Tag Archives: lay it down

Lay Down Your Relationships, part 1

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Carl Simmons

Let’s pick up where we left off yesterday, at the end of Matthew 19: “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold … Continue reading →

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Lay Down Your Possessions

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Carl Simmons

Now the rubber starts hitting the road even more violently. Not that it’s easy at all to deal with all the internal stuff we’re been addressing for most of these previous devotionals, but let’s face it: At some point, all … Continue reading →

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Lay Down Your Reputation, part 2

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Carl Simmons

In the first part of this meditation/devotional (found here), we looked at the reputations we try to keep, and how we tend to use them as a way to rely on the love of others rather than the love of … Continue reading →

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Lay Down Your Strength: the fuller version

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Carl Simmons

Our strength—or rather, our reliance upon it—is still pride. And because of that, it must be broken. Watchman Nee, in his book Changed Into His Likeness, put it this way, “The characteristic of those who truly know God is that … Continue reading →

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It’s a New Day… because it HAS to be.

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Carl Simmons

I’ll try to keep this one short but personal. Well, first of all: If you’re reading this, thanks. I hope you’ve found these postings useful, inspirational, or something positive. ‘Cause now, things are gonna change up a bit. Over the … Continue reading →

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Lay Down Your Baggage: a small-group session

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Carl Simmons

For our purposes today, I’ve edited this so you won’t need to read through the devotionals that go with this study. Should you want to read them anyway, they’ll be in bits and pieces under the following names: Lay Down … Continue reading →

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Lay Down Your Independence

Posted on December 16, 2011 by Carl Simmons

We’ve spent a lot of time in recent Fridays talking about how to deal with our feelings toward those who’ve opposed and hurt us. Therefore, we’re going to widen our net ever-so-slightly to include one more enemy—you. All of us … Continue reading →

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Lay Down Your Doubt — a start

Posted on December 9, 2011 by Carl Simmons

Our anxiety expresses itself through doubt. And our doubt expresses itself by taking things into our own hands. Whether we say it or even consciously think it, trying to make things happen on our own says, at best, “God’s not … Continue reading →

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Pieces of Pick Up Your New Life

Posted on November 18, 2011 by Carl Simmons

(Not to fear: This is the standard Friday Lay It Down feature. However, in this case it’s rudimentary thoughts for the final week/chapter…. because we’re not just called to lay things down, after all….) Just as we’re here because we’ve … Continue reading →

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Lay Down Your Idols

Posted on November 11, 2011 by Carl Simmons

We have been created for worship. Therefore, we will ultimately worship something, even if it’s something less than God. Peter Kreeft, in Christianity for Modern Pagans, aptly points out, “The alternative to theism is not atheism but idolatry.” Even as … Continue reading →

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