Not long ago, while spending time with a friend who had worked several years in ministry and who had struggled with serious bondages her whole life, she confessed to me that she was going back to her old life, and she was finished with the church. She had been very wounded by all of the…

Having good friends to encourage us and build us up in our faith and remind us that we are righteous is very healthy. We were created to be interrelated in a community of faith. Good friends inspire others to good works and to love one another. Although the goal of biblical church life is not…

Some are afraid of pure grace… Some want to hold on to the law, just in case… The law had a purpose when God gave it. The law used the external motivation of fear and was given through Moses to natural, fallen men whose identity was in the flesh with a soul that did not…

Every time I read Galatians 2:20, I feel like exhaling and saying, “Thank you, Jesus.” It’s impossible for me to read it and not feel burdens instantly lifted. How much easier can it get than Jesus living His life through me? I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but…

Foolish Galatians. The religious mindset is that we start by faith, but we perfect ourselves in the flesh; however; there is nothing in the flesh that can make us righteous. In Galatians 3:1, we have Paul’s greatest recorded rebuke in the scriptures: “O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the…

Every believer has the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit because every believer is righteous and holy. The Holy Spirit can only live in a holy place. Think about what that means. When we know we are in union with God, the resulting affect should be a life of power. But why do most Christians…

Do you know what the basis for receiving ANYTHING from the Lord is? It’s simply believing we are qualified to receive it. This is the way Abraham received from the Lord. God told him He was going to bless him, and Abraham believed it, no questions asked. But there is actually more to it than…

Faith and rule-keeping as a means to relate to God are in direct opposition to each other. They are mutually exclusive. If we choose the rule route, we have to do it 100% or else! “So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham. For as many as are of the works…

Receiving blessing under the merit system is “do good, get good; do bad get bad.” In other words, do good and you are blessed. Do bad and you are cursed. Yet, Jesus redeemed us from every curse so that we’re blessed by simply receiving His grace. Several years ago at the birthday party for my…

The idea of being a son verses being a servant in our relationship with the Lord under the New Covenant is a theme woven throughout Paul’s writings. There is no more comforting thought than knowing that our Daddy is the creator and owner of the entire universe and beyond. “Moses was faithful as a servant…

As sons and daughters of God, one of the most wonderful truths we should embrace is that we can hear directly from our Father. Many Christians don’t realize this and think that only special men can hear from God. I heard a teaching once in a leadership seminar based on the following scripture from Hebrews…

The covenant that God made on behalf of Abraham was an irrevocable covenant. That means it couldn’t be changed. It was final. In Galatians 3:15, Paul illustrates the nature of covenants and how they work by using the example of human covenants. When someone enters covenant, he obligates himself to it unto his death. Brethren,…