Category Archives: Faith

Are Some Sins Worse Than Others?

A humble person can discover a hidden fault through the help of a loving friend (or the malice of a hateful enemy), do something about it, and be released from its control. But a proud person will turn to denial and excuses. Continue reading

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What Christians Need to Know in Times of Trial

… it is important to remember that it is our faith that is being tested, not our worth or strength, or any such thing. Will we trust God? That is the question. Continue reading

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Guys, Where Are We?

We are between D-Day and VJ Day. Gettysburg is past, but Appomattox is still in the future. … we live between the turning point and the victory … between the triumph of the cross (see Colossians 2:15) and the return of the King. Continue reading

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Your Mission, Should You Decide to Accept It

But our mission is more complicated than just bringing news about God to people who have never heard it. We are bringing news about God to people who have misheard it. They think they already know about “God and those Christians.” Continue reading

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The In-Betweeners

They live in that strange land between the already and the not yet, between what is and what should be. The pressure here is like that of gravity. Often it goes unnoticed, but sometimes it slams you to the ground. Continue reading

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Time for a Change

Do you know what it means if you do what everyone else does and desire the same things they desire? It means you have been assimilated…. if you are pursuing the same goals, valuing the same stuff, and spending time the same way as everyone else, you’re not living here as a foreigner. Continue reading

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The Process of Spiritual Formation: Implementation

An impala can jump as far as thirty feet and clear a height of ten feet. But an impala will stop in front of a four-foot stone fence because it cannot see where its feet will land. The lion will have it for dinner… Continue reading

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Proof of Faith (I Peter 1:6-9)

God loves to praise his children. He will bring up things we have long forgotten. “Oh, I loved it that day when you stopped on the interstate to help that old couple from Missouri.” “I was so proud of you when you gave your little sister those beads that you wanted for yourself.” “But Lord, I was only 5 years old.” And he will say, “Yes! Yes! Wasn’t it wonderful?” Continue reading

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Stop Worrying About What Will Happen: Start Thinking About What You Will Do

That’s just the opposite of the way most people live. They make themselves responsible for outcomes, which leaves them susceptible to constant worry. They don’t make themselves responsible for actions, which leaves them ineffective and blaming others for failure. Continue reading

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Decisions, Decisions (The Role of Choice in Spiritual Formation)

There is no spiritual growth apart from choice. That’s the way God designed it. He has endowed us with astonishing dignity: our decisions mean something; they make a real difference. As does our failure to decide. Continue reading

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