Author: Joshua Goodling

In opening his letter to the church at Galatia, Paul writes, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and…

Remember the story in the Bible about David fighting the giant Goliath? Can you imagine how it must have looked to all of the Israelite soldiers as David walked alone out in the middle of the battlefield to fight Goliath? Here was an entire army that was afraid of one man, yet David went ALONE…

In Psalm 119:59-60 David wrote, “I considered my ways and turned my feet to Your testimonies. I hastened and did not delay to keep Your commandments.” He stopped and looked seriously at his life, at the path he was headed down and what lay ahead. The more he looked at his own life, the more…

A revival is when God’s people meet God’s conditions for God’s blessing. They repent of their sins and with their changed hearts and lives, they are drawn closer to God. Charles Finney once said; “A revival is nothing else than a believer’s new beginning of obedience to God.” The Word of God tells us; “If…

When Jesus hung on the cross, dying for the sins of the entire world, one of the criminals beside Him said, “One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, ‘Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!’” (Luke 23:39) Here, this criminal’s thoughts were like so many of our own –…

Suppose for the sake of illustration that we have a large tumor growing on our back. It’s the size of a basketball. And it makes it impossible for us to stand up straight or walk right. It makes it very difficult for us to sleep at night, and overall it drags us down in life….

When we meet someone new that we want to get to know better, we have to talk to them, spend time with them, and focus at least some of the time on what interests them. The same is true with Almighty God. If we want to grow in our relationship with Him, we must become…

“Heaven Is For Real” is the book now made into a movie containing the report of a young boy who according to his story had a near-death experience where he supposedly visited heaven during an emergency surgery. I personally haven’t read the book, but I’ve read summaries of what he claims to have happened. Whether…

I spoke at a Middle School, and was asked “How do I cope with my disability and not stay mad at God?” It is very easy to allow problems and difficulties in this life to get us upset with God and even with other people. And there are times when I’ve allowed myself to feel…

You CANNOT follow Jesus Christ without reading His Word. You CANNOT have victory over the flesh and over sin without studying the Bible. You CANNOT be an effective Christian without memorizing and applying God’s Word DAILY! Simple. Plain. Period – YOU CANNOT DO IT! The Bible is the roadmap for our Christian life. The Bible…

It seems everywhere we go in today’s technological world, there are cameras watching us. When we get online, browsers and service providers keep track of all we do. When we go places, our cellphones know where we are, and track us as well. It seems we can’t hardly find a place in this world that…

If you read history books and stories from the days of walled cities with marching armies and such, you’ll find that many times a city that thought itself to be impenetrable was destroyed and captured because they left one small gate open or they didn’t properly seal off the place where a river or stream…

At an animal sanctuary in Locust Grove, Georgia, a full grown bear, lion, and tiger, all live in the same enclosure, where they play together, eat together, and sleep together. Now, in the wild, a lion, tiger, and bear would not do anything together, in fact they would most likely kill each other and would…

I saw a quote the other day that made me stop and think for a moment. It went like this: “Judas had the best pastor, the best leader, the best advisor, and the best counselor – yet he failed!” We can go through all the motions, say all the right things, and even do all…

John Owen (1600’s): “Be killing Sin, or sin will be killing you.” That’s right – kill or be killed. Take your pick. “It is to be feared that very many Christians have little knowledge of the main enemy that they carry about with them in their hearts.” Alexander Whyte (1800’s): “You do not really care…

Many people look at prayer as basically just a way of getting what they want. They think of God sometimes as a spiritual wishing well. 1 John 5:14 reminds us, “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.” We so easily…

I was getting out of the house this afternoon, and decided to go walk around some stores to get exercise since it was a bit warm outside.   I am wearing one of my “Cancer Survivor” t-shirts. And when I got out of my car to go into the store, there was a lady standing…

All too often, we seem to treat God like He needs us and is dependent upon our help.  God is Almighty and absolutely dependent upon no one or nothing!  He chooses to allow us to be of service to Him in His great plans and purposes, and we should be so grateful and thankful to…

I can remember back in 1984 as I was preparing to go to college. I’m not sure if it was a requirement to get into college, or what, but my parents took me to have an eye test, and it was obvious I needed glasses. The day my glasses arrived, I put them on, and…

When writing to the church at Corinth, the Apostle Paul wrote, “I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. I…

Paul gives an important warning in 2 Timothy 3:12, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” Note especially two words in this verse. “All” and “will” – ALL who desire to live a godly life… WILL be persecuted! In other words, if we truly want to follow…

The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 9:19, “For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more.” Another way to translate this verse would be, “Though I am free of obligation to anyone, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win…

Imagine you’re facing an enemy on the battlefield who enjoyed a good night’s sleep, a hearty breakfast, and a personal escort to the most strategic position on the battlefield. And here’s the worst part—you provided all those things! Sounds absurd, doesn’t it? What kind of lunatic makes provision for his enemies and gives them that…

How often do we get impatient with God?  We live in a world of impatient people.  We want everything instantly.  And often when we seek to give God control of our lives, we get impatient waiting for His perfect timing, and then we give up on God and go back to our old lives.  So…

In Isaiah 26:3, we read the comforting words, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” And that is an awesome promise to us. However, many people read it and claim it by stating that as long as they keep their mind on Jesus, they will…

I often see people cry and get upset over losing a piece of jewelry or breaking a dish that they valued, but in reality those are just material possessions. However, I seldom in todays world see people cry and get upset over sin that is breaking their fellowship with God. I think part of the…

In Daniel 3, we read the account of when King Nebuchadnezzar built a statue and demanded that everyone bow down and worship it. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego determined that even if it cost them their lives, they would NOT bow! In verses 13-18, we read, “Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and…

One of the problems I see among Christians is we too often follow the advice, plans, and strategies of the world around us without seeking God first. We go to people for help with our anxieties and worries. We seek financial and business advice from today’s leading professionals. And we seek help and advice from…

If you pay any attention to the news, you’ll see that America (and really the world) is falling apart. It seems each day brings more and more sad and disheartening stories. Each day I see hundreds of postings on Facebook and other online locations saying “Pray for this city…” or “Pray for America”. And, while…

As we all know, if we want to be healthy and keep in shape, we have to watch what we eat. Sure, we can just go to the grocery store and buy a bunch of candy, cookies and ice cream and we might eat all of that and think “I’m fine…I can still walk and…