the two sons of Abraham are in view. "Abraham had two sons." Although these boys (Ishmael and Isaac) were actual historical characters, they represent a spiritual allegory: "which…are symbolic." These two sons provide a vivid historical illustration of law and grace. "For these are the two covenants."
OSWALD CHAMBERS
Jesus Christ reveals, not an embarrassed God, not a confused God, not a God who stands apart from the problems, but One who stands in the thick of the whole thing with man.
Self-gaslighting occurs when you tell yourself you don’t feel what you feel.
Are you gaslighting yourself? Do you talk yourself out of your feelings? Don’t do it! Name what’s really going on inside. Ask God to help! When you name what’s hard, you find peace.
The story is told of Mark Twain, who decided to play a practical joke on twelve of his friends. He sent each of them a telegram that read, “Flee at once—all is discovered.” Twain said they all left town immediately.
Now, that is what you call having a guilty conscience.
The conscience is a bit like an alarm. We have car alarms that no one seems to listen to anymore, except when they need to find their car in a parking structure. We also have alarms in our homes. This includes the smoke detectors with batteries that always go bad in the middle of the night.
God has given everyone a conscience, both believers and nonbelievers. We were born that way. Romans 2:14 points out, “Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it” (NLT).
We all have our moments when we need to make tough decisions, when we experience a crisis of conscience. Some politicians haven’t made a single decision based on principle for years. Instead, they’ve stood only for whatever will keep them in office. We need fewer politicians and more statesmen today. It has been said that a statesman sees the next generation, while a politician sees the next election.
Listen to your conscience. Don’t let your heart get hard.
Discipline is obedience, a lifetime process that brings us to a state of order by training and controlling our behavior.
Discipline is focusing and eliminating, zeroing in on what is important in every area of life.
Discipline not only leads to right thinking, pleasing behavior and balanced emotions but also produces a purpose-driven life.
Time management is a dreaded and often ignored spiritual discipline for many of us. We have either forgotten or failed to realize.
Time is wasted unless it is invested in goals and priorities that are rooted in God’s plan
A busy life is not necessarily a productive life
God doesn't laugh when we cry. He doesn't tell us to toughen up or turn the page on our tears like they don't exist.
The Church loses the big point when it gets sidetracked debating the resources God gives. Instead, she is to go forward on the promise of His supply for what we need in each situation.
There is a living God. He has spoken in the Bible. He
means what He says and will do all He has promised.
~J. Hudson Taylor~
Some things may go wrong today, but remember to be thankful for the things that go right.
Wellness starts with you, it's a way of life, what we eat, drink, how we worship, and love...
If you have repeatedly tried and failed to lose weight, could it be that you were asking yourself the wrong questions, like "What will fill me up?" or "What's the sweetest, richest food I can get away with?" What if you were to ask instead "What would really nourish me?" or "What light, delicious dish can I eat that would give me energy?"
"Sometime the questions are complicated but the answers are simple!" — Dr. Seuss
Set Goals and Spark Something Special in Your Relationship
Get real—with your spouse. According to Phillip C. McGraw, aka Dr. Phil, that “go with the flow” free-spirit thing probably isn't working. Instead, it's time to put goal management to work at home.
A happy and successful relationship is about talking over decisions and ideas, and boarding the same train to a shared future with shared goals and expectations. You must learn to value each other’s needs and wants, as well as your connection as a couple.
Own Your Relationship:
Accept Your Partner:
Promote Your Partner’s Self-Esteem more than self.
Think of someone you love. Enjoy a relationship in your life with thoughts of admiration and gratitude for that special someone.
“We all have ability. The difference is how we use it”
— Stevie Wonder
Of all the wisdom I have gained, the most important is the knowledge that time and health are two precious assets that we rarely recognize or appreciate until they have been depleted.
To be self-reliant adults, we need to set some guidelines:
Be different, if it means higher personal and professional standards of behavior
Be different, if it means treating animals like people, and people as brothers and sisters
Be different, if it means being cleaner, neater and better groomed than the group
Be different, if it means giving more in service than you expect to receive in payment
Be different, if it means to take the calculated risk
Be different, if it means to observe, listen and understand before passing judgment.
Do not expect everyone to understand your journey . Especially if they've never had to walk your path. ~~ Zig Ziglar
Peace is not real peace until it has been tested in the storm.
~Eric Hayman~
Jesus paid the price of a painful death for you! None of us deserve eternity in God's presence. But when we give our lives to the Lord, He forgives us. Ephesians 2:8 says that it is by His grace that we're saved. We don't deserve salvation, but He gives it to you because He loves you. May we never--ever--take our Lord's precious sacrifice for our sins for granted.
God never made a promise that was too good to be true.
~D. L. Moody~
We rationalize and justify even small compromises, often by comparing ourselves to other people, rather than seeking God's highest. But small compromises can lead you into big sin.
We see the waves of the water rather than the Savior walking through them. We focus on our paltry provisions rather than on the One who can feed five thousand hungry people. Change your focus—and relax! While you’re at it, change your schedule and rest!
The man who has lost contact with God lives on the same dead-end street as the man who denies Him.
~Milton Marcy~
Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.
—1 Corinthians 3:5–6
We are all in this together!
To grow in knowledge and discernment, you need to be a man or woman who reads God's Word, prays, and fellowships with other believers. As you do these things, you will find that knowing what is right and wrong will become clearer.
“Prayer is the most powerful resource we have in this life. … It unleashes the spiritual dynamite that obliterates darkness and despair.” —Franklin Graham
We live in dark times, but we have a great and mighty God who can drive back the darkness and bring hope where there is despair.
“Do you also want to go away? Just as Jesus weeps for the lost and the backslidden, we weep for the leaves of the tree who don't remain but for every leef that does not remain( Not speaking of the backslidden but rather the called who depart), another grows in it's place.
Jesus, as a revolutionary communicator, was certainly an expert with his words, but his life modeled putting those words into action.
Keep your soul properly conditioned to manifest the life of the Son of God. Never live on your memories of past experiences, but let the Word of God always be living and active in you.
Just because you do not see anything does not mean that God is not doing something.
Patients is a virtue catch it if you can, Found seldom in a woman and never in a man.
Never underestimate the power of a single seed. The interesting thing about the redwood tree is that their root system is intertwined with the other redwood trees, literally holding each other up. The trees grow very close together and are dependent on each other for nutrients, as well.
We give up when there is pressure and we simply live for pleasure rather than bearing up under pressure and giving all the pleasure back to God.
Patients is not based on an emotional feeling but rather a devotional obedience!
Before you see the fruit God is growing the root!
Contentment is an embracing of the providence of God.
~George Seevers~
We not only need to be content with what God has provided for us but content where he has placed us to serve Him.
We must not sin that grace may abound; but when we have sinned, we must make use of abounding grace. —Puritan Thomas Manton, Works 11:158
On God sending out afflictions for our good: “When the sheep wander, the dog is let loose to fetch them in again.” —Puritan Thomas Manton, Sermon upon Psalm 119:67, Works 7:225
God would’ve never suffered the dishonor that sin’s entrance brought upon him in the world, unless he designed the bringing about of greater glory to himself by the manifestation of his grace. —Puritan Robert Traill, Works 2:421
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 (1834-1892)
“We’re not doubting that God will do the best for us; we’re wondering how painful the best will turn out to be.” - C.S. Lewis
Look for what God is doing in your natural circumstances and ask Him to reveal to you what He is doing spiritually. It will always be about God’s loving intentions to build and heal your life naturally and spiritually. Ray Bentley
One of the hardest things that a man has to deal with is failure. Kay Arthur
God paid a tremendous price to redeem you, and the very least you can do is present yourself to Him—heart and soul, mind and body—as a living sacrifice. It’s your reasonable service.
Surely He who has preserved you in all your previous distress will not desert you in your present adversities. Spurgeon
"It does not trouble us if anyone rejects us for imitating God." — Charles Spurgeon
"Most men get as good a wife as they deserve and some get a great deal better." — Charles Spurgeon
Being a good person doesn’t get you into Heaven, being saved by a good Savior does.
The kingdom of God is expanded by one small step of obedience at a time.
"You can easily find the beginning of your love for Christ, but his love for us is a stream whose source is hidden in eternity." — Charles Spurgeon
BE ENCOURAGED, GOD'S 'YES' HAS MORE POWER THEN ANYONE'S 'NO'!
YOU MAY NEVER BE THEIR PICK, BUT YOU'LL ALWAYS BE GOD'S CHOICE!
"TO END UP AT THE PLACE GOD WANTS YOU TO BE, SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO PASS THROUGH A PLACE YOU DON'T WANT TO.
If you want to succeed in marriage, NEVER stop pursuing your spouse.
We are NOT called to be FAMOUS. We are called to be FAITHFUL.
Increased risk for diabetes, arthritis, hypertension, heart attack, stroke, fatty liver, cancer, and Alzheimer's disease. Solution- reduce foods that drive insulin resistance. Avoid processed carbs (sugar, refined starches), processed fats (seed vegetable oils), and grains.
Let persecution and opposition come. “Your joy no man taketh from you.” Moody
“I cannot believe that you know the Lord unless you long for your offspring to know him.” — Charles Spurgeon
"If you study the life of Christ, and yet you only admire him as an example, you do not know him yet." — Charles Spurgeon
"Does any power in the universe match God’s power to breathe out worlds or dismiss death simply with words? “Let there be light!” and “Lazarus, come forth!”? No there is nothing like it. Yet this same power is available to the preacher through God’s Word." - Jonathan Leeman
"Pray to be taught to pray." -Robert Murray M'Cheyne.
His threatenings are not a vain scarecrow, nor his promises a golden dream; therefore, he will appoint a day when the truth of the one and the other shall be fully made good. —Thomas Manton, Works 7:217
"A pastor with a great flock is not without his hourly anxieties; but what are those to the cares of the Chief Shepherd?" — Charles Spurgeon
"Beauty will often win affection against a man's better judgment, but Christ's love to us was not won by any beauty that he saw in us." — Charles Spurgeon
We are not so much concerned for the truth as our forefathers-I wish I could say we were as holy. -John Owen -
Let your personal weakness, O Christian, be an argument to make you pray earnestly to God for help. -C.H. Spurgeon -
"God is so boundlessly pleased with Jesus that in him he is altogether well pleased with us." — Charles Spurgeon
"If it had been possible to destroy the church of God on earth, it would have been destroyed long ago." — Charles Spurgeon
"Though sinful thoughts rise, they must not reign." — Charles Spurgeon
“Of all I would wish to say this is the sum; my brethren, preach Christ, always and evermore. He is the whole gospel. His person, offices, and work must be our one great, all-comprehending theme. The world needs to be told of its Saviour, and of the way to reach him. CH Spurgeon
Beloved brethren, let us pray. We cannot all argue, but we can all pray; we cannot all be leaders, but we can all be pleaders; we cannot all be mighty in rhetoric, but we can all be prevalent in prayer. Spurgeon
Pardon ever follows sincere repentence. Charles Spurgeon
“If I please God it doesn’t matter who I displease; and if I displease God it doesn’t matter who I please.” Steven Lawson
Time is short. Eternity is long. It is only reasonable that this short life be lived in the light of eternity.... Charles Spurgeon
God writes the Gospel, not in the Bible alone, but also on trees, and in the flowers and clouds and stars. Martin Luther
Justification by faith "is the refuge, the only refuge, of distressed consciences, wherein they may find rest and peace." John Owen
Following Jesus means forsaking sin and pursuing holiness, losing this world and gaining heaven. Steven Lawson
"The idle man tempts the devil to tempt him." Charles Haddon Spurgeon
When you come to trust Christ, all your achievements become rubbish. John MacArthur
But if God brings us into the trial he will be with us in the trial, and at length bring us out, more refined Richard Sibbes
Oh young person, you want to wear the Christian T-shirts, and sing the Christian music, and hang around with Christian friends, but how many of you will wear out a Bible and say 'I must know this, else I die? Paul Washer
Nowhere in the New Testament do we see Christ or His disciples telling people that 'Christ died for you.' Rather, biblical evangelism declares that Christ died for sinners and promises to save all who believe in Him. Joel Beeke
As we go to the cradle only in order to find the baby, so we go to the Scriptures only to find Christ. Martin Luther
Are you very thirsty? Draw from the Bible, for it is full. Charles Spurgeon
“God treated Jesus on the cross as if He lived your life so He could treat you as if you lived His”. John MacArthur
Our Greatest moment, will be when we walk through the door and leave this world of tears and sorrow, this valley of death and enter into the Presence of The Lamb. R.C. Sproul
"Depend upon it, you will never go to heaven unless you are prepared to worship Jesus Christ as God." — Charles Spurgeon
"Use it or lose it." -Al Baker, on Scripture memorization.
"Even in the holiest deeds we do there is still sin, but even then God is still forgiving." — Charles Spurgeon
"We must all learn to hear what we do not like. The question is not, 'Is it pleasant?' but, 'Is it true?'" — Charles Spurgeon
Great soul-winners have always been great lovers of men's souls. -Leonard Ravenhill -
True holiness does not make a Christian evade difficulties, but face and overcome them -J.C. Ryle -
“God is preparing His heroes; and when the opportunity comes, He can fit them into their places in a moment, and the world will wonder where they came from.” – A.B. Simpson
"They who seek Christ are already being sought by him." — Charles Spurgeon
“We shall never perform a more important task than preaching. If we are not willing to give time to sermon preparation, we are not fit to preach, and have no business in the ministry at all.” - J.I. Packer
"The preacher is not a chef; he’s a waiter. God doesn’t want you to make the meal; He just wants you to deliver it to the table without messing it up. That’s all." - John MacArthur
“When we disobey God, we defy His authority and despise His holiness. But when we fail to trust God, we doubt His sovereignty and question His goodness. In both cases we cast aspersions upon His majesty and His character.” (Jerry Bridges)
"Christ did not die to make his Father loving. Christ died because his Father is loving." — Charles Spurgeon
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