All posts filed under: Discipleship

10 blessings of Repentance

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Word sometimes cannot adequately convey or describe the love of God. Scripture calls it everlasting, the greatest of all, perfect love,  greater love, abounding love, enduring love, covenant love, etc. The song writer says,  “O love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong! It shall forevermore endure the saints’ and angels’ song.” The prophet Hosea managed to unveil it even in the midst of a sinful time in the nation of Israel. Come to think about it – that’s exactly where His love shines the brightest. The Description of sin: The prophet Hosea describes the unfaithfulness of Israel in a very creative and telling way. Israel is like: A promiscuous wife An indifferent mother An illegitimate child An ungrateful son A stubborn heifer A silly dove A luxuriant vine And grapes in the wilderness Amidst this horrible ordeal of Israel’s sin – Hosea makes it clear that no sinful act in the world can exhaust the redeeming love of God. His love simply goes beyond reason. We deserved judgment – yet He …

The Gift of Discernment

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My post today is on the subject of Discernment. I am persuaded that the days we are living in has called for an optimized level of discernment. This has always been the way God wanted us to do life. Walking by the Spirit. So this is God saying to us – this has to be you new normal. Psalm 119:66 – Teach me good judgment and knowledge Hebrews 5:14 – But strong meat belongs to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Hosea 14:9 – Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? Prudent, and he shall know them? For the ways of the Lord are right, And the just shall walk in them: Main text: Philippians 1:9, 10 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;  That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of …

Where do you feel the closest to God?

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I met with a friend a few days ago. He took me out for some Mexican Food at a place call Sol Mexican Grill. The food is amazing there. At the end of of our wonderful time together, I asked him the following question: “My church is not growing, what else do I need to do? He looked at me and said, “I don’t know! I don’t know! What kind of answer is that? I thought to myself. “There is a lot of stuff you need to do, and all of them are equally important. But, there is one thing I would focus on the most,” He added. At this time he proceeded to tell me a story about a friend: “My friend went to Italy for vacation and he came back very excited about his visit. So I asked him what excited him the most on his trip. He said, it was a visit to one of the historic Cathedrals in Rome that blew his mind. He told me he had never felt that closed to …

Sprinkled for greater works

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The Reference 1 Samuel‬ ‭16‬:‭1‬ NLT “Now the LORD said to Samuel, “You have mourned long enough for Saul. I have rejected him as king of Israel, so fill your flask with olive oil and go to Bethlehem. Find a man named Jesse who lives there, for I have selected one of his sons to be my king.” 1 John 2:27 NLT “But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie-just as it has taught you, abide in him.” The meaning The word “anoint” means to rub or sprinkle on; apply an unguent, ointment, or oily liquid to. Persons in the Old Testament were often literally anointed with oil. For example, priests were anointed for their special service to the LORD (Exodus 28:41). Literal oil would be applied, but as a sign of the Holy Spirit upon their lives and service. The oil on the head was only …

holy, holy, holy VS happy, happy, happy

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I have never met anyone who doesn’t dream about being happy. There is this thing inside us that long for a happy life. I don’t think happiness  is a bad thing to want. Our loving heavenly Father planned for our happiness. The very idea of “Shalom”  in the Bible – “nothing missing – nothing broken” speaks to that fact that God provides for our happiness.  However, I also think most of go about looking for happiness The wrong way. We seek to fill that God-Shape Vacuum (that only He alone can fill) with things that don’t satisfy. First Things First Most people do not know better, so they go about seeking happiness the wrong way. They go for pleasures of all kinds, but it leaves them empty and longing for more. They go for status, fame and money, but soon realize that these things just can’t deliver true happiness. They go for self-help books that only scratch the surface of how to find true happiness. Jesus said, “seek first the kingdom of God and His …

10 Promises that godliness holds for this Life and the life to come

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1 Timothy 4:8 Godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and for the life to come. What is godliness? Godliness is active obedience to God. It springs not from works, legalism or a religious spirit, but from a reverent awe or fear of God. There are a few things in this world that bring value and enrichment to our lives. Godliness is at the top of that list. Godliness holds promises for all areas of life. It releases incredible blessings when possessed in increasing measures in areas of the family, business, relationships, finances and leisure. By it (godliness), God raises nations to greatness (Prov. 14:34). In this post I want to share with you the value, the power and the promise that godliness holds for this life and the life to come. A godly person: 1. Will Attract Strong Help from God For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward …

Call & response: A Spiritual Dialogue

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A call to Hear Hear this, you elders; give ear, all inhabitants of the land! This a call for the elderly and for the young – every man, woman, boy, and girl. He doesn’t want any to be left out. He is calling Hindus, Buddhist, and Muslims. He is calling the entire world to hear what He has to say through His Son Jesus Christ. Hebrews 1:1 says, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son.” If you hear His voice don’t harden your heart! A call to Awake Awake, you drunkards, A spiritual slumber has swept over the nations. The eyes of many Christians are heavy. Jesus is calling the church to come alive. He wants to bring revival. He wants to raise up those dry bones and breathe life into them so that they can live again.  Ephesians 5:14 says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Are you asleep? Could you not …

Without good direction, people lose their way

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Without good direction, people lose their way; the more wise counsel you follow, the better your chances. Here are a few nuggets from Proverbs 11 to help guard us in the right direction: Lead a life of honesty God hates cheating in the marketplace; he loves it when business is aboveboard. Practice humility The stuck-up fall flat on their faces, but down-to-earth people stand firm. Use integrity as a guardrail The integrity of the honest keeps them on track; the deviousness of crooks brings them to ruin. Place more value on faith, hope and a principled life than on riches A thick bankroll is no help when life falls apart, but a principled life can stand up to the worst. Leave a good name and a good reputation everywhere you go Moral character makes for smooth traveling; an evil life is a hard life. Good character is the best insurance; crooks get trapped in their sinful lust. Seek to leave a lasting legacy When the wicked die, that’s it—the story’s over, end of hope. A …

2-scriptures to help you in our fight against sin

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Sometimes when we discover certain verses of scripture, we go “bingo, I have found the answer to everything.” We kind of hold on to that verse as if it were the last word on the subject. If we are not careful, we can easily be lead into error. How so, you may ask? For example, when we read something like – “if you ask anything in my name I will do” we might think this is it, “he said and that settles it.” Well, there is a qualifier to that verse – and if we fail to take it into consideration, we could fall into error. The qualifier says, “if you ask anything according to my will.” The two scriptures I’m about to use today can sometimes seem opposed one to the other – at least some would like to make them look so. But I think they compliment or qualify one another. A clear understanding of these two scriptures is key to gaining the victory and staying victorious over sin. 1. It is the kindness/goodness of the Lord …