Even If i Walk Alone

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

Philippians

A New Creation

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When you give your life to Jesus, everything changes. It’s not only your eternal destiny that changes, but your life right now is transformed. God gives you a new identity. Everything you’ve thought about yourself is no longer true. You are no longer what anyone else has labeled you. You are no longer limited by your own beliefs or those of others. When you make Jesus Lord of your life, you become a child of the King.

new creation,love,grace,mercy,2 Corinthians 5:17,all things new,John 16:33,more than conquerors,2 Corinthians 5:6-8,present with Lord, Philippians 1:21-24,die is gain,2 Timothy 3:16-17,equipped for good work,2 Corinthians 5:17,new has come,Romans 8:37,more than conquerors,Ephesians 2:10,created for good works,

From that moment on you are not a failure, you are more than a conqueror (Romans 8:37). You are not an aimless wanderer, you are a person of purpose, created with unique gifts and talents to accomplish things for the Kingdom of God only you can do (Ephesians 2:10). Your old limitations and fears no longer apply. You are a new creation in every way (2 Corinthians 5:17).

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The Myth of the Sinner’s Prayer

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I grew up in churches where an invitation was given at the end of every service. As part of the invitation, people were invited to receive Christ and were led through “the sinner’s prayer”. This prayer was holy and awesome. It was the key to the Kingdom of God, after all. While as kids you might have messed around throughout the service, you didn’t dare misbehave at this point.

myth of the sinners prayer,sinner's prayer,obedience,salvation,once saved always saved,freewill,free will,commitment,Philippians 2:12,work out your salvation,John 10:28-29,no one can snatch them from my Father's hand,I John 2:3-6,obeying his commands

Variations of the same prayer have been around for a couple of hundred years and it persists to this day, although it’s use and invitations, in general, are far less common in churches today, especially those of the mega variety. There’s nothing wrong with saying this prayer. It’s one way to confess your need for Jesus. The problem is it’s not Biblical and it’s not enough.

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The Danger of Complaining

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Complaining can kill our spirits. No one likes to hear someone else complain, but we love to do it ourselves. At the heart of complaining is a victim mentality. We feel an injustice has been done to us, someone else has been given what we deserve, we didn’t get a fair shot, or perhaps we weren’t born into the right family or country or endowed with the perfect looks or talents.

danger of complaining,discipleship,humility,complain,gossip,Philippians 4:8,think on these things,John 15:7,whatever you ask in my name,1 Thessalonians 5:16-18,pray without ceasing,pray constantly

Some seem to have elevated complaining about co-workers, friends, or family to an art form. For others, it seems to be more a sport, as each successive complaint tops the previous one. Despite our fascination with complaining, nothing good will ever come from it.

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Deep and Wide

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Evan Esar once said, “You can’t do anything about the length of your life. But you can do something about its width and depth.” I like that. None of us know how many days we have remaining. It’s not our call. But what we do with each of those days is within our hands. Every day we choose to pass the time or impact it. In and of itself, there is nothing remarkable about a long life. At best, it’s interesting. But a life lived well is something truly remarkable.

deep and wide,andy stanley,long life,priorities,purpose,God's will,focus,freewill,free will

I want to live a life rich in width and depth. The length doesn’t matter so much to me.  Like Paul, I can say if I live, I’ll live for Christ, but if I die, I’ll be with Him (Philippians 1:21). I have a lot to look forward to. Delaying that sweet reward isn’t exactly in my best interest.

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Everything Matters

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For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been haunted by an old Geoff More lyric. It’s from the song, “God Believes in You”, and says, “Everything matters if anything matters at all / No matter how big, no matter how small”.  The implications of the lyric torture me. I think we would all agree some things matter, particularly when it comes to knowing Christ. Knowing some things matter, I am compelled by Scripture to believe everything matters.

everything matters,commitment,discipleship,priorities,Matthew 5:48,be perfect,1 Peter 1:16,be holy,2 Corinthians 10:3-5,take every thought captive,James 3:5-8,tame tongue,Ephesians 4:29-32,no foul language,Matthew 7:1,love your neighbor,Mark 12:3,treat others how you want to be treated,Philippians 3:8,count everything lost,Exodus 20:3,no idols before me

image © Khunatorn via Fotolia

Every word I speak, every thought I think, everything at which my eyes look, every interaction I have with people, how I spend every moment – they all matter. They all will be either for the Kingdom or against it. They all will be either pleasing or displeasing to my Lord.

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