How to Overcome Your Past

How can you overcome your past? In this video I talk about how your past often dictates your present. The passion, or lack of passion, you have for God is often controlled by what you have previously done in life.

But if you can’t change your past, what can be done? What hope is there for a better future if your past is constantly controlling your present?

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Intertwined (2 Free Sample Chapters)

Read two free sample chapters from my newest book, Intertwined: Our Happiness Is Tied to God’s Glory (Two Free Sample Chapters PDF)

Intertwined by Mark Ballenger
Click the book cover to read two free sample chapters.

As children we imagined we would find the perfect spouse, the perfect job, buy the perfect house, go on perfect adventures, and well . . . have the perfect life. Somewhere along the way, however, we quickly realized we will experience many things on this earth, but perfection is certainly not one of them.

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What Does the Bible Say About Forgiveness and Reconciliation?

What does the Bible say about forgiveness and reconciliation
2 Corinthians 5:18

What does the Bible say about forgiveness and reconciliation? It’s the right question to ask because of all the places to look, the Bible is absolutely jammed packed with relevant information regarding the connection between forgiveness and reconciliation.

What’s the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation? Must you always reconcile to forgive? Do you need both people to choose forgiveness for it to occur? Do you need both people to choose to be reconciled? The Bible answers all of these questions about forgiveness and reconciliation.

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How to Deal With Repetitive Sin

how to deal with repetitive sin
Jeremiah 3:22

As a Christian, there is nothing more despairing and hopeless that repetitive sin. How easy it is for doubts and confusion regarding our own salvation to begin to creep into our minds when we continue to sin over and over again. Overwhelming feelings of God’s anger and disappointment with our repeated rebellious behavior can crush us so completely we eventually do not want to come to him at all.

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What Does the Bible Say About Putting Yourself Down?

putting yourself down bible
Romans 7:24-25

The Bible says we must put ourselves last if we hope to be a servant to all and reflect Christ (Mark 9:35). What that does not mean, however, is that we must “put ourselves down.”

Negative self-talk, hatred of self, and putting yourself down are not commands found in the Bible. So what does the Bible say about putting yourself down?

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Why Did the Father of the Prodigal Son Celebrate His Homecoming?

why the father homecoming celebrated the prodigal son
Luke 15:11-32

The parable of the prodigal son is perhaps the richest parable in the entire Bible. So many theological and practical points can be made about God, humans, and the story we all find ourselves in through studying Luke 15:11-32.

Perhaps one of the most beautiful angles to look at this story is by answering the question, “Why did the father of the prodigal son celebrate his homecoming?” When we answer this question, our appreciation for the glory of God and his great love for us expressed in grace is intensified.

So here are four reasons the father of the prodigal son celebrated his homecoming.

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