Purpose & Satisfaction

True satisfaction comes from knowing that what we are doing is part of God's purpose for our lives. People do not find meaning in their lives from education or knowledge, from money, success, pleasure, work, or friends. Lasting pleasure, happiness or peace is only possible when we living out God's purpose in creating us.

Clear Conscience

The absence of guilt is not an accurate barometer of whether or not we're doing what's right. Because we are capable of denying reality, we cannot measure obedience by our feelings. Moreover, you cannot say that you are a Christ follower unless you do what He says. (1 John 2:3-6)

God's Mercy

God is merciful, even to rebels and hellions. All He asks is that they repent - confessing their sin and turning away from their sin. When anyone comes to a place where they're willing to do that, there is no end to the mercy that God has for them

Power in Prayer

The Old Testament prophet Daniel knew how to pray. As he prayed, he fasted, confessed his sins, and pleaded that God would reveal His will. He prayed with complete surrender to God and with complete openness to what God was saying to him.

This is how we must pray as well!

When we pray, we must first examine our intent. Are we really seeking God's will and His perspective --- or are we simply giving Him our will and our perspective? When we pray, we must talk to God with openness, honestly, vulnerability ... and be truly expecting God to reply.

Prayerful Leadership

Truly great leaders have an effective prayer life. They have a disciplined prayer life. They realize that prayer is their lifeline to God and they refuse to all ow the pressures of their day to cut into their prayer time. They pray about everything, and they pray without ceasing. Most importantly, their decisions are only made after they've been prayed over.

Difficult Circumstances

When we face difficult circumstances, we should ask ourselves if God has reason to send judgment on us. Even if He doesn't, we should consider what possible purpose God might have in sending or allow those circumstances to come upon us. There are no coincidences, and God is a purposeful God. This is not only true in good times. It's just as true in bad times.

Christ in Christmas

Anyone who can leave the Christ out of Christmas has missed the most important point of Christmas. We are broken people, in desparate need of a Savior. Unless we realize that, the birth of this Savior won't really mean much to us.

Leading Alone?

A capable leader will never do all the work alone. Rather he or she will have two specific skill sets that are active in their role as leader. The first is the ability to delegate, and to know what to delegate and when. The second skill is the ability to involve everyone, encourage everyone, and build a loyal team of followers to whom work can be delegated.

Stand for God

When you take a stand for God, you will stand out. Christ-followers can never be wallflowers. You will not "fit in" when you're standing for God. Standing out may be painful, and it may not always bring a happy ending. So those who profess to follow Christ should be prepared to take a stand for God without using the results as criteria for the decision you make to take that stand.

Relational God

When we leave God out of our most important relationships, we tend to expect these relationships to meet needs in us that only God can meet. Friends are helpful in that they make life more enjoyable and hardships more bearable. But friends cannot meet our deepest spiritual needs.

Leaving God out of our relationships indicates how unimportant He really is in our own life too. Our relationship with God should be important enough to touch all our other relationships - especially our close friendships.

Wisdom & Convictions

Wisdom is convicted - and puts its convictions into practice. It acts on its convictions. Conviction - in this way - keeps us a step ahead of temptation. conviction in turn gives us wisdom and stability even in unstable circumstances. Quite convictions that are acted on usually win long term respect.

Dieting

Our physical and spiritual diets are both an important part of our relationship with God. He wants us to eat carefully and live prayerfully.

Prayer & Panic

Prayer is considerably more effective than panic and worry. In fact, panic and worry just confirm your hopelessness. But prayer confirms your hope.

Formula for Suffering

A high calling from God, coupled with low living in this world results in deep suffering.

Spiritual Growth

We are to willingly come under God's discipline and learn what He wants to teach us. This includes several things on my part:

1. Silent reflection on what God wants (i.e., His commandments, guidelines).
2. Repentant humility --- owning my own brokenness.
3. Self-control in the face of adversity or temptation.
4. Confident patience in God to bring about loving lessons through my life experience.

God's people don't grow because they are God's people. Rather we grow because of our response to God and His ways.

God's Calling

When God calls you to a task or mission, He is invariably calling others to it as well. They are your co-workers in that task or mission. Together, your individual efforts will be multiplied by virtue of God's calling on everyone's life. Look for these people and join with them to build a beautiful "house" for God.

Power Changes

Power changes people. Whether it be in a company, a church, a family, a community, politics, or anywhere else, power changes everything. For those who have power, it expands their wants and desires. It increases their sense of entitlement. It expands their need for deference and respect. It also make them more ambitious. For these people who have power, it lessens their tolerance to obstacles - including the weaknesses of others. And it increases their unwillingness to take no for an answer. People who have power expect to get their way, when they want it.

On Hope

Even in the most hopeless of situations that we may face in life, God gives us hope. It is because real hope never comes from our circumstances or even from the facts. Rather it is found in God and in His truth. But the hope that He has for us cannot be possible without our committing ourselves to God through Jesus Christ.

Value of Timing

Wisely evaluating situations before jumping in further is often necessary and always prudent. It is always easier to wait for the proper timing than it is to repair damage done by being impetuous or compulsive.

Rewards for Good

Sometimes the good decisions we make or the good deeds that we do are rewarded only by our own sense of integrity. But we don't need the praise or the recognition of others to know that God is pleased with us. Knowing that we did well or decided well should be enough for us to continue on the right path that God leads us to.

Strong Faith

Strong faith enables us to see problems not as obstacles, but rather as opportunities for God to demonstrate His power. When we have an effective faith in God, our view of life and its challenges will emphasize the positive over the negative. We won't be overwhelmed by the apparent impossible. Instead, we will be energized by the eternal potential.

Racism

Racism is hatred. And this racial form of hatred is always sin. It denies the intrinsic value of God's own creation.

Peace

The Hebrew word for peace means much more than just the absence of conflict. It implies a complete sense of well being, health and contentment. Do you have peace then?

Personal Accountability

The principle of personal accountability is always necessary for anyone who seeks to live a life that is pleasing to God. Self discipline and self examination are always expected of and practiced by God's people.

Death of Doubts

Doubts and fears are only nourished by circumstances and ignorance. So feed your faith and expose yourself to God's truths. In the process, your doubts and fears will starve to death.

Clear Conscience?

Sometimes what we view as a clear conscience is simply the result of a bad memory. None of us is ever as righteous as we think we are. Rather memories selectively recall only those things that seem to make us out to be the person we want to be.

Condition Exposed

How we react to a moral dilemma often exposes our real motives and the true condition of our heart. If you are worried about being caught, for example, you are probably in a position that is less than honest or sincere.

Expressing Emotions

God gave us emotions for a reason. Even tears have a purpose. Our emotions are to be used honorably. It is an honest and respectful display of our feelings that draws us closer to others. In fact, to hide our feelings is a form of dishonesty. We need to learn to show our feelings in honest, respectful and loving ways.

On Cheaters

No one resents being cheated more than a cheater. If there is a characteristic in others that we find particularly annoying (such as cheating), we would do well to examine ourselves because it is probably one of our own.

Mistakes Rendered

Mistakes that we make - even big ones - can become insignificant through our sincere repentance and obedience to God. So it is that God can reverse the course of our worst mistake in life. He can help us right a wrong even. Said differently, God can redeem even the worst of situations. All he needs is our sincere repentance and obedience.

Forgiveness' Responsibility

God will forgive all sin. But His forgiveness comes with the responsibility to confess, make amends - repenting of that sin and turning to live the godly lives that He intended for us.