God’s Deliverance It is in trials and adversity that we are selected by God to endure difficult situations. It is not deliverance from but deliverance to that is at stake: Deliverance to the next level of spirituality by victory over circumstances. Through God’s personal plan for our sometimes messed-up lives, God will deliver us up, not down—just stay with Bible…
Happiness – Fulfillment Found Webmaster’s Note: A deeper understanding of both God and the Living Word comes not only from accurate Bible study materials and proper instruction, but also from you. When you take your time, meditate upon key points, and look up given verses for yourself, in your very own physical Bible, your walk with the Lord takes on…
Worry, Truth, Peace Want to worry less? Pray more. Rather than look around you for answers, look up. Rather than look for someone else to blame, look inward. Inhale God’s Word every day… and watch worry go away. Rather than living in denial, make a study of you. If a believer stays in Christ and in Truth and another doesn’t,…
Lasting Pleasures vs. Fleeting Happiness CHRISTIAN INTELLECTUAL STIMULATION Look around you. It is evident everywhere. Humanity is in a “frantic search for happiness.” The pleasures people seek are physical, and physical pleasures are always short-lived, futile, and often have future consequences, which are many times more harmful than the enjoyment they first brought. Self-control, prudence, and recognition are prerequisites to…
The Weight of Self People spend much time pursuing ambition, material possessions, and lusts of the flesh and of the sin nature, when infinite peace and joy are available to them every day. People allow peer pressure in the work place, social groups, and other relationships to keep them distracted and competing for temporary happiness and material possessions. Inordinate ambition…
The Doctrine of Worry In certain parts of California, it can be a disaster of catastrophic proportion to the citrus crop if the temperature drops below 32°F. Therefore, the industry, in an effort to help reduce loss of crops, place thousands upon thousands of little pots in the citrus groves, which they light at night during freezing temperatures. These little…
Struggles, Suffering, and Final Victory When sick or injured, our instinctive fear is of dying. In poverty circumstances, it is natural to fear hunger and even exposure. Our flesh is weak and selfish. But the crown of life demands sacrifice of self–suffering while in the world and, through it all, keeping the faith no matter what. Human life is unique….
Press On, Weary Warrior We all face the same choice at least once: Turn from God or turn to Him. Learn God – learn God’s perspective. God’s solutions to our troubles were determined before the world was created. God has a plan against evil (Galatians 4:4; 1 Peter 1:18-20). So, “the justified will live by faith” (Habakkuk 2:4). “Live by…
Peace In Your Soul Peace In Your Soul, or The Sanctuary of Trinity The Sanctuary of Trinity is in our soul, and it is there full-time for retreat, peace, rest, and refreshing, so we can drink from God’s fountain and then rise from our knees and return to the conflict—the angelic conflict—the daily and minute-by-minute battle between good and evil,…
The Struggles of the Soul Through the lens of Christ my Savior, I can see (and live) closer to the reality of eternity because the view is more clearly defined. The errors of worldly thinking are many. Ravi Zacharias once explained that: “For the Hindu, ‘karma,’ the moral law of cause and effect, is a life-defining concept. Life carries a…
Victory Over Death Victory Over Death, or Victory Over the Fear of Death The Apostle Paul expressed well both the life of the believer, and the physical death of the believer in Philippians 1:21: “For me, to live is Christ and to die (physically) is gain.” Paul’s life, after he was converted by Christ Himself on the road to Damascus,…
Smudge Pot or Torchbearer The Doctrine of Worry In certain parts of California, it can be a disaster of catastrophic proportion to the citrus crop if the temperature drops below 32°F. Therefore, the industry, in an effort to help reduce loss of crops, place thousands upon thousands of little pots in the citrus groves which they light at night during…
Addictions COUNTERFEIT WORLDS Fleshly Addictions Christ Himself told us that we have three enemies: the world, the flesh, and the devil. The “world” refers to other people, temptations, and counterfeit living without God in the Devil’s world. The flesh is our most powerful enemy… the flesh is most attracted to the world and its addictions. The Devil is the most…
More on Afflictions 1 Thessalonians 2:10 gives us three spiritual examples of our witness (the example we set) during afflictions: Holy: spiritual, God-ward Justly: socially, man-ward. Unblameable: personally. Trials, and especially suffering, form a necessary discipline in our walk with the Lord. They prove the reality of where we are in our faith (1 Peter 1:7). They enable us to…
Peace in the Valley Our primary function as believers is spiritual growth through the inhale and the exhale of God’s Word (studying and meditating upon His Truths, then applying what we learn to every detail of life) and its constant application to the details of life. When hardships, difficulties, and even suffering cause us undue pressure or pain, we are…
Compassion and Forgiveness This brief look at compassion and forgiveness is critical to our relationships and learning to walk in Christ. This is only the first of many studies in compassion and forgiveness as we walk through fields of grace together Shame and hurt, shock and regret, remorse and denial, suffering and pain, are common experiences of life. We all…
To Forgive is Difficult This study appears under several categories. This is intentional. The doctrine of forgiveness may be defined as: letting go of resentment; excusing a guilty person of trespass; release from payment; forgetting an offense, never throwing it back on the person again; and finally, it means loving those who mock us, bully us, talk about us, and…
Mental Attitude “The real battle in life takes place in the soul, for the soul.” – C. S. Craig Recognition, Affirmation, Approbation Recognition and the need for approval are deep-seated in the soul of humanity. The need for affirmation is a necessary ingredient in all of us. Approbation, however, is one manifestation of the lust-patterns of the soul, and has…