The Encouragement Blog

Inmate Family Encouragement

Cover image for “The Power of the (Empty) Tomb”

The Power of the (Empty) Tomb

In an earlier blog post we wrote about The Power of the Cross. We detailed that God was a Holy God that cannot abide sin in any form. That being the case, we as sinful human beings were in a lot of trouble in the eternal destiny department. We were going to have to pay for our sins somehow if
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Aug 03 2022
Cover image for “The Escalator of Temptation”

The Escalator of Temptation

Rachel was eleven when her parents split up. She was angry with her parents and angry with herself since she mistakenly blamed herself for her parents’ divorce. The rage got worse when her mom’s new boyfriend started making sexual moves on her when she turned thirteen. It boiled over when her mother didn’t believe her when she told her about
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Apr 25 2018
Cover image for “God’s Repair Shop”

God’s Repair Shop

We need to remember that even if our lives are completely blown up, they can be repaired. God is a repairman who fixes shattered lives and makes them whole again. His tools are conviction, confession, repentance, and forgiveness of sin. These are the tools of deep, permanent, personal change in our lives. One of the dangerous facts about sin is
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Apr 11 2018
Cover image for “Keeping Good Company”

Keeping Good Company

Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”    1 Corinthians 15:33 As we were growing up, we always knew the girls who knew how and where to shoplift the coolest lipstick. We also knew the guys who could hot-wire a car so we could take a joy ride. Those same guys were the ones who tried to get us
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Jan 31 2018
Cover image for “Salvation Made Simple”

Salvation Made Simple

On one hand, salvation is a simple matter. When we trust Jesus to take away our sins, we are made right in God’s sight. C. S. Lewis said, “The central Christian belief is that Christ’s death has somehow put us right with God and given us a fresh start.” On the other hand, salvation is a serious matter—it cost Christ
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Feb 29 2016
Cover image for “Right Spirits”

Right Spirits

Sin is rarely a one-shot deal. On Wall Street they have a saying about bad news being revealed by a corporation. It is call the Cockroach Theory…because “there is always more than one.” That means that when a company announces bad news…there is almost assuredly more bad news to follow! We are probably involved with repeated sin. Maybe our drug
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Dec 28 2015
Cover image for “How Sin Works”

How Sin Works

Sinful behavior is frequently the result of many thoughts and actions. Sin isn’t a one-shot deal! Life-destroying sin is the result of many little sins feeding on one another until Satan has messed us up. Satan messed up some of our marriages with adultery. Maybe our spouses were overweight or no longer as romantic as they once were. Our lustful
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Dec 07 2015
Cover image for “Knowing Our Sin”

Knowing Our Sin

Sin is real. Anyone who truly believes that sin does not exist has not been paying attention! In real-life, when we are honest, we look anywhere and see the evidence of sin. We see greed, snarky comments on social media, and mean and angry attitudes. Just think about your language the last time someone cut you off on the freeway!!
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Dec 02 2015
Cover image for “Never Separated from God’s Love”

Never Separated from God’s Love

Does it mean [Christ] no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or are hungry or cold or in danger or threatened with death?… I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels can’t, and the demons can’t. Our fears for today, our worries about
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Nov 16 2015
Cover image for “God Love You!”

God Love You!

Many of us believe that because of the sinful we have done, God could never love us. The devil whispers to us, “God could never love YOU. You’ve had an abortion!” Or, he spits, “You’re a drug user, c’mon, get real, dude, you’ve blown it…God has thrown you aside” As usual, the devil’s got it wrong! One of the amazing
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Oct 26 2015