John

Fearing God

February 5, 2015 by Tim Sherfy

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Satan loves to fill our minds with doubts and fears. He reminds us of our perceived shortcomings and failures. If we listen long enough, these thoughts become debilitating and prevent us from carrying out the mission of Christ. Too often we fail to recognize Satan as the source of our destructive thought patterns. If we did, we wouldn’t lend them the credence that we do. The Bible tells us that Satan is “the accuser” (Revelation 12:10). Any time you have thoughts of not being good enough or you doubt your ability to accomplish something, those thoughts are from the devil himself. In the same way, when you are afraid, those feelings too are from Satan. God is one hundred percent love, and there is no fear in love (1 John 4:18).

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Praying as Jesus Prayed

February 2, 2015 by Tim Sherfy

When Jesus taught His disciples what we know as “The Lord’s Prayer”, He gave us much more than a simple model prayer. Within these few short verses are the keys to God’s will for each of our lives. If you’ve ever wondered how you should pray, it’s in there. If you’ve ever wondered what God’s will is for your life, it’s in there as well.

praying as Jesus prayed,commitment,discipleship,humility,purpose

Want to know how you should treat others? Jesus articulated it in His prayer. Are you curious about how to have a right relationship with your money? You guessed it, it’s right there in the Lord’s Prayer. It’s a brief passage, so let’s break it down piece by piece.

Brave

January 19, 2015 by Tim Sherfy

Photo Credit: bold.as.love via Compfight cc

As I was writing this morning, I was listening to Nichole Nordeman’s song, “Brave”. I actually was beginning to write on a different topic I had sketched out when the words of the chorus really hit me:

“So long status quo
I think I just let go
You make me want to be brave
The way it always was
Is no longer good enough
You make me want to be brave.”

The song goes on to say “If you believe in me, that changes everything.” Wow. When was the last time you recognized that not only does Jesus love you, but He absolutely, unequivocally, and without hesitation believes in you? He designed you to do the work He created you to do (Ephesians 2:10), and He harbors no doubt you can get it done. It doesn’t matter who hurt you in the past, let you down, held you down, or laughed in your face. The God of the Universe believes in you. Does anything else even matter? [Read more…] about Brave

True Prayer

December 11, 2014 by Tim Sherfy

william barclay,John 14:12-15,whatever you ask in my name,in jesus name,peace,joy,rest,gods will

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William Barclay said that “True prayer is asking God what He wants.” Too often our prayers are driven by our own perceived needs and selfish desires instead of focusing on what God wants to do in us and through our situation. We are focused on the here and now, but God’s eyes are also on the next and the not yet. He is capable of foreseeing every possible twist and turn our lives might take, and is always making a way for us to use the gifts He has entrusted to us in a way that furthers His Kingdom and glorifies His character. While Jesus longs for our happiness, He knows the quickest route there is to steer us toward holiness.

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Are You Comfortable In This World?

December 8, 2014 by Tim Sherfy

a.w. tozer,tozer,mission,comfort,discipleship,Matthew 25:31-46,Mark 12:28-31,James 1:27,Isaiah 58:6-7,Matthew 28:18-19,John 17:6-19,Matthew 10:22

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I continue to be inspired by A.W. Tozer. Recently as I was studying some of his material, I read where wrote, “If you are a Christian and you are comfortably ‘at home’ in Chicago or Toronto, in Iowa or Alberta or any other address on planet earth, the signs are evident that you are in spiritual trouble. The spiritual equation reads like this: The greater your contentment with your daily circumstances in this world, the greater your defection from the ranks of God’s pilgrims en route to a city whose architect and builder is God Himself!” These are words that should cut us to the core. We have taken our eyes off of our Creator and have focused instead on material possessions and comfort. Do we think this course will end well?