Surprise Yourself By Activating Your Will

Sometimes we think we are not able to accomplish Christformation and defeat a bad habit because we need something more when in fact we do not need anything more. God has already provided the strength inside us so it is within our character, or maturity level. If we commit ourselves to it then the change will come. Popular culture may tell us to just be ourselves, or that other people are responsible for all our problems, but Jesus calls us to actively grow up into new Adams who can overcome life’s challenges. A simple exercise will illustrate how your character relates to transformation. Think of a minor bad habit that you want to break. Commit yourself to abstain from the habit for one week while you look to Christ. Most people will find that they can succeed. This is because it was within their character, and they just needed to Continue Reading →

The Downfall Of The Rebellious – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

God says, “I will break the strength of the wicked,but I will increase the power of the godly. Psalms 75:10 (NLT) God is not willing that anyone should perish but desires that everyone comes to repentance (2 Pet. 3:9). But what if they never come to repentance? Should they be allowed to live with the righteous forever? Should God preserve them so that they can rebel against God for all eternity? Should they have the freedom to corrupt God’s eternal community of love with his followers? Because of his love and mercy toward his people, as well as for the sake of the radiance of his goodness, God must “break the strength of the wicked” one day. If they persist in their self-focused lives until they die, then their “freedom” to infect God’s creation must come to an end. This frees his people to live in peace and harmony with Continue Reading →

Am I Trying Too Hard Or Too Little?

When it comes to the relationship between God’s will and human will we are diving into a profound mystery that cannot be fully understood. The question cannot be completely answered because it is not clearly answered in Scripture. In order to answer this question we would have to understand how God’s will operates inside the depths of God which we cannot do because God’s nature is so far beyond our nature. We would also have to understand the details of how God relates to time and the nature of time itself. We cannot do this either. Even human will is a mystery to us. Considering how much we don’t know is it really possible to make assertions on this matter that are not clearly stated in Scripture? If we venture beyond Scripture, then we will find ourselves clinging to shaky speculations. What we can do is embrace what God has Continue Reading →

If We Lose Everything, We Still Have More Than Everything – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

Whom have I in heaven but you?And earth has nothing I desire besides you.My flesh and my heart may fail,but God is the strength of my heartand my portion forever. Psalms 73:25-26 (NIV) Whom have I in heaven but you?I desire you more than anything on earth.My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak,but God remains the strength of my heart;he is mine forever. Psalms 73:25-26 (NLT) We have presented this passage in two versions in order to get a better understanding of it. Asaph, the Psalmist, exclaims that the only thing he has in heaven is Yahweh, and the only thing he truly desires on Earth is Yahweh. Ultimately, all we really have anywhere, any time, is God. Everything else we have is dependent on God. Then the Psalmist reminds himself of God’s commitment to him. Even though his body gives out, and his heart – his Continue Reading →

Meditation Is Our Foundational Practice

Scripture instructs God’s people to meditate on God’s words. When the Israelites were preparing to cross the Jordan river into the promised land God told Joshua: “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful” (Joshua 1:8, NIV). Hundreds of years later this was still practiced; Psalms 1:1-2 promises: “Blessed is the one . . . whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night” (NIV), (also see Ps. 119:25, 23, 78). Meditation is the single most important spiritual discipline in Christian history. It is the central practice followed by the great Christians of the past and is essential to Christformation. Solid meditation includes prayer and walking in the Spirit so it is comprehensive. Below Continue Reading →