gifts

Nothing Without God

July 20, 2015 by Tim Sherfy

As I was praying recently, a thought occurred to me: “I am nothing except what You are through me.” We love to pose and posture. We love to talk about our accomplishments and achievements. But the reality is nothing we do would be possible if not for God. He created us, gave us our skills and abilities, provided our wisdom, and nurtured our development.

nothing without God,gifts,humility,mission,purpose,1 Corinthians 3:12-15,Matthew 7:21-23,the sheep and the goats

image © hriana

Not a single thing we have ever done would be possible if not for some gift of God. That doesn’t mean everything we’ve done is good or blessed, but it does mean we are all absolutely useless and weak except for the providence of our loving Creator.
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What Defines You?

May 25, 2015 by Tim Sherfy

We live in a world where people are constantly searching for their identity. They try and find it in their career, in their relationships, in their possessions, or in their looks. There is a gnawing ache inside each of them that longs to be filled, so life becomes a relentless pursuit to define who they are. Typically when you ask someone who they are, they respond by telling you what they do or in what circles they run.

what defines you,your season of life does not define you,circumstances do not define you,only God defines you,love,mission,kingdom of God,identity,define me,spiritual gifts

image © Marek

Identity is an intensely personal and internal concept that we mysteriously try and define through that which is external. Sadly, even some believers in Christ fall into this trap of Satan. In order to define ourselves, we must first understand what does not define us.
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Ask For Wisdom

January 22, 2015 by Tim Sherfy

wisdom,blessings,prayer,gifts,selflessness,andy stanley,hugh halter,your move is,flesh

image © jodie777 – Fotolia

I heard something recently that really struck a chord with me: “When you pray, don’t ask for more blessings. Ask for wisdom to use the blessings you already have.” If you are anything like me, so much (too much!) of our time in prayer is spent asking God for things we need – or at least perceive that we need. I don’t know if this malady is exclusive to American Christians, but I suspect it is not. Still, in our culture of constantly wanting more, and success being measured by what we have, it’s easy to slip into the bad habit of always asking. We need to spend more time reflecting on and utilizing the blessings God has already bestowed upon us.

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The Character of God

November 3, 2014 by Tim Sherfy

Integrity,God’s character,character of God,God’s wrath,lies of Satan,spiritual gifts

“Satan’s plan was to distort God’s character and incite Adam and Eve to distrust God. Satan knew once they stopped trusting God, they would be powerless to overcome his temptations”, writes Brad Cole in the fantastic book, “Servant God”. Ever since that initial deception, God has been at work revealing His true character to humans, and Satan has continued to try to twist our perception of it. As long as we don’t trust in the integrity of God, we can never experience the fullness of life He intends for us. We have bought the lies of Satan that convince us we need the things of this world to fulfill the desires of our hearts. We have become blind to the fact that all we need is Jesus. Worse still, we have come to distrust in the promises of God, and ultimately in His character.

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Complacency and Laziness

October 27, 2014 by Tim Sherfy

complacency,,laziness,Luke 10:27,mission,passion,gifts

Photo Credit: Betsie Nel via Compfight cc

Complacency and laziness are two of the deadliest enemies we face in our walk with Jesus. There are more insidious and despicable foes that will come our way, but none are more dangerous and deceptive than complacency and laziness. They sneak up on you with stealth-like wonder and infest themselves throughout your entire body. Complacency says we’ve “prayed the prayer” or “live life as a good person”. We’re good. We can coast from here. Complacency is fed by those who teach that our works don’t matter when it comes down to it. As long as we believe in Jesus we’re safe. Laziness is the close companion of complacency. It convinces you that it’s okay to spend a few extra hours sleeping or eating or watching television. After all, the world will still be there when we’re done. Meanwhile children starve, families are homeless, and people die faced with an eternity separated from the God who loves them.