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FEAR LESS

By Délice Williams Leave a Comment

Photo Credit: Steven Leonti | Flickr (Creative Commons)

Photo Credit: Steven Leonti | Flickr (Creative Commons)

I’m writing this piece in October, the month when grocery stores haul out mounds of candy, and when pumpkin-flavored items appear in unlikely places. Orange and black seem to be the color scheme for just about everywhere, and Halloween costume ideas have already started appearing on my social media feed. Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” will soon make its annual appearance on radios and playlists. It’s also election season, with polls “tightening,” “bombshells” being dropped, and the national blood pressure up a few points as people on all sides argue and worry about what will happen to the US if one candidate or the other wins. There are even memes on social media: I saw one recently with a snarling green witch declaring that Election Day will be even scarier than the scariest Halloween. In many ways, ‘tis the season to be fearful and anxious. I for one am a little worried about the atmosphere of the country in the post-election weeks. I confess to having a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. And I’m pretty sure I’m not alone.

Obviously, you don’t have to be living in this country or following polls and politics in order to be familiar with these feelings. If you are a person who lives with anxiety and recurring fear—the real kind, not the sugar-fueled Halloween kind—then you know a lot about these feelings and the ways they can adversely affect your life, health, and spirit. Fear and anxiety can come from many sources: from memories of past hurts, from concern for people we love, and even from our own pride. Sometimes the reason we feel anxious or fearful is that we believe we can and must make things turn out a certain way. When we start to see that we can’t control every outcome, or change every mind, or anticipate every obstacle, our world starts to feel like it’s out of our control (which it is) and anxiety is often the result.

As real and natural as these feelings are for Christians and non-Christians alike, they don’t have to be permanent fixtures in our lives. Christ offers us freedom and peace of mind, and we can begin to experience that freedom by looking at fear honestly, and by acquainting ourselves with biblical truths. As a first step in the direction of that freedom, consider what fear does.

Fear can paralyze us. This is true in a literal as well as figurative sense. Most of us can understand the ways that the fear of falling or injury can make you stop in your tracks, unable to jump into a pool or walk up to a podium because you think something terrible will happen. Many of us also know the feeling when we can’t speak up or tell the truth about an event because of the fear that we’ll be ridiculed or rejected. Sometimes it’s a healthy thing: fear of injury can keep a child from taking on a foolish dare. Sometimes it’s an unhealthy thing: when “what-ifs” have a negative controlling effect in our lives that keeps us from doing something good or right.

Fear can also distort our vision. If you’ve ever been afraid of a person or a situation or a confrontation, then you may have had the feeling that the object of your fear is much larger than life—powerful enough to destroy your dream, affect your future, or keep you from getting what you need. When that happens, it can be tough to have a sense of proportion: it can be hard to see other possible outcomes or other actions you can take, or to see that the person or situation may have less of an effect on your life than you’d thought.

Finally, fear can keep us from experiencing blessing. Sometimes the things we fear don’t appear to be dangerous or threatening at all. Sometimes the object of our fear is an opportunity, a chance to share our talent, an invitation to speak to an important decision-maker, even an offer of friendship or relationship with another person. Whether it arises from a suspicion that the offer isn’t real or lasting, or from a sense that we’re not good enough to receive it, fear can prevent us from receiving those gifts from God. It can lead us to self-sabotage by making us close the door on opportunities we feel we can’t or shouldn’t accept.

This is no way to live. More importantly, this is not the way God wants and plans for us to live as Christians. One of my favorite passages is 2 Timothy 1:7, which tells us that “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (NKJV). Let the truth of that sink in for a bit. God has not given you a spirit of fear. Our anxieties about the future, circumstances and outcomes should not linger in our hearts and minds, because we can put our trust in God to bring freedom and peace.

FEAR LESS - New Identity Magazine

The Bible tells us that God both recognizes our human tendency to be afraid and has compassion on us when we are fearful (Psalm 103:1). The Bible also offers us rock-solid truth to comfort and strengthen us so that we do not have to live in a constant state of anxiety, or be defeated by our fears.

Perhaps the most fundamental truth for us to grasp is that as Christians we are in God’s loving hands. That’s not just a metaphor. It means that God loves us and is powerful enough to ensure that his loving purposes will be accomplished in our lives. Psalm 46 tells us that God is our help and strength and protection. Philippians 1:6 tells us that the same God who offers us salvation through Jesus will take care of our spiritual growth and development. Philippians 4:6 tells us that God will provide everything we need. Likewise, Jesus tells us in Luke 12:31 that we have no need to fear because our good Father will provide and care for us.

If we believe our loving God cares for us and is powerful enough not just to feel that care but also to take care of everything that concerns us, then we don’t have to worry about everything that happens to us, and we don’t have to be anxious about a future we cannot control. Put another way, our fearlessness as Christians should be rooted in the truth about God’s character: that he is loving, powerful, and truthful, and since he has said that he will care for us, and since he has proven that he can do so, we have nothing to fear.

We should note that there is one kind of fear that the Bible does encourage, but it’s not the kind I’ve been talking about so far. The kind of fear the Bible calls us to have is a fear of the Lord. Such “fear” is best defined as reverential awe, an acknowledgement that God is holy, infinite, and all powerful, that God is worthy of our obedience. This fear isn’t terror that keeps us up at night. Rather, it helps to feed our trust because it brings with it the awareness that ultimate power resides not in people or situations, but in God alone. As Jesus reminds us in Matthew 10:28, if we have a right fear of God (reverential awe and respect), we have no need to fear anyone or anything else.

One beautiful section of scripture that brings many biblical truths together in ways that can comfort our spirits and help us drive out fear is Psalm 103. It’s a psalm of praise, but in offering reasons to praise God, it provides wonderful reminders about reasons we need not be fearful or anxious. The psalm tells us that God forgives sin, heals bodies, redeems lives, and provides everything we need (vss. 3-5). It tells us that God brings justice for oppressed peoples (6); that God is merciful and gracious (8); that God has compassion on us (13); that God knows how fragile we are (14), and that God is eternal, near to his children, and in total control of the universe (19). Look at that list again. Pause for a moment to consider all those truths about what God can and does offer us. Compassion. Forgiveness. Healing. Redemption. Mercy. Grace. All of that is available to us. All of that is given to us by a powerful, eternal creator. This is the God who created us and loves us.

In light of these truths from scripture, we must ask ourselves: why should we fear need if God will provide for us? Why should we fear the future if God knows and controls it? Why should we fear injustice if God will provide justice? Why should we fear rejection if God forgives and has compassion? Why should we fear being alone if God is always with us? And why should we fear being unloved when our God demonstrates love for us in so many ways?

As we take these truths to heart, we can move forward from the anxiety that comes from feeling like we have to do it all and get everything right. We can allow ourselves to be brave in the face of difficulty, to take advantage of opportunities, and to do what is right even if we risk being rejected or ostracized, because we know that God is both able and willing to take care of the outcome. As we follow the guidance we receive from scripture, biblical teaching, and the Holy Spirit, we need not worry about what will happen, or fear that some person or situation might oppose and overcome us. Trusting in God’s goodness and power, we can move forward without the burden of fear or anxiety.

If we are Christians, we can experience this kind of fearless living more and more by telling ourselves the truths of scripture, by praying for God to deliver us from the spirit of fear we often cultivate in ourselves, and by drawing strength from other Christians who can pray for and encourage us on our spiritual journey. If we are not Christians, God invites us to accept Jesus as Savior, so that we can have access to the freedom that is available to us now, and be delivered from the fear of eternal separation from God in eternity.

As you step into your new day, new week, or new season of life, trust that God will move you away from fear and toward greater trust in him, and into a fuller experience of the freedom that he wants you to have.

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Filed Under: Featured, Grow, Growth & Maturity Tagged With: Issue 33

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New Identity | Exploring Faith
We're happy to announce that the Fall/Winter 2020 We're happy to announce that the Fall/Winter 2020 Issue is out today! There are some great articles inside that we hope you'll love! Enjoy! 🤗 #linkinbio⁠
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#newissue #newidentitymag #liveidentified #magazine #kindness #anxiety #waiting #worththewait #mcu #eatableheroes #marvel #godswill
Prayer isn’t about making the things we selfishl Prayer isn’t about making the things we selfishly want happen; it’s about making us want what God wants.⁠
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✍🏽: @sarahjoysly in "Prayer - The Alignment of Our Souls With God"  Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
📷: Photo by @maryannkariuki from Pexels⁠
“The world is indeed full of peril, and in it th “The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.” – Haldir⁠
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In Lothlorien, Haldir is encouraging a downcast Fellowship with a glimpse of the larger story in which they find themselves. His words reflect the apostle Paul’s encouragement to the church, that we “do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope” (1 Thess. 4:13). For there is a form of grief from which there is no recovery – one in which there is no resurrection of the dead. If death is the final word, then we must suffer grief without hope, grief that diminishes our love for life because of the crushing weight of the loss we’ve experienced. But Tolkien believed that death was not the end; therefore, we may experience the beautiful juxtaposition in our own lives of deep sorrow mixed with rivers of joy. Instead of crippling us, our grief may actually help to cultivate in our character the virtues of faith, hope, and love that are necessary to continue to carry our heaviest burdens. ⁠
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✍🏽: @slimkeman in "Memorable Middle Earth"  Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
#faithhopelove #lotr #thefellowshipofthering #thelordoftherings #middleearth
The Bible stresses that despite our differences we The Bible stresses that despite our differences we are called to love each other above our political positions. “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity” (Colossians 3:12-14). You may feel like how politics and religion intersect in the public sphere communicate the exact opposite of this, and you’d be right. Media outlets report drama and conflict. Gracious and loving political opponents are not newsworthy.⁠
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✍🏽: Matthew Hamilton in "Our Identity In Christ Is Always Greater"  Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
📷: Photo by Lum3n from Pexels⁠
#politics #voting #love #loveyourneighbor #loveyourneighbornotmattertheirpolitics
The trees, with their bark, the skin of the forest The trees, with their bark, the skin of the forest, with its scars and wrinkles, lean toward me, and brush me with their limbs. The leaves beg me to examine their veins. “Have you seen this?” Each different, but each spectacular. The infinite busy creatures. The carpet of green, the dome of blue.⁠
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A few moments later, I feel like an amazing creature in a world amazingly made. I feel the astounding power of God, where the smallest thing around me, a leaf, an ant, is more complicated, and alive and amazing than anything humanity has ever thought of.⁠
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Really, there is nothing like it. The author C.S. Lewis noted that the best place to take a non-believing scientist or a real thinker is nature.  Eventually the noise of God in nature is deafening.⁠
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Once you’re in that place, just a few minutes into your walk, your mouth will hardly be able to keep from pouring out praise to God. It becomes so easy. Connecting to God like that, in praise, as a consequence of observing nature, is so freeing and so empowering that you will return to your office balanced and ready, clear headed and encouraged.⁠
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The prayer that most blesses God, most blesses the one who prays it. And there is almost no easier way than from within the sanctuary of nature, which itself raises up its branches to him in prayer with every sunrise.⁠
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✍🏽: Tom Koel in "Muting The Noise of the World - Deconstructing The Prayer Hike for City Dwellers"  Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
📷: Photo by Lum3n from Pexels⁠
#prayerhike #prayerworks #prayandpraise #prayerwalk #timewithgod #prayerchangesthings #heispraiseworthy #faithjourney
Each person comes to a Bible passage with his own Each person comes to a Bible passage with his own culture, language, and historical understanding. Sometimes we use these to interpret the Bible, but the hard work of bible study requires that you get rid of those things and interpret the passage by allowing it to speak for itself in its own language, cultural context, and historical background. In other words, interpretation is hard work because you are trying to to discover what the passage meant to its (original) audience 2000 years ago (even though we are reading it today). ⁠
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✍🏽: @the_christopherscott in "How Anyone Can Study The Bible"  Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
#biblestudy #biblestudytools #growingingod #godsword #spendingtimewithgod #biblejournaling #holybible #christianliving #biblescriptures #dailybiblereading
Everything we do should be done for the ultimate e Everything we do should be done for the ultimate enjoyment of God. For instance, our enjoyment of a loving relationship with our spouse is a reflection of our relationship with God, and is therefore something God uses in order for us to better understand his love and how we can love him better.⁠
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This entails that God has given us the Bible as a means to an end. The point of reading the Bible is to come to enjoy God better and more fully. It might seem odd, or even a little sacrilege to think of the Bible as a means to an end. This is because we rightly think of the Bible as holy or sacred. But, it is not God. It is holy and sacred insofar as it is the word of God, given to us so we can better understand who God is. ⁠
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By reading Scripture we learn more about God, his work in the world, his plan for us, and his expectations for us. This is one of the means God has provided for us to enjoy him more. In fact, St. Augustine of Hippo believed that if a Christian could hypothetically enjoy God perfectly in this life, that they would no longer need to read the Bible. Of course because we will not come to love God perfectly in this life, reading, meditating on, and yes, memorizing scripture, will regularly be a source of knowledge that help us to love God more. However, Augustine wants his readers to remember, that knowledge is not the goal for reading the Bible.⁠
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✍🏽: Jeffery Porter in "How A Roman Bishop Changed The Way I Read The Bible"  Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
📷: Photo by @ rickyrecap from Pexels⁠
#biblereading #heartknowledge #
People with unbelieving hearts only seek after wha People with unbelieving hearts only seek after what prospers them. Apart from Jesus, we set in motion lives filled with harm, with no hope and no future. A person can only have hope and a future when life is lived out for Christ. We get light through reading the Bible, prayer, and fellowship with other Christians. This light of life can be obtained through an open line of communication with the one who gives it—Jesus. Apart from him, life can appear meaningless. Our purpose in life is to glorify God with who we are and what we have. –Steven Butwell⁠
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"No one who trusts in you will ever be disgraced, but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive others." –Psalm 25:3 NLT⁠
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✍🏽: Steven Butwell in "The Light Christ"  Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
📷: Photo by @fotografierende from Pexels⁠
#hopeinchrist #hope #faith #godsplan #godisgood #hopeinthelord #bethelight #godislove #livinghop #thegospel #godislove #godisfaithful #christianliving #bethelightinthedarkness
What’s your favorite article in the new issue? F What’s your favorite article in the new issue? Follow the link in our bio to read it online or download it free to your tablet. ⁠
Even as God demonstrated love by sending Jesus to Even as God demonstrated love by sending Jesus to die on the cross to take punishment for our sins, God reminded people of the importance of fearing him. God is not only our savior, comforter, and friend who promises to be with us always (Hebrews 13:5; Matthew 28:20), but also the most powerful being in the universe. There is a place for the right kind of fear—the reverential awe and respect—in our lives.⁠
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✍🏽: Délice Williams in "Fear The Lord?" Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
📷: Photo by @emrrekuzu from Pexels⁠
Like the Psalmist, John describes Jesus as God’s Like the Psalmist, John describes Jesus as God’s Word who brings light and life to the darkness. Jesus is God’s Word that comes to us, to those who are dwelling in darkness. In fact, this is exactly what Jesus declares his mission to be in John 12:46: “I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.” This Light and Darkness imagery pervades the gospel of John. People love darkness because they don’t want their actions, thoughts, motives to be exposed by the light. But the truth is that deep down we need (and want) to be seen. We want to be loved despite our dirtiest deeds and foulest feelings. We need to restore the relationship that Adam and Eve once had with God–complete openness, and deep love–but we can’t do it on our own. Only God can (and did through Jesus) bring that relationship back.⁠
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✍🏽: Brandon Hurlbert in "The Light of God's Love"  Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
📷: Photo by Emre Kuzu from Pexels⁠
In John 15:1 Jesus says that God is the gardener a In John 15:1 Jesus says that God is the gardener and he prunes every branch that does not produce fruit. A person stuck in his or her ways of sin is like a prickly shrub growing a lot of branches with no fruit. These branches must be removed so good fruit can grow. In the same way as a bush is unable to prune itself, a person who is living in sin is unable to remove all the unfruitful branches in life. Paul described this condition in chapter seven of Romans when he called himself a wretched man and realized only Jesus can change him.⁠
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Jesus provides the essential elements for growth; he gives us his Word (the Bible) for fertilizer, other believers for sunshine, and the Holy Spirit for water. When our roots begin to receive this new water, sunshine, and fertilizer, new branches begin to grow. This time the branches are not prickly bushes, but beautiful new branches adorned with the fruit of “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self control,” (Galatians 5:22). Our old acquaintances will marvel at who we have become. When we allow God to be the gardener, he will shape us into his design.⁠
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✍🏽: Delbert Teachout in "God The Gardener"  Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
📷: Photo by Timothy Grindall from Pexels
As new creations, those who have been forgiven by As new creations, those who have been forgiven by and reconciled to Jesus, we now have the task of being reconciled to each other. As Christians, we are not just called to forgive others in our hearts but keep them at an arm’s length away. No, we are called to be of one heart and one mind (Acts 4:32) with our brothers and sisters—we are called to be reconciled.⁠
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✍🏽: Brandon Hurlbert in "Repairing Broken Bridges"  Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
We are faced with a challenge: to make God the cen We are faced with a challenge: to make God the center and purpose of our lives in a world of demands. God asks us to listen for his voice, and it’s no wonder why he chose to speak to Elijah in a “still, small voice” in 1 Kings 19:12-13. He doesn’t always shout at us because he wants us to choose to listen, to put other things aside so that all of our focus is towards discerning his will in the specifics of our lives. We have his will for us in general, as communicated in the Bible, which is to make disciples of all nations, to glorify the one true God, to serve no other gods, to love our neighbors as ourselves, etc., but sometimes we need to figure out how those general plans fit the specifics of our lives. Hearing God’s voice is part of how we relate to him, but in those moments of uncertainty, quieting ourselves becomes even more important.⁠
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✍🏽: @sarahjoysly in "Listening For A Whisper"  Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
📷: Photo by Jara from Pexels⁠
Imagine if every Christian started praying to God Imagine if every Christian started praying to God and asking for him to bless us with gifts of encouragement for the sake of the world around us. The Church would make an immediate impact on the lives of people.⁠
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✍🏽: @lukegeraty in "The Gift of Encouragement from the Great Encourager"  Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
📷: Photo by Lum3n from Pexels⁠
Everything sad will come untrue because we are not Everything sad will come untrue because we are not doomed to be forever parted with those we love, nor will our souls simply turn to dust and fade with the memory of those we leave behind.⁠
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✍🏽: @slimkeman in "Memorable Middle Earth - Why I'm Always Tolkien In Movie Quotes"  Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
📷: Photo by Dirk Förster from Flickr
"Remembering God's promises and his faithfulness a "Remembering God's promises and his faithfulness as a community will help us to endure our sorrows for the night, for joy comes in the morning." @slimkeman from his article The Beauty of Community & The Beast of Isolation 🌤 Can you name some of God's promises that keep you encouraged and grounded? We'd love to hear in the comments below - and just maybe it might be the hope someone else is needing right now! 🤗⁠
“Every night I lie in bed, the brightest colors “Every night I lie in bed, the brightest colors fill my head. A million dreams are keepin’ me awake. I think of what the world could be, a vision of the one I see. A million dreams is all it’s gonna take. A million dreams for the world we’re gonna make.” ⁠
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As P.T. Barnum sings these words to Charity in the beautiful montage of their young lives, we are captivated by the hope that they share, the possibilities of their bright future, and the chance of their love overcoming the wall between privilege and poverty that keeps them apart. The Greatest Showman asks us to wrestle with the quest for the holy grail of our modern world: success and happiness. ⁠
What is the good life? If a million of our wildest dreams came true, would we truly be happy?⁠
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In Jesus, we find a man who invites us into his presence with these words: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). He is the only one who can fill “the infinite abyss” of desire in our souls. When you have fully devoted yourself and your dreams to your Creator, you will discover that “everything you ever want” and “everything you ever need” is “right here in front of you” in Christ Jesus.⁠
{Steve Limekman}⁠
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✍🏼: by @slimkeman in “The Greatest Showman”  Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com by clicking on the link in our bio ⁠
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📸: from newidentitymagazine
Every day in sub-Saharan Africa, one child in ten Every day in sub-Saharan Africa, one child in ten under the age of five dies of a preventable cause, and nearly every day in America eight in ten adults consume coffee. What do these numbers have to do with each other? A lot, according to the One Cup Project, which is using America’s love for coffee to reduce the number of children dying in Africa by converting coffee profits into life-saving aid.⁠
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The One Cup Project started in 2010, when Christian Kar, the founder of an award-winning Seattle-based coffee company, partnered with the Christian humanitarian aid organization, World Vision.Remarkably, every dollar spent on One Cup Coffee generates a dollar of aid for Africa.⁠
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Buy some coffee, put up a post on your Facebook page, ask your church, local café, or workplace to change their coffee, or run a One Cup Fundraiser. In doing so, you just may help hurting people find healing, hope, and life. Change the world for the better, one cup at a time.⁠
{Thame Fuller}⁠
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✍🏼: @thamefuller in “One Cup Project”  Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com by clicking on the link in our bio or click on this link to take you directly to the One Cup website: https://onecup.org/our-story/⁠
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📸: by @AftaPuta from Pexels
When someone accepts Jesus, they leave their old p When someone accepts Jesus, they leave their old priorities behind and make Jesus the center of their life. Jesus calls each of us to share the good news with the world. He came to give living water to a thirsty world, and we have the honor and privilege of sharing his message by the power of the Holy Spirit (John 7:37-39).⁠
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The most important thing you can do is enter each conversation with a posture of prayer. Pray for the person you’re sharing with, that God would open their heart to accept him. Pray that God would give you the words to say. And a loving way to say them.⁠
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Expect God to work in your relationship and use you to share Jesus through your friendship in his own timing. No matter how long you have been a believer, you can share Jesus with the confidence that he is with you and that he will use you for his glory.⁠
{Eric Gulley}⁠
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✍🏼: Eric Gulley in “Sharing Your Faith”  Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com by clicking on the link in our bio ⁠
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📸: by @OliverSjostrom from Pexels
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THE BEAUTY OF THE BRIDE

It's not uncommon to have an unpleasant church going experience or be turned off by the words, behaviors or attitudes of other Christians in your community. Flawed … [Read More...]

ARE CHRISTIANS TOO FOCUSED ON GETTING CONVERTS?

In the last issue we covered the first perception mentioned in the book UnChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity: And Why It Matters by … [Read More...]

SMALL CAN BE BIG

As the downturn in the economy began to take its toll in late 2008, the homeless situation in Massachusetts worsened. With good jobs and reasonable rent becoming … [Read More...]

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