Category: Level: Intermediate

anxiety

Anxiety Awareness Helps Us Develop Faith

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Anxiety is epidemic in many societies; faith is the antidote to anxiety. When we connect to God’s reality all other circumstances lose their control over us and peace guards our hearts. Our faith grows as we become aware of our fears, face them, and disarm them by letting God be in control and trusting him to help us deal with the results. Even when we feel fear we need to choose faith. The recipe for peace is to “cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Pet. 5:7, NIV). Since anxiety is an excellent indicator of weak faith it is helpful to develop the habit of becoming aware of our anxieties then learning to defeat the unbelief behind them. Below is an exercise to develop this habit. Guide to Anxiety Awareness For one week make a written note every time you feel anxious about something. Some Continue Reading →

heaven, on earth, sun

Where Will We Spend Eternity?

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We often say that we will live forever in heaven. But Scripture speaks of a New Earth. ​Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.” Revelation 21:1-3 (ESV) So, where will we live? To begin, we recall that in this present age we are citizens of the New Jerusalem which is in heaven (Heb. 12:22) and will descend to earth in the next age. Thus, our new home Continue Reading →

new earth, callings

Looking Forward To The Fulfillment Of The Purposes Of Our Lives

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This post is about our future hope, the anchor for our lives. First, think back to the Garden of Eden. Consider the callings (we could also refer to them as missions or commissions) that God gave to Adam and Eve. They lived in a paradise, but God did not want them to just sit and enjoy the scenery. Rather, he made them in his image and likeness giving them tremendous abilities and individual gifts so that they could expand the Garden of Eden and create beautiful societies in a beautiful world. Below are the eleven callings God gave to them; these are the purposes for our existence: The Eleven Callings for Humans in the Garden of Eden Bear the image of God (Gen. 1:26-27) Be fruitful (Gen. 1:28) Multiply (Gen. 1:28) Fill the earth (Gen. 1:28) Subdue the earth (Gen. 1:28) Exercise dominion over animals (Gen. 1:28) Work the garden Continue Reading →

wedding marriage

Our Future Blissful Marriage

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The most astonishing feature of the next age is that we will be “married” to the Lamb (Rev. 19:6-9; 21:2, 9-27; 22:17).[1] “In the story of redemption and the history of heaven the supreme event for which the ages are waiting is the marriage of the Lamb. The Bible is one long love story and redemption a divine romance of the love of God.”[2] The bride of the Lamb comes down out of heaven as the New Jerusalem (the city of the saints of God) “having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel” (21:11). Our wedding day will finally arrive and having been clothed in staggering beauty our loving Bridegroom will take us into his heart and ravish us in loving embrace forever. Being Christformed, deep will call to deep and form a complete, eternal spiritual bond with God. As in a human marriage, this union Continue Reading →

fulfillment satisfaction

Are You Lacking Fulfillment?

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God gave humans healthy desires that he intends to fulfill, although he does not promise to fulfill all of them in this age. If our overall level of fulfillment is low then it is safe to say that we are in a time of suffering. The following fulfillment assessment helps us to see our overall level of fulfillment and to know which areas are most lacking. This will help us to focus on the areas of need and to embrace the recovery process for those areas. One of the important principles of fulfillment is that if we are severely lacking in fulfillment, then it will be very difficult to pursue new transformation. Instead, we have to apply our energy to enduring the deprivation and wait until we find some healing and fulfillment before we can embark on additional transformation. This assessment is also helpful when helping others through times of Continue Reading →