Josh Hunt's Blog, page 256
October 28, 2016
Motivation is 90% of almost everything
With a strong enough why, almost anything is possible. With a strong enough why, the how will nearly take care of itself. With a strong enough why, we can break the nastiest habit. With a strong enough why, we can start almost any habit and make it stick. When it comes right down to it, […]
October 27, 2016
7 steps to conquering sin
We have looked at the remedy for sin and the power of the Holy Spirit working in our favor. We’ve also seen that we must play an active role in dealing with sin. The apostle Paul wrote that we are to “put to death” the various expressions of sin in our lives (see Romans 8:13; […]
October 26, 2016
Good questions and bad questions.
Question and answer is widely regarded as an effective way–if not the most effective way–to lead groups. But, ever been in a bad discussion? Ever been in a really bad discussion? A discussion that was awkward and uncomfortable or predictable and boring or so tense you wanted to leave the room? There is a reason […]
October 25, 2016
How to meditate
The easiest way to decide what to meditate on is to choose the verse(s), phrase, or word that impresses you most during your encounter with Scripture. Obviously, this is a subjective approach, but any approach is going to be somewhat subjective. Besides, meditation is essentially a subjective activity, a fact that underscores the importance of […]
October 24, 2016
The Power of the Holy Spirit
Augustus Toplady’s hymn speaks of the “double cure”—that is, cleansing from both sin’s guilt and power. In the previous chapter, we saw that God does indeed cleanse us from sin’s guilt through the death of His Son. God does not forgive because He wants to be lenient with us. He forgives because His justice has […]
October 23, 2016
Slaying the giant of guilt
As a high school student, I worked for a hardware store in Cedarville, Ohio. Fred Lutenberger ran the store—a fine man and a tough taskmaster. He sent me to the attic to clean the oily metal shavings from pipe threading, and each night I came home filthy. The work wasn’t fun; I felt I was […]
October 22, 2016
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God
As has been said in chapter 1, the gospel Jesus preached is the gospel of the kingdom of God, offering the present availability and access to a life in God now! This invitation has always been in view from the beginning of time, but now it’s made accessible to all in the person and message […]
October 21, 2016
How hard is it to break a habit?
What do you think your odds are of developing a new habit? What are the odds that you could break a nasty habit? If you find it really difficult to start a habit or stop one, how normal is this? How discouraged should you be? Many people get discouraged—feeling they are just not normal. They […]
October 20, 2016
MEDITATING ON GOD’S WORD—BENEFITS AND METHODS
One sad feature of our modern culture is that meditation has become identified more with nonChristian systems of thought than with biblical Christianity. Even among believers, the practice of meditation is often more closely associated with yoga, transcendental meditation, relaxation therapy, or the New Age Movement. Because meditation is so prominent in many spiritually counterfeit […]
October 19, 2016
Encouraging Words for Difficult Days
We live today in a world that is hostile to Christian faith and practice. Religious ideas float like plankton on the waves of our culture. The word plankton means wandering or drifting. Such is an apt description of our world today as we are cut loose from all principles and practices that bring sense and […]
