Are You Baffled By Suffering?
Do you ever feel like you can’t catch a break – like people and circumstances are constantly raising their hands against you? This is part of what life is like sometimes. Life on earth is difficult. Sometimes, even for long periods of time, life can feel oppressive – and bring suffering. Understanding this reality can be helpful – everyone suffers, and everyone needs to learn to persevere.
Unfortunately, many people of faith are baffled when they hit difficult patches. They subtly or blatantly believe that their lives should be easier because they have faith in God. This is wrong theologically and unhelpful in practice.
Jesus’ life was difficult, and it grew more difficult as He continued in His faithful devotion to the Father. The apostle Paul’s life was also difficult. Yet, rather than being perplexed by his difficulties or feeling sorry for himself, Paul invited his spiritual son and apprentice to “join him in suffering like a good...
A New Season in the Spirit
How alive are you?
How abundant is your life experience in God?
The New Testament starts with the book of Matthew, but the first Gospel written was most likely the book of Mark. It reads, “The beginning of the Good News about Jesus …” It then starts with the ministry of John the Baptist – the one who Isaiah prophesied would prepare people to receive Jesus, the Messiah. John called everyone to repentance – to turn from their sinfulness – their self-referenced, self-promoting, self-protecting and self-justifying lives.
John the Baptist proclaimed a new spiritual season in the Messiah that had two powerful stages:
- Turning from sin and receiving fresh forgiveness from God. Baptism (emersion) in water would be the sign of this spiritually cleansing reality.
- Looking for, and being alert to, the Promised One – Jesus, the Son of God. Baptism (emersion) in the Holy Spirit will be the reality of this new life.
As we consider the Advent...
Is There Spiritual Leakage in Your Life?
Do you want to walk in God’s power and strength, or do you prefer to go it alone? This is a question we must each honestly ask ourselves. If you want to walk in God, you must learn to positively respond to His commands and directives. You must also be willing to say “No” to lesser things.
A.W. Tozer gave students, at Wheaton College, 5 important “Don’ts” that can help strengthen us and prevent “spiritual leakage” in our lives. Let’s take a moment and consider them together.
- Don’t trifle (i.e. play or deal lightly) with sin
There is no need to waste your time/life with things that don’t truly satisfy and actually will make your spirit weak and sick. Don’t slow down to even toy with sin. Keep moving ahead, living full wholesome lives and obeying His positive commands.
- Don’t steal God’s glory
Don’t be so concerned about other people’s opinion of you. If you...
Learn to Be BOTH Still and Active!
One of the great challenges of our day is that hardly any of us are very good at stilling ourselves before the Lord. The good news is that we can all learn to do so.
There is, however, an additional problem that might surface as we learn to be still. As we behold God’s goodness, experience measures of healing in our souls, and get in touch with our true selves, we have the potential to get stuck.
Sometimes, we can so enjoy our time with the Lord that we become passive in our faith.
When we learn to receive, rather than strive, we might (unintentionally) forget the value of purposefully pursuing the Lord, and the importance of obeying His direction.
No one means to become too passive or disobedient, but it can happen if we over-prize our experience of Him, rather than our growing relationship with Him.
Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God.”
The verse goes on to say, “I wil be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in...
An Invitation to God's Healing, Deepening and New Direction - Podcast
Click Here to Tune in to hear this astounding and inspiring story of redemption, healing and hope.
It was a delight to sit with Joe Fornear, a long-time friend of mine from high school days. I KNOW that you, too, will be encouraged to hear what he has to share.
In this podcast, you will hear some of Joe's honest reflections on
- life lived as a self-professed "racecar that needed a steering wheel".
- his own mental health struggles
- relational struggles with profound effects
- God's interventions and "glorious salvation"
- the impactful gifts of those who invested in him
- his diagnosis of Late Stage Metastatic Melanoma
- an oncologist's shocking "death sentence" when no more could be done
- God's MIRACULOUS healing
- how God is moving in and through him today in an amazing and inspiring ministry
Really...You do not want to miss this one!
~ Coach Tom
What To Do When Life Gets Rough
He wants to break you out of the prison of a closed-system mindset, freeing you toperceive and rely upon the resources of heaven. This is often a painful and scaryprocess, and it seems new and insurmountable each time it occurs. The faith-fruit, however, that grows through such trials is incredible and expansive. Paul wanted the believers in Corinth to know just how stretching such an experience was for him, and how prayer and partnership play a crucial role in heavenly faith breakthrough. He wrote,“We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our...
Live in the Power of God!
Do you feel like you are getting good traction in your life?
Sometimes we are not gaining ground because we are not aligned with our Design, Placement and Purposes from God.
Click Here: Live in the Power of God
In this podcast, we look at aligning ourselves with God's Gifting.
We particularly focus on the Ascension Gifts (or APEST Gifts) expressed in Ephesians 4:11-13.
We look at the purposes of the different gifts.
We look at how each gifting - or manifestation of the Holy Spirit - functions ... what it looks like in real life.
We also consider how we can identify and grow in the expression of these gifts that God has appointed.
The goal is to continue to grow in your own unique expression of God's gifting and fruit, representing Him will and extending His Kingdom in your spheres of influence.
If you'd like to explore this in more depth, listen to my podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1806644/9061632
