Imposing Grandeur (2025)

01/03/2023

“O dear friend, when thy grief presses thee to the very dust, worship there! If that spot has come to be thy Gethsemane, then present there thy ‘strong crying and tears’ unto thy God. Remember David’s words, ‘Ye people, pour out your hearts,’ — but do not stop there, finish the quotation, — ‘Ye people, pour out your hearts before him.’ Turn the vessel upside down; it is a good thing to empty it, for this grief may ferment into something more sour. Turn the vessel upside down, and let every drop run out; but let it be before the Lord. ‘Ye people, pour out your hearts before him: God is a refuge for us.’ When you are bowed down beneath a heavy burden of sorrow, then take to worshipping the Lord, and especially to that kind of worshipping which lies in adoring God, and in making a full surrender of yourself to the divine will.”
- Charles Spurgeon

22/02/2023

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, And this is not of your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."
-Ephesians 2:8-9🙌

16/02/2023

❕NEW EPISODE❕
Jeremiah 29:11- The question isn’t “have you heard this verse,” but rather, “have you ever heard the explanation of this verse?”

We usually see the words from Jeremiah 29:11 penned on a graduation card, in social media captions, or proclaimed whenever someone enters a new season of life.

But are we missing something?

This verse says God has a prosperous future for us… but what happens when our life is really hard? Has God left us?

How do we reconcile life’s sorrowful trials with a verse that speaks about having “hope for the future” and a life “without harm”?

Join us for episode 2 of our newest hermeneutics series! In this episode, Annie takes us on a deep dive into the Old Testament to explore the proper context of a verse that is so often copy-and-pasted in western society.

Listen and learn with us on all streaming platforms! 💻📱📶

Quick links:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3LrTM3HQJ3mJCUkIoqn1LV?si=moW9c9g7S-2EBhSiVmoiig

Website: https://imposinggrandeur.org/podcast/jeremiah2911

13/02/2023

"Said the robin to the sparrow,
‘I should really like to know,
Why these anxious human beings rush about and worry so.’
Said the sparrow to the robin,
‘Friend, I think that it must be,
That they have no Heavenly Father,
Such as cares for you and me.’”
- The Robin and the Sparrow by Elizabeth Cheney

👉When we worry, we are subconsciously demonstrating how we view God.

🔸Do our worries overflow from a heart that is confident in His goodness?

🔸Or do our fearful thoughts come from believing a false lie- that God would allow his children to suffer outside his sovereign hand? That he is not really in control?

🔸Perhaps we think our plan would be better and therefore view any alternative as a challenge to our ultimate happiness.

🔹Surrender your worries to God this week as you preach His character to yourself through His Word and as you behold His attributes through nature:

"Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?.... And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field and how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,...But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?"- Matthew 6:26, 28, 30

We may not always understand how God chooses to use us, but we can rest assured that it is ALWAYS for our good and his glory.
If he cares for the tiniest bird and flower, then we, as his own children, can have no doubts he will do so for us too.

Reflecting on His character is the greatest comfort for our anxious hearts.💛

07/02/2023

"But the Lord said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities.
For when I am weak, then I am strong."

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 🌼

03/02/2023

✨NEW EPISODE!✨
Can you really do ALL things? Philippians 4:13 is one of the most popular Bible verses, yet it is also one of the most misunderstood verses in Scripture.

Welcome to our new season at Imposing Grandeur Radio, where we move beyond the Instagram bio and discuss the most famous verses through their proper hermeneutical lens.🔍

Our first episode is now LIVE on all streaming platforms- Listen and learn with us by following some quick links below✨

Website: https://imposinggrandeur.org/podcast/2023/2/1/episode-35-hermeneutics-series-episode-1-philippians-413

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6o0McOueRNeaWl3vAYr2iD?si=b3iZCioZQs6Yq0cpYtNfyA

01/02/2023

How do you choose what TV shows, movies, and literature you watch or read? 📚

Sometimes this answer is clear- unfortunately, the entertainment industry has thrived by glorifying sin. As Believers, this apparent "black-and-white picture" is easy for us to recognize and abstain from.

But what happens when the answer isn't so clear?

As Christians, we can't live wholly disengaged from the world because… well…we live in it!
At the same time, however, we are called to "not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind."

So how do you live in the world but not OF it?

I once heard a Christian say that their worldly content consumption is filtered through simple questions:

👉Does good overcome evil in the end?
👉Does it confuse what is good and evil?
👉Is it beautiful?

These 3 questions are helpful in navigating non-Christian (and even some "Christian") material.

As you live in the world this week, use these questions to filter what you consume, and may The Holy Spirit guide you as you use your discernment.
-
"Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but wise, making the best use of the time because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is." -Ephesians 5:15-17

24/01/2023

"But you, O Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. I cried aloud to the Lord and he answered me from his holy hill. I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me." - Psalm 3:3-5

23/01/2023

"Whatever my God ordains is right." - Samuel Rodigast

Although true, these words from the German hymn writer Samuel Rodigast challenge our human perception when we are faced with life's devastating events.
After all, these words are easy to sing when all is right and long-prayed-for desires are fulfilled...
But what about when they aren't? Is God withholding good from us?

Take heart, Christian; God is at work in ALL things (Romans 8:28).

We can cling to God and his sovereign ordaining throughout our trials. In these dark clouds, we find His surpassing peace, blessing, and fruit that is otherwise unattainable in seasons of joy.

In 2 Corinthians 4: 17-18, Paul writes, "For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen."

God has not abandoned you in your trials. He is purposefully at work and involved.
No matter where you are- continue to turn to him today, and may we, with Rodigast, join in singing:

"Whatever my God ordains is right. Here shall my stand be taken
Though sorrow, or need, or death be mine
Yet I am not forsaken
My Father's care circles me there
He holds me that I shall not fall
And so to Him, I leave it all."

17/01/2023

"What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace."
-Romans 6:1-15 🤍

12/01/2023

"Blessed be God, who has not turned away my prayer nor His lovingkindness from me." - Psalm 66:20

11/01/2023

And how do we know Him? By seeking Him daily through His Word.

Let 2023 be the year you draw closer to Him- an endeavor that ends in worship.🤍

12/12/2022

Praise God, salvation is not found in our capabilities but in the saving and redeeming work of Jesus Christ! 🙌

08/12/2022

"Are our hearts invested in the meaning of this season? Or are we too busy + "tired" to meditate and rest in the promises of the coming Messiah? I know for me, I fall into this all the time. I become too "busy" for my own good, and I start to resent this time of year. But it's not about us; nothing about this story is. It is about our gracious heavenly Father, His plan to send His only Son, and through His death on the cross, we can dance free of the chains of sin that bind us. No matter our workload or life situation, let's remind ourselves where our hope lies.

May we be saturated in scriptures daily as we prepare to celebrate the magnitude of such a precious gift."

-

✨To read "Preparing Our Hearts" from Imposing Grandeur blog archive, visit the link below:

https://imposinggrandeur.org/podcast/preparingourhearts

05/12/2022

Happy Monday, IG Fam!✨🌷
May any trial we face this week push us into His presence.

30/11/2022

🥳Grab your party hats- the final episode of our “Fruits of the Spirit” series is here!
It has been such a sweet and rich time of learning this year as we have delved into these fruits and what they mean for us, our lives in Christ, and what He calls us to.

Our final episode is on self-control!
❓What is self-control?
❓How did Christ exhibit self-control?
❓Was Jesus self-controlled when He overturned the temple tables?

We hope you will join us in listening and that you’ll be encouraged as we have that our God is a self-controlled God that does not change and what good news that is for us!

✨Now streaming on Spotify and Apple Music✨

Or, listen on our website at https://imposinggrandeur.org/podcast!🖱️🖥️

28/11/2022

“For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” - Romans 8:29-30

17/11/2022

“My feelings are not God.
God is God.
My feelings do not define truth.
God's Word defines truth.
My feelings are echoes and responses to
what my mind perceives.
And sometimes -
many times - my feelings are
out of sync with the truth.
When that happens - and it
happens every day in some
measure - I try not to bend
the truth to justify my
imperfect feelings, but rather,
I plead with God: Purify my
perceptions of your truth and
transform my feelings so
that they are in sync with
the truth.”

-John Piper

Imposing Grandeur