There are distinctions in our emotional and spiritual lives, and yet they influence one another profoundly. Our feelings often give us an indication of where we are spiritually. If fear has gripped us, we may wonder about our faith, and when we feel peaceful and “centered,” we may become more aware of who we are as God’s child. And finally, our faithfulness and prayers indicate the presence of His Spirit within us. Read more

Saturday, September 18, 2010 Emotional and Spiritual Flow of Life by Robert Ricciardelli Our emotional and spiritual lives have different dynamics. Our emotional life flows up and down based on current or past conditions. We may be happy, sad, angry, or loving based on current or past happenings. Our spiritual lives flow through obedience, and our attentive listening to the Spirit of God within us. Without this listening, our spiritual life can become subject to the windswept waves of our... Read more

“You’re the God who makes things happen; you showed everyone what you can do — You pulled your people out of the worst kind of trouble, rescued the children of Jacob and Joseph.”      (Psalm 77:14,15, The Message). The great epic event of the Old Testament was the Exodus — the day God delivered His people out of bondage in Egypt. They were in the worst kind of trouble, and God brought them out of it. They were up against the... Read more

So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man! John 19:5 (ESV) Pilate had Jesus flogged. The soldiers mocked him with a crown of thorns and a purple robe calling him the king of the Jews. Pilate presented him to the crowd in shame. They had no clue that they were actually preaching the gospel through their actions. While they mocked, Jesus was releasing a power into the world... Read more

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”  Proverbs 9:10 NIV       According to Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary, success is “achieving a favorable or desired outcome.”  All organizations—for profit and not for profit—desire to achieve success. The former generally define success in terms of financial profit and the latter define success in terms of social profit.  Regardless of your specific definition, to achieve success requires C4 people—C4 stands for... Read more

When I was first saved I saw some amazing provision from the Lord.  I just trusted Him and didn’t even think about it.  The most remarkable provision was when I entered university to begin training for ministry. I walked  into a brand new pizza store and walked out with a delivery job earning over $100 a night! This was 1975 when  minimum wage  was $1.65 an hour!  A few years later Karen and I were getting married. A month before... Read more

Our emotional and spiritual lives have different dynamics. Our emotional life flows up and down based on current or past conditions. We may be happy, sad, angry, or loving based on current or past happenings. Our spiritual lives flow through obedience, and our attentive listening to the Spirit of God within us. Without this listening, our spiritual life can become subject to the windswept waves of our emotions. Read more

When someone hurts, offends, or rejects us, we can feel a deep urge to retaliate or withdraw into self-rejection. These occasions most often happen unexpectedly. We may ponder for days over words and actions we might use in response to what others have said or done. This is where we must seek God’s strength more than ever to bring us beyond our need to hurt others or ourselves, and be free to forgive and to love. Read more

It is very hard to control our emotions, but we can gradually overcome them by living a disciplined spiritual life. This prevents us from reacting to life based on our emotions. We might not “feel” like being nice to a others but as we seek the goodness of God, His love will motivate us to love. As we are led by His Spirit, we will find emotions and moods to have decreasing power over our thoughts and actions. Read more

This Generation is Like Gideon and Barak The Holy Spirit has been speaking to me about this awesome younger generation as of late and I am very excited about what He showed me concerning this next generation! The Holy Spirit spoke to me and said this generation is like Gideon and Barak! Gideon and Barak both didn’t believe that they were chosen by God to do awesome and mighty things. Even on the outward appearance others didn’t see their greatness.... Read more