Letters of Thomas Charles II: Doubting Love

In this week’s episode of The Whole Counsel Podcast, Dr. John Snyder discusses a letter from Thomas Charles to his future wife, Sally. It seems Sally is troubled, worried that she does not love God or does not love Him well enough. Thomas addresses this and a second matter: “Do you believe that God loves you?” as he attempts to uplift Sally’s heavy heart.

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The Whole CounselSarah Snyder
Overcoming Spiritual Depression

“In a world where everything has gone so sadly astray, we should be standing out as people characterized by a fundamental joy and certainty in spite of conditions, in spite of adversity. Now that, I think you will agree, is the picture which is given of God's people everywhere in the Scriptures.“ What does Martyn Lloyd-Jones tell us is the foundation of this joy?

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Christian LifeSarah Snyder
Being Renewed

Retirement from business, with an independence and full honors, grows burdensome, though desired and laboured for through a long life. After a degree of success, wealth, and reputation, the soldier becomes weary of his triumphs, and longs for repose. But the man who is filled with the Holy Spirit, and cultivates the habits of contemplation and action excited by grace, will find the service of Jesus more and more delightful.

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Christian LifeSarah Snyder
Letters of Thomas Charles I: Introduction

This week on The Whole Counsel, we return to our series on great letter-writers in Christianity. In this episode, we meet Thomas Charles, a Welshman who was one of the most significant leaders of the Welsh wing of the 18th-century Evangelical Revival. His letters are full of practical, warm, experiential advice.

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Contented and Unsatisfied

In today’s devotional, Jeremiah Burroughs explains the rare jewel of Christian contentment. A grace-filled heart finds its satisfaction in knowing and loving God and is content with whatever God sees fit to give in this temporal life. A heart capable of knowing God can be satisfied with nothing less than God himself.

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Christian LifeSarah Snyder
Biblical Help for Life's Problems V: How We Grow

In episode five of Biblical Help for Life’s Problems, Dr. John Snyder is once again joined by pastor and counselor Louis Sacran. Drawing on Romans 13:14, Louis helps us understand sanctification biblically and practically. How do we grow and change as believers? How do we mature? We must understand the inner workings of our hearts (our desires) and our walk (our actions), and how they are connected.

John and Louis tackle the topic of sexual sin. What is at the root of it, and how can I break the chains of enslavement to this sin?

John and Louis point us back to the gospel and to our Lord Jesus. Being aware of what we have been given in Christ and of our unshakable standing with Him because of His righteousness is foundational to growing in Christlikeness. 

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Glorious in Holiness

In today’s devotional, Octavius Winslow explains that the deeper our views of God’s holiness grow, the deeper our love grows. We love the truth, because it is on the side of holiness; we love the saints, because they are the reflection of holiness; we love the discipline of our heavenly Father, because it makes us partakers of His holiness; how much more intense, then, our affection for God, as the holiness of His being, the purity of His character, unveils to our admiring eyes!

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Christian LifeSarah Snyder
Biblical Help for Life's Problems IV: Living According to Our Purpose

This week on the Whole Counsel, Louis Sacran, an experienced pastor and biblical counselor, sits down with Dr. John Snyder to discuss how to apply what we have learned so far in this series to live in accordance with our purpose.

As Christians, our purpose is clear. Our purpose is to please God, and we please Him by loving Him and loving people. Louis helps us to see that everything we do is either a loving or an unloving response.

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Why So Fearful?

Today’s devotional is taken from Jeremy Walker’s book, A Word in Season: 50 Days of Hope for Hard Times. These brief yet solidly biblical daily readings could be an excellent addition to your quiet time or family worship. Today’s excerpt helps us look to the Savior in times of fear and doubt.

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Biblical Help for Life’s Problems III: God’s Faithfulness, Our Expectations

In session 3 of Biblical Help for Life’s Problems, Louis Sacran addresses our ideas about God’s faithfulness. God’s faithfulness is not the same as God fulfilling all our preferences for life. Louis takes us to various passages to clarify what it means for God to be faithful and shows that he is indeed trustworthy. Louis also addresses the choices we face in pressing circumstances. What is beyond our control? What is our ultimate desire? What dangers and deceptions can we avoid?

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7 Reasons God’s Commands Are Not Burdensome

The world and the devil would have us believe that God’s commands are tedious, harsh, severe, and heavy to bear. Scripture tells us they are easy, sweet, beneficial, and excellent. In today’s devotional, Thomas Watson gives us 7 statements to help us experience the truth that God’s commands are not burdensome.

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