How Clean Are You—Really?
Do you ever stop and ask yourself: Do I feel clean?
Not just outwardly—but deep down, in your soul?
For many of us, the feeling of spiritual cleanness is tied to behavior. When we’re “doing well”—praying, avoiding sin, helping others—we feel good, maybe even righteous. But that kind of cleanness is temporary. Sooner or later, we mess up. We get angry. We get selfish. We fall short. And just like that, the clean feeling fades.
Others take a more theological view. They know—on an intellectual level—that they’re clean because of what Jesus did on the cross. His death paid for their sin, so they’re positionally righteous before God. And that’s absolutely true. But knowing you’re clean in theory doesn’t always make you feel clean in practice.
Even in Jesus’ day, people wrestled with this. The Pharisees obsessed over staying outwardly pure. They avoided anything—or anyone—that might defile them. But Jesus called them out. He said, “It’s not what goes into you that makes you unclean—it’s w...
Today, Bolster Your Identity in the Lord
Is It Time to Refresh Your Identity in the Lord?Â
Did you know that the greatest battles in your life aren’t really about your circumstances? At their core, they are battles over your identity.
From the beginning, the enemy’s strategy has been to attack our identity by distorting our relationship with God. In the Garden, he led Eve to question God’s goodness—painting Him as a liar and a withholder. His goal? To make her feel lacking, inadequate, and disconnected from her true identity. (Genesis 3)
Fast forward to Jesus in the wilderness, and the enemy used the same tactic. Every temptation—about provision, authority, and significance—was an attack on Jesus’ identity as the Son of God. (Luke 4:1-13) Adam and Eve believed the lie and lost their footing, but Jesus stood firm, choosing to trust His Father completely.
How Do You Deepen Your Identity in Christ?Â
It’s not about pretending to be stronger or more faith-filled than you are. Instead, it starts with raw honesty. Sit with G...
Take Hold of Your Future
What are your plans for the future? Is there anything you want to accomplish or become? Is there anywhere you want to go or anything you want to do?
Have you given much thought to what God may have planned for you? He prophesied through Jeremiah that He knew the plans He had for the people of Israel. (Jeremiah 29:11) And, He knows His plans for you too. For, “You are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for you to do.”(Ephesians 2:10) He has things planned for your future.
The apostle Paul wrote near the end of his ministry that he was pressing on to take hold of that for which Christ had taken hold of him (Philippians 3:12) God wants us (like Paul) to lean and press into the purposes for which Christ has taken hold of our lives.
We may imagine that Christ takes hold of us to accomplish His work, but God has more than work in store for us. He is primarily after relationship and wholeness. He saved us - He wants us to walk with Him ...
How To Know If You Have Enough Faith
How much faith do we need to have for it to be “enough” in God’s eyes?Â
What do we need to understand and believe?Â
Is there a specific body of truth statements or a theological construct we must grasp and affirm?
When Jesus spoke to people He often used images, metaphors and similes. He spoke of intensity and commitment. He said people needed to love Him more than their parents and more than their children. He said they needed to be willing to die for Him to be worthy of Him. (Matthew 10:37-38)Â
Worthiness here is not a matter of performance or accomplishment, but of treasure and focus. We must prize the Kingdom and focus on (prioritize) our relationship with Jesus above and beyond anything or anyone else. Jesus used strong, direct and bold language - to make a clear, undeniable point: The priority of Jesus and the Kingdom is everything.
The question isn’t how much faith you have, it’s about how central and focused your faith is. Is your faith centered on what God has/hasn...
Does Your Obedience Feel Burdensome?
Have you “fallen” in love with anyone – I mean really in love? When that thing comes on you, your life changes. Everything else – even important things – seems to wane. Life in many ways gets put on the back burner, and you become practically obsessed. When your mind wanders from your tasks, it generally goes toward the person of your great affection. And, you find yourself willing to pay great prices to be with that person. You are willing to drive/travel long distances and go without much sleep to be with him/her. Almost nothing can hold you back.
This love-behavior is true of our relationship with God, too. "This is love for God: to keep His commands. And His commands are not burdensome." (1John 5:3) We ultimately express our love to God through our obedience to Him. Love and lordship are one and the same in relationship with Christ. To love Him is to recognize and relate according to who He actually is, the Lord. We grow through obedience and we remain close through obedience. Obe...
Are You Growing Weary?
Most of us who come to Christ do so when we are facing difficult times. We come when we are in great need. We are hoping for change in our circumstances and/or within ourselves. Â
Why don’t we often come to God when we are in a “good space”? It’s probably because, when things are going well, we tend to be content in our self-reliance. We call out to God when relying on ourselves isn’t working anymore.
Life can still be tough – even when do we rely on God. The apostle Paul encourages those who are living in Christ, “Not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9)
Why would people who have learned to rely on Christ become weary in doing the right things?  It’s because we all are prone to lose focus.Â
                              
It could be that we really want to see things change as a result of our good work. We keep our eyes on the change we hope for, and when we don’t see it, we ...
A Simple Step to Release God's Kingdom as you Go!
When Jesus walked the earth, He declared that the Kingdom of God was at hand. He could do this because He was living under the rule and reign of His Father in Heaven. He said,
 “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” (John 5:19)
Jesus lived, died, rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. He purchased for us the same kind of relationship He had with His Father in heaven. He opened the door to life in the Holy Spirit in a way that had never been understood or experienced before. So now, wherever you go, you can also declare that the Kingdom is at hand – if you know Jesus. His rule, resources and insights are with you – God Himself is with you!
The next time you go to work, you can declare, “The Kingdom of God has arrived, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against its advance through me.” Once you have made such a prayerful declaration and believed it you...
