Quote from the Gospel Coalition

"Don't get cute at Christmas. Your people need regular meat and potatoes, not the newest eggnog recipe. Stay away from props and video clips. Put to death the Star Wars tie-in you've been really excited about. Don't worry about preaching the same truths and the same themes. They don't remember last year's sermon anyway. Go ahead and tell them the old, old story one more time."
- The Gospel Coalition

Quote from Tim Challies

" I encourage us all to exercise discernment, even when reading Christian books, and perhaps especially when reading Christian books. You know just because it's published by a Christian publisher, just because it's sold in a Christian book store, that does not mean that it's good or that it's reliable or that it's consistent with scripture.

Christian, we need to know the Bible. We need to so know the truth of the Bible. We need to carefully evaluate every book we read, in light of its perfect and unchanging truths. A book is good only to the degree that it aligns with the perfect, infallible, inerrant, sufficient Word of God, the Bible.
- Tim Challies

From Wire newsletter


A Pernicious Loop
. . . he himself gives to all mankind
life and breath and everything—Acts 17:25
There are few more powerful (and potentially harmful) forces at work in the lives of men than the When/Then lie. It goes like this: when we get that job, that promotion, that house, that "number" in the bank account . . . then everything'll be great. Things will settle down then. We'll have peace and joy and security then. The lie wouldn't be so bad, but for the behavior we rationalize and excuse with it, hoping it is true: neglecting people we're meant to love; disregarding people we're meant to serve; ignoring people we're meant to rescue; treating badly and taking advantage of people we are meant to encourage and support.

Our enemy, the "father of lies" (John 8:44), created a clever one with the When/Then lie—it's an infinite loop. You see, whatever "something" follows When is never as good as we think it'll be. And so, any given "something," when it's achieved, is quickly replaced by a bigger, better one.

There's freedom available to us, though—freedom to enjoy the abundant blessings we've already been given; freedom to access true peace and true joy and true security, right now—if we're willing to reject the lie and, instead, embrace the promises of our King, Jesus Christ. He's promised that our Father God will provide everything we need in any given moment (Matthew 6:25-34). His provision just might not look how we think or hope it will (Isaiah 55:8).
Okay, so what do we do?

Write down the When/Then lies you've believed. Be specific with both the Whens and the Thens. Now, with brothers in community or directly to God, pray against any power they've held over your life. Then, pray in the opposite: declare your gratitude for how God's provided for you already—and for how he always will.
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