Let Your Silence Speak For You? The Biggest Talker is Usually The Biggest Loser.
First Rule In The Game Never forget Who helped You get There!
"If you think God is your co-pilot, you're in the wrong seat."
Prayer is important to God. That's why He created it to be faster than broadband internet, more durable than fiber-optic signals, and more constant than radio waves. He longs to be in constant and immediate communication... with you.
You must be absolutely convinced by faith, God can and will heal according to His sovereign will; and humility because if He chooses to heal or not heal, it is not because of your great faith or lack of it. I think a lot of miracles don't happen in front of our eyes, because God knows our nature, He knows we are one miracle away from going on the talk show circuit -- to tell everyone about our "great faith," rather than God's awesome power.
Natural human resources are of no benefit in developing a godly life. Such revelation is very humbling. If we embrace Jesus' evaluation of our personal inadequacy, then we are willing to relate to God in humility. There is a further truth in which we are to place our trust. "It is the Spirit who gives life." As we count on this truth, we are relating to the Lord in faith. The result of such humble reliance is that God's Spirit becomes our vitality for godly living.
Bob Hoekstra
righteousness is represented as a breastplate that
provides essential protection for the most vital organs. We can no
sooner battle against spiritual enemies in our own righteousness
than a soldier can effectively fight without his breastplate.
News Flash, If you are going to church in hopes to feel or find the Holy Spirit you've missed it!
Leadership is action, not position.
Show me your redeemed life, and I'll believe in your redeemer.
Voltaire
I cannot, by being good, tell men of Jesus atoning death and resurrection nor of my faith in His divinity. The emphasis is too much on me and too little on Him...
Samuel Shoemaker
Through prayer, the enemy’s plans are intercepted. Through prayer, the powers, principalities, and authorities of Satan’s realm are defeated. Through prayer, the power and provision of God flow into the lives of His people.
In today's world, much of society is being shaped by selfishness. Do your own thing. Be your own person. Determine for yourself what is right and wrong. If we are not careful, our life will be shaped by that kind of attitude. But anything that becomes self-serving is an idol. It's my way—not God's way. It's all about me—not about Him.
Justification is an event. The moment you trust Christ for forgiveness your status changes in the Court of Eternity from guilty to innocent. Some think justification is a process. That view results in a life-long struggle to earn one’s own justification. There is no peace in that, only dread that one may not have done enough to appease the Judge. God promises that when we are justified we have peace with Him, not because of what we do, but because of what He has done.
If we can only grasp these words by faith, we have an all-conquering weapon in our hand. What doubt will not be slain by this two-edged sword? What fear is there that shall not fall smitten with a deadly wound before this arrow from the bow of God's covenant? Will not the distresses of life and the pangs of death, will not the internal corruptions and the external snares, will not the trials from above and the temptations from beneath all seem but light afflictions when we can hide ourselves beneath the bulwark of "he has said"?
Alistair Begg
They that enter heaven will find that they are neither
unknown nor unexpected.
~J. C. Ryle~
God knows everything. He has been in all eternity, In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis1:1). When we get to heaven, we will have full knowledge. We will see Jesus face to face and all things will be revealed.
As we look at the times we are living in, this is exciting news. Remember, keep looking up. Our hope and trust is only found in Christ, no one else.
Happiness resides not in possessions, and not in gold, happiness dwells in the soul.
"It's what you learn after you know it all that counts."
~ John Wooden
"Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other."
~ John F. Kennedy
"I am learning all the time. The tombstone will be my diploma."
~ Eartha Kitt
"Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young."
~Henry Ford
Be careful, “Experts” are often educated by books, but not educated through experience.
Some times it is good to just let the things that are happening around you fade away. There is no better way than to stand in the presents of the Lord worshiping at His feet. There is no better fellowship. Praying for brothers and sisters who are ill.
As noted earlier, the new covenant is about grace, as contrasted with the old covenant, which is about law. "For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (John 1:17). The connection between grace and the Holy Spirit can be seen in various Scripture passages on the new covenant, including this glorious prophecy. "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." The first verse in this prophetic promise concerns regeneration, spiritual new birth. Through faith in the Lord, our original, hard, lifeless heart is removed, and a new, pliable, living spirit is given to us.
A man should only enter the Christian ministry
if he cannot stay out of it.
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones~
The Lord Be with You
Did you hear the story about the pastor who always started each service off with the phrase, "The Lord be with you." The people, well trained over many years, would then respond, "And also with you.” However, one Sunday the sound system wasn’t working very well. The pastor stepped to the pulpit and mumbled, "There’s something wrong with this microphone."
The people responded, "AND ALSO WITH YOU!"
J. B. Phillips once said, "I don't care what the world is doing, I'm not going to let it squeeze me into its mold."
Don't be a conformer, be a transformer.
Look at your own life: Are you a thermometer constantly adjusting yourself to whatever is going on around you? Or are you a thermostat changing the climate of your environment and the temperature of everyone with whom you come in contact?
I can guarantee you that God will never let you down if you surrender your life and your heart to Him.
Every great achievement begins with a vision, a dream of something exciting or different, a feeling that inspires and motivates you to aim higher and beyond anything that you have ever achieved before.
Remember your mood is an indicator not a dictator of your life.
Reaching our own Promise Land life requires an ongoing trust in God’s Word. Wilderness people trust Scripture just enough to escape Egypt. Canaan dwellers, on the other hand, make the Bible their go-to book for life.
We can choose to dwell on the dark and hurtful things of this world. Or, we can discipline our minds and choose to change our attitudes, change our thoughts, and change our world, by thinking about the things God desires for us – truth, justice, purity, beauty, noble and praiseworthy things. God is commanding us to think about what is good!
“I believe the single most significant decision I can make on a day-to-day basis is my choice of attitude.” —Charles Swindoll
someone has said, “Some men die by shrapnel, and some go down in flames, but most men perish inch by inch, playing at little games.”
If we embrace Jesus' evaluation of our personal inadequacy, then we are willing to relate to God in humility.
Bob Hoekstra
God did not say maintain. He said multiply.
I have allowed fear to divide my efforts, drain my energy, and dilute my experience that He is God.
You can run away from what you are afraid of, but you will be running the rest of your life.
"A great leader never gives blame. A great leader always takes responsibility. You cannot make a difference if you are making excuses."
Craig Groeschel- The Forbidden Phrase
The Word of God is like a lion. You don't have to defend a lion
. All you have to do is let the lion loose, and the lion will defend itself."
Charles Spurgeon
Go, labor on; spend and be spent—thy joy to do the Father's will; it is the way the Master went; should not the servant tread it still?
~Horatius Bonar~
“Flatter me, and I may not believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like you. Ignore me, and I may not forgive you. Encourage me, and I may not forget you.”
—William Arthur Ward
When people are encouraged, they are more likely to be united and generous toward one another in actions and in spirit.
Reading and memorizing the word is just half the battle.
When you despair over national or world events, pray that the Lord is, even then, intervening in the lives of the pridefully self-destructive, bringing them to repentance and worship.
If the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from the church today, 95 percent of what we do would go on and no one would know the difference…
~A.W. Tozer~
When God denies us something, even when we have the best of motives, it is because He has an even greater plan.
I know the word says to be still but we need to remain in context with it and not just sit, waiting for it to happen.
Pray and move or better as they say in boxing, stick, and move.
Must we reject everything about our pre-Christian life when receiving God’s grace through Christ? No, that’s neither possible nor advisable. Rather, we allow Jesus, our Savior, and Lord, to become our teacher. We begin to weigh everything in our lives in light of him. What he reveals to be evil, we cast off. What he eschews, we avoid. Things we do that are inconsistent with the gospel must be stripped off.
God often goes to the gutter to find the recipient for His grace. He lifts him out, washes him and transforms him making him into a child of God fit for His kingdom––that is God’s grace.
~Chuck Smith~
Christianity is not a game, it is a war. People love to say they’re not Christians, they’re spiritual… but, if it’s not the Holy Spirit, it is a demonic spirit.
Every follower of Jesus is called to share Hope with people.
You never retire from following Jesus
Instead of “rededicating your life” over & over again, maybe you need to be truly saved by Jesus. You can’t rededicate what you’ve never truly dedicated!
Eternity is way too long to be wrong about where you will spend it.
The purpose of life: Know Jesus. Make Jesus known.
Get into a church today that will get into the Bible.
If sin is our problem, Jesus is our only solution.
If students can understand
algebra
chemistry
geometry
biology
literature
physics
history
they can also understand
depravity
Christology
justification
repentance
faith
sanctification
great commission
Don’t hold back the young minds that God created to muse upon His greatness!
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that."
MLKjr
You can’t love Jesus and hate His Bride at the same time.
JESUS CAN SEE YOUR FUTURE MESS AND STILL WANT TO BE YOUR MESSIAH TODAY
Jesus is not a weekend hobby. He is God. He is Life.
A NEW YEAR DOES NOT CHANGE GOD, HE IS THE SAME ALWAYS!
The world has become so in-love with lies that the Truth feels like hate.
“Flatter me, and I may not believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like you. Ignore me, and I may not forgive you. Encourage me, and I may not forget you.” —William Arthur Ward
There was continual evangelism in the early church, and there was no apology for it. This is the church that turned their world upside down
People who like having their ears tickled make him rich while they’re spiritually poor because he feeds them lies. He holds a Bible in the air yet doesn’t uphold the truth of God’s Word! Wake up, people!! You know who, just admit it. There are many of them.
When your final authority is your “heart, you will regularly twist Scripture to say whatever pleases your heart.
If a student ministry is running like a "church within a church", then when a teen graduates out of that student ministry, it feels like they're having to go join a different church. That's why many leave. It's ONE church. multi-generations. Find ways to be on mission together.
Young people don’t trust cultural narratives. So, the more the world says stay away from Jesus and the Bible, the more curious young people become.
One of the worst things a follower of Jesus can do is start dating someone who doesn’t care anything about Jesus.
Avoid ministries that avoid the Bible.
“The Past is frozen and no longer flows, and the Present is all lit up with eternal rays.” - C.S. Lewis
“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
The first man was not formed of creatures already made - no evolutionary process. God made Adam from the dust.
“When Christ died to sin on the cross, the people whom He represented also died to sin with Him and in Him. And when He rose to newness of life, so also did His people rise to newness of life with Him and in Him.” — Mike Riccardi
“The Nicene Creed is still doing sterling work after over 1,600 years; that fact should make us very cautious about deciding to abandon it just because the latest trendy evangelical guru or the cutting-edge professor at the local university decides it is outmoded.” -Carl Trueman
You must not fancy a God all honey, all sweetness; he is ‘the father of mercies,’ but so that he is also, ‘a God of vengeance.’ —Thomas Manton, Works 6:446
There is as much difference between sin in a regenerate person and in an unregenerate person, as there is between poison in a man and poison in a serpent. —Thomas Brooks
If God were better known, he would be better trusted. —Thomas Manton, Works 6:454
It is possible for an upright man to step into a sinful path, or to touch upon sinful facts; but his main way, his principal work and business, is to depart from iniquity; as a bee may light upon a thistle, but her work is to be gathering at flowers. —Thomas Brooks
The church is like a river. If it gets wider instead of deeper it will lose its power. —Puritan Thomas Manton
"If we would be saved by Christ, we must own ourselves dead, lost sinners, that can have no righteousness for justification but His; no life or ability to do good, until God bring us into union and fellowship with Him." - Walter Marshall. The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification, 73
"The law will outlast the creation. The Old Testament is as sacredly guarded as the New." — Charles Spurgeon
Not everybody thinks Jesus is enough. Some think Jesus is good to start with, but you need more than Jesus. You need Jesus and a little more ceremony, or a little more ritual, or a little more structure, or a little more this or that. Jesus is enough.
It is so human to want sight when we step out on the promises of God, but our Savior said to Thomas, and to the long roll of doubters who have ever since followed him: “Blessed are they who have not seen, and yet have believed.” Rounds
Having made Jesus his all, he shall find all in Jesus. Charles Spurgeon
It is the devil’s masterpiece to make us think well of ourselves. Charles Spurgeon
On disagreements and conflicts: “It is not so much our difference in opinion that doth us the mischief as the mismanagement of that difference.” —Puritan Philip Henry, Life and Sayings, Pg. 7
"Oh, to think of heaven without Christ! It is the same thing as thinking of hell." — Charles Spurgeon
"A sermon comes with far greater power when it is plainly the very word of God—not a lecture about the Scripture." — Charles Spurgeon
Jesus is the antidote to fear; He is the remedy for trouble; He is the substance and the sum of deliverance. AB Simpson
…when I came home [from church] I saw the hypocrisy of my heart, that in my ministry I sought to comfort and quicken others that the glory might reflect on me as well as on God. —Puritan Thomas Shepherd, Meditations and Spiritual Experiences, 70
"In our occupation we spread our nets; but it is God that brings unto our nets all that comes to them." -Cotton Mather.
"Everything that has to do with the Son of God is a fit subject for the deepest study." — Charles Spurgeon
Jerry Bridges
·When we see how extravagantly and undeservedly loved we are in the gospel, we see how much God is to be trusted and depended on.
Christ's blood is the great sovereign remedy for sin-sick souls. John Owen
The Spirit filled life is not a special, deluxe edition of Christianity, it is part of the total plan of God for His people. -A.W. Tozer -
He that believeth shall not only be saved, but shall never thirst, shall overcome, shall be established, shall walk firmly. -J.C. Ryle -
We forget that the illumination of the Holy Spirit of God is a necessity in the administrative and leadership functions of our churches. We need an enduement of the Spirit of God! We sorely need more of His wisdom, His counsel, His power, His knowledge. Tozer
"No power can imprison the redeemed of the Lord." — Charles Spurgeon
"My wife has been God’s best earthly gift to me." — Charles Spurgeon
Child of God, if you are suffering as much as Job, and if your suffering permits you to see the Lord with a spiritually enlightened eye, be thankful for the sorrowful process. Who would not go to Patmos if one might see John’s visions? Spurgeon
The righteousness of Jesus Christ alone, and not our doings or sufferings, can recommend us to the Father. - George Whitefield
"The more you read the Bible, the more you will be astonished with it." — Charles Spurgeon
"If I do what God tells me, when he tells me, because he tells me, I shall not fear." — Charles Spurgeon
He will assert His own supremacy in His people-Everything outside of Him is unsubstantial-unsatisfying-and passing away -Octavius Winslow -
"Unity without the gospel is a worthless unity; it is the very unity of hell." -J.C.Ryle.
Oh this self-love, this self will! Lord Jesus, may Thy blessed #Spirit purge it out of all our hearts! -George Whitefield -
Christians proclaim Christ and not the world’s wisdom in counseling. – Heath Lambert
When Satan tells me I am a sinner he comforts me immeasurably, since Christ died for sinners. Martin Luther
"Never could there be a better Master than Jesus, for his service is freedom." — Charles Spurgeon
Cherish the lowliest thought you choose of yourself, but unite it with the loftiest conception of God’s All-Sufficiency. Self-depreciation may lead to the marring of a useful life. We must think soberly of ourselves, not too lowly, as not too extravagantly. FB Meyer
Paul did not merely tolerate others. He genuinely loved others, quirks, and all. Ray Bentley
NEVER BE ASHAMED OF WHAT YOU'VE BEEN THROUGH. ALWAYS BE PROUD OF WHAT YOU'VE OVERCOME!
"It is of no use going to the Lord's battle until we are armed with heavenly weapons." — Charles Spurgeon
"MAY WE ALL BE AS QUICK TO ENCOURAGE AS WE ARE TO REBUKE AND AS QUICK TO APOLOGIZE WHEN WE'VE MISJUDGED."
"WE ARE POWERLESS WHEN WE ARE PRAYERLESS."
"The preacher who exhibits energy in and out of the pulpit but does not provide a godly example is as beneficial to the church as a dull razor to a man’s beard. In time, the preacher’s character will be widely known and impact his work for the Lord accordingly." - Hernando Motta
So faith ever speaks. So God ever gives. So He is meeting you today, in the present moment. Streams Desert
"Today is mine. Tomorrow is none of my business. If I peer anxiously into the fog of the future, I will strain my spiritual eyes so that I will not see clearly what is required of me now." -Elisabeth Elliot.
"You can only silence Satan's accusations by faithfully adhering to the gospel." — Charles Spurgeon
“I’ve heard a lot of sermons in my time. Most of them made me want to get up and walk out... the preacher has to direct a congregation to the cross of Christ, to God’s persistent effort to get our attention.” - Garrison Keillor
The best writers, teachers & preachers may be those familiar with the greatest texts, texts that illuminate the breadth of human experience & its consequences, which engage spirit, mind and heart, whose language becomes theirs, whose themes provoke reflection. - Rosalie de Rosset
"Never was there care so tender, so perpetual, so faithful, so affectionate, as the care of God over all his chosen ones." — Charles Spurgeon
Mercy is natural to God. God is not merciful by accident, but by nature; the sun doth not more naturally shine, nor fire more naturally burn, nor water more naturally flow, than God doth naturally show mercy. —Puritan Thomas Manton, Works 6:446
"The preacher wants his heart stirred because he will then have some idea how the power and beauty of the gospel might be presented so that the heart of his brothers and sisters may also be moved." - Cornelius Plantinga Jr
"Faith and repentance are born together, live together, and thrive together." — Charles Spurgeon
Anxiety will not increase the length of your life. You are not in control of how long you live, because that is a matter of divine privilege. John MacArthur
God's strong love stands like a granite rock unmoved by the hurricanes of our iniquity -C.H. Spurgeon -
History in fragments denies #God, but history as a whole is seen to be His story. -A.W. Pink -
"Throw away your self-righteousness, for there is no hope for you so long as you cling to it." — Charles Spurgeon
“If the pastor isn’t genuine and authentic in his ministry then there is no hope that he can lead his people.” – Austin Duncan
"Do not believe that there exists any man, much less any race of men, for whom the gospel is not fitted." — Charles Spurgeon
"Every time we sin, we do as much as say, 'I do not acknowledge God to be my sovereign; I will do as I please.'" — Charles Spurgeon
Grace is the fount and the source which leads to this ocean of peace. - Martyn Lloyd-Jones
"Periodical godliness is perpetual hypocrisy." — Charles Spurgeon
Ministers had need be very wary in their preaching and writing, that they don’t bring forth fuel to feed the fears and doubts of weak Christians, it being a great part of their work to arm weak Christians against their fears and faintings. —Puritan Thomas Brooks
Although people in spiritual darkness may formulate religions, the gods they create are simply a reflection of their own evil, and of demons who impersonate deity (1 Cor. 10:20). John MacArthur
YOU CAN'T BE A SPOUSE TO SOMEONE WHO ONLY WANTS A SPONSOR.
MARRY SOMEONE YOU CAN DO EVERYTHING WITH, NOT EVERYTHING FOR!
ALWAYS MAKE YOUR PRESENCE A THERMOSTAT, NEVER A THERMOMETER. THERMOMETERS ONLY TELL YOU THE TEMPERATURE IN THE ROOM, BUT THERMOSTATS POSSESS THE POWER TO REGULATE, ADJUST AND CHANGE IT!
NEVER WORRY ABOUT THE ATTACKS OF HELL WHEN YOU HAVE AN ALL ACCESS PASS TO THE RESOURCES OF HEAVEN!
"In heaven, we shall see that we had not one trial too many." — Charles Spurgeon
It is forgiveness that sets a man working for God.He does not work in order 2 be forgiven but because he has been forgiven -Horatius Bonar -
Discernment is not knowing the difference between right + wrong. It is knowing the difference between right + almost right. -C.H. Spurgeon -
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
As noted earlier, the new covenant is about grace, as contrasted with the old covenant, which is about law. "For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (John 1:17). The connection between grace and the Holy Spirit can be seen in various Scripture passages on the new covenant, including this glorious prophecy. "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." The first verse in this prophetic promise concerns regeneration, spiritual new birth. Through faith in the Lord, our original, hard, lifeless heart is removed, and a new, pliable, living spirit is given to us.
OSWALD CHAMBERS
Am I getting nobler, better, more helpful, more humble, as I get older? Am I exhibiting the life that men take knowledge of as having been with Jesus, or am I getting more self–assertive, more deliberately determined to have my own way? It is a great thing to tell yourself the truth.
Romans 12:18 says, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” As Jesus-followers we are called to love others, but to seek the approval of God alone. As far as we possibly can, let’s choose healthy conflict and resolution. But, when that isn’t possible because the other party refuses to, let’s give that situation to God and go on with grace and peace.
No matter what your sin may be or how far you have strayed—even if it’s just a little way off—repentance brings God’s forgiveness and puts the scales back into balance, causing you to overflow with God’s abundance and blessings!
Every Christian has a testimony because the power of God has gloriously transformed every person who has put his or her faith in Jesus Christ.
It’s important to realize that salvation does not come from anything that we’ve done. So, let’s not boast about what we’ve done or what we gave up to follow Jesus. Granted, we may have given up some things, but they’re nothing compared to what God gave us in their place.
If we don’t realize that, then we don’t know how dark our state was, how miserable of a condition we were in, and how far we were separated from God.
Grace is getting what we don’t deserve. Mercy is not getting what we do deserve. And justice is getting what we deserve.
We never want to ask God to give us justice, because in doing so, we’re asking Him to give us what we deserve. And what we deserve is Hell. Thankfully, God has not dealt with us according to justice, because Jesus Christ met God’s righteous requirement at Calvary. The death of Jesus satisfied the justice of God.
An effective testimony (your story of how you came to faith) always will glorify God and never will glorify the past. Some Christians make their lives before Christ sound so juicy and interesting that they make the present seem dull. That is an inaccurate testimony.
If you are honest about what you were before you became a Christian, then you must talk about the spiritual state you were in. You were separated from God and in rebellion against Him. A good testimony never will glorify the past; it always will glorify the Lord.
Christians have no grounds whatsoever for boasting. There is nothing to boast about. We didn’t become Christians because we were born into a Christian family or were relatively moral people or did a number of good deeds. Therefore, we have absolutely nothing we can take credit for.
And if we find ourselves bragging about anything that we have done to obtain our salvation, either we are not saved or we don’t understand what it means for God to forgive us.
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