Gwen Lara - Page 25 of 41 - Weigh Down Ministries

August 22, 2024

Partial Obedience

Obedience is tested only when we confront something we do not want to do. In I Samuel 15 it tells of God ordering King Saul to totally annihilate an enemy. Through Samuel, God told Saul: “Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.” I Samuel 15:3...

August 23, 2024

Examining Our Own Heart

It is the heart we should examine. The person devoted to cleaning up what is outside their own heart is not doing what Christ did. Christ loved and obeyed the Father and taught others to do the same...

August 24, 2024

It Comes Down to Love

Mark 12:29-31 is the summary of all the laws that God has given us in life, and all the words of every Preacher who has ever been sent down on Earth, every Prophet, are all summed up in the following: “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these." ...

August 25, 2024

Telling Yourself the Truth

We must tell ourselves the truth. The world will tell you that you are overweight from eating the wrong foods, that it is genetic, that it is your hormones or a metabolism problem. This is not true. Notice the pattern. All of these lies have one thing in common… they take the responsibility out of your hands and put the blame on the food, your mother, your genes, or anything but yourself..

August 26, 2024

Jacob and Esau

In the book of Hebrews, the Apostle Paul refers to the story of Jacob and Esau, and he interprets this story that has been so misunderstood: Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. He could bring about no change of mind, though he sought the blessing with tears. Hebrews 12:14-17 Esau is referred to as “godless.” He sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son for a single meal, and yet Jacob fought, planned, yearned for the birthright and the blessings

August 27, 2024

A New Perspective on Difficult Situations…

A caterpillar essentially “dies” in its cocoon so that a butterfly can emerge. Consider the spring that follows a harsh, deadly winter. Every year we watch trees lose their leaves, appearing to die; yet they come back to life bigger and stronger than the year before. Another symbol of life from death around us is the daily example of the long, cold night and the warmth of the morning sun rising again. We have to believe that the sun will rise again. Jesus drew a great word picture for us..