faith Archives

Rescuing Your Marriage from Pornography

Pornography destroys marriages.

It breeds disconnection instead of intimacy.It deepens secrecy.It creates distrust.

The data is astonishing. Josh McDowell did a study which revealed that 79 percent of men in the evangelical church use pornography at least once a month. Fifty-five percent of marriages are negatively impacted by pornography.

Many women are in pain because of their husband’s pornography use. They feel isolated, ashamed, hopeless, and helpless. They’ve tried many things to fight for their marriage – like being more sexual with him; being more patient, forgiving, or gracious; or creating a more loving environment.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family, marriage November 16, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Why Praying for Yourself Is Essential

For whom do you pray? Family? Friends? Leaders? Neighbors? All of the above?

Do you pray for yourself?

Some Christians don’t. They’re consumed by the needs of others. They find it easier to seek help on behalf of someone else than to seek it for themselves. Or they believe that praying for oneself is prideful.

Author Jodie Berndt says praying for yourself is essential. For one thing, prayer connects us to the Spirit of God. As the vine feeds its branches, and the branches bear fruit, so the Lord expresses His goodness through us into the lives of other people.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, prayer November 15, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Going All Out for Your Wife

Men, we’re at war.

Most guys probably don’t think about their roles as husbands or fathers in those terms very often. That could be why so many men succumb to the dangers of pornography and adulterous affairs. They seem oblivious to how the enemy of their soul uses those temptations to ruthlessly plot their destruction.

That’s why author and speaker Dr. Steve Farrar specifically compares a man’s role in his home to point men in military conflict.

Topics: Current Events Tags: faith, family, marriage November 11, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Hope for the Anxious

On a scale of one to ten – ten being the worst – how anxious do you feel? Six? Seven? Are you ever in the eight to nine range?

Anxiety is rampant in our culture and in our homes. Anxiety is about the scary “what ifs?” in life. What if our children don’t make good decisions? What if the economy negatively impacts our jobs? We dream up horrible scenarios about everything that could happen and rehearse them over and over again in our minds.

Topics: Current Events Tags: faith November 10, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

How You Can Help Support Foster and Adoptive Families

November is National Adoption Month in the United States and Adoption Awareness Month in Canada. These observances highlight a great need.

In the United States, there are more than 400,000 children in foster care. Over 100,000 are waiting to be adopted.

Scripture teaches that each of us is called to care for the vulnerable. Other than a child in the womb, no one is more vulnerable than a child without a family. How can you help?

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family, parenting November 8, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

A Captive Missionary’s Journey to Freedom

This coming Sunday is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. This special day reminds us that Christians still suffer for their faith all around the world. Some even give their lives for believing in Jesus. We must not forget their sacrifice, or the sacrifice of all of those who risk life and limb for the Gospel’s sake.

Pastor Andrew Brunson and his wife, Norine, began serving as missionaries to Turkey in 1993, where only one out of every 16,000 people is a Christian.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith November 4, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Cultivating a Kingdom Marriage

The war epic Saving Private Ryan opens with one of the most riveting battle scenes in film history. It depicts in graphic detail the D-Day invasion of Omaha Beach in Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944. It’s a vivid depiction of heroic bravery and sacrifice.

I also think it depicts the spiritual battle that’s waging over your marriage and mine. Satan despises marriage, and he hopes to destroy each one he can. Trace human history back to the Garden, and you’ll see that Satan made his move against humanity after God brought Adam and Eve together in a union designed to reflect the relationship between Christ and His church and the intimacy shared between the Trinity.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family, marriage November 2, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

A Two Word Solution to an Age-Old Problem: Stop It!

Readers above a certain age will remember the comedian Bob Newhart. Now 92 years-old, the actor known for his deadpan delivery once played a psychologist dispensing advice to a cast of eclectic characters. Encountering a woman who feared and thought continuously about being buried in a box, the doctor famously relayed a two-word solution:

“Stop it!”

Naturally, breaking a bad and destructive habit is easier said than done. But the first step is realizing the harm that is done by consuming pornography.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family, marriage, parenting, pop culture October 27, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

A Godly Perspective on End-of-Life Decisions

What would you do?

Imagine this scenario: You’re standing beside a hospital bed. The prognosis is not good. The doctor gives you two options. Remove your loved one from artificial life support. Or keep them alive indefinitely with it.

What would you do? What is biblical? What is permissible? What is compassionate?

Many families are facing complicated decisions in this era of intensive-care medicine, and they need help navigating it. To that end, Dr. Kathryn Butler is our guest on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “A Godly Perspective on End-of-Life Decisions.” She’s a former trauma surgeon with a decade of experience as a critical care specialist.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith October 26, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Sharing Your Faith with Boldness

In 2014, brothers David and Jason Benham were considered the next stars of the HGTV cable channel. Their show Flip It Forward was expected to be as successful as Chip and Joanna Gaines’ show, Fixer Upper.

However, five weeks into a 10-week film shoot – and just months away from airing the first episode – David and Jason were fired. HGTV executives said activist organizations had begun confronting the channel and targeting advertisers. The reason?

The Benham brothers are unabashedly vocal about social issues related to marriage and pro-life values.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, marriage, pro-life October 22, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura