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When people say, "I am going to go find myself," it usually precedes a selfish act. But Jesus taught that if you want to find yourself, then you must lose yourself: "And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple" (Luke 14:27).

Where will you turn in a time of crisis? When tragedy hits? When disaster strikes? Will it be your favorite Web site? People magazine? The morning newspaper? The evening news? You will need something to give you strength and direction in your time of need, and that will come from the Word of God.

Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it. - James 4:17

Easter isn't just for Christians; it's for skeptics too. Easter was for skeptical people in the first century. The Bible tells us, "Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen" (Mark 16:14).

Sometimes in our minds we feel as though God has fallen short, that He hasn't done what He said He would do. Maybe a tragedy has befallen us. Maybe something has happened in our lives that has left us feeling disappointed with God.

Peter is often cited as an example of what not to do and what not to say. But let's give him credit where credit is due. In Matthew 14, when Jesus sent the disciples across the Sea of Galilee and a great storm came, they began to panic and despair.

God is omniscient, which means that He is all-knowing. God is omnipotent, which means that He is all-powerful. And God is omnipresent, which means that He is present everywhere. In sharp and direct contrast to this, the devil does not reflect God's divine attributes.

I am sure the greatest day in your life was the day you put your faith in Jesus Christ. And as we grow in our faith and knowledge of what God actually did for us, we become more aware of how significant that day really was.

You have probably seen it on television at one time or another: some lions are hanging out, soaking in the rays, when along come the antelope. You can almost read the lions' thoughts as they size them up: Let's see, which one are we going to eat today?

It is difficult for us to believe there is an invisible world, because we live in the natural world. We relate to what we can see, what we can hear, and what we can reach out and touch. But the Bible teaches there is a supernatural world, an invisible world. It is the realm of God and Satan, of angels and demons, and it is all around us.

When Alfred Nobel discovered an explosive element that was stronger than anything the world had known at the time, he asked a friend and Greek scholar for a word that conveyed the meaning of explosive power. The Greek word was dunamis, and Nobel named his invention "dynamite."

Augustine reportedly had a sign on his wall that read, "He who speaks evil of an absent man or woman is not welcome at this table." That would have ended a lot of conversations, wouldn't it?

Without question, life is full of troubles. We have concerns about our future, concerns about our health, concerns about our family, concerns about our finances, and the list goes on. Things happen that scare us-and sometimes even terrify us.

Show me a church that doesn't have a constant flow of new believers coming in, and I will show you a church that is stagnating. The first-century church was an evangelistic church, and I believe that every church that is functioning in the way God wants it to will have a constant flow of new believers coming in.

One of the ways we express our worship is through our singing. You may not like to sing, but worship is not an art form; it is a heart form. When we sing, God is looking at our hearts.

When the first Christmas came, when Jesus was born, most people missed it. Of course, there were no telltale signs like reindeer on front lawns. No Christmas songs had been written. There were no colorful, twinkling lights or sales at the downtown market. Children did not find it hard to sleep that night, because it was a night like any other night.

Where is the easiest place to get a hardened heart? In church. The same truth that will set one person free can cause another person to become more hardened against the things of God.

The apostle Paul saw himself as a watchman, someone who would be positioned on the wall of a city to keep watch for the enemy or any other danger that was approaching. A watchman would then run and warn people about what he saw. Paul told the Ephesian elders, "I declare today that I have been faithful. If anyone suffers eternal death, it's not my fault, for I didn't shrink from declaring all that God wants you to know. So guard yourselves and God's people . . . " (Acts 20:26–28).

It is very easy to rail against someone who is caught up in a certain sin until you personally know them. It is easy to say that certain things are a sin until you know someone who is trapped by that sin. Maybe you have a close friend, even a family member, who is gay or who struggles with alcohol or drug abuse.

Being an effective communicator of the gospel requires a willingness to reach out to people who are different from you. We tend to want to hang around people who look like us, who talk like us, and who are just like us. But how willing are we to leave our comfort zone and go to a person completely different from us with the message of the gospel?

I have found that if you want to be used by God, you have to be willing to do the little things first. When I went to Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa and volunteered my services to Pastor Chuck Smith, I was 19 years old (and I did have hair).

Sometimes we may think of the Holy Spirit as being more of an "it" than a Him. But Jesus said of the Holy Spirit, "And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment" (John 16:8). The Holy Spirit is God, and He can be specifically sinned against.

Have you ever been in a store or restaurant where a baby is screaming so loudly that people are practically running away with their hands over their ears?

In the ancient world, salt was used as a preservative. It still is today—ham, corned beef, olives, pickles, and even anchovies are preserved in brine, a saltwater solution. The purpose of the salt is to stop the food from spoiling, to prevent its corruption.

If God knows what we need before we ask Him, why should we even bother to pray? If God is going to do what He wants to do and He knows what He is going to do, why even bother praying?