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Does God Force Us to Love Him?

February 20, 2016 by Mark Ballenger

When we read the Bible and witness the absolute and supreme power of God, often times it can makes us wonder, “Does God force us to love him?”

God Does Not Force Us to Love Him Because God Is a Person

God is sovereign in all that does. Whatever he wants to happen will happen (Psalm 115:3). With that said, God is a person, not a robot. A person has feelings, emotions, and desires. A person can be full of joy and hurt. God is very different than us in his personhood because he is not a human person (although Jesus is fully God and fully man), but he is a person nonetheless.

The Danger of Christian Complacency

February 19, 2016 by Mark Ballenger

One of the greatest dangers in the Christian life is complacency. Contentment in Christ is to be sought after and celebrated. Complacency in Christ, however, is very different.

Christian contentment means that no matter what happens, you are fully satisfied in Jesus. Christian complacency means that no matter what happens, you are fully self-satisfied with your current personal effort in pursuing Christ.

Should Your Wife Be Your Accountability Partner?

February 17, 2016February 17, 2016 by Mark Ballenger

There has been a lot said over the years about “accountability partners.” Perhaps one of the most common questions asked by married men about this relationship is, “Should my wife be my accountability partner?” To answer the question regarding who should be your accountability partner, let’s start by going over a few general words of caution and direction.

Part 7: How to Overcome Sexual Temptation

February 20, 2016February 16, 2016 by Mark Ballenger

How to Overcome Sexual temptation part 7 Bible Psalm 51 — Psalm 51:13-15

Here at AGW, we’ve been studying Psalm 51:1-19 specifically under the context of “How to overcome sexual temptation.” David wrote Psalm 51 as his prayer of repentance once he was convicted over his adultery with Bathsheba and his murder of Uriah. Within Psalm 51, God uses David to lay out a road map on how to escape the snares of sin. As we come to Psalm 51:13-15, we’re taught that God’s grace is so powerful, not only will it set us free but it will cause us to help others be set free from sexual sin too.

Love Anyway

August 2, 2018February 12, 2016 by Mark Ballenger

The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”-Genesis 2:15-17

Loving is dangerous. It comes with so much potential for pain because true love must involve real choice. The definition of risk is to “expose (someone or something valued) to danger, harm, or loss.” This sounds a lot like real love.

How to Overcome the Awkwardness of Evangelism

February 10, 2016 by Mark Ballenger

awkwardness of evangelism Jesus elephant in the universe — Romans 1:16, Colossians 1:15

We’ve all felt it. That awkward, somewhat awful, stomach-sickening feeling you get when everyone in the room is thinking the same thing but no one wants to talk about it.

There are certain topics, no matter how undeniably present, normal people know better than to bring up. But it’s there, and everyone knows it’s there. Some of us will smile, some of us will smirk, and some of us will scowl, but most of us are not going to talk about the elephant in the room.

I find that the level of awkwardness that comes with a topic is often equivalent to its importance. People get uneasy when you bring up politics because political views are consequential. Talking about sex is so hard because we all know it is really significant. It’s so difficult for a police officer to knock on a parent’s door to tell them their teenager died in a car accident because this is such a serious situation. It’s far easier to talk about the weather, sports, or what your plans are for the holidays because these are insignificant.

Part 6: How to Overcome Sexual Sin/Temptation

February 9, 2016 by Mark Ballenger

How to overcome sexual sin temptation Bible Christian — Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.- Psalm 51:12

Psalm 51 is David’s prayer of repentance after he sinned with Bathsheba. Through studying Psalm 51, we can learn valuable lessons on how to overcome sexual temptation. In Psalm 51:12, David brings up the need for rest, joy, and a willing spirit – all of which are gifts from the Lord we need if we hope to overcome sexual temptation.

How to Listen to a Sermon

February 8, 2016 by Mark Ballenger

If you are a Christian, you probably have listened to a lot of sermons. For God has ordained that his message found in the Bible should be regularly and publicly communicated through preaching sermons.

It’s truly amazing when you think that even in an entertainment saturated culture such as the America, every Sunday masses of God’s people gather together to listen to a preacher give a sermon out of God’s word. From the moment of the churches birth in Acts 2, all the way up the present time, sermons have been God’s first choice in communicating (besides the Bible) to his people. If sermons are so important, every Christian should take the time to learn how to listen to a sermon.

What Is the Difference Between King David and King Saul?

May 28, 2018February 4, 2016 by Mark Ballenger

Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. -Psalm 51:11

Have you ever seen a leader fall from a high position? King David did. By witnessing what happened to King Saul, he saw firsthand what would occur if the Holy Spirit’s anointing left a man. King David had to have been thinking of King Saul when he penned those famous words in Psalm 51:11.

In Psalm 51 David is repenting over a massive sin he committed with Bathsheba. Just like King Saul, King David rebelled against God at certain times in his life. The Holy Spirit’s anointing, however, left King Saul and remained on King David. Why was one able to recover from rebellion while the other couldn’t? What’s the difference between King David and King Saul?

How to Use Discernment

January 17, 2019January 30, 2016 by Mark Ballenger

Key Bible Verses: Matthew 18:15-17, Galatians 6:1, Romans 16:17, Romans 14:4

One of the defining marks of a true Christian is a disdain and discernment for sin. When the Holy Spirit enters our hearts and as we grow in our walk with Jesus, we become more discerning to the sins both in us and in others. This is a great gift that benefits a heart seeking after God, but with each gift we receive comes a temptation to use it wrongly. So how do we use our discernment according to the Bible?

How to Use Discernment the Right Way

Discernment over sin should, of course, primarily be used to aid the believer in confessing and repenting of their own rebellion. For how are we to help others see clearly if we ourselves still have planks of sin in our own eyes (Matthew 7:1-5).