PTL Wednesdays

One of my closest friends loves to use the  phrase “call a cat a cat.” He’s a straightforward kind of guy and that phrase is as straightforward as it gets. It means to speak frankly and truthfully about something without sugar coating it even if it’s unpopular or unpleasant for people to hear. Unfortunately, in today’s society if Christians try to speak out about the sinful lifestyles so many people live, they’re called intolerant or judgmental. There’s been such an erosion of morals that this Bible warning couldn’t be more timely: “Doom to you who call evil good and good evil, Who put darkness in place of light and light in place of darkness…” (‭‭Isaiah‬ 5‬:‭20‬ ‭MSG‬‬). You don’t have to look very hard to find people who take what God says is evil and make it appear good. It’s guy pride month and there are pride parades and celebrations all over the country. Gay pride celebrations?! Let that sink in. People are actually taking pride in openly rebelling against God. They want to f...

  People have always been perplexed by the way Christians think. Words like “old-fashioned” or “strange” are often associated with us by people who quite frankly, are lost. Jesus tells us that the world will not know us because they did not know him (1John 3:1). Did you know a friend of the world is an enemy of God (James 4:4)? I trust you'd rather be on God's side, but you have to change how you think. You must literally change what you put into your mind or as the Bible so eloquently states: "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind..."(‭Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭2‬ NIV). God is telling us that when we change how we think, we'll start to understand him more and the world less. If you’re not saved, your thought processes are worldly. You look at sex from the world's point of view so when God says no sex before marriage it sounds impossible. When God commands you to be sober minded and refrain from your fleshy desires it...

  If you were blind folded and someone had to guide you around all day, who would you choose? Obviously, you would pick someone you trust like your spouse, your mom or a close friend. We would certainly choose almost anyone other than ourselves. Yet we go through life relying on ourselves to lead the way instead of grabbing the hand of the ultimate guide.  Trust. That’s what it’s all about. We trust ourselves to solve our problems. When something comes up we listen to the advice of family and friends but in the end we do what we think is right. The problem with having problems is that it’s hard to see things clearly. We often make decisions without all the facts or when we are too emotional. If you’ve heard the expression ‘hindsight is 20/20,’ you know it’s not used when we make the right choices. So how do we make better choices? We have to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which ...

  I’ve come up with a little challenge that is going to change your life. All you need is a pen and pad... oh, and a little courage. Ready? Here we go. Write down the name of a person or persons who gets on your nerves… someone who you just don’t get along with. Now I know you get along with everyone but really concentrate and  you might be able to come up with someone. Got a name? Good. Now write down what he or she did to you.  Did they say something hurtful? Write it down. Maybe he/she always ruins your holidays or they lied on you. Write it down. The next part is a little harder because now I want you to think of a person or persons that you have wronged and write down what you did. This is for your eyes only so don’t write down something simple like the time you stepped on the back of their shoe. Think of a person you really slighted. It may be a little painful but it’ll be worth it in the end.  I’m taking the challenge too and to prove it here’s part of my list...

  Do you know how powerful you are? Yes, you. You have the power to make things happen and to change lives. If you understood your power, you wouldn't worry when times get tough. You wouldn't worry about a job, trouble at home, bills, or an illness. What makes you so special? What power do you have that separates you from others? You have the power of prayer.  Did you know that God only listens to Christians? "Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him" (John  9:31 ). God doesn't respond to your prayers if you aren't a Christian. Christianity is like an exclusive club with members only privileges and there's no greater privilege than prayer.  Prayer is so powerful because "whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith” (Matt  21:22 ). Now before you start praying for a new Porsche,  remember that God knows you better than you know yourself. Don't be surpris...

Last week I gave an impromptu questionnaire to help gauge your faith walk. I got a lot of positive feedback so I thought it would be a good idea to drop a little pop quiz. Don’t worry, this isn’t as bad as the quizzes you got when you walked into the classroom and the teacher would have a sly grin on his/her face. This is just a little quiz to help see where you stand on some of the Bible basics all Christians need to learn.   Fact or Fiction The gospel is that Jesus became human, died for our sins, was raised from the dead and if you follow him you will have eternal life.  We follow all the laws the Jews were commanded to follow in the Old Testament.  The Holy Trinity is God the Father, God the Son, and Mary the mother of Jesus.  The apostles were given all the knowledge we need to worship and live correctly.  There are a total of 4 books in the New Testament that make up the gospels.  Baptism is needed for the remission of our sins. God allows us to worsh...

Today is the most incredible day of your life! Pick any special day you’ve had and it doesn’t compare to today. Wedding day? Nope.  Graduation? Not even close. You could have eaten the best meal of your life while dining with your biggest idol who liked you so much they decided to give you a million dollars…and that day couldn’t compete with today. What amazing thing happened today that blows everything else you’ve experienced so far in your life away? You woke up. Congrats...You opened your eyes and took your place among the living.  Obviously you’ve experienced waking up before but not on April 24, 2024. Over 150 thousand people who saw yesterday didn’t get to see today. That’s an astonishing number. The world’s largest stadium can’t seat that many and I’ve checked. So what are your plans for this incredibly awesome special day? Hopefully, in everything you do today it will be to the glory of the one responsible for every breath you take. God should be first in our lives so ...