Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid; cleanse the thoughts of our hearts that we may perfectly love you and more worthily magnify your name through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Author: Jojo Agot
Pastor at Victory. Faculty and adviser at Every Nation Leadership Institute (ENLI). MA in Theology and Mission at Every Nation Seminary.
The Source of Our Strength
It was not Saul’s strength and height that made him an adequate warrior and king– it was the Spirit of the Lord. When the Spirit left him, he chickened out before Goliath. In the same way, our confidence is in Christ alone. Apart from Him, our hearts melt with fear in the face of adversity.
Samson’s Weakness
[Samson’s] life collapsed under the weight of his pride. God gave him an amazing gift, but he let that gift go to his head. He saw it as God’s personal endorsement of him. He assumed God would keep blessing him even though one by one he broke every Nazirite vow.
Samson believed God would be faithful to his word, but Samson didn’t believe he needed to be faithful to God’s word. He trusted God to empower his gifting, but he didn’t trust God to satisfy his appetites. So he disobeyed God and indulged sin. He was already blind when the Philistines finally got to him.
Don’t Be Afraid to Commit
Do not be afraid to commit to honorable things when it is asked of you, especially when the other alternative is passivity and laziness.
Do not be afraid to commit to things that take integrity and honor to fulfill, especially when the alternative is just slacking off and total avoidance of responsibility.
Do not be afraid to commit to godly things when it is demanded of you. This is what men of God do. This is what makes a man. This is what Christlikeness looks like. This is true godliness in action.
Spend Time With God
Spend time with God. No, not the usual five minute devotional where you pull out your phone or tablet and click away for some “godly tweets and posts.” Spend time with Him at a level that really touches your heart and soul.
Christmas Exposes Our Desperation
Pastor Tullian on Christmas:
Christmas has a painful way of revealing why the first Christmas was so necessary.
Tears are falling, hearts are breaking; How we need to hear from God…
Christmas exposes our desperation but it also announces our Deliverer—the one who promises rest to the weary and heavy laden; the one who promises never to leave us or forsake us. For those who feel lonely and lost, anxious and abandoned, tired and tense—for those who are guilt-ridden and grieving—Christmas is for you. Especially for you!
You can read the whole thing here.
Jojo Agot 