QUOTES

We should never be too caught up in any accolades that come our way. We must always remember where our gifts, abilities, intellect, and accomplishments come from, and that is only through the Hand of God.

Let us never forget that the great thing we have to do, is to repent and believe the Gospel. We have no right to take any comfort from God’s election, unless we can show plain evidence of repentance and faith.

J.C. Ryle

If I learned one thing, I learned this, that what we think does not matter if it is not being received by others. Even the word of God is known but not lived out in the hearts of man and they will say I love the Lord.

"We have staked the whole future of American civilization... upon the capacity of all to govern ourselves according to the Ten Commandments

A half truth is the same thing as a whole lie.

Don't get overwhelmed just do one thing at a time......

God is the one who does whatever He wants to do in my life and in your lives. Look beyond your circumstances and be open to what God is calling you to do. He has given you the gifts, you just have to trust Him, by faith, and use them.

Faith will not always get for us what we want, but it will get

what God wants us to have.

~Vance Havner~

 The way to get good at making decisions is to make more of them. Then if you make the wrong ones, you'll learn more quickly and you can use what you've learned to make better decisions in the future.

If you don’t like the road you’re walking, start paving another one.

All of the religious systems and philosophies are about what one must do in order to be saved--keep this discipline, make that pilgrimage, say those prayers. That is salvation by works. Christianity is salvation by Jesus' finished work on the cross.

If you get to heaven, it won't be because you earned it. You will never be able to say, "I was so good that God just had to let me in." If you get to heaven, it'll be because you have this testimony: "I'm here because of Jesus, because I believe in Him. Not because I did anything, but because He did it all for me."

Crazy Love by Francis Chan

“God is love, but He also defines what love is. We don’t have the license to define love according to our standards.”

Our culture does not allow us to understand the difficulty of being a "woman of mission" during Jesus' day. We do not even clearly understand the problem Jesus and His disciples faced ministering to women.

The Jewish rabbis of Jesus' time said "It is better that the words of the Law be burned than be delivered to a woman!" (The Bible Exposition Commentary on Acts 16:13.) Jesus and His disciples, if they followed cultural norms, should have ignored women when it came to sharing the gospel. They did not. Instead, our study shows Jesus used them as missionaries.

People often read into truth differently...

Dwight L. Moody, the great evangelist, preached on many subjects, but according to his biography, “He had one central message to share with people: Men and women are all created to be friends and lovers of God. We are made for no other end.

There's a strange perversity in the heart of man, which convinces him that God's Word doesn't apply to him and he can get by with disobedience. Despite all his wisdom, Solomon came to folly--All because he thought that God's Law didn't apply to him.

WE NEED A PROPER PERSPECTIVE OF THE GIANTS IN OUR LIVES.

We need to take our eyes off of those problems and look instead on the Lord.

Chuck Smith

There is a difference between sin and willful sin. There is a difference between stumbling, being sorry for it, and turning from it, and continually, willfully, and habitually sinning.

If you are sensing God’s conviction and know what you’re doing isn’t right, that is God’s Holy Spirit lovingly trying to wake you up and warn you of the perilous path you have put yourself on.

The Lord will meet the needs of His ministers through the people they serve -- as long as their focus remains fixed on the people and not on the money. Ministry should never be considered a career or simply another job.

A decision to be involved in ministry is a decision to be sacrificial in just about every area including personal finances. Are you involved in ministry? Is it a job or a calling?

Jesus' ministry would not be of man (even the perfect Man), but of God. When Jesus went forth from His baptism to fulfill His calling, the Spirit was still fully engaged in His life.

Leader: "Communicate clearly, extend trust." "Clarity without trust produces fear and inaction." "Trust without clarity produces work without direction." Craig Groeshel

We have been trained to process life based on the way we feel. We think we must feel love for love to exist. We think we must feel wanted to truly be chosen. We think we must feel God’s presence for Him to really be close. But God never meant for us to feel our way to Him.

God wants us to stand on the absolute truth that He is with us no matter how our feelings may betray that reality.

“Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.”— Colossians 3:2

“If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did the most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next.” —C.S. Lewis

As Jesus forgave those who crucified him, so we are to forgive. When we protest, “But I can’t do it!” God says, “Yes, I know. But I can do it through you.” In him, all things are possible, even forgiving those who have wronged us deeply.

Every time we ignore Jesus, we are "helping wicked men" put Him to death. Have you ever noticed how the more you become involved in the world and what the world considers right, the less Jesus influences you? You may not have called for His execution, but when you ignore Jesus you are "helping wicked men put him to death." In other words, you are allowing the world and its seductive nature to place Jesus in the back seat of your life.

When you ignore Jesus you are "helping wicked men put him to death." In other words, you are allowing the world and its seductive nature to place Jesus in the back seat of your life.

Married couples don't fall out of love, they fall out of repentance. —Burk Parsons

in talking about the death and resurrection of what Jesus means to us. We really need to recommit ourselves to pure and holy lives without the stain of repetitive, blatant, and unrepentant sin.

When we think about the greatness of God, when we remember the truths of God, it puts our problems in perspective.

Jesus rose victorious from the grave - never, ever to die again. Death has no longer dominion over Him. He has the power to transform your nature from a sinful one that is bound to death, to a righteous one free to receive eternal life.

Choose Jesus, choose life!

Should we be afraid? NO

Should we be alarmed? NO

Is He With Us? YES

Will He give us strength? YES

Will He help us? YES

Will He give us victory? YES!!!

Is He coming? YES

When? SOON!! - Keep looking up!

God, Himself is telling us: "Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10

God wastes nothing.

No pain.

No trial.

No tears.

No suffering.

No betrayals.

None of it is wasted.

All of it is purposeful.

Child of God, keep trusting. Soon we will be in the Land of sight and God will make all His mysteries plain.

Don’t lose heart, we’re almost Home.

OSWALD CHAMBERS

If there is only one strand of faith amongst all the corruption within us, God will take hold of that one strand.

Jesus gave His life even for those enemies who crucified Him.

Can you think of a person you’ve known in your life who has modeled the Golden Rule for you, who has been like Jesus to you? Maybe drop that person a line today and tell them how they’ve encouraged your walk with Christ! Or if they’re already in Heaven, thank God for them and emulate that Jesus-likeness. May we be like Him today!

OSWALD CHAMBERS

When you are joyful, be joyful; when you are sad, be sad. If God has given you a sweet cup, don’t make it bitter; and if He has given you a bitter cup, don’t try and make it sweet; take things as they come.

God is not your enemy, God is your security, and God desires intimacy with you.

God is not your enemy, God is your security, and God desires intimacy with you. None of us wants to go through pain, loss, or suffering, yet we know we will. When we do go through crises, we’ve got to stick with God, trust Him, and lean on Him. In so doing, we not only will get through, but we’ll know Him intimately. That’s the reward.

The real battle lies in the spiritual realm, where victory is realized through a relationship with the God who loves you.

Sometimes, even people who are Christians say things like, “I think that other people may find their own path to God. Who am I to say they can’t know God if they haven’t come through Christ? I found my way to God through Christ. But maybe someone else has found their way through another path.”

We don’t come to God because we seek to follow the example of Jesus alone. No one can do that. If anything, if we were to take an honest look at Jesus’ life, it would show us how far that we fall short. We don’t gain access to God because we try to live by the teachings of Jesus, as wonderful as they are and as profound as they are as the words of God to us.

Jesus died on the cross and shed His blood for us so that we could be forgiven of our sins. We put our complete trust in Him because it is only through His blood that we can approach God.

Often we hear preaching that only emphasizes what we’re supposed to do for God. So, when we go to church, we start feeling guilty because we don’t measure up. We’re not giving enough or praying enough or evangelizing enough.

As we read the Bible, we will find that the primary emphasis is not what we should do for God but what God has done for us. Now, that is not to say that the Bible doesn’t have plenty to tell us about how we are to live and behave as believers. But we need to pay closest attention to Scripture’s emphasis on what God has done for us.

Sometimes we wish that the Christian life could be a constant state of euphoria in which we’re always experiencing God in some wonderful way. But we cannot live on the mountaintop. We need to come back to the valleys, to the real world of practical living.

We gain great insight into the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives by considering the work of the Spirit in the life of Jesus. From the very beginning of Jesus' history upon earth as Emmanuel, God with us, the Holy Spirit was involved. When Joseph was troubled over Mary's pregnancy, an angel comforted him by announcing: "That which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit." Jesus' conception was not of man, but of the Spirit.

One of the unchangeable aspects of life is that God offers only two choices for all the issues that we will encounter day by day; namely, "live according to the flesh" or "live according to the Spirit" (Romans 8:5). Also, the consequences accompanying these options are inevitable, because of the certainties of sowing and reaping. "Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap." When an apple seed is planted, an apple tree is the only possible plant that can result. Whatever category of seed is put into the ground, that is the only type of crop that can ever be reaped.

Jesus said apart from me you can do nothing, He used the vine and the branch as an example in John and I think we get to caught up in trying to do thing in our own flesh not taking into the account the will of God.

Faith demands a willingness to give up what we can see in exchange for what we cannot see.

Spiritual forgetfulness is definitely not one of the fruits of the Spirit! The Israelites didn't remember who "had delivered them from the hands of all their enemies on every side." I believe that forgetting not only shows a lack of respect, but is also a sign of a decaying heart. As a Christian, God is not dead in your heart. You have been made alive through the wonderful gift and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Never forget who you are or where you came from.

I am finding that most people who say they are supportive say it with conditions. This love says what can I get from you rather than what I can do for you.

"A river cuts through rocks, not because of it's power but because of its persistence" ~ Jim Watkins

When fear knocks, let faith open the door.

If you have not been baptized with the Holy Spirit, I pray you take time with the Lord in prayer and ask for Him to baptize you. You will be blessed.

The Holy Spirit may be had for the asking.

~R. B. Kuiper~

“In America we have the greatest chance for opportunity than anyone else in the past six and a half thousand years. Never in recorded history have so many different gifts from all over the world been deposited in one country.” – Jim Rohn

“To solve any problem, there are three questions to ask yourself: First, what could I do? Second, what could I read? And third, whom could I ask?” – Jim Rohn

I CAN I WILL CALL WHAT KEEPS YOU GOING? WHY WILL YOU NEVER EVER QUIT? WHAT IS YOUR WHY?

"It’s not about you. The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness. It’s far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions

God answers the mess of life with one word: grace!

The reward of sin is more sin and the reward of obedience is

the power to obey again.

~David Shepherd~

We find in nature a delicate balance that once altered is often difficult if not impossible to restore. The same is true for the church which operates in much the same manner.

After the cross and the resurrection, the Lord Jesus taught His disciples for forty days before He ascended to the Father. One of His strategic messages of preparation concerned the Holy Spirit enablement they would need to fulfill their ministry. "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you." After this vital promise was given, Jesus was taken up into heaven to the right hand of the Father. Ten days later, on the day of Pentecost, this promise was fulfilled by the outpouring of the Spirit. "And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:4). The grand result of this empowering would be the spread of the gospel, region by region, throughout the entire world. "You shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

50 Times

When John G. Mitchell, co-founder of Multnomah School of the Bible, was pastor of a church in Tacoma, Washington, he heard Dr. G. Campbell Morgan preach. Dr. Morgan, a British evangelist and a leading Bible scholar of his time, knew his text, and young Mitchell was impressed. In fact, he asked the visiting preacher how he understood Scripture so well.

"If I told you, you wouldn't do it," the older man said.

"Just try me," Mitchell insisted. "Before I study a book, I read it 50 times," the veteran explained

“The major value in life is not what you get. The major value in life is what you become. That is why I wish to pay fair price for every value. If I have to pay for it or earn it, that makes something of me. If I get it for free, that makes nothing of me.” by Jim Rohn

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“All values must be won by contest, and after they have been won, they must be defended.” by Jim Rohn

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“Don't sell out your virtue and your value for something you think you want. Judas got the money, but he threw it all away and hung himself because he was so unhappy with himself.” by Jim Rohn

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“Values were meant to be costly. If it doesn't cost much, we probably wouldn't appreciate the value.” by Jim Rohn

“We can no more afford to spend major time on minor things than we can to spend minor time on major things.” – Jim Rohn

“Success is not so much what we have as it is what we are.” – Jim Rohn

God’s wrath is His righteous reaction against unrighteousness.

~J. I. Packer~

There is no emotional baggage too big for Jesus to handle.

“If you don't feel strong desires for the manifestation of the glory of God, it is not because you have drunk deeply and are satisfied. It is because you have nibbled so long at the table of the world. Your soul is stuffed with small things, and there is no room for the great.” ― John Piper, A Hunger For God

Is it really worth it? The Compromise that drains you of power, the decision that destroys your testimony, the small moment of pleasure that robs you of life and leaves you full of regret. When we choose sin, we choose the temporal over the eternal, the suffocating grip of selfish decisions over a Life giving relationship with Jesus.

“What is sin?

It is the glory of God not honored.

The holiness of God not reverenced.

The greatness of God not admired.

The power of God not praised.

The truth of God not sought.

The wisdom of God not esteemed.

The beauty of God not treasured.

The goodness of God not savored.

The faithfulness of God not trusted.

The commandments of God not obeyed.

The justice of God not respected.

The wrath of God not feared.

The grace of God not cherished.

The presence of God not prized.

The person of God not loved.

That is sin.” Piper

Lay aside

At times, you may wonder why your life seems powerless. In Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline, he lists 12 disciplines Christians should practice, including prayer, fasting, and Bible study. These disciplines are not to be done legalistically…but in joy, growing in wisdom and power of the Holy Spirit.

Commit yourself to the Christian disciplines and be sensitive to the Holy Spirit when He prompts you to reach out.

…look Christ in the face — whose mercy you have professed to obey — and tell Him whether you will join heart and soul and body and circumstances in the march to publish His mercy to the world.

~William Booth~

God desires to use our lives to influence others towards heaven.

Raul Ries

I [God] only wanted to remove [things] from the temple of your heart that I might reign unchallenged there.

~A.W. Tozer~

Many Christians have a walk with God like the children of Israel. They forget what God has done in their lives and choose to go back to their old lives––

 Is your disobedience making your life like a roller coaster ride? Life is harsh without God––it can be all up and down. Refocus your priorities––let God reign over your life.

Raul Ries

“We both believe and disbelieve a hundred times an hour, which keeps faith nimble.”—Emily Dickinson

All throughout the book of Proverbs, God has posted guardrails, to protect your life from veering off the right path or crashing into circumstances that would only bode ill for you. “Pay attention.” “Guard your heart.” “Keep your gaze straight ahead.” “Ponder your pathway.” All of these are in Proverbs 4:20-27.

Christians should be the boldest people in the world—not cocky and sure of ourselves, but sure of Him.

A.W. Tozer

God’s Word contains countless expressions of concern and anguish about the hard times people experience and the fact that they sometimes don’t feel God’s closeness. In this fallen world, “Why?” is a common question.

Randy Alcorn

The deity of Christ is the key doctrine of the scriptures. Reject it, and the Bible becomes a jumble of words without any unifying theme. Accept it, and the Bible becomes an intelligible and ordered revelation of God in the person of Jesus Christ.

~J. Oswald Sanders~

Over and over, God gave Israel a revelation: her people will “possess the land.” He gave them a vision of the Promised Land, to which they clung for centuries. But how often did they ask, how will it come to pass? Even now, when they POSSESS the land, they are still embroiled in a continuous battle to keep it.

"Marriage is meant to make us holy — but holiness also includes joy. A godly marriage will also be a happy marriage." —

Only God can turn your mess into a message, your test into a testimony, your misery into a ministry, your weakness into a witness.

Christian conferences, concerts, and events should always be a support for the local church. And, should never be a substitute for the local church.

As a new believer, l ignorantly believed: large church=God is there small church=God isn't In Bible College, I ignorantly believed: small church=God is there large church=God isn't The older I get, the more I believe every Bible-believing church matters, because God is there.

When I was an immature believer, I thought all “nice people” were Christians. Needless to say discernment is not my top spiritual gift! Thank you Lord for you faithfulness

Depression & anxiety are ravaging a generation of young people, but there is… - HOPE: the Gospel - a HERO: Jesus - HELP: God's common grace of pastors, counselors, & doctors - a HOME: church & family, so don't isolate yourself - HEAVEN: where suffering isn't allowed

Don’t play games with God, because God isn’t playing games with you.

NEVER LET THE PRESENCE OF A STORM CAUSE YOU TO DOUBT THE PRESENCE OF GOD.

DON'T PUT ME LAST, THEN CALL ME FIRST WHEN YOU NEED SOMETHING.

YOU CAN'T FLOURISH IN THE SAME ENVIRONMENT THAT YOU’VE OUTGROWN.

THE GOD OF YESTERDAY IS THE SAME GOD OF BOTH TODAY AND TOMORROW. YOU CAN TRUST HIM WITH WHATEVER YOU ARE FACING!

The battle is so fierce that it feels that we need to drag ourselves to that finish line. We definitely need time with the Lord in prayer and some good spiritual warfare to stay strong! Empty your hearts before Him and He will take care of everything - but bathe in His presence!