Author: Phil Rehberg

pouring filled up

How Can I Be Filled With God?

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We want to be full of God’s goodness and be one with Him, but we find that we are distracted by the demands and values of the world. So how do we overcome these pressures? One of the biggest themes in the New Testament is that having a view of God’s tremendous love and future blessings for us will empower us to let go of worldliness and participate in God’s fullness. We see this in one of the most famous prayers of the New Testament – the Apostle Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3:14-19: 14For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15from whom every familyc in heaven and on earth is named, 16that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being Continue Reading →

Weekly words of encouragement

The Tremendous Rewards For Passing Tests Of Faith – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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“You have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith . . . may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” I Pet 1:6b-7 (ESV) This passage encourages us with three experiences believers will have if their faith passes the test of trials in their life. Some of us have difficult external trials, some of us have difficult internal trials and some of us have both, but I have never known anyone who doesn’t have some trials. We all have the opportunity to grow our faith through trials. When Jesus returns and reveals himself to all then he will bless His people for enduring trials in ways that may even embarrass us because of their lavishness. First, Jesus will actually praise us for passing the trials.  How melodious will be the sound of Jesus actually speaking Continue Reading →

resurrection new adam

Jesus Makes Us Into New Adams

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Do you ever think about how wonderful it would be if you could be like Adam or Eve before they fell? Wouldn’t it be fantastic to live in perfect harmony with God and others? During the holy week when our hearts are so focused on Jesus and the end of his life it is helpful to remember why he came: so God could restore our Adamic nature and our Adamic relationship with God. In fact, Jesus does this and more! Remember that the old arrangement, or Mosaic covenant, that God had with his people did not succeed in producing a nation of people who loved God and followed his ways. The people could not produce a new garden on earth where everyone lived in harmony and prosperity. This was all rooted in the fact that they could not eliminate the corruption from their nature. The condemnation from the Garden remained. Continue Reading →

Weekly words of encouragement

Your Faith Is A Treasure To God – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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“Your faith [is] more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire.” I Pet 1:7 (ESV) Consider how joyful many of us would be if we discovered a stash of gold in our yard. We could get rid of our mortgage, help the needy, do whatever we want in ministry and not need any income from it, give donations to other ministries we value and put our kids into the best schools. But as valuable as that gold is, it will perish. This is in spite of the fact that someone went to a lot of trouble to purify the gold with fire. Most things – like people, animals, plants – can not survive a fire. Gold can. And yet, as valuable and strong as gold is, our faith is more precious than that. In fact, gold will perish one day, but the fruits of our faith Continue Reading →

spiritual marriage

What Is It Like To Live In Full Intimacy With God?

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We often hear about being intimate with God. We all want to be closer to God although it may be unclear to us what that really means. Today we will taste some of that life, and I suspect that this taste will fire our hearts and bring us closer to complete loving surrender to God. And if you are wondering how to motivate people to pursue Jesus then consider beginning with this kind of material. Once people see the treasure then they will be more willing to “sell all they have” in order to get the treasure. When people understand what God wants to do for them then they are much more willing to embrace your leading. John of the Cross was a 16th century Spaniard who pursued and loved God as much as anyone ever did. We are blessed that he was also a great writer and could express Continue Reading →