Even If i Walk Alone

Instructing and encouraging you to live your life as a disciple of Jesus

Archives for November 2016

Play it Safe

by

One of the greatest dangers facing the modern Church is the prevalence of Christians thinking they can play it safe and still have a place in the Kingdom of God. If that seems controversial, let me be perfectly clear and a bit blunt: you cannot play it safe and please God. Those two ideas are diametrically opposed. The life of Jesus was filled with danger and discomfort.

play it safe,playing it safe,commitment,discipleship,mission,God's Kingdom,Kingdom of God,John 16:33,you will have trouble in this world,Matthew 10:16-25,brother will betray brother,Luke 9:57-58,foxes have holes,no place to lay his head,Hebrews 11:32-38,sawed in two,renegade,vince antonucci

image © kantver via Fotolia

He warned his followers their lives would be the same if they chose to stick with Him ((John 16:33; Matthew 10:16-25; Luke 9:57-58). Fast forward a couple thousand years, and the propensity to play it safe has become the order of the day in many – if not most – churches.

[Read more…] about Play it Safe

Being Thankful

by

It’s Thanksgiving day in America. While I recognize a good number of readers are not Americans, being thankful is something to which we can all relate. So whether you celebrate Thanksgiving in your culture or not, I suggest we all take some time today to reflect on all our blessings. Even if you are struggling in this season of life, I am confident you can find some things for which to be grateful.

being thankful,Thanksgiving,thankfulness,thankful,Matthew 6:25-34,consider the lilies,God cares for your needs,Matthew 7:9-11,son asks for bread gives Him a stone,God gives good gifts,Psalms 46:1,ever present help in trouble,John 3:16,God so loved the world,gave His only Son

image © stcom via Fotolia

Something amazing happens when we pray prayers of gratitude. Our attitude changes. Our physical countenance improves. Most of us forget how truly blessed we are and take much of our lives for granted. But today, just for a little while, let’s reorient our focus on simply being thankful for everything God has done for us.

[Read more…] about Being Thankful

The Armor of God

by

What does the armor of God look like in your life? Ephesians 6:10-18 is a familiar passage of Scripture detailing the armor of God. Like many familiar passages, it can be easy to overlook and never take the time to apply it to your own life. Paul gave us a great gift when he outlined the weapons of our warfare. Though I have distant memories of a flannel-graph (remember those?) soldier in Sunday School, there is nothing childish about the depth of this passage.

armor of God,faith,works,God's Kingdom,Kingdom of God,mercy,grace,love,Ephesians 6:10-18,Ephesians 2:8-10,by grace you are saved by faith,Matthew 4:1-11,temptation of Christ,Jesus in the wilderness

image © Luis Louro via Fotolia

Within these words are the strategic plans to counteract the attacks of the devil.  To best make use of the armor and weapons, we should know what they look like in our own lives.

[Read more…] about The Armor of God

Triggers

by

We all have triggers that prompt sinful behaviors. If we learn to recognize the triggers, we will begin to overcome the most problematic sins in our lives. Satan does two things really well. He lies, and he manipulates.  When it comes to his attacks on us, all of them can be traced back to one of those two strategies.

triggers,marshall goldsmith,Matthew 4:1-11,temptation of Christ,Jesus in the wilderness,Matthew 26:36-46,garden of Gethsemane,Luke 22:39-46,sweating blood,temptation,sin,prayer,kingdom of God,God's Kingdom,prayer

image © ArenaCreative via Fotolia

Either he’s trying to get you to believe something untrue, or he’ll try and get you to do something against the will of God. Understanding the simplicity of the enemy’s attacks should help us formulate strategies to resist him. But unless we recognize the triggers in our own lives, we will struggle defeating the schemes of the devil.

[Read more…] about Triggers

Why We Sin

by

Devoted followers of Christ hate when they sin. It’s maddening. We don’t understand why we continue to do things we know are not honoring to God (Romans 7:15). If you’re like me, you may have often pondered why we sin in the first place. It seems logical our love and devotion to God would keep us close to Him and far away from sin. It would be that simple if we did not have an enemy who was constantly seeking to trip us up and eventually destroy us (1 Peter 5:8).

why we sin,sin,Romans 7:15,do what I don't want to do,the very things I hate I end up doing,1 Peter 5:8,satan prowls around,prowling lion,Genesis 2:2-3Sabbath,rest,sevetnth day,Exodus 20:8-11,ten commandments,remember the Sabbath,focus,discipleship,mission,commitment,angels,demons,Satan,the devil,God's kingdom,kingdom of God,what is sin

image © Marina P. via Fotolia

While we can’t blame Satan for our failures, we can blame him for planting the seeds of those failures. Ultimately though, the reason why we sin is because we choose to take our eyes off Jesus.

[Read more…] about Why We Sin