Tag: hope
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Join the Fight Against Sin
Jesus has some strong words about removing sin in our lives. He says, “ If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. If your right hand makes…
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Live the Word
Confidence. It can come naturally. It can also come from training. What about those of us who are naturally charismatic or haven’t gone through extensive training? Can we have real confidence to face either struggles or the naysayers of life? What can give everyday Christians the confidence of the apostles? Now as they observed the…
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Promises Get Us Through the Day
When God says something, do we believe it? I don’t mean when He declares right and wrong. I hope that we would say of course we believe Him there. I am talking about believing what He says that He will do in us. Do we believe it? Peter says, “2Grace and peace be multiplied to…
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How Can I Have Courage?
Fear does crazy things to us. It changes how we look at the world around us. It’s like we develop tunnel vision. We only see two things: the thing we fear and a means of escape. We lose sight of our strengths. We forget if we have a reason to not be afraid. It’s time…
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The Reality of Heaven
Last Sunday I preached about what the Bible says about Hell. It is a heart wrenching topic. To balance that heavy subject, this week I want to think about Heaven. The great struggle in modern Christianity is that both of these great teachings of the Bible are minimized in our pulpits. We need to embrace…
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Do All Things… Through Christ
Who doesn’t love hearing a secret? I am not talking about gossip. Gossip is gross. But, there is something about secrets. Book writers use that in their titles all the time: “The Secret to a Happy Life” “The Secret to Successful Investing” “The Secret Life of Pets”. Paul said that he had learned a secret.…
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The Myth of Security (Part 1)
Storms. Here in central Iowa we have had plenty of them lately. It doesn’t matter if it is wind, rain, hail, or flood waters, they all surprise us with their power. It doesn’t even really matter how often it happens, we are consistently taken aback by how powerful nature can be. It reminds me that…
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An Unexpected Protection
When I think of my mistakes I have a recurring question: How can I make it right? In my quest to right the wrongs of my own making, I have discovered there is a difference between acknowledging wrongs and constantly living under the crushing weight of guilt. The difference is grace. Here’s a newsflash…
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Fear & Hope
Fear is all around us. We watch scary movies. We are afraid because of terrorists, diseases, and natural disasters. We are afraid for our children, our parents, ourselves. So when we read in the Scriptures to not be afraid, it can appear to be a pipe dream. What is this power that God seems to…
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The Gift of Hope
This happens to us every Christmas. Invariably we accidentally leave a present unopened under the tree. It is behind the trunk. The rug we put down to catch the needles is partially covering it. How fun it is to find the gift hours after the official opening time! We say it is the Christmas that…
Pastor John D Jakes 