Four out of every ten households in the United States are blended families. So, 40 percent of all married parents nationwide have children from a previous marriage or relationship. Having a blended family is not easy, but there are ten strategies stepparents can use to create a safe and supportive stepfamily.
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We all have dreams for our marriages. Most of us dream of having a long, fulfilling, and happy marriage. Nobody who’s about to get married thinks, “I hope this marriage doesn’t work out very well!”
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As you look at your finances, your relationships, your career, and your spiritual life today, can you honestly say, “This is as good as it gets; God has nothing more in store for me than what I am experiencing right now”?
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It is a countercultural, widely unacceptable notion to say you are not the owner of your own body. Again and again we instead read or hear things like this: “You are your own person. What you do with your body is entirely up to you. It’s nobody else’s business.” So when we read Paul’s reminder to the Corinthian church in 1 Corinthians 6:19–20, it hits like a ballistic missile, exploding the mythologies of ...
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I heard about a mother who was reading exciting Bible stories to her young daughter one night. The little girl turned to her and said, “Mommy, it seems like God was a lot more exciting back then.” Maybe it seems that way because we don’t apply faith. The men and women of the Bible took risks, and God blessed them.
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Our lives are fragile. The roof over our head may be gone tomorrow. The money in our savings account might disappear. Those dear to us in our immediate family circle may be absent in the near future. The fragility of life alone generates uncertainty and fear in some people.
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How do you build your life on the solid rock of Jesus Christ? By holding on to something that is secure and immovable. That's why Paul says, "[S]tand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter" (2 Thessalonians 2:15). Those teachings—the Truth of the Gospel, the foundation of the Christian faith as it was handed to us from ...
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…Take care to recognize the order and magnitude of blessings mentioned in these verses. First, the Creator God of all has selected us to be His own. Second, because of His ownership of us, He has declared us to be holy, just as He is holy. Third, He has adopted us into His family by His predetermined knowledge. And finally, as Christians, we are bound for heaven, and that is ...
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Many teach the importance of a second blessing from God or the need for a special anointing. However, this is inconsistent with the Gospel. When we believe in Jesus, we are given everything we need for life and godliness including the fullness of the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:3-4; Ephesians 1:3, 13-14).
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There’s nothing subtle about alarms. All potential distractions melt into oblivion when a blaring siren commands our focus. By design, they drown out all other noises and demand our attention. In the same way, when the apostle John heard the voice of the glorified Christ on Patmos, it was startling, arresting, and commanding.
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