Christ will un-train and un-teach us when we open up to the infinite possibilities of God. Undoing our worldly upbringing will be painful, yet our spiritual wellbeing depends on it. We should be encouraged by the fact that losing ourselves in return for gaining Christ is an eternally great deal.

If we churchgoers in the west want to make effective strides toward God's kingdom, then it is imperative that we suspend our imaginary status as a bunch of Mr. Know-it-all's. This is the main obstacle that lies between churchgoing America embracing the un-reached condition of our own United States. If we embrace our humble finiteness, especially in relation to our Savior's infinitude, then He might cause us to get somewhere spiritually.

Godly students of any age know at least this much about themselves: They don't know everything yet. This is also the fundamental prerequisite to learning anything.

Who is willing to unlearn everything they think they know? Who is willing to take life-altering chances in the name of Christ?

Youthful people seem best equipped for learning new, unexpected things. Youthful hearts are better fit to handle difficult discussions, because they are more easily stretched and grown. Not that being youthful is virtuous in itself, nor am I necessarily talking about age. If an older person is spiritually and mentally flexible, then that person has been wise enough to maintain the spiritual benefit of youthfulness.

It's not that youthfulness is impossible for elderly people, it's just that youthfulness is more prevalent in youth. Nevertheless, for the sole reason that God is great, therefore there is a remnant of His people of every age in this country.

Youthful hearts seem to bear a more useful, active quality of fruit as they deal with issues involving themselves because their innocent minds are better suited to change if needs be. This confirms what Christ says, that, unless we become like children, we cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.

Childlike faith is more likely to please God, because such faith simply believes what God says. Much of God's kingdom consists of listening to Christ and taking Him at His word.

If you still harbor disillusionment from negligent fathers, whether they were related by blood or by spirit, then now is the best time to cast this aside and focus only on Christ. Set aside all that hangs over you, or whatever it is that distracts you from listening to your Heavenly Advocate, who is Christ.

Faith is not just a shot in the dark. Christ helps those who ask Him for help and He guides those who ask for guidance.

Christ is always available to tell us what God thinks about us. Are you in doubt? Then talk to Christ about it.

Bear in mind that we won't be able to rightly understand our relation to Almighty God until we cast aside our man-made standards of measurement. Fleshly estimations are as limited as they are predictable. But God proves Himself to be God by being impossible for us to predict or measure.

As we submit to Christ He will wean us off of our love for man-made measurements. That is, when we submit to Christ's Spirit, then He will make us a spiritual people.

We can trust Christ's opinion about us because He is unhindered by all the sin that twists and discolors our natural understanding. If we think we don't need to ask Christ about His opinion of us then we are tragically misguided.

We do well to relinquish our willpower or whatever ability we think we possess for keeping ourselves in line with Him. It is Christ who compels us to stay on His track despite our best efforts otherwise.

This means that you should not trust what I say unless the Spirit of Christ confirms it. As long as the Spirit is our Main Teacher we will have to worry about man-inspired misdirection.

Such times as these seem full of uncertainty, but even our doubtfulness ought to lead us toward trusting Christ more tenaciously. We can depend on His wisdom as He gives and we can depend on His love as He takes away. And when He speaks our best response is to be quite, listen and trust.

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