There are a lot of life lessons that lead us to look to the Lord and listen to His voice. When you have been travailing on tough terrain, strapped with stress and drenched with a downpour of difficulties, giving God glory and promoting praise in pain is a Christ-centered concept that's challenging to embrace. However, difficulty and stressors in our human story is standard with sanctification. Our human experience also echoes the essentially of stress and difficulty for development and discovery. For instance, a long distance runner must be stressed to gain endurance. Sailing the seas gives the sailor his “sea legs”. Soldiers train by setting their sight on war and preparing for battle. For the Christian, in truth, tribulation is tied to us learning how to trust in God. And this learning process develops patience.
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The California gold rush (1848–1858) commenced on January 24, 1848 when James W. Marshall came across a gold nugget in the American River while constructing a sawmill for John Sutter, a Sacramento agriculturalist. News of Marshall’s discovery brought thousands of immigrants to California from elsewhere in the United States and from other countries.
Have you ever entertained what people treasure the most? According to an online search, the following is a list of the best answers as to what people should treasure the most...
Read More“You had better ‘lawyer up’ because I will see you in court!” These are not the kind of words that anyone would welcome! The thought of securing representation and standing before a judge can take discomfort to another level. However, did you know that when your heart is not submissive to the spirit of God it will turn into a pernicious prosecutor that purposes to place you in a jail of guilt? Too often when we fail God, compromise our convictions or break promises, our heart immediately leaps to accuse us and wrap us in chains of defeat. By dwelling on our failures, we baptize ourselves in an unbiblical beat-down.
Read MoreIn this week’s blog, we will consider the specific steps mandated by our Lord that help us model the Master...
Read MoreBruce Willis is an American actor best known for his role as the infamous John McClane in the high octane and action-heavy Die Hard movie series. In all the Die Hard movies this reluctant protagonist with a “never-say-die” attitude is often out-numbered, out-gunned and out-resourced. However, McClane, even though he is often beaten, busted and bleeding, has this uncanny way of being untouched by the grip of death. It does not even matter what his antagonists employ in an attempt to erase him off the big screen. Whether it is a conflict involving grenades, C-4 explosives, RPG-7 missiles, helicopters or F-16 fighter jets, McClane consistently manages to survive whatever siege he faces.
Read MoreThe secular world we live in today endorses our egos and relishes rebellion. People do not want to listen to or acknowledge authority. People want to be the Lord of their own lives. However, Scripture presents an alternative viewpoint. Scripture connects rebellion to witchcraft and rebellion invites judgment. Jesus did not die for your sins so that you can serve yourself and lead a life of lawlessness.
Read MoreHave you noticed the lack of respect for rules or regulations today? For example, if you don’t like the ballot results of an election you seek to change the way votes are tabulated and processed in order to get a desired outcome that promotes your ideology. Oftentimes in what is supposed to be a democratic process, political forces will seek to dismiss the voices and votes of the people and turn to a federal judge or a group of judges to rescind the results. Yes, it appears that people don't appreciate rules because they represent restrictions that are perceived to prohibit personal prerogatives and pleasures. But rules or regulations are essential because without them life will be dictated by disorder.
Read MoreDo you realize that if you are not running His race you are in essence engaging in exhaustion? You see, when we run with the world we will be rewarded with a mind that regularly wrestles with worry or strapped with stress, bounded by burdens, and anchored in anxiety. Parents, pastors, professionals, politicians: no matter what place or station in which you find yourself, everyone is pummeled and pushed around with the pressures of life. Does making more money mitigate the madness? What if we drown ourselves with a drink or deliver ourselves from duress with drugs? So where do you go? What do you do? To whom do you turn for tranquility?
Read MoreAs we continue to discuss the essential nature of trust in our relationship with God, let’s review a key point from last week’s blog. Whatever or whoever we trust more than God is an idol.
An IDOL is something that affects the following areas of your life:
Influence
Direction
Obedience
Love