How Can And Should A Christian Apologize?

I hate to mess up! Even worse, I hate to apologize. Am I unusual? I don’t think so. I recently asked a group of Christians how many believe an apology is the mark of a good Christian and a good leader. They we...

Why Do Some People Love Jesus, But Don't Like The Bible?

My wife, Kasi, and I have five children. Our oldest two are both girls, eleven and six, and they both love to play with Play-Doh. They have all the colors and all the tools necessary to mold, shape and build a...

10 Things You Should Know About Temptation

Temptation does not end when you become a Christian. It begins. That isn’t to say non-Christians aren’t tempted, but the primary target of Satan’s seductive devices are the children of God. We...

Are Christians Starting To 'Idolize' Coffee?

There is no doubt that coffee is big business. This is no more apparent than in the Christian community. Coffee has become something of a hallmark of Church services. If you don't have coffee available, be it filter or spe...

We Need To Stop Wasting The Time We Have In Church

“When you come to appear before Me, who requires of you this trampling of My courts? Bring your worthless offerings no longer, incense is an abomination to Me…. I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn ass...

Stop Trying To Balance Your Life. Do This Instead.

Have you ever wondered how some people balance everything? God. Family. School. Marriage. Friends. Career. You’ve tried hard to find it, a balanced life, but most days you think you’re more likely to...

Greg Laurie Offers Three Biblical Ways We Can Conquer Worry

Worry affects everyone, to varying degrees. Some people are more concerned by certain things than others, but everyone battles worry in some area of their lives. Perhaps you are worried about your health, your...

Six Promises for When You Feel Abandoned By God

Caleb stirs from his nap with red eyes and a cowlick that stands straight up in salute to the sun or praise to God – I’m not sure which. I always wondered why mothers of boys let their little ones run wild...

Parenting Perfection And What Our Kids Need Most

Many mommy blogs and parenting articles are about what we can do (or should do) for our children. We read articles, blog posts, and books about making our kids more grateful, ways to show them more grace, wa...

How To Live A Life Free From Regret

What does a regret-free life look like? Is it even possible? Several years ago, Bronnie Ware attempted to answer that question. She interviewed hundreds of people, most in their final days on earth. The result of...

10 Things You Should Know About Christian Meditation

The word “meditation” has developed something of a bad reputation in certain Christian circles. In this article I want to reclaim it as one of the essential spiritual disciplines for all believers. (1) Meditation begin...

John Piper: "If You Get The Gospel Wrong, You Perish!"

If anyone is preaching a false gospel, 'let him be a curse,' says Pastor John Piper, citing Galatians 1:8. Teaching a false gospel is serious business, and must be firmly responded to. There is only one gospel, and that is th...

Joyce Meyer: 'Jesus Never Defended Himself, And Neither Should We!'

We spend a lot of our time defending ourselves. But do we really need to engage in this? Often times, it is an exhausting activity that brings little to no joy. Plus, have you noticed that Jesus never felt compelled to def...

Small-Minded Christianity Has Got To Go

I’M TIRED OF SMALL-MINDED CHRISTIANITY It troubles me that many people who claim to be Christians live with limited, powerless, finite thinking. How is this even possible? I mean, how do people who claim to h...

Show Me Your Friends and I’ll Show You Your Future

People often ask me what the “secret” to enduring faith is. They want to make it all the way with Jesus, but they’re afraid that something might derail them along the way. When they ask this, I...

Max Lucado Explains A Biblical Way Christians Can Deal With Anxiety

Max Lucado is releasing a new book, 'Anxious for Nothing,' where he tackles the issue of worry and anxiety that plagues the lives of so many Christians on a daily basis. In a new video, Lucado explains some of his Biblica...

Five Good, Strong Biblical Reasons Not To Fear

The Lord Jesus Christ took it personally when those closest to Him ordered their lives according to fear. A cowering believer is an oxymoron, a contradiction in terms. Faith in the Heavenly Father should banish all fears...

10 Ways Christians Can Fight Depression

Christians get depressed too—even pastors. I know because it’s part of my story. Years ago, my family and I went through a series of difficult events. I was hurt. I was bitter. It led me down a dark roa...

Why The Lord Is So Rough With Some Of His Best People

“O you of little faith!  Why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:31). The teacher is hardest on the best pupils. The Master Teacher is hardest on the Star Pupil. The coach is in the face of the player wit...

Kris Vallotton: Why You Should Laugh Yourself Silly Today

SERIOUS JOY Christians should be the happiest people on the planet! Think about it—Jesus prayed, “I come to You [Father]; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in...

5 Things Most Christians Say (But Shouldn’t)

Every culture has jargon, common words and phrases that mean something to those in the group. I’m not against these phrases. Some commonly used phrases, however, are more than a tired collection of wor...

5 Ways To Build Spiritually Resilient Kids

I used to think I wanted successful kids. Part of me still does. When I gather with family or friends, I like to brag about my kids’ most recent accomplishments. Noah, my oldest son, scored five goals in his first soc...

What Character Has To Do With Your Annointing

Have you ever wondered why revivals burn out? I have so much respect for God’s generals who have gone before us in healing ministries and miraculous movements, but sadly many of the people who lead them didn...

When Sin Goes From Shocking To Amusing

“Remember ever, and always, that your country was founded by the stern old Puritans whose first act on touching the soil of the new world was to offer on bended knees thanksgiving to Almighty God” (p...

Why A Lot Of Professing Christians Never Attend Church

“Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together”–unless, of course, the Lord reveals to you that you are the church, as one lady said to me. Or, that you are smarter than the preacher, the...

6 Truths For Anyone In A Season Of Waiting

Waiting rooms suck. One particular time, I found myself in a waiting room after my youngest son, Micah, slashed his ear on a bookshelf.I walked into the ER at our local hospital around 10 a.m. Micah was in pain but han...

3 Common Christian Phrases That Are Distinctly Unbiblical

As Christians, it can be easy to get into the habit of saying certain phrases we have heard around the Church. But do we ever stop and assess whether these are actually Biblical? It is important that we are not just...

When Faith Ceases To Pray, It Ceases To Live

2 Chronicles 7:14 is easy to quote, but hard to apply. Sadly, many say, "This verse doesn't apply to us anymore" as if God isn't concerned with prayer, humility and repentance: “If my people, which are called b...

When You're Struggling For Air, Breathe Deep The Kingdom Of God

As Hurricane Irma edges ever closer to the east coast of Florida, weary Americans are gazing at the forecast and watching two other tropical storms morph into fully blown Hurricanes. 'When will it end?' they ask. H...

The BIG Problem With Marriage

In the book, Sacred Thirst, the author writes, “The bride and groom are standing in front of everyone, looking better than they are ever going to look again, getting so much attention and affirmation. Everybo...

Rick Warren: 'God Is Closest To Us In Our Pain'

Many seem to think that the Christian life is an unending experience of joy and delight. But that is just not true. Christians, like anyone else, experience heartache, pain and suffering. The difference is, we believe that G...

Why There Should Never Be Another Bored Christian

Some of the best advice I received when we first started planting Grace Hills came from Todd West, who planted Oasis Church in North Little Rock. Todd said, “Don’t give people posit...

How To Conquer A Horrible Habit You Hate

I’m never more disgusted with myself than when I continue to practice a horrible habit I hate. There’s hardly anything that frustrates me more. Yet sometimes the habit is so entrenched, I just cannot see...

Why Your Perseverance In Hard Times Matters More Than You Think

Sometimes it takes a long time for God to act suddenly. We hear testimonies of God healing people in an instant, but often forget the months or years that they had been praying for that breakthrough. Today’...

Rick Warren: God Wants Us To Choose Holiness Over Happiness

When it comes to how we live our lives, God is always calling us to holiness. A holy life is very pleasing to God, and scripture calls us to look beyond our temporary and fleeting desires, choosing instead to "be holy as I am...

Why Every Christian Needs A Christ-Centered Church Community

I learned at a young age that church attendance was a moral issue. If you missed Sunday morning for any reason, you weren’t that serious about God. Miss two Sundays in a row, you were lost, the eternal k...

4 Spiritual Practices To Combat Shallowness And Superficiality

I pulled out of my driveway when I realized I made a beginner’s mistake. I needed directions to the nearest Lowe’s and forgot to let Waze know. With my butt squarely in the road, I had no choice but to...

Two Reasons Christians Should Stop Saying 'All Sin Is The Same'

It is a common Christian phrase: 'all sin is the same.' But is that technically true? Whilst all sin is offensive to God, and is damaging to ourselves, it is not always the same in its effect or its seriousness, as Dr. Josh Buic...

This Advice From Bill Johnson Will Transform Your Bible Reading

Reading the Bible is an essential element of living the Christian life to its fullest. Too often, the busy-ness of life just gets in the way, and we can easily go weeks without picking up the scriptures even once. So, how can...

10 Things Every Christian Should Know About Demons

Last week we looked at ten things we should know about angels. Our focus was on good and holy angels, those who persevered in their obedience to God. But what about demons? Although fallen and rebellious, they,...

Joyce Meyer Has A Perfect Piece Of Advice For Anyone In Crisis

We have all experienced crisis in our lives. With so much uncertainty, there is bound to be an occasion where some sort of difficult situation befalls you. So, how will you respond? Well, preacher Joyce Meyer has some so...

We Must Learn To Deal With Our Online Outrage In A More Christ-Like Way

There is a lot to be angry about in the world today, and with technological progression enabling twitter outrage and lengthy Facebook rants, we are spoilt for choice when it comes to venting our rage. Be it the polit...

5 Steps To Building Intimacy With Christ

5 Steps to Building Intimacy With Christ As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. - Psalm 42:1 Julian of Norwich was a medieval follower of Christ. In a day of darkness where form so...

Christian Jargon Is Undermining Our Gospel Message

If you have been a Christian for any length of time, you will probably have come across some christianese - a fluid term for many of those phrases that only someone who has grown up in Church would understand....

How Purity Leads Us Into The Fullness Of Life With Christ

Purity has been a topic that has been on my mind for months now. It doesn’t just mean not having sex until you are married. It means so so much more. Purity is something that this world seems to be seriously...

My Big Criticism Of Christians On Social Media And The Hope I See

I unfollowed yet another person on Facebook today. It was a pastor. I actually agreed with what he was saying in his video, but it wasn’t providing any hope or help. He was talking of the importance of churche...

Kris Vallotton: 4 Ways To Hope In Hopeless Situations

Pastor Kris Vallotton gives us 4 Ways we can hope in hopeless situations.  When Ezekiel entered the valley of dry bones, the outlook was bleak; death hung over the battlefield like a thick dark cloud of gloom. Then...

The Cure For A Superficial Faith

I’ve been a subscriber to World magazine for as long as I can remember. Some have referred to it as the Christian version of Time magazine. Actually, it’s a lot better than Tim...

10 Things You Should Know About Repentance

Repentance is a massively important spiritual issue that calls for careful study and clear articulation. Here are ten things to remember about what it means to repent of our sin. (1) Genuine repentance begins, but by n...

Kris Vallotton: How To Get Rid Of A Performance Mentality

Do you feel stretched beyond measure and constantly tired? Do you feel like no matter what you do, you just can’t seem to measure up? I believe that performance is a struggle that every generation has had t...

Should Pastors Drink Alcohol?

A few years ago, I attended a conference where pastors were encouraged to meet at a pub after the general sessions. A few of these pastors could exercise their liberty, but why publicly? I wondered how many peop...

Kris Vallotton: Getting Free From Judging Others (Or Yourself)

We’ve all been there, looking at someone behaving in a way we never would, and sneakily the voice of judgement comes in: “What are they even thinking? How could they do such a thing?” And befor...

Gossip Is The Subtle Sin That Needs To Stop NOW

Gossip. We have all done it. Inadvertently or not, it is so easy to gossip. It doesn't affect you, it can be fun, and the person in question is none the wiser, right? Wrong. There is so much that is damaging about goss...

22 Things Christians Need To Stop Doing...Now!

Christian preachers are often talking about the "mission" of God's people, and this is absolutely right. Christians have a lot to do in this world, and our task to make disciples and take the gospel to the nations is immedia...