Tag: prayer
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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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Pit of Continuing Error Progress is the movement toward something greater. Growth is the unfolding of our potential into its fullness as far as we can progress, and extend that progression further still. In continuing sin, we are choosing to remain where we are, rather than moving forward or growing. This is a truth that…
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Persistent Wrongdoing Blocks Our Use of Divine Grace If you are beloved of God, what does it mean to say that continuation in sin forestalls the fruits of God’s greatest gifts? These fruits of God’s gifts are freely given but require of us preparation, repentance, humility, and prayer to see and attain to. This comes…
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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…
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Navigating Imperfection and Arrogance “When pride comes, then comes shame, but with humility comes wisdom.” -Proverbs 11:2 Research in cognitive psychology highlights how overconfidence can impair decision-making and learning. Humility, conversely, fosters open-mindedness and a willingness to adapt. Socrates famously said, “I know that I know nothing.” Imagine standing before a vast library, its shelves…
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Paulus and Modernity What does it mean to live with faith in a world where faith is so often misunderstood, seen as extraneous, outdated, or irrelevant? What is the purpose in all this? Let’s ask a question which lingers in the back of so many of our minds: What is the purpose of being brought…
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Extreme Focus and Targeting Become Idolisation of the Goal or Idea in Itself Imagine a runner who trains with such intensity to improve her speed that she injures herself in not getting the rest she needs. Her extreme focus on one aspect of training leads to an outcome that undermines her overall goals. Similarly, extreme…
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Ideation’s Limit at Extreme Scales and Idolatry Our reason, often a beacon of clarity, becomes ever blinder with distance and difference in scales. Thus we are also often lead down paths laden with unintended consequences and ultimate failure when rely upon reason alone. If a scientist shifts the variables in an experiment, the results become…
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Complex Language for Simple Notions In youth, outside bible study, the world was vast, the texts were dense, and the weight of unanswered questions pressed heavily on my mind. Paulus emerged as both a paradox and a puzzle. He became, for me, the fulcrum of many doubts and, eventually, the engine of my spiritual awakening.…