Many wrongly assume that God's presence has to do with judgment rather than blessing. Is God's presence good or bad? Both … It's frightening in regard to judgment, "The idols of Egypt will totter at His presence" (Isaiah 91:1), but it's very good in relation to His presence in the life of a believer.
The celebration of Halloween creates a lot of division among Christians. Some believe we should completely boycott Halloween, whereas others view it as an outreach opportunity, whereas others want to dress up and hit the streets. This begs the question, “Can we, in good faith, redeem Halloween?”
According to Barna, nearly 72 percent of churches don’t look to the Bible as their final source of authority and direction. No wonder America is crumbling from within; the foundation is deteriorating. The reality is that there is only one solution and it has not changed for thousands of years.
The only hope for our country is to have men and women on fire for God, and those flames are only stoked in the prayer closet. Boldness for the truth comes from persistent prayer, unconditional brokenness, and complete surrender to the will and Word of God.
Two wills cannot successfully live in the same body—our self-will and God’s will. We can’t defeat what we feed. God’s Word states, “For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world” (1 John 2:16).
It's not by chance that God uses powerful words from the pulpits to spark change. The pulpit has always led the way, from promoting God-given freedoms when the nation was born to the abolition of slavery a century later and from turning the tide of liberalism to directing the nation back to God. We find ourselves at a similar crossroads today—will pastors wake up, repent, and turn back to God, or will they continue to be woke but asleep to the things of God?
We hold religiously to the written Word because it is our guide—to test what is being said: “The spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets” (1 Corinthians 14:32). The speaker should be careful since his words must be under, or subject to, God’s Word. If those who look to the Word are accused of quenching and grieving the Spirit, we are reminded that Jesus used the Word of God for finality, discernment, and power. We must do the same.
Should churches use music from Bethel Music, Hillsong or Elevation Worship despite their home churches having questionable theology? Is using the music an endorsement of the music groups' home churches? To offer some clarity on this topic, I’ve put forth a few questions and answers.
Why would we fear encountering God in powerful and profound ways? To be stoic and stiff is fine for a graveyard but not for a dynamic worship service. I wonder if those who criticize charismatic moves of the spirit would be embarrassed if they were in the upper room when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples in Acts 2?
