Even If i Walk Alone

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

The Road Ahead

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The road ahead is not always clear. Obstacles, expected and unexpected, will block our way and cause us to question the path we’ve chosen. Sometimes the road ahead is well lit, and we move forward with confidence. More often, it is so dark you can’t see your hand in front of your face. We’re lost, confused, and, if we’re honest, scared out of our minds. We do not understand what lies ahead.

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One of the beautiful results of following Jesus is we may not always know where we’re going, but we always know with whom we’re going. The road ahead does not seem so unnerving knowing Jesus is at once leading the way, watching our back, and walking right beside us.

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Praying for the Persecuted

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I want to encourage all followers of Jesus to remember our brothers and sisters around the world who are facing mistreatment, persecution, violence, and prison. It’s easy to read their stories, throw up a quick prayer, and move on. Their names can be difficult to pronounce, their cultures foreign to us. But each of these individuals is a man or woman, just like you and me.

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They feel fear and pain. Many have families they love and who count on them. They are not so different from us. No, they are just like us. The only difference between us and them is most of us have been blessed to have been born and/or live in countries that afford religious freedom.

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Renewing Your Mind

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Disciples of Jesus are always going through the process of renewing their minds. The apostle Paul said we should be “transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). Renewing your mind means much more than replacing dreadful habits with better ones, old habits with new ones. The renewing is a restoring to what God originally intended. When Christ returns, He will restore all things to their original design.

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All of nature, all the animals, birds of the sky, and fish of the sea will be resplendent in a majesty we have never seen. They will be renewed into what they were created to be. It will be the same with humanity. God makes all things new (Revelation 21:5). Renewing your mind then is to be a part of what God is doing in the world. It is to be a part of His redemption story.

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Ambassadors of Jesus

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You would never know it by looking at the world or most Christians, but we aren’t here to live a pleasant life, make a fair amount of money, and retire in comfort. We are here to be ambassadors of Jesus, His representative in this very foreign kingdom.  Our mission is to help bring the Kingdom of Heaven to earth as it is in Heaven (Matthew 6:9-10). If you’ve looked around lately, I think you’ll agree we are a long way from realizing God’s Kingdom on earth.

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Things get a little crazier with each passing day, while we wring our hands and wonder what we can do. We pray for peace, unity, and our leaders, while we wait for someone to come along and make things better. All the while, the Church sits quietly by, trying to weather the storm and live to see another day.

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The Plan of Salvation

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If you grew up in the church or have ever taken a traditional discipleship course, you’re probably familiar with the so-called, “plan of salvation.” It’s interesting to note while the Bible shows us how to find salvation in Jesus, it has nothing to do with the 20th century man-made “plan of salvation”. There is a way to eternal life with Jesus, but it involves a lifelong commitment, not a two-minute prayer. The plan of salvation can be useful in helping someone understand their need for Jesus, but it does nothing to prepare them for the sacrifice and difficulties they will encounter because of their decision to follow Christ.

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We are doing a grave disservice to untold numbers of people who, upon being presented with the plan of salvation and praying the sinner’s prayer, think that’s all there is to it and it saves them for eternity. We’re creating people who think they know Jesus, but that same Jesus may cast them from His presence if that prayer is all they ever do for Him (Matthew 7:22-23).

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