God gives us gifts and abilities to use for his glory, and to produce a return. The gifts and abilities vary, but the task is the same and we will be held accountable. Today I am sharing three encouragements to help us be ready and be faithful to the Lord our God.

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The Parable of the Talents
Matthew 25:14-30
Jesus tells us parable in the midst of talking about his return. It is an overall message for us to be ready, and also to be faithful with what God has entrusted to us now. It proclaims to us that we will be held accountable for our decisions, and that God gives us gifts and abilities to use for his glory, and to multiply, meaning make bigger, create more, make better, with what he gives us. This is a great reminder that this life is not our own, but we are to live for the Lord.

Three Encouragements to Honor God with Your Talents:

1. The first encouragement is that God entrusts us with valuable things and we are blessed to be under His Lordship. He gives and we are to be profitable with it.
2. The second encouragement is because God gives, because He is the one from whom these blessings flow, we are to be about his business. 
3. God is a generous and good God, and we get to partake and share in what is gained and we will be held accountable. 

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WWJD - remember the "What Would Jesus Do" bracelets in the 90s? What happens when people wrongly assume what Jesus would do in our current culture? How can we prove faithful when people co-opt the name of Jesus to give approval to a counter-biblical worldview?

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Share with me a WWJD "red flag" message, one that was trying to use Jesus to approve of a particular unbiblical worldview.
OR!
Text me your best life hack to possibly be featured on the show!

Jesus ate with the tax collectors and sinners.
Matthew 9:10-17
Eating with sinners was not the end goal.
The end goal was repentance and for sinners to follow Christ; to be rescued out of darkness and brought into the Kingdom of light.

Three Ways to prove faithful with red flag WWJD messages:

1. Scripture interprets Scripture 
2. Scripture always glorifies God, not man. God's glory is the chief end; not the glory of man and his pursuits and desires.
3. Learn logic and be able to point out logical fallacies to help you become better at identifying bad and incongruent arguments. 

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A question we all need to consider is "Where is our security?" Where are we laying up our treasures and how is that impacting what we are hoping in? Today I am sharing good truth to move us away from a false security and into the unwavering hope of eternity.

Check this out:
Time Timer - a visual 60 minute timer: https://a.co/d/3LhNF2m

What are we putting our hope in? What is the source of our security?

Luke 12:13-21
1 Peter 1:3-4
Lamentations 3:21-26

Our security is in the resurrected Christ! Who gives us an inheritance that will never perish, spoil, or fade!

Don't seek earthly comforts, but speak truth of Christ to your soul. 

"It is good for one to hope in the Lord!"

Ways to put your hope in Christ:

1. Know the worthiness and loveliness of Christ.
2. Count it all joy when you experience trials of various kinds.
3. Know Christ's will and leave the results to God.
4. "I say to myself" - ingest the truth as much as you can.

"Don't trust the spirit of the age to tell you 'Take security in This!'"

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Today I am sharing why knowing history will give you fortitude and encouragement in the current political and cultural climate plus a truth concerning birds to give you peace and hope.

History Is a wise companion and counselor.

Knowing history allows us to have a better frame of reference for how the Lord has worked his character, his fulfillment of promises, and allows us to draw strength instead fastness from those who have walked before us during difficult and hard times.

History reminds us we are not alone in our trials.

**Note about end times and eschatology - If you read the last 10 or 20 years of current history, you will not have a proper view of eschatology in light of Scripture and all the the Lord has done and is doing.

History is a wise companion and helps us learn from the past and build for the future. When we learn from history, we mature as people there’s a famous quote by Cicero that says "To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child."

History Book Ideas:

Richard Hannula books: 
Radiant: 50 Remarkable Women in Church History - https://a.co/d/bwa01wz
Heralds of the Reformation: https://a.co/d/4G54bAz
For Christ's Crown: https://a.co/d/dgrHqzv
Trials and Triumph: https://a.co/d/hgKVFrY

History from Creation to Modern Day 
Story of the World Volumes 1-4 (not distinctly Christian, but good chronological, read aloud or curriculum): https://a.co/d/dVdg4j9
Mystery of History (more Christian - I have not used this, but it has been recommended): https://a.co/d/0x6Tfkt

American History:
Did America Have a Christian Foundation? Mark David Hall (this is my new personal history read, but the author came highly recommended from a reputable source): https://a.co/d/6VB7KTI

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Charles Spurgeon once preached, "You must either be overcome of evil, or you must yourself overcome evil: one of the two. You cannot let evil alone and evil will not let you alone. You must fight, and in the battle you must either conquer or be conquered." Today I am sharing the hard, yet Spirit-accomplished call to overcome evil with good.

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Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:21

Note there are two options: Either be overcome with evil or overcome evil with good. There is no passive place in the fight against evil. We are either being overtaken or we are taking over.

"Let not the evil of any provocation that is given you have such a power over you, or make such an impression upon you, as to dispossess you of yourselves, to disturb your peace, to destroy your love, to ruffle and discompose your spirits, to transport you to any indecencies, or to bring you to study or attempt any revenge. 'He that cannot quietly bear an injury is perfectly conquered by it.'" - Matthew Henry

Evil for evil does not succeed. Spurgeon said, "Nobody ever did overcome evil by confronting it with evil yet."

Spurgeon said "Good is the only weapon which in this dread conflict we are permitted to use, and we may rest assured it will be sufficient and effectual."

Overcoming evil with good is to offer patience, forbearance, kindness to the one who wronged you. To defeat evil, we do what is good. Proverbs 16:32 says Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.

Overcoming evil with good is a challenge and it's something done through Christ at work in us and through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Scripture does command us not to seek getting even, or revenge after being personally wronged, society as a whole must all be held accountable to the same just laws.

Good for evil includes direct and overt acts of kindness. Paul gives us several ideas in exercising good to overcome evil in chapter 12:14-21

"Fix it, then, in your minds that evil is to be overcome; it is a matter of necessity that we wage this war and succeed in it." - Charles Spurgeon

Charles Spurgeon sermon: https://www.spurgeon.org/resource-library/sermons/overcome-evil-with-good/#flipbook/

 Ligonier: https://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/overcoming-evil-good

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What do we do when we come across an internet post targeting Christians but it seems off? Today I am walking through a post about deconstruction, what God honors, and the trajectory of two responses we can have when it comes to our questions and wrestlings. 

If this is your first time know that SPF exists to IDENTIFY the truth in God's Word in order to GROW a biblical Worldview so you can CULTIVATE fruitful Christian living. 

Today’s is a discernment episode where I break down a recent internet post I came across about deconstruction and what God honors.

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The Post:
IG/Facebook Post: Larissa Lee 

"Deconstructing isn't a threat to God. God honors the wrestlers, the doubters, the honest. Deconstructing is a threat to the status quo, to power structures, to control mechanism. And those things never back down quietly. Press on dear questioners. It is not God who opposes you."

Deconstructing has become a popular term for those who were walking in a Christian evangelical lifestyle, but began to have doubts and questions about God and the Bible. The sad part is deconstruction might begin as a rejection of some truths in the Bible, but ultimately it leads many to a total rejection of Jesus and His atonement for sins on the cross.

Here's the red flag of Deconstruction when it comes to doubting, wrestling, and asking questions: Where do you go for answers? What is the trajectory of the attitude of the heart?

I want to juxtapose it with a Charles Spurgeon teaching on Psalm 25. There is a clear distinction in the attitude and trajectory of the heart.

“Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.”Psalm 25:5

When the believer has begun with trembling feet to walk in the way of  the Lord, he asks to be still led onward like a little child upheld by  its parent’s helping hand, and he craves to be further instructed in the  alphabet of truth. Experimental teaching is the burden of this prayer.  David knew much, but he felt his ignorance, and desired to be still in  the Lord’s school: four times over in two verses he applies for a  scholarship in the college of grace. It were well for many professors if  instead of following their own devices, and cutting out new paths of  thought for themselves, they would enquire for the good old ways of  God’s own truth, and beseech the Holy Ghost to give them sanctified  understandings and teachable spirits. “For thou art the God of my salvation.” The Three-One Jehovah is the Author and Perfecter of salvation to his people. Reader, is he the God of your  salvation?"

For the full devotion: https://www.biblegateway.com/devotionals/morning-and-evening/2024/07/08

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Today we are  making sense of progressive Christianity through a parable Jesus taught plus learn something you can do to  hold the line of truth in your homes.

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Progress?
Progressive Christianity is a popular movement that seeks to  progress Christianity forward rather than reforming Christianity back to Scripture.

The most dangerous thing about progressive Christianity is that there is no gospel. St. Augustine said, "you out to say plainly that you do not believe the gospel of christ. For to believe what you please, and not to believe what you please, is to believe yourselves and not the Gospel. Ultimately that is what the issue is. It is a belief in self and the ability for humanity to transform themselves and their community by their own power and ideals of love and justice.

So how do we make sense of progressive Christianity?
Matthew 21 The Parable of the Tenants
The issue with progressive Christianity and every other belief system is that it is at war with the authority of God. It is at war with His ways. For the chief priests and elders there was a pride in them and a love for their own authority that prohibited them from admitting that Jesus was from God and that Jesus was God.

Hold the Line in Your Home
Study the Christian creeds and confessions.
Creeds and confessions are actually wonderful tools to use and understand the Scriptures to help build up our faith with the truth that is found in the Word of God.

"Throughout church history it has been necessary for the church to adopt and embrace creedal statements to clarify the Christian faith and to distinguish true content from error and false representations of the faith. Such creeds are distinguished from Scripture in that Scripture is norma normans (“the rule that rules”), while the creeds are norma normata (“a rule that is ruled”)." RC Sproul

Links

More from Alisa Childers: 

https://alisachilders.com/

https://www.alisachildersblog.com/blog/progressive-christianity-101-what-you-need-to-know

More on Creeds and Confessions:

https://www.ligonier.org/learn/topics/creeds-and-confessions

The Nicene Creed:

https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/the-nicene-creed

The Westminster Confession:

https://thewestminsterstandard.org/the-westminster-confession/

The 1689 London Baptist Confession:

https://1689londonbaptistconfession.com/

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Sometimes it's a clear the temple day and sometimes is a clear the table day. Building culture requires reformation. Reformation is the constant course correction to Scripture. Today I am sharing three things we can learn about reformation from Christ so we can be potent culture makers.

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Show Notes
Building culture requires reformation.

Reformation is the constant course correction to Scripture. 

We need reformation because it's easy to get off course with our sinful nature. Sinners are going to sin. Its easy to get off course with good intentions. We need to be constantly reforming which means always going back to what God's Word says so we know what God desires in culture building and Kingdom living. 

"Sometimes reformation is quiet and steady and sometimes it's loud and disruptive." 

Some days it's a clear the temple day and some days its a clear the table day.

Both ways appeal to Scripture as the standard, and both ways allow us to see the goodness, purity, and potency of God's mission and purpose. 

Matthew 21:12-17 

Three things we can learn about reformation from Christ so we can be potent culture makers:

1. Reformation requires vigilance.
2. Reformation appeals to Scripture.
3. Reformation clarifies the real mission of God.

"You know what's weird? day by day nothing seems to change, but pretty soon everything is different." - Calvin and Hobbs

The key to building christian culture - to uprooting ungodliness in our hearts, in our children's hearts, in our culture and replacing it with the beauty and freedom found in godliness - is to do it day by day.

It may not seem like anything significant or meaningful is happening . . . but pretty soon everything is different.

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Have you ever thought keeping your home clean with kids at home is like brushing your teeth while eating cookies? Or felt the temptation to avoid a project simply because of the aftermath? Proverbs 14:4 says, "Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox." Messes come with progress and fruitfulness through the messiness of work.  Today I am going to share about the glory of the mess as well as a bit of cleaning insight to help you with your role as keeper of the home.

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Glory in the Mess
1. Maiden of Your Domain: As a keep of the home you are making life happen and life is messy!

2. Proverbs 14:4 "Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox." Messes are the nature of fruit-bearing labor. Don't sacrifice cultivating life for a "clean manger."

3. Learn to master your domain through good management, organization, and discipline. Check out Dawn at Minimal Mom for great tips and ideas with home management: https://www.theminimalmom.com/ The information about "layers of the home" and why cleaning can feel overwhelming: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rx2Bh9n6VKc 

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Summer is a great time to start laying foundational principles through the wisdom of the proverbs that keeps the mind focused on what is true and the hands busy with the Lord's work. And since summer often means more together time, lets grow in being hard to offend and being a productive agent of growth.

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Show Notes
Two Proverbs to help you cultivate Christian culture in your home this summer (and help pave the way for the fall):

Grow in being hard to offend (because you are slow to anger through good sense).

• Proverbs 19:11 Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense

Scripture says good sense, or prudence makes a person slow to anger - that means the person is able to be cautious and deliberate the situation instead of being reactionary.

Be a hard worker (in other words be on a trajectory of building something)

• Proverbs 18:9 Whoever is slack in his work is a brother to him who destroys.

This proverb punches hard when you consider what it means: there is no neutrality with work. With your work you are either building or you are tearing down.

“This proverb applies this principle to work. Constructive work is the law of human life and progress. There is an active principle of destruction operating in the history of man; and he who is a slacker at his work, who does not put into it all his strength, is a brother to the man who in wickedness sets himself to the activity of destruction. No living being can be merely a spectator. Each works or wastes. Not to work well, is to aid the process of waste.” G. Campbell Morgan

"We must recognize that from the very creation of mankind, God intended us to be workers, producers, and agents of growth and dominion. He connected our identity to our work. He established our telos-our purpose- as cultivators of creation. He called for a flourishing garden-a productive and beautiful place where our work does important things. God did all this." - David Bahnsen, Full Time

Resources
Pop Up Tent (this is the tent I purchased two years ago - there are less expensive options): White Fang Tent

Book: Full Time - Work and the M

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Our culture constantly uses the word “inclusive” but is there a time for the Church to exclusive? What about when it comes to matter of “church discipline?” Today I am sharing how we can avoid being deceived by worldly voices when it comes to being inclusive and exclusive in the church.

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Show Notes:
The purpose of church discipline is the reconciliation and restoration of an unrepentant sinner.

Church discipline does not exist for personal vendettas against another; it’s not about a pastor being the ultimate judge or authority; and it’s certainly not the ability to condemn someone to hell.
The end goal in church discipline isn’t even punishment.

So what is church discipline and what is the aim, or purpose?

Church discipline is seen in several places in Scripture, but there is an excellent order given by Jesus to us in Matthew 18 concerning confrontation of sin and church discipline. Church discipline is the final plea for an unrepentant person to forsake their sin and turn back to the Lord. 

There is a process met with a desire to see a person turn from their sin and know the grace of God, and for order and peace to be restored to the body of Christ.

The final part of the process is a removal of that person from the fellowship of the church.

For what purpose?

For the hope and prayer that they would come to realize and understand their sin and repent to the Lord. Then they are to be welcomed back warmly by the church.

Lord willing church discipline is a temporary experience for the unrepentant sinner, so that the Lord would use this to open eyes and soften their hearts.

Biblical church discipline is designed for the hope of restoration and with the aim of forgiveness and love.

That means for the offended, we must be ready to forgive. That means not giving way to the schemes of the devil that would like the offended to be bitter and angry and resentful. A lack of forgiveness on the church’s behalf of a repentant sinner means they are being outwitted by the designs of Satan. 

The cold shoulder is a trap.

The bitter root is a deep trap.

In a Ligonier Table Talk issue this was written about church discipline, “When discipline is brought against Center, forgiveness, and restoration must always be the goal. We cannot control whether the center will respond with repentance, but we can stand ready to forget when Center turns from his transgression. As we are engaged in church, discipline, or even when we are facing someone who has sinned against us personally, and less significant way, let us stay and ready to forgive when the person repents.”

Resources:
Table Talk The Comfort of Church Discipline and Restoration: https://tabletalkmagazine.com/article/2021/03/the-comfort-of-church-discipline-and-restoration/

Ligonier Church Discipline: https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/church-discipline

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