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Pray first, not last

Philippians 4:6–7 -  Do not be anxious about anything,   but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.   7  And the peace of God,   which transcends all understanding,   will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. We make countless decisions in life. Some are major decisions—about our family, ministry, finances, career, relationships and future. Others seem insignificant—what to do today, whom to call, what to say, where to go, what opportunity to pursue. If we are honest with ourselves, our initial reaction when faced with a decision is often  anxiety . We think: “What if I make the wrong decision?” “What if this doesn't work?” “What if I choose wrongly?” And because we are anxious, we often rush into making decisions. We use our intellect. We draw from our experience. We ask our friends and colleagues. We have discussions. We weigh the pros and cons. Then we make our decisio...
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The privilege of Grace

Romans 5:1  —  “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul begins with  “Therefore.”  He is drawing a conclusion from everything he has said about justification by faith. We are not made right with God because we have become good enough.    We are made right because Christ has done for us what we could never do for ourselves.   1. JUSTIFIED — I have been made right with God   “Having been justified by faith…”   To be justified means that God declares us righteous because of what Christ has done. We sometimes explain it as  “just as if I had never sinned.”  That helps us understand the wonder of forgiveness, although justification is even greater than that: God doesn't merely pretend our sin never happened; Christ has paid for it, and God declares us righteous because of Christ.   What a privilege!   Psalm 103:12  says: As far as the east is fro...
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