“And Jesus answered them, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.’” John 12:23 (ESV) Victory comes through surrender. Our culture teaches you to take control of your life. Be the best! Give it your all! Get all you can! Be happy! Win at all costs! Reality shows have glamorized the […]
Author: Stephen Trammell
“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” 1 Corinthians 16:13 (ESV) Spiritual warfare is a reality in the life God has for you. Get on your toes and be aware, be alert, and be armed. The devil is real. This is not a time to embrace spiritual apathy or lethargy. […]
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Deciphering the Real Enemy
“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8 (ESV) As you live the life God has for you, you will combat your flesh, the world around you, and the enemy beneath you. Satan’s mission is to disrupt and to dismantle God’s agenda. […]
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.” 1 John 2:15-16 […]
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Being Crucified with Christ
“For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” Romans 7:15 (NIV) Sometimes your greatest obstacle is you. Paul gave us insight into the civil war within him. Though a seasoned believer and a mature follower of Jesus Christ, Paul wrestled […]
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Overcoming Obstacles
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” John 10:10 (ESV) Living the Christian life involves learning to live with opposition. Motion causes friction. When you choose to follow Jesus and move in the direction of the narrow path, you will face […]
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Embracing Moral Purity
“For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness.” 1 Thessalonians 4:7 (ESV) Is it possible to stay clean while living in a dirty world? Every possibility for contaminating our lives is available to us. Sin is rampant. We face trials from without and temptation from within. The cultural current is moving in […]
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27 (ESV) You can live your life at a distance relationally and experience the absence of meaningful relationships with others. The relational deficit will soon erode your joy and remove your smile. God made us for relationships. The shepherd and sheep […]
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Entering Our Box
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14 (ESV) Why did Jesus leave the glory of heaven to come to earth? What motivated Him to leave an environment of pure and persistent […]
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Progressive Revelation
“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.” Hebrews 1:1-2 (ESV) God is a God of revelation. He unveils […]
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Trusting God’s Plan
“One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side of the lake.’ So they set out.” Luke 8:22 (ESV) God will get you to the other side. His plan for you is personal. God designed you with His purpose in mind. […]
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Claiming God’s Promise
“‘For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.’” Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV) God has plans for your life. Where are you currently in relation to God’s plans? Have you had some bumps along the way? Have you […]
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Claiming God’s Promise
“‘For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.’” Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV) God has plans for your life. Where are you currently in relation to God’s plans? Have you had some bumps along the way? Have you […]
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Learning Contentment
“I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.” Philippians 4:12 (ESV) The landscape of living in a fallen world is littered with inconsistencies, fluctuation, and instability. Selfishness and sin permeate our planet. […]
“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7 (ESV) Choose to replace your anxious thoughts with intentional prayer. Your focus will shift from the gravity of your circumstances to the enormity of God’s power. You will gain God’s perspective on the obstacles […]
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians 4:6 (ESV) Anxiety is the great distraction. All of your emotional energy is diverted to fuel the vast demands anxiety produces. Incessant worry evaporates the tranquil waters of peace and contentment. […]
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians 4:6 (ESV) Anxiety is the great distraction. All of your emotional energy is diverted to fuel the vast demands anxiety produces. Incessant worry evaporates the tranquil waters of peace and contentment. […]
“If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” James 2:15-17 (ESV) […]
“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?” James 2:14 (ESV) What does it take for a person to be saved? Is it possible to have saving faith without deeds? Will my faith be demonstrated by my deeds? So many have […]
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The Fragrance of Mercy
“So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” James 2:12-13 (ESV) Grace is getting what we do not deserve. We do not deserve God’s love. We do not deserve God’s […]
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The Fragrance of Mercy
“So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” James 2:12-13 (ESV) Grace is getting what we do not deserve. We do not deserve God’s love. We do not deserve God’s […]
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Being Merciful to Others
“So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” James 2:12-13 (ESV) Imagine being transferred instantly before the throne of God. You are standing before God right now and you fall […]
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Favoritism and Sin
“But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. For he who said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ also said, ‘Do not murder.’ If you do not commit adultery but […]
“If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing well.” James 2:8 (ESV) We are by nature self-absorbed, self-centered, and self-focused. When anything happens around us our first question is: How will this affect me? In many ways, we act as though the […]
“If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing well.” James 2:8 (ESV) We are by nature self-absorbed, self-centered, and self-focused. When anything happens around us our first question is: How will this affect me? In many ways, we act as though the […]
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Redefining Wealth
“Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag […]
“For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in,and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, ‘You sit here in a good place,’ while you say to the poor man, ‘You stand […]
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Reflecting God’s Heart
“My brothers,show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.” James 2:1 (ESV) James gives perspective to the believers who have been dispersed by the persecution in Jerusalem. He is writing to the Jews of the Diaspora. They are living outside of their homeland. They are being […]
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Defining Your Goal
“So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.” 2 Corinthians 5:9 (ESV) We tend to live our lives trying to please others. Just about the time we feel as though we have reached the pinnacle of pleasing others, they change their mind. Trying to please others will […]
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Mountaintop Experiences
“And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.” Matthew 17:1-2 (ESV) If only life was a perpetual mountaintop experience. […]