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The Trap Of Seeking The Presence Of God

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The greatest blessing in the New Creation will be to see God and be close to Him. Nothing will be better than being in His presence. We long for this and endure sacrifices now so we can present ourselves as pure when Jesus returns and we see God. So, shouldn’t we also be seeking the presence of God (the felt presence of God) in this mortal life? Shouldn’t we desire as much of God as He is willing to give now? Shouldn’t we always be seeking the presence of God? Of course we should. But there is a question as to priority. How high should we prioritize seeking the presence of God? First, we need to ask what we mean when we say the “presence of God.” If someone asks us what this means, we might say we just want whatever He wills. But the reality is that we want Continue Reading →

weekly words of encouragement

The Eyes Of The Lord Are On You – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him,on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,Psalms 33:18 (NIV) Being invisible, we often wonder what God is doing around us. We hope that we are pleasing him. We hope that he is looking down on us with approval and keeping a watch on our lives. This verse promises that if you fear him (respect his divine power) and hope in his love, then the eyes of the Lord are on you. We might know this in our head, but it is important to meditate on it until it becomes a living reality in our hearts. The eyes of the Lord are on you as you read this. His attention is focused on you. This may not be so hard to believe during periods of our life when we can easily feel his presence. But are we willing Continue Reading →

weekly words of encouragement

Surrounded By God’s Love – Weekly Words of Encouragement

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The Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him, (Psalms 32:10, NIV). We have many challenges to faith in God in our lives. We are constantly tempted to worry instead of trust. We are constantly tempted to fix problems on our own because we do not want to entrust them to God and let his words guide us. We are tempted to shade the truth and deny the truth about ourselves. In short, we are tempted to live in fear and self-reliance instead of living surrounded by God’s love. This passage promises us that we are surrounded by God’s love when we trust in him. What is more secure and comforting than that? True, we can’t see him, and we don’t hear his audible voice telling us that he loves us and will work all things together for good. But we do have his promises. So it is Continue Reading →

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 →