Evil
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The Darkness We Must Confront in Genesis 19
Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him and said, “No, my friends. Don’t do this wicked thing. Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. But don’t do anything to… Continue reading
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A Hard Truth Followed by an Irrevocable Promise
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33 When someone makes a promise to you, do you take that person at their word and trust that they’ll follow through? Or do you treat them… Continue reading
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The Modern-Day Tower of Babel
The Humanist lives as if this world were all and enough. He is not otherworldly. He holds that the time spent on the contemplation of a possible afterlife is time wasted. He fears no hell and seeks no heaven, save that which he and others created on earth. He willingly accepts the world that exists… Continue reading
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A Nation Deteriorates Without God. That Includes Us, Too.
In those days Israel had no king… – Judges 19:1 The opening verse in Judges 19 sets an ominous tone: “Israel had no king.” Of course that was true in a monarchial sense. But the nation as a whole had become a godless cesspool. Morality had collapsed. As society crumbled, the family structure disintegrated. No… Continue reading
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A Call to Holiness
“You must destroy all the peoples the Lord your God gives over to you. Do not look on them with pity and do not serve their gods, for that will be a snare to you. – Deuteronomy 7:16 This verse can be difficult to understand, especially when viewed through modern sensibilities. Why would a loving… Continue reading
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“Did God Really Say…?”
Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what… Continue reading
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We Can’t Blame the Devil for Everything
“But each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.” – James 1:14 We often misunderstand temptation as an external force that overpowers us. But James 1:14 makes it clear that temptation begins within us. It is the enticement that arises from our own selfish desires, a lure… Continue reading
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An Unpalatable Truth
Samuel said to Saul, “I am the one the LORD sent to anoint you king over his people Israel; so listen now to the message from the LORD. This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from… Continue reading
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The Best Friends are Friends of God
“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by… Continue reading
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When I start thinking I’m a good person…
Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Matthew 26:39 “Just because I’ve done some bad things doesn’t mean I’m a bad person. It just means I’m… Continue reading
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Drawing the Line: Obeying God in a Culture that Rejects Him
“But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.” – Daniel 1:8 I’ve been reading the book of Daniel this week, and I must say that the parallels between the events occurring over two-and-a-half millennia ago compared… Continue reading
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Has God given America over to a depraved mind?
In a little over three weeks, our country will celebrate 247 years of sovereignty. We the People have elected 46 men to lead our nation during this enormous span. But there has never been a single US president during this time who has worked so passionately to completely erase the Christian values that have ultimately… Continue reading
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Stop Signs and Chameleons
“All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” – James 3:7-8 It’s one thing to not notice a stop sign and mistakenly drive right on through the intersection… Continue reading
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Do I Truly Hate My Sin?
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. ~ Romans 12:9 There are few things more frustrating to me than watching a highly competitive sporting event between two teams that ultimately ends in a tie. Perhaps this is why I’ve found it impossible to develop more than a mere casual… Continue reading
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The Writing on the Wall
“Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lamp stand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote. His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his legs became weak and his knees were knocking.” ~ Daniel 5:5-6 Different… Continue reading
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The Battle Within
“Whether you turn to the right or the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” ~ Isaiah 30:21 When the Israelites strayed from God’s righteous path, He would correct them. Perhaps it would take years, maybe even decades, for this correction to finally occur, but… Continue reading
About Me
Welcome! I’m Scott (aka Former Blackout Artist), and I’m so happy you decided to drop in! I hope you find the content here spiritually enlightening and uplifting. Most of all, I hope that my love of Christ is revealed through my writing and that it encourages you in some way today. Thanks for stopping by!