What does it mean to have strong faith? How do we get strong faith? Our faith is nothing that we can boast about outside of the work of Jesus Christ. Although faith without works is dead, in other words as the NIV points out in James 2:17 , ... faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. Who wants dead faith? So we work and strive and try to do more to gain God's favor and in so doing we often convince ourselves that our faith is dependent on us. In Tim Keller's book, Romans 1-7 for you , says that if saving faith equals obedience then we have something to boast about but faith is separate from our works. He says that saving faith is a trust transfer. We trust in the promises of God through Jesus Christ and HIS work! If we want to live by works of the law and not Christ's atoning work then the law of faith is nullified and the promises of God are bankrupt! Romans 4:14 For if it is the adherents of the law who ar...
Water has a powerful effect on stones. As it flows over rocks it smooths and shapes them into precious little stones. Erosion from water can carve deep grooves into the landscape of our hearts just like the word of God, but just like the beaver, we try to set up areas in our hearts to prevent the forceful effect of the word of God on our minds and hearts. Often we think our lives are open and willing to yield to the waves of the Spirit and the powerful force of conviction in our lives. We would much rather wade in the warm estuaries of our deception where silt and debris collect and the water is lifeless. But God desires that we enter into the waters of His word with total abandon. The water in Lake Michigan has been cold this week, hostile to my flesh. I find myself inching my way in instead of diving headlong. How often do we proceed gingerly through His word running back to the shore of our comfort when it does not feel good to our flesh. As we come to Him i...
Sin causes us to avoid or even to be fearful of intimacy in relationships. Our relationship with God is dependent upon our ability to face our fears and see our sin for what it is-- destructive and disruptive to true intimacy. Sin produces avoidance behavior in our relationships. Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray, we've turned everyone to his own way.... When sin was first conceived in the garden , Adam and Eve turned to their own way. They saw their own way as better than the confines of God's commands that were meant to protect their innocence. The LORD God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. But the LORD God warned him, "You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden except — the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die." Once they had disobeyed God, Adam and Eve tried to avoid being seen by God because of the kn...
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