Author: Texas Gospel

The one true source of lasting peace

Published on by Texas GospelLeave a comment

TEXAS GOSPEL VOLUNTEER

There is only one genuine wellspring of peace available to believers, and it cannot coexist with deliberate disobedience to God’s will. Living against God’s instruction while expecting to feel calm and settled simply isn’t possible; the two cannot exist together.

The promise offered instead is remarkable in its scope: a peace so complete and unusual that it defies ordinary explanation. It allows a person to remain calm and steady on the inside even while circumstances around them are falling apart. This kind of stability doesn’t come from controlling outward events; it comes from an inward unity with God himself.

Christ described his own relationship with the Father as one of complete oneness, declaring that to have seen him was to have seen the Father as well. That same unity is offered to believers today. The honest question worth asking is what, if anything, is currently standing between a person and that kind of closeness with the Lord.

“Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Don’t let your heart be troubled or fearful.

John 14:27 (CSB)

Why scripture is essential to discovering God’s will

Published on by Texas GospelLeave a comment

TEXAS GOSPEL VOLUNTEER

Anyone seeking to understand what God wants for their life must start in the same place: the written word. Scripture reveals God’s heart and provides the daily guidance needed to make sound decisions.

Ignoring the Bible creates a vacuum quickly filled by other voices, many of which openly dismiss or criticize biblical truth while offering competing advice on how life should be lived. Scripture remains the primary channel through which God communicates with people today.

When someone expresses uncertainty about God’s direction for their life, the first and most practical piece of advice is simple: open the Bible and begin reading. As for where to start, there is something remarkable about how God works through this process. For those genuinely willing to immerse themselves in scripture, it is striking how often particular verses seem to provide exactly the clarity and direction being sought.

Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.

Psalm 119:105

Living the Christian life as a joyful inheritance

Published on by Texas GospelLeave a comment

TEXAS GOSPEL VOLUNTEER

Forgiveness and freedom are gifts that come from God, and they are meant to be enjoyed, not merely endured. The inheritance that comes through faith isn’t reserved for some distant future; much of it is meant to be experienced now, in the present.

A joyless, burdened approach to faith does little to draw others toward belief. When someone claims devotion to Christ while wearing a constant expression of sorrow, the message sent to the watching world is discouraging rather than inviting. True faith was never meant to look like a heavy obligation.

Instead, the Christian life should be understood as liberation, a release into the person God intends each believer to become. It isn’t primarily about actions performed or rules followed. It is about identity, about who a person actually is when Christ lives and works through them.

It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.

Galatians 5:1

How the anchor of scripture actually works

Published on by Texas GospelLeave a comment

TEXAS GOSPEL VOLUNTEER

People sometimes imagine that spiritual growth can happen passively. Some act as if simply keeping a Bible on a nightstand will somehow let its truth seep in overnight, as if understanding could be absorbed through proximity alone. Others hope that sleeping near scripture will eventually produce wisdom without effort. Neither approach actually works.

Genuine engagement with scripture requires action. I believe the first step is reading the text itself; there is no substitute for actually going through the words. Second, we need to meditate on what has been read, asking what the passage is the passage saying to me personally. Third, belief has to follow understanding; it isn’t enough to read words without trusting what they say. Fourth, the teaching must be applied to one’s own life, not used as a measuring stick for someone else’s behaviour. Finally, obedience completes the process; knowing and believing scripture means little without acting on it.

It’s part of our relationship with God. Although I gave five steps, I wrote this as an example, not something to be taken as a cold-cognitive process.

Do you read God’s word daily?

But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not just hearers who deceive themselves.

James 1:22

Is singleness spiritually superior to marriage?

Published on by Texas GospelLeave a comment

JEFF TURNER

In 1 Corinthians 7, Paul observes that an unmarried person tends to focus more fully on pleasing the Lord, while a married person inevitably divides attention toward pleasing a spouse. This might suggest singleness is universally the better spiritual path, but that conclusion oversimplifies what Paul actually teaches.

Singleness only proves spiritually advantageous for those who have specifically received the gift and calling for it, since scripture explicitly describes this as a particular gift from God rather than something suited to everyone. Forcing singleness onto someone not designed or gifted for it tends to create significant struggle rather than spiritual benefit, a reality illustrated tragically by the historical consequences of mandatory celibacy imposed within certain church traditions over the centuries.

For those genuinely designed for marriage, marriage represents the healthier and more appropriate path. Paul’s point was never that singleness grants freedom to live independently without accountability, but rather that those equipped with this specific gift can devote undivided attention to gospel work without the competing responsibilities marriage naturally brings.

Yet I wish that all men were even as I myself am. However, each has his own gift from God, one in this way, and another in that.

1 Corinthians 7:7