A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver” (Proverbs 25:11).
If we do not learn to use and control our tongue, it will use and control us.
Hope gives us strength to persevere, and our perseverance helps us to build our own character.
Confession is like a hidden treasure when we have lost our way in the storms of life.
People will always want to come along and tell you what you should be doing, but as a Christian, you need to be led by the Lord.
The business of our lives is not to please
ourselves but to please God.
~Matthew Henry~
You and I live in a loud world. To get someone’s attention is no easy task. But when someone’s willing to silence everything else so he can hear us clearly, it’s a privilege. A rare privilege indeed! You can talk to God because God listens. Your voice matters in heaven.
Gratitude is an Attitude.
Our hope lies not in the man we put on the moon, but in the
man we put on the cross.
~Don Basham~
Think about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. If there is no resurrection, we have no hope. That is why people are empty, they have no hope. That is why they drink, take drugs, fornicate, commit adultery and do all these things. That is why they are not happy. The only place we can find hope is in the resurrection of Christ.
Unity is the key but truth is the priority!
IF YOU HAVE TO SIGN OFF ON IT, YOU BETTER OWN IT......
Where idolatry begins, there Christianity ends.
~Friedrich H. Jacobi~
There is no ongoing spiritual life without this process of letting go. At the precise point where we refuse, growth stops.
The quickest way to stifle your spouse is to pick at their failures and faults without ever recognizing their successes and strengths.
My feelings are not God. God is God. My feelings do not define truth. God’s word defines truth. My feelings are echoes and responses to what my mind perceives.
The work that God is doing in you is intended for a specific call that is fit just for you and for the Master's use. When our Artisan, God Almighty, and the artwork become one in progress, the product is a result that brings glory and honor to the Lord of creation. Today, are you able to say that the Master is at work in you?
Real Life with Jack Hibbs
If you are renewed by grace, and were to meet your old self, I am sure you would be very anxious to get out of his company.
~C. H. Spurgeon~
A true leader feels responsibility for the work God has called them to do. There has to be accountability. We have to be servants, able to carry our cross. The Cross is the symbol of death to self. We all need to learn to die to ourselves. I am telling the whole world, that I have taken arms with Jesus Christ.
“Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”
― Martin Luther King Jr., Strength to Love
One of the great tragedies of life is that men seldom bridge the gulf between practice and profession, between doing and saying. A persistent schizophrenia leaves so many of us tragically divided against ourselves.
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Shared with Public
When God intervenes, do you ignore the miraculous and go right back to your plan? Or do you pause and prayerfully consider the question: What is God's purpose in this interruption?
“This faith transforms the whirlwind of despair into a warm and reviving breeze of hope. The words of a motto that a generation ago were commonly found on the wall in the homes of devout persons need to be etched on our hearts:
Fear knocked at the door. Faith answered.
There was no one there.”
― Martin Luther King Jr., Strength to Love
“Science investigates, religion interprets. Science gives man knowledge which is power, religion gives man wisdom which is control. Science deals mainly with facts, religion deals with values. The two are not rivals. They are complementary. Science keeps religion from sinking into the valley of crippling irrationalism and paralyzing obscurantism. Religion prevents science from falling into the marsh of obsolete materialism and moral nihilism.”
― Martin Luther King Jr., Strength to Love
“On the parable of the Good Samaritan: "I imagine that the first question the priest and Levite asked was: 'If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?' But by the very nature of his concern, the good Samaritan reversed the question: 'If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?”
― Martin Luther King Jr., Strength to Love
Christ is the One who oversees and watches over us—caring, guarding, superintending, and overruling. When He oversees your life, He sees everything from His perspective. He knows every detail and can arrange and rearrange them for His purposes.
Jesus Christ became incarnate for one purpose ––to make a way back to God that man might stand before Him as He was created to do, the friend and lover of God himself.
~Oswald Chambers~
We can be tired, weary, and emotionally distraught, but after spending time alone with God, we find that He injects into our bodies energy, power, and strength.
~Charles Stanley~
Sin is the great societal equalizer. I think that is what makes our witness so powerful in a country like Nepal: "If a rich American would go all that way to humbly admit he is a sinner just like all -- then maybe I should listen to his testimony." Have you spoken of your faith in Jesus recently?
IF U ARE LIVING A LIFE OF PRIDE, BOASTING/IMMORALITY, U ARE PREPARING URSELF 4 DESTRUCTION, AND TURN AWAY FROM SIN AND EVIL.
The church is like a river. If it gets wider instead of deeper it will lose its power. —Puritan Thomas Manton
This distinction [of two justifications, initial by grace and final by works] is a vain and fond invention. —John Owen
Faith alone recieveth Christ; and what it receives is the cause of our justification. —John Owen, Works 5:291
“The conversion of the will to God is a voluntary act; but the regeneration of the will… whereby it is enabled to turn to God, is without any concurrence of the will.” —Stephen Charnock, Works 3:205
“Consider Jesus, often think of him, try to copy him.” — Charles Spurgeon
“Temporary Christians are not really Christians.” — Charles Spurgeon
“The worst sort of clever men are those who know better than the Bible.” — Charles Spurgeon
“Books about the Bible are read, I fear, more than the Book itself.” — Charles Spurgeon
“One of my happiest thoughts is that, when I die, I shall enter into rest with Christ.” — Charles Spurgeon
“If you belong to Christ, be holy.” — Charles Spurgeon
“For the present blessedness and for the eternal happiness of man, let God's Kingdom come.” — Charles Spurgeon
“God has been pleased to give us this grand old Book, the Bible.” — Charles Spurgeon
“I risk my soul's eternal fate upon the truth of the gospel, and I know that there is no risk in it.” — Charles Spurgeon
“Cease from self-confidence. Fall into the arms of Jesus.” — Charles Spurgeon
“Men are not saved by our word, but by God's word.” — Charles Spurgeon
“Every believer is free from condemnation and that is simply because he is in Christ Jesus.” — Charles Spurgeon
“Let us bless the God of revelation, who does not hide himself from us.” — Charles Spurgeon
“Praying breath is never spent in vain.” — Charles Spurgeon
"The gospel is all about Christ from beginning to end." – Charles Spurgeon
"It is impossible for God to do that which is unkind." — Charles Spurgeon
Terms like “New Evangelicalism” or “Progressive Christianity” is often code language for compromising on old sin!
Trust the gospel. It has worked for 2,000 years and it still works today. -Shane Pruitt
Has anyone gone mysteriously missing since the Eclipse? Just making sure I didn’t miss the Rapture.
Even in the midst of the darkness from an #solareclipse … the light of the Cross still shines!
“Christians are called upon to be a demonstration at our point in history that God exists.” - Francis Schaeffer
𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘺. It is true, all saints are equally justified, and equally pardoned, and equally reconciled, and equally accepted, but all saints are not equally sanctified. —Puritan Thomas Brooks, Works 4:431
If you want assurance of salvation, the place to start is not with your feelings, but with your understanding [of God and His promises]; then the feelings will follow. —Exposition of Romans 5 (Volume 4), Pg. 274
The Lord is loving toward men, swift to pardon but slow to punish. Let no man, then, despair of his own salvation. —St. Cyril of Jerusalem, The Faith of the Early Church Fathers, 1:348
“The gospel is not “wisdom” humanly conceived but the story of a crucified Messiah who died on behalf of sinners.” -Gordon Fee
"Christ is the end of the law. All that it requires he performed: and all that it threatens, he underwent. This, all this, was done and suffered, not merely to set us an example, but for righteousness; a real, perfect righteousness." - Abraham Booth. Death of Legal Hope, 82.
“if he were conformed to us [Phil. 2:7], we should be conformable to him [Phil. 3:10].” - Richard Sibbes. Works, 5:98.
The gospel “offers and gives us the righteousness that the law requires.” — Caspar Olevianus
By the grace of God and that alone. This is the glory of the Christian message. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
"REPENTANCE IS MORE THAN A REPEATED APOLOGY!"
JESUS CAME NOT TO BE SERVED, BUT TO SERVE. MAY THE SAME BE SAID OF HIS SERVANTS.
THE BEST WAY TO KEEP YOURSELF FROM STUMBLING, TRIPPING, FALLING, AND EVEN DELIBERATELY WALKING INTO SIN IS TO DAILY AND CONSISTENTLY WALK IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF JESUS.
"SOMETIMES THE PEOPLE YOU WANTED AS PART OF YOUR STORY ARE ONLY MEANT TO BE ONE CHAPTER."
“You must ask for God’s help. ... After each failure, ask forgiveness, pick yourself up, and try again.” - C.S. Lewis
One blessed distinctive of Calvary Chapel fellowship of churches is how we are independent, autonomous churches with the freedom of expression and ministry cooperation in our own personal calling and geographical contexts. Legislating this freedom is no longer Calvary Chapel.
“You must ask for God’s help. ... After each failure, ask forgiveness, pick yourself up, and try again.” - C.S. Lewis
Jerry Bridges
True spiritual power and wisdom resides in Jesus Christ and is applied to our hearts by the Holy Spirit as we depend on Him.
Unless we die to all but Christ, we can never live with Christ -C.H. Spurgeon -
Break off from a world which can never really satisfy you, and seek that treasure which alone is truly incorruptible -J.C.Ryle -
"Oh, then be ashamed, Christians, that worldlings are more studious and industrious to make sure of pebbles, than you are to make sure of pearls." -Thomas Brooks.
What! at peace with the Father, and at war with His Children? It cannot be. John Flavel
A man's greatest care should be for that place where he lives longest; therefore eternity should be his scope. Thomas Manton
No child of God sins to that degree as to make himself incapable of forgiveness. John Bunyan
O the freeness and infinity of the love of God our Father! It is unsearchable. Think, O believers, of the love of God in giving Jesus Christ to be the propitiation for our sins. George Whitefield
"Surely no rebel can expect the King to pardon his treason while he remains in open revolt." Charles Spurgeon
“Nothing that man can present to God by way of sacrifice can ever purchase the blessing of forgiveness.” Charles Spurgeon
He willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance." Martin Luther
Truth is truth, and error, error, and that which is unlawful is unlawful, whether men think so or not. Richard Sibbes
"Much of my learning to follow Jesus is unlearning to follow myself." Burk Parsons
“God could have chosen any means to communicate His gospel to the world, but for reasons we can't fully comprehend, He chose us.” John MacArthur
“I sometimes think that the very essence of the whole Christian position and the secret of a successful spiritual life is just to realize two things... I must have complete, absolute confidence in God and no confidence in myself.” Martyn Lloyd-Jones
"The Father made a plan. The Son made the plan possible. The Holy Spirit makes the plan work. The Father elects us. The Son justifies us. The Spirit sanctifies us." John MacArthur
"If you really want to love your neighbor, tell them about Jesus." Dustin Benge
“The salvation of the thief on the cross is one of the greatest biblical illustrations of justification by faith alone.” John MacArthur
There would be no end to the enumeration, were I to put down all the mercies of God. - William Wilberforce
Godly confrontation does not include mocking derision. Godly confrontation allows Christians to see the truth, to pray to the God of truth, and to teach the truth. The truth may be hard to hear and will require many tears and much prayer. Rosaria Butterfield
“No tidings were ever so joyful as those which are announced in the gospel; and no benefits were ever so good as those which are exhibited in it.” — John Colquhoun
Disbelieve hell, and you unscrew, unsettle, and unpin everything in Scripture. -J.C. Ryle -
A sight of [Christ's] death - if it is a true sight - is the death of all love of sin. -C.H. Spurgeon -
“There is no condemnation for you when you break a law of God. Certainly, the Lord chastens His children when they disobey, but He does not disown them or un-adopt them.” — Mike Abendroth
Previously, we examined these verses to see how the grace of God produces fruit in those who walk in humility and faith (thereby living by grace). Now, let's revisit these words to consider the intimate relationship they describe. It is a profound biblical picture of us being in Christ and Christ being in us. It is like the relationship between a vine and a branch. Jesus is the vine; we are the branches. "I am the vine, you are the branches." He is the source of the life we need. We are the recipients of the life that He alone can provide.
The men and women God calls often wrestle with doubt, fear, and resistance. But the Lord never allows his children to find success by disobeying Him. When the storms of life come—and they will— they are often God’s reminder that He will be with us and that we don’t need to run.
“To take all that we are and have and hand it over to God may not be easy; but it can be done, and when it is done, the world has in it one less candidate for misery.” —Paul E. Scherer
OSWALD CHAMBERS
We are not to preach the doing of good things; good deeds are not to be preached, they are to be performed
Serve your spouse. Cherishing them as precious.
Are you outserving your spouse? All of us want to have healthy, vibrant, joyful marriages and serving is a wonderful way to cherish your love and strengthen your marriage. What will you do today to show your husband or wife preference?
Notice what this angel said: “Worship only God!” In other words, “Keep your priorities straight, John. Don’t worship me. I am but the messenger. Worship God.”
Not only do holy angels exist, but fallen angels exist as well. And a fallen angel can appear as an angel of light with a message that contradicts what the Bible teaches.
This is why the apostle Paul wrote, “Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you” (Galatians 1:8 NLT).
RUN THE RACE TO WIN.
1Cr 9:24
"Even when we were dead in trespasses, [God] made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)" (Ephesians 2:5). By His grace, we were raised with Christ. We died with Him, that we now might live with Him. "Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him" (Romans 6:8).
"Joy is love exalted; peace is love in repose; gentleness is love in society; goodness is love in action; faith is love on the battlefield; meekness is love in school; and temperance is love in training." - D.L. Moody
Godly love is so powerful, and almost indefinable, that it takes more than one word to even describe it. All the other godly characteristics -- the fruit of the Spirit -- are simply an outpouring of your love. If you have the love of God in your heart, then you will experience joy.
When we take the truth of the gospel to others, that they might be born again, we often enter into spiritual birth pangs on their behalf. They are wrestling over issues and questions. We are agonizing with them, that they might embrace the truth they need to become a child of God by faith.
Attitude can transform anything and everything – thoughts, habits, and perspectives.
Praise brings healing to our spirit. When we honestly express our trust in God, then choose to give thanks, healing begins. Praise provides a highway upon which the Father conveys deliverance and blessing. Praise invites God to take up residence in the midst of our messy lives and becomes a free-flowing conduit of God’s very presence and power at work in us.
If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.
Time decides whom you will meet in life; Your heart decides whom you want in life; but your behavior decides who will stay in your life."
The worst part of life is waiting. The best part of life is having someone worth waiting for”
The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in.” – Morrie Schwartz
The Christian’s birthright is the power
of the Holy Ghost.
~Lionel Fletcher~
Endurance is never passive. It is the picture of a soldier staying in the heat of the battle under terrible opposition but still pressing.
"Faith makes life possible. Hope makes life workable. Love makes life beautiful."
"Sometimes you just have to communicate and the problem will be solved"
"Vision is not enough, it must be combined with venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps, we must step up the stairs."
“Your profession is not what brings home your paycheck. Your profession is what you were put on earth to do with such passion and such intensity that it becomes spiritual in calling.”
— Vincent Van Gogh
“You have to find something that you love enough to be able to take risks, jump over the hurdles and break through the brick walls that are always going to be placed in front of you. If you don't have that kind of feeling for what it is you're doing, you'll stop at the first giant hurdle.”
— George Lucas
“A passion for life is one of the most attractive qualities in a human being. If you want a teammate or a life mate who loves to be around you, all you need to do is love to be around.”
— Denis Waitley
“Life is to be lived. If you have to support yourself, you had bloody well better find some way that is going to be interesting. And you don’t do that by sitting around.”
— Katharine Hepburn
“Seek out that particular mental attribute which makes you feel most deeply and vitally alive, along with which comes the inner voice which says, ‘This is the real me,’ and when you have found that attitude, follow it.”
— William James
Oliver Cromwell had a motto - he who ceases to be better ceases to be good.
Your best is always good enough with the Lord, so be and do your best... Thank you Pastor Dennis Davenport!
God does not always change our position, His goal is to change our character by changing our hearts. If you do not change, your position won't...
For there to be a testimony there has to be a test. Unless you are a good knock off.
I think we could all agree that the United States needs a spiritual awakening. We can't bring a revival about, but we can pray for one.
In every situation of life, the Lord Jesus is with us, dwelling within us, wanting to express His life through us.
The resurrection is the proof of our reconciliation.
~Geoffrey B. Wilson~
In the New Testament, the moment Christ died on the cross and was resurrected, He set the captives free. All those who were in Abraham’s Bosom were taken to heaven with Christ and hell became one massive place.
After the resurrection, anyone who died went to heaven immediately; you did not go to hell anymore. When you and I die in Christ, we will go to heaven with Christ. He set us free from hell by going to the Cross and resurrecting three days later. Today, we are free!
*It’s impossible to embrace your future while you’re still clinging to your past.
When we take the truth of the gospel to others, that they might be born again, we often enter into spiritual birth pangs on their behalf. They are wrestling over issues and questions. We are agonizing with them, that they might embrace the truth they need to become a child of God by faith. "For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:26).
When a man makes alliance with the Almighty,
giants look like grasshoppers.
~Vance Havner~
As a believer, you have the most important resource: Jesus Christ! You can have a tremendous impact on this world and your community--with or without one loaf of bread--as long as you have Jesus Christ and His compassion flowing through you.
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God calls us to become peace makers, not war mongers. To use an approach different from the world's -- to be forgiving, not vindictive; exemplify God's grace, rather than self-righteously judging the morals of others.
An 11 day journey that took 40 years all because the children of Israel wanted to do it there way............
“Let not a repentant sinner imagine that he is remote from the estate of the righteous because of the sins and misdeeds he has done. This is not true, for he is beloved and precious to God as if he never sinned.” —Malmonides, Mishneh Torah
Be thankful for all the blessings you enjoy as an American – and pray for the United States, where many citizens, no doubt, have forgotten where their blessings come from.
Lust treats a person as an object to be used, love treats a person as a soul to be cherished.
Lust is selfish, love is selfless.
Lust is shortsighted, love works with eternity in view.
Lust is foolish, love is wise.
Lust rushes, love is patient.
Lust is lazy, love is diligent.
Lust is poison, love gives life.
Choose love over lust, choose life over death. Even if you've experiecned brokenness or sin in this area, there is always life in Christ.
Fight for health in every aspect of your marriage, but be especially watchful over your sexual intimacy and the attitudes with which you approach it.
People do not need reformation; they need a transformation in their lives.
Raul Ries
A man can be outwardly conformed to the Christian way of life while he is inwardly conformed to the spirit of this world.
~Sinclair Ferguson~
The greatest testimony to the value of ordinary work comes from Jesus himself. After all, he was God in human flesh, the Word of God Incarnate. What did he do with the majority of his waking hours as an adult? He didn’t rule over nations. He didn’t command mighty armies. He didn’t build a grand temple. No, Jesus worked in virtual anonymity as a craftsman in a small village in the countryside. He built tables, chairs, and walls. In human terms, what he did didn’t add up to much. But Jesus was being faithful, honoring his Father in heaven through doing good work, even if it was relatively small in scope.
YOU HAVE ONLY ONE LIFE TO LIVE, THERE IS NO BACKUP TO LIFE, LIVE YOUR LIFE TO THE GLORY OF GOD, B/C GOD'S JUDGMENT IS SURE.
A man can be outwardly conformed to the Christian way of life while he is inwardly conformed to the spirit of this world.
~Sinclair Ferguson~
DETERMINE YOUR WHY AND PASSION WILL FOLLOW...
"Sometimes you just have to communicate and the problem will be solved"
The hallways of hell are filled with men and women who possessed church membership but did not truly know Christ.
God dictates to the world what is sexually permissible. Not vice versa.
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