Today, we’re wrapping up our first half-truth series. If you know your bible, you know the bible says that we reap what we sow. But we need to be able to discern between true, anchored hope, and false hope.

We should give; we are absolutely called to be generous. But when we give, we need to check our hearts. Are we giving to be seen? Or are we giving as an act of sacrificial worship to our King?

Verses Referenced: 2 Corinthians 9:6-11; Genesis 12:2; Luke 21:1-4; Zechariah 8:13; Luke 12:48; Acts 20:35; Philippians 4:12-13; Acts 20:35; Revelation 22:17

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Articles Referenced:
Benny Hinn Is My Uncle, but Prosperity Preaching Isn't for Me by Costi Hinn

Did Paul Teach the Prosperity Gospel? by Sam Storms

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You can find Chara at Anchored Voices | Facebook | Twitter

Episode Image Credit: Getty/Anna Semenchenko

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This saying is meant to boost self-esteem. But self-esteem is a fickle thing, and the Bible never tells us to seek it. But when we look to the only perfect person to walk the earth, Christ, we find a better thing than self-esteem.

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Verses Referenced:
Hebrews 10:12-13; Job 1:3; Job 1:8; Job 3:1–3; Philippians 3:12; Ephesians 1:3-7; 2 Cor 3:18; 2 Peter 3:18; Colossians 1:21-22; Philippians 1:6

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Articles Referenced:
Development of Self-Esteem From Age 4 to 94 Years: A Meta-Analysis of Longitudinal Studies by Ulrich Orth, Ruth Yasemin Erol, Eva C. Luciano

You Are Not Enough, and That's Okay by Asheritah Ciuciu

6 Lies We Believe Every Day and How to Combat Them with Truth by Chara Donahue

Identity Crisis by Kate Franken

When Your Significance and Identity Get Tested by Stephen Kendrick and Lawrence Kimbrough

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You can find Chara at Anchored Voices | Facebook | Twitter

Episode Image Credit: Getty/Ponomariova_Maria

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Many of us who glory in our independence love to say, “God is the only one I need.” When we do this, we miss out on one of the great gifts of God: the family of believers God has given us. God clearly says he will meet our needs, not be the only one we need. Just look at our origin story- “It is not good for man to be alone.”

Verses Referenced:
Philippians 4:19; Romans 8:32; Genesis 2:18; Hebrews 10:24-25; Matthew 21:1-3

You can find Chara at Anchored Voices | Facebook | Twitter

Episode Image Credit: Getty/Наталья Кириллова

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The Bible clearly says “Judge not.” But, it also says “Judge rightly.” You can make a defense for both if you pick out individual verses, so let’s explore all of them a bit more, in context, to get a better understanding of judgment.

Articles Referenced: Judge Not, That You May Judge Well by Jon Bloom

Books Referenced: All That's Good: Recovering the Lost Art of Discernment by Hannah Anderson

Verses Referenced: Matthew 7:1-5, Matthew 7:16-20, John 7:15, Luke 6:37-38, James 4:12, 1 Corinthians 4:3-4, John 8:3-7, John 7:16-24, 1 Corinthians 5, 1 Corinthians 2:14-16, 1 Samuel 16:7

You can find Chara at Anchored Voices | Facebook | Twitter

Episode Image Credit: Getty/nadia_bormotova

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Is All Sin Equal? Yes… and no. Yes, all sin is equal in that all sin separates us from God. Apart from the saving grace of Jesus Christ, all sin – big and small - condemns us. For those who believe, all sin is also covered by the blood of the cross.

However, not all sin is equal in that there are varying consequences for varying sins. In this episode, Chara talks about different consequences for different types of sins and why we should think about this as we wrestle through our own "little sins."

Verse Referenced: Roman 3:23; Romans 5:18-19; James 2:10; Matthew 11:23-24; 1 John 2:2; Luke 12:42-48; Galatians 6:7; Romans 6; Romans 6:23

Articles Referenced:

Billy Graham's Answer: What Is Sin? Are All Sins Equal in God's Eyes? By Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
Little Sins by C.H. Spurgeon

You can find Chara at Anchored Voices | Facebook | Twitter

Episode Image Credit: Getty/BananVandam

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This is one of the oldest excuses in the book. In fact, this is the first excuse man and woman make after they sin. Is there any truth in this phrase? In this episode, Chara looks at legitimate instances of spiritual stronghold from the enemy, and when "the devil made me do it," becomes a mere excuse.

Verses referenced: Genesis 3:11-13; 1 Peter 5:8-9; Ephesians 6:10-17; Mark 5; Luke 22:3-6; Luke 8:2; Mark 1:21-28; Mark 9:14-29; Romans 5:8; Galatians 3:2-3; 1 Corinthians 10:13; 2 Corinthians 10:5; Luke 22:40

Song referenced: From Now On from The Greatest Showman Soundtrack

Articles:
10 Steps to Take Against Sin You Can't Shake by Chara Donahue

You can find Chara at Anchored Voices | Facebook | Twitter

Episode Image Credit: Getty/shtonado

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This is one of those half-truths. God wants us to be happy. He also wants us to be holy. It’s not an either/or, it’s a both/and.

In this episode, Chara helps us understand how to think about our happiness and what God does and does not desire for us.

Verses Referenced: Psalm 37:4, Galatians 5:16, 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, 1 John 2:17, Psalm 37:9-11, 1 John 2:17, Ephesians 1:7, Philippians 4:4, Romans 15:13, Psalm 16:8-9,11, Hebrews 11:24-25

Articles Referenced:
10 Desires of Your Heart God Always Says Yes To by Chara Donahue
Christian Hedonism by John Piper, Desiring God

Book Referenced: Glorious Weakness by Alia Joy

You can find Chara at Anchored Voices | Facebook | Twitter

Episode Image Credit: Getty/Nadia Bormotova

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We struggle in a society where no absolute truth is acknowledged, where “your truth” and “my truth” can be completely opposite and yet somehow equally “true.” In an attempt to be tolerant, we have risked giving up the discernment needed to draw a line between what is true and false. We are settling for individualized truth rather than what is true.

Jesus himself declared “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” This isn’t pride. This is sacred fact.

In this episode, Chara takes us through Jesus’ trial in front of Pontius Pilate, and how Pontius’ rejection of absolute truth paved the road to the cross. The dangers of relative truth then, are still dangerous to us now.

You can find Chara at: Anchored Voices | Facebook | Twitter

Verses Referenced: John 14:6, John: 18 28-40, Matthew 7:15-20, John 6:60-69

Articles Referenced: What Is Truth? By Ron Graham

Episode Image Credit: Getty/BRO Vector

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This phrase is so popular that even Dictionary.com has an origin story for it. In this episode, we dive into why "cleanliness is next to Godliness" is problematic.

Chara helps us understand why there were so many rules and regulations around cleanliness in the Old Testament, and what, if anything, we can and should take from that today.

Scripture Referenced in This Episode:
John 13:21, 1 Corinthians 14:40, Matthew 15, Luke 15, Leviticus 13:45-46, 2 Kings 5, Luke 5:12-15, 1 Corinthians 6:7-11, 1 John 1:7-9, Hebrews 9: 11-15, Psalm 51

Website Referenced:
Dictionary.com

Articles Referenced:
10 Stories from the Bible That Rarely Make It into Sermons by Chara Donahue

You can find Chara at: Anchored Voices | Facebook | Twitter

Episode Image Credit: Getty/Nuthawut Somsuk

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Too many people explain away the toxicity in their relationships with this saying. What does the Bible say about love? It says: love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

In this episode, Chara looks specifically at how love keeps no records of wrongs and does not delight in evil. She looks at the story of Samson as an example of what happens to someone who lives by the notion that love is blind.

Verses Referenced: 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, Hebrews 5:13-14, Philippians 1:9-10, Judges 13-16, Ephesians 5:11-16, Genesis 16

Books Referenced: The Emotionally Destructive Marriage by Leslie Vernick

Articles Referenced: The God Who Sees by Kara Williams

Episode Image Credit: Getty/mightyisland

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