goforwardinfaith Christianity, Religion, Theology

The Elements of Surrender

By Linda Tancs

“I Surrender All” is a popular Christian hymn. As the title implies, you surrender all. But do you? God has a plan for our lives, and surrendering to Him means we set aside our own plans in favor of His—the better plan (Jeremiah 29:11). Think about what you can surrender: your physical well-being, emotional well-being, mental well-being, spiritual well-being, your marriage, your friendships, your family relationships, your retirement plans, your finances, your career goals and ambitions. Are you giving it your all?

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As part of FOOT FORWARD MINISTRIES (a teaching and speaking ministry), Go Forward in Faith represents faith-based meditations for personal and professional growth. Join the Facebook group @goforwardinfaith.

goforwardinfaith Christianity, Religion, Theology

The Hope of Easter

By Linda Tancs

In this challenging world, Easter gives us hope and encouragement. After all, if Jesus had not been raised from the dead, Christianity never would’ve survived, particularly considering three centuries of persecution of the early church. Our belief in the Risen Jesus gives meaning to our lives as well as our personal and common prayers. Our trust in Him gives us strength to fight against temptations and to resist worry and fear. May you rest in that truth today and every day, and have a Blessed Easter.

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As part of FOOT FORWARD MINISTRIES (a teaching and speaking ministry), Go Forward in Faith represents faith-based meditations for personal and professional growth. Join the Facebook group @goforwardinfaith.

goforwardinfaith Christianity, Religion, Theology

Spiritual Aikido

By Linda Tancs

Aikido is a form of martial arts, the goal of which is to diffuse the aggressive energy of your opponent to bring a peaceful resolution to conflict. It’s fair to say that Jesus was a master of aikido, spiritually speaking. Take the Sermon on the Plain as recounted in Luke’s gospel, for instance (Luke 6:27-36). In that discourse, Jesus outlines his strategy of nonviolence and love of the enemy. For example, when someone insults you or conspires against you, don’t remit evil for evil. When you love people in response to their hatred, you confuse and confound them, taking away the very energy that feeds their hatred. Then you’re a master of aikido.

*************** As part of FOOT FORWARD MINISTRIES (a teaching and speaking ministry), Go Forward in Faith represents faith-based meditations for personal and professional growth. Join the Facebook group @goforwardinfaith.

goforwardinfaith Christianity, Religion, Theology

Always on Your Mind

By Linda Tancs

In the song Always on My Mind, singer Willie Nelson laments not treating the woman he loved in the way she deserved. For someone with a focus on oneself, the song could be titled “Always on Your Mind.” It manifests in many ways, like self-pity, arrogance and pride. All are forms of selfishness, which is against the Spirit (Galatians 5:17-21). It leads to disorder (James 3:16), hinders prayer (James 4:3) and ruins friendships (Proverbs 18:1). Get yourself off your mind and tend to others instead (Matthew 6:33).

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As part of FOOT FORWARD MINISTRIES (a teaching and speaking ministry), Go Forward in Faith represents faith-based meditations for personal and professional growth. Join the Facebook group @goforwardinfaith.

goforwardinfaith Christianity, Religion, Theology

The Ways of the World

By Linda Tancs

The ways of the world is an expression commonly defined as the way people typically behave or the way things usually happen. The apostle John described the ways of the world as wanting to please ourselves, wanting sinful things and being proud of what we have (1 John 2:16). His observation reminds us that it’s the people comprising the world who make it what it is; don’t blame “the world.” Change begins with each of us.

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As part of FOOT FORWARD MINISTRIES (a teaching and speaking ministry), Go Forward in Faith represents faith-based meditations for personal and professional growth. Join the Facebook group @goforwardinfaith.

goforwardinfaith Christianity, Religion, Theology

The Farmer and the Ant

By Linda Tancs

What do a farmer and an ant have in common? Diligence. Proverbs teaches us that the ant gathers its provisions in summer so that it will have enough to survive on in winter (Proverbs 6:6-9). Similarly, farmers look to their harvest in due season (James 5:7). No thing, whether man or even insect, will reap what it does not sow. Be faithful and diligent in your work, and you will reap a harvest.

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As part of FOOT FORWARD MINISTRIES (a teaching and speaking ministry), Go Forward in Faith represents faith-based meditations for personal and professional growth. Join the Facebook group @goforwardinfaith.

goforwardinfaith Christianity, Religion, Theology

A Bumpy Ride

By Linda Tancs

“Fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy ride” is a popular misquote from the 1950 film All About Eve. The line actually referred to a “bumpy night” rather than a ride, but the gist of it is that turbulent times were coming. We all know what it’s like to fasten our seatbelts, so to speak. The apostle James reminds us that in our trouble we should be joyful because it tries our faith and builds patience (James 1:2-4). When the way gets bumpy, strap on the seatbelt of endurance and enjoy the ride, knowing that God will deliver you from your trials.

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As part of FOOT FORWARD MINISTRIES (a teaching and speaking ministry), Go Forward in Faith represents faith-based meditations for personal and professional growth. Join the Facebook group @goforwardinfaith.

goforwardinfaith Christianity, Religion, Theology

Life is Preachy

By Linda Tancs

Your life is a sermon, as many say. In other words, what message does your life preach? St. Francis of Assisi put it this way: “Preach the Gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words.” Does the life you’re living mirror the teachings of the Gospel? Do you treat others the way you’d like to be treated (Matthew 7:12)? Do you speak lovingly (Ephesians 4:29)? Are you patient (Romans 8:25)? Are you generous (2 Corinthians 9:6)? Actions speak louder than words. Make your life the best sermon it can be.

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As part of FOOT FORWARD MINISTRIES (a teaching and speaking ministry), Go Forward in Faith represents faith-based meditations for personal and professional growth. Join the Facebook group @goforwardinfaith.

goforwardinfaith Christianity, Religion, Theology

Abundant Life

By Linda Tancs

In Matthew’s gospel, the Lord explains that it’s hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of Heaven. When Peter asks what’s in it for the apostles, who have given up everything to follow Him, Jesus replies, “Everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more, and will inherit eternal life.” (Matthew 19:23-30). It’s important to recognize that this discourse was not intended to emphasize a recoupment in the capitalist sense. Instead, Jesus is referring to the ability to perceive the things of this world in a spirit of detachment that results in abundance in the sense of perceiving them without distortion, not necessarily in abundance of the things themselves. Don’t look at things carnally; view it from an eternal perspective (Ecclesiastes 1:14).

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As part of FOOT FORWARD MINISTRIES (a teaching and speaking ministry), Go Forward in Faith represents faith-based meditations for personal and professional growth. Join the Facebook group @goforwardinfaith.

goforwardinfaith Christianity, Religion, Theology

The Bill of Rights

By Linda Tancs

The U.S. Bill of Rights spells out Americans’ rights in relation to their government. In relation to God, Christians have another bill of rights: the Bible. Thanks to the finished work on the Cross, we have certain rights that are divinely ordained and given to us by God. These rights include: living under the grace of God (Romans 6:14), exercising the authority delegated to us (Matthew 28:18) and praying in Jesus’s Name (John 16:23-24). Find more rights in your Bible. Are you claiming your rights?

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As part of FOOT FORWARD MINISTRIES (a teaching and speaking ministry), Go Forward in Faith represents faith-based meditations for personal and professional growth. Join the Facebook group @goforwardinfaith.