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Are we trying to produce the fruit of the Spirit, or are we spending time with the One who produces it? As Christians, we often talk about the fruit of the Spirit. We know the Scriptures, we recognize the qualities, and we understand that these are things we should see in our lives. But sometimes, I believe we approach spiritual fruit from the wrong direction. We try to become more patient, more loving, more peaceful, and more self-controlled through our own efforts. And whil

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit Were Meant to Reveal Jesus, Not Elevate Us If God never used you to perform another miracle, would you still pursue Him with everything you have? If you never received another prophetic word, would you still seek His voice? If nobody ever recognized your calling, your anointing, or the gifts God placed inside you, would you still serve Him? These are questions I believe every Spirit-filled believer needs to ask. One of the greatest dangers facing

What if we've misunderstood what it really means to rest in God? When many people hear the word rest, they immediately think of stopping. Taking a break, sitting down, stepping away from responsibilities, or simply doing nothing. And while physical rest is important, I believe biblical rest goes much deeper than that. Biblical rest isn't about doing nothing. It's about learning to do what God has called us to do in His strength instead of our own. There is a difference betwee

When God reveals someone's struggle, are we called to judge them or help restore them? Discernment is a gift from God, but with that gift comes a tremendous responsibility. And one of the greatest dangers we face when operating in discernment is forgetting the compassion of God. Because discernment without compassion can quickly become accusation. Accusation can turn into judgment, and judgment can eventually become condemnation. We must remember something very important: whe

We often hear people say, “A loving God would never send anyone to hell.” But what happens when we look at what Jesus Himself actually taught? There is a growing belief, even among some Christians, that hell isn't real. Some believe it is simply a metaphor for suffering in this life. Others believe everyone will eventually enter heaven regardless of whether they accept or reject God. But there is a problem with these ideas. Jesus Himself repeatedly warned people about hell, j

Are you truly following Jesus, or have you simply become comfortable being called a Christian? Is it possible to attend church every Sunday, know Scripture, worship God, and still be spiritually lukewarm? In Revelation 3:15–17, Jesus confronts the church of Laodicea for being neither hot nor cold. But what makes this warning so concerning is that they didn't recognize their own spiritual condition. They believed they were rich, satisfied, and needed nothing. Yet Jesus saw som

The Difference Between Lukewarm Christianity and Faithful Discipleship What if one of the greatest problems facing the Church today isn't a lack of people seeking revival, but a lack of people willing to do the work that revival requires? We live in a time when Christians will travel hundreds of miles to attend a powerful worship service, hear an anointed preacher, witness miracles, or experience what God is doing in another ministry. And there is nothing wrong with seeking m

Are we seeking Jesus because we love Him, or are we simply seeking what He has promised us? There is a question I believe every Christian needs to ask themselves: Am I following Jesus because I want Him to be Lord of my life, or am I simply following Him because I want to go to heaven? Now, don't misunderstand me. Heaven is a wonderful promise from God. Romans 10:9 tells us: "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God h

When We Trust the One Who Holds Tomorrow, We Don't Have to Fear What Tomorrow Brings “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” — 2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV) There is something powerful about understanding who we are in Christ. We live in a world filled with uncertainty. We don't know what tomorrow will bring, what difficulties we might face, or what challenges may be waiting around the corner. But here's something we need to remem

Just because something sounds like God doesn't mean it came from God. Does God still speak today? Absolutely! I believe God still speaks to His people, leads us through His Holy Spirit, and directs our steps. But there is something we must never forget: Just because we believe we have heard from God doesn't automatically mean we have. That may sound strange coming from someone who believes in hearing the voice of God, but I believe it is one of the most important lessons we c

Joy Is Not an Emotion — It Is Hope Rooted in Trust It is easy to talk about joy when everything is going right. When the bills are paid, the family is healthy, relationships are strong, and tomorrow looks promising, finding joy doesn't seem all that difficult. But what about when life hits hard? What about when you have prayed, believed, and trusted God, yet the circumstances around you seem to be getting worse instead of better? What happens when tomorrow doesn't look promis

Faith isn't just believing what God says. It's living like what He says is true. Think about it for a moment. If you believe a chair will hold you, you sit in it. If you believe your car will get you where you need to go, you get in and drive. You don't stand there for hours trying to convince yourself the chair will hold you. You simply act on what you believe. So why do we sometimes treat our faith in God differently? We say we believe we are free in Christ. We say we belie

Grace is one of the greatest gifts God has given humanity, yet it is also one of the most misunderstood. Many people believe grace simply means God overlooks our mistakes. But according to Scripture, grace is much more powerful than that. Grace doesn't just forgive us; it transforms us. Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." This means salvation isn't some

Honoring what God has done, embracing what He is doing, and moving forward in faith. There are moments in life when you begin to recognize that God may be doing something much greater than what you can see. As New Fire Ministries steps into the building that was once home to River of Life Fellowship, I cannot help but recognize the biblical significance of this transition. River of Life. New Fire. Water and fire. Two powerful elements that God uses throughout Scripture to acc

“If you want to lead just to be seen in front, you were not called to lead. True leaders serve the people, even if it means never being seen.” — Pastor Scott Acklin There is something I believe the Church needs to understand about leadership. Being called to lead and wanting to be seen leading are two very different things. We live in a world where leadership is often measured by position, recognition, influence, and how many people know our names. Even within the Church, we

There is a difference between standing firm in what we believe and feeling the need to argue about everything we hear. Not every argument is rooted in pride. There are times when we must stand for truth, confront false teaching, and defend what is right. Scripture encourages us to be prepared to give an answer for the hope we have in Christ. But what happens when we become argumentative about nearly everything? What happens when we struggle to listen to someone without feelin

We cannot celebrate the forgiveness we have received from God while refusing to extend that same forgiveness to others. There is something powerful about forgiveness that I believe many Christians have overlooked. We often talk about how wonderful it is that God has forgiven us. We celebrate His mercy, preach about His grace, and thank Him for not holding our past against us. Yet, when someone hurts us, betrays us, speaks against us, or treats us unfairly, we sometimes find o

Don't let someone's memory of your past cause you to question what God is doing in your present. Scripture Focus: Mark 6:1–6 | Matthew 13:53–58 | 2 Corinthians 5:17 Even Jesus Was Rejected by People Who Thought They Knew Him There is something powerful we can learn from what happened when Jesus returned to His hometown of Nazareth. These were people who had watched Him grow up. They knew His family. They knew His occupation. They remembered Him as the carpenter, the son of Ma

One of the most common arguments against hell is that a loving God would never send someone there. But what if that argument misunderstands the very nature of God's love? There is a belief becoming increasingly popular today, even among Christians, that hell cannot exist because God is love. Some argue that a loving God would never allow anyone to suffer eternal judgment. Others believe that if God truly loves humanity, He would eventually welcome everyone into heaven, regard

God may have already changed the person you're still remembering. There is something interesting about the story of Joshua leading the Israelites across the Jordan River. In Joshua 4, God instructed Joshua to have twelve stones taken from the Jordan and established as a memorial. These stones would remind future generations of what God had done when He brought His people across the river on dry ground. But notice something important. God instructed them to remember what happe