Helplessly Poor
Matthew 5:3 reads, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” There are two important words in that passage: blessed and poor. The word “blessed” (makarios) literally means More →
Category: Pride
The Sad End
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God has forgiveness available for every sinner who sincerely repents, but sadly many can’t or won’t repent—Judas Iscariot was one. Matthew 27:1-10 provides the record of his miserable end. First, we see proof of Jesus’ More →
Denial Predicted
Adversary, Alert, Blog, Courage, Denial, Denial Predicted, Deny, Desert, Devil, Devour, Difficult, Disciples, Enemy’s Traps, Erik Garthe, Faith, Frightened, Galilee, Garden of Gethsemane, God, Humbled, Jesus, Jesus’ Words, Life, Lord, No Longer Conformed, Notice, Peter, Predicted, Prepared, Pride, Promise, Prophecy, Ready, Rejected, Resist, Roaring Lion, Rooster, Safe, Secure, Self-Confidence, Sober, Spiritually, Stand, Steadfast, Stumble, Temptation, Temptations, Trial, Trials, Unaware, Vigilant, Walks
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Matthew 26:31-35 finds Jesus with His disciples on the way to the Garden of Gethsemane—we get to listen in. The Lord predicts the trial which both He and His disciples are about to experience. Misplaced self-confidence, More →
Rejection of Love
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After He declared the “woes”, revealing the wicked hearts of the people and their need for judgment, Jesus then proclaimed in Matthew 23:34-39 the suffering they were about to bring upon More →
Who’s in Moses’ Chair?
Applause, Blog, Brethren, Burdens, Characteristics, Christ, Christian, Christians, Earth, Erik Garthe, Exalted, Exalts, Faith, Father, Feasts, Followers, Greatest, Heaven, Humbled, Humbles, Humility, Hypocrite, Hypocrites, Jesus, Leaders, Marketplaces, Moses, Neglect, No Longer Conformed, Pharisees, Pride, Rabbi, Religious Leaders, Respect, Scribes, Seats, Servant, Show, Spiritual Authority, Spiritual Talk, Substance, Superiority, Synagogues, Teacher, Teachers, Who's in Moses' Chair, Works
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Jesus said, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. Therefore, whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works.” (Matthew 23:2-3a) Why did Jesus say that More →
The Importance of Forgiveness (B)
Bitterness, Blog, Coins, Debt, Erik Garthe, Forgive, Forgiveness, God’s Grace, Grace, Holy Spirit, Hurt, Jail, Jailers, Judgment, King, Master, Mercy, Neighbor, No Longer Conformed, Obedience, Offense, Pride, Prison, Resolved, Servant, Sin, The Importance of Forgiveness (B), Torturers, Unpayable, Violence
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Has anyone ever hurt you deeply? How long ago was it? Why were you able to recall it so easily? Was the offense ever resolved? In the parable of Matthew 18:21-35, several questions need to be More →
Fork in the Road
Blog, Church, Contempt, Doctrine, Erik Garthe, Faith, Fork in the Road, Human Perspective, James, Jesus, Jude, Nazareth, No Longer Conformed, Offense, Opportunity, Preaching, Pride, Prophecy, Prophet, Revealed Truth, Sight Versus Faith, Spiritually Blind, Synagogue, Truth
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The church is surrounded by spiritually blind people who desperately need to know Jesus. Matthew 13:53-58 records Jesus making a visit to His hometown, where His family lived. While there, He taught in the More →
Pridesick
Blog, Erik Garthe, Faith, Forgive, Grace, Heal, Healing, Hindrance, Kingdom of Heaven, Mercy, No Longer Conformed, Poor in Spirit, Pride, Pridesick, Proud, Righteous, Sacrifice, Self-Righteous, Sinners, Sins, Spiritual Healing, Tax Collectors, unbelief
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“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (1 Peter 5:5) Pride can be a hindrance to healing, both physically and spiritually. It manifests itself in various ways. In Matthew 9:1-13, Jesus dealt with two expressions of More →
Have You Bought the Lie?
Blog, Creator, Deceiver, Delusion, Disobedience, Dominion, Erik Garthe, Have You Bought the Lie?, Human Nature, No Longer Conformed, Pride, Rebellion, Satan, Sin, The Lie
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Have you surrendered to “the lie”? The apostle Paul wrote in his second letter to the Christians at Thessalonica about those who reject the truth, “God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie.” (v. 2:11) More →
Where Did It Fall?
Blog, Confess, Erik Garthe, Forgiveness, Humility, Ministry, No Longer Conformed, Power, Pride, Restoration, Sin, Where Did It Fall?
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Where did it fall? That question was asked of a servant of the Lord by the prophet Elisha in 2 Kings 6:6. Just a simple inquiry by someone helping another in need, yet it provides great insight for those who truly desire to serve God. More →