Purity 1658 05/14/2025
Freed to Lead – Set a Course to Experience God’s Love – Purity 1658
Purity 1658 05/14/2025 Purity 1658 Audio Podcast
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Good morning,
Today’s photo of an evergreen tree-lined lake, and the peaks of a pair of mountain majesties in the distance, under a magnificent blue sky, comes to us from an unknown FB friend who shared this pristine scene on social media back on August 20th, 2023. If this memory is yours, let us know and we will photo-credit you on the blog after the fact.
Well, it’s Wednesday and I share today’s photo to visually represent our arrival to another mid-week summit – happy hump day – and to encourage us to get out there to see the beauty of God’s creation and to inspire others to join you on the trip. When we know of places of beauty, it is only natural to want to share them with others, although some would seek to keep them all to themselves.
I get it. If you find a nice spot, you want to keep it nice by keeping others out, but when we realize that the blessings we have received were never exclusively ours to keep to ourselves, we should feel compelled to share our joy with others by sharing the good news of their existence.
Just like we love to tell people about the wonderful places we have visited in the world, how much more should Christians feel compelled to share the good news of God’s love and do all that we can to lead them to it.
Speaking of leading, I want to announce that last night I officially launched a new group coaching event, and registration is now open for the “Freed to Lead” Course, which will meet via Zoom for 10 weeks, on Monday nights (6:30-8:30 pm EST) from June 2nd to August 4th. So, if you are in need of some equipping and don’t mind summer school, join me for a 10-week study of Freedom in Christ Ministries’ “Freed to Lead” Course by Rod Woods & Steve Goss. For more details about Freed to Lead go to https://mt4christ.com/group-coaching-events/. Go there to register today!
The Freed to Lead Course is a discipleship/leadership course for Christians who lead in the marketplace, in the community, in ministry, or in their families and I believe the Lord will use it to bless you and the lives of others that your life impacts. Freed to Lead teaches us to lead others from a place of victory, for our identity in Christ and the love that we have received.
If I had the ability to lead anyone anywhere, I would have to say that my biggest desire would be to lead them to know and experience the love that God has for them. Not everyone knows the Lord and even those who do often face obstacles to experiencing the fullness of God’s love that transforms lives.
Speaking of God’s love and the obstacles that may get in the way of our experiencing it, the In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley devotion for today addresses this topic so I am sharing it on the blog today to encourage us all to jump over those hurdles and to experiencing the joy and love of the Lord. Dr. Charles Stanley writes:
“Experiencing God’s Love
Our heavenly Father wants each of us to have confidence in His love.
Scripture says that God loves us, and the cross proves it. Sadly, though, this is only an intellectual truth for some believers rather than an experiential one. The problem is not with the Lord but with our capacity to sense His care.
One hindrance may be the tendency to measure divine love by life’s circumstances. When the heavenly Father allows tragedies and pain, some consider Him to be uncaring. The age-old question then becomes very personal: “How could a loving God allow suffering?” We’ll never fully understand His ways (Isaiah 55:8-9), but we can know that His compassion and love are boundless, and in the fullness of time, He will make all things right.
A sense of personal unworthiness can also obstruct the acceptance of God’s love. Focusing on past sins or comparing yourself with others will lead to hopelessness. Remember that divine love is based on God’s character, not on our performance.
The Lord wants each of us to experience His great love in a personal and intimate way. Don’t let the Enemy’s lies or life’s hardships steal the enjoyment and security of this great blessing. When doubts arise, rely on the truth of God’s Word. He loves you. Believe it, and in time you will know this reality in a deeper way than you ever thought possible.” – Dr. Charles Stanley
Amen. One of the sayings you will hear in Christian Discipleship circles is “Faith over feelings” which is a remedy to the negative emotions that we can have when we suffer from circumstances or when we dwell on our sins and unworthiness.
The spiritual forces of darkness love to fill our minds with doubts about God’s love and our worthiness to receive it.
But we must submit to God and resist the devil, by agreeing with what God’s word says and living according to v to its truth.
The word tells us that through our faith in Christ we are forgiven of all our sins, and we are new creations, fully accepted into God’s kingdom as his adopted sons or daughters.
If we have faith in these truths drawn from scripture, we will experience peace. Peace will lead to joy. And you guessed it, when we have the joy of the Lord, we will know and experience God’s love.
Now don’t get it twisted and think of that as a recipe, where you have to work this out. It’s much easier than that. When we accept the truth of what has happened to us in Christ, the peace, joy, and love of God come in like a flood!
Look past the pain, look past your sin, and look up and thank God for His amazing grace that saved a wretched like you.
Believe it. Receive it. Rejoice! And walk into the new life the Lord has given you.
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For those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple encouragements provide, I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/.
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Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By John G. Kruis.
(While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick Google search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late author’s work. (The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling By John G. Kruis on Amazon )
This morning’s meditation verses come from the section on Marriage, Husband/Wife Relationships.
1 Peter 3:3–4 (ESV) Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair, the wearing of gold, or the putting on of clothing—but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.
Today’s verses are the second of two passages of scripture that fall under the fifteenth point of our counseling reference guide resource section on Marriage, Husband/Wife Relationships.
15. The fear of the Lord is more important than physical beauty.
Today’s Bible verses encourage us to be beautiful on the inside by fostering a faith that reflects the presence and character of God. When we walk in the Spirit, we change the spiritual atmosphere wherever we go. If we walk in the Spirit, we will bring the fruit of the Spirit – God’s love, peace, joy, kindness, faithfulness, goodness, gentleness, patience, and self-control – with us, and we can share them with others.
While people are naturally attracted to physically beautiful people, if their spirit isn’t reflecting God’s spirit, even the most physically beautiful person won’t be able to turn our hearts to them, at least not for very long.
The ugliness of a worldly spirit is revealed pretty quickly as the ungodly can only reflect the emptiness of selfishness, lust, greed, sexual immorality, envy, and pride.
So don’t let outward appearances fool you when it comes to falling in love and getting married. Physical beauty fades over time, but the ugliness of the world, the flesh, and the devil endure in the heart that is cold toward God.
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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.com where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we continue sharing from “Day by Day Along the Way” By Jay E. Adams.
As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage you all to purchase Adams’ books for your own private study and to support the late author’s work. This resource is available online for less than $20 at many sites.
Day 157
Who is that touching Me? – Luke 8:45
The question seemed silly. The disciples pointed out to Him (as if He didn’t know it) that He was being jostled on all sides by the crowd that thronged Him. They knew only about what they could see. But Jesus had felt the power to heal leave Him for the purpose of healing one woman. There was an inner loss at the moment that power surged forth. And, He was well aware of the fact. Learn from this: Jesus is not too crowded by the prayers of others to hear when you pray. He knows you individually and can meet your particular needs. There are no waiting lines in heaven. You are always first in line, as is every other believer. God is not limited by human constraints. Never hesitate to touch the hem of His garment when you need power released into your life! He knows—even if others don’t understand. And He helps. Don’t hesitate, take that need to Him today. You can “touch” His garment by earnest prayer.[1]
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[1] Jay E. Adams, Day by Day along the Way (Cordova, TN: Institute for Nouthetic Studies, 2020), 165.
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