When an ordinary person meets an extraordinary God, normal life takes on a whole new meaning. Knowing God changes everything.
We cannot encounter the living God and be the same.
A personal relationship with God produces a holy discontent with the status quo and compels us to live in such a way miracles happen daily.
within our brokenness when we allow God to carry us through the pain. Better yet, we are new creatures with a future and a hope of eternity
God does not want us to enable others in their wrongdoing. Neither does he enable us when we choose to walk in disobedience to him.
The “righteous” are those whose life is in Christ. Not in self.
The devil allows no Christian to reach heaven
with clean feet all the way.
~Martin Luther~
Faith is not fact until it's tested.
It's a good idea to periodically ask ourselves, "Is this thing that I am doing slowing me down or speeding me along in my walk with God? Is it building me up spiritually or is it tearing me down?"
When you become a Christian, one of the more notable changes is that you will give up many of the things you once did. Of course, this depends on your lifestyle prior to your conversion. But for many of us, a dramatic change will take place.
The Lord wants us to grow in the magnificent blessing of living victoriously through Him. Having a triumphant Christian walk can only be realized from a developing acquaintanceship with the Lord, because we are only able to "reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ."
It seems the consensus is Joy, have joy. We know yesterday Jesus died on the cross (Good Friday) and He did it because He loved us. He calls us friends and then He tells us that a friend will lay down his life for the brothers and in Him our joy will be full or complete. The scripture that I woke up with was.
What to Forget, What to Remember
Forget each kindness that you do as soon as you have done it.
Forget the praise that falls to you the moment you have won it.
Forget the slander that you hear before you can repeat it.
Forget each slight, each spite, each sneer, whenever you may meet it.
Remember every promise made and keep it to the letter.
Remember those who lend you aid and be a grateful debtor.
Remember all the happiness that comes your way in living.
Forget each worry and distress; be hopeful and forgiving.
Remember good, remember truth, remember heaven is above you.
And you will find, through age and youth, that many will love you.
The Lord wants us to grow in the magnificent blessing of living victoriously through Him. Having a triumphant Christian walk can only be realized from a developing acquaintanceship with the Lord, because we are only able to "reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ."
THE WORKS OF JESUS IS MINISTRY.........!
Let us embrace the whole truth,
or renounce Christianity altogether.
~Joseph Irons~
All our condition of misery and sin Jesus has taken; and all that Jesus has comes to us. His righteousness, His blood, and everything that He has He gives us as our dowry. Rejoice, believer, in your union to Him who was numbered among the transgressors; and prove that you are truly saved by being clearly identified with those who are new creatures in Him.
We have a God who knows 'why'. He does not want His children bearing the burden of having to understand what HE is doing.
We must focus on what He has asked US to do, leaving the analysis and supposing muffled in the contentment and satisfaction of being in His will.
There is no need to surmise and conclude when we are thoroughly enjoying obedience. We might NEVER recognize why He has us do things but obedience without HAVING to know why demonstrates our confidence in WHO He is.
Why trouble our fragile minds with matters too high for us? We were not designed to fully comprehend the multi-faceted purposes our God has in mind when leading our lives and ordering our steps.
"Neither do I concern myself with great matters, Nor with things too profound for me." (Ps 131:1)
I hear people say all the time they don't have the gift for counseling but as taught in Pastor Brian DuPont's class and reading Jay Adams books, all believers are counselers.
If you have ever witnessed sometimes it leads to counseling with a redeadication to Jesus Christ.
Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be broken.
~Chuck Smith~
There is a massive difference between being familiar with something and understanding it. Having an acquaintance and building a deep friendship are radically different experiences.
when it comes to the New Testament, many of us are familiar with it. We have an “acquaintance” kind of relationship with this ancient collection of twenty-seven books. But the real question is… do we know and understand the New Testament?
Time for the CHURCH to turn the STAGE back into an ALTAR.
The world is longing for the right things but they’re looking for it in all the wrong places.
There is a tendency today among some individuals, and in some churches, to dilute the Word of God with the views of culture. This is nothing new. It comes from one of Satan’s original lies. When in the Garden, in Genesis 3:1, he asked Eve, “Did God actually say… ?” Today, he utters the same crafty question to both believers and non-believers:
The reason why so many fail in battle is that they wait until the hour of battle. The reason why others succeed is that they have gained their victory on their knees long before the battle came. Anticipate your battles; fight them on your knees before temptation comes, and you will always have victory.
~R.A. Torrey~
The Bible is sufficient in revealing all we need to know about God. -
Jeffrey Johnson.
"WE TALK SO BADLY ABOUT JUDAS FOR BETRAYING THE LORD FOR 30 PIECES OF SILVER. BUT HOW MANY TIMES HAVE WE BETRAYED HIM DAILY...FOR FREE?
THE HOLY SPIRIT COMES WITH A LIFESTYLE, NOT JUST A LANGUAGE!
God is still good.
God is still just.
God is still perfect.
God is still unchanging.
God is still eternal.
God is still in control.
God is still faithful.
God is still sovereign.
We must expect great troubles before we attain great faith.
— Charles Spurgeon
Many people aren’t worshiping the Jesus described in the Scriptures, but rather, a made-up Jesus formed by opinions.
"Easter is a time to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ and to remember that because He lives, we can face tomorrow with hope and confidence." - Tony Evans
"Preaching on Easter Sunday is a unique opportunity to proclaim the Gospel in all its fullness. Don't hold back. Preach the resurrection with boldness and conviction." - Haddon Robinson
"Let us clearly and passionately tell everyone in attendance how amazing Christ is for conquering sin and death. No flashiness required." -Nate Holdridge
'Jesus didn’t say, “I am finished.” He said, “It is finished.” He was just getting started.' - Tony Evans
"Genesis ends with Joseph’s death. Deuteronomy ends with Moses’s death. Joshua ends with Joshua’s death. The Gospels end with Jesus’s resurrection. And that changes everything." -Tony Merida
The Gospel is not about good people becoming awesome people, it's about sinners being saved by an awesome God.
Burk Parsons
The gospel is God’s gospel. The gospel originates with God, it belongs to God, and it is all about what God has done for his people through Christ by the Spirit. Because it’s his gospel, we must not mess with it, dilute it, change it, or complicate it.
Christ not only died for us, He lived for us. That's the whole point of the gospel. R.C. Sproul
Ah, Lord Jesus! I never knew Your love till I understood the meaning of Your death. Charles Spurgeon
The work of God's Holy Spirit begins with bruising. In order to be saved, the fallow ground must be plowed up, the hard heart must be broken, the rock must be split apart. Charles Spurgeon
As sure as God puts His children in the furnace of affliction, He will be with them in it. Charles Spurgeon
THE DEVIL IS A LIAR. And not just any old liar, a very good one. He normally avoids direct assaults. He prefers deceit, and misdirection. Kevin DeYoung
If your church faithfully preaches the Bible, administers the sacraments and practices church discipline: then, 𝘺𝘦𝘴, inviting someone to your church is most definitely a faithful form of evangelism. Don’t let anyone discourage you because you’re not a clone of Ray Comfort
“I'm so thankful for the active obedience of Christ. No hope without it." — J. Gresham Machen
“If we get an interest in Christ, none can pluck us out of His hand.” — William Greenhill
"Go forth, O conquering God, and show me the cross, mighty to subdue, comfort, and save." - Valley of Vision, 43. 'Love Lustres at Calvary'
The active obedience of Christ leaves zero room for anything to be required of sinners for justification that has not already been graciously provided by God in Christ.” — Patrick Abendroth, The Active Obedience of Christ, 58.
Justification “consists in the remission of sins and the imputation of Christ’s righteousness.” — John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, III.xi.2.
“The righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us, not by our doing it, but by his.” — John Owen
“How has Christ abolished sin, banished the separation between us and God… He has achieved this for us by the whole course of his obedience.” — John Calvin, The Institutes of the Christian Religion, II.xiv.5.
“There would be no sense in saying you trusted Jesus if you would not take his advice.” - C.S. Lewis
For in Iesu Christ nether is circumcision enythinge worth nether yet vncircumcision but faith which by love is mighty in operacion. - Galatians 5.6 (William Tyndale translation)
Heart purity is the spring and life of all holiness. - John Owen
There is no pursuit more worthy than Christ. None. The best gift you can give your husband or wife is a heart after him.
"Do you want to know love? Go to Calvary and see the Man of Sorrows die." — Charles Spurgeon
"The gospel is a very fearless gospel. It boldly proclaims the truth, whether men like it or not." — Charles Spurgeon
"Never dare to despair if God answers prayers." — Charles Spurgeon
"He who does not serve God where he is would not serve God anywhere else." — Charles Spurgeon
"Every Christian is bound to minister in his day, both to the church and among unbelievers." — Charles Spurgeon
"There is no moment in our life in which we can do without God's constant upholding." — Charles Spurgeon
"Prayers are instantly noticed in heaven." — Charles Spurgeon
"While we are crying to Christ to be sanctified, may we not doubt his power to sanctify." — Charles Spurgeon
"The God of the Old Testament is the God of the New Testament." — Charles Spurgeon
"The subject of the Bible is grace." — Charles Spurgeon
"Family prayer, Bible reading, Teaching the children; these make your house a little paradise." — Charles Spurgeon
"The gospel is all about Christ from beginning to end." – Charles Spurgeon
"Whatever people say about you, that persecution will win you a brighter crown in glory." — Charles Spurgeon
Unity is unmistakable and irreplaceable in a healthy marriage. God's word says "they shall become one flesh". Not two people with a common goal, but one flesh. Combined. Unified.
Your spouse has given you full access to their heart. All the more reason to use words very wisely!
Whether a person is religiously inclined or secularly motivated avails much with many unsaved people. On the other hand, those who have been brought into union with Christ can learn that God's perspective on such matters is vastly different. "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything."
The Biblical mandate for each believer is this: put your faith where your action is. "Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead" (James 2:17).
it is God's call for you to get involved in service -- not to ask the pastor to do it for you. It is the pastor's job to minister the word of God. It is our job to serve the needs of our church and community.
Pain can become an idol. Not that we worship it in a good sense. But we worship it as an awesome force and allow it to control our lives. When we allow our past to control our lives and dictate our future, we are giving it the power of a god and making it an idol.
Author Richard Exley wrote: “We can hug our hurts and make a shrine out of our sorrows or we can offer them to God as a sacrifice of praise. The choice is ours.”
There are only two families to which human beings can belong: Adam's or Christ's. There are only two family heads to which anyone can be related: Adam or Christ. Adam passed along spiritual death to his offspring. Christ gives to His family life eternal, life abundant—all by His glorious grace.
Every problem contains a concentrated opportunity and offers the option of stepping out in faith.
The greatest treasures are often buried in the deepest pits and require a step of faith to discover.
In the relationship we have with the Lord through the new covenant of grace, there is intimacy, fullness of life, spiritual victory, and so much more. These blessings (not available to those who are related to Adam) are aspects of the new life that comes to new creatures "in Christ."
"If it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you." ~ Fred DeVito
It is by the evil use of his free will that man destroyed
both it and himself.
~Augustine~
God wrote your story. He cast you in his drama. You hang as God’s work of art, a testimony in his gallery of grace. According to Him, you are His. Period.
“It's not the matter you cover so much as it is the manner in which you cover it.” – Jim Rohn
If you are anything like me it's a little easier to bless those who bless us, than bless those who persecute. But in Matthew 5:44 Jesus tells us, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." Why? Because two things happen when we pray for them: we change and they change.
If you are available, God is a able!
We are not manufacturers we are distributors of the Love of God!
Peace is not absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means.
Ronald Reagan
We are never defeated unless we give up on God.
Ronald Reagan
“The life of faith is not a life of mounting up with wings, but a life of walking and not fainting…Faith never knows it is being led, but it loves and knows the One who is leading.” —Oswald Chambers
I come to a place and can attest to this if you make a person laugh they will move mountains for you.
This day you have been given is far too valuable to be wasted on arguments that have no eternal significance. Instead, unite with those you know who have the vision and focus to do something noble for His kingdom…
All the work you do for God is not to be done with your own energy; otherwise you will be defeated and discouraged. It has to be accomplished through the power of the Holy Spirit. People who say they are burned out are trying to do God’s work in their own strength. They simply do not trust the Lord. Chuck Smith did not believe that a person could ever burn out; there is no evidence seen in the Scriptures.
If people get overtired physically and walk around with long faces, that may become a sign that they are not relying on the Lord for their strength or His power for ministry.
In the cross, sin is cursed and canceled. In the cross, grace is victorious and available.
~G. Campbell Morgan~
May your day be full of the Lord and His blessings not just on Sundays but everyday..
God is looking for those with whom He can do the impossible.
~A. W. Tozer~
God is working in you: You are His
“workmanship,” a beautiful new creation who is
predestined to be conformed into the image of
Jesus.
God is working through you: He has “good works” “prepared” for you to “walk” in.
If you’re not in regular, personal fellowship in a local church, you’re not going to discover God’s
plan.
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious is what Mary Poppins wants you to say when you don’t know
what to say. Doesn’t work in discipleship or counseling. Pray under your breath or silently.
The glory of Christ often comes into greater focus when we find ourselves in the darkest valleys. Listen to today’s episode of Walking Worthy.
Dustin Benge
When God calls you to the adventure of faith, He does not supply you with a roadmap.
Quit trying to plan the way,
Instead, be resolved to trust & obey
Death will not have the last word. Life will. Suffering will not have the last word. Happiness will. Sin will not have the last word. Righteousness will. Satan will not have the last word. God will.
Randy Alcorn
The church is beautiful when she is a shining example of how to interact and respond to others in a manner that images forth Christ.”
Union Theology
The Lord wants us to grow in the magnificent blessing of living victoriously through Him. Having a triumphant Christian walk can only be realized from a developing acquaintanceship with the Lord because we are only able to "reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ."
There will be no universal peace till the Prince of peace appears. ~J. C. Ryle~
I really do not know how people in the world make it without God. Despite what is going on around us, God is the only one who can give us His peace. Christians have a peaceful assurance that God is still in control.
True worship is a blend of godly fear and trembling together with joy that we are accepted in the Beloved. ~Erroll Hulse~
Today, take a moment to reflect on the light of Jesus in your life. Seek His guidance in prayer and meditate on His Word, allowing His teachings to shape your thoughts and actions. As you walk in the light of Christ, you will not only experience His presence in your own life but also become a source of hope and light for others.
“When we lose one blessing, another is often most unexpectedly given in its place.” - C.S. Lewis
"In Christ, we rose from the tomb. Because he lives, we shall live also." — Charles Spurgeon
"When you are afraid of dying, trust in the living Savior, for in him are life and immortality." — Charles Spurgeon
"Our Christ is not dead. He still holds the stars in his right hand." — Charles Spurgeon
"Whenever a doubt is proposed to me I fall back upon this fact: Jesus did rise from the dead. That is sure." — Charles Spurgeon
"The rising of Christ from the dead proved that he was innocent of every sin." — Charles Spurgeon
"You need a Savior strong and mighty, risen from the dead." — Charles Spurgeon
"Think of the cross and let your tears flow. But you must wipe those tears away, for Christ is not in the grave." — Charles Spurgeon
"His dead body was quickened. The silent heart began again to beat." — Charles Spurgeon
"On other people's graves it is written, 'Here lies so-and-so,' but on Christ's tomb it is recorded, 'He is not here.'" — Charles Spurgeon
"He is with us in our solitude, he is with us in our public assemblies; but there is one place where he is not; and that is, in the empty tomb." — Charles Spurgeon
"Our sins are gone. He cast them into his own tomb, and they are buried there, never to have a resurrection." — Charles Spurgeon
"If Christ has been raised from the dead then all his people must be raised also." — Charles Spurgeon
"Be ready to tell your children what the gospel means." — Charles Spurgeon
I risk my whole eternity on the resurrection of Jesus." — Charles Spurgeon
"Never do we get too wise, too strong, or too old to need prayer." — Charles Spurgeon
"The gospel is all about Christ from beginning to end." – Charles Spurgeon
"In the empty tomb of Christ, we see sin forever put away and death destroyed." — Charles Spurgeon
"We have more and better evidence for the resurrection than for anything else in history." — Charles Spurgeon
Anyone can say that "Christ is Risen" on Easter Sunday, but do you live like "Christ is Risen" every day? That is what will show the world that the Resurrection is real.
Easter Sunday being declared as ‘Transgender Day of Visibility' is no coincidence. The timing is intentional, but here’s 6 things to remember: 1. It doesn’t matter what Government says, it matters what God says. 2. God determines sex & gender. 3. God doesn’t make mistakes. 4. If God is Creator then He gets to be Definer. It’s very arrogant for us to think we get to re-define what God has already defined. 5. It's not hateful to say that God determines sex & gender. It's actually more unloving to affirm & celebrate someone into believing a lie that a perfect God made a mistake on them. 6. No amount of “visibility days” or affirmation will ever make you feel whole & happy. Only a RISEN SAVIOR (the real meaning of Easter) can do that for you.
Dear LORD GOD, I pray that You would make the preaching today across the world more powerful than our preparation could provide (1 Thess 1:5) - Eric Mason
"Preaching on Easter Sunday is a unique opportunity to proclaim the Gospel in all its fullness. Don't hold back. Preach the resurrection with boldness and conviction." - Haddon Robinson
“The great gift of Easter is hope— Christian hope which makes us have that confidence in God, in His ultimate triumph, and in His goodness, and love, which nothing can shake.” -Basil C. Hume
Consider such things as are named the Lord’s in Scripture, are ever of the Lord’s institution: as ‘the word of the Lord,’ 1 Tim. 6:3, ‘the cup of the Lord,’ 1 Cor. 11:27; ‘the supper of the’ Lord,’ 1 Cor. 11:20; and so ‘the Lord’s day’: Rev. 1:10. —Thomas Brooks
“Hath not Nature taught us the same that the apostle here doth, by giving us two ears, and those open; and but one tongue, and that hedged in with teeth and lips?” —John Trapp, Commentary on James 1:19
To sanctify this sabbath was in the primitives a badge of a Christian. For when the question was asked, Servasti Dominicum? (Keepest thou the sabbath?) The answer was returned, Christianus sum, intermittere non possum (I am a Christian, I must keep the Lord’s day.) —John Trapp
The starlight of one single promise is of more use to Christians than a constellation of many providences both to assure them in their ways and to support than under any difficulties that they may meet with. —William Spurstowe, The Wells of Salvation Opened, 96
The church is like a river. If it gets wider instead of deeper it will lose its power. —Puritan Thomas Manton
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