The Introverted Evangelist

Jesus - Δουλος - Humble Servant : " You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead,  he gave up his divine privileges ; he took the  humble position of a slave  and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form,  he humbled himself in obedience to God  and died a criminal’s death on a cross. " (Philippians 2:5-8) I love how the Holy Spirit kept the theme of Pastor Spurling's message at Gateway Church this weekend. I opened up my MacBook to see this...  Jesus Christ ...  Humble Servant . The Greek word written here is δουλος and it is translated " slave " in the verse above. How marvellous! Jesus took on the humble position of a slave so that we might become free. In fact, right now as I type, I'm wearing my Walk in Love shirt that reads:  I AM SET FREE . Thank You, Jesus! Thank You for Your obedience even to death on the Cross. Because of...

Push Away Panic and Pursue Peace : " Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by  prayer  and  petition  (definite requests), with  thanksgiving , continue to make your wants known to God ." (Philippians 4:6 AMP) Panic . Panic is a perpetrating peace plunderer.  A panicked life is not My plan for you . I promise you a life of perfect peace, not a life of perpetually paralyzing perplexity. Look to Me, and  focus on all the goodness I have prepared for you . Don't panic. Just pray . When you take a deep breath and call upon My Name, My resurrection power is faithful to  overthrow the oppressing fear  you're feeling. Don't allow panicky planning to perfuse your poor mind with toxic terror. Pray to Me, and I will carry you through the battle field. " Cast your burden on the LORD, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved. " (Psalms 55:22) " The Lord will fight for...

Grateful for Sunday Rest : " And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful ." (Colossians 3:15) " singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ " (Ephesians 5:19-20) " Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all ." (2 Thessalonians 3:16) I hope everyone enjoyed a very peaceful and tranquil Sunday of rest. I took this photograph of the most vibrantly coloured deciduous tree outside of my house a few weeks back. It's so nice to be able to look back and  reflect on all the glory  God has  painted  throughout the earth in this Autumn season which now draws to a close. Winter trickles in with every falling leaf and chilling breeze . In this cozy season, let us not become  entangled in busy hustling , but rather  enthralled with joyous reverence . May aw...

Gaze Gratefully Into His Goodness: " Now therefore, our God, We thank You And praise Your glorious name. But who am I, and who are my people, That we should be able to offer so willingly as this? For all things come from You, And of Your own we have given You."  (1 Chronicles 29:13-14) We stand in awe of You , O God. We are filled to overflowing with wonder and thanks. For all that we have has originated from You. Every good thing that makes us smile in our lives has come straight from the  nail-scarred hands of generous grace . " Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning ." (James 1:17) We can trust that You bless the pure in heart, and therefore, by the power of the blood of the Lamb,  we are held in this abundant life forever  - for all eternity. Now that is truly something for which to give many thanks! We can't help but praise you out of the  fullness ...

Truly Joyful and Abundant Life in Christ : " And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. " (2 Peter 1:4) Often times the enemy tries to tempt us,  deceiving  us by  luring  us into what he propagandizes as fun. When in reality, what he's forcing down our throats is not at all beneficial or enjoyable to our souls or the wellbeing of our hearts. What the enemy promotes as so fanatically great and desirable is actually  poison  for our spirits that ends in eventual  demise . When in the thick of a battle, such as temptation, it's imperative to have a  Scriptural Sword  with which to slay the adversary. Take Second Peter 1:4, written above, for example. In this verse, we can see, plain as day, that God has indeed planned great and  precious promises  for our lives. Want to...

Receiving God's Great Gifts: "Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations." (Psalms 100:3-5) We are His people. We are the Lord God Almighty's chosen children. What a wondrous truth in which we boldly live! He has redeemed us to Himself and brought us into His own family. Our home is found in His courts and in His arms. We're covered by His love and never failing forgiveness. I'm overwhelmed to be standing here in this rushing river of glorious grace. ~~~~ God, You are all this life needs, all this heart craves, and all this soul seeks. You're everything to me. Regardless of my circumstances, I always find peace that surpasses all understanding in Your Presence. "Be anxio...

Thank You Lord: "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ‘God is a consuming fire.’" (Hebrews 12:28-29) His eternal Kingdom is in the midst of us. We fellowship with the King Himself each and every day. His return is approaching, and it's closer than ever before. However, we need not wait until that Day to make our requests known (Philippians 4:6-7). Because He lives in us, by the power of Christ's redeeming sacrifice, we have the gift of continually communing with Him. "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you." (Luke 17:20-21) He is the Lord over our lives, and out of our hearts there flows an overflow of joyfulness and gratitude. Our thankfulness produces praise to our Father in Heaven. Worship is not a just Sunday morning ordeal. Worship is a life...