Sermons and Biblical Studies

Topics: Bondage; Demons; Evil; Hindrances; Oppression; Satan; Spiritual Warfare; Supernatural Occurrences References: Matthew 8:28–34; Mark 5:1–20; Luke 8:26–39; Ephesians 6:10–18; James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:8–9; 1 John 4:1–3 I was part of a church visitation team that had just spent twenty minutes explaining the gospel to a tenderhearted woman. When I asked her, “Are you … Continue reading “DEMONIC
HORN”

Topics: Denial; Evil; Feelings; Guidance; Hearing God; Murder; Satan; Temptation References: Exodus 20:13; John 8:42–47; 2 Corinthians 11:14–15 In 1992, Wayne Lo, a sophomore at Simon’s Rock College in Massachusetts, killed two people and injured four others with a semiautomatic rifle. During the first years of his imprisonment, he said God had chosen him to … Continue reading “ORDERED
TO KILL”

Topics: Despair; Fear; Worry Reference: Matthew 11:28–30 “I have been dying since October. I wake up at night so afraid, so terrified, that I couldn’t be that afraid while awake. It has taken its toll. I have come to hate this life and this system of things. I have come to have no hope.” So … Continue reading “KILLER’S
REMORSE”

Topics: Fear; Prayer; Protection; Spiritual Perception; Trust Reference: 2 Timothy 4:17–18 When Focus on the Family was in its early stages and our children were young, my husband, Jim, traveled often. I had grown accustomed to his absences and was never really frightened while he was away. Except once. One night about 2:00 a.m., I … Continue reading “FEAR
IN THE NIGHT”

Topics: Dishonesty; Lying; Truthfulness References: Exodus 20:16; Ephesians 4:14–15 Lawyers are increasingly bending the truth, not telling the whole truth, or just plain lying. So said more than fifty state and federal judges, lawyers, and academics surveyed by the ABA Journal. “On the basis of my academic and professional experience, I believe that no felony … Continue reading “LYING
LAWYERS”

Topics: Hardship; Oppression; Persecution; Suffering Reference: 2 Corinthians 6:3–10 If you become an evangelical Christian in Laos, the communist neighbor of Vietnam and Cambodia, you likely will be “asked” to fill out and sign a form, which says, in part: I, [name], who live in [location], believe in a foreign religion, which the imperialists have … Continue reading “RENOUNCING
CHRISTIANITY”

Topics: Compromise; Holiness; Self-control; Spiritual Disciplines; Tolerance Reference: 1 Thessalonians 5:1–10 People do not drift toward holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord. We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift … Continue reading “DRIFTING
FROM HOLINESS”

Topics: Consumerism; Distractions; God’s Love; Materialism; Passion References: Mark 4:19; Luke 8:14; 14:18–20; 1 Timothy 4:4–5 The greatest enemy of hunger for God is not poison but apple pie. It is not the banquet of the wicked that dulls our appetite for heaven, but endless nibbling at the table of the world. It is not … Continue reading “THE
POISON IN EVERYDAY THINGS”

Topics: Entertainment; Influence; Occult; Satan; Television; Witchcraft References: 1 Timothy 4:1; 2 Timothy 2:24–26 Great Britain’s Pagan Federation, which represents druids and witches, says the TV shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Sabrina the Teenage Witch have fueled a rapidly growing interest in witchcraft among children. The organization averages one hundred inquiries a month from … Continue reading “POPULARIZING
THE OCCULT”

Topics: Children; Holiness; Human Condition; Lostness; Sin; Sinful Nature References: Isaiah 53:6; Romans 3:10–23 I was sitting at my desk in my study after having scolded my daughter, four, for misbehaving. I heard a gentle knock on the door. “Come in,” I said. Bethany matter-of-factly said, “Daddy, sometimes I am good, and sometimes I am … Continue reading “JUST
THE WAY IT IS”