Spiritual Formation

This stream of Counseling doesn't just flow to us directly from Christ, only from him; it flows through his people as well. We need others—and need them deeply. Yes, the Spirit was sent to be our Counselor. Yes, Jesus speaks to us personally. But often he works through another human being. The fact is, we are usually too close to our lives to see what's going on. Because it's our story we're trying to understand, we sometimes don't know what'…

“The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry.And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” Then he said to me, &ldquo…

Our experience of Jesus is limited most often by the limits we put on him! A painful truth, but also a hopeful one. Perhaps we can take down some of those barriers. Most of the limits we put on Jesus happen unconsciously. Sometimes we place the limits intentionally. And of course, a trainload is dumped on us by our context (in which case the parable could begin, “One day a man was boarded up inside his house by his past,” or, “by the leaders of his…

Many of us hope to become better people as we journey through life, but we often get stuck and wonder if we’re getting anywhere. We might want to be better at showing patience to others, but we also get exhausted from day-to-day work, and then irritable, and then impatient. We forget Jesus’ ways and often feel like we’re caught in a trap. And yet, the Holy Spirit is actively inviting us to be more like Jesus every moment. Our hope is to learn how to hear…

When the Bible tells us about a great man or woman of faith, the Lord in His kindness also often shows us the person’s weakness and failings. For example, let’s look at Abraham. Like any one of us, he had faults. He sinned. He made mistakes. Still, God loved him and accomplished great things through his life. When the Lord spoke, Abraham listened. Just imagine what promises and blessings he would have missed if he’d failed to pay attention. (See Gen. 12:1;…

Remember, the purpose of this thing called the Christian life is that our hearts might be restored and set free. That's the deal. That's what Jesus came to do, by his own announcement. Jesus wants Life for us, Life with a capital L, and that Life comes to us through our hearts. But restoring and releasing the heart is no easy project. God doesn't just throw a switch and poof—it's done. He sends his Counselor to walk with us instead. That tells us it'…

As a wise old sage was praying with me through some of the painful memories of my life, I was immediately reminded of the time in middle school when my first girlfriend broke my heart. These wounds can linger for a lifetime if you let them — the first cut is the deepest, and all that. We asked Jesus to take me back to the memory. I saw us, the girl and me; it was that fateful summer day. We were in the living room, just as it happened. Then I saw Jesus enter the room.…

When the Lord tells us to wait on His will, He always has a very clear reason, and that reason is without exception for our benefit. Waiting is essential in living the Christian life, walking in obedience to God, and receiving the best of His blessings.Being patient is surely difficult, but failing to wait upon the Lord can bring about disastrous consequences. First, when we do not wait, we get out of God’s will. Second, we delay God’s planned blessing for us.…

The Bible tells us to “Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials” (James 1:2). What a preposterous statement! Do you know anyone who thinks joy and trials fit together? But James is presenting God’s perspective—not a human one. Suffering has some surprising benefits that aren’t readily apparent to most people. It’s important to realize these verses are not telling us to be happy in our pain but rather…