QUOTES

"Endurance is not just the ability to bear a hard thing, but to turn it into glory."— William Barclay

"Trials teach us what we are; they dig up the soil, and let us see what we are made of."— Charles Spurgeon

It is only by God's grace that He uses any of us. However, it is our faith in the grace of God that allows miracles to flow through us.

One purpose of God's grace is to allow us to dwell forever in His glorious abode: This is ours through the atoning death of Jesus Christ, our mediator. Meanwhile, until He returns for us, He wants to develop us spiritually ("perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you").

Suffering is often the link between the work God wants to do in us and the abundant grace that He will use to effect the work: Even as the perfect, sinless man, the Son of God learned valuable lessons through suffering. He experienced the agonies that may occur as we obey God while dwelling in a rebellious, sinful world. He is the full example of godliness, and we are called to follow Him. If we are willing to walk the path of godliness, we will also suffer. Such trials and sufferings are normal and purposeful. Painful trials seem strange, but they routinely come to test and exercise our faith.

Our view of God determines our relationship with God. When we come to Him, we come as broken people who need healing. But doubting His love will keep us at a distance, just as the Jewish authorities wanted to keep the blind and lame at a distance.

We have to remind ourselves that we are His sons and daughters. He wants us. We haven’t received a spirit that makes us slaves; instead we have God’s Spirit and we’ve been adopted as His own children.

No one should serve God out of fear or as a slave. If so, they have the wrong picture of God and likely find themselves unable to pray relationally.

As believers and temples of the Holy Spirit, we too, are to be a house of prayer. When we see God as our Abba and allow Him to heal us, then our prayer lives are transformed.

“How sweet the name of Jesus sounds, in a believer’s ear! It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds, and drives away his fear.” ~ John Newton

it’s the very presence of the church in the world today that keeps things from getting even worse. We think things are bad in our country now, and they are. But wait until the Lord calls His church home.

A little salt will go a long way. Just a pinch of salt in your oatmeal or on your watermelon can enhance the flavor. And one Christian in a family, neighborhood, or workplace can influence everyone.

If we want to put others first, like Jesus did, then we must. slow. down.

If we want to follow Jesus and becoming like Him, we have to slow down to focus on other people rather than racing around zeroes in on ourselves and our plans.

"God wants us to be spiritually strong and has provided us with every resource we need."

— Billy Graham

We don’t have to stay fearful and unprepared. The Lord intends for us to mature, to grow, and to become secure and ready for what’s ahead of us, standing solid on the Rock.

suffering is often the link between the work God wants to do in us and the abundant grace that He will use to effect the work: "after you have suffered a while." Even as the perfect, sinless man, the Son of God learned valuable lessons through suffering. "Though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered" (Hebrews 5:8). He experienced the agonies that may occur as we obey God while dwelling in a rebellious, sinful world. He is the full example of godliness, and we are called to follow Him. "For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps" (1 Peter 2:21).

Al Capon stipulated that “you can go a long way with a smile but you can go much further with a smile and a gun”. What is the believers gun ? The bible says the weapons of our warfare are mighty through God. 2Cr 10:4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,

In Eph. 6 we are given prayer, the word, and faith through the power of the holy spirit.

The Lord's discipleship roadmap looks similar for every believer. Like Paul, you are the Holy Spirit's student, and the knowledge you reap from Scripture should be changing your life.

There is no death of sin without the death of Christ.

~John Owen~

Building a better you is the first step to building a better America.

Zig Ziglar

An extraordinary quality of life depends on mastering the science of achievement—that is, the ability to produce results, to take anything you envision and make it real

When it comes to motivating yourself to get something done, nobody says it better than America’s foremost business philosopher, Jim Rohn, who says the following: “Every time we choose action over ease or labor over rest, we develop an increasing level of self-worth, self-respect and self-confidence. In the final analysis… it is not what we get that makes us valuable, it is what we become in the process of doing that brings value into our lives. It is activity that converts human dreams into human reality, and that conversion from idea into actuality gives us a personal value that can come from no other source.”

"People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily." ~ Zig Ziglar

Hate is too great a burden to bear.

~Martin Luther King~

There are probably a lot of things going on inside of you, but you have never been able to just let them go. There are a lot of things you have to say to God that you think about, but you've been keeping everything inside, allowing it to fester within your heart. Talk to Jesus and pour it out to Him. Stop reasoning within your own heart; allow the Holy Spirit to talk with you about the "how's" and the "why's" of your life. God loves you so much, so don't keep it inside. Let it out and see how He answers.

To know a crucified Savior as having crucified all my sins is a high degree of knowledge; but to know a risen Savior as having justified me, and to realize that He has bestowed upon me new life, having made me a new creature through His newness of life—this is a noble style of experience. Short of it, none should rest satisfied.~ Alistair Begg.

Our thanks should be as fervent for mercies received,

as our petitions sought.

~Charles Simmons~

All of God’s giants have been weak men who did great things for God because they reckoned on God being with them. ~J. Hudson Taylor~

The Lord knows them that are His by name, but we must know them by their character. ~Matthew Henry~

Forgiveness is one of the greatest markers of love. Christ forgives us freely as evidence of his great and enduring love for us.

In marriage, we must learn to practice consistent forgiveness.

the God of all grace wants to develop our lives spiritually He wants to use His exceedingly abundant grace to, perfect establish strengthen

Suffering is often the link between the work God wants to do in us and the abundant grace that He will use to effect the work:

By chastening, the Lord separates the sin that he hates from the sinner whom he loves.

The Gospel is not an announcement that God has relaxed His justice or lowered the standard of His holiness.

~Arthur W. Pink~

Abraham Lincoln once said, “Freedom is not the right to do what we want, but what we ought. Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it.”

true freedom doesn’t come from legalism and ceremonies but from faith. Freedom is given by God to serve others. America’s founders understood this and acted on faith to do their duty.

“There are two hundred and fifty-six names given in the Bible for the Lord Jesus Christ, and I suppose this was because He was infinitely beyond all that any one name could express.”—Billy Sunday

Your Beliefs Define Your Behavior!

It is the duty of every Christian to be Christ to his neighbor.

~Martin Luther~

“Where I found the truth, there found I my God, who is the truth itself.”

—Augustine

We all need discernment but without the word of God, there can be no such thing in Christ Jesus. We must read the word and be about our father's business.

Sometimes we Christians are opposed and persecuted for reasons other than our godliness. We like to think it is our spirituality that irritates people, when in reality, it may be our personality. True, the spirit of this world is opposed to the Spirit of God; he that is born after the flesh will persecute him that is born of the Spirit. But making all allowances, it is still true that some Christians get into trouble through their faults instead of through their likeness to the character of Christ. We may as well admit this and do something about it. No good can come from trying to hide our unpleasant and annoying dispositional traits behind a verse of Scripture.

It is one of the strange facts of life that gross sins are often less offensive and always more attractive than spiritual ones. The world can tolerate a drunkard or a glutton or a smiling braggart but will turn in savage fury against the man of outwardly righteous life who is guilty of those refined sins, which he does not recognize as sins, but which may be more exceeding sinful than the sins of the flesh. A. W. Tozer Sermon: Repellant Personalities

In this time of Thanksgiving that is upon us, for those of us living in the United States, I wonder how gratitude could strengthen our workplaces and communities by seeing the grace of God in the ones around our tables. This practice does not necessitate a national holiday nor is it exclusive to the global community we are a part of.

As leaders, let us exhale envy and jealousy, and let us inhale grace and gratitude for the gifts of others. May our workplaces and homes and playgrounds be strengthened by gratitude and not weakened by envy. For it is in giving thanks for others and the fullness of their gifts that we will recognize Jesus around our tables of leadership. May this be the aroma that others smell at our tables, not only around holiday tables. May this be the bread of thanksgiving that nourishes our leadership tables for the flourishing of all humanity.

Whereas obedience is righteousness in relation to God, love is righteousness in relation to others.

~A. Plummer~

“It is only with gratitude that life becomes rich!"

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

An old church hymn is titled "What a Friend We Have in Jesus." Most have no problem with that it is showing it to others. I truly believe we forget you can't be a friend to Jesus if we profess Christ and have hate in us. But let's not go that far what about backbiting and strife in the body. Everything that is vertical to God is horizontal to my neighbor.

Most of us would teach our children that following a bike crash, the best thing to do is get up and do it again. Why? Because when learning or improving, crashing is inevitable and sometimes you get hurt. But, if you keep trying, eventually you will succeed. So, if we are so forthcoming with this explanation to our children why are we as adults so reluctant to follow our own advice?

Paul had just been stoned, dragged outside the city and left for dead. Now the disciples gathered around him -- and this part is amazing to me: "he got up and went back into the city!"

How many of us would have done the same thing in a similar circumstance? I would venture to say that most of us would crawl, limp or stumble as fast and as far from that city as we could get; and when or if we decided to speak again, make absolutely certain it was a safe and secure environment. How effective do you think Paul would have been if he had taken the same approach?

“We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no other nation has ever grown.”

~Abraham Lincoln~

According to the Bible, love is not something you fall in and out of.

Love is an action first, and a feeling second.

There remains a rest for the people of God. The ultimate pinnacle of the Sabbath is found in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Because of Jesus Christ, we can have true and perfect rest. Because of the work on the cross, we can have a peace that passes any of our understanding. Because of the resurrection, we don't have to attempt to live for Jesus out of works.

When sin is confessed, it must be done with honesty and integrity. If we confess with no real intention of battling the sin, our confession isn't thorough and it mocks God. The story is told of a man who confessed to his priest that he had stolen two bags of potatoes. The priest had heard the gossip around the village and said to the man, "I heard it was only one bag of potatoes stolen from the market." The man replied, "That's true Father, but it was so easy that I plan on taking another tomorrow night." By all means, avoid phony confession - confession without true brokenness or sorrow. If it isn't deeply real, it isn't any good.

We are vastly approaching Christmas and the one one thing is we talk about almost exclusively to Christmas is the birth of the Lord Jesus. Life! But can we honestly have life without the cross. This is a painful time in my life because I miss all my loved ones who have gone home to be with the Lord. I know I will see them again and I know if it where not because of the cross that would not be possible.

God’s plan of salvation is simple enough for a child to understand. Yet at the same time, the complexities of the transaction that occurred at Calvary are far beyond human comprehension. Although we may not fully grasp what transpired there, we can know that the cross is the greatest possible display of the Lord’s love for us.~ Dr. Charles Stanley

The very heart of Christmas is Emanuel, God with us – with me – and withyou. Christmas is not a date on a calendar. Christmas is a way of life that celebrates the presence of God in the simple, ordinary happenings of daily life: where we go and what we do -- the smile we give the harried stranger or the patience we choose in the crowd of impatient shoppers -- the love that prompts the secret gift or the heart that constantly celebrates His birth through every sparkling light, every beautifully wrapped gift, each special meal, every card, phone call and visit. God is with us – if we choose to make room for Him.~ Mary Southerland

As the Lord leads be open, ready, and willing. Don't focus on the immaterial things you think are important. God already knows your need before you ask.... Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and then all these things will be added unto you....

All good things are found in the divine Comforter. Matchless consolation, infallible instruction, immortal quickening, spiritual energy, and divine sanctification are all mixed with other excellencies in the heavenly anointing oil of the Holy Spirit. It imparts a delightful fragrance to the character and person of the one upon whom it is poured. Nothing like it can be found in all the treasures of the wealthy or the secrets of the wise. It is not to be imitated. It only comes from God, and it is freely given, through Jesus Christ, to every waiting soul. Let us seek it, for we may have it, even this very evening. O Lord, anoint Your servants.~ by Alistair Begg

The method of the evil one is to obscure himself behind

some other object of worship.

~G. Campbell Morgan~

The trial you are facing is not happening to you - it is happening for you. Let God use it for your good and His glory.

Jesus invited us not to a

picnic but to a pilgrimage; not to a frolic but to a fight.

~Billy Graham~

What matters to you—matters to God! You probably think that’s true when it comes to the big stuff like death, disease, sin, and disaster. But what about the smaller things? What about grouchy bosses or flat tires? What about broken dishes, late flights, toothaches, or a crashed hard drive? Do these matter to God?

Thanksgiving is good but thanks-living is better.

~Matthew Henry~

We all need to be cautious of people who use flattery. We are called to be encouraging; we are to build each other up in the faith and to be a source of encouragement to others--after all, it's a spiritual gift. Flattery, however, is something entirely different, even though, to the undiscerning, it sounds the same.

Flattery is all about abusing and manipulating your relationship with someone to get your own way. Initially it sounds good to hear flattering words, but after it's all said and done, those words of flattery are like a knife in the back. They're chock-full of pride, deceit, and selfishness. True encouragement is all about serving and lifting up someone else for their benefit, not yours.

"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage." ~ Lao Tzu

"Whatever we hope to do with ease, we must learn first to do with diligence." ~ Samuel Johnson

There is not a better evangelist in the world than the Holy Spirit.

~D. L. Moody~

What does it mean to have eyes for each other? Simply put, it means that you're each others' ultimate standards of attractiveness.

As married couples looking to build a healthy, lifelong union, we must be on guard. We must choose to have "eyes only for each other". Doing so affords you the great joy of finding full pleasure, enjoyment, and contentment in each other.

Because we’re human. We think it’s a good thing to be a man or a woman. We consider ourselves to be highly elevated, at the top of the food chain and possess far greater intellect than any other species. But we’re nowhere close to the majesty, deity, and glory of God.

if you want to experience the kingdom of God, don't avoid hardships, and don't just approach them; go through them and you will see the Glory of God.

If I know nothing about God I know this, no one is exempt from the calling of God. We are all called, the question is are you willing.

Once God took away our guilt; now there’s no reason to live in shame. He who is infinitely holy declares us holy because Christ died on our behalf. Who are we to disagree? He’s covered us in Christ’s righteousness and remembers our sins no more.

Randy Alcorn

When we miss out on prayer we cause disappointment to Christ, defeat to ourselves and, a delight to the devil.

~John Blanchard~

The safest place to be is in the center of God’s will.

~Corrie ten Boom~

if all else fails, or before everything stops working? Jesus is the alpha and the omega (the beginning and the end). This tells me that He alone is my solution for all difficulties -- so why not look to Him as my first option rather than last resort?

There is good and evil in every heart. Jesus died to give us a new heart.

Leadership is hard. And because it’s hard, sometimes we are particularly hard on ourselves when things don’t go well. Sometimes we face hard days, sometimes we have to admit hard truths, and sometimes we get discouraged. When that happens, let the voice that echoes in your mind be something different than your own voice of self-accusation.

We cannot expect the world to believe that the Father sent the Son, that Jesus’ claims are true and that Christianity is true unless the world sees some reality of the oneness of true Christians.

~Francis Schaeffer~

Finding the motivation for enduring when it is particularly challenging is key to forming resilience. Having a clear reason for leading—a “Big Why”—is not only a good strategy, but a critical component for forming the kind of tempered resilience that is able to wisely, faithfully, and tenaciously enduring when resistance sets in.

Crushing the church is like smashing the atom: divine energy of high quality is released in enormous quantity and with miraculous effects.

~Benjamin E. Fernando~

When men try to extinguish the light of the gospel it burns more brightly.

~Henry T. Mahan~

Keep company with the soundest Christians that have the most experience of Christ.

~John Bunyan~

Gratitude actually helps the one who expresses it. People who practice offering thanks have stronger immune systems, lower blood pressure, better sleep, more joy and pleasure, more compassion, and less loneliness.

Dr. Caroline Leaf cites studies that prove, “DNA actually changes shape according to our thoughts.” She explains that the harmful effects of destructive DNA codes were “reversed by feelings of love, joy, appreciation, and gratitude!”

Randy Alcorn

We must learn to distinguish between the Spirit’s conviction of our sin to bring us to confession, forgiveness, and newness of life (John 16:8), and the work of Satan, “the accuser of our brothers and sisters,” who accuses us even after we’ve been forgiven (Revelation 12:10).

Scripture calls us to be thankful in all circumstances. Psychological research confirms the benefit of gratitude in hard times. The ability to thank God for his good gifts in difficult circumstances gives us resilience and even joy. So, without pretending that everything in life is great these days, let us thank God for his grace to us.

“It is only with gratitude that life becomes rich!”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I want to be, I am not what I hope to be in another world, but still I am not what I once used to be, and by the grace of God I am what I am”

~John Newton~

A THANKFUL heart will keep you from-

Complaining- Being thankful for what God gave you

Comparison- Being thankful for how God made you

Conceitedness- Being thankful to where God brought you

Complacency- Powellful for the opportunities God has given to you

“We may ignore, but we can nowhere evade the presence of God. The world is crowded with Him. He walks everywhere incognito.” —C.S. Lewis

"If missions languish, it is because the whole life of godliness is feeble. The command to go everywhere and preach to everybody is not obeyed until the will is lost by self-surrender in the will of God. Living, praying, giving, and going will always be found together."

~Arthur T. Pierson~

When a culture gets more worked up about Black Friday than Good Friday, it’s time for spiritual renewal in that culture.

Be the catalyst for someone else's greatness. When you share what you know with another person, they could be transformed in a major way.

The devil shall never lift his head higher than the saint's heel.

~William Gurnall~

A thankful heart has a continual feast.

~W. J. Cameron~

Theologians speak of common grace, electing grace, irresistible grace, persevering grace, prevenient grace, pursuing grace, and saving grace.

But to the sinner, it's always AMAZING GRACE! Dustin Benge

The New Testament example of the Christian experience is that of a personal, passionate devotion to the Person of Jesus Christ. Every other kind of so-called Christian experience is detached from the Person of Jesus.

Theologians speak of common grace, electing grace, irresistible grace, persevering grace, prevenient grace, pursuing grace, and saving grace.

But to the sinner, it's always AMAZING GRACE! Dustin Benge

There is a place where strength can always be renewed; that place is the presence of the Lord.

R.A. Torrey

Cultivating gratitude proves difficult for people whose worldview leaves them with nobody to thank! They must thank their “lucky stars,” or at best, other people. Since the object of their gratitude is small, their capacity for happiness shrinks

Randy Alcorn

Jesus, the innocent Lamb of God, stands between our sin and the judgment of God the Father.

~Billy Graham~

Every marriage starts with the words, "I do", but all lasting marriages are filled with countless, daily "I dos". To choose to truly love, we must choose "I do" in the day-to-day interactions of life.

I do...make you a priority. I do...speak to you with kindness. I do...practice integrity when you're not around. I do...choose to honor you. I do...choose make (significant) time for you. I do...decide to stop and listen to you. I do...forgive you as Christ has forgiven me. I do...choose to never give up on you or us. I do...choose put my phone down and have a real conversation with you.

You cannot say “the Bible is God’s Word,” and then add, “but this part isn’t as true as other parts.”

Why do you expect better treatment from this world than Jesus got?

Are you holier than he is?

Other Bible-believing churches are not your competition, they are your family.