First of all, JOYOUS NEW YEAR!!! PerHAPS this year some bad things will HAPpen to you. In fact, you will most likely have some misHAPS and therefore may not always be “HAPpy,” but manifesting THE JOY OF THE LORD is our choice, no matter the circumstances. When we launched The Living Truth Fellowship in early 2010, we very specifically chose …
Some Keys To Spiritual Perseverance
That appellation sounds good, but what exactly does “stalwart” mean? Good question. “Strongly built; sturdy and robust; strong and brave; valiant; firm, steadfast, uncompromising.” Plenty of verses in God’s wonderful Word support those definitions as to who He has made you to be as His child and a minister in the Body of Christ. Yeah, I know, now all we gotta do is live …
The Path We Have Chosen
“I Have Decided to Follow Jesus” is a great song. Lately I’ve been thinking about what it means that you and I have chosen to walk the path of following our Lord Jesus wherever he leads us—and also how much he appreciates whatever efforts we make to do so. After all, the Son of God was tempted in all ways …
Man, The Image of God: Can An Icon Be Iconoclastic?
This month lets consider what it means to be made in the image of God, an important but controversial topic about which Christians differ greatly in understanding. Grasping its truth will help you see both yourself and others more like God does. The particular English word, “icon,” means “a picture, image, or other representation; a representation of some sacred personage, …
What Do You Do With Your Head To Get Your Mouth Open
Don’t you just loveWORDS?! How fascinating that the Creatorof Life decided to use little clusters of letters as His means of communication with Him, and prescribed the same means for us humans to connect at the deepest levels of our hearts. Scripture makes it clear that WORDS have the power of life and death. WORDS can inspire a person to …
Cultivating Your Garden of Grace
The ages-old debate in Christianity continues to rage on. Do our guardian angels have favorite TV shows? Oops, I mean, does a Christian do the works of God in order to be saved, to maintain (not forfeit) his salvation, or to gain any particular favor with God? Or does he work diligently, simply because he recognizes God’s amazing grace in …
Are You Letting Your Conscience Be Your Guide?
Were I to put a sub-title on this piece, it would be: Think About What You’re Thinking About. You might think it is impossible not to do that, but I’m pretty sure I’m not the Lone Ranger when it comes to “What was I thinking?!” or “Another opportunity to be wrong and I took it.” What are we thinking, day …
Signed, Sealed and Delivered
One topic that comes up continuously is the simple but profoundly vital question: “How do I know if I am truly saved?” That’s kind of important, right? Imagine how debilitating it would be if you were not TOTALLY POSITIVE that you are saved, sealed, sanctified, and guaranteed everlasting life in Paradise NO MATTER WHAT you do in this life after …
The Death of Death
Now how cool, and spiritually ironic, is it that on this year’s calendar, April Fool’s Day and Resurrection Day, aka “Easter,” are the same day! I’d like to think that amplifies to the Devil what a fool he was to have crucified Jesus. Picture it: Saturday Night Fever—demons partying so furiously since Wednesday evening that they hadn’t heard the earthshaking …
Fear/Holiness/Urgency/Rattlesnakes
“SPRING FORWARD!” That’s what many of us will do with our clocks this month, but the advent of warmer weather and more sunshine also puts a spring in our step, and maybe even a song in our heart. In our teachings we have often elaborated upon the fact that our glorious Sun represents God’s glorious Son, Jesus Christ, in His …
