Spiritual Causes of Discouragement

We may become discouraged spiritually if we have a wrong understanding of our relationship with God.   PSALM 43 1 Vindicate me, O God, and plead my case against an ungodly nation; O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man! 2 For You are the God of my strength; why have You rejected me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? 3 O send out Your light and Your truth, let them lead me; Let them bring me to Your holy hill And to Your dwelling places. 4 Then I will go to the …

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“He appeared first to Mary Magdalene.” Mark 16:9

Jesus “appeared first to Mary Magdalene,” probably not only on account of her great love and persevering seeking, but because, as the context intimates,she had been a special trophy of Christ’s delivering power. Learn from this, that the greatness of our sin before conversion should not make us imagine that we may not be specially favoured with the very highest grade of fellowship. She was one who had left all to become a constant attendant on the Saviour. He was her first, her chief object. Many who were on Christ’s side did not take up Christ’s cross; she did. She …

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A Step at a Time

1 Kings 17:4 4 It shall be that you will drink of the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to provide for you there.” God’s direction includes God’s provision. God says, “Go to the brook. I will provide.” Vance Havner, in his book, It Is Toward Evening, tells the story of a group of farmers who were raising cotton in the Deep South when the devastating boll weevil invaded the crops. These men had put all of their savings, dedicated all of their fields, set all of their hopes in cotton. Then the boll weevil came. Before long, it …

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The Empty Tomb

In the cold gray of the early morning three women wended their way through the darkened streets of Jerusalem. It was the dawn of the first day of the week, but their hearts were heavy. Their feet plodded slowly over the rough stones of the streets of Jerusalem. The day preceding the Sabbath they had seen their hope in Jesus of Nazareth crushed. They witnessed Him dying a cruel death by crucifixion. It had been their hope that He would redeem Israel and deliver them from their Roman oppressors; but now their dreams and hopes lay in the darkened tomb. …

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Helping Those in Need

Jesus doesn’t discriminate with regard to whose burdens He will carry—and neither should we. Luke 10:25-37 25 And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 And He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?” 27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And He said to him, “You have answered …

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The grace of God set me free

Woke up this morning remembered a time when I was anything but who I am today.. and realized that we don’t all begin as the people we want to be.. But that with each little step we pave a way to be something.. somebody.. I was SO lost.. I was SO broken and so consumed with shame and self pity.. Self doubt so bad that it kept me hidden.. Regret SO bad it shamed me… The grace of God set me free.. My redemption.. gave me hope.. The blood of Christ covered me like a warm blanket.. Cleansed this dirty …

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