Articles

How To Find Happiness In A World Of "I Wants"

We know deep down that all goodness is with God and that we can’t take the things of this world with us to the next. But this world is so intrusive—television, music, magazines, the corporate ladder, our social circles. Everything steers us in the direction of running on that hamster wheel of achievements, acceptance, and acclaim.

How do we protect our hearts? How do we “train” the human spirit to live according to the promise of our Lord: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33)? Let me give you three ideas. 

Four Cornerstones For Godly Living

You can build a firm foundation by following Christ’s example. From Genesis through Revelation—God’s instruction is the same: “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’” (Mark 12:30). 

If that sounds like a pretty tall order, that’s because it is— we have a big God. And loving Him completely requires all that we have. How do we do that? How do we give Him EVERYTHING?

A Heart For Servant Leadership

It was 20 years ago last month. Adrian Rogers found himself at the helm of a radio and TV ministry expanding almost as rapidly as the flock he pastored—one of America’s largest churches. Someone was needed to help build and oversee this growing broadcast ministry. Answering God’s call and Dr. Rogers’ appeal, Bill Skelton came alongside.

In prior years Bill served side by side with Dr. Rogers at Bellevue church. But here at LWF his gifts for processing, organizing, and planning bore ever-increasing fruit. In the fields of God’s harvest together, Bill and Pastor Rogers saw God expand the ministry from 95 radio stations in 1991 to 2,369 radio and 11,578 TV stations worldwide along with an ever-increasing online ministry reaching all nations.

The Keys To A Beautiful Life

As Peter and John were entering the temple one day, they encountered a lame man just outside one of the gates. This particular gate was called the Beautiful Gate, and the man had been sitting there for many years, begging people as they entered. In Acts 3:1-10, we read that Peter and John performed a great miracle that day and healed this lame man. The man immediately rose up and went into the temple. Acts 3:9-10 say, “And all the people saw him walking and praising God … and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him.”

If you keep reading, Acts 4:4 reveals what happened as a result of this miracle: thousands upon thousands were saved—some estimate as many as twenty thousand because the Bible says there were five thousand men alone. Something incredible happened! And there were three basic ingredients.

Celebrate the Difference

A hammer and a screwdriver are different tools designed for different jobs. Is the hammer better than the screwdriver? No. Is a screwdriver better than a hammer? Of course not! Can you use a screwdriver as a hammer? Maybe, but it won’t work as well.

Who is better, men or women? The answer to that question is “Yes!” A man is infinitely superior to a woman at being a man, and a woman is infinitely superior to a man at being a woman. Men and women are different—by design. Neither is superior to the other, but they are very, very different.

I want to address the wonderful differences between men and women. These differences aren’t true in every single case, but they are generally true.

These Are The Good Old Days

Have you ever thought how wonderful it would have been to have lived when Jesus walked on this earth? How grand and glorious would it have been to have lived back in the “good old days”? But I want to tell you it’s better to live right now than back then. These are the good old days! Let me explain why.

Bring Back the Glory

Apart from Israel, no other nation has had such a Christian beginning as America. Under the blessing of God, Israel began with a glorious heritage. Like Israel of old, God’s blessing rested upon early America. In the Mayflower Compact, our Pilgrim forefathers said their express purpose for coming to these shores was to propagate the Gospel. We were founded as a Christian nation to the very core. Yet like Israel, America has not only forgotten our heritage, we’ve forgotten God and abandoned the Gospel’s influence on our national life. America has lost her glory. How did this happen? The same way it happened in Israel.

Five Ways You Can Encourage Others

Barnabas was a man who had the gift of encouragement. Acts 4:36 introduces him as, “Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation).” The apostles gave him a nickname that meant “encouragement.”

By looking at some events in the life of Barnabas recorded in the book of Acts, we can learn some ways to encourage others.

Homemade Happiness

Did you know that everyone ought to have three homes? Everybody needs a heavenly home, a church home, and a family home—and Jesus Christ is the key to all three! Being a “loner” is not God’s plan for us, for He “sets the solitary in families” (Psalm 68:6).

Why families? In them we experience the deepest love, apart from His, we will ever know. The family is our training ground for life. It’s His workshop where the members become some of His best tools to prune, polish, and refine us—sanding down the rough edges of our lives!

Jesus, the Friend of Sinners

Perhaps you think you’ve sinned too much — that there is no hope for you. But Jesus has always reached out to sinners. In Luke 15:1-2, the Pharisees were questioning Him about this. Then, Jesus answered them with a three-part parable describing a little more about the character of man and a lot more about the character of God.