They did not see Ai as a real threat. It was a new challenge, but they were confident because they had faced other foes without much trouble. But this adversary was different. God promised to give the land of Canaan to the Israelites. Taking the land meant conquering the people who lived there. The Canaanites were vile. The Israelites did not invade their countries as greedy bullies who just wanted their land. God ordered them to remove these people because their sins were s

There are times when this is understandable. When we are sick, we want to feel better. When life is hectic, we want things to settle down. The longer these trials last, the more we wish our life would return to normal. This feeling becomes more common with age. Pains and heartaches accumulate and make life hard to bear. We find ourselves remembering a time when we did not have all this stress. As children we laughed more and slept better. We never worried about elections, th

In II Kings 5, we read about Naaman. Naaman was a good man, honorable and courageous, but he also had a debilitating disease. He had leprosy. Naaman was told of a prophet in Israel who could heal his leprosy, so he departed on a journey to Israel to be cleansed of his leprosy. When Naaman came to the prophet Elisha, he was instructed to, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean” (II Kings 5:10). Naaman became furi

They had been married for almost 38 years. He was a strong, active man in his younger days, but age had taken a toll on his mortal frame. As he lay on his dying bed, his children and wife kneeled at his bedside. His name was Alexander Campbell. He is best known for his great mind and his knowledge of the Bible. But when he passed away, his wife Selina did not praise him for being a scholar or a powerful writer and preacher. When he breathed his last breath, she said, “Those p

God gave us emotions. We are not robots or computers. AI may do a lot, but it cannot feel or will. Can you imagine life without feelings? Choices might be easier—maybe too easy. Life would be predictable yet dull. But we have strong feelings that make life what it is. At times they give us the greatest satisfaction; at other times they give us the worst pain. Feelings can be a blessing or a curse depending on your circumstances. There are times when we should follow our feeli

One of the problems in the church today is that Christians have stopped hating. We have preached about love, and that is good. But there is a need for hate. God is a God of compassion, but He is also a God of hate. He hates a proud look, a lying tongue and other sins (Prov. 6:16-19). He hated the hypocritical worship of His people (Amos 5:21). Jesus hated iniquity (Heb.1:9). Are we teaching this part of God’s nature? To be like Christ, we must hate what He hates. “The fear of

“He’s the most powerful man in the world.” Is that true? Consider these words of Paul: “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence” (I Tim. 2:1-2). This is a special privilege and a sobering responsibility. The word “intercessions” is a key word. It means to intercede to God on behalf of t

The prophets of God who wrote about Jesus did not understand what we know. They foretold the life of Christ, but the Holy Spirit did not reveal the details like we have them in the New Testament. Peter wrote, “Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and

The use of marijuana is on the rise in America. According to a study from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, marijuana topped the list of substances that were used on a daily basis in 2025. Overall, the most popular drug is still alcohol. Almost 130 million people drank alcohol in the last month compared to about 44 million pot smokers. But in terms of daily use, the weed topped the list with over 21 million daily users compared to over 17 million

As adolescents, we are often told not to think too highly of ourselves. Don’t be the type of person who is arrogant, prideful, and has a haughty spirit. This is good advice and is a lesson that should be continually taught. “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud” (Prov. 16:18-19). But what about the ones who struggle with self-worth? There is an overwhelmi

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (II Tim. 3:16). When a person who claims to be a Christian gives up that truth, he is prone to believe just about anything. A pastor in the United Methodist Church who is running for the Kansas Senate said there are hundreds of mistakes in the Bible. He confidently said he only had to show one of these to prove his case. The example he gave was Jesus’ ascension into heaven. He said Matthew says Jesus was in Galilee when He ascend

There are signs that we are in the middle of a moral and spiritual revival: • Covid backlash. The pandemic was a harrowing experience, but in the end it separated the men from the boys, spiritually speaking. Christians were told not to gather for worship. Some left and never returned. Others stood firm and are now stronger than ever. They love fellowship and Bible studies. They enjoy staying after the services to talk about the church. They take their children to area gospel

I sat in a Bible class recently where the teacher went out of his way to prove an old, speculative opinion. He spent the majority of his time quoting ancient “church fathers” who agreed with him. When I asked him why, he said they lived closer to the time of Jesus and the apostles and had a better idea of what the passage in question meant in the first century. Roman Catholics have made this argument for centuries. For example, the Bible does not teach their beliefs about Mar

While contentment is hard to find for most people, many are only content when things are going well in their lives. They look at good health and fortune as a means for being content. These are things that bring us happiness in life, but what about the times when things are not going so well? What do we do about the times when our health fails us, or when we are financially strapped, or we are being mistreated by others? Can we find peace and contentment during these times? T

t works every time. Trace the flow of money to its source and you will see who is responsible. Detectives look for digital footprints to track down cybercriminals. Investigators examine the money trail to stop human trafficking and the sale of illegal drugs. There is always someone behind the trouble. Gossip leaves a similar trail. Whether we post something online or say it in private, our words travel fast and wide. Solomon tells us not to underestimate this. “Do not curse t

As adolescents, we are often told not to think too highly of ourselves. Don’t be the type of person who is arrogant, prideful, and has a haughty spirit. This is good advice and is a lesson that should be continually taught. “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud” (Prov. 16:18,19). But what about the ones who struggle with self-worth? There is an overwhelmi

You don’t hear those words much anymore. You sure don’t hear sermons on this subject like people heard in years gone by. We live in an age of luxury and ease, and the thought of eternal damnation doesn’t mix with that mindset. Hell is not a comfortable subject. It is not designed to give comfort. It is in the Bible as a warning—a severe warning written in the strongest language possible. It is a place of punishment for the wicked after this life where “their worm does not die

The answer is yes and no. We can and should change in some ways, but we must not change in others. The story of one man in the Bible teaches us how to know the difference. Daniel was a young man living in the security of his home when the Babylonians attacked Judah and took him and others captive. His life changed almost overnight. His world turned upside down and suddenly he found himself in an strange land. Everything was different—the buildings, the language, the clothes,

From the Gospel Advocate, April 10, 1924 This simple, splendid, fruitful, energetic, prosperous America of ours is not, perhaps, conscious enough of all its needs. It has many of them, but none is greater or more pressing than its need of God. This is not an arraignment of our morals. For all our outcry against political and financial corruption, we are, as the world goes, a moral people. We are a generous people, kindly people, a sympathetic people, ready to respond abundant

The amount of alcohol consumed in this country is staggering. Americans spend over 200 billion dollars a year on alcoholic drinks. We can hardly go to a grocery store without seeing someone load down a shopping cart with beer. Drinking is a national pastime, and the money is only a small part of the price our country pays for it. Solomon said, “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise” (Prov. 20:1). After all the misery alcohol h