Archives for February 2024

Repentance

February 29, 2024 by Tim Sherfy

While I was praying for the leaders and people of my country to turn their hearts to Christ, I became convicted of the fact that revival occurs one heart at a time. The first heart that must repent is mine. Each of us must repent of all the ways we’ve turned away from God if we ever expect to see revival on a large scale in our land. Until we who profess Jesus as Lord have repented of not walking in the ways of God, how can we expect those who do not serve Christ to turn to Him?

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We first must shine the light of Jesus into the darkness. Never underestimate the power of God working through a single heart surrendered to Him. As I was praying, the Holy Spirit brought several areas in need of my repentance to mind. While certainly not proud of these, perhaps they will inspire you to repent of the same in your life or remind you of other areas you’ve allowed to fester unsurrendered for too long.

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What Does God Require?

February 26, 2024 by Tim Sherfy

What does God require from you? Isn’t this the most important question you can ask after who you say Jesus is (Matthew 16:15-17)? What the Lord requires of you is simple and God clearly articulates in Scripture what His requirements are. Deuteronomy 10:12 says, “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you except to fear the Lord your God by walking in all His ways, to love Him, and to worship the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul?”

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What He required of Israel is what He continues to require from His people today. We know if we love Him, we will keep His commands (John 14:15), so we must always be reminding ourselves of what those commands are. If the commands of God are not always at the forefront of our minds, we will quickly drift into living for the things we desire instead of what God requires.

False Doctrine

February 22, 2024 by Tim Sherfy

False doctrine is everywhere today, proliferating in our churches and on the internet. It’s almost impossible to escape and can be difficult to detect if we aren’t constantly marinating our minds on the Scriptures. As J. C. Ryle wrote, “False doctrine does not meet men face to face, and proclaim that it is false. It does not blow a trumpet before it, and endeavor openly to turn us away from the truth as it is in Jesus. It does not come before men in broad day, and summon them to surrender. It approaches us secretly, quietly, insidiously, plausibly, and in such a way as to disarm man’s suspicion, and throw him off his guard.” None of us are immune, so we all must remain diligent in discerning the truth.

false doctrine,God' Word,discipleship,gospel,Bible reading,God's Kingdom,Bible study,J. C. Ryle,Kingdom of God

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Where is Your Hope?

February 19, 2024 by Tim Sherfy

In a world of hopelessness, where is your hope? Since it’s an election year in America, many place their hope in a politician or political party. Some place their hope in the amount of money they stockpile or perhaps in a certain level of success. Getting through each day surrounded by so much hate, anger, and violence requires we hope in *something* or we will crumble under despair.

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Putting our hope in anything in this world is putting hope in something that will not last. Perhaps it will last your lifetime, but recognize everything this world offers is temporary. Only Jesus is worthy of our hope, because only Jesus is eternal.

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Happiness is Obedience

February 15, 2024 by Tim Sherfy

People spend an inordinate amount of time seeking happiness. It occurs to me they are searching without a plan or any understanding of what happiness actually is. I think most people figure they will know happiness when they find it, but that’s a bit like searching for a needle in a haystack. If you want to be happy, wouldn’t it be better to define what that means before embarking on the journey?

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The Bible gives us a good definition of happiness in John 13:17, where Jesus says, “If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.” Looking back further in the passage, we see the “things” Jesus is referring to are the teachings and commandments He has given them. When we obey God, the joy that brings will bless us. To be blessed is to be happy. Therefore, happiness is obedience to Christ.