Tag: patience
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Endurance in Face of Discord Beloved seeker after divine strengths in God’s truth, let us direct our gaze toward another important virtue ever fortifying the soldier in Christ: Patience. Spiritual warfare is impossible with a sensitive and bruised noggin, Patience serves as a helmet, protecting the mind from the relentless assaults of discord and delay.…
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Analysis and Prudence So let us explore the notion of mind as a battlefield, where divine truth clashes with worldly deceits. The mind is an element of spirit and body which must be harnessed and shaped, like all other interactions of the spirit with body, through disciplined virtue-building, lest it succumb to demonic oblivion. The…
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Truth & Temptation Dear seeker after the gifts of God, this field of spiritual warfare requires discernment. This is not an intellectual exercise but a discipline piercing the soul, separating truth from deception. How can we be expected to perform on this spiritual battlefield if we cannot discern our spiritual enemies from our allies? The…
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On Precipice of Patience Excellence is a destination that some reach though the majority who do fail to succeed in it further, not because they lack ability, but because they lack the basic honesty to be patient with the self, or others for that matter. Aiming between discipline and patience for the self is a…
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Bridge to Gratitude for Grace On this blog I have discussed the importance of Magnanimity at length. It is the first of the structural virtues and it truly cannot be overestimated as all other virtues depend completely upon it. “Magna” means great and “anima” means spirit, together it produces grace and forgiveness, the greatest GRACE…
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Forgiveness and Care Dear beloved of God, you might be wondering, what of those who are beyond even their own power? Most could use forgiveness and care more than anything else. This is a profound statement that speaks to the deepest spiritual need: to be needed and loved. God loves you and needs you to…
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Paradox of Ignorance and Influence The fool in power is like a ship’s captain adrift in a storm. He may command the helm, but the currents of fate will carry him where they will. His apparent influence is real, yet his agency is illusory; he is a puppet, a figurehead whose decisions are shaped not…
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Rivalry in Redemption Dearly beloved of God, on this most holy of days, I wish to discuss with you the broader theological implications of this apostolic drama, and what it all means in terms of virtue. Immediately recognisable, the dynamics between the other apostles and Paulus are reflective of the ongoing tension between our basic…
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Price of Ministry What of Paulus himself in all of this? He was hated in the name of the Lord, inside the church and out. This was the price he paid for his unwavering faith and fearless ministry, willingly. Seven times in chains, a man bound by the shackles of persecution yet unshackled in spirit.…
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Apostolic Rivalries Dearly beloved reader, within the textual evidence surrounding the earliest churches are hints that some leaders harboured unjust envy toward Paulus, a sentiment that would cast long shadows over the history passed down to us. Jealousy is poison that can corrode the soul if allowed to fester and become central, turning allies into…