Your Life is Being Determined by Your Choices
Your circumstances do not determine the quality and the direction of your life. Your choices do.
Read more → Readings
In this theme
Stop Seeing Yourself as a Victim
If you really want your life to count . . . If you really want to live your life to the fullest . . . If you really want to make significant changes and get your life on the best path, then you…
Read more →
Blame Cripples You
"Until a coaching client accepts responsibility for where they are in life, including their own health, there is little movement toward improvement. When blame and victimhood are shed, when the…
Read more →
No Escape from Consequences
"Until a coaching client accepts responsibility for where they are in life, including their own health, there is little movement toward improvement. When blame and victimhood are shed, when the…
Read more →
To The Ones Who Overcome
I remember attending two days of meetings in which Heidi Baker was speaking. In the first meeting, I noticed that she was wearing an all-black outfit. I think it stood out to me because of its…
Read more →
Conquering the Desire for Wealth and Power
Jesus gave us a key to conquering covetousness in his encounter with the rich young ruler.
Read more →
The Pursuit of Wealth and Power
There is nothing wrong with wealth and power. God gives these to certain people who have the maturity of character to be able to steward wealth and power without being corrupted by it.
Read more →
The Third Temptation
“Again, the devil took Him up on a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory [splendor, magnificence, and excellence] of them; and he said to Him, ‘All these…
Read more →
Overcoming the Second Temptation
The first Adam fell, along with his wife, when they deviated from what God had directed them to do, and decided to go their own way, convincing themselves that they knew better than God about what…
Read more →
Waiting on God
The second temptation tries to get us to move out of sync with God—either to move ahead of God, or to move in a different direction from God, or to stay where we are when God is moving.
Read more →
Jumping Ahead of God
The second temptation often comes to us at times when we feel pressure to make something happen, and God does not seem to be doing anything.
Read more →
The Second Temptation
"Then the devil took Him into the holy city and placed Him on a turret (pinnacle, gable) of the temple sanctuary.
Read more →
Overcoming the First Temptation
Our appetites must always be kept in subjection to the higher call of God. This may mean delaying satisfying our needs for food, as Jesus experienced in the wilderness, or the companionship of a…
Read more →
In God’s Time, According to His Will
In His first temptation in the wilderness, the devil tempted Jesus to satisfy His needs, but it was not in God’s way, and it was not in God’s time, and so it was not in God’s will.
Read more →
When Ministers Fall
There have been many believers who have fallen to the first temptation. Many Christian leaders have fallen to this temptation and have put their own needs and desires ahead of God’s will and His…
Read more →
Taking Down the Highly Gifted
Samson was the most gifted minister on the face of the Earth in his day. He was consecrated to the Lord as a Nazirite from the womb. His miraculous birth was announced by the Angel of the Lord who…
Read more →
The First Temptation
“And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, ‘If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.’
Read more →
The Three Temptations - Part 1
There are three temptations that we must overcome in order to be entrusted with God's ministry and prove ourselves faithful in it. We may see these temptations as originating with Satan, but if we…
Read more →
Be Prepared and Alert at All Times
Whenever Jesus experienced the slightest hint of temptation, He instantly sprang into action with the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit to protect Himself from the lies and to overcome…
Read more →
The Truth About Temptation
In general, Christians have a wrong concept about what temptation is.
Read more →
Take Every Thought Captive
Jesus is very wise. He knows that if we even allow our thoughts to focus on cravings from our old habits of our old lives, we’ve already lost the battle. The way He said it was that when that…
Read more →
Reject Thoughts of the Old Life
“Do not lie to each other. You have left your old sinful life and the things you did before.”—Colossians 3:9 (ICB)
Read more →
“But I Enjoy This Sin”
In his Victory Seminar, Jamie Lash shared a dialog that he had with God. In his prayer, Jamie said, "OK, Father, I understand that truth sets free, but I don't want to be free. I enjoy this sin.”
Read more →
The Romans Road to Freedom
Romans 6-8 are key chapters for anyone who wants to overcome bad habits and addictions. These chapters not only reinforce the truth of our freedom from sin, but they give us specific guidance for…
Read more →
Strongholds Must Be Torn Down
Strongholds are lies that have taken the place of truth in our personal beliefs.
Read more →
Replace the Lies with Truth
Years ago, I contacted Jamie Lash to ask permission to include links in my writings to his teachings about freedom in Christ. I had two reasons for wanting to link to his teachings. First, his…
Read more →
Expose the Root Lie
If you have been born again to new life in Jesus and your heart and mind are filled with truth, there is no way for bad habits and addictions to have any power to enslave you.
Read more →
Put Off the Old and Put On the New
Any thoughts or actions that used to lead you to engage in bad habits in the past need to be replaced with thoughts and actions that lead you in a positive, healthy direction. You can kill those…
Read more →
Exchange Your Old Life for the New
A wonderful exchange happened at the time of your baptism in water. Your old self that was addicted to bad habits and was a slave to obey the lusts and cravings of those habits was buried, never…
Read more →
Power to Do What You Could Not Do Before
When you receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, you receive power to do what you could not do before and to be what you could not be before. The difference was clearly seen in the lives of the…
Read more →
Receive the Power of the Spirit
Years ago, I worked in a department where almost all of the employees were professing Christians. They went to church on Sundays. Many of them were involved in church ministries. They taught Bible…
Read more →
Be Baptized
Once you are born again, it is especially important that you are baptized. Baptism is a necessary next step in your new life of freedom from old habits and cravings.
Read more →
You Must Be Born Again
To be completely free of all bad habits and addictions, along with the cravings that keep you bound to them, you must be born again. It is pointless to try to use willpower to overcome bad habits…
Read more →
Set Yourself Apart for God’s Higher Purposes!
Jesus said, “I tell you the truth: John the Baptist is greater than any other man who has ever lived.” (Matthew 11:11 ICB)
Read more →
A Modern Nazarite
When William Branham was a 7-year-old boy, as he was carrying buckets of water across his family’s property, he was captivated by a whirlwind that seemed to be caught in a particular tree. As he…
Read more →
Qualifying for Greater Things
Keeping yourself clean from anything that would defile your body may not seem very important, but it is actually a key to living a godly spiritual life and qualifying for God’s higher purposes.…
Read more →
A Failed Nazarite
Samuel became a highly respected prophet and priest to the nation of Israel, accomplishing great things for his people. Taking over from the corrupt leaders of his childhood, he remarkably turned…
Read more →
The Nazarite Vow
In a time of corrupt governmental and religious leaders, a baby was born to a woman named Hannah. This baby boy had been greatly desired, and yet, before he was born, his mother gave him back to…
Read more →
The Power of Choice
Choice is a powerful thing. God gives us the power of choice and allows us to use the power of choice to direct our lives, for good or bad. If we use our power of choice to direct our lives down a…
Read more →
The Law of Sowing and Reaping
“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit…
Read more →
Missing Out on the Good Life
“Everything is permissible for me, but not all things are beneficial. Everything is permissible for me, but I will not be enslaved by anything [and brought under its power, allowing it to control…
Read more →
Prophetic Prayer Outreach
Do you ever doubt that you can hear God clearly? Do you ever wish that you could be sure that it is really God speaking to you and not your own thoughts? Do you wish that you had more confidence…
Read more →
What Happens to the Sun-Clothed Woman?
We saw that the Overcomers, the Firstfruits of the end-time harvest, were caught up to God in Revelation 12:5, before the time of the Great Tribulation. But what happens to the Sun-Clothed Woman,…
Read more →
Different Destinies in the Kingdom of God
The overcomers will experience greater rewards, greater privileges, greater authority, and greater responsibilities than other believers. Jesus clearly stated this in each of His letters to the…
Read more →
Qualifying for the First Resurrection
We have a lot of distractions in our lives today. There is much going on in our world that is disturbing. These distracting and disturbing images try to pull us in. They try to demand our…
Read more →
The Life of a Bond Servant
There are two Hebrew words in the Old Testament for "servant." The word sakiyr denotes a hired servant. The Hebrew word ‘ebed is the word for bond servant. In the New Testament there are several…
Read more →
The Bond Servant Commitment
There are at least two kinds of servants listed in Scripture, and there are two kinds of servants to God. Most are hired servants. A smaller number make the commitment to become bond servants.…
Read more →
He Who Has an Ear to Hear
For years I have wondered why some people seem to have a fairly good grasp of the book of Revelation, while others seem to have no clue about how to even begin to understand it. And there doesn’t…
Read more →
Visualize Destiny in People
“Jesus looked at him and said, You are Simon son of John. You shall be called Cephas—which translated is Peter [Stone].”—John 1:42 (AMPC)
Read more →
A Tale of Two Prophets
John Alexander Dowie had an amazing healing and evangelistic ministry decades before the healing revival of the 1940’s and 50’s. His meetings in Chicago at the turn of the century were so powerful…
Read more →
Give the Glory to God
Herod, Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Lucifer . . . . The examples of their downfalls warn of the devastation that can be experienced by those who lift themselves up in pride. How can we avoid such…
Read more →
Become a Disciple with Powerful Impact
How can we become people who can have a significant impact on people's lives just by living our lives in their presence?
Read more →
Show People the Difference Between Light and Darkness!
"You are the light that shines for the world to see. You are like a city built on a hill that cannot be hidden. People don’t hide a lamp under a bowl. They put it on a lampstand. Then the light…
Read more →
The Need for Proof
When John pointed out Jesus as He was passing by and declared him to be the Lamb of God in John 1:35, it got the attention of Andrew and another disciple of John. The two of them started following…
Read more →
Victory Over Suicide
After a lifelong Christian friend of mine survived his second suicide attempt, he was checked in to a hospital for a period of time and only allowed limited visitation. During and after his…
Read more →
Listening to Understand
Listening with the intention to really understand the other person is therapeutic in itself. One of the most dramatic changes that I’ve ever witnessed in a person simply due to attentive listening…
Read more →
Listening on the Streets
My friend Mark is a leader in the Street Pastors ministry in Scotland. He tells the story of meeting a group of Afghanistan war veterans coming out of a pub late one night. Mark approached them as…
Read more →
Commanding the Weather
It happened two weeks ago. I was scheduled to fly to Mexico City on Friday, January 10, 2020, at 8:56 a.m. I was going to Mexico to visit friends, but also to take some of my books to Christian…
Read more →
Becoming a Listener
For ministry purposes, if we really want to make a difference, we've got to change the way we interact with people. Instead of our focus being to talk about ourselves and communicate what is…
Read more →
Many Are Called, but Few Are Chosen
Many people are called by God for special ministry assignments. Many people are presented with a special invitation from God to partner with Him to accomplish great things.
Read more →
“Well done, good and faithful servant”
Believers want God to welcome them with open arms and greet them with, “Well done” at the conclusion of their life’s journey, just as the Lord said to his faithful servants in the parable of the…
Read more →
Feed the Relationship
Opportunities for ministry often arise within the context of relationships. A person rarely ever reveals deep, personal problems to a stranger.
Read more →
Seven Signs That You Have Been Saved
After your life is changed, you may feel an urgency to tell others about Jesus and about the change that He has made in your life. It is natural to want to share Jesus, especially with those you…
Read more →
Seven Signs That You Have Been Saved
After your life is changed, you may want to spend more time with people who have also experienced this transformation in their lives. You may want to seek out others who believe in Jesus and spend…
Read more →
Seven Signs That You Have Been Saved
Becoming a believer in Jesus Christ does not mean that your life will suddenly become easier. In fact, you may begin to face challenges that you have never had to deal with before!
Read more →
Seven Signs That You Have Been Saved
You may feel an urge to change the lifestyle you’ve been living and follow God’s commands. That makes perfect sense because the Bible teaches us that when you accept Jesus Christ into your life…
Read more →
Seven Signs That You Have Been Saved
As a new believer, you may feel a hunger for God’s word, like a hunger for daily food. You may feel drawn to read your Bible often. This is a normal desire that many new believers experience.…
Read more →
Seven Signs That You Have Been Saved
As a new believer in Jesus, you may feel like you are sinning more now than you were before you accepted Christ! You may have what Bill Gothard calls a new awareness of right and wrong. You may…
Read more →
What is the Book of Life?
The Book of Life may be the most critical book, as it relates to our ultimate judgment because, as God’s Word declares, anyone whose name is not written in this Book of Life will be forever…
Read more →
The Final Exam
After this life is finished, we will all have to give account for the lives that we lived.
Read more →
A Warning from Beyond the Grave
Since the age of 12, Oscar-winning actor Yul Brynner had been a smoker. At times, he smoked five packs of cigarettes a day. At age 63, he was diagnosed with lung cancer.
Read more →
Looking Back with Regret
As a boy, I had many sports heroes. I looked up to them, watched them on TV, read their biographies, and wrote letters to them. Many of them sent me autographed photos in answer to my letters. One…
Read more →
What is Life All About?
When I was much younger, after graduating from high school, I started thinking about college, trying to decide on my next move. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life. I had been…
Read more →
Be a Doer, Not Just a Hearer
"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."—James 1:22 (ESV)
Read more →
The Proud Will Be Abased. No One is Exempt.
Herod, Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Lucifer . . . all brought down because of pride. But do these stories have any relevance for us?
Read more →
The Example of Heidi and Rolland Baker
Heidi and Rolland Baker of Iris Ministries have adopted this focus of meeting the needs of individuals they encounter, and they demonstrate this in many ways. They constantly reinforce this focus…
Read more →
The Fall of Lucifer
The ultimate example of the tragic consequences of pride is found in the fall of Lucifer in Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14. When Lucifer was created by God, he was blessed beyond imagination. Lucifer…
Read more →
Where God's Interests Are
As the angel told Roland Buck, if we want to see what God’s interests really are, we can find them in the fifty-eighth chapter of Isaiah:
Read more →
Behavior Signals Needs
Sometimes, the needs that people have are obvious. Other needs are more difficult to pinpoint. Often behavior signals a need in someone’s life, but it may still be a challenge to link that signal…
Read more →
The Degenerative Consequences of Pride
In Romans 1, Paul describes a progression of degenerative consequences which has caught many people in its grip. It can happen to any of us who, in our pride, reject the reality of a God Who has…
Read more →
The Fall of the Greatest King
If we find ourselves in positions of greatness, we must remember that it is only because God gave us the means to achieve those positions, and the opportunities to obtain them; and God can take…
Read more →
Why You Can't Afford to Be Proud
In our cultures, and in daily lives, pride is often extolled as a virtue. We take pride in the land of our birth, in the sports teams we support, and in the organizations to which we belong. There…
Read more →