Let God bless you with power, through His Holy Spirit, to realize the blessings He has for you as His beloved son or daughter.
A soul cry is when there is nothing left between you and God. You are done with the games; you have nothing to hide. You just need to be heard.
Do you need a miracle? Cry out to Jesus! Keep praying! God is in the business of miracles, but He doesn’t answer what we do not pray. God loves you and responds to your soul cries. Keep at it because He can say yes!
OSWALD CHAMBERS
To read the Bible according to God’s providential order in your circumstances is the only way to read it, viz., in the blood and passion of personal life.
Whatever your age, don’t be surprised if God has a whole new adventure for you. You might be young, just getting started. Or raising a family and established in a job. Or you might be older, like Abraham. Don’t be afraid of what is next!
When we confront the reality of our lack of control, it’s an opportunity. We can exchange our desire for control for the gift of humble faith.
Most of us would probably acknowledge our control issues. We want to solve our own problems and be able to control our circumstances but we can’t because we’re not in control; God is. What would change for you if you stopped spinning your wheels? What if you embraced the gift of faith in Him instead? ~
OSWALD CHAMBERS
We have no right to judge where we should be put, or to have preconceived notions as to what God is fitting us for. God engineers everything; wherever He puts us, our one great aim is to pour out a whole–hearted devotion to Him in that particular work. “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.”
When I am weak, then I am strong.
What hard thing are you going through today? Has God gotten you through something big only for you to find yourself in a bigger mess as Jay did? What do you know about the character of God even through this?
OSWALD CHAMBERS
We can understand the attributes of God in other ways, but we can only understand the Father’s heart in the Cross of Christ.
OSWALD CHAMBERS
Always keep in contact with those books and those people that enlarge your horizon and make it possible for you to stretch yourself mentally.
Give permission to God to come in and turn your life — your everything — upside down.
Is your life upside-down? Have you let God direct your choices and your movements so that it’s completely different from what you planned? What might happen if you did?
OSWALD CHAMBERS
It is in the middle that human choices are made; the beginning and the end remain with God. The decrees of God are birth and death, and in between those limits man makes his own distress or joy.
From the get-go, the command love thy neighbor has been like a verb, an action.
How do you think you would have responded to Jesus? How do you respond today to invitations to be a good Samaritan? We want to be known for good fruit, don’t we? Lord, help us to recognize those in the margins and respond according to Your lead!
In the original language, the word for “equip” means to put something back to its original condition. It also speaks of putting a bone back into place again.
The role of pastors and teachers, the role of evangelists, is to equip believers to do ministry. It is not for them to do everything for those in the body of Christ. Rather, they are to encourage believers to discover the gifts that God has placed in their lives so they can start serving Him.
People who serve in their churches have come to realize that God has blessed them and has done so much in their lives that they want to give back. They want to start serving the Lord with what He has given them.
Maybe God hasn’t called you to be a pastor, a teacher, or an evangelist. But there are many gifts that God has given to the church. When we put our faith in Christ, God gives us some of those gifts.
Maybe you’re not a preacher, but maybe you have the ability to help behind the scenes. There is something for everyone. And God has put gifts in your life.
I would encourage you to study the Bible to see how these gifts are used (see 1 Corinthians 12–14 and Romans 12). Read through the Book of Acts. And then pray, “Lord, I ask You to show me what my gift or gifts of the Spirit are so that I might use them for Your glory.”
When you are born into this world, you have certain natural abilities. Some of us have a natural ability in mechanics. Some have a natural ability in music. Others have a natural ability in art. There is a skill or a talent that God has given to each of us.
There are gifts that God has placed into your life, and He has chosen to whom He will give what. The choice is totally up to Him. These gifts have nothing to do with any kind of merit on our part. Rather, they’re a result of God’s grace.
We can’t go out and pick and choose what gifts appeal to us. We need to recognize that God has placed these gifts in our lives, and our main objective is to use them.
We are living in dark times. In fact, the Bible tells us that the last days would be satanically energized times. People will go from bad to worse. We need all the power that we can get to effectively live for the Lord and serve Him.
One of the wonderful things about a healthy church is the diversity in it. That, in itself, is a witness to a divided world. It’s a powerful testimony when someone can come into an assembly of believers and see that we have set aside our differences and there is unity.
That doesn’t mean there is uniformity. It doesn’t mean that we all dress a certain way or wear the same hairstyle. That is not what the church is about. It is about unity, but it is also about a blessed diversity as each one of us discovers the gifts that God has put into our lives.
Christians are not supposed to be like assembly line products where each unit looks exactly like the others. God can take the same gift and place it into the lives of two people, yet it might manifest itself a little differently in each individual. They’ll have certain things in common, but they also will have unique traits as the Holy Spirit works through human personalities.
The gift that God gives to each believer is always the right one. We never should feel that we have to return it. It’s a perfect gift, and it’s always appropriate.
Sometimes we may see the gift that another believer has received and feel envious. As a result, we’re not thankful for the gift that God has given to us. But we must realize that the gifts God has placed in our lives are always the best for us.
The problem is that we think of church as something we attend merely as spectators. Yet Ephesians 4 shows us that God wants us to participate. He wants us to be involved in what He is doing, not just as observers but as laborers in the work that He has called us to do.
Some Christians are lopsided. They may have one area in their life in which they’re spiritually strong, but they’re weak in other areas. For instance, I’ve met people who have an impressive knowledge of the Bible. Meanwhile, their personal life is in shambles. They’re always struggling with temptation and falling into sin. The problem is they are imbalanced. They have an understanding of doctrine, but their life is out of balance.
We can have an understanding and belief in doctrine and prophecy as well as facts and figures, but if it isn’t affecting the way that we live as Christians, then we’re missing the point. The Bible says, “And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure” (1 John 3:3 NLT). In other words, our doctrine and belief should affect the way that we live.
The Bible clearly teaches that in the last days there will be false Christs, false gospels, and even false miracles. Paul warned, “For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear” (2 Timothy 4:3 NLT).
There needs to be a balance between our beliefs and our practice, between our doctrine and the way that we live. We need both areas working together. That is what it means to walk worthy of the Lord.
When we were born again through faith in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit came to dwell in our lives from that point thereafter (1 Corinthians 3:16). After the new birth, our lives may be repeatedly filled to overflowing by the empowering presence of the Spirit. The testimony of the early disciples illustrates this.
When the book of Acts addresses Holy Spirit empowering for ministry, three different terms are used to describe the same reality. When Jesus promised this power, He used the term "baptized with." "You shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." When He indicated that this power would result in a worldwide witness, the term "come upon you" was used. "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you." Then, when these promises of the Spirit were fulfilled, the term employed was "filled with." "And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit."
Grasping greatness should no longer rule the agenda, but willing service should become the norm.
Most of our attitude problems find their solution in knowing our identity; and only then we can serve joyfully in love.
Following Jesus will involve learning lessons of faith. It cannot really start until we stop resenting the problems and start trusting Lord.
If you plant hard work, you will reap success
God knows how and when to reward His faithful servants. Trust Him!
By contrast, the commercial world encourages self-assertion, and glorifies those with big ideas; but God can scatter them like the wind.
The greatest education any parent can give children is to show them that true worship is central to life.
It such a blessing to know I work with the same brothers and sisters I worship with every week....
God Equipping Us to Do His Will: Spirit Fullness: A Way of Life, Not Merely Events
True greatness is not achieved by itself but is a team effort. Jesus Himself is part of the Trinity. A ship turns about by a rudder and the body is composed of many parts. I can do all things through Christ. I have a shot
A Man in touch with God has access to unimagined divine
energies and is able to bend them to earth in blessing to
men.
~James Philip~
You do not have to listen to me or to anyone else. If the words they give you are from the Lord, get into the Word and see what God reveals to you. He will confirm. It is important we do not hide from the truth of God. Be open and allow God to build up, exhort and comfort you.
Resourcefulness is a skill that anyone can develop. It's the ability to see problems and solve them creatively. But for many people that might require changing how you think.
God will trade your problems for His peace.
Grace is God’s best idea. Rather than tell us to change, he creates the change. Do we clean up so he can accept us? No, he accepts us and begins cleaning us up. What a difference this makes.
If you wish to know God you must know His Word.
~C. H. Spurgeon~
When we were born again through faith in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit came to dwell in our lives from that point thereafter (1 Corinthians 3:16). After the new birth, our lives may be repeatedly filled to overflowing by the empowering presence of the Spirit. The testimony of the early disciples illustrates this.
Each of us is endowed with innate resources that enable us to achieve all we’ve ever dreamed of—and more. The floodgates can be opened by one decision, bringing us joy or sorrow, prosperity or poverty, companionship or solitude, long life or early death. What decisions have you made or failed to make in the past that powerfully influence your life today?
God’s Greatest Adversaries Are His Gifts
The greatest enemy of hunger for God is not poison but apple pie.
It is not the banquet of the wicked that dulls our appetite for
heaven, but endless nibbling at the table of the world. It is not
the X-rated video, but the prime-time dribble of triviality we
drink in every night. For all the ill that Satan can do, when God
describes what keeps us from the banquet table of his love, it is
a piece of land, a yoke of oxen, and a wife (Luke 14:18-20). The
greatest adversary of love to God is not his enemies but his gifts.
And the most deadly appetites are not for the poison of evil, but
for the simple pleasures of earth. For when these replace an
appetite for God himself, the idolatry is scarcely recognizable,
and almost incurable.
What does it look like to live for Jesus in the everyday stuff of life?
Many Christians have unwittingly embraced the idea that “church” is a once-a-week event rather than a community of Spirit-empowered people; that “ministry” is what pastors do on Sundays rather than the 24/7 calling of all believers; and that “discipleship” is a program rather than the normal state of every follower of Jesus.
By Jeff Vanderstelt
A team is not a group of people who work together. A team is a group of people who trust each other.
Simon Sinek
The essence of true leadership in Christ is we continually have to die for ourselves.
God honors a person’s steps of faith as they move forward into the direction He has called them to take.
All too often, Christians in our culture can become narcissistic and self-absorbed, always talking about their needs and problems. Meanwhile, there are people facing a certain judgment.
We dare not limit God in our asking, nor in His answering.
~John Blanchard~
Sacrifice can never substitute for obedience.
God is not looking for ability as much as He is looking for availability.
After church, Johnny tells his parents he has to go and talk to the minister right away. They agree, and the pastor greets the family.
"Pastor," Johnny says, "I heard you say today that our bodies came from the dust."
"That's right, Johnny, I did," he says.
"And I heard you say that when we die, our bodies go back to dust."
"Yes, I'm glad you were listening," the pastor replies. "Why do you ask?"
"Well you better come over to our house right away and look under my bed, 'cause there's someone either comin' or goin'!"
One of the truest markers of genuine love is its staying power—its longevity, its ability to persevere, and its ability to withstand. This is the type of love Christ shows us, and its the type of love we're called to express in marriage.
“In necessary things, unity; in doubtful things, liberty; in all things, charity.” —Augustine
Let us humbly sit at our Lord’s feet to receive rebuke or instruction as He sees fit.
~C. H Spurgeon~
If you make yourself available to the Lord, then he will indeed meet you in the context of your daily work, whatever it is. He will use the things you experience each day to help you grow to be more like Christ—who, incidentally, spent the majority of his adult life doing common ordinary work. Your work can be an occasion for you to express your love for God as you open your heart to receive yet more of his love through Christ.
Let us humbly sit at our Lord’s feet to receive rebuke or instruction as He sees fit.
~C. H Spurgeon~
“In necessary things, unity; in doubtful things, liberty; in all things, charity.
—Augustine
We dare not limit God in our asking, nor in His answering.
~John Blanchard~
If you wish to know God you must know His Word.
~C. H. Spurgeon~
"Peace is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of Christ."
— Sheila Walsh
God is God. If He is God, He is worthy of my worship and my service. I will find rest nowhere but in His holy will, and that will is infinitely, immeasurably, unspeakably beyond my largest notions of what He is up to. ~ Elisabeth Elliot
Anyone can read the Bible. Many do. But to experience the Word as the holy eyes of God, peering into our hearts, allowing Him to see our true thoughts, intentions, and motivations—that’s another thing altogether.
We may find ourselves exposed and naked before Him, defensive, desperate to avoid humiliation, dodging truth rather than admit our poverty of spirit.
You don’t need to earn God’s love.
You don’t need to seek God’s love.
You don’t need to work for God’s love.
In Christ, God couldn’t love you more.
Satan has used every weapon he has to stop Christ’s church, but she’s still active!
SOME PEOPLE WILL NEVER LIKE YOU. SO WHAT! IT'S NOT ABOUT COMING IN FIRST PLACE IN THE RACE FOR MOST POPULAR, BUT IN FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT OF THE FAITH, FINISHING YOUR RACE, AND FULFILLING YOUR PURPOSE!
DON'T FORGET TO KEEP PRAYING EVEN AFTER YOU GET WHAT YOU PRAYED FOR!
The quality of a church can be measured by the priority they place on the reading, praying, and proclamation of God’s Word in a service of worship.
Dustin Benge
There is no other way but to begin and go on and to go through.
God defines who He is in His Word. We don’t get to choose the attributes of God that we like and ignore the ones we don’t. He is who He says He is.
Say something beautiful to your spouse today, she completes you!
"When you are arguing against God you are arguing against the very power that makes you able to argue at all.” - C.S. Lewis"
"Expositional preaching is about the treatment of the text, not the style of the sermon." -H.B. Charles, Jr.
“The pastor who cares about the spiritual growth of his people must make God and His Word the centerpiece of his ministry.” - Steven J. Lawson
That which troubles the true man of God most is that which troubles the worldly man the least: his indwelling corruption. Richard Sibbes
Ultimately, what the world needs from the Church is for the Church to be the Church outside the walls of a building.
YOU CAN'T TELL EVERYBODY, EVERYTHING CAUSE EVERYBODY AIN'T HAPPY ABOUT WHAT GOD'S DOING IN YOUR LIFE!
The falls of believers God orders to their further stability. God, by permitting the lapses of men, doth often make them despair of their own strength to subdue their enemies, and [make them] rely upon the strength of Christ… —Puritan Stephen Charnock, Works 2:38
"If you live from Monday to Saturday in the same way as you would live if there were no God, you are practical atheists." — Charles Spurgeon
Our works do not generate righteousness, rather our righteousness in Christ generates works. Martin Luther
No other God have I but thee, born in a manger, died on a tree. Martin Luther
Mercy is not something God has but something God is. -A.W. Tozer -
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Young men, do not be deceived. Don't think that you can live with Esau, and then die with Jacob. -J.C. Ryle -
Jerry Bridges
There is no such thing as a neutral stance on the continuum of influence. We are being drawn more and more under the transforming influence of Scripture, or we are being progressively drawn into the web of an ungodly society around us.
"Ministers must preach to themselves." -Martyn Lloyd-Jones.
"You will never catch the devil asleep; let not the devil catch you asleep." — Charles Spurgeon
A superficial knowledge hath no efficacy and hold upon us; therefore by deep meditation, search and study, we come to be more thoroughly acquainted with the mind of God revealed in his word. —Thomas Manton, Works 7:19
Let God bless you with power, through His Holy Spirit, to realize the blessings He has for you as His beloved son or daughter. Ray Bentley
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SpurgeonBooks
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"If a man is saved, all the honor is given to Christ; but if a man is lost, all the blame is to be laid upon himself." — Charles Spurgeon
"It is a blessed thing to be weak." — Charles Spurgeon
The early Christians were not fed to wild beasts and dipped in wax and set ablaze as lamps in Nero’s garden because they thought Jesus was a helpful life coach or role model but because they witnessed to Him as the only Lord and Saviour of the world. Michael Horton
"You are good for nothing, but Christ will not throw you away." — Charles Spurgeon
Never let us be guilty of sacrificing any portion of truth on the altar of peace. J.C. Ryle
"It's not, 'what would Jesus do?' it is 'What does Jesus command me to do?'" - John MacArthur
A preacher must be both soldier and shepherd. He must nourish, defend, and teach; he must have teeth in his mouth, and be able to bite and fight. Martin Luther
"You shall stand before the throne among the blood-washed company." — Charles Spurgeon
Truth must be spoken, however it is received. —John Trapp, 1601-1669
Paul Washer
The "greatest good" that we can accomplish for humanity is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to all the world.
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