"Your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith" (1 Peter 5:8-9). Also, by faith in the promises of God, we can quench the violence of fiery trials that come against us. "When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the LORD your God" (Isaiah 43:2-3).
Hunting is not a SPORT.
In a SPORT. Both sides should know they’re in the game.
We may face many imminent threats, but we can trust the Lord to provide His escape. "The Lord will deliver me from every evil work" (2 Timothy 4:18). The Lord offers His strength, even when we are weak. "For My strength is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9). Our God can also make us valiant in battle. "Take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day" (Ephesians 6:13).
It takes a broken and contrite heart to know the Lord, and it's one of the most significant characteristics of Christian leadership. King David wrote in Psalm 51:16-17 (after Nathan had confronted him over his adultery with Bathsheba), "You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise."
Very often, when people are trusting in the Lord to work by His grace, they anticipate many delightful workings of God (such as we have seen in the testimonies of Hebrews 11). These saints "subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens" (Hebrews 11:33-34). Yet, others experienced what might be called "unusual" consequences of accessing grace through faith. They had to trust in the Lord when the blessings above did not occur. They had to trust God to sustain them in and through the great difficulties of life.
"The goal of God’s work in us is Jesus taking up residence in every part of us. Nothing left out."
— John Eldredge
C. S. Lewis’s personal secretary was a man named Walter Hooper. He described the Oxford professor and creator of Narnia as “the most thoroughly converted man I ever met.”
Theodore Roosevelt had a lifetime of stories to prepare him for his last great adventure and ordeal — descending an unnavigated tributary of the Amazon in primitive canoes. And he needed preparation because he nearly died on that trip. But this is the fellow who rode eighteen hours on horseback across the Dakota Badlands without water because the spring from which they’d planned to get water had dried up.
I love another story about a hunting trip during which Roosevelt and his guide repeatedly got their wagon stuck in the mud as they tried to travel into the mountains. The second plunge of the horses brought them up to their bellies in the morass, where they were stuck. It was freezing cold, with the bitter wind blowing, and the bog holes were skimmed with ice; so that we passed a thoroughly wretched two hours while freeing the horses and unloading the wagon... My companion preserved an absolutely unruffled temper throughout... whistling the “Arkansas Traveller.” At one period, when we were up to our waists in the icy mud, it began to sleet and hail, and I muttered that I would “rather it didn’t storm”; whereat he stopped whistling for a moment to make the laconic rejoinder, “We’re not having our rathers this trip.”
You may have a lot of experience in “not having your rathers”. It might be that your life has been particularly hard and you wonder why God allowed you to go through so much. What if He’s developing resilience in you? What if He’s giving you gifts during hardships?
My God is wiser, more loving, and more powerful than any problem I could ever face!
Hebrew is a very concrete language that speaks to our five senses. It is experiential. It’s no mistake that the Old Testament was written in Hebrew. God wants us to “see” Him, “hear” Him, smell, taste, touch…it’s very palpable and real.
It is difficult and discouraging to live only out of the mind. It is too limiting, and we are made for so much more.
Be sure to thank the One who gave you all those reasons to be happy.
The difference between an immature and a mature Christian is the ability to discern between good and evil. So many things appear good to our reasoning minds. But mature Christians can detect subtleties by using their “senses.” They don’t just stay in their heads.
All Christians enjoy a unity of mission in which we have one Lord, one faith, and one baptism (Ephesians 4:4-5). There is surely disunity in the visible church, but that is not as important as the reality of the unity we enjoy through our shared communion in Christ. ~R.C. Sproul~
Churches are to minister to the needs of the people. I believe we must take care of our own. How is this done? Be sensitive to a person in need in the body of Christ. If you can help them financially, or in whatever way you can from what you have––
The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, and they that lack the beginning have neither middle nor end. ~John Bunyan~
As you become a doer of the Word, and not a hearer only, you become a part of God’s great work. Look around, see and hear what God is doing. Have a godly fear in your life––stand in awe of what God is doing. People in our church are being saved––
To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing. ~Martin Luther~
I believe, most Christians have a heart for prayer, but many others do not. Understand, prayer is not just one way. Communicating with God. It is also a time of listening to Him. Have your Bible open in times of prayer so God can speak to you through His Word.
The physical presence of other Christians is a source of incomparable joy and strength to the believer. ~Dietrich Bonhoeffer~
We are one unit–-brothers and sisters in Christ. Open your heart to be of one mind and one spirit with others. When we are one, God will bring revival. Take time to fellowship, and you will be blessed with the new friendships you will make.
Fellowship among believers in the body of Christ is essential. The word fellowship in the Greek language is koinonia. It means “the intimate bond of fellowship which unites Christians, oneness.” Christians participate with other believers and enjoy a sense of community.
The word of God is the only way it connects you to life, prayer, and faith.
We will never become truly spiritual by sitting down and wishing to become so. ~Philips Brooks~
"To preach Christ is the only effective way to preach morality." -Thomas Chalmers.
"Faith in Jesus is the best cure for every care, the best balm for every wound." — Charles Spurgeon
A Christian without a Bible is a soldier without a weapon. —
Wilhelmus à Brakel, The Christian’s Reasonable Service, 1:76
Kommentare