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Showing posts from October, 2015

God Uses Conflict

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I am not a big fan of conflict.  I don't know many people that are. Yet, one thing I learned in my communication classes in college is that in any human relationship or interaction, conflict is inevitable and unavoidable.  In fact, I teach in my marriage counseling that conflict, and how we handle it, can even strengthen our marriages. Conflict is not always a bad thing.  Through conflict, we see new points of view.  We grow as we weather the storm. We even strengthen our resolve. And, at time, God brings conflict into your life in order to move you from where you are to where he wants you to be. That's what happened with the Israelites.  In Exodus 14, we see that God moves to the Jewish people to the once place that means an unavoidable conflict with Egypt.  Surrounded by the Egyptian army, an impassible terrain and the Red Sea, Israel is forced into a confrontation with the Egyptian army.  They have no where to run and ultimately must listen to God as he directs the

Making a Choice

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I recently read the report of a missionary in a predominantly Muslim country. He was arrested for sharing the Gospel and converting Muslims to Christianity.  Despite the consequences, this missionary refused to stop sharing the Gospel, and even converted men in the prison with him.  Within a few days of the the trial and subsequent release, he was once again on the front lines, telling Muslims about Jesus Christ. He stood up for the truth no matter the consequences. That's a man I respect.  Too often, we back down when sharing Jesus is too hard.  We give in and compromise when the truth leads to conflict and dissension.  We soften our stance to be accepted by our culture at large. But the truth is the Gospel offends people.  The truth of Jesus divides families, friends and even countries and governments.  We have to have the boldness to stand up for the truth, even if it cost us our lives. John the Baptist did just that.  When faced with confronting sin with the truth o