Practical guidance for following Christ daily—prayer, Bible reading, spiritual disciplines, and growing in godliness.
Reading Time: 4 minutesQuestion 4010 Having looked at the nine qualities that make up the fruit of the Spirit, a practical question arises: Should every Christian display all nine? What if someone seems strong in love and kindness but struggles with self-control? Are some of these qualities optional for certain personality types? Fruit, Not Fruits As we noted…
Reading Time: 3 minutesQuestion 4008 The question of how the Spirit guides believers is one of the most practically significant in all of pneumatology. It touches directly on decision-making, on the discernment of God’s will, and on the texture of Christian life at a day-to-day level. Romans 8:14 states that “all who are led by the Spirit of…
Reading Time: 4 minutesQuestion 4007 Few phrases have been borrowed more freely from their original context than “the still small voice.” It has become a standard way of describing the Holy Spirit’s gentle inner promptings, invoked in worship songs, devotional talks, and spiritual direction conversations. The phrase comes from 1 Kings 19:12 in the King James Version. The…
Reading Time: 4 minutesQuestion 4009 In Galatians 5:22-23, Paul lists what he calls “the fruit of the Spirit”: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. It is one of the most quoted passages in Christian devotional literature. But familiarity can blunt the sharpness of what Paul is actually saying. Understanding what the fruit of the…
Reading Time: 5 minutesQuestion 11040 The idea that Christians can “activate” healing by speaking God’s Word has become popular particularly through Word of Faith teaching. Believers are encouraged to “speak healing into existence” or “claim your healing” by quoting Scripture. But does the Bible actually teach that our words have power to activate God’s healing? Let’s examine what…
Reading Time: 5 minutesQuestion 11041 When a scribe asked Jesus which commandment was the greatest, our Lord responded with words that have echoed through the centuries: “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30). This command drawn…