Evident Church

CONVICTION? 2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 2 Timothy 3:1-7 (NASB) “But realize this, that in the last day’s difficult times will come.   For men, will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these... Claiming to be a Christian but no evident change. No transformation. Claiming to be -but living the opposite. Sunday Christians. Not even wanting God to require too much from them. always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” You can learn and learn, but if the Truth isn’t in your heart then learning does you littl...

5 Ways You Are Teaching Your Kids to Be Entitled How does a parent raise an entitled child? Especially since no parent intends to? Entitlement pervades nearly every aspect of today’s culture, which means Christian families aren’t immune from its influence. In fact, if you aren’t proactive, it’s almost a given you’ll raise an entitled child. It’s a sobering thought. Most parents know entitlement develops when a child is given too much, too soon, but many parents don’t realize entitlement is also bred in more subtle ways. More lethal ones. Could you be accidentally raising an entitled child?   Here are five common parenting mistakes that can lead to entitlement: 1. Allowing Your Kids to Interrupt I recently attended a meeting at the home of a family with three adorable kids. Halfway through the presentation, one of the children ran into the living room and stood next to the speaker. “Have you seen Frozen? I love it!”, she declared, then launched into a litany of ...

6 Things You Should Consider before Drinking That Beer A few years ago, I attended a conference where pastors were encouraged to meet at a pub after the general sessions. A few of these pastors could exercise their liberty, but why publicly? I wondered how many people at the conference stumbled because of it. The demands of life often tempt us to seek gratification in alcohol and other things. We must be on high alert. The enemy uses "opportune times" to draw us away from God. (cf. Luke 4:13). The line is so thin that it is often hard to determine when we cross over. The person who consumes alcohol walks a very fine line between freedom and sin, responsibility and carelessness, liberty and abuse—over-indulgence can even disqualify a person from leadership (cf. 1 Timothy 3). This discussion is not about a glass of wine or beer now and then, it’s about abusing liberty. Damage done to families and individuals through alcohol use demands a closer look. "It...

Subtle Ways the Demons from Our Past Are Controlling Us 1. You focus on what has been done to you. Focusing on what has been done to us keeps the experiences alive in our mind, stirring up emotions, reviving hurt, fanning anger and hunger for revenge, as well as making us see ourselves as “a victim.” Thus, we label ourselves as a casualty, a person duped or tricked, a loser and fool, quarry for sacrifice, a scapegoat for another’s sins. Putting on those identity markers is crushing to spirit and can keep people from taking the first frightening step toward recovery. If we see ourselves as “survivors”—people who suffered greatly, but came through with body and soul alive, heroes who found strength to cope and rise above the sins done to us—we can move ahead. 2. You focus on what you've done. Focusing on what we've done often fills us with shame and guilt. I know this was the case with me when I spent years looking back at my abortion and the circumstances around it. T...