Have you ever wondered why we regularly confess our sins to God during our worship services?The regular discipline of confession enables us to grasp more fully the beauty and wonder of grace as we are made continually aware of the depth of our need of God’s unmerited favor. Christopher Ash explains why we confess our … Continue reading Why Do We Take Time to Confess Our Sins in Corporate Worship?
despair
“No Exemplary Families”
It is easy to despair when we realize how far we fall short as husbands, wives, fathers and mothers. The below excerpt from Eugene H. Peterson’s book Like Dew Your Youth: Growing Up with Your Teenager (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1998) serves as a healing balm to the heart of any … Continue reading “No Exemplary Families”
Hungry Hearts
Like Bruce Springsteen said, all of us have hungry hearts. We have a hunger to experience the transcendent. We have a hunger to love and be loved. We have a hunger for purpose and meaning in life. Left to ourselves, we generally look to satisfy our hungry hearts with the treasures and pleasures of this … Continue reading Hungry Hearts
Sad Hearts Sing – The Walk to Emmaus
Prayer: O God, open the eyes of our hearts to see You for who you are today – the risen Savior who conquers all of our enemies. Renovate our unbelieving hearts so that they burn with devotion and love for our risen Savior and Lord. I don't know about you, but I still get chills … Continue reading Sad Hearts Sing – The Walk to Emmaus
When Discouragement and Despair Knock at Your Door
“All progress in the Christian life depends upon a recapitulation (an act or instance of summarizing and restating the main points of something) of the original terms of one’s acceptance with God” (John Stott, The Cross of Christ, p. 27). This delightful quote points us to an enduring remedy for all our ills, even that … Continue reading When Discouragement and Despair Knock at Your Door
Great Sin…Deep Despair…The Power of Jesus
“The greatest sin and the deepest despair together cannot baffle the power of Jesus.” These words were spoken by a woman who for a season of her life lived in a suburb of hell… a place of spiritual darkness, rife with all manner of disease, horrendous oppression and death, and all instigated by the one … Continue reading Great Sin…Deep Despair…The Power of Jesus
Despair and the Goodness of God
One of the biblical antidotes for despair is actively calling to mind the goodness of the Lord in our lives. This is what King David did in Psalm 27:13. "I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." Seeing means to … Continue reading Despair and the Goodness of God
God’s Answer to Despair
A weekly, personal worship guide on "God's Answer to the Menacing Giant Despair" from Isaiah 9:1-7. God's Answer to the Menacing Giant Despair
Personal Worship Guide: The Transforming Power of God’s Book
Teach: The Transforming Power of God’s Book (click on the link here for guide) I. God’s Book grants us discernment into how He works (Isaiah 29:1-8) The Holy Spirit uses His Word to show us how God has worked in the past. The first eight verses of this passage show us two things: God humbles … Continue reading Personal Worship Guide: The Transforming Power of God’s Book
Lifelines for Spiritual Depression
Lifelines for those journeying through spiritual depression from Psalm 120: Martin Lloyd Jones in his book entitled Spiritual Depression sets forth a radical notion that has proven most helpful to me personally. He writes that "most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking … Continue reading Lifelines for Spiritual Depression
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