What Hinders You From Running Well?

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Have you ever started the day cheerfully, full of good intentions, and by mid-morning you’re in a puddle, pouring your heart out to the Lord in frustration over your sad turn of events? Have you ever said to yourself, “What happened? I started the day well; I spent time with the Lord; I even got up early to do so, but something went wrong. How did this happen?” Galatians 5:7 reads, “You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth?” Ahhh, what a question! Taking the time to answer that question will help us the next time we find ourselves wondering, "How did I end up here?"

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What Question Would Jesus Ask You Today?

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What Question Would Jesus Ask You Today?

Recently I was reading in Acts 22 where Paul powerfully recounts how he came to faith in Jesus Christ as he encountered the risen Lord on the road to Damascus. There the Lord asked him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” That question stopped Paul in his tracks. And then I wondered, “What question would Jesus put to me today?” I could just imagine it, Lisa, Lisa, why are you ­­­­­­­­­­­(fill-in-the-blank)? That wasn't too hard for me to do. “Lisa, why are you being so faint-hearted? Lisa, why aren’t you trusting Me? Lisa, why are you looking to a change in your situation to bring you joy? Lisa, why are you discouraged?” And on it went.

It was a good exercise for my heart. There’s no hiding from the Lord; He always gets to the very core of the issue.

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When Chocolate Chip Cookies Aren't Enough

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When Chocolate Chip Cookies Aren't Enough

We can rationalize about our choices—“Oh but chocolate chip cookies really are satisfying!” yet at the end of a day feasting on chocolate chip cookies alone we feel empty and sick inside. God wants us to understand that settling for "chocolate chip cookies" to nourish our hungry souls is a poor food choice at best and folly at its worst. Jesus was getting to the same core issue with the woman at the well in John 4 when He asked her to get Him some water to drink and then turned to conversation to the living water that would satisfy her thirsty soul. He explained, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life (John 4:13-14).”

What well are you drinking from to replenish your thirsty soul? Why are you willing to settle for something that won’t truly satisfy you, even when you know better?

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When a New Year Means More of the Same

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When a New Year Means More of the Same

Trials have a purpose. They produce a perfected faith and a completed character. You know this; I know this. The difficulty comes in staying still while God does His work in us with that trial. So, the first thing we need to consider is just how do we persevere under trial? Keep reading for some ways to apply these words to “persevere under trial.”

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