Choosing the best foundation
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Abiding victory
You win some, you lose some, so the saying goes. But when you belong to God, through Christ, He tells us otherwise. He promises to always lead us in triumph; in life, in spiritual battles, in all the ways we need to in order to glorify Him. Question is, are we following Him? The promise is not a given, as if it magically happen. We have our part to play, too. He leads us into victory, but we have to follow His lead. If we trust in our own wits, we lose. Why? Because the battle belongs to the Lord, not us. I read somewhere (I wish I made note of the reference, but I didn't) that we have abiding victory in Christ. That means that it is always with us. But we must be tapped into it. How to we disconnect from this Source? Acting from the flesh instead of the Spirit, that's how! Once we "cross over" into flesh territory (reasoning, our own strength, depending on self instead of Christ), we are no longer following Christ. Ergo, we lose the...
God ordains good for our lives
God ordains good for us even in the midst of great suffering. When Jesus hung on the cross , it seemed like it was over. His apostles were bewildered and discouraged. They may have felt that all was lost. However, God ordained Jesus' sacrifice since before all time. God knew how it was going to go down in the Garden with Adam and Eve . But He is always working out, ordaining, good plans for us, for the world. I have been in a very difficult situation, some would say near impossible, for around 11 years now. If I believed everything I read about leaving "toxic" relationships, I would have disobeyed God and taken matters into my own hands with a seeming "fix." Our culture has become so self-obsessed that enduring even the least bit of suffering, even for Christians, is to be banned, to be unacceptable. We've bought the bill of goods that this life is to be about nothing more than our pleasure and comfort. But when God allows all kinds of suffering in...
Greater is He
It is hard to believe that it’s been a year since my devotional was published. If you bought a copy, thank you and I trust that it encouraged you in your relationship with Jesus. Since then, it is now being offered on Amazon at a lower price. So if you missed out last year, now’s your chance to grab a copy! Don't forget to read the 5-star reviews. :) Purchase one for yourself and more for Christmas gifts! Available on Amazon. Click here .
Beyond, not better
Some are further along their walk with Christ than others. That doesn’t make them “better than” others, but they are beyond them. This is not prideful but simply a fact. I may be on mile 4,000 and you may be at the 10 mile marker. Or vice versa. Why bring this up at all? Because we cannot expect others to “meet us where we’re at” if they have never been where we are. More importantly, we should not let others pull us back to a place with God from which we have already trod. Joshua and Caleb entered the Promised Land out of a courage based on their faith that God was with them. Hard to believe, but they were the only two to do so out of millions of Jews. Not very good statistics, but fact. I believe this historical fact plays out still among God’s followers. Not many will enter the Promised Land out of fear or other excuses. Were Joshua and Caleb “better than” the others? They were as human as the rest of them. But they went most definitely beyond the others. So w...
The cost of knowing the real Jesus
Thankfully, churches are still plentiful. If the Lord is drawing you to get to know Him, He will lead you to the best church community for you. Now maybe you think that you already "check that box," and you attend church faithfully. And that is a good thing, depending on where you worship. Though churches are plentiful, the sad truth is that many have gone astray in their teaching and preaching. You may find watered down messages, those that aim at making you feel good about yourself (an epidemic these days!). It's not that God wants you to feel bad about yourself, that's not what I'm saying. It's that God's message to us is about Him, knowing Him, worshiping Him, because that's what actually transforms us. We forget about ourselves, take our eyes off self, and focus on Him, His grace, His many attributes, His divinity. Even much of the music you may hear at any given church service is more about you than Him. How can this be, you may wonder. Thi...
Greater is He
Last day to pick up a copy of my devotional at the discount price! https://a.co/d/87vy2cY
Do you depend on God?
We all do it. When things are going well, going as planned, going as we like, we tend to not lean on God so much. We don't think we need Him as much as we do in the harder seasons. Big mistake. We need to thank God for everything and everyone that drives us to our knees in utter dependence on Him. For those are the times when God does His greatest and deepest work in us. How so? Because that is when we are full aware of our need for Him. Wish there weren't so many trials? That's what a heaven is for! All will truly be well there. But for now! Our greatest strength comes from our deepest dependence on God. Not in ourselves. Not in our circumstances. Not in relationships, finances, prosperity - none of these, as nice as they may be, could ever give us the anchor for our souls that we need. When we look to anything or anyone else other than Almighty God for our strength and might, we will come up short. Oh it may look or feel good...