Author: Phil Rehberg

inordinate affections, harmful desires attchments

Unhealthy Affections – Imitation Of Christ Chapter Six

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Imitation of Christ  Chapter Six – Unhealthy Affections When someone has exorbitant love for something other than God or people it makes them restless. Excessive affections makes someone weak when temptation comes. This carnal person has not died to self and their destructive attachments. Their spirit is weak and they keep looking for worldly pleasure. When they deprive themself of the objects of their affections they become sad and irritable. And when they give in to their unhealthy affections they feel guilty. They also realize they aren’t truly satisfied and didn’t find peace. These attachments or affections keep one from becoming like Christ. Many believers don’t grow because they have so much love for things or their self. Some of these are fine in moderation but their heart is so attached it prevents them from fully loving God. They wonder why they don’t feel closer to God but they ignore Continue Reading →

Weekly Word Of Encouragement – We Are Holy

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“But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” I Cor. 6:11 (NLT) When we believed on Jesus God made us holy. That may seem strange when we see the unholiness in our lives but the key is understanding the “already/not yet” theme in the New Testament. We are already holy, but not yet completely in heart and action. So we can say that we are holy now, for we are saints and we can recline in this truth, even though God is making us more and more pure. Application: pick one or two words from the verse that help you and repeat it to yourself throughout the day or week. God Will Reward The Pure – Weekly Words Of EncouragementNovember 17, 2025Our Future Perfect CommunityNovember 14, 2025God Continue Reading →

Spiritual learning, thinking

Spiritual Learning – Imitation Of Christ Chapter Five

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Spiritual Learning – Imitation Of Christ Chapter Five When we read scripture we should focus on the purpose of the passage, not on ideas for irrelevant debates. We should look for truth and edification. Pointless curiosity often blocks us from gaining from scripture. We stop and ruminate over something that doesn’t really matter instead of moving on to something that does matter. We should read books that are simple and godly as well as some that are deep and challenging. God speaks through many kinds of people; it shouldn’t matter if an author is educated or uneducated. We shouldn’t gravitate to an author’s reputation but rather to the truth that they write. We shouldn’t gravitate to an author’s reputation but rather to the truth that they write. Don’t read to build a reputation for yourself, rather read with humility. And when you find someone who is mature ask them many Continue Reading →

Weekly Word Of Encouragement – All Things Are Ours

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“All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours” I Cor. 3:21b-22 (NIV) This is one of the most unusual and comprehensive promises in the Bible. Because we have God and because He has us everything is “ours”. Nothing possesses us; we possess everything. The world, true life, victory over death, this present day and all future days belong to us. Application: pick one or two words from the verse that help you and repeat it to yourself throughout the day or week. God Will Reward The Pure – Weekly Words Of EncouragementNovember 17, 2025Our Future Perfect CommunityNovember 14, 2025God Will Show Us Mercy – Weekly Words Of EncouragementNovember 10, 2025

wisdom

On Becoming Wise – Imitation Of Christ Chapter Four

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Today’s post is an interpretation of the fourth chapter of the most popular devotional book in the history of Christianity, The Imitation of Christ. It was written by a monk (or possibly several monks) in the 15th century named Thomas a Kempis. You can view all the posts in this series by selecting “Imitation of Christ” in the categories listing. On Becoming Wise – Imitation of Christ – Chapter Four Find a counselor who is a better Christian than you. See that they are wise and full of integrity. Don’t just depend on your own wisdom for living your Christian life. You will deceive yourself by being too harsh and too lenient. You will overlook important truth and overemphasize less important truth. Many Christians stumble because they did not humble themselves and find a godly counselor. “If you’re not humble, you will stumble.” It is great wisdom to avoid hasty or Continue Reading →