Conrad Smith

Seeking (hopelessly?) a simple outlook, a pure heart, and clarity. Through a glass, darkly.

[Conrad Smith @ConradESmith]

We are not unaware of dark schemes to rule this world through spiritual beings, politics, and kingdoms.

But knowing Satan's schemes is not deep.

Knowing Jesus intimately is deep.

In Christ, we rise far above this present darkness.

https://t.co/PSGL3Bg0a0

[Conrad Smith @ConradESmith]

Trust in Jesus. Practice courage. Don’t shrink from faces of death like public speaking or peer pressure. Dare to criticize YOUR tribe or party rather than being a critical spirit to the other one. Face every face of death until you face that final one.

https://t.co/TssXOSpJOr

[Conrad Smith @ConradESmith]

Truth is revealed, not merely reasoned. Use your mind. Guard your heart, life's wellspring. But don’t put systems & models before God's Word. That is where the spiritual battle is fought, and analytical people are MORE prone to the deception of models!

https://t.co/HfwUPwV3GI

[Conrad Smith @ConradESmith]

How temptation often works:

1. Instill doubt in the Word.
2. Gently contradict it.
3. Elicit attractional or avoidant desires.
4. Massage emotional wounds accordingly.
5. Start a narrative of rational lies (rationalize).

Rinse, repeat, and groom a soul.

https://t.co/oqHIQU5Xoi

[Conrad Smith @ConradESmith]

Injustice is baked into this current age (Eccl 4.1). But work is sacred and predates this curse. Practice virtue in your vocation as an imitation of Christ. Find that healing. Mitigate inequities where you can. Suffer well. Forgive. This is the Way.

https://t.co/ZQf5axWCIh

[Conrad Smith @ConradESmith]

Build a floor of common grace that you will not sink below. Be loving and respectful. Don’t overly scrutinize or correct. Stop giving unsolicited advice. Develop a sincere, courageous heart. Don’t lead with threats. This is how we win. This is the Way.

https://t.co/eE5wWAX9iX

[Conrad Smith @ConradESmith]

This age has embedded principles that can make submitting a cross to carry. But that is the abuse of submission, and we cannot let abuse abolish the proper use. Rightly understood, we all should submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

https://t.co/BCitpqaJr6

[Conrad Smith @ConradESmith]

Most spiritual warfare is grinding out the victory by representing Christ well in our marriages, in our generational relationships, and in our vocations. If we win in these three areas, humanity wins. If we lose, humanity loses. Fight! Win!

https://t.co/nDTBMeBSMw

[Conrad Smith @ConradESmith]

At times, carrying the cross IS the journey. Don't self-medicate. Love reality at all costs. Confess what you need to confess. Grieve what you need to grieve. Love what is. Then, your spirit will be filled in healthy, divinely intended ways.

https://t.co/QZILP3d9Zp

[Conrad Smith @ConradESmith]

Men of Grace are protectors. If we are committed to seeing God’s desires bear fruit on earth as they do in heaven, we should take initiative to build the church. Evil is real, territorial, and possessive – it’s not going to just let good things happen.

https://t.co/gsC6IOKQFF

[Conrad Smith @ConradESmith]

It’s easy to say, “Walk in the light.” But is our sexual life biblical? How do we manage our relationship with money? Is our speech clean or in the gutter? Such things are not trivial; they reveal clashes between the world and Christ. Walk the walk!

https://t.co/ljdS7bSIjP

[Conrad Smith @ConradESmith]

Ephesians maps the soul’s journey, including seven stepping-stones crossing the torrents threatening our souls. Here is one step: Can we make the leap of faith FROM the futility of a mindset not rooted in God’s kingdom TO that of Christ walking in love?

https://t.co/QiL7GTWDir

[Conrad Smith @ConradESmith]

We affect God; we can grieve him. This truth is processed in two ways:

True self: Does this align with my purpose? How does this affect God?

Fallen Self: How does this affect me and my attachments?

Choose the first. Virtue & happiness are indivisible.

https://t.co/W01ktOOWlS

[Conrad Smith @ConradESmith]

The greatest desire of the human soul is to know a love that surpasses knowledge. Few pray in a way that makes it possible. Even fewer endure the extreme makeover needed to make it possible. The Way is narrow because few walk upon it.

https://t.co/dcjsNx1Zr0

[Conrad Smith @ConradESmith]

Both humans and angels are watching. How are we making God look? (Ephesians 3.8-11)

https://t.co/Q8O2psC2f2

[Conrad Smith @ConradESmith]

Ministry is not about results. It’s about what commitment to the mission does in people. Amazing things happen when we process ministry not from a tormenting fear about how it affects us (1J4.18), but a pure fear about how it affects Him (Ps19.9)
https://t.co/8NiwDNLCYi

[Conrad Smith @ConradESmith]

Ministry is not about results. God builds His church. It’s about what commitment to the mission does in us. But God can do amazing things when we process things not from a tormenting fear about how it affects us, but a pure fear about how it affects Him.

https://t.co/8NiwDNMaNQ

[Conrad Smith @ConradESmith]

We were created for a purpose. We were ransomed for that same purpose. Everyone passes through this world. When your pilgrimage ends, will you be found faithful? Stay watchful, thankful, and missional. Don’t squander eternal glory for ashes and dust.

https://t.co/cy9vB5rGKg

[Conrad Smith @ConradESmith]

John, having seen the first 60-70 years of this thing called church, wrote an account of Jesus’ life that underscored how important it was to answer the question Jesus himself asked when he started it all: “But who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16.15)

https://t.co/7cbm159exW

[Conrad Smith @ConradESmith]

Stop soft-selling Jesus to make him palatable. As Lewis noted, his original audience saw him as Liar (or demonic), Lunatic, or Lord. Most don’t embrace any of those. We invent a Legendary Jesus. We make Jesus fit our system when HE IS the system.

https://t.co/ubrFJ9V2Tm