While the Bible is clear that spirits of deceased humans do not remain on earth as “ghosts” and haunt the living, the Bible is also clear that there are indeed spirit beings that inhabit the earth — angels or demons doing the work of God or of evil.

Sometimes when we pray, we go on and on about our needs and desires and concerns and problems, and we often get so caught up in the expressing that we don’t pause to listen to the sometimes-still and sometimes-small voice of the Lord there between our breaths. 

Do you think it’s more important to pray, or read the Bible? Or are both important when it comes to spending time with God? 

A 2022 study from Lifeway Research surveyed more than 1,000 Protestant churchgoers and found that while 65 percent intentionally set aside time to spend with God daily, only 39 percent read the Bible or a devotional daily, choosing to pray, praise, or meditate on God instead.

Prayer and praise are extraordinarily important in the life of any Christian. Jesus prayed and modeled the importance of prayer throughout his time on earth. But he also knew the Bible intimately and was clear on its importance as well. 

Why do we need both prayer and Scripture reading? Let’s dive into biblical and other reasons why both are important in our daily spiritual growth.

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Put simply, a revival is typically a gathering of Christians that reflects an urgent and bold spiritual awakening, where hearts and lives are transformed and people commit themselves anew to following Jesus.

The Holy Spirit is part of God, the trinity encompassing father, son, and spirit, three in one. Therefore, because we have someone so holy and almighty within us, we need to understand that we as earthly vessels must do what we can to be a proper, appropriate, fitting temple for the Spirit.

Have you ever turned the page in a magazine and found your horoscope, all neatly broken out by date and type with predictions for what that day or month is expected to bring you? “Today will be lucky for you,” one might say, or perhaps, “This is a good day to stay home and rest.”

Horoscopes are predictions or interpretations developed by astrologers based on sky maps, star charts, and zodiac signs to help people understand who they are and what will happen to them in life. Some people believe them to be true, while others consider them to be silly.

But what does the Bible say about zodiac signs? While the word “zodiac” is not specifically mentioned in the Bible, God does have much to say about gleaning insight from fortune-tellers, mediums, or others who seek wisdom from sources not of Him. And in truth, zodiac signs are not nearly as harmless as some might believe.

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It’s important for us to understand the curse of Ham — which is really the curse of Canaan — so we can understand how much God values respect, particularly respecting one’s parents.

Just like going to the chiropractor for an adjustment, there are some things we can do to bring our life back into alignment. Many of them are very simple, and the best news is that God wants to help us, so he gives us some supernatural assistance, too. It’s easier than we think to get back to where we need to be. 

It is clear here that Paul is indeed saying that, like a tattered old coat, we should take off our old self and put on the new and far-improved one — our “Jesus cloak.” We do this by striving to be like Jesus, our God-given role model, God and man in one.

Perhaps you’ve heard of “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” thought to be one of the most famous sermons of all time. Hugely influential in Christianity’s Great Awakening, a period in 18th-century American history when a massive amount of people came to Jesus, the sermon was penned by Jonathan Edwards, an American theologian and later president of what is today Princeton University, whose evocative descriptions of hell and wrath led many to the altar in repentance. 

Or perhaps it’s the bold title that draws your attention — after all, concepts of “sinners” and an “angry God” strike terror in many a heart, or perhaps are reminiscent of the classic hellfire-and-brimstone-type preaching.

The fact remains that “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” is a powerful sermon that played a significant role in awakening — and securing — hearts to Christ. And almost 300 years later, we can still draw much important wisdom from it.

Here, then, are eight powerful lessons from Edwards’ famous sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.”

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Apostolic prayers are found throughout the New Testament. The most famous of these is also known as the Lord’s Prayer, which Jesus prayed after his disciples asked him how they should pray to the Lord.

Is this a “good” and festive day, like a holiday or a Sabbath celebration? Is this a day of foreboding and dread, when something bad is going to happen?

When I was a kid, I loved to play Skee-Ball at the local arcade. Over and over, I’d roll balls up the lane into the winning holes, collecting tickets on every game. At the end, I could redeem my tickets for a bunch of great prizes, from candy to stuffed animals.

It’s nice when we get the opportunity to exchange one thing, especially something that isn’t worth a whole lot, for another. I had no use for yellow paper tickets, even if they did mean I was a Skee-Ball winner, but I loved stuffed animals.

But there’s another kind of redemption – biblical redemption – that means far more than any worldly arcade ticket.

What does it mean to be redeemed? And why is it so important to those who belong to the Lord?

It means that, because of Jesus, we’ve been saved from sin and get the grand prize of eternal life, thanks be to God.

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