Author Archives: Steven Wales

COOKIE CUTTER. Joshua 18:6-7; Jeremiah 29:11.

I used to watch my mom use a rolling pin to make a sheet of thin, flat cookie dough on wax paper. Then she stamped it with tin cookie cutters to cut out shapes: doughy little Christmas trees or stars or bells or stockings. She would bake them, spread icing on them, and—voila! Christmas cookies.Continue reading “COOKIE CUTTER. Joshua 18:6-7; Jeremiah 29:11.”

PROOF TEXTING. 2 Timothy 2:15; Jeremiah 28:15-17.

A Bible professor accused me of “proof texting” when I used a single verse to prove a point. Bible doctrine should be proven with many verses, across the entirety of scripture, from many writers, across the centuries, and from both the Old and New Testaments. Proof texting, by contrast, is when you argue a pointContinue reading “PROOF TEXTING. 2 Timothy 2:15; Jeremiah 28:15-17.”

I’ve Got Good News and Bad News. Jeremiah 29:5-14.

The bad news is, you have not received your number-one wish.  Most people have not.  Some wishes will not be fulfilled. All you can do is accept it and keep trusting the Lord.  The Israelites were in trouble.  God punished their continued idolatry by sending the nation into bondage.  Jeremiah’s message went like this: TheContinue reading “I’ve Got Good News and Bad News. Jeremiah 29:5-14.”

Clear Words are Better than Dreams. Jeremiah 23:28-29.

Have you ever had a dream from God? People are fascinated by the unusual: dreams, visions, prophetic words, speaking in tongues, etc. But the Bible tells us over and over that there is something more valuable than these things. I had an interesting dream once. I was in a huge place filled with thousands tryingContinue reading “Clear Words are Better than Dreams. Jeremiah 23:28-29.”

Dreams vs. the Word. Jeremiah 23:28-29

Which is better, a dream from God that requires interpretation, or the text of His Word that gives clear direction? The prophet who has only a dream should recount the dream, but the one who has my word should speak my word truthfully, for what is straw compared to grain? Is not my word likeContinue reading “Dreams vs. the Word. Jeremiah 23:28-29”

STARDUST. Jeremiah 22:15-16.

In 1987, on a bus from Beaumont to Houston, I met Stardust, an aging Hippie who talked to me about God. He was intoxicated by the false notion that nothing can be known for certain. He challenged me. “How do you KNOW that you know God?” I remembered one verse: “If you love Me, you’llContinue reading “STARDUST. Jeremiah 22:15-16.”

Governance: How Will You Decide For Whom to Vote? Jeremiah 22:3.

America once elected a president who was an excellent speaker. He was good at explaining his beliefs about government, and would tell a joke now and then to keep you listening. People called him the “Great Communicator” and his enemies marveled at the way he could get his message out no matter how journalists fromContinue reading “Governance: How Will You Decide For Whom to Vote? Jeremiah 22:3.”

Is it a Leap of Faith or a LEAN of Faith?

Remember the leap of faith scene in INDIANA JONES: THE LAST CRUSADE? Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) finds himself facing a chasm no man could cross, time is running out, he checks his book of clues, and realizes what he is looking at. “It’s a leap of faith,” he says to himself.  John Williams’ violins swell.Continue reading “Is it a Leap of Faith or a LEAN of Faith?”

God Will Bless You During Judgment. Jeremiah 17:7-8.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I listened to a Christian speaker who argued God was sending judgment beginning with Covid-19. It put me in a dark mood. But when I look back at 2020, I have to admit God blessed our family. Bad things happened, but we were not sick or hungry or impoverished. I didContinue reading “God Will Bless You During Judgment. Jeremiah 17:7-8.”