What does maturity look like?

Originally posted on WisdomForLife:

In a class I teach for singles on how to make the marriage decisions one of your best decisions, we invest significant time discussing the importance of maturity to a good relationship. 

When I ask the class to describe maturity and immaturity, I encourage them to first examine their own lives before applying anything to others.

We are wise to focus on becoming the person that your future spouse will need and be blessed with.

I also remind them that behaviors, perspectives and life-patterns rarely appear without a history behind them. Looking closely and honestly at the history is essential to breaking patterns that get passed through generations. 

Consider the following characteristics of maturity and use the list for conversation. It’s obviously not an exhaustive description of a mature person, but it offers a starting point.

Ask yourself and others how you would go about learning whether a potential…

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10 common satanic behaviors

Originally posted on WisdomForLife:

After doing an in-depth study of the three places in Scripture where we find the voice of the devil speaking directly to someone else, I became convinced that many people look for the Devil in the wrong places.

This becomes even more clear when we observe how Scripture explicitly mentions Satan with reference to the ten characteristics below.

People rarely associate many of these behaviors with the evil one. Yet how do we explain the truth that, “the whole world is under the control of the evil one” (I John 5:19)?

It seems likely that his ways would be pervasively noticed throughout the world. And, in fact, we find this to be the case when we consider how common these ten characteristics are to human history.

  1. Conceit: (I Timothy 3:6)
  2. Willful rebellion: (Gen. 4:1-14 – observed in Cain – who belonged to the evil one; I John 3:12; cf…

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A truth we must accept

Originally posted on WisdomForLife:

God is merciful to reach out to rebellious creatures and He makes significant concessions to meet us where we live. His justice makes these concession necessary and His mercy makes them possible.

Should this truth affect the way we view the Bible?

Since the Bible addresses people and times that are violent and evil, we should not be surprised to find some really horrible things in it. The entire human race exists under the merciful concession of God. 

The fact of God’s concession started early in history and it set the tone for the ways of God with humanity. If we don’t pause long over this fact, we’ll likely misunderstand God and then misread the rest of the story of God’s dealings with humanity in the Bible.

Look closely at the way God’s concession is explained after God brought cataclysmic judgment against humans for evil early in human history.

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Two Great Songs for Worship and a Prayer

Originally posted on WisdomForLife:

I love songs with real messages centered in truth with deep gospel clarity! 

“Lord Jesus, give me a deeper repentance, a horror of sin, a dread of its approach. Help me purely to flee it and jealously to resolve that my heart shall be Yours alone. Give me a deeper trust, that I may lose myself to find myself in You, the ground of my rest, the spring of my being. Give me a deeper knowledge of Yourself as Savior, Master, Lord, and King. Give me deeper power in private prayer, more sweetness in Your Word, more steadfast grip on its truth. Give me deeper holiness in speech, thought, action, and let me not seek moral virtue apart from You.”

“Plough deep in me, great Lord, heavenly Cultivator of hearts, that my being may be a tilled field, the roots of grace spreading far and wide, until You alone are…

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Instruments of godly sorrow

Originally posted on WisdomForLife:

When people we love are destroying their lives and hurting those around them, we must be willing to confront them.

If we let them continue, without saying a word, we show our lack of love for them and for those affected by them.

But confrontation (for most people) is a difficult task. Perhaps we know that it’s often a necessary part of caring for others but we prefer not to “stir matters up.” I’ve known of many situations where people chose not to confront to avoid bad feelings and possible angry reactions. Sadly many of these circumstances ultimately escalate in ways that might have been prevented with intervention. 

  • Are you willing to confront when you know that it’s needed but not welcomed?
  • Are you willing to be an instrument of godly sorrow?
  • Why are we willing to tolerate bad relationships instead of confronting others?
  • Do we care enough to confront?

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A true Christian

Originally posted on WisdomForLife:

“The Christian man has seen himself as utterly hopeless and condemned; he has seen himself as a man who is utterly guilty before God and who has no claim whatsoever on His love. He has seen himself as an enemy of God and an outsider.”

“And then he has seen and understood something about the free grace of God in Jesus Christ. He has seen God sending His only Son into the world, and not only that, sending Him even to the death of the cross for him, the rebel, the vile and guilty sinner.”

“The Christian knows that all this happened for him, and it has changed his whole attitude towards God and to his fellow-men. He has been forgiven when he did not deserve it. What right then has he, not to forgive his enemy?” (Lloyd-Jones, “Sermon on the Mount,” p. 318).

Romans 5:6, 8-11

“You…

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