Strengthening Your Grip On Prayer
And it was this intensity that caused prayer to degenerate from a flowing spontaneity to a rigid, packaged plan, dispensed routinely by the religious leaders. Prayer changed from privilege to an obligation.
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Deeper Walk
The concept of faith is woven through the pages of Scripture and is essential to a personal relationship with God. In fact, “without faith, it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6 NIV). It is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8-9) and not only is it necessary for salvation it is part of our daily walk and warfare as believers (Ephesians 6:16).
Contrary to popular Christian opinion, the Bible neither exhorts us to have childlike faith nor does it tell us to believe as children believe. The idea that we are to have childlike faith is an incorrect inference based on several passages of Scripture. “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it” (Mark 10:14-15; Luke 18:15-17 NIV).
These passages don’t tell us what receiving the kingdom of God like a little child means so it is wrongly assumed to be referring to the faith of a child. In Matthew 18:2-4 Jesus spells out what He means. “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
Our goal as believers is not childlike faith. Instead it is to grow to be “mature and complete, not lacking anything" (James 1:4).
What Does it Mean to Have Childlike Faith?
Childlike faith, while a good place to start, must mature. How do we mature in our faith? Just as physical maturity requires certain things the same is true for spiritual maturity.
Wise Stuff About Life
Wise living chooses to understand and respond to all of life—our relationships, our work, our words, and our money—from God’s viewpoint.
My Redemption Story
Every Christian has a story of when her faith changes from head knowledge to heart knowledge, when she becomes convinced Jesus is the only possible way to be saved.
Two Suggestions for Becoming Great
You want to be great? You want to make a lasting impact? You want to make a significant contribution? I don’t think that’s a bad ambition—if we’re talking true greatness.
Why God Shakes Your Spiritual Tightrope
If you’re like me, sometimes it seems we barely keep steady on our spiritual tightrope…and then something—or someone—shakes the rope! Believe it or not, that someone shaking our rope is God. But why does He do that?
The Beauty of Doing Nothing
Most of us don't know how to rest. We work hard, and we spend our down time playing hard. We relentlessly pursue happiness and pleasure instead of observing times of renewal.
Delaying Instant Gratification
Developing the habit of deferring gratification is no simple task, especially since we all seem to be multi-taskers these days. We live with the short term in mind.
When Life Meets Life
However, the past few months have made me wonder: if I was given a death sentence would I have the same level of peace and assurance as my grandmother?
Four Commandments for Graduates
I want to pass along some thoughts by way of four simple reminders. Let's call them “commandments,” which apply to anyone graduating—as well as to those of us who graduated years ago.
