Restoring Rapport

There is an idea that has slipped into the heart of man. It says that if you love anything other than God with all your heart, you're making an "idol" of that thing. There is so much wrong with that idea that I don't know where to begin. So often, people feel like they have to "give up" everything and crush every desire of their heart, counting all that they yearn for as rubbish, in order to follow Jesus and prioritize God. That idea couldn't be more false and harmful. I'd like to submit to you the idea that God is actually the one who put desires and yearnings in your heart to begin with, and He has no desire for you to throw them out the window. Prioritizing God does NOT mean minimizing or degrading your wants. You are not making idols out of your passions by valuing them! God created things in this life for you to ENJOY, and it's not selfish of you to embrace the beautiful pleasures He's given you. Because God loves you, He implanted des

"For what use is it to gain all the wealth and power of this world, with everything it could offer you, at the cost of your own life?" -TPT. As I grow older, I'm learning that we, as friends of Jesus, take many of His words and unintentionally use them to support an idea that was not behind their original intent. Mark 8:36 can be used in many different ways to support many different beliefs. In the past, it has been used to support the idea that man must "take up his cross" and "follow Jesus," denying the desires of his heart and taking the "hard path" in order to go to "heaven." I'm going to not only rebut that interpretation, but give you a new one with a quite opposite message. If you read Mark chapter 8, in verse 34, Jesus does, at first glance, appear to be telling His followers to "deny themselves," surrender all the desires of their heart, and follow the order of the monk in a continuous state of self-denial

There's a huge subject of debate in christian circles (and even secular psychology circles) about whether mankind is good or evil by nature. Is mankind a good being that's just capable of being corrupted? Or is mankind evil by nature and incapable of yearning for good? This question is really a lot harder to answer than you would think. In this post, I'm just going to give you some things to think about when it comes to the nature of man. (When I say "man" or "mankind" in this post, I'm referring to humanity, both man and woman. Not just men.) Most people come to one of two conclusions regarding the nature of man: 1. Man is created in the image of God, and therefore good by nature. Mankind is drawn to good and he doesn't have a sin nature. 2. Man is born with an inbred "sin nature" that causes man to gravitate toward sin, harm, and separation from what is good. I would like to submit to you the idea that instead of having a &quo