Category: Interior Life

old vs. new covenant

What Is The Difference Between The Old And New Covenants In Our Lives?

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Understanding the differences between the Old and New Covenants helps us to grasp our roles on earth as we follow Jesus. There is a big difference between what God wanted his people to hope for in this life under the Old Covenant and what he wants us to hope for in this life under the New Covenant, which was established by the blood of Jesus on the Cross. As you read through the following list consider how it influences your life. New: forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with God through the blood of Christ (vs Old: temporary forgiveness of sins through sacrifices at the temple.) New: God’s people not associated with any specific nation or ethnic group (vs Old: God’s people were part of the nation of Israel and the Jews; the Jews were evicted from Palestine in the early 2nd century.) New: No specific location of God’s abiding presence Continue Reading →

holy spirit

What Does The Holy Spirit Feel Like?

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It is important to understand what it feels like for us to host the Spirit of God. This helps us avoid discouragement as well as presumption. Jesus gave us some description of the experience of the Spirit when he said: “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ Now this he said about the Spirit” (John 7:38-39, ESV). The Spirit wants to be a river of life flowing out of us! Some people feel a strong sense of the Spirit when they first believe. They may feel a powerful love from God invading their hearts. They may feel a peaceful presence from outside them filling them up inside. They may feel strong joy or holiness. Later, their strong sense of his Spirit often becomes moderate or light. A few are blessed with a strong sense of the Spirit for Continue Reading →

at home with God

How To Pursue God From Home

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Many people around the world are now spending almost all their time at home. If you have found yourself with some extra time or even feeling bored then please consider taking your pursuit of God up a notch. This is your chance to go deeper and discover a greater connection with God. Here are some ideas from previous posts that should help. Learn to let Scripture transform, of “Christform” as I like to say, you. Use this Activational Meditation format to let Scripture go deep and change your heart: https://www.meatformaturity.org/activational-reading-how-to-let-gods-word-change-you/ . Do a “deep clean” of your soul. This might be a time for you to let God work on your weaknesses, unbelief, lack of love and bad habits. Use this exercise to walk through the process of purification: https://www.meatformaturity.org/how-to-work-through-purification/ Here is a more thorough guide for purification for more deeply embedded issues: guide. Assess your spiritual life. Here is Continue Reading →

society in turmoil

When Society Is In Turmoil

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COVID-19 has plunged much of the world into turmoil. People are fearing for their lives, for their loved ones and for their financial situation. It feels like the 9/11 disaster happening over a 30-day period. The world is not going to be the same for a while. How does a follower of Jesus walk through this? Perhaps it would be good to begin with prayer. If we haven’t been keeping our focus on God then this is a good time to recommit to that. Let’s turn to God first and talk with him. Let this time lead you to more dependence on, and interaction with, God. And let our prayers be from the heart. In other words, let’s express what we are really feeling, not what we would express if we were already perfectly Christformed. The Psalms are a great guide to honestly pouring out our heart to God so Continue Reading →

rewards

The Ultimate Reward In Eternity – Rewards Part 3

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Our last two posts looked at individual rewards that believers will have in eternity. First we saw that God has promised individual rewards; second, we saw that one of those rewards will be management over God’s creation. In fact, other than God’s expressed approval of our lives, there are no other clearly stated individual rewards in Scripture. However, in this post I offer a suggestion about the nature of individual rewards. As I reflect on this, I ask myself these questions: “What kind of reward would our loving God give to his children?” Answer: probably whatever is most valuable in eternity. “What is most valuable in eternity?” Answer: partaking of God’s nature, for there is no higher bliss than God himself. “So how could God make a reward out of partaking of his nature?” Answer: we already know that when he fully restores his image in us he will make Continue Reading →