Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. (Hebrews 12:1-2)   What I am asking you to do at this time in your life is not difficult: 1. Throw off everything that hinders. Look at every aspect of your day and ask the simple question, “is this hindering me?” If it is, then throw it off. 2. Run with perseverance. Press through the hard times and be determined to…

Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. (1 Timothy 4:7-8)   I want you to continue to train yourself in godliness. No training is required for me to love you and save you, but training is essential if I am going to use you to build my kingdom. To be trained in godliness is to learn to take dictation and to see everything through the eyes of Jesus. To be trained in godliness is…

Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness and who seek the LORD: Look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn. (Isaiah 51:1)   The people in Isaiah’s time could only look to Abraham as the rock from which they were cut, but now every human can look much farther back to the one who is the fulfillment of the law and prophets, Jesus the Son and the firstfruits of what humanity is meant to be. When a church is visited by seekers, they don’t really know what they are seeking (that is why they are called seekers) and it is…

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)   If my peace is not guarding your heart, it is because you are not – in every situation – presenting your requests by prayer and petition in thanksgiving. I haven’t asked you to solve every problem, I want you to present every problem to me in petition. Only then will you have the peace that you must have to be an influence over those around you. I…

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery … for in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Galatians 5:1,6,13-14)   The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself in love. That is a concise…

“So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. For when we were in the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death. But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.” (Romans 7:4-6)   This is…

For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. (Psalm 51:16-17 ESV)   This is the greatest sacrifice that you can make for me, not the “burnt offerings” of busyness or works or religion, but a broken spirit and a contrite heart. The sacrifice of a broken spirit is not the same as a crushed spirit, it is one that is voluntarily broken open to allow my Holy Spirit to come in. It is indeed a breaking process, and…

Your love, LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep. You, LORD, preserve both people and animals. How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light. (Psalms 36:5-9)   My love and my faithfulness towards you truly reach to the heavens, it is without condition and it is unchanging for all eternity. Come this morning and…

LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens. Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. (Psalms 8:1-2)   It is the praise of even the weakest ones that establish a stronghold against your enemies. If the praise of children and infants can silence the foe and the avenger, what can mature praise accomplish? Every time that you worship me you are building a stronghold that cannot be breached. Open your life again to songs of praise and continue to worship me with soaking…