Delightsome Land

Does the presence of demons help explain the intensity of evil on earth? Absolutely. Human beings are fallen, sinful creatures, but sometimes we detect periods and people of evil so intense there’s no other explanation than demonic possession and influence. How else can we explain the horrors of child abuse, of genocide, of the beheading of innocent people, of the torture of families, of murder, rape, and the atrocities of war? How else can we explain the systematic attempts throughout history to exterminate Jews and Christians, as we see with Adolf Hitler and his cohorts? The Bible indicates people can be possessed by demons, but can an individual be possessed by the Devil himself? Satan possession seems to be more rare than demon possession. Without being dogmatic, it seems to me there are three cases of satanic possession in the Bible. The first is the serpent in the garden of Eden. We get the impression that Satan commandeered and possessed an animal, through whom he spoke to Ev...

What Is Hope? I have a friend named Michael who, when he was in high school, went on a mission trip with his dad to Africa. While there, something tragic happened. He contracted a terrible disease that affected his kidneys. Since high school, he has been in and out of the hospital, been on dialysis, and has even been pronounced dead a few times. All in all, it’s been a terrible battle. One day when I was in his neck of the woods, Michael and I got a cup of coffee together, and he told me something he felt God was speaking to him: “You have so much faith in who I am and what I can do, but you have no hope for your situation.” He proceeded to tell me how God was dealing with his hope. He told me that he believes anyone who has faith should also have hope, but that many people are missing this key life ingredient. But what is hope? Why is it a key to our lives? Why do so many of us forget about it? I remember Michael describing to me how hope is excitement for the future. He describ...

[God] waits to be wanted. Too bad that with many of us He waits so long, so very long, in vain. — A. W. Tozer He was leaning back in his leather recliner in the wood-paneled den, his eyes darting back and forth between the television set and me, as if he didn’t deign to devote his full attention to our confrontation. In staccato bursts, he would lecture and scold and shout, but his eyes never met mine. It was the evening before my high school graduation, and my dad had caught me lying to him — big-time. Finally, he snapped his chair forward and shifted to look fully into my face, his eyes angry slits behind his glasses. He held up his left hand, waving his pinky like a taunt as he pounded each and every word: “I don’t have enough love for you to fill my little finger.” He paused as the words smoldered. He was probably expecting me to fight back, to defend myself, to blubber or apologize or give in — at least to react in some way. But all I could do was to glare at him, my face flu...

Pop culture is searching, perhaps today more than ever, for truth. But truth has become to many whatever they want it to be, bound up in lies from Satan that cause them to look in futility to others and, sometimes, to themselves. Rock star Jewel sings about being God’s eyes, God’s hands, God’s mind, God’s heart. While those who follow Christ may perform good deeds in His name, humanity will never be God’s eyes or God’s mind. Only His eyes can peer into our weary souls. He says, For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways . - Isaiah 55:8 God longs to fill our minds with His truth and heal our sick hearts. God’s heart’s desire is to love us and change us. I was moved when I heard the story that at age sixteen Jewel was traveling through Mexico and observed that everyone seemed to be looking “for someone to save them.” Her evaluation was true. She later wrote lyrics to what would become a major hit, “Who Will Save Your Soul?” in which she reveals people’s worry ab...

… to be made new in the attitude of your minds… — Ephesians 4:23 I’ve been recently reminded that the way I perceive my circumstances can really make or break my day and can have a major effect on those around me. My attitude going into places can either add or take away from the atmosphere. I want to choose to be positive, reminding myself that every opportunity is a gift. Chip is really good at this. He typically finds the positive things in any situation while that tends to be a bit harder for me. I think more about what needs to get done and how it’s going to be accomplished. But I’ve realized I can choose which lens I’m going to view life from. Even though our life is crazy right now, I want to think of this as an opportunity more than anything else. I can trust that this is a chance to grow and learn. And it’s a chance to enjoy each other as a family doing what we love to do most. It all starts in my mind. Am I viewing the current circumstance as an opportunity or as a bur...

Some days I pick up a camera and it’s a hammer. The lens is my ink, for cameras have sensor eyes, and pixels record. I slide it into a pocket, a thin point-and-shoot, and find another way to chronicle, to force the lids open; another way to receive the moment with thanks reverential. When he comes in from the barn, the Farmer finds me with my hammer in hand, leaning over a plate of cheese grated and sitting in sunlight. It is true. I do feel foolish. I mean, it’s curls of mozzarella and cheddar piled high in a pond of golden day. And I’m changing the settings for macro, pulling in for a close-up frame. He’s fed 650 sows with one strong arm this morning, flicked on a welder and melded steel. It is quite possible that the God-glory of a ring of shredded cheese may be lost on him. It isn’t. “I like finding you just like this.” He wraps one arm around my bowed middle, draws me close and up into him strong. “Crazy like this?” I blush silliness, and he brushes close with the four-...

It seems with each passing day we are sinking a little deeper into the quicksand of cultural collapse. For those of us who, like Daniel, seek to live in the world but not of the world, what is the single most important attribute we need as we strive to influence the culture in a positive and productive way? Some people quickly point to intellect. After all, they argue, knowledge is power in our world. The greater our intellectual edge over others, the better we can gain the upper hand. Others quickly say that it isn’t intellect as much as it is intensity, that passion accompanied by a spirit of conquest becomes contagious. Still others argue it is insight, that is, good old common sense, the ability to see wisely into the issues, and discernment for addressing them. However, in the final analysis, the single most important attribute of those who make a lasting difference for good in a collapsing culture like our own is... integrity! We have all known men and women who possessed trem...

Listen as pastor and writer Dr. David Jeremiah shares his thoughts on how God is still accomplishing His purposes in our world, even during tumultuous times. Hear about about his latest book: People Are Asking..Is This The End?

When someone important is being introduced, the announcer usually says, “Mr. So-And-So — Founder of This Extra-Important Company!” or, “Miss Something Else — Nobel-Prize-Winning Inventor of This Brilliant Thing!” Do you know how God likes to be introduced? His name is the Lord... Father to the fatherless, defender of widows. — Psalm 68:4-5 (NLT) Our Almighty God, who sifted stars through His fingers, stands not with kings and princes, but with the weak, the powerless, the poor. Because the people no one else thinks are important have a special place in God’s heart. He hears their cries. He fights for them and defends them. And one night long ago, in Bethlehem, He stepped out of Heaven and became one of them. Excerpt from Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing  by Sally-Lloyd Jones. Watch the Video " Thoughts To Make Your Heart Sing may be the best, first introduction for children to have their own time with God." —   Dr. Tim Keller

Do you ever feel lonely?  Recently, I was at an event full of people. Everyone else seemed gabby and was effortlessly making easy connections with others. I just felt out of sorts. Someone had said something to me earlier that day that hurt my feelings and knocked me off kilter. It was one of those “I would really like to be at home alone, in a bubble bath, eating something chocolate” kind of nights. But I had to go to this outing, so here I was — lonely. I politely smiled my way through the evening and finally got to go home. As I crawled into bed that night, I asked Jesus, “Why am I letting some thoughtless comment someone made affect me like this?” There was no deep explanation. There was no Bible verse that instantly popped into my head. There was no sudden rush of peace through my heart. There was only a very gentle reminder in the depths of my soul that Jesus loves me — insecurities and all. Jesus loves me. Simple but so powerfully profound, that one sta...

A Bottle of Your Tears When I opened the gift from my friend, I wasn’t quite sure what it was. The small glass bottle was a beautiful cobalt blue, about two inches tall, covered in sliver filigree. I thought it might be a perfume bottle, albeit a very small one, but her note explained that it was actually a tear bottle she’d found in an antique store in Israel. I did a little research and discovered that tear bottles were common in Rome and Egypt around the time of Christ. Mourners would collect their tears as they walked toward the graveyard to bury their loved one, a tangible indication of how much that person was loved. Sometimes women were even paid to follow the mourners and cry into such a vessel. Apparently the more anguish and tears produced, the more important and valued the deceased person was perceived to be. But legend has it those mourners-for-hire who cried the loudest and produced the most tears received the greatest compensation. I treasure this little blue bottle...

“ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another .” — John 13:34-35 NKJV Faith is compelling when it is seen in action. When Jesus announced that He would be leaving, He gave one very simple and profound instruction: “Love one another.” This is harder than it seems. We are prone to argue, hate, and fight. We default to selfishness and wanting to win. Love doesn’t naturally fit. But we crave it. And love is the mark of Jesus’ followers. Jesus asked His disciples to practice the love that He modeled. If they reflected the example of Jesus’ love, they would stand out in a world that does not understand love. Jesus explained, “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” ( v. 35 ). The distinguishing mark of Jesus followers is how faith influences their daily actions: ...

Let it be to me according to your word.  - Luke 1:38 What must it have been like for Mary to carry God in her womb? The virgin birth is much more than a Christmas story; it is a picture of how close Christ will come to you. The first stop on His itinerary was a womb. Where will God go to touch the world? Look deep within Mary for an answer. Better still, look deep within yourself. What He did with Mary, He offers to us! He issues a Mary-level invitation to all His children. “If you’ll let Me, I’ll move in!” Proliferating throughout Scripture is a preposition that leaves no doubt — the preposition  in.  Jesus lives  in  His children. To His apostles, Christ declared, “I am  in  you” (John 14:20, emphasis mine). Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians was “that Christ may dwell  in  your hearts through faith” (Ephesians 3:17, emphasis mine). “Christ  in  you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27, emphasis mine). And the sweetest ...