You Need to Read This Book!

The Bible has been the Book that held together the fabric of Western civilization. - H.G. Wells

George Washington, the first President of the United States, said about God’s Word, “It is impossible to rightly govern the world without the Bible.” The legendary General Douglas MacArthur commented regarding the Scriptures, “Believe me, sir, never a night goes by, be I ever so tired, but I read the Word of God before I go to bed.” Famous author H. G. Wells observed, “The Bible has been the Book that held together the fabric of Western civilization... The civilization we possess could not come into existence and could not have been sustained without it.” (Image by Unsplash)

The first book printed on the Gutenberg press in 1455 was the Bible. Since then, it has become history’s best-selling book. Over 100 million are printed each year with over 6 billion currently in print around the world. It also is the world’s most widely translated and distributed book. Out of 7,394 languages spoken across all seven continents, 3,658 have either a full Bible or some portion of it.

It is without debate. The Bible has been and continues to be, the world’s most influential book by every measure. And that is against all odds. There is some level of restriction on Bible use in 33 nations, like North Korea, Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan. Historically and even presently, people have been jailed or killed for translating, printing, distributing, reading or even owning a Bible.

Why all this about the Bible? Because you need to read it! It is urgent. It will change your life, like it has millions of people down through the course of history. Here are seven reasons you need to start reading the Bible today.

1. The Bible reveals who your Creator is. “I made the earth and created man on it; it was my hands that stretched out the heavens…” (Isaiah 45:12) You did not come from a tadpole or a big bang. You were hand crafted by Almighty God. The Bible helps you to know who you are and who God and His only Son is.

2. The Bible answers your greatest questions. “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13) The Bible answers questions like, “What is my purpose in life?”, “Is there life after death?”, “Why is there so much suffering and evil in the world?” and many more.

3. The Bible uncovers your supreme struggle. “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person.” (Matthew 15:19-20) The Bible teaches how you have a heart problem, and it shows how you can get a new heart through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

4. The Bible teaches you how to live. “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15-16) The Bible teaches about marriage, family, relationships, conflicts, justice, finances, government, confronting evil, doing good to our neighbors and a wide range of other subjects.

5. The Bible is reliable. “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness…” (2 Timothy 3:16) When you open the Bible, you can trust it. It does not lie.

6. The Bible is your source of truth. “The sum of your word is truth…” (Psalm 119:160) God’s Word tells us what is right and wrong and good and evil. There are no guessing games when it comes to morals. God’s Word lays it out straight.

7. The Bible is your source of hope. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” (Romans 15:13) When you read the Bible and discover your Creator, find answers to big questions, receive forgiveness for your sins, learn how to live in difficult circumstances and encounter what is true and good – it inspires hope.

A prayer for you – Lord God, I pray you will bring people to read their Bible today. May they open its pages and discover the abundant riches of your grace and truth you have waiting for them. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Alarming Decline of Christianity in America

Even though we have massive mega churches, incredible Christian ministries, highly organized Christian political activism, anointed and powerful pastors and evangelists. Nothing has been able to reverse America's spiritual decline. - Clint Decker

Since the 1940s and 50s America has been on a slow, but steady decline of Christianity. When one looks at all the metrics it is troubling. Stats on those who believe in God, identify as Christians, pray regularly, read their Bible, church membership, church attendance, a Christian worldview and on and on. Every year we hit new historical lows. All this despite amazing movements of God that have taken place. And even though we have massive mega churches, incredible Christian ministries, highly organized Christian political activism, anointed and powerful pastors and evangelists. Nothing has been able to reverse the decline. (Image by Unsplash)

Are you familiar with Isaac Newton’s 3rd law of motion? It states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Since Christianity has been on the decline, what has been the equal and opposite reaction? Nearly every data point surrounding morality, crime and mental health is concerningly high. Divorce, suicide, alcoholism, drug abuse, abortion, depression, sexual immorality and more. There has also been a steady rise of the “nones.” Alan Cooperman, the director of religion research at the Pew Research Center commented, “We've had rising shares of people who don't identify with any religion — so-called 'nones' — and declining shares who identify as Christian, in all parts of the country, in all parts of the population, by ethnicity and race, among both men and women, and among people at all levels of the educational spectrum." And deeply troubling is the surge of interest in the occult. Pew research found there are historical levels of Americans identifying as Wiccan or Pagan, additionally, 30% of adults consult astrology, tarot cards or fortune tellers.

The slow decline of Christianity for the last 60+ years is alarming. The deadly slide continues the expanding moral decay of America with each passing year. The problems we face are not from the broader culture alone, but also from the American church. Here are four things I am calling the church toward…

1. Call out sin and evil. “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.” (Ephesians 5:11) Rather than the church condoning poisonous immorality and injustice through silence or outright approval, the church must boldly expose it and call people to repentance.

2. Call for more than a profession. “Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. And God heard their groaning…” (Exodus 2:23-24) The church must go beyond leading people to agree to a set of gospel truths. Rather, we must guide precious souls to humble themselves before Christ the King in sorrowful repentance and urgent faith, while earnestly leading them to cry out to Almighty God for the salvation of their soul.

One biblical encyclopedia put it this way, “The concept of crying out for salvation is deeply rooted…the human recognition of sin, the need for divine intervention, and the hope for deliverance. Throughout Scripture, the act of crying out to God is portrayed as a sincere plea for help, often arising from a place of desperation, repentance, or faith.”

3. Call for change. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17) Instead of the church living like the world, it must live a life of spiritual and moral transformation, that is distinct from the world.

4. Call for a life of holiness. “…you shall remember and do all my commandments, and be holy to your God.” (Numbers 15:40) To be holy is to be separate. The church must walk in complete surrender and holy obedience to our Lord’s commands, because of love for Him. Then consequently, the church will walk in holiness of heart and life, while being a shining light in a culture of darkness.

A prayer for you – Lord God, I pray for our nation, that we would turn from our sinful ways. Not just those outside the church, but inside too. For collectively, we have allowed such great evil to grip our land. Forgive us O God, and come save us. Save our country, O Lord! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

God, Sorcery and Witches

Between 24% and 29% of Americans believe in telepathy, communication with the dead, clairvoyance, astrology, reincarnation and witches. - According to Gallup

In 1948, 91% of Americans identified as Christians, while in 2023 that number declined to 68%, according to a Gallup survey. In 1948, there were no surveys about where Americans stood regarding the supernatural, which means it was statistically insignificant. However, in 2025 Gallup said, “Nearly half of U.S. adults, 48%, believe in psychic or spiritual healing. Slightly fewer, 39%, express a belief in ghosts, while between 24% and 29% say they believe in six other supernatural phenomena, including telepathy, communication with the dead, clairvoyance, astrology, reincarnation and witches.”

Clearly for decades America has been on a downward spiritual slide, slowly moving away from the things of God, and replacing Him with dark and evil things. It is a dangerously predictable and common trend in human history. We were created by God to be spiritual beings (even atheists), so if we are not heading in the direction of God, then we are shifting toward other places, like the dangerous but intriguing world of the supernatural.

Israel was a nation formed by God and were given laws directly by Him in which they were to be governed. For centuries they were ruled by kings, who were to lead the people according to the ways of God. Manasseh led Israel for 55 years, the longest of any king, and he is known as one of Israel’s most evil kings. Why? Because he took the nation on a downward spiritual slide, away from God, and replaced Him with the supernatural. History says of King Manasseh, “And he burned his sons as an offering in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, and used fortune-telling and omens and sorcery, and dealt with mediums and with necromancers. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger.” (2 Chronicles 33:6)

God strongly condemned the practices of Manasseh, and the king knew it. For God had laws directly addressing what he did. For God said, “There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord.” (Deuteronomy 18:10-12)

Spiritualism. The supernatural. Whatever you want to call it, is an enemy of God. And we can include wicca, paganism, white and black magic, spell casting, witchcraft, satanism, devil worship and more. God so condemns these that He declares, “Outside [of heaven] are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.” (Revelation 22:15)

What is one practical reason why God rejects the pursuit of the supernatural? Because it violates God’s Great Commandment through exalting the supernatural above God and by doing harm to our neighbor, whom we are supposed to love. It is built on the deception of oneself and others. There is no truth in it. Instead, the supernatural is rooted in lies and comes from the father of lies himself and leads toward evil and immorality of all kinds.

How should we respond? 1) Stop these practices! If you are involved in reading horoscopes, using Ouija boards or anything else like this, stop. Furthermore, get these items out of your house and off your smart phone. 2) Trust in God. Rather than putting your trust in a fortune teller or worshipping nature, come to the one true God for wisdom, truth and forgiveness.

Centuries ago, Jesus came from heaven to earth as the living God in the form of a man. He is the way, the truth and the life. Pursue Him alone, separate from all other ways.

A prayer for you – Lord God, we pray for those caught up in the practices of the supernatural. Open people’s eyes to see the deception and danger. Lift their attention toward you, the source of all truth. May they be delivered and place their trust fully in you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.