Generous Hearts

Our generosity reveals much about the purity of our hearts.

Gossip

An easy way to comprehend the sin of gossip is to consider the reason I would tell someone something about you. If they are (or could be) part of the problem or part of the solution --- then telling them or talking to them about your problem is appropriate. Otherwise, it is the sin of gossip. And it is a sin against you.

Opportunity & Responsibility

Each and every God-given opportunity in life comes complete with one or more God-given responsibilities. While we often work hard to understand the opportunity and ensure that we've been good stewards of it, we must be just as diligent to be sure we've identified the responsibility and been good steward of that as well.

Picking Family

Sometimes our family of origin can be highly dysfunctional. We may need to move on if we are to become the people God intends us to be. Sometimes our homes of origin are sources of much pain and confusion. In such cases it is important for us to leave those dysfunctional contexts in order to build a new life in a more healthy atmosphere. Saying good-bye to dysfunctional relationships is never easy. But it is always right.

Against All Sin

We each have a set of powers to use against the temptations to sin that we face:

1. Our respect for God.
2. Our respect for whoever else the sin would be against.
3. The conviction of the Holy Spirit - who gives us emotional pain when we sin against Him.

Been With the Lord

Reading your Bible, praying and meditating should have such an effect on on you that people will know you have been with the Lord. (Exodus 34)

Breaking the Cycle

Children learn much from their parents. Unfortunately they are not selective about what they learn. So sinful patterns in my life are likely to be the sinful patterns in my children's lives. Family dysfunctions tend to repeat themselves generation after generation. However, the cycles and patterns can be broken if we seek first the Lord and submit to His ways - leaning not on our own understanding of things (which we acquired from our parents).

Minimizing Mistakes

Mistakes that we make in life, even the biggest ones, can become insignificant through our sincere repentance and obedience to God. So it is that God can reverse the course of our worst mistakes in life. He can help us right a wrong even.

Finding Peace

The only way to enjoy the benefits of God's promises is to obey Him. When people obey God, they find peace with Him, with others and - most importantly - peace with themselves.

Stand for God

When you stand for God, you will stand out. It may be painful. It may not have a happy ending. But it will be worth whatever it costs you.

Said differently? Standing for God is expensive - but worth it.

Winning Features

No characteristic wins the hearts of adults more quickly than wisdom in words and actions of young persons.

Hearing God

Each of us must come to a place where we first recognize and submit to God's power and sovereignty. Only then can we hear what God has to say to us.

Your Purpose

God has not placed you in your present position or circumstances for your own benefit. Rather, He has put you there to serve and glorify Him.

Opportunities

The opportunities that we have in life are considerably more important the the opportunities that we wish we had.

Strong Faith

Your gifts, strengths and talents won't be worth very much if your faith to deal with your weaknesses and faults isn't also strong.

Back-Sliding

Since the dawn of humanity, back-sliding has been an ever-present danger. We must constantly live examined lives - checking our behavior against God's standards in the Bible so that we do not slide back into sinful ways of living.

Obedience

Grudging compliance is not obedience. Forced submission is not obedience. Obedience is the willful compliance that is born of a respectful heart.

Decision Making

All parents want their children to make right, good decisions. But to do this, they must first learn to make their own decisions. Making bad decisions - and experiencing their consequences - helps them learn to make good ones. If children never learn to make decisions their effectiveness will be limited to the quality of their advisers (the people who really are making their decisions for them).

Good Leaders

We may think - or it may appear that the best kind of leader is an effective leader who can get the job done. But faithful leaders make sure the job is done in God's way, with God's timing. They are careful to instill God's wisdom in future leaders and build God's values into the people that they lead.

When to seek God?

God's faithfulness when the issues are clear and enemy overwhelms is more than enough reason to seek Him and His guidance in the everyday matters of our lives. But the same is true when the issues may be less evident and/or the enemy unseen.

Good from Bad

God can use our sins for good purposes if we are sorry for them and seek His forgiveness. When we confess our sins the way is opened for God to bring about good from a bad situation.

Wise Knowledge

Wisdom is the ability to make good decisions based on proper discernment and judgement. Knowledge is the practical know-how necessary for handling everyday matters. But wisdom applies knowledge to make life better with its best decisions.

Difficult Times

People can lose their perspective when they stop seeking God or focusing on who He is. When a cry of despair goes up around you - consider the larger perspective and focus on larger or higher truths. Don't focus on your distressing circumstances. You have better, more God-honoring things to do than complain when times get ruff.

Eliminating Foolishness

It is much harder to recognize foolishness when we are in the middle of carrying it out. In the moment it usually seems appropriate. In order to prevent this "blind spot," we must learn to eliminate flawed thinking and wrong motives in the first place. In other words, we can simply eliminate the foolish things we do. Instead, we must eliminate the thinking and motives behind the foolish things that we do.

Source of Stability

Stability does not mean a lack of change. Rather it is a moving of God through every circumstance that provides us with peace often associated with stability. And while change is often associated with difficulty (i.e., difficult transitions), that's a human point of view. Change mandated by God is not the obstacle that many people think it is.

Answered Prayer

When you ask God for something and then get it, this does not necessarily mean that He has agreed with you. If you have approached Him with a sinful attitude or asked with sinful motives - getting what you want may still prove costly (i.e., have negative consequences). (Numbers 11)

Husbands & Wives

Husbands and wives could very well be surprised if they knew the thoughts of their spouse. Unless their intimacy and communication are closely linked and well developed, it is highly likely that what's going on inside their respective minds is not being shared. Moreover, husbands and wives could each learn great lessons from the other. But first they would have to believe that their spouse has something to say that's worth listening to. Many don't have such a belief.

But God ordained the institution of marriage and intends it to be a sacred, life-giving institution. So what would it require for you to see your marriage in such a light? What present circumstances would have to change?

Clear Vision

Evil desires make the eyes less sensitive and blot out the light of Jesus' presence. If you have a hard time seeing God at work in the world and in your own life, check your vision. Might there still be sinful desires in you that could be blinding you to Christ?