Michael Kelley

Michael Kelley is director of Discipleship at LifeWay Christian Resources and the author of Growing Down: Unlearning the Patterns of Adulthood that Keep Us from Jesus.

3 Keys to Participating With God

As Christians, we do not have to wonder if God is with us. The question is just how aware we are of him, not whether or not he is there.

The Case for Making Family Traditions

You are going to be doing these things on the same day every year. And these things will mark this day as one out of the ordinary.

Steadfast Confidence of a Christian

A Christian who is secure in their faith will willingly, and joyfully, serve without recognition. Indeed, they will seek to do so and will rejoice that God sees and takes notice of what is done in secret, demonstrating steadfast Christian confidence.

Praying for Our Personal Needs

Bread was, when Jesus first gave us this way to pray, the staple of life. The very basic element of every meal. And yet even this, Jesus reminds us, we cannot really provide for ourselves. And though we might have bread in our pantry today, praying for our personal needs is one of the means by which we pursue humility.

What Does Taking Up the Shield of Faith Look Like?

We can expect that day in and day out we will be pummeled by the flaming arrows of the great enemy of God and man, the devil. These flaming arrows might take many forms, but surely at least one of them is in the form of accusation, and taking up the shield of faith is crucial to counter this.

Assurance of Knowing You Are Saved

Salvation comes by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. There is no other way. We arent saved because we deserve it, because God owes us something, or because someone in our family took us to church. We are saved through faith, and it's important to know you are saved.

How to Increase Your Thirst for God’s Word

Our emotions are just as broken by sin as everything else is. As the Spirit of God is making us more like Jesus, He is not only changing our behavior; He is redeeming our emotional lives as well, helping us increase our thirst for God's Word.

Just One Path Following Jesus

They symbolically left their old way of life. They broke with the pasttheir past vocation, their sense of self, and their identity and fully embraced the future with Jesus. Thats what following Jesus does.