What is the secret?
Zechariah Chapter 4:6 – “not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty”
As far as I am concerned, this is the central message we need to “live” in order to survive in ministry. Not understanding the balance between our effort and His is what brings about most of our frustrations […]
Let’s start at the beginning
Here are some thoughts from Chapter 6:
It hurts to see Him reduced to the level of employer or boss. Not only that, it just doesn’t work. If we have to compete selling just another religion, then we are going to lose.
As religions go,
Mormonism is much more attractive, if you like legalism and predictability.
Islam […]
Contrast between Religion and Grace
Recently Shell and I were down in Guadalajara doing a conference at a cutting edge church there. The conference was on training the church to recognize communication from God and how to share it effectively. I was ready to teach Sunday morning but I knew I had a prophetic word for the church. I thought […]
Why the Law?
If our faith is about a relationship rather than law, why does the law exist?
We were always intended by God to live life with our focus upon Him. He designed our operating system as an intimate relationship of love. Out of that relationship, we will be compelled by His love to do what pleases Him, […]
What’s the Problem with Religion?
All religions are basically the same. A spiritual, material, eternal reward is offered and a system of behavior is required. When properly applied, the behavior brings the reward.
The rewards differ: Nirvana, 72 Virgins, Cosmic Consciousness, Heaven, etc.
As well, the system of behavior differs: prayer wheels, jihad, religious rituals, moral living, etc. But the rewards and […]
What do my life choices reveal?
Someone has asked me how to respond to someone who doesn’t really care about their life choices because they think God has to love them on account of Grace.
This attitude is, of course, a misapplication of God’s unconditional love. Sadly, it proliferates where teaching on grace abounds. In fact, this attitude is often cited, by […]
How often do you feel like you are not winning at being a Christian?
Someone has asked me why, given all we know about our faith as a relationship with God rather than a works based religion, do we so easily fall back into a works based, religious orientation toward God. I think there are two basic reason for this.
The first is pride. Sadly, pride survives conversion. In a […]
Do we need to ask God to forgive us anymore of our sins?
Absolutely. I think the value of my book is it’s emphasis on seeing our faith as fundamentally a relationship rather than a religion. When I look at the issue of forgiveness and repentance, I think in terms of the effect my behavior is having on my relationship with someone I love.
In regard to God, I […]
Is God always pleased with me?
Only when you are asleep. God always loves us but like any good Father, His love must sometimes be expressed as disapproval. We must always distinguish between acceptance and approval. We always have His acceptance but we do not always have His approval. His disapproval promotes our growth in holiness as does His approval.