Prayer is essential for the growth of your relationship with God. As in any healthy relationship, communication must go both ways. Not only must you listen to God speak to you through His word, you must also talk to Him, knowing that He hears you. The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them. – Psalm 145:18-19 I would rather train twenty men to pray, than a thousand to preach; – A minister’s highest mission ought to be to teach his people to pray. – H. MacGregor Prayer was something that Jesus …Continue reading →
Fasting tends to be a neglected area of discipleship today, yet fasting was common in the early church. When the Bible speaks of fasting, it assumes that it is something believers will do. Jesus began His instructions on fasting in Matthew 6:16 with “when you fast”, not “if you fast”. What is fasting? Fasting in the Bible almost always refers to going without food (and sometimes water) for a length of time. The greek word for fasting, nesteia , means “not to eat”. Types of fasts mentioned in the Bible: Normal fast: Abstain from food but not water. Much of the time the fast would be only during the daylight hours. Partial fast: Abstain from certain foods (Passover – no …Continue reading →
The topic of faith isn’t usually covered in a course on discipleship. It is assumed that once you believe in Jesus, you’ve already learned enough about faith… you just need to put it more and more into practice. However, many believers have different ideas about what faith is, so I think this topic needs to be understood better. Without faith in God, no spiritual growth is possible. You must have faith in God in order to please Him: But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. – Hebrews 11:6 (MKJV) “Saving faith” is only the beginning …Continue reading →
You can rest secure in your salvation. Jesus’ death paid the penalty for all of your sin, therefore you will not be condemned if you sin: “He who believes in Him is not condemned; … – John 3:18 (ACV) However, sin will affect your relationship with God, therefore you need to understand it and know how to deal with it. What is sin? Each believer has different ideas about what things are sin. What some think is sin, others do not. J. Vernon McGee gave this illustration. My wife was reared in Texas in a Southern Baptist church. She was brought up by a mother and father and pastor who believed that mixed bathing {swimming} was sinful. Then when she …Continue reading →