Archive for the ‘Inspiration’ Category

Spiritual Training 11 January 2012

Posted: January 11, 2012 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, The book of John, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command
Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit

John 14:15-18 “If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

The Counselor-the Spirit of God himself would come after Jesus was gone to care for and guide the disciples. The Holy Spirit is the very presence of God within all believers, helping us live, as God wants and building Christ’s church on earth and us. By faith we can appropriate the Spirit’s power each day.

The Truths about the Holy Spirit.

• He will be with us forever (John 14:16)
• The world at large cannot accept him (John 14:17)
• He lives with us and in us (John 14:17)
• He teaches us (John 14:26)
• He reminds us of Jesus words (John 14:26 and John 15:26
• He convicts us of sin, shows us God’s righteousness, and announces God’s judgment on evil (John 16:8)
• He guides into truth and gives insight into future events (John 16:13)
• He brings glory to Christ (John 16:14)

The Holy Spirit has been active among people fro the beginning of time, but after Pentecost (Acts 2) he came to live in all believers. Many people are unaware of the Holy Spirit’s activities, but to those who hear Christ’s words and understand the Spirit’s power, the Spirit gives a whole new way to look at life.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; (6) in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.

Spiritual Training 10 January 2012

Posted: January 10, 2012 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, The book of John, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command
Jesus is the way to the Father

John 14:12-14 I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

Jesus is not saying that his disciples would do more amazing miracles-after all, rising the dead is about as amazing as you can get. Rather, the disciples, working in the power of the Holy Spirit, would carry the gospel of God’s Kingdom out of Palestine and into the whole world.

When Jesus says we can ask for anything, we must remember that our asking must be in his name-that is, according to God’s character and will. God will not grant request contrary to his nature or his will, and we cannot use his name as a magic formula to fulfill our selfish desires. If we are sincerely following God and seeking to do his will, then our request will be in line with what he wants, and he will grant them.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; (6) in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 10:12 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: January 10, 2012 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command
Proverbs 10:12 Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs.

Dissension is strife and where there is strife, there is hatred. Conflict cannot exist without hatred. And unless love prevails, the strife will get worse. Love does not fight – it covers offences and sins. It seeks peace and pursues it. It cannot tolerate strife; it tries to end it as soon as possible.
Strife, a word we do not use much today, means antagonism, enmity, discord, contention, or dispute. It is fighting and conflict. While it is godly to strive for truth against sin and error, here we have personal strife caused by the hatred of those who do not practice love. Notice the word practice.
Where there is envy, strife, enmity, conflict, or tension, all you need do is look a little deeper to find one or both parties guilty of hatred. Fighting and antagonism does not and cannot exist where each person is practicing Christian compassion, or love.
Compassion forgives sins and forgets sins, just as the Lord forgives and forgets them. Love hides and conceals sins under the same forgiving cover that Christ provides every saint. This is covering sin, and it is a rule of life for saints of the most High. But hatred, growing from anger and pride, loves to dig up evil, spread evil reports, and create strife and trouble.
What if a person says, “Oh, how I love Jesus,” but they stir up trouble, do not forgive personal offences, ignore repentance, and reveal sins to others? They are lying hypocrites, for the Bible says they are murdering descendants of Cain (1 John 3:10-15).
Let us take on the character of our Lord Jesus, who came into the world to save sinners. He has no use for the self-loving “righteous,” for He knows the blackness of their hearts. Let us choose to forgive and cover sins in love, so that we might easily and honestly pray, “Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.”
Our lesson here is the basis for true peace – love. Where there is strife, contention, and tension, there is hatred lurking behind the false handshakes and lying words of murderers. It is our wisdom to live this lesson ourselves, avoid those wicked persons, and train such evil out of our children. Let us be the greatest peacemakers in the world by practicing the wisdom of this proverb. May the Lord Jesus grant us the grace and wisdom for the task.

Spiritual Training 09 January 2012

Posted: January 9, 2012 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, The book of John, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command
Jesus is the way to the Father

John 14:05-06 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

How can we know the way to God? Only through Jesus. Jesus is the way because he is both God and man. By uniting our lives with his, we are united with God. Trust Jesus to take you to the Father, and all the benefits of being God’s child will be yours.

As the way, Jesus is our path to the Father. As the truth, he is the reality of all God’s promises. As the life, he joins his divine life to ours, both now and eternally. Jesus is, in truth, the only living way to the Father.

Jesus says he is the only way to God the Father. Some people may argue that this way is too narrow. In reality, it is wide enough for the whole world, if the world chooses to accept it. Instead of worrying about how limited it sounds to have only one way, we should be saying, “Thank you, God, for providing a sure way to get to you!”

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; (6) in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 09:7-9 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: January 9, 2012 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

Proverbs 9:7-9 Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult; whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse. Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you. Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.

Are you a mocker or a wise person? You can tell by the way you respond to criticism. Instead of tossing back a quick put down or clever comeback when rebuked. Listen to what is being said. Learn from your critics; this is the path to wisdom. Wisdom begins with knowing God. He gives insight into living because he created life. To know God is not just to know the facts about him, but to stand in awe of him and have a relationship with him. Do you really want to be wise? Get to know God better and better.

Spiritual Training 06 January 2012

Posted: January 6, 2012 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command
Jesus is the way to the Father

John 14:1-3 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”

Jesus words show that the way to eternal life, though unseen, is secure-as secure as your trust in Jesus. He has already prepared the way to eternal life. The only issue that may still be unsettled is your willingness to believe. There are verses in Scripture that describe eternal life, but these few verses are rich with promises. Here Jesus says, “I am going there to prepare a place for you,” and ‘I will come back.” We can look forward to eternal life because Jesus has promised it to all who believe in him. Although the details of eternity are unknown, we need not fear because Jesus is preparing for us and will spend eternity with us.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; (6) in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight

Proverbs 06:25-35 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: January 6, 2012 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

Regard lust as a warning sign of danger ahead. When you notice that you are attracted to a person of the opposite sex or preoccupied with thoughts of him or her, your desires may lead you to sin. Ask God to help you change your desires before you are drawn into sin.

Proverbs 06:25-35
(25) Do not lust in your heart after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes,
(26) for the prostitute reduces you to a loaf of bread, and the adulteress preys upon your very life.
(27) Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned?
(28) Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched?
(29) So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished.
(30) Men do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy his hunger when he is starving.
(31) Yet if he is caught, he must pay sevenfold, though it costs him all the wealth of his house.
(32) But a man who commits adultery lacks judgment, whoever does so destroys himself.
(33) Blows and disgrace are his lot, and his shame will never be wiped away;
(34) for jealousy arouses a husband’s fury, and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge.
(35) He will not accept any compensation; he will refuse the bribe, however great it is.

Some people argue that it is all right to break God’s law against sexual sin if nobody gets hurt. In truth, somebody always gets hurt. Spouses are devastated. Children are scared. The partners themselves, even if they escape disease and unwanted pregnancy, lose their ability to fulfill commitments, to feel sexual desire, to trust, and to be entirely open with another person. God’s laws are not arbitrary. They do not forbid good, clean fun; rather, they warn us against destroying ourselves through unwise actions or running ahead of God’s timetable.

Proverbs 5:21-23 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: January 4, 2012 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

Proverbs 5:21-23 – For a man’s ways are in full view of the LORD, and he examines all his paths. The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him; the cords of his sin hold him fast. He will die for lack of discipline, led astray by his own great folly.

At times it seems that God has let evil run rampant in the world, and we wonder if he even notices it. But God sees everything clearly-both the evil actions and the evil intentions lying behind them (15:11). He is not an indifferent observer. He cares and is active in our world. Right now, his work may be unseen and unfelt, but don’t give up. One day he will wipe out evil and punish the evildoers, just as he will establish the good and reward those who do his will.

Spiritual Training 05 January 2012

Posted: January 4, 2012 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, The book of John, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command
Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial

John 13:36-38 Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.” Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crow’s you will disown me three times!

Peter proudly told Jesus that he was ready to die for him. But Jesus corrected him. He knew Peter would deny that he knew Jesus that very night to protect himself. In our enthusiasm, it is easy to make promises, but God know the extent of our commitment. Paul tells us not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought. Instead of bragging, demonstrate your commitment step-by-step as you grow in your knowledge of God’s Word and in your faith.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; (6) in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 30:7-9 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: December 30, 2011 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

Proverbs 30:07-09 “Two things I ask of you, O Lord; do not refuse me before I die:  Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.  Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. 

How wise and prudent are you? Do you fear wealth as much as poverty? Do you know that financial success is a vain lie? Here are two of the most important prayer requests you can ever pray! Agur gave inspired instruction to his two students about the danger and deception of money and riches, and your future success and tranquility depends on it.

Agur had a great desire for two petitions (30-7). He knew the dangerous consequences of not obtaining them (30-9). He understood the deceitful and damning nature of both financial success and poverty, so he begged God to deliver him from the arrogance of being rich and from the temptations of being poor. He begged for a moderate income.

Agur prayed for two things: (1) to be saved from vanity and lies, and (2) to obtain only moderate success in life, avoiding both poverty and riches. What vanity and lies are under view? The vanity and lies of riches and success! How so? Let the connection, context, and Bible drive the interpretation (1 Cor 2:13)), since there is no hint at lies of false religion, evolution, false gods, a cheating spouse, hypocrites, perjurers, or other such lies.

Think honestly and wisely about money! It does not satisfy, even when you get lots of it; this is vanity)! It disappears quickly! It corrupts morals! You cannot take it with you. It chokes out and destroys fruitfulness. What vanity! Are you wise enough to believe these warnings and pray against wealth?

A wise man prays for a moderate income and estate, so he can avoid the temptations to sin on either end of the financial spectrum (30-9). He prays for contentment, and he learns contentment, knowing it is the true measure of success. A wise man maximizes life by walking with God, regardless of assets or enemies.

This advice is only in the Bible! The fools around you adore riches! They have sacrificed their lives to vanity and lies! Add these two prudent requests to your prayers!

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