Even If i Walk Alone

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

humility

Stand for Jesus

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I like to think if someone held a gun to my head demanding I reject Christ, I would, without hesitation, begin sharing the Gospel with them. I also like to think if they were holding a gun to my wife’s head demanding I deny Christ, I again would begin sharing the gospel with them. She knows my convictions and I am confident she would approve. I want to believe my faith is strong enough to stand for Jesus, no matter how extreme, painful, or stressful the situation is.

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If you are a devoted follower of Christ, my guess is you feel the same way. But how can we possibly expect to stand for Jesus in the most extreme circumstances when we deny Him with the thoughts we think, words we say, and actions we take every day when we are under no pressure at all to deny Him?

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Self-Confidence

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For those around my age and older, I think we’ve always equated being American to being self-confident. Perhaps it is arrogance, and it is undoubtedly sinful pride, but the fact remains. I’ve heard it expressed by those I know from other countries and if you watch people at all, I think you’ll agree with me. This may be true on a superficial level and I admit it is an over-generalization, but on the flip side, there can be no doubt that in the confines of their minds, many desperately struggle with their self-confidence.

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Search Amazon for books on self-confidence, and you’ll find over 20,000 selections to choose from. Plug the term “self-confidence” into a search engine and it will return over 50 million results. Regardless of how we feel about ourselves, it seems clear we are a nation obsessed with being self-confident.

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We Don’t Pray as We Should

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I’m embarking on a new book project examining the prayers of the Bible. Inspired by hearing a preacher state that our prayers are vastly different from those found in God’s Word, I began looking into it. While only in the early stages of my project, the evidence is already overwhelming that we don’t pray as we should. We know humans are prideful and selfish, but nowhere is that more obvious than in the content of our prayers.

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This is especially true in the Western world, but I fear it is becoming more widespread as the teachings of Western Christianity spread throughout the globe. Knowing prayer is fundamental to our growth in Christ, we will do well to revisit the examples of prayer given by those who have gone before us.

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Is It What You Expected?

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How long have you been a Christian? No matter your answer, I have a question for you: “Is it what you expected?” When you came to acknowledge Christ as your Lord and Savior, what did you imagine would be the result? Increasingly, I see Christians encouraging someone down on their luck by pulling random verses out of context and assuring those people that God has big plans for them if they will only trust in Jesus.

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In one sense, those well-wishers are correct. God has big plans for everyone who calls on His name. He plans to give them eternal life and bring them into His presence forever. There couldn’t be a bigger plan. But I know this isn’t what these people have in mind. Too many so-called Christians today have believed the lie that believing in Jesus is the way to success, health, and wealth in this life now.

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God Knows

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The fact God knows what we’re going through is comforting. It’s amazing to realize He knows each of us by name. But too often, we leave our thoughts of what God thinks about us there and go no deeper. In Psalm 139, David makes it crystal clear that God is intimately aware and present in every moment and aspect of our lives. His presence is an overwhelming fact, not just a trite bumper sticker.

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There is nothing we think, say, do, or desire that catches Him off-guard or unaware. He knew it before we ever spoke, thought, did, or desired it. While this is an enormous comfort, it should also fill us with a fear of how unholy and unworthy we are to be in His presence, much less receive His help and salvation.

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