Soul Talks with PB

Everything else that we have talked about so far in this series is really about preparing for this last topic. This is really the most important question: How do we pray Transforming Prayers? Prayer is part of the classical disciplines of the Christian church. It is essential to our identity. But not everyone knows how to pray in this way. Often our prayers fall short of actually transforming us,...

Sometimes people justify themselves by saying "God is merciful." But what they mean is that they can continue living in sin and in the end, the Lord will still be merciful to them. Others use that expression to mean that everyone will be saved eventually because "God is merciful." Either way, it's a misunderstanding of the nature of God's mercy. Mercy is an important attribute of God but we must u...

Salvation is not by assumption but by revelation. A lot of people assume certain things when it comes to their relationship with God. Unfortunately, their assumptions are often wrong. When our assumptions are wrong, our conclusions and applications will also be wrong. This is the reason why so many people remain lost. In particular, our understanding of how a person becomes part of God's people ca...

Everyone needs salvation, but not everyone wants it. A lot of people are still lost, spiritually speaking. But the problem is this -- not many of us are concerned about it! Many today are busy with so many things except reaching out to the lost. Sometimes lost people are very near us, but we don't make any effort to reach out to them. We miss many opportunities to reach out to them because we are...

We live in a world where so many bad things can happen and they do happen. This is the reason why most people are anxious or afraid. In fact, most of the things that people do in the world are intended to relieve them of their fears or worries. But believers in Christ are secure in their relationship with God. They know they can be confident because God is on their side. We need to understand this...

Even though we are now living in the new realm of the Spirit as children of God, we still live in this world. Thus, we still continue to suffer for various reasons. This can result in either discouragement or doubts. But God remains true to His promises. We don't need to be afraid. We can have hope even in the midst of suffering. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show...

What is our purpose when we pray? Is it simply to ask God for the things that we need? Is it just to intercede for the needs of others? If we don't understand the real purpose of prayer, we will either do it or not do it for the wrong reasons. If we're doing it for the wrong reasons, we will become self-righteous. If we're not doing it for the wrong reasons, we will only feel guilty and ashamed. E...

Through faith in Jesus Christ, we have been transferred from the realm of the flesh (i.e., in the flesh) into a new realm of the Spirit (i.e., in the Spirit). This is the main change that has happened to us in Christ Jesus, which makes possible all other changes in our lives. We need to know this and believe this, for it has profound implications to our whole being. --- Send in a voice message: ht...

Sin will always prevent us from obeying the law. Therefore, we will always end up as objects of God's wrath. Spiritual death and condemnation will always be the result of all our efforts if we continue to pursue righteousness in our natural state (i.e., in the flesh). This is the reason why we need to be saved. Through Christ, we can be saved. Through faith in Him, we are transferred into a new re...

God's law (i.e., the laws of God that came through Moses) is holy, righteous, and good. But it cannot save us because of one formidable problem: sin. Left on our own, and apart from the power of the Holy Spirit, sin will always defeat us. We cannot obey God's law. Thus, we will always be under God's wrath because, as Paul says, the wages of sin is death. The only solution is the gift of God throug...

Even though it is true that we as Christians have died to the law, and also to sin, it does not mean that there is something wrong with God's law (i.e., the laws of God that came through Moses). We must not reject God's law or even the entire Old Testament. Some teachers of the Bible today say this and it's wrong. The Old Testament is part of the Bible and it will always be profitable for us (2 Ti...

We are now under a new kind of slavery, one that does not imprison us but rather liberates us to truly live holy lives. In other words, our new slavery is now our new freedom, as we have learned. But what is the nature of this new freedom that we have in Christ? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/soultalkswithpb/message Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for m...

Even if we overcome all the hindrances to prayer, there is one that almost always discourages people from praying -- unanswered prayers! How do we deal with that problem? Let us assume that someone prays sincerely and fervently, but God does not answer. Or, it takes a long time. Sometimes the answer is even different or it's totally opposite to what he or she prayed for. What then? This experience...

God has set us free from the power or dominion of sin. Therefore, we are no longer slaves to sin. We can now say "No" to sin because of God's grace. But this freedom does not mean that we can now do whatever we want. It does not mean that sin is no longer a problem for us. It can still enslave us all over again! The key is to understand that we are now under a new kind of slavery, one that does no...

We have learned that, through Christ, grace overcomes sin and all its deadly effects. God replaces our spiritual death with the gift of eternal life in Christ. He also replaces our sinful state with the gift of righteousness, which is our new status before God. But these gifts can be quite abstract and difficult to understand. So, God does something very personal and real to us. Through our union...

Justification has profound personal implications throughout our lives and even for all eternity. But it is important to understand how those implications begin now. According to Paul, through Christ, grace overcomes sin and all its deadly effects. How does this happen? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/soultalkswithpb/message Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privac...

Justification is not just a one-time event. It has profound personal implications in our lives. It affects us entirely. That's why we must also think of our justification as our salvation. Paul begins to expound on the rich implications of our justification, which is also our salvation, from chapters 5 to 8. Paul is not talking about something separate from our salvation, like our sanctification,...

Salvation is available for all, regardless of who they are. All is needed is faith. But this faith must have a certain quality to it and also a specific content. It is not enough for people to simply say that they have faith. In what way do they believe? Many people claim that they believe but are not saved. In addition, what exactly do they believe in? Many people believe that God exist but remai...

It is not easy to pray. All of us struggle in this area. We know we need to pray but something or someone always hinders us. Sometimes, it's even us! The apostle Peter says, "The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray." (1 Peter 4:7) It's important to understand these hindrances so that by God's grace we can overcome them. --- Send in a voice message:...

Faith is very important in the Christian life. Unfortunately, many people misunderstand the nature of true faith. Some think of faith only in terms of having the right beliefs or doctrines. Others think of faith as doing religious practices such as going to church, reading the Bible, praying, etc. Still, others think of faith as trying to be sure about something even though deep down we are not re...

When someone gives you a gift, you simply receive it and thank the person who gave it. You don't try to pay for it. You don't try to reciprocate by giving the person a gift also so that you won't have any obligation. Such an attitude will be an insult to the giver unless the gift was not really a gift but a form of manipulation. Righteousness is a gift from God. It is freely given with no strings...

We all tend to rely on ourselves when it comes to our relationship with God. We may not say it outright but, whenever we fail, we blame ourselves. We feel unworthy before the Lord. Sometimes we may even walk away from God because of shame. Why? Our focus is still on ourselves and what we can do to make ourselves righteous before God. We must understand the true importance of faith. --- Send in a v...

Once we understand the bad news of our situation due to sin, we can now appreciate fully the good news about Jesus. Jesus is the true and final answer to the problems of sin that we are all suffering from. When we put our faith in Him, God's salvation begins to work in our lives. It all starts with justification which is God forgiving us from all our sins through faith in Jesus Christ. How does th...

Our understanding of our real problem as human beings will determine the solution we think we really need. If the problem is economic, we may propose economic solutions like having equal opportunities for all or lowering the inflation rate or interest rate, etc. If the problem is ignorance, we would assume knowledge is the key. Let's put up more schools, etc. If we think the problem is criminality...

Many changes are going on all around us. Most of them are beyond our control. Such changes bring with them certain challenges. But how we will be affected and how we will respond is still our choice. In addition, these changes create opportunities for us to partner with God in bringing about His purposes in our lives and in the lives of others. This partnership can only happen in and through praye...