Discipleship

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]A few months ago I left the office at noon with plans for a productive few hours. I expected to saw down some small trees in the pasture, study a writing text, start edits, clean house, wash clothes, take out the garbage, and cook a real meal instead of reheat leftovers. Before I knew it, bad attitudes I hadn’t yet recognized surfaced and a battle ensued. The dark night of my soul I did very little of what I planned. One thing after another happened, some of it catastrophic, some my own fault, and some so disappointing I sat on the floor and wept like a baby. Self-examination followed and it wasn’t a pretty sight. In the dark night of my soul I saw my own heart. The bleak vision brought even more tears. I faced my sin and bad attitudes. Horror over my pride, critical spirit, and sense of perfectionism flooded through me. God removed all of it once before but over time I allowed a seedling of sin to blossom into a vile, choking weed. Again. I want all the wickedness gone. Permanently. Are bad attitudes without action sin? Are bad attitudes not manifested in significant actions still sin? Yes. Whether it’s an overt action or a carefully coddled thought, bad attitudes are sin. There’s nothing sweet, charming, or funny about it. I want to be perfect even as my Father in heaven is perfect but, like most of us, I have a long way to go. The job of disciples includes quick repentance and progessive growth toward a Christ-like heart. None of us will be perfect this side of heaven, but we can be a good bit closer than we are right now. I know I can be. The joy of forgiveness. I confessed my sin, repented, asked for forgiveness and God forgave me. It was that simple but it didn’t seem like enough. I repented some more, wept some more, and apologized to the Lord over and over again. I wanted to “do” more but finally remembered an important truth. Jesus did everything needed to deal with my sin on the cross. My “come to Jesus” moment was soul-cleansing-hard but white-as-snow beautiful. They always are. The next morning, I remembered my bad attitudes and the darkness in my heart from the day before. I didn’t feel forgiven. I felt far away. Snuggle me again, Shepherd of my heart, I prayed. When I opened my Bible to John 1, the beautiful words washed over me like the balm of Gilead. “For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.” John 1:16 nasb Read those lovely words again and ponder them for a moment.  Forgiveness isn’t about feelings. The fact of forgiveness isn’t dependent upon our feelings. It comes from the mercy and grace of God. Because of His great mercy, He does not give us what we deserve. Instead, through grace, He gives us the forgiveness and cleansing we don’t deserve. And grace upon grace. He continues to give forgiveness every single time we need it. The gift of demolished strongholds Another passage spoke to me in my despair and filled me with hope. “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare and not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.”  2 Corinthians 10:3,4 nasb God gave us a powerful weapon, strong enough to demolish even the strongholds and fortresses in our own hearts. The Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God, and our only offensive weapon, is more than enough. The Word of God can demolish all the lies we’ve embraced, all the strongholds we’ve allowed the enemy to claim. The truth of 2 Corinthians is only effective, however, if we know what it says and allow it to do its beautiful work in our hearts. If we are tired of the load of sin we carry, there’s hope. We can do something about it today. Let us confess our sin and embrace the forgiveness and freedom only our loving, merciful, grace-filled Savior can give. Allow faith to dictate feelings and bad attitudes to flee We cannot allow our feelings to dictate our faith. Instead, faith should dictate feelings. If we believe what we say we believe about our Lord our default should be joy, hope, love, and peace. If not, there’s a problem. We are loved, bought with a price, and washed white as snow. Let’s live clean, because we are. “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 Leannahollis.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. This blog post contains affiliate links, which means if you click on the link to make a purchase, I may make a small amount of money (usually a few cents) from your purchase. It will not increase the price you pay in any way. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text] Thanks for stopping by and sharing your time with me today! I’ve glad you visited. If you enjoyed this content, follow me on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest, sign up for the twice-monthly mailing list (below) to be notified about my future blog posts, or click here to get a 5-day free Bible study and the twice-monthly newsletter. Before you leave, would you mind taking a moment to pin to Pinterest and share on social media? It helps extend my digital reach in ways I can’t do myself. Thanks again! See you soon. Want to read more? Here are links to a few other posts: Promises of God Fulfilled When the God of the Universe Knows Your Name How to Trust

[vc_row unlock_row=”” row_height_percent=”0″ overlay_alpha=”50″ gutter_size=”3″ column_width_percent=”100″ shift_y=”0″ z_index=”0″][vc_column column_width_percent=”100″ position_vertical=”middle” align_horizontal=”align_center” overlay_alpha=”50″ gutter_size=”3″ medium_width=”0″ mobile_width=”0″ shift_x=”0″ shift_y=”0″ shift_y_down=”0″ z_index=”0″ width=”1/1″][vc_column_text] My life changed irrevocably on September 24, 2013, at 6:21 am, when I posted my first blog post. For more than four years, I’ve chronicled my adventures, faith, and the work of God in my life on a daily basis. I’ve shared my highest highs and lowest lows, my griefs and joys. The blog will soon move to my personal website. It’s considerably more modern and more beautiful. This blog space, however, is very precious to me.  Last night, I spent several hours in the “old” blog’s archive, and realized the photos represented every major event of the last four years. My fledgling attempts at fiction writing, my son’s graduation from college, the time The Clay Papers e-book went to #1 on Amazon and stayed there for four days, my dogs, my trip to the Bahamas, my trips to Jordan when I fell in love with a nation and her people, holidays, Bible studies, volunteering, becoming a missionary, caring for Sam… Everything is documented in the photographs I’ve shared. As I roamed through the digital archive, I re-read the stories, as well. You’ve lived life with me, and I’m eternally grateful. I hope you’ll continue through this transition and beyond. You’ve made me a better writer, because you’ve been such faithful readers, and I hope I never stop thanking you all for such a precious gift. My trip down memory lane took me inevitably to my first blog post, when I trusted God and you with my writing. I’m still grateful for that leap of faith. Reading it again was a blessing to me, so I’ve included it below. I hope it’s a blessing to you, as well. Thank you for making my life so very rich and full by reading and loving what I write. Much love and thanks, Leanna [/vc_column_text][vc_single_image media=”65798″ media_width_percent=”100″ alignment=”center” shape=”img-circle” css_animation=”alpha-anim”][vc_column_text] The shrubs and landscaping in front of my house were overgrown and threatening to completely block the sidewalk. It seems crazy now, but even though it looked messy and was becoming an azalea jungle, I couldn’t figure out how to fix it.   I didn’t realize it, but I needed an expert.     My friend, Linda Buchanan, mentioned her new yard man one day. Mr. Bailey was a wonder and a great help, she said, so I called him. That first day, I instructed him to clean up the front and trim the shrubs a little.     I had no idea what he was about to do.     A few hours later, I walked outside to see an enormous pile of brush. Mr. Bailey had trimmed more than I expected. My heart sank as I thought, “My azaleas! He has cut down my azaleas!” I hurried around front to find, not destruction, but order. He had trimmed up the mess and brought it under control.     Instead of a jungle, I had lovely landscaping again.     John the Baptizer’s listeners were in a similar situation. They knew they had a mess in their lives and that something needed to be done. That’s why they had come out to the banks of the Jordan to hear him. Their heritage wasn’t enough to save them, nor their sacrifices. They were in a quandary. What then? What could they do?     He began by giving practical examples of sacrificial behavior. Shortly, however, Jesus would come for baptism, and John would recognize exactly what they all needed. The Lamb of God would take away their sin. They couldn’t do anything to rectify their guilt but Jesus would do it for them and He would soon set them free.     Maybe you, too, are wondering what to do about problems in your life or in the lives of loved ones. You may not realize it, but, like me, you need an expert.     The answer is incredibly simple. Look to Jesus.     He can clean up the mess of your life as well as that of your loved ones. He can clean up the guilt and shame and set you free.   Today, let’s pray for a heart willing to accept the kind of divine pruning only Christ can do. [/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading] And the crowds were questioning him, saying, “Then what shall we do?” (Luke 3:10 NASB) [/vc_custom_heading][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Blog posts ideas don’t always pop into my head fully formed. Sometimes, I open my computer and stare at the blank page, my brain equally blank because I have no idea what to write. On those days, I use an unusual story prompt: my photo app. I open the photo file and scroll through until something catches my attention or an idea comes to mind. Today, I tried a variation on the story-prompt theme. I opened a free photo site and scrolled through until I saw the photo of the roaring lion. A verse from 1 Peter came to mind, along with a few promises of God, and a blog post was born. The prowling lion roars “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8 nasb The lion’s roar is a terrifying sound and can be heard up to five miles away. According to lionalert.org, “lions roar to tell other lions where they are, to show how big they are, and to warn lions from other prides to keep away from their home territory.” The lion’s roar is a loud message that says, in a way, “I’m here and so big you can’t get away. Don’t tangle with me. Don’t invade my space.” It’s a message of pride that defies other animals to venture into his territory. Five promises of God we can claim when the lion roars: The lion’s roar proclaims his size. The evil one roars to proclaim his dominance over us. He would have us believe he’s the biggest, baddest lion in the area, but that’s a lie. If Scripture is true, and it is, Satan is not greater, or more powerful, than our God. “Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.” (1 John 4:4) The lion’s roar proclaims his proximity. In a way, the roar says, “I’m right on top of you. I have you now.” The enemy of our souls wants us to believe he’s so close we will not be able to resist or flee. Jesus, however, said He and His Father live in us. No matter what the enemy says, He cannot evict our Father.  “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.” John 14:23  The lion’s roar proclaims his ownership. When the lion roars to proclaim his territory, he defies other lions to risk entering. As Christians, however, we do not belong to the world or the powers of this world. Regardless of what the enemy claims, he does not have authority over us. “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”  1 Corinthians 6:19,20 nasb The lion’s roar proclaims his power. The roaring lion wants other lions to believe he is big enough and powerful enough to defend that which is his. In that same way, the evil one wants us to believe he is powerful enough to destroy us and that God cannot snatch us from his claws nor deliver us in time of danger and temptation. “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13 niv  The lion’s roar proclaims his victory.  A victory in advance of battle is nothing more than a prideful boast. We may experience battle with the evil one, but we have all we need for battle, and we fight a defeated foe. “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 everything, to stand.” Ephesians 6:13 The promises of God are all we need  God has already given us the defensive weapons to protect ourselves from the onslaught of the evil one. He has also given us the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, which is the only offensive weapon we will ever need. We must know Scripture, however, to use it. We do have power, but we must be prepared before the lion roars. Lions roar because that’s how they’re made. The evil one also roars with pride and defiance because that’s who he is. Fear and defeat are his objectives but we can stand firm in the face of his tactics if we remember the truth and the promises of God. The power, authority, and ownership of our souls were bought by Jesus with His precious blood. The enemy’s claim on us is broken. We have been set free, from sin, death, and the roar of the lion. We can live free Today, let’s evaluate the roar of the evil one in our lives. Do we tremble with fear when he threatens? Does fear cause us to run straight into his lair? Let’s remember Whose we are and the promises of God we’ve been given and live as those who have been redeemed. We were set free by Christ, so let’s live free. Five promises of God every Christian should claim: POWER: The Lord in us is greater than the enemy of our soul. Period. (1 John 4:4) PRESENCE: The Lord loves His own and He makes His abode with us. The enemy cannot invade. (John 14:23) FREEDOM: Our Lord bought us with a price and the enemy no longer has authority or ownership of any area of our lives. (1 Cor. 6:19,20) PROVISION: God will provide a way out of any temptation we face. (1 Corinthians 10:13) VICTORY: The battle is fierce but we have all the armor and weapons we need to be victorious. (Ephesians 6:13) Thanks for stopping by and sharing your

[vc_row unlock_row=”” row_height_percent=”0″ overlay_alpha=”50″ gutter_size=”3″ column_width_percent=”100″ shift_y=”0″ z_index=”0″][vc_column column_width_percent=”100″ position_vertical=”middle” align_horizontal=”align_center” overlay_alpha=”50″ gutter_size=”3″ medium_width=”0″ mobile_width=”0″ shift_x=”0″ shift_y=”0″ shift_y_down=”0″ z_index=”0″ width=”1/1″][vc_column_text] About a year ago, I wrote an in-depth online, in-your-place-at-your-pace Bible study on the book of James. After I finished writing it, I posted it as a dropbox file for readers to download to their computers. I quickly learned that most of my readers use their phones or tablets to access the blog, not a computer. The Dropbox file was an epic fail. Doing what I should’ve done to start with I tried converting to a series of six blog files, as well as a print version, but neither worked well. Recently, I decided to do what I should’ve done all along. Make an e-book. As part of the preparation for uploading the file, I spent days reworking my document endnotes (“footnotes” placed at the end of the book instead of the bottom of the page). I went through every link to be sure it worked and reread the text several times to check for errors. I studied James and was kicked in the repenter again. Once all that was done, I signed in to Amazon’s easy create-a-book site and went to work. I designed a lovely cover, uploaded the photos and file, corrected formatting, and was almost ready to hit “publish” when I noticed something odd. No mention of e-books was on the web page. I fretted with this for an absurdly long time before I realized one critical fact. It was the site to publish print books, not e-books. Arriving at the wrong destination I went to the wrong website and was seconds away from a book I didn’t want. Where I meant to go was not where I’d arrived. I backed out of the print site and went to the e-book prep site. An entirely different bit of formatting needed to be done. Because I work on a MAC, the e-book Table of Contents and internal links all had to be done by hand. It was way past bedtime when I finished. Eternal destinations The problem of arriving where I didn’t intend to go was quickly solved by opening a new tab on my web browser. The problem of an eternal destination error is not as easily solved, however. Just as I had two publication options (print or e-book), we have two eternal destinations. Heaven or hell. We choose our destination in advance and, unlike publication options, once arrived, the choice cannot be undone. As James, the half-brother of Jesus, wrote, our faith is revealed by our works. Faith that isn’t manifested by works is dead. In other words, if our faith doesn’t change us and make us more like Jesus, we need to consider whether we have saving faith or not. Those are hard words, but they come straight from Scripture. I’d soften them a bit and wrap them in flowery prose. James does not. He’d rather offend and save a soul than cushion someone in comfortable words that usher them straight to hell. James urged those to whom he wrote to examine their faith. We’d be wise to do the same. To what kind of faith do our works give evidence? Is Christ clearly seen in our words, our actions, our deeds? If all we do is sit on a pew once a week, can we, realistically, expect that kind of faith to take us to heaven? According to James, it’s life-altering, behavior-changing faith that assures our eternity with Jesus, not attendance at a series of meetings, no matter how well-intended. If we want to spend eternity in heaven, let’s be sure that’s where we’re headed. None of us can enter God’s home on our goodness alone. We’re all sinners. It takes faith, covered by the grace of God, to enter Heaven. How to make heaven your home The Bible gives a few simple but life-changing steps we must follow: Address our sin If we break the laws of our government, we must pay the government-determined penalty for that error. In that same way, if we break God’s laws we must pay the penalty He specifies. Sin is the “church word” for breaking God’s law. The Bible says all of us have sinned (Romans 3:23) and the penalty for that is death. (Romans 6:23) It’s not enough to admit we’ve done wrong. We must also repent. That’s another “church word” that means to be sincerely sorry enough for what we’ve done wrong that we don’t want to do it again. When we repent, we tell God we’re sorry enough for what we’ve done that we want to stop doing it. Forever. We also ask Him to forgive us. Trust Jesus  Jesus came to earth as a man, fully God and fully human. He lived a sinless life so that He could be a perfect sacrifice, or payment, for our sin. He died and rose again. His death paid for our sin penalty. His resurrection (coming back to life) proved He had defeated sin and death and has the power to make us new people who are in right standing with God. (Romans 4:25) It’s easy to console ourselves by saying, “I’m a good person” or “I’ve done a lot more good than bad.” Those things may be true but they aren’t enough to satisfy God’s requirements. We don’t go to heaven because we’re good, but because we’re forgiven. Obey Jesus The Christian life is not a once-and-we’re-done decision. If we accept Jesus’ payment for our sin, we must also accept His authority in our lives. (John 14:15) It sounds harder than it is. Read the Bible to know what God expects of us and do what it says. It’s that  simple.  It’s not always easy to do what God expects, but Jesus also gives us the power to do whatever He asks. (1 Corinthians 4:20) “For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power.” 1 Corinthians 4:20  “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith