Fulfill God’s Will: Who Controls My Destiny?
There are three belief systems. 1. God is in control. Some believe God is in control of everything that happens on the earth. This cannot be true because bad things frequently happen. Hurricanes, tornados, floods, tsunamis, wars, car accidents, and disease are not part of God’s nature. God is a good God, yet bad things […]
Fulfill God’s Will: God Celebrates Your Choices
God celebrates your choices, as long as they line up with God’s revealed will as found in the Bible. God gave Adam and Eve a great gift. It was the gift of free choice. We are not robots. We have the ability to make our own choices. God is excited to go along with many […]
Fulfill God’s Will: Will God Give Me Specific Directions for My Life?
Are you expecting God to give you a road map or a compass heading for your life? A road map contains specific directions to a specific destination. If we sit around asking for God to give us a map we will wait around for years. Waiting for God to give you a detailed map for […]
Fulfill God’s Will: What is the Difference Between the General Will of God and the Specific Will of God?
There is a general will of God and a specific will of God. The general will of God is like a circle. The specific will of God is like a small dot within that circle. The Bible reveals the general will of God; our actions help us find the specific will of God for our […]
Fulfill God’s Will: Are You Sitting Still or Moving Towards God’s Will For Your Life?
There are two kinds of Christians: the sitters and the movers. “Let’s talk about ‘The Sitters’ first. Their motto is, ‘I do not move without God’s guidance.’ Those who hold to this philosophy wait and pray until God shows a way. They rarely move without a clear sign or instruction from God. Those who follow […]
Fulfill God’s Will: How Does God Direct My Steps?
We can plan what we are going to do, but once we start moving, God will direct our steps.” Proverbs 16:9, “‘In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps” God wants to direct our movement or steps. God cannot steer a parked car. God will use your movement, even […]
Fulfill God’s Will: How Do I Decide Who to Marry?
Do you believe God allows us free choice concerning the person we are supposed to marry? Do you think there is one perfect spouse for me or do you think that there are many different girls I could choose to marry that God would approve of? Once I was interested in girl. I felt God […]
Fulfill God’s Will: Am I Waiting on God or is God Waiting on Me?
Start Moving and God will Direct Your Steps We can plan what we are going to do, but once we start moving, God will direct our steps.” Proverbs 16:9, “‘In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps” God wants to direct our movement or steps. God cannot […]
Fulfill God’s Will: How Should I Make Decisions?
If you had to purchase a new car, how would you decide what color to buy? Would you wait for God to speak to you in a booming voice, “BUY the BLUE car.” Let me tell you how I would make that decision. If buying the blue car is Option A and buying the red […]
Fulfill God’s Will: What Should I Do if I Make a Mistake?
Are you scared of making a mistake? Some people stop doing anything for fear that they would do the wrong thing. But I think we should take action and move, even if we might make a mistake. Psalm 37:23 says, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.” The next verse, Psalm […]
Fulfill God’s Will: Are You Scared of Making Mistakes?
Some think being in God’s will is like walking across a tightly-strung tightrope over a deep crevasse. They start at one end of the rope and gingerly take tiny balanced steps until they reach the other side. Even a slight deviation to the right or left can lead to a nasty plunge as they cautiously […]
Fulfill God’s Will: Should We Wait for God or Begin to Move?
Is it better to wait on the Lord or to move on the Lord’s behalf? Those who want to wait on the Lord might point to the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10? Martha was stressed running around and preparing food for Jesus. Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus spending time […]
Fulfill God’s Will: What Are Important Questions to Ask When Making a Decision?
15 Questions to Ask to Discover God’s Will What does the Bible say about what I want to do? Has God given me specific instructions concerning this decision? Do I have peace about this decision? What is the voice of the Holy Spirit saying? What do my mentors say about this decision? Will this harm […]
How to Fulfill God’s Will | Does God’s Word Reveal God’s Will?
God’s will for your life is hidden within the pages of His Word. If you obey God’s Word, you will be fulfilling His will for your life. It is never God’s will for us to do something contrary to His Word. If your course of action is against God’s Word, then it is against God’s […]
Revival Fire | How Can I Spread the Fire of God?
Fire on the day of Pentecost The purpose of the Holy Spirit’s fire can be vividly seen in the account of the day of Pentecost. John the Baptist had promised that Jesus would “…baptize…with the Holy Spirit and with fire” (Matthew 3:11). Jesus promised this baptism of the Holy Spirit to the disciples immediately before […]
Revival Fire | How can I Keep the Fire of God Bright in my Life?
Once upon a time, there were a bunch of monkeys living in a forest. When men came to the forest, the monkeys were intrigued by the fires the men built. As the men sat around their campfire, the monkeys would longingly watch the beautiful, sparkling fire. When the men went to bed, the monkeys would […]
Revival Fire | How does Satan Attack an On-Fire Christian?
How Satan tries to put out the fire Satan will attack the on-fire Christian with everything in his arsenal. If outright trials and tribulations do not work, he will employ subtle distractions and excuses to slowly quench the original fire. Here are some of the tricky techniques Satan will use to try to quench your […]
Revival Fire | Have you Lost the Fire of God?
Some like it hot, some like it cold… “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm-neither hot nor cold-I am about to spit you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:15-16). Jesus, the faithful and true witness, spoke these […]
Revival Fire | How is God Like a Fire?
Throughout the Bible, fire is used as a symbol to portray God. As I was writing this, I asked myself, “Why is fire used to represent God?” After thinking about the question, I realized that God reveals Himself in the physical world as a fire, because the hot, intense, burning of a fire expresses, in […]
Revival Fire | Are You Spreading the Fire of God?
Fire on the day of Pentecost The purpose of the Holy Spirit’s fire can be vividly seen in the account of the day of Pentecost. John the Baptist had promised that Jesus would “…baptize…with the Holy Spirit and with fire” (Matthew 3:11). Jesus promised this baptism of the Holy Spirit to the disciples immediately before […]
Revival Fire | How does Satan Prevent Christians from Spreading God’s Fire?
Fire by its very nature spreads. A fire that is not spreading will go out. In the same way, a Christian that is not spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, will begin to cool down and eventually go out. Fire spreads When I was nine years old I saw a house on fire. With bells […]
Revival Fire | How Can I Catch the Fire of God?
Recently, I went on a mission trip to the country of Jamaica. Our group experienced powerful ministry at churches and evangelistic crusades. Hundreds of people were saved and many miraculous healings were reported. The days in Jamaica were extremely hot and quite humid, so as we walked through neighborhoods inviting people to church, we quickly […]
Revival Fire | What is the Fire of God?
The fire of God is the burning passion which exists in the hearts of those who are committed to serving God. This fire creates an appetite for righteousness. Fire produces love, reverence, and passion for God. Fire is found in the fervor and intensity of worship. Fire falls when God’s children yearn to be […]
Grace Wins | Why do we need both Grace and Truth?
Jesus was full of both grace and truth. John 1:14, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” Our preaching should also be full of both grace and truth. When we preach about grace we reveal […]
Grace Wins | Does the Holy Spirit convict us of sin?
Romans 8:1 proclaims, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.” After I preached on this verse one time, a friend asked me, “But doesn’t the Holy Spirit convict us of sin?” “Yes,” I had to say, “That’s true. But there is a major difference between Satan’s condemnation and the Holy Spirit’s […]
Grace Wins | Should we keep the Ten Commandments?
I don’t think the grace empowered believer should throw out the Ten Commandments. Several times, Paul mentions the Ten Commandments. For example in Ephesians 6:2, Paul tells children to honor their parents. If the Ten Commandments were passed away, why would Paul be mentioning them? However, our understanding of the Ten Commandments is to be […]
Grace Wins | Why is the Law of Love the Strongest Law?
Laws let us know when we are doing something right or something wrong. In order to illustrate this, let’s consider the speed limit. Often when I am driving around town, I see a sign that says, “45 MPH.” The sign informs me of the speed that experts think should be maintained for that […]
Grace Wins | What is the Most Radical Verse in the Bible?
Recently, I was invited to share at a Bible study. One man stood up and prophesied that God was about to judge America. He announced, “Because America has allowed abortions, homosexuality, and blatant sexual sins, God is angry at America.” He continued, “In Deuteronomy 28 there are five curses for every blessing. If you do […]
Grace Wins | Under grace, does it matter what we do here on this earth?
1. When Jesus returns, we will be rewarded for everything we have done on the earth. “For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works” (Matthew 16:27). While the word “rewarded” usually has positive connotations, here it does not have […]
Grace Wins | Is God Judging Me?
The truth is that there are three different types of judgment—past, present, and future. Past judgmentFirst, there is a judgment that has happened in the past. This is the judgment for sin that Jesus paid for at the cross. God poured out all of His wrath and anger on Jesus. Since Jesus paid the full price […]