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Times of Doubt!

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  Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” John 20:27, NIV Times of Doubt Thomas was one of Jesus’ disciples. He traveled with Jesus, saw His miracles, and was taught by Him. Yet when Jesus rose from the dead, Thomas doubted. Jesus didn’t hold that against him, but came to him that he might believe. In a similar way, John the Baptist baptized Jesus, saw the heavens open and heard God say, “This is My beloved Son.” Yet when John was discouraged in prison, he told his disciples, “Go ask Jesus if He really is the Messiah.” After seeing all the incredible signs, you would think John would believe. But Jesus didn’t hold that against John. He understood what John was going through and reassured him that He was the Messiah. We all have times of doubts, times when we’re discouraged and worried, wondering, “I don’t understand this. I don’t see how this promise from God can work out.” But don’t get l...
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Designed by God!

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  Designed by God We all want to make a difference. We want to be involved in doing something that will make our lives count. And yes, we often want some kind of recognition and other people’s praise for what we do. But it’s important to remember that our eternal significance is not found in doing things that others see as important. God wants us to experience  real  significance; and that significance only comes through his unconditional love and total acceptance, and our fulfilling his plan for our lives. Psalm 139:13–16 tells us: For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.  Each one of us ha...
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Wisdom and Discernment!

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  What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us…we have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:12, 16, NIV Wisdom and Discernment The apostle Paul warned the Corinthians to be on their guard lest the enemy deceive them and lead them astray. He was saying that you have to recognize the enemy’s lies and schemes. The enemy can be convincing, but you have the advantage. Because you have the Holy Spirit inside, you have the mind of Christ. The Spirit of truth will check every lie that would try to stop you. Every morning, it’s good to pray that God will give you a spirit of wisdom and discernment. Pray that you’ll have wisdom that comes from knowing God’s Word and make decisions that honor Him. Discernment has to do with recognizing where a thought is coming from, what’s right and what’s not. God’s still small voice inside will alert you to things that are deceptive. It may sound and look fine, b...
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A New Identity in Christ!

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  A New Identity in Christ Who are you, really? As you consider this question, what (or who) is influencing your answer? Your relationships? Your vocation? Your self-perception? Your possessions? We often are unsure about who we are because we use what others think as our point of reference. What we do is often measured and judged by them—either as acceptable or unacceptable—and we allow our performance to define us. However, the only reliable source of our identity is God! He created each one of us, loves us, sent His son, Jesus Christ, to die for us, and transforms our lives through His Holy Spirit! In fact, at the moment we receive Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we are born again spiritually and our identity is radically changed. Second Corinthians 5:17 tells us, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! ”  (NLT). When we allow God to define our identity we stand on a sure foundation for a life of peace...
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Do You Like Yourself?

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  Love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:39, NIV Do You Like Yourself? One thing that holds us back from seeing changes in our life is when we don’t love who we are. If you’re not happy with the way God made you, there’s a constant battle going on inside—never feeling good enough always feeling wrong, with vague feelings of disapproval. If you don’t learn to like yourself as you are, weaknesses and all, you’ll always feel like you should be better. Added to the problem is that you have to live with you. You can never get away from yourself. If you don’t like yourself, life is going to be miserable.  It’s very powerful when you can say, “I like myself. Yes, I need to improve in some areas. I need to do better. But I’m at peace with who I am right now. I accept myself. I approve myself. I am not a finished product. God is in charge, and He’s still working on me, making me and molding me. It is not just up to me. I’m going to relax and enjoy life while God is in the process ...
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Begin Your Relationship with God!

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  Begin Your Relationship with God The key to having  Kingdom of God  principles for eternal significance become operative in your life is to make sure you have a living and personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Once this relationship is established, the living and powerful Word of God can then begin to work in your life as you practice the principles of  Kingdom of God! Let’s take a walk together through a few verses of the Bible to showus how we can be sure we have the living relationship God wants us to have with Jesus Christ. It is through the gospel of Jesus Christ that life and immortality have been brought to light giving us the option to enjoy a life now that will echo into eternity. What Jesus Christ Did For Us The Apostle Paul said, “ I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptur...
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Faith Increased!

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  The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” Luke 17:5, NIV Faith Increased When Jesus told His disciples they were going to have to forgive someone who wronged them seven times a day, meaning to continually forgive, their immediate response was, “Lord, increase our faith!” They knew that based upon the opposition and the offenses that Jesus faced, they would face the same. They didn’t say, “Lord, increase our faith so we can do bigger miracles, and increase our faith so we have a larger vision.” They asked Him to increase their faith so they could forgive the wrongs, let go of the offenses, and keep the toxins out.  Sometimes it takes more faith to keep your heart free from impurities than it does to accomplish a dream. We’re praying for faith for a breakthrough, faith for a new level, and that’s good. But have you ever prayed, as these disciples did, “God, increase my faith so I can let go of the hurts. Increase my faith so I can forgive the person who betrayed me....
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