Recently, I saw a meme that got my brain spinning regarding Lent. It said that if Jesus were here, instead of asking us to give up something that brought us pleasure, He would be more likely to ask us to give up something that brings us pain. That stuck with me. What if our Lenten fast was about "giving up" those...
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I admire risk-takers. Partly because I've never been much of one and partly because I'm married to one! Recently, I was parked in the story of Jonathan scaling a cliff so he could all but single-handedly attack a Philistine outpost. Risk-taker. Umm. Yeah. I’d say so. Saul's army camped some distance from the Philistines during a military campaign. Jonathan decided, discreetly, to...
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Upper springs, those touches from heaven, are a blessing. They minister to us and others in many ways. • Peace that passes understanding. • Forgiveness we receive that is undeserved. • Forgiveness we offer, and we know it doesn't stem from our own strength. • Desires that change. The surprise that comes to us when we recognize we're no longer attracted to things that we're sure would displease...
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We all face battles. Battles of many kinds in different seasons for different reasons. So did the Israelites. As they were about to enter the Promised Land, more than milk and honey were awaiting them. They were promised war. Ever feel that way? Hope is on the horizon because when we have Jesus, we know that wonderful promises await us. But a...
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If learning about prayer were a three-tiered gift, we're about to open the final package. Now we get to learn about the process of prayer. Bible teacher Chip Ingram has a brief but powerful series on prayer that I'll reference. (I encourage you to check out his website, LivingOnTheEdge.org for even more helpful teaching.) Chip says that we can learn all...
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Did you know that there is a fantastic promise to prayer? My knee-jerk reaction when I hear the words promise and prayer in the same sentence is the less than commendable thought, “What’s in it for me?!” It’s like the “Christmas” of prayer. “What’s in the box, Lord?!” “I hope it’s something that was on my list!” There is indeed something God...
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This series on prayer is blowing my mind. We're learning how important it is to surrender our will when we pray. WHAT we pray for. HOW we hope our prayers are answered. WHEN we hope our prayers are answered. All these things must be given over to His will. We do not know God's mind, so we cannot fully understand...
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Max Lucado says this about prayer: "Some people excel in prayer. They inhale heaven and exhale God. They are the SEAL Team Six of intercession. They would rather pray than sleep." He continues, "Why is it that I sleep when I pray? They belong to the PGA: Prayer Giants Association. I am a card-carrying member of the PWA: Prayer Wimps Anonymous." I...
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The word Noel stems from a Latin word that means "to be born." Jehovah Jireh, Yahweh Nissi, Jehovah Raphe, all those many beautiful names for God from the Old Testament found themselves in the company of another name for God when Jesus was born… Immanuel. God with us. I long for Noel but I’m reminded that birth is messy business. If we've...
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If you and I want gratitude to grow in our lives, we may need to look for weeds and be prepared to eliminate them. Guilt is a weed that can choke out gratitude. If we’re not careful, we may feel so guilty over what we have that we overlook that God has been our Great Provider. Busyness can keep gratitude from growing....
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