Who of us welcomes trials and counts them as pure joy? Trials hurt but they also prepare. Trials produce perseverance which leads to maturity. Want to grow in Christ? Welcome trials!
~A.W. Tozer~
The best work usually meets the strongest opposition.
~D.L. Moody~
The church world today frequently turns to the contemporary speculations of man. The wisdom of man is a vain help. We would do well to consider Isaiah's clear warning. "Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help…who do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the LORD!" (Isaiah 31:1).
Bob Hoekstra
Without truth, we lack the courage to speak up and convictions to speak up about. Without grace, we lack the compassion to bring the solutions people desperately need.
A young man once told me he viewed his relationship with God as the same type of wrestling match Jacob had with God. I became very quiet. He asked me, "Why don't you say something?" I answered, "Because you won't like what I have to say. If you think you're wrestling with God, then you might not be saved. The Christian life is about surrender to God, not a wrestling match. One of the basic tenets of our faith in God is He is always right -- so why fight His will?
PR.
Those who place their hope in the Lord during their pilgrimage on earth will rejoice forever when the Lord implements for eternity the fullness of His salvation for His people!
Bob Hoekstra
We are not doomed to an ultimate conflict with no hope of resolution. The message of the Scripture is one of victory – full, final, and ultimate victory. It is not our doom that is certain, but Satan’s. His head has been crushed by the heel of Christ, who is the Alpha and Omega.
~R.C. Sproul~
People who trust in the fallen resources of man never do really see days that God's word would call good. Rather, they dwell in spiritual conditions that are like salty soil, wastelands, scorched land, incapable of habitation: "but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land which is not inhabited." Such living is a cursed spiritual existence of carnal desolation.
Bob Hoekstra
Humility is so contrary to the values of the world but so vital in reaching the world for Christ.
Dustin Benge
Prayer is not about accomplishing something. It’s about being with someone!
PR.
It is a comfort to hear the words of God in times of stress.
~Billy Graham~
Having prayed, you must also watch, guarding every thought, word, and action with holy jealousy.
~C.H. Spurgeon~
When the heat of drought comes, it is a dreadful threat to plant life (unless the plant is located beside a sufficient river). When the heat of battle or impossible circumstances arise, they can pose a fearful threat to human beings. Even a child of God is tempted to be anxious. However, if the Lord is our hope, we "will not fear when heat comes…and will not be anxious in the year of drought." Instead, we will continue in growth and spiritual fruitfulness. "Her leaf will be green, and will not…cease from yielding fruit."
Bob Hoekstra
“The next best thing to being wise oneself is to live in a circle of those who are.”
—C.S. Lewis
Along with humility regarding ourselves, God wants us to walk in faith regarding Him. The Lord wants to work in our lives by His incomparable grace. Faith accesses grace:
The Lord is pleased by the path of "Christ-dependency." Whenever we face any issue of life by faith in Jesus Christ, we are drawing upon the abounding grace of the Lord. When we dependently accept that God can produce the kind of life He calls us to live, spiritual progress is assured. Faith involves agreeing with God's pronouncements that He is our adequacy: "but our sufficiency is from God".
Bob Hoekstra
The promise of Friday: He will rise.
The promise of Saturday: He will rise.
The promise of Sunday: He has risen!
God’s promises never fail.
Dustin Benge
Meditate on these profound words from Scripture: “There shall no longer be any curse” (Revelation 22:3). The hope, the promise, the anticipation of this verse is inexpressible— it is weighty, thick with promise and joy.
Randy Alcorn
The Lord is high, lofty, holy, and eternal. These truths impact us with awe and reverence. Yet, there is a corollary truth that brings us encouragement and hope (even though it seems almost contradictory). "I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit." God essentially dwells on high, but He also desires to dwell with man here below.
Bob Hoekstra
Christ's death on the cross is God's way of getting at the core of sin in our body, mind, and spirit. God condemned mankind's sinful nature on the cross so it would have no more right or control over us. However, He did not eliminate sin -- He only removed its consequence (for believers) which is death. It's important to realize it is the Holy Spirit who is our Deliverer from sin while we remain in our mortal bodies. He is our help right here and now.
PR.
The blood is shed for us. God pardons and forgives for Christ's sake ... There is nothing, not even the devil himself, that can hinder the confessing sinner.
~A.W. Tozer~
God’s passion for you will direct and guide your life, as long as you remember that the practical goal of realizing your life’s purpose must be preceded by experiencing the passion of God.
PR.
Scripture is clear that a truly humble person has a correct view of themselves, denies self and places others first, exhibits grace and love toward others and redirects all praise from themselves to Christ.
Dustin Benge
PR.
Our relationship with Christ was never meant to be kept private.
“Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing.” - Camille Pissarro
The act of faith is instantaneous; the fruits of faith are life-long.
Our great God dwells in the heaven of heavens, ruling over all the nations of the world. "The LORD is high above all nations." His glory is even more majestic than the galaxies which He hung throughout the stellar heavens: " There is no one in all the universe who could be likened unto Him. Nevertheless, though He rightly inhabits the highest realms of existence, He is willing to consider our lowly estate and become involved in the affairs of humanity: "who dwells on high, Who humbles Himself to behold the things that are in the heavens and in the earth."
Bob Hoekstra
A biblical false prophet was a servant of the devil attempting to lead people away from the truth.
~Walter Martin~
My prayer today is that we will feel the loving arms of God wrapped around us, and will know in our hearts that He will never forsake us as we trust in Him.
~Billy Graham~
Too many believers try to fight this tendency to sin all by themselves. They find the battle against sin to be both frustrating and exhausting. The Lord understands our nature and has given us His Spirit to win the struggle -- but it is a choice.
PR.
Comments