The suffering God permitted into my life after becoming a Christian was surprising and devastating. Before God saved me, I thought that becoming a Christian insulated me from disappointment, which was a compelling reason to trust Christ. I anticipated my new religion to be an enjoyable experience because suffering would not be part of it.
I was ignorant. I did not realize that Christianity and suffering are synonyms, never discerning how suffering is the primary context where God produces the most abundant fruit in our lives. https://lifeovercoffee.com/four-things-you-must-know-when-it-comes-to-personal-suffering/
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/
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/