Posts with the category “god-thoughts”

Read: Hebrews 13:91 Thessalonians 5:16-18Acts 16:25-40 Day Five: Praising in the Middle of Our Prisons and PromotionsScriptures: Hebrews 13:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; Acts 16:25-40As seasons change, God remains. His goodness never fails. He is the same “yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). While every song must end and every season eventually comes to a close, God will never leave us no...  Read More

Read: Psalm 100:4-5Nehemiah 8-9 Day Four: Embracing a Posture of PraiseScriptures: Psalm 100:4-5; Nehemiah 8-9Every day, we are given the opportunity to realign our hearts with God’s faithfulness. Gratitude is a choice, a perspective, and a daily heart posture. We can speak to our soul to lift up a song. We can throw up our hands. We can get up and praise the Lord. These are each physical reflecti...  Read More

Read: Proverbs 18:21Colossians 4:2-6Luke 18:1-81 Samuel 1:1-191 Samuel 2:1 Day Three: The Potential of PersistencyScriptures: Proverbs 18:21; Colossians 4:2-6; Luke 18:1-8; 1 Samuel 1:1-19; 1 Samuel 2:1Persistency is key. Gratitude is not only the worthiest response to our King, but its persistent presence on our tongue makes a forever impact in our own lives. Physical, emotional, spiritual, and m...  Read More

Read: Genesis 1:3Psalms 95:22 Chronicles 20:1-29Joshua 6:1-27 Day Two: The Power of That Lion Inside Your LungsScriptures: Genesis 1:3; Psalm 95:2; 2 Chronicles 20:1-29; Joshua 6:1-27Declaration makes a difference. Truth breaks down barriers. Our praises usher life into effect, and our worship knocks down walls. Remember, God created the world with His words, saying “Let there be light” (Genesis 1...  Read More

Read: Psalms 9:1-2Psalms 34:18Luke 7:36-50 Day One: The Purpose of GratitudeScriptures: Psalm 9:1-2; Psalm 34:8; Luke 7:36-50We sing “hallelujah,” because He is worthy. Period. What else do we have that’s fit for a King, aside from songs of gratitude being sung from deep within our lungs? When we remind ourselves of all that He’s done and when we actively choose thanksgiving, our hearts are soften...  Read More

Read: Hebrews 12:1-2 If we expect to see God’s ability in the here and now, it will require a turning. And this turning, according to Paul, is a turning to God.People often think of turning to Jesus as being a bit too impractical in terms of spiritual advice. Turning to Jesus. Looking to Jesus. It sounds good, but what does it really mean?While we seem to find the concept of turning to Jesus a bit...  Read More

Read: John 10:10 Not a Minute Too SoonJohn 10:10 is one of my favorite passages in the Bible. Maybe one of yours too. It talks about a thief who comes “only to steal and kill and destroy,” set against the contrasting intention of Christ, who comes that we may have “life, and have it abundantly.”I think most of us believe in that truth. In theory. In the abundant, ever-filling, overflowing life tha...  Read More

Read: Ephesians 3:1 I mentioned before that these two verses, Ephesians 3:20–21, are what’s known as a doxology. If you attend a more traditional church, you may sing the “Doxology” as part of your worship service sometimes: “Praise God from whom all blessings flow . . .” You know the one? Doxologies, for us, whenever they occur, usually happen in our Sunday best. With the organ playing. With the ...  Read More

Read: Psalms 34:17-18 Get everything out of your head except now.As we begin looking at Ephesians 3:20-21, it’s important we look at the very first word, which conveys its crucial context: now.I understand that the current conditions in your life may not be your favorite thing to dwell on right now. You may have become more adept at concentrating on earlier, back before some of these parts of your...  Read More

Read: Ephesians 3:20-21 Some things are just hard to describe. You search your brain for the right word, but you can’t seem to find it.Like trying to explain the view of a cloud-filled sky from an airplane window seat at 36,000 feet. Or an unusually moving worship service where God’s presence was particularly near and tangible. Sometimes even our most spectacular vernacular still seems insufficien...  Read More

Read: Jeremiah 29:11Isaiah 41:10 There is a fire within all of us that is waiting to be ignited. A fire that grows and can spread to those around you if you continue to feed it’s flames. This fire is stronger than the uncertainty that you may be feeling. It has the power to overcome the negativity that may be surrounding you right now.That fire, that passion, that inner strength was instilled in y...  Read More

Read: Hosea 6:3Psalms 18:30 Things don’t always go according to our plans, but they will always adhere to the plans of the Lord.Life, however, is not lived without any bumps in the road. Failure is not found within these bumps, it is found when we allow these bumps to stop us in our tracks. Don’t become so discouraged in the delays that you give up on the pursuit of your purpose. We cannot control...  Read More

Read: Psalms 46:11 Peter 5:7 We cannot always be certain of what is going to happen. There is no telling what the future will bring to anyone. We can make educated guesses. We can make assumptions. We can try to notice patterns and figure it out, but no one knows what tomorrow will bring. All we have is today.And today is enough.You have survived every bad day so far. Every circumstance and setbac...  Read More

Read: John 14:27Psalms 94:19 In the digital age, information is provided to us faster than ever.You can Google anything you’d like, and you could read about that topic for weeks. With the click of your mouse, or the tap of your finger, you can learn all that you need to know about anything. While this should be a positive aspect of the time we live in, it isn’t always. With an abundance of informa...  Read More

Every day, people all over the world turn their tv on and watch the news. Global events are discussed on nearly every channel. Negativity is all over the internet. Magazines and Newspapers, while not as popular as they once were, are still found in abundance. And the fear and negativity is still found in abundance, as well. You can’t avoid it. It’s in our faces 24/7. Negativity is a plague. But what do we do? We turn up the volume. We click on the link. We flip to the next page.  Read More

Discipleship is a lifelong journey because God is an inexhaustible God. We began by saying that God is the goal of discipleship. We must end by saying that, since we can never fully comprehend all that God is, we will never “arrive” this side of eternity. Even then, we will spend endless days drinking in the fountains of God’s beauty and glory.  Read More

If we only focus on forming our minds, we will not become deep disciples. We can’t neglect the habits, because we are not just disembodied minds, but whole people... ...The most central and essential spiritual habit is prayer. Like consistent Bible reading, nothing can replace a life of prayer.   Read More

Theology is simply what we believe to be true about God, and everybody believes something about God—even if they believe he doesn’t exist. Everyone is a theologian because everyone has words about God. Everyone has gone to seminary—has learned how to think about God. The question is, have you been taught how to think about God by God, or by something else? Everyone is being discipled; the question is, by whom?  Read More

If you don’t hear another word I say, hear this: there is no substitute for the Word of God. If I could convince you to do one thing for the long-term health of your spiritual life, it would be to read the Bible every single day.   Read More

The why behind every other question of discipleship is God. Why does discipleship matter? Because God matters. Nothing is more beautiful, lovely, pure, and limitless than God alone.  Read More

Read: Psalms 32:1Romans 2:4 One of the great confidences we have in coming to the Father in prayer is to know that we can bring all our wrong before Him and trust Him to forgive and restore. Confession and repentance are essential to our prayer life and in dealing with our sin. Confession is acknowledging that we’ve done something wrong and openly seeing our sin for what it is. Repentance is a cho...  Read More

Read: Psalms 86Matthew 6:11 There’s nothing we can’t bring before the Lord in prayer. There’s nothing He can’t handle. Nothing! The reality is, He knows all of your cares and worries, all of your secrets and fears – so that should provide the courage to just share freely! Every thought, every action, and every emotion can be brought before Him with full assurance that we will be met with grace, go...  Read More

Read: Matthew 6:10Ephesians 6:18Colossians 4:2 Jesus taught us to pray from a posture of, Thy Kingdom come Thy will be done [Matthew 6:10]. With that mindset, we don’t shy away from praying and bringing our whole heart before God. But we also maintain humility through trusting and declaring that we accept and believe that God’s will is the best plan for our lives. We surrender our agenda and submi...  Read More

Read: Matthew 6:9Hebrews 10:19 Sometimes, when we pray, there is a tendency to just rattle off some words and ask for the things we need. Or, maybe we offer up a quick, passing prayer for someone else in need. In those moments, prayer can be just about “doing” it, and can often feel empty and impersonal. Have you been there?Thankfully, Jesus modeled perfectly for us how we should approach God in p...  Read More

Read: Romans 12:12Luke 5:16 Wholehearted PrayerWhat does prayer mean to you? Be honest with yourself. Do you feel like you’re talking to the ceiling? Do you actually believe God not only hears all your prayers, but can and will respond? Prayer can be misunderstood and is often overlooked, but it is central in our journey with Jesus. It isn’t an itemized list or simply a task to check off our busy ...  Read More

Hurry doesn’t just make you weary. It is the great enemy of your spiritual life. In The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, John Mark Comer provides four down-to-earth practices for staying emotionally healthy and spiritually alive: 1) Silence and solitude, 2) Sabbath, 3) simplicity, and 4) slowing. It’s the unhurried Way of Jesus.  Read More

Love is the highest value in the kingdom economy, but it’s not the only value. The triumvirate of love, joy and peace show up again and again in Jesus’ teachings, and the writings of Paul. They are the core reality we aim at in our spiritual journey with Jesus. All three are more than just emotions, they are overall conditions of the heart. They aren’t just pleasant feelings; they are the kinds of people we become through our apprenticeship to Jesus, who embodies all three ad infinitum. And joy, like love, is incompatible with hurry. All the spiritual masters – from inside and outside the Jesus tradition – agree on this (as do secular psychologists, mindfulness experts, etc.): if there’s a secret to happiness, it’s simple—presence to the moment. The more present we are to the now, the more grateful we are for what is, the more we tap into joy. We often vow to give God “our future” with great aplomb and a heroic virtue. But the future is easy to give God for the simple fact that we don’t have it. All we have is the present. The here and now. This moment, this pain, this joy, this gratitude, this surrender. And the more moments we slowly and gratefully turn over to God, the more we tap into his joy. Exercise for the day: Practice presence Find one, simple act of delight to do today – read a poem, listen to a song, drink a cup of coffee, take a short walk – and do it slowly, practicing presence to the moment and gratitude. Reading question: What good things do I pass over daily in my helter-skelter rush through life?  Read More

Hurry doesn’t just make you weary. It is the great enemy of your spiritual life. In The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, John Mark Comer provides four down-to-earth practices for staying emotionally healthy and spiritually alive: 1) Silence and solitude, 2) Sabbath, 3) simplicity, and 4) slowing. It’s the unhurried Way of Jesus.  Read More

Hurry doesn’t just make you weary. It is the great enemy of your spiritual life. In The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, John Mark Comer provides four down-to-earth practices for staying emotionally healthy and spiritually alive: 1) Silence and solitude, 2) Sabbath, 3) simplicity, and 4) slowing. It’s the unhurried Way of Jesus.  Read More

Hurry doesn’t just make you weary. It is the great enemy of your spiritual life. In The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, John Mark Comer provides four down-to-earth practices for staying emotionally healthy and spiritually alive: 1) Silence and solitude, 2) Sabbath, 3) simplicity, and 4) slowing. It’s the unhurried Way of Jesus.  Read More

Read: Mark 16:1-8John 8:12John 11:25Revelation 1:18 God is faithful. What He says He will do, He always fulfils. Every time Jesus made a statement about who He is he followed through. Everything He said He was, He proved to be. The “I am…” statements that Jesus made were not just inspirational phrases, they are transformational for any person who receives them and believes them.Jesus is the Son of...  Read More

Read:Mark 15:33-47Matthew 28:20Joshua 1:9John 16:33 Can you imagine what it was like for the disciples and loved ones of Jesus on that first Easter Saturday? The day after Jesus is nailed to the cross and placed in a tomb. The deep pain, the hurt and disappointment, the hopelessness and heartache. Imagine the questions and confusion swirling around their hearts and minds. For us, we have the benef...  Read More

Read:Mark 15:22-27Exodus 3:14John 10:9John 14:62 Corinthians 5:17 Throughout the Bible Jesus made clear statements about who He was. There was no ambiguity about His life, His mission and His purpose. God has always been clear with His people that He is love, and He is all we need. In Exodus 3:14 God says to a nervous and apprehensive Moses, “I AM WHO I AM” – He is filling Moses with confidence an...  Read More

'My friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. For if those who are nothing think they are something, they deceive themselves. All must test their own work; then that work, rather...  Read More

'For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Listen! I, Paul, am telling you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you. Once again I testify to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obliged to obey the entire law. You who want to be justified by the law have cut yourselves off from Chri...  Read More

'My point is this: heirs, as long as they are minors, are no better than slaves, though they are the owners of all the property; but they remain under guardians and trustees until the date set by the father. So with us; while we were minors, we were enslaved to the elemental spirits of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in orde...  Read More

'I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are confusing you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should proclaim to you a gospel contrary to what we proclaimed to you, let that one be accursed! As we have ...  Read More

“In a sense I believe this epistle has been the backbone and background for every spiritual movement and revival that has taken place in the past nineteen hundred years,” observes J. Vernon McGee. “And, my friend, it will be the background for other revivals.”  Read More

'“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). 'Matthew 1:23and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”Matthew 28:20 I am the type of person who absolutely loves having family, friends, and people around me, especially during the holidays. I realize I migh...  Read More

'As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”'Matthew 3:16-17'“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” 'Luke 2:14 Today’s Scripture passag...  Read More