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39. Out of Lukewarmness Into the Light Podcast
The Bible talks about God's view of lukewarm believers. It's clear in Revelation what He thinks of that. We live in a divided nation. The enemy is looking to assault our hearts and therefore our commitment to faith in Christ. He's also intent on derailing our ability to share that faith with an unsaved world. Steve examines the challenge of living a different way. One totally sold out toward intimacy with God and our fellow man. Loving as Jesus showed us.…
Authored by: sparrowwebsites | Posted: 05/17/2021
The Daily Memo | May 17, 2021 | How to Walk Wisely
Godly wisdom enables us to view things as the Lord does and to respond according to biblical principles. This discernment isn’t automatic, but it is available to all believers who “try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord” (Eph. 5:10; James 1:5). And the best way to know what pleases God is to read His Word. When we resolve to honor the Lord in all we do, say, and think, it transforms the way we make decisions. Instead of following natural instincts or…
Categories: Walking With God, The Daily Memo, The Reality of Our Present World, Practicing His Presence | Authored by: sparrowwebsites | Posted: 05/17/2021
The Daily Memo | May 14, 2021 | Isolation and Seclusion
Following Jesus put the disciples under great pressure. Leaders measure their true followers by how they handle the places of pressure. Anyone can follow through exaltation; it takes a special person to follow during aggravation. When things intensified with Jesus, great contention, wrestling, and turmoil followed. Jesus died in such a humiliating way that it left doubt, fear, and disarray. Now that Jesus was dead, the heat was on those who followed him. The pressure was so…
Categories: What We Were Created For, The Daily Memo, Wounded Healer | Authored by: sparrowwebsites | Posted: 05/14/2021
The Daily Memo | May 13, 2021 | As Good as It Gets?
If for all practical purposes we believe that this life is our best shot at happiness, if this is as good as it gets, we will live as desperate, demanding, and eventually despairing men and women. We will place on this world a burden it was never intended to bear. We will try to find a way to sneak back into the Garden and when that fails, as it always does, our heart fails as well. If truth be told, most of us live as though this life is our only hope. In his wonderful…
Categories: What We Were Created For, The Daily Memo, Identity Security, Return to the Garden, The Reality of Our Present World | Authored by: sparrowwebsites | Posted: 05/13/2021
The Daily Memo | May 12, 2021 | Why Does God Still Speak?
The Bible is God’s Word, so does He still want to speak to us personally? The answer is yes, and there are several reasons why. First, His guidance is a necessity for our lives. In Scripture, we see the Lord giving specific directions to His servants, and we often forget that we, too, need His instructions. Second, we rely on the Lord’s power just as much as the Israelites. We all have “Red Sea” experiences, when we don’t know where to turn.…
Categories: Walking With God, The Daily Memo, Practicing His Presence | Authored by: sparrowwebsites | Posted: 05/12/2021
The Daily Memo | May 11, 2021 | What Does It Mean to Be Born Again?
There is a great deal of misinformation regarding the meaning of the term “born again.” Such ignorance and confusion could have disastrous ramifications if those who think they are born again really aren’t. In a conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus used this term to explain how one enters the kingdom of heaven. Nicodemus thought the Lord was referring to a subsequent physical birth and couldn’t fathom how this was possible, but Jesus was speaking in…
Categories: The Daily Memo, Understanding Love, Restored in Him, Return to the Garden | Authored by: sparrowwebsites | Posted: 05/11/2021
The Daily Memo | May 10, 2021 | Disruptive Honesty
Most people go through their entire lives without anyone, ever, speaking honest, loving, direct words to the most damaging issues in their lives. Pause for a moment, and count the times this has been done for you. Better, pause and count the times you have offered this to someone you love. Let’s be honest—why aren’t we more honest with each other? Because it will cost us. Socrates didn’t exactly get a warm reception for telling the truth. John the…
Categories: The Daily Memo, Identity Security, Understanding Love, Wounded Healer | Authored by: sparrowwebsites | Posted: 05/10/2021
The Daily Memo | May 7, 2021 | Profile of The Lukewarm
Would you describe yourself as totally in love with Jesus Christ? Or do the words halfhearted, lukewarm, and partially committed fit better? The Bible says to test ourselves, so I am going to offer you a description of what lukewarm people can look like. As you read these examples, I encourage you to take a searching, honest look at who you are now, and how you are living today. Lukewarm people: Attend church fairly regularly. It is what is expected of them, what they…
Categories: The Daily Memo, The Reality of Our Present World, Knowing & Being Known | Authored by: sparrowwebsites | Posted: 05/07/2021
Shame and Brokenness - The Tree is Me
We have a saying around here. “The Tree is Me”. Kind of a strange way to introduce the topic of brokenness and restoration, but we love the imagery. Studying the charcoal that we commissioned will reveal a host of realities that each person on the planet must cope with; from the day we’re born. As we journey through this life and the reality of the world we live in, there’s a crisis of identity that needs to be sorted out. Yet, so many of us avoid…
Categories: Identity Security, The Hope of Healing, Embracing Brokenness Book Excerpt, Knowing & Being Known | Authored by: sparrowwebsites | Posted: 05/06/2021
The Daily Memo | May 6, 2021 | Belief is a Choice
I don’t think we’ve admitted to ourselves just how much belief is a choice. Some mornings you wake and feel God is near; the day looks hopeful. Next morning God seems far; the day has no color to it. For years I wrote this experience off to the ins and outs of the spiritual life, clouded by the weather of my emotions. Then Jesus began to show me something. Innumerable times in the past several years, I’d be in a time of prayer, asking God’s help or…
Categories: The Daily Memo, Identity Security, Knowing & Being Known | Authored by: sparrowwebsites | Posted: 05/06/2021