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Tag Archives: Proverbs 23:7
Practical Steps To Overcoming Pornography Part 2
Last week, I ended with a few practical suggestions to overcoming pornography; here are more (in addition to last weeks).
Become men and women of prayer. Men would live better if they prayed better. Porn cannot gain a stronghold in a broken, praying heart. If we’re too busy to cultivate a prayer life that places God first—we’re too busy. We’re often too busy because we’re doing too much. “When faith ceases to pray, it ceases to live” (E.M. Bounds). We must spend much time on our knees before God if we are to overcome addictions. Continue reading
(Early Release) 5/28/11 – Overcoming Sin… The Battlefield Is The Mind – Pastor Shane Idleman
The enemy rarely pushes us off the cliff, so to speak. We’re often led down one step at a time, one compromise at a time, one wrong choice at a time. For example, the enemy doesn’t show a young couple the pain and anguish and the years of regret that an abortion brings; he deceives them with the temporary enjoyment of premarital sex and a false sense of freedom from responsibility. If the full story was known beforehand, no doubt different choices might have been made. We’re often not shown the pain that sin brings, we’re enticed by the temporary pleasure….. Continue reading
Money, Pride & Destructive Relationships Hinder Holiness
As mentioned last week: If we truly want to experience the power of God, we must surrender pivotal areas of our lives.
The first area was our “time.” I John 2:15 says, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” We claim that we don’t have time for God, but we find time to enjoy the things of this world. If we don’t schedule time, time will schedule for us. “So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). Time is not like money; it can’t be earned, borrowed, or saved. You do, however, spend it, so spend wisely.
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Tagged 1 Tim 6:10, Charles Spurgeon, Christ, Christian, D.L. Moody, God, Greed, Holiness, Humble, I Corinthians 15:33, I John 2:15, I Peter 5:6, Love of Money, Luke 14:26, Masters, Matthew 6:24, Money, Power, pride, Proverbs 23:7, Proverbs 24:1, Relationships, Serve, Surrender, The World, Wisdom
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Guard Your Mind and It Will Guard You
As mentioned last week: Many of us do not want to admit that there is something lacking in our spiritual lives. Pride, religious upbringing, denominationalism, etc. will keep scores of Christians from experiencing the life changing power of God.If we truly want to experience the power of God, we must surrender pivotal areas of our lives. It is then, and only then, that the “rivers of living water” that Jesus described can flow freely. And, like Jeremiah, we can say that “His word is in my heart like a burning fire, deep within me; I can no longer hold it back.”
We left off last week at the second area to surrender…our mind. I’m not referring to “letting yourself go,” I’m referring to Romans 12:2, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans 8:5 sheds light as well, “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.” Are you setting your mind on the things of God (holiness), or on the things of the world (worldliness)?
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Tagged 2 Chronicles 33:6, A.W. Tozer, Antelope Valley Press, Article, Author, AV Press, Battlefield, burning fire, denominationalism, drunkenness, Flesh, Galatians 5:20-21, Guard Your Mind, Harry Potter, Holiness, Holy Spirit, Idolatry, Jeremiah, Jesus, Matthew 12:34, Mind, Moral Flame, Newspaper, Pastor, pride, Proverbs 23:7, R.A. Torrey, religious upbringing, revellings, rivers of living water, Romans 12:2, Romans 8:5, Separated, Set Apart, Sex, Shane Idleman, Spirit, The Forgotten God, the occult, Twilight, Vampires, What Works, Who is the Holy Spirit, Witchcraft, Wizard, Worldliness
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The Holy Spirit Seeks Surrendered Lives
This is part IV in a series on the Holy Spirit
As mentioned last week: Many of us do not want to admit that there is something lacking in our spiritual lives. Pride, religious upbringing, denominationalism, etc. will keep scores of Christians from experiencing the life changing power of God.
Sadly, very few know about the surrendered life. We enjoy blessings, love, and happiness, but not repentance, longsuffering, and surrender. We quote Deuteronomy 28:2, “And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you…” but tend to overlook the last half, “because you obey the voice of the Lord your God.” We are encouraged by Deuteronomy 28:13, “And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath…” But cringe at Matthew 16:24, “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”
Historically, Christian leaders were identified by their actions with words such as “total dedication,” “committed completely to God,” “gave myself fully to Him,” and “surrendered all”. But the church today, in general, knows little about the surrendered life. We lean toward “feel good messages.” We are having our ears tickled, but our lifestyles are not challenged. We turn from truth and allow cultural trends to redefine morality. We absorb what we want to hear and dismiss what we need to hear.
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Tagged Antelope Valley Press, Article, Author, AV Press, Church, D.L. Moody, denominationalism, Deuteronomy 28:13, Deuteronomy 28:2, Holy Spirit, I John 2:15, Jeremiah, Leonard Ravenhill, Newspaper, Pastor, Power, pride, Proverbs 23:7, Psalm 90:12, religious upbringing, rivers of living water, Romans 12:2, Sermon, Shane Idleman, Surrender, The Forgotten God, Things of God, Westside Christian Fellowship, Who is the Holy Spirit
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