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Recent Posts
- Chasing After Donkeys
- Choosing the Faithful Way – Psalm 119:25-32
- Social Justice from a Biblical Perspective
- When God Gives Us a Test
- God’s Grace is Sufficient
- How to Deal with Jealousy
- When God Uses Evil Actions for His Good
- Alexander the Coppersmith
- Submission to Authority – Part III
- Submission to Authority – Part II
- Submission to Authority – Part I
- The Faithfulness of the Lord
- The Choice of Blessing or Cursing
- Twelve Ways to Deal with a Bad Boss
- The Wrath of God
- Babylonianism
- Contrasting Good and Bad Leaders
- Faith or Regeneration – Which Comes First?
- What is the Church?
- A Brief Analysis of the Millennial Kingdom
- A Brief Analysis of Israel in History and Prophecy
- The Lord is My Shepherd – Psalm 23
- Not of Works
- Reasons why we obey God
- A Commitment of the Heart
- When God Said “Do Not Pray”
- The Basics of Prayer
- The Meaning of Sin
- Treating Others with Dignity
- Helping the Poor
- Why Believers Show No Grace
- The Noetic Effects of Sin
- Original Sin
- The Worthless Person
- Bible Promises that Strengthen our Faith
- God’s Righteousness in the Future
- The Righteous Lifestyle of the Believer
- A Dispensational View of God’s Righteousness
- God’s Righteousness at the Cross
- Biblical Righteousness: A Word Study
- The Righteousness of God
- God’s Favor Toward His People
- When a Believer Perpetually Sins
- What it Means to Follow Jesus
- The Lord’s Supper
- Christians Paying Taxes
- When Believers Hide
- Living in Babylon
- Divorce and Remarriage?
- Christianity is not a Religion
Author Archives: Dr. Steven R. Cook
Chasing After Donkeys
God’s providence refers to His wise and personal acts, whereby He creates and controls circumstances in order to direct history according to His predetermined plan, all for His glory and the benefit of His people. As Christians, we live in the flow of history, and are moved by the circumstances He controls, for the Lord “does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth; and no one can ward off His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’” (Dan 4:35). Continue reading
Posted in Christian Theology, Hot Topics, Inspirational Writings, Living by Faith
Tagged Chasing after donkeys, Does God direct us through circumstances, election, God's control over his creation, God's influence in the world, God's providence, God's sovereign control, how did Saul become King?, how do we know God's will?, How does God direct our lives?, How God directs our lives, How God directs our lvies, How God leads, King Saul, Knowing God's will, Providence, Providential control, Providential sovereignty, When Saul became king
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Choosing the Faithful Way – Psalm 119:25-32
In Psalm 119:25-32, the psalmist expressed himself as one who faced great distress and who cried out to the Lord for strength. Though faced with conflict, he committed himself to pursue God and to run in His ways. His desire was to have enhanced knowledge of God’s Word, which would strengthen his soul and increase his capacity for righteous living. The benefit was a soul set free to run with God and a knowledge and capacity to do His will. Continue reading
Posted in Biblical Exegesis, Christian Theology, Inspirational Writings, Living by Faith, Psalms, Righteous Living, Suffering & Persecution
Tagged Believers struggle with depression, Choosing the faithful way, depression, faithful obedience, Personal revival, Psalm 119, Psalm 119:25-32, Revive me according to your word, seeking strength from God, what does it mean to run with God?, what does it mean to walk with God?
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Social Justice from a Biblical Perspective
When Israel was a theocratic kingdom, God legislated certain benefits to the poor, widows, orphans and sojourners in order to meet their daily needs, and these were to be given by those whom He’d blessed with abundance. God instructed His leaders to uphold and defend the rights of the vulnerable, knowing there would be wicked persons who would seek to exploit them. Sadly, much of Israel’s history was marked by a breakdown among His people, as the leaders and wealthy in the land exploited the poor they were called to defend. Now, in the Church age, God provides care for the needy in society through human governments, as well as through individual Christians and local churches. Lastly, perfect government will come in the future when Jesus Christ returns and establishes His kingdom on earth and provides righteous reign and care for all. Continue reading
Posted in Biblical Worldview, Christian Theology, Church, Hot Topics, Leadership, Living by Faith, Righteous Living
Tagged A Christian view of social justice, caring for the por, Christians and social justice, helping orphans, Helping the homeless, Helping the poor, helping widows, Scripture for social justice, social justice, social justice and Christians, Social justice and the Bible, Social justice and the church, Social Justice from a Biblical Perspective, The church and social justice, what does God say about social justice, what does the Bible say about helping the poor, What does the Bible say about social justice?, what is social justice
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When God Gives Us a Test
God tests His people. It’s a fact that is repeated throughout Scripture (Exo 16:4; 20:20; Deu 13:3; Jud 3:1-2; Isa 48:10). He tests us with difficult situations in order to humble us, so that we will not look to ourselves for strength, but to Him. In the end, the test reveals that it is God who provides for us. Continue reading
Posted in Christian Theology, Hot Topics, Inspirational Writings, Living by Faith, Suffering & Persecution
Tagged Each day has enough trouble of its own, Faith for today, Faith for tomorrow, Jehovah Jireh, Learning to trust in God, Seek first His kingdom, Seek the Lord, The Lord will provide, The purpose of testing, the value of suffering, The value of testing, When Abraham offered Isaac, When God gives us a test, Why did God test Abraham?, Why does God test His people?, Why does the Lord test us?, Yahweh Yireh
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God’s Grace is Sufficient
God gives grace in proportion to our weakness. The greater our weakness, the more grace He gives. This is a moment by moment grace; always sufficient for the need, and the need is always changing. Continue reading
Posted in Christian Theology, God's Grace, Inspirational Writings, Living by Faith
Tagged Boasting about weakness, for power is perfected in weakness, God sustains us, God's grace, God's grace is sufficient, God's greater grace, Grace for the day, Grace for today, Grace in suffering, My grace is sufficient for you, Paul's thorn in the flesh, Power in weakness, Sufficient grace, the meaning of grace, The purpose of suffering, What was Paul's thorn in the flesh, When believer's get prideful, Why did God give Paul a thorn in the flesh?
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How to Deal with Jealousy
Jealousy can be either healthy or unhealthy, depending on the motivation of the heart. God is jealous. He is jealous to protect His glory (Isa 42:8), His name (Eze 39:25; cf. Isa 42:8), and His people (Zec 8:2). When we love what God loves, then we’ll possess a godly jealousy, like Elijah (1 Ki 19:10) and Paul (2 Cor 11:2). But when we care little about God, then sinful jealousy will dominate our hearts, and we’ll seek to destroy rather than protect and edify others, such as when Joseph’s brothers tried to kill him (Gen 37:11-28), or when the Sadducees attacked and imprisoned the apostles (Acts 5:17-18). We overcome sinful jealousy by: 1) placing God’s Word at the center of our lives and letting it direct our thoughts, words and actions (Psa 1:2; 2 Cor 10:5), 2) realizing the Lord owns everything (Psa 24:1; 89:11), and that He is free to leave or take whatever we have, including possessions, family, or health (Job 1:6-21), and, 3) that sinful jealousy cannot exist in a heart saturated with God’s love, for “Love…is not jealous” (1 Cor 13:4). Continue reading
Posted in Bad Behavior, Christian Theology, Hamartiology, Hot Topics, Inspirational Writings, Living by Faith, Love, Marriage, Righteous Living
Tagged A definition of jealousy, Does God get jealous?, God's jealousy, godly jealousy, How to deal with jealousy, How to deal with sinful jealousy, Is envy and jealousy different?, Is jealousy a sin?, Is jealousy ever right?, Should Christians be jealous?, What does the Bible say about Godly jealousy?, what does the Bible say about jealousy?, what is sinful jealousy?, Why are we jealous?, Why is God jealous?
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When God Uses Evil Actions for His Good
Through Scripture, God gives His people the capacity to see all of life from His vantage point. Having God’s perspective allows us to rise about the daily grind of life and the petty actions of others and realize there is a sovereign God who rules over His creation and directs the activities of mankind—even evil activities—for His own good and the good of His people. For this reason, we can understand Paul’s words and know “that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28). Continue reading
Posted in Bad Behavior, Christian Theology, Hot Topics, Living by Faith
Tagged All Things Work Together for Good, Divine viewpoint, Genesis 50:20, God can use evil actions to bring about good, God meant it for good, God was with Joseph, God's providence, God's sovereignty, How did God use the evil actions of Joseph's brothers for good, human viewpoint, Joseph sold into slavery, Living by faith in adversity, living with the divine perspective, Providence, Romans 8:28, Seeing life from God's perspective, The story of Joseph
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