Semper Fi!! DO OR DIE WHOOYAAAA!
Don't confuse Jesus with some sort of idol or genie that we can manipulate when we're in a pickle. He is the very -- and only -- Son of the living God. While His claims will continue to be distorted and attacked by the world as we approach these last days, now is the time to stand your ground with Jesus Christ. Don't be afraid of the enemy or his attacks. The devil has no power over you. Jesus paid the huge price of death on the cross for your sins; therefore, you have nothing to fear. Stand firm and trust in Him for everything in your life.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.
Loneliness is not the absents of people but rather the absents of fellowship. Stop building walls and build bridges... Dennis Davenport
I think a man does what he can until his destiny is reviled then he begins to live.
"We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude." -C. Ozick
In business change is inevitable. Nothing will ever stay the same if you wish to grow. you will be tested and your faith will be tried but keep your eyes on the prize. In life a corruptible crown in Christ a incorruptible crown.
America's veterans embody the ideals upon which America
was founded more than 229 years ago.
~Steve Buyer~
Though it is better to obey God out of fear than to disobey Him,
God's ultimate motivation for obedience is love:
Easing the Load
A black man was walking along Forty-second Street in New York from the terminal to the hotel, carrying a heavy suitcase and a heavier valise. Suddenly a hand took hold of the valise and a pleasant voice said, "That's a heavy load, brother. Why don't you let me help? I'm going your way."
The black man hesitated, but finally he allowed the young white man to assist him carrying his burden. For several blocks they chatted, eventually warming up like old friends until they reached the hotel. "And that," said Booker T. Washington years afterward, "was the first time I ever saw Theodore Roosevelt." Jim Rohn
“Be a collector of good ideas, but don't trust your memory. The best collecting place for all of the ideas and information that comes your way is your journal.” Jim Rohn *** “There are three things to leave behind: your photographs, your library and your personal journals. These things are certainly going to be more valuable to future generations than your furniture!” Jim Rohn
*** “The reason why I spend so much money for my journals is to press me to find something valuable to put in them.” Jim Rohn
*** Don't use your mind for a filing cabinet. Use your mind to work out problems and find answers; file away good ideas in your journal. Jim Rohn
“We could all use a little coaching. When you're playing the game, it's hard to think of everything.” – Jim Rohn
“Miss a meal if you have to, but don't miss a book.” – Jim Rohn
Semper Fi.
The willingness of America’s veterans to sacrifice for our country has earned them our lasting gratitude.
~Jeff Miller~
We die to our own desires, our pursuits, and our plans. When we become followers of Jesus, that is the end of us.
We are not to be like the Pharisees, judgmental and
separatists, yet we are not to let the corruption of this
world to influence our lives.
Gary Malkus Jr.
we are like a boat in
the sea, we are in the water, we exist in this water, but
if that water ever gets into our boat, we begin to sink.
Chuck Smith
Without words, your love and kindness can change
lives forever.
Gary Malkus Jr.
God, Himself is here waiting for our response to His Presence.
~A.W. Tozer~
Our Father has the very best hold on us and is never caught off guard. He is with us, every step of the way, holding us securely, no matter what. May we trust him enough to let go.
When we invest our lives in what God is doing, our efforts are fruitful. Our lives are balanced. We have the joy of accomplishment as well as the benefits of peace of mind and rest. I want to join the Lord in his work, offering my best to him, and trusting him for the results. I want to take time for his good gifts, for family and friendship, for prayer and rest. Keep in mind the Lord's ways are not always our ways so we have to be willing to let go and move forward.
EVERY word from God is a promise that He keeps.
It really makes a difference when we act like Jesus and not just talk about Jesus.
Jesus reminds us we should choose words with care. After all, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Prov. 18:21). Our words are so powerful they can make the dying live or make the living die. “Reckless words pierce like a sword” (Prov. 12:18a).
Randy Alcorn
Taking the Mark of the Beast leads to being condemned to Hell forever… It would be a free choice and people will know what they’re doing to a certain extent… God is not secretly condemning people… He gives us free will and He’s doing everything He can ...even to the point of sacrificing His own Son Jesus so we can get into Heaven… God does not trick us into Hell! The real actual Mark of the Beast doesn’t come until the middle of the Tribulation. We don’t even have a Daniel 9:27 Covenant so we’re not in the tribulation so we don’t even know a beast (the Antichrist) yet! And Jesus lovers will not be around to experience all this anyway! Rapture!
God has offered to each of us the greatest gift of all -- Himself! He sacrificed His own Son so that we might live.
We don't all have a prophetic calling exactly like Jeremiah. However, we are all called "to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints"
You can see a fork in the road from your current position and need to choose which way to go. Sometimes there might not be a wrong choice; either way will get you somewhere, and that might be OK. But most often the roads are more clearly defined.
Robert Frost captured this great human dilemma with these poignant lines:
The woods are lovely, dark, and deep
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
One part of the writer would like to stop and enjoy the adventure of entering the dark and lovely woods. There’s a little mystery there, a little of the unknown. Something different from daily life. But the other part of him recognizes responsibilities owed and promises he made—perhaps wedding vows—that need to be kept. One direction could be the road to heartache, pain, and destruction; the other, the road to life. For believers, the dark woods might take us far from the Lord and out of His will.
The more you love the Scriptures, the firmer will be your faith. There is little backsliding when people love the Scriptures.
D.L. Moody
The greatest enemy of the human soul is the self-righteous spirit which makes men look to themselves for salvation.
Charles Spurgeon
Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.
~Ronald Regan~
A bitter and resentful spirit doesn't fit who we are in Christ. Nor is it healthy to carry an angry attitude through life. That's why Scripture emphasizes the need to forgive. Choose to be liberated from your burden--Jesus promised to make us free when we release our sins to Him (John 8:36).
Dr. Charles Stanley
The only way we can discover that treasure is to embrace the problem as an opportunity to trust God and uncover a new seed of victory. Some things cannot be learned in the light – they are treasures of the darkness.
More depends on my walk than talk. ~D. L. Moody
Event evangelism is still very effective, when…
- The Holy Spirit is present.
- Work is done to get spiritually lost people there.
- The Gospel is proclaimed.
- A clear invitation to respond to the Gospel is given.
- An effective follow-up strategy is in place for discipleship.
God’s grace is not freedom to do whatever you want, it’s freedom to do whatever God wants.
When you walk with Jesus, you're going to move. Don't expect to stay in the same place, spiritually. Why? He wants to lead you to a place where you'll continue to grow and be nurtured.
unless we acknowledge a barrier, we have no hope of moving past it.
Life isn't a treadmill or a hamster wheel; Jesus is working all things out, moving with you to accomplish what He wants in your life.
Grace is not cheap ... and the road is not easy ... the fight is more intense and requires commitment ... it's time to change the sedentary life ... and be reborn.
The two greatest fear busters are knowledge and action.
He who has the Holy Spirit in his heart and the Scriptures in his hands has all he needs. ~Alexander MacLaren~
If you will accept the fact that God loves you, that He accepts you and forgives you, you will begin to experience the joy of the Lord. You will feel the freedom to look past your own defeats, your own guilt, and into the loving eyes of the Savior.
If you will keep your eyes on Him, He will strengthen you with His joy. You are His child, and He's looking out for you. Today, may you be "strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy" (Colossians 1:11).
A parent must respect the spiritual person of his child, and approach it with reverence.
~George Macdonald~
“Christ says, ‘Give me all. I don’t want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want you. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it. No half-measures are any good. I don’t want to cut off a branch here and a branch there. I want to have the whole tree down. I don’t want to drill the tooth, or crown it, or stop it, but to have it out.’”
C.S. Lewis
Your beliefs about God will have an immeasurable impact on your marriage—they affect how you view each other, yourself, and the larger purpose of your union.
May you and your spouse have a deep and rich relationship with your Savior that drives your relationship with each other.
“Prayer is both conversation and encounter with God. . . . We must know the awe of praising his glory, the intimacy of finding his grace, and the struggle of asking his help, all of which can lead us to know the spiritual reality of his presence." -Tim Keller
Most people resist change – unfortunate since it’s inevitable. God, however, is unchanging. He “is the same yesterday today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). His love for you is steadfast.
No cross for us, no dethronement, no dying. We remain king within the little kingdom of Mansoul and wear our tinsel crown with all the pride of a Caesar, but we doom ourselves to shadows and weakness
and spiritual sterility.
~A. W. Tozer~
When Christ’s people really grasp who they are as ministers, it can change their lives. It can give them new energy and vision. It can also change a church, and a business, and a neighborhood, and beyond.
When we get to a place where we can stand firm in one Spirit, strive together in unity, and be unafraid of opposition – it serves as a great warning sign to others. An unshakeable faith that we are saved by God is truly unsettling to a world that is easily swayed and unstable.
An honest man with an open Bible and a pad and pencil is sure to find out what is wrong with him very quickly.
~A.W. Tozer~
If leadership is an uphill climb, then we need inspiration for the journey. The liberation that is life in Christ is the basis for imagination as a leader.
Paul and Barnabas were "seed planters." After they planted the seed -- introduced the Word of God to Pisidian Antioch -- their job was done. They weren't responsible for the result, only God is and God would indeed find someone else to water, weed, and nurture. Often times we stick around too long as if we need to finish something that is not our job to complete.
The more we are overwhelmed by the grandeur of Christ, the more we will submit ourselves fully to Him as his servants.
When you get to heaven, God is not going to ask you why you weren't more like Billy Graham, Chuck Smith, or your best friend (who might have a knack for evangelism or some other talent). Instead, He's going to ask you -- "Why aren't you more like the man I made you be?"
Do you need to pause for a moment and take a long hard look at your motivation? Are you motivated by love or something else?
Event evangelism is still very effective, when… -The Holy Spirit is present. -Work is done to get spiritually lost people there. -The Gospel is proclaimed. -A clear invitation to respond to the Gospel is given. -An effective follow-up strategy is in place for discipleship
If you treat students like they’re too young to do anything significant for the Kingdom of God, they will believe you. However, if you treat students like they’re the church right now called to do significant things for the Kingdom of God, they will believe you.
The Holy Spirit will never lead you to do something that contradicts the Holy Bible.
How to make church not “about you” this weekend: -Pray for others -Serve & volunteer -Be a worshipper not a consumer -Show up on time -Greet people & don’t avoid them -Sing, even if it isn’t your fav song -Participate instead of spectate -Don’t nitpick -Live out the sermon
Although divine love be in itself unchangeable, and always the same; yet this sense of it (i.e personal assurance) may be lost, as it was in David, when he prayed that God would restore unto him the joys of his salvation. —Puritan John Owen, Works 13:489 "Our power is given from day to day by him in whose hand our breath is." — Charles Spurgeon “There are only two kinds of people: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, ‘All right, then, have it your way.’” - C.S. Lewis “He who had been a Lamb in His passion became a Lion in His resurrection” - Bernard of Clairvaux
“If God be our shepherd, we are sure to lack nothing.” — Richard Sibbes
"If you will not believe until you can understand all mysteries, you will never be saved at all." — Charles Spurgeon
“Preaching is always a re-enactment of the primal miracle, ‘and God said...’ -William Willimon
Sin shall not have dominion over you. It may assail you, and even wound you; but it shall never establish sovereignty over you. Spurgeon
“As we engage in this communion with God more deeply and come to know the One with whom we are speaking more intimately, that growing knowledge of God reveals to us all the more brilliantly who we are and our need to change in conformity to Him” (R. C. Sproul).
"He who went so far as to die on the cross for us, can and will give us all things needed for our eternal safety." — Charles Spurgeon
"Christ loves you. He would sooner die than allow you to perish." — Charles Spurgeon The terrible thing, the almost impossible thing, is to hand over your whole self - all your wishes and precautions - to Christ. C. S. Lewis
"This revelation is divided into two parts—the Law and the Gospel—essentially distinct form each other; though so intimately connected, that an accurate knowledge of neither can be obtained without the other." - Charles Bridges. The Christian Ministry, 222
“The front lines today are battles over sex, gender, and identity. We must be ready for a fight in precisely these places. Don't underestimate the power of your opponent.” — Kevin DeYoung
“… in justification, God legally declares that we are no longer deemed guilty under the divine law but are forgiven and counted righteous in God’s sight” (MacArthur).
"As soldiers march to music, so while we walk in paths of righteousness, we should keep step to the notes of thanksgiving." — Charles Spurgeon The cure for spiritual stupidity and senselessness is a fresh view of the glory of Christ by faith. -John Owen - He that trusts in his own understanding proves that he has no understanding. -C.H. Spurgeon -
"If any man thinks ill of you, do not be angry with him, for you are worse than he thinks you to be." — Charles Spurgeon "The whole truth has never been with any one group in church history." -Iain Murray.
“It is an evidence of a thriving and healthy state of the soul, to have an appetite unto the deepest mysteries of the gospel, or most solid doctrines of truth, and to be able profitably to digest them.” John Owen, 20:602
The girl, who dreams about the foreign missionary field, but cannot darn her brother’s stockings, will not be of service either at home or abroad. – Charles Spurgeon.
"Whenever God determines to do a great work, he first sets his people to pray." — Charles Spurgeon The forgiveness of his sins, the hope of the future, the certainty concerning salvation, do not depend upon the degree of holiness which [the believer] has achieved in life, but are firmly rooted in the grace of God and in the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. —Herman Bavinck The forgiveness of his sins, the hope of the future, the certainty concerning salvation, do not depend upon the degree of holiness which [the believer] has achieved in life, but are firmly rooted in the grace of God and in the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. —Herman Bavinck
"Losses and crosses are heavy to bear; but when our hearts are right with God, it is wonderful how easy the yoke becomes." — Charles Spurgeon I am not permitted to let my love be so merciful as to tolerate and endure false doctrine. Martin Luther God will not be used as a convenience. Men or nations who think they can revive the Faith in order to make a good society might just as well think they can use the stairs of heaven as a shortcut to the nearest chemist's shop. C. S. Lewis "We hold that justification exists by faith alone." – Peter Martyr Vermigli "The church may go through her dark ages, but Christ is with her in the midnight." — Charles Spurgeon
A gospel that does not confront sin is not the Gospel of Jesus Christ. -John MacArthur -
Knowing then that God is not mocked, we ought to walk worthily of His commandment and His glory. -Polycarp -
A believer, at death, will be the happiest loser and the happiest gainer. He will lose his sins; he will gain glory. —Thomas Watson
Do you want to hear God speaking? Then open the Bible and start reading. —Derek Thomas
"When God forgives, he forgives forever. Until God can change or lie, he will never bring to mind again the sin of that man who he has pardoned." — Charles Spurgeon
Faith both comes by hearing, and grows by hearing. —Robert Traill, Works 2:72 “The function of the pulpit is not to entertain, to amuse, to satisfy an idle curiosity; it is to instruct, to inspire, to fire the heart and mind, to implant within us noble desires and ambitions, the Lord Jesus Christ, and to beget within them a passion for Him” -Francis Grimké
“To walk out of his will is to walk into nowhere.” - C.S. Lewis
The Church is in desperate need of servant-leadership! "A child of God should not leave his bedroom in the morning without being on good terms with his God." — Charles Spurgeon "The three miserable consequences introduced by sin—ignorance, guilt, and bondage to sin—required Christ to fulfill three roles for us. Ignorance is healed by Christ the Prophet; guilt by Christ the Priest; the tyranny and bondage to sin by Christ the King." — Francis Turretin
The heart, which all the week was frozen, on the Sabbath melts with the word. —Thomas Watson “To then see that salvation is truly "of the Lord" in all aspects… will likewise foster humility instead of pride.” — Patrick Abendroth "Beware of both undevotional theology and untheological devotion" - Mike Reeves "Health flies, wealth takes to itself wings, honor is a puff of air, and pleasure is a bubble. Jesus outlasts all time." — Charles Spurgeon
"Although we may not always be healthy or prosperous, yet God is always good, and therefore, there is always a sufficient argument for giving thanks." — Charles Spurgeon
When the falling dust of the world has clogged the wheels of our affections, that they can scarce move towards God, the Sabbath comes, and oils the wheels of our affections and they move swiftly on. —Thomas Watson
The word of God is in the Holy Bible that penetrates to the very depths of our being. So deep that that's where our soul and spirit meet. When we give God's word space in our lives, there is no social media or book or person or event that can touch us more deeply than that word.
I didn’t go to religion to make me happy. I always knew a bottle of Port would do that. If you want a religion to make you feel really comfortable, I certainly don’t recommend Christianity. C. S. Lewis "If Christ has died for my sin, I cannot trifle with the evil that killed my best friend." — Charles Spurgeon
If [assurance] had to derive…from the good works of the Christian they would always, even until death, remain unsure, for even the holiest of men have only a small beginning of perfect obedience. —Herman Bavinck
“Awareness of past adherents is not the same as biblical proof. But it is… reason for us to humbly consider the conclusions and formulations of previous generations who surely thought of themselves as possessing the guidance of the Spirit as we ourselves claim.” — P. Abendroth “The Lord Christ came not only to 𝑠𝑎𝑣𝑒 men from their sins, but to 𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑛 them from their sins.” John Owen 21:25 It is by faith in Christ that we are justified, even before we do good works. —Belgic Confession, Article 24 No true obedience to the law, but forced, Can any yield till from the law divorced. Sin’s full dominion keeps its native place, While men are under law, not under grace. —Ralph Erskine, Gospel Sonnets, Section IV, Pg. 38
"Free will has carried many souls to hell, but never a soul to heaven yet." — Charles Spurgeon "Converse sparingly and cautiously with women, particularly with young women." -John Wesley, to his preachers. The weakness of liberal theology was that it conceded to the world the right to determine Christ's place in the world -Dietrich Bonhoeffer - Always respond to every impulse to pray. -Martyn Lloyd-Jones -
“For if the doctrine of justification is lost, the whole of Christian doctrine is lost.” — Martin Luther, Lectures on Galatians, 9.
"The greatest enemy to human souls is the self-righteous spirit which makes men look to themselves for salvation." — Charles Spurgeon
When you don’t know what to do next, just do the thing in front of you. Elisabeth Elliot
Whatever one may say about the love of God in Christ Jesus there is always something more to be said. - Martyn Lloyd-Jones
An inner difference arrises between the sin remaining in believers and the sin remaining in others. In others sin reigns, prevails and dominates; in believers it is broken, subdued, and mortified. —William Ames, Marrow of Theology, 170
"There is no greater coward in this world than the man who never will acknowledge that he is afraid." — Charles Spurgeon
Everything I need to live the life God called me to live is revealed in the Bible. – Brian Borgman
The Bible contains what men hate: The truth. Charles Spurgeon
"Deliver us from any sort of reliance upon ourselves, whatever shape that reliance might take." — Charles Spurgeon
CHRISTIANS SHOULD NOT BE WORRIED Mathew 6:25-27 Colossians 3:15 2 Thessalonians 3:16 Matthew 11:28-30 Luke 12:25 John 14:27 Psalm 55:22 Proverbs 12:25 1 Peter 5:7 Philippians 4:6-7 Hebrews 12:1-2
"Man's haste is often folly, but God's apparent delays are always wise." — Charles Spurgeon You can't go back and change the beginning but you can start where you are and change the ending. C. S. Lewis
"You stand before God as if you were Christ, because Christ stood before God as if he were you." — Charles Spurgeon Always look to the Lord so that by his guidance we may be led to whatever lot he has provided for us. -John Calvin - Tell me what the world is saying today, and I'll tell you what the Church will be saying in seven years. -Francis Schaeffer -
He that is come to Jesus Christ hath found in him a fountain of grace, sufficient, not only to pardon sin, but to sanctify the soul, and to preserve it from falling, in this evil world. —John Bunyan, Works 1.296
Believers are the salt of the earth and the light of the world, not the politicians, media, or so-called experts.
Some make a fair show to the world, but in their family relations are loose and careless. David saith, ‘I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.’ If a man be truly holy he will show it at 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 as well as abroad. —Puritan Thomas Manton, Works 6:54 Some make a fair show to the world, but in their family relations are loose and careless. David saith, ‘I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.’ If a man be truly holy he will show it at 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 as well as abroad. —Puritan Thomas Manton, Works 6:54 No sin can be 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 that is committed against the 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 God. —Thomas Manton, Works 6:54
"The greatest earthly blessing that God can give to any of us is sickness. Sickness has frequently been of more use to the saints than health has." — Charles Spurgeon “The Son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of God.” - C.S. Lewis “They lose nothing who gain Christ.” -Samuel Rutherford. Letter IV
"There's no such thing as a perfect pastor. There's no such thing as a perfect sermon. But all must see our progress. A congregation will forgive almost any failure in the pulpit if they see us growing." - David Short
"When we preach Christ crucified, we have no reason to stammer, or stutter, or hesitate, or apologize." — Charles Spurgeon
“The active obedience [of Christ] provides the basis for imputation.” — Patrick Abendroth
‘Ministers must continually remind themselves that the eye of the Lord Jesus is upon them, and that He takes careful notice of their frame of heart, their objective, and the zeal with which they engage in their ambassadorship.’ —Wilhelmus à Brakel
I believe we’re living in a time when God longs to bring us into a new level of intimacy. He’s pursuing us; He desires intimacy and communion; He wants to impart something of His very Self into His children. Ray Bentley "Jesus wore my crown, the crown of thorns; I wear his crown, the crown of glory." — Charles Spurgeon Wait on the Lord and your courage will be revived. God will not forsake you. Spurgeon The invitation of Jesus is: Come and see! The world’s one and only remedy is the cross. Charles Spurgeon
Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man. C. S. Lewis
"If justification is the heart of the gospel, then imputation is the heart of justification.” — Thomas Ascol
God’s grace is not freedom to do whatever you want, it’s freedom to do whatever God wants.
Satan cares not how spiritual your intentions may be, and how holy your resolutions, if only they are fixed for 𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸. 𝘛𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸 is the devil's day, but today is God's. —JC Ryle, Upper Room, Pg. 320-21
“… the Bible alone can be our ultimate authority while simultaneously appreciating the work of God in leading his people by the power of the Spirit in understanding the truth. This is nothing other than what has been called confessional Christianity.” — Patrick Abendroth
"Never did I meet a Christian who, in his old age, said that he had made a mistake in relying upon Christ as his Savior." — Charles Spurgeon
“Therefore, we explain justification simply as the acceptance with which God receives us into his favor as righteous men.” — John Calvin
The authority of the law is lost if men may pick and choose as they please. He that said, ‘Thou shalt do no murder,’ hath also said, ‘Thou shalt keep my Sabbath.’ —Thomas Manton, Works 6:56
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