by Craig McAndrews | Jul 20, 2026 | Articles, Testimonies
For most of my adult life, I have been a striver. I wanted to excel at work. In leadership. In health. In every measurable category available to me. If there was a scoreboard, I wanted to be winning. Success was tangible. It could be tracked. And over time, I accumulated some wins. But with each win came reinforcement of a definition of success shaped more by the world than by Scripture. I believed the gospel. I believed salvation was by grace. Yet I often lived as though approval—God’s and everyone else’s—still depended on my performance. Paul’s question to the Galatians challenges me: “Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” (Galatians 3:3). Much of my striving wasn’t ambition. It was fear. Fear of failure. Fear of letting people down. Fear that if I stopped producing, I might matter less. Striving feels noble when people depend on you. As men, we are called to work, to lead, to take responsibility. Those are good and biblical callings. But somewhere along the way, striving can result in carrying responsibility for outcomes God never intended for us to carry. The Bible contrasts the striving of man with the sovereignty of God in Psalm 46:10: Cease striving and know that I am God (NASB1995). When we are still, when we hold loosely to outcomes and let the Lord lead, then we become more aware of God’s will for our lives. It’s not an invitation to complacency but a call to surrender. A return to fully depending on God. Ceasing to strive doesn’t mean abandoning ambition. It means to focus...
by John MacKay | Dec 30, 2025 | Articles, Testimonies
“Yet the Lord warned Israel and Judah through all His prophets and every seer, saying, ‘Turn back from your evil ways and keep My commandments and My statutes in accordance with all the Law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you through My servants the prophets.’ However, they did not listen, but stiffened their neck like their fathers, who did not believe in the Lord their God. They rejected His statutes and His covenant which He made with their fathers, and His warnings which He gave them. And they followed idols and became empty, and followed the nations that surrounded them, about which the Lord had commanded them not to do as they did” (II Kings 17:13-15). The bible is full of instruction, examples and parables about unbelief…why you ask? Quite simply, because unbelief is the opposite of faith and trusting God. The writer of II Kings explains very well in this passage. The people did not listen, rejected His statutes, followed idols, and followed people around them. Notice this progression of unbelief! Similar to faith, unbelief deals with justification and sanctification. It is the unwillingness to believe God and that Jesus died and rose for sinners to gift eternal life. Unbelief is a state of mind but also can be a single act of sin. This unbelief prevents a person from knowing Jesus and receiving salvation. However, unbelief is also prevalent in you and me. As we endeavor to walk with God we frequently act in unbelief. When we stumble or disagree with God we tend toward doubting. We chose to do it our way instead of God’s way. Unbelief is the opposite of faith. We decide to trust in something other than God. Unbelief can...
by Craig McAndrews | Oct 27, 2025 | Testimonies
Peace may not be a word anyone would use to describe the condition of the world around us. Tension, conflict, and division may capture the reality of our culture more clearly. However, Jesus offers a peace that “surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7). The peace of Christ is not something earned, nor is it a fragile calm that depends on circumstances going a certain way. It’s a supernatural gift—steady, unshakable, and rooted in the promises of God. Yet many people live without that peace because they’ve allowed their thoughts to be ruled by worry, fear, or worldly philosophies rather than the truth of God’s Word. The way back is simple, though not always easy: anchor your heart in His promises, and peace will follow. Paul reminds us in Colossians 3:15 that the peace of Christ must rule in our hearts. That word “rule” means to act as an umpire—deciding what stays and what goes. When anxiety, anger, or confusion try to take over, peace can push them out. But peace can only rule where the promises of God are firmly planted. God’s Word is the soil where peace grows. One of the promises is found in Philippians 4:19: “My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” In moments of uncertainty—when bills pile up, doors close, or the future feels uncertain—this truth reminds us that God is the Provider. He owns it all, and He will not fail to care for His children. Another promise that restores peace is Romans 8:1: “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”...
by Jason Bradford | Feb 4, 2022 | Articles, Testimonies
Purpose seems to be largely made up of two questions: Why I exist (noun)? and What is my objective (verb)? Success is determined by whether or not I accomplish these things. If success is determined by whether or not purpose is accomplished, then purpose drives success. And therefore, being Biblically successful means determining a Biblical purpose and executing on it. In examining my existence, I ask, why am I here? Romans 8:28-30 tells us a bit about God’s purpose, His purpose for us, and why we exist. While the emphasis in these verses has nothing to do with anything we do, the elect are on some level Biblically successful in that they exist for His purposes. We are called, foreknown, predestined, conformed, called, justified, and glorified. This is all certainly part of our purpose; because of what He has done we can exist with a very Biblical purpose; for Him and His purposes. This is why we exist. Being Biblically successful also means accomplishing our aim or purpose, and that the objective of that purpose was Biblical. Therefore, in addition to existing for Him, I must also determine for myself Biblical intentions and objectives. These intentions and objectives are revealed in Scripture. He enables us to understand this revelation, to get to know Him, and frame up what He wants from us. There are many ways to say this, and many synonyms for the following words, but the Bible seems to indicate our intentions and objectives ought to focus on: holiness, ministry, and profit. We ought to be determined to conduct ourselves in holiness (2Corinthians 1:12), ‘put on’ holiness...
by John MacKay | Jan 20, 2022 | Articles, Testimonies
Let’s take a moment to walk thru Hebrews 12:1. This verse divides itself into six simple parts. The first part is “Therefore.” Of course, we must ask what is therefore, there for? This is leading us from the previous verse, and probably Chapter 11, which emphasizes faith. You could also say this references the entire previous part of the book of Hebrews. Hebrews is the “Christ is better than book.” He is better than angels, Moses, Melchizedek, and the Aaronic priesthood, and more. It is about the power of Jesus and appeals to the converted Jew. The second part is “since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us.” The literal meaning of witnesses surrounding us is “martyrs lying around.” The men and women described in chapter 11 lived out their faith. They committed before they would know what would transpire. Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Sampson, David, and Samuel trusted God facing significant trials and even death. God delivers believers either from trials or thru them. This concept of these heroes of the faith “lying around us” should encourage us to stay in the race. The idea of these men and women observing us from heaven is not evident in Scripture, but their example and many others that have gone before us, should encourage us to stay the course. The believer must trust God in trials knowing He has purpose in it. Have you considered others in your personal hall of faith? The third part is “let us also lay aside every encumbrance.” This literally means to cast off...
by Rob Amerine | Jan 6, 2022 | Articles, Testimonies
Who really wants to talk about failure? A recent article reported the phrase “fear of failure” as one of the top internet search items, so it appears to be on the mind of many today. Years ago, I experienced a failure “trifecta.” After nearly 10 years of sweat equity and short-lived successes, my business venture with many investors failed financially. Despite much prayer and counseling, my marriage of 12 years ended in a difficult and costly custody battle involving our 3 young kids. My body started to fail as financial and emotional stress coupled with sleep deprivation further diminished my ability to do even simple tasks. My thoughts became cloudy and my emotions often got the best of me. While it didn’t happen overnight, it all came crashing down in a matter of a few months. I had been walking with Christ for over 10 years at this point but often found myself fearing failure more than fearing God. In one of my worst days while I was cycling through deep anger, sadness, and doubt, I was crying out to the Lord and searching His Word for answers when I came across this passage in 1 Peter 5:6-10. “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren...
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