Fake Faith and Pious Platitudes

Some people use religious phrases and pretend to follow God, when they do not. Wolves in sheep’s clothing have existed since ancient times and Scripture shows this.  As such, we need to be aware of the frauds and also warn our friends. Pharaoh accused Moses and the Israelites “May the Lord be with you if … Read more Fake Faith and Pious Platitudes


Take Every thought Captive:

Insidious deceptions of Satan When we read “We take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ,” (2Cor.2:5), we assume we will recognize Satan’s blatant contradictions of Scripture. I wrote about this in my posts “So Many Negative Thoughts Planted by Satan” as well as “Yes, You Can Win the Spiritual Battle if You … Read more Take Every thought Captive:


God confronts Codependence (Sin) in the Bible!

As I studied Leviticus, I discovered God directly confronts the sin of codependence (though the Bible does not give it that name.)  This sin causes well-meaning people to do things for others they should have done for themselves.  This sin causes people to dwell in fear (extreme worry) about loved ones and even try to … Read more God confronts Codependence (Sin) in the Bible!


So Many Negative Thoughts Planted by Satan

Often Satan sneaks in negative thoughts and we don’t realize he is the source.  As a result, I felt alert and challenged when I heard a woman on the radio say Satan caused most of the judgment she felt others must be placing upon her.  She wrongly assumed others judged her for her unwanted divorce, … Read more So Many Negative Thoughts Planted by Satan


When you Didn’t have a Loving Earthly Father

(or your friend lacked one) God designed humans to have a safe, loving relationship with an earthly father (and mother, but today’s post is about dads.)  What if you lacked this loving relationship in your childhood? While God has promised to be a father to the fatherless (Psalm68:5,) how can a gal (or guy) appropriate … Read more When you Didn’t have a Loving Earthly Father


Idealizing not Loving People: from “loving” to hating a person—even God

To idealize another person, even God, is to actually hate the real person, while making unreasonable demands and never accepting the person or forgiving him or her.  People idealize a person or God by believing the “idealized person” (or God) owes them and thus the idealizers create an image of a person (or God) who … Read more Idealizing not Loving People: from “loving” to hating a person—even God


Replacing Legalism with Joy

This week I’m adding part two to last week’s blog on recognizing legalism(Recognizing Legalism and its Hidden Dangers), so I can discuss the joy we find when we replace this dreadful drain with the abundant life God wants for us.  Satan wants to steal our joy (John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and … Read more Replacing Legalism with Joy


Recognizing Legalism and its Hidden Dangers

We must recognize legalism and protect ourselves and others from its milder forms (forcing people to do what they do not need to do) and its dangerous forms (covering the sins of abusers, claiming they are doing God’s work).   In its milder form, legalists mistake God for an angry boss and demand too much of … Read more Recognizing Legalism and its Hidden Dangers