What You Must Remember After You Run from God

running from God
But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.-Luke 15:31

I certainly don’t agree with everything the Amish believe. Their extreme legalism and shunning practices are not a reflection of God’s grace. But some Amish communities do have a practice which I find beautiful.

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What Does the Bible Say About Being Balanced?

what does bible say about being balanced“Then Amnon hated her with very great hatred, so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her.” – 2 Samuel 13:15

One common expression many Christians say is that we should all try to be balanced. But what does being balanced really mean? And what does the Bible say about being balanced?

In one sense this is not a hard question. As Christians, we should be “balanced” in such a way where we are level headed, not overly dogmatic, and respectful of other people’s beliefs even if we don’t hold them ourselves.

Christians should also be balanced in that we should not hone in on one doctrine, trying to make the Bible and the Christian faith all about this one point, for as John Stott said, “Every heresy is due to an overemphasis upon some truth, without allowing other truths to qualify and balance it.”

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Christianity Is a Pursuit, Not an Abstention

Pursuing Christ
“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.” Matthew 12:43-45

Put simply, we will never find God and live free by just avoiding evil but rather through pursuing Christ.

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Christianity Is the Greatest Paradigm Shift in History

christian paradigm shift bible
Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see . . . .”-Acts 9:18

Have you ever taken hold of an idea that completely changes the way you view the world?

A paradigm is one’s theoretical views or beliefs that create one’s perceptions of the world, shaping the way one thinks and lives. A “paradigm shift” happens when a new idea or viewpoint changes the old way of seeing.

For example, people use to believe the earth was flat. This belief shaped the way they lived because they feared they would fall off the face of the planet if they traveled too far. This was their paradigm.

However, once the truth was revealed that the earth was round, a paradigm shift happened in the minds of men. It changed everything.

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Identifying Idols of the Heart

identifying idols of the heart
I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love. Hosea 11:4

While there is really only one true God, in our fallenness we often times idolize many other things, thus treating them like gods. But how do we identify idols of the heart?

Control is the name of the game when it comes to being a god or God. One of the qualities of divinity is doing what you want, when you want, and why you want. This truth can help us identify idols of the heart.

When we idolize someone or something, we will be controlled by them. Therefore, if you want to know what your gods are, all you have to do is identify what controls you.

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How to Forgive Someone Who Has Hurt You Deeply

how to forgive someone who has deeply hurt you bible christian
(Matthew 18:21-35)

How do you forgive someone who has hurt you deeply? Sadly this is a question every human will have to answer if they hope to keep their heart healthy.

If you have close friends, relatives you love, a spouse, children, or any other significant relationship, the possibility for hurt will never leave and thus forgiveness will always be deeply needed.

Therefore, the first step in forgiving someone who has hurt you deeply is to prepare in advance before the hurt even happens.

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Put Good In, Get Good Out

Put Good In Get Good Out
Matthew 6:22-23, Luke 13:8-9

To live is to be constantly taking in and putting out. We breathe and then exhale. We see and then react. We hear and then process. We eat and then . . . well you know. Life is a constant journey of movement. Spiritually speaking, this is true as well. We are never just standing still. We are either moving closer to the Lord or backsliding (Romans 6:19, 2 Peter 1:8-9).

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Freedom from the Riot

Acts 19:23-29
Acts 19:23-29

Each of us has those untouchable topics in our life. Whenever they are brought up, whenever we are confronted there, or whenever that certain itch is not scratched, being “enraged” and “crying out” (Acts 19:28) is sure to follow.

We don’t want to yell at our spouse when they confront our eating habits. We don’t want to go into a rage when our kids break a window . . . again. Nobody wants to get into the car after a long day’s work to then fume in fury as we sit helplessly in traffic. Nobody wants to rage and yell, and yet we do far more often than we would like to admit. Why?

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A Bible Study for Men’s Accountability Partners

A Bible Study for Men’s Accountability Partners

Men who are accountability partners with one another often start their relationship with good intentions. Most often they want to be accountability partners because of the lustful temptations that swirl around them on a daily bases. Having another Christian man who wants to obey God’s lessons in the Bible, who will ask you hard questions, who will pray with you, and who you know is fighting sexual temptation right alongside of you is truly a great advantage in the war against lust.

So why do accountability partners so often fail? Not to oversimplify the answer, but often times men’s accountability partners fail because this relationship is based on talking, emotional transparency, and difficult conversations. In other words, men’s accountability partnerships require men to do what does not come natural to them.

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