We live in difficult days, and the more we attempt to stem the tide of evil that is present in our society the more frustrated many of us become. It is in the midst of this chaos that we turn to 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7. allow me to paraphrase that passage, “Now you know what restrains [the antichrist] now, so that in His time he will be revealed. For the mystery of lawlessness is already working; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. As we struggle to understand why we cannot stem the tide of wickedness in the world, we need to understand that it is not us that does the work it is the Holy Spirit that holds back the flood of evil. Romans 1 reminds us that the “wrath of God” is revealed, not through the manifestation of disasters, but by simply removing His influence from the world. At the same time passages like Job 1:10-12 and Job 2:4-6 reminds us that Satan can not affect us unless God permits it. What a comfort it to realize that in the battle of good vs evil, God has already won, and … READ MORE

People’s sinful nature needs changing, but only God, working through His Holy Spirit, can transform the sinful human heart, through the power of His Word. In 1 Peter 1:3 we are reminded that God, “has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” At death a believers hope becomes reality as they enter the glorious presence of God and the full unhindered, joyous fellowship with the Trinity, the angels, and other saints (Romans 5:1-2) The means of appropriating this living hope and eternal inheritance is spiritual birth, and the power for that appropriation was demonstrated by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Christ rose from the dead, forever securing His children’s living hope in heaven by finally conquering death (cf. 1 Corinthians 15). We need to recognize that as a follower of Jesus Christ we become a new creation, and while we cannot change our spots, God make us something new! We must learn to live in that newness as we experience a metamorphosis from this life to the next.… READ MORE

Today we live in a culture, that believes that no one has the “right” to tell me what I can and cannot do. If the Bible does not speak against a specific act, it is assumed that we can do whatever we want. However, Galatians 5:13-14 reminds us that just because I may have the liberty to do something, doesn’t mean that I should do it. We do not possess a spiritual license to do as we wish. This would be seen as Spiritual “Sadduceeism.” Sadducees were a sect of Israel which taught religious tolerance to the nation of Israel, the problem was that they were only tolerant to those who agreed with them on their “liberty in God” This is part of the reason they hated Jesus so much, because He challenged their doctrine. We need to be careful that we do not desire to exalt ourselves at the expense of others. Demanding my right to exercise liberty, and exercising it at the expense of others, is a sign not of maturity but of carnality. Paul reminds believers in 1 Corinthians 12:31 “that I show you a better way” and then shares with the wonderful instruction in 1 Corinthians … READ MORE