Living day by day under the new covenant of grace embraces the spiritually liberating work of the Holy Spirit. "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty" (2 Corinthians 3:17). When the Holy Spirit is relied upon, there is liberty to be transformed.
OSWALD CHAMBERS
We must keep ourselves in touch, not with theories, but with people, and never get out of touch with human beings, if we are going to use the word of God skilfully amongst them.
There is a purpose to [suffering], and if faced rightly, it can drive us like a nail deep into the love of God and into more stability and spiritual power than you can imagine.
We get to live courageously… because the Kingdom of God holds the winning hand. Even in truly confusing and painful circumstances that cause us severe suffering, we can declare the truth that God is good, and He loves us, and He will use any evil or harm done to us for good!
But even then, as believers, we can still experience what St. John of the Cross called “the dark night of the soul.” He divides this “night” into three stages:
“Dark Night of the Soul,” by St. John of the Cross
In Scripture, yeast (or leaven) always has negative connotations. When the Israelites were preparing to leave Egypt, Moses instructed them to get rid of all the yeast in their homes in preparation for the first Passover (see Exodus 12:15).
Yeast represents corruption, infiltration, and compromise in our lives. In Scripture, it’s always negative. Jesus warned the disciples, “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees” (Matthew 16:6 NLT).
Little things can turn into big things. The psalmist wrote, “If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened” (Psalm 66:18 NLT). In other words, if we hang on to sin in our lives, God will not hear our prayers.
A mans work is from sun to sun but a moms work is never done!
Don't wait till your mom dies to buy her the best flowers, Dead noses can't smell roses.
Sometimes we won't do what God tells us because we don't see
how it will all work out. But Moses had little or no idea what would
happen when he agreed to take the Lord's call.
The whole world is thirsty for unconditional love. Only God can provide that. My job, I've come to learn, is not to provide the water but simply to point the way to the well -- the well of Living Water that God offers each of us through a relationship with His Son, Jesus Christ.
-- Ken Gire
Jesus will change the way you look at life! God never promises to remove us from our struggles. He does promise, however, to change the way we look at them!~
You must learn to translate wisdom and strong feelings into labor.
The miracle of the seed and the soil is not available by affirmation; it is only available by labor.
Make rest a necessity, not an objective. Only rest long enough to gather strength.
Without constant activity, the threats of life will soon overwhelm the values.
The few who do are the envy of the many who only watch.
For every promise, there is a price to pay...
“Lifestyle is the art of discovering ways to live uniquely.” – Jim Rohn
“Earn as much money as you possibly can and as quickly as you can. The sooner you get money out of the way, the sooner you will be able to get to the rest of your problems in style.” – Jim Rohn
"The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly." - Jim Rohn
Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life.
There’s no guidebook to follow when you come to the Red Sea . . . just cry out to God.
Worship God in the difficult circumstances and, when He
chooses, He will alter them in two seconds.
~Oswald Chambers~
Christians know their Bible but they don't know the power of God's Word. You have to trust the Holy Spirit and watch Him open doors that no man can open, and watch Him close doors that no man can close.
Questionable matters of personal conduct, if not expressly prohibited in Scripture, are placed within the domain of each believer. We are then to use wisdom and maturity (with observation of the urging by God's Holy Spirit), to evaluate the myriad of choices before us.
In the New Testament, there are 40 verses containing the words one another. These passages are intended to create the healthiest possible relationships all from God’s point of view. Although these verses don’t apply exclusively to marriage, they do apply to it-
Jesus came not only to teach but to save, not only to reveal God to mankind, but also to redeem mankind for God.
~John R. W. Stott~
When you tell your story, it is always a bridge to His story.
Go for broke. Something holy is happening in my broken places. Let all this suffering become love." Voskamp
If we are not always to better ourselves then we are settling for where we are. Don't be a settler..
A grain of sand in a clam produces a pearl and that same grain of sand in the eye produces pain. Both ar irritated by the sand both produce something.
Step on a rose and a good smell comes out step on a skunk and another smell comes out. are you a skunk or a rose? the point is it has nothing to do with the person stepping on you but rather with how you respond to it.
Trying to be happy without a sense of God’s presence is like trying to have a bright day without the sun.
~A.W. Tozer~
Knowing we can get weary in our walk, Paul urges us to keep advancing with this simply stated motivation: it pleases God. That alone should be enough, but it gets even better when he later reminds us that Jesus is coming soon for His church. Our God sent His Son, Jesus Christ to pay the penalty for mankind's sins and that same Son is coming back again for everyone who calls Him Lord and Savior.
Jack Hibbs
When you are struggling with people who are against you, realize it is their nature. The
solution is their salvation.
It’s really easy to get distracted away from
growing in the Lord. Not always by sinful things,
although that is a constant threat.
People will try to wear you down when it comes to Jesus and the Gospel. You have the answer,
there’s nothing more to say, but they want something else.
How Do I Counsel Unbelievers? taken from a Christian Counseling site: You cannot counsel unbelievers. Don't even
try. When you work with believers, your
resources are vast; the Spirit and the Word
operate to bring about change. Unbelievers
have neither power at work in them. Moreover,
the Christian counselee possesses a regenerate
nature capable of understanding and
appropriating biblical truth. Again, that is
something the unbeliever does not have... Then,
what should you do to help unbelievers? The
Bible tells you to... evangelize them. [They call
it pre-counseling].
This is the Calvary Chapel way!
Fear is a weapon formed against you. Fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of what people
think, fear of rejection, fear of the boss, fear of the medical test results - all interfere with the work Jesus is performing in you, and through you.
Whether abounding or being abused, the Lord is your strength.
God rebukes; He exhorts; He corrects. But His
words are seasoned with grace. There are
things He would not say, and ways He would not
say them.
You have an address in heaven- if you are in Christ.
If you’re not a believer; if you’ve never been
born again; the Holy Spirit is here to free your
will to receive Jesus Christ.
“If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.” - C.S. Lewis
He is in a woful case indeed, that thinks he doth not need the grace of God. —Puritan Robert Traill, Works 2:422
The same Word which calleth upon us to believe the free pardon of our sins, doth also call upon us to believe the commandments of God for the regulating and guiding of our hearts and ways. —Puritan Thomas Manton, Works 7:217
Those that live without daily worship, live without God in the world. —Matthew Henry, The Works of Matthew Henry, 1:118
The church is like a river. If it gets wider instead of deeper it will lose its power. —Puritan Thomas Manton
It is true, nothing we can say [to God in prayer] can have any influence upon him, or move him to show us mercy, but it may have an influence upon ourselves, and help to put us into a frame fit to receive mercy. —Matthew Henry, Works 1:203
"The offended God himself in infinite compassion broke the silence and came forth to bless his enemies." — Charles Spurgeon
"Far be it from us to seek a crown of honor where our Lord found only a crown of thorns." — Charles Spurgeon
"Though you have shifted your intentions and your will, yet he has not once swerved from his eternal purpose, but still has held you fast." — Charles Spurgeon
"Do not, like some people, be afraid of speaking plainly and broadly concerning the consequences of sin." — Charles Spurgeon
"There is nothing in the law of God that will rob you of happiness; it only denies you that which would cost you sorrow." — Charles Spurgeon
"We must never cease to pray. No case is hopeless while Jesus lives." — Charles Spurgeon
“We must always beware of living by feeling.” — Charles Spurgeon
“Prayer is a mockery if it is not the prayer of faith.” — Charles Spurgeon
"The maker of the stars is at the same time the physician for broken hearts and wounded spirits." — Charles Spurgeon
“Parents, he that saved you can save your children.” — Charles Spurgeon
"The gospel is not a reward for health, but a medicine for sickness." — Charles Spurgeon
"I feel myself to be a lump of unworthiness, a mass of corruption, and a heap of sin, apart from his almighty love." — Charles Spurgeon
"Christ did not die because men were good or would be good, but died for them as ungodly." — Charles Spurgeon
"The gospel is all about Christ from beginning to end." – Charles Spurgeon
"Preach Christ's life as much as you will, but never apart from his death. For it is by his blood that we are redeemed." — Charles Spurgeon
[On] Sunday morning… They need to hear of the mighty deeds of God. And they need to hear the message from someone who not only understands it but has been captured by it. — Kevin DeYoung, Reaching The Next Generation, 7.
Refraining from something God forbids (sin) is not a sacrifice. - Justin Peters
"To part with what we cannot keep, that we may get that we cannot lose, is a good bargain." -Thomas Adams.
The evil of the integration model is that it has mixed God’s truth with ungodly ideas. - E.S. Williams
Like theistic evolution, "Christian psychology" is an attempt to harmonize two inherently contradictory systems of thought. – John MacArthur
Counselors, make sure you define terms such as sin & repentance during the first session. If you don’t, you may be using the same words as your counselee but mean different things.
Truth matters; that is why I am not an integrationist!
You are not defined by the labels of culture, you’re defined by your identity in Christ.
There is always something that sounds dangerous in the preaching of justification by faith only; so if our preaching does not sound dangerous in this respect, probably the gospel is not being truly preached. - Martyn Lloyd-Jones
“At the cross, Jesus wore our filthy rags of sin so that we could be dressed in His spotless robes of righteousness.” Steve Lawson
“Treat your Wife better than you treat anything or anyone. That's your covenant with God. That's your first ministry. To love her the way Christ loves the church is a high calling. If you fail at that, you've failed at everything.” Paul Washer
“The Cross is the danger signal to you, It warns you that IF God spared not his only son, He will not spare you. It is the lighthouse set on the rocks of sin to warn you that swift and sure destruction awaits you if you continue to rebel against the LORD.” Charles Spurgeon
The principle fight of the Christian is with the world, the flesh and the devil. These are the never-dying foes. J.C. Ryle
The prayers and supplications that Christ offered up were, joined with strong cries and tears, herein setting us example not only to pray, but to be fervent and importunate in prayer. How many dry prayers, how few wet ones, do we offer up to God! Matthew Henry
The Bible is the true lantern for a dark and cloudy time;—let us beware of travelling without its light." J.C. Ryle
The best way to overcome the world, is not with morality or self-discipline. Christians overcome the world by seeing the beauty and excellence of Christ. They overcome the world by seeing something more attractive than the world — the Lord Jesus Christ! Thomas Chalmers
We depend on the sovereign will of God for every thing belonging to our salvation, from the foundation to the top-stone. Jonathan Edwards
You may speak but a word to a child, and in that child there may be slumbering a noble heart which shall stir the Christian Church in years to come. C.H. Spurgeon
"Your Lord is very jealous of your love. Did he choose you? He cannot bear that you should choose another." Charles Spurgeon
"True Christian liberty is not the power to live as we please but to live as we ought." A.W. Pink
Lord, save our children! Lord, save our parents Lord, save our husbands and wives, our brothers and sisters; and let the whole of our families meet in heaven, unbroken circles, for thy name's sake! Charles Spurgeon
"Whatever we have of this world in our hands, our care must be to keep it out of our hearts lest it come between us and Christ." Matthew Henry
" A biblical church is under the headship of Christ and must be governed by His Word." Paul Washer
Without the righteousness of Christ, we aren't sick, we're dead. Dustin Benge
Let me clear up something, God is not against you having things he's against things having you. Voddie Baucham
"Upon a life I did not live, upon a death I did not die, I risk my whole eternity on the resurrection." C.H. Spurgeon
"Saving grace makes a man as willing to leave his lusts as a slave is willing to leave his galley, or a prisoner his dungeon, or a thief his bolts, or a beggar his rags." - Thomas Brooks
"The past is not dead and done with, but a force to be reckoned with, silently moulding the present and the future." -Leo Shirley-Price.
"Less green rooms, more greeting time!" - Philip Nation
Salvation is all of the grace of God. Damnation is all of the will of man. -C.H. Spurgeon -
How dangerous it is to join anything of our own to the righteousness of Christ. -John Flavel -
If you are experiencing the “dark night of the soul,” please be encouraged. God is there, waiting in the dark, and His love and constant presence will carry you back into the light. I know. I’ve been there. Ray Bentley
“Reaching the next generation for God by showing them more of God.” — Kevin DeYoung, Reaching The Next Generation, 26.
Sometimes God brings a full stop to your life so He can have your full attention... again.
"If you’re looking for affirmation after you preach a sermon, you'll be looking for a long time. Don’t expect your congregation to affirm you. You’re there to serve them. They’re not there to serve you." - Carey Nieuwhof
The Spirit of God will lead us to have no controversy respecting mere theories, but simply hold to the person and life of Jesus Christ Himself, and the privilege of being united to Him, and living in constant dependence upon His keeping power and grace. AB Simpson
"I like to think in the abstract, but people need to hear in the concrete." - Tim Brown
So much fear being stirred up in these last days. Look to the Lord. Perfect love casts out all fear.
A man may as truly say, the sea burns, or fire cools, as that certainty of salvation breeds [antinomian] security and looseness. —Puritan John Trapp, A Commentary on the Old and New Treatments, 5:499
PRAYING YOUR WEEK IS PEACE-FULL AND STRESS-EMPTY!
"SOME PEOPLE (FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND FOES INCLUDED) WILL BE JEALOUS OF THE PURPOSE GOD HAS GIVEN YOU; FULFILL IT ANYWAY!"
WARNING: The Enemy Doesn't Have to DEFEAT You, All He Has to Do is DISTRACT You!
Some people VISIT YOUR PAST more than you do, but you DON'T LIVE THERE ANYMORE.
DON'T SETTLE FOR THE SLICED BREAD, When God Wants to Give You the WHOLE LOAF!
OUR GOD IS BOTH THE PROMISE MAKER AND THE PROMISE KEEPER!
You make a wise decision when you choose to serve the Lord.
There is a real service of Christ in the distribution of the Gospel in printed form, a service the result of which heaven alone shall disclose. How many thousands have been carried to heaven instrumentally upon wings of these tracts, none can tell. Charles Spurgeon
The bleeding, dying, rising Savior is the only star of hope to a sinner. Charles Spurgeon
When you sense a stuffiness or routineness in your relationship with Jesus, I encourage you to go to the park and notice how children climb the trees, gaze at the clouds, and inspect the wonderful workings of bugs. Watch their innocent enjoyment of all God has provided, and then ask the Lord to do the same in your heart.
"It should be our delight to bless him who gives us all our delights. He needs nothing at our hand; and if he did, we could not give it." - Charles Spurgeon
When we knowingly let people be on church stages and platforms, while they're also living in unrepentant sin... We're communicating that we care more about their gifts and talents, than we do their soul.
Elisabeth Elliot
“I have a Savior because I am a sinner, and beauty is given to the child of God in exchange for ashes.” Elisabeth Elliot from A Lamp Unto My Feet
Comments