Have you ever heard that phrase, “Prayer doesn’t change God, it changes us”? Frankly, I don’t like that quote. Well, to be precise, I don’t think the quote is nuanced enough. The quote is attributed to Danish Christian philosopher Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855), whose work I generally appreciate, that is, when I understand it, which isContinue reading “Why I don’t like the phrase “Prayer doesn’t change God, it changes us” – Praying in the Spirit, Preview”
Monthly Archives: November 2023
You can have victory over temptation – Sword of the Spirit, Part 5
I started this week talking about Tolstoy’s short story, How Much Land Does a Man Need. Read that post here. The main character of the story, Pahom, is hiking around land for sale. As he hikes, he stakes out the land. He has from sunup till sundown to make it back to his starting stake,Continue reading “You can have victory over temptation – Sword of the Spirit, Part 5”
How to use scripture to fight temptation – Sword of the Spirit, Part 4
I believe we need to have a balanced approach to studying the Word. We need community study where we can study and discuss it together. We need Sundays where we hear the word from preachers and teachers. And we need personal study. Psalm 119:9-11, for example, says, “How can a young person stay on theContinue reading “How to use scripture to fight temptation – Sword of the Spirit, Part 4”
What we can learn from Jesus’ battle with Satan – Sword of the Spirit, Part 3
Temptations pull at me. I struggle with the empty self. It is very easy to desire a new car to replace our 2010. It often feel discontent about my car. But that car continues to get me around. It is super difficult to know when the right time is to pull the plug and getContinue reading “What we can learn from Jesus’ battle with Satan – Sword of the Spirit, Part 3”
What is the Word of God? – Sword of the Spirit, Part 2
Typically we Christians equate the word of God with the Bible. And we Christians do believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God, as Paul writes to his young ministry partner Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is God-breathed.” Certainly, God has communicated his word in other ways as well. We readContinue reading “What is the Word of God? – Sword of the Spirit, Part 2”
Why is temptation so powerful? – Sword of the Spirit, Part 1
Have you heard of the short story How Much Land Does a Man Need? by famed Russian author Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910)? Tolstoy is famous for his mammoth works like Anna Karenina or War and Peace, as well as for his desire to live out Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. But How Much Land Does aContinue reading “Why is temptation so powerful? – Sword of the Spirit, Part 1”
Sword drills in Sunday School class? – Sword of the Spirit, Preview
Did you participate in sword drills as a child in church? Yes, in church. But I’m not talking about swords with metal blades. When I was growing up in children and youth Sunday School classes, we had sword drills with our Bibles. No, we didn’t slam each other with Bibles. Here’s how sword drills worked: AllContinue reading “Sword drills in Sunday School class? – Sword of the Spirit, Preview”
How to protect your mind – Helmet of Salvation, Part 5
There’s one more facet to the Helmet of Salvation. Helmets protects the vital organs in our heads. Primarily our brains, our minds, our thoughts. Like wise, when we are saved in Christ, we have powerful truths protecting our minds. We humans can be pretty tough on ourselves and others, and that cruelty starts in ourContinue reading “How to protect your mind – Helmet of Salvation, Part 5”
How to develop habits for mission – Helmet of Salvation, Part 4
The Helmet of Salvation reminds us that we are saved for mission now. All Christians are called and empowered by God to be actively engaged in his mission now, right we are. This is why in my Substack, I recently discussed the book Surprise the World: The Five Habits of Highly Missional People by MichaelContinue reading “How to develop habits for mission – Helmet of Salvation, Part 4”
The kind of life we are saved for now – Helmet of Salvation, Part 3
As we continue studying the Helmet of Salvation this week, we have been discussing how Salvation has a Saved From direction and a Saved For direction. As I mentioned in the previous posts here and here, while we have great comfort and hope because of the promises of the Saved From direction, we actually liveContinue reading “The kind of life we are saved for now – Helmet of Salvation, Part 3”
Engaging Scripture 