By Greg Holt Hosea 4:1 “Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the… Read More ›
God
An Honest Confession on My Journey with the LORD
By Dr. Donald Whitchard This past Memorial Day weekend I enjoyed the company of the love of my life as we took a day trip to the suburbs of Tulsa and visited craft stores, second hand shops, and book stalls…. Read More ›
Purity Amidst Impurity
Sexual impurity abounds! It’s everywhere. Promiscuity has become the norm in our society. While waiting in grocery store checkout lines, we see it plastered over all the magazine headlines. When turning on the television, it’s hard to find a show… Read More ›
Strength When Weak
In the Old Testament, God often told the leaders of Israel to reduce the size of their army. In Judges 7, God ordered Gideon to reduce his army of 32,000 men to just 300 soldiers because He wanted their trust…. Read More ›
Dwelling In Christ
There are many significant Bible characters that did not have a set dwelling place. The children of Israel wandered the desert for 40 years. King Saul had David running for his life and John the Baptist was a desert dweller,… Read More ›
He is Risen!
By Lyle Rapacki Editor’s Note: We are once again publishing this Easter favorite. This wonderful article by Lyle has become a yearly favorite here at ICB. From all of us here at ICB, Happy Resurrection Day! Jesus Christ died. He… Read More ›
EASTER SPECIAL: How Jesus Might Look Back at the Cross
by Rev. Austin Miles (Note to Readers: In the late 1990’s a church prepared to produce an Easter Program, with several chosen to play the parts of those who had been with Jesus during the Crucifixion as they reflected on… Read More ›
Salt Of The Earth
Salt has been used in many cultures as a valuable commodity. During Roman times, salt was so precious it provided a means to pay soldiers. Our English word salary comes from the word salarium, a name given to this mineral when… Read More ›
Shame
Man’s first transgression came from a desire to be something other than what God created us to be. Adam and Eve wanted to be more than human. Shame was birthed out of this original sin. The Oxford dictionary defines shame… Read More ›
A Good Reputation
Does Jesus care if we have a good name (a combination of reputation and character) or honorable reputation? Should Christians be concerned with how others see and judge their character? The answer is, yes! When we live a life according to God’s… Read More ›
Jellyfish Christianity
Jellyfish are invertebrates; they don’t have a backbone. Nor do they have a brain or heart. They are 95% water. Sadly, there are many jellyfish Christians and theologians today. If we are not careful, we can subtly become one too…. Read More ›
Anger
What causes us to become angry? People or situations are not the cause of our anger. Rather, anger is caused by completely legitimate desires that take over our heartstrings. They are desires that begin to control us. When desires gain… Read More ›
Rest
Rest! Relax! Refresh yourself and recover your strength! God rested on the seventh day and Jesus had solitary moments of quiet time. God designed us with a need for sleep and quiet. He knows our frame (we are but dust!)… Read More ›
We Were Made To Worship
God created man with emotions and designed us with many ways to express them. Our bodies were made to move (we can dance) and we have musical instruments built within us. We were created to worship and praise God! The… Read More ›
A Heavenly Focus
Life here on earth is full of trials, tests, and tribulations. Of course, there are also many days of tranquility, contentment (if we have the right attitude), and joy. But without an intentionally positive perspective that focuses on God and… Read More ›
Light Of The World
l Pitch black, darkness. A lack of light means that there is visual or spiritual impairment. To walk in darkness is to stumble along or live and act according to ignorance, error, sin, even blindness. The Bible states that God… Read More ›
Seven More Days
A cataclysmic flood destroyed mankind and all living things on earth, except for eight human beings and the pairs of animals God supernaturally directed to the ark. Noah, his wife, his three sons, and their wives were the only humans… Read More ›
Our Thought Life
What do you think about as you drift off to sleep? What is the first thing on your mind when you wake up? (Besides coffee!) Do your thoughts cause anxiety or peace? Our thought life is an important matter as… Read More ›
Yearning for Christ
God desires a personal relationship with all of His children. The Bible tells us that He seeks His sheep. He knows us intimately and enjoys our fellowship. Genesis 3:8 tells us that God walked in the Garden of Eden… Read More ›
Let Us Worship And Bow Down!
Have you ever wondered why God created the universe? For what purpose did God create man? Was it because He was bored or lonely? Nope! Psalm 19:1-4 and Psalm 148:1-5 give us the answers. “The heavens declare the glory of… Read More ›
Ways To Lose Your Peace
One of the greatest gifts we have as children of the living God is inner peace. A peace that “transcends all understanding” is always available to us. Sadly, we often neglect to call upon it because we have been caught… Read More ›
Let Iron Sharpen Iron!
We should strive to be more like Jesus and who we hang with will influence in this goal. Jesus had an inner circle of friends. We can learn from His example. Our closest relationships should be with people who hold… Read More ›
Six More Things I Learned about Church Life and Ministry from Baseball
Baseball is the gift that keeps on giving. In a previous post, I detailed eight things that I have taken away from baseball that I think have impact on the Christian life and ministry. A recent game brought these other… Read More ›
Situations We Can’t Control
The only way God can show us He is in control is to put us in situations we cannot control. We have little or no power over natural disasters, weather, death, the actions of others, aging, famine, and who is… Read More ›
Winnebangos and Other Self-Help Projects
Americans love self-help projects. Take the time to browse any bookstore (if you can find one) or tiptoe through Amazon.com and you’ll see hundreds of titles: everything from How to Build and Furnish a Log Cabin to Be Your Own… Read More ›
God Equips Us!
Has the Holy Spirit prompted you to do something outside of your comfort zone? Are you arguing with God over this idea, reminding Him that you do not have the necessary skills to move ahead? Why? We are not always… Read More ›
On Being Wise, or Smart, or a Smart A**
I saw my dermatologist a while back. She looked me over in search of problematic skin developments because I once had a Basel Cell Carcinoma episode. (Note: when they carve on your ear, you can hear every scrape–it’s creepy.) Anyway,… Read More ›
Treasure
Jesus Christ is our treasure and our joy over finding this eternal treasure far surpasses the cost it takes to obtain it. The Christian life requires a different perspective than the politically correct and worldly view found on earth. As… Read More ›
In Order to Be Servers, We Have to Be Servers
I will inevitably misapply some technological terms in this post. I beg your indulgence. We used to be servers (in the technology sense). We had built in capacity. We had memory–both working memory and storage. Arguably, we used a fairly… Read More ›
God's Perfect Will and Timing
God is never late. He is always on time. He has specific plans for each one of us and He has a perfect timeline in which to accomplish them. Elisabeth Elliot understood this as she wrote: “When our plans are… Read More ›