“work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you” Philippians 2:12-13   This passage is often misunderstood to mean we must work for our salvation. It’s also misused to make people afraid they can lose their salvation. If neither of these[...]

“Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8   Our enemy, Satan, has two powerful allies—the world and the flesh. These three work in partnership to obstruct our spiritual growth and effectiveness. They’re[...]

“And He was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan;” Mark 1:13   We’ve all given in to temptation at some point. Sometimes we even concede failure the moment it becomes intense. But only those who resist temptation know how strong it actually is. Jesus understands more about[...]

“And immediately the Spirit brought Him out into the wilderness.” Mark 1:12   We sometimes think, “If only God would change the situation I’m in, then I could really live for Him.” But changing our circumstances wouldn’t remove all temptation because our own sinful desires would go with us. Adam[...]

“Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil.” Luke 4:1–2a   Fighting temptation when you’re alone can be difficult for any believer. That’s when some of our greatest struggles come.[...]

“Then it happened when the Philistine rose and came and drew near to meet David, that David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine.” 1 Samuel 17:48   The God-defying giants in our culture don’t just speak out against Christian values. They try to marginalize and silence[...]

“Then David said to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted.’”  1 Samuel 17:45   Our culture has become[...]