Category: What do you think?

Careless words reveal the heart

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TEXAS GOSPEL VOLUNTEER

Jesus warned that people will give an account for every careless word spoken, adding that a person’s words will play a role in both justification and condemnation. This raises a natural question. Can words themselves carry saving or condemning power? The answer lies in understanding words and deeds as evidence rather than causes. Let me put that another way. Salvation and condemnation are not the result of what a person says or does. Words and actions reveal the underlying spiritual condition already present in someone’s life.

This mirrors the broader biblical principle that a person’s fruit reveals their true nature. At the final judgment, a life marked by good works and righteous conduct serves as evidence of genuine salvation, since believers have been created for good works that God prepared in advance for them to walk in. On the other hand, a life consistently marked by evil words and deeds reveals the absence of that salvation.

What do your words reveal about you?

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Ephesians 2:10

Knowing the Word isn’t the same as proclaiming it

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DAVID INGRAM

You may have heard someone introduced as a preacher. Or Bible teacher. or both. Are they really different things? Absolutely! Preaching and teaching are not the same, though they overlap.

Preaching comes from a word meaning herald. It means proclamation. A preacher announces the gospel to those who haven’t believed, or calls believers to act.

Teaching, on the other hand, comes from a word meaning instructor. It’s explanation of the scripture and it is directed to people who have already accepted Jesus’ blood for the redemption of sin.

So, why is this important? Consider this. You can be the most learned person, and still not do a thing to spread the Gospel. You can be quite comfortable in church where you will most likely receive complements on your understanding. But have you shared the Gospel with anyone?

Romans 10:14-15

How then are they to call on Him in whom they have not believed? How are they to believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher? But how are they to preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!”

Building a marriage on a lasting spiritual foundation

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TEXAS GOSPEL VOLUNTEER

A strong home begins with a marriage built on more than affection or convenience. I heard an evangelist put it this way: marriage is not a temporary arrangement but a lifelong commitment established by God himself. Any household hoping to stand firm needs a spiritual foundation to support it.

That foundation comes down to putting God first. No marriage is free of difficulty, but couples are encouraged to bring their struggles directly to God in prayer rather than trying to work through them alone.

Our families cannot be sustained through willpower or good intentions alone. We need to admit our dependence on God and express it through consistent prayer and a shared commitment between husband and wife.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,

Ephesians 5:25

Turning failure into good: trusting God’s plan for success

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TEXAS GOSPEL VOLUNTEER

God’s desire is not for his people to experience failure in any part of life; instead, he leads them toward genuine success. At times, however, I believe he permits setbacks specifically so that a valuable lesson can be learned, one that ultimately shapes a person into who he intends them to become. This reality places a choice before every believer: whether to follow God’s direction or not.

Every person has encountered failure, disappointment, and rejection at some point along the way. Yet the promise found in Romans 8:28 remains true, that God works all circumstances together for good. Reflecting on personal experience confirms this pattern, since moments that once seemed beyond any possible redemption were consistently reshaped into something good, provided there was obedience and a willingness to follow God’s instruction rather than resist it.

Working for the good may not mean working for what we want. Or working for prosperity. Or guarantee of comfort. If that were the case, why would the Bible have so many verses about enduring hardships?

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

Are guardian angels real?

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TEXAS GOSPEL VOLUNTEER

The idea of a personal guardian angel assigned to each believer is a popular notion, often reinforced by books and films, but it does not match what scripture actually teaches.

A frequently cited passage warns against despising “little ones,” describing their angels as continually seeing the face of the Father in heaven. Read in context, this is not a reference to children in a literal, physical sense. Throughout that section of scripture, believers themselves are described as spiritual children, cared for by God as his own.

Rather than assigning one angel to each individual believer, the passage describes a collective reality: God cares for his people through angelic activity in a general sense. Angels serve the Father’s will on behalf of believers as a whole, though their work often remains unseen. Elsewhere, scripture warns believers to remain hospitable, since they might unknowingly entertain angels. While believers cannot see angels or fully understand their activity, scripture affirms that God has appointed angels as ministering spirits sent to serve those who believe.

Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to provide service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?

Hebrews 1:14