Category: Level: Beginner

An important element of holiness is being careful about what we expose ourselves to. This includes what we view, hear, and read. This post takes a closer look at the environments to which we subject ourselves. Viewing and Listening. In the modern world we are constantly bombarded by ungodly images and words. Sex, violence, and materialism seem to be the most popular topics. Images are especially intrusive as they often linger in our memory. It is easy to become complacent or negligent about what we allow our eyes to see, but when we voluntarily and unnecessarily expose ourselves to ungodly images we are affecting our Spiritual life. They make an impression on our soul that conflicts with the indwelling Holy Spirit. The voluntary presence of the image produces a place in our soul that is temporarily out of harmony with God; we have allowed something unclean into the temple of Continue Reading →

One type of faith is faith in God’s promises for all believers at all times. We are always justified in expecting God to fulfill such promises. But there is another type of faith that causes many problems. It consists of expecting something from God that he has not promised for all believers, something which he is justified in giving or withholding. Of course, when we ask for something from God that he has not promised for all believers we should still ask with faith that he will give it. But you might ask: “Sometimes our requests are not his will so how we can have faith that he will give something when we don’t know if it is his will?” The answer is that we can have faith like a child. When a trusting child asks their father for something that they think their father will think is good, then Continue Reading →

Loving God is the supreme mark of maturity. When we love him we will desire to be like him. We will desire to see him someday. We will desire to please him. We will find ourselves just thinking about him. We will desire to study his words in Scripture. We will desire to talk to him. We will desire to purify everything ungodly from our life. We will desire to be with others who love him. All of these naturally flow from loving God, even if they might start small in our early Christian life. As we follow these desires they will grow and so will our Christformation. When we love God then this love will naturally manifest through us in many ways. It lifts our hearts, blooms into joy and gives us strength. In the words of the author of the Imitation of Christ: Love flies, runs and jumps Continue Reading →