Faith & Spirituality

Can God be good when life is not? Rediscover faith in the character, power, and presence of God. Even in the questions. Even in the hurt.

“I want to believe, I want to have hope, but . . .” Pastor and bestselling author Craig Groeschel hears these words often and has asked them himself. We want to know God, feel his presence, and trust that he hears our prayers, but in the midst of great pain, we may wonder if he really cares about us. Even when we have both hope and hurt, sometimes it’s the hurt that shouts the loudest.

In Hope in the Dark, Groeschel explores the story of the father who brought his demon-possessed son to Jesus, saying, “I believe! Help my unbelief!” In the man’s sincere plea, Jesus heard the tension in the man’s battle-scarred heart. He healed not only the boy but the father too, driving out the hopelessness that had overtaken him. He can do the same for us today.

As Groeschel shares his pain surrounding the health challenges of his daughter, he acknowledges the questions we may ask in our own deepest pain:

“Where was God when I was being abused?”
“Why was my child born with a disability?”
“Why did the cancer come back?”
“Why are all my friends married and I’m alone?”

He invites us to wrestle with such questions as we ask God to honor our faith and heal our unbelief. Because in the middle of your profound pain, you long for authentic words of understanding and hope. You long to know that even in overwhelming reality, you can still believe that God is good.

Many Christians experience low points in their faith, times when their spiritual lives have grown cold, stagnant, or routine. They feel frustrated and desperate to reconnect with God. Yet encouragement alone is not enough. We need God’s power to bring transformation, and we need specific tools and a focused intent to know the Lord. Drawing upon years of pastoral ministry and his own experience, Allen Jackson has developed a 100-day plan to reinvigorate a believer’s life, organized around ten declarations of intent, including:

-I Intend to Grow Spiritually,
-I Intend to Read the Gospels
-I Intend to Pray Daily
-I Intend to Honor God in My Home, and
-I Intend to Work with Integrity.

A simple investment of twenty minutes a day will create an unstoppable momentum in readers’ lives. Their hearts are opened to new possibilities with God where his purposes unfold and where the fruit of his rewards are found.

Do you have any idea who Jesus really is?

“What you think of Jesus Christ will thoroughly color how you think about everything else,” writes John MacArthur. This is a critical truth in the life of every believer. Your view of Jesus affects the way you view God, the world, and every one of your decisions.

These days, Jesus is often portrayed as a pacifist, a philanthropist, or a docile teacher. He strikes a plastic—and sometimes pathetic—pose in the minds of many. Some prefer the meek and mild Jesus who heals the sick, calms fears, and speaks of peace and goodwill. These things do represent a portion of the Messiah. But tragically, too many have never been exposed to the rest of him. They have never seen a full 360-degree view of the Savior. His boldness in the face of confrontation and why that matters. Until now.