Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Forgiveness”
How many times has our opposition charged against us at full strength, seemingly to shred us to the smallest of bits, and then dance upon the shards? More than once it has been human opposition – we remember their names and faces, and their words and tones. Beyond the human foes, there is Satan, along with his army, who every …
The promises of God are fuel for the soul. I love the history of the bible because it provides context for my faith. Prophecy in Scripture helps me to know what is coming so that I may be prepared in this life before it ends, and before I give a final account for my life to my King. History and …
Raising children is an ongoing adventure that comprises a major part of most of our stories. To parent well over the long haul is no easy task. These precious bundles that are conceived in a moment of pleasure are usually raised with years of challenge. Amy and I have two awesome children, Alicia and Landon. We have raised them intentionally. …
“Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” – Luke 23:34 Man’s worst moment had arrived. Roman spikes had been driven through the hands and feet of Jesus Christ, pinning Him to terrible timbers. A naked spectacle hung before human eyes that ranged from the raging to the reverent, the Lamb of God …
Will you say these words with me? These are bible words, inspired words, human words…words reserved only for the redeemed. You need to say them as often as necessary and as confidently as you can. Read them carefully. Read them out loud, and then read them out loud again as you recognize that they convey what is, perhaps, the most …
Unforgiveness is the illegitimate child who springs forth from the unholy union of Hurt and Fear. Here’s how this birth occurs in an individual’s life: Some form of pain comes to us which catches us off guard. A wound quickly opens and throbs there while we seek to regain our balance and understand what has just happened to us. We …
Weakened? Forgotten? Seeking to move on from a personal fumble? Exhausted with life, people, barriers and breakdowns? I have earned a Masters Degree in those areas. More than once in my life, I have needed the help of God in my season of spiritual suffocation. “We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, …
Most of you well-know the account of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Growing up in America we have been exposed to the facts of the Gospel, especially here in the Bible Belt where many of you were raised. Whether or not we have staked our souls on the claims of the Gospel is an entirely different matter…but most of us …
A decade is far too long a time to be locked up. From 1984 to 1994 I spent every single day – morning/noon/night – incarcerated. During those years I went to school, attended raucous parties, traveled in and out of my home state of Georgia, earned a living, took vacations and poured my life into reckless pursuits. Nonetheless, my soul …
In a very simple illustration during Sunday’s message, Father gave breakthrough to many people. I should not be surprised because the moment in the message was basically a last minute thought which hit me about an hour before I was to preach the morning service. It was not elaborately planned nor sermonically scripted. I was not even confident that I …
He came to His own but they did not desire to receive Him. He offered them the Way but they turned in a different direction – the wrong direction – and loved their lostness as they spurned His way. He came to them as the Truth but they denied Him and prosecuted Him with lies. As the Life, Jesus came …
Sometimes the Lord declares. Sometimes The Almighty thunders truths punctuated with an exclamation point. Many times He promises and swears oaths. On occasion, when God wishes to impact us…He sends some questions our way. In rare but unavoidable moments He demands answers from us. “O my people, what have I done to you? How have I wearied you? Answer me!” …
In your heart there needs to be an assurance of a right standing before God. Guilt in our hearts produces doubts in our minds which can, over time, undermine the prospect of joy and reality of spiritual potency in our lives. Zechariah was an Old Testament prophet who, 2500 years ago, received a series of intense visions from God. In …
The week of Easter affords Christians a opportunity to recognize a calendar holiday that is uniquely our own. Somehow Easter has avoided the mark of secularization that hijacked Christmas from its original intent. Easter is exclusively about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, twin pillars of the Christian faith. My hope is to spend much of this week …
The song below says most of what I want to say in today’s post but, as you listen to Tasha Cobbs hammer it home, I want to tell you that I’m blessed to know exactly what she sings about. She’s singing about a great change that we all need. She’s belting out some gospel-soaked lyrics that testify of a …
Sometimes the Lord declares. Sometimes The Almighty thunders truths punctuated with an exclamation point. Many times He promises and swears oaths. On occasion, when God wishes to impact us…He sends some questions our way. In rare but unavoidable moments He demands answers from us. “O my people, what have I done to you? How have I wearied you? …
God always was God initiated creation God made man God loved man Man knew God Man loved God Man obeyed God Satan hated God Satan targeted man Satan deceived man Man doubted God Man loved man Man defied God Man committed sin God loved man Man feared God Man avoided God God sought man God confronted man Man …
My kids love it. Well, for that matter, so do I. I hope to encounter some of it this Christmas and I will likely hide it for my own pleasure. Taking it in hand and twisting it with all my might, I plan to experience sheer delight at the loud pop-pop-pop-pop that will scare my dogs and annoy my sweet …
Yesterday, over some ridiculously delicious Sunday afternoon Mexican food, I was discussing with those at my table the various ways the members of the Lyle family awake in the morning. Highly unusual for a boy his age, Landon springs out of bed as soon as enough sunlight enters his room and his typical demeanor is that of a warrior desiring …
My little boy was my instructor last night around 9 PM. He’s been devouring a new “bible” that I bought him and placed in his little hands on Saturday with the promise of $50 if he reads the whole thing. It’s not an actual bible but more of a pictorial book which gives a very broad summary of scriptural accounts …
How would you classify your conscience? Some posses a sensitive conscience which pierces them quickly and deeply each time they transgress. Others among us have a dulled conscience which has been insulated through layers of unseen callouses, built up through years of willful sin. There are also Christians who have the experience of the Holy Spirit’s conviction of wrongdoing while …
Trouble. Nobody wants it. When it comes, nobody welcomes it. Everyone likes to see it go away. Trouble. We have trouble with people, trouble with money, trouble with our bodies, trouble with our emotions. There is political trouble, international trouble, cultural trouble, relational trouble and military trouble. My sweet little girl got in a little trouble with dad last evening. …
Walking into my office this morning, my attention was drawn to an object perched right outside my door, directly in the light from the streetlamp. As I took a few steps closer I realized that I was looking at a large brown toad who was enjoying the predawn moisture from the sidewalk as he must have been pondering the origins …
If you wish to connect with another believer then I encourage you to find a prayer partner or two. No other expression of our faith does more to bind two hearts together in purpose than the activity of prayer. Praying two weeks ago with a friend, I heard him open his intercession by saying some words that have stuck with …
This is for any and all who have bowed their hearts in trust to Jesus Christ: you need to be very careful not to make the following mistake. If you give in to this particular temptation it is really going to cost you. Precious components of life such as peace, joy, rest, gratitude, praise and selflessness will be forfeited quickly …
