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	<description>Christian tools, resources and encouragement for everyday life</description>
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		<title>Caught Up in the &#8220;Don&#8217;ts&#8221;</title>
		<link>http://xploremyfaith.com/?p=2203</link>
		<comments>http://xploremyfaith.com/?p=2203#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 23 Apr 2013 13:35:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Guest Writer</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Encouragement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christian college]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christian living]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[guilt]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[legalism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[living for Christ]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[I put the pen to the paper, and then pulled it away. Could I sign it? I wasn’t sure. No dancing. The Christian college I was about to attend required that students sign a contract promising they would refrain from drugs, drinking, sex, and… dancing. I had been active in dance for almost ten years and then a cheerleader. I was also a Christian. It was one of many points in my life when being a Christian was all about the “don’ts.” Don’t drink. Don’t swear. Don’t do drugs. Don’t watch bad movies. Don’t listen to bad music. Don’t have sex. Don’t… don’t… don’t. Just don’t. I grew up in a Christian household where we went to church at least twice a week. Not going to church wasn’t an option, but I don’t remember ever fighting it. I enjoyed church, my friends there, and I truly did love God. I was your stereotypical American Christian. I accepted Christ at church camp in elementary school, was baptized not long after, was super active in Youth for Christ as a teenager, and then was accepted to a Christian college. I was on the path to Christian greatness! But even a strict Christian [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Get Rid of Feeling Insignificant Once and For All</title>
		<link>http://xploremyfaith.com/?p=2169</link>
		<comments>http://xploremyfaith.com/?p=2169#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 21 Feb 2013 06:27:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Robert Ripper</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Encouragement]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://xploremyfaith.com/?p=2169</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[There may be days when you feel that you don&#8217;t matter much. This is perhaps occurring when you happen to be at work, with friends or even with your own family. Whatever you do seems to go unappreciated, and whatever you say seems to go unheard. Nobody seems to notice your existence much either. At the end of the day you start to feel depression creeping up on you. You wish you lived a life of significance. Whether you realize it or not, the truth is you already are. You were thoughtfully planned for The truth is there is God who knew about you before you were even conceived (Jeremiah 1:5). He knew where you will be born, where you will live, and what you will do for a living. He knew your name before your parents came up with it, He knew exactly when you will be born and when you will die (Psalm 139:16). He knew all this not only because He is all knowing God, but mainly because He invented you, drew a blueprint of you and then created you (Psalm 139:13). God planned for you because He loves you. Your existence is not some random event [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>8</slash:comments>
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		<title>How to Discover Your Purpose in Life</title>
		<link>http://xploremyfaith.com/?p=2129</link>
		<comments>http://xploremyfaith.com/?p=2129#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 11 Feb 2013 02:27:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Robert Ripper</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Encouragement]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Your life is a gift. It contains an enormous potential, which would be a shame not to utilize. The truth is, however, that you never will, without discovering your God given purpose for your life. There is a path to follow in order to find purpose and meaning of life, but there are also many avenues that will lead you astray. What is your potential? Since God gave you your life, its possibilities are subject to His imagination. Thankfully, His imagination knows no limits, which means that things God can accomplish through you are even beyond your own imagination. Don&#8217;t let yourself be limited by statements such as: &#8220;You can be whatever you want to be&#8221;, because you actually can be whatever God wants you to be. And that is far greater possibility. You may be a nobody in the eyes of this world, but you are somebody in the eyes of your Creator. It is His will that your potential is fully utilized. How to utilize your potential Although, you may be able to use some of it, you will never be able to fully utilize your life&#8217;s potential if it is aimed to serve only your personal agenda. [...]]]></description>
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		<title>The Danger of Successful Life</title>
		<link>http://xploremyfaith.com/?p=2111</link>
		<comments>http://xploremyfaith.com/?p=2111#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 07 Feb 2013 16:01:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Robert Ripper</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Encouragement]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Many people (including myself) are willing to spend countless hours to figure out how to be successful. We are willing to sacrifice our precious time with the loved ones, our friendships, even our true calling and sometimes our morals and health just to possess the key to success. Why is then, that even those who attain an enormous success in this life still feel empty? Jesus profoundly answers this question in John 4:13,  “&#8230;Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (NIV) A person can be successful but never find their purpose. It is possible to achieve tremendous success apart from God but then what? We usually want more, and then even more. There is never enough. There is never any lasting satisfaction. As The Rolling Stones sings in their famous song: &#8220;&#8230;I can&#8217;t get no satisfaction, cause I try and try and try and try..&#8221;, we too keep trying to fulfill our innermost desires. But we are doomed to fail if we won’t allow Jesus Christ to quench [...]]]></description>
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		<item>
		<title>What is the Meaning of Life?</title>
		<link>http://xploremyfaith.com/?p=2099</link>
		<comments>http://xploremyfaith.com/?p=2099#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 07 Feb 2013 03:06:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Robert Ripper</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Encouragement]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://xploremyfaith.com/?p=2099</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Since the beginning of time, scholars and intellectuals have been debating what is the meaning of life. As well as every thinking person on this planet, like you and me, may pause for a moment once in a while, and let his or her mind wander in such a direction. This is not only a fundamental question, it is a very natural one. Do you want to know why? The answer is surprisingly simple, God wired us that way. He gifted us with curious minds, because He wants us to search for the meaning of life, since He is at the end of that search. He knows that true seekers will find Him. Only when we discover Him, we will slowly start to realize why we were placed on this earth. Many people attempt to look within themselves first, but they fail. When a person tries to figure out the meaning of life on their own by telling himself what he was created for, it is as if an invention tried to tell itself what it was made for. Only the inventor knows the purpose of his invention, so does God knows our purpose, because He invented us. We need [...]]]></description>
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		<title>What is My Purpose?</title>
		<link>http://xploremyfaith.com/?p=2093</link>
		<comments>http://xploremyfaith.com/?p=2093#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 05 Feb 2013 17:37:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Robert Ripper</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Encouragement]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://xploremyfaith.com/?p=2093</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ Your purpose in life begins with God. What does it mean? First, you must see a bigger picture than your self-fulfillment, personal happiness or peace of mind. It goes even beyond your family, personal goals, ambitions, and career accomplishments. &#8220;If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God.&#8221;, says pastor Rick Warren in his book The Purpose Driven Life When God is not the priority in your life it is easy to focus on your own happiness, self-fulfillment, personal goals and the other things listed above. If your main attention belongs to anything else than God, you will never discover your true purpose. It is because you were created for God&#8217;s purpose, not your own. The ultimate answer to the &#8220;What is my purpose?&#8221; question, is God. Only God can fulfill you beyond your wildest dreams. But there is one condition to that, however. You must fully devout yourself to Him. He cannot fully reveal to you what purpose He made you for if there is no interest on your part. Pray and ask God today to reveal to you what His will is for you. If you are sincerely trying to [...]]]></description>
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		<title>It&#8217;s Not About You: Why Am I Selfish?</title>
		<link>http://xploremyfaith.com/?p=2078</link>
		<comments>http://xploremyfaith.com/?p=2078#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 04 Feb 2013 20:39:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Robert Ripper</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Encouragement]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://xploremyfaith.com/?p=2078</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ &#8221;Why am I selfish?&#8221; Perhaps, I need to ask myself this question. To do so is an important step towards radical change within the very core of my existence. Since the time we are born we think that the entire world revolves around us. It is our natural worldview, because our nature is sinful. When we become a new creation through our faith in Jesus Christ our worldview changes. We suddenly realize that this life is not just about us but about God and what He can do through us. &#8220;It&#8217;s not about you.&#8221; - Rick Warren, Purpose Driven Life It is a very liberating revelation to learn that I am not the center of the universe but God is. It is very burdensome feeling to think such. I am glad to know that it is God&#8217;s responsibility to have these things under control. Coming to realization that I am selfish can be somewhat frightening first. It makes me doubt my salvation. It makes me wonder why God even loves me. Therefore, knowing that God&#8217;s love is unconditional, because He is love, brings comfort to my soul. Root of all sin is our selfish nature. To better understand its premise [...]]]></description>
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		<title>7 Easy Ways to Please God That Will Make Your Life More Purposeful</title>
		<link>http://xploremyfaith.com/?p=2013</link>
		<comments>http://xploremyfaith.com/?p=2013#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 27 Sep 2012 14:05:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Robert Ripper</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[XploreMore]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christian living]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[how to find joy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[how to find life's purpose]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[how to glorify God]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[how to please God]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[life's purpose]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://xploremyfaith.com/?p=2013</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[One of our biggest mistakes in life is living for our own pleasure. It is not a bad thing (in healthy doses) to experience good feelings, but if selfish pleasure is our main focus, we will deprive ourselves from true joy that comes from pleasing God. God is not that difficult to please. All we need to do is to keep in mind that He created us for His own pleasure. And that is every Christian&#8217;s purpose in their life &#8211; to be pleasing our Creator while glorifying Him in the process. If you strive to please God, start engaging in the the following: 1. Help those who cannot help themselves On the contrary of the popular belief that &#8220;God helps those who help themselves&#8221;, God actually helps those who cannot help themselves. Often, He does it through us, who put our faith in Him. Most charitable organizations and hospitals throughout the history were established by Christians. 2. Give even if you think that you can&#8217;t If you&#8217;re familiar with the story of the poor widow, you know that God doesn&#8217;t care that much about the quantity you give away, as much as He cares about the proportion of your [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>12</slash:comments>
		</item>
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		<title>What&#8217;s the Big Deal with Sunday and God?</title>
		<link>http://xploremyfaith.com/?p=2003</link>
		<comments>http://xploremyfaith.com/?p=2003#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 25 Sep 2012 07:57:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Guest Writer</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[XploreMore]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christian living]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[day with God]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sabbath]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sunday]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://xploremyfaith.com/?p=2003</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[SPENDING A DAY WITH GOD By Debra Lohrere &#124; To be able to develop a close relationship with God, we need to spend quality time with Him. We need to study His Word, and let His Holy Spirit speak to us through it. We require time to spend in earnest prayer, talking to Him, praising and worshiping Him. We need time to look at nature and reflect on all the wonderful creations that He has made. And finally, we need time to spend with fellow believers, to worship together in song and have fellowship with each other, encouraging one another and building up each other’s faith by our testimonies. In this hectic world with our busy lifestyles it is so easy to get so engrossed in other things that we never have time for God. Some of us may spend a couple of hours of a Sunday morning attending church, but then the hum drum of the rat race catches up with us, and we find ourselves mowing lawns, going to the footy, or off doing other secular activities where God is just not a part of it. With stress related diseases such as heart attack and cancer on the [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Did You Know That Failing Is Not an Option for a Christian?</title>
		<link>http://xploremyfaith.com/?p=1996</link>
		<comments>http://xploremyfaith.com/?p=1996#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 03 Sep 2012 07:39:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Guest Writer</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[XploreMore]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[devotionals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[failure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[God's plan]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://xploremyfaith.com/?p=1996</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[YOU ARE NOT A FAILURE! By Annagail Lynes &#124; God has a purpose for your life. Not many people understand that. Not maybe people comprehend that you were put on this Earth randomly. It wasn&#8217;t because your parents got together and created you. No, God picked you out, chose you from the beginning of the world to complete a specific task He had in mind for you. But the task wasn&#8217;t tailor made for you. No, you were tailor-made for the task. Not wanting to leave anything to chance, God fashioned you with just the right combination of smarts, talents, abilities and personality to accomplish that task. To Him, you failing to fulfill that task, your destiny, wasn&#8217;t an option. But we, His chosen people, have made it an option. No longer is it &#8220;I will fulfill my destiny&#8221; and &#8220;God, use me for your purpose.&#8221; Instead we say &#8220;I hope and pray I fulfill my destiny. I hope I am in God&#8217;s will&#8221; or &#8220;If I complete my purpose&#8230;&#8221; If failure is not an option with God, it shouldn&#8217;t be with us either. We are His children, created in His image. We are suppose to be imitators of our [...]]]></description>
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