Steve's Blog
You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless? James 2:19–20 (NLT)
Faith and belief are closely interrelated in Scripture. At times, the words are used interchangeably in various translations. Jesus talked about “little faith.” Some people, along with demons, have enough faith to believe that there is one God, but “saving faith” must go f...
And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives. Jude 22–23 (NLT)
Our mission field is filled with great opportunities while simultaneously confronting us with hazards and dangers. We need to see how important it is to keep our eyes on the Lord and draw close to him for our strength and support while we do our mission.
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It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 1 Thessalonians 4:3 (NIV)
“Saved, sanctified, and filled with the Holy Ghost!” It was not unusual in the churches I grew up in to hear people begin a testimony with that declaration. Is sanctified a word that has, for the most part, disappeared from our vocabulary? How many people know what it means? Is it still necessary?
The dictionary tells us that to be sanctified is to be set apart for a sacred pu...
Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness, for without it no one will see the Lord. Hebrews 12:14 (NET)
It is time to renew a conversation about holiness. The reactions will vary from “what is holiness?” to “isn’t holiness about not wearing makeup and jewelry, were not going to the theater?” It is a subject fraught with opinions, informed or otherwise. And yet, the Bible emphasizes its importance as critical and essential.
If we take Hebrews 12:14 seriously, ignoring holiness would put us in...
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You meant to hurt me, but God turned your evil into good to save the lives of many people, which is being done. Genesis 50:20 (NCV)
One of the first movies I remember seeing in the theater was the “Sound of Music.” In that movie, Julie Andrews sang the song “My Favorite Things.” The favorite things enumerated in the song are not extravagant, lofty, or expensive items but relatively simple things like “raindrops on roses, and whiskers on kittens,” and so on.
Likewise, my favorite words may...