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Let’s talk about slavery. I’m not speaking about what happens around our world every day, or what went on in our country 150 years ago. I’m speaking to Christians who willingly came to Jesus and said, “I want to be your slave.” I’m talking about Christian slavery. There are times when reminding yourself that you are not serving an Americanized version of God is vital. Read Here: https://rickthomas.net/when-the-slave-battles-his-master-for-ultimate-control/ Will you help us so we can continue to provide free content to the world? You can become a supporting member here rickthomas.net/recurring-membership/ Or you can make a one-time or recurring donation(s) here https://rickthomas.net/donations/

Living in hope while resisting the temptation of victimhood can be the hurt person’s most significant struggle. Hope is vital when bad things happen to any of us. Too often, legitimate victims place their hope on the wrong things, even if it’s anger or revenge. These inferior hopes do not have to be wrong, but they are not redemptive. False hope never provides what you need. Thus, these victims embark on a journey of ever-changing hopes until they find the one right answer. I was one of these victims. Read Here: https://rickthomas.net/reflective-study-on-victimhood-and-the-need-for-hope/ Will you help us so we can continue to provide free content to the world? You can become a supporting member here rickthomas.net/recurring-membership/ Or you can make a one-time or recurring donation(s) here https://rickthomas.net/donations/

Before you go any further in this article, please answer this question. The reason I want you to do this is that your definitions of empathy and sympathy will describe who you are, how you think, and the kind of care you provide for others. Because of this radicalized #metoo, egalitarian, caustic world in which we live, knowing the problem with empathy is vital for every follower of Christ. Read Here: https://rickthomas.net/the-destructive-force-of-empathy-and-why-you-need-to-know/ Will you help us so we can continue to provide free content to the world? You can become a supporting member here rickthomas.net/recurring-membership/ Or you can make a one-time or recurring donation(s) here https://rickthomas.net/donations/

When you think about doing ministry, what comes to mind? What thoughts do you have when you hear the words "being missional through ministry." Two things that should be somewhere near the top of your list are a biblical understanding of missional ministry and where to begin. I'm going to answer those two questions, and then give you a sequential action plan to help in your care for others. Read Here: https://rickthomas.net/if-you-do-these-things-you-will-be-a-missional-friend/ Will you help us so we can continue to provide free content to the world? You can become a supporting member here rickthomas.net/recurring-membership/ Or you can make a one-time or recurring donation(s) here https://rickthomas.net/donations/

Recently, I had a meeting with a pastor. He wanted to know how he could lead his church more effectively in discipleship. I am going to share with you the fruit of that conversation. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed thinking with my pastor friend about how to love God by helping others do soul care. Read Here: https://rickthomas.net/how-to-disciple-someone-so-they-will-care-for-others/ Will you help us so we can continue to provide free content to the world? You can become a supporting member here rickthomas.net/recurring-membership/ Or you can make a one-time or recurring donation(s) here https://rickthomas.net/donations/

It is exceptional for a lazy person to be lazy. If you observe their lives, you will see many biblical qualities like intentionality, pre-meditation, work ethic, and imagination. The primary problem is not their laziness, though you may feel that the most. The underlying heart issue is that they have a “pleasure disorder” that motivates them to use their God-given abilities to serve themselves more than others. Read More: https://rickthomas.net/lazy-people-arent-lazy-primarily-but-have-a-pleasure-disorder/ Will you help us so we can continue to provide free content to the world? You can become a supporting member here rickthomas.net/recurring-membership/ Or you can make a one-time or recurring donation(s) here https://rickthomas.net/donations/

Is your small group living in-depth, transparent, intentional reciprocating lives, who have strong desires to change personally and as a group? Perhaps it’s a men’s group or a community of ladies. It could be a mixed group that meets to go over the sermon or a book. How would you describe those gatherings? Here is one of the pitfalls that can stagnate any community group in shallowness, no transformative force, and frustration. Read here: https://rickthomas.net/the-revolutionary-cure-for-shallow-small-group-frustration/ Will you help us so we can continue to provide free content to the world? You can become a supporting member here rickthomas.net/recurring-membership/ Or you can make a one-time or recurring donation(s) here https://rickthomas.net/donations/

Do you ever feel fear when it comes to the responsibility that comes with counseling people biblically? I teach with much fear and trembling, but not just because I am held accountable. When it comes to counseling people one-on-one, I find it fulfilling yet also extremely terrifying. Does that ever change? – Supporting Member Read Here: https://rickthomas.net/what-can-i-do-about-being-fearful-of-discipling-others/ Will you help us so we can continue to provide free content to the world? You can become a supporting member here rickthomas.net/recurring-membership/ Or you can make a one-time or recurring donation(s) here https://rickthomas.net/donations/

Pretend your tongue is a paintbrush, and your heart is a bucket full of paint. You dip your brush into your bucket so you can paint a picture on a canvas for the world to see. The picture that you paint reveals your relationship with Christ. And it has an immediate and long-term impact on all those who experience it. What kind of Jesus are you painting? What effect do you have on others? Read More: https://rickthomas.net/people-learn-about-jesus-by-the-things-you-say/ Will you help us so we can continue to provide free content to the world? You can become a supporting member here rickthomas.net/recurring-membership/ Or you can make a one-time or recurring donation(s) here https://rickthomas.net/donations/

One of the downsides of dividing the Bible into chapters and verses is that it can create a principle-driven discipleship methodology. What I mean is that we can turn the Bible into nuggets, snippets, and tips that are not in the context of the passage or motivated by the Gospel. Besides this eisegetical approach to Bible study, it leads to behaviorism. One of the downsides is no heart transformation. Read Here: https://rickthomas.net/the-unintended-danger-of-the-principle-driven-life/ Will you help us so we can continue to provide free content to the world? You can become a supporting member here rickthomas.net/recurring-membership/ Or you can make a one-time or recurring donation(s) here https://rickthomas.net/donations/

What are your thoughts about the warnings in the New Testament regarding wolves in sheep’s clothing, or about weeds among the wheat? How am I to think about them, as well as respond to them? What is the best approach when dealing with this subject? Do you have any practical advice? – Supporting Member Read Here: https://rickthomas.net/what-are-your-thoughts-about-wolves-and-weeds-in-the-church/ Will you help us so we can continue to provide free content to the world? You can become a supporting member here rickthomas.net/recurring-membership/ Or you can make a one-time or recurring donation(s) here https://rickthomas.net/donations/

Do you love Jesus with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength (Matthew 22:36-40)? Do you not particularly like or care for all of His children? Is there any individual in the body of Christ with whom you find it hard to like? Perhaps you can ask this way: do you love the Head of the Church, but not all of His body parts? There are times when it’s useful to self-reflect to see if there are any folks in the body that annoy you, especially those close to you. Read Here: https://rickthomas.net/the-perfect-remedy-for-those-people-who-annoy-you/ Will you help us so we can continue to provide free content to the world? You can become a supporting member here rickthomas.net/recurring-membership/ Or you can make a one-time or recurring donation(s) here https://rickthomas.net/donations/

Navigating a disappointing and painful relationship is something we all have to do. And though you can bounce back quickly from some of these strained relationships, others require more work. In the article, I am responding to a person who went through an unwanted divorce and is struggling with forgiving his ex-wife. Read Here: https://rickthomas.net/the-victim-of-an-unwanted-divorce-learns-to-forgive/ Will you help us so we can continue to provide free content to the world? You can become a supporting member here rickthomas.net/recurring-membership/ Or you can make a one-time or recurring donation(s) here https://rickthomas.net/donations/

It used to be that everyone identified as a male or female, based on objective anatomical evidence at a child’s birth. In the past few decades, what has always been evident to the naked eye is now fluid; it is “to be determined,” based on other criteria that you can’t know until the child become an adult. Today’s sexually confused society is not hard to understand if you interpret the problem through the correct filter. Read Here: https://rickthomas.net/how-to-make-sense-of-todays-sexually-confused-culture/ Will you help us so we can continue to provide free content to the world? You can become a supporting member here rickthomas.net/recurring-membership/ Or you can make a one-time or recurring donation(s) here https://rickthomas.net/donations/

Secondary preferences at times can move to primary prominence in some peoples’ minds. When this happens, division comes and strong opinions prevail. One of the most hotly debated secondary issues in the church, historically speaking, is whether it’s a sin to drink alcohol. When helping believers to think biblically about alcohol, you must have patience, wisdom, discretion, and courage. One of our supporting members asked me how to help a church change its perspective on alcohol use. Read Here: https://rickthomas.net/should-my-church-change-its-practice-on-alcohol/ Will you help us so we can continue to provide free content to the world? You can become a supporting member here rickthomas.net/recurring-membership/ Or you can make a one-time or recurring donation(s) here https://rickthomas.net/donations/

The time it takes you to ask for forgiveness and feeling forgiven while enjoying the freedom of that forgiveness reveals your practical understanding and application of the gospel. For some folks, when they sin, they go through a “worry period” because they have not come to the place of enjoying the gospel thoroughly or practically. Mable was like this. Read Here: https://rickthomas.net/when-you-worry-about-your-sin-you-hinder-the-gospel/ Will you help us so we can continue to provide free content to the world? You can become a supporting member here rickthomas.net/recurring-membership/ Or you can make a one-time or recurring donation(s) here https://rickthomas.net/donations/

Biblical discernment is a huge issue for anyone who wants to care for another person. Anytime you’re discipling someone, you have to make judgment calls about the person you’re helping. There is no way around this truth. All good disciple-makers have to be comfortable with discerning people. Do you know how to biblically assess those who receive your care? Read Here: https://rickthomas.net/practical-advice-for-discerning-the-differences-in-people/ Will you help us so we can continue to provide free content to the world? You can become a supporting member here rickthomas.net/recurring-membership/ Or you can make a one-time or recurring donation(s) here https://rickthomas.net/donations/

Everyone has asked God for things. And nobody has gotten all that they asked the Lord to provide. For the unbeliever, the denial of the request will generate disappointment, cynicism, and even anger. For the child of God, temporal disappointment or frustration may come, but the believer quickly recalibrates his heart because Christians know that no matter the response, God is good, and He’s working good for us. Read Here: https://rickthomas.net/why-you-can-trust-god-when-he-withholds-your-desire/ Will you help us so we can continue to provide free content to the world? You can become a supporting member here rickthomas.net/recurring-membership/ Or you can make a one-time or recurring donation(s) here https://rickthomas.net/donations/

Marriage is a marathon, and if you want to do it well, it’s vital that you understand and implement these seven practical keys. If not, it’s likely that hostility will come and harmony will be a lost dream. There is transformative hope in God’s Word. Follow along with this case study and assess your marriage to see how it needs to change, and then make your plan. Read Here: https://rickthomas.net/how-to-move-your-marriage-from-hostility-to-harmony/ Will you help us so we can continue to provide free content to the world? You can become a supporting member here rickthomas.net/recurring-membership/ Or you can make a one-time or recurring donation(s) here https://rickthomas.net/donations/

Our Mastermind course is an all-online training curriculum that teaches Christians how to grow in their discipleship, biblical counseling practices. We had a seasoned educator, who is also a student in our program to provide her assessment and personal experience of our training course. Read Here: https://rickthomas.net/an-educator-shares-her-perspective-about-our-training/ Will you help us so we can continue to provide free content to the world? You can become a supporting member here rickthomas.net/recurring-membership/ Or you can make a one-time or recurring donation(s) here https://rickthomas.net/donations/