C.S. Lewis, in The Screwtape Letters, described how hard our enemy, Satan, works. Written from the point of view of demons who regard God as the Enemy, he writes: [Senior devil Screwtape to junior devil Wormwood]: “There is nothing like suspense and anxiety for barricading a human’s mind against the Enemy. He [God] wants men to be concerned with what they do; our business is to keep them worrying about what will happen to them.“
“Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength.” —Corrie ten Boom
“People wrap themselves up in the flimsy garments of their own righteousness and then complain of the cold.” (unknown)
OSWALD CHAMBERS
The root of faith is the knowledge of a Person, and one of the biggest snares is the idea that God is sure to lead us to success.
OSWALD CHAMBERS
Wherever the providence of God may dump us down, in a slum, in a shop, in the desert, we have to labor along the line of His direction. Never allow this thought—“I am of no use where I am,” because you certainly can be of no use where you are not! Wherever He has engineered your circumstances, pray.
OSWALD CHAMBERS
God created man to be master of the life in the earth and sea and sky, and the reason he is not is because he took the law into his own hands, and became master of himself, but of nothing else.
Has God delayed in answering your prayer? Call upon your memory to nurture and refresh your faith as David did! What did God do for you in your past when you called out to Him? He has dealt bountifully with us!
By His grace ... I can bear the burden of this day’s sorrow until night falls and my eyes close in rest.
In your bereavement, does today feel too long? That is very understandable. Are you trying to carry too much grief today? God has grace enough for today for you. Lean on Him.
One thing we can't avoid is grief. We'll all experience loss and the death of loved ones so the Lord gave us comfort in His Word and outlets of prayer and the community of faithful believers. Whatever state you're in today, ask the Holy Spirit for His consolation and guidance. He loves you!
When we first come to Christ, there is initial excitement. There’s joy and peace. That is not to suggest those things go away. But it is to say that sooner or later, we must learn that the Christian life is a walk of faith and not of feeling. Feelings will come and go. Therefore, we need to learn to walk by faith.
Some people seem to have a yo-yo type of relationship with God. Either they are fully passionate, or they are half-hearted. One day they are so excited about Jesus that it borders on being obnoxious. But another day they’re depressed and struggling with sin.
In the race of life, the objective is not to run fast; it’s to run long. The objective is to cross the finish line. The apostle Paul wrote, “I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us” (Philippians 3:14 NLT).
The Bible uses the metaphor of walking as well as running, and in the Book of Isaiah, we find this promise: “But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31 NLT).
There’s a time for running and a time for walking. And most of the time, it’s a lot easier to walk than to run.
Let's reflect upon some of the heavenly territory we have explored thus far. Grace is for spiritual growth and progress in the Lord. It is not intended only for birthing and starting out with the Lord. "But grow in the grace…of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." Growth in Christ always results as God's grace works in us.
At times, we can be apprehensive about such an emphasis upon God's grace. We become concerned that irresponsibility, ungodliness, laziness, or indulgence will result. We can rest assured on the promises and purposes of God that true grace does not produce such consequences. Ungodly living always involves the flesh of man, which is inclined toward licentiousness and legalism.
God's grace has such marvelous ability. It is able to give the eternal inheritance of God to His children. It is also able to build up their lives here on earth for greater service and increased fruitfulness.
It is by the grace of the Lord that we can anticipate being recipients of a heavenly inheritance. "The word of His grace, which is able to … give you an inheritance." One qualifies for an inheritance by being born into a family. We have been born into the family of God. "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name: who were born…of God" (John 1:12-13). We who believe in Jesus are God's children, "and if children, then heirs-heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ" (Romans 8:17). We are blessed beyond measure to know that heavenly treasures of fellowship, worship, and service await God's children in glory above. All of these eternal riches are ours by the grace of God alone.
The old covenant of law was the covenant that God made with Israel "in the day that [He] took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt" (Jeremiah 31:32b). The promise through Jeremiah was that the Lord would make a different type of covenant some day, "not according to [that] covenant." This new covenant would be a covenant of grace, provided by the Lord Jesus Christ. "For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (John 1:17).
The law of God was an impossible way to relate to the Lord. It required perfection, but it offered no perfecting assistance. It was able, however, to convince people of their need for the grace of Christ found in the new covenant. "The law was our tutor to bring us to Christ" (Galatians 3:24).
You can’t build a church with stumbling blocks.
~Fred Beck~
today there are so many people who want to be something they are not. They disagree with the pastor and begin collecting people who will agree with them. This is division making. It is not of the Lord. Remember, God appoints His shepherds. When you do this, you are coming against God’s anointed. That is a heavy sin against the Lord.
The realm of Christ's reign covers everything that happens in heaven and on the earth. No one—not even those who deny His existence—can be free of His rule or outside His sphere of authority. Although Satan tries to convince us that liberty is found in doing what we want, true freedom is acquired only through submission to Christ's loving lordship.
Even death cannot release anyone from the authority of God's Son. He is Lord of both the living and the dead.
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13 (NIV)
Has there ever been a time when pain from your yesterdays or disappointments in your todays has stolen your hope? When you have been wounded, the risk of getting hurt again seems more costly, and perhaps even more likely, doesn't it?
The things that hurt us are as varied as the lies we believe because of them: don't believe the Lie!
the best time to become familiar with the roles and responsibilities of caregiving and to prepare accordingly is before there is a need to provide support. However, you might find yourself in the middle of the situation before you have taken the time to prepare.
You don't have to be alone in this journey. It is often a lengthy journey, and it is so important to continue on with your own life, to take care of your own health, and to avoid neglecting your spouse or children. Try not to internalize everything and let things get bottled up inside. Help is available—from community organizations and government agencies … from family and friends … and most importantly, from God.
Whether you are currently knee-deep in a crisis situation or planning ahead, it is important for you to take steps now to learn about the programs and resources in your area and the be willing to accept the help that you need.
Dr. E. Stanley Jones has said that mankind is on the verge of a spiritual renewal ushered in by the scientific method. What is the scientific method? In pedestrian terms, it is the belief that truth is revealed by experiment. In other words, it is proven deductively. Prior to the age of science, truth was determined philosophically—by debate. But the scientific method has brought the search for truth out of the lecture hall and into the laboratory. I happen to agree with Dr. Jones that this turn of events is conducive to revival. Why? Because we have a God whose presence and precepts stand up to investigation and experiment.
Today, know that God sees the hidden treasures inside of you. He wants to bring those treasures out and make your dreams reality. Don't water down your dreams. Have confidence today because He believes in you, and He is making a way for you!
--- Dr. Timothy Emerick
If a man says he is a Christian but has no love, he is simply
deluding himself.
~Geoffrey Thomas~
God blesses us with spiritual gifts, but we will not be known as Christians by our gifts. We are identified by our love for others. Think about that.
Stay focused as best you can, and don't let things happen to you - not when you can make things happen.”
Who and what do you want to be in 20 years?
What do you want to own?
Where, and in what kind of housing do you want to live?
What are the status symbols you dream of?
What do you want for your family? If you don’t know what you want, how can you expect to get it?
Next, break the list down into months, weeks, and finally, goals for the coming week and tomorrow. What you do today can have a powerful impact on all your tomorrows.”
"To think bad thoughts is really the easiest thing in the world. If you leave your mind to itself it will spiral down into ever increasing unhappiness. To think good thoughts, however, requires effort. This is one of the things that discipline – training – is about." — James Clavell
"All improvement in your life begins with an improvement in your mental pictures." — Brian Tracy
"Our thoughts create our reality – not instantly, necessarily, as in "Poof! There it is " – but eventually. Where we put our focus – our inner and outer vision – is the direction we tend to go. That's our desire, our intention." — Peter McWilliams
"It's easier to act your way into a new way of thinking than to think your way into a new way of acting." — Millard Fuller
"You are searching for the magic key that will unlock the door to the source of power; and yet you have the key in your own hands, and you may use it the moment you learn to control your thoughts." — Napoleon Hill
"If everyone is thinking alike, then someone isn't thinking." — Denis Waitley
What to Forget, What to Remember
Forget each kindness that you do as soon as you have done it.
Forget the praise that falls to you the moment you have won it.
Forget the slander that you hear before you can repeat it.
Forget each slight, each spite, each sneer, whenever you may meet it.
Remember every promise made and keep it to the letter.
Remember those who lend you aid and be a grateful debtor.
Remember all the happiness that comes your way in living.
Forget each worry and distress; be hopeful and forgiving.
Remember good, remember truth, remember heaven is above you.
And you will find, through age and youth, that many will love you.
-- Source unknown
It is better to be as low as hell with a promise than in
paradise without one.
~John Flavel~
The results of listening and responding to the Gospel? Fruit! When the Gospel permeates your heart, you will begin to bear fruit to everyone you come into contact with. You won't be able to help it! Let's allow the Gospel to shine out of us as lights in this darkness and bear the fruit that God has given to us.
God's grace has such marvelous ability. It is able to give the eternal inheritance of God to His children. It is also able to build up their lives here on earth for greater service and increased fruitfulness.
When you see how this world grows stooped and weary, and then read of a home where everything’s made new, doesn’t it make you want to go home? Would you really rather have a few possessions on earth than eternal possessions in heaven? Would you honestly give up all of your heavenly mansions for a second-rate sleazy motel on earth?
From The Applause of Heaven
We say allot of things that are not in the bible but go through life believing. I came to terms with this in my biblical counseling class. We need to be careful when quoting scripture then saying what it means. I realize different denominations say things that seem foreign to others. But when two believers come together there unity has to be Jesus Christ and Him crucified rather than the lack of understanding.
Words like Highly Favored, you here many say they are blessed and highly favored but in truth the only person that was highly Jesus. And Jesus Himself. Romans tells us:
No matter how much we know of ANY subject it pales in comparison to the enormity of understanding available in that area.
Being wise in our own opinion is often rooted in a misguided confidence that we know ALL we CAN know about a situation or person.
Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda, and Useta does not apply to today. Today is new.
To be wise with our money, words, time, priorities, choices, whom we hang out with, work and a myriad of other life-dynamics, we must LOVE wisdom.
We can’t just
...admire wisdom,
...know wisdom
...or believe in wisdom.
We must LOVE it!
To love wisdom is to embrace, incorporate and esteem it in a way where our lives are defined and guided by it.
God’s love creates a climate change around us. Discord dies when people are rejoicing together. Distressing thoughts are replaced by thoughts of the Lord, His love, His nearness, His comfort, wisdom, power, and care.
Pastor Ray
To be entirely safe from the devil’s snares, the child of God must be completely obedient to the Word of the Lord. The driver on the highway is safe, not only when he reads the signs, but when he obeys them.
~A. W. Tozer~
Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God.”
Change comes in all shapes and sizes. There’s the change that’s mostly grief and loss. And, there’s the change that’s mostly hope and opportunity. But, in my experience, much of change is part loss and part opportunity. I’m learning, through trial and error, how to be a leader capable of fully grieving the loss and while simultaneously seizing the opportunity.
In the TV show swat, they use the term, stay fluid a lot. It means stay flexible and alert. Bruce Lee uses to say become water, meaning the same thing but Pastor Chuck Smith would say blessed are the flexible you will not break. Whatever term you use it all means the same but you can't go at it alone, you need Jesus to help you.
“I believe the single most significant decision I can make on a day-to-day basis is my choice of attitude.” —Charles Swindoll
Many of us live “in the trenches,” including our daily work, our neighborhoods and cities, our churches, and our families. In all of these “trenches”, we need God’s help.
Do you know the sound of the Lord's voice? The Lord tells us in John 10:27, "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me."
The more time we spend with the Lord the more easily we recognize His voice -- even amid all the confusion and cacophony of ambition, success, failure, pressure, likes and dislikes.
Like Joseph storing up grain during the years of plenty to be used during the years of famine that lay ahead, may we store up truths of God’s Word in our hearts as much as possible, so that we are prepared for whatever suffering we are called upon to endure.
~Billy Graham~
We will discern God’s calling in our life by letting the Scripture form our minds and hearts.
the kingdom of God is not only something coming gloriously in the future. It is also the reign of God present on earth in the ministry of Jesus, in his death and resurrection, and in our lives as we live under God’s authority and for God’s purposes. We can see the kingdom of God right now, even as we look forward to seeing the glorious kingdom in the future.
We need to be open to the voice of the Lord revealed in Scripture and in our hearts through His Spirit -- then obey it.
The Bible tells us, “And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 John 3:3 NKJV).
We can have an understanding and belief in prophecy and facts and figures. But if it isn’t affecting the way we’re living, then we’re missing the point.
There is a new earth and a new heaven waiting for us so spectacular and so mind-blowing that we will not remember our pain. Our memories will be cleansed, redeemed, healed, and restored. He will wipe every tear from our eyes - "the former things have passed away” Keep looking up!
"That which glorifies Christ the most of all is the preaching of the gospel to sinners."
— Charles Spurgeon
A man with God is always in the majority.
John Knox
You can have true faith without works no more than you can have fire without heat.
D.L. Moody
Better to confess Christ 1000 times now and be despised by men, than be disowned by Christ before God on the day of Judgment. -
JC Ryle
When we allow God to be exalted in our difficulties we are in the perfect place to smell the fragrance of His Presence.
-A.W. Tozer
“When Christ died, he died for you individually just as much as if you had been the only person in the world.” -
C.S. Lewis
God does all that can be done, for even the worst of men, to help them to believe in Christ.
You’re not inferior because the church and the Bible teach gender roles.
What makes women feel inferior is feminism which somehow has convinced women that if they aren’t acting like men, working like men, or being like men then they are inferior.
If I am in Christ, it is because God took me out of the world and gave me to Christ.
R.C. Sproul
“Don’t join an easy crowd; you won’t grow. Go where expectations and the demand to perform are high” —
Jim Rohn
Born Once die Twice
Born Twice die Once
If the gospel we preach does not exalt God, magnify Christ, and humble man, it is not the gospel.
"The whole Bible tells us, from beginning to end, that salvation is not by the works of the law, but by grace."
— Charles Spurgeon
How can we love sin, when we remember that because of our sins Jesus died?
-J.C. Ryle
When you think you are wise and say something and someone else said it first.
The church is a hospital for sinners to be made well. Not a museum for saints to be showcased.
Where do you see yourself on the medical team?
Do not deny the authority and sufficiency of the Scriptures for counseling in order to gain a seat at the table with the “professionals” and scholars.
Nouthetic Counselor
"Our Saviour has bidden us preach the gospel to every creature; he has not said, “Preach it only to the elect.”"
- Charles Spurgeon
The daily sight of a bleeding, groaning, dying Savior is the only thing that will subdue and mortify darling sins!
-Thomas Brooks
You can build your reputation over the course of 25 years and yet see it ruined in minutes.
Abide! Ed Taylor
The man who can take a deep interest in politics, sports, moneymaking, or farming, but none in the conversion of souls is no true Christian. He is himself dead and must [begin] to live again. He is himself lost and must be found.
JC Ryle
The simple fact is that only if I love Jesus more than my wife or husband or friend will I be able to serve their needs ahead of my own.
A life of prayer is a life of power! God hears when you call.
"Fight against every thought that would represent it as desirable to be permitted to choose for yourself. When you cannot see your way, be satisfied that...He knows your path; He will not leave you to sink." - J.Newton
At times, it is essential to stand one’s ground and refuse to compromise biblical principles. But more often than not the nasty infighting among us is embarrassingly trivial. The world has a field day watching us fight and quarrel over the silliest things.
Swindoll
When the truth is abandoned, the space is filled with conflict, chaos & confusion.
"Until that glorious gathering shall take place, brothers and sisters, keep on inviting others to the Lamb of God."
- Charles Spurgeon
In the presence of a great common foe, I have little time to be attacking my brethren who stand with me in defense of the Word of God.
Trying to clean yourself before going to Jesus is like trying to heal yourself before going to the doctor.
Rebukes are like fertilizer. They stink at first but are essential for growth.
A Christian does not only desire to be saved himself, but he has a love for his neighbor, also greatly desiring to bring his neighbor to the knowledge of the truth, and to repentance and salvation.
—Wilhelmus à Brakel (1635-1711),
Jesus doesn’t make okay people better, He makes dead people alive
Pharaoh recognized and was sorry for his own sin multiple times. He also acknowledged God as God. But he never truly repented.
Head knowledge means nothing.
Vain confidence leads to despair and misery. We serve a loving and just Lord and God who love us and is bigger than all our trials.
if you are in the word and acting upon the convictions of your heart make sure you are praying to.
It seems there is the message of hope in every message lately and as a believer I find it hard to know the Lord, Our Blessed Hope and say Hope is gone from me yet I hear it so often.
The body of Christ needs to grow up and don't blame your pastor or the church!
The grace of God impacting our hearts through His word by His Spirit is His divine means to bring about such transformation in us.
While the enemy loves to cast false guilt, our Lord loves to extend grace and forgiveness, which is the remedy that restores all your broken pieces.
We as Christians may not be seeking the latest thoughts on foreign gods (or "new age" beliefs), but we do tend to fill ourselves with a lot of information about our faith.
It's not whether you get knocked down; it's whether you get back up.
Drama is never fun, people do things for many reasons and then they try to suck you into their vortex of unhappiness and pain so they can feel like they are not alone. Sad but true, they are our brothers and sisters in the church. Yet God has commanded us to love them anyway.
Every page of Scripture can deepen our understanding of God’s greatness. Are you amazed at His presence and deeds? To understand more about His character, discipline yourself to read and meditate on the Word. Then take time to praise Him, for He alone is worthy of our adoration.
While caregiving situations differ, studies indicate that adult children, relatives and spouses who take on the responsibility of family caregiver usually find themselves unprepared. Most people lack the information, skills and confidence they need to provide care effectively and efficiently.
don't be embarrassed or feel guilty about asking for help and advice. God's Word says a wise man will listen and learn.
God can use any life. Our foolishness only highlights His wisdom, and our weakness testifies to His strength. You are someone God can use.
God’s overriding goal is to glorify Himself.
~J. I. Packer~
You have to always remember, all the gifts come from God. He is the one who empowers each one of us. When you give the glory to God, He will blow you away. He wants to be the main source, the One on the throne. Not you and I. He wants all the credit—all the glory.
It will always give a Christian the greatest calm, quiet, ease, and peace to think of the perfect righteousness of Christ.
Holiness seeks to be like God. You want to make a difference in your world? Live a holy life. Be faithful to your spouse. Pay your bills. Be the employee who does the work and doesn’t complain. Don’t speak one message and live another! Just be God in your world.
Your life doesn't change by chance, it changes by choice.
*Matthew 6:19 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
You may lose something good, but God will give you something better.
While God will give strength to those who follow Him and exalt His anointed, judgment will come against God’s enemies. The judgment of God is a powerful thing!
Time and again, we have considered the connection between grace and justification. "Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus…In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace" (Romans 3:24 and Ephesians 1:7). Now, we have an opportunity to ponder once more the relationship between grace and sanctification.
Choose this day to let your light shine. You have every excuse in the world to be angry, frustrated, confused, and bitter, but Jesus has given you a new life to shine for Him. Glorify your heavenly Father today and choose to be a light in the darkness. Let God's Word shine through you today.
Giving is not about whats in your wallet but rather whats in your heart
Casey Kendall
We receive with gratitude and we give with grace.
You don't have to have everything to do something!
Do your best and commit the rest the rest...
negativity of others should not change the way we love one another and pray for one another.
God gave everything He had by giving His son. We need to be a giving community.
God desires for us to be CONTENT with the things he has so graciously entrusted to us.
How will we ever know our capacity to move forward if we insist on our own comfort?
Marriage
1) Kiss often.
2) Laugh regularly.
3) Apologize quickly.
4) Forgive readily.
Each of the above ideas directly relates to how hard or soft your hearts are. Hard hearts resist intimacy and put up walls. This is often the result of unchecked pride.
Soft hearts embrace intimacy and seek to destroy walls that block it.
“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV).
The greatest pain of the cross was the pain of sin. Jesus didn’t deserve to feel the shame, but he felt it. He didn’t deserve the humiliation, but he experienced it. He had never sinned, yet was treated like a sinner. He became sin. All the guilt, remorse, and embarrassment– Jesus understands it.
Max Lucado
Our spiritual “muscle” can only be developed by exercising God’s Word in our lives.
Ray Bentley
Milk is hearing about the life of Jesus. Meat is LIVING the life of Jesus.
C. S. Lewis said, "Repentance is no fun at all. It is something much harder than merely eating humble pie. It means unlearning all the self-conceit and self-will that we have been training ourselves into for thousands of years."
There is a difference between remorse and repentance. This is important to understand. People are sorry when their sin catches up with them. They are sorry when they begin to reap what they sow. But that doesn't necessarily mean they are repentant.
If you are truly sorry in a godly way, then you not only will have remorse for what you have done, but you also will change your behavior.
The Lord provides His ministers of the Gospel with the strength, endurance and fortitude to do His will.
Philosopher and theologian William Temple once said, “The most influential of all educational factors is the conversation in a child’s home.”
Parents who seek and serve the Lord have a rock-solid foundation to build on for their children. Knowing, loving and serving God is of utmost importance; everything thereafter is incidental.
Our Christian faith is based on what God did and continues to do for us—His completed work on the cross, where He gave the ultimate in loving sacrifice. Watch out for anyone who tells you otherwise!
Works do not save us but faith without works is dead and we know it comes by the hearing of the word. Why, because true faith is living the obedient life in Christ.
The difference between disobedience and obedience is marked by the individual's attitude toward the sin.
~Donald Grey Barnhouse~
Our duty is found in the revealed will of God in the Scriptures. Our trust must be in the sovereign will of God, as he works in the ordinary circumstances of our daily lives for our good and for his glory.
~Jerry Bridges~
When we give our thoughts to the Lord and trust in His thoughts toward us, we win the battle for our minds. Set aside the emotion and put your faith and trust in the Lord, read His word, and keep it in your heart.
Our initial encounter with the grace of God involved forgiveness and justification. Rich measures of God's grace washed away our sins and gave us new life in Christ. Of course, that initial justifying work of God could not exhaust His grace. Rather, it was "according to the riches of His grace." There are unlimited riches yet available for our daily sanctification, our ongoing growth in Christ. It does not stop at asking Jesus into your heart.
I believe every man, woman, and child will be forced to stand before our Lord and explain what they did individually with His son, Jesus. However, as a nation -- because of the first fruits -- they will be blessed in total. Remember, "holy" is not a reference to a moral quality. It simply means "set apart". The nation of Israel was set apart for God -- and God is a long way from being finished with Israel.
One encounter with God is enough to change you forever!
Jason Powell
God is still writing your story.
Quit trying to steal the pen.
Trust Him.
His ways are always better.
Jason Robinson
We live in a day in which false doctrine abounds on every hand and the only Christian who is safe from being led into error is the one who studies his Bible for himself daily.
R.A. Torrey
When a person truly lives by the grace of God, righteousness results, not ungodliness. As a person increasingly learns to draw upon God's grace for daily living, Christlikeness develops, not worldliness.
The Holy Spirit never offers shortcuts in sanctification.
Dustin Benge
All wrong will be made right, all loss will be restored and you’ll then see the answers to the questions that you asked on earth
Jason Powell
Christ is the bread of life,
Without Him we’re hungry.
Christ is the light of the world,
Without Him we’re in darkness.
Christ is the good shepherd,
Without Him we’re lost.
Christ is the true vine,
Without Him we’re withered.
Dustin Benge
If you’re questioning the love that God has for you, take your eyes off of your circumstances and focus them on the Cross!
Jesus forever proved His love for you on the Cross!
Jason Powell
When we are focused on Him our willingness to not give up even when we can be unfaithful— We realize that in reality, God is in us.
C’mon somebody!
The grace of God not only saves the souls of all who believe; it also works in believers' lives to teach and instruct them. God's grace, working through His word instructs and shapes our thinking and living:
I will be the first to admit that sometimes I am not in the mood to do "Church stuff". Therein lies the problem. I have replaced my friendship with Jesus, and instead, become involved in activities and tasks.
The very first step to becoming a follower of Jesus Christ is the humble admission that we need him. Nothing keeps us out of the kingdom of God more surely than our pride and self-sufficiency.
~John R. W. Stott~
Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength.” —
Corrie ten Boom
If life is a marathon, many of us are comparing our first mile to someone else’s twenty-sixth. Our hearts and bodies suffer self-inflicted wounds when we do this.
“In a world where you can choose to be anything, choose to be KIND.”
― Jennifer Dukes Lee
“Until you are convinced of God's incredible love for you, you will continue looking for replacement love everywhere but in the heart of Christ.”
― Jennifer Dukes Lee
“Sometimes, the only way out of a storm … is to go through it.”
― Jennifer Dukes Lee
A faithful God does not expect you to do what you cannot; He supplies the needed strength.
~Erwin W. Lutzer~
“The self-sufficient do not pray, the self-satisfied will not pray, the self-righteous cannot pray. No man is greater than his prayer life.”
—Leonard Ravenhill
What do you love? Recognize that those things and people are gifts from our loving God and praise Him!
When a man becomes a Christian, he becomes industrious, trustworthy, and prosperous. Now, if that man when he gets all he can and saves all he can does not give all he can, I have more hope for Judas Iscariot than for that man!
~John Wesley~
Worry is an indication that we think God cannot take care of us.
~Oswald Chambers~
Moments of darkness in our lives may be caused by the death of a loved one, the loss of a job or a home, or another great tragedy of life. Yet there is a greater darkness than these tragedies: the darkness in the eyes of one who has not felt God’s love, grace, and the assurance of His hope.
A budget is telling your money where to go instead of wondering where it went.
~John Maxwell~
“The storm was raging. The sea was beating against the rocks in huge, dashing waves. The lightning flashed, the thunder roared, the wind blew; but the little bird was sound asleep in the crevice of the rock, its head tucked serenely under its wing. That is peace: to be able to sleep in the storm! In Christ we are relaxed and at peace in the midst of confusions, bewilderments, and perplexities of this life. The storm rages, but our hearts are at rest. We have found peace—at last!” —Billy Graham
We do not want to have unity with someone who doesn’t believe in the essentials of the Christian faith. That doesn’t mean we’re rude. We can disagree and still be pleasant.
unity between brothers and sisters in Christ is a different issue. We might have differing viewpoints on the order of prophetic events or some other thing. But we shouldn’t break fellowship over that. We build our unity on the truth of what we have learned in Scripture, on the fundamentals of the Christian faith.
Greg Laurie
Empathy is one of the most beautiful things we can extend to another person.
Empathy says I’m with you.
When someone is going through heartbreak or divorce — I’m with you.
When someone has lost a loved one — I’m with you.
When someone has lost a job — I’m with you.
When someone got the promotion of their dreams — I’m with you. When someone reached a goal they never imagined — I’m with you.
Showing empathy meets someone right where they are, and that is what God calls us to do.
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