Is Your Identity in Your Favorite Team or Jesus? 3 Lessons From Our Love of Sports

Wearing a 49ers jersey to the Seahawks stadium was like going into the lions' den. Because of who I represented by wearing those colors, I faced jeers and cheers, love and hate, hugs and tossed mugs of beer, acceptance and rejection, affirmation and confrontation.

It was a NFL playoff game with a Super Bowl appearance in the balance, but my jersey taught me a lesson about "fandamonium" and the "brand" I represent. I'm hoping you will take a seat in the classroom as well.

The recent World Cup brought the world together, but make no mistake – every

10 Bible Verses to Uplift and Encourage You When Stressed

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Whether it be a hard day at work, family trouble, health issues, heartache, depression, or a relationship that is causing stress in your life; there is always something in the Bible to look up to and lift us up when we are feeling down.

It is in God's Word that we can find encouraging verses to uplift us and give us hope when we are down. For anyone who is feeling the "weight of the world" on their shoulders, cast your care upon the One up above whose shoulders are big enough to carry the burden for you.

 

Below are 10 Bible verses that will bring the peace you are searching for:

5 Great Prayers to Say Before Going to Bed at Night

(Photo: Creative Commons/ FRERE; Pierre Edouard)

 This Touched Me . . . 

1. A Child's Bedtime Prayer

Now I lay me down to sleep.
 I pray the Lord my soul to keep.

4 Barriers to Getting Through to God

Have you been having a hard time lately getting through to God? If so, it's not because He has gone anywhere. He is right where He has always been. But things can come between us and God, especially when those issues go unresolved.

Here are 4 barriers to getting through to God:

 

1) Harboring secret sin.

 

Oswald Chambers writes, "If a man cannot get through to God, it is because there is a secret thing he does not intend to give up." This involves a stubborn refusal to turn away from a hidden sin. We relish our sin too much to renounce it. 

But until we do, there is no getting through to God

7 Reasons To Completely Trust The Bible

(By CP Cartoonist Rod Anderson)

Dan Delzell is an exclusive CP columnist.

If you have any doubts about the supremacy and divine inspiration of the Bible, there is no reason to continue entertaining those doubts and reservations. But there are plenty of solid reasons to take God at His Word.

Here are 7 reasons to completely trust the Bible:

1) No other book so clearly reveals God's abiding love for Jews and Gentiles.

From the beginning, God chose to love the Jewish people and make them His own. And as the New Testament reveals, God's love didn't stop there. 

The door is also open for Gentiles to get in on this amazing promise: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that

10 Heartwarming Pictures of Children Praying

(Photo: Screenshot/YouTube)
Ava Grace

Jesus told us to receive the Kingdom of Heaven like child with these words: “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Mathew 19:14)

Knowing the importance of these little children, can you imagine them praying to God? Take a look at some wonderful pictures of children praying!

7 Amazing Supernatural Stories

(Photo: Screenshot/YouTube)

1. A Muslim woman saw Jesus and visited Heaven

Khalida Wukawitz, a Palestinian Arab, prayed to see Jesus, the son of God. Jesus appeared to her and she visited Heaven afterwards.

Is It Ever Okay for Christians to Use Vulgar Language?

(Photo: Preston Sprinkle)

By Preston Sprinkle , CP Guest Columnist

Is it ever okay for Christians to use vulgar language?

This question is particularly pertinent to me, since my book Charis takes liberties that might offend some people. While the response to my book so far has been good, I've received not a few reactions that go something like… "I don't think

Seven Questions About "Once Saved, Always Saved"

By Joe McKeever (CP Guest Voices)

“…and they shall never perish….” (John 10:28)

Can you unfry an egg? Then, after being saved–genuinely forgiven and accepted and transformed by the Holy Spirit of God into something far different from what you were, more than any hen’s egg ever dreamed possible–you cannot undo it.

Freedom from Pornography #BreakPornAddiction

By Paul Tautges

Earlier this week, Brian Croft’s excellent little book HELP! He’s Struggling with Pornography was released in eBook format as part of Shepherd Press’ new line, LifeLine mini-books. In the “Personal Application Projects” portion of the mini-book, Croft gives specific ways men struggling with lust must Put Off Sin (lies) and Put On Christ (truths).

PUT OFF SIN: Common Lies Men Believe in Times of Temptation

• “I will be the only one affected by this action. It doesn’t directly affect anyone else.”

Anticipating the Joy of Seeing God

By Randy Alcorn (CP Guest Voices)

Ancient theologians spoke of the “Beatific Vision,” which meant “a happy-making sight.” The sight they spoke of was God Himself. Revelation 22:4 says of God’s servants in the new heavens and new earth, “they shall see his face.” 

This would be a shocking statement to anyone who understood the Old Testament emphasis on the transcendence and

Our Casual View of Sin

Dr. Charles Stanley (CP Guest Voices)

Believers recognize the depravity of sin, but many continue to have a careless attitude about it. We hear people argue, "Everyone sins at times, so don't worry about it. Confess, and God will forgive."

If we are honest with ourselves about the nature of disobedience, we know the issue isn't that simple.

Study: Prayer Improves Self-Control

Prayer allows people to keep control of their emotions and actions, a new study says.

Previous studies have found that when people try hard to control their thoughts and emotions, the buildup of emotion can result in aggressive outbursts or in binge eating or drinking,

Healing - Why Not Everyone?

Healing - Why Not Everyone?

Non-sin related illness I believe that until we reach heaven we will never know why God heals one person and not another. What we do know for sure is that God is on the throne; He is in absolute control of all things and will always do what is right. Rom. 8:28 tells us that "in all things God works for the good of those who love him" so we can be sure of God's love and the fact that if we are not healed then it is not because He does not care about us.

Do Not Grieve The Spirit

Do Not Grieve The Spirit “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption”. (Eph. 4:30) The gift of the Holy Spirit is God's seal of approval for anyone who repents of their sins and puts their trust in Jesus but what is the full purpose of the Spirit and how can we grieve the Spirit of God?