Josh McDowell's Blog, page 16
November 12, 2020
Unplug. Take a Walk With God
I suggested this to a friend earlier this week. Throughout recent weeks while our country has been so divided, he has been riddled with anxiety, fear, even anger. I looked at him and asked, “When was the last time you took 24 hours to turn it all off and disconnect? Unplug? No cell phone. No computer. No TV. When was the last time you woke up in the middle of the night, anxious, and didn’t automatically reach for your phone? When was the last time you stepped away from the noise of this world and took a long walk with the Lord?”
“He has made it clear to you, mortal man, what is good and what the LORD is requiring from you — to act with justice , to treasure the LORD’s gracious love, and to walk humbly in the company of your God.” Micah 6:8
Bridging the Gap blog #hurthealedwhole Photo credit: Vicki Hill
Unplug. Take a Walk.
The answer my friend gave me was vague. Perhaps he doesn’t feel it necessary to disconnect from technology. Or, like so many, he thinks it necessary to hear the words of man. But I realized that I probably shouldn’t be making this suggestion if I wasn’t taking my own advice. It was time to unplug and take a very long walk.
Isaiah 30:15 nails it: “Your strength will come from settling down in complete dependence on me. The very thing you have been unwilling to do.”
So I did so … after two days of procrastinating.
The truth is that once I turned the mirror on myself and decided to disconnect, unplug, and take that walk, it was harder than I thought. I needed to start dinner, I needed to pay that bill, I needed to head to that meeting at church. And what was I missing on Facebook?
We cannot text while we are praying. We cannot scroll through Facebook while we are worshipping. We can’t seek dependence on God, if our eyes, hands, and heart are continually focused on images other than Him.
But I finally listened to that sweet, convicting voice that is like none other. The voice pulling me by the hand to walk with Him. I turned off my phone and let the important people in my life know that if they wanted to reach me, they would have to wait.
Invite God to Speak.
A few minutes into my walk, I passed by a neighbor. For a moment I considered asking her to walk with me. But God laid a word picture on my heart so fast: that of my neighbor agreeing to walk with me, but she set out in the opposite direction. We tried to talk, to share and listen, but the more our paths widened, the less I could hear her voice. And so it is with God’s voice.
I thanked Him for that fleeting image, and humbly prayed, “Lord, God. Allow me to walk alongside you. Please speak to me. I am listening.” These are words that God honors, just the way a father does when his child snuggles up beside him and says, “Daddy, let’s talk.”
When I checked my phone a day later, I found that nothing had happened in that 24 hours that needed my immediate direct attention. Unplugging for a day hadn’t crashed my world, after all. In fact, just the opposite. I found that when I stepped away from all my distractions, I felt comforted. I found profound peace, a mysterious reassurance that all was well, and a deep, profound love for others. His love.
The language God uses in our ears is different for each of us, but we need to unplug from the noise of the world to clearly hear His voice. Disconnect. Take a walk. Invite Him to join you, and invite Him to speak.
Do you know what makes God amazing? Click here to learn about the many attributes of His holy nature. God is waiting to speak with you!
Many thanks to our guest blogger, who cherishes her long walks and chats with God.
The post Unplug. Take a Walk With God appeared first on Josh.org.
November 6, 2020
Hearing God’s Voice Like Waves
“Crash!” The waves impact the shore and are drawn back out to sea. “Crash!” The white foam of the waves crests, then diminishes as the sand absorbs the blow.
To me, the sound of waves is a ministry to my mind. I deal with tinnitus, which is a loud ringing in my ears. At its worst, tinnitus can bring on a panic attack. But it’s best managed when I am able to focus my brain on something other than the annoying ringing. Listening to waves helps me do that. Truly, their sound is a ministry to my soul and mind.
I think discerning God’s voice works this way for me, as well. Read on.
Bridging the Gap blog #hurthealedwhole
Discerning God’s Voice Like Waves
I was recently asked by a friend how I discern God’s voice. I shared that it’s like a wave; that a thought hits the shore of my mind. I’m aware of it, but it ebbs away as I move about my day. But sometimes the thought revisits the shore of my mind. It could be a scripture, or a person’s name, an idea, a situation, or a sin that I need to address. As the thought ebbs and revisits, I become aware of its consistent repetition. Sometimes the thought crashes; other times it’s a gentle, persistent lapping.
Praying, looking to God’s Word, listening for the Holy Spirit, and seeking wise counsel are part of discerning God’s voice. But when a thought keeps nudging me, experience has taught me that it’s often God trying to get my attention about something He wants me to do, either for myself or another person. Oh, I wish I could tell you that I always acknowledge and act on what I hear, but I don’t. Only God knows the blessings I have missed out on by ignoring His voice.
You might be asking, “How do you know that it’s God’s voice and not your own thoughts?”
First, by considering the thought. I compare it to what I know about God’s character, and whether it is contrary or in direct defiance to the truth of who God is and what He expects of His people. I then go to the Bible. And I pray. I ask God to confirm what I believe I hear Him telling me.
Would God ever tell me to get even? No! (Romans 12:19) Would God tell me to sin? No! (Matthew 5:48) If my thinking doesn’t align with God’s Word, I can be sure I need to reject it. We know who originates that kind of thinking, right? Satan. And we know what God tells us to do with the thoughts he suggests: reject them!
As God’s Word teaches us in Galatians 5:16, “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” If our thoughts are not of God, we are called to confess any sin around our thoughts and walk in the forgiveness that Jesus Christ has secured for us.
We may never fully understand the mystery of God’s voice in our life, but we can listen for evidence of it. Today, consider your own persistent thoughts.
Is God trying to get your attention so that you take action? How is God prompting you to look to His Word for guidance, to pray, or to rely on the empowerment of His Spirit before you make a decision?
Be encouraged that God is speaking to you, in waves both crashing and lapping. He desires that all of His children hear His voice. But we have to listen, pay attention, and be willing to take action.
Do you wonder what God is like? Click here to learn about the many attributes of His holy nature!
Written by guest blogger Elizabeth Mahusay. Elizabeth is the author of two Bible study guides, Transform My Thinking, God and Mirror Image. She is passionate about God’s Word. Whether in church or the marketplace, Elizabeth desires to teach and encourage others to follow the Lord closely, to listen to His voice intently, and to obey Him fully, to serve wholeheartedly. Her website: elizabethmahusay.com.
The post Hearing God’s Voice Like Waves appeared first on Josh.org.
November 3, 2020
Declare His Name Today!
It is 37 degrees, but a carafe of hot black coffee, flannel PJs, a snoozing pup on my lap, and a couple of blankets make for a snuggly-sweet chance to see the moon sink behind the mountains. A rare treat, as the morning will not be this dark with a sinking moon at 7am for another year. I dare not miss it. My mind quietly wanders as I take in the view.
Chilly Octobers. Starry nights. Beautiful moons. A memory of my mother-in-law, more than 20 years ago.
She was with us on that clear starry Friday night, watching a baseball game, eating fried chicken, laughing, and enjoying the evening. The next morning, she suffered a devastating stroke. She lost her ability to move her arms and legs. She couldn’t speak. But in the days to follow, she could speak one word. One name. Jesus…
I would pray with her.
She would just pray that one word: Jesus.
It seemed to be enough.
Call on His Name
Elohim … “Father God;” Yahweh … “God Provides;” Adonai … “Lord God;” El Shaddai … “He is almighty.”
On this day, I vow to quietly call on the ; for the protection of our country and for the ones I call family and friends. And I will persist throughout the long days and nights ahead.
In 2 Chronicles 7:14, God tells us, “If my people, which are called by MY NAME, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
As a country, we can call on the King of Glory. Our Redeemer. Counselor. Everlasting Father. Lion of Judah. Light of the World. Wherever you are today, join me in calling out to God!
Written by guest blogger Vicki Hill, who daily enjoys her hilltop views of beautiful North Carolina.
The post appeared first on Josh.org.
October 30, 2020
Weak Boundary: A Lesson From Dog-sitting
Like, he doesn’t want to accept that my every minute is NOT focused on him, no matter how many times he whines and barks and slides into that really adorable move he’s perfected: hanging his chin over my knee and gazing up at me with an angelic expression as I sit at the kitchen counter trying to get this blog post written.
The dog is a master manipulator … he boldly asks for what he wants, when he wants it … and I feel the pressure to give in, as he’s wearing me down with his persistent “asks.” There’s a God lesson here, don’t ya think? Read on.
Bridging the Gap blog #hurthealedwhole
For 50+ years, Josh McDowell Ministry has been leading seekers into a deeper knowledge of God’s truth and power. We offer you our accumulated knowledge and research to help you find truth and encouragement to live a healthy and whole life in Christ.
The Problem: Weak Boundary
This is a post about expectations … and the desire to please. Both good things. But without good boundaries, you and I can end up feeling like I am feeling in this moment: a bit burned out and irritated that I am clearly expected to endlessly give. Some truth: I HID IN THE BATHROOM THIS MORNING JUST TO GIVE MYSELF A MOMENT OF “ME” TIME! lol.
So here’s the lesson I think God wants me to share:
God doesn’t want us feeling resentful, or burned out, or tired from the asks of life. Mostly because they never stop coming. Rather, God wants us to be able to give sacrificially AND joyfully, by actively mirroring the servant mindset of Christ. But how do we consistently do that?
Jesus must have been dog-tired at times when the needy crowds crushed in on Him. But He never lashed out at their clamoring to be noticed and healed. Nor did He allow Himself to get burned out, which could have easily led Him to not bringing His best. He recognized when He needed alone time with God, and He took it, despite the crowd’s pleas that He continue to serve. Jesus set that firm boundary BECAUSE He wanted to be able to continue to pour Himself out in service for others.
Just like me, Jesus had to work within the constraints of His human body. He got tired like me. He probably got impatient like me. He probably needed snacks and naps like me, when I get a case of the “crankies.” But where Jesus got His real rest, renewal, and recharging was in His alone time with God. It’s the secret sauce, if you will, that He told us to liberally ingest daily.
Too often, however, I don’t reinforce that boundary. I can let the whole day slide by with my operating in my own strength. When I crash and burn, it reminds me of my need to be plugged into God’s power.
The Solution: Strong Boundary
As psychologist Dr. Henry Cloud teaches in his “Boundaries” books and online training, without firm walls, we’re like castles lacking a strong defense. Our moat is a joke, and our main gate is down for anyone, anything, or any thought to skip right on in and mess us up.
Dr. Cloud bases his foundation on the wisest book in the world: the Bible. God talks about boundaries A LOT In His Word, because He knows we so desperately need them to bring out best and enjoy our best life. Boundaries give us power. Not in a warrior type of way, but in a quietly centered way.
Christ’s power didn’t come from bulging muscles crafted from lifting tree stumps. His holy power came from His continual connection with God, which enabled Him to keep on giving.
You and I have the same Holy Spirit within us as His followers. Jesus reminds us, “I am the vine, you are the branches.” When we seek time with Him, He renews us and fills us up.
How to know if you have a weak boundary in your present circumstance? Tip: the lack shows up best when you find yourself frustrated. Trace that frustration back to the source. Is it because you’re running on empty, instead of in the fullness of Christ?
If you have a boundary issue (and fess up: you probably will have a few until your last breath), do the work of shoring up your castle walls with daily God time.
My furry pal is again seeking my attention. Eyes alight, tail wagging, I can tell he’s already anticipating my buy-in. It’s time for our 3pm walk to the mailbox. (How the heck is he able to tell time??!!)
I chuckle. I figure I can serve him one more time before I then head to my bedroom, close the door, and open my Bible. As eagerly as my furry friend seeks after me, I should be seeking after the Creator of the Universe.
Thank you, Lord, for the reminder. Thank you for always being eagerly available to me and my asks, 24/7. And thank you for always having my best in mind when I make my requests.
Next Steps
We’d love to pray for you! Submit a prayer request to us here .
Jump over to our 14-day Prayer Guide to help build your prayer habit!
Grab a free 14-day trial of Dr. Cloud’s online Boundaries training here . It’s excellent.
Do you have heart wounds that keep getting triggered? Check out our Resolution Movement . Healing is possible!
Sheri Bell writes and edits for Josh McDowell Ministry.
The post Weak Boundary: A Lesson From Dog-sitting appeared first on Josh.org.
September 23, 2020
Doing the Work, After Jesus Saves Us
I agree that our choosing to accept Christ as Lord and Savior is the most important decision we’ll ever make, because of its eternal implications. But to my mind, getting people into this redemptive relationship with Jesus is just the start of what the Church is called to do.
Absolutely, Jesus saves us from our sins. Unfortunately, stepping into relationship with Him doesn’t instantly rewire our sinful nature. Nor does it instantly clean up the “junk in our trunk.” The junk that continues to have influence on how we think and act and respond to life. We have new habits to learn, and new thought patterns to develop. We have work to do.
Work that starts with our allowing Jesus to “take the wheel,” in the words of Christian songwriter/singer TobyMac. We have to be willing to slide over to the passenger seat, so that Jesus can drive us where He knows we need to go.
Bridging the Gap blog #hurthealedwhole
For 50+ years, Josh McDowell Ministry has been leading seekers into a deeper knowledge of God’s truth and power. We offer you our accumulated knowledge and research to help you find truth and encouragement to live a healthy and whole life in Christ.
We’re Not Talking Legalism
There is only way to God, and that’s through Jesus. There’s nothing we can do to earn or merit our salvation; it’s a free gift of His grace. But then comes sanctification, which is the daily, life-long process of removing our “junk,” so that we live in the freedom He intends for us.
This junk might be our lack of self-control … our shame … our negative thinking. Our partying. Our sleeping around. Our cheating on our taxes. Our withholding forgiveness. Any sin that we chose over Jesus needs to go.
Addicted to porn? Jesus wants to help you.
Anger issues? Jesus wants to help you.
Do you need to control relationships? Jesus wants to help you.
But you can’t deal with the sin you don’t own. You have work to do.
I have met many Christians who pretend they have it all together. On one Christian ministry website I even read “If you say you’re a Christian, but you continue to sin, you probably really aren’t one.”
Seriously? This organization feels it can judge the hearts and actions of people it has never met? That’s classic legalism! Every Christian wrestles daily with sin. To pretend otherwise is to live in fear of what God and people think about us. Even the apostle Paul admitted, “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.”
Tossing Our Junk into His Landfill
I truly do wish that accepting Christ instantly changed us into our best selves. Made us perfect. Made us immune from the pull of sin. But it doesn’t. We have to do the work of being transformed, knowing that Christ’s strength now fuels us. Jesus doesn’t force us to take action, but He also doesn’t wait to issue invitations. He wants us to steadily move us into wholeness, starting now.
“Ready to pop the trunk?” Jesus asks gently, as He drives us to His landfill and parks beside the large pit already holding many boxes, some labeled “Addiction,” “Pride,” and “Narcissism.”
We cringe as our open trunk reveals the boxes of our own sins. But Jesus warmly hugs us, before inviting us to select the first box He’ll help us to toss. As our box hurtles through the air, relief washes over us. Jesus, we realize, isn’t here to rub our noses in our crud, but to lovingly help us get clean.
I love how pastor Rich Wilkerson, Jr., reminds us that God loves it when we help Him to carry our junk — though in reality God carries the full weight Himself.
In His amazing grace, Jesus is incredibly understanding and patient, as His perspective is so clear.
In the video series that accompanies his book Friend of Sinners: Why Jesus Cares More About Relationship Than Perfection, Wilkerson notes that “Jesus doesn’t look at your past performance. He doesn’t look at your present condition. No, Jesus, the friend of sinners, always looks forward to your potential; what you can become. Who you will become when you’re in relationship with Him.”
Jesus, the friend of sinners! Never forget — not even when someone shames you for your sin — that Jesus hung out with sinners because He was FOR them, not AGAINST them. That’s why He came!
The Work That Leads to Freedom
“Jesus saves” is, indeed, the Good News the Church is called to boldly share. But the Church (us!) is called to continue what it starts; to walk in supportive community so that all may heal and walk in freedom. Christ modeled this community for us.
Notes Paula Jauch in her YouVersion devotional Letting Go: Family Trauma And Addiction, we can’t avoid going through the healing process to get better. We can’t change, if we don’t grow. Baby steps, just like toddlers. Do we not help our babies to walk? Do we shame them when they fall down? Not if we want them to keep trying!
“Most of us have suffered years of abuse and trauma,” says Jauch, “and if we don’t deal with the root of the issue it will always come back.” Jauch admits she had to do the “hard work” of showing up, even when she didn’t think she was seeing progress. But she took God at His word, trusting that He is for her, and always working for her good. Jauch healed with the help of those who lovingly accepted her.
As our trust in God grows, so does our desire to live in ways that honor Him. Even as we recognize that perfection is always beyond our grasp because of our inherent bent toward sin. We have to be willing to be authentic and “comfortably uncomfortable,” as Wilkerson puts it, as we do life with Jesus.
Tell Satan to take a hike; his condemnation doesn’t matter. Let’s keep our eyes on Christ, to remember who we are in Him, even in our most sinful moments. “Our faith is not some little thing in our life,” notes Wilkerson. “Jesus is everything in our life.” When we live this way, Jesus becomes not only the way to God, but to our wholeness, freedom, and purpose. We desperately need Jesus!
Next Steps
We’d love to pray for you! Submit a prayer request to us here .
Do you want to have a relationship with Jesus? Start here.
Do you have junk you want Jesus to help you unload? Check out our Resolution Movement!
Sheri Bell writes and edits for Josh McDowell Ministry.
The post Doing the Work, After Jesus Saves Us appeared first on Josh.org.
September 6, 2020
Christ Heals Our Hurt By Saving Us
I don’t mean the “positivity gospel” that has seeped into the Church, but the authentic gospel that Jesus Himself taught. Much like the prosperity gospel, the positivity gospel promises that accepting Jesus guarantees a life exempt from pain and hurt. That a “good” God can be counted on to ensure that we enjoy a happy, thriving, successful life.
But this false doctrine shortchanges who Jesus is — and can keep us from experiencing the personal, trusting relationship He freely offers. To ignore your sin and human condition is to the cheapen the amazing grace of His gospel.
Bridging the Gap blog #hurthealedwhole
For 50+ years, Josh McDowell Ministry has been leading seekers into a deeper knowledge of God’s truth and power. We offer you our accumulated knowledge and research to help you find truth and encouragement to live a healthy and whole life in Christ.
Healing Your Hurt Through Relationship
God is not primarily concerned with our being “happy” or “comfortable.” Rather, as the great Christian writer C.S. Lewis once stated, pain is God’s megaphone to a deaf world. Our loneliness and hurt is a symptom of the problem we’d rather ignore: our sin and the broken world it causes.
I know Jesus heals. With His help I have overcome the porn addiction, shame, and woundedness of my past. I have found true freedom. But I don’t now thrive because Christ healed me from that hurt. I thrive because while I was once dead in my sin, I am now alive in the grace and love of Jesus, my Savior.
Jesus heals our anxiety, loneliness, depression, and other hurts as we live a relationally intimate life with Him and the people He places in our life to help us.
How to Enter Into a Relationship With Jesus?
Admit that you are broken, and the root cause is your sin.
The Bible tells us that Jesus taught that our issues and hurts start with our heart. In Matthew 12:34-35, Jesus says, “For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.” At the root of our actions and behavior is our broken, sinful nature. Our sin separates us from the Holy God who created and unconditionally loves us. In choosing Jesus as Savior, we are restored in right relationship to God. Our sins are completely covered by Jesus. Goodbye, guilt, failure, and fear! We get to begin again!
Accept that Christ has unlimited power, but sometimes allows hurt for His purposes.
There is nothing that God can’t do. Yet He doesn’t always heal our hurt in the way or timing we think He should. The Bible promises us that God’s plans are always best, and work for our good. God does not like that we live in hurt and pain. He wants us to walk in joy and freedom. When we choose to believe that He loves us unconditionally, we can decide to daily trust Him, our hearts and hands open to His will and His timing. God is for us!
Recognize that Christ has an eternity mindset; we should, too.
Our earthly lives are short and temporary. As I read the apostle Paul’s letters in the New Testament, I am awed by his eternal mindset. Paul clearly grasped the truth of the gospel message and his sinful nature. He understood that his relationship with Christ will last for eternity, so he made it his priority. Jesus should be our primary focus, too. Jesus, alone, can heal the loneliness and hurt we experience from a life crippled by our broken souls in this broken world. Let’s seek Him to know Him, and to watch Him work through the hurt in our lives to produce good!
Jesus saves. Jesus comforts. Jesus restores. Jesus brings us to life!
Next Steps:
May we pray for you? Click here.
Want to start a personal relationship with Jesus? Click here.
Check out Josh’s book, More Than a Carpenter , to learn about the historical evidence of Jesus. He lives!
Want to a thriving life to deal with your hurts? Check out our Resolution Movement.
AUSTIN IS PART OF THE SPEAKING TEAM AT JOSH MCDOWELL MINISTRY.
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September 2, 2020
Inspiration: Find Freedom From Shame!
Bridging the Gap blog #hurthealedwhole
For 50+ years, Josh McDowell Ministry has been leading seekers into a deeper knowledge of God’s truth and power. We offer you our accumulated knowledge and research to help you find truth and encouragement to live a healthy and whole life in Christ.
God Doesn’t Use Shame
Satan plants seeds in our mind and heart, waters them, and watches to see if they take root as shame. If they do, it’s because we make this simple mistake: we choose listen to him, rather than keeping our ears tuned to God’s promises.
Jesus repeatedly tells us to rebuke the lies of the devil, because He knows that shame will stall EVERYTHING good in our life: stall our accepting God’s forgiveness, stall our forgiving ourselves, and stall us from walking in freedom.
Listen up! Jesus did NOT tell people how rotten they were!
Rather, He spoke encouragement over them to show them God’s perspective. What did Jesus tell the despised tax collector watching Him from the sycamore tree? “Dude, come down! I want to have dinner with YOU at your place!” What did He say to social outcasts …. the woman caught in adultery … the woman who publicly ? Not a SINGLE word of judgment or shame!
God “gets” our junk. He hates the pain we experience because of our junk. He wants to take our junk so we live free of the handcuffs of shame. We just have to CHOOSE to take that first step.
Walk in Freedom!
Friend, TRUST God’s goodness and love enough to hand Him your junk.
Note that’s GOD’s goodness; not YOUR goodness. Your “goodness” won’t get you very far. But that’s the point: we can let go of trying to be clean and “good” and spotless before we humbly approach our Heavenly Father! God knows we’ll never be perfect — and He’s okay with that.
Guess what? God promises to not only LOVINGLY FORGIVE the junk we turn over to Him, but to also instantly FORGET it was ever there. Wow!
It’s like putting our trash in the bins at the curb and watching the trash collectors haul it away. We don’t run after that bagged trash, right? No! We are HAPPY that the collectors haul the stinky bags out of our space. Imagine holding on to your trash and trying to live amid the smells and rodents you’d attract.
Let’s likewise be quick to unload our shame! It may FEEL like our shame is bigger than God’s grace, but that’s because we attempt to measure God’s infinite love against the NARROW spectrum of human love. But that’s like comparing an ant’s body size to your much bigger one!
Think on that: a love so deep and wide and vast that we can’t mentally grasp it. Especially the part about Him FREELY offering it to us with NO strings attached. God doesn’t demand groveling. Or works. Or bribes. Only our confession and trust.
God’s arms are ALREADY open wide to embrace and comfort you, just like the father in the Bible story of the Prodigal Son. Shame is NOT who you are. So don’t let shame keep you from racing into His loving arms!
CLAIM the freedom you are PROMISED because Christ willingly died FOR YOU on the cross to forgive all your sins.
Next Steps
We’d love to pray for you! Submit a prayer request to us here .
Do you want to have a relationship with Jesus? Start here.
Do you have heart wounds that keep getting triggered? Check out our Resolution Movement. Healing is possible!
Sheri Bell writes and edits for Josh McDowell Ministry.
The post Inspiration: Find Freedom From Shame! appeared first on Josh.org.
August 20, 2020
Inspiration: See Yourself as Loved by God
Inspiration #hurthealedwhole
For 50+ years, Josh McDowell Ministry has been leading seekers into a deeper knowledge of God’s truth and power. We offer you our accumulated knowledge and research to help you find truth and encouragement to live a healthy and whole life in Christ.
Gods Says YOU’RE Fully Loved. Trust Him!
Some of us are listening to the wrong voice.
Instead of believing what God says about us — that we are FULLY and UNCONDITIONALLY loved, understood, wanted, and forgiven — we wallow in the junk that Satan whispers into our ears.
We decide to agree with him that we’re not worthy of God’s amazing love and grace.
Frankly, it gets old that our broken, human natures so easily default to the negative. But we MUST stop rejecting God’s view of ourselves. When we struggle with accepting God’s grace, we limit our peace and joy — and also limit the positive impact we’re meant to have on our hurting world.
>>>> Satan LOVES it when we default to setting up roadblocks that keep us from stepping into the freedom of God’s acceptance. Satan LOVES it we work tireless to try to earn the worth that God says we ALREADY have.
Friend, do you really want Satan to have this power over you? Of course not!
So wipe the smirk off that liar’s face by making this declaration (shout it, if you can; but definitely whisper it, if that’s all the belief you can muster right now):
“I will never be more LOVED by God than I am right now. No high, no low, no thought, no action, no sin, can EVER separate me from God’s UNCONDITIONAL love and acceptance. He is that awesome, kind, generous, and good! God is FOR ME! My perfection isn’t the goal, but my growth in reflecting Jesus!”
>>>> You may have to write this truth on an index card to declare it 500 times before you fully accept and believe it. And that’s okay! We all have to choose to enter the battle to kill off our doubts and demons. But oh, the freedom that awaits!
The joy of the Lord is our strength, friends. Let’s chase after it! And let’s encourage others struggling to grab ahold of it, too.
We’re praying for YOU!
Submit a prayer request to us here .
Do you want to have a relationship with Jesus? Start here.
We invite you to read Josh’s book, More Than a Carpenter. This short apologetics classic examines the historical evidence about Jesus. In this whirlwind called life, Jesus is our anchor of joy and peace.
The post Inspiration: See Yourself as Loved by God appeared first on Josh.org.
July 29, 2020
Can We Talk About Jesus?
So why aren’t we excitedly telling people about Jesus? One reason is because it feels hard to bring Him up, given that the world so stridently asserts that God and the Bible are fiction. Too many Christians haven’t read the Bible with any depth, so they can’t push back the world’s false claims. Yet we should be reading God’s Word, as it answers our big questions about life and what follows after death.
This post is designed to help grow your knowledge of what the Bible says. You’ll find links to many of our previously published blog posts that focus on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. How do we know that Jesus was a real person, and that His disciples and many others interacted with Him after He rose? As you read the posts, you’ll discover that the Christian faith is rooted not in “blind faith,” as skeptics suggest, but vetted historical fact. If we can trust that Jesus is real, we can trust that God and His ceaseless love for us are real, too. That’s Good News! Read on.
Bridging the Gap blog #hurthealedwhole
For 50+ years, Josh McDowell Ministry has been leading seekers into a deeper knowledge of God’s truth and power. We offer you our accumulated knowledge and research to help you find truth and encouragement to live a healthy and whole life in Christ.
“So, why am I a Christian?”
“Because I know I’m a train wreck in a dumpster fire. But I also know that God loves me 100% as is, right now, in the midst of the burning carnage that is often my life. I know that if I were to stack up my cards against most church people, I’d fold every time. I’m not that good at following rules, and I run my mouth a lot. And yet, God loves me and is cheering for me as I get better and especially when I fall down. Where I see failure, He sees opportunity for growth. Where I see addiction, He sees an opportunity to take a step. Where I’ve given up, He whispers, ‘You can make it.’”
Truth About Jesus
> Does Historical Evidence Prove that Jesus Lived?
> An Investigation: The Lofty Claims of Jesus.
> Deity of Christ: True or False?
Truth About His Resurrection
> Is Jesus’ Resurrection Fact? History Weighs in.
> Resurrection Theories Debunked: Christ Rose!
> Resurrection of Jesus: Pre-Resurrection Facts.
> Resurrection of Jesus: Code Critical.
> Resurrection of Jesus: Hoax or Truth?
> Does Science Disprove the Resurrection?
Truth About The Bible
> Who Recorded Events in the Bible?
> Isn’t the Bible Full of Disagreements?
> Is the Bible Fact or Fiction?
> Are the Bible and Science at Odds?
> An Investigation: Who Decided What to Include in the Bible?
> Did the Bible’s Adam Really Exist?
> Meticulous Scribe, Trusted Manuscript.
> Did Scribes Faithfully Transmit Old Testament Manuscripts?
> Do Alleged Contradictions Skew Bible Truth?
> Archeology Helps to Confirm the Historicity of the Bible.
Truth About Christianity
> Is Christianity A Copycat Religion? Quick VIDEO.
> 3 Foundational Truths of Christianity.
> Three Ways the Resurrection of Jesus Can Transform Your Life Today.
> Hope: Not Wishful Thinking For Christians.
> Showing Christ Relevant to Our Whatever Culture.
> Does God Exist? Quick VIDEO with 5 Arguments.
> Christianity: Putting It All Together.
> Objective Truth: Christian Response to Postmodernism.
NEXT STEPS:
We invite you to read Josh’s short book, More Than a Carpenter, which examines evidence about Jesus.
For more on the origin of the Bible, check out God Breathed by Josh McDowell.
To really dive into Josh’s decades of research, read our recently updated apologetics classic, Evidence That Demands a Verdict .
Sheri writes and edits for Josh McDowell Ministry.
The post Can We Talk About Jesus? appeared first on Josh.org.
July 24, 2020
Snapshot of Amazing Grace
The following personal story, recently shared by one of my favorite Christian speakers, does a great job of helping us to understand the amazing grace God gives us. Read on!
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For 50+ years, Josh McDowell Ministry has been leading seekers into a deeper knowledge of God’s truth and power. We offer you our accumulated knowledge and research to help you find truth and encouragement to live a healthy and whole life in Christ.
Abundant, Amazing Grace
This speaker shared that early in her marriage she did something that filled her with shame. So much so, that she felt she had to hide it from her husband. So daily, for seven months, she silently carried the heavy weight of her action. She wanted to confess her sin to him, but found herself continuing to stall because she feared his reaction.
What if confessing changed how he viewed her? What if he chose to stop loving her … to walk away?
When she finally did tell him, as tears plunged down her face, his response was to simply wrap his arms around her and hold her close for a long moment. Then she heard him utter the words she had been dreading: “I need to leave the house for a while.”
In the hours he was gone she anxiously paced, a part of her certain that he wouldn’t return. But her heart leapt when he strode back into their home, his arms overflowing with delicate yellow tulips — her favorite flower.
This godly man hadn’t left to punish her, but to shop at as many flower stores as necessary for him to gather the gorgeous display. The symbolism of his grand and generous gesture: he wanted her to grasp, beyond a shadow of her doubt, that he was offering her God-sized grace.
Here in Texas we love to say, “Go big or go home.” In effect, her husband’s big gesture said, “I forgive you, love you, and accept you — just as God offers me His amazing grace when I blow it.”
Once we've tasted the sweetness of God's grace, we carry it within us to likewise offer it.
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When you and I humbly confess our sin to God, He doesn’t make us wallow and grovel and do a bunch of good deeds to tip the scale of worth back in our favor. Rather, He offers us instant grace, from His bottomless well of love.
God doesn’t offer us a single bloom, friends, but a lush bouquet, to make sure we “get” that He’s completely removed the stain of our offense and sees it no more. We are clean. Forgiven. Understood. Accepted.
The Bible declares that God sees us as sanctified, justified, and redeemed. Says Psalm 103:12: “As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.” No ifs, ands, or buts. No loopholes. Jesus sealed this deal for us on the cross.
We may have to walk out consequences because of our sin, but every step is covered by His amazing grace, freeing us from soul-crippling shame and blame. Let us rejoice in that!
Are you burdened by sin you’re trying to hide from God? (Spoiler alert: He already knows.) God isn’t focused on your perfection, but your progress. Run to Him! He wants to restore you into relationship with Him via His unceasing grace!
NEXT STEPS:
Can we pray for you? It would be our honor. Click here.
Do you want to have a relationship with Jesus? Start here.
Do you have shame you can’t shake, despite God’s grace? Head over to our Resolution Movement.
Sheri writes and edits for Josh McDowell Ministry.
The post Snapshot of Amazing Grace appeared first on Josh.org.
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