Every Spiritual Blessing

Posted on December 2, 2019 by Steve Husting

God has blessed His people with every spiritual blessing in Christ. To get a handle on how great this is, let’s briefly backtrack to the Old Testament laws and the Kingdom of God in the Sermon on the Mount.

The OT laws were pretty straightforward. They were not impossible to keep. You did not have to be spiritual to keep them. Do not murder. When you build a rooftop, put a fence around it so people don’t fall off. No kidnapping. When you sin, bring the best from the flock to the priests and sacrifice it and your sin will be covered. Keep this feast on this day of this month. The laws are straightforward and mostly about what to do and not to do.

But then Jesus comes along and upsets the applecart (and the moneychangers’ tables). The Jews were pretty situated around their laws and doing their best with them and the many extra traditions added by the scribes and Pharisees.

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Enter Christmas Prepared

Posted on November 22, 2019 by Steve Husting

As we enter this Christmas season, let’s do it from the solid foundation of scripture. (But then that’s how we’re to approach all of life, isn’t it?) So, what does the Bible say about the Christ Child? We already know that the season is primarily a commercial enterprise. Everybody gets stressed as they ponder what to buy, they’ll stress over the crowds at the malls and over Black Friday sales and their dwindling checking accounts, stress over being alone during the holidays. The tinsel and merry-making are masking a lot of sleepless nights.

But we have an advantage. We have a God who loved us and came in the flesh to save us. Before we approach this season based on warm feelings, memories of family traditions, home for the holidays, putting up decorations, fresh baking smells, sentimental songs, beautiful decorations, and gift-giving — before all this, let’s start with the facts of the Savior’s birth and what the implications are for us.

There’s a way to go through this season and give God the glory. I separated my observations into two groups: 1) Jesus’ birth fulfilled prophecy, and 2) Jesus’ birth is God becoming man. Continue reading →

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Musing on recent news as it relates to end-times prophecy

Posted on November 16, 2019 by Steve Husting

Thousands of northern Europeans are conducting cashless and cardless transactions by using an implanted device the size of a grain of rice. These recipients are the testing ground for the technology the antichrist figure will possibly use to flush out certain Christians, those faithful to the Lord who will not take the mark. This cashless system will also be a means for the Lord to test His saints — will they choose this present world or the kingdom of God?

An increasing number of grocery stores are incorporating checkout self-serve scanning devices to replace human cashiers. Next up will be various means of scanning without cash or cards. All retail businesses will be herded into a cashless state, and these grocers are a visible reminder of that. No one will be able to buy or sell unless the person had the mark in the right hand or forehead. How do we get ready for supporting ourselves in this system? Continue reading →

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The Way, the Truth, and the Life

Posted on November 9, 2019 by Steve Husting

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6).

How can we understand this verse, these three aspects of Jesus? This passage takes place while Jesus is with His disciples in the upper room, just shortly before they leave for Gethsemane to be betrayed by Judas. Jesus told them several minutes earlier that He was leaving. That saddened them. That’s when this chapter starts and Jesus tells them not to be troubled. As part of His encouragement to them, He reveals this phrase about Himself.  Continue reading →

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The Stories Continue

Posted on October 21, 2019 by Steve Husting

Some atheists attack the bible, saying it is full of fiction. The stories of God working in people’s lives are not true, they say. But the stories did not stop with the book of Acts. The biblical canon stopped with the book of Revelation, but the stories of God moving continue on today.

The missionary reports tell of a God who is still at work. Our home bible meetings divulge personal experiences of God moving still. Our own lives are testimonies that Jesus has risen. Continue reading →

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Mindfulness

Posted on October 14, 2019 by Steve Husting

Sit comfortably in a quiet place. Breathe in deeply, count 1, then release. Repeat until all stress is gone and you are refreshed.

Is mindfulness pop psychology? My medical (IPO) sent me a slickly designed card with a handy card containing a mindfulness prompt to relieve stress.

There are countless coloring books for adults (in paper and app) with intricate designs where we can color between the lines, and take our minds off our daily problems. Their repetitiveness and simplicity are soothing and calming. Continue reading →

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Life in the Kingdom, book 2 — Excerpt from Steve’s latest book

Posted on September 5, 2019 by Steve Husting

This is an excerpt from my latest book, Life in the Kingdom, book 2. Learn more about it here.

A Father’s Fury

18:5–6 “Whoever receives one such little child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him that a huge millstone should be hung around his neck, and that he should be sunk in the depths of the sea.”

God has invested so much time and effort in creating a person to be like His Son that He pronounces dire judgment upon those who undo His work of salvation. It will be better that the stumblers be drowned deep in the sea than face what they will experience at the Judgment Seat. God so appreciates and loves all the work we expend to trust and obey Him, to fight the battles we fight to stand for Him, to cut off all those elements of sin to honor Him above all, that He will be furious at those who unravel all of our and His hard work. Continue reading →

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End-times prophecy roundup

Posted on August 2, 2019 by Steve Husting

Musing on recent news as it relates to end-times prophecy.

Thousands of northern Europeans are conducting cashless and cardless transactions by using an implanted device the size of a grain of rice. These recipients are the testing ground for the technology the antichrist figure could possibly use to flush out certain Christians, those faithful to the Lord who will not take the mark. This cashless system will also be a means for the Lord to test His saints — will they choose this present world or the kingdom of God? Continue reading →

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Letter to my pen pals, July 2019

Posted on July 23, 2019 by Steve Husting

Grace and peace are multiplied to us through knowing Jesus (2 Peter 1:2-4). In some way, the more we know of him, the more his power is given. We may know ourselves and our weaknesses very well. We may be able to point to any number or weaknesses as reasons why we can’t do more or believe more or be more like him. The more we fixate on our inabilities or the circumstances, the less we feel we can do.

But grace comes, aid comes, through knowing him more, not self more. It comes through knowing him, not by trying harder with the hopelessness of our failures dragging us down. Continue reading →

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The Our Father Prayer, part 2

Posted on July 4, 2019 by Steve Husting

Let me first point out how unusual this prayer is. We’ve heard it so often that we forget something: these are not thoughts that the average person would think of. Apart from Christ, we would not say these things on our own. These are words directed to God, and we in our sin would never think this way.

The Bible tells us that we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Here’s the prayer life of those who have been restored to God. They care about honoring God. They want to stay close to their heavenly Father. They want Him to rule in His kingdom. They want to do His will. Having these desires indicates a healthy spiritual life.

This prayer can awaken or shape these desires in the child of God, but not when it is said as a matter of repetitious religious routine. When God’s ways are earnestly sought, then these words of the Our Father prayer will transform us. They will give us new light about our relationship with God and each other. We can use this prayer as a model for your own time of prayer, but in our own words. Continue reading →

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