Women of Intelligent Faith

"The quest for the Inner Ring will break your hearts unless you break it." "If you follow that desire you will reach no inside worth reaching." C.S. Lewis. Last night at LSL, Dr. Jacob Rodriguez shared some amazing insight to how universities are powerfully influencing our worldview in a way that is incompatible with biblical Christianity. Here are some of his thoughts: "One of the most allu ring temptations all people face in life is the desire to be inside and the terror of being left outside. That is what C.S. Lewis called the desire to enter the "Inner Ring." What he meant by this was that people desire the secret intimacies and confidentialities of some group or association, to be with those that are in the know, to be with some "in crowd," to be an inner ringer of wealth or political power and influence. The whole struggle to be on the inside of that invisible line and to avoid the loneliness and humiliation of b...

This past month at Life Streams, the topic was “Life Crisis.” Timely message for many of us. I once heard that at any given time, we are either in the middle of a crisis, we’ve just been through a crisis, or one is about to happen. Where do you fit into this paradigm? What do we do when we find ourselves in a life crisis? First, what is a crisis? A crisis can take many different forms. For example, financial crisis, relationship crisis, employment crisis, health crisis, natural disaster crisis, and faith crisis. A crisis is a trial, usually with a turning point. It can cause a sudden change, which may lead to better or worse. Naturally we don’t like crisis. Why? It is painful. We have little or no control, so we are afraid. We suffer. And we don’t want to suffer. James 1:2-4 tells us, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be ma...

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him."  John 3:16-18 God's love is crazy and amazing. There is no one like Him. "God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While were were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8 We don't deserve God's love. And yet He loves us. We are His creation. Crazy love.  He loved us soooo much, that He sent His Son Jesus Christ to earth to be born in the flesh and die a horrifying death for our sins, so that we could have intimate fellowship with Him and eternal life if we believe in Jesus. How can we possibly respond to this kind of enormous, sacrificial loving act? By loving Him back. With everything we have. Surrender all to Jesus. Crazy love. "Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all you...

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What comes to mind when someone mentions "spiritual warfare"? Do you think of scheming charlatans who make a living "casting out demons"?  Do you think of little devils running around in Halloween-type costumes, making small mischief in people's lives? Do you dismiss it as hocus-pocus nonsense? None of these concepts are biblical. Many of us simply don't understand. And yet, spiritual warfare is an important reality taught in the Bible. See Ephesians 6:10-18.  "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done ...

(An excerpt from Joel C. Rosenberg's Blog today)  Have you given your life wholly and completely to Jesus Christ? Have you asked Him to forgive you of all your sins, to give you eternal life, and to fill you with His joy, His peace, and His wisdom and strength through the power of His Holy Spirit? If not, let this be the day you receive Christ into your heart by faith.  This is a great concise explanation of the Gospel! Click here. Please read it. Please pray the suggested prayer at the end with a sincere, humble and repentant heart. And please post a comment below or go to our website and contact us to tell us that you’ve become a follower of Christ. Let us rejoice with you and encourage you and give  you suggestions on how to grow in your new faith, and how to share your faith with others. You could start by sharing this message with others.

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free." Galatians 5:1 Freedom in Christ does not mean the right to do as we please. Freedom in Christ means the ability to choose to do the right thing---faith expressing itself through love.