Grace | Laurie Coombs

Archive for the ‘Grace’ Category

The Battle We Wage

Posted on: December 4th, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 10 Comments

who are you, who am i, who you are, who you want to be, who i want to be, who do you want to be, tension, loved, accepted, God, Jesus, Christ, Christian, christian life, already but not yet, battle, despite feelings of failure, feelings of failure, failure, flesh, Satan, shortcomings, sin, spiritual battle, what is spiritual battle, what does it look like to be a christian, following jesus, how do i become a christian, what is a christian, dirty hands, hope, grace, faith, jesus came, jesus died, resurrected, conquering death, redemption, redeem, we are new, born again, new, new nature, living the christian life, what is a relationship with God, what is a relationship with jesus, what does a relationship with jesus look like, relationship with god, relationship with jesus, perfect, christian identity, identity, who am i, romans 7:15, romans 7, romans 7:18-19, romans 7:22-24, luke 7, prostitute in luke 7, sin great, i am loved, i am accepted, who do you think you are,

If you’re completely honest with yourself, there is tension between who you want to be and who you currently are. [Tweet that] The whole world currently exists in the already but not yet. Jesus already came. He died for our sins. He resurrected, conquering death, sin, and Satan. We have already been redeemed by our gracious, loving God. But we have yet to see Him make all things new, which He will do upon His second coming. We have already been saved but not yet perfected. We are already saints by identity but not yet by deed. This can be a frustrating place to be. In Romans, Paul, himself, experienced this tension. He says: For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate…. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I…

Are You the Prostitute or the Pharisee?

Posted on: November 29th, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 3 Comments

I’m reading several books right now. I do that. In fact, oftentimes I read four to five books at a time. Admittedly this isn’t the best way to go about reading, but it works for me––most of the time. Anyway, I think Jesus has been trying to get my attention. The story of the sinful woman being forgiven by Jesus found in Luke 7 was presented in two different books I’m reading within days of each other. Both accounts painted the scene with vivid color. Flesh was given to these individuals as they came alive before my eyes. The authors explored the tension held in the room, the feelings of those in attendance, and all of the cultural intricacies at play––all drawn from biblical and historical sources. Here’s this woman. This prostitute. She sees Jesus, dining with a Pharisee. Overtaken by emotion, she enters into the room and approaches Jesus,…

Remembering with Intention

Posted on: November 22nd, 2012 by Laurie Coombs

All too often, we forget what God has done for us. Our memories are selective. I was listening to a sermon on podcast by Pastor Steven Furtick of Elevation Church in Charlotte, North Carolina recently. In it, he said we remember what we ought to forget and forget that which we need to remember. I don’t know about you, but I certainly know this is true in my life. All throughout the book of Deuteronomy, God tells us through His word that we must intentionally remember. Remember who He is. Remember what He has done. Remember His faithfulness, His love, His mercy and grace. Remember. Deuteronomy 6:10-13 says this: “And when the Lord your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities that you did not build, and houses full of all good things that you…

Simply Be a Child of God

Posted on: November 20th, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 1 Comment

And do not turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty. – 1 Samuel 12:21 Have you ever gotten so caught up in doing that you forget to simply be in the presence of God? Over the last 10 months, I have been going… and going… and going. I have been doing. All good things. All with good intentions (or at least as good each of our intentions can be, in this fallen flesh). But still, I have been doing. Writing. Sharing the Word. Caring for those around me. But then I hear God’s gentle whisper. What about Me? Where do I fit in all of this? Don’t forget. You are My child before anything else. And so, I take a step back. Take a deep breath. And let out a heavy sigh. I am a Child of God. How could I have forgotten? I have been…

The “Dad Bomb”

Posted on: November 13th, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 2 Comments

For almost a decade, revealing the story of my dad’s death to others proved to be difficult. In fact, after a number of years, I began calling it the “dad bomb.” I knew that if you stayed in my life long enough that the bomb would have to be dropped––at some point, I had to reveal the truth. It usually came up when asked about my parents. My dad would come into question, and I’d have to tell them. “Well,” I would say reluctantly, knowing where this would lead, “my dad died when I was twenty.” To which they would reply, “Oh, I’m so sorry!” Then the look on their face begged the question before it was asked. Some had enough nerve to ask the question right away. Others, however, waited, at times months, to get around to the inevitable question, but I knew it was coming, “So, how did…

{Redemption} “Your Testimony May Have Saved a Life!”

Posted on: November 8th, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 17 Comments

forgiveness, christ, christian, following jesus, follow, forgive, Jesus, healing, love, loving your enemy, freedom, murder, letter from murderer, obedience, redeem, redemption, repentance, save a life, sharing your testimony, using your testimony, wholeness, how do i forgive, why forgive, christian forgiveness, christian forgiveness testimony, christian forgiveness story, forgiveness stories,

“Your testimony may have saved a life!” wrote Anthony––the man who murdered my dad––from his prison cell. Holding the letter, I stood in stunned silence, tears rolling down my face. Oh Lord, I thought, as I closed my eyes and dropped my head back, in awe. There really were no words. Thank you, Lord, thank you, was all that I could say in worship to our mighty God. I was called to forgive. To love my enemy. To allow Jesus unhindered access to the pain, the bitterness, and the wounds of my past which took residence in the deepest recess of my soul. I knew that He wanted to take me to a new, better place. A place of healing, peace, and forgiveness. So, I followed. By the grace of God alone, I followed Jesus as He led me down the messy, war-torn path toward wholeness. It was a trial like no…

God Wants to Use You!

Posted on: November 6th, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 2 Comments

Shortly after forgiving Anthony, I closed one of my letters to him with this: I pray for God’s will in your life, and that He uses you where you are for His purposes to further the Gospel! Be an ambassador right where you are! Be sure not to waste your life in there. I believe we’re all placed right where we’re supposed to be. I was listening to a sermon by John Piper the other day…what was so prominent about this particular sermon was his call for all God’s children to not waste their lives. Most of us do, and that’s a tragedy. Just because you’re in prison, doesn’t mean that you’ve wasted your life. Allow the Spirit of God to use you in there to transform lives according to His will!!! Do not let my dad’s death be in vain. Do not let your life be in vain. God…

{Triple Braided} Resting in His Faithful Arms

Posted on: November 1st, 2012 by Laurie Coombs

I’m over at Triple Braided today writing for Brenda Rogers, author of e-book Fall for Him. Join me there to read my latest post, Resting in His Faithful Arms, in which I write about how we may simply rest in our Father’s loving arms as we follow Him. If your visiting from Triple Braided, welcome! Be sure to take a moment, look around, and read. And don’t forget to subscribe (in the right hand column) to receive future posts via email or in your reader of choice! Blessings to you all today…

Freedom Through Grace

Posted on: October 23rd, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 3 Comments

Freedom Comes Through Forgiveness,justification, sin, no justification for sin, murder, kill, healing, following jesus, bible, bitterness, anger, answered prayer, redemption, redeem, obeying god, obedience, obedience to god, loving your enemy, hope, rebuking sin, repent, repentant, repentance, blame shifting, changed heart, scripture, letters to a murderer, our ways, gods ways, our will, god's will, forgiveness set me free, pain, victim, wound, romans 5:8Inspirational forgiveness story, forgiveness story, forgiveness testimony, christian forgiveness, biblical forgiveness, forgiveness, forgive, how do i forgive, how do you forgive, forgiving the unforgivable, freedom, freedom through forgiveness, grace, murder, forgiving murder, peace, jesus, god, christ, christian, grace to forgive,

“He’s doing it again,” I told my friend, Sarah, “listen to this!” I read the letter I received that afternoon from Anthony. “Why won’t he simply say ‘I did it. It was my fault. Period.’” I said. “He’s still trying to justify his actions! He committed murder! He killed my dad! There’s no justification for that!” After talking it though, I sat down and began to type my response, adrenaline pumping through my veins. I wanted to rebuke him. Set him straight. He claimed to be a Christian now. Why isn’t he repentant? Why does he keep blame shifting? I thought. I wrote, words pouring forth like flood waters out of my heart, addressing each of the issues and backing them with scripture. Oh, this is good, I thought, but I knew. This was not the response God wanted. I prayed, as I awaited direction from Jesus. Days passed and…

{Red Like Blood} Freedom Through Grace

Posted on: October 18th, 2012 by Laurie Coombs

Today, I have the honor to be guest blogging for RedLikeBlood.com. Join me there to read about the moment I was given the grace needed to forgive Anthony in my latest post entitled, Freedom Through Grace. If you’re visiting from RedLikeBlood.com, welcome! I hope you’ll take a moment, read, and stay a while… Red Like Blood is a book written by Joe Coffey and Bob Bevington, two men who have both experienced the amazing power of God’s grace in their lives, as I have. I, for one, will be reading their book. Here’s a little synopsis: …the grace of God is much more than sweet. It is also explosive, pervasive, powerful, relentless, amazing, devastating, raw, and beautiful. Grace is deadly serious stuff. Many of our encounters with grace—the real, true grace by which God changes us one step at a time—are much more like confrontations. These confrontations are jarring. They shake us…