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Three Questions to Ask of Any Bible Passage
Does the LORD really want sacrifices and offerings? No! He doesn’t want your sacrifices. He wants you to obey him” (1 Samuel 15:22b CEV).
If you aren’t experienced in applying God’s Word to your life, you might be frustrated. How do you do it? Today I want to give you three questions you can ask of any passage that will help you apply the Bible to your life. Here are the three questions:
1. What did this Scripture mean when it was written?
2. What is the timeless truth behind wh …
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Your Gifts Are For Other People
“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.” (1 Peter 4:10 NLT)
The Bible says in 1 Peter 4:10-11, “God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another” (NLT). When you use your abilities to help each other, God is glorified.
God wired you to make a contribution. God did not give you your talents and abilities for your benefit. They are for the benefit of …
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Spiritual Boredom
Do you ever get bored with church or with your spiritual life? If you say, “Yes, I get bored with my spiritual life all the time,” I want to help you understand the root of that spiritual boredom.
There is one primary reason why people get spiritually bored. It is very simple: Knowledge without application eventually becomes boring and unfulfilling — every time.
If all you do is sit and listen, listen, and listen to the Word without ever taking steps to apply it to your life, you’l …
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The Scars are All Part of a Beautiful Story
“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” (Psalm 147:3)
If you’ve ever been wounded, or have felt like you needed to hide the scars away from painful times in life, know that you’re not alone. Even Jesus faced great insults, wounds, and pain more than we could ever imagine. And He carried His scars right back into that little room where He met his disciples after the Resurrection. Sometimes I’ve wondered why He didn’t choose to let the scars fade away. He’d gained victory ov …
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Patience In Prayer
Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him (Psalms 37:7).
Have you prayed and prayed and waited and waited, and still there is no manifestation? Are you tired of seeing nothing move? Are you just at the point of giving it all up? Perhaps you have not waited in the right way? This would take you out of the right place the place where He can meet you.
“With patience wait” (Rom. 8:25). Patience takes away worry. He said He would come, and His promise is equal to His presence. Patience takes …
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The Power of the Holy Spirit
The principle we will explore today is basic but so powerful that it determines whether we experience victory in our lives.
You are probably familiar with the book The Little Engine That Could, in which a small engine keeps repeating the words “I think I can.” By using sheer willpower, she pulls an entire train over the mountain. That’s a nice children’s story, but the truth of the Christian life is very different. In the real world, our efforts and determination oft …
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22 Things Christians Need to Stop
Christian preachers are often talking about the “mission” of God’s people, and this is absolutely right. Christians have a lot to do in this world, and our task to make disciples and take the gospel to the nations is immediate and apparent. But there are also other things that we should seek to cease in our lives. Here are 22 key things and attitudes that we need to cut out of our lives.
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Lord, I Love You, but…
I’m sure that won’t happen to you, friends. I have better things in mind for you—salvation things! God doesn’t miss anything. He knows perfectly well all the love you’ve shown him by helping needy Christians, and that you keep at it. And now I want each of you to extend that same intensity toward a full-bodied hope, and keep at it till the finish. Don’t drag your feet. Be like those who stay the course with committed faith and then get everything promised to them. (Hebrews 6:10-12)
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The Key to Having Your Every Need Met
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)
A man was struggling to climb a very tall ladder that leaned up against a wall. The rungs were far apart, and there were people in front of him. But he was consumed with making it to the top. He climbed every rung, stepping over people along the way. When he got to the top, he looked over the wall and saw nothing.
That’s exactly where the pursuit of worldly wealth …
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Feed Me So I Can Destroy You
“I destroy homes, tear families apart, take your children, and that’s just the start. I’m more costly than diamonds, more costly than gold, the sorrow I bring is a sight to behold…Just try me once and I might let you go, but try me twice, and I’ll own your soul.
When I possess you, you’ll steal and you’ll lie. You do what you have to just to get high…You’ll lie to your mother; you’ll steal from your dad. When you see their tears, you should feel sad. But you’ll forget yo …
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