Does God ever deceive us?
1 Kings 22:13-28 What follows next in Ahab’s story with Micaiah’s appearance raises questions about the character of God. The confusing part comes in the prophet’s vision where God ostensibly puts a deceiving spirit into the mouth of the prophets…
What hinders us from hearing God right?
1 Kings 22:1-12 While doing some teaching at a Bible college with charismatic roots, I encountered people who felt God give them messages for others. One such word to me proved to be astute and a wonderful encouragement from the…
The secret of winning God’s heart
1 Kings 21:17-29 It is sometimes jokingly said of men that the way to their heart is through their stomach. Give them a good meal and they’ll love you forever! But what about God? What is the secret to winning…
Caught between worldviews and how to live for God
1 Kings 21:1-16 Increasingly in the West, religion and spirituality are treated as private that should have no bearing on our public behaviour. Yet, our vision of God and beliefs (even without faith in God) affect our identity and attitudes.…
The challenge to choose God and what hinders us
1 Kings 20:31-43 A friend’s colleague was a heavy drinker from youth, out with the lads most nights. He would take bets on whom he could drink under the table, making an accomplishment out of his addiction. At one point,…
God’s tenacious love and what we do with it
1 Kings 20:1-30 John Newton, who later wrote ‘Amazing Grace’, had a troubled childhood marked by conflict and disobedience. He renounced his faith as a young sailor, deserted the Navy and later ended up as a crew member on a…
How God reorients our perspective
1 Kings 19:9-21 In my last post, I mentioned the fellow worker at the hostel whom I had a difficult relationship with. When God finally spoke to me at the retreat centre, I was reading through 1 Peter and was…
God’s answer when we think our difficulties are too great
1 Kings 19:1-8 During my gap year in a Christian youth hostel in Haifa, Israel, I worked with a fellow volunteer of my age who came as a traveller, was saved and stayed on. She had a lot of emotional…
The way of transformation from compromise to commitment
1 Kings 18:30-46 A few years ago, I suddenly developed a painful tennis elbow. My routine has not changed, so the reason was a mystery. A cortisone injection seemed to have sorted out the problem, but a month later I…
Putting our misguided beliefs to the test
1 Kings 18:20-29 When I was learning to drive, my instructor explained early on about areas that my mirrors did not cover, and how important it was to look over my shoulder so as not to miss a car in…