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Excerpts from “The Right Fight: How to Live a Loving Life” by John Kennedy VaughanUn-Forgiveness Stops Our Lives On A Dime“Because time keeps moving forward, un-forgiveness leads to us living our lives walking backward as we keep staring at what’s happened. It prevents us from focusing on what is happening in our lives.“Forgiving ourselves or others is not about pretending our action or another’s action is OK or no longer regrettable. There are things I did thirty years ago that I despise more …

If We Sin, is Salvation Possible?Answer: YesIn your dying moments, if you believe that your sin can cost you your salvation, I would ask you two question; "Does anyone love Jesus perfectly? Does anyone love Him as much as they ought to? If the answer to the first question is no, then the answer to the second question has to be no, because we’re supposed to love Him perfectly, but we don’t, and we all sin. If we all are sinners, and we do not love Jesus perfectly, then how can anyone's salvat …

ForgiveBearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.FearFear is one of the most destructive forces in relationships. It never motivates us to do the right thing. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”Men typically mask their fear by trying to be macho. Women typically don't hide it but it will cause destruction in your relations …

LoveI am scared of God because I see Him as imposing and angry.  How do I get that out of my mind?  I have had this question a few times and at first I was shocked because I have never viewed God in that way. I was always taught that when I was punished or disciplined it was for my benefit and It truly was, because my parent's loved me. I had the benefit of knowing that beyond anything my parents loved me and even though it hurt at the time it was going to give me more opportunity …

Thinking Our thinking determines how we relate to everyone in our lives. It impacts how we view others. It impacts how we view ourselves. It even impacts our relationship with God. Unfortunately we have fallen thinking. We have to take our fallen thinking and conform it to biblical thinking. Change Changing our thinking can be hard because the Word of God seems foolish to us. 1 Cor. 2:14 says - "The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to hi …

“For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16Animal SacrificeWhy did God send Jesus to earth? Answer, God sent Jesus to earth so that all who accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior will have eternal life. Why?God is perfect, sinless, righteous.Man is imperfect, sinful, unrighteous.For man to be acceptable to God, Man’s sins must be paid for, atoned, forgiven.For man to stand in the presence of the …

No Parent is PerfectWhen I think about this question I remember a saying that Blake Bradley's father used to say... "If you don't stake a young tree don't be surprised when it grows crooked." No parent is perfect but imperfect parenting leads to baggage that carries over in life. As young kids we bend and twist. God’s way is straight.Children Learn From Parents - Good and BadWe twist in a certain direction due to the pressures inflicted upon us by our families and parents. We do what they do. We …

God's PromiseGod said, “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins” (Isaiah 43:25). He also said, “For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:11-12).We all sin. I'm sure I do everyday, but God has provided the only solution for us to be restored to a relationship with Him. “If we confess our …

Hard TruthI must admit I have said this before "I've promised God hundreds of times that I'll do better, but then I goof up and go back to my old ways. God must have given up on me long ago. I would have, if I'd been in His place."One of the hardest truths for us to grasp about God is that He isn’t exactly like we are. If I were in God’s place, my patience would have run out long ago. But thank God I am not in God’s place! The Bible says, “But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slo …

SinThe Bible says that all humans have sinned (Romans 3:23). Each of us is deserving of eternal separation from God (Romans 6:23). No matter the sin, murder, terrorism, adultery, theft, pride, gossip, jealousy, lying, etc... we deserve to be punished. It's an all-or-nothing scenario. God does not judge us on whether our "good" outweighs our "bad," but on whether we will accept His way of salvation.Love"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not …