It would seem from the correspondence that I get, the general feeling across the board is that the world is becoming a more troubled place. Economic times are hard, society is moving farther away from God, it seems overall Christianity is increasingly attacked and open aggression against believers is on the steep rise.

I was asked this weekend the question, "how can you really know you are genuinely saved?" This is not a question about "once saved always saved." (eternal security). This question, more fully would go something like this: "Is there any way I can look at my own life and person, and know for sure whether or not I'm genuinely saved?"

By examing some If-Then-Else examples about the Christian life, you'll recall them readily, and be able to explain them to others more concisely.

We spend great amounts of time learning to coach sports, learning how to run businesses, how to be personally successful... we should invest equal or greater time in learning the basics of Christian living.

Part of the maturing process of Christianity is exchanging our flawed concepts of God derived from flawed humans, and by an act of will, correcting our concept of God by applying His revealed Truth. We CHOOSE to believe what is true, and when our feelings say otherwise, we recognize this discrepancy and rebuke the incorrect feelings.

How many of these words can you define or explain related to Christianity? Think about these words now, and see if they mean more to you after we study each one.

The battle for Truth is a battle for the eternal destination of men's souls. Should we haphazardly or casually accept the idea that each man gets to pick and choose their own truth? Or do we discover the real Truth, and defend it with all our heart and soul?

Liberty in Christ is one of the greatest blessings God has provided. It frees us from the bondage of religion and men, it frees us from fear, it allows us to enjoy a life of freedom in Christ. It is not a license to sin or abuse other's liberty. In order to enjoy our freedom and allow others to enjoy theirs, we must learn what Christian liberty is from Scripture and how to properly exercise it

On the one hand we live in a world that it getting scarier, meaner and deadlier. It is a fearsome time of growing wickedness and extreme intoleration of true Christianity. It's not fun, but it IS a time of great joy and expectation because each day's evil headlines, startling tragic events and growing threats all serve to remind every true Christian of one thing: our Redemption draws nigh! Jesus is coming to get us, and He will end all this wickedness once and for all in the end. Amen and amen, Lord come quickly!

My intention is to draw your attention to what God thinks about lukewarmness. The good news is that God makes it clear that He loves the people He wrote this warning too about being lukewarm. So you can be sure He loves us too and simply warns us for our own good.

As sinful humans, we often act as if we don't know something that we either should know, or that we know and aren't paying attention to. When the Bible stops and asks "do you not know?" it is in essence saying, "you better know this, and you better start getting in line with it". I know that's not the nice King James way of saying it. When you see in the Bible "do you not know?" then pay attention because you can bet it is something you need to be aware of.

The concept of eternity is worth our time spent contemplating it. The idea of "eternity" is important to think about because it gives us hope and excitement when we more fully understand what an eternity in heaven means. And it is equally important to sit and imagine the reality of "how long" eternity is so that it will develop in us the natural and appropriate dread we should feel when we contemplate an eternity of punishment and condemnation, absent from God's love.

We desperately need true Godly leaders today. The Church has once again been mesmerized with the worldly way of doing things, and has embraced materialistic and humanistic ideas about leadership. We are at a time where Christians need to turn back to God's Word and find out what He has to say about leadership even if it flies in the face of the world's declarations.

To be able to respond in love and compassion to an attacker takes a willful decision AHEAD of time. Rarely are we ready to respond instinctively with patience and understanding if we simply react to an attacker. We must decide proactive NOW to respond in love THEN. We can save ourselves so much stress and aggravation if we respond in righteousness to those who attack us rather than respond through our flesh with revenge and defensiveness.

Have you ever turned to God in the first place? Do you see a need to turn to God? Or perhaps RE-turn to God? If you're not turned to God, who are you turned to? Yourself? Your job? Sin?

Paul is commanding us, without apology/explanation/excuse: If you are discover a fellow Christian who is caught up in sinful behavior, then the spiritually mature Believers should gently confront them with the idea of restoring their relationship with God, and their place in the Body of Christ; but be careful and alert when you do it so that you will not be tempted to sin yourself in some way, whether in attitude or action.

If you are not growing spiritually, it might be that you are not obeying God in all things. If you lack assurance of your salvation, or feel distant from God, obedience is the most likely reason. If you are a new Christian, then obedience is your first step and learning to obey God will become the primary characteristic in your life that will allow you to grow as a Christian.

All things are possible for the Believer. The trick is, you have to be diligent to find out what *all things* are, which are found in God's Word. This is a promise that is just for believers.

Discernment is a primary Christian skill which is becoming increasingly critical as religious deception and choices expand dramatically. It is something that we should be developing in our own lives, and actively passing on (discipleship).

Sin is easily one of the most imminent subjects in the Bible. No wonder that we hear little about it. Sinful humans tend to ignore, in proportion, the things that are most important to God.

As Christians, we are quick to agree that ''God is faithful'', but can you explain what that means? Do you understand why this is such an important concept? If God is not faithful, and we are not 100% committed to the fact of God's faithfulness, it leaves everything about our Christianity in question. In a world of increasing hopelessness, God's faithfulness is the one thing that we can hold on to for security and real hope.

The Bible has many unpleasant topics. I call them "distasteful doctrines". These are being neglected today by churches and Bible teachers and that's a shame. They are a vital part of Christianity. Over the next few days we will take a look at what God has to say about hell, sin, liberty, church discipline, God's jealousy and wrath, and the exclusivity of Jesus Christ.

If moral purity is to be long term and effective, then the heart must be changed responding in faith to the hearing of God's Word. And so it is my intent to share God's word with you on this issue, and make it real by suggesting tools, ideas and practical ways to help you become and stay morally pure.

Modesty is God's solution to our shame; a shame that comes from our sinful nature. That shame can only be ignored after it is desensitized and suppressed. Modesty reflects our attitude about sin. As time goes on, and the world speeds towards a modern 'Sodom and Gomorrah', modesty will increasingly define the Christian from the world.

This is the Gospel that our country needs to hear, and perhaps we will repent, as individuals, as families, as communities and as a nation; then God will hear, and heal our land and bless our homes and nation.

There is a lost and dying world all around you, who at ANY SECOND could die a thousand different ways and be instantly in the flames of eternal hell. If that was true about you and you didn't know it, wouldn't you want someone to tell you?

We need encouragement. It is our nature. We live in a sin-cursed world full of hurts, sorrow, dissapppointment, pain and trouble. God comforts us. We comfort each other. We are family. We will be together for all eternity. It's okay to start acting like it NOW.

Repent! For the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Change your purpose in life, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Change your motives and intentions, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Change your behavior and how you live, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

The name of Christ will be finally, and willingly, uttered by every person.... but for the Lost, the Sweetest Name will forever remain the 'Rejected Name'.

In each part of this series, we will look at one characteristic of the Christian life that, when present, is a solid testimony to the authenticity of one's salvation. We will also look at one evidence that can be present in a Christians life, that may or may not denote true saving faith.

When it comes to knowing God's Will about those things that are plainly and directly addressed in Scripture... Find out what the Bible says, and do it. Okay, that wasn't exactly original or earth shattering, but it is beautiful in its simplicity and incredible in its effectiveness.

Life is tough. If you read that and think that it doesn't apply to you... just wait a little bit, it will. Trials, suffering and hard times come to every single person born into this world. So it is never really a question of why do bad things happen to good people?, the real question is why do bad things happen?... because adversity visits every single human and shows no favoritism. You can't wish it away, close your eyes and ignore it, or buy your way out of it.

How does this kind of life sound to you? Refreshed and re-energized; Full of wisdom; Joyful; Pure and enlightened; Consistent and righteous; Rewarding and fulfilled

Hard times at home, but full joy. Trouble at work, but full joy. Disappointment in other people, but full joy. Health problems, but full joy. Life is just not going well, but full joy.

Proverbs 30 is a great chapter, one of my favorites. The first six verses convey a deep understanding of man compared to God. It sets mankind in proper perspective when comparing ourselves to the Creator of the Universe.

God decides who to bless materially for His own purposes. It is not our place to pronounce that wealth is wrong. It is always our place to learn what God has to say about wealth and change our lives accordingly.

As Christians, we have the divine power of Jesus Christ that gives us ALL (not part, or some) things that pertain to life and godliness. How? Through the knowledge of Him who called us... which is the essence of a great deal of our failures: lack of knowledge (Hosea 4.6). We don't lack knowledge however because of God not giving it. We lack godly knowledge due to our own sinful non-pursuit of it.

With regards to influence and physical stature, man is an insignificant speck when compared to all of creation. We're a speck compared to the town we live in much less compared to the whole earth, or the entire universe. The unbelieving world would have us to believe it all ends with that conclusion. If mankind is nothing but a product of chance and time, then the world is correct: we are nothing but a speck of insignificant dirt and in reality there is really no reason to live at all because in the scheme of things you will live, suffer and die.. the end.

In this day and age of prescription drugs, syndromes and professional therapy, I sometimes wonder how anybody who lived before the 20th century was ever happy. Without support groups, Oprah and pharmaceutical companies, it's a wonder anyone even got out of bed. The Apostle Peter declares that the divine power of Jesus Christ has given us all we need to live a godly life. The Apostle Paul declares that Scripture is sufficient to instruct us in all ways about living a fulfilled life of good works and Godliness (2Timothy 3:16-17).

The great leader, Moses, was nearing the end of his life. God was giving Moses final words and instructions to pass on to the Israelites. The choices they faced are still very much applicable to us today, particularly as individuals. We have a choice between righteousness or sin; obedience or disobedience. Chapter 28 of Deuteronomy specifies blessings and consequences for the nation of Israel that hinged on their actions as a nation.

In this series of devotionals we will examine what it means to fear the Lord and rediscover this truth that was so central to Christianity until recent times. If the Bible concludes that it is the "conclusion" to the whole question of life, then it should be well worth our effort to find out what it means.

Did you know there are certain facts about you that became true the moment you trusted in Christ and you became a new person in God's eyes? These facts are nothing short of wondrous and awe inspiring! A proper understanding of them will allow us to overcome discouragement and live with joy in all circumstances (2Cor 6.10). When our flesh rises up to defeat us, speaking words of despair and tempting us to quit, we must drown out that flesh-inspired voice and recall the FACTS about being a Christian. These facts will quickly render our flesh powerless to quench our spirit!

We live in a sin-corrupted world that is growing more evil by the moment. There is NOTHING in this physical life that can bring more than just a few moments of fleeting happiness. Nothing. Life on the horizontal plane of existence is doomed to disappointment. Then why bother at all? Because there IS an answer... but it’s not the one most people want to hear.

We continue our Sword Training today looking at what the Bible has to say about itself. To start with, let’s look at some Biblical claims that leave no room for a “neutral” opinion that the Word of God is a “good” book, but not inspired or authoritative.

God has not left his soldiers defenseless and unarmed. We have a weapon at our disposal that when properly used, cannot be defeated by any attack the Enemy can produce. But a weapon that is not used, used improperly, or that you don’t know how to use, is truly ineffective and powerless. Sin and Satan are the enemy. The Sword of the Spirit (the Bible) is our weapon. If you are being defeated by sin, you need a sword, and sword training. We would think someone foolish who would fight a battle without a weapon, and yet sadly, this is the reality of most Christian soldiers who war against Satan with weak or non-existant weaponry.

Purity is a subject that is woven into every facet of the Bible from cover to cover. Purity begins with, and is the essence of God. Man was originally created pure, and for those of us who have put our faith in Christ, we will return to total purity upon meeting Jesus in eternity, even while we strive toward purity in this life.

Jesus had a way of making things simple. The phrase 'take up his cross' had instant and vivid meaning to those who were listening to him that day. Over the next few days let’s see what is involved in 'taking up your cross' and following Jesus.

Does God exist? This is one of the most asked, most wondered about and generally most poorly answered questions in all of history. Could you answer someone today if they asked you?

In this hour of all-but-universal darkness one cheering gleam appears: within the fold of conservative Christianity there are to be found increasing numbers of persons whose religious lives are marked by a growing hunger after God Himself. They are eager for spiritual realities and will not be put off with words, nor will they be content with correct `interpretations' of truth.

The entire Christian existence is an exercise in denying yourself for the sake of God and others. It is the choice to love God and love others.

The Lord did not leave us without clear instruction concerning how we should live. The Word is not ambiguous towards exclaiming who or what pleases God. We will not have as our defense that we “weren’t sure” what was expected of us as His children.

As our understanding in these four areas increase, our prayer life will cease being a burdensome duty (1John 5.3) and become an exciting (Phil 1.3), powerful (James 5.16), fulfilling (Acts 10.31) part of our existence that is as natural, enjoyable and satisfying as eating, drinking or breathing.

From the outset there is a fundamental “fork in the road” when it comes to a belief in salvation.  The direction taken depends on a person’s deep-seated belief in man’s condition. The two possibilities, theologically speaking can be summed up as either man does have an inherent, innate ability to turn to God by his own choice and power, or he does not.  This question by default determines the overall nature of one’s belief concerning soteriology, manifesting itself in what is commonly differentiated as Arminianism or Calvinism.

Can a Christian experience TRUE happiness?  Or is the Christian to be consigned to a life of vacillation, meandering in the depths of guilt and frustration, occasionally rising to highs of joy and sporadic satisfaction?  Does God consign us to a life of misery and boredom, or does He know the perfect path to true happiness, contentment and satisfaction?

Learn about the events and suffering of Jesus during the last few days of His life. Draw closer to the Lord when you find out the depth of His sacrifice for us.