Discipleship – Page 2 – Leanna Hollis

How to Make A Fresh Start

Leave a Comment / Discipleship, Scripture Truth / leannahollis

If you wonder if you can make a fresh start, or how I can make a fresh start, this guide on how to make a fresh start can help. Perhaps your social media feed is similar to ours. It’s not filled with suggestions for how to serve others or how to lay down your life for something you believe in or someone you love. Instead, it’s filled with recommendations for how to optimize your time, practice good “self-care,” improve your appearance, or work less but get more done. Judging by a recent review of social media, we might be a bit self-absorbed. Before we talk about how to make a fresh start, let’s pause for a moment and consider the end goal of life. Do we want to die with tight skin, a tiny waist, and a well-organized planner? If so, the self-help gurus may be of assistance. If we want to leave a heritage and a legacy instead, perhaps it’s time to look elsewhere for guidance. Where do we go for information on how to make a fresh start? If social media isn’t handing out the best information on how to have a life that counts, and it’s not, who is? Ponder that question for a moment, then consider John 14:6: “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life…” If we want our “best life now” as well as transformation and victory in the coming years, we won’t find it in a self-help book unless our “self-help” book is the Bible. We won’t find what we seek in a “word of the year” unless our word reflects surrender and obedience to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Our best life may not be what we think we want. According to Jesus, He’s the only one who can give us our “best life.” He didn’t use those words, but it’s what He meant. “…I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.” John 10:10 The word translated as abundantly is perissos and means “Over and above. Super-added. Exceeding. Abundantly. Supremely.” (1) Here’s the “Faith Lived Out Loud Paraphrase”: “I came so you can have your best life.” Selah. Pause and consider. We find our best life now in Christ alone. How do we make a fresh start and achieve the abundant life Jesus offers? It’s amazingly simple. It’s astoundingly hard. Three easy steps can take us to the kind of life most people only dream about. Repent Follow Repeat How to Make A Fresh Start: Begin with Repentance Our life may look great by the world’s standards, but our best life begins with a careful look at our hearts and an honest appraisal of our mistakes according to God’s standards. We’ve all done wrong actions and entertained wrong thoughts (sinned). We deal with those by confessing them to God and asking for His forgiveness. Let’s take a moment to consider and confess our failures. Scripture tells us He removes our sins as far as the east is from the west and remembers them no more. If God lets our mistakes go, we should do the same. It’s not repentance if we hold on to our sin, so let’s quit rehashing and give our mess to Him. No more take-backs. How to Make a Fresh Start: Begin to Follow Jesus called His disciples with two simples words: Follow Me. They left their old lives behind and spent every available minute with Jesus. They did what He did. Went where He went even when it was not politically correct. Lived as He lived. They obeyed. If we follow Jesus, we spend time with Him through Bible study and prayer. We do what He says. Love as He loves. Forgive as He forgives. His priorities become our own. We let go of our desire for more stuff and find our contentment in more of Him. We obey in big and small areas, even when it’s hard. How to Make A Fresh Start and Maintain it? Repetition It would be convenient if we could repent one time and be through for eternity but it doesn’t work that way. We all fail—whether by the hasty word, impure thought, unkind deed, or neglected obedience. If we want to maintain the sweet closeness Jesus intended, we must be consistent in repentance and obedience. If we make a mistake, we repent, shake it off, and get up again. In a way, we make another fresh start. Repent. Follow. Repeat. For the disciple of Jesus, it’s more than a mantra. It’s a way of life and the key to how to make a fresh start now and throughout the years to come. When we unload our sin burden by confession and repentance, we have a fresh start. We enjoy a sweet relationship with Jesus through time spent with Him and a lifestyle of obedience. Only then do we experience the abundance He intended. Abundance doesn’t mean stuff Jesus didn’t promise an easy life or earthly wealth. In fact, He promised us trouble and trials. Does that sound like the “best” kind of life? Maybe not. The “best,” however, can be found in His presence despite our trouble and trials and the resulting fruit of the Spirit: Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Goodness. Faithfulness. Gentleness. Self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23) We don’t have a smorgasbord of spiritual fruit from which we must pick and choose. Instead, we have the opportunity of a lifetime filled with all of it. A glimpse of “best” When we repent of our sins, receive Christ’s forgiveness, and make a fresh start by following Jesus, we find in Him our best friend, comforter, guide, healer, and teacher. We are never alone and need never despair, no matter what we face. Over time, He fills our life with love, joy, peace, and all the other aspects of His fruit. We may not have worldly abundance but we can be content with what He gives because Jesus is always enough. If you’re ready

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How to Pray the News and Why We Should Pray the News

12 Comments / Discipleship, Prayer / leannahollis

If you look at your news feed and wish God would move, keep reading to learn how to pray the news and why we should pray the news. Can prayer make a difference in current events? Yes. Our prayers make a difference in greater ways than we can imagine. According to Scripture, the prayer of a righteous man is both effective and powerful. If that’s true, and we believe it is, we must be vigilant observers of our culture and the world around us. We must look for opportunities to invite God into current events and troubling situations and ask Him to intervene. The Prophet Elijah was a great example of prayer’s impact on the culture. At the urging of God, he prayed there would be no rain in ancient Israel and it didn’t rain for more than three years. (James 5:17,18). Scripture is filled with examples of world-changing prayers. What Does it Mean to Pray the News Christians, if we believe prayer is powerful, we should pray the news. As we scroll through news feeds (not social media feeds but actual NEWS), a variety of stories will capture our attention. It’s vital to know the difference between fake and real news. SNOPES.com or other online fact-check source can verify accuracy or lack of accuracy. When we see troubling news items, our first response may be to question, “Can pray make a difference in current events?” Instead, consider how God might want to become involved in the stories you read. What intervention would bring glory to Him and line up with Scripture? Has God intervened in a similar situation in Scripture before? When you have an idea of what God’s done before and His potential plan, pray Scripture over the situation. We’ll give examples below. Can prayer make a difference in culture or current events? It depends on how you view prayer, how you view God, and how you pray. What is prayer? The Online dictionary defines prayer as “a solemn request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God or an object of worship,” or an “earnest hope or wish.” We define prayer as a conversation with the One who loves us most, Almighty God Himself. Want to know how to pray the news? Start with relationship. When we choose to follow Jesus, we choose a relationship intended to be intimate and loving. The Bible, God’s word, is, in a way, a letter from God to those He loves. It’s designed so we learn more about Him when we read what He’s said. Conversation, or prayer, is the natural response to time spent in His Word. We learn to know Him through time spent with Him in conversation and through a faithful life of obedience. Talking with God, or prayer is not limited by space, time, or whether or not a Bible is in our hand. God is omnipresent (everywhere at once) and omniscient (knows everything at once). God is wherever we are and knows whatever we’re doing. He sees what we see and hears what we hear. Our Lord is with us. What prayer is not… As important as what prayer is in regard to how to pray the news is what prayer is not. Prayer is not the token we insert into the cosmic dispenser of wants and desires with the expectation that whatever we ask will mysteriously appear. It is not the command of a general to a lower ranking soldier with instant obedience expected. It is the humble request of a rank recruit requesting a favor of a 5-star general, the request of a child snuggled in the lap of a beloved daddy. Can prayer make a difference in current events? If we pray as Jesus prayed, it can. His disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray. His response (Matthew 6:9-13) focused more on who God is and what He wants than our desires and needs. Jesus began prayer with worship and honor to God, followed with a request for God’s will, and, only then did He move into personal requests. Jesus asked for needs, rather than wants. Our prayers should follow that same formula. Why we should pray the news: The God who loved us enough to send His Son (John 3:16), who forgives our sins and carries our burdens (Psalm 68:19), cares about us. He’s concerned about the things that concern us. God desires righteousness and justice and, according to Scripture, is involved in the affairs of men in significant ways. Proverbs 21:1 says, “The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes.” If God can change the heart of a king, do we want Him to change it to a focus on righteousness and justice? Certainly, we do. Do you still wonder why we should pray the news or can prayer make a difference in current events? According to the apostle Paul, the answer is yes, prayer can make a big difference. The most important reason to combine prayer and politics or prayer and current events, however, is not because we think it will help. We pray the news and for current events because God commands it. “First of all, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:1-4 How to Pray the News Regardless of our political party or ideological preference, we are to pray for those in authority whether we agree with their policies or not. Those “authority figures” include elected officials, political appointees, and law enforcement officials, as well as managers and administrators in offices, teachers and administrators in schools, pastors, elders, and

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How are we like Judas? Worship at the Judas rock

5 Comments / Discipleship, Scripture Truth / leannahollis

Have you ever wondered how we are like Judas or are we like Judas? If you have, keep reading because we believe there’s a bit of Judas in us all. Most people consider Judas as the worst of offenders because he betrayed Jesus, but who among us has not betrayed Him in some way? One of the most unusual things we encountered in Jerusalem was in an out-of-the-way church on the Mount of Olives. It was adjacent to The Grotto and filled with beautiful artwork. Some of the paintings appeared to have been restored, while others were nearly obscured beneath centuries of grime. We made our way around the room as we looked at the paintings and finally arrived at a glass-enclosed shrine. Inside, there was a large rectangle of rock. The Judas Rock It was (reportedly) the rock on which Judas stood when he betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. (Luke 22: 3-6, 47-48) A narrow opening under the lid was just wide enough to allow a piece of paper to slip through. The rock was covered with randomly scattered money and hastily written notes. We stared at the slips of paper and money and wondered… Do people identify with Judas? Do people leave letters and money on the Judas rock because they see the betrayer in themselves? We struggled with this for days. Did people think Judas could answer their prayers? That the money would redeem their sin? It took us a while to come to the conclusion that no one wants to identify with Judas. We already identify with him because we are like Judas. We, too, are betrayers. How are we like Judas? Our focus, like the Betrayer, is all too often on money, possessions, success, and prestige. We put what we want before the call of Christ. Pleasing ourselves comes before our relationship with Him. We include ourselves in that corporate “we,” for, though we hate to admit it, we still put our own desires before Jesus all too often. Our first thought is, far more than we’d like to admit, what we want in a particular situation, rather than what Christ wants. Although we usually find our way to seeking God’s will, the first burst of “self-worship” is a betrayal of the higher call to the will of God. Neither dollars nor letters of contrition can change that. We are like Judas when we put our desires above those of God, and only the grace of God is sufficient to save us from our shameful state. It’s the greatest paradox that our Holy God would exact the price for our sin from Himself, but He did, and He offers that redemption to all who will receive it. What can wash away the stain of sin? The black shroud of betrayal? Nothing. Nothing but the blood of the spotless Lamb of God. Today, let’s choose to love God first and love others as we love ourselves. In so doing, we live as those who have been redeemed. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 If you enjoyed this article you might also enjoy reading: When the Hand of God Restored My Hope When You Try to Hide but God Can Still See Living in the Shadow of the Cross and Loving Our Enemies The Capture Bag: When Letting Go of Hurt and Anger is Way Past Due Before you go… Sign up for our twice-a-month newsletter to receive exclusive stories, freebies, and more. Leave a comment and share this post on your social media pages or through email. Bookmark our website so you can visit us often. Take a look at Today’s Encouragement before you go. We add to this every weekday.

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When The Last Days Come: What Will it be Like?

Leave a Comment / Discipleship, Scripture Truth / leannahollis

A quick look at current events can leave us wondering if what we’re experiencing is merely a lead-up to when the last days come and what to expect when the last days come. Are we living in the last days? How much worse can it get? What comes next? What will the last days look like? Many of us struggle with questions about the future. On the night before He was betrayed, Jesus’ disciples were filled with questions, too. He reminded His disciples of the truth He’d told them several times before. Jesus would die, be buried, and come back to life. He would return to heaven to prepare a home for them and He would one day come back to earth to establish His divine rule. The disciples expected an earthly kingdom, riches, position, and power. Instead, Jesus was a suffering servant Messiah whose Kingdom reigned in hearts, not on a throne. He offered the power of the Holy Spirit, not the power of a mighty army, and His kingdom riches were stored in Heaven, not on earth. We can’t answer all the questions about end times in a single blog post, but one thing’s for sure. The end times likely won’t be easy but there will be some good mixed in there, too. The stark reality of the last days Isaiah’s prophecy begins with a stark dose of reality. (Leanna paraphrase coming up.) “You’re a bad mess of sin and consequences, Israel. God won’t put up with it much longer, so you’d better change. Pronto. Nothing good’s headed your way if you don’t straighten up.” Those weren’t his words, of course, but they convey the essence. Isaiah’s actual words leave us reeling. When the last days come, they won’t be full of sunshine and flowers. Instead, public humiliation. Burning. Unquenchable thirst. Thirty-one verses of too-harsh truth paint a dire picture of the future. No one wants any of what Isaiah predicted in his opening chapter. The next chapter is more of the same, but sandwiched in between a description of crushed sinners and the need to hide under a rock because of God’s judgment to come is a little oasis of words. One day, hearts will change “Now it will come about that in the last days, the mountain of the house of the Lord will be established as the chief of the mountains, and will be raised above the hills; and many peoples will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that He may teach us concerning His ways; and that we may walk in His paths.’” Isaiah 2:2,3 nasb When the last days come, Isaiah tells us, hearts will change. Many people will want to go to God’s house. They won’t be there to be seen or show off their new outfits. It won’t be the “in” thing to do before lunch at the country club. Instead, many people from all over the globe will stream to the house of God because of one very important reason. They want to learn God’s ways in order to obey. We don’t always go to the house of God to learn His ways in order to obey now, do we? But one day we will. What will the last days be like? One day, the evil one will be defeated and there will be no more weapons, no war, no conflict. Imagine a time when people everywhere want to learn AND obey God’s ways. The fruit of the Spirit will be in abundance. Can you wrap your mind around a world in which people’s hearts are full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control? (Galatians 5:22-23) That’s quite a change, isn’t it? We long for that day, yet most of us are not quite ready. We’re not yet full to the brim with the fruit of the Spirit. There are days when pride or anger or judgmental, critical spirit raise their ugly heads and speak through our mouths. If we’re honest, most of us probably have a little not-like Jesus in us, but wouldn’t it be nice to be rid of all the old sin so we can be ready for those last days? How do we prepare for that time when the last days come? Here are two easy steps to make sure we’re ready: Diligent Bible study. Open our Bibles and allow God’s words to cleanse and transform us. Learn God’s ways. Surrendered obedience. Once we know what God wants, we must choose to obey. Learn what God expects and do it. “And many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord…that He may teach us concerning His ways; and that we may walk in His paths.” Isaiah 2:3 Want to know more about how to prepare your heart for the last days and what will the last days look like? Here are a few blog posts you might enjoy: Promises of God Fulfilled How to Pray the News and Why We Should How to Trust God in Hard Times The Benefits of Repentance What Does it Mean to Be Beloved? What Does it Mean to Be a Disciple of Jesus? Why We Should Choose Humility and Let Go of Pride Thanks for sharing your time with us today. Before you go… Sign up for our twice-a-month newsletter to receive exclusive stories, freebies, and more. Leave a comment and share this post on your social media pages or through email. Bookmark our website so you can visit us often. Take a look at Today’s Encouragement before you go. We add to this every weekday. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest Here’s an in-depth, life-changing digital Bible study to help you learn God’s ways in order to obey. (It’s an Amazon affiliate link. If you make a purchase, we may make a few cents but it won’t increase the

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The Importance of Offering Friendship

Leave a Comment / Discipleship / leannahollis

If you find it hard to make new friends or enter a roomful of strangers alone, this story about the importance of offering friendship can help. One woman’s kind offer of friendship showed me a new way to be a friend to strangers and how to do it with grace and kindness. I pulled into the lot, parked, and checked my watch. Too early to go to my meeting. If I dallied for a few minutes, I could cruise into the workshop just before it started and avoid the awkwardness of meeting a roomful of strangers. I scrolled through a few emails. Rummaged through my purse. Sorted receipts. Delayed as long as possible. Finally, I made my way inside, pasted on a smile I didn’t feel and looked for a free chair – preferably close to the rear of the room, a place to be invisible in the crowd. Other introverts beat me to the back row but there was one place left at the end of a row near the front. A beautiful, well-put-together woman was in the next seat. I groaned inwardly for I felt shabby and rumpled beside her. The Importance of Offering Friendship: One easy technique Before I could ask if the seat was taken, she looked up and greeted me with a huge smile. “Sit here,” she said. “I want to be your new friend.” Startled yet relieved, I sat down. “I don’t really know anyone,” she told me. “Let’s hang out together.” I laughed and agreed. Her invitation put me completely at ease. My tension and fear evaporated in an instant. Her gracious invitation made me feel a part of the group, despite the multitude of unfamiliar faces, and her kind welcome eased what could’ve been a very difficult weekend. Those first sweet words still hand in my mind. “I want to be your friend,” she’d said and proceeded to act on her intentions. Her example is a model I hope I remember and one we, in the body of Christ, would do well to emulate. “I want to be your friend.” Don’t just make a friend, be a friend. Imagine the impact if we said—and meant—those words to people who feel estranged and alone. Would they tarry a bit? Might they long to know what makes us different? Unfortunately, my tendency is to greet the people I know. It’s an act of discipline to look for those I don’t know. I try to greet strangers with a smile and a quick introduction. Sometimes I include a few get-acquainted questions. It shames me to say this, but never have I greeted a stranger, welcomed them, and offered friendship with follow-through to show I meant it, in the church building or outside it. If we’re honest, many of us are a lot like me. Our lives are so full there’s barely room for those we love, much less the new people Jesus sends our way. Is this what Jesus intended when He said to love your neighbor as you love yourself? I hate to admit it because it requires change on my part, but I don’t think so. The Importance of Offering Friendship: The opportunity to love big. Love includes a smile and a greeting, but it’s much deeper, longer-lasting than a mere hello. It’s far bigger than we realize. The kind of love Jesus commanded is a long-haul commitment, even when it’s not romantic love. Imagine churches in which we arrived at services with a “Sit with me; I want to be your friend” mentality. Imagine if we meant what we said to strangers and followed up with a phone call and an invitation. Life would be different. Fuller. Richer. Consider what would happen if we took that same let-me-be-your-friend, love-you-no-matter-what determination outside the walls of the church meeting place. If we adopted the royal law of our King, (James 2:8) to love our neighbor in the same way we love ourselves, strangers would become friends and our lives would be better for it. At its core, the importance of offering friendship is the love and kindness it displays. Love God. Love all. It’s the royal law of our King so, as followers of Jesus, let’s reach out and love someone today. “If, however, you are fulfilling the a]”>[a]royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.” James 2:8 “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.” Hebrews 13:2 Thanks for sharing your time to read “The Importance of Offering Friendship.” Before you go… Sign up for our twice-a-month newsletter to receive exclusive stories, freebies, and more. Leave a comment and share this post on your social media pages or through email. Bookmark our website so you can visit us often. Take a look at Today’s Encouragement before you go. We add to this every weekday. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest Want to read more? Here are links to a few other posts: How to Trust God in Hard Times Promises of God Fulfilled What Does it Mean to Be Beloved? Why We Should Choose Humility and Let Go of Pride What Does it Mean to Be a Disciple of Christ? The Benefits of Repentance and Why it Matters What Does Freedom in Christ Mean? What Does He Must Increase and I Must Decrease Mean? Here’s an in-depth, life-changing digital Bible study to help you grow in your Christian faith: (This is an Amazon affiliate link, which means I might make a few cents from your purchase but it will not change the price you pay)

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What’s Good About Good Friday?

3 Comments / Discipleship, Easter, Scripture Truth / leannahollis

If you wonder what’s good about Good Friday, is Good Friday really good, or why do we call Good Friday good, you’re not alone. On the first “Good Friday,” the day Jesus was crucified, only His enemies viewed it as a good day. Keep reading to learn how the joy of Sunday’s empty tomb changed everything. What’s good about Good Friday? The Biggest Miracle Ever Seen Sin was the problem, but Jesus was the solution. God’s Son, fully God yet fully man, wrapped Himself in flesh, snuggled in a teenager’s womb, then made His arrival in the most unexpected way. Everyone expected a king, a conquering redeemer. Instead, Jesus was born in a stable, laid in a manger, and raised by a carpenter and his young wife in a tiny town in Israel. His public ministry lasted only three years and was marked by controversy and strife. He preached love and redemption at a time when the leaders wanted rules and the status quo. Jesus lived simply, without a home of his own, although His people expected the pomp and splendor of a mighty king. Those best prepared to welcome Him, the religious leaders, never recognized Him. When Jesus came back to life and stepped out of the empty tomb, it was the biggest miracle ever seen on this earth. It will only be topped when He steps off His throne and onto Mount Zion again. (Revelation 14:1) That day will be awesome and wonderful but it will also be terrible and devastating, just as the events of Holy Week were both marvelous and horrific. What’s good about Good Friday? There would be no Easter Sunday without the nightmare of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Silent Saturday so we do well to remember the last week of Jesus’ pre-crucifixion life. (John’s account of Thursday/Friday of Holy Week) Why do we call Good Friday good? Unmet Expectations became reality. Fresh off the miracle of Lazarus’ resurrection, (John 11) Jesus rode through a palm-branch-waving, hosannah-shouting, crowd-lined street. He stepped off the never-ridden-colt in Jerusalem to celebration, acclaim, joy, and great anticipation. They wanted a Messiah who would free them from Roman oppression. Even the ones who opposed Jesus expected He would soon break the stronghold of the Romans, overthrow their government, and establish His own Kingdom. (John 11:47-53) Imagine for a moment how the disciples felt after three years of dusty roads, raw wheat eaten in the fields like beggars, rough sleeping conditions, and the scorn and ridicule of the religious leaders who held considerable power over society and everyday life. As the palm branches waved, visions of thrones, power, and riches probably danced in their heads. Not one of the disciples likely expected their dreams would crumble and die at their feet in less than a week’s time. They didn’t call the events of Friday good because, despite all Jesus’ warnings, they didn’t understand. Why do we call Good Friday good? Because we know what happened two days later. Is Good Friday Really Good? God’s purpose God is love. He is patient. Kind. Generous. Forgiving. He is good, but He is also righteous and just. His rightness demanded payment for the sin of the world but His goodness and His love knew we could never remit. (Romans 5:6-8) Jesus’ payment for our sin seems scandalous and outrageous. Would we sacrifice our beloved son for a world full of arrogant, selfish, rebellious people who treated us as if our rules for life were absurd? Certainly not. Would we ask our precious son to leave the glory, beauty, and perfection of heaven to suffer a horrific death in order to redeem people who would rather worship a piece of wood, a scrap of gold, or a temporary pleasure than our own goodness and holiness? Not in ten million years. We wouldn’t ask one of our sons to make such sacrifices for ourselves, let alone for a rebellious and horrifically sinful world. If the redeeming sacrifice was up to us, everyone would go to hell. The sacrifice God devised is not one we would make—not even with resurrection on the horizon. But God is not a man, nor does he deal with us as a man would. He is not willing for any to perish but wants everyone to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9) What’s Good about Good Friday? The Triune response to sin Our Triune God not only devised this outrageous plan for redemption, but He also wrapped Himself in the ill-fitting garb of flesh and accomplished it. He came in obscurity, lived in righteousness, sacrificed without limit, died alone and rejected, and rose again in triumph. (John 1:14, Philippians 2:7) The week we call holy was one of the most unholy of weeks. One of His closest friends betrayed Our Lord. Another denied Him three times. Soldiers arrested Him on trumped-up charges so absurd no one who knew Him could imagine a conviction, but the night of terror continued. Beaten so badly He was nearly unrecognizable, Jesus endured a night designed by and sent from hell. Literally. Before the nightmare ended, Jesus was convicted and sentenced to the most heinous of deaths—crucifixion. Nothing about the day we call Good Friday was good except the willingness of our flesh-wrapped Jesus, the perfect and holy Son of God, to take our place. He could have refused. Could have called for a rescue. He could have rained down fire from heaven and destroyed His enemies. It would’ve been entirely understandable if He did. But He didn’t. And that’s what’s good about Good Friday. Why Do We Call Good Friday Good? Jesus’ Willing Sacrifice Jesus left the glory of Isaiah 6 to suffer the indignities of Isaiah 53. He stayed the course. Made the sacrifice. Fought the battle. Won the war. It seemed as if all hope was gone until the scrape of stone on stone began. The silence of Saturday shattered as the stone rolled away from the mouth of the tomb. A

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The 12 Benefits of Repentance and Why Repentance Matters

Leave a Comment / Discipleship, Repentance, Scripture Truth / leannahollis

Though seldom discussed, repentance, the benefits of repentance, and why repentance matters are seldom mentioned but vital topics for the church today. A recent conversation turned to the weekend women’s retreat we’d shared a few days before, the mighty move of God we saw, and the benefits of repentance we experienced. “How’d you get to that point?” my friend wanted to know. “We repented until we were done. When we had clean hearts, God moved,” I explained. There’s much more to the story of how we arrived at the point of clean hearts, but we’ll save it for another day. Today’s topic is the benefits of repentance that accompany the confession of sin. What is Repentance and Why Repentance Matters Repentance. It’s one of the least-talked-about topics in the church today but also the most necessary. It’s not enough to admit our sins. The next step, repentance—to turn away from the sin and stop doing it—is critical. It’s the “stop doing it” part that gets us, isn’t it? We don’t usually sin in ways we dislike. Instead, we enjoy our sin for a season. The pleasure we derive is why we do it and relinquishing something we enjoy isn’t all that much fun. Perhaps it would be, though, if we understood why repentance matters and the benefits of repentance. Why Repentance Matters: The Benefits of Repentance When I turned to Psalm 103 recently, I found a note in the margin made several years ago. “The Benefits Package.” You probably know this psalm. It begins with “Bless the Lord, O my soul” and continues with “forget none of His benefits.” The benefits of repentance make an impressive list and help us understand why repentance matters. The benefits of Repentance Package: Pardons all our iniquities Heals all our diseases Redeems our life from the pit Crowns us with lovingkindness Crowns us with compassion Satisfies our years with good thing Renews our youth like an eagle Performs righteous deeds for us Performs judgment for us when we are oppressed Lovingkindness toward us as high as the heavens Removes our sin as far as the east is from the west Compassion on those who fear Him In moments of sin (whether that of a sinful action or a sinful thought), it’s easy to forget why repentance matters. When we look at the benefits of repentance package, we want them all and we need them all. The problem, though, is I want the benefits without the trigger for benefit #1. “Pardons all our iniquities.” It’s obvious David presumes we’ll keep short accounts with the Lord. Look closely at this verse, friends. “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits; who pardons all your iniquities…” Psalm 103:2-3 The pardon for sin part is only possible if we do our repentance part. In a very real sense then, repentance matters because it triggers the 12-fold cascade of benefits the psalmist describes. There is no restriction on the age, sex, race, nationality, denomination, ministry, or past history of the repenter. Anyone who repents (confesses, turns from sin) and comes to Jesus gets the entire benefits package. With repentance, we get it all. We get it all. Ponder that for a long moment. If we want the benefits of repentance, we can have them if we simply confess and repent. Read through the list again and ponder what it might mean for your life. Do we want to be satisfied with good things all our lives? Do we want renewed youth? What about the compassion and lovingkindness of God toward us? Of course, we want these blessings. No one in their right mind wants to skip blessings or for God to be against them. Are you still asking why repentance matters? If we want all the benefits of repentance, we must do one simple thing: Repent. Today, let’s decide: Do we want God’s blessings or not? If so, let’s do what’s required. Admit our sin and turn from it. It’s that simple. It’s that hard, but it’s worth it. Why not have it all? How have you experienced the benefits of repentance? How have you experienced God’s blessing after repentance? Comment below. I’d love to hear from you. 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. Thanks for sharing your time with me today! We’re glad you stopped by. If you enjoyed this content, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest, or sign up for the twice-monthly mailing list to receive exclusive stories, updates, and more. Before you leave, would you mind taking a moment to pin to Pinterest and share on social media? It helps extend our digital reach in ways we can’t do ourselves Thanks again! See you soon. Want to read more articles like The Benefits of Repentance? Here are links to a few other posts you might enjoy:? What is Repentance and What is the Definition of Repentance? How to Trust God in Hard Times Promises of God Fulfilled The Gift of God’s Love Hope: God With Us True Beauty Begins When Pride Ends When the Last Days Come On Being Beloved Here’s an in-depth, life-changing digital Bible study to help you start the new year:

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What is Repentance and What is the Definition of Repentance?

Leave a Comment / Discipleship, Repentance / leannahollis

What is repentance? What is the definition of repentance? For disciples of Jesus, these two questions frame the all-important starting point in a relationship with Him. Repentance is one of the least talked-about topics in Christian circles today, but no less important because of our silence. It’s a critical element in salvation and our eternal destination, so it’s important to understand what repentance is, and what it is not. In our anything-goes culture, we long for grace and forgiveness but fail to consider the prerequisites of confession and repentance. Jesus’ words seem shocking and sobering to people accustomed to doing whatever they want. “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:5) What is the definition of repentance? The word translated as “repent” is metanoeō and literally means “to perceive afterward” with the implication of change. What the Bible defines as repentance includes a change of mind from a previously held view to one for the better, from our opinion of our sin to agreement with God’s opinion of it. It brings with it the idea that our repentance, or mind change, will be accompanied by a modification in behavior. Change is inherent in the idea of metanoeō. We’re as guilty as anyone of what we call “Scarlett O’Hara repentance”. In the movie Gone With the Wind, Rhett Butler says of Scarlett, “You’re like the thief who’s very, very sorry he got caught, but not at all sorry he stole.” 2 Scarlett-repentance makes an interesting storyline and keeps the action moving. It’s a good fiction twist, but it has nothing to do with what the Bible defines as repentance. What is the definition of repentance, then? When Jesus calls us to repentance, to metanoeō, He calls us to change both our minds and our behavior. This is not an emotional response to conviction, but an active response of mind and body. What is repentance? Repentance is an intentional change made in order to agree with God. For example, if we repent of adultery, we agree with God that adultery is a sin and our actions have been sinful. We ask for forgiveness based on our repentance. In our repentance, our mind changes. We no longer view adultery as acceptable behavior. In addition, our actions change and we no longer commit adultery. We completely remove ourselves from the relationship. The definition of repentance includes mind change, behavior change, and opportunity change. Asking God for forgiveness on our way to or from our adulterous lover’s house is not repentance. Adultery is an extreme example, but it holds true for every sin, from pride to unforgiveness to a critical, judgmental spirit. Sins of attitude and thought are sometimes harder to change than intentional action sins but, by the grace of God, true repentance is possible. Sins of thought and attitude “I can’t help what I think” is a commonly-held opinion, but Scripture disagrees. “Take every thought captive,” Paul wrote. (2 Corinthians 10:5) If we take our thoughts captive, when a sinful thought enters our mind, we immediately reject it and turn our thoughts toward those things that are good and pleasing to God. For example, when we encounter someone about whom you have ungodly thoughts, we are to train ourselves to speak (aloud or silently) only that which would be pleasing to God. We are not to dwell on the negative. If we can’t think anything positive, we’re to pray for the same grace toward them that we want toward ourselves. Change is not optional. We have two choices. Stay the same and perish. Repent and not perish (i.e. have eternal life). We can’t have it both ways. A relationship with Jesus in only possible with genuine repentance. Eternal life in heaven is only possible through Him. We will all choose one option or the other—to repent or not. What will you decide? “Now on the same occasion, there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. And Jesus said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this fate? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.’” Luke 13:1-5 NASB If you enjoyed reading “What is Repentance?”, you may also enjoy: The Benefits of Repentance and Why Repentance Matters We Who Are Barabbas When We Replace Rules with Repentance and Generosity Biting Cat and the Spring Clean-Up of Repentance Create in Me A Clean Heart – free email Bible study Want more articles? Sign up for our twice-a-month email for exclusive stories, freebies, and more or our free five-part Bible study on Psalm 51, Create in Me a Clean Heart. Be sure to check out our weekday devotionals at Today’s Encouragement “G3340 – metanoeō – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (nasb95).” Blue Letter Bible. Accessed 12 Apr, 2022. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g3340/nasb95/mgnt/0-1/ Fleming, Victor, George Cukor, and Sam Wood. 1939. Gone with the Wind. United States: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

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How to deal with Grief in a Healthy Way and Draw Close to God in Grief

Leave a Comment / Culture, Discipleship / leannahollis

If you’ve experienced loss or the death of a friend or loved one, you’ve probably wondered how to deal with grief or how to draw close to God in grief. You may have Google’d “how to deal with grief in a healthy way.” Keep reading to learn how to deal with grief in a godly way and how to draw near to God in times of sorrow. How to deal with grief in a healthy way when it seems like too much I had a series of losses over several years. Deaths of beloved friends and family. A sight-threatening eye infection that required months of treatment to control. A function-threatening hand injury that required emergency surgery. I didn’t finish grieving one blow before the next one landed. Then COVID hit. My team and I quickly found ourselves immersed in community outreach and food distribution in hard-hit, low-income areas. Less than a month after the pandemic began, I awakened with a sore throat, headache, and a slightly increased temperature. The symptoms were mild, for the moment, but I knew I had COVID. As a board-certified internal medicine physician, I knew how to treat a wide variety of medical problems but this…nothing prepared me for this. Hospitalized patients were dying at a quick pace, so I stayed home and treated myself. Many times I thought I’d die. Sometimes I wished I would die but, in the midst of it all, there were times when God felt as near as my next breath. The tight fist of grief, loss, and anger One afternoon, still recovering, I sat on the back patio and reveled in the spring sunshine as I counted the number of friends and acquaintances who had died in the last few weeks. Tears trickled down my cheeks. Too many were gone. A gentle breeze stirred the already overgrown rose bush, buds barely visible, as the scent of the rosemary hedge wafted through the air. The day was beautiful but a tight fist of grief, loss, and anger diminished my joy in the beauty around me. Laptop before me on the patio table, I felt the kiss of springtime sunshine and heard the serenade of songbirds. They were almost loud enough to drown out the click of my fingers on the keyboard but not the pressing need of my heart–how to deal with grief in a godly manner and how to draw close to God in grief. My emotions were directed at a target as intangible as the air through which it was transmitted and all the havoc it wrought. Deaths. Loss. Economic uncertainty. Isolation. Loneliness. One question echoed in my head: Not just how to deal with this grief but how to deal with grief in a healthy way? How to deal with grief in a healthy way: The Blessing of Mourning When I chose the Sermon on the Mount for my “passage of the year” a few months earlier, I didn’t expect to land on the fourth verse with a resounding whack and struggle to find my way past, but I did. Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. Matthew 5:4 There’s quite a difference between “comforted” and “comfortable,” isn’t there? We prefer the latter but are only promised the former. Like you, I didn’t expect a novel coronavirus to invade my comfortable life, but it did. As the number of cases and deaths mounted on the other side of the world, the novel coronavirus was renamed. COVID-19 became our mutual, relentless worldwide enemy. My first reaction was skepticism. I’ve lived through reports of many deadly viruses. None of them seriously threatened my nation. My state. My little section of the world. But this one did. Fear gripped me long before COVID-19 hit Italy with a vengeance. This virus was much different. It brought destruction indiscriminately and it was headed our way. Unexpected Comfort When COVID-19 cases overwhelmed Italy’s healthcare system, doctors died, and bodies piled up, my fear and desperation hit a peak. I wrote impassioned posts on social media. If they did any good, I couldn’t tell it. Since my posts didn’t help, I thought, maybe words delivered in a different format and setting would. Thus, I started morning Zoom sessions called Whisper Connection, a 30-minute online gathering designed to build community and offer encouragement and connection in a time of unprecedented isolation. (After two years together, this is now a deeply connected group and no longer open to new members.) Our first session focused on my personal stuck-place, Matthew 5:4. Blessed are they that mourn. I recognized a deep well of grief in my own soul. As it turned out, I was not the only one. We needed help figuring out both how to deal with our grief in a healthy way and how to draw close to God in our sorrow. Comfort begins with recognition of our grief We were entrenched in dense worldwide grief and we still are. In college, admittedly a few decades ago, I studied Kubler-Ross’ landmark work. She described five stages of grief. Although her work has never been verified by peer-reviewed data, the emotions she described are valid and found in almost all grief: Denial. Anger. Bargaining. Depression. Acceptance. (1) I saw clear evidence of my own shock, denial, anger, and bargaining in my posts on social media and in the turmoil in my heart. Unfortunately, my anger was mostly directed at the nameless masses who were (or so I thought) making it worse by their refusal to distance and isolate themselves. They definitely made my efforts to feed hungry children harder because of the hoarding. Grace, not more anger, was the more appropriate response but I found my outward-bound supply of grace sadly lacking. Just as we returned to post-COVID normal, the war in Ukraine began. More sorrow. More grief. It took me a while to see the actions against which I railed in the early days of the pandemic were merely symptoms of our global grief and fear. How did we

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Should You Love Your Neighbor if You Don’t Like Him?

2 Comments / Discipleship / leannahollis

Have you wondered if you should love your neighbor if you don’t like him? Maybe you want to know how to love your neighbor if you don’t like him or how to love your neighbor as you love yourself. I get it. Keep reading to learn how I learned to love the ones I considered unlovely. I found a treasure one morning in a place I least expected. It was more like a jeweled dagger than a pot of gold, however, because the word went straight to my heart like a blade. The story of Ananias and Saul was the focus of my daily reading for the last few days, and I thought I’d mined it pretty well. On this particular morning, however, I read the story again and was struck to the core by one simple word. (Acts 9:17) Brother. This word literally means united as a brother of the same mother or father or united by a common cause. In this instance, it means both. Because God claimed Saul as his own, Ananias accepted kinship with Saul even though he appropriately feared this well-known terrorist who, a few days earlier, had intended to imprison him. How to love your neighbor if you don’t like him: Look past the past Ananias didn’t disregard Saul’s past. It terrified him and he voiced his concerns in prayer. “Lord,” he said, “this man came here to arrest us all.” His valid complaint did not stop him from obeying Jesus. Love your neighbor as you love yourself isn’t a touching suggestion. It’s a command. (Matthew 22:39) In the story of Ananias and Saul, we see it lived out in despite-his-fear boldness. Saul’s days as a terrorist were over, but Ananias had no way to know about his transformation when he met Saul and called him brother. All he knew was God chose Saul and intended to use him in a mighty way. Ananias stepped over Saul’s past and their differences to embrace this man God loved, and so should we. Ananias understood how to love his neighbor as himself, even when he was afraid of him and didn’t like anything he knew about him. He loved anyway. He accepted anyway. Despite the past. Leave change to God. It wasn’t Ananias’ job to change Saul, and it would have been futile to attempt it. Only God can change a heart and transform a life. Ananias’ job was to pray and lay hands on Saul in person, and that’s exactly what he did. The first word Ananias spoke demonstrated the decision he’d made. It was a “nevertheless” kind of word that said, to Judas, Saul, and to God that he had chosen to see Saul through the filter of Christ’s love. Brother. Should you love your neighbor if you don’t like him? Look over the sin to see the sinner. My initial impression of people radically different from me is not always one of having positive intent or being beloved by God. It should be, and I wish it was. Sometimes, though, I see people through the filter of their past. The drug addict or alcoholic who’s been through rehab numerous times doesn’t always look like my brother and sister at first glance. I don’t always see how God plans to use them from the beginning. It’s the same for the serial… whatever the sin. All too often, I see the sin before I see the sinner, just like Ananias did, but I don’t always make it to “beloved brother” or “precious sister” as quickly. This morning, I’ve repented of that sin, for I should be willing to love the one Christ loves as my brother or sister from the start. I was not required to prove myself in order to be redeemed, and no one else is, either. Love your neighbor—even if he relapses. Ananias went to Saul and called him brother without a promise of change on Saul’s part. He had no way of knowing Saul would become Paul, nor about the missionary journeys he would make. Would a potentially murderous relapse on Saul’s part have changed Ananias’ responsibility for obedience? No. Ananias’ imperative to obey had nothing to do with Saul’s. Nor does mine or yours. Even “tough love” begins with love. The difference between loving the sinner and enabling the sin is distinct and important to recognize, but that’s a topic for another day. Should you love your neighbor as yourself? Love isn’t optional. The greatest commandment is to love God, the second is to love others. Should you love your neighbor if you don’t like him? Absolutely. Dislike is not an excuse for lack of love. The new commandment Christ gave, to love others as He loved us, reinforces one truth. (John 13:34) We must view everyone through the lens of love. Whether we like them or not. If we are obedient to the royal law of our King, the law of love, we live with everything done in love, and our lives filled, focused on, and radiating love. How radical is that? For today, let’s take a deep look at our own hearts. Are they filled with love for all, even those who are different? If not, why not and what do we plan to do about it? If we don’t love our neighbor as ourselves, much less like him, we have a problem. We lack love, and change is required, so let’s get started. How to love your neighbor as you love yourself: Make loving others a priority. Look past the past. Leave needed changes to God. Look over the sin to see the sinner. Admit God loves your neighbor just as He loves you. Find one positive attribute and remind yourself of it often. Extend the same grace, mercy, and kindness God has shown you. “Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friend.” John 15:13 If you’d like a daily (weekday) dose of encouragement and inspiration, check out Today’s

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