How to Make It in Hard Times

 by Gregory A. Johnson

I hear from many in the United States and around the world every day. They are going through fiery trials, and seemingly their prayers are going unanswered. Their faith is wavering under the burden of helplessness and hopelessness. Their trials consume them day and night, stealing the peace that Jesus gives to His faithful followers.

If this is you, I have a word for you today. Don't think that your trial, however long it has been going on, is unusual. Contrary to what some false preachers, teachers, and prophets say today, it is not uncommon for Christ's followers to go through the fiery furnace of despair and suffering.

The Apostle Peter experienced this truth and wrote, "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed (1 Peter 4:12-13 ESV)." 

Refuse to believe the lies of the devil and his helpers — all those fake and false folk — questioning your faith as you are suffering amid a fiery trial. It has nothing to do with your faith. It has everything to do with Jesus developing His glory in you, and you will rejoice and be glad in the work He does.  Keep trusting Jesus, casting all your cares on Him.

You Are Worthy

by Gregory A. Johnson

Who told you that God does not love you? Who told you that God is not for you because you are not successful, good-looking, rich, or healthy? Who told you that you are not a child of God because you are going through difficult times? Who told you that you are not worthy of being used by God to make a difference for Jesus? Who told you that you are an unworthy, good for nothing, useless, amount-to-nothing failure?

It is the devil that tells us such lies. He has always been this way and has said the same things through the generations. His tactics have not changed, but his platform has been enlarged in our day. More ears are listening to the lies than ever before, spreading the devil's untruths on social media, the Internet, and yes, sadly, even from some pulpits and Christian media.

Don't believe the lies of the devil, regardless of who's lips they come from or where you read and see them. Please don't believe them! They are lies.

How to Keep Faith During Perilous Times

 by Gregory A. Johnson

We are living in perilous times. Inflation is on the rise, making it harder on those already financially challenged. The frequency and severity of natural disasters are increasing rapidly. Years into the Covid pandemic, hundreds of people still die of the disease every day. 

We are at the brink of World War III with Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Maybe the invasion of Ukraine and the killings of innocent civilians, including children, indicate WW III has already started. It is hard to see how this ruthless attack on innocent people ends well. Our prayers are with the people of Ukraine. 

Adding all this to the struggles you are going through can make it hard to keep the faith that brings supernatural life and hope.

Jesus said it would be like this in the last days, which began at his crucifixion and has escalated to our day. Jesus warned that in these days, some faithful followers — “if possible, even the elect” (Matthew 24:24 ESV) — will fall away.

How do we keep the faith that brings us supernatural life and hope in these perilous times? Consider Jesus. God’s word to us today is “…consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession.” (Hebrews 3:1 ESV).

Lent is a Blessed Time of Year

by Gregory A. Johnson

Every year, Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and continues until Easter. Spanning approximately six weeks, it is a wonderful season on the Christian calendar, being observed by Christ’s followers, Protestants and Catholics alike, who desire to fast something in recognition of our Lord's sacrifice for us.

It is good to give the cost of what is given up during Lent to the work of the ministry, and the time associated with what you give up to works of faith and justice (Isaiah 58:6-11 ESV).

What are you giving up for Lent? The Spirit within you will help you decide as you pray and ask the Lord.

Christian or Christ-Follower?

by Gregory A. Johnson

I feel compelled to bring clarity to the confusion existing that is hindering Jesus' purpose for the church and its witness in our day. In the post-Christian culture we now live in, many are confused about being a Christian and being a  Christ-follower. There is a vast difference between the two.

There are Christians who do not follow Christ, and there are Christians who choose to follow Christ. Sadly, non-Christ-following Christians can do much damage to people inside and outside the church through their words and actions. 

In all my years of ministry, it has always been a joy to pastor Christ-following Christians. Still, I have discovered non-Christ-following Christians to be abusive in their words and actions, making it difficult, if not impossible, for the church to reach and make a difference in its community. 

How to Live Free From Fear

by Gregory A. Johnson

Many in our day live in total control of their lives but when something is shaken, their confidence quickly turns to fear. Jesus describes the day in which we live. He says, "And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken” (Luke 21:25-26 ESV).

What are we to do? We are to look to Jesus. The night before Christ died on the cross for our sins, he showed us how to live free from fear. He was facing a horrendous death by crucifixion. The next day he would be tortured to death. What does he do? He goes to a garden to pray. Jesus prays, "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done" (Luke 22:42 ESV).

In the last hours before the cross, Jesus prays, releasing his will over to the Father. Christ faced the cross without fear, placing his life in God’s care, trusting God for the resurrection to come.

The next day, tortured and hanging nailed to the cross, Jesus gives his life for the sins of the world. “Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last” (Luke 23:46 ESV).

What Kingdom Love Looks Like

by Gregory A. Johnson

In Jesus' day, a scribe was a lawyer who specialized in the Mosaic Law. One day one of these scribes came to Jesus with a question: "'Which commandment is the most important of all?' Jesus answered, 'The most important is, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." The second is this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." There is no other commandment greater than these.' And the scribe said to him, 'You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.' And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, 'You are not far from the kingdom of God.' And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions" (Mark 12:28-34).

Out of all the imperatives given to us in the Bible, including the Ten Commandments found in Exodus 20, Jesus wraps it all up into one commandment referred to as The Great Commandment—to love God with everything we have. That's it! That's the bottom line. Loving God is what it is all about. Loving God is what separates Christ-followers from mere church attendees. Loving God is what separates Christ-followers from the religionists of our day who are bound by denomination and church rules, regulations, and traditions.

When Tempted to Give up on Prayer

by Gregory A. Johnson

I think one of the most heartbreaking things I have experienced as a pastor and as a Christ-follower is when a person tells me that they have given up on prayer. It seems to be happening more frequently as we get closer to the return of Christ. Hardly a week goes by now that I’m not made aware of a person giving up. I’m concerned about it and I feel led under the unction of the Holy Spirit to address it.

Friend, the devil is the one who will tempt you to give up on prayer. He does this because he knows that prayer is powerful. He also knows that the less you pray, the more casual you will be with sin and that sin will destroy you and those around you. Satan is in the business of destruction. Do not give him a foothold by giving up on prayer. You will not like the results.

Those giving up on prayer tell me it is because they pray, and God does not give them what they want or do what they need him to do. I will tell you why God does not always give us what we want or do what we ask him to do in prayer.

Building Hope Within You

by Gregory A. Johnson

Living in a famine of truth, when all around us in a state of confusion and turmoil with fear abounding, the Lord is our hope. We can always count on him.

The Psalmist in God’s word says, “I am counting on the Lord; yes, I am counting on him. I have put my hope in his word” (Psalm 130:5).

You can also do that today, friend. You can count on the Lord. You can put your hope in his word. It will get you through whatever comes your way.

Please allow me to give you a good starting point. Get a Bible and read the first four books of the New Testament — Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. As you read, pay attention to how Jesus lives his life and what he teaches. Note the promises Jesus gives to those who will answer the call to follow him. As you follow Jesus, you can stand on these promises. They are for you and all who follow Jesus.

Racism and Hate Are Antichrist

by Gregory A. Johnson

Racism and hatred are alive and well, but not for those who are citizens of the Kingdom. No, you see, the citizens of the Kingdom love God with everything they have, and they love other people as they love themselves. They are willing to give their life for others as Christ did. They are willing to go to jail protesting unjust laws that do not treat people equally, as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. did.

What would Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. say to us today? I think that he would say to us the same things he said in his day. Listen to what he had to say:

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction....The chain reaction of evil—hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars—must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation (King 1963).

Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. Hate destroys a man's sense of values and his objectivity. It causes him to describe the beautiful as ugly and the ugly as beautiful, and to confuse the true with the false and the false with the true (King 1963).

There Is Hope in a Famine of Truth

by Gregory A. Johnson

We are living in a famine of truth today. Many in our day are looking to social media and the Internet for advice, information, and even direction in life. As you know, we cannot always trust the information found online. Yes, we are living in a famine of truth today, but I have good news for you — there is hope.

Listen to these words of Jesus found in the Gospel of John. Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me" (John 14:6).

Friend, please know that Jesus is relevant to your life and to your daily living. He is the way you need to go. He is the direction in life that you need to take. As you keep your focus on Jesus and you follow him, you will make the right decisions and you will end up in the right places. Follow Jesus.

Many today, including those in leadership, are deceptive and some never tell the truth, being habitual liars. Friend, Jesus never deceives. Look to him for truth. Make the life and teachings of Jesus the absolute truth for all your beliefs and actions. When you do, you can measure everything you hear, everything you read, and everything you see with the life and teachings of Jesus. As you line everything up with Jesus, you will know what the truth is and what it is not.

Evil Does Not Win

by Gregory A. Johnson

We are reminded daily of how evil destroys lives. As a result, many live in fear instead of faith. Fear says that evil wins. Faith knows that evil never wins.

Please know today that if you have fear in your life, it is not of God. God does not want you to live in fear. Evil wants you to live in fear.

Fear comes when our focus is no longer on Jesus and following him. When a person is living in fear, they lose sight that the best in their life is yet to come.

The next time evil comes knocking and fear starts to take over your thoughts, stop it. Just, stop it. Refuse to go there. Instead of giving it any energy, thank God for all he has done for you, all he is doing for you, and all he will do for you. You are his child created in his image, and he loves you.

Successfully Navigating Life

by Gregory A. Johnson

Life brings ups and downs, good times and bad times. Our emotions can be on the mountaintop one day and way down in the valley the next day. It can be like riding a roller coaster. How does one successfully ride this roller coaster called life?

King David faithfully declared that the Lord is the answer. In prayer, he tells the Lord, "You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever (Psalm 16:11, NLT).”

Jesus will show you the way of life. Get your Bible and read the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, noticing how Jesus lived his life. After you read them, read them again. Read them over and over again. Jesus came into our world to show us the way of life.

There is joy in the presence of Jesus. There is nothing like spending time with him in prayer, allowing him to renew and refresh our joy. Find you a quiet place today where you can be alone with him. He will revive you as you wait silently in his presence, meditating on him, his life, and his teachings.

The Old Testament Case for Nonviolence Book Review

by Gregory A. Johnson

Matthew Curtis Fleischer has a passion for God and God’s will. He is a lover of God and truth. It became evident to me as I read each chapter of his book, The Old Testament Case for Nonviolence.

On the back cover of the book, it is stated, “The violence in the Old Testament is one of the biggest obstacles facing Christianity today.” I sense that assisting to remove this obstacle is the motivation of the author in writing a book that so adequately and thoroughly lays out the case that the Old Testament (OT) does not advocate violence. Instead, the OT is anti-violence.

Fleischer starts the book in Chapter one with a series of questions that I’m sure most of us have thought and probably have even been asked:

Can we reconcile the violence of the Old Testament with the nonviolence of the New Testament (NT)? Can we honestly and rationally square God’s violent OT actions and commands with Jesus’ nonviolent actions and commands?

Who are we to imitate and obey? Are we to ruthlessly and mercilessly slaughter our enemies like the OT God or are we to self-sacrificially love our enemies like Jesus? What is the moral standard today—the OT, the NT, or a bit of both?

What is God really like? Is he more like the angry, jealous jihadist God revealed in the OT or the patient, merciful, nonviolent God revealed in Jesus?

The Promise of Answered Prayer

by Gregory A. Johnson

The Bible, God’s word to us, is full of promises. With those promises come conditions. For example, Jesus says, “if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! (John 15:7, NLT)."

Let’s explore that Scripture. The promise is that our prayers will be answered. The condition attached to that promise is that we are to remain in Jesus and his words remain in us.

As Christ-followers, we know and do what Jesus teaches, continuing his point-of-need ministry in the power of the Holy Spirit. Our prayers will be in accordance with his life and teachings. Our prayers will not conflict with the life and teachings of Jesus. Our prayers will agree with them.

As we pray according to the life and teachings of Jesus, he promises that our prayer requests will be granted. We can stand on that promise. We may not get what we are asking for in our timing, but our prayers will be answered.

3 Things You Can Do to Help Yourself

By Gregory A. Johnson


Please allow me to give you three things you can do today and every day to help yourself regardless of the circumstances that surround you.

First, rejoice in our confident hope. As a child of God and a follower of Christ, rejoice in the fact that Christ is saving you from this world and all its difficulties. His return is imminent. All Bible prophecy up to the return of Christ has been fulfilled. Be ready. It is the very next big event on God’s agenda. Beloved, this is our confident hope. Rejoice in it.

Second, be patient in trouble. When trouble comes your way, pray, asking God to help you. He will help you, but his help may not be immediate. Be patient. Don’t try to fix your troubles without God’s solution. That will bring more trouble. Instead, pray and wait for God’s solution.

How to Live in God's Presence

by Gregory A. Johnson

How does one live in the presence of God? That is a question that many have asked throughout history and many ask today. David wrote in Psalm 15, asking God that question. He says, “Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill?” (Psalm 15:1, NIV).

God gives David the answer to his prayerful questioning and David documents it: “He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks truth from his heart.” (Psalm 15:2, NIV).

Let’s think about that answer. First, we are to have a blameless walk. The only way we can have a blameless walk is to keep our focus on Jesus and follow him. As we follow Jesus, he keeps us on the right path.

Second, we are to do what is right. We live in a day when many do not know what is right and what is wrong. We have a famine of leaders in our day who live a life of integrity. How do we do what is right? We make God’s Word, the Bible, the absolute guide for all our actions and beliefs. When we do, we will do what is right.

All Lights Go out except One

by Gregory A. Johnson

We have been getting letters from our electric company, grading our household consumption of electricity, and comparing our usage with that of our surrounding neighbors. Our consumption is pretty much average. I don’t think much about electricity until I get one of these letters, or my electric bill each month, and it tells me what I need to pay for my usage. Until then, I don’t give it much thought. When I turn the light switch on, the light comes on. When I turn the switch off, the light goes off. I don’t think about it until the electricity goes out from a storm or blown transformer nearby. Have you noticed when that happens, it is usually at the worst possible time?

Lights go out—bulbs burn out, batteries run down, and electricity goes out. All lights go out, except one! Listen to this sentence of Scripture: “The Light shines in the darkness. The darkness has not defeated the Light (John 1:5, ERV).”

Jesus is the Light that keeps shining bright. Evil is the darkness. The devil has tried his best to snuff out The Light or at least hide its brightness, but the Light keeps shining, and it always will. Nothing, absolutely nothing, can dim its brightness, put it out, or destroy it. The Light is eternal. No darkness will overcome or defeat it!

Friend, are you walking in this light? Are you living your life in the radiance of its glow? Please know today, if you have strayed away from God and his will for you, God is not finished with you.

The Real Way to Life

by Gregory A. Johnson

People work hard today, trying to enhance their lives by earning wealth and improving their bodies. Multiple schemes and scams offer us chances to get rich quickly or to get a new diet, exercise plan, or pill that will help us live longer or better. You've seen the commercials on television or ads online. If you check your email spam folder today, you will probably find a few offers. They all promise a way to a better life.

God offers only one way to find life. God’s Word says: “In him there was life. That life was light (understanding, goodness) for the people of the world (John 1:4, ERV).”

The real way to life is found in Jesus, and he does not discriminate. The life he gives is for all the people of the world. Red, yellow, black, and white are all precious in his sight, and he loves each of us, regardless of what we have done or have become.

You see, God's living Word became flesh when Jesus came into our world as a baby in a manger. His words and actions, the way he lived his life on earth, reveal God to us and how God desires that we live our life. That is light. Jesus is The Life, and he is The Light.

What Does the Bible Say about Immigration?

by Gregory A. Johnson


Invoking the Bible to defend immigration policy that separates children from parents makes me wonder if the invoker of such nonsense has even read the Bible, specifically the teachings of Jesus.

God, help us!

Please allow me to share a few paragraphs of Scripture that will shed some proper light on the matter.

Listen to what Jesus says:

"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me. (Matthew 25:35-36, emphasis added)."

Check out this commandment:

"When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers... (Leviticus 19:33-34, emphasis added)."

Jesus taught us a couple of commandments, that if obeyed, will allow us to obey every commandment in Scripture.