God blesses the righteous. It is His will and His pleasure to surround us with favor.

Only the righteous qualify. But He is so eager to bless us that He made it easy to become righteous.

All it takes is faith. Believe that Jesus Christ took our sin and gave us His righteousness.

It's a gift that we receive through the blood of Christ. You know you've received it when you are living a righteous life.

This gift of righteousness does not produce hypocrisy. It comes with great power and delivers us from sin and shame.

If you claim His righteousness but go on living in sin, you are fooling yourself. Humble yourself and believe.

The wonderful righteousness of Jesus Christ does not leave you in your sin; it rescues you and sets you free.

As we wait with expectation for the soon return of Jesus Christ, we will encounter many opportunities to be troubled.

Deception, wars, earthquakes, pestilences, offense, betrayal, lawlessness... all these things will continue to multiply leading up to His return.

Do you know what your assignment is in the midst of it all?

Jesus said, "See that you are not troubled." This entire phrase is an instruction for your thought life.

Even though trouble is all around you, you get to decide whether or not your mind is troubled. Your thoughts are your responsibility.

You'll be tempted to dwell on the terrible things happening. Don't do it. Instead, let them be a reminder that Jesus is coming soon.

You'll be tempted to be offended by all the people acting a fool in these last days. Don't do it. Instead, extend mercy and love by believing the best.

Refuse to be troubled in your mind. Take every disobedient thought captive. Think only on the good things.

There are some things Christians need to know about AI.

Some have a conviction not to use it at all, and that’s perfectly fine. You are not missing out on much.

But for those who want to extract benefit out of it, you need to guard yourself carefully.

As a church leader, I’ve been using it for several years now. The more I use it, the less impressed I am.

It makes tons of mistakes that you wouldn’t even realize unless you check its work. And it seems to always have advice to give beyond what you are asking it to do.

I digress. But here’s what you should know: AI is simply a culmination of all the data available to it.

It does not have a moral compass and has no access to the Holy Spirit. It takes all the information out there, right and wrong, and creates a consensus.

And when we read the Bible, we find that groupthink never leads to a good outcome. Just think of the tower of Babel, Noah and the flood, Sodom and Gomorrah.

This reality is confirmed even today as we see with our own eyes that the larger the city, the farther away it is from God.

Understanding this is the best way to guard yourself as you use AI. It is not all-knowing. It is prone to error. It is very unimpressive to God.

My recommendation is to see it as your digital slave. Use it for mundane digital tasks, but never ask it for advice.

Let me tell you about the latest wave of deception that is really tripping Christians up.

Rewind with me to 2020. Through the virus and all the conflict that followed, Christianity came under attack.

Faith in God’s protection was mocked. Righteous living was belittled. Obeying the Bible became distasteful.

This put a lot of pressure on true believers, who don’t just look to Jesus for forgiveness but have given Him lordship over their lives.

Then came relief through big-name conservatives speaking out on behalf of core Christian principles. Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, and the like.

In a world void of alignment with the Bible, these voices became a breath of fresh air. The much-needed relief made way for trust and loyalty to be established.

Now, it’s a perfect storm.

These voices are not loyal to God, but to their following. Siding with “Christian Conservatives” was simply a way for them to become more known on both sides of the spectrum.

It’s all working towards what was prophesied 2,000 years ago in the book of Revelation. These “conservative” voices are doing a masterful job turning Christians against Israel.

These last days are playing out exactly as God said they would. In the end, most will turn against Israel, ultimately fighting against Jesus, and destroyed along with the antichrist.

The question is, will you be a part of that crowd that was deceived?

If prayer is so powerful, why do so many believers feel like it isn’t working?

One main reason is because timid prayers are ineffective prayers. They are filled with uncertainty, hesitation, and doubt.

But God never intended for us to approach Him that way.

When we pray, we must be confident that God wants to hear us. It is our blood-bought right to ask God for anything we need, fully expecting that He will give it to us.

Jesus demonstrated this perfectly in His final prayer before the cross. There was no trace of timidity or hesitation. He knew who He was to the Father, and He wasn’t afraid to remind Him of it.

That same confidence belongs to you in Christ.

Romans 8 tells us we didn’t receive a spirit that makes us fearful slaves. Instead, we received God’s Spirit when He adopted us as His own children. Now we call Him “Abba, Father.”

So the next time you pray, start by remembering you belong to the Father. Because when you know who you are to God, there is no room left for timid prayers.

If you want to learn how to pray with boldness and confidence every day, grab my book, A Guide to Effective Prayer.

The rapture causes great debate in the church world.

Any time division enters the church, we know the enemy is at work. So instead of fighting with each other, we should dive in and find out why the enemy is so threatened by these subjects.

Regarding the rapture, Jesus explained it to us thoroughly in Matthew 24. The problem is that the section breaks in our Bibles make it challenging to understand.

You should study it without the section breaks. Let me give you a head start.

Jesus starts by explaining the birth pangs that lead up to the end. Deception, wars, famines, and disease will become more intense and frequent as we approach the end.

When Jesus says “the end”, He is talking about the 7-year Great Tribulation that Daniel prophesied about. This is clarified in verses 15-22.

Then, in verse 23, Jesus takes us back to the birth pangs to ensure we are not deceived by those who say Christ has already come.

From this point forward, He is no longer speaking of the Great Tribulation, but of the rapture. He explains how and when it will take place.

Jesus calls the rapture the Coming of the Son of Man. Just like He promised in John 14, He will come get us so we can be with Him where He is.

This will all happen very soon. Stir up your expectation for His return. Make yourself ready like a bride preparing for her wedding.