Resources by Topic: Christian Life

Ask Pastor John is one of my favorite podcasts, and I encourage you to listen to it. The following is an excerpt from the episode All My Sins Were Canceled — So Why Continue to Confess?

Our emotions are important, but they are not the law or the prophets. As true Jesus-followers, our first and foremost focus belongs on what God/Jesus/Holy Spirit says and does and expects us to say and do.

While it’s good to keep in perspective what’s most important when it comes to following Jesus, I commend you for being thoughtful about this, because we are called to be good stewards of the bodies God has entrusted to us. 

In this clip from his message “An Eternal Perspective on Suffering, Loss, and Grief,” Randy reminds listeners of how little we know compared to our all-wise, all-knowing God.

In this clip from Randy’s message “An Eternal Perspective on Suffering, Loss, and Grief,” Randy and Steve Keels discuss how it is OK to ask God our why questions, as long as we are willing to listen to His answers.

Perhaps you’ve heard someone say something like, “My faith is in God, not the Bible” or “Be careful you’re not worshipping the Bible or making an idol out of it.” 

Randy Alcorn gave a message at Rise City Church in Gresham, Oregon about the theology of Heaven and the New Earth. He shared the good news that hope is found in an eternal life of “God with us.” The painful life under the curse on this present Earth is contrasted with the redeemed life we were intended for on the New Earth. Earth’s greatest days, as well as our own, are yet to come.  

It sounds like you are aware that living together without a covenant marriage commitment goes against what God tells us is His will for us and you are concerned about the consequences of continuing to live together. 

Inevitable questions about biblical forgiveness arise. Does forgiveness imply we ignore issues of justice and restitution? Does forgiveness absolve the guilt of the perpetrator? Does forgiveness imply reconciliation?

In this clip from a Q&A at an illumiNations gathering, Randy answers the question, “What would you like to be able to tell your younger self?” He talks about learning to say no in order to say yes to God, and about not listening to the voices telling you to avoid being radical in your service to the Lord.

In this clip from a Q&A at an illumiNations gathering, Randy Alcorn talks about listening to the Bible on audio as part of his personal devotions.

In this clip from a Q&A at an illumiNations gathering, Randy Alcorn discusses the power God’s Word has to change hearts, and the role it has played in his personal life.  

This is a great article from Scott Hubbard, editor for Desiring God. As he points out, God wants us to know His will. Because He loves us, He gives us His Word, the Road Map, so we don’t have to grope in darkness. The Bible is the revealed will of God. If we want to live in His will, then we should “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly” (Colossians 3:16). 

Scripture tells us it is God’s will that we be filled with and controlled by His Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:17-18). What does that mean? My friend Kurt Nelson explains more in this excerpt from his book.