Giving back to God is an act of worship. All He gives me I must continually give back to God to keep it pure, unclouded by my opinion, by other’s opinions, or tainted by pride. Keeping it free of entanglements Holding on to it lightly, loosely so it doesn’t become my possession and thereby possess me. Remembering what He gives me is to be turned around, reflected, to glorify Him. Whatever God shares with me must be poured out to…
Last August I was out walking and praying, pouring out my heart to God after receiving word that one of my brothers had died. As far as I knew, he hadn’t been living for God. (I had been praying for him for a long time.) You who know the truth understand my pain. Walking down that country road, I gradually ran out of words to express my grief and let calm wash over my troubled soul. Coming to a point…
“A whole person is God in a person,” Norman P. Grubb* The Liberating Secret by Norman P. Grubb, Zerubbabel Press, Blowing Rock, North Carolina, (1955) 2010, pg. 52. Not whole apart from God We were created with the ability to communicate with God and be in close friendship with Him. That connection was severed. Cut off. No life. Dead. We are not whole and can never be whole apart from God. God wants to restore it. However, we must admit…
Let me share with you what I discovered about my new identity. Like many born-again believers, I thought I was essentially the same person just saved and forgiven. Then it was up to me to live the Christian life the best I could and maybe over time I would develop a better character. I didn’t understand that I wasn’t the same person I was before my new birth, that all was new. My past influenced my life. Now I know…
Do you know as a believer that you are a brand new person? “But, I don’t feel new,” you say. Have you been a fearful, nervous, co-dependent, suicidal, success-driven, short-tempered, self-centered, victimized person? Are we not reminded over and over again of our past life? Don’t we easily slip back into the old way of living, of thinking, of reacting? New is forward That is why it is essential that we live from the cross pointing forward. The past is…
How do we know we are forgiven? Let’s take a look at what the Bible says. This is what I discovered. God’s forgiveness is based on one thing, and one thing only. God’s Forgiveness Before Christ Exodus 12:1-13 The blood covered all who were inside. There were no exceptions. No one was too sinful, too bad, and no one inside was exempt. Once the door was shut, those who were inside didn’t see the blood, it wasn’t…
A new past. A clean past. An empty past. If you are in Christ, your past is covered by the blood of Jesus and you are wrapped in His righteousness. You see, He is able to completely save you, to go as deep as needed to wash away your sins. Hebrews 7:25. Nothing left unsaved. Nothing left stained or dirty. No sin left unforgiven and washed away. Your past is gone. Dead to the past When you were born again…
Let’s choose to believe the truth about ourselves. According to Bill Gilham, we will live out what we believe about ourselves. If you see yourself as an alcoholic, you will live under that belief. If you believe you are not worth anything, you will act like it. If you see yourself as inadequate, you will live like that. So as God’s child, let’s see what He has to say about you as His child. (John1:12) Bible truths about you You…
Pace. Don’t run ahead of your Savior. Everyday life is a walk, a long walk. It is a marathon, a walking marathon. Everyday life can be trying, monotonous, nothing special. However, it is His presence that makes it special. Living for Him changes our perspective, our motivation making all we need to do worthwhile. Step by small step Don’t let the whole year be your focus. Day by day is where it is at. All of those days will equal…
Jesus came to remove the separation This Christmas season as many celebrate the birth of the Savior, Jesus Christ, consider with me what His purpose was in coming for you as I share why He came for me. He came to redeem me and to reconcile me to the Father. He came to bridge the chasm that separated me from God. His gift of life. Galatians 3:10-13 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 Living independently of God was choosing to live away…