The essence of sin is a shift from God centeredness to a self-centeredness. The essence of salvation is a denial of self, not an affirming of self.
There comes a point in your life when the Lord opens your eyes to understand what the Christian life was meant to be. It isn’t just going to heaven when you die; it’s dying to self on earth and allowing Him to live through you.
A word from Jesus changed everything.
Biblically, God always gives the assignment first. Then God equips the person by the Holy Spirit to accomplish what He assigns.
God always has a fresh and deeper truth He wants us to learn about Him.
Most fear is fear of the unknown. We do not know what lies ahead of us, so we become apprehensive. Our imaginations can magnify problems until they seem insurmountable. We need a sound mind to see things in proper perspective. That is why God gave us His Holy Spirit, to enable us to see things as God sees them.
Rather than focusing on what our church is doing for us, we ought to be asking what God is seeking to do in our church through us.
Moses had to re-check Gods’ directions constantly. He obeyed God, spoke to Pharaoh, and everything went wrong, but Moses didn’t quit. He went back to the Lord to clarify what was happening.
Some Christians go to great trouble studying Satan’s ways so they can identify his deceptions, but I don’t do that. I’m determined not to focus on Satan – he is defeated. Christ, who guides me and implements His will through me, is the victor. The only way Satan can affect God’s work through me is when I believe Satan and doubt God. Satan will try to deceive you, but he cannot ultimately thwart God’s purposes.
At times emerging leaders limit their future possibilities by their impatience. They look for shortcuts to success, but God is methodical. He typically lays a foundation of character before building a superstructure of leadership.
Some people can be so disoriented to God that when he begins to work around them, they actually become annoyed at the interruption!
If you want to determine whether God loves you, don’t look at your current situation; look to the cross.
This father always relates to his children in perfect love. This father is never absent. He is never disinterested. He is never preoccupied. He is never unable to respond to a need.
Anyone who enters into an intimate relationship with God can see God do exceptional things through his or her life. The outcome does not depend upon a person being unusually gifted, educated, or wealthy. The key is the indwelling presence of God doing unusual things.
Unless we see God’s activity in the midst of them, we will be unaware of their spiritual significance. They will simply be events in a long succession of confusing occurrences. A miracle could take place, and we would miss it. But if we are sensitive to God’s voice, these same events can hold enormous significance for us. Hudson.
I have learned to trust that when my Lord closes a door in my life it is because he loves me too much to give me less than his best.
1. God is love – His will is always best. 2. God is all-knowing – His directions are always right. 3. God is all-powerful – He can enable you to accomplish His will.
The Father said no, despite the unfathomable love He had for His Son, because He knew He could not spare His Son and save a world. Likewise, the Lord cannot always spare you and your family and complete His redemptive work in those around you. Are you willing for God to deny your pleadings? Will you intercede with the Father so deeply and intimately that even in the midst of your tears you are able to say, “Nevertheless, not my will but thine be done”?
The willingness to obey every word from God is critical to hearing God speak.
The man God uses does not pattern his life after well-known military strategists, political figures, heroes ofthis world, or other prominent Christians. Rather, he makes an absolute commitment to pattern his life after Jesus Christ as the Master Servant.
Christ will lead you into many situations that will seem impossible, but don’t try to avoid them. Stay in the middle of them, for that is where you will experience God.