Welcome to the Truth@Life Blog Site by Curtis Songer


If you receive value from these blogs, please consider donating to keep this blog site up and running. This ministry cannot continue without the generous donations of its readers. Just click on the "Donate" button to the right.

This blog site is loaded with tools to help you find what you're looking for. Here's how it works...

There are 5 threads of thought in this blog site:
1. Church Stuff - things pertaining to the evangelical Christian Church of today
2. Leadership Corner - concepts on management & leadership
3. Two Becoming One - principles of marriage enrichment
4. Train Up a Child - principles of parenting
5. Personal Thoughts - my mental ramblings on how God is growing me

I highly recommend you find an entry on one of these topics that interests you and click on that label at the end of that entry. It will bring up all the entries on that particular category. And be sure to check out the great web site links in the lower right corner of this page - Enjoy!

Monday, October 27, 2014

Struggling With Habitual Sin?

What happens when WE stumble and fall as Christians? Do we give up? Do we continue to fall? Do we beat ourselves up for it? Do we continue to roll in the mud of sin and/or self-pity hoping that we will somehow get cleaner? Or do we just continue to fight in futility hoping we will overcome what we have never overcome? Here are some key tips to remember when you are struggling with a particularly difficult (and possibly repetitive) sin: 1. No one is beyond restoration. For those who put their faith in Christ, "there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Why is it that some Christians don't live this way, but continue to beat themselves up for they've done? Because they don't believe they are priceless and precious. But they are - in God's eyes. Just like priceless works of art are never thrown away, but constantly restored by experts, so we are also far more valuable than any piece of art. God will never cease to restore us. Jesus came to redeem and restore us and make us new everyday. He is in the business of restoration. 2. Restoration begins with our recognition of our weakness. Many of us do the same thing over and over and expect a different result. Yet we are all pre-disposed to some weakness, some temptation that Satan will use against us. Until we admit it, and ask for help, we will fail over and over again. We need help - God's help and the help of other godly people. God's power is made perfect in our weakness. His restoration is activated in our admission of brokenness and in our admission of helplessness to overcome the habitual sin. We cannot overcome by fighting with greater and greater effort. We only overcome by surrendering it to God. Like a piece of grippy rubber in our hand turns us into a lid-popping beast, when we admit our weakness and ask God for help and surrender the battle to Him, we become a weakness-overcoming beast. 3. Don't let God's restoration project be in vain. Imagine how a craftsman would feel if he came into a house that he had totally renewed only a year earlier and the family had absolutely trashed it! That's how God feels if we don't take care of the amazing work He has done in our life. To honor Him, we need to attend carefully to the amazing restoration He has already made in our life, beginning with His restoration of our life on the day of our salvation. Don't abuse the gift of grace that God has given you. You should desire to live righteously for Him! Restoration is a process that begins on the day of your salvation and continues everyday of your life. Don't let a single day go by that you either abuse, or don't take advantage of the grace-filled restoration He offers you! Curtis Songer is a career, life, & leadership coach specializing in permanent, life changing transformation. For more information, email him at curtis.songer@truthatlife.com or visit his website at http://www.truthatlife.com/

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

The Darkness has Not Overcome It

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:1-5 NIV)

Did you read that last part?  The darkness has not overcome it.  Great encouragement for believers in our society today.  No matter what happens, the darkness has NOT overcome Him and His plan for us!

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

The Problem with Church (part 4 of 4)

Are you known as someone who offers grace? Are you known as a grace-giver? Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. (‭Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭9-18‬ NIV) Why aren't these things true about me? About you? What keeps us from offering grace? Two things keep us from being grace-givers: 1. We compare. If others are like us - OK. If not, we judge them. We become legalistic. We destroy grace. Comparison is poison in the church. 2. We love to control. We influence and intimidate and manipulate. We bully people to do things our way. This stifles creativity and love and nullifies grace. What magnifies grace: 1. We have got to learn to accept each other. To love one another - without conditions! A grace-giver accepts and loves unconditionally. What about music tastes in worship? What about alcoholic beverages (without getting drunk)? Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand. (‭Romans‬ ‭14‬:‭1-4‬ NIV) I must love you, accept you, and offer you grace even if your standards are different than mine? 2. We have to allow God to guide. Let each one be fully convinced in his own mind. Let the Holy Spirit do His work in every believer. He is the only one that we will give an account to. 3. Don't judge each other. Jesus died for all man so that only He has the right to be Lord over all. So why do we think we can be God (the judge over all). Our job is to let God do His job. The way we do that is to offer grace. Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval. Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. (‭Romans‬ ‭14‬:‭13-19‬ NIV) 4. We must express our liberties wisely. We have no right to rub it in the face of our brother and sister in Christ. We must not be a stumbling block to our brothers and sisters. We must express our liberties wisely when we are with them. We must respect our brothers' and sisters' beliefs. The only thing the church has to offer is the amazing grace of Jesus Christ. We have to accept each other, in love, without conditions. For more information, visit our website at http://www.truthatlife.com/

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

The Problem with Church (part 3 of 4)

One of the most deadly diseases in the church today is legalism. It kills pastors, members, seekers of God, and entire churches! It kills the movement of the Spirit of God! Is your hair too long, do you wear the wrong clothes, do you have a tattoo, have you ever drank a beer or glass of wine, It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (‭Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬ NIV) Paul says, related to legalism, give me Christian liberty or give me death! Christian Liberty can be friend by the following statement: Love God with all of your heart, then do whatever you want. Implied the message: if you love God with ALL your heart, everything you do will be with the goal of pleasing God. Legalism is: Do good things, stay away from bad things, then you will be spiritual and pleasing to God. It breeds hypocrisy and guilt among the members of the church. Three things that legalism does to kill the church: 1. There is only one way to God - through the grace of Jesus Christ. I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! (‭Galatians‬ ‭1‬:‭6-8‬ NIV) If you make chocolate chip cookies with a cup of salt instead of a cup is sugar, you will not follow the one road to chocolate chip cookies. Is it any less stupid to think you can get to God by following any road of religion we like? 2. Legalism tries to enslave the believer. Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek. This matter arose because some false believers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. (‭Galatians‬ ‭2‬:‭3-5‬ NIV) There are people in the church who are constantly trying to redefine what it means to be spiritual by defining new and restrictive rules of behavior. 3. Legalism breeds hypocrisy in the church. When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray. (‭Galatians‬ ‭2‬:‭11-13‬ NIV) Even Peter, held in esteem by some to be the first Pope, held by all to have been a great leader in the early church, became trapped in hypocrisy! It happens to all of us. Are we trying to please man or to please God? Get rid of YOUR definition of spirituality, YOUR rules of behavior, YOUR road to God, YOUR hypocrisy, and YOUR judgement of others who don't measure up. Embrace God's grace! See our website at www.truthatlife.com

Monday, October 6, 2014

The Problem with Church (part 2 of 4)

Think about this: God loves you as much today as He ever will! There is nothing you will ever do to get Him to live you more. The more Christ-like you become will not impact how much He loves you. All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. (‭Isaiah‬ ‭64‬:‭6‬ NIV) By being in church today, by reading the Bible daily, by giving to the church, by serving in the nursery, you don't look any better to God. He is no more pleasing to God? So why live a moral life? For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord. (‭Jude‬ ‭1‬:‭4‬ NIV) What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? (‭Romans‬ ‭6‬:‭1-2‬ NIV) We live a godly life because "He first loved us." The natural, normal response to His sacrificial death and free gift of salvation, is to worship, love, and obey Him. He gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. (‭Titus‬ ‭2‬:‭14‬ NIV) (Jonathan son of Saul had a son who was lame in both feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled, but as she hurried to leave, he fell and became disabled. His name was Mephibosheth.) (‭2 Samuel‬ ‭4‬:‭4‬ NIV) In the following story, David is God and we are Mephibosheth: David asked, “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” Now there was a servant of Saul’s household named Ziba. They summoned him to appear before David, and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” “At your service,” he replied. The king asked, “Is there no one still alive from the house of Saul to whom I can show God’s kindness?” Ziba answered the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is lame in both feet.” “Where is he?” the king asked. Ziba answered, “He is at the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar.” So King David had him brought from Lo Debar, from the house of Makir son of Ammiel. When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed down to pay him honor. David said, “Mephibosheth!” “At your service,” he replied. “Don’t be afraid,” David said to him, “for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.” Mephibosheth bowed down and said, “What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?” Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul’s steward, and said to him, “I have given your master’s grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family. You and your sons and your servants are to farm the land for him and bring in the crops, so that your master’s grandson may be provided for. And Mephibosheth, grandson of your master, will always eat at my table.” (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.) Then Ziba said to the king, “Your servant will do whatever my lord the king commands his servant to do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table like one of the king’s sons. Mephibosheth had a young son named Mika, and all the members of Ziba’s household were servants of Mephibosheth. And Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king’s table; he was lame in both feet. (‭2 Samuel‬ ‭9‬:‭1-13‬ NIV) Mephibosheth had nothing to offer the king and neither do we. David had no use for Mephibosheth and neither does god for us. David gives Mephibosheth a full inheritance as if he were his own son, and does God to us. The obvious response of Mephibosheth would be one of eternal thanks and honor to David, and so should we to God. We need an attitude of gratitude! Again: He gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. (‭Titus‬ ‭2‬:‭14‬ NIV) Praise be to God! Lord, forgive us for our lack of gratitude and honor to You! Might we serve, honor, love, and worship you faithfully forever! Amen! See our website at www.truthatlife.com

Sunday, October 5, 2014

The Problem With Church (part 1 of 4)

The American Work ethic:  If you want something, you have to go get it.  If it's going to be, it's up to me.  There is no such thing as a free lunch.  This is the WORKS mentality.

This is not how God works, but it is how we act like His church works.

The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. (Psalm 145:8 NIV)

What is grace?
God's riches at Christ's expense.
Grace is God's love in action.
Grace is the face that God wears when He looks at all my failures.
To bow down.

Aside:  tithing is not about the amount, or even the percentage, it is about how it makes you FEEL and THINK when you give.  Does it hurt, does it scare you, do you feel at risk, do you realize your dependence on God.  If not, you are not giving enough.

G = God's gift to is.

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:23-24 NIV)

All other religions are based on what you have to "do", Christianity is based upon what has already been "done".  On the cross, Jesus Himself said, "It is FINISHED!"

R = Received by faith

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV)

A = Available to everyone

For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. (Romans 10:10 NIV)

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16 NIV)

C = Comes through Christ alone

For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. (John 1:17 NIV)

Grace is free, but it wasn't cheap!

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6 NIV)

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV)

When you are in Christ, all God sees is  Christ!

E = Extends through eternity!

Once you have God's grace, there is nothing you can do to loose it.  The gift of God's grave goes on through all eternity.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23 NIV)

There's just one catch, you have to accept the gift.

See our website at www.truthatlife.com