“A person can request forgiveness only so many times,” contends our common sense. If the devil can convince us that God’s grace has limited funds, we’ll draw the logical conclusion. The account is empty. No access to God.

“Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.” Jesus spoke these words to a paraplegic as recorded in Matthew 9:2. Jesus was thinking about our deepest problem—sin. He was considering our deepest fear—the fear of failing God. God keeps no list of our wrongs. His love casts out fear because he casts out sin. 1 John 3:20 says,“If our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things” (NKJV).

Read more Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear

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Years ago, we had this 1998 Oldsmobile, and it had behavior problems. You could say it was acting up again. I was thinking about this one time that it seemed to be having lots of problems at the same time. So my wife and I looked at each other and said, "It's time to take it to Mr. Oldsmobile." So, we dropped it off at the local Oldsmobile dealer's garage. Of course, they knew exactly what was wrong and exactly what had to be done. Of course! That shouldn't be a big surprise. They represented the manufacturer. And the manufacturer knows how it runs best. Right?

I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "Sex and the Inventor."

In our lifetime, our culture has gone through a culturequake that probably registers about a 9.5 on the Richter scale. One area that has been severely shaken is our beliefs about sex. So much so, that our culture is just rapidly redefining what's normal, including sexual relationships outside of marriage, sexual relationships with the same sex, sex where the only deciding factor is whether you can do it safely.

But sex is just too powerful; it's too beautiful to risk messing it up. I'd like to think that this bombardment of sexual ideas has left God's people untouched, but you know better than that. That's why it's time to take this wonderful invention called sex right back to the Manufacturer to see how it's supposed to run. Because the quake has left too many victims scarred, and lonely, and devalued, and struggling with guilt, and shame, and brokenness.

Remember, no one knows more about sex than the Inventor. So let's go to the Manufacturer's manual - you may know it as the Bible - and we'll see what the Manufacturer of sex says about His invention in our word for today from the Word of God. It begins with Mark 10:6. Jesus is talking. "At the beginning God made them male and female." Okay, so God thought up this whole thing. "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore, what God has joined together, let man not separate."

Now the Inventor of sex says He designed it to be an exclusive language of love with only one person in your life - the person of the opposite sex to whom you are committed in a lifetime covenant called marriage. Anything else is abnormal sex - sex as it was never meant to be, sex that can never deliver the fulfillment and love and excitement that belongs only to those who wait for and limit themselves to Designer Love.

The debates over abstinence and safe sex, living together, and same-sex relationships tend to be a clash of human values and viewpoints. What we're talking about here is the Inventor's word on sex. The user doesn't have the final word. The Inventor does. His word is final. It doesn't matter what percent of any group believes differently or what the culture says is normal or what your glands or rationalizations say is okay. The Creator of sex has spoken. He's never changed His mind. Sex is for one man with one woman, committed to each other for life. And the Creator of sex is also the Judge of all mankind - the One to whom we will give account for what we have done with His powerful gift of sex.

You may very well say, "You know, I have crossed the boundaries of God more than once." And the Bible says, in fact, we will stand before Him in judgment for all of our actions that have violated His boundaries - outside of His fence...His laws. But I have wonderful news for you. The very things you're thinking about right now that may have brought shame and guilt and great concern about the judgment you may face are the very things Jesus was nailed to a cross to die for, pay for, and forgive you for.

This very day He could give you a brand new beginning. The Bible says you can be clean

A life of substance will outlast any surface-level fixes or cosmetics. Ephesians 4 reveals the dramatic shift from deathly rags to a new identity. In this message, Pastor Philip Miller decodes our spiritual wardrobe change. It's time we stopped rationalizing our rags as royalty—after all, self-delusion even makes 90% of us believe we're above-average drivers.

This is part two of the sermon, "New Life."

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Moody Church Media [https://www.moodymedia.org/], home of "Living Hope" and "Moody Church Hour," exists to bring glory to God through the transformation of lives. 

Dr. Philip Miller is the 17th Senior Pastor of The Moody Church. He is the featured speaker on "Living Hope" and "Moody Church Hour," with programs broadcasting on 700 outlets in the U.S. He and his wife Krista live in Chicago with their four children. Pastor Philip is passionate about proclaiming God's Word, cultivating healthy ministry, and investing in future leaders. 

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When God answers prayer in ways we don't expect, we're reminded that we need Him more than the answers. Knowing Him is more vital than getting what we want. In this message from Hebrews 11, Pastor Lutzer provides three observations about those suffering in the will of God. Is our relationship with God stronger than our suffering?

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Moody Church Media [https://www.moodymedia.org/], home of "Running To Win," exists to bring glory to God through the transformation of lives. 

Erwin W. Lutzer is Pastor Emeritus of The Moody Church in Chicago, where he served as Senior Pastor for 36 years. He is a prolific author of over seventy books. A clear expositor of the Bible, he is the featured speaker on "Running To Win" and "Songs In The Night," with programs broadcasting on over a thousand outlets in the U.S. and across more than fifty countries in seven languages. He and his wife, Rebecca, live in the Chicago area. They have three grown children and eight grandchildren. 

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We often have tendency to grin and bear it when God doesn't answer our prayers. But God's grace shines brightest through our weakness. In this message, Pastor Lutzer identifies the features of Paul's triumphant prayer: the request, God's reply, and Paul's response. Will God's grace be sufficient? 

This month's special offer is available for a donation of any amount. Get yours at https://offerrtw.com or call us at 1-800-215-5001. 

Moody Church Media [https://www.moodymedia.org/], home of "Running To Win," exists to bring glory to God through the transformation of lives. 

Erwin W. Lutzer is Pastor Emeritus of The Moody Church in Chicago, where he served as Senior Pastor for 36 years. He is a prolific author of over seventy books. A clear expositor of the Bible, he is the featured speaker on "Running To Win" and "Songs In The Night," with programs broadcasting on over a thousand outlets in the U.S. and across more than fifty countries in seven languages. He and his wife, Rebecca, live in the Chicago area. They have three grown children and eight grandchildren. 

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Following Jesus isn’t about adding God to your life … it’s about dying to yourself.  Today on BOLD STEPS, Mark Jobe challenges cultural Christianity with biblical truth.  Matthew 10 unpacks the commitment test of discipleship—why Jesus brings a sword, not peace, and what it means to truly make Him Lord.  Listen to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe.

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The post A Fresh Word from God Part 1 appeared first on Key Life.

The thinning of the soul needs the robustness of Truth. 

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Regardless of your circumstances, you can still become the person your heavenly Father wants you to be.

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