Pondering reality

Life of Luke the Dog

2011-08-21T11:32:00.001-04:00

Life of Luke the Dog

2011-08-21T11:24:00.001-04:00

Blog in review - July 2011

2011-07-29T12:59:00.001-04:00

http://courtneyengle.com

Hot chocolate

2011-03-31T13:32:00.001-04:00

25c pennies

2011-03-23T13:07:00.001-04:00

Glowing froggy

Spring!

2011-03-20T14:52:00.001-04:00

Apple curry chicken

2011-03-01T21:39:00.001-05:00

Spiritual Disciplines - Chapter 3

2011-02-21T09:43:00.000-05:00

The human body was made to be the vehicle of human personality ruling the earth for God and through his power. Withdrawn from that function by loss of its connection with God, the body is caught in the inevitable state of corruption in which we find it now. ~Dallas Willard

Screen Door by Rich Mullins:
http://listen.grooveshark.com/s/Screendoor/lrX0Y?src=5

It's about as useless as
A screen door on a submarine
Faith without works baby
It just ain't happenin'
One is your left hand
One is your right
It'll take two strong arms
To hold on tight
Some folks cut off their nose
Just to spite their face
I think you need some works to show
For your alleged faith

Well there's a difference you know
B'tween having faith and playing make believe
One will make you grow
The other one just make you sleep
Talk about it
But I really think you oughtta
Take a leap off of the ship
Before you claim to walk on water
Faith without works is like a song you can't sing
It's about as useless as a screen door on a submarine

Faith comes from God
And every word that He breathes
He lets you take it to your heart
So you can give it hands and feet
It's gotta be active if it's gonna be alive
You gotta put it into practice
Otherwise....

It's about as useless as a screen door
On a submarine
Faith without works, baby
It just ain't happenin'
One is your right hand, one is your left
It's your light, your guide
Your life and your breath

Faith without works is like a song you can't sing
It's about as useless as a screen door
On a submarine

Rainbow Roll at Aki Sushi Bar

2011-02-14T18:34:00.001-05:00

Spiritual Disciplines: Chapter 3, Salvation is Life

2011-01-30T10:09:00.000-05:00

We’ve relegated God’s life in us to special times and places and states of mind. And we’ve become so used to this style of life, we are hardly aware of it. When we think of “taking Christ into the workplace” or “keeping Christ in the home,” we are making our faith into a set of special acts. The “specialness” of such acts just underscores the point—that being a Christian, being Christ’s, isn’t thought of as a normal part of life. ~Dallas Willard

        Is Christ a part of my everyday life? Do I consider Him in every aspect of life?

What does it mean to be “saved?” What do people understand when they hear “salvation,” “redemption,” and other New Testament terms used to refer to God’s action in restoring women and men to their intended place in his world? Is it possible that we’ve been robbed of the words’ true and coherent concepts? ~Dallas Willard

        Salvation is not a one time experience alone. It is an ongoing aspect of life. Salvation isn’t just about beginning a relationship with Christ, but learning from his entire life experience and aligning our lives with His.

For some strange reason, though, we find it easy to put our minds away when it comes to religion, when it comes to bringing the same type of care to our faith as we would to other subjects. But, in reality, we need to be even more careful with our religious teachers and theologians. ~Dallas Willard

One specific errant concept has done inestimable harm to the church and God’s purposes with us—and that is the concept that has restricted the Christian idea of salvation to mere forgiveness of sins. ~Dallas Willard

The cross act was first narrowly interpreted as mere vicarious suffering and then mistaken for the whole of the redemptive action of God. ~Dallas Willard

        What else has Christ called us to in our relationship with Him?

We’ll never be able to make clear just exactly what it is that our lives have to do with our “salvation.” Futile efforts of believers through the centuries somehow to tack obedience—or “works” or “law”—onto grace, or to insist that Christ cannot be our Savior without also being our Lord, are a historical
proof of this point. ~Dallas Willard

Settlers of Catan and kettle popcorn

2011-01-29T16:11:00.001-05:00

Spirit of the Disciplines: Chapter 2

2011-01-25T10:49:00.000-05:00

But an important problem remains. Our tangible need and hunger for the spiritual disciplines do not by themselves make clear why we need them and how they fit into God’s creative and redemptive action upon and within human life....what resulted was a general failure to understand or accept the wonderful, positive functions of those disciplines as part of the course of the human personality’s full redemption. ~Dallas Willard

Challenge in the months ahead: make the disciplines a part of my life, embraced to the fullest potential - but not from a works based approach. I

Willard, Dallas. "The Secret of the Easy Yoke." The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1991. Print.

Spirit of the Disciplines: Making Theology of the

2011-01-24T09:27:00.000-05:00

“Have we done what is necessary to bring the earnest convert into his or her possessions as a child of God, as a brother or sister of Jesus Christ in the new life?” Dallas Willard

“Are we considering what it means for the individual believer to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” as 2 Peter 3:18 expresses it?” Dallas Willard

What is the right approach to making disciples from a spirit-led perspective? In teaching methods, we cannot present a formula to grow in the knowledge but crowd His Spirit out of our time pursuing Him. In doing so, we approach the personal participation of discipleship from a works-based system. Our reluctance to the spiritual disciplines has allowed room for being led more of His Spirit, but has also left many believers at a place of infancy. Merely finding a balanced approach is not our answer. Inviting Him to plot our participation in the disciplines and this life of discipleship is of utmost importance.

Willard, Dallas. "The Secret of the Easy Yoke." The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1991. Print.

Bride and Bridegroom Relationship - January 23, 2011

2011-01-23T10:16:00.000-05:00

A son walks into inheritance, but a bride builds the inheritance with the groom. The bride and bridegroom build the house, the son walks in it. Walk in the bride relationship with God.

When God created society, created Adam - it isn’t good for him to be alone, He gave Adam a bride - not children.

We limit the relationship to the honeymoon. We think about soaking and initial consummation of the marriage. The honeymoon isn’t the foundation of the relationship .

Three Qualities of the relationship with the bridegroom (for men this is a challenge):

You of the opportunity to be most real. Will anyone else see every aspect of me? Are we willing to open up about everything? How transparent can we be?
Support system like no other. Genuine interest and desire to see the other released into the best they can be. I want you to receive the fullness of life. Create a theme, framework, vision for each other to operate from for each to shine.
Be the voice of God to each other. Carry out His will into our relationships with one another. When you see the bride, you know that there is a bridegroom. He speaks, we make it audible in the earth. How many times to we pray for and speak life into each others lives?

What is forged in the hard times is for ultimate victory.

1 Thess 3:3 That no one [of you] should be disturbed and beguiled and led astray by these afflictions and difficulties [to which I have referred]. For you yourselves know that this is [unavoidable in our position, and must be recognized as] our appointed lot.

Thirsty?

2011-01-22T12:58:00.001-05:00

Spirit of the Disciplines: Chapter 1

2011-01-22T10:27:00.000-05:00

Matthew 11:29 Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest (relief and ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls. 30 For My yoke is wholesome (useful, good--not harsh, hard, sharp, or pressing, but comfortable, gracious, and pleasant), and My burden is light and easy to be borne.

Christianity has not so much been tried and found wanting, as it has been found difficult and left untried. G.K. Chesterton

The “cost of discipleship,” though it may take all we have, is small when compared to the lot of those who don’t accept Christ’s invitation to be a part of his company in The Way of life. ~Dallas Willard

To many, Jesus’ words are frankly bewildering. We hear them often quoted, because the idea they express is obviously one that attracts and delights, but there seems to be something about the way we approach them, something about what we think it means to walk with Christ and obey him, that prevents most of us from entering into the reality which they express. The ease, lightness, and power of his Way we rarely enjoy, much less see, as the pervasive and enduring quality of our street-level human existence. ~Dallas Willard

All of our reasonings cannot, however, remove the thought that Jesus calls us to follow him—to follow him now, not after death. ~Dallas Willard

A successful performance at a moment of crisis rests largely and essentially upon the depths of a self wisely and rigorously prepared in the totality of its being—mind and body. ~Dallas Willard

It is part of the misguided and whimsical condition of humankind that we so devoutly believe in the power of effort-at-the-moment-of-action alone to accomplish what we want and completely ignore the need for character change in our lives as a whole. The general human failing is to want what is right and important, but at the same time not to commit to the kind of life that will produce the action we know to be right and the condition we want to enjoy. This is the feature of human character that explains why the road to hell is paved with good intentions. We intend what is right, but we avoid the life that would make it reality. ~Dallas Willard

We cannot behave “on the spot” as he did and taught if in the rest of our time we live as everybody else does. The “on the spot” episodes are not the place where we can, even by the grace of God, redirect unchristlike but ingrained tendencies of action toward sudden Christlikeness. Our efforts to take control at that moment will fail so uniformly and so ingloriously that the whole project of following Christ will appear ridiculous to the watching world. We’ve all seen this happen. ~Dallas Willard

The secret of the easy yoke is simple, actually. It is the intelligent, informed, unyielding resolve to live as Jesus lived in all aspects of his life, not just in the moment of specific choice or action. ~Dallas Willard

Willard, Dallas. "The Secret of the Easy Yoke." The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1991. 1-10. Print.

I want a fluffy unicorn! #despicableme

2011-01-11T14:31:00.001-05:00

Homemade perogies

2011-01-07T22:09:00.001-05:00

Teething: nom nom nom

2011-01-03T14:59:00.001-05:00

Birch beer

2010-11-22T15:46:00.001-05:00

Watching @goforyourdream teach SEO basics to out @wordpress workshop online

2010-11-18T21:26:00.001-05:00

Wordpress training

Steaming hot coffee

2010-11-17T15:59:00.001-05:00

French pressed chocolate macadamia nut

Morning walk

2010-11-10T13:05:00.001-05:00

Sunburst of autumn

Horses liking new home

2010-11-07T21:42:00.001-05:00

Breezy morning walk 

2010-10-21T11:39:00.001-04:00

A walk in the park

2010-10-20T11:51:00.001-04:00

Cape May Lighthouse

2010-10-04T09:14:00.001-04:00

Stormy seas by Cape May bunker

He's cooking for me

2010-10-03T20:46:00.001-04:00

Sunset in Cape May

2010-10-02T20:18:00.001-04:00

Found @unmarking hanging around @chrisbrogan in Christiana DE

2010-09-10T19:50:00.001-04:00

I found @rebelbrown in Christiana DE

2010-09-10T19:40:00.001-04:00

Mmm gyros

2010-09-03T18:36:00.001-04:00

Digg the Oregon Trail

2010-08-27T17:04:00.001-04:00

Pretty lady in a feather pink boa

2010-08-25T19:11:00.001-04:00

She started school and needed a calculator

Why does 1 man need 12 chairs?

2010-08-19T21:41:00.001-04:00

Chicken pad Thai. So yummy!

2010-07-11T15:05:00.001-04:00

@bobburg and @marismith books spotted at @borders in Tysons Corner VA together

2010-07-11T13:36:00.001-04:00

DeNewt is cooking spicy chicken

2010-07-10T19:53:00.001-04:00

Beginning of a great week

2010-06-27T09:13:00.001-04:00

Pre settlers jenga with @tyler_golden

2010-06-26T20:54:00.001-04:00

Summer flowers

2010-06-24T12:59:00.001-04:00

Working at Corner Coffee

2010-06-15T15:54:00.001-04:00

Summertime

2010-06-13T17:36:00.001-04:00

Before the storm

2010-05-22T22:46:00.001-04:00

Settlers of Catan, go blue!

Who needs a trail to hike?

2010-05-22T19:14:00.001-04:00

Tight squeeze to the top

Mango curry crab cakes, salsa, and asparagus

2010-05-08T19:05:00.001-04:00

Furry friends

2010-05-08T18:01:00.001-04:00

Winter's dinner

2010-05-08T15:33:00.001-04:00

Smores ice cream at Windy Knoll

Smiling at the little things with Luke

2010-05-07T18:23:00.001-04:00

Moriah the granny

New shoes?

2010-05-02T19:29:00.001-04:00

Cooling the cake

2010-04-25T14:25:00.001-04:00

Why do I have to wait 40 minutes?

2010-04-25T13:45:00.001-04:00

Making angel food cake for mom's bday

2010-04-25T13:30:00.001-04:00

One of those days: fixing laptops

2010-04-23T11:02:00.001-04:00

Kicking off another day at "Spirit Led Communication" with @donnorisr at @destinyimage

2010-04-20T09:52:00.001-04:00

Fancy messy dinner

2010-04-17T20:05:00.001-04:00

Unwinding from BarCamp before game night.

2010-04-10T19:17:00.001-04:00

It's spring

2010-03-29T18:08:00.001-04:00

Oh we weren't supposed to light the rum on fire? Oops

2010-03-27T21:19:00.001-04:00

There's a flame- arrester on this rum

2010-03-27T21:04:00.001-04:00

The start of a relaxing evening

2010-03-27T19:07:00.001-04:00

I do believe in fairies! @jnori

2010-03-21T15:54:00.001-04:00

Got a haircut

2010-03-17T16:00:00.001-04:00

Lauren's the bestest hair stylist. I think she did great this time :-D

Dancing in the green green grass soaking up some sun

2010-03-17T14:54:00.001-04:00

Spring is officially on!

2010-03-16T10:54:00.001-04:00

Meet Winter the horse

2010-03-07T20:09:00.001-05:00

Following the herd

Facebook Spam - Sexy Partner by KamaSutra

2010-02-26T11:01:00.001-05:00

Watch out what you authorize in Facebook. Not all alerts lead to beneficial apps. While surely "interesting" - I don't need this app to suggest matches for me!

Amazing lunchtime with the gals. They really look furry.

2010-02-21T14:40:00.001-05:00

Flowers to work by

2010-02-15T15:24:00.001-05:00

An ice slide!

2010-01-30T18:09:00.001-05:00

A large frosty mug. Wanna share?

2010-01-30T17:05:00.001-05:00

Gotta put on some of these boots! #pafarmshow

2010-01-15T21:17:00.001-05:00

Best find at #pafarmshow: Berried in Chocolate by Long Trout Winery. More please!

2010-01-15T19:39:00.001-05:00

Alton Brown would be proud #pafarmshow

2010-01-15T19:33:00.001-05:00

Crazed big red cow #pafarmshow

Maple heaven #pafarmshow

2010-01-15T19:12:00.001-05:00

Tortilla encrusted tilapia #pafarmshow

2010-01-15T19:05:00.001-05:00

Berried in Chocolate has me craving more psychadelic wine #pafarmshow

2010-01-15T18:24:00.001-05:00

Mmmm butter! #pafarmshow

2010-01-15T18:06:00.001-05:00

Spicy! #pafarmshow

2010-01-15T17:29:00.001-05:00

Mooo! #pafarmshow

2010-01-15T16:55:00.001-05:00

Mooo! #pafarmshow

This gel makes everything feel better

2010-01-08T21:45:00.001-05:00

Settlers of Catan: card game

2010-01-08T20:41:00.001-05:00

Sheep for ore?

Vision for 2010

2010-01-03T12:02:00.000-05:00

You must connect with someone that will propel you to another level.

Many people change, but they never transition.

We must get to the place where we meet someone, or someone that I know now must ignite or propel me to my destiny. Must get rid of stereotypes of who they might be.

Discover the ground that you stand on.

There’s an acceleration of things God wants to do starting in summer - 2011.

Enlarge my foundation over the next 1 1/2 yrs or you can’t handle the goodness of the Lord coming.

Foundations must be deep and wide for what God wants to give you.

To go from where you are to where you need to go, it will not be sustained. Pay in advance and listen to the advice.

The foundations are strong - but it can only meet capacity.

Sphere of influence and authority given in the earth - why we are sent. It must cost you something.

A year of high highs and low lows.

New generals will begin to emerge, and ministries you have trusted will be gone. Discipleship and transformation of nations.

Greatest thing to overcome is fear. Just move on. Don’t stay around trying to figure it out or staying paralyzed by it.

God has visited many ministries but he hasn’t dwelt there.

Humility and holiness.

Find the voice of God in your life.

Is 60:1-2

Have you come to the place where this is normal?

The black cloud creates a feeling of a loss of supply. The supply line feels cut off. Who is the supplier?

We have a weakness of heart or faith, and are trying to prophecy into the future. The cloud is the lid that we have the possibility of breaking through.

Do you know the mind of God?

Angles stand waiting to help us transition. New mantles, anointing, and miracles are ready for us.

God gave us breakthrough anointing with miracles. 2 Cor 2:9-10

He wants to give us breakthrough technology and we must know Him.

We are in a great battle of despair and hopelessness. Our circumstances make it hard to hear and know God. We as a kingdom people have a mandate to live above this. When God breaks through, He uses the church.

God meets in a place of need, not of want. Man seeks out having wants met, not letting God be the need.

Will we speak from the revelation that God is in control? Is God in control?

New leadership will magnify the Lord, vs. Recognizing demonic influence.

We see or sense evil because we are only entering into 2nd heaven... The 3rd heaven has solutions and answers for this.

Kingdom solution oriented. Bring forth the revelation of hope and life.

New leaders will have great influence in 7 mountains.

Strength will be release when hope in God is apprehended.

True fathers & mothers will emerge with hope for this generation, cities, and nations.

Sheep to warriors. Become people of influence.

A people that promote others and honor one another. A prayer movement that doesn’t consider who gets the credit. Lift up leaders knowing that when one succeeds, we all succeed.

Leaders many times are afraid and are the target of gossip and sheep bites. Overcome offense at God.

Is 30:1

Separate out dependency to just a dependency on Him.

Whatever God shows you, you have authority in the earth.

When we experience failure is when we use old techniques on new revelation.

Ps 37:3-7
Pr 16:3

Ps 66:9

Thank you for being.

2010-01-03T09:18:00.001-05:00

An amazing reminder of what matters

Fun pasta!

2010-01-02T18:09:00.001-05:00

Bill & Ted's excellent adventure

2009-12-27T22:38:00.001-05:00

Reversing time

Snow globe from Chile! Bestest present ever

2009-12-25T10:37:00.001-05:00

Lost & Found

2009-12-20T11:38:00.010-05:00

Imagine this: you are 5 years old and get lost in an amusement park. You are there with your 2 sisters, your parents, your aunt and uncle, and a few cousins. Roughly, you have a dozen family members that know you and are looking for you. What should you do? Throw a complete tantrum and panic? If you are like Megan, you'll find the nearest ice cream stand and wait it out. Those that are lost know someone is looking for them. When you are lost, you know you are not at home and not where you are supposed to be.

Yet when Christians use the term lost - for too long we've looked at it as if we must interrupt and interfere. Christians have approached finding the lost as though the sole purpose is just to convince the lost that they will be consumed by the fire of hell unless they comply.

What Jesus are you preaching? Is it one of need and and escaping hell?

Megan knew who's she was, she knew she was not where she needed to be, and she knew that this would be the place her family would find her and take her with them home. They did find her.

So - how does evangelism look today? What is the purpose of reaching out to others and how should that look?

When we don't know who we are, we live like we are someone else's. When we are lost and do not know whose we are, we have no standards, and think like an orphan. You adopt the culture you are born into.

If you've been born into the culture of the Father, there is no need of a conversion moment. They have always known it and practice this in an ongoing way.

Our identity determines thoughts, and thoughts determine behavior. If we change the way we think, we change our behavior.

Jesus entire attitude was that the sinners were the chosen. Luke 15:1-2

NOW THE tax collectors and [notorious and especially wicked] sinners were all coming near to [Jesus] to listen to Him.2 And the Pharisees and the scribes kept muttering and indignantly complaining, saying, This man accepts and receives and welcomes [preeminently wicked] sinners and eats with them.

Sin does not separate us from God, but a lost identity. Are you living like a lost orphan, or do you know whose you are? Do you know the culture of the Fatherly King. If we live by the spirit, and put to death the deeds of the flesh, we can live. Sin is a result of broken relationship and nothing else.

Our goal is to reconcile to the Father. Our language is no longer sin conscious. It instead is all about sonship. Instead - we display the Father. Who you spend time with is who you become like.

This kingdom of God smells like home. The more you live like your Dad, act, initiate, do business as, Him - the more you become like Him.

When you are in the company of others, do others raise their standard? They change, not to avoid offending you, but to honor you and take on your character.

The sin conscious model says if we act wrong, we tighten up. God is so much more at peace and ease than we are.

This kingdom elevates people to a higher life. Learn the culture of the kingdom. Get to know who's you are. Reveal the culture of the kingdom without bias or judgment. Build relationships that cause others to fall in love. Your life should create a culture that every day people experience Him but don't know they are. As they begin to learn your culture, they fall in love with the King of your culture. They come to you and want Him.

Life of Repentance

2009-12-19T13:54:00.001-05:00

In listening to Sam Soleyn's teachings on the elementary doctrine of repentance, I'm suddenly realizing a deep rooted issue and seeing beyond the surface in some matters.

The Six Elementary Doctrines:

Repentance from acts that lead to death
Faith toward God
Baptisms
Laying on of hands
Resurrection of the dead
Eternal Judgement

He shares that Christians that engages in fornication and adultery have very serious spiritual troubles and desperately need correction and instruction in righteousness. To continue engaging in such activities without a true turning away to never revisit this again is vital.

Repentance means to turn from or to change direction.

Dead works are works that have activities but no life in them.

Why do we need to repent of dead works? The works God has prepared for us in advance are mentioned in Ephesians 2:10

For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live]

When you are saved, it is the intention of the Lord to bring you through many things and reconcile you to the many works God has planned for you to do. Works that you create on your own have no purpose.

The enemy has a way of entrapping your soul in dead works. It is the feeling that you have never done enough or are good enough. Some try to earn God's favor by doing dead works. Rather than hearing the works God has planned to do with them, they create their own to-do list.

Often though, those that are entrapped by fornication and adultery carry some deep roots of abuse in their life. Outside the boundaries of marriage, these works are clearly not even dead/religious, but in opposition to God. As long as this is not healed, they cope. Such mechanisms can be anger towards or fear of God and fleeing any sense of emotional intimacy with Him or others. By pursuing sexual activity they cope by feeling great in the moment, and also have an outlet for making an effort to be good enough. Yet - the cycle of repeated activity is a constant way of avoiding the pain and treating the wound. Without being willing to expose the root issue, and take any and every measure needed for healing, this repeated patter will keep them entrapped.

What I find myself pondering most now in light of this is if someone is entrapped by this - what are the implications to the rest of life? I've observed others rationalize by compartmentalizing their struggle. My lifestyle choice has no bearing on the success of my business. Yet - it does have a far more profound reach than just knowing if your thought life or schedule interferes with work. People can keep themselves disciplined in their work, or whatever other category of life it may be, and still the consequences of knowingly walking out of integrity and refusing to repent carries grave consequences to the bigger picture God has planned. Sure, many successful people have reached their success through questionable practices lacking integrity. They can even continue on in their success as their dirty laundry is aired for all to see. Yet - there are also those that will see life entirely collapse around them, or continue treading water when they could be swimming a marathon.

The enemy continues to draw the shortcomings and failures of the past making the wounds worse, yet attempting to lure us to believe the best salve for it is to try something on our own accord. Self-reliance and and unwillingness to repent destroys everything connected to it. Remaining off balance keeps the feelings of never good enough always close enough to cloud over our vision of who God has called us to be.

When you feel you can't measure up to God's expectations of you, the thoughts or feelings from before come back. By pleasing God based upon our works, our own efforts to be good enough we do not live a fully surrendered life. If you've tried all that you know to do, and that's not enough, and alternative is that God is angry at you, where do you go from there? Many turn back to the things that they found to be convenient to distract them or divert them through another day or another night. When you return to this, you open once again an opportunity for the enemy to beat you up.

As an unbeliever, if you were trapped in a cycle of sexual activity, you will be reminded of it when you feel inadequate. If you are open to it, the enemy will reintroduce that spirit to you. Repentance from acts that lead to death is a way of canceling your association with the former life. If the enemy has gained this foothold in in you, by repenting from acts that lead to death you now have the freedom to expel that spirit and to continue to pursue your place in God.

Believers can have demonic spirits in them controlling their emotions in certain areas. It is true that they Holy Spirit lives in you when you are saved, and it is true that the Holy Spirit and an evil spirit will not dwell together in the same place. But, the demonic spirit does not live in you in the same place that the Holy Spirit lives. 1 Thess 5:20 says that we have a body, soul, and spirit. The Holy Spirit dwells within our spirit man, whereas the evil spirit lives within the soul. When you discover that an evil spirit has taken control of your emotions, the only way to deal with it is to repent. When you repent, that evil spirit no longer has the right to dwell in you. During repentance, you expel that spirit and retake that emotion. Your enemy will tempt you with the same things you were tempted with before you were a believer. And, when he ties the present with your past, he will manage to convince you that you really haven't changed and you are not a new creation. When you give in to that temptation, he will simply come back to where he used to be and previously was expelled. By repenting of that control, you can get rid of the demon. Do so all the time and for one another. It is not a shame to have a demon living in you, but only a shame to have a demon in you that you won't get rid of.

That freedom means learning that it is no longer about being good enough, but truly catching sight of who God has called you to be. How and who He sees you to be is far greater than your own expectations or ideas. It is as His son, a rightful heir to freely do business under His name.

At what point do believers need to sever ties with an unrepentant person entrapped by adultery and fornication? How do we lead a life of repentance, and how do we handle those that choose not to but know admittedly better?

Snow snow snow! Looks like 6" at the halfway point

2009-12-19T13:47:00.001-05:00

Cozy by the fire

2009-12-19T12:55:00.001-05:00

I haz cheeseburger

2009-12-15T17:40:00.001-05:00

She ran out with her bed & burger

Sleeping puppy

2009-12-15T16:28:00.001-05:00

Dandy likes sleeping on my feet after eating shrubs

I'm a muppet!

2009-12-11T21:11:00.001-05:00

Cozy by the fire with Max

2009-12-06T17:10:00.001-05:00

This pup wants to help me work. Not so helpful but adorable

2009-12-01T14:11:00.001-05:00

Puppy-sitting Dandy today

2009-12-01T10:04:00.001-05:00

Living on a prayer!

2009-11-28T23:18:00.001-05:00

Thankful for amazing friends and food

2009-11-26T14:42:00.001-05:00

Hey diddle diddle... Walk this way!  (starting singing over this sign)

2009-11-19T21:25:00.001-05:00