Is it possible for something to be easy and difficult? I think of prayer that way. (more…)

Jesus says that the essence of true worship is that it is (more…)

I have recently struggled with some health issues. I’ve gone to a several doctors and they’ve run lots and lots of tests. Some of those tests showed some little problems, but none of them showed a problem that, by itself, was the complete cause of my trouble. As time has gone by, though, we’re discovering that it is the combination of a few issues that is causing my trouble. It isn’t only one issue - it is several.

What if I had stopped after the first blood test? What if I only treated one of the issues, but not the rest? Well, I wouldn’t be recovering!

In the same way, we are looking in some detail at Ephesians 2:1-3 and letting it do a series of spiritual ‘health tests’ on us. We’ve already seen that it is declaring us spiritually dead and socially ensnared. Let’s not stop there. That may not be the whole problem. Let’s go further - remembering that once we have the complete and accurate diagnosis we can get the complete prescription for spiritual health! (more…)

You and I have an enemy of our souls. That enemy doesn’t rest, doesn’t take a vacation, and is (more…)

Have you ever been afraid? Anxious? (more…)

I remember a time I got a flat tire on my car. I had never changed a tire on that particular car, and it took me a while to find the tools. In my haste to get the job done I thought I had grabbed the lug wrench for the tire, but had actually grabbed the spark plug tool. For those of you who know something about working on cars, you can guess what happened!  (more…)

In our quick look into the book of Ephesians for what I’m calling, Six Crucial Issues of the Christian Life, it is easy to spot the issue of Spiritual Warfare. The Apostle Paul chose to end his letter by putting the reader’s attention on that subject. He said, (more…)

When it comes to spiritual warfare one of the important concepts we must understand is the difference between authority and power. (more…)

There are some Christians, I’ve met many of them, who have faced up to the seriousness of their sin and have received the forgiveness that is in Christ, they know about and practice to the best of their ability the life in the Spirit, and are indeed plugged into a local church in the way that they should be.  They are growing, yet at the same time seem not able to make progress in one area of life. There is an issue of defeat in their life - a repeated failure in a particular area. What is the problem?  (more…)

In Ephesians 4:8 we see that Jesus, our Mediator, is entirely victorious: “Therefore it says, ‘When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives…’”. Leading the captives, Our Lord Jesus triumphantly ascended in great victory. What does His victory mean for you and the potential of your victory? Let’s think about this. (more…)