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Showing posts from May, 2012

It Is Finished

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Last year I read a book given to me in which the author (a well-known Word of Faith pastor) wrote about living by faith instead of foolishness and presumption.   Afterward, I offered the book to a friend thinking it would minister to her.   She refused to read it because she only wanted to study materials about the “finished work of the cross” and mentioned several preachers, a few of whom I know personally. I agree we need to be selective in who we receive impartation from.   There is a lot of spiritual junk food out there.   But it can also be a form of pride if a person insists on receiving from only one stream of ministry.   1 Corinthians 1:10 points out that God doesn’t want divisions within the Body of Christ but that we “…be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” Before Jesus died on the cross, He said, “It is finished!” (John 19:30)   What exactly did the Lord finish?   Earlier in John 4:34, Jesus said, “My food is to do the wi

Modern Motherhood

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Singer/actress Jessica Simpson gave birth to a daughter a few days ago.   There was some media controversy about her child being named Maxwell, which sounds more like a man’s name.   But what’s really disturbing is how children born out of wedlock are celebrated so much these days.   (Jessica is engaged to the baby’s father but decided to postpone getting married until after the baby was born.)   A couple of generations ago, illegitimate births by Hollywood celebrities were considered scandalous. Before the birth of Maxwell, Jessica Simpson appeared nude on the cover of Elle magazine displaying her baby bump (à la Demi Moore).   T he Huffington Post praised Jessica for being an example of “ modern motherhood.”   This is a sign of the times we live in.   Isaiah 5:20 says, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” Jessica was raised by a Baptist youth minister an

Unspoken Requests

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Occasionally when I get together with other Christians for a prayer meeting, the leader will lift up “unspoken requests.”  While this may sound holy and religious, it is unscriptural.  Philippians 4:6 commands us to “let your requests be made known to God.” It’s true that our Heavenly Father “knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.” (Matthew 6:8)  Sometimes we might get blessed with things we didn’t specifically pray for simply because He loves us.  But notice what Jesus said in Matthew 7:11; “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him !”   If you were in line at a McDonald’s drive thru, would you expect to receive an item on the menu that you didn’t order?  Of course, you wouldn’t.  Likewise, we need to be specific in what we want something from God.   Look at what happened in Mark 10:51 after blind Bartimaeus called out for Jesus… So Jesus an