Paul says though he is free, he has made himself a servant in order to win more souls to the Lord. (1Cor 9:19). Paul is encouraging those wayward Corinthians to remember they have a purpose that extends far beyond seeking their own happiness through sin or the freedoms they have over the law. Paul comparesContinue reading “When we are self-focused we get sin-laden.”
Tag Archives: peace
How do we stand fast when the world is falling apart?
“Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.” (2 Thess 2:15) One of my favorite preachers, Doug Sager, who is with Jesus now, used to say “When you are reading the Bible and see “therefore” ask what it’s there for.” I can still hear hisContinue reading “How do we stand fast when the world is falling apart?”
Pain Place
I still live in the same town where my first husband took his life. My life still takes me to the place where the detectives told me they had found his body; and I sometimes have to drive very near the place where he killed himself. Many years have passed. Life has moved on, andContinue reading “Pain Place”
Don’t let what someone did to you be more than what Jesus did FOR you.
Don’t let what someone did to you be more than what Jesus did for you. We will all be sinned against. None of us will escape this life unscathed. Some will be horrifically wounded by no fault of their own. I do not like it or understand it. However, I do know there are demonicContinue reading “Don’t let what someone did to you be more than what Jesus did FOR you.”
Unexpected Peace
Does your brain ever get stuck on something, or is that just me? After reading Genesis 22, I’d like to just move on and stop thinking about God asking Abraham to sacrifice his son, to surrender all, to hold nothing back. But I keep thinking about it. To be honest, I’d like for God toContinue reading “Unexpected Peace”
Stopping the up and the down
The seventy return to tell Jesus “even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” (Luke 10:9) Those who had been sent out came back amazed at what had happened. Their eyes had seen the power of God at work through them. But Jesus tells them “do not rejoice because the spirits are subjectContinue reading “Stopping the up and the down”
Do your friends truly love you? Do you truly love them?
I heard a pastor once say, “You can’t preach peace to those who walk in disobedience.” The truth is, as much as we want others to experience the rivers of peace we know because of Christ; those who insist on walking their own way, in disobedience to the ways of God, will never experience theContinue reading “Do your friends truly love you? Do you truly love them?”
Need some peace??
I’m a slow learner, but I can say with certainty, peace comes not from “fixed” circumstances -but rather from a heart fixed on God. Specifically, to find peace, we must keep our thoughts fixed on Who He Is more than what we observe Him to do. For if we tie our peace only to whatContinue reading “Need some peace??”
Tuesday after Easter
About now, I think about those who only attend church on Easter and Christmas. Something draws them there—maybe it’s sweet childhood memories, maybe they are trying to check a box, maybe they are looking for God but are not sure if they can go “all in”. After all, there’s a lot about faith in aContinue reading “Tuesday after Easter”
This hard thing…
There are times when I’ve longed for God to do just what I want Him to do when I want Him to do it. If I’m honest, I’ve prayed prayers thinking I fully understand situations and know best how things should go for me and for those I love. But He is God, who cannotContinue reading “This hard thing…”
Overcoming Guilt and Shame
Yesterday, in preparing our hearts for Easter, I shared about identifying sin in our lives; but remember, the evil one who tempted and rejoiced when you fell to sin wants you to hold you down with guilt and shame. And keep you there. The evil one is masterful at deceiving, even God’s children, into believingContinue reading “Overcoming Guilt and Shame”
An invitation to reflect and confess and prepare our hearts for Easter
“Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.” (1 Cor 3:16-17) If you are a Christian, you (fill in your name)Continue reading “An invitation to reflect and confess and prepare our hearts for Easter”
Peace, be still!
I had woken up to a horrific storm. Wind howling. Sheets of rain. Booming thunder. The storm outside passed, but I couldn’t sleep. Another storm, the one affecting us all, the condition of our world, was on my mind. In Luke 8, Jesus is exhausted from his busy ministry. He tells his disciples to getContinue reading “Peace, be still!”
When you try to follow Jesus and keep messing up!
Do you have trouble following Jesus? Do you ever wonder if you are really a Christian? And how can we tell if we truly love God? John tells us we will love others and keep God’s commands. (1 John 4:20-5:3) And, he tells us, the keeping of God’s commandments won’t seem burdensome (5:3). We willContinue reading “When you try to follow Jesus and keep messing up!”
You can’t kill sin with easy strokes
Stick with me on this one… I once heard a pastor preach about not taking sin seriously and not monkeying around with it. The point was, we have to KILL SIN immediately (the pastor used the illustration of the Prophet Samuel hacking the Amalekite king to death when King Saul had disobeyed God and refusedContinue reading “You can’t kill sin with easy strokes”
Real Help! Real Hope!
Many of us are concerned as we look at our world. I see people posting about praying who typically do not do such things. Hard times certainly cause us to look for help anywhere we can get it and to think about the fragility of life and eternity. And, many reason, “Heaven sounds like aContinue reading “Real Help! Real Hope!”
Hope when you feel like you have none….
Yesterday, we had an unexpected death in our family. I had to tell my mom, who only lost my Daddy a few weeks ago, that her dear brother had passed away. Tears filled my eyes.I fumbled for words.I prayed. And my mind tried to make sense of it all. And this morning, I was remindedContinue reading “Hope when you feel like you have none….”
“I’m not even mad at God about this…..”
This popped up on my FB memories this morning. The picture and the story below are especially precious to me since my dad passed away a few weeks ago…. Daddy has dementia. It’s the cruelest and strangest of diseases. He seems to float between moments of complete clarity, and absolute confusion, and even delusion. WeContinue reading ““I’m not even mad at God about this…..””
Bigger-than-I-know…and PEACE.
Do I want the things God wants, or do I still want my way just a little bit more? Am I really making EVERY effort to be fruitful in my faith? Inspired by God, Peter said to “make every effort” to possess things like faith, virtue, knowledge, self control, perseverance, godliness , kindness, and loveContinue reading “Bigger-than-I-know…and PEACE.”
Trusting God for Tomorrow-Kim’s testimony and teaching videos from this past weekend
I had been struggling to feel like I had what God wanted me to say. I’m a planner by nature and this past weekend’s speaking was coming up fast. To top it off, my Dad had just passed away and I couldn’t seem to focus. But then, just as it has happened a few timesContinue reading “Trusting God for Tomorrow-Kim’s testimony and teaching videos from this past weekend”