SILVER LININGS IN DARK PLACES Surveying the various good outcomes God frequently produces from our agonies requires a careful word of caution. Because knowing the mind of God is impossible (Romans 11:33-34), discerning His intentions demands humility. Though it is true that God may have a singular goal for our afflictions, His desired end is…
Get Out of Your Head Week 5 — A New Way to Live
We are free. The Bible tells us that there is no condemnation because of the blood of Jesus Christ. ~ Jennie Allen … forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead… — Philippians 3:13 Forget it! Leave it. Drop it. Walk away. And breathe deep. Friends, we must stop living under shame…
Your Sins Are Forgiven
There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. —Romans 8:1 NIV The algebra of Heaven reads something like this: Heaven is a perfect place for perfect people, which leaves us in a perfect mess. According to Heaven’s debt clock, we owe more than we could ever repay. Our debt is enough…
Remembering the God Who Remembers You
But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided. — Genesis 8:1 The chapter and verse numbers in the Scriptures are not inspired, of course, but there is something about Genesis 8:1…
Getting Past My Past
Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. — Philippians 3:13-14 NIV, emphasis added We…
No Failure Is Fatal
Joshua 8:1-29 I have a distinct memory from the 1991 Super Bowl. I’m not a football junkie. Nor do I have extraordinary recall. Truth is, I don’t remember anything about the ’91 football season except this one detail. A headline. An observation prompted by Scott Norwood’s kick. He played for the Buffalo Bills. The city…
Weak Places: I Can Be Strong in Christ
The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. — Psalm 18:2a Thought for the Day: Even the smallest drop of God’s strength is more than enough to cover our frailties, our shortcomings, the places where we deem ourselves weak. We all have them.…
The Shame Monster
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. —Romans 8:1 The reason it is so hard for us to admit to the secrets hidden in our hearts is that we’re ashamed of them. We think that if we keep denying our ugly stuff, then maybe we’ll look better than we…
We Can Have Resurrection Power
The word power occurs fifty-seven times in the New Testament. It is used to describe the most powerful event that ever happened, an event that separated AD from BC — the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. And that resurrection power is available to change your life! The most important thing in life is…
Blessings at God’s Table
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. — Psalm 23:5 Pause and envision the scene in God’s royal dining room… Driven not by our beauty but by His promise, He calls us to Himself and invites us to take a permanent place at His…
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