Dr. Ray Pritchard Author, Speaker, President of Keep Believing Ministries Here’s a message called Swimming Upstream: We need this because we must live in the world, but the world must not live in us. Click here sign up for the free email sermons.

July 6/7 The Believer’s Purpose Galatians 5:13 God has a purpose for your life. If that weren’t true, He’d have taken you home to heaven at the moment of salvation. Do you ever wonder why He left you here? The Lord intends to influence others through you. Our purpose is to be a vessel through which Christ overflows to others–touching those who hurt and desperately need a Savior. Once we are saved, Scripture teaches, our involvement is threefold. First, we love others. Jesus clearly stated that this was one of the two greatest commandments (Matt. 22:38-39). Second, we share the good news of salvation (Acts 1:8). Some travel across the world to spread the gospel, while others teach neighbors across the street. The Holy Spirit will direct us to the right people if we a...

Although theologians have not reached a consensus on the exact timing of the 70 weeks mentioned in Daniel 9, we can draw a number of conclusions from this enigmatic prophecy. What are the seventy weeks? The angel Gabriel approaches Daniel in the latter half of the ninth chapter after Daniel prays for Israel. Gabriel mentions “seventy sevens” will take place before God will put an end to sin and bring everlasting righteousness (Daniel 9:24). Scholars agree that the sevens appears to mean years. Therefore, 70 X 7 = 490 years. Although Christians typically refer to the period of God bringing everlasting righteousness as 70 weeks, they really mean 70 X 7 years. The prophecy divides up these 490 years in a handful of ways. 49 years (7 X 7): The time it takes to rebuild Jerusalem since the time ...

On the 4th of July, I’m always reminded of times I’ve traveled in countries where freedom is severely curtailed. Or where the people have been freshly freed from the chains of injustice, and the joy of their release was palpable. I was in Johannesburg on the 10th anniversary of the end of apartheid. I was in Korea when the border between North and South was electric with tension. My most powerful memory came from Moscow, where I was teaching shortly after the fall of communism.  One night a group of us went to the famed Bolshoi Ballet. It was a long, wonderful evening, and after we took the subway back to where we were staying, the students said, “Come and let us celebrate.” The other two professors with me were as tired as I was, but the students were so intent on our joini...

“And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Hebrews 12:1b (NIV)  I huffed. I puffed. I hunched over in pain. I wanted to make it to the end of the run. Yet as much as I tried to go, my legs, mind and oozy head wouldn’t. All this was too much.  I hobbled home with squeaky, worn, blue shoes and a defeated spirit. I don’t know how I ever thought I was cut out for this. How I ever thought I could do this … others are stronger. I’m weak. I don’t have the energy. I’m embarrassing. A loser. For me, running is a battle. But, so is life. One battle after another. Early in my life, I faced an eating disorder, depression and debt. More recently, I hit a near-debilitating health scare, relational issues and a never-ending waiting period. And, I continually battl...

“But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:23-24) Many in modern church congregations may know the words of “Amazing Grace” and understand the saving power wrote about “Power in the Blood,” but they may be more attracted to the energy and style of modern worship artists: Hillsong, Lauren Daigle, Chris Tomlin, and Casting Crowns.  Others in church congregations bemoan any music or song labeled Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) because they have been taught this kind of music deceives the masses with emotional drumbeats and tones to mimic the true spirit found only in the old-time hymns...

A Prayer for Unity in Our NationBy Debbie McDaniel “I in them and you in me–so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” John 17:23 Often in times of greatest need, we may find ourselves giving way to the stress and strain by battling one another, and forgetting who the real enemy is. Harsh words spoken, friendships broken; we choose sides and draw lines. Feelings get hurt. Betrayal runs deep. It gets harder to forgive and keep moving forward. And sometimes we get stuck, right there in the muddy mess of it all. Yet it’s in those very times of tension and struggle, that we need, more than ever, to come together as one, unified, and strong. And we can be assured, it’s in those times, that Satan ...

We read the famous words in the American Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness…For the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance upon the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.” And we ring the Liberty Bell. But did you know that on that Bell are the words of Scripture, which planted a divine idea of freedom in the hearts of so many who devised those words in the Declaration? Inscribed on the Liberty Bell are the words of Leviticus 25:10: “And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and...

American Christians should no longer view themselves as a “Moral Majority.” One of the reasons I say that it is good for American Christianity to no longer think of itself as a “moral majority” is that such a mentality obscures the strangeness of the gospel. When a vision of Christian political engagement hinges on building a politically viable network of ideologically united voters, Christ and him crucified will tend to be a stumbling block, not a rallying point. I’m sure that if a journalist had been present when Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone,” the headline the next day probably would have been, “Religious Leader Calls for Pullback from Agriculture Policy.” The call to a gospel-focused engagement is not a call to a retreat. On the contrary, it’s a call to a m...

EDITOR’S NOTE: We’re happy to announce that, coming soon, this devotional will be available in audio version as the Your Daily Bible Verse Podcast! Stay tuned for updates… BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY: “Repent, then, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out.” (Acts 3:19) A Call to Return Home By Becca Stevens At Thistle Farms, it is our mission to heal, empower, and employ women survivors of trafficking, prostitution, and addiction. Our community believes that in every mistake, there is potential for healing. Nothing a person can do will close the door forever with God and with a loving community- even if that person feels beyond redemption, is put back in prison, or cannot find sobriety in this life. Our practice is simple: take a step back, apologize, make amen...

Angels, spiritual beings, appear in the Bible more than 200 times. They have aided prophets, saints, and God’s people through the Old and New Testament and throughout the history of the church. They have been known to praise God (Luke 2:13-14), fight spiritual battles (Daniel 10:13), and deliver God’s messages to humankind (Luke 2:10). But do these beings have free will? Do angels and fallen angels (demons) have a will to choose to follow God and carry out His commands? Or do they have no choice whatsoever? What is free will? Free will, in essence, allows for a being to make choices without being coerced or forced to do so. If a being does not have free will, an outside force controls his or her actions. Free will makes us accountable to what we say, do, and think. If, for instance, we did...