Author: Dwight Clough

… after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin … — James 1:15Now how does God satisfying our desires enable us to live a supernatural Christian life? Think about it for a moment. Where do sins come from? Don’t they come from our own evil desires?In fact, I’m going to throw out an alternative definition of sin: Any time we use something other than God’s provision to satisfy our desires. I’m not sure that covers every instance of sin, but it covers a lot.When we go to God with our desires — the good, the bad and the ugly…

[God] satisfies your desires with good things … — Psalm 103:5How do you find the grace of God?Let me suggest a place to start: with your desires.Desires are wonderful things because they create opportunities for God. Some people think that God is only interested in meeting our needs and doesn’t care one bit about our desires. This is not true. God delights in satisfying our desires with good things.I am not saying that God delights in coddling us, in indulging us without regard for our character, in spoiling us. I am saying that God delights in satisfying our desires with…

The LORD your God will drive out those nations before you, little by little. You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals will multiply around you. — Deuteronomy 7:22There are all kinds of miracles, and all kinds of situations leading up to them. But let me focus on two of them. First, there is the back-against-the-wall, I-need-You-now kind of situation that results in the parting of the Red Sea, the raising of Lazarus from the dead, the deliverance of the three Hebrew children.Second, there is the conquest of Canaan. God could have wiped…

"You have too many men … " — Judges 7:2Some people are uncomfortable with the word "miracle." And I can see why. Like a dishcloth that has been used too many times, the word "miracle" has had most of its meaning wrung out of it, and, for some, the word has begun to stink.But, since I don’t have another word, I need to use this one. Without miracles, you cannot live the Christian life. The life God has given us is impossible. There is only one way to accomplish the impossible. We need a miracle. Sometimes we need many miracles.In…

… apart from Me, you can do nothing. — John 15:5Yes, a supernatural life may be quiet. But don’t mistake quietness for weakness, for insignificance, or even for possibility.The Christian life is not possible.We must all understand that this is the starting place. God requires that we do what we are unable to do. He insists upon the impossible."Can a leopard change its spots?" the scriptures ask. In the same way, we who are accustomed to doing evil cannot change our ways.I used the word "cannot" and I believe that is the correct word.We can reform. History is full of…

"Go, stand in the temple courts," he said, "and tell the people the full message of this new life." — Acts 5:20The Christian life is a supernatural life. Here, I think, most of us would agree. But what, exactly, does this mean?Does it mean, for example, that money shows up in our mailbox, or that the doctor looks at the chart in disbelief and says, "There’s no way I can account for what happened to you — this is a bona fide miracle!"? Does it mean that we drive all day on empty, or announce something that only God could…

But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them. — Revelation 11:11The #1 evil man on earth kills God’s two witnesses and refuses them burial. The whole world celebrates, but nobody counted on the power of God. God makes it abundantly clear that life and death belong to God, not to the beast. God could have let them lie and resurrected them along with everyone else later on. But He doesn’t. He sends a clear message: Even though the world…

[The elders] were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. — Revelation 5:8How are our prayers treated? With special honor in heaven. I often feel like my prayers are little more than babble, yet here they are in heaven, treated as treasure. If you study the prayers of the saints in Revelation, you discover two things: (1) they are always sweet to God, and (2) they usually are bad news for the evildoers left on earth.God remembers the slander and persecution His children endure. He has heard their cry, and He treats that cry…

For God does speak — now one way, now another — though man may not perceive it. — Job 33:14Why doesn’t God speak in bold type? Why do we need to look in the fine print of our lives to find Him? I am reminded of my grandmother. She was less than five feet tall. When guests arrived she had enormous talent for moving them to center stage and disappearing almost entirely herself. She was there only to serve, to place a tray of food before them, to speak a quiet word of kindness and then to fade back into…

The Israelites went up to Bethel and inquired of God. — Judges 20:18Today I want to take on the myth that if you do God’s will, everything will go smoothly. Sorry, folks, it just doesn’t always happen that way.Judges 19-21 tells the sad story of a violent crime and a quest for justice. Evil men were shielded by the tribe of Benjamin, and the rest of the Israelites went to war with them.Is this a good time to seek the Lord? You bet. Why do you inquire of God before a battle? Because you want to make sure you’re doing…