IF YOU DON'T LIKE WHAT YOU ARE SEEING, REPENT AND THEN SEE GOD WORK. JOB 22:23 If you return to the Almighty, you will be built up;
You will remove iniquity far from your tents.
24 Then you will lay your gold in the dust,
And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks.
25 Yes, the Almighty will be your gold[fn]
And your precious silver;
26 For then you will have your delight in the Almighty,
And lift up your face to God.
27 You will make your prayer to Him,
He will hear you,
And you will pay your vows.
28 You will also declare a thing,
And it will be established for you;
So light will shine on your ways.
Generally speaking, God's promises are "popular" with many people. When most of the Lord's promises are read or taught, people are delighted. Promises are so often received with favor because they are so encouraging. They are embraced with approval because they are so comforting. On the other hand, some of God's promises are definitely "unpopular" with certain segments of humanity. This type of promise is scorned or rejected because of its convicting or sobering character. Nevertheless, these promises that are not always well-received have great importance in God's plan.
"To fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek Him the greatest adventure; to find Him, the greatest human achievement."— St. Augustine of Hippo
If we want to impact our world as the first-century believers did, then we have to get back to the principles they applied. It starts with the Christianity they practiced.
Our values should be different from those of non-Christians. People need to see this in our lives, but all too often, it simply isn’t happening.
Christians should differ from non-Christians in every realm, not just the religious realm. We should differ from non-Christians not simply because we show up at church on the weekend or attend a midweek Bible study.
“We have a responsibility to influence the people in our lives to be the best possible people they can be: ‘Therefore encourage one another and build each other up"(1 Thessalonians 5: 11). —Henry Cloud, John Townsend
NO MATTER HOW HARD IT GETS, CHOOSE RECOVERY OVER RELAPSE! EVEN WHEN YOU'RE NOT STRONGER THAN YOUR ADDICTION, YOUR SAVIOR IS! LEAN ON HIM IN THE MIDST OF EVERY TEMPTATION. HE HAS ALREADY PREPARED YOUR WAY OF ESCAPE! TAKE IT!
But Elijah refused to be comforted. It seemed as if he could not shake off the mood in which he was ensnared. FB Meyer The Spirit of God will enable you to use the Word of God in the battle against the devil. Wiersbe
We have to keep our course set on Jesus Christ and stand for His truth in a world overflowing with wickedness, deception, and lies.
Evil is alluring, attractive— and utterly deceptive. People are drawn to the forbidden because they believe, wrongly, that it will bring satisfaction and contentment. "If I just had that, then I'd be completely happy." The reality is, however, that when we chase after what is forbidden, we're left feeling emptier than before. Chuck Smith
There is no spot on earth so lonely, no cave so deep and dark, that the word of the Lord cannot discover and come to us. FB MEYER
God wants us to be people whose strengths and capabilities come from Him. He wants us to be people who acknowledge that it is “in Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). This is what character building is all about. Ray Bentley
“If God had granted all the silly prayers I’ve made in my life, where should I be now?” - C.S. Lewis
It is only against the pitch blackness of the night that we see the glories of the stars. And it is only against the pitch blackness of man’s radical depravity that we can begin to see the glories of the gospel. Paul Washer It is the duty of every Christian to be Christ to his neighbor. Martin Luther
“ … beholding the glory of Christ is one of the greatest privileges that believers are capable of in this world, or even in that which is to come.” -John Owen
“We must acknowledge that in and of ourselves, as Paul says, we cannot do anything.” — Richard Sibbes on Philippians 4:13
“What a wonderful thing it is to be a Christian.” — Sinclair Ferguson Have you forgotten this truth? “We listen and do good works, but the activity and power and strength all come from the Spirit of God.” — Richard Sibbes on Philippians 4:13 “A Christian’s profession is to be dead to the world and alive to God, that is his profession, to have his life hidden with Christ in God, to satisfy himself in God.” Jeremiah Burroughs The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, 170
“We labour in vain if we do not depend wholly upon the Spirit of God and do not trust to a higher strength than our own.” — Richard Sibbes
“The gospel of Jesus Christ declares the unfathomable glory of God in the salvation of sinners, and the gospel itself is therefore inestimably glorious.” — John MacArthur
Jesus is the light of the world Jesus is the living word Jesus is the good shepherd Jesus is the Lamb of God Jesus is the living water Jesus is the living bread Jesus is the true vine Jesus is the Son of God
“God's glory is the ultimate reason for everything that exists. The universe and all that is in it was created for one principal objective- namely, to put the glory of God on display. Each one of us was made for that same purpose.” — John MacArthur
“El Verdadero y Sano Juicio (Sabiduría)consiste de dos partes: el conocimiento de Dios y nosotros mismos” - Juan Calvino
"True and sound wisdom consists of two parts: the knowledge of God and ourselves." -John Calvin
“Faith is a living, daring confidence in God's grace, so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times.” — Martin Luther
The glory of the gospel is that when the church is absolutely different from the world, she invariably attracts it. —Martyn Lloyd-Jones
The only bridge from earth to heaven is the cross. Steven Lawson
We must first show people they are condemned and then show how they must be saved. -George Whitefield -
The one condition for spiritual progress is that we remain sincere and humble. John Calvin
"Our identity at the most basic and fundamental level is that we are 'in Christ'." -Gloria Furman.
Humility is the very first letter in the alphabet of Christianity. -J.C. Ryle - Religion today is not transforming the people - it is being transformed by the people. -A.W. Tozer
Let not new sins make the Spirit take his old sword into his hand; the second wound will be worse than the first. —Stephen Charnock, Works 4:215 "By-and-by he will “send forth judgment unto victory,” and men shall see that the patient Lamb is also the mighty Lion of the Tribe of Judah[…]" - Charles Spurgeon
Spiritual delight in God arises chiefly from His beauty and perfection, not from the blessings He gives us. Jonathan Edwards
When God's children grow heedless, rest in duty done and not minding how [they] misspend time, trifle with an unsuitable company, no wonder if they lose the sense of pardon and put out the light of their comforts. These joys are reserved for those that keep close to God. —N. Claget
Prayer is powerful and God answers every prayer, no matter how we perceive it. This audiobook is a powerful reminder of these realities, "How I Know God Answers Prayer - Rosalind Goforth
"Young men, I beseech you earnestly, beware of pride. Two things are said to be very rare sights in the world—one is a young man that is humble, and the other is an old man that is content. I fear that this is only too true.” – J. C. Ryle Are you jealous for the honour of God? See in the state of the heathen the strongest of excitements [to missions]. Your God is unknown & dishonoured. Idols have usurped His worship. -Richard Watson
O you simple, gullible people of this nation, cheated of your Christianity & civility! Unless you are foolish & proud, take the advice of your learned, godly ministers, of settled, solid, experienced Christians, & ask them what books you should read. —Nicolas Claget (1610-1663)
"Hearts are won to Jesus by the silent conviction which irresistibly subdues the conscience to a sense of guilt, and by the love which is displayed in the Redeemer’s becoming the great substitutionary sacrifice for us, that our sins might be removed." - Charles Spurgeon
Some more admire their preachers than Jesus Christ; they look more after an impotent man with all the glory of his gifts than the power and transcendently eminent endowments of the Lord Jesus. —Nicolas Claget, The Abuse of God’s Grace, Pg. 28
Don’t let social media become your morning devotional. —Darrell B. Harrison
“Christianity is the only religion whose God bears the scars of evil.” ―Os Guiness
‘When the Holy Spirit is poured out . . . Conviction of sin, an anxiety to possess the Word of God, and dependence upon those truths which glorify God in man’s salvation, are inevitable consequences.’ — Iain H. Murray, ‘The Puritan Hope’
The pathway to Hell is a parade of people encouraging one other to “do whatever you feel like doing”. "Jesus has a special care for the weak, and is tender to the utmost degree[…]" - Charles Spurgeon
This part of the gospel, that Christ is our righteousness, the flesh will like; but the part of it that says that the justified must be holy, penitent, & mortified, it cannot endure. —Nicolas Claget, Abuse of God’s Grace, Pg. 67 (dealing with the abuse of imputed righteousness)
"And when, before the throne, I stand in Him complete, 'Jesus died my soul to save,' My lips shall still repeat. Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe; Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow." —Elvina Hall, "Jesus Paid It All
“Whatever is in God is God Himself.” - Thomas Goodwin. Of Christ the Mediator, Works 5:94.
“The Christian believes the Bible because he has met its Author.”—
Ray Comfort
“3 principles to learning the Will of God: tell Him you will do anything He says, read your Bible and pray, & do faithfully what God has given you to do today.” ~
Elisabeth Elliot
"In matters of religion, all the doctrines which men are required to believe, & all the duties which they are commanded to perform, are contained in the Bible." -
Thomas Jones.
Christianity isn’t about self-improvement; it's about a whole new life in Christ.
Dustin Benge
"There is nothing in heaven, earth, or hell that need make you fear who trust in Jesus."
— Charles Spurgeon
"Preach justification and sanctification as inseparable, for where Christ's righteousness is imputed His life, Spirit and nature are imparted."
-Benjamin Ingham.
One of the dangers of our prayer life is when it becomes too automatic and empty of emotion. A responsibility (like brushing our teeth), rather than petitioning the great and might God.
“We have a responsibility to influence the people in our lives to be the best possible people they can be: ‘Therefore encourage one another and build each other up"(1 Thessalonians 5: 11).
—Henry Cloud, John Townsend
Let no Christian parent fall into the delusion that Sunday school is intended to ease them of their personal duties. The first and most natural condition of things is for Christian parents to train up their own children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
~C.H. Spurgeon~
“We have a responsibility to influence the people in our lives to be the best possible people they can be: ‘Therefore encourage one another and build each other up"(1 Thessalonians 5: 11). —
Henry Cloud, John Townsend
One characteristic of Jesus' ministry was his accessibility. Regardless of what may be happening around him, what he may be engaged in, or what the circumstances may be, Jesus is always accessible.
Dustin Benge
God cares about what you do, how you do it, and for what purposes. Everything we have and everything we do matters to God.
if you cannot afford it, do not buy it. ~Pastor Chuck Smith~
To keep debt, dirt, and the Devil out of my cottage has been my greatest wish ever since I set up housekeeping… Poverty is hard, but the debt is horrible. ~C. H. Spurgeon~
One of my most dramatic spiritual encounters occurred while I was in the midst of a trial. I had a beat-up car that ran when it wanted to and I had to get to work from Fontana to Pico Riviera. I did all the right things I checked the battery, called my boss and he told me Don't Be Late Or Els! So as a new believer, I laid hands on that thing and it started. Now I know it does not have a Spirit but I committed every ounce of faith I had to that and my prayers were answered...
As we do the work God has set before us—a specific job, task, responsibility, ministry, studies, or wherever He has placed us—we can expect to hear from God one way or the other.
Just be obedient!
I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. Revelation 21:2
I tell every husband I do weddings for as the bride walks down, you will never see her look this way again. There is nothing more beautiful than a bride walking down to meet the bridegroom. I remember my wife as she walked down and I went to meet her. Josey did the hair, others did her makeup and Pastor Casey Kendall said the best service and I shook from head to toe.
The Christian's heaven is to be with Christ, for we shall be like him when we see him as he is.
~Charles Hodge~
You never know how God will use people to speak to you. We expect it from pastors and preachers, prophets, and apostles. But every day, God puts people in our paths who in some way might remind us of His love, confront us with the truth, stretch our preconceived ideas, or nudge us to do His will.
We just need to be listening. Ray Bently
Heaven is a reality, not seen by eyes of flesh, but made known by revelation and received by faith.
~Archibald Alexander~
Being an effective communicator of the gospel requires a willingness to reach out to people who are different from you. We tend to want to hang around people who look like us, who talk like us, and who are just like us. But how willing are we to leave our comfort zone and go to a person completely different from us with the message of the gospel?
To put it another way, are we willing to acknowledge that all prejudice is wrong? Everyone needs Jesus, and we need to go without embarrassment and share the gospel with them. We can talk all day about how to do evangelism effectively. We can go to classes on how to share our faith and read books about it. We can memorize a list of conversation-starters that can help turn a conversation toward evangelism. All these things are good. But none of them will matter if we don’t care about others. People can tell whether or not we care about them. Even a dog can tell. And a person will know whether you are sharing the gospel out of sincerity or a mere sense of duty. Greg Laurie
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