#christiannet

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God at Work

“How have you seen God at work lately?” I asked some friends. One replied, “I see Him at work as I read the Scriptures each morning; I see Him at work as He helps me face each new day; I see Him at work when I know that He has been with me every step of the way—I realize how He has helped me to face challenges while giving me joy.” I love his answer because it reflects how through God’s Word and…

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Who Will Be in Heaven Because of You?

“Let the dead bury their own dead. You go and proclaim the Kingdom of God” (Luke 9:60 GNT). When you become a follower of Christ, God fills you with his Holy Spirit. The proof of the Holy Spirit in you is not some emotional experience. The proof that you have God’s Spirit in you is if you are going. Are you telling anybody about the Good News? Jesus said in Luke 9:60, “Let the dead bury their own…

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God Tests with Stress Before Trusting with Success

“Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but the Lord tests the heart” (Proverbs 17:3 NLT).You could watch a million hours of television and movies without finding a story as thrilling as the story the Bible tells about Daniel. Think Raiders of the Lost Ark and Mission Impossible all rolled into one. The Bible follows Daniel’s life from the age of 15 until he’s 85. And every step of his story…

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Now Appearing . . . Jesus!

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14 If I were God—and I know a lot of people including my wife who are deeply grateful that I’m not—I might very well have planned a stealth arrival to our planet to keep people guessing about who I really was. Think of how cool it…

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Three Sure Ways to Create Conflict

Three Sure Ways to Create Conflict

“Any fool can start arguments; the honorable thing is to stay out of them” (Proverbs 20:3 TEV).   Wise people are peacemakers, not troublemakers. Wise people don’t carry a chip on their shoulder. They’re not always looking for a fight, and they don’t intentionally antagonize other people. The fact is, if you’re around anybody for any length of time, you’ll figure out what that person does that…

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Time to Clean Out Your Closet

Time to Clean Out Your Closet

LET YOUR ADORNING BE THE HIDDEN PERSON OF THE HEART WITH THE IMPERISHABLE BEAUTY OF A GENTLE AND QUIET SPIRIT, WHICH IN GOD’S SIGHT IS VERY PRECIOUS. 1 PETER 3:4 Years ago my closet was brimming with clothes—mostly hand-me-downs, garage sale-type clothing (kind of frumpy and dreary). There’s absolutely nothing wrong with second-hand clothing (most of what I own presently); however, there is a…

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Verse of the Day for Wednesday, August 23, 2017 Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud.

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Verse of the Day for Sunday, August 20, 2017 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.

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Cut People Some Slack

Cut People Some Slack

“Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love” (Ephesians 4:2b TLB). Everybody has bad days. Kay knows that I have two touchy times every week. I’m touchy on Saturday afternoon because I’m focused on the message I am about to preach. And the other time I’m touchy is Monday morning, because I’m drained from preaching all weekend and talking to people…

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Pray for the Unborn Children

Pray for the Unborn Children

What then will this child be?Luke 1:66 Zechariah and Elizabeth had no idea what their son, John the Baptist, was going to do in preparation for Jesus’ arrival on the earth. Most likely, they died before John’s earthly ministry since they were elderly at his birth. Yet, they believed God as Elizabeth carried him through the nine months of pregnancy. She experienced the great joy of prophecy when…

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A Word for F.R.I.E.N.D.S.

A Word for F.R.I.E.N.D.S.

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. Proverbs 17:17 It’s a blessing from God when we have good friends. Friendships can make a big difference in times of joy and sorrow. Friendships are also fragile and if we aren’t careful, we can neglect them and find ourselves alone. How can we become better F-R-I-E-N-D-S? F – Forgive when they let us down. Forgiving each other;…

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Time to Tell Yourself the Truth

Time to Tell Yourself the Truth

“The Lord gave us mind and conscience; we cannot hide from ourselves” (Proverbs 20:27 TEV). The best way to get off a guilt trip is to first admit your guilt. Don’t bury it, don’t deny it, and don’t ignore it. Just own up to it! Even when we know this truth, we still try to run from our guilt. But when you run from guilt, it’s going to catch up with you. The problem with always moving is that you…

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In Reversing the Flow

In Reversing the Flow

“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. . . . Streams of living water will flow from within him” John 7:37-38 Chicago is a world-class city. It’s known for its great pizza, architecture, symphony, sports teams, and lakefront setting. I love Chicago! If you were to visit Chicago, you’d see the beautiful Chicago River winding its way through the towering skyscrapers. The river adds a…

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Love…and Other Mysteries

My goal is that they will be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have full confidence because they have complete understanding of God’s secret plan [mystery], which is Christ himself. (Colossians 2:2) There are two things you need to know about how I met my wife. These two inevitably surprise or shock; so, we’ll just get them out of the way first. We met on…

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Why Do I Forget to Pray?

Why Do I Forget to Pray?

Some days, I get into bed and realize: I haven’t said a single prayer all day. I didn’t say “Thank you Lord” when I woke up that morning (late because I shut off the alarm clock and immediately fell back asleep). I didn’t say “Bless this food” as I dug into my lunch sitting at my desk. I didn’t say “Lord, keep me safe” on the drive home from work. I didn’t pray in a thousand other moments…

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Who’s Holding All the Cards?

Who’s Holding All the Cards?

“Now Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side, from the clan of Elimelech, a man of standing, whose name was Boaz.” Ruth 2:1 To borrow a poker phrase, some people seem to hold all the cards. They are dealt a winning hand while the rest of us do the best with what few resources we may have. And with a “winner takes all” frame of mind, many of these high-profile, prosperous people manipulate and…