Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you. You live this way already, and we encourage you to do so even more. For you remember what we taught you by the authority of the Lord […]
Read MoreCategory Archives: Encouragement & Healing
For Those Who Live with Regret
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 May I offer some pastoral advice and compassionate counsel? First, you cannot undo the past; don’t try. I meet folks rather regularly who think […]
Read MoreGeneral Facts from God’s Word, Part 3
People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy. Proverbs 28:13 Here is the fourth important fact from God’s Word related to the subject of abortion. Fact four: Recovery and return to a fruitful life is God’s desire for all of us. Our heavenly […]
Read MoreAccept God’s Forgiveness
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1 Today I want to write to you who have had an abortion. I hope my words will help you. I also write to you who have aided in an abortion medically . . . or have encouraged someone you love […]
Read MoreBe Armed with Facts and Courage
For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7 An enormous amount of emotion swirls in the abortion arena, as it has for decades. In light of conflicting voices on the horizon and the undeniable reality that the issue isn’t going away and […]
Read MoreStick with the Scriptures
I solemnly urge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who will someday judge the living and the dead when he comes to set up his Kingdom: Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching. (2 Timothy […]
Read MoreThe Hammer, the File, and the Furnace
It was the enraptured Rutherford who said in the midst of very painful trials and heartaches: Praise God for the hammer, the file, and the furnace! Let’s think about that. The hammer is a useful and handy instrument. It is an essential and helpful tool, if nails are ever to be driven into place. Each blow forces them to bite deeper as the hammer’s head pounds and pounds.
Read MorePain
They called him Old Hickory because of his tenacity and grit. His mother chose Andrew on March 15, 1767, when she gave birth to that independent-minded South Carolina rebel. Wild, quick-tempered, and disinterested in school, Andrew answered the call for soldiers to resist the British invasion at age thirteen. Shortly thereafter, he was taken prisoner. Refusing to black an enemy officer’s boots, he was struck with a saber—Andrew’s introduction to pain.
Read MoreConfessing Despair
In David’s dark song of depression, recorded as Psalm 142, the king confesses his deepest feelings of isolation and despair. When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, You knew my path. In the way where I walk they have hidden a trap for me. (142:3) David feels enveloped or wrapped up in his depression, so much so his spirit feels faint and feeble.
Read MoreOpening to God
The raw emotion of David’s prayer in Psalm 142 comes through clearly in his choice of words. In his Cave of Adullam, the beleaguered future king struggled with depression and shrieked heavenward. I used to wonder why we ever needed to utter words in prayer since God already knows all our thoughts (Psalm 139:4). Then one day I stumbled across Hosea 14:1–2.
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