has given. But God in his great mercy and grace never turns us away when we come home.

The Kingdom of Heaven is like....Jesus starts a series of parables in Matthew 13 with these words. While we long for the day when there will be a new earth. God's Kingdom is already here. We are called to be participants in that Kingdom. Jesus gives us a current picture in these parable of God's present Kingdom.

We are called to be the light, and to often our light is on a dimmer switch. Unless our light is shining brightly there is not hope in overcoming the darkness. It is our light that draws others to the love and saving grace of God. So turn it up and LET IT SHINE !

All of us want to try and patch up our own lives. Some see religion as a way of patching things up. Some see good works as patching up the bad things we have done. What many fail to see is that Jesus wants to make all things in us new again. In him we are a new creation.

Pontius Pilate asked Jesus "What is Truth?" People today are still asking that question. Jesus was a master of presenting the truth and he often did it in the form of a parable. These are treasures found trough out Scripture, filled with truth. to have the truth revealed all that is required of us is that we have ears that hear and eyes that see.