Shane Idleman

One of the hardest jobs is being a Christian leader, especially a pastor. Close friends leave you, others betray you, social media slams you, the world hates you, and demonic forces rally against you. But popularity won't fix the problem.

Westside Christian Fellowship in Southern California arose from a desperate need to encourage Christians to seek God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. The overwhelming response simply reflects the need that we all have for the truths found in God's Word.

Propelled by prayer and passion, Westside went against all conventional wisdom by offering services on Saturday evenings for the first five years with no core team, no affiliation, no formal education, and no money. To many, this looked like an invitation for disaster, not success. But here is the first point:

Don't let your past failures make you think you've caused irreparable damage. Don't lose heart; you will be amazed at what God will do with humility, brokenness, and repentance. You may not be able to change your circumstances immediately, but God can reposition you back into the center of His will: "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." (Psalm 30:5). Take this opportunity now to turn to him, completely, unconditionally, and without delay. Even in this chaos, He is still the King!

One of the reasons why men and women struggle with lust or anger is because they feed those emotions continually throughout the day. It’s difficult to avoid illicit sex and outbursts of anger while continually watching media programs that promote them.

As a matter of fact, many cases of sexual violence can be traced directly back to pornography. What we embrace eventually embraces us. "The more we follow that which is good, the faster and the further we shall flee from that which is evil" (Matthew Henry).

Our ministry often receives email correspondence from desperate wives and mothers. They often read something like this, "I'm at a loss. My 'Christian' husband is verbally and physically abusive. Ironically, he thinks that I'm the problem; he sees no need to change."

My prayer is that MrBeast returns to his Christian roots and that his video collaborator Chris understands that he is loved by God. He, like all of us caught in sin, must repent and trust Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross to cleanse us from ALL sin. Jesus Christ is the only hope for this hopeless world, the only solution for life's problems, and the only way to truly know God.

"For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: 'I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones'" (Is. 57:15-16).

In this amazing passage, it's clear that if we prepare the sacrifice of a broken and contrite heart, God will bring the fires of revival. It's a great reminder that His Word always comes to pass. As the lyrics in a popular contemporary worship song attest, "When all hope is gone, and Your Word is all I've got, I have to believe You still bring water from the rock" (Spirit Lead Me).

How involved Christians should be in politics has been long debated. While many believe it is essential to particpate politics and to fulfill our civic duty, others think the church and Christians have no place in the political arena. Here are five reasons I believe Christians will stay out of politics this year:

Whether it's violence in our streets or perversion in our schools, something needs to change. You know it's true when shock rocker Ozzy Osbourne wants to leave "crazy" America!

One thing is crystal clear in America: If we truly want change, we must re-spark biblical boldness and flame the fires of biblical action. If we won't fight, then spiritually speaking, we will fade away.