Posts Tagged ‘Christian Living’

How to Go From Prideful to Humble?

picture of a red throne with a dark background

By Jennifer Smith Lane “Not my will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42b NIV) What Is Pride Actually? When I thought of someone as prideful, I imagined an arrogant, boastful person with an ego so big that it left no space for anyone or anything else. That is until my pastor shared this definition of…

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Surrounded On Every Side

shows cars stuck in traffic and unable to move in any direction

By Jennifer Smith Lane “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 NIV Throughout the Bible, we see evidence of God using trials and hardships to draw people closer to Him. Jacob was hard pressed on…

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How to Go From Legalism to Grace

Hand pressing against a glass window

By Jennifer Smith Lane “Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules? These rules … are based on merely human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom; with their self-imposed worship,…

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Everything God Created Is Good

open Bible on the floor with journal as in the middle of quiet time with God

By Jennifer Smith Lane A Reflection on 1 Timothy 4:1-8 Whenever I come across a passage that speaks into food and body image, it challenges me to rethink how I view food and my body by gaining a new perspective through God’s Word. This is one of those passages that stopped me in my tracks.…

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How People Pleasing Can Be an Idol

Variety of emotions drawn on eggs to display how difficult it is to keep everyone happy

By Jennifer Smith Lane (Arise Daily Author) “Am I now trying to win the favor and approval of men, or of God? Or am I seeking to please someone? If I were still trying to be popular with men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10 AMP When the topic of idolatry came up…

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How to Pursue God Not Perfection

Perfection is an unattainable goal

By Jennifer Smith Lane “…focusing our eyes on Jesus, who is the Author and Perfector of faith…” Hebrews 12:2 What is perfectionism? According to Webster’s dictionary, perfectionism is “a refusal to accept any standard short of perfection. A doctrine holding that religious, moral, social or political perfection is attainable.” When I read that definition, I…

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Body Image And The Media

A Christian Perspective On Body Image, by Jennifer Smith Lane More than 30 million Americans will struggle with a clinically diagnosed eating disorder in their lifetime while millions more will battle food and body image issues that have untold negative impacts on their lives. This is not simply a teenage issue. Onset can occur at…

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