Tag: Mark Saunders

The Fruit Of The Spirit

Christians, the word of God is powerful, prayer is essential and fasting is beneficial.

But… we can read the Bible, fast and pray all day… then someone “presses our buttons the wrong way” and they get from us a bad reaction instead of the fruit of the Spirit or what we could describe as “the heart of the Lord.”

True or not true? For me it’s true.

It’s easy to confuse time spent in spiritual activities with actual real Christian virtue in everyday life.

How do we bear this fruit? It’s the fruit of the Spirit.

Our flesh is our biggest enemy as born again Christians. We can be either in the flesh or in the spirit… meaning we can, in a given situation, be motivated and led by our carnal nature or by the Holy Spirit. It’s one or the other.

In times of testing, in that crucial moment, what counts is not all my previous spiritual activity but am I willing to take up my cross and follow Jesus in that moment?

That’s when the cross becomes the key to victory… not only for Jesus… the cross is now mine to take daily.

To take the cross is to be ready to deny the flesh. To deny the flesh is impossible without the grace of God and the work of the Holy Spirit in my life.

The result? The fruit of the spirit in us showing something of the heart of the Lord to others… especially those closest to us.

  • Mark Saunders

Our Priorities Reflect What Our Vision Really Is

Our place as Christians is in the body of Christ, under the authority of Christ… that’s the Lord’s plan.

But often our plans work contrary to His. Instead of connecting us in the body they disconnect us from it… the same plans that we’re asking the Lord to bless.

At the end of the day it comes down to our “vision.”

Our priorities reflect what our vision really is.

Our perceptions inform our priorities… the things we perceive as most important become our vision… our treasure.

the things we perceive as most important become our vision… our treasure


The words of Jesus are often direct and challenging… but they leave the choice as ours… like when He said…

…”where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Matthew 6:21

How precious a treasure is our gospel to us…

  • Mark Saunders

Who Do We Follow – Our Own Fleshly Desires or Jesus?

Jesus as Lord of our everyday lives.

It means that we’ve chosen.

Chosen between the world and the cross.  

Christians we must choose and we’re faced with these choices all the time.

Our attitudes… our thoughts… what we watch… what we listen to… how we spend money… how we spend time.

These choices have a big impact on how we grow spiritually.  

They reflect who we are… they show us how we need the grace of the Lord… how we need the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives to continue.

Who do we follow - our own fleshly desires or Jesus?

So we must choose daily – who do we follow – our own fleshly desires or Jesus?  

A lot of Christian life is “lived in this space”… in the “natural”… we can fast and pray all we like but if we don’t  choose daily we won’t grow.

  • Mark Saunders

Trust The Lord And Move Forward – Even If You’re Afraid

The fear of failure is a big thing for most of us.

Jesus once called Peter out the boat onto the water.  Peter leapt out and began to walk on water towards Jesus… until he saw the wind around him and was afraid… he began to sink.

Jesus reached out his hand, caught him and said, “ you of little faith, why did you doubt ?” (Matt 14:22-33)

Waves, Dawn, Ocean, Sea, Dusk, Seascape, Sun, Sunrise

Did Peter fail? Did he sink because he was afraid?

I believe that Jesus was saying this, “Peter, would I let you sink ? Did you doubt I would stretch out my hand and save you? Do you not have faith in me?”

I don’t think Peter failed. He believed, he acted, he feared, he began to sink… but he was rescued by Jesus…. that’s not a story of failure.

Seen like this, the pressure was not on Peter to “have faith and not be afraid”.

Often we’re afraid. It’s part of life… but let’s not forget that His arm is not too short to save.

So, if like Peter, the Lord is calling you, trust the Lord and move forward – even if you’re afraid.

  • Mark Saunders

We Need Wisdom To Help Us Discern

Gen 6:8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

The world is moving fast down a road of dangerous foolishness… the truth is becoming increasingly valuable… and without the truth we become increasingly vulnerable.

It’s difficult to discern between truth and perception. Perceptions abound and are often believed more than truth.

We need wisdom to help us discern.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 1:7

What is the truth?

Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

John 14:6

Being led by this truth will save us that believe… like an “ark of grace” that saved Noah.

  • Mark Saunders