How to Deepen Your Communication With God
Do you yearn to know the God of the universe deeply? Do you want to know Jesus and communicate with him as a close personal friend? The process for doing so is simpler than you might think. There is a pathway to intimacy with your Creator. The best first step is with communication. In other…
Read MoreHow to Stop Being Religious and Start Living Like a Christian
Take a look at your calendar. What’s it packed with? Weekly Bible studies, prayer meetings, Sunday worship services, community outreach, church events? These are all wonderful things. The last thing I want to do is discourage consistent spiritual growth, service and discipleship for any Christian! But here’s my question: What is your motivation for all…
Read MoreHeaven: It’s Going to Be Even Better Than You Think
If there’s one thing I’m certain of when it comes to Heaven, it’s this: It’s not going to be what you think. It’s going to be better. You probably have some mental pictures of Heaven, right? Sistine Chapel-like harps and streets of gold ideas? Flying around in a white robe with angel wings? An eternal…
Read MoreWhat to Do If You’re Not Feeling Very Generous
I used to think generosity was a characteristic reserved for two special groups of people: the very rich and the very holy. I was neither (still am not!). Not wanting to be selfish or anything, but I didn’t feel much like draining my very small bank account unless I had to. The problem was, I…
Read MoreHow to Pray with Power
Do you have a tough situation in your life? Want to see God change it? Maybe you doubt that He can, or that He will. Maybe you say you’ve prayed a lot and nothing has happened. It’s true: sometimes God says “no” or “wait.” But I believe God wants to say “Yes!” a lot more…
Read MoreHow to Lift People Up
Out of all the countless gifts God has given us, I believe one stands out as the most powerful: The gift of speech. Think about it. Contrary to that oft-repeated childhood saying about sticks and stones, words have the power to bring life or take it away. Proverbs 10:11 says, “The mouth of the righteous…
Read MoreThe Sacred Rhythm of Spending Time in God’s Word
We all have rhythms in our everyday life. For some of us, we have a specific workplace we go to every day and a certain time when we go workout. For others it’s a morning routine: we grab our phones, check the Wall Street Journal or our Facebook account and then drink some coffee. What we think,…
Read MoreDo You Know the Real You?
Psychologists and theologians all agree that from the time we’re very small, until the day we die, one of the questions all of us begin to consciously or unconsciously try to answer is: Who am I? Ironically, most of us spend a great majority of our time and energy trying to be like someone else or wishing we were someone else. But Jesus…
Read MoreAre You Being Shaped by the World or the Word?
How do you know if the input of God’s Word is shaping you – influencing your time, your priorities, and your focus – more than the input of the world’s values? The world says, “Get, get, get. Impress, impress, impress.” God’s Word says, “Give, give, give. Love, love, love. Be authentic, kind, humble.” The world says, “It’s how you look that matters.” God’s Word says, “It’s who you are that matters.” …
Read MoreThe Key to Building Confidence in God’s Word
Can you honestly say, “I believe the Bible is the Word of God and I believe that it’s true?” I can remember a time when I doubted this to be true. I was a graduate student at West Virginia University and one day I was walking into one of my classes when a very bright Ph.D. student passed me and then stopped in his tracks. He spotted a Bible on top…
Read MoreHow to Share Your Faith in an Anti-Christian World
We’re living in a day where evil is called good, and where good is called evil. As Christians, many of us are deeply concerned as we see the moral values in the culture and outside Church rapidly changing. The latest statistics support this. Right now, in the U.S., we have the highest level of people who have no religious affiliation.…
Read MoreWhy Does God Take His Name So Seriously?
Ever wonder what the Bible really means when it says, “Do not take the Lord’s name in vain?” I didn’t grow up in the church. So, when I first read the third of the Ten Commandments, part of me said, what’s the big deal? Does it really matter if you say God’s name this way or that way? The command means literally: “Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God.” That…
Read MoreHow to Starve Your Fear and Feed Your Faith
What is the greatest fear you’re facing right now? What gets your stomach in knots? When you’re driving in your car and everything is quiet and your mind drifts, what makes your heart rate increase and you suddenly realize you’re afraid? For some of us, it’s the fear of losing our health or losing our…
Read MoreExperience Peace in the Midst of Anxiety
Anxiety can steal peace from our lives. And if you’re like most Americans, you’re probably experiencing anxiety on an everyday basis. This familiar feeling often comes over us like uneasiness, apprehension, dread, concern, tension, restlessness, or worry. It’s the feeling of impending danger or doom. For many of us, our anxiety is a result of…
Read MoreHow to Experience the Hope You Have in Christ
Did you know that as a believer in Christ you possess all the hope you need in order to get through this life? It’s a hope that’s based on absolute certainty that Christ is coming back and that He has prepared a place for all genuine followers of Christ. It’s a hope that believes the future is promising. And it’s a hope that believes God’s promises are true even in the midst…
Read MoreWhat One Trait is God Looking For?
My wife Theresa is always shopping. Whenever we’re hanging out around downtown Los Gatos, CA, or if we get away for a little weekend to Atlanta, GA, she is always shopping. But she’s not shopping for herself, she’s actually shopping for our grandkids. It seems like there is a birthday happening every third day in our family. So, wherever we go, she sees something and says, “For this season, this would be perfect for…” and then she’ll name one…
Read MoreWhy Our Expectations Are So Important
We all have expectations. But what about when it comes to God? For some of us who are married, we might think, “If I love Jesus, then my marriage is going be great!” For those of us who are single, we could think, “If I love Jesus, then the right person is going to walk…
Read MoreDoes God Use Some People More Than Others?
Ever wonder why God seems to use some people more than others? Maybe you think it’s because God only does amazing things through really “holy” and “righteous” people. Perhaps you think, “I’m not smart enough, or I’m not bold enough, or I’m not courageous enough, or I don’t know the Bible well enough!” The truth…
Read MoreGod’s Number One Goal for Your Life
I vividly remember one night back when I was in grad school. It was 5:30 p.m. and a bunch of college students were scheduled to come over at a 7 p.m. to hear me speak. The problem was I didn’t know what I was going to say. My mind was blank! And I was terrified!…
Read MoreRose’s Story
Growing up, Rose knew there was a God, but she struggled to know who God really is. Was He just keeping a list of her failures from which to judge her? Was He keeping a checklist that she could never possibly complete? Through her personal study of the Bible along with resources from Chip Ingram,…
Read MoreGod’s Prescription for a Lasting Relationship
If you spend any time checking out self-help books, clicking through television channels or perusing the magazine aisle at the grocery store, you know our world is overrun with advice on how to catch a mate and keep the relationship going strong. We are all desperately searching for a love that will last. And truthfully,…
Read MoreWhy the Environment Matters to God
There are few topics that cause as much controversy and polarizing opinions as the environment. When someone asks what you think of the environment and the issues surrounding it, sometimes it just feels easier to avoid the conversation altogether. But as awkward and difficult as it is, followers of Jesus Christ need to think, act,…
Read MoreIs God Out of Touch When It Comes to Sex?
I think many people – even Christians – think that God is totally out of touch with today’s culture and people’s needs and that’s why He prohibits all sex outside of marriage. I know I did. I came to Christ after my senior year in high school. Then I went away to a college where…
Read MoreWhat’s the Role of the Church When It Comes to Politics?
Ever wonder what role the church is supposed to play in politics? For example, what – if anything – should pastors say about politics from the pulpit, all over America and all around the world? Does the Bible tell us how to vote? Here’s what the Bible says: Let the Church be the Church. The…
Read MoreIs It Our Job to Judge Others?
“Who are you to judge me when you have sinned too?” “Who is anyone to tell me how to live?” Sound familiar? This attitude is pervasive in our culture. And it has led to one of the greatest myths inside the Church: we are not to judge one another. As a result, for over two…
Read MoreWhat Ever Happened to Right and Wrong?
Have you ever wondered whatever happened to right and wrong? I believe the real question behind what is right and what is wrong is: “What is true?” If you can’t define what’s true, then you can’t determine the difference between right and wrong. For thousands of years, most people believed that telling the truth, not…
Read MoreAre You Looking through the Wrong End of the Binoculars?
Seeing a friend suffer is hard, but sometimes that suffering gives us a new perspective. I remember when one of my closest friends lost his son and asked me to do his memorial service. After years of being clean after rehab and coming to know Christ, my friend’s 30-year-old son had one of those really low,…
Read MoreWhy Being Weak Is the Best Thing to Ever Happen to You
Imagine a man who wants to bail out of his marriage, who is tempted to hit his teenage son in his anger, who struggles with lust daily. That man is a pastor. His name is Chip Ingram. Think you’re alone in your struggle? You’re not. It doesn’t matter what it is. You may gamble your…
Read MoreThankfulness Beyond Thanksgiving
Today will be filled with final grocery store runs, road trips to family gatherings, and time to reconnect around the table. And hopefully in the midst of it all, there will be a time to pause and share what we’re thankful for. But the importance of giving thanks goes beyond Thanksgiving Day. Why is it…
Read MoreUnderstanding Grace Changes Everything
Grace. It’s the single most important word in all of the New Testament – actually, in all of the Bible. The Apostle Paul would say of his entire life: “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all…
Read More3 Essential Elements for Effective Prayers
Ever feel like your prayers are just bouncing off the walls? Maybe you’ve been asking God for something – wisdom for a problem, resolution for a situation at work, or for a child to come back to the Lord – and it’s been several weeks or months and nothing’s changed. You’ve even claimed the line…
Read MoreIs God Really in Control?
How can we possibly explain Christians who… Forgive ISIS as they’re about to be beheaded Exude joy in the midst of life confined in a wheelchair Trust again after their mate has been sexually unfaithful March into the Coliseum in ancient Rome singing praises to Christ for the privilege to suffer Someone has wisely stated…
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