Steve’s Books
Author Archives: Steve Husting
Dealing with a Deceitful Heart
God spoke to us through Jeremiah 17:9 that the heart is deceitful above all else, and desperately wicked. How is this seen in our lives? Here is one example. When I am overwhelmed by worries and fears, then my heart … Continue reading
Grace and Works Go Together
I fear we are limiting God’s grace in our lives. I’ve seen two different aspects of God’s grace testified to. We often emphasize salvation is by grace, not works (Ephesians 2:8-9). In this passage, grace is God being merciful and … Continue reading
Called to Forgive
How important is it to forgive those who have wronged us? Jesus spelled it out for us by first telling us the horrible fate of those who offend us: Then He said to the disciples, “It is impossible that no … Continue reading
Reflections on salvation from John R. Stott’s book, The Cross of Christ
I am currently enjoying John R. Stott’s book, The Cross of Christ, as an eBook on my Nexus 7. I’m going slowly, savoring Christ on every page, even going back a few chapters to re-read them before moving on. In … Continue reading
Posted in Book Reviews, Encouragement
Tagged justification, propitiation, reconciliation, redemption
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We’re Kidding Ourselves
There’s something about us that just refuses to take correction from others. Whether they tell us our fault timidly or strongly, we just don’t get it. The Bible tells us why, though: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and … Continue reading
Posted in Encouragement
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A Sure Thing
Hebrews chapters 3 and 4 remind us that God rescued the Israelites from their slavery among the Egyptians, bringing them through the Red Sea miraculously, then through the desert for training in trust. God promised them a land filled with … Continue reading
Posted in Encouragement
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Let us give thanks to the Lord!
Thanksgiving message I gave in 2015 1 One phrase repeated in Psalm after Psalm after Psalm is, “Give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good” (Psalms 136:1). Maybe it’s repeated so often because we forget. When we give thanks, … Continue reading
Morning Affirmation
Reviewing God’s truths for me. I am a new creation in Christ. God is my heavenly Father and has abundantly proven His love for me by the willing sacrifice of Jesus Christ for my sins. (So there is no need … Continue reading
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Book Review: Switch On Your Brain
God has designed our brains to work with his program of changing lives. God not only tells us what to do, but has given us everything we need to follow along with his program. An obvious example would be giving … Continue reading
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Leaving the Faith? Watch out for this logical fallacy
Many young people who leave home for college life end up abandoning their religion and moral constraints. (This is what the college professors and staff want them to do.) They are convinced by their professors that their religion was something … Continue reading
Promises and Warnings
What is the purpose of the promises and warnings in the Bible? They serve the same purpose as promises and warnings in regular life. If we examine the promise to see if it had merit and follow through, we’ll get … Continue reading
The Deceitful Heart
I consider myself a good person, not from any genuinely good works that I am doing, but because I’m not doing bad things, or I’m not as bad as “those people.” That’s deceitful thinking, because Jesus said that no one … Continue reading
Our “silly little sins”
I recently answered a question sent to me from gotquestions.org. This person, who is quoted below, thought her sins were silly little sins and she wondered why she was unable to get over them and stop repeating them. My reply … Continue reading
The Pharisee in Church
The frequent run-ins between Jesus and the Pharisees were a clash between the Pharisee’s preoccupation with external things and Jesus’ emphasis on the spiritual kingdom. The Pharisees were interested in keeping their status quo, the rigid forms of religious law, … Continue reading
Faith without proof is alive and well among the religious and secular
Many religious people trust in their spiritual authority for their religious beliefs. They don’t study the religious text for themselves. They don’t understand how their authorities came by their tenets, so theirs is a personal faith without proof. “All I … Continue reading
Posted in Science and Evolution, Society and Culture
Tagged atheists, faith, proof, reason
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To learn, unlearn; to believe, disbelieve
In Philippians 3:4-6, we have a list of beliefs Paul had to disbelieve in order to believe, to unlearn that he may learn. For instance, according to this list, he believed in God and country until God corrected it to … Continue reading
The Bible and Atheist agree: Blind Faith is Wrong
The popular meaning for faith is to believe something without proof. This is the “popular” meaning, and as with the meanings of several other words, it doesn’t match up with its meaning used in the Bible. For instance, the popular … Continue reading
Posted in Encouragement
Tagged Bible, Christians, faith, God, Gospel, Jesus Christ, prophecy, Word of God
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Armor of God Series: the Belt of Truth
“Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness” (Eph. 6:14). With the truth, we are seeing things as they really are. The truth is not just facts, but facts acted on. … Continue reading
The Faith to Endure Hardship
In Hebrews 11, we are introduced to a series of individuals who were known for their faith. Noah prepared an ark, expecting a flood. Abraham moved out of his country at the word of God, not knowing where he was … Continue reading
Posted in Encouragement
Tagged cross, faith, growth, Hebrews 11, Hebrews 12, heroes of faith, Mosaic Law, suffering
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A Clean Conscience At Last
At the coming of Jesus, God introduced something new. With the death, burial, and resurrection of the Christ, God creates a new covenant with believers that results in a clean conscience. The tenth chapter of Hebrews explains this feature of … Continue reading
“Love your neighbor as yourself”
Jesus told us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves in Mark 12:31. Some people have said that they cannot love their neighbor as they ought because they do not love themselves. On the contrary, the Bible is clear … Continue reading
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The Salvation of the Soul
What is the salvation of the soul, and what does it look like? The first few verses of 1 Peter chapter one give us a strong sense of this salvation and then concludes with, “receiving the end of your faith … Continue reading
Posted in Encouragement
Tagged faith, growth, promises, saved, soul, suffering, Word of God
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The Neglected Deliverance
We tend to seek the Lord’s deliverance when we get into personal trouble. But there is a deliverance that keeps us out of the trouble in the first place. Which would you like – to fall into trouble and try … Continue reading
Posted in Encouragement
Tagged accountability, faith, free will, promises, warnings, Word of God
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Faith and the Spirit’s Leading
What is faith? A definition is in order. What is faith? If faith means to believe something without proof, as many claim, then how is it different from blind faith? What I find funny is that those who dislike faith … Continue reading
Evolution vs. Creation: Collision of Two Worldviews
Neither creation nor macro-evolution have physical proof for their positions. Rather, each party looks at the scientific data from their own perspective and looks for evidence to support it. For instance, the people who are convinced that macroevolution has occurred … Continue reading
Book Review: When the Storm Hits
When the Storm Hits by Chuck Smith Copyright 2013 The Word for Today http://www.twft.com What do we do when the storm hits; how are we to react when the troubles come? This book reminded me of several perspectives regarding our … Continue reading
Why macro-evolution doesn’t make sense
One major barrier against the gradual evolution of relatively simple organisms into complex ones rests on the organism’s inability to understand its environment and adapt to it. For instance, how could a blind organism understand that color is produced by … Continue reading
Paralyzed When Making New Year’s Resolutions?
A centurion came to Jesus and told Him, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.” Have you felt paralyzed at home lately? You have decisions to make, but feel too frozen to move? You have things to … Continue reading
Modern Family: Talking to the Camera
The TV sit-com Modern Family integrates a technique used in reality shows such as Survivor and Master Chef in which the contestants talk candidly about themselves on camera away from the others. The Office also used this means to comedic … Continue reading
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Tagged Master Chef, MasterChef, Modern Family, prayer, Survivor reality show, The Office
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Book Review: The Question That Never Goes Away, by Philip Yancey
“Why did God allow this to happen?” “Why didn’t God protect us?” “Why doesn’t a good God stop this evil?” These are all variations of the question that recurs — that never goes away — in the aftermath of any … Continue reading
