My grandfather was a real “man’s man.” I remember him as being big and strong, even with the prosthetic leg he had from the knee down. When he would put it on, he would say, “It’s time for me to become The Bionic Man,” and back then, I believed he really did have a super robot leg like Steve Majors on the TV show.

At times, he’d bring home a huge hero sandwich from a deli – the largest sandwich you ever saw – and he’d hold it up in front of the two of us. Then he’d start eating from one end and I’d start eating from the other, and we’d have a race to the middle of that hero sandwich! As you can imagine, he was my hero. He was Grandpa, and there was nobody more alive than him.

But one morning, my parents came into my room and woke me up. They sat down on my bed and told me something that I could not believe. 

Grandpa had died.

Grandpa? Big, strong, happy Grandpa? He was gone? It didn’t happen – it couldn’t happen, not to Grandpa! But it did.

Death is an inevitable part of life.

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Of all the things we could say about social media, one thing is certain: it should remind us that our lives are on display for all to see. Posting photos, sharing links and writing comments opens up our lives to be scrutinized by others, often affecting our relationship with them in ways we may never realize. In fact, social media should be a prominent reminder of the age-old truth taught by the Apostle Paul:

“You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone” (2 Corinthians 3:2).

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If you’ve been around church people for any length of time, you’ve undoubtedly heard them say, “God spoke to me, and told me to….” And maybe you’ve wondered, whatever do they mean by that?

Did He send a text message or leave a voicemail? Did He send an angel to appear at the foot of their bed with instructions written on tablets? Or maybe you thought, Wow, God spoke to them, but He never speaks to me! Are they special...or is there something wrong with me?

As you read through the Bible, you'll regularly come across that little phrase, “And God said…” It’s one of the key phrases used over and over again, beginning with the very first book of the Bible, the Book of Genesis.

- Genesis 1:3 And God said…

- Genesis 1:6 And God said…

- Genesis 1:9 And God said…

- Genesis 1:11 And God said…

- Genesis 1:14 And God said…

- Genesis 1:20 And God said…

- Genesis 1:26 And God said…

- Genesis 1:29 And God said…

It's actually quite clear from Scripture that God not only speaks to us, but He speaks pretty often. Therefore, the problem is not that God doesn’t speak to us, the problem is our perception of what that should sound like. But in truth, God speaks to us in many different ways.

“God does speak – sometimes one way and sometimes another – even though people may not understand it” (Job 33:14).

God Speaks to Us through Scripture

“Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, [and] for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God's will in thought, purpose, and action)” (2 Timothy 3:16, AMP).

If the Word instructs us, reproves us, convicts us, corrects us and trains us, then guess what... it is speaking to us! So are you spending time in His word everyday? That’s a clear way to hear the voice of God.

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When God calls you to walk out His plan for your life, it doesn't matter what others think about your chances for success, or where you must begin the journey toward your destiny. When we look at David's inspiring life story recorded in Scripture – a shepherd boy who became king – we learn that God can take even the most unlikely candidates and propel them into a supernatural destiny!

Have you ever played the game called Scruples? It's a popular board game from the 1980s that asked the players questions regarding everyday ethical and moral dilemmas. For example:

- Your boss gives you expensive front row tickets to a hit play. You forgot to mark the date on your calendar and missed the performance. The next day your boss asks, “How was the play?”

Do you admit you missed it?

- You buy a cocktail dress for a special occasion. You wear it once and realize that you have little further use for it.

Do you return the dress as unworn and ask for a refund?

- A troublesome employee applies for a position in another department. You’re relieved.

When asked, do you give a glowing reference so the transfer can go through?

Testing Our Integrity

We are all confronted with situations and difficult decisions which test our integrity. But unlike the board game, the choices we make in reality have consequences which affect our daily lives: our character, our careers, our self-image, and our relationship with God.

We are tested on a daily basis with situations much like the game:

Do you lie about being able to meet a delivery deadline in order to win a business contract?

Do you steer a customer to purchase a product that is not the best fit for their needs, but will help you achieve a quota or receive a larger commission?

Do you scroll through your social media or make personal calls during work hours, in order to stay connected? 

Is it okay simply because everybody else does it?

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“For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure’” (Isaiah 46:9-10).

Whenever bad things unexpectedly happen to us (like a job lay off, an unfaithful spouse, or a shocking doctor’s diagnosis), we can be knocked off our “spiritual balance.” It’s important at these times to realize that our troubles didn’t surprise God! When the bad news hit Heaven, God didn’t say, “No way, it can’t be!” God’s jaw didn’t drop. He didn’t go into a state of shock. And because God is not surprised by our problems, I’ve got good news for you – it means there is a promise waiting for you in your future.

Because of who God is (the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End), He exists outside of time. He has already seen your troubles and has planned for them. And because God is not surprised by your test, He has already arranged for your testimony; He's seen your future, and provided a way out of your present situation.

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The reason why the Bible, God’s wisdom, should be the foundation for how we build our families is that He is the one who invented “family.” He knows how to make it work best, and then we will come into agreement.

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2).

It’s often been said that the definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing over and over again, expecting to get a different result. Deep down, I believe we all desire to live better lives, to have more abundant lives, more successful lives, happier and more prosperous lives. Change is the agent that brings us a better life and causes us to win in life! We make New Year's Resolutions to change in this area or that. But usually those efforts fueled by willpower are short-lived, and we feel frustrated and defeated.

We know what we have to do. To get different results, we must do things differently. To get something we really want but do not have, we must do what we have never done before! To think otherwise would be insanity.

If you want chiseled abs, you can’t keep eating doughnuts.

If you want a great marriage, you can’t keep shutting down communication.

If you want friends, you can’t keep being unfriendly.

If you want to get better at a particular skill, you can’t keep avoiding practice.

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When I look around the world today there seems to be a happiness vacuum. There are more hurting people, hating people and hopeless people than there are happy people. For many, it’s because of the grinding stress of broken routines in a world turned upside down, and the endless waiting for life to return to normal. But sadly, for others there has been a personal loss so great that life will never be the same. They may search for happiness, but seem powerless to ever find it. 

And we want to be happy. One source I read reported that Americans consider happiness more important to them than money, moral goodness and even going to Heaven. Many people think money can buy them happiness. Yet 37% of Forbes' list of The World’s Wealthiest People are less happy than the average American. Americans have seen their personal incomes increase by more than 2½ times over the last fifty years, but their happiness level (according to Google) has remained the same. And Americans earning more than $10 million annually are only slightly happier than average American earners. Whether or not those stats are true, clearly, most people want to be happy, but don’t know how.

Here is the good news – God also wants us to be not just happy, but full of joy! Look at what the Bible says:

“Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full” (John 16:24).

“For You, O Lord, have made me glad by what You have done. I will sing for joy at the works of Your hands” (Psalm 92:4).

“Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10).

“...happy is that people, whose God is the Lord” (Psalm 144:15).

So I think I’m on solid, biblical ground when I say, God wants us to be happy! But unhappiness caused by deep personal loss is much different than unhappiness caused by broken routines and a general dissatisfaction with life, career, or relationships. Thankfully, the Bible gives us encouragement and direction through the life of King David to recover and move on.

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“A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones” (Proverbs 14:30).

I heard a joke recently about two store owners who were bitter rivals. Their stores were directly across the street from one another, and they spent their days sitting in the doorway, keeping track of whose store had the most customers. If one got a customer, he would smile in triumph at the other. 

One night an angel appeared to one of the store owners and said, “God has sent me to teach you a lesson. He will give you anything you ask for, but I want you to know that whatever you get, your rival will get twice as much. Would you like wealth? Ask what you will, but he will get twice as much. Do you want a long and happy life? It is yours, but he will live twice as long. You can be famous, your children can be famous, whatever you desire! But whatever it is, he will get twice as much. The man frowned, thought for a moment, and said, “All right, make me blind in one eye.”

Whether it’s the wicked queen envying the beauty of Snow White, King Saul envying the popularity of David, or our children envying their friend’s new bike, we all can fall into the trap of envy. It’s the subtle whisper...why you and not me? It’s a feeling of sadness that comes over your heart because of another's success, and it’s feeling glad over their failure. Envy is ugly and completely unchristian. It's no wonder Shakespeare called envy the green-eyed monster!

We find envy everywhere and it affects us all. Envy can rise between friends, over something as trivial as the size of a flashy new engagement ring. Or maybe spouse envy – Your husband did what!? He fixed the stove, he mowed the grass, he took the garbage out without being asked!?  Wow, my husband never does any of those things! And of course, there is job envy, like when people have regular 9-to-5 jobs, with weekends off to go boating on the lake or to relax by the pool...makes me sick... Oh, did I let that slip out?

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“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter” (Isaiah 5:20).

One of the tell-tale signs of being at the very end of the Church age is people gradually moving away from the things of God and embracing distorted ideas regarding morality. Such a society can no longer successfully navigate through the new challenges brought on by technological advancements, economic cycles, social upheaval and global crises. We are all seeing the truth of this Word unfold before our eyes in what has become a clash between a secular worldview and a Biblical worldview.

Today’s secular worldview is developed through cultural preferences and social norms that are promoted through progressive educational institutions, media of all sorts, and even so called “science.” And since these factors shift from generation to generation, their "truth" is always changing.

This is the exact opposite of a Biblical worldview which is based on the never changing, always immutable, divinely-breathed, divinely-inspired Word of Almighty God! Like its author, the Word never changes, but is the same yesterday, today and forever!

This conflict between two worldviews, secular vs. biblical, has never been more evident than it has been recently. Secular society now grapples with a host of divisive issues. However, people who make moral decisions based on temporary feelings and peer pressure are easily deceived and led astray.

As a result, we have entered into a time when Christianity is regarded by many as inferior and narrow-minded. In truth, criticism of Christianity has often been justified; representatives of Christ can and do use the Word of God as a weapon to attack people, keeping them bound in shame and condemnation, rather than using it to help set them free from sin. We must always guard our hearts to prevent becoming haters of people whom God loves. Even if they hold a distorted secular worldview, let's remember the following admonition from Paul:

“But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God” (2 Corinthians 4:2).

Nonbelieving people judge how they feel about the Scripture and the Savior based on the way in which we, the saints of God, behave. Therefore even in the face of criticism, we have a responsibility as handlers of the Word of God and carriers of His Spirit to demonstrate Christ for the betterment and salvation of the lost, not as a hammer to further enslave deceived people. So handle with care and concern, rather than condemnation or carelessness.

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Many years ago, I became a young pastor of a small church in Connecticut. One day a man who had been attending for a while approached me with some news – he had recently won a very large legal settlement and he intended to tithe on it, to the tune of 15 million dollars! Needless to say, I went home that night, put a pencil to paper and started dreaming! I let my mind go crazy and began to think of all the things our ministry could do and become once money was no longer a barrier.

But as the days, weeks and then months rolled by, there was never any check. As it turned out, the man was playing a con game and we were his latest targets. Not only was I disappointed, but our people were hurt; I turned to God asking WHY? His voice was clear, unapologetic and reassuring: Because it was the only way I could get you to look past your limitations and believe for something bigger! 

Since that time, God has grown this small church into one of the few mega-churches in the US North East. Incredibly, God has used this small Connecticut body of believers to spread the gospel around the world through our weekly television ministry, and best of all, we’ve seen thousands of people come to know Jesus over the years! And all of this happened because God used a con man to help us break through the barrier of our preconceived limitations!

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Hate and prejudice toward any group of people is motivated by the master manipulator – Satan himself.  But God is still on the throne, and if we look to Him, no division is impossible to reconcile. Indeed, we are called to a ministry of reconciliation, aren't we? (2 Corinthians 5:11-21). In the Scripture, the parable of the Good Samaritan provides three clear steps we can follow to help us to be a beacon of truth in this critical conversation of our time.

In short, the fruit of the Spirit is the outward, visible and godly virtues displayed in a believer’s life, that evidences the inward, invisible presence of the Holy Spirit. These virtues or characteristics stand in stark contrast to the fruits, or acts, of the flesh.