REAL LIFE STORIES OF ENCOURAGEMENT, TRIAL, AND GOD’S FAITHFULNESS THROUGH IT ALL.

Parenting Matt Parker Parenting Matt Parker

Everyone Can Help With Foster Care

“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”

James 1:27

For me, it sank in at one of our first training events. I remember it very well as we walked down the hallway of Mobberly Baptist Church in Longview, Texas. Every ten feet or so there was an easel. On each easel was a poster with pictures on it. Pictures of kids. Kids that needed a home. Their names were listed at the bottom. There were so many, and this wasn’t the half of it.

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Confess. Repent. Repeat.
Christian Living Matt Parker Christian Living Matt Parker

Confess. Repent. Repeat.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:9

Confession is the heart of the matter when dealing with sin when temptation has overtaken us when our fleshly desires win the momentary battle and we indulge in self-gratification. While John speaks of confessing to God, it is also vitally important to have an accountability partner or group to which we can also confess. Look at James 5:16:

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Matt Parker Matt Parker

The Development of Sin - Part 5

LIMITING OPPORTUNITIES

As we discussed last time, the real ‘cure’ for sin is a transformed heart, not behavior modification. If we aren’t changing from the inside out, we aren’t really changing at all. We are simply becoming what Jesus would call whitewashed tombs that remain full of the decaying evidence of our broken and sinful natures. However, there are also some very practical things we can do to deal with the sin problem, remembering only God can fully eradicate sin through regeneration of the heart, but our flesh is still broken. 2 Corinthians 4:7-9 tells us that the treasure of Christ exists in jars of clay. Our bodies are broken and present us with a constant battle of spirit and flesh that will only truly end when we are glorified at His coming.

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Matt Parker Matt Parker

The Development of Sin - Part 4

I’ll be honest, I struggled with the title of this section. “The Cure” seemed inadequate and frankly, a bit optimistic. I don’t know about you, but I constantly struggle with temptation and sin. I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t, in fact. So is it a bit too far to talk about a cure? I don’t think so.

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Matt Parker Matt Parker

The Future of the SBC and JD Greear

I'm not gonna lie, I've just about had it. At least that's where I was yesterday, and for most of today to be honest. I'd pretty much had my fill of the way the SBC leadership and the leadership of the SBTC had behaved in the recent past and was, and maybe still am, calling for a possible exodus of churches if they can't get their act together. Frankly, I think the current leadership totally botched the Dr. Patterson issue. That's just my opinion, but I'm not alone.

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