The Culture of Hope Founded on Faith
When You Pray The Word
Do you remember this fabled prayer form? “Now I lay me down to sleep; I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray my soul to heaven He’ll take…God bless mommy and daddy, brother and sister, Uncle Henry and Aunt Matilda.” I don’t remember using the first part of this child’s prayer when I was…..
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Clean Hands
When you pray, do you ever feel like the echo of your own voice is the only response? There are several factors that can hinder our prayers like this, two of which are sin and spiritual warfare.
Psalm 24:3-4 designates the conditions of holiness by which we are able to enter God’s presence in prayer: “Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who shall…..
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Forgiveness
After watching the movie “Overcomer” I found the Holy Spirit prompting me to consider my own unforgiving heart. It began with the drunk driver who caused the collision last summer and left me with a great deal of pain that continues to plague me. It included the Christian friend who revealed unrelenting hypocrisy in her blast at a perceived offense on my part. And it included the…..
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Discouraged?
There are times that I feel physically ill after reading syndicated news. It is disgusting to routinely hear about the abominable behavior of perverted people, the latest shenanigans of foul-mouthed politicians, and the rationalization of religious persecution. We do, indeed, live in a world full of evil and the Bible tells us that Christians will be persecuted (Jn. 15:20). But we belong to the Kingdom of God……
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Remember
This week, seven and a half months after our move to this house, I finally put the last of the pictures up on our walls. I’ve always found that the pictures are the first to be packed in the old house and the last to be unpacked in the new house. This move was no different in that respect from other moves we have made. As I…..
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Born Again, Part 3
To be born again entails faith that Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection was the final and only sacrifice required for the remission of sins and the cleansing of all unrighteousness for those who believe. Setting aside the legalism of the “thou shalt nots” involved in how we should then live as born-again believers, we are called to take positive steps towards the obedience that…..
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Born Again, Part 2
Part of Jesus’ explanation of the term “born again” to Nicodemus included “He that believes on Him is not condemned: but he that believes not is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18). Paul forcefully reiterates this in Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ…..
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Born Again, Part 1
When Nicodemus asked Jesus about being “born again” (John 3:4), he was possibly not the first nor was he, by any means, the last to ask that question. Jesus’ response is written in John 3:5-6:
“Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto you; except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God……
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Your Life As A Missionary
When David Livingstone began his studies, he planned to go to China as a missionary. He was sent, instead, to Africa. Little did Jim Elliott know that his mission would involve his death, and the subsequent salvation of many Auca Indians as a result. We never know how God will use us or where our daily mission field will be.
In Romans 1:1,…..
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Ashamed No More
When I was a young Christian, I suffered a great deal from recurring shame for the same issues over and over again. An older friend pointed out that Jesus had forgiven me and I had no reason to be ashamed any more of those things that are past that I have confessed and have asked forgiveness for. I came to understand that this is one…..