Waiting for a Sign

Man by the water

There are times in our lives when we have difficult decisions to make. In considering major decisions such as choosing a spouse, deciding where to live, what course to pursue in college, what job to take, and so on, we wonder what choice is best and are often anxious about our decision because of the major impact it will have on our life and even the lives of others.

For Christians that believe in a loving and powerful God, it is natural to want to seek guidance from Him when we have to make decisions like these. But what sort of guidance are we seeking? And are we truly seeking His guidance or are we merely attributing things to Him and then making ourselves believe that the Lord led us to make a certain decision?

It is not uncommon to hear people talk about receiving signs from God. These “signs” come in many different forms – weather events, phone calls, scheduling conflicts, job promotions, being passed over for a promotion, or even being laid off, etc. The list is virtually endless. People take events like these as if they are signs from God and, therefore, the reason to make one decision over another. Does the Bible have anything to say about this?
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Tools to Help Us Overcome Temptation

Tools

There are certain things that every one of us will face in life. One of these things is the temptation to sin. The Bible teaches us that “each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust” (James 1:14). James went on to show the end result of one giving in to temptation: “Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death” (James 1:15).

Sadly, all men and women of accountable age must acknowledge that there have been times when they have given in to temptation and have sinned. “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). The Scripture plainly says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

In spite of this, we can find encouragement in God’s promise about temptation: “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
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Spirit of Faith

Sunrise

But having the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, ‘I believed, therefore I spoke,’ we also believe, therefore we also speak” (2 Corinthians 4:13).

Paul wrote this verse as he told the Corinthians of the ministry he had been given, the hardships he faced for it, and the hope he had for eternal life. He quoted from Psalm 116 – a psalm of deliverance – in which the psalmist expressed his faith and trust in God even in the face of severe trials.

We are to have the same spirit of faith that Paul had. Having this spirit of faith, we will do certain things.
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Giving Thanks to God

As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday in this country, we tend to be more mindful of the blessings we have. We have many things to be thankful for and we ought to recognize God as the source of these blessings (James 1:17).

With this in mind, I want to briefly look at Colossians 3:15-17. These three verses contain three reminders to us to be thankful. These verses also give reasons why we should be thankful to God.

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Do Not Move the Ancient Boundary

Landmark

Do not move the ancient boundary which your fathers have set” (Proverbs 22:28).

This short proverb refers to instructions that were given in the Law of Moses (Deuteronomy 19:14; 27:17). Job gave us a reason why someone would want to move these boundary marks: “Some remove the landmarks; they seize and devour flocks” (Job 24:2).
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The Indwelling of the Holy Spirit

Bible Reading

The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is a controversial issue among professed Christians. Even among brethren there is disagreement and uncertainty on what the Bible teaches. Let us consider what the word of God has to say on the subject.
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The Sword of Christ

Sword

The Bible describes Jesus as the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). This is certainly true, but we must understand that His peace is not the same peace that men often desire and pursue today. The peace Jesus came to bring was reconciliation between man and God (Ephesians 2:13-18). He dealt with the issue that was the cause of the enmity – sin (Isaiah 59:1-2). The peace of Christ is not the tolerant, non-judgmental attitude that has overtaken the religious world.

In His mission to bring about peace between man and God, Jesus was rejected by the people and crucified (Isaiah 53:3; Acts 2:22-23). Therefore, it is only natural to think that His followers would be despised by the world. In fact, Jesus warned His disciples of this:
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