You might have heard about the little girl who was drawing a picture during art period in school. When the teacher asked what she was working on, she said she was drawing a picture of God. "But nobody knows what God looks like!" the teacher said. Without looking up, the little girl said, "They will in a minute."
Get in His Word - get in His presence - and look for opportunities to share God's love as truth with confidence!
"Spiritual warfare is a reality. The counter attacks never end. Victory brings reprisals. Advances are met with resistance. Satan seems to have no down time. His greatest victory is to convince us he does not exist or is too busy to bother with us. Be vigilant. Be sober. It’s on!" ~
You may stumble, but with God holding your hand you’ll never fall.
The test by which all conduct must finally be judged is
motive.
~A. W. Tozer~
Charles Spurgeon said “It is not ‘The Lord is partly my portion,’ nor ‘The Lord is in my portion’; but He Himself makes up the sum total of my soul’s inheritance. Within the circumference of that circle lies all that we possess or desire. The Lord is my portion. Not His grace merely, nor His love, nor His covenant, but Yahweh himself.”
People will see your heart before they see your pockets. Put others needs before your wants and you will be bless.
Be grateful for your favorite music, for movies that make you feel good, for your phone that connects you with people, for your computer, and for the electricity that lights up your life. Be grateful for air travel that flies you everywhere. Be grateful for the roads and traffic lights that keep the traffic in order. Be grateful for your pet, for your child, for your loved ones, for your eyes that enable you to read this. Be grateful for your imagination. Be grateful that you can think. Be grateful that you can speak. Be grateful that you can laugh and smile. Be grateful that you can breathe. Be grateful that you are alive! Be grateful that you are You! Be grateful that there are two words that can change your life. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! From The Secret Daily Teachings by Rhonda Byrne
A successful marriage is always a triangle: a man, a woman, and God.
~Cecil Myers~
Trust is essential in business. If you don't have it within your organization, you're going to have problems.
"Most people are just trying to get through the day. Sophisticated people learn how to get from the day." -- Jim Rohn
Chuck Swindoll
There’s a person who says, “There is no God and no accountability. I will live on my own.” The Bible’s name for this person? Fool.
Kim Kiyosaki
You may not know what questions to ask. Just keep asking because every question you ask is the right question if you’re smarter as a result.
The power of man can never reverse the sentence of God.
~Thomas V. Moore~
I think the heart cry of every individual is "How can I connect with God?" God put a hole in the soul of everyone (see Ecclesiastes 3:11; Romans 8:20) so that we would cry out and say, "How can I ever contact God? I need a mediator." And that Mediator, that bridge, is Jesus Christ. You must come through the narrow gate of a relationship with the Savior who died for your sins and rose from the grave for your justification. It's the only way. And it's up to each of us to respond to that truth.
Truth and morality are inextricably connected.
~Martin Robinson~
Remember where you are! As a child of God, you are in the Promised Land. Not geographically but spiritually. This is the land of grace and hope…freedom and truth…love and life! The devil has no jurisdiction over you. He acts as if he does. He walks with a swagger and brings temptation, but as you resist him and turn to God, James 4:7 tells us, he must flee.
The path of submission is the way to peace.
~Herbert Carson~
Some parents are terrified when their children question the authority of the Scriptures or have questions about various things we believe as Christians. But I don't think it's a horrible thing when children start asking the hard questions. Skepticism isn't necessarily a sign that a person is wrong; it may be a sign that he or she is thinking.
Don't base your view of God on someone who may have misrepresented Him. God is who He is. He is faithful. He is perfect. He is flawless. And He never will be a hypocrite.
Christian parents need to answer their children's questions and help them work through those things. Sooner or later, children will have to grow up. They will have to find out for themselves who God is.
"In the world in which we live, we need to know how to stand. Lots of folks aren’t ‘standing right.’ Spiritually speaking, they are slumped over, or they bend with the wind. We need to stand—and stand tall—for the Lord Jesus Christ."
"Let your closest friends be those who claim Christ as their best friend."
In the future seven-year Tribulation, that you read about in the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, everyone participating in society will be forced to swear allegiance to the Antichrist or be cut-off from all commerce. The "mark" will be "the mark of the beast." We will not be on the earth for any portion of those seven years. Jesus promised to come and get us; to raise the dead in Christ, and to rapture living believers. It is presented in the Bible as an imminent event. Are you ready for the rapture? If not, get ready, stay ready, and keep looking up. Ready or not, Jesus is coming!
Maybe you are facing what seems like an impossible situation right now. You may not be able to see a way out. But God can. Call on Him. Then stand still and see what He will do.
Sometimes new Christians have a difficult time finding their way in their newfound faith. They need someone who will stand with them and love them. My greatest growth comes from being around on fire new believers.
Our walk is a more telling and valuable testimony to others, regarding the benefits of righteous living, than our words could ever be. What is your life saying to your children, those at work, or your neighbors? Is God glorified? Is your faith demonstrated by your life?
Remember who you are. You are God’s child. You’ve been bought by the most precious commodity in the history of the universe: the blood of Christ…and you’re indwelled by the Spirit of the living God. You are being equipped for an eternal assignment that will empower you to live in the very presence of Jesus.
The ultimate solution to poverty is found in the compassion of God’s people. Poverty is not the lack of charity but the lack of justice. Righteous anger would do a world of good.
There is only one answer to defeat and that is a victory.
~Winston Churchill~
You serve at the pleasure of Christ and will serve well when you recognize that you are first and foremost a servant, both to Christ and to his church. But more than that you are a servant sacrificially to your neighbor and the world. Serving is easy when it is in the church and all laid out for you. We should do that but serve your neighbor or the person who is the least.
I am convinced that the most important thing I can do is to allow Jesus Christ to become more and more of a reality in my life. I know it’s not a very popular goal these days. But this is the single and simple state of mind we are to have if we are to live joyful, happy and productive lives. Any pursuit we undertake will become elusive, and eventually prove unsatisfying. Why? Because anything other than Jesus will always leave us empty and unfulfilled. The only way to rejoice in life, to be happy about life, and to be full of life is to fully realize, My real identity can only be found in Christ and His will.
When we come to Christ, we’re no longer the most important person in the world to us; Christ is. Instead of living only for ourselves, we have a higher goal: to live for Jesus.
~Billy Graham~
President Woodrow Wilson once said, “America was born a Christian nation…A nation which does not remember what it was yesterday, does not know what it is today, nor what it is trying to do…The Bible is the one supreme source of revelation of the meaning of life…the only guide of life which really leads the spirit in the way of peace and salvation.”
The measure of a man is not how many servants he has
but how many men he serves.
~D.L. Moody~
As believers, if we are not serving we are sitting. Don't be a sponge sucking up the word and never giving it out.
If sinners are damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay.
~C. H. Spurgeon~
As a leader, I am always thinking about the future. I contemplate where the Kingdom is headed. How does the work that I do fit into this larger picture of God’s work? How can I grow the vision God has given me? How am I investing in my team for where they are headed? While all these questions are important, this last question has been a recurring thought over the last 5 years. I have become sensitive to the reality that vision building is meant to be a mutually beneficial experience between leadership and their team members.
Sometimes in the midst of working the vision, leaders can become so consumed with the work, that we end up living life with tunnel vision. We can easily overlook the fact that the team members who serve us also have God-given visions of their own. This means that your vision is actually one of the stops on their larger journey to destiny and vocation. As leaders, we are responsible for investing in our team to prepare them for their future, which most likely is separate from our work.
Leaders must be sensitive and able to discern which team members are long-term and which ones are short-term. We must also make space to invest in our team for the sake of their vision.
Disappointment with God is not necessarily wrong or sinful; rather, it is a part of the human condition. The word "disappointment" means "a feeling of dissatisfaction when one’s hopes, desires, and expectations fail to come to pass."
When God somehow fails to satisfy our hopes or doesn’t live up to our expectations, disappointment inevitably follows. If God doesn’t perform in the manner we think He should, we are disillusioned with Him and dissatisfied with His performance. This can lead to wavering faith in God, especially in His sovereignty and His goodness. When God doesn’t act when we think He should act, it isn’t because He is unable to do so. Rather, He simply chooses not to. While this might seem an arbitrary or capricious act on His part, the exact opposite is true. God chooses to act or not to act according to His perfect and holy will in order to bring about His righteous purposes. Nothing happens that is out of God’s plan.
Pastor Chuck on his teaching in the book of Romans said it this way, “we make God the servant and we become gods. It is no longer His will for my life but rather my will, will be done”. No matter where we are in our journey with the Lord we need to recognize the danger with this way of thinking.
I [Jesus] came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows),” (John 10:10 Amplified Bible). C.S. Lewis says that most Christians lack “merriment.” I like that word. “Merriment.” Just moving the words across my lips is fun. And I think Lewis is right. We lack merriment and we don’t expect it. Many Christians look like they’ve been weaned on a dill pickle. My goodness, if there is anyone who should exude merriment, it is a person who knows Jesus as Savior and Lord. We, above all people, have something to be merry about!
What God desires, not from you but for you, is life to the full (John 10:10). There’s nothing ho-hum about that.
Sharon Jaynes
8 billion people. 17,000 people groups. 7,000 languages. 1 great need. JESUS.
don't want to be satisfied with mere crumbs. Instead I want to enjoy the fullness of God's presence and a constant supply of His Word each and every day. Our daily bread. The bread of life.
We yearn as if He were reluctant to give us His “good gifts.” He has willed to give us His best, and when our will meets His will, His best is what we get. Wishing and wanting are passive, but willing is active because it asks, seeks, and knocks. "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?" - Luke 11:13
"It's not so much that we're afraid of change or so in love with the old ways, but it's that place in between that we fear…It's like being between trapezes. It's Linus when his blanket is in the dryer. There's nothing to hold on to." ~ Marilyn Ferguson
"Change is hard because people overestimate the value of what they have—and underestimate the value of what they may gain by giving that up." ~ James Belasco and Ralph Stayer
"After living with their dysfunctional behavior for so many years, people become invested in defending their dysfunctions rather than changing them." ~ Marshall Goldsmith
"If you want to make enemies, try to change something."
~ Woodrow Wilson
Sexual desire is natural and marriage is provided for its
fulfillment.
~Norman Hillyer~
Leadership isn't about exercising your authority over people, nor is it influencing people to do what you want them to do. Leading people is all about serving them!
Not only did Jesus tell us to serve and minister to each other's needs, He also lived it out. He washed dirty feet. He touched lepers and the unclean of society. He had meals with the unloved in society.
There is no growing in the Christian life without the Bible as a regular part of your schedule. Jesus said, "Behold, I have come—in the volume of the book it is written of Me . . ." (Hebrews 10:7 NKJV). The great thing is that we can know the Author of this incredible book, the Bible.
In God’s plan every life is long enough and every death is timely. And though you and I might wish for a longer life, God knows better.
And this is important. Though you and I may wish a longer life for our loved ones who have gone on before us, they don’t. Ironically, the first to accept God’s decision of death is the one who dies.
DEATH... While we’re mourning at a grave, they’re marveling at heaven. While we’re questioning God, they’re praising Him!
“Leadership is practiced not so much in words as in attitude and in actions.”
— Harold S. Geneen
"A day without laughter is a day wasted." - Charlie Chaplin
You can't get down when you're leading others up.
See yourself as victorious. This will focus you in the right direction. Apply your skills and talent-- and be tenacious.
Jesus cannot be our Savior unless He is first our Lord.
~Hugh C. Burr~
God has a plan for each one of you, as you submit to Him and grow closer to Him. Seek to know God personally.
There is no such thing as genuine knowledge of God that does not show itself in obedience to His Word and will. ~Sinclair Ferguson~
If you live with morality without mercy it is idolatry:
A man who was completely innocent, offered himself as a sacrifice for the good of others, including his enemies, and became the ransom of the world. It was a perfect act. — Mahatma Gandhi
Despite our efforts to keep him out, God intrudes. The life of Jesus is bracketed by two impossibilities: “a virgin’s womb and an empty tomb”. Jesus entered our world through a door marked “No Entrance” and left through a door marked “No Exit.” –Peter Larson
Bitterness destroys..in MERCY there is Freedom...
If you don't let it go it won't let you live.
The position of mercy is never revenge but rather restoration.
The provision of mercy is providing and comfort.
We can not pray in love and live in hate and still think we are worshiping God.
As long as there is sin there will be mass shootings and terrorism and crazy people who have no regards for life.
The Christian life is more than simply saying a prayer of commitment to Christ. It is following Jesus not only as your Savior but also as your Lord. If your only source of spiritual intake is hearing other people preach sermons, then you will be in a relatively weakened state spiritually.
we need to grow up as believers and not be spiritual babies forever. We need to grow up to be men and women of God.
Many people confuse serving with growth. Can a person serve and lack maturity? I say yes.
Sin denies a man the power of God in this life and the
presence of God in the next.
~John Blanchard~
Churches that depend on the leadership of just a few are not operating on all spiritual cylinders.
Trials are essential to the Christian life. When you are going through difficult trials in your life, is your joy evident to others?
Take a saint, and put him in any condition, and he knows
how to rejoice in the Lord.
~Walter Cradock~
Noah Webster-
All history is a witness to the truth of the principle that good morals are essential to the faithful and upright discharge of public function morals character of a man is an entirely in - devisable thing it cannot be pure in one part and defiled in another. Corruption of morals is ramped enough in any country without a bounty from the government and the chief magistrate of the United States the president should be the last man to celebrate his progress.
William Penn was a person in the tower of London He was asked to recant some of his most sacred beliefs, he said, My prison shall be my grave before I will budge a jot for I owe my conscience to no man, right is right even if everyone is against it and wrong is wrong even if everyone is for it.
“When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost.”
― Billy Graham
"Wisdom is the capacity to see things from God's viewpoint."— Charles Stanley
"The will of God will never lead you where the grace of God cannot keep you." — Billy Graham
"God’s mercy is so great that you may sooner drain the sea of its water, or deprive the sun of its light, or make space too narrow, than diminish the great mercy of God." — Charles Spurgeon
"Hope is putting faith to work when doubting would be easier." — Thomas S. Monson
Whatever God calls you to do with your life, do it for His glory. Jesus set the example.
“When you are in the dark, listen, and God will give you a very precious message for someone else when you get into the light.”— Oswald Chambers.
Christianity begins and ends with Jesus.
God is in control. Even before time began He was in control. Throughout eternity He will remain in control. And, remarkably, our good God is also in love with us. We make His heart sing!
Sin is strong, but the Savior is stronger.
Some people aren’t worshipping the Jesus of the Bible, but rather, a Jesus they’ve created in their own minds with their opinions and preferences. That’s called idolatry.
Christians should never affirm the things that the Bible condemns.
If you’re still breathing, God’s not finished with you.
Your theology should influence your ideology, not vice versa.
WE DON'T HAVE TO SERVE THE LORD,
WE GET TO SERVE THE LORD!
Knowing I don’t have to get it right all the time is a built-in cushion of grace given to us by God. Don't take grace for granted!
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