Today I want to share with you one of my favorite YouTubers who has been a huge blessing to me. I found her channel when I was in a mess with other people in my personal life, it was refreshing to find such a person. Nora does a lot of Bible studies and Christian-themed videos as well as productivity hacks, and she gave me an open door to share some of her videos with my readers. Below are some links to my favorite Bible study thus far on Nora's channel, and I know you will get a blessing.
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Above image courtesy of volunteer photographers for Pixabay.
Scripture Reference - Isaiah 35 Too often, I've seen churches that lack in the encouragement department. They want to get the truth out there, but in a negative, condescending manner. In turn, they either lose members or see a lack of engagement from visitors. Our churches are full of people who are hungry for encouragement and they desire for someone to help them in their journey towards restoration. When this happens, a child of God is more motivated to do the will of God, and the unbeliever is pointed to the cross. So, as encouragement is being emphasized, what happens? What are the results? 1) Faith is strengthened. We'd be surprised at how many faithful church-goers have weak faith because of how they've been treated in the past. While our trust should be in God, we should be able to have a certain level of trust with our brothers and sisters in Christ. When that trust is broken, sometimes our faith can wear thin. That is why encouragement is so important; it builds us up spiritually. 2) Bondage is broken. Whether it be to sin, addiction, or worldly pleasures, we've all been there. A simple word of love or genuine concern can make all the difference. A message about a loving God may be all it takes to get that sinner to Jesus. A visit to a back-slidden Christian may be all it takes to get them back in church. We live in a broken world where bondage to sin is the norm, even in God's house, and that should not be the case. Are we being that example? Are we showing people a better way? 3) Healing begins. A harsh word can cut a person down quicker than you'd think. Jesus told us to speak words of life because life or death is what? In the POWER OF THE TONGUE. Watch what you say and how you say it. Same thing with our actions. Are we loving? Are we, as the song says, pleading with them gently? It's a beautiful thing when Christ works through the church to heal the brokenhearted, and to save that which was lost. 4) Holiness abounds. Through encouragement, the child of God will want to imitate the holy life that Jesus lived. He lived separate and unmoved by the changing scenes of life. He did not conform to this world, but he renewed his mind day and night by spending time in the presence of His Father. Jesus used encouraging words to push His followers to greater things. 5) Joy overflows. The lack of encouragement can lead to all sorts of problems. People will fall away from church, they'll no longer have any interest in anything, and it will ultimately pull them away from everything that God intended for them to have. However, our job as Christians is to be that light. We need to be beacons of hope for those that need the joy that we have. When people see His smile through us, they'll wonder why they'd never given it a chance. Can you say that you are an encourager? Study the life of Barnabas the Encourager and how he served in Paul's ministry. May God give you the strength to do what needs to be done.
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Worship music has evolved quite a bit within the past decade or two. It doesn't have to come from your grandmother's hymnbook anymore. Today, I'm going to share with you some of my favorite contemporary worship music in hopes that it will draw you closer to the Lord. The albums provide a simple worship experience that everyone will enjoy. The first album I'd like to talk about is probably one of my most-played. I can't tell you how many times I have popped it into my CD player in the truck as I'm going about my day. The WOW Worship Aqua album features OG artists such as Michael W. Smith and Casting Crowns as well as newer ones like Chris Tomlin.
The next album is not one that I personally own but I have heard these songs many a times. They pull you into an encounter with God that will certainly make your day a whole lot better. Artists like Kari Jobe, Matt Redman, and Hillsong are included. I highly recommend these tunes for someone who seeks to renew their relationship with the Lord.
The Bible tells us to sing a new song unto the Lord. Why not join in the song by getting these CDs? You won't regret it and you'll definitely get a blessing out of it. Above image courtesy of the volunteer photographers for Pixabay.
Scripture Reference - Matthew 5:10-12 While we as Christians do not face intense persecution like the early believers did, we can be sure that we will see opposition. People will make fun of us for talking to our "imaginary friend in the sky" and they'll come up with every "debunk" in the book to disprove us, but God wants us to remain Christ-like and show a godly attitude towards an unbelieving world. A friend and I had this discussion about a week ago, and one of her suggestions is very biblical. Sometimes it's best to keep a cool head by taking a step back, assess the situation, and ask God to give you the right words. Other times, simply walk away and try not to get into the discussion again, especially if it was heated. Another way to handle opposition is to pray. Pray for the person who has hurt you. It seems like the easiest thing to do is to retaliate and hit them upside the head with a Bible, but that's the one thing we need to avoid; the Crusades gave Christians a bad name because of their violence. We don't need to add to it. Fight opposition by prayer and use the Word of God as your sword. Look at the examples of biblical characters. Today's Scripture in Matthew even says that the prophets of old were persecuted. Observe how these saints handled being mistreated. I challenge you to choose one person to study, and use their life as a guideline, but always keep Christ at the center. Have you ever faced opposition? How did you handle it? |
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