Month: May 2023

Weekly words of encouragement

You Know The Truth And You Are Free – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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“And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true,” 1 Jn 5:20 (ESV). Not only do you know the truth, but you know the one who is the truth (John 14:6). You know God, who is the source of truth and his nature is truth. You know the truths that restore God’s image in you and make you like Jesus. You know the falsehoods that tear people down. Today there is an explosion of different ideas and philosophies that claim to tell us what is true. Many are versions of the idea that the only truth is what you choose, or what is inside you. This idea just leads to narcissism which is why we see so much self-centeredness and destructiveness in the world. But Jesus gave us understanding. He showed us God’s truth so Continue Reading →

battle warrior

The Real Battle Against Sin For Seasoned Believers

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After turning away from the more obvious sins in our lives, we may begin to think that we are fairly godly. But now we face the real battle against sin. Sinful thoughts and attitudes remained buried deep within our hearts and control us in ways we don’t realize. If we saw all our sin at once, it would overwhelm us and drive some of us mad…which is a warning against over-examining ourselves. Yet we still desire to grow in godliness. We want to share God’s nature and reflect it to others, and to do that we must continually give him permission to uncover deeper areas of our lives. Better yet, we should eagerly ask him to do so. Then our hearts will have an attitude of continual openness to his promptings. We will be more willing to open the door when we begin to hear the faint knocking of his Continue Reading →

Weekly words of encouragement

You Have Christ’s Power To Resist Temptation – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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 “For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” Heb 2:18 (ESV) Since Jesus felt the suffering that comes with resisting temptation he is able to help us too. How does he help us? Through the reality that all believers are connected to him like a body to a head. Thus, the same power to resist temptation that Jesus had, he gives to us when we abide in him. Temptation can include temptation to pride instead of humility, or temptation to neglect devotional time, or giving in to any of the deeper weaknesses inside us. When we feel the trouble that comes with temptation, when we feel the pull of our destructive desires, when we want to follow God but feel weak, then we can stop ourselves and put our hearts in front of Jesus. He knows what it is like Continue Reading →

listening, contemplation

You Will Benefit From Contemplation

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Contemplation is simply gazing on something in order to absorb it, not to analyze it or figure it out. Other words that describe contemplation are attentiveness and watching. We could also call it quiet receptivity. An example of contemplation that many of us do is watching a sunset. Usually, when we watch a sunset we just gaze and enjoy. We don’t need to analyze the physics of a sunset or really think about anything; we are just observing and absorbing. You benefit from contemplation through experiencing whatever you contemplate. Contemplative prayer is simply contemplation directed at God. It is not meditation, which is ruminating over something and trying to gain understanding. Meditation is good but it is different from contemplation. In contemplation we simply become attentive to God or whatever we sense God might be doing inside us. In the Pentecostal/Charismatic tradition people sometimes use the phrase “being in God’s Continue Reading →

Weekly words of encouragement

God Sees Your Hidden Good Deeds

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“The good deeds done in secret will someday come to light.” I Tim 5:25b (NLT) Paul makes this statement right after mentioning the coming judgment of all lives. So the encouragement in this passage is that God sees your hidden good deeds and will reward them! This truth, along with our love for God, is why we practice always living our lives in the presence of God. Is not the true test of our godliness the way we live when no one else is around? So we can rejoice in doing unseen good because we are walking with God at that time and He values what we do. And it greatly pleases us that we can do things that make the God of love smile. No matter who has authority over us, we are to do our duties first to the Lord, which should be a blessing to those over Continue Reading →