Author: Phil Rehberg

self exam

Ask God To Reveal Your Heart

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Honest self-examination is critical to maturity because it reveals areas of resistance to the restoration of the image of God. If you take the time to go through this post I think you will learn more about the benefits of self-examination. Proverbs 4:23 prescribes self-examination: “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life” (ESV). Our heart is like a reservoir that we need to protect from pollution because our life springs from it. So it is important to ask yourself if you do self-examination with “all vigilance”. Paul told the Ephesian elders: “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood” (Acts 20:28, ESV). Thus, we need to be proficient at discerning our thoughts and attitudes. Self-examination and self-knowledge have Continue Reading →

heaven angel

Seeking And Focusing On Things Above

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Our passage is Colossians 3:1-2 “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (ESV). Notice that it says that we have been raised with Christ, implying that part of us is in heaven with Christ now (“we are seated with him in the heavenly places,” Eph. 2:6). Since that is true our minds should be focused on Christ’s location: heaven. In fact, we are to seek heavenly things, not just be aware of them. What heavenly things should we seek and set our minds on? Most importantly, the virtues of God. We are to seek the fruits of the Spirit. And since we are citizens of the Heavenly Jerusalem, we should seek to live in accord with that culture. Continue Reading →

Weekly words of encouragement

The Righteous Way Will Become Brighter – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn,which shines ever brighter until the full light of day. Proverbs 4:18 (NLT) This proverb encourages us to walk in the way of righteousness because the path gets brighter and better the longer we travel it. If we are trying to break a bad habit, such as changing our viewing habits, it might feel like we have only a glimmer of the blessing when we first make the change. It may be distasteful at first (darkness), but we can taste a little of the benefit (the first gleam of dawn). If we continue to walk in the new way, the way becomes broader and brighter. The darkness fades and we become more attached to the goodness we have found in this new righteous way. Therefore, do not become weary of purifying your life from corruption. It may feel unpleasant Continue Reading →

Weekly words of encouragement

God Favors The Humble – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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He mocks proud mockersbut shows favor to the humble and oppressed. Proverbs 3:34 (NIV) This verse reminds us of 1 Peter 5:6: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time” (NIV). God will not favor those who are proud and mock God or his goodness. They may have some prosperity in this age, but they will not have joy and peace, and they will suffer punishment in the next age. It is not our responsibility to lift ourselves up, promote ourselves, or in any way grasp for honor or success in order to boost ourselves. Our Father will give us favor and promote us according to his love and wisdom. He asks that we maintain a humble attitude. Whether we are at work, at home or at church our role is to remain humble. We maintain an attitude of the heart that Continue Reading →

struggling with his energy

Struggling With All God’s Energy

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Though you may not get involved in debates about free will versus God’s sovereignty, you probably still think about how much to rely on your efforts and how much to rely on the Holy Spirit’s efforts. If you want to learn patience, do you exert as much fortitude as possible or do you wait for strength from the Spirit? For help with this, consider Paul’s description of his ministry in Colossians 1:28-29: “That we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me (ESV). This is a strange statement. How can someone struggle but use someone else’s energy to do so? I can work with my own energy and you can work with your energy, but you cannot work with my energy. Even if I somehow inspire you with my energy, you still can’t use my energy to Continue Reading →