Book Review: Switch On Your Brain

Posted on July 29, 2015 by Steve Husting

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 us a mouth so we can pray, worship, and encourage others. He not only tells us to care for others, but has given us hands and feet to carry out acts of compassion.

In Dr. Caroline Leaf’s book, Switch On Your Brain, she reveals several fascinating features God has built into our brains that, when scripture is followed, results in mental and emotional healing and peace. (Yes, she’s a Christian and a scientist.) The brain has healing aspects built into its nerve/cellular structure. It repairs itself, removing the edge from bad memories, negative behaviors, and emotions. The brain physically uses God’s truths to heal itself. Continue reading →

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Would God punish his people in the next life?

Posted on July 13, 2015 by Steve Husting

The general idea among Christians is that since Jesus was punished for our sins, then the people of God will not face any punishment. The Bible clearly says, “Christ died for our sins.” And on the cross, Jesus said, “It is finished.” But does it clearly say believers will never receive chastening from God? Can believers received negative consequences for their actions in this life and the life to come?

Does God deal with his children’s wrongdoing during this life? Yes. Here are two examples. Continue reading →

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Leaving the Faith? Watch out for this logical fallacy

Posted on July 4, 2015 by Steve Husting

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 their superstitious parents clung to, and the children don’t need those beliefs anymore. They are now free to choose the direction of their own lives. So, many young people are persuaded to leave their faith.

This reasoning the staff uses is based on a logical fallacy. A logical fallacy is a process of reasoning that is flawed. In this case, the fallacy is saying that if it is true for a part, then it is true for the whole. It goes like this.  Continue reading →

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Why does God tell us to love our enemies?

Posted on July 3, 2015 by Steve Husting

In Matthew 5:43-44, Jesus tells His hearers to love their enemies: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

I see several reasons why God would want us to love our enemies.

1. He knows our tendency as angry human beings to do worse to our enemies than they deserve. Our hatred is seldom bothered by ideas like fairness. Example out of a newspaper clip: There was an argument at a party in L.A. where a person heatedly goes home, returns with a gun, and shoots the other person. Really? Continue reading →

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Promises and Warnings

Posted on May 9, 2015 by Steve Husting

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 the benefits. If we examine the warnings to see if they have merit and heed them, we’ll be spared the negative consequences. There is nothing supernatural about this. Continue reading →

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The Deceitful Heart

Posted on May 3, 2015 by Steve Husting

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 is good except God. We fool ourselves in this area because we do not compare ourselves to the perfect man, Jesus Christ, who always did the will of God. Continue reading →

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Our “silly little sins”

Posted on April 26, 2015 by Steve Husting

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 comes from over 30 years of walking with the Lord. I doubt I could have given this reply after just ten years.  Continue reading →

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Is a “personal relationship” with Christ necessary for salvation?

Posted on April 19, 2015 by Steve Husting

A “personal relationship with Christ” is a phrase used among born-again believers to contrast an impersonal relationship with God. (Another popular phrase among born-again Christians is, “Relationship, not religion,” which says the same thing.) But is this idea actually taught in the Bible? Do we need a personal relationship with Jesus to be saved? Continue reading →

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What part of life is religious?

Posted on April 5, 2015 by Steve Husting

How much of life is religious, and how much is not? How much has to do with God, and how much does not? Is “church time” the religious part, and outside church, life is not? A response of Jesus addressed this issue when He answered the question, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus’ answered, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matthew 22:36-39). These two commandments encompass all of life, so all of life is spiritual, sacred, religious. Continue reading →

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The Pharisee in Church

Posted on March 29, 2015 by Steve Husting

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, looking good to their peers, and maintaining self-righteousness and a respectable position before the public.

Jesus, on the other hand, cared more about their relationship with God and their inner state. They cared about saying the right thing to look good while Jesus cared about them being real. They wanted rules and laws while Jesus wanted them set free to follow the Spirit wherever He would lead them. Unlike the Pharisees, Jesus was willing to be unpopular if standing for the truth would help some to advance in their spiritual walk with God. Continue reading →

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