Let’s review some of the reasons why prayers may not be answered. These aren’t the only reasons, of course (i.e., God may simply say “No” to your prayer), but they are some of the warnings we find in Scripture. Also,…
April 17, 2025
We look here at another example from the Book of Daniel about how Daniel himself handled a severe test of his faith (see Dan 6). Before we start, I want to point out that Daniel is a great source of…
The story in the Book of Daniel about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego in the fiery furnace is hugely inspirational to me (see Dan 3), as they demonstrated calmness, courage, and rock-solid faith in the face of what surely looked to…
Another source of anxiety can be trying to force things to be done in our timing instead of the Lord’s. When there is a mismatch in that area, it creates tension and stress within our minds that can lead to…
Another source of tension is trying to force our will to be done instead of the Lord’s (Mat 6:10). If you are anything like me, you get up first thing in the morning, ready to get started on the day…
The “natural man,” which is still in us even after we are born again (1Co 2:14; Rom 7:23), tends to have much anxiety centered around care and concern for the material things “of this world.” , Notice that…
Not only has Christ “set you free” (see Joh 8:31–32; Eph 4:8; Rom 6:6; 8:2) from bondage under sin, Satan, and death, but He has also given you “a spirit of adoption” into His family (Rom 8:15; cf. 2Ti 1:7),…
One further aspect of living in the Spirit is having a correct priority between the things of this world and the things of God (and heaven). An untold amount of anxiety, stress, worry, and grief is caused by overly prioritizing…
This chapter effectively continues the prior chapter, “Understanding God,” because how well you “trust in” God is intimately tied to how well you understand Him.…
The next step on our journey toward overcoming anxiety, worry, doubt, and fear is to make sure we have a correct understanding of God—His nature, power, presence, might, intelligence (wisdom), love, majesty, holiness, and so on. This understanding is essential…
In this chapter, we journey through some of the names used for each Person of the Holy Trinity. Please keep in mind that this is not an exhaustive list of all His names found in the Bible.
In historical times and…
Let’s review what happens at your baptism. It is at baptism that your sins are forgiven, as Scripture clearly states: “Be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins” (Act 2:38; “wash away your sins,”…
As Christians, we are called to “walk by faith, not by sight” (2Co 5:7) and to “walk [live] by the Spirit” (see Gal 5:16, 25). To “walk” means to live, obey, practice, progress, and advance daily in “the Way”…
The life of a Christian is one of continuous repentance (1Jn 1:5–10; 2:1, 28; 1Co 9:27; cf. Jas 5:16; Heb 4:16; 7:25) and avoidance of deliberate, willful, and repeated sin. The child of God must still confront and prevail over…
This chapter explains that “obedience” (see Joh 3:36; Act 5:29, 32; 6:7; Rom 1:5; 15:18; 16:26; Heb 5:9; 1Pe 1:2, 22; cf. Mat 7:21–27; 12:50; 28:20; Mar 3:35; Luk 6:46–49; Act 7:39; Joh 8:31, 51; 14:23–24; Rom 2:13; 5:19; 6:16;…
This chapter continues the study of obedience by examining the role that “works” (“bearing fruit”) play in the plan of salvation. This is a lengthy chapter, for we must confront and clear away the rampant and widespread false teachings…
While Jesus has already done His part, we must also do our part and “persevere” in faith until the end. This is a lengthy chapter, as we must review several topics so you don’t “come short of” (Heb 4:1) your…
While God speaks to us through His Word, prayer is how we speak with our “heavenly Father” (Mat 5:48; 6:14, 26, 32; 15:13; 18:35; Luk 11:13). Prayer is the central element (the glue, if you will) that ties together the…
There are three types of peace for a Christian: 1) Peace with God: This is a heavenly peace (Rom 5:1–2; 8:6; Psa 119:11, 165; cf. Rom 5:10; Eph 2:13; Col 1:20–22). We enter this peace when we are born again…
The “wise” (Pro 1:3, 5; 8:33; 10:14; 12:15; 13:14, 20; 23:23; Psa 16:16; 107:43; Jas 3:13; Eph 5:15; 1Co 10:15) Christian’s heart directs him to seek “the wisdom from above” (Jas 3:17), which leads to “eternal life” and the…
All Christians should have a basic understanding of “the kingdom of God” (Mat 12:28; 19:24; 21:31, 43; Mar 1:15; 10:14; Luk 4:43; 6:20; 7:28; 9:2; Rom 14:17; 1Co 4:20; 2Th 1:5; cf. Col 1:13; 1Th 2:12; Rev 1:6, 9; 5:10),…
We must put on the full armor of God so we can “stand firm” in our faith; failure to do this can lead us to be unprepared to “fight the good fight of faith” (1Ti 6:12) in the world in…
This page summarizes the Gospel (the NT plan of salvation), which is the "message of truth" (Eph. 1:13), the path to "eternal life" (Matt. 19:29; 25:46; John 3:15-16; 6:40, etc.), and "the faith which was once for all [time] handed…
“Being a Berean” is a paraphrase of Acts 17:10–11, meaning to study the Scriptures “daily” to see what they say and to compare everything you read and hear against what is written in Scripture. Scripture calls that type of person…
The Church which christ founded. First, while the title for this chapter isn’t technically correct, I’m using it here because that is the terminology most people are familiar with.…
Now, you will hear much disagreement among men about the Gospel and Plan of Salvation that I have explained to you, but we must approach God on His terms and as instructed to in Scripture, not however men, committees, conferences,…
We must not take our eternal salvation lightly or for granted or just casually stroll toward heaven. Scripture instructs us to “test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about…