When God Breaks You to Remake You: Encountering God Through the Hard Times

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A great sermon by Tony Evans: "Encountering God's Process," about how God breaks us of our self-sufficiency to remake us stronger in Him.  I've been there before.  I totally understand. 


And here are some more "Encountering God ..." sermons worth watching.  (Come on, now, I know you've got the time, stuck at home, "social distancing."  You've got plenty of time for a "God encounter"!):





Popular posts from this blog

Be Wary Of The Christian Post

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(Written 6/15/18)  Occasionally, I check in with the Christian Post to see what's going on in the world that specifically relates to Christians.  And generally, I've never really had any red flags go up about this website ... until now.
A recent article by Stoyan Zaimov, with a title that starts "Christian Lesbian rock star ..." goes on to share this woman's story about being assaulted by a male priest when she was young.  
However, I don't think the reason for this article is to talk about the abuse she suffered and her courage in speaking up.  I think this is a deliberate attempt to affirm Christian homosexuality.  The very fact that they put "Christian" and "lesbian" in the title makes it sound like it's indeed possible to be a Christian and a practicing homosexual who sees no need to change.
And it seems to me that this article paints her in a heroic light, as though she is in the right and should be applauded and emulated, and as tho…
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Feminism Nonsense (repost)

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(Oh, how we love nonsense in our country!)
We women are fighting so hard to be like men, to downplay femininity, to be perceived as more masculine, to overtake any "men's realm" we find.Because it’s “cool” and “progressive” and “strong.”

But do we not realize that we are not “leveling the playing field” so much as we are destroying ourselves, the things that make women special?

Women can be strong, too.And they don’t have to be like men to do it.  Trust me, I know.  I've had four children, one by c-section and three by natural, drug-free homebirth (with over 15 hours of labor for each one).  And then I work in the home every day, all day long.  No pay.  No vacation time.  No weekends off.  No bonuses.  No overtime pay.  


But I do it because my family and I value my position, my role.  Even if the world doesn't. 

We women can be strong and capable and accomplished in our own ways.

We can be strong in our feminine grace.  We can be confident in our nurturing temperament…
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Why Is Calvinism So Dangerous?

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Because it teaches the opposite of what the Bible teaches!  

(For the heavily updated version of this post, click here.)

Calvinism thinks it correctly understands the Word.  But what it does is twist each verse until it supports its view of predestination, of God micromanaging everything (their definition of "sovereignty"), and of "total human depravity" where people are so depraved that no one can think about, want, or come to God unless God makes them do it (which is absolutely not in the Bible.  In fact, the exact opposite is in the Bible.  God calls us over and over again to seek Him, and He says He will hold us accountable if we resist Him or ignore Him).  


[Hey, Calvinists ... Do you want a test to see what's driving your view of this issue?  Pray and ask God to reveal to you if you are wrong in your understanding of this issue, if you are reading the Word wrong, trying to make it fit your own ideas of what it says.  Tell God that you want to know the truth …
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Anti-Calvinism Memes and Links

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This is the last half of the post "What's The Best Way To Make People Agree With Your Calvinist Views."  But I put it here in its own post so that it's easier to find.

These are some links to posts which are against Calvinism, the belief that the Bible teaches God has predetermined from the beginning of time who goes to heaven and who goes to hell.  It's no secret from my writing that I strongly disagree with this view.  I believe the Bible clearly teaches that God offers us all salvation, that Jesus's death paid for everyone's sins, and that we have to decide if we will accept Him or reject Him.  And here is some of what others have to say about Calvinism:

(FYI, I haven't read everything in all of these yet and I don't necessarily agree with every point they make, but I needed to link to them before I lost them online.  And for the record, I came to my belief about what the Bible says by reading the Bible, not extra-biblical books or articles.  And…
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How Much Power Do Witches Have? (repost)

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There have been articles coming out recently about a rise in witchcraft in America.  One article says that witchcraft is growing astronomically and that witches now outnumber Presbyterians in the United States.  And another article (along with this one) says that witches gathered the other day to hex Brett Kavanaugh, to take back the country, and to support abortion rights.  And they've been trying to hex President Trump, too, according to other articles.  And recently, Salem unveiled the largest Ouija Board ever, in the hopes of attracting the largest ghost ever.  (I wouldn't be surprised if they get the results they want.  Only it won't be "ghosts.")

This makes me wonder ... How much power do witches really have?
Answer:  I don't know.
I don't know, and I'm not about to google it because I can only imagine what kind of sites that would dredge up.


But I will say this:  Witchcraft is about trying to control the spirit world - demons.  And demons answer to…
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Why Is It So Hard For Calvinists To Get Free From Calvinism?

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From the end of my post "If Calvinism is true, then God is a liar."  But I think it deserves its own post:

I read something once about how very few people end up freeing themselves from the clutches of Calvinism because of the strong hold it has on people.  I think this is partly because ...


1.  We [I am not a Calvinist, so this is a generalized "we"] would have to admit that we were misunderstanding Scripture this whole time, and no one wants to admit they could be wrong.




2.  Calvinism appeals to the prideful intellectuals.  (And prideful intellectuals have the greatest aversion to admitting they could be wrong.)  It makes these intellectuals feel like they alone understand the "deeper, hidden meanings of Scripture," while the simple-minded Christians can't understand it.  And it makes them feel more "humble" for accepting these "difficult teachings," like their idea that people have no control whatsoever.  It's like "Look h…
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80+ Bible Verses for Spiritual Warfare

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So I looked at the Sword of the Spirit and the power of using "It is written ..." in this earlier post.  But now I want to provide a bunch of verses to finish that sentence.  

When you face trials of various kinds, when you feel like Satan is throwing his fiery darts at you - darts of fear, despair, temptation, doubts, discouragement, etc. - say "It is written ..." followed by a Bible verse that fits.  And let God's Word help you in the battle.

If God's Word is truth and it's the truth that sets us free, why do we keep trying to do battle in our own strength and wisdom and resources?  

Go to God's Word!  Take it up as the sword it is.  And swing!

(Make the verses personal for you.  If it says "Your hope is in the Lord," say "My hope is in the Lord."  Apply God's Words to you personally and speak it out loud.  If speaking the Word is the best offensive weapon we have against evil - along with prayer - then we need to learn to use …
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What's The Best Way To Make People Agree With Your Calvinist Views?

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By shaming, mocking, and silencing those who disagree, of course!



Allow me to daydream here, to tell you a little story, a hypothetical situation (Sorry for the random font changes.  Stupid computers!)...  

Pretend you are part of a great church, where the pastor doesn't make a huge issue (or any issue) out of Calvinism.  He keeps it middle of the road, on the parts of doctrine we can all agree on.  And it's a great place to be, a place you love inviting people to.  You've been there for many years, and have no intention of ever leaving.  

And then, after that pastor retires, you get a new one.  At first, he seems just fine.  Lots of enthusiasm, speaks powerfully, very intelligent.  But you notice something just a little ... off ... and you can't quite put your finger on it.

One of the first things that caught your attention, shortly after he got there, was when he admitted from the pulpit that he has no patience.  You could tell that he thought he was trying to sound ... …
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#1 Wrestling With God, 2015 (repost)

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[I wrote this post in August of 2015.  But I am reposting it because I need to read it again.  I guess I need to read it again because life sometimes feels like one big "wrestling with God" match.  Wrestling with faith.  With life.  

As I look back on these past several years, I am kinda amazed at how things turn out.  Or ... how they don't, I should say.  How real and raw and messy life can be sometimes.  These next numbered posts are taken from over these last few years, showing the progression of life, of the unexpected, of the "wrestling with God, faith, and life" moments.  This one goes up to August 2015, how beaten up I've felt over the years up till then.  And then comes the post about the hope I had that 2016 would be better.  And then comes 2016 - the worst summer of my life.  A life-changer for me.  And then, well, I'm not sure yet what I am putting after that.  But I'm reposting these because it's fascinating to me to see how life prog…
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Some Carman Songs For Halloween (repost)

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Yes, these are older songs and a bit campy, but they are fun and full of truth.  And they're blasts from the past for me, taking me back to my youth!  (I didn't mean to make it rhyme.)  


A Witch's Invitation - Love this one!



No Monsters - See, Carman knows the power of Jesus's name!


Satan, Bite The Dust- I wouldn't go around challenging Satan, but Carman's making a good, important point here about the power of God compared to the power of the devil.

God's Got An Army - with a little Narnia thrown into this video


Revival in the land  - Are you on your knees in prayer for our country? 


The Courtroom - I just watched this one for the first time.  Interesting.

The Champion - this will always be one of his best!

Radically Saved (Live) - the whole hour-plus show.  This is one of the first albums I got of his.  And it's still one of my favorites.

Radically Saved - just the song
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