Satan is sometimes referred to as the accuser of Christian brothers and sisters. The reason for this is that he works against you, Christian, by bringing to mind your sins and failures in an attempt to make you lose heart.

Satan on...

You might expect that people who are far from God would have a much greater awareness of their own sin, but exactly the opposite is true. It is actually those who are pursuing a godly life who have a heightened awareness of their own sin.

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If you judge yourself according to the flesh, you’ll always be looking down on others because you see yourself as having more going for you than they do, or you will always be losing heart, because others have more gifts, talents, advantages, and ...

If you are in Christ, you are a new creation. This is true of every Christian. Being a new creation means that there is more to you than who you are according to the flesh.

• You have been reconciled to God.
• You have been a...

Paul is saying, “I thought of Jesus as a man born into a poor Jewish family, raised in an obscure village, a carpenter who hung out with some embarrassing friends and died early in life.” And in the Gospels, many people dismissed Jesus because the...

Here are five more things that often shape our first impressions of others:

6. Gender: God has made us male and female and this has given rise to many of the cultural debates of our time. How do we deal with the things that...

What does it mean to regard someone “according to the flesh”? It is to form an impression about people from the most obvious things about them. Here are five things that can easily shape our first impression of others:

1. Appearance...

Jesus “died for all,” so there is hope for you. Because everything God has done in Jesus Christ on the cross to change your life and death can be yours today — no exclusions. No one is beyond the bounds of the grace that God has poured out in Jesu...

Have you discovered that being moral and religious will never free you from the misery of living for yourself? Moral and religious people can be as selfish as they come, because being moral and being religious do not have the power to break the de...

One of the barriers that holds many people back from knowing, and being controlled by, the love of Christ is the idea that true happiness can only be found if we are free to live for ourselves.

Living for self is the default life of every ...

The book of Hebrews was written to people who believed in and trusted Jesus Christ. It tells us what is true of us when we are in Christ. In chapter 12, the writer recalls the scene from Exodus 19, the giving of the Ten Commandments, and he says:<...

Now Paul is going to give us one conclusion, and when your mind believes this, the love of Christ will control your heart. Here it is: “One has died for all, therefore all have died” (5:14).

To understand this, it is important to remember t...

Would you like to experience more of Jesus’ love? Here are some common Christian approaches: If I want to have a deeper experience of Jesus’ love...

• I need to rededicate my life to Christ.
• I need to be more disciplined...

What does the apostle Paul mean when he says that Christians are controlled by the love of Christ? Here are some words (in order) that describe how we might experience the love of Christ. Each one is deeper, richer, and fuller than the ones before...

We will glorify Christ forever in heaven, and our great purpose in life is to get started now. Here are ten things you can only do during your short time in this life:

1. All the praying you will ever do is the praying ...

Jesus said these words three times—in reference to our giving, our prayers, and our fasting. He spoke very clearly about the rewards of faithful service.

In the parable of the talents, Jesus told a story about a man who entrusted his proper...

Imagine a university student named John, eating in the cafeteria. He hears about a new course that all first years are required to take: “It sounds like a lot of work!”

“Don’t worry,” says Bill, a second year student, “It’s one of those no...

Every person, including every Christian, will stand before the judgement seat of Christ. But what can we expect to happen when that day actually comes? Some Christians lack confidence at this point, because they lack clarity about their own positi...

The Christian has one life in two parts, and each part has an opportunity and a challenge.

It’s easy to see the challenges we have now: You are living in the tent, and you walk by faith, not by sight. And it’s easy to see the opportunities ...

The life of a Christian is in two parts, and both of them are described as being at home. Right now you are at home in the body. That’s a description of life in this world. As long as you’re in the body, you’ll experience many pr...

Christian brother or sister, God has prepared you for this translation from the tent to the building. He did this by sending His Son into the world to prepare a place in heaven for you. And He sent His Spirit into your heart to prepare you for you...

The home you are living in now is a temporary one—canvas, ropes, and pegs. But you have another home that is more enduring, more substantial. The date for moving into your new home has not yet been given, but it is already known to God.

The...

Destroying the tent is a description of death. The tent will be taken down. One day, God Himself will slacken the ropes, pull out the pegs, and the house God has given you will be destroyed.

Paul says, “If the tent that is our earthly home...

Maybe you are an enthusiastic camper. Forget the fancy hotel or renting a motorhome; your idea of a good time is to put up your tent, build a fire, and roast some marshmallows. Paul was a tentmaker, which is likely why God brought this image to mi...

When the apostle Paul talks about “the tent that is our earthly home,” he is talking about your body. Notice, Paul does not say that your body is like a fort, or a castle, or a battleship. He says it is like a tent with canvas, ropes, and pegs. It...

You might read these words and think, Really? How am I supposed to live in a world like this and not lose heart? How can I face the pressures all around me and not be discouraged?

The answer is previewed for us at the end of chapt...

We have been talking about how to avoid a plunge to disaster. Here is a true story from the awful Titanic disaster back in April of 1912.

There was a pastor on the Titanic by the name of John Harper. He was pastor of a church in Glasgow, wh...

Maybe you are struggling to live with the guilt of what you have done. You cannot forgive yourself. You do not see how God could forgive you either. That’s where Judas was.

Come to the cross. Jesus has a crown of thorns pressed into His hea...

While Peter was standing outside the house of the high priest, someone identified him as a follower of Jesus. Peter must have been terrified that he would also be arrested and tortured.

He denied Jesus three times, and then “he began to inv...