Do you have a lot of questions about life and faith? Are they keeping you away from God or are they bringing you closer to him? Don’t fight your questions, give them to God. He will answer them when you’re ready. Meanwhile, embrace your questions, live them and praise God in advance for answering you when the time is right. Instead of worrying about the answers, use your time more usefully: spend time in God’s presence. That’s from where all…
How do you feel about spiritual testing? Are you tired of trials? I hear you. But, believe me, there’s more to testing and trials than we might think. There’re hidden blessings involved, you know. Each trial has a purpose Warren Wiersbe has said “Life’s trials are not easy. But in God’s will, each has a purpose. Often He uses them to enlarge you.” This already make me feel better of tests and trials. Each trial has a purpose. God has…
Are you looking for God’s guidance? Me too. Discerning God’s directions is complicated. Waiting on God’s timing is hard. But we are not alone, the Holy Spirit is ready to help us and guide us. We will make it. It’s always to early to quit. I’ve collected wonderful things for you on God’s guidance. May these quotes, verses and blog posts help you on your faith journey! Five quotes on God’s guidance. Which one is your favorite? Does it make…
How are your discipleship routines? Are you diligent in obeying God? Are you reading your Bible even when you don’t feel like it? You answers tell a lot about your thoughts about how a Christian should live his/her life. Let’s see what others have said about discipleship and obedience. Eugene Peterson states “A disciple is a life-long learner: not an academic acquiring information about God, but a craftsman acquiring skills in the faith.” I do agree. Being a disciple is…
Albert Benjamin Simpson (December 15, 1843 – October 29, 1919), also known as A. B. Simpson, was a Canadian preacher, theologian, author, and founder of the Christian and Missionary Alliance. He has already been dead almost 100 years now but his writings are still relevant. How on earth? Because he wrote about eternal things that last. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is…
Do you like to laugh? Or have you forgotten how? Holiness does not mean cheerlessness. Actually, we are called to be cheerful no matter what. We are called to sing ourselves into God’s presence. We are called to be joyful. Laughter and good cheer are God’s good gifts to us. On your feet now—applaud God! Bring a gift of laughter, sing yourselves into his presence. (Psalm 100:1-2, MSG,*) Laughter is indeed a gift from God. Life without laughter would be dull,…
Are you stressed out? Does a quiet retreat sound good? Are you looking for a get away in the midst of chaos? Make sure you’re not looking for peace in wrong places. C.S. Lewis reminds us “God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.” There’s no peace without Jesus. No matter what the world says. I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have…
Today I want to honor Jerry Bridges, the author of Pursuit of Holiness, who died this Sunday at age 86. His writings have been a huge inspiration for many. Yet he was a very humble man always pointing to Christ. Here are my ten favorite Jerry Bridges quotes. May they bless you on your faith journey! The realization that my daily relationship with God is based on the infinite merit of Christ instead of on my own performance is a very freeing…
Are you feeling right now that God is way too silent or, at least, the connection is static at its best? Don’t worry. Help is near. God is near. Even when God feels distant. As Frederich Buechner has said “There is no event so commonplace but that God is present within it, always hiddenly, always leaving you room to recognize Him or not recognize Him, but all the more fascinatingly because of that, all the more compellingly and hauntingly.” There…
Happy New Year, dear friends of Flowing Faith! What’s your word for 2016? I’ve been praying for mine for weeks. (If you’re interested in finding out yours and don’t know how to go about it, my blogging friend Lisa has a great post about the process.) Eventually, I was lead to word ‘boldness’. It is a bit scary word. But after my year of ‘readiness’ it is a very logical one. Without readiness there could not be boldness. And all…
