Steve Cummings - Faith, Life & Culture

First, let me make this one point. There is no such thing as unanswered prayer. What many people call unanswered prayer is when God doesn’t answer their prayers in the way they want him to. In response to our prayers, sometimes God says, “No.” Sometimes God says, “Wait.” Sometimes God says, “It depends.” Sometimes God says, “I didn’t hear you.” Sometimes God probably even says, “Are you joking me?” There are many different answers God might give to our prayers, but make no mistake about it—God answers them all in his own way. So why might God not hear your prayers, or answer your prayers in the way you want him to? Let’s explore that question. Here are a few answers to the question. SIN IN YOUR LIFE Sometimes our prayers are not heard or answered because we’re living in sin, and won’t repent.  Isaiah 59:1-2 – Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.  2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face...

Moral erosion continues all across America. I have a theory as to why, and my theory can be summed up using one word – CONVICTION! Too many people have too little conviction about right and wrong and absolute truth. In their book, The Day America Told the Truth, authors James Patterson and Peter Kim report that 74% of Americans will steal from those who “won’t miss it” and 64% will lie for convenience as long as “no one gets hurt.” They also state that 84% of Americans would break the rules of their religion and 81% have violated a law they felt to be “inappropriate.” Only 30% say they would be willing to die for their religious “convictions” or for God. Most Americans (93%) say they alone decide what is right or wrong on moral issues, basing their decisions on their own experiences or whims. The percentage of people who say they make moral judgments based on what God or Scripture tells them is only a mere 16%. I don’t know what these statistics say to you, but they tell me that the mi...

It has been said that the resurrection of Jesus is the central triumph of His life, the Gibraltar of the Christian faith, and the Waterloo of infidelity. It was the resurrection of Jesus Christ that was the ultimate miracle proving him to be the Son of God. “…and declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead” (Romans 1:4). If Christ was not raised from the dead, then his death on the cross was meaningless. The legitimacy of the Christian faith revolves around the truthfulness of the resurrection of Christ from the dead. To disprove the resurrection of Jesus is to disprove Christianity: “And if Christ is not risen, your faith if futile; you are still in your sins” (I Corinthians 15:17). The resurrection is foundational to everything we believe as Christians. Simply put, if the tomb was not empty then Christianity is. The Bible teaches that Jesus literally died, was buried, and was resurrected from the dead and now lives ...

This is the fourth of four articles on what the Bible says about angels. I hope you have enjoyed reading them. If you missed any of them you can click on the link at the end of this article and it will take you to my Faith, Life & Culture blog. I have many other articles on various subjects that you might like to read as well. Don’t forget to subscribe. ACTIONS OF ANGELS – PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE PAST (Old and New Testaments) 1. Slew 70,000 from Dan to Beersheba. (2 Samuel 24:15-16) 2. Slew 185,000 Assyrians. (2 Kings 19:35) 3. Struck Sodomites blind to protect Lot’s family. (Genesis 19:11) 4. Protected Hebrew children in a burning furnace. (Daniel 3:28) 5. Went before the Israelites’ camp. (Exodus 14:19) 6. Spoke to Moses at Sinai. (Acts 7:38,53) 7. Announced Jesus’ birth to Joseph. (Mathew 1:20) 8. Announced Jesus’ birth to Mary. (Luke 2:11) 9. Announced Jesus’ birth to Shepherds. (Luke 2:13) 10. Angel told Joseph to flee to Egypt. (Matthew 2:13) 11. Angels...

ORIGIN OF ANGELS THEY WERE CREATED BY GOD Psalm 148:2-5 – Praise Him, all His angels; Praise Him, all His hosts! 3 Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all you stars of light! 4 Praise Him, you heavens of heavens, and you waters above the heavens! 5 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for He commanded and they were created. Colossians 1:15-17 – He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. John 11:1-3-14 – In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the ...

There are many myths about angels, and there is much about angels which we cannot know. The Bible is our only reliable source of knowledge and this study only focuses on what the Bible reveals and will not get into wild speculation. Colossians 2:18 – “Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen…” Angels are mentioned 108 times in the Old Testament and 186 times in the New Testament. They are mentioned in 17 Old Testament books and 17 New Testament books. The word “angel” is translated from the Hebrew MALAWK which appears some 211 times in the Old Testament. In the New Testament it is from the Greek ANGELOS and appears 188 times. The basic meaning of the word “angel” whether in the Old or New Testament, is “messenger.” BIBLICAL FACTS ABOUT ANGELS ANGELS ARE INNUMERABLE Matthew 26:53 – Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than 12 legions of a...

It is impossible to fully understand, but the Bible teaches that God has a mighty army of angels at his side who are always ready to do his will at all times, and they are on our side as Christians. There are over 300 references in the Bible to angels. Angels show up in the first book of the Bible as well as the last book of the Bible. From start to finish the Bible has numerous references to angel involvement in the affairs of the world, and specifically, in our personal lives as directed by God. Why study angels? 1) Because the Bible has a lot to say about them. 2) Knowledge of their ministry is a source of comfort and courage to believers. 3) An awareness of the invisible realm is useful in our spiritual welfare. Understanding what’s going on “behind the scenes” helps us to be more faithful and confident about what’s going on in our lives. 4) Angels are extremely interested in us, so we should be interested in them. 5) We can better know and understand the many ways God works in our...

There is so much anger, hate, and negativity in our world today. Civility seems to have been thrown out the window when people disagree with one another. People look for the worst in others and try to make the other in look as bad as possible. In order to help improve our relationships with others, and to help create a better world for all of us to live in, I would like to introduce a method I will call “Find It.” IN ALL YOUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHERS… Find something to like about people rather than dislike. Find ways to encourage instead of ways to discourage. Find things in people to be positive about instead of negative. Find ways to be optimistic rather than pessimistic. Find things you have in common with someone instead of things uncommon. Find things to approve about people rather than disapprove. Find something to compliment someone about instead of something to criticize them about. Find ways to build people up instead of looking for ways to tear them down. Find ways to help a...

The three-part fantasy you are about to read is designed to facilitate a very meaningful devotion time for you—a unique way for you to spend some personal time with the Lord as a way to cope with any stressors that may be in your life right now. It might take as little as 15-20 minutes for you to complete, or it could take hours, depending on where you are in your life and what you are dealing with. You’ll need to find a comfortable yet private place to be in order to get the most out of what you are about to experience. There are three parts to this devotional. Follow the directions I will give you and you will feel blessed and closer to the Lord. PART 1: First, take a few moments to absorb your surroundings. Take a look at the room or space you’re in and observe all of your surroundings – the walls, colors, textures, lighting, flooring, furnishings, distances, trees, clouds, grass, mountains, valleys, water, smells, sounds, feelings, etc. Now close your eyes and see your surroundings...

Living a life of excellence makes you attractive, gives you influence, open s  doors  of opportunity  for you , and provides  for  you a platform from which to serve God in everything you do.   Here are some biblical examples of this DAVID  played a musical instrument with excellence ― so excellent ,  in fact ,  that he was brought to the king’s palace to play so that the king would feel better  ( 1  Samuel 16:15-17) .  It worked, and it pleased the king greatly. David’s skill and excellence as a musician ended up being the first step  in him eventually becom ing  the king himself . H e would go on to influence  numerous generations  for God. In fact, through his lineage ,  the  Savior of the world  would be born. And it all started with his  skill and  excellence  at playing a lyre . I’ll bet it took a lot of practice and commitment. SHADRACH, MESHACH,  and  ABEDNEGO...

What a world we are living in! Our country is struggling greatly on so many fronts. In my lifetime I don’t remember a time when there was more civil unrest, division, anger, and flat out hate in American society. It feels like a civil war is going on. The lack of civility and love for one’s fellowman is sad. It’s even scary! The world just seems to be so angry and spinning out of control. Several years ago, I read a cute little fictitious story that might help all of us to see the need and importance to love one another more, be kinder and more understanding of one another, really listen to voices that are not your own with a desire to understand as much as being understood and help to create needed change. The little story I want to share with you creatively illustrates the ideas that I would like to promote. I hope you enjoy the story. THERE’S A MOUSETRAP IN THE HOUSE A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package. “What food might this con...

You have heard it said many times before, “Just follow your heart.” That statement sounds so warm and fuzzy, but according to God, it is one of the worst and most dangerous pieces of advice you could ever get or give when it comes to matters of absolute truth with eternal significance.   The prophet Jeremiah wrote: “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is (Jeremiah 17:9)? Translation: The heart is not the solution—it’s usually the HEART of the problem.   “Follow your heart” is really code for “Follow your feelings.” You can believe something to be true, but that doesn’t make it true. What sounds true will not set you free. Only “the truth will set you free.” Following your feelings can be incredibly dangerous. Mark Twain once said, “It isn’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just isn’t so that gets you into trouble.”   It doesn’t matter how much you believe s...