If you have been born again (John 3:7; Romans 10:9, 13), you are a child of the King, a person who has gone from the worst possible position a person could be to the best possible place a person will ever enjoy. Nothing anyone could say to you is worse than what the Lord has previously declared about you.
Understanding this aspect of the gospel prevents you from fearing what others can say or do to you. Couple this gospel truth with who you are in Christ; most assuredly, you have nothing to protect or hide (Romans 8:31-39).
If you are not living daily in this gospel truth, temptation from your insecurity will motivate you to protect and defend your reputation before others. That kind of pride will truncate the effectiveness with which your friends can speak into your life, a soul-stunting posture before the Lord and others. We need a few appropriate people to have the freedom to speak into our lives.
I’m not suggesting that everyone should have the freedom to state their opinions about you, especially if you’re unsure of their affection for you, but there should be at least one close confidant in your life. Those closest to you should have the most liberty to share their genuine perspective of you. https://lifeovercoffee.com/six-tough-questions-that-examine-your-christian-maturity/
The shocking and inspiring story of Sophie Ottaway.
Watch the full interview here: https://lifeovercoffee.com/podcast/ep-490-sophie-ottaway-engineered-at-birth-to-be-a-girl/
Focus on the Cause, not the Effect, so you can remove the cause and not be affected by the effect.
A local church’s worship value is not primarily about the music but the lifestyle because you never ask, “Are you worshiping?” The reason is that we worship all the time. God made us for worship—wired us for worship, you could say.
Worship is part of what it means to be image-bearers. Who could do otherwise? The better question is, “What or whom do we worship?” https://lifeovercoffee.com/three-characteristics-of-a-fantastic-local-church/
Whenever a person chooses sinful anger, he is, in effect, giving the other person control over him. It’s counterintuitive. In his anger, he is like a marionette, a puppet on a string.
Anger toward someone is the total submission of their thoughts, attitudes, emotions, and behaviors to the other person. It is not self-control, as governed by the Spirit of God, but someone out of control or under the control of another spirit. https://lifeovercoffee.com/podcast/ep-110-help-for-the-angry-person/
