spiritual pride

Exposing Spiritual Pride

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Have you noticed that as you grow you run into new kinds of sins that are more subtle and hidden? As we mature we don’t wrestle as much with obvious sins like lying and ungodly speech. This can trick us into thinking that we have conquered the major sins in our lives. Yet growth brings with it a whole new set of vices. The 16th-century Christian teacher John of the Cross called these spiritual vices. They are spiritual versions of the seven deadly sins. These vices block our spiritual growth and oneness with God. Thus, they are spiritual enemy number one! The first spiritual vice John describes is spiritual pride. We develop spiritual pride in our spiritual accomplishments and spiritual growth. This can especially apply to our spiritual disciplines. We find ourselves being critical of others for not having enough devotion. We may also dislike praising others for their maturity because Continue Reading →

weekly words of encouragement

Responding To Suffering – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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Today we look at Psalm 31 and how the Psalmist was responding to suffering. In this psalm the author describes his miserable life. It is so bad that he says his whole life is consumed with anguish, and he has spent years groaning about it. His neighbors hold him in contempt. His closest friends dread the sight of him! Apparently, his life was so disastrous that his friends didn’t want to talk to him anymore because they didn’t like being exposed to his misery. People on the street actually fled from him. 10 My life is consumed by anguishand my years by groaning;my strength fails because of my affliction,and my bones grow weak.11 Because of all my enemies,I am the utter contempt of my neighborsand an object of dread to my closest friends—those who see me on the street flee from me.Psalms 31:10-11 (NIV) Have you ever been in a situation like Continue Reading →

pouring filled up water glass

How Can I Be Filled With God?

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We want to be filled with God and his goodness, and be one with Him, but we find that we are distracted by the demands and values of the world. So how do we overcome these pressures? One of the biggest themes in the New Testament is that having a view of God’s tremendous love and future blessings for us will empower us to let go of worldliness and participate in God’s fullness. We see this in one of the most famous prayers of the New Testament – the Apostle Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3:14-19: 14For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15from whom every familyc in heaven and on earth is named, 16that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and Continue Reading →

god's love Adam man human person heart

You Will Be A New Adam

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Do you ever think about how wonderful it would be if you could be like Adam or Eve before they sinned? Wouldn’t it be fantastic to live in perfect harmony with God and others? It is helpful to remember why Jesus came: so God could make each of us into a new Adam: restore our Adamic nature and our Adamic relationship with God. Jesus does this and more! Remember that the old arrangement, or Mosaic covenant, that God had with his people did not succeed in producing a nation of people who loved God and followed his ways. The people could not produce a new Garden on earth where everyone lived in harmony and prosperity. This was all rooted in the fact that they could not eliminate the corruption from their nature. The condemnation from the Garden remained. Yet in God’s wisdom and design, he was working in all of Continue Reading →

weekly words of encouragement

Peace From God Has Two Phases

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“[Yahweh] blesses his people with peace” (Psalms 29:11, NIV). The Hebrew word for “peace” in this passage is the well-known Hebrew word “shalom”, which means all-around harmony and prosperity in one’s life. In the Old Testament this included one’s physical circumstances. God promised faithful believers that he would bless their finances, their families, and their living conditions. Yet we do not see the same promises in the New Testament. Why? When do we receive peace from God? The New Testament often promises peace, using a Greek translation of the Hebrew word shalom. Yet in the New Testament believers are promised persecution, the pain of carrying their Cross and general rejection by the world. So how can this be peace from God? The New Testament promises a deeper interior peace from God. The peace in the New Testament is actually superior to the peace of the Old Testament. We have the Continue Reading →