![]() Listen to someone pray-or listen to yourself pray-and you gain a window into the very center of the being. But our conversation with God in private reveals what is in our hearts. Our conversation with others declares what is on our minds. What a man is on his knees before God, that he is, and nothing more. The great nineteenth-century Scottish preacher Robert Murray M’Cheyne put it memorably: ![]() Our prayers tell us a great deal about ourselves, and about our faith. I want to pray bigger, and better. I want you to, too. I want to expose what it means to die to ourselves and to live in Christ. I want to explore not only the gravity of what we must forsake in this world, but also the greatness of the one we follow in this world. I want to move from what we let go of to whom we hold on to. The purpose of this book, then, is to take the next step. My aim was to consider the thoughts and things of this world that we must let go of in order to follow Jesus. In a previous book, Radical, I sought to expose values and ideas that are common in our culture (and in the church) yet antithetical to the gospel. There is indescribable joy to be found, deep satisfaction to be felt, and an eternal purpose to be fulfilled in dying to ourselves and living for him. Jesus is worthy of far more than intellectual belief, and there is so much more to following him than monotonous spirituality. Why, then, would we think that becoming a Christian means anything less for us? And why would we not want to die to ourselves in order to live in Christ? Yes, there is a cost that accompanies stepping out of casual, comfortable, cultural Christianity, but it is worth it. Disciples like Peter, Andrew, James, John, and Ayan show us that the call to follow Jesus is not simply an invitation to pray a prayer it’s a summons to lose our lives. Scores of men, women, and children have been told that becoming a follower of Jesus simply involves acknowledging certain facts or saying certain words. ![]() Churches are filled with supposed Christians who seem content to have casual association with Christ while giving nominal adherence to Christianity. Somewhere along the way, amid varying cultural tides and popular church trends, it seems that we have minimized Jesus’ summons to total abandonment. This Bible Study will help you and your group to change your thinking and thus change your life. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me-put it into practice. In Philippians 4:8–9, the apostle Paul writes, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things. So throughout this book, we’ll unpack both Scripture and what we’ve learned from scientific research. Both the Bible and modern science provide evidence that this is true. The better we grasp that truth, the better equipped we’ll be to change the trajectory of our lives. Our lives do follow the direction of our thoughts. So you might read that and think I’m being an overly dramatic preacher using hyperbole to get your attention. OUR LIVES ARE ALWAYS MOVING IN THE DIRECTION OF OUR strongest thoughts. Yes! You Really Can Change: What to Do When You’re Spiritually Stuck. After some initial transformation and the cleaning up of some external, visible sins, they find themselves in bondage to private thoughts that human willpower can’t change. These sincere followers of Jesus do not necessarily doubt their salvation or want to abandon their faith, but it’s clearly not working. ![]() The pattern that follows is very predictable:Īnd finally, try hard, do good, … fake it. ![]() But they are tired, frustrated, and wondering where the joy of their salvation is, where that promised “abundant life” is hiding. They are sincere and are genuinely born again. Still others are spiritually and emotionally exhausted from trying to measure up by praying more, reading the Bible more, giving more, serving more, and being at church more.Īll these people have tried or are still trying to be really good Christians. They feel like a failure with no hope in sight. They are frustrated with their inability to overcome some private sin or maintain some spiritual discipline. They’re stuck, not growing, and out of energy. People say it a thousand different ways, but it can be summarized in just a few words. ![]()
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