Posts Tagged ‘Bible Study’

Spiritual Training 3 December 2010

Posted: December 3, 2010 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Happiness, Inspiration, Money, Money Issue, Personal Growth, Scripture Memory, Uncategorized
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When the people of Moab experienced God’s wrath, they sought their own idols and gods.  Nothing happened, however, because there was no one there to save them. 

Isaiah 17:12 – When Moab appears at her high place, she only wears herself out.  When she goes to her shrine to pray, it is to no avail.

When we seek our own ways of escape in order to get through our daily troubles, the effect is the same. No pleasure, pastime, or man-made religious idea will come to save us.  Our hope lies in God, the only One who can hear and help.

Sexual Temptations

Posted: December 3, 2010 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Happiness, Inspiration, Money, Money Issue, Scripture Memory, Uncategorized
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Sexual Temptations are difficult to withstand because they appeal to the normal and nature desires that God has given us.  Marriage provides God’s way to satisfy these natural sexual desires and to strengthen the partners against temptation.  Married couples have the responsibility to care for each other; therefore husbands and wives should not withhold themselves sexually from one another, but should fulfill each other’s needs and desires. 

1 Corinthians 7:3-6 – The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband.  The wife’s body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband.  In the same way, the husband’s body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife.  Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer.  Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.   

A preacher once said “People say that the grass is not greener on the other side, well it depends what side is being water the most”.  Do not lead each other into temptation, because that is exactly what you are doing if you are denying each other of sexual attention.

Spiritual Training 2 December 2010

Posted: December 2, 2010 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Happiness, Inspiration, Money, Money Issue, Scripture Memory, Uncategorized
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Romans 2:17-24 Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and brag about your relationship to God; If you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are  instructed by the law, if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of infants, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth, you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal?  You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?  You who brag about the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? As it is written. “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentles because of you. 

 

Those of us who have grown up in Christian families are the religiously privileged of today.  Paul’s condemnation applies to us if we do not live up to what we know.  Paul explained to the Jews that they need to teach themselves, not others, by their law.  They know the law so well that they had learned how to excuse their own actions while criticizing others.  We face this today in our daily walk.  We need to remember that we cannot please God without a proper relationship with him.  As Jesus pointed out, even withholding what rightfully belongs to someone else is stealing, and looking on another persons with lustful, adulterous intent is adultery. Before we accused others, we must look at ourselves and see if that sin, in any form, exists within us. If we claim to be one of God’s people, our life should reflect what God is like.  When you disobey God, you dishonor his name.  People may even blaspheme or profane God’s name because of you.  What do people think about God from watching your life.

Spiritual Training 01 December 2010

Posted: December 1, 2010 in Acceptance, Battle of the Mind, Beliefs, Bible Study, Daily Motivation, Encourgement, Fear, Fear of rejection, Fellowship, Happiness, Healing, Inspiration, Job Opportunity, Justice, Security, and Happiness, Money, Money Issue, Personal Growth, Scripture Memory, Security, Self-Talk, Uncategorized, winning
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Coming up my Mother always taught me to never let things control you, but you stay in control. Those words were some of the great things that were taught to me by her. You see, a person is a slave to whatever controls him or her. Many believe that freedom means doing anything we want. But no one is ever completely free in that sense. If we refuse to follow God, we will follow our own sinful desires and become enslaved to what our bodies want. If we submit our lives to Christ, he will free us from slavery to sin. Christ frees us to serve him, a freedom that results in our ultimate good. Thank you Mom

2 Peter 2:19 – They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.

Spiritual Training 23 November 2010

Posted: November 23, 2010 in Acceptance, Battle of the Mind, Beliefs, Bible Study, Churches in Maryland, Daily Motivation, Encourgement, Fear, Fear of rejection, Fellowship, Happiness, Healing, Inspiration, Job Opportunity, Justice, Security, and Happiness, Maryland Churches, Personal Growth, Security, Uncategorized, winning
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James 1:2-4 States consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
James doesn’t say if you face trials, but whenever you face them. He assumes that we will have trials and that it is possible to profit from them. The point is not to pretend to be happy when we face pain, but to have a positive outlook (consider it pure joy) because of what trials can produce in our lives, James tells us to turn our hardships into times of learning. Tough times can teach us perseverance. We can’t really know the depth of our character until we see how we react under pressure. It is easy to be kind to others when everything is going well, but can we still be kind when others are treating us unfairly? God wants to make us mature and complete. Not to keep us from all pain. Instead of complaining about our struggles, we should see them as opportunities for growth. Thank God for promising to be with us in our rough times. Ask him to help us solve our problems or to give us the strength to endure them. Than be patient. God will not leave us alone with our problems; he will stay close and help us grow.

Cooperating with the Holy Spirit

Posted: May 7, 2010 in Battle of the Mind, Daily Motivation, Encourgement, Fellowship, Happiness, Inspiration, Money, Money Issue, Personal Growth, Uncategorized
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Let the Spirit change your way of thinking. Ephesians 4:23 by Rick Warren


Throughout the Bible we see an important truth illustrated over and over: the Holy Spirit releases his power the moment you take a step of faith.

When Joshua was faced with an impassible barrier, the floodwaters of the Jordan River receded only after the leaders stepped into the rushing current in obedience and faith. Obedience unlocks God’s power.

God waits for you to act first. Don’t wait to feel powerful or confident. Move ahead in your weakness, doing the right thing in spite of your fears and feelings. This is how you cooperate with the Holy Spirit, and it is how your character develops.

The Bible compares spiritual growth to a seed, a building, and a child growing up. Each metaphor requires active participation: seeds must be planted and cultivated, buildings must be built – they don’t just appear – and children must eat and exercise to grow.

While effort has nothing to do with your salvation, it has much to do with your spiritual growth. At least eight times in the New Testament we are told to “make every effort” in our growth toward becoming like Jesus. (Luke 13:24 NIV; Romans 14:19 NIV; Ephesians 4:3 NIV; 2 Timothy 2:15 NCV; Hebrews 4:11 NIV; Hebrews 12:14 NIV; 2 Peter 3:14 NIV)

You don’t just sit around and wait for it to happen.

Paul explains in Ephesians 4:22-24 our three responsibilities in becoming like Christ.

  • First, we must choose to let go of old ways of acting. “Everything . . . connected with that old way of life has to go. It’s rotten through and through. Get rid of it!” (Ephesians 4:22 MSG)
  • Second, we must change the way we think. “Let the Spirit change your way of thinking.” (Ephesians 4:23 CEV) The Bible says we are “transformed” by the renewing of our minds. (Romans 12:2) The Greek word for transformed, metamorphosis (used in Romans 12:2 and 2 Corinthians 3:18), is used today to describe the amazing change a caterpillar goes through in becoming a butterfly. It is a beautiful picture of what happens to us spiritually when we allow God to direct our thoughts: we are changed from the inside out, we become more beautiful, and we are set free to soar to new heights.

Third, we must put on the character of Christ by developing new, godly habits. Your character is essentially the sum of your habits; it is how you habitually act. The Bible says, “Put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:24 NIV)

God’s point of view

Posted: March 22, 2010 in Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Uncategorized
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Perspective: see from God’s point of view
by Rick Warren
Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong. Hebrews 5:14 (NLT)

Perspective is understanding something because you see it from a larger frame of reference. It is the ability to perceive how things are interrelated and then judge their comparative importance.

And, for believers, it means seeing life from God’s point of view.  In the Bible, the words “understanding”, “wisdom”, and “discernment” all have to do with perspective. The opposite of perspective is “hardness of heart”, “blinded” and “dullness.”

Psalm 103:7 says, “He (God) made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel.”  The people of Israel got to see what God did, but Moses got to understand why God did it.  This is the difference between knowledge and perspective. Knowledge is learning what God has said and done. Perspective is understanding why God said it or did it.

Perspective answers the “Why?” questions of life.

The Bible says that unbelievers have no spiritual perspective (1 Corinthians 2:14). Likewise a lack of perspective is a mark of spiritual immaturity (1 Corinthians 3:1-2, 13:11, 14:20). God’s reoccurring complaint about the nation of Israel was that they lacked perspective. Many of the prophets rebuked this weakness (Isaiah 44:18, Jeremiah 4:22, Micah 4:12).

In contrast, having perspective is evidence of spiritual maturity and our ability to recognize the difference between right and wrong.

The Church Family

Posted: March 22, 2010 in Acceptance, Daily Motivation, Encourgement, Fellowship, Inspiration, Personal Growth, winning
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A church family is a laboratory for love
by Rick Warren
All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. 1 Corinthians 12:27 (NLT)

You are not the Body of Christ on your own. You need others to express that. Together, not separated, we are his Body.

A church family moves you out of self-centered isolation. The local church is the classroom for learning how to get along in God’s family. It is a lab for practicing unselfish, sympathetic love.

As a participating member you learn to care about others and share the experiences of others: “If one part of the body suffers, all the other parts suffer with it. Or if one part of our body is honored, all the other parts share its honor.” (1 Corinthians 12:26 NCV)

Only in regular contact with ordinary, imperfect believers can we learn real fellowship and experience the New Testament truth of being connected and dependent on each other. (Ephesians 4:16, Romans 12:4-5, Colossians 2:19, 1 Corinthians 12:25)

Biblical fellowship is being as committed to each other as we are to Jesus Christ. God expects us to give our lives for each other. Many Christians who know John 3:16 are unaware of 1 John 3:16: “Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.” (NIV)

This is the kind of sacrificial love God expects you to show other believers—a willingness to love them in the same way Jesus loves you.

Love your spiritual family

Posted: March 22, 2010 in Beliefs, Daily Motivation, Encourgement, Fellowship, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Uncategorized
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Love your spiritual family
by Rick Warren
Love your spiritual family. 1 Peter 2:17b (MSG)

As I mentioned yesterday, the church is a body, not a building; an organism, not an organization.

For the organs of your body to fulfill their purpose, they must be connected to your body. The same is true for you as a part of Christ’s Body. You were created for a specific role, but you will miss out on this if you’re not attached to a living, local church. You discover your role in life though your relationships with others.

The Bible tells us, “Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we’re talking about is Christ’s body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn’t amount to much, would we?” (Romans 12:4-5 MSG)

If an organ is somehow severed from its body, it will shrivel and die. It cannot exist on its own, and neither can you. Disconnected and cut off from the lifeblood of a local body, your spiritual life will wither and eventually cease to exist. (Ephesians 4:16)

This is why the first symptom of spiritual decline is usually inconsistent attendance at worship services and other gatherings of believers. Whenever we become careless about fellowship, everything else begins to slide, too.

The Bible says, “Love your spiritual family.” (1 Peter 2:17b MSG)

Membership in the family of God is neither inconsequential nor something to be casually ignored. The church is God’s agenda for the world. Jesus said, “I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.” (Matthew 16:18 NLT)

Demons Confess Jesus Christ

Posted: March 22, 2010 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Happiness, Inspiration, Uncategorized
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Rob Henry, Under Gods Command in the Army of Christ

Luke 4:40-41 When the sun was setting, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them.  Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Christ.

(Whey didn’t Jesus want the demons to reveal who he was? (1) Jesus commanded them to remain silent to show his authority over them.  (2) Jesus wanted his listeners to believe he was the Messiah because of his words, not because of the demons’ words.  (3)  Jesus was going to reveal his identity according to God’s timetable, and he would not be pushed by Satan’s evil plans.  The demons called Jesus ‘Son of God’ or ‘the Holy one of God’ because they know he was the Christ.  But Jesus was going to show himself to be the suffering servant before he became the great King.  To reveal his identity as King too soon would stir up the crowds with the wrong expectations of what he had come to do.)

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