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Showing posts from September, 2022

Victory and Defeat

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As is so often the case, a recent conversation set my mental wheels to turning.  I was talking with a fellow minister and in the course of the conversation he referred to a defeat he and his wife had experienced. He expressed the pain they had felt as a result of that defeat. And, as is so often the case, the cause of the pain went beyond the defeat; but also to the mitigating factors involved which ultimately brought about the decision that caused the pain.  As I commiserated with him I was gently reminded by the Holy Spirit of something that is unique to Christians in relationship to this subject. If we truly believe that God has our life in His hands then at some point we must see the defeats in the same way we see the victories, as the will of God. The world does not have that advantage. The world relies upon its own wisdom, its own ability and it's own understanding.  Therefore, must continually attempt to find answers and solutions to defeat. This is seen across tho...

Eyes Up!

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Warning: Transparency Ahead The past week has been tough. I've felt stepped on, kicked, rejection, abandoned, overlooked and left lonely. Not by God; but by people. People I thought were my friends, people I thought were loyal and people I looked up to all let me down. We often say "just keep your eyes on Jesus" but that is sometimes very difficult to do. It is hard not to get your eyes on people when God works through people. Today God reminded me of the reason He allows people to hurt us; the reason He allows us to feel kicked, stepped on, overlooked, rejected, abandoned and left lonely. It is two-fold: 1) It is for just that --- a reminder to KEEP OUR EYES ON JESUS! 2) It is also to remind us that, though the scripture teaches us to keep our eyes on Christ, it is not a license to treat other people badly. Keeping our eyes on Jesus also means acting like Jesus! 3) The most important reason He allows us to feel all these things is so that we can share in the suff...