Author: Pastor John
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Faith through Disappointment (the one about bitterness)
Consider the alternative When we feel disappointment sometimes we give ourselves permission to be angry for a while. That’s actually okay. There is nothing wrong with acknowledging how someone has hurt us. In fact, it is healthy to be honest about our feelings. However, there are enough scriptures that warn us about holding onto our hurt to make…
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Faith Through Disappointment (part 2)
Then the Lord said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by her husband, yet an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the sons of Israel though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes.” (emphasis mine) Hosea 3:1 Remember what we learned a couple of weeks ago: God knows disappointment.…
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Thanksgiving
This past week we celebrated Thanksgiving. Yet, I wonder how often we really have given thanks. I mean, it is one thing to utter the simple, “Thank you.” It is quite another to truly give thanks. Do we even understand how powerful thanksgiving is? God has said in His Word that refusing to give thanks…
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Faith – In Disappointment (part 1)
We have all experienced it. Maybe it was when you were little and Grandpa promised you an ice cream cone, and then you were disappointed when no ice cream cone came. Maybe it was in middle school when you experienced your first crush, and your beloved didn’t return your affection. It may have even happened…
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Faith, Grace, and Real Life – Forgiveness
“My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.” Matthew 18:35 Words have power. They do not have the power of magic, but the meanings of words can change our lives. We see this any time we talk to someone and they…
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Faith, Hope, And How They’re Connected
This week let’s think about walking in faith. There are times that it is easy and times that it is hard. It is easy to walk in faith in the areas that you don’t really feel threatened. For most of us, the call to come to church isn’t hard because we aren’t threatened. The same…
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Do You Live in the Love of God? (question 4)
Our final question that checks the reality of our faith is a different type of question. The first questions all dealt with our attitudes and values: Is Heaven your home? Do you want godliness or painlessness from God? Are you willing to look childish to become childlike? The last question is something about God. The…
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Are you willing to look childish to become childlike? (question 3)
“Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3 This week’s question is actually a challenge from our Lord Jesus. It isn’t just a question about what you and I are seeking or wanting from God. It is a question that…
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The Reality of Our Faith – Question 2
Last time we thought about this question: Is Heaven or Earth our home? Today we ask this question: Do we want godliness or painlessness from God? Consider that for a moment. Which do you really want from God? The apostle Paul said, “Whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss…
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4 Questions to Check How Real Our Faith Is (part 1)
For we walk by faith and not by sight – 2 Corinthians 5:7 For the next several weeks I want to think together about the reality of faith in the life of a believer. Paul says that the regular life of the believer is the life of faith. He contrasts this with a life of…
Pastor John D Jakes 