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# To Every Nation Ministries

Recognize and resist satanic attacks

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## Posts

- [Recognizing and Resisting Spiritual Warfare: Good News](https://toeverynation.com/recognizing-and-resisting-spiritual-warfare/) - Spiritual warfare may feel overwhelming, but here’s the good news: it’s recognizable and resistible. Using biblical examples, we see that God equips us to identify and resist spiritual attacks—not by guesswork, but with clarity and confidence. This practical balance means we can walk in victory, relying on wisdom and God’s provision for every spiritual battle.
- [The Challenge of Invisible Spiritual Warfare: Why We Miss What's Right in Front of Us](https://toeverynation.com/the-challenge-of-invisible-spiritual-warfare/) - Even as we read verses about invisible spiritual warfare, we have trouble connecting it with our lives. Often, we see wars in the news, and we think, “Sorry, I’m just not experiencing that.” Yet here’s what we’re missing: this is an invisible war, fought according to spiritual principles. As 2 Corinthians 10:4 reminds us: “The
- [Spiritual Warfare Terminology: Proof We're in a Actual Battle](https://toeverynation.com/spiritual-warfare-terminology-means-actual-war/) - Discover how spiritual warfare terminology in the Bible proves you're in a real battle. The language isn't metaphorical—and neither is the war you're facing.
- [This Is Not Your Average War: What Makes Spiritual Warfare Unique](https://toeverynation.com/not-your-average-war-what-makes-spiritual-warfare-unique/) - This Is Not Your Average War: What Makes Spiritual Warfare Unique We use the word “war” in all kinds of contexts today. For instance, there are military wars. Additionally, we also talk of corporate wars, trade wars, culture wars, class wars, bidding wars, and even wars of words. However, when it comes to a spiritual
- [A Declared War: Why Satan Won't Leave You Alone](https://toeverynation.com/a-declared-war-why-satan-wont-leave-you-alone/) - A Declared War: Why Satan Won’t Leave You Alone One of the first things we need to recognize about spiritual warfare is that this is a declared war. There are wars that exist that are not declared, conflicts that just happen and continue without formal declarations. For instance, has Ukraine or Russia ever formally declared
- [What Is Spiritual Warfare? The Basic Definition](https://toeverynation.com/spiritual-warfare-basic-definition/) - Are you prepared for the real fight of faith? This post offers a balanced, biblical guide to spiritual warfare—what it is, what it’s not, and how you can be ready to stand strong.
- [Do You “Say Thanks” or “Give Thanks”?](https://toeverynation.com/give-thanks/) - A Memorable Expression of Thanks I rode the bus to school when I was in high school. One morning we came to the last stop in our neighborhood. There was usually only one person there, an older boy. On that day the bus driver stopped and he wasn't there. Rather than drive away, which she
- [Do You have an Abundance of Thanks To God?](https://toeverynation.com/abundance-of-thanks-to-god/) - Overflowing with Thanks to the Lord This past Sunday night we had a Thanksgiving Dinner at our church. As my wife Margaret was preparing a pumpkin pie she needed help getting it into the stove. The pumpkin filling came all the way to the top and she didn’t want to spill any over the side.
- [Living in the Zone of Thankfulness](https://toeverynation.com/living-zone-thankfulness/) - How Thankfulness Can Be Integrated Into Every Area of Your Life Top performers such as athletes and musicians talk about the experience of “being in the zone.” In general it describes when a person is able to perform at a higher than normal level. I’ve heard professional basketball players say when it happens it’s like
- [Happy Thanksgiving From A Descendant of Pilgrim Robert Cushman](https://toeverynation.com/thanksgiving-pilgrim-robert-cushman/) - A Brief History of Pilgrim Robert Cushman As a child growing up in the 1960’s each year our teacher would talk about the Pilgrims and how many believed they celebrated the first Thanksgiving. They had survived a brutal first year, being the second group from England to successfully settle in the New World. Their reason
- [How Robert Cushman Came to Preach the First Sermon Ever Printed in America](https://toeverynation.com/robert-cushman-sermon/) - The Lasting Spiritual Contribution of Pilgrim Robert Cushman In December of 1621 Deacon Robert Cushman, the business agent for the Plymouth Colony, arrived in America on the Fortune. He had been on the Mayflower, but when the Speedwell was found unseaworthy he stayed in England. Even though he didn't arrive on the Mayflower the Pilgrims
- [Thanksgiving, Thankfulness and Pilgrim Robert Cushman](https://toeverynation.com/thanksgiving-thankfulness/) - One Can’t Spend Too Much Time On The Topic of Thankfulness This week the theme of my posts has been thankfulness and Thanksgiving. In case you missed any, here is a look back at the week. Click on the title of the post to read it. Do You “Say Thanks” or “Give Thanks”? It's more
- [How Not To Settle For Something Less Than God’s Best](https://toeverynation.com/settle-for-something-less/) - It’s Easy to Settle for Something Less than God’s Best We made it through Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Did you do any shopping? Did you get anything great? This may come as a surprise to some of you but I like shopping. Lest I lose the respect of all the men reading this blog
- [The Best Gift Ever](https://toeverynation.com/best-gift-ever/) - Trying to Find the Best Gift Many years ago I worked for Lillian Vernon who built a hugely successful mail order business. Lillian had a knack for choosing things to put in her catalog that women wanted. When asked for the secret to her success she said, “I put things in the catalog that I
- [What if Santa is really Satan?](https://toeverynation.com/is-santa-really-satan/) - Are you ready for The Question, "Is Santa Claus Real?" It’s here parents, that challenging time of the year when you have to deal with the most difficult philosophical question any parent ever faces. Your darling little progeny that you have protected from the sun with 12 layers of SPF 300 sunscreen, you protected from
- [Is God On Your List To Give a Gift To This Christmas?](https://toeverynation.com/give-god-christmas-gift/) - Getting and Giving Gifts Have you ever been in the awkward situation of not having a gift for someone? If so it was probably either because you procrastinated shopping or someone gave you a gift you weren’t expecting. Most of us have experienced the embarrassment of not having a gift to reciprocate. It takes away
- [Getting Ready for Christmas](https://toeverynation.com/getting-ready-christmas/) - The Christmas Season is Upon Us It’s December and we're all thinking about Christmas. That means shopping, gifts, gift lists and of course Santa. This past week we had two of our highest viewed blog posts ever! Here are links (click on the titles) to read them, just in case you missed any or to
- [Expectations of the Unexpected at Christmastime](https://toeverynation.com/expectations-at-christmastime/) - What The First Christmas Teaches Us About Expectations What are you expecting for Christmas? That’s one of those questions that’s pregnant with possibilities. Kids hear the question and think about gifts. Parents, whose grown up kids live far away, think about the precious time they’ll spend with family. A store owner expects to sell all
- [Do you Know the Christmas Story? Take the Christmas Quiz](https://toeverynation.com/christmas-quiz/) - How Well Do You Know the Christmas Story? Everyone in America has grown up listening to the Christmas story. We've heard it in church, read it in books and seen it on TV. We know the Christmas story so well we can tell it without looking it up in the Bible, right? Let’s take a
- [Two Personal Implications for You From Mary’s Song](https://toeverynation.com/two-implications-from-marys-song/) - Mary’s Song Showed She Understood The Implications of Jesus’ Birth Many things happen to us that have significant implications both good and bad. Think about being asked to be in a friend’s wedding. On the down side, you may have to take time off work. You’ll probably have travel and lodging expenses. It’s likely you’ll
- [Four Reasons Why Bethlehem is So Special](https://toeverynation.com/bethlehem-is-special/) - The Role of Bethlehem in the Plan of God Bethlehem is one of the first things we cover when I teach a Walk Thru The New Testament Live Event. I start by saying, “Everyone knows Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Who else was born there?” Usually someone says “King David.” I reply “Very good! Who else?”
- [The Fascinating Story of The Wise Men and Star of Bethlehem](https://toeverynation.com/fascinating-star-of-bethlehem/) - The Mysterious and Delightful Star Of Bethlehem Is there anyone who doesn't like looking up at the stars on a clear night? Their beauty is enchanting. As you see them sparkling you can’t help but wonder how far away they are? What are they like? How long have they been there? If you’re fortunate you
- [Why 7 Predictions about Jesus’ Birth Matter](https://toeverynation.com/7-predictions-jesus-birth/) - The Fulfillment of Prophecies about Jesus' Birth People are fascinated with prophecy. It’s intriguing to think someone could accurately say ahead of time what’s going to happen in the future. One well known prophet who lived in the 1500’s is Nostradamus. He made a number of prophecies that many people believe have been fulfilled over
- [Feeling Sentimental about Some Christmas Traditions](https://toeverynation.com/sentimental-christmas-tradition/) - Christmas Traditions are such an important part of the season Christmas is a time of wonderful traditions. We have so many things to look forward to each year. The first Christmas tradition each year is usually when department stores put up decorations. That makes it official. The Christmas season has started. The second Christmas tradition
- [The Father’s Compassion to Mary and Elizabeth](https://toeverynation.com/fathers-compassion-mary-elizabeth/) - The Father’s Choice of Mary and Elizabeth Shows us His Compassion Mary and Elizabeth were two women, uniquely joined in time. They were cousins. We don’t know how old they were when each became pregnant. Elizabeth was older Luke 1:18. She was well beyond childbearing years. Let’s says she was in her 60’s. She may
- [“Joy to the World” Was Not Written as a Christmas Carol](https://toeverynation.com/joy-christmas/) - Joy and Christmas One of the most well-known Christmas carols of all time, “Joy to the World,” wasn't written for Christmas. In 1719 Isaac Watts wrote it as part of a group of hymns on the Psalms. If you read Psalm 98 that it’s based on, you won’t find the phrase “Joy to the World”
- [7 Ways The Father Prepared For The First Christmas](https://toeverynation.com/father-prepared-for-christmas/) - The Way The Father Prepared For Jesus’ Birth Tells Us It’s A Big Deal At this time of the year a common question is “Are you ready for Christmas?” That’s a loaded question. It may mean “Have you finished shopping? Did you send your Christmas cards? Are your decorations up? Are all your presents wrapped?”
- [Which of the 5 Reactions To Jesus’ Birth is The Same as Yours?](https://toeverynation.com/reactions-to-jesus-birth/) - The Reactions To Jesus’ Birth Were Much Like People React To Him Today Imagine it’s four weeks before Christmas. Your boss calls everyone in for a meeting. No one knows why. He explains that business has been good, too good. The company is behind and has to catch up before the end of the year.
- [God The Father Has Lots of Gifts for You!](https://toeverynation.com/god-father-lots-gifts/) - The Father Loves to Give Gifts! Giving gifts is the primary focus of Christmas for many people. It’s a family time and there are many other traditions we’ve added to our Christmas celebration. But gift giving is the one tradition that everyone shares. There are various explanations for why this is so. One goes all
- [The Christmas Story From An Angel’s Point of View](https://toeverynation.com/christmas-story-angels-point-view/) - The Christmas Story I’d like to tell you the Christmas story from the perspective of an angel. I don’t know his name so let’s call him George. George is an average angel. He has regular work to do, like following humans around and helping them out from time to time with their problems. Other than
- [4 Reasons Why Jesus’ Title “Immanuel” Isn't Just for Christmas](https://toeverynation.com/4-reasons-jesus-title-immanuel-isnt-just-christmas/) - Immanuel Isn't One of Jesus' Names Most people have a title. Titles are important for two reasons. First, they tell what we do. Second they communicate status. There are titles that are confusing or leave us wondering. Would you guess the title “Director of First Impressions” is for a receptionist? In the Christmas story Matthew
- [6 Ways to Finish Well in 2014](https://toeverynation.com/6-ways-finish-well-2014/) - Let’s Make it a Priority to Finish Well Every Day At this time of the year many people begin to focus on next year. We look ahead and think about things we want to change or accomplish in the new year and come up with goals and resolutions. Everyone agrees that goals are important. Even
- [5 Reasons to Remember What God Did For You In 2014](https://toeverynation.com/reasons-to-remember-what-god-did/) - It’s Good To Remember What God Has Done One of the most important events in the Old Testament is the crossing of the Red Sea. The description in Exodus 14 is amazing but if that’s all the Bible said about it we might not know how important it was. The reason we know it’s important
- [2 Powerful Aspects of Your Identity as a Christian](https://toeverynation.com/2-aspects-identity-christian/) - The Power of Your Identity in Christ When I was in India in October I was surprised at the special way I was treated. I was given gifts, had my bags carried for me and was always called Pastor rather than by my first name. Often people waited for me to eat before they ate
- [The Wonder of Our Position as Christians: We’re Alive To God!](https://toeverynation.com/our-position-alive-to-god/) - Understanding our Spiritual Position In Christ I am the fourth of six children born to Howard and Ruth Cushman. My father was about six feet tall, as am I. His ancestry was English and my mom’s Swedish. That’s the position in which I was born in this life. If you see me and any of
- [Don’t Confuse Your Spiritual Condition with Your Spiritual Position](https://toeverynation.com/dont-confuse-condition-with-position/) - Live In Your Position Not Your Condition “I can’t believe I did that!” Most of us have uttered those words. We get distracted and do something we wouldn't do if we were paying attention. It’s like missing an exit on the freeway because you’re talking. Even though you've taken it a hundred times you missed
- [What to Do When Satan Attacks? Or did He?](https://toeverynation.com/what_to_do_when_satan_attacks/) - Someone attacked our website with malware. What it Satan's fault? Or did God hack our website? Crazy question? Read to find out.
- [5 Facts About Our Acceptance by God](https://toeverynation.com/5-facts-acceptance-by-god/) - Our Position In Christ Assures us of Acceptance Acceptance is a key principle for people of all cultures. It’s elusive. It isn't based upon one’s social status or wealth or accomplishments. There are many successful, wealthy, famous people who struggle with acceptance. No matter how much one tries one cannot guarantee being accepted by another.
- [7 Benefits of Being Accepted by the Father](https://toeverynation.com/7-benefits-accepted-father/) - What it Means to be Accepted by the Father Acceptance is a big deal. Young people work hard for good grades to be accepted into the National Honor Society. High school students strive to get accepted into a top college. College graduates prepare resumes hoping an employer accepts and hires them. We want to be
- [Jesus Makes Us Acceptable To The Father](https://toeverynation.com/jesus-makes-us-acceptable-to-the-father/) - Being Clothed With Jesus Makes Us Acceptable To The Father When a person joins the Army he or she goes through a dramatic transformation. The Army designed a system to produce soldiers who are physically fit, have basic fighting skills, understand the chain of command and work as a team. If one works hard, in
- [The Holy Spirit is the Proof We Are Acceptable To God](https://toeverynation.com/holy-spirit-proof-acceptable-to-god/) - The Father Knows We Need Proof We Are Acceptable To God Some things are just hard to believe. We've all heard stories of the huge fish that got away and of sure-fire ways to get rich. Perhaps you've been burned and as a result have been disappointed or perhaps it cost you money. Many of
- [God’s Love Gives Us A Different Perspective On Our Problems](https://toeverynation.com/gods-love-our-problems/) - The Uniquely Positive Role of Problems In Our Lives Problems have gotten a bad rap. We live in a problem obsessed culture. Many people are preoccupied with how to avoid them. If that’s not possible they think the next best thing is to figure out how to overcome them. We think about them so much
- [Focus On the Father When You Pray](https://toeverynation.com/the-father-focus-when-we-pray/) - Jesus Taught Us The Father Is The First Issue in Our Prayers I've noticed something about the way people pray. I wonder if you agree. My conclusion is based upon listening to people pray over the years. It isn't a scientific survey but I think I’m right. [Tweet "Most people don’t pray the way Jesus
- [The Father Is Our Ultimate And Intended Father](https://toeverynation.com/the-father-ultimate-intended-father/) - God the Father is Actually The Father of Every Family Modern DNA and gene research has provided the world with some fascinating information about family backgrounds. One interesting and debated hypothesis from gene research is that it's possible 1 in 200 men alive today are direct descendants of Genghis Khan. The linked article gives the
- [Moses As A Leader Is My Hero!](https://toeverynation.com/moses-leader-hero/) - 8 Reasons Moses was an Incredible Leader and Person This year I’m reading through the whole Bible again. I’m already into the book of Numbers and today in my reading I was reminded of how amazing Moses was as a leader. In some respects the books of Exodus through Deuteronomy are the story of Moses’s
- [Jesus and Your Social Media Profile](https://toeverynation.com/jesus-your-social-media-profile/) - Your Social Media Profile and Your Identity In Christ Lately I've been working on building up my social media connections. It’s been fun to connect with people all over the world who share my interest in the Bible and in knowing more about walking with God. There’s something cool about having a new friend in
- [How To Live Like God Is Near](https://toeverynation.com/live-like-god-near/) - The Incredible Blessing that God is Near You My wife and I are empty nesters. We live in the Chicago area and our children live in California and New York. We wish we lived closer but at this stage of our lives we’re each where we believe God wants us to be. We’re fortunate to
- [7 Ways Reading the Bible Will Improve Your Life](https://toeverynation.com/7-ways-bible-improve-your-life/) - The Benefits of Reading the Bible We all want a better life, to enjoy good health, have success in all our endeavors and be fulfilled in our work. In the past the main source people had to learn how to reach such lofty goals was books about people who achieved these things. Now, with the
- [Two Steps To Get On The Path To A Blessed Life](https://toeverynation.com/two-steps-to-a-blessed-life/) - Your Choices Will Put You on the Path to a Blessed Life About ten years ago I made a decision that changed my life. I was a typical middle-aged man, overweight, borderline high blood pressure and lacking in energy. I decided to get healthy. The first question was “Where do I start?” I decided to
- [5 Reasons Why God's Promises Matter](https://toeverynation.com/5-reasons-why-gods-promises-matter/) - God Makes and Keeps His Promises Promises are woven into the fabric of our lives. We don’t learn about promises in school but we all understand the concept at an early age. Like me I’m sure you remember testing the truth of a friend’s statement by asking “You promise?” When you’re young it’s enough that
- [4 Things People Get Wrong About Bible Promises](https://toeverynation.com/4-things-people-get-wrong-bible-promises/) - Getting Bible Promises Wrong One of the most significant technological advances in my lifetime is the personal GPS. Over the years I've gotten lost my fair share of times trying to follow a map or directions someone gave me. Before the GPS I would have told you good directions were the most important key to
- [How To Find God's Promise For You](https://toeverynation.com/find-gods-promise/) - God Has A Promise For You Today One could make a case that the Bible is a promise book! Herbert Lockyer wrote a book called All the Promises in the Bible. He counts 7,487 promises in the Bible made by God to man. There are another 1,323 promises from man to man, angels to man
- [God's Promise For My Financial Crisis](https://toeverynation.com/gods-promise-financial-crisis/) - Find God's Promise For Your Need It was 1982. I was 27 years old and my life was in shambles. A year and a half before I left a well-paying national sales manager job to be a manufacturer's representative. I sub-leased a showroom in the prestigious 225 Fifth Avenue NY Gift Building and contracted to
- [A Promise Fulfilled - How God Fulfilled His Promise In My Life](https://toeverynation.com/promise-fulfilled-by-god-in-my-life/) - God Fulfills His Promises In His Time and Way It was the end of 1982. The recession was officially over and my dreams were officially crushed. As I described in yesterday’s post I was deeply in debt. After months of praying and seeking guidance from the Lord as to what to do about it He gave
- [Why We Experience Unfulfilled Promises from God](https://toeverynation.com/why-unfulfilled-promises-from-god/) - Understanding Why Some of God’s Promises Don’t Come True A godly Christian couple faced a dilemma. They leased some expensive production equipment to another company. The company damaged the equipment so that it was unusable and demanded the couple replace it. The couple believed it was the company’s responsibility and didn't have the financial means
- [God's Will - To Accept It We Must First Understand It](https://toeverynation.com/gods-will-accept-understand/) - Understanding God's Will Everything happens for a reason, is a common phrase in our culture. It’s often said after something tragic happens. On the surface it seems to be an attempt to make sense of an emotionally painful event such as a death or accident. On another level, however, it expresses a fatalistic attitude that
- [Understanding Our Personal Free Will](https://toeverynation.com/understanding-personal-free-will/) - We Exercise Our Free Will When We Seek God’s Will People like to sit in the same place. This is true at church, school and in the conference room at work. If you sit somewhere else it’s because you choose to do so. Perhaps it’s warmer in another chair or it’s closer to a friend.
- [Should We Ask God For A Sign?](https://toeverynation.com/ask-god-sign/) - Gideon Asked For A Sign, Should You? The story of Gideon is a well known Bible story. Gideon is listed as a man of faith in Hebrews 11:32 but it was his initial lack of faith that led him to do what he’s most known for, asking God for a sign. It’s a shame that
- [4 Reasons We Don’t Discern God's Will](https://toeverynation.com/4-reasons-dont-discern-gods-will/) - The Things That Prevent Us From Discerning God's Will It’s been a brutal winter. In the Chicago area we’ve had bitter cold and snow, although nowhere near as much as they’ve had in New England. Two weeks ago we got hit with a storm that dropped 15 inches of snow over a two day period.
- [God's Will - 3 Reasons Why You Want to Know It](https://toeverynation.com/gods-will-3-reasons-want-know/) - A Conversation About God's Will After the church service Luke, a young man in his twenties, waited patiently for everyone to leave so he could speak with Pastor Randy. “Pastor, can I ask you a question?” he asked nervously. “Sure, how can I help you?” Randy asked. “I've been dating a sweet girl for almost
- [7 Steps To Follow to Find God's Will](https://toeverynation.com/7-steps-follow-find-gods-will/) - You Don’t Follow A Map To Find God's Will This past weekend I needed directions to East Troy Bible Church where I taught a Walk Thru the Bible Old Testament Live Event. I entered the church’s address in my GPS and took off. It gave me specific turn by turn instructions and finally announced “You have
- [6 Different Things People Mean When They Say "God Told Me"](https://toeverynation.com/6-different-things-people-mean-when-they-say-god-told-me/) - God Speaks In Different Ways A few months ago a man called the church in need of $100. He’d just gotten out of prison and needed gas money to drive from Kentucky up to Mundelein, IL where his grandmother had left him a house. He was calling me from the phone at a friend’s place.
- [How God Speaks In General And Special Ways](https://toeverynation.com/how-god-speaks-in-general-and-special-ways/) - God Speaks To Everyone In General and His Children In Special Ways Communication has changed significantly within my lifetime. When I was born the options were rotary dial landline telephones, written letters, telegrams and telex. Yep, that was it. It was a simpler time. I remember the fascination I felt when the fax machine and mobile
- [6 Reasons Why We Should Not Seek To Hear God's Audible Voice](https://toeverynation.com/6-reasons-why-we-should-not-seek-to-hear-gods-audible-voice/) - We Need to Hear God But It Doesn't Need To Be God's Audible Voice There are many issues in Christianity that are as clear as can be. It’s clear that God speaks. The Bible begins and ends with God speaking. It’s also clear the Bible is the primary way God speaks to everyone. What isn't
- [6 Important Things The Bible Can Do For You All By Itself](https://toeverynation.com/6-important-things-the-bible-can-do-for-you-all-by-itself/) - The Bible Is Sufficient For What Matters Most Traveling has its challenges. If you travel enough you quickly develop a good idea of what you need to take with you. There are basics, clothes and toiletries, that you need no matter what. After that it can get complicated. If you travel overseas, you’ll need your
- [7 Ways The Bible Brings Clarity To Your Life](https://toeverynation.com/7-ways-the-bible-brings-clarity-to-your-life/) - The Bible Has Something For Everyone My first pastorate was in Daly City, California, located just south of San Francisco. Daly City is known for its row houses and large Filipino population. Like San Francisco it’s also known for fog. Driving in the fog was always a challenge. There are often automobile accidents when the
- [7 Reasons Why You Need The Bible](https://toeverynation.com/7-reasons-why-you-need-the-bible/) - Everyone Needs The Bible Americans have lots of Bibles! Every church I've attended or pastored has stacks of Bibles! We use them in church and that’s a good thing. I don’t know what the statistic is on how often people in general read the Bible outside of church, but I don’t think it’s very high.
- [5 Reasons Why The Bible is Relevant Today](https://toeverynation.com/5-reasons-why-the-bible-is-relevant-today/) - The Bible Is As Relevant Now As It Has Ever Been In the 1960's liberal theologians said God is dead. A former megachurch pastor recently said if the church follows the instructions from the Bible and forbids same-sex marriage it will become irrelevant. What was the authority that he based his comment on? His own cultural observations. There
- [Two Ways You Can Tell If The Bible Is An Authority In Your Life](https://toeverynation.com/two-ways-bible-authority-in-your-life/) - The Bible Is Only An Authority If Your Life Reflects It I grew up near San Francisco in the 1960’s during which the shift from respecting to disregarding authority showed itself on the nightly news for all the world to see. Many in my generation threw off the shackles of following anyone elses' orders, especially
- [When Success Can Be A Spiritual Mistake](https://toeverynation.com/when-success-can-be-a-spiritual-mistake/) - Learning From A Godly King’s Mistake Life is challenging. We live such complicated lives that problems can spring upon us at any moment from multiple directions. It could be a health issue, an unexpected financial crisis, a relationship that blew up or one of the gazillion mechanical devices in your life went kaput! Some problems
- [Delighted By Answered Prayer [A Personal Example]](https://toeverynation.com/answered-prayer-a-personal-example/) - The Wonder of Answered Prayer A friend of mine who is a pastor was preaching on prayer. He said, “When you ask God for something there are three possible ways that God will answer you. First, He may say ‘Yes.’ Second, He may say ‘No.’ Third, He may say, ‘Are you kidding Me? You’re really
- [Wisdom: Who Has It and Who Needs It?](https://toeverynation.com/wisdom-who-has-it-and-who-needs-it/) - Wisdom Is Elusive And Worth Seeking One day as a freshman in college I had a conversation with the Dean of Students about something related to my behavior. I don’t remember what it was or the advice he gave me but I do remember thinking I was clever so I said to him, “Thank you,
- [Understanding What It Means To Fear God [An Explanation]](https://toeverynation.com/understanding-what-it-means-to-fear-god-an-explanation/) - Don’t Be Afraid To Fear God A couple of years ago I had the occasion to stop at a pet crematorium. I stopped by to return something I’d borrowed from the owner. Like most people I had never seen a crematorium so I asked if I could look around. The actual crematorium isn't very big,
- [How The Fear of God Motivated Nehemiah [It’s Not What You Think]](https://toeverynation.com/fear-of-god-motivated-nehemiah/) - To Fear God Doesn’t Mean To Be Afraid Of Him Toward the end of the Old Testament God raised up a man named Nehemiah to lead in the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. He was a Jewish exile living in Persia. One day he heard news from his brother and other Jews who had
- [God's Wisdom Has Something for Everyone [Especially You]](https://toeverynation.com/gods-wisdom-has-something-for-everyone/) - God's Wisdom Can Improve Everyone’s Life The human race is so diverse that there are only a few things we share in common. Abraham Maslow developed a hierarchy of needs all people have that starts with physiological needs. This includes air, water, food, clothing and shelter. It doesn’t matter if you live in the Amazon
- [The Path To Wisdom [It’s Not Easy But It Is Clear]](https://toeverynation.com/the-path-to-wisdom-its-not-easy-but-it-is-clear/) - 5 Ways To Find Wisdom Things of value are usually scarce and difficult to acquire. Wisdom fits this description. We all know it isn't easy to be wise. One popular idea for how to find wisdom is to seek advice from a guru. The way this is often presented is someone makes a dangerous trek
- [Some Good Works Only God Should Know About](https://toeverynation.com/some-good-works-only-god-should-know-about/) - Some Things Are For God’s Eyes Only We live in a very public world. Someone can take a picture in a distant country and it’s possible people can see it all over the world in a matter of minutes. That’s fun! What isn’t fun is that everything is so public these days. A few years
- [It’s Easy To Please God. Do You Know How?](https://toeverynation.com/its-easy-to-please-god-do-you-know-how/) - The Bible Is Clear About How to Please God the Father There is an innate desire within all of us to please others, especially those we hold most dear. Every mom and dad has been touched with joy at receiving a gift from a child. It may have been a bouquet of dandelions or a
- [Life is a Spiritual Obstacle Course [Who's Responsible for the Obstacles?]](https://toeverynation.com/life-is-a-spiritual-obstacle-course/) - Navigating Life’s Spiritual Obstacle Course I recently watched part of a TV show called American Ninja Warrior . If you haven’t seen it, men and women compete for the best time through a challenging obstacle course where upper body strength is the key to success. One slip and the competitor is done until next year’s competition.
- [7 Ways We Suffer Consequences [That Are Avoidable]](https://toeverynation.com/7-ways-we-suffer-consequences-that-are-avoidable/) - Painful and Preventable Consequences Have you ever missed an airplane flight? Unless you had car trouble or were in an unexpected traffic jam it was probably your fault. You can blame it on your spouse or kids or dirty glasses that made you think 2:30 pm was 3:30 pm, but bottom line, it’s on you.
- [Persecution: It’s Time To Take It Seriously](https://toeverynation.com/persecution-time-to-take-seriously/) - All Christians Should Expect Persecution Just over a month ago the world learned of the tragic deaths of 21 Egyptian Christians on a beach in Libya. Persecution of Christians goes on all over the world. It has for as long as there have been people of faith Deuteronomy 30:7. Yet there was something different about what
- [Tests [When God Throws Us a Curve Ball]](https://toeverynation.com/spiritual-tests-when-god-throws-curve-ball/) - Tests Are Part Of God’s Plan For All His Children I didn't play baseball growing up but you don’t have to play to know it’s hard to hit a curve ball. I've seen excellent hitters look really bad when they swung at and missed a curve ball. Of course, if the batter expects a curve
- [Pruning Season [It’s Not Just For Plants]](https://toeverynation.com/pruning-season-its-not-just-for-plants/) - God’s Pruning is Difficult to Go Through but Profitable Spring officially started yesterday! Woo hoo! It means warmer temperatures, beautiful flowers and new growth appearing on plants, shrubs and trees. It’s also the time for pruning many plants. Pruning is done to remove the parts of a plant that are no longer useful to improve
- [The Father Prunes Us To Produce More Fruit [A Personal Example]](https://toeverynation.com/father-prunes-us-to-produce-more-fruit-a-personal-example/) - The Father Prunes All His Children In the last few hours Jesus spent with His disciples He taught them that the Father prunes His followers. In John 15:1-11 Jesus lays out these elements of the pruning process: Jesus is the vine. The Father is the vine dresser. Jesus’ followers are branches. Branches are to bear
- [Trials - They’re Not Our Enemy, Even Though It Feels Like It!](https://toeverynation.com/trials-are-not-our-enemy-though-it-feels-like-it/) - Trials Challenge And Strengthen Our Faith Trials are the most common and the most misunderstood type of adversity we face as Christians. They’re painful, negative events so some confuse them with attacks from the enemy. The enemy does attack us but he’s interested in attacking our mind, not our circumstances 2 Corinthians 11:3. The truth
- [Job – What God Thought of Him May Surprise and Encourage You](https://toeverynation.com/job-what-god-thought-of-him-may-surprise-and-encourage-you/) - God Had a High View of Job No one has ever gone through more adversity than the biblical character Job. At times we feel sorry for him and other times we feel just like him. When we think of him we usually think about all of the pain and suffering he endured. Today I’d like
- [Holy Week Is A Time To Choose](https://toeverynation.com/holy-week-is-a-time-to-choose/) - Holy Week is a Needed Time for Reflection Life is busy. Work, family and all the day to day stuff we do demands our attention. One of the consequences of our busy lives is we don’t pay enough attention to God. If you go to church that helps, at least when you’re there. But what
- [Jesus’ Power Was On Full Display During Holy Week](https://toeverynation.com/jesus-power-was-on-full-display-during-holy-week/) - Jesus' Power Is Available to Us I have a couple of friends who are rather unique individuals. One has amazing physical strength. The other is an expert martial arts instructor. In addition to their physical skills both men share another characteristic. You would never know by looking at them how powerful they are. Neither are
- [Jesus Cleansing the Temple is a Lesson in Worship](https://toeverynation.com/jesus-cleansing-the-temple-is-a-lesson-in-worship/) - Although We Mean Well, We Sometimes Get Worship Wrong On Monday morning of Holy Week, after Jesus cursed the fig tree, He went to the Temple as He had many times before. On this visit to the Temple, like one other time in His ministry, He caused quite a stir. Here’s how Matthew describes it:
- [Maundy Thursday of Holy Week [What Jesus Emphasized May Surprise You]](https://toeverynation.com/thursday-of-holy-week-what-jesus-emphasized-may-surprise-you/) - The 11 Events On Jesus’ Last Day of Freedom There are three days in Holy Week we emphasize. The first is Palm Sunday, a triumphant, festive and exciting day! Then Good Friday, the day that Jesus died. The third is Easter Sunday, Resurrection Day! There are other events that took place during the week that
- [Good Friday - Jesus Died On A Cross Meant For You and Me!](https://toeverynation.com/good-friday-jesus-died-on-a-cross-meant-for-you-and-me/) - Because of Good Friday We Can Escape Death There has been an unfortunate rash of airplane tragedies in the news lately. Last year there were two involving Malaysian Airlines. One, MH 17, was shot down over Ukraine in July 2014 and the other, MH 370, disappeared on March 8, 2014. Incredibly, there was a man,
- [Holy Week Posts](https://toeverynation.com/holy-week-posts/) - In case you missed any of the posts from this past week, here are links to each of them. Click on the title of each post to get to the original post. Monday: Holy Week Is A Time To Choose We all need helpful reminders to think about what is important. Holy Week forces each
- [The Gospel - Good News That Never Gets Old [Or Does It?]](https://toeverynation.com/the-gospel-good-news-that-never-gets-old-or-does-it/) - The Gospel Is Not Yesterday’s News! We live in an era of almost instant communication. With social media, radio and cable TV we live in a 24 hour news cycle. All it takes is a quick scan of your Twitter or Facebook feed once an hour or so to know if anything momentous has happened
- [Sin's Power Over Us: Rewards and Punishments](https://toeverynation.com/sins-power-over-us-rewards-and-punishments/) - Sin's Power Is Strong Against Us A little boy is tempted. There within reach is a delicious treat. But he’s not supposed to eat it. The urge is strong. Then he does what everyone does. He looks around to see if anyone is watching. He’s calculating whether he will be caught. Ah, but he’s already
- [What Jesus’ Resurrection Has To Do With Your Day Today](https://toeverynation.com/what-jesus-resurrection-has-to-do-with-your-day-today/) - Jesus’ Resurrection Affects How We Live Every Day Did you have a good Easter? I hope it was a great time of worship and celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. Even if you had a wonderful time you're probably ready to move on to the next thing on the calendar (Mother’s Day is coming up).
- [What Jesus’ Resurrection Says About Your Future [No Matter Who You Are]](https://toeverynation.com/what-jesus-resurrection-says-about-your-future-no-matter-who-you-are/) - Your Future Is Tied To Jesus’ Resurrection We have a fascination with the future. I loved watching the Jetsons growing up. Do you remember them? The future hasn’t yet caught up with them! We to try to imagine what it’s going to be like. Some very popular TV shows (Star Trek) and movies (Star Wars)
- [What Jesus’ Resurrection Has To Do With Our Suffering](https://toeverynation.com/what-jesus-resurrection-has-to-do-with-our-suffering/) - The Resurrection of Christ Gives Meaning To Our Suffering Suffering is one of the most difficult issues in life. It is difficult to endure and it is difficult to understand. At some point everyone is touched by suffering. Right now if you aren’t suffering personally, it’s likely you know someone who is. There is no
- [Bible Doctrine, What It Is And Why It’s Important [Even to You]](https://toeverynation.com/bible-doctrine-what-it-is-and-why-its-important-even-to-you/) - Bible Doctrine Teaches Us How To Live The word doctrine means teaching. When we talk about doctrine in the Bible we simply mean what the Bible teaches about a particular subject. For example the Bible teaches us many things about God. We call that the doctrine of God. The words “teaching” and “doctrine” are synonyms.
- [Bible Doctrine Is Both Timeless and Ageless](https://toeverynation.com/bible-doctrine-is-both-timeless-and-ageless/) - Bible Doctrine Has Something For Everyone In the 1960’s the phrase “generation gap” was coined. It was used to describe differences between young and old including things such as style of clothing, language and music preferences. The concept of the generation gap is still around but we talk about it differently. We call age groups
- [Biblical Doctrine is All About Life Change](https://toeverynation.com/biblical-doctrine-is-all-about-life-change/) - If Biblical Doctrine Doesn't Produce Life Change It Isn’t Of Value I’m a practical person. I like to learn but not just facts or theories. I don’t mind learning information as long as it leads to being able to do something with it. It’s what motivates me as a pastor, Bible teacher and writer. I
- [How Doctrine Helps You Interact With The Opponents of Faith](https://toeverynation.com/how-doctrine-helps-you-interact-with-the-opponents-of-faith/) - A Welcome and Unexpected Result of Teaching Sound Doctrine Many pastors have struggled with difficult congregations over the years. It’s just as easy for God’s flock to go astray as it is for real flocks. One young pastor who had a problem flock was Titus. A disciple of the Apostle Paul, he was the pastor
- [False Doctrine Is All Around Us [Do You Recognize It?]](https://toeverynation.com/false-doctrine-is-all-around-us-do-you-recognize-it/) - Sound Doctrine and False Doctrine Are Both Just a Click Away The internet has made Bible teaching easily accessible to anyone with a computer. It has also made it easier than ever for anyone who has a computer to post Bible teaching online. I just did Google search for “Bible teaching” and got 81,500,000 hits.
- [What Doctrines Are Worth Arguing About? [Hint: This Is A Trick Question]](https://toeverynation.com/what-doctrines-are-worth-arguing-about/) - Do The Words “Doctrine” and “Argue” Belong In The Same Sentence? I feel sorry for Timothy. I’m speaking of the Timothy who was Paul’s disciple in the Bible. Okay, I don’t feel sorry for him now, he’s with the Lord. I feel sorry for what he had to endure at the church where he was a
- [Understanding the Bible Isn’t Hard But It’s Harder Than Some People Think](https://toeverynation.com/understanding-the-bible-isnt-hard-but-harder-than-you-think/) - The Bible Doesn’t Always Mean What You Think It Means When I grew up cars were not as complicated as they are today. I regularly did tune ups, changed the brakes, rebuilt carburetors and even changed a clutch or two. I don’t even think about doing those repairs now. Cars have become quite complex. It’s
- [Bible Interpretation: Why Reading The Bible Is Not Enough](https://toeverynation.com/bible-interpretation-why-reading-the-bible-is-not-enough/) - Bible Interpretation Is More than Just Reading the Bible I like to play ping pong. When I was in college I got pretty good or at least I thought I was. One day I visited a ping pong club in San Francisco. Yes, there is such a thing. I knew I wasn’t as good as
- [Mountaintop Experiences Are A Good Thing](https://toeverynation.com/mountaintop-experiences-are-a-good-thing/) - Mountaintop Experiences Remind Us Of What Is Possible I just got back from a wonderful men’s retreat at Mt. Palomar Christian Conference Center. I had the opportunity to get to know a great group of guys and teach them the Stand Firm Seminar. It was relaxing and fun in spite of the fact that it rained
- [There Are No Shortcuts In Bible Study](https://toeverynation.com/bible-study-no-shortcuts/) - Bible Study - Three Essential Steps Have you ever thought about how common shortcuts are in our lives? There are shortcuts for many things such as driving, cooking, for computers and smart phones and Facebook shortcuts! Everyone loves a shortcut because it saves time. However, there are some things for which there are no shortcuts, such
- [5 Methods of Biblical Interpretation [Which Is Yours?]](https://toeverynation.com/5-methods-of-biblical-interpretation-which-is-yours/) - Different Methods of Biblical Interpretation Lead To Different Results Some of us like to follow directions and some of us don’t. When you buy a toy set for your kids or piece of furniture that requires assembly, do you read the directions? Or do you prefer to jump right in and figure it out on
- [Bible Interpretation Is An Ideal “Do It Yourself” Task](https://toeverynation.com/bible-interpretation-is-an-ideal-do-it-yourself-task/) - There Are Different Ways You Can Do Bible Interpretation Are you a DIY “Do It Yourself” person or do you prefer to hire someone to do things for you? I have occasionally watched DIY shows on TV, often to great amusement. The people on the TV shows often have basic skills but aren’t experienced in
- [5 Reasons The Bible Study is a Gold Mine](https://toeverynation.com/5-reasons-you-might-want-to-study-the-bible/) - The Bible Is a Gold Mine Waiting To Be Mined I get it, we're all busy. There are so many things taking up our time. This includes family, work, school, trying to keep up with all the shows on the DVR so they don’t get automatically deleted . . . . life can be crazy
- [Bible Study: The 8 Steps In Studying A Bible Passage [How Many Do You Know?]](https://toeverynation.com/bible-study-the-8-steps-in-studying-a-bible-passage-how-many-do-you-know/) - How To Do Bible Study On Your Own We need a reason to study. If we’re in school, we study for exams. We study if we need to take a test to get our driver’s license renewed. We study for certifications to increase our value as an employee. I don’t know anyone who studies just
- [Bible Study Basics: Prepare Your Heart and Choose Your Passage](https://toeverynation.com/bible-study-basics-prepare-and-choose-a-passage/) - It’s Your Bible Study, You Decide What You Want To Study I have a friend who felt called as a young person to be a missionary. Over the years he wondered where he would serve and how that weighty decision would be made. After seminary he applied for and was accepted as a missionary candidate.
- [Bible Study Basics: Historical Background Research](https://toeverynation.com/bible-study-basics-historical-background-research/) - Connecting with the History and Culture of the Gospel of Mark 1:1-8 The Bible is an ancient book. It’s been translated into English so we can read it well enough. But reading it doesn’t mean we understand it. We need to do historical background research for any book that’s been around for hundreds of years.
- [Bible Study Basics: Historical Background Research Part 2](https://toeverynation.com/bible-study-basics-historical-background-research-part-2/) - Even Historical Background Research Can Encourage Us If this were a class I’d ask you to turn in your homework. How did your research into the historical background issues go? Do you have anything you discovered you’d like to share? If so, please leave a comment below. Let’s take a look at some of the
- [Bible Study Basics: Observations Lead To Insight](https://toeverynation.com/bible-study-basics-observations-lead-to-insight/) - Observations Are A Crucial Element Of Bible Study Over the years I’ve heard many Bible teachers. Something that makes a Bible teacher stand out from the crowd is when he shows you something new from the Bible. This is especially true if it’s from a passage of Scripture you’ve previously studied. Has that ever happened
- [Bible Study Basics: Questions Are A Tool For Bible Study](https://toeverynation.com/bible-study-basics-questions-are-a-tool-for-bible-study/) - Questions Lead To Observations A man and his son were walking through a park. The boy asked, “Dad, why is the grass green?” The father said, “I don’t know.” They walked some more and the boy asked, “Why are rocks hard?” The father thought for a moment and said, “Hmm, I don’t know, son.” They
- [Bible Study Basics: 12 Tips For Careful Bible Reading](https://toeverynation.com/bible-study-basics-12-tips-for-careful-bible-reading/) - There’s Reading and Then There’s Reading I don’t know if you’ve thought about it but reading is a subject that is both simple and complex. It’s simple enough we start to read at age five or six. By the time we’re a teenager the average person knows everything she needs to be able to read
- [Bible Study Basics: Identify Unknown Elements](https://toeverynation.com/bible-study-basics-identify-unknown-elements/) - Identify People, Places, Events and Concepts You Don't Understand We have a junk drawer in our house. It’s a place where we put things we need or think we need but don’t use very often. In it you’ll find pens, notepads, coupons, tape and a few tools. There are also a few thing-a-ma-jigs. If you’re
- [Bible Study Basics: Identify to Clarify [What You Don’t Know]](https://toeverynation.com/bible-study-basics-identify-to-clarify-what-you-dont-know/) - Digging Deeper in Mark 1:1-8 I once took an evening folk guitar class at a community college. There were about 25 people in the class with a wide range of experience. Some had never played a note. Others were intermediate players and some were good enough to teach the class. The instructor showed us beginners
- [Bible Study Basics: Good News From Mark 1:1](https://toeverynation.com/bible-study-basics-good-news-from-mark-11/) - Good News for Your Monday When was the last time you got some really good news? Do you remember? Perhaps it was a promotion or some other success at work. Perhaps a loved one found a job. Or maybe a doctor’s report came back with good news. It may have been you heard that one
- [Bible Study Basics: Mark 1:1 Looking At Jesus' Name And Titles](https://toeverynation.com/bible-study-basics-mark-11-looking-at-jesus-name-and-titles/) - The Meaning Of Jesus' Name And Titles A good friend tells the story of a pastor of a small church. They didn’t have an offering basket so the pastor used to pass his hat. One Sunday at offering time the pastor put $10 in his hat and passed it around. After the service he and
- [Bible Study Basics: Mark 1:2-8 The Focus Is On John The Baptist](https://toeverynation.com/bible-study-basics-mark-12-8-the-focus-is-on-john-the-baptist/) - Mark’s Gospel Starts By Talking About John Not Jesus A key part of Bible study is understanding the various elements in the text. This includes people, places and events. When we understand these the meaning of the text comes into clearer focus. When we skip over details we may be skipping over something important to
- [Bible Study Basics: Interpretation Is What The Text Means [But Not To You]](https://toeverynation.com/bible-study-basics-interpretation-is-what-the-text-means-but-not-to-you/) - Interpretation Is About What The Text Meant To The Original Audience “Are we there yet? Learning how to study the Bible is taking a long time!” You may feel like the kids in the back seat that are getting impatient with the trip. We are getting close but no, we aren’t there yet. This step,
- [Bible Study Basics: John The Baptist’s Mission Is The Beginning Of the Gospel](https://toeverynation.com/bible-study-basics-john-the-baptists-mission-is-the-beginning-of-the-gospel/) - The Importance of John The Baptist Doing Bible study is like filming a movie. There are many hours of film that are never used in the final production. Sometime entire scenes are cut. The director has to make choices and edit the film to tell the best story in the right amount of time. In
- [Charlie Charlie Challenge: 9 Things Charlie Isn’t Telling You!](https://toeverynation.com/charlie-charlie-challenge-9-things-charlie-isnt-telling-you/) - The Charlie Charlie Challenge Isn’t Innocent Fun! Everyday more and more people are talking about the Charlie Charlie Challenge. Some people say it isn’t real. Some say it’s real but harmless. Others say it’s real and dangerous. Which is it? First can we agree it’s real? There are way too many videos out there for
- [Bible Study Basics: The Application of Mark 1:1-8 To Our Lives](https://toeverynation.com/bible-study-basics-the-application-of-mark-11-8-to-our-lives/) - Application Of A Text Is Putting It Into Practice What’s your goal in studying the Bible? Not everyone agrees on the answer to that question. The goal is to understand what it teaches so we can live it out in our lives today. It’s amazing we can study the Bible, a book that is thousands
- [Bible Study Basics: How to Apply The Bible To Your Life](https://toeverynation.com/bible-study-basics-how-to-apply-the-bible-to-your-life/) - There Is A Wrong And Right Way To Apply The Bible To Your Life It is time to see what parts of Mark 1:1-8 we can apply to our lives. Here’s our text. 1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,
- [The Benefits of God the Father’s Blessings In Your Life](https://toeverynation.com/the-benefits-of-god-the-fathers-blessings-in-your-life/) - Knowing The Father’s Blessings Will Bless You Life is like a roller coaster. We all have highs and lows. At times things seem like they’re spinning out of control. Others times it seems like we’re plugging along working our way up hill. What are we going to find at the top? Is there another hill
- [The Joy Of Being Chosen By The Father](https://toeverynation.com/the-joy-of-being-chosen-by-the-father/) - The Father Blessed You By Choosing You One of the simplest joys in life is to be chosen. From our earliest days in school we were thrilled when our teacher chose us. It didn’t matter why. As soon as she said she needed a volunteer all hands were up. Remember lining up in gym class
- [The Blessing Of Adoption By God The Father](https://toeverynation.com/the-blessing-of-adoption-by-god-the-father/) - Adoption Is The Norm For the Family Of God Adoption is a wonderful solution to two tragic problems. Children, who by no fault of their own are without parents, experience the love and wholeness of being in a family. Parents unable to have their own children are able to experience the joy of parenting. It’s
- [Redeemed and Lovin’ It!](https://toeverynation.com/redeemed-and-lovin-it/) - Being Redeemed Is All About Being Liberated Rewards programs are very common today. The most popular are with airlines or credit card companies. The more you use their services the more quickly you earn a reward. The terminology used in claiming a reward is biblical! If you want to purchase something with the reward points
- [A Mystery Revealed [And You're Part Of It]](https://toeverynation.com/a-mystery-revealed-and-youre-part-of-it/) - You Are Blessed To Know This Mystery From God There's a sense of privilege and power that comes with knowledge. This is particularly true when we know something first or before others don't know it. When someone shares important news with us first it tells us that other person trusts us and values us.
- [Chosen As God’s Inheritance](https://toeverynation.com/chosen-as-gods-inheritance/) - We Were Chosen By God As His Inheritance There's an interesting phrase that kids learn growing up. It’s “I’ve got dibs on that!” Its history is uncertain but it seems to have its origin in a 17th century game similar to the modern day Jacks game. Its origin may be unknown but the meaning of
- [Spiritual Warfare Is A Confusing Topic For Many](https://toeverynation.com/spiritual-warfare-is-a-confusing-topic-for-many/) - There Are Several Different Views of Spiritual Warfare Spiritual Warfare is an important topic in the Bible. There are over 130 passages that say something about Satan and his follower’s activity including attacking or trying to attack people. Here are a few examples. Job 1- 2 Satan attacked Job, killed his family, destroyed his possessions
- [God's Plan For Good [Before Spiritual Warfare Started]](https://toeverynation.com/gods-plan-for-good-before-spiritual-warfare-started/) - "Good" Was The Theme Of God's Plan I would like for you to imagine with me what the world would be like without conflict. The implications are astounding. I mean no conflict at all. There would be no crime for every criminal deed involves conflict of some kind. There would be no wars. There would
- [The First Spiritual Warfare Attack Has A Familiar Look To It](https://toeverynation.com/the-first-spiritual-warfare-attack-has-a-familiar-look-to-it/) - The First Attack Was A Lie Life was wonderful for Adam and Eve before they sinned. They had no evil impulses. They weren’t selfish. They never got upset or impatient with each other. They had perfect, healthy bodies. They always felt great. They weren’t afraid of anything. They lived in harmony with the animals, insects,
- [Understanding Our Enemy Satan’s Basic Flaw](https://toeverynation.com/understanding-our-enemy-satans-basic-flaw/) - 5 Facts About Our Enemy Satan’s Creation And Fall God created a perfect, beautiful world in which everything was very good Genesis 1:31. He intended that people, animals and all creation live in peace and harmony. He gave Adam and Eve the job of taking care of the garden. He gave them just one prohibition.
- [Satan’s First Attack On Humanity [Was It Typical Or Atypical?]](https://toeverynation.com/satans-first-attack-on-humanity-was-it-typical-or-atypical/) - The Nature Of Satan’s First Attack On Eve Satan gets way too much credit. I’ve heard people credit Satan with destroying churches and marriages. Some give him credit for health problems and disagreements with the neighbors. He’s credited with ruining our country and causing pipes to burst. All without one shred of actual evidence that
- [Your Role In The War Called Spiritual Warfare [Participant Or Spectator]](https://toeverynation.com/your-role-in-the-war-called-spiritual-warfare-participant-or-spectator/) - Spiritual Warfare Is A Real War War of any kind is terrible. So many young lives have been cut short fighting in wars. Like a majority of Americans, I know war is real but it isn’t part of my daily life. I’m fortunate in that I’ve not been personally touched by war. I know many
- [God's Response to Satan’s Attack On Eve [It May Surprise You]](https://toeverynation.com/gods-response-to-satans-attack-on-eve-it-may-surprise-you/) - God's Response Reveals His Perspective On Spiritual Warfare In yesterday’s post I said that many Christians don’t think spiritual warfare is a significant issue in their lives. Have you ever wondered what God thinks about it? To answer that question we only need to turn to Genesis 3 where Satan attacked Eve and God's response
- [God's Plan For Spiritual Warfare](https://toeverynation.com/gods-plan-for-spiritual-warfare/) - 8 Elements of God's Plan For Satan and Us A few years ago my wife and I and our youngest son were on a trip when we stopped at a rest stop. It was a hot day and our teenage son was happy to stay in the car rather than stretch his legs. As Margaret
- [Common Misconceptions About Spiritual Warfare](https://toeverynation.com/common-misconceptions-about-spiritual-warfare/) - 3 Primary Misconceptions About Spiritual Warfare There are several famous optical illusions. When I teach on spiritual warfare I show some to demonstrate that it is possible to look right at something and not see everything. Here’s a link if you’d like to look at some really fascinating ones. An optical illusion is something you
- [God Allows Satanic Attacks [What That Means To Us]](https://toeverynation.com/god-allows-satanic-attacks-what-that-means-to-us/) - Be Comforted Not Alarmed That God Allows Satan To Attack We’re all fascinated with the spirit realm. This is evident by all of the books, TV shows and movies about angels, demons and the paranormal. We’d all like to know more about those beings we can’t see that seem to have greater powers than we
- [God Guards Us From Spiritual Warfare](https://toeverynation.com/god-guards-us-from-spiritual-warfare/) - Be Comforted Knowing God Guards Us Even Though We Don’t See It A little over a year ago I went on a missions trip with my church to Guatemala. I was hoping to venture out during free time and see some of Guatemala City on my own. It didn’t happen. From the moment we arrived
- [God Delivers Satan's Followers From His Control](https://toeverynation.com/god-delivers-satans-followers-from-his-control/) - Satan's Followers Include People Who Don't Realize They Follow Satan A war is not a fight or battle between two individuals or families. A war is when one nation or state fights against another. Spiritual warfare isn’t just a battle between God and Satan. It’s the ongoing hostilities that exist between God and his followers
- [Equipped for Victory In Spiritual Warfare](https://toeverynation.com/equipped-for-victory-in-spiritual-warfare/) - God’s Children Are Equipped For Victory In Spiritual Warfare My mom had a lot of sayings. Most often she would use one when one of us kids was complaining about something. There were six kids in our family so I heard these sayings time and again. One that comes to mind was when we she
- [God's Warnings About Spiritual Warfare Aren’t What Many Expect](https://toeverynation.com/gods-warnings-about-spiritual-warfare-arent-what-many-expect/) - God's Warnings About Spiritual Warfare Are Clear When I say “spiritual warfare” what comes to your mind? For some people it’s images of dark streets or alleys or haunted houses with demons lurking in the shadows. Others imagine people being controlled by demons against their will. For some it’s the thought of being attacked with
- [God Restores Us After Suffering Through Spiritual Warfare](https://toeverynation.com/god-restores-us-after-suffering-through-spiritual-warfare/) - All Spiritual Warfare Involves Suffering If you’ve read a few of my posts you know that I believe many people misunderstand spiritual warfare. Many would think the statement “all spiritual warfare involves suffering” refers to physical suffering. It doesn’t. The main reason people think spiritual warfare is about physical suffering is the story of Job.
- [Satan's Power Is Real But Limited](https://toeverynation.com/satans-power-is-real-but-limited/) - God Has Already Destroyed A Key Element Of Satan’s Power Spiritual warfare is a key theme in the Bible. I say this because of where it's situated in the Bible. It's introduced at the beginning in Genesis 3. It's part of God's plan at the end in Revelation 20:7-10. In addition, elements of it are
- [Satan's Defeat Is Certain Even Though He’s Still Fighting](https://toeverynation.com/satans-defeat-is-certain-even-though-hes-still-fighting/) - God will triumph over and eternally banish Satan and all his followers In the last game of the recent NBA finals I saw something I’d never seen before in a basketball game. Golden State had a double-digit lead with just a couple of minutes left. Cleveland didn’t give up and managed to narrow the lead.
- [We Have Three Enemies In Our Battle Of Spiritual Warfare](https://toeverynation.com/we-have-three-enemies-in-our-battle-of-spiritual-warfare/) - The Bible Tells Us We Have Three Enemies The battle we call spiritual warfare officially began when God declared war on Satan. This is recorded in Genesis 3:15. He declared that a state of hostility would exist between His followers and Satan’s followers. There are several verses that reinforce Satan is our enemy 1 Peter
- [Defining The Flesh - Our Enemy Within](https://toeverynation.com/defining-the-flesh-our-enemy-within/) - The Flesh Is The Christian’s Most Active Enemy There is an important principle of biblical interpretation that’s often overlooked. It’s the importance of the words of Scripture. 2 Timothy 3:16 says, All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness ESV The Greek word
- [Evil Desires - The Way All Three Enemies Attack Us](https://toeverynation.com/evil-desires-the-way-all-three-enemies-attack-us/) - The Flesh, World And Satan Attack Us In Similar Ways The first step in learning how to defend ourselves from our three spiritual enemies is to understand how they attack us. Although they use a similar method, their attacks are different. Fortunately the Bible distinguishes their attacks for us. This enables us to learn how
- [Temptation Is A Step On The Path To Sin [But It’s Not The First Step]](https://toeverynation.com/temptation-is-a-step-on-the-path-to-sin-but-its-not-the-first-step/) - Temptation Is The Second Step On The Path To Sin In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus compared the ease of following a life of sin with the difficulty of following a life of righteousness. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it
- [Understanding Evil Desires - The Similarities and Differences](https://toeverynation.com/understanding-evil-desires-the-similarities-and-differences/) - Evil Desires Are Distinguishable From One Another We live in a wonderful, diverse world! God has blessed us with incredible beauty and variety in creation. Two examples come to mind, birds and trees. There are over 900 different wild bird species in North America, north of the Mexican border. How many of those do you
- [The Symptoms Of Attacks By The Flesh](https://toeverynation.com/the-symptoms-of-attacks-by-the-flesh/) - Recognizing Attacks By The Flesh I once worked as the manager of the service department of a computer company. When someone brought in a computer they would describe what was wrong, the symptoms. The first thing we did for them was run diagnostics. This enabled us to understand the root problem causing the symptoms. Problems
- [How To Defeat the Flesh [It Starts With A Choice]](https://toeverynation.com/how-to-defeat-the-flesh-it-starts-with-a-choice/) - The Way To Defeat The Flesh Is Ultimately A Matter Of Choice A man was sitting in a rocking chair on his porch. His dog was sitting near him whimpering and howling. A neighbor walked by and asked what was wrong with the dog? The man in the rocking chair said he was sitting on
- [Good Desires or Bad Desires, It’s Your Choice](https://toeverynation.com/good-desires-or-bad-desires-its-your-choice/) - The Spirit Produces Good Desires To Counter The Desires of the Flesh I have been a Christian since I was 9 years old. Early in my teens I had a desire to live for God but didn’t know how. I soon figured out there were four priorities that our church believed to be the key
- [Ministry Update - Gratitude and More Gratitude](https://toeverynation.com/ministry-update-gratitude-and-more-gratitude/) - Two Wonderful Weeks of Ministry One of the joys I’ve had in ministry over the last 23 years has been to be a part of the Walk Thru the Bible Ministry Team. If you haven’t been to a Walk Thru the Bible Live Event you've missed a wonderful, life-changing experience. Most of the events I
- [Obstacles to Joy [Three Things That Steal Our Joy]](https://toeverynation.com/obstacles-to-joy-three-things-that-steal-our-joy/) - Knowing The Obstacles To Joy Can Help Us Deal With Them Every Christian has at some point experienced what the King James Version of 1 Peter 1:8 describes as “joy unspeakable and full of glory.” If you have experienced that joy you know just what I’m talking about. We all wish we could have it
- [Sin - A Problem We [Sometimes] Know We Have](https://toeverynation.com/sin-a-problem-we-sometimes-know-we-have/) - We Often Have A Problem With Sin That We Don’t Know We Have We just got our front door fixed. That may not seem like a big deal except we didn’t know it was broken! We purchased a new screen door and when Tom came to install it he noticed that the door wasn’t plumb.
- [Trials Are Obstacles To Joy [Unless You Decide Otherwise]](https://toeverynation.com/trials-are-obstacles-to-joy-unless-you-decide-otherwise/) - Trials Don’t Have To Be Obstacles To Joy One of the things I had to get used to when I traveled to India was cold showers. It isn’t that India doesn’t have hot water, it’s just that we didn’t have it everywhere we stayed. It wasn’t something I liked but quickly got used to doing.
- [Losing Joy May Be A Warning You're Under Attack](https://toeverynation.com/losing-joy-may-be-a-warning-youre-under-attack/) - Losing Joy Can Be Helpful If You Know Why You Lost It I appreciate technology and all the ways it's made life easier. In particular I like looking up stuff. One of the things I don't recommend looking up is medical advice. It seems like every time I follow all the possibilities it tells me I
- [The Fruit Of The Spirit Is More Than Feelings [But What Is It?]](https://toeverynation.com/the-fruit-of-the-spirit-is-more-than-feelings-but-what-is-it/) - Learning How To Use The Fruit Of The Spirit One Day when I was in 7th grade I was helping out at church when a lady asked me to put money in the parking meter for her. I had never put money in a parking meter before but I’d seen my folks do it so
- [Are You Using The Fruit Of The Spirit In Your Life?](https://toeverynation.com/are-you-using-the-fruit-of-the-spirit-in-your-life/) - Using The Fruit Of The Spirit Is About Supernatural Empowerment Perhaps upon reading the title of this post you are wondering, “How does one use fruit?” The obvious answer is to use it for pies, preserves and for helping to have a balanced diet. I’m reminded of the saying, “An apple a day keeps the
- [Spiritual Health [What Does It Mean To Be Spiritually Healthy?]](https://toeverynation.com/spiritual-health-what-does-it-mean-to-be-spiritually-healthy/) - Spiritual Health Is Similar In Some Respects to Physical Health A few years ago I had a life-changing experience. I was an average middle aged man, not exercising or eating well. I had gained weight and lost muscle. Then I met Brian, a friend from church who was trained and educated in health and fitness.
- [Growing Spiritually Is A Sign Of Spiritual Health](https://toeverynation.com/growing-spiritually-is-a-sign-of-spiritual-health/) - The Biblical Norm Is To Be Growing Spiritually I grew up in northern California where it’s usually hot and dry in the summer and fall, and cooler but not freezing with some rain in the winter and spring. In contrast the Midwest, where I live now, is hot and wet during the spring and summer
- [Spiritual Growth Through Failure](https://toeverynation.com/spiritual-growth-through-failure/) - The Unique Way God Treats Failure By His Children Failure is the frequent subject of quotes on social media. Here’s a link to a site with 30 Powerful Quotes On Failure. Go read a few and come back here and tell me how they make you feel. If you’re dealing with failure right now reading
- [Spiritual Growth Comes By Listening](https://toeverynation.com/spiritual-growth-comes-by-listening/) - Spiritual Growth Is Difficult For The Spiritually Hard Of Hearing One of the challenges pastors face in preparing messages is that congregations are made up of people in different stages of their Christian life. Some are more mature in the faith than others. This is in part because some are new Christians and some have
- [Are You A “Bad” Christian?](https://toeverynation.com/are-you-a-bad-christian/) - It’s Possible To Be A Good Or A Bad Christian For some, the title of this post may seem odd. After all, the word “Christian” is a positive word. It’s how we identify followers of Christ. It follows that a Christian’s behavior will be Christ-like. Therefore if you’re Christian you must be good. That’s why
- [Exploring What It Means To Be A Carnal Christian](https://toeverynation.com/exploring-what-it-means-to-be-a-carnal-christian/) - Christians Can Be Carnal There are many cultural differences found throughout the US (as described in a blog post you can read by clicking here). I grew up in California and have lived in the Midwest for the past 23 years. One difference I have observed is people’s willingness to admit their shortcomings. Let me
- [Keeping Track Of Our Spiritual Health](https://toeverynation.com/keeping-track-of-our-spiritual-health/) - We Can Evaluate Our Spiritual Health Technology has made it easy to keep track of things. Devices keep track of how many steps we take in the day and how many calories we burn when we exercise. We use our computers to keep track of how much money we have in the bank. We look
- [The Law Of Sin: A Powerful Force For Evil Within Us](https://toeverynation.com/the-law-of-sin-a-powerful-force-for-evil-within-us/) - Have You Heard Of The Law Of Sin? There are a lot of strange laws in America. Did you know? In Alabama you can’t wear a fake mustache that causes laughter in church. In Georgia you can’t keep an ice cream cone in your back pocket on Sundays. In Idaho giving your sweetheart a box
- [Remembering September 11th, A Pastor’s Perspective](https://toeverynation.com/remembering-september-11th-a-pastors-perspective/) - 14 Years Later Remembering September 11th Today as a nation we will be remembering September 11th, 2001. It’s an important time for reflection. I, like many people my age and older, have lived through a number of tragically significant events. Today we’re remembering September 11th but many other national tragedies come to mind. In my
- [Make A Bigger Difference In Life](https://toeverynation.com/make-a-bigger-difference-in-life/) - Everyone Makes A Difference In This World Everyone makes an impact on this world. No matter who you are you change the world. Your conversations change people. You make people happy or sad, angry or impatient. As you stand in line the person behind you has to wait, even if only for a moment, because
- [Give Glory To The Father [What It Means, Why It Matters]](https://toeverynation.com/give-glory-to-the-father-what-it-means-why-it-matters/) - Reflecting God In Your Life The words "glory" and "glorify" are commonly used in the Bible but not in our day-to-day speech. If you say to someone "give glory to God" you might be met with a blank stare! Does that mean say the words "Glory to God"? Or does it mean you're supposed to
- [Stand Firm Seminar Is Coming To Mundelein](https://toeverynation.com/stand-firm-seminar-imundelein/) - The Goals Of The Stand Firm Seminar I’m pleased to announce that our Stand Firm Seminar is coming to Mundelein, IL this coming weekend October 2nd and 3rd. The mission of To Every Nation Ministries is to equip Christians worldwide to stand firm in the faith. There are many challenges that we face that make
- [Why I Don’t Fear Satan Or Satanic Attacks](https://toeverynation.com/why-i-dont-fear-satan-or-satanic-attacks/) - There Is No Reason For A Christian To Fear Satan This past summer I did something I’ve never done before. I went on a 600 foot zip line! From a distance it looked like fun but when I was strapped in and ready to go I was afraid! Something inside of me told me not
- [8 Reasons Why Spiritual Warfare Is Your Issue](https://toeverynation.com/8-reasons-why-spiritual-warfare-is-your-issue/) - Spiritual Warfare Is Everyone’s Issue Yesterday was National Coffee Day. If you’re a coffee drinker you probably knew that. If not, next year I’ll try to remember to write this post one day sooner. Right now as I write I’m enjoying a free cup of coffee in honor of this day. Many of you reading
- [Discerning What The Spirit Leads You To Do](https://toeverynation.com/discerning-what-the-spirit-leads-you-to-do/) - Day 1 - Mission to Minister To The Persecuted Church Schedule: Travel from Chicago to Chennai, India (with a stop in Abu Dhabi) Time: Depart Oct 14th at 1:10 PM CDT arrive Oct 15th 10:40 AM CDT which is 9:10 PM India time. Today is the first day of our missionary journey to India and
- [Expecting Opposition To The Gospel](https://toeverynation.com/expecting-opposition-to-the-gospel/) - Day 2 – Mission to Minister To The Persecuted Church Schedule: Travel from Abu Dhabi to Chennai, India Time: Depart Oct 15th at 5:50 AM CDT arrive Oct 15th 10:40 AM CDT (9:10 PM India) Expect Opposition to The Gospel and Christianity Acts 13 describes how Paul and Barnabas left from Antioch on their first
- [The Power Of the Gospel Message](https://toeverynation.com/the-power-of-the-gospel-message/) - Day 3 Mission to Minister to the Persecuted Church Schedule Travel from Chennai, India to Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Time: Depart October 16 at 1:25 am CDT arrive Oct 16 3:40 am CDT (2:10 PM India) Our Mission Is To Proclaim The Message Of The Gospel and Let It Work A recent trend
- [Are You Heading in the Right Direction?](https://toeverynation.com/heading-in-the-right-direction/) - Are You Heading in the Right Direction? If you wonder, “Am I heading in the right direction?” you’re not alone. It’s a different way to ask, “Is this God’s will for me?” We ask this about many life decisions. Should I Continue in a relationship? Get married? Change careers? Move? Buy a house or rent?
- [Nellore Stand Firm Pastors Conference](https://toeverynation.com/nellore-stand-firm-pastors-conference/) - Day 11 Mission to Minister to the Persecuted Church Teach Stand Firm in Nellore, Andra Pradesh Time: October 23 at 10:30 pm – October 24 4:30 am CDT (October 24 9:00 am – 3:00 pm India) Nellore Stand Firm Pastors Conference We had a great day of ministry in Nellore, Andra Pradesh today. There were about
- [Thank You For Your Prayers For India Stand Firm Conferences](https://toeverynation.com/thank-you-for-your-prayers-for-india-stand-firm-conferences/) - Thanks You For Your Prayers Day 12 Mission to Minister to the Persecuted Church Travel from Chennai, India to Cairo, Egypt Time: October 24 at 6:20 pm – October 25 6:10 am CDT (October 25 4:40 am – 4:50 pm Egypt) Caleb and I are at Chennai Airport waiting to board a 4:40 am flight
- [Pastoral Testimonials from Stand Firm Seminar in Nellore, India](https://toeverynation.com/pastoral-testimonials-from-stand-firm-seminar-in-nellore-india/) - Day 13 Mission to Minister to the Persecuted Church In Cairo, Egypt Preparing for our next Pastors Conference Time: October 26 All Day Pastoral Testimonials Rather than try to tell you how the Stand Firm Seminar was received by the pastors in India, I decided to let them tell you themselves. I asked some of
- [Minya Egypt Stand Firm Conference](https://toeverynation.com/minya-egypt-stand-firm-conference/) - Day 16 Mission to Minister to the Persecuted Church Minya, Egypt Time: October 29 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm Egypt time (10:00 am – 2:00 pm CDT) Minya Egypt Stand Firm Conference We have arrived safely in Minya, Egypt and got a good night's rest. We are enjoying all of the wonderful sights and sounds
- [Egyptian Christians Need Our Prayers](https://toeverynation.com/egyptian-christians-need-our-prayers/) - Day 14 Mission to Minister to the Persecuted Church Cairo, Egypt Teaching Stand Firm Pastors Conference Time: October 27 10 am - 4:00 pm Egypt time (3:00 am - 9:00 am CDT) Pray For Egyptian Christians It is wonderful being in Cairo. There is so much history of the world and for the Christian Church that
- [Blessed by God At The Minya Egypt Stand Firm Conference](https://toeverynation.com/blessed-by-god-at-the-minya-egypt-stand-firm-conference/) - Day 19 Mission to Minister to the Persecuted Church Cairo, Egypt Time: November 1, 2015 We Are Blessed In So Many Ways! We finished the Stand Firm Conference in Minya, Egypt yesterday and my heart is full. It was such a joy to spend time with brothers and sisters in Christ who are hungry to
- [Traveling Is Part Of Our Mission](https://toeverynation.com/traveling-is-part-of-our-mission/) - Day 20 Mission to Minister to the Persecuted Church Prepare to Depart Cairo, Egypt Time: November 2, 2015 Traveling Home Today is our last day in Cairo. We hope to finish up some sight seeing and then head to the airport at around midnight to begin a long journey home. Please pray for us over
- [Rehearsing God's Goodness On Our Missionary Journey](https://toeverynation.com/rehearsing-gods-goodness-on-our-missionary-journey/) - God's Goodness Was Evident Everywhere We Went! It’s great to be home. It was also great to have the opportunity to teach and preach God's Word in some unexpected ways. This was quite a missionary journey for us! Here is a map of the different locations where we ministered. God's goodness was with us protecting
- [Orphan Ministry in the Andaman Islands of India](https://toeverynation.com/orphan-ministry-andaman-islands/) - My Introduction to One Orphan Ministry In February of 2014 I made my first missionary trip to the Andaman Nicobar Islands of India. A good friend, Ray Montonera, approached me about going with him and a small team to minister there. He planned a trip to visit an orphan ministry and do some community outreaches.
- [An Unexpected Opportunity To Proclaim The Gospel In India](https://toeverynation.com/proclaim-the-gospel-in-india/) - The Great Commission: Proclaim The Gospel After Jesus rose from the dead He spent several weeks with His disciples. Just before He ascended to heaven He gave them what we call the Great Commission. Mark 16:15 records a simple and straightforward version of it. There are additional aspects of the Great Commission but this is
- [Temptation and Prayer - Our Part and God’s Part](https://toeverynation.com/temptation-prayer-our-part-gods-part/) - Is Temptation Avoidable? It’s mid-November and starting to get cold in Illinois. If the weather forecasters are correct we’re going to have a significant accumulation of snow this weekend! When it starts to get cold we’re reminded we need to prepare for the cold weather. In particular it’s time to have the furnace checked. It’s
- [Sharing What You’re Thankful For On Thanksgiving](https://toeverynation.com/sharing-thankful-thanksgiving/) - The Trump Card of Thankful Responses Okay America, it’s almost time for that awkward moment of silence that we experience as part of our Thanksgiving tradition. I’m not talking about the silence that happens when the person who’s asked to say grace, who hasn’t prayed out loud since he was asked at Thanksgiving five years
- [King Herod An Unlikely And Unlikable Character In The Christmas Story](https://toeverynation.com/king-herod-an-unlikely-and-unlikable-character-in-the-christmas-story/) - Thinking About Christmas It’s December and the Christmas season is in full bloom. I love Christmas, the music, the decorations, giving and getting presents! I especially love the Christmas story. There’s so much to it and it’s a great story. One of the things that makes the Christmas story interesting is the characters who are
- [Zechariah A Model Of Faith And Unbelief](https://toeverynation.com/zechariah-a-model-of-faith-and-unbelief/) - Zechariah the Priest The second person we come to as we look at the characters of the Christmas story is Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist. When he’s introduced into the story he’s not yet a father. The fact that he was going to be a father was a big surprise to him and
- [Elizabeth - A Woman Of Faith In The Face Of Disappointment](https://toeverynation.com/elizabeth-a-woman-of-faith-in-the-face-of-disappointment/) - Elizabeth's Faith Through Disappointment The Christmas story is made up of people just like you and me and our friends and neighbors. This is certainly the case with the third character mentioned in the Christmas story, Elizabeth. Most of us know someone just like Elizabeth. She was a woman who faced a major disappointment yet
- [Mary - A Woman Of Remarkable Character](https://toeverynation.com/mary-woman-remarkable-character/) - Mary Is An Example For All To Follow Mary, of all the different characters in the Christmas story, is worth a second look. We don’t know much about many of the characters in the story. We know more about Mary than most but it’s remarkable that we don’t know more. Nine Events Where Mary Is
- [Joseph A Model For All Who Serve Behind The Scenes](https://toeverynation.com/joseph-a-model-for-all-who-serve-behind-the-scenes/) - Joseph Was A Faithful Servant We come now to Joseph in our discussion of the characters in the Christmas story. In some respects he had a difficult part in the story. He played a supporting role. He was never in the limelight. 5 Things We Know About Joseph He was a carpenter, a trade he
- [Shepherds: God’s Surprise Choice To First Hear of Jesus](https://toeverynation.com/shepherds-gods-surprise-choice-to-first-hear-of-jesus/) - The Shepherds Were Surprised Messengers Today shepherds are thought of in a positive light. The life of a shepherd is looked upon with a romantic envy by people whose lives are busy without end. Those who serve in pastoral ministry are called shepherds of the flock of God. It’s a noble calling. It’s hard for
- [Jesus Light Of The World](https://toeverynation.com/jesus-light-of-the-world/) - Jesus Light Of The World It’s Christmas and we have come to the most important person in the Christmas story, Jesus. There are many aspects of Jesus’ life and ministry we could consider. Since lights are such a dominant part of Christmas, let’s consider what it means when the Bible calls Jesus light of the
- [Happy New Year 2016](https://toeverynation.com/happy-new-year-2016/) - Happy New Year 2016! Thanks for helping to make 2015 our best year of ministry yet! We are excited about how God has expanded our ministry territory and for all the new friends we've made. By God's grace we expect 2016 to be even better! May our Father richly bless you and your
- [Don’t Underestimate Sin’s Power](https://toeverynation.com/dont-underestimate-sins-power/) - Sin's Power Shows The Limits Of Our Spiritual Strength It’s a good thing to know the limits of our strength. This is true physically and spiritually. Many have pulled a muscle trying to lift something too heavy for them. Spiritually, many underestimate sin's power. Anyone who tries to take on a stronger spiritual enemy without
- [Noah Is A Model Of Faith And Action](https://toeverynation.com/noah-is-a-model-of-faith-and-action/) - Noah and The Genesis Flood The biblical account of Noah and the flood is incredible in so many ways. The event itself is so fantastic that many people don’t believe it happened as the Bible describes it. The idea of a worldwide flood is so incredible that some say the biblical account is wrong, that
- [Two Lessons For Us From The Tower of Babel](https://toeverynation.com/two-lessons-for-us-from-the-tower-of-babel/) - The Purpose For The Tower Of Babel It’s funny how you think about things when you’re a kid. I grew up in church and remember hearing the story of the Tower of Babel in Sunday School. I don’t think my teacher said this but I thought the people built the Tower of Babel to try
- [Lot: A Righteous Man [Or Was He?]](https://toeverynation.com/lot-a-righteous-man-or-was-he/) - Understanding How Lot Was Righteous The story of Lot, Abraham’s nephew, is scattered throughout Genesis chapters 11-14, 18-19. His father Haran died when he was too young to be on his own. Abraham took him in and took care of him. It’s clear he benefited from his association with his uncle Abraham. While he lived
- [God's Presence Seen In Searching For A Wife For Isaac](https://toeverynation.com/gods-presence-seen-in-searching-for-a-wife-for-isaac/) - The Bible is full of verses about God's presence. The idea that God is with us is comforting, encouraging and challenging. Hebrews 13:5 is a favorite verse of many people! 3 Observations about God's presence There is joy in God's presence Psalm 16:11. We can’t hide from God's presence Psalm 139:7. We can count on
- [Biblical Faith - Understanding And Living It](https://toeverynation.com/biblical-faith-understanding-and-living-it/) - The Different Ways We Use The Word Faith I’m reading through the Bible again this year and am well into the book of Exodus. Before turning our attention to Exodus, let’s take a look back at Genesis. I’d like to revisit four of the main characters in Genesis - Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. Their
- [The Courageous Faith Of Abraham](https://toeverynation.com/the-courageous-faith-of-abraham/) - Lessons About Faith Abraham has a unique role in three major religions. He’s considered the father of the Jewish and Christian faiths. Islam was founded by Mohammed and believed by Muslims to be a descendant of Abraham through his son Ishmael. For Christians, Abraham stands out as a model of one who has faith in
- [The Quiet Faith of Isaac](https://toeverynation.com/the-quiet-faith-of-isaac/) - Isaac Is A Model For All With Quiet Faith Isaac could be called the patron saint of all who have a quiet faith. Outgoing and talkative people are usually the ones who get the most attention and praise in life. This is often just as true in the church as in the world. There are
- [The Struggling Faith Of Jacob](https://toeverynation.com/the-struggling-faith-of-jacob/) - Struggling faith isn’t something that people want to have. Yet that’s how many of us would describe our faith. The struggling faith of Jacob is quite a contrast with the faith of Abraham and Isaac. For most of his life Jacob was not a model of faith. From the moment he was born grasping his
- [The Old Testament Law [What Is It?]](https://toeverynation.com/the-old-testament-law-what-is-it/) - The Old Testament Law Is Not For Today, Or Is It? The Old Testament Law is a confusing topic for many people. I first learned about it as a boy going to Sunday School. The main emphasis was on the Ten Commandments but it wasn’t limited to that. It’s funny how things stick out in
- [Understanding Why The Old Testament Law is Not For Today](https://toeverynation.com/understanding-why-the-old-testament-law-is-not-for-today/) - Digging Deeper Into the Law Of Moses In my last post I pointed out that the term “Old Testament Law” is generally used in four ways. For the sake of this post we’re going to use it by its most common meaning. Let’s agree (for this post) that the term “Old Testament Law” refers to
- [A Father's Day Tribute To My Father Who Adopted Me](https://toeverynation.com/a-fathers-day-tribute-to-my-father-who-adopted-me/) - To The Best Father Ever! Today is Father's Day and I need to tell the world what a special father you are. I'm now of the age when people look up to me. I'm a dad and a grandfather which is really cool. Yet inside I'm still a kid and you're my dad. You're the
- [What Commandments Do I Have To Keep As A Christian?](https://toeverynation.com/what-commandments-do-i-have-to-keep-as-a-christian/) - The “Question” About Keeping The Commandments “Since we’re Christians now, can you give us a list of the commandments we’re supposed to keep?” It was about 30 years ago. I was sitting across from a young couple who, a few days before, had believed in Jesus as their Savior. It was the first time I’d
- [Is Tithing [With Its Blessings And Curses] A Commandment For Today?](https://toeverynation.com/is-tithing-a-commandment-for-today/) - Biblical Advice About Tithing Today I got an email asking about tithing. It’s such an important question that I’m going to devote this post to it. Here’s the question: I would like to understand the commandment in Malachi 3:10 about tithes and offerings. Is God only going to bless me when I tithe and curse
- [5 Things The Old Testament Law Teaches Us](https://toeverynation.com/5-things-ot-law-teaches-us/) - The Law Teaches Us Even Though It Wasn’t Written To Us The Old Testament law teaches many things. Everyone who reads it today can’t help but notice a striking contrast. Some commands make sense and some don’t, at least not in today’s world. Everyone, even liars, agree the command “Don’t lie” is a good practice.
- [Content, Blessed and Pressing On!](https://toeverynation.com/content-blessed-and-pressing-on/) - The Blessings of God and Being Content For the past week or so we have been talking about the spiritual blessing we have in Christ. Do you feel blessed? For many people the spiritual truths of scripture seem distant and theoretical. I hope that as you have been reading and thinking about our blessings from
- [Charlie Charlie Challenge: 10 Reasons You Don’t Want To Play](https://toeverynation.com/charlie-charlie-challenge-10-reasons-you-dont-want-to-play/) - Charlie Is Real and You Want Nothing To Do With Him The internet is abuzz about the Charlie Charlie Challenge. It’s a simple, homemade version of the Ouija Board game. To play you draw two lines on a piece of paper in the form of a cross. Write the words yes and no inside four
- [Finding A Blessing When I Wasn’t Looking For It](https://toeverynation.com/finding-blessing/) - An Unexpected Blessing While Traveling This past month has been a busy season of travel for me. After three weeks in India and Egypt my wife, Margaret, and I traveled to Southern California last weekend for our youngest son’s wedding. It was a beautiful wedding and a delightful time! It was also a time when
- [Mary Was Favored By God [She Isn’t The Only One]](https://toeverynation.com/mary-favored-by-god-she-isnt-the-only-one/) - Mary An Unlikely Choice We now come to Mary, the fifth character mentioned in the Christmas story. Like others in this story she seems an unlikely person for her role. She was an unlikely choice to be the mother of Jesus: because of where she lived. She lived in the small, insignificant village of Nazareth,
- [Jacob Asked For God's Blessing [Have You?]](https://toeverynation.com/jacob-asked-for-gods-blessing-have-you/) - Did Jacob Deserve God's Blessing? When we read that Jacob asked for God's blessing a question comes to mind. Did he deserve it? Is there anyone who deserves God's blessing? If you made a list of biblical characters who didn’t deserve it Jacob would be high on the list. He was a schemer. He caught
- [The Cross Changed Everything!](https://toeverynation.com/cross-changed-everything/) - The Cross As A Desirable Symbol In our world today the cross is an esteemed symbol. One of the favorite hymns of my parents’ generation was “The Old Rugged Cross.” Many people wear crosses, hang them on walls in their homes, display them in stained glass windows and make the sign of the cross when
- [The Cross Changed Things More Than Many Realize](https://toeverynation.com/cross-changed-things/) - The Impact Of The Cross In my last post I said the cross changed everything. Does that seem like a lofty statement? Does it seem like hyperbole? Saying that something is important does not make it so. In the USA we’re in the midst of an election year. Things are happening in this election cycle
- [5 Enemies of the Cross [They’re Not What You Think]](https://toeverynation.com/5-enemies-of-the-cross/) - Enemies of the Cross When I say enemies of the cross what comes to mind? Is it a well-known atheist who debates Christian leaders? Do you think of religions opposed to Christianity? Perhaps you think of humanistic philosophers? I want to talk with you about a different kind of enemy. The type of enemy I’m
- [The Father’s Loving Plan For You](https://toeverynation.com/fathers-loving-plan/) - The Father's Loving Plan A plan is great but a loving plan is better! God the Father has a loving plan for you. When people talk about making plans the word “loving” usually isn’t attached. Perhaps right now you’re planning a trip. Even if the plans are to be with loved ones we normally just
- [Lucifer Isn’t Satan’s Name [But It Tells Us Something About Him]](https://toeverynation.com/lucifer-not-satans-name/) - How Satan Came To Be Called Lucifer Lucifer is probably the most well-known name for the evil spirit otherwise known as Satan. If you say “Lucifer” there’s no confusion about whom you’re speaking. So in a way it’s accurate to say that Lucifer has become Satan’s name. There is a TV show right now in
- [There’s Just One Satan [And Why That’s Important To Know]](https://toeverynation.com/one-satan/) - One Satan or Many Satans or None? Some people think there’s one Satan. Some think there are many. Some think there’s no actual individual being called Satan. Which is it? Two boys were talking after church. The pastor had preached about Satan. “What do you think about all this Satan stuff?” one boy asked. “I
- [What Satan Can't Do [And How We Know It]](https://toeverynation.com/satan-cant-know/) - What Satan Can't Do What Satan can and can't do is an important topic. I’ve found many people fear Satan. Because of that, rather than starting with what he can do, I’m going to show you what Satan can't do. [Tweet "There are many comforting truths in the Bible about what Satan can't do!"] Many people
- [Most Of What Satan Can Do Doesn’t Really Matter [Here’s Why]](https://toeverynation.com/what-satan-can-do-doesnt-matter/) - What Satan Can And Can't Do I started writing this blog post with a specific goal in mind. I intended to show you what Satan can do, according to the Bible. When I got to the end of the post I wasn’t satisfied with it. It wasn’t that I didn’t think I had done a
- [I Voted Today And Was I Surprised!](https://toeverynation.com/voted-today-surprised/) - I Voted Today Yes, even though it's a week and a half before official election day, I voted today. Illinois has early voting. Surely you know our motto in Illinois, "Vote early and vote often!" (That's a joke for my literal readers.) I consider it a God-given responsibility to vote. There aren't any verses in the
- [Zechariah and Elizabeth](https://toeverynation.com/zechariah-and-elizabeth/) - This is a series of short stories in which I take the biblical story of Christmas and weave in details as I imagine they happened. The Bible is inspired by God, my writing is not. I hope my additions make this story come to life personally for you. The Christmas Story Part 1 “I’m praying
- [The Adversity of Spiritual Attacks:  The Christian’s Three Enemies](https://toeverynation.com/adversity-three-enemies/) - I’ll never forget the first time I played paintball. I was prepared. I wore camouflage and had all my protective gear on. I had a plan. I was at the bottom of a long hill on top of which was the enemy flag. I slowly made my way from tree to tree, carefully scouring the
- [Christian Living – 4 Tips to Help You Watch out for Spiritual Potholes](https://toeverynation.com/christian-living-spiritual-potholes/) - 4 Tips for Dealing with Spiritual Potholes When I was younger my dad and I were out running errands when he took a shortcut on a dirt road. As Dad wove our station wagon left and right I remarked that there were sure a lot of potholes. Without taking his eyes off the road he
- [Christian Living:  3 Reasons You Have The Power to Choose](https://toeverynation.com/christian-living-power-to-choose/) - God has Given you the Power to Choose to Live for Him Researchers tell us that each day we make thousands of choices. Many of these are minor decisions such as whether to get out of bed or hit the snooze button, what to wear, what to listen to or what to eat. A lot
- [Christian Living: 5 Reasons Why We Repeat Bad Choices and How To Break The Cycle](https://toeverynation.com/why-we-repeat-bad-choices/) - Bad Choices and How To Break The Cycle of Sin A few weeks ago I was sitting at an outdoor restaurant with my son and his girlfriend when we noticed a guy trying to push his car out of the street. My son and I ran over and helped him push his car through the
- [Christian Living: Life is Hard, Sometimes Our Choices Make it Harder](https://toeverynation.com/christian-living-life-is-hard/) - Life Is Hard, Sometimes Our Choices Make It Harder A young man from the city visited a girl on her family's ranch. Even though he had never been on a ranch, he didn't want to come across like a city-slicker. They walked into the barn where a blacksmith was making horseshoes. After watching a few
- [When You Shouldn't Feel Guilty for Having Evil Desires, Part 1 of 2](https://toeverynation.com/evil-desires/) - Guilt and Evil Desires Guilt is a strange thing. It messes with our minds. Have you ever felt guilty for doing something you didn’t know was wrong when you did it? There’s a funny commercial about a man flipping a light switch in his garage on and off while asking his wife if it did
- [Spiritual Warfare Is An 800 pound Gorilla In The Room For Many Christians](https://toeverynation.com/spiritual-warfare-800-lb-gorilla/) - 7 Reasons Why We Should Be Talking About Spiritual Warfare Spiritual Warfare is a topic too many Christians avoid. When I mention spiritual warfare these are the typical responses. People run, often because they're afraid of the topic. People shrug their shoulders and go on talking as if the topic doesn't have anything to do
- [India Is On The Front Line Of Spiritual Warfare](https://toeverynation.com/india-is-on-the-front-line-of-spiritual-warfare/) - Day 10 Mission to Minister to the Persecuted Church Teach Stand Firm in Nellore, Andra Pradesh Time: October 22 at 11:30 pm - October 23 6:30 am CDT (10:00 am - 5:00 pm India) India And Spiritual Warfare Today we have the opportunity to train pastors in how to recognize and resist satanic attacks on
- [Five Reasons People Don’t Talk About Spiritual Warfare](https://toeverynation.com/five-reasons-people-dont-talk-spiritual-warfare/) - There is an old adage that says never talk about politics or religion. I’m a pastor, so for me talking about religion falls into the category of an occupational hazard. It makes it easier when I talk with people who share my faith tradition, but even that gets tricky at times. Over the years I
- [Do You Feel Accepted by God?  He wants you to!](https://toeverynation.com/accepted-by-god/) - Acceptance is the Norm In God's Family The other day I watched a girl put a wrinkled dollar into a candy machine and it took it right away. Do you remember when vending machines first took dollar bills? They were finicky. There were times when you could put a perfectly good dollar in it and
- [Consequential Adversity: 3 Ways We Paint Ourselves Into A Corner](https://toeverynation.com/consequential-adversity/) - In May my wife and I spent a Saturday driving around New York City showing our son where we used to hang out. After lunch we found a parking ticket on our car. I was perplexed since we weren't parked very long. We read the ticket and discovered I parked too close to a fire
- [Pruning:  Adversity When You are Doing Everything Right](https://toeverynation.com/pruning-adversity/) - A few years back I worked full-time for a computer company. I enjoyed my job but it was just a job. I knew it wasn't my calling, but it was comfortable and secure. I was involved in ministry on weekends at our church and with teaching Walk Thru the Bible Seminars. One day the company’s
- [The Adversity of Discipline: The Training that Leads to Holiness](https://toeverynation.com/discipline-holiness/) - Have you been following the World Cup? It’s hard not to. Even for those of us who aren't normally soccer fans it’s easy to be interested when the best athletes in the world are competing for the highest prize in their sport. We respect and admire the hard work, training and athleticism that got them
- [The Adversity of Tests:  4 Types of Tests From God](https://toeverynation.com/tests-from-god/) - Our lives are full of tests. They start before we have our first day of school. There are admission tests to determine if we’re ready for school. We have medical tests to make sure we are healthy and even residency tests to make sure we are going to the right school. Then as we learn
- [Discipline From God Shows We Are His Children](https://toeverynation.com/discipline-from-god-shows-we-are-his-children/) - God’s Discipline Isn't Punishment When a man or woman enters the military service they go through a rapid transformation within a short period of time. The only way that can be accomplished is by a rigid system of discipline. The goal of Army Basic Training is to change a civilian man or woman into a
- [You Can’t Defeat A Satanic Attack If You Can’t Recognize One!](https://toeverynation.com/you-cant-defeat-a-satanic-attack-if-you-cant-recognize-one/) - You Can Learn To Recognize A Satanic Attack I once took a course in college about trees. The goal was to be able to identify 150 different types of trees. Most of us can tell the difference between a coniferous tree (one with needles) and a deciduous tree (one with leaves). After that it gets
- [6 Times When Jesus Chose Solitude Over People](https://toeverynation.com/6-times-when-jesus-chose-solitude-over-people/) - There’s A Place For Solitude In All Our LivesThere are two ways we learn from the Bible. The first is how you would expect, through instructions. For example, we’re told, “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger” Ephesians 4:32. This verse teaches us that 1) anger
- [Worship At Times Requires Our Silence](https://toeverynation.com/worship-at-times-requires-silence/) - Silence Is The Least Emphasized Aspect Of Worship When church historians look back on our time it’s likely that it will be noted as a time during which worship received special attention. That doesn’t mean that those who lived before this era didn’t value worship. I grew up in the 1960’s when churches had hymn
- [Attacks from our Enemy the Flesh: An Inside Job](https://toeverynation.com/attacks-enemy-the-flesh/) - An “inside job” is a common theme in crime stories. It’s when the person committing a crime either lives or works where the crime occurred or is assisted by someone who lives or works there. The person on the inside is usually motivated by greed but sometimes by revenge or perhaps out of loyalty to
- [Christian Living: How to Say “No” to the Hawking by the Flesh](https://toeverynation.com/no-to-hawking-by-the-flesh/) - Beware of Hawking by the Flesh! One of the most uncomfortable experiences people have when going to a mall is hawking. That’s when a salesperson from a kiosk catches your eye and starts enticing you to buy something. Many people avert their eyes and try to sneak by. Even those of us who have no
- [Mary's Diary](https://toeverynation.com/marys-diary/) - This is the second in a series of short stories in which I take the biblical account of Christmas and weave in details as I imagine they happened. In this story I imagine what Mary may have written if she kept a diary. The Bible is inspired by God, my writing is not. I hope
- [Gabriel - You’re an Angel!](https://toeverynation.com/gabriel-youre-an-angel/) - Gabriel is one of the reasons why the subtitle of this series isn’t the “people” of the Christmas story. Gabriel, the fourth character in the Christmas story, is an angel. People are fascinated with angels. Angels are mentioned a few times in the Christmas story. Gabriel is one of two angels mentioned by name in
- [Mid-year Goal Checkup:  3 Spiritual Goals To Consider](https://toeverynation.com/3-spiritual-goals/) - It’s July 1st, the year is half over so it’s a good time to check up on your goals. Whether you are a person who likes New Year’s Resolutions or written goals or you carry around a list in your head, most people have things they are working toward. And that’s a good thing. Proverbs
- [Solitude: 4 Reasons to Put "Nothing" On Your Schedule](https://toeverynation.com/solitude-4-reasons-to-put-nothing-on-your-schedule/) - Biblical Solitude Is About Being Alone With God A couple of days ago I read a blog post by Charles Stone about 7 Do-Overs after 35 years in Ministry. Three of the items on his list relate to disconnecting from the busyness of life (my words not his). Most of us have such busy lives
- [Christian Living - 3 Benefits From God To Help You Every Day](https://toeverynation.com/christian-living-3-benefits-from-god/) - Christian Living - 3 Benefits Of Being A Christian Always Available to You Many businesses have figured out they can attract customers by adding benefits such as reward points for purchases. I have a few airline credit cards only because I earn miles for free trips, get priority boarding and don’t have to pay for
- [The Spark that Started Spiritual Warfare](https://toeverynation.com/spark-started-spiritual-warfare/) - California is beautiful country with wonderful weather. It’s wonderful because it rains very little from May through September. The downside to that dry weather is that it’s easy to accidentally start a fire. Many forest fires in California start because a spark from an unattended campfire floats away, ignites some brush and quickly gets got
- [Follow the Leader:  7 Principles from Jesus on How to Handle Personal Attacks](https://toeverynation.com/follow-the-leader-handle-attacks/) - An unfortunate but occasional part of life is being personally attacked by others. Personal attacks come in many forms: sarcasm, gossip, complaints, criticism and confrontation. They also come from many sources: coworkers, neighbors, friends, family and even from people we don’t know. What do you do when attacked? The options range from fight to flight
- [7 Ways the Trinity Helps Us Defeat Our Spiritual Enemies](https://toeverynation.com/7-ways-trinity-helps/) - Part of the passage of life from being a kid to being an adult is going out on your own. When you're young you want your own place, to come and go as you please, to take care of yourself and to show the world (or maybe your parents) that you’re independent. I enjoyed being
- [4 Biblical Principles To Help Us See The Good Side Of Life](https://toeverynation.com/see-the-good-side-life/) - Recently my wife and I had an enjoyable visit at the family farm where her father was born. Just before we left it started to rain. We hurried to the car and being on a farm we tracked mud into the car. As we drove away down the long driveway I was concerned with how
- [Adversity Friend or Foe? 7 Kinds of Adversity, Some Good, Some Bad](https://toeverynation.com/7-kinds-of-adversity/) - One of the most deadly diseases throughout the course of human history is Smallpox. It’s estimated it was responsible for 300-500 million deaths during the 20th century. In 1796 Dr. Edward Jenner discovered it was possible to immunize a person by injecting him with a weakened form of a virus from the same family as
- [Guard Duty in the Spiritual War:  3 Ways to Guard Your Heart](https://toeverynation.com/3-ways-guard-heart/) - In March I had the opportunity to go on a short-term mission trip to Guatemala. I was with a group but hoped to get out and discover some things about the country on my own. I was disappointed to learn that would not happen. We were staying in a gated community and were not allowed
- [The Invisible War: Let’s Pull Back The Curtain](https://toeverynation.com/invisible-war-lets-pull-back-curtain/) - One of my favorite scenes in the movie The Wizard of Oz is when Dorothy discovers, with the help of Toto, the man behind the curtain. The first time I saw that I was so surprised and delighted because it explained so much. This scene is such a classic that people use the term “pulling
- [Chaos, When Everything Is Spinning Out of Control](https://toeverynation.com/chaos-everything-spinning-out-of-control/) - Chaos. I don’t know anyone who really likes chaos. I know people who like to cause chaos. I know people who like to fix chaos. And from time to time, most of us like a little planned chaos. Isn’t that what those rides are at the carnival? You get in and it starts spinning. Then
- [Would the real "Spiritual Warfare" please stand up?](https://toeverynation.com/real-spiritual-warfare-please-stand/) - Do you remember the game show To Tell the Truth? Three contestants professed to be the same person. A moderator described the person’s occupation and a panel questioned them to figure out which one was telling the truth. At the end the host asked, “Would the real (person’s name) please stand up?” Wouldn't it be
- [Four Promises of God’s Protection](https://toeverynation.com/four-promises-gods-protection/) - God's Protection For His Children When I was 20 years old I drove from Kansas City to San Francisco during the middle of a nasty winter storm. As I drove up the mountain toward Salt Lake City a heater hose blew out and the car overheated. I maneuvered the car safely to the side of
- [10 Ways Walking By Faith Improves Your Vision](https://toeverynation.com/10-ways-walking-by-faith-improves-vision/) - Walking by Faith is About Seeing Things From God’s Perspective In the first church where I served as a pastor there was an amazing man by the name of Grant. Grant is blind. He had been attending the church for several years and knew his way around that little church so well he didn't need
- [Whatever Your Circumstance, Faith Is the One Thing That Will Help](https://toeverynation.com/faith-will-help/) - Faith is Not A Magic Pill But A Proven Help In Hard Times The world is full of experts who are ready to tell you, or should I say sell you, the key to success. It doesn't matter if you are starting a dance school, writing your first book or wanting to sell mattresses, there
- [The Priority of Faith in Spiritual Warfare:  4 Roles Faith Plays In Spiritual Warfare](https://toeverynation.com/4-roles-faith-plays-spiritual-warfare/) - Learning to prioritize is one of the most important skills a person can acquire. This is true of a mom trying to figure out how to balance school, work, and family schedules, or a teacher grading papers, working on lesson plans and trying to find time for family, or a manager trying to fit in
- [10 Biblical Examples of Faithful Living](https://toeverynation.com/10-examples-faithful-living/) - Faithful Living is Something Everyone Can Do A few days ago we talked about Nik Wallenda and his amazing high wire walk between skyscrapers in Chicago. I not only wouldn't contemplate trying to do that, I didn't even want to watch it. Unfortunately many people have the mistaken idea that walking by faith is just
- [The Patient Faith of Joseph](https://toeverynation.com/the-patient-faith-of-joseph/) - The Uniqueness of Joseph’s Patient Faith When we think of patient faith in the Bible three people come to mind. They are Noah, Abraham and Joseph. Noah was 500 years old when he’s first mentioned in Genesis 5:32. He was 600 when he entered the ark Genesis 7:6. Abraham was 75 when God promised him
- [Moses Was An Unlikely Man of God](https://toeverynation.com/moses-unlikely-man-of-god/) - Are you a man of God or woman of God? Would you be comfortable if someone called you that? How about as a title on your business card? That is what Moses was called! Moses is one of my heroes. It may be that one of the reasons I admire him is he was
- [The Next Month Does Not Look Good [And Here Is Why I’m Good With That]](https://toeverynation.com/next-month-does-not-look-good/) - The Next Month Before We Travel to India Doesn’t Look Good! Greetings Friends, In a little over a month my wife, Margaret, and I are flying to India. We will visit the Love Children’s Home Orphanage and then lead Stand Firm pastors conferences. This is the fourth year in a row we have hosted and
- [7 Choices God Gives You Today](https://toeverynation.com/choices-god-gives-you/) - God Loves You So Much He Gives You Choices One of my very earliest memories is about an unexpected and delightful choice. When I was three years old I decided to follow my sister to kindergarten. In the safe world of the 1950’s in Santa Barbara, California it was common for kids to play outside
- [Our Enemy the World Attacks with 3 Types of Desire](https://toeverynation.com/enemy-the-world-attacks/) - When we think of the term “world” many different ideas, images and concepts come to mind. The song “What a Wonderful World” points to positive and uplifting things that make up the world around us. Sometimes we use world to refer to the planet earth. Other times, such as in the most well-known verse in the
- [Christian Living: A Daily Choice, Be Conformed or Be Transformed](https://toeverynation.com/choice-conformed-transformed/) - A Difficult Choice For those who have never been to an optometrist you have missed one of the easiest and most difficult questions of life, “Which is better ‘this’ or ‘this’?” It’s easy because you have just two options. At first the options (which view is better) are significantly different and the choice is easy.
- [Biblical Faith isn’t Blind Faith, it’s Active Faith](https://toeverynation.com/biblical-faith-is-active-faith/) - Active Faith Is Based on a Reason to Believe The city of Chicago recently hosted a death defying event by Nik Wallenda. I couldn't watch as he walked blindfolded on a wire 600 feet in the air between skyscrapers. Nik was able to do it because he had faith. I don’t know anything about his
- [Spiritual Warfare: Read This If You Think You’ve Never Been Attacked By Satan](https://toeverynation.com/spiritual-warfare-attacked-by-satan/) - The Perfect Con: Attacked by Satan Being attacked by Satan is a con job. A true con job is when the person who is conned never knows it happened. Oh he knew something went wrong, he lost money or something of value, but he didn't know it was because there was a nefarious plan to
- [Recognizing Satanic Attacks Is No Mystery](https://toeverynation.com/recognizing-satanic-attacks-is-no-mystery/) - The Armor Of God Is The Key To Recognizing Satanic Attacks Spiritual warfare is a mysterious subject to most people. In the first place we can’t see our enemies, they’re spiritual Ephesians 6:12. Second they’re powerful. In Job 1-2 Satan is described as controlling even the wind and lightning in attacking Job. Third is the
- [Demystifying The Armor Of God](https://toeverynation.com/demystifying-the-armor-of-god/) - Identifying The Armor Of God Anyone who has been going to church for more than a couple of years has probably heard a message on the armor of God. It's common for preachers to go into a detailed description of the various pieces of the Roman armor. It really is fascinating. However, the Roman armor
- [4 Steps to Find Strength in An Unexpected Place](https://toeverynation.com/find-strength/) - God Wants You To Find Strength to Face Life's Challenges In my lifetime I've witnessed major changes in how people think about health and exercise. In the 1960's someone figured out jogging was good for you and it became popular. In high school the only people who lifted weights were athletes. Now health clubs with
- [Good News and Bad News about your Favorite Verse on Strength from God](https://toeverynation.com/strength-from-god/) - Here’s one of my favorite “Good news, bad news” jokes from growing up. A man took an airplane ride to take pictures of his farm. That’s good news! He leaned out to take a picture and fell out of the plane. That’s bad news! He had a parachute on. That’s good news! The parachute didn't
- [Your Unique Position of Strength](https://toeverynation.com/your-position-of-strength/) - The Strength of Your Position I once worked for a man who was a skilled negotiator. I watched him several times come out of difficult negotiations with a favorable outcome for the company. He told me, “Don’t be in a hurry. The one who is in a rush will give up more to get a
- [The Day I Was Tempted To Lie To My Cell Phone!](https://toeverynation.com/day-tempted-lie-cell-phone/) - I recently got a new navigation app for my phone. I was driving down the road and decided to try it out. The app recognized the car was in motion and a warning popped up. It said something like “You are not allowed to edit while driving.” Then I noticed a box. “Click here if
- [Know Your Three Spiritual Enemies:  How to Tell Them Apart](https://toeverynation.com/three-spiritual-enemies/) - Three Spiritual Enemies Similarities and Differences The Bible teaches we have three spiritual enemies, the flesh, the world and Satan. Many people don’t understand the biblical distinctions between them. Let’s explore the implications of the similarities and differences between our three spiritual enemies. We have friends who recently had twin boys. People are asking them,
- [Moses Inspires Me! 10 Reasons Why I Admire Moses!](https://toeverynation.com/moses-inspires-me-10-reasons-why-i-admire-moses/) - Moses Is A Model For Everyone To Follow Moses is someone I’d like to have a long conversation with over a pot or two of coffee. He lived such a fascinating life. He overcame great odds on several occasions. He walked with God like no one else has ever done. We’re fortunate that the Bible
- [A Mother’s Faith – Jochebed’s Story](https://toeverynation.com/mothers-faith-jochebed/) - The Bible laud’s Jochebed, Moses’ mother for her faith. We read about it in Exodus 1 and 2. Here is an expansion of the biblical story as I imagine it could have happened. Pounding on their door startled Amram and Jochebed awake. “Pharaoh orders every able-bodied man to report for work duty immediately,” a
- [MELTI Stand Firm Pastors Conference](https://toeverynation.com/melti-stand-firm-pastors-conference/) - Day 15 Mission to Minister to the Persecuted Church Travel from Cairo, Egypt to Minya, Egypt Time: October 28 10 am – 4:00 pm Egypt time (3:00 am – 9:00 am CDT) MELTI Stand Firm Pastors Conference Update MELTI is the Middle East Leadership Training Institute in Cairo. It serves the church in the Middle
- [Christian Living – 6 Things Around You to Remind You to Spend Time with the Father Today](https://toeverynation.com/spend-time-with-the-father/) - We All Need Reminders to Spend Time with the Father Every parent I know has had to deal with the “I’m bored!” syndrome. We look at our child, sitting in a room with enough toys, books and activities for a small third world country and we shake our heads. Depending upon your parenting approach you
- [3 Reasons Why the Bible Doesn't Use the Word Luck and Neither Should You](https://toeverynation.com/why-luck-isnt-in-the-bible/) - Luck is A Bad Four Letter Word “What’s wrong with luck?” you wonder. “Aren't there worse four-letter-words that you could write a post about to get people to stop using them?” No, I don’t think so. Everybody above the age of five knows what those other four-letter-words are to be avoided. Luck is in a
- [Why Providence Not Luck Explains Our Good Fortunes](https://toeverynation.com/providence-explains-our-good-fortunes/) - Providence Defined: It’s About God Providing A high school student gets accepted into a top college. A good friend lands her dream job. A husband finds his wife’s long lost wedding ring. A childless couple, after years of frustration and disappointment is able to adopt a beautiful, healthy baby. How do you explain it? We
- [Use Your Authority Wisely](https://toeverynation.com/use-authority-wisely/) - The Authority Of Jesus Everyone understands authority. When we have a problem at a store and are frustrated we ask for someone in authority, hoping to get our problem solved. Perhaps the person we are talking to disappears through a door with a sign “Authorized Personnel Only” on it. We hope she comes back with
- [7 Choices For Prayer Today](https://toeverynation.com/8-choices-prayer-today/) - Observations on Prayer We’re all creatures of habit but we still like to have choices. I have a friend who I meet for breakfast from time to time. I’ve noticed he always takes the time to carefully look at the menu and then often ends up ordering the same thing. Once in a while he’ll
- [Pastors Conference Orissa India](https://toeverynation.com/pastors-conference-orissa-india/) - Pastors Conference Orissa India Last week I had the privilege of teaching 200 Indian pastors and wives the biblical principles of how to Stand Firm in the face of spiritual warfare. We were blessed with an excellent translator who took my message in English and improved it in Oria, the language of Orissa. We had
- [12 Reasons Why Christians Should Not Fear Satan or Spiritual Warfare](https://toeverynation.com/12-reasons-not-to-fear-satan/) - When I ask people how they feel about spiritual warfare the most frequent answer is fear. Even people who don’t think spiritual warfare has anything to do with them become wide-eyed and wary when we start talking about this topic. There is overwhelming evidence in the Bible that Christians have nothing to fear from Satan
- [God’s Antidote for Fear](https://toeverynation.com/gods-antidote-for-fear/) - The Father Provides What We Need To Take Care of Our Fear It’s still summer and the bees and wasps are out in full force. This is uncomfortable and inconvenient for most of us. For those who are allergic to bees it can be dangerous, even fatal. If a person who is allergic to bees
- [The Adversity of Trials - The Most Common and Most Misunderstood Type of Adversity](https://toeverynation.com/adversity-of-trials/) - Everyone in this life faces trials. They come to rich and poor, young and old, wise and foolish. They are a consequence of living in a fallen world. A trial is anything that tries or tests your character. It can be a flat tire, burnt toast, a river overflowing its banks or a stain on
- [Persecution: Adversity You Can't Avoid](https://toeverynation.com/persecution-christians/) - Of all of the different types of adversity we face as Christians persecution is perhaps the most difficult to understand. Other types of adversity described in the Bible involve hardship and can involve physical pain, but persecution is unique. Its sole focus is to inflict suffering, injury or death on another because of their faith.
- [Four Reasons Spiritual Warfare is Difficult to Understand](https://toeverynation.com/four-reasons-spiritual-warfare-difficult-understand/) - Spiritual warfare is the battle between God and His followers versus Satan and his followers. The conflict spans the Bible. It is first mentioned in Genesis 3 and last in Revelation 20. Here are the main reasons why it is one of the most misunderstood topics in the Bible. Four Reasons Spiritual Warfare Is Difficult
- [Our Enemy Satan: 14 Things the Bible Tells Us about Satan](https://toeverynation.com/enemy-satan-14-things-bible/) - Most Christians have heard multiple messages about Satan. In spite of that, how much do you really know about Satan? Every year new books are published about Satan and spiritual warfare is a frequent topic on Christian radio stations. Although there are many things that are debated about Satan, such as whether Isaiah 14:12-15 or
- [Living Behind Enemy Lines:  10 Truths about the Hostile World In Which We Live](https://toeverynation.com/10-truths-hostile-world/) - In World War II Germany attacked and defeated the Dutch and the Belgians after a six week blitzkrieg. The French formed a new government and quickly surrendered to the Germans. Certain elements of the former government didn't recognize the legitimacy of the new French government or the surrender. Some left France but many didn't. Those
- [The Food Court of Bad Desires - Worldly Desires](https://toeverynation.com/worldly-desires/) - Understanding Worldly Desires The world system is one of our three spiritual enemies. Like the flesh and Satan it is set on turning our hearts from God. The world's approach is different from the flesh and Satan. Today we are looking at worldly desires. “Food court” is a fairly recent term that’s become part of
- [Four Ways Jesus Expects Us To Be Different](https://toeverynation.com/four-ways-jesus-expects-us-be-different/) - Four Ways Jesus Expects Us To Be Different Jesus Came To Change Things Change is a word that is loved and hated. Leadership experts tell us that change is important. They say, “To succeed we must continually change.” On the other hand, there’s a great percentage of the population that hears that and shrugs their
- [Strength: How to Find Jesus' Strength When We’re Weak](https://toeverynation.com/3-keys-strong-when-weak/) - God's Strength is Different From Human Strength This past year (2014) was a milestone birthday year for me. Take a look at my picture and guess which one it was. If you're off by more than 10 years either you need new glasses or my graphics guy did a good (or bad?) job of touching
- [Real Happiness:  5 Questions to Determine if You are Experiencing God’s Best](https://toeverynation.com/real-happiness-5-questions/) - Happiness is Part Of God's Plan For Us Are you happy? There are some who scoff at the question, and my guess is they’re probably not. This is an important question because seeking happiness drives so much of what goes on in the world. There is an endless list of things that make us happy,
- [5 Things That Steal Our Peace and Joy](https://toeverynation.com/who-stole-my-peace-and-joy/) - Would you notice if someone stole your peace and joy? When I went away to college my dad loaned me his camera, a 35mm SLR. I didn't use it much so I put it in a box with some other things in the basement of my dorm and forgot about it. Months later I went
- [How to Overcome the Pressure to Be Conformed](https://toeverynation.com/overcome-pressure-conformed/) - To Not Be Conformed We Must Be Transformed I consider myself a good driver. I grew up driving the California freeways. I lived and drove in New York City and never had a problem. I enjoyed driving the autobahns of Germany when we lived there. Chicago’s tollways and rush hour traffic don’t phase me. But
- [The World Needs Your Light](https://toeverynation.com/the-world-needs-your-light/) - You Are Light Unless You Cover It Up I love flashlights. When I was a kid they were big and bulky. Over time they started making them smaller. When I was in my 30’s they came out with small, waterproof, pocket-sized flashlights. They were cool to have but weren’t very powerful. I was always on
- [3 Reasons God is Fair When Life is Not](https://toeverynation.com/3-reasons-god-is-fair/) - God is Fair When Life is not Greetings from New Delhi India. When I checked in at O'Hare the agent told me there was no one assigned to the seat beside me. I smiled but was cautious. I had been praying the right person would sit beside me for the flight. It turns out the
- [7 Reasons Why People Gamble, 11 Reasons Why As  A Christian You Shouldn't](https://toeverynation.com/7-reasons-people-gamble-11-reasons-christian-shouldnt/) - The Irony Of The Title Of This Post About Gambling Gambling is so pervasive in our culture that most people know the numbers 7 and 11 are “lucky” numbers, although they may not know why. I didn't, I had to look it up. Gambling is even accepted in our churches. We read about famous megachurch
- [Mary's Christmas Story [As I Imagine She Would Tell It]](https://toeverynation.com/marys-christmas-story/) - Mary's Christmas Story I need to sleep, but I can't. It's quiet now. Joseph is out getting more fuel for the fire. Jesus is sleeping peacefully beside me. I'm exhausted but I don't want to sleep. So many wonderful things have happened today, I want to soak it all in. I don't want this moment
- [2 Comforting Aspects of God’s Providential Care for You](https://toeverynation.com/gods-providential-care-for-you/) - God's Providential Care Is Not A Well-Known Doctrine If you've gone to church for even a few years it’s likely you've learned about some of the important doctrines or teachings of the Bible. One of the ways pastors equip you for the Christian life is to explain doctrine and show you how it works in
- [You are Called to be Different](https://toeverynation.com/called-different/) - You are Called to be Different On my recent trip to India I had the opportunity to visit the Village of Phephna near Ballia in the state of Uttar Pradesh in northern India. It was a joy to experience the hospitality of my new friend Pastor Anil Kumar and his family. It’s hard for those
- [4 Implications of Your Calling as a Christian](https://toeverynation.com/4-implications-calling-as-a-christian/) - Your Calling as A Christian I think it’s an accurate statement to say that most people don’t use the term “calling” when they talk about their lives. There are many who do, but I don’t think it is a majority or anywhere close to it. People who say they have a calling are those who
- [4 Relational Expectations From Your Calling As a Christian](https://toeverynation.com/4-relational-expectations-as-a-christian/) - Relational Expectations We have expectations of people based upon their status or position in life. We expect teachers to be patient and good communicators and drill sergeants to be loud and demanding. We expect police officers to carry guns, two year olds to throw tantrums and pizza delivery guys to bring us warm pizza. Today
- [You’ve Been Waiting Long Enough! 4 Indicators It’s Time to Act](https://toeverynation.com/4-indicators-its-time-to-act/) - 4 Indicators It’s Time to Act There’s a lot to be said for planning and preparation. There’s wisdom in thinking things through in advance. Many mistakes have been made because of being rash and hurrying things. Yet there also comes a time to act. In yesterday's post we talked about why you should stop and
- [Wait A Minute! 5 Reasons to Stop and Wait upon God](https://toeverynation.com/5-reasons-wait-upon-god/) - When to Stop and Wait Upon God We all face the challenge of having more things on our "to do" list than time to do them. The demands of family, church, work and friends tug like toddlers on our sleeves, begging for attention. We’re often tempted to jump in with both feet and try to
- [3 Ways to Demonstrate You Value Your Freedom to Share Christ](https://toeverynation.com/3-ways-to-share-christ/) - Your Freedom to Share Christ There is a saying we’d rather not hear. “You don’t realize how important something is until you no longer have it.” Too often we hear it when we lose a loved one or when something severs a friendship. Sometimes it’s our health. Why don’t we appreciate good health until we
- [5 Lessons Learned from Indian Christians](https://toeverynation.com/lessons-learned-from-indian-christians/) - Lessons Learned from Indian Christians I just got back from my third trip to India, which is exactly three more than I ever thought I’d make. God had different plans. India is a vast and diverse country of over 1.3 billion people in an area roughly the size of the Midwest. It would take a
- [Fulfilling the Great Commission](https://toeverynation.com/fulfilling-great-commission/) - Fulfilling the Great Commission in India The last thing Jesus did before ascending into heaven was to give the Great Commission to His disciples. It says, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of
- [Act Like the Position You Hold](https://toeverynation.com/act-like-position-hold/) - Your Powerful Position in Christ When I was in my twenties I went job hunting, going from business to business handing out my resume. At one place I was surprised with an interview on the spot. The man interviewing me spent a long time asking questions. I hoped I wasn't wasting my time. He didn't
- [Do You Know How Rich You Really Are?](https://toeverynation.com/rich-really/) - You Are Rich In Faith There is a delightful story from the Saturday Evening Post about a conversation Walt Disney had one day with his daughter. Walt had already built Disneyland and it was enjoying great success. One day after playing with a friend his daughter Diane asked him , “Daddy, are you Walt Disney?”
- [Your Incredible Power To Influence](https://toeverynation.com/incredible-power-influence/) - Your Incredible Power To Influence A few years ago I ran into a college buddy that I hadn't seen in years. As freshmen in college we cared more about fun and joking around than academics. After catching up on where we had been over the years he said to me, “Ward, I hope you’re not
- [How Do Your Thoughts Measure Up?](https://toeverynation.com/choose-your-thoughts-carefully/) - Be Careful About Your Thoughts A well known saying among people in the trades is “Measure twice, cut once. Measure once, cut twice.” Raise your hand if have personally learned what that means? My hand is up. You cannot un-cut something. Many of us wish we could. It would have saved us money. The general
- [Choose Your Thoughts: You Are Not What You Think](https://toeverynation.com/choose-your-thoughts/) - The Choice is up to You The idea that you can choose your thoughts is foreign to many people. Instead many people feel enslaved by their thoughts. The phrase “You are what you think” is a popular perspective. There are books, and sermons with that title and you can even buy a t-shirt emblazoned with
- [Choose To Serve Out Of Love](https://toeverynation.com/choose-serve-love/) - Two Motivations to Serve To serve is to perform duties for another’s benefit. In our day and age the word serve is associated with charities, the military and service industries. If we volunteer for a charity we say we are serving those less fortunate than we are. We describe a person in the army as
- [Feeling Safe In God's Presence](https://toeverynation.com/feeling-safe-gods-presence/) - Feeling Safe in God’s Presence Little kids are afraid of the dark. Once a mother asked her son to go and get a broom from the garage. The boy went to get it but it was in a dark part of the garage and the light wasn't working. He went back to his mom and
- [The Key to Being a Confident Christian](https://toeverynation.com/being-a-confident-christian/) - Confidence in the Christian Life In March I went to Guatemala. I love to travel and especially enjoy exploring places I've never been. I was disappointed to learn Guatemala is not safe for tourists. I was not free to wander about on my own. There was one exception. We were staying in a gated community.
- [Delight in God’s Persistent Love For You](https://toeverynation.com/gods-persistent-love/) - The Persistent Love Of God the Father We admire people who are persistent. We feel good when less talented people succeed in sports because they wouldn't give up and worked harder than anyone else. There are individuals we hold in high esteem who failed multiple times in life but didn't give up and finally succeeded.
- [4 Times God Proved How Much You are Worth To Him](https://toeverynation.com/worth-to-god/) - Your Worth to God Everyone wants to know what things are worth. Pawn Stars is a popular TV show. In case you’re one of three people who haven’t seen it, people take things to a Pawn Shop in the hopes of getting a lot of money for an heirloom or collectible they own. Sometimes they discover
- [4 Things God Intended For You](https://toeverynation.com/things-god-intended/) - Created To Be Loved There are things God intended for you and me to have that we don't have because of sin. Knowing what God intended can make a meaningful difference in how we live each day. A few years back I happened upon a TV news program that was interviewing Altovise Davis Sammy Davis Jr.’s
- [Walking By the Spirit: Our Defense Against the Desires of the Flesh](https://toeverynation.com/walking-by-the-spirit/) - Walking by The Spirit - Producing Good Fruit When I was young our family occasionally went out to pick fruit in an orchard. It was fun as long as the fruit was where we could reach it. There were long sticks to knock it off the higher branches but that was hard work. Us kids
- [A Different Kind of List: The Desires of the Flesh](https://toeverynation.com/desires-of-the-flesh/) - Desires of the Flesh Our spiritual enemies attack us with bad desires. The Bible gives us keen insight into the most frequent spiritual attacks we receive, desires of the flesh. I have a fun book in my library, The Book of Lists: The Original Compendium of Curious Information. It’s quite entertaining with probably more amusing trivia
- [Angels and demons: Can You Spot the Differences?](https://toeverynation.com/angels-and-demons-can-you-spot-the-differences/) - Whoever came up with the idea for the “Can you spot the differences” game was brilliant! On the one hand it's the easiest game to play, just look for the differences between two pictures. On the other hand it can be very complex, depending upon the pictures. In honor of the World Cup can you
- [Diagnosing Our Problem with Sin: 3 Sources of Evil Desires](https://toeverynation.com/3-sources-of-evil-desires/) - Evil Desires that Lead to Sin Understanding the role of evil desires in leading us to sin is fundamental to our Christian lives. If you've ever found yourself in the position of having done something you wished you hadn't, part of the reason is evil desires. Let’s explore the sources of evil desires. A man’s
- [When You Shouldn't Feel Guilty for Having Evil Desires, Part 2 of 2](https://toeverynation.com/having-evil-desires/) - Guilt and Evil Desires I grew up attending a conservative church. It gave me a solid foundation in my Christian life. But I also learned some things that weren't in the Bible. I was taught it’s sin to go to movies. I’ll never forget the first time I went to a movie theater as a
- [Christian Living:  Where Did You Get That Idea? The 3 Steps To Sin](https://toeverynation.com/spiritual-warfare-steps-to-sin/) - The 3 Steps to Sin I teach a WTB live event called Understanding The Love of Your Life. It identifies personality types to help couples understand themselves and each other better. One personality type often has new ideas. I ask those who have spouses who are dreamers, with lots of ideas, to raise their hands.
- [Spiritual Warfare: The Armor of God is for our Minds](https://toeverynation.com/spiritual-warfare-armor-of-god/) - The Purpose of The Armor of God Widespread confusion exists about spiritual warfare and the armor of God. There’s little agreement about what it is or how or when to use it. Today we explore the purpose of the armor. The armor of God is like a specialized tool to help you do something you
- [Juggling Complex Attacks: Satanic Desires](https://toeverynation.com/satanic-desires/) - Understanding Satanic Desires All Christians are attacked at some point by satanic desires. Satan and his forces are the most devious of our three enemies. Let’s explore the identification of satanic desires. I once saw a juggling act so amazing I still remember it years later. I was at the waterfront in San Francisco and
- [Spiritual Warfare:  6 Categories of Satanic Attacks in the Bible](https://toeverynation.com/spiritual-warfare-satanic-attacks/) - Satanic Attacks Years ago my sister moved to a new apartment in San Jose, CA. She gave me directions how to get to her place and I drove over to see her . She said her apartment was just off Lee Ave, an exit off the 101 Freeway. When I got to San Jose I
- [Spiritual Warfare: Satan’s Target Is Your Mind](https://toeverynation.com/satan-targets-your-mind/) - Satanic Attacks Target Your Mind A few years ago when we moved into a new home we soon discovered we weren't alone. There were 5 squirrels that frolicked in our yard by day and slept in our attic at night. It was disconcerting each night as we heard them crawling around above. One hot day
- [Hitting the Wall in the Christian Life [Strategies for Spiritual Breakthroughs]](https://toeverynation.com/4-strategies-breakthroughs/) - Spiritual Breakthroughs Are A Normal Part Of The Christian Life In running and other endurance sports such as cycling there is a condition that affects many athletes called “hitting the wall.” What happens is that at a certain point, often around 20 miles in a marathon, runners run out of energy and are so overcome
- [To Obey or Not to Obey? It’s Your Choice](https://toeverynation.com/obey-not-obey-your-choice/) - Obedience School is Just for Dogs I’ve never taken a dog to obedience school. If you have, perhaps you can validate or confirm something I heard. Obedience School is more for the human than for the dog. This may be an urban legend. If it is, the only thing it’s bound to harm is our
- [How to Have Certainty in the Face of Hardship](https://toeverynation.com/certainty-in-the-face-of-hardship/) - Certainty In The Face of Hardship Benjamin Franklin said, "In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." I want to add hardship to that short list. We all experience it. One of the most challenging aspects of hardship is uncertainty. How long is it going to last? How bad
- [Bible Study Basics: The Difference Between Interpretation and Application](https://toeverynation.com/bible-study-basics-the-difference-between-interpretation-and-application/) - Application Is Often Confused With Interpretation We have come to a point in our discussion of Bible study methods where there is a lot of confusion. One of the reasons is terminology. If we aren’t using words in the same way we have trouble communicating. What do you think it means when I say “I
- [God's Best is Available To All](https://toeverynation.com/gods-best-available/) - Anyone Can Be Blessed with God’s Best Those of us who live in America are blessed with lives of comfort only imagined by many in other countries. I am in India now and the contrast with the USA could not be greater. Although India certainly has rich people equal to that of any country, the
- [When the Holy Spirit Prompts You to Act, ACT!](https://toeverynation.com/holy-spirit-prompts-you-to-act/) - When the Holy Spirit Prompts You to Act, Act! In yesterday’s post I discussed four indicators when it’s time to act. A friend commented he would add one more. When the Holy Spirit prompts us to act, we need to obey. He’s absolutely correct. His point is so important I am going to devote this
- [God Speaks, So What?](https://toeverynation.com/god-speaks-so-what/) - When God Speaks, Things Happen It’s so common to hear "God speaks" that it’s barely enough to evoke a yawn among churchgoers. You’d think that it's a common experience enjoyed by all who consider themselves Christians. I've found that although practically all Christians agree God speaks, it’s a minority who regularly hear from God. I’ve
- [Christian Life – The Key to Feeling Comfortable Talking with God the Father](https://toeverynation.com/comfortable-talking-with-god-the-father/) - Talking With God the Father If you’re like me there are people in your life you find it hard to talk with. When you encounter someone like that you exchange greetings and then your mind goes blank. You try to think of something to talk about. Even discussing the weather is painful. After awkwardly struggling
- [Joseph Learned That God Is Good All The Time](https://toeverynation.com/joseph-learned-that-god-is-good-all-the-time/) - God Is Good There’s a common interchange that goes on between Christians all over the world. It goes like this. God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good. It’s a simple, straightforward statement that’s usually said with a smile. It’s often said after something good happens as an expression of praise to

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- [Thanks Pastor for signing up for Stand Firm India 2021](https://toeverynation.com/thanks-india-pastors/) - Thanks Pastor for signing up for our Zoom training! Below are links to the two videos. Bookmark this page so you can come back to it whenever you want to see the videos again. Part 1 Recognize Satanic Attacks Part 2 Resist Satanic Attacks It is my prayer that these videos will help you to
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- [About Us](https://toeverynation.com/about-us/) - I am a Pastor I help average Christians - people just like you - understand spiritual warfare to be able to be victorious when the enemy attacks. This requires understanding four things: Why spiritual warfare is important to every Christian. What spiritual warfare is and isn't. How to recognize a satanic attack. How to resist and
- [Ward Cushman Speaking Page](https://toeverynation.com/speaking/) - Thanks for visiting my speaking page. Over the past 30 years I have had the privilege of speaking in hundreds to churches in the USA, Canada, Germany, India and Egypt. I'm available to speak for regular church services, camps, conferences, seminars and special events. I have spoken on a wide range of topics including but
- [Stand Firm Seminar](https://toeverynation.com/stand-firm-seminar/) - Stand Firm Seminar Stand firm is a seminar that teachs what spiritual warfare is, how to recognize it and how to resist it. It is available in several formats. The full seminar is twelve sessions over six hours. Session 1 The "Why" of Spiritual Warfare This session explains from Scripture why spiritual warfare is
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- [01 - Logo - Menu - Call to Action](https://toeverynation.com/?post_type=tcb_symbol&p=3698)
- [01 - Columns](https://toeverynation.com/?post_type=tcb_symbol&p=3699)
- [01 - Columns](https://toeverynation.com/?post_type=tcb_symbol&p=3695)
- [01 - Logo - Menu - Call to Action](https://toeverynation.com/?post_type=tcb_symbol&p=3694)
- [01 - Logo - Menu - Call to Action](https://toeverynation.com/?post_type=tcb_symbol&p=3690)
- [01 - Columns](https://toeverynation.com/?post_type=tcb_symbol&p=3691)
- [01 - Columns](https://toeverynation.com/?post_type=tcb_symbol&p=3687)
- [01 - Logo - Menu - Call to Action](https://toeverynation.com/?post_type=tcb_symbol&p=3686)
- [Default Footer for Shapeshift Theme](https://toeverynation.com/?post_type=tcb_symbol&p=3684)
- [Default Header for Shapeshift Theme](https://toeverynation.com/?post_type=tcb_symbol&p=3681)
- [01 - Logo - Menu - Call to Action](https://toeverynation.com/?post_type=tcb_symbol&p=3651)
- [01 - Columns](https://toeverynation.com/?post_type=tcb_symbol&p=3652)

## Thrive Apprentice Lesson

- [Introduction – From Internet Rubbish to Content Marketing Gold](https://toeverynation.com/course/introduction-from-internet-rubbish-to-content-marketing-gold-4/) - Why is it so hard to create engaging content? And what is engaging content actually? Discover what you’ll need to learn in order to make your content marketing efficient
- [Introduction – From Internet Rubbish to Content Marketing Gold](https://toeverynation.com/course/introduction-from-internet-rubbish-to-content-marketing-gold-3/) - Why is it so hard to create engaging content? And what is engaging content actually? Discover what you’ll need to learn in order to make your content marketing efficient
- [Two Scarcity Marketing Recipes](https://toeverynation.com/course/two-scarcity-marketing-recipes-2/) - In this short lesson, we introduce two recipes you can apply to your business: the “under the radar” promotion and the classic product launch or sale. You’ll see the exact steps and timings required to make these promotions as effective as possible.
- [Introduction – From Internet Rubbish to Content Marketing Gold](https://toeverynation.com/course/introduction-from-internet-rubbish-to-content-marketing-gold-2/) - Why is it so hard to create engaging content? And what is engaging content actually? Discover what you’ll need to learn in order to make your content marketing efficient
- [Mastering Your Technique and Presentation](https://toeverynation.com/course/mastering-your-technique-and-presentation/) - Check these 4 things before publishing any content online. If you get one of these wrong, the actual content of your blog will not even matter all that much…
- [Behind the Scenes: Our Exact Scarcity Marketing Sequence](https://toeverynation.com/course/behind-the-scenes-our-exact-scarcity-marketing-sequence-2/) - Continuing the theme of keeping it real, in this video we take a look at the exact scarcity marketing sequence we used on one of our product launches. And by exact, I mean: you’ll see the actual emails we sent, the exact timings of when we sent them and the sales results corresponding to them.
- [Why Most Internet Content Never Sees The Light of Day](https://toeverynation.com/course/why-most-internet-content-never-sees-the-light-of-day/) - Over two million blog articles are written every day. And most of them will never be read. Discover why this happens and how to avoid being part of this junkyard of internet rubbish.
- [Introduction – From Internet Rubbish to Content Marketing Gold](https://toeverynation.com/course/introduction-from-internet-rubbish-to-content-marketing-gold/) - Why is it so hard to create engaging content? And what is engaging content actually? Discover what you’ll need to learn in order to make your content marketing efficient
- [Two Scarcity Marketing Recipes](https://toeverynation.com/course/two-scarcity-marketing-recipes/) - In this short lesson, we introduce two recipes you can apply to your business: the “under the radar” promotion and the classic product launch or sale. You’ll see the exact steps and timings required to make these promotions as effective as possible.
- [How to Build a Digital Product Empire](https://toeverynation.com/course/how-to-build-a-digital-product-empire-2/) - In this lesson, we introduce the concept of scarcity marketing. And very importantly: we look at some examples of how not to do it and the principles for doing it right. Scarcity marketing is tricky in this regard. If you do it right, it’s incredibly powerful. But if you do it wrong, it can cost
- [How to Build Courses With Thrive Apprentice](https://toeverynation.com/course/how-to-build-courses-with-thrive-apprentice-2/) - In this lesson, we introduce the concept of scarcity marketing. And very importantly: we look at some examples of how not to do it and the principles for doing it right. Scarcity marketing is tricky in this regard. If you do it right, it’s incredibly powerful. But if you do it wrong, it can cost
- [Behind the Scenes: Our Exact Scarcity Marketing Sequence](https://toeverynation.com/course/behind-the-scenes-our-exact-scarcity-marketing-sequence/) - Continuing the theme of keeping it real, in this video we take a look at the exact scarcity marketing sequence we used on one of our product launches. And by exact, I mean: you’ll see the actual emails we sent, the exact timings of when we sent them and the sales results corresponding to them.
- [Scarcity Marketing – Good & Bad Examples](https://toeverynation.com/course/scarcity-marketing-good-bad-examples-2/) - In this lesson, we introduce the concept of scarcity marketing. And very importantly: we look at some examples of how not to do it and the principles for doing it right. Scarcity marketing is tricky in this regard. If you do it right, it’s incredibly powerful. But if you do it wrong, it can cost
- [How to Build a Digital Product Empire](https://toeverynation.com/course/how-to-build-a-digital-product-empire/) - In this lesson, we introduce the concept of scarcity marketing. And very importantly: we look at some examples of how not to do it and the principles for doing it right. Scarcity marketing is tricky in this regard. If you do it right, it’s incredibly powerful. But if you do it wrong, it can cost
- [Intro & Proof](https://toeverynation.com/course/intro-proof-2/) - To start with, we’ll take a look at some proof. That way, you’ll see that the recipes in this course actually work (and produce some impressive results) in the real world and aren’t just marketing theory.
- [How to Build Courses With Thrive Apprentice](https://toeverynation.com/course/how-to-build-courses-with-thrive-apprentice/) - In this lesson, we introduce the concept of scarcity marketing. And very importantly: we look at some examples of how not to do it and the principles for doing it right. Scarcity marketing is tricky in this regard. If you do it right, it’s incredibly powerful. But if you do it wrong, it can cost
- [Scarcity Marketing – Good & Bad Examples](https://toeverynation.com/course/scarcity-marketing-good-bad-examples/) - In this lesson, we introduce the concept of scarcity marketing. And very importantly: we look at some examples of how not to do it and the principles for doing it right. Scarcity marketing is tricky in this regard. If you do it right, it’s incredibly powerful. But if you do it wrong, it can cost
- [Intro & Proof](https://toeverynation.com/course/intro-proof/) - To start with, we’ll take a look at some proof. That way, you’ll see that the recipes in this course actually work (and produce some impressive results) in the real world and aren’t just marketing theory.

## Thrive Apprentice Chapter

- [Scarcity Marketing Secrets](https://toeverynation.com/chapter/scarcity-marketing-secrets/)

## Thrive Apprentice Module

- [Putting Scarcity Marketing Into Practice](https://toeverynation.com/module/putting-scarcity-marketing-into-practice-2/) - Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Vivamus tristique ligula sit amet nulla eleifend, nec imperdiet ante semper. Nulla lobortis urna ac massa sagittis, a posuere ipsum commodo. Sed at nisl urna. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia curae; Pellentesque laoreet hendrerit metus, at fermentum dui elementum eget.
- [Putting Scarcity Marketing Into Practice](https://toeverynation.com/module/putting-scarcity-marketing-into-practice/) - Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Vivamus tristique ligula sit amet nulla eleifend, nec imperdiet ante semper. Nulla lobortis urna ac massa sagittis, a posuere ipsum commodo. Sed at nisl urna. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia curae; Pellentesque laoreet hendrerit metus, at fermentum dui elementum eget.
- [Learn how to use Scarcity Marketing](https://toeverynation.com/module/learn-how-to-use-scarcity-marketing/) - Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Vivamus tristique ligula sit amet nulla eleifend, nec imperdiet ante semper. Nulla lobortis urna ac massa sagittis, a posuere ipsum commodo. Sed at nisl urna. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia curae; Pellentesque laoreet hendrerit metus, at fermentum dui elementum eget.

## Categories

- [Uncategorized](https://toeverynation.com/category/uncategorized/)
- [Spiritual warfare](https://toeverynation.com/category/spiritual-warfare/)
- [adversity](https://toeverynation.com/category/christian-life/adversity/)
- [armor of God](https://toeverynation.com/category/spiritual-warfare/armor-of-god/)
- [Christmas](https://toeverynation.com/category/christmas/)
- [Christian life](https://toeverynation.com/category/christian-life/)
- [Satan](https://toeverynation.com/category/spiritual-warfare/satan-spiritual-warfare/)
- [the flesh](https://toeverynation.com/category/spiritual-warfare/the-flesh/)
- [Missions](https://toeverynation.com/category/missions/)
- [Stories](https://toeverynation.com/category/stories/)
- [World](https://toeverynation.com/category/spiritual-warfare/world/)
- [Spiritual disciplines](https://toeverynation.com/category/christian-life/spiritual-disciplines-christian-life/)
- [India](https://toeverynation.com/category/missions/india-missions/)
- [Christmas](https://toeverynation.com/category/stories/christmas-stories/)
- [Egypt](https://toeverynation.com/category/missions/egypt/)
- [theology](https://toeverynation.com/category/christian-life/theology/)
- [angels and demons](https://toeverynation.com/category/spiritual-warfare/angels-and-demons/)
- [faith](https://toeverynation.com/category/christian-life/faith-christian-life/)

## Tags

- [Evangelism](https://toeverynation.com/tag/evangelism/)
- [Bible study](https://toeverynation.com/tag/bible-study/)
- [three enemies](https://toeverynation.com/tag/three-enemies/)
- [theology proper](https://toeverynation.com/tag/theology-proper/)
- [pneumatology](https://toeverynation.com/tag/pneumatology/)
- [sanctification](https://toeverynation.com/tag/sanctification/)
- [hermeneutics](https://toeverynation.com/tag/hermeneutics/)
- [angelology](https://toeverynation.com/tag/angelology/)
- [soteriology](https://toeverynation.com/tag/soteriology/)
- [harmartiology](https://toeverynation.com/tag/harmartiology/)
- [hamartiology](https://toeverynation.com/tag/hamartiology/)
- [anthropology](https://toeverynation.com/tag/anthropology/)
- [missiology](https://toeverynation.com/tag/missiology/)
- [christology](https://toeverynation.com/tag/christology/)
- [eschatology](https://toeverynation.com/tag/eschatology/)
- [service](https://toeverynation.com/tag/service/)
- [bibliology](https://toeverynation.com/tag/bibliology/)
- [spiritual warfare](https://toeverynation.com/tag/spiritual-warfare/)
- [Christian life](https://toeverynation.com/tag/christian-life/)
- [spiritual battle](https://toeverynation.com/tag/spiritual-battle/)
- [satan](https://toeverynation.com/tag/satan/)

## Courses

- [Thrive Themes - Make More Sales Without Needing More Traffic](https://toeverynation.com/courses/thrive-themes-make-more-sales-without-needing-more-traffic/)
- [Thrive Themes - From Internet Rubbish to Content Gold](https://toeverynation.com/courses/thrive-themes-from-internet-rubbish-to-content-gold/)
- [Thrive Themes - 22 Tips to Build Your Mailing List Faster](https://toeverynation.com/courses/thrive-themes-22-tips-to-build-your-mailing-list-faster/)
- [Thrive Themes - Build a Conversion Focused Website From Scratch](https://toeverynation.com/courses/thrive-themes-build-a-conversion-focused-website-from-scratch/)
- [Thrive Themes - Multi Step Mastery: Build a Targeted Mailing List](https://toeverynation.com/courses/thrive-themes-multi-step-mastery-build-a-targeted-mailing-list/)

## Symbols

- [Headers](https://toeverynation.com/tcb_symbol/headers/)
- [Footers](https://toeverynation.com/tcb_symbol/footers/)