Tag Archive | Bible Study

Gearing Up for Spiritual Warfare

Question: How should Christians fight back in today’s spiritual battles?

Answer: Start by recognizing when you’re in one. For example, you’re in a spiritual battle when your rebellious teen refuses to stop hanging out with the crowd that’s always in trouble despite your warnings. Or, when your spouse is constantly arguing with you about every little thing and threatening to divorce you, you’re facing a spiritual battle. When your boss is telling you to lie to your clients to get them to buy your product or be fired, you’re in a spiritual battle. When you just can’t seem to stop your addiction to porn, you’re facing a spiritual battle. The way to fight back against spiritual attacks remains the same as always. As Ephesians 6:10-20 tells us, we must make sure that each day, we are putting on the “whole armor of God.” (v.11 NKJV) In other words, we must remember that our God is all-knowing and all-powerful. He can protect us and help us through any situation. Believers must be “strong in the Lord and in the power of His might” (v.10) Christians must take all these battles to the Lord in prayer! (v.18)

But Believers know that the spiritual battles we face are not just confined to those we interact with every day. We are facing spiritual battles as Christians in our communities and nation as well. Our country is moving fast towards taking away our constitutionally granted religious freedoms. For example, public schools don’t want students to mention Jesus in their class assignments. (See the story here) High schools preview the speeches of their class valedictorian to make sure they don’t mention Jesus in giving credit for their success.

Spiritual battles are also being waged using our government. For example, some Christian employers, whose faith teaches that abortion is wrong, are being forced by law to pay for health insurance to cover their employees’ birth control – including those forms that lead to the baby being aborted. (Story here) Private, Christian owned businesses which service weddings are being sued if they won’t provide their services for same-sex weddings. (Story here) These Christians are being forced to support lifestyles God’s Word calls sin. The Bible teaches that God created marriage to be only between one man and one woman, as Jesus reminds us in Matthew 19:4-6. Being forced to support any other definition of marriage would be to force Christians to support sin.

Be discerning as you listen to media figures, politicians, celebrities, those in academia, and others who tell you that standing strong for your biblical values makes you a hater of others or shows your lack of intelligence. They will say that you need to “get with the times.” They may even threaten your job
like they did recently to a Marine who was convicted for failing to remove a Bible verse she found encouraging from her computer. (Story here) Don’t let them intimidate you into going along to get along! As Paul warns us in Ephesians 5:6: “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.” So, don’t let them deceive you into supporting them in their sins and betraying God.

Stand strong in God’s Word and believe in the power of prayer. And be victorious over the spiritual warfare in your life!

(Re-posted from my May 29. 2015 blog post.)

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To them, it’s all just foolishness!

Jun15

Question: What do I do when family and friends make fun of my Christian beliefs?

Answer: Remember that being ridiculed, called names, and ignored is nothing new to those who follow Jesus Christ. In today’s politically correct culture, it’s considered out-of-step with the times to live our lives according to God’s Holy Word. When we say things like, “We support the biblical definition of marriage (as in Matthew 19:4-6),” or that “Children are gifts from God and it is wrong to abort them (Psalms 127:3),” unbelievers react like we are out of our minds. They find it strange that we can actually believe such things. As the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 1:18, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (NKJV)

Also, the world will warn us that if we continue to hold to these beliefs, we’ll risk being called hateful, unintelligent, and backwards instead of being seen as progressive in our thinking. After all, nobody wants to come across as dumb in front of others. Little do they know that God would say that it is them who lack knowledge and that it is them who fail to be wise. Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” When they choose to ignore God’s Word and instead do what is right in their own eyes, they’re saying that they know better than God! Most certainly, they do not! But, as Romans 1:22 says, “Professing to be wise, they became fools…” So, as they promote their sinful behaviors, they need to know they are dishonoring their Creator. And, God will not be mocked! (Galatians 6:7)

Therefore, Believers should take comfort in knowing that Jesus said, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.” (John 15:18) We must not lose hope. Instead, we must continue to pray for the salvation of our loved ones and friends, and that they go on to live a life that is pleasing to God. We must continue to show them the love of Christ and not forget that before each of us accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we were lost just like them.

So, the next time you are attacked for your Christian beliefs, stand strong in God’s Word! Say to them as Paul said in Romans 1:16, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes…” Amen!

(Re-posted and updated from my 6/26/15 blog post.)

Better watch who you let scratch that itch!

Sep5

Question: Some members of our new Bible study group really like that our teacher only teaches us positive and happy lessons. Should I be concerned we’re not being taught the other lessons in the Bible?

Answer: Yes. While it’s natural that most people prefer to hear things that are easier to accept or things that only make them happy, Believers must learn to listen to the entire content of God’s Holy Word. And just as Jesus Christ directed His disciples to do as part of The Great Commission, we are to study the Word to receive all of God’s teachings.

Matthew 28:19-20 quotes Jesus as saying to His disciples, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you…” (NKJV) Jesus wants us to know all the teachings of the scriptures He has left for us!

It’s important that we understand the whole of God’s Word so that we won’t be surprised or confused when things still go wrong or make us unhappy in our lives. By learning the entirety of God’s Word, we’ll know that bad things can and probably will happen to us even after we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We’ll learn that we still sin. That’s why we need to accept Jesus as our Savior. Since we are not perfect, we cannot save ourselves and make ourselves worthy to enter Heaven.

Many people don’t want to learn the entirety of God’s Word because then they’ll have to face the fact the Bible teaches us we must repent of our sins! We read that we must turn from our sinful ways in order to live a life that is pleasing to God. And the truth is, most people don’t want to stop their sinning. Therefore, they don’t want to hear preachers and teachers who tell them about scriptures that reveal these truths.

So instead of listening to sound doctrine, these people seek out preachers and teachers who tell them only about the scriptures they want to hear. For example, most people don’t mind being told to help the poor or that they should be kind to each other. But these same people might get upset when presented with scriptures that show they shouldn’t cheat on their taxes or have sex outside of marriage. They may not like hearing these teachings even though both sets of teachings are true according to God’s Word!

The Bible warns us there will be people like this. In fact, the Apostle Paul tells the young preacher Timothy, “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” (2 Timothy 4:3-4 NIV)

But we must not give in to those who have itching ears. Instead, we must follow the the directive Paul gives to Timothy in verse 2 of the same chapter. He commands Timothy to “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and teaching.” (NKJV)

So Christians, please remember: It’s not about if a Bible teacher’s lesson pleases us — it’s about if that Bible teacher’s lesson pleases God! Therefore, seek out preachers and teachers who present the entirety of God’s Word truthfully!

It’s About Time!

Feb8

Question: I want to spend more quality time with my family and reading the Bible daily, but my day seems to go by so fast. Should I feel guilty?

Answer: Often, people complain about not having enough time in a day to do all the things they want to do. For many people, they really don’t have a lot of extra time if they work full-time jobs and sometimes additional part-time jobs. Or, some people spend their day busy as stay-at-home moms or as full-time caretakers for adults in their homes. Again, these people may find having spare time in their day a challenge.

However, for many people – even people with busy schedules – finding at least some extra time in their day might be as simple as paying more attention to what they are actually spending their time doing. For example, if you normally get up at 6:00am, you could get up at 5:30am instead. That extra 30 minutes could be used for Bible reading.

If you take time after work to stop by a store or run errands, you might be able to spend only one day during the week and part of the weekend doing those chores. Or, cook multiple meals on the weekend, so you can just heat them up quickly during the week. Use this extra time to spend with your family and for Bible reading.

But, if we really want to be honest, we feel guilty because we know that we do have extra time in our day. It’s just that we choose to spend that extra time on other things. We spend that time on things like socializing after work with friends, watching sports, checking out social media, or on other activities. While these things are not necessarily bad, they may be taking a lot more of your time than you realize. Start taking note of how much time you are spending on these extra activities and decide if some of this time would be better spent with your family.

If you really think about it, we usually find time to do the things we really care about – things like favorite hobbies. We must realize that the things we spend our extra time on tend to reflect the value in which we hold these things. And, as Jesus says in Matthew 6:21, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (NKJV)

Therefore, stop feeling guilty, and start making time for the things your heart should truly treasure like God and family! Start today because it really is about time!

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Did Jesus really say that?

Dec15

QUESTION: Did Jesus say that we should keep our religious beliefs private?

ANSWER: No. As Christians, we can’t keep silent about our faith if we are to follow the Great Commission of Jesus. Matthew 28:19-20 quotes Jesus giving this final message to His disciples.

Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. (NKJV)

Since Jesus did say this, then indeed, we are to tell others of the “Good News” of God’s Word. But, we also must remember to pray for God’s Holy Spirit to help us to know the right times to speak about our faith to others and the right times to stay quiet and just pray for them.

God wants everyone to understand that our sin separates us from Him, because He is holy, and the wages of sin is death. But because of God’s great love for us, He sent His Son to die on the Cross to take the punishment we all deserve for our sins.

Jesus rose from death on the third day and lives in heaven. If we accept Jesus as our Savior, ask Him to forgive our sins and repent, and live our lives for Him, we too, will go to heaven one day. See John 3:16.

This salvation is available to all who choose to believe it as the only way to heaven. Thank God for His grace and mercy! We must tell others of God’s great love for them. Pray that they accept His Son, Jesus as their Savior.

Good News like this must be told, not hidden! Jesus said so! Therefore go. Spread His Good News!

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Thank God for second chances!

Jun7

Question: I’m afraid I’ve messed up so many times God won’t forgive me again. Am I right?

Answer: No. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” ( 1 John 1:9 NKJV) God looks at our hearts. He knows when we are being sincere in our requests for His forgiveness or just saying words we don’t really mean. He also knows that we will keep “messing up” at times because we are all sinners. So, as we seek forgiveness, we must also pray for God to help us repent, or turn away from, our sins and live our lives to please Him.

And, just as we want God to forgive us when we sin and give us another chance to start over, God expects us to forgive others. He does not want us to be like the servant described in Matthew 18:23-35. In this story, we see how the king granted one person forgiveness of the enormous debt he owed the king. But, this same person refused to extend that same type of forgiveness to someone else who owed him a much smaller debt. This person ended up suffering punishment for his failure to forgive. In Luke 17:3, Jesus says, “Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.”

However, just because we are expected to forgive, it doesn’t mean we stop being wise. God also gives us wisdom. The Apostle Paul warns us in Ephesians 5:17, “Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” If someone is abusing you or committing some other sin, the Bible tells us that is wrong. That would not be God’s best for your life. You can and should forgive and pray for others without tolerating their sin.

Remember that because God extends His grace to us, He will give us another chance when we mess up. He will forgive us of our sins if we ask Him with a sincere heart. God wants us to repent of our sins and live our lives to please Him. We start to please Him when we accept His only Son, Jesus Christ, as our Lord and Savior. Jesus is the only One God gave us who took the punishment of death we deserved for our sins. Since sin separates us from a holy God, we can only go to Heaven by accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior, asking forgiveness, and repenting of our sins.

Thank God for second chances!

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Are you doing His will or your will?

May11

Question: I’ve been praying to get a job at a certain company for years. I keep applying, but I still haven’t gotten the job. Why won’t the Lord answer my prayers?

Answer: Maybe He already has! Just because you haven’t gotten the answer you want doesn’t mean God hasn’t answered. There could be many reasons you haven’t gotten that job. One reason being that you may not be ready for it due to your lack of having the necessary skills needed. Or, maybe God knows that you need to work at a different company for some reason. The bottom line is that if God wants you to have a certain job, He will make sure you get it. Our God is all-powerful! Also, since He is all-knowing, He knows what company is best for you. Still another possibility is that God does plan to give you a job at that company… just, not yet!

Too often, we think we already know, on our own, what is the best path to take in our life. But we fail to pray for the Lord to guide our thoughts, plans, and decision-making. We must always pray to follow God’s will for our lives even when we find this to be difficult. Hebrews 13:20-21 says, “Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead…. make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” ( NKJV )

Therefore, we must not put our trust in ourselves to plan what is best for us. We must seek Jesus, through prayer, to give us wisdom and direct our paths. Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us why we need to do this. Here God says, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'” (NIV)

Thankfully, we can always trust that our Heavenly Father knows what is best for us. He knows what paths we need to take. He knows the desires of our heart, and He wants what is best for us. So, as we make these important decisions in our lives, remember Matthew 6:33. In that verse Jesus says, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (KJV )

Remember: God knows what’s best. Stay in His will for your life!

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Be careful who you listen to for the truth!

Mar12

Question: One of my college religion professors told us that we should not interpret the Bible as being literally given by God. Is he right?

Answer: No. Your professor is wrong! That’s another reason why we should read God’s Holy Word for ourselves, so we can learn the truth. According to 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (NKJV)

Therefore, your professor can be added to a list of people you must be careful of, when you listen to them, if you are a Believer. The Apostle John warns Christians not to believe everything they are told about matters pertaining to their faith. For there will be many claiming they are speaking moral truths, but in reality, they are lying! (Read 1 John 4:1-6) If they are telling you things that agree with what the Bible says, they are speaking the truth. But if they say other things that go against what the Bible says, they are not speaking God’s truth.

Sadly, instead of using this standard as their moral guide, too many people tend to blindly believe people simply based on the person’s likeability or popularity. That’s why you can find even Believers turning their back on God’s teachings to support the sinful teachings of their favorite celebrities and politicians. These famous people may be intelligent, beautiful, talented, and rich. So people admire and want to support them. And, in the case of the politicians, people may like the promises they make to them and just ignore it when those same politicians are clearly supporting sin. Jesus warns us about these “false teachers.” (See Matthew 7:15-19) Don’t be fooled into listening to their sinful teachings.

The Bible also tells us that people may prefer to listen to those who simply tell them what they want to hear. For example, 2 Timothy 4: 3-4 says, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.” In other words, they don’t want to listen to God.

So, Believers, be careful who you listen to for the truth. Know whether or not you are hearing the truth according to God’s Holy Word. Study the Bible for yourself and pray that God’s Holy Spirit will help you discern the difference between when you are hearing the truth and when you are hearing a lie. Only follow God’s truth!

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Don’t have a Jesus-free Christmas!

Dec4

Question: In the hustle and bustle of the season, how can I make sure I’m keeping Christ in Christmas?

Answer: Even dedicated Christians can sometimes find themselves consumed with every tradition of the holiday season except what’s most important. They can forget that Jesus really is the reason for the season! Christians know that this is the time of the year we choose to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Therefore, we should make the time and make the effort to keep Christ in our Christmas! But, if we know this, then why don’t we do it?

Unfortunately, some Christians can get as consumed with creating the picture-perfect Christmas experience as the world does. They fill themselves with anxiety trying to get the best super sales on the most popular gifts. Adults get worked up over seeing their peers gifting themselves with the latest “must-have” gadgets and new technology. They wear themselves out trying to keep up with the trends of the crowd. They forget to pause, reflect, and be thankful for the greatest gift – Jesus Christ.

Likewise, many Christian families find themselves in turmoil during this season. Married couples fight over which in-laws they are going to spend Christmas Day with. Parents argue over how much money they are going to spend to make sure their children have this year’s hottest toys. They fill the family calendar with so many seasonal activities that they find themselves exhausted. Yet, they fail to make time for the most important things – reading, meditating on, and discussing God’s Word.

Most importantly, during this season of spending extra time with family and friends, too many Christians fail to include in their discussions talk of their walk with the Lord. They tend not to share with their family and friends how God has brought them faithfully through this year. They are willing to talk about everything else but Jesus. It doesn’t have to be this way.

Don’t have a Jesus-free Christmas! See that you and your family are keeping Christ in Christmas. There are many ways you can do this. For example, plan to take your family to a church Christmas program that tells the story of Christ’s birth. While decorating the tree, play or sing Christmas hymns that give praise to our Lord. Make sure to share with your family and friends how God has blessed you this year. And, always make sure your family knows the story of the birth of our Savior. Luke 2: 1-20 spells out in detail how Jesus was born in Bethlehem. This Bible passage may be one you’d even want to read aloud together.

And, have a very Merry CHRISTmas!

Updated from my December 11, 2014 Post

Christians: What you don’t know can hurt you!

Nov16

Question: Most Americans identify as being Christians. But is it true that many of them are unclear about what they believe?

Answer: It’s true if you believe the results of the “State of American Theology Study 2016.” Read about this study in the WND.com article, “American Christians cave on core beliefs.” http://www.wnd.com/2016/10/american-christians-cave-on-core-beliefs/ Too many Christians lack basic knowledge of their own faith. In fact, from reading the results of this study, you might wonder why some of these people want to call themselves Christians at all.

Christians should know that the Bible clearly tells us that we are to believe what is written in the Scriptures and that the Scriptures are given by God. In fact, 2 Timothy 3: 16-17 says, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (NKJV) Therefore, by studying the Bible and praying for God to give them understanding of His Holy Word, Believers will grow in their knowledge of what they are to believe.

Interestingly, the results of this study would indicate that there are many who lack basic scriptural knowledge. For example, 70% of those in this study agreed the God of the Trinity (God the Father; God the Son; and God the Holy Spirit) is the one true God. They agreed that God does not make a mistake and is the author of Scripture. But fewer than half say the Bible is entirely accurate. Maybe this would help explain why 64% believe that “God accepts the worship of all religions” and 60% believe that “Heaven is a place where all people will ultimately be reunited with their loved ones.” Additionally, only 40% believe “hell is an eternal place of judgment where God sends all people who do not personally trust in Jesus Christ.” Maybe the others forgot what Jesus said to certain evildoers in Matthew 23:33 when He said, “Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?”

Sadly, these numbers also suggest that many Christians are confused about their beliefs. In Exodus 20:3, God says, “You should have no other gods before Me.” Since most religions worship other gods, their worship can’t be accepted by our Almighty God. Additionally John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” And, in John 14: 6, Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Therefore, God’s Word is clear that only those who believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will go to Heaven. Since we know that not everyone accepts Jesus as their Savior, we know that not all people will be reunited with their loved ones in Heaven one day — only those who are Believers. Believers are those who know that the Bible says we are all sinners. The wages of our sin is death. By dying on the cross, Jesus took the punishment we deserved for our sins. Only by asking God to forgive us of our sins, repenting of our sins, and accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, will we go to Heaven and not to hell!

Hosea 4:6 says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…” In other words, Christians, what you don’t know can hurt you! So, commit to studying the Bible. Pray to grow in the knowledge and blessings of God’s Holy Word!

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