"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV). I spent a solid 20 minutes trying to explain the concept of God's grace to someone who was terrified that if they made a mistake, God might smit[...]
If you and I were to spend any length of time talking about what it means to be a Christian, while I am keen to hear the story of how your faith journey began, I would be equally interested in how your life is actively being formed by following Jesus. For us to have a conversation about formation or following, we would need to d[...]
Father, we acknowledge our struggle is not against flesh and blood, for our Battle is against the forces of darkness. And we cannot fight these battles in our strength, We declare that You, Lord God, the Almighty, is with us, and in you, we have victory. We declare that we will stand in confidence through hardships, testing a[...]
There is a trash bag inside our hearts where all the dark stuff lives. All our sin, pain and brokenness go into this garbage bag: all the pain, brokenness, insecurities, anxieties, fears, concerns, strongholds, lies, burdens, false yokes, doubts, unforgiveness, bitterness, resentment, hiddenness, pride, jealousy, envy, strife an[...]
In a recent HEARTstrong morning teaching, Pastor Jason spoke of blamelessness versus sinlessness. Blameless vs sinless, what does this mean? No one is without sin, no one, only Jesus. We have all sinned and fallen short. Matthew 8:7(ESV)says, "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her." Sinle[...]
"Writhe and groan like a woman in labour, you people of Jerusalem, for now, you must leave this city to live in the open country. You will soon be sent in exile to distant Babylon. But the Lord will rescue you there; he will redeem you from the grip of your enemies." Micah 4:10 (NLT). While reading this passage from the prophet[...]
What will people think when they hear that I’m a Jesus freak? What will people do when they find that it’s true? I don’t care if they label me a Jesus Freak There ain’t no disguising the truth DC TALK (Jesus Freak) Maybe some of you remember this classic Christian hit from August 1995 by the band DC TALK? Perso[...]
"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night." Psalm 1:1(ESV). As I begin each year with fasting, I put aside distractions and things that keep me from God's[...]
The Heartstrong theme for this month is "Disciplined Heart," where one abides in Christ by the knowledge that God completely loves them. They can then follow Christ by complete obedience to God's instructions and practice these instructions by repenting, confessing sin and receiving healing from God. Abiding in Christ reveals o[...]
Today’s blog is a personal journal entry about how the Lord spoke to me about a part of my identity that I thought was “just who I am,” yet He is inviting me into a different way. As you read this, I pray that you would allow God to speak to you about your own identity and how He wants to bring truth, healing and new life![...]