Category: Interior Life

spiritual pride

Freedom From The Prison Of Spiritual Pride

Posted on by

Have you noticed that as you grow you run into new kinds of sins that are more subtle and hidden? As we mature we don’t wrestle as much with obvious sins like lying and ungodly speech. This can trick us into thinking that we have conquered the major sins in our life. Yet growth brings with it a whole new set of vices. The 16th century Christian teacher John of the Cross called these spiritual vices. They are spiritual versions of the seven deadly sins. These vices block our spiritual growth and oneness with God. Thus, they are spiritual enemy number one! The first spiritual vice John describes is spiritual pride. We develop pride in our spiritual accomplishments and spiritual growth. This can especially apply to our spiritual disciplines. We find ourselves being critical with others for not having enough devotion. We may also dislike praising others for their maturity because Continue Reading →

pouring filled up

How Can I Be Filled With God?

Posted on by

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 →

spiritual marriage

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

Posted on by

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 →

discernment

Discerning The Voices In Our Head

Posted on by

Recently we posted two articles on discernment (Part 1 and Part 2). One of the points deserves some elaboration. It is the question of distinguishing between God’s voice and ideas we generate ourselves. Quoting from our previous post: “Our own inner voice is very capable of speaking many things to us! Many confuse it with the voice of God. It can sound like another person talking. It can answer our questions, give direction, give long prophecies, teach us ideas – but none of it is from God. We should never underestimate the power of the human soul to generate all kinds of impressions that may seem like they are not from us. We need to be humble and seriously consider this possibility when doing discernment.” Ironically, this problem of discerning voices becomes a bigger problem when we start believing that God does talk to us and guide us. Then we Continue Reading →

two roads

Is Victory Over Your Faults Beyond Your Character?

Posted on by

Have you noticed how sometimes the reason we can’t rid ourselves of a fault is because we haven’t fully intended to do it? We make some mild efforts to change but they don’t work. Then one day we decide to put our full effort into it, ask for God’s help, and presto – the fault is gone! But we also have another kind of experience with out faults: failure, in spite of all our efforts. “I keep trying to stop doing this, but it doesn’t work.” We’ve probably all said this at some point. We want to rid ourselves of a fault so we ask God for help, read books, study Scripture, and exercise our willpower but nothing works. And the fault lives on. Why do we have such different experiences with becoming holy? Because some changes are within our character and some are not. What do I mean by Continue Reading →