Reflecting on death can teach us to live fully in the precious present. Instead of blindly blundering through our lives, we need to notice the ways in which the world seeks to change us. In doing so, we will not succumb to the gradual downward pull of the world but will renew our minds in Christ.
We need to make the most of the time. And we do so not by striving harder or filling our hours with empty work, but by surrendering to God and serving Him in His strength.
Those who walk by the flesh cannot please God and are dead, but those who walk by the Spirit have life in God (Romans 8:1–8). The good news is that we are set free in Christ to walk by the Spirit and have eternal life.
you need to make the most of the kairos moments—those moments of each day when God invites you to join His plan and submit to His will instead of clinging to your own plans and your own will.
Did you know that, as a Christian, you are in constant conflict? Every moment presents a choice to lead a Spirit-directed life or to succumb to the wiles of the enemy and his temptations. When we have a warrior mindset, setting our minds on Christ, we will have the victory.
Until Christ returns, we must do battle with the world, the flesh, and the devil. But we can take heart: these three do not have the final victory.
“I’ll deal with that later” is a dangerous attitude to take when it comes to temptation. The more you put it off, the more your appetite for the eternal things atrophies and the more your capacity diminishes until you lose the cutting edge of intentionality.
Ken Boa looks at eight common misconceptions about God’s will. 1. “I must pray about each decision I make.” 2. “God’s will is often contrary to human reason.” 3. “To submit to God’s will I must give up my happiness.” 4. “If I follow God’s will, my problems will be over.” 5. “If I stray too far from God’s will, He won’t be able to use me again.” 6. “If I commit my life to God, He will want me to go to seminary.” 7. “I must have special confirmation before making important decisions.” 8. “God wants me to respond to every need.”
Communication is the main way in which we discern the will of God. It involves immersing ourselves in Scripture and coming before God in prayer. God will not guide us to do something contrary to Scripture. As we seek to discern His will, we must constantly be in prayer and examining our decisions in light of Scripture. If we think we hear God’s voice telling us to do something that is clearly contrary to Scripture (e.g., commit adultery), then it is not from God.
The discernment of God’s will does not come from employing certain techniques. To discern God’s will is to understand how to please Him and to be watchful for His daily guidance. This requires an ongoing and genuine relationship with the Lord. In particular, there are five facets of our relationship with Him that are prerequisites for receiving His guidance.
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