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Gratitude… Moving from Self to God
When was the last time you thought of how important gratitude is to following Jesus? Although I have many thoughts on the subject, I am not the first or the most eloquent thinker about gratitude. The following is a quote from Pastor John Piper. He has spoken and written extensively about gratitude and how it…
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Surviving Disappointment (Part 3, 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…
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Surviving Disappointment (part 2… The One About Thriving)
Remember what we learned a week ago: God knows disappointment. He asked Hosea the prophet to be a living example of His disappointment. We too, know disappointment. Now, what will we do about it? That’s the question, isn’t it? This is where faith intersects life in our disappointments. Faith does not always protect us from…
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Surviving 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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Grace & Forgiveness – Wow!
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 say something that makes us happy or sad. We can do it for someone else as we give a word of encouragement or criticism.…
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Finding Hope When Faith is Hard
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 Trust 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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Childish/Childlike (part 3 of 4)
“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…
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How Real is Our Faith (part 2 of 4)
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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How Real is Our Faith? (part 1 of 4)
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…
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Pastor John D Jakes 