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Recognizing Sinful Patterns
here do our sinful patterns come from? Scripture is quite clear that our sin comes from the evil desires of our old nature. James 1:15 Then when desire conceives, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is full grown, it gives birth to death.
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Bible Verses on Assurance for Your Family
I’ve noticed many people struggle with having assurance of their salvation. This occurs for numerous reasons, but sometimes it’s a result of placing too much emphasis on our actions. Assurance of our salvation should not be based on our good or bad actions. Good works may show fruit of salvation, but they are never the basis of salvation. Ultimately, our salvation rests in our trust in Christ alone and is substantiated by the objective truth of Scripture. When doubting, turn to God’s Word for assurance. Below is a list of verses I’ve compiled on assurance (click here to see these verses in an infographic format). John 1:12 John 3:16 John…
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An Unchanging God in an Ever-Changing World
This past Sunday, I heard the best sermon I have ever heard on the importance of placing our faith in the character of God. If you would like to hear the sermon, go to http://www.hillsdalebiblechurch.org/sermons . (You might want to wait a few days since it may not be posted yet; he just preached it yesterday.) After meditating on it I came to realize what a game changer it can be in our lives and in the lives of our children. We need to quit asking the questions the world asks and start asking the questions of life in a more Biblical way. Pastor Bob helped me realize that, typically,…
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Wisdom in Waiting- A Timeless Truth
In a world of instant everything, a third world country appears to be backward, deprived, even antiquated. They seem slow in their thinking, in their decision making, and especially in their everyday living. A person who visits these countries where living is harder, might verbally give thanks for modern advances while they secretly enjoy the slower pace. Modern cultures have life easier, faster, and more productive. Technology has advanced our ability to do more but sadly reinforces our tendency towards impatience. Impatience comes naturally to all who have a sinful nature. Just try to get a baby to wait when they are hungry or when their diaper needs changing. In…
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A NEW LOOK AT THE OLD BOOK
True believers read the Bible even though ancient texts with foreign cultural perspectives confuse or sometimes bore us. The younger the believer’s age the more the confusion.Nevertheless, those who believe, young and old, novice and mature alike, regularly listen to, read, and memorize Scripture passages. When we are taught to read, we first learn to recognize letters and sound out words. We quickly move on to reading comprehension, learning to retain what we read by filing it in our memory bank under various categories. The enemy of our soul wars against us. He desires that when we open God’s Word we forget those comprehension and retention lessons. He wants to…
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Thank you, Dr. Ryrie
He was aging and death came and it came as a shock. Many have written tributes and have expressed deep sorrow. Like them, his death has moved me deeply. I have used the Ryrie Study Bible almost all my Christian life and without me realizing it, Ryrie’s work has meant more to me than I knew. It meant more. A lot more. Ryrie wrote notes on Scripture and explained doctrines so people could comprehend difficult doctrines, so they too could discover a deeper relationship with God. Why did he do this? Without his work, without the interpretations and explanations, I may have never wanted to learn more.…
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Planning Like Jesus this Year
Meet Michelle Oney. She’s the Director of Development at Josh McDowell Ministry and has a passion for strategic planning, developing people, and making the most of every opportunity to share the gospel. From the Old Testament with Moses, Joshua, Nehemiah, and David to the New Testament with Jesus and Paul, the Bible is full of examples of leaders who strategically planned in order to accomplish what God had called them to do. As we look to planning for 2016, we can’t just look at what worked and what didn’t last year. We don’t have to rely on brainstorming, ideation, skill, experience, or creativity. Of course we may use some of…
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Where is Your Faith?
He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him? Luke 8:25, (ESV), italics and bold mine. Ever lost your confidence in Christ—in His love, His power and promises—during a severe storm of life? Ever felt disoriented and you couldn’t figure out solutions? Instead you felt suffocated from the drowning waves of a bad storm that relentlessly came at you. We know crisis can come at any time. So we stay alert and watch carefully. Sometimes things seem pretty calm and then wham! You…
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You Can’t Handle the Truth!
Echoing from the movie courtroom this bold assertion, “You can’t handle the truth” resonates beyond that stirring scene. Between accusations going viral on social media and salacious reports many years old about those we have admired how does one even determine what is true. Add to the confusion that Satan is the "Father of Lies." In today’s generation, doubt exists that such a thing is possible. So where can “true truth” be found? Leaders and media filter information and between edits and photo-shop, determining fact and accuracy becomes increasingly difficult. Often that filter conforms to the assertion above that “we” can’t handle the truth. Dictionary.com offers this definition of…
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A Walk in the Park
In the heart of Manhattan stands an oasis of green rolling hills, plush gardens and a reservoir that covers 106 acres of the 840 acres of Central Park. A few blocks away you will find shoppers on Fifth Avenue, chaos in Times Square, and performers doing their thing on Broadway. Yet on any given day, many will find the park filled with people looking for a bit of sanctuary in the midst of a city that never sleeps. I recently took a walk through Central Park. I found the beauty of it astounding despite having toured it a few years back. During my time there I noticed some New Yorkers…
