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Angels (1340-1346)
1340A"Be An Angel"In this study of angels, the Word of God will be our only textbook. Our only purpose will be to find what God is saying to us about the angelic world and what He is teaching us through them. We will look at these important questions: Where did angels come from? How are they organized? What do they look like? What do they do all day? and What is the angel of the Lord?
View 1340BFallen AngelsWhat happened those many years ago that caused such a spiritual upheaval? Why did God allow it to happen? What is happening today as a result of that moment? And what will happen in the future to bring it to an end? Those are some of the issues we must deal with in this study. We will face the issue of Satan and his demonic host early on, because his revolt is the defining moment in history when spiritual warfare, as we know it began. We will also deal with this issue first because of its chronological place in the history of angels, and because we want to overlay a portrait of the power of God on top of Satan's limited power, to keep it all in perspective.
View 1341AWhat Do Demons Do All Day? Part 1In the weeks to come, we'll look at all the things the Bible says that demons do all day. They are busy little bees. They tempt, they test, they deceive, they distract, they can be a portrait of wickedness, daring you to try immorality, pretending it provides thrills that last. They can just as well e a portrait of self-righteousness, pretending that moral behavior is enough to justify us before a holy God.
View 1341BWhat Do Demons All Day? Part 2So, what do demons so all day? One thing they do is pick fights with godly angels over nations and over you. Another thing they do all day is try to get God to let them touch your body, or to use a sickness or physical disability as a wedge to get into your life and discourage you, spiritually. It may be a simple nuisance, like hay fever. It may be a more serious problem like the flu. It may be a heart problem or even cancer. These fallen angels, through their misguided leader, Satan, argue with God that by touching you, they reveal your lack of faith. God, however, only allows it when He knows that given enough time, that very sickness or anguish or emotional trauma will work for His glory.
View 1342AWhat Do Demons Do All Day?What must we do to diminish what these demons so all day? First of all, we must repent. What a dirty word in today's religious vocabulary. But, it's a good word in God's word. It means to recognize sin for what it is and turn away from it. Not slightly away. All the way around.
View 1342BThe Tempter CameThe tempter came. What a simple statement. That is his profession, It is his underlying purpose for living. It is a reflection of the deception that dominates his every thought. He lives to tempt you. He lives to tempt me. He lives to trick us by dangling before us something that either appears good (but isn't), or by luring us with something that appeals to the senses, hoping that we will take the bait, bite on the lure, and be snatched into his basket of captives, out of the reach of our Rescuer. Of course, we never get out of the reach of the one who lives to make intercession for us. But again, Satan the deceiver, has deceived himself, so he doesn't realize that. Again and again we see that his one purpose in existing is to get at God, and because he cannot touch God Himself, he pursues his next best option, God's children.
View 1343AThe Grace of ResistanceIn this study, we continue, our look at Satan's tactics, and we hope to come to some conclusions about the grace of resistance. To do that, we must look at another of the names given him and his evil buddies in the Bible, and be thus warned about additional disguises he wears.
View 1343BWhere the Fire is Never QuenchedThe subject of hell is not popular. It is seldom preached and often ignored; but hell is a necessary part of our study of Satan. In this lesson we will look at the reason for hell, the reality of hell, and reflections of hell and our response to it.
View 1344AGuardians, Choir Directors, Judges and GeneralsThis lesson will focus on the basics: how angels are structured, how many there are, what they look like, and hopefully what God might be saying to us simply by the manner in which He made them. Scripture again will be our text.
View 1344BWhat Do Angels Do All Day (Part 1)Let's look at just what these winged wonders do all day. We looked at their fallen counterparts for several weeks and saw what they do: they harass us, tempt us, attack us, and in general try to make our lives miserable. Welcome to the other side of the valley, beloved. Now, let's look at these wonderful spirit beings whose duties include making our lives fruitful, joyful, and productive.
View 1345AWhat Do Angels Do All Day (Part 2)The angels are God's heavy artillery, too. They are the ones who frame the heavens with unseen chariots, waiting for the Commander-in-chief to but blink an eye, and they will move into the fray, and the nations who defy God or who deny Israel its proper respect will go down in utter defeat as they always have. That's what angels do all day. And aren't you glad?
View 1345BA Little Lower Than The AngelsSo we continue or journey into the recesses of Scripture to see just what angels do all day. Our tour has taken us to the edge of the sea of New Testament reality. We now enter into the life and times of Jesus and ask just what these winged wonders did all day while Jesus walked this earth. They didn't sit around in heaven watching on their big screen Sony's. God was in hand-to-hand combat with His enemy, and the stakes were for everything.
View 1346AThe Angel Said, "Fear Not"We live in a world where there is good cause to fear. Drive-by shootings, murders, rapes, senseless killings, senseless abuse. But fear is the absence of faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God. So God's word to us it this: "Fear not". This earth is headed for the graveyard, but God's children are headed for mansions in glory. What can Satan do to change that? Absolutely nothing.
View 1346BThe Reapers Are The AngelsThe reapers are the angels. Can you imagine the awesomeness of it all? This isn't some science-fiction movie, beloved, this is a true story. The angelic host will be not only participants, but key figures in the second coming of Christ. They will be present at the rapture, present at the Bema Seat, present at the wedding of the Lamb, at the process of separating the believers from the unbelievers at the judgment seat of Christ. Though they have been invisibly active, what they have done will seem like nothing when compared to what they will do during those exciting days. No, God isn't finished with them, yet. In fact, He has barely begun.
View Assurance (53-54)
53Assurance of SalvationIt is the will of God to know whether or not we are Christians. If you are having trouble with being assured of your salvation, this lesson will give you both an understanding of what it means to be saved, and the confidence of knowing that once you are saved, it is for all of eternity. Belief in God is not a matter of feelings, but a matter of the will. Once we have made the decision to follow Christ, there are several ways the Scripture gives us to assure us of the life of Christ indwelling in us.
View 54Assurance of Salvation (Part 2)Once we are saved, how do we know that we cannot fall from His grace? How can we feel secure in our salvation even though we continue to sin? This is a subject on which the Word of God is very clear. Your ability to remain saved has nothing whatsoever to do with either your worth or your works, but everything to do with the power of God. For you or I to be lost once the blood of Christ has saved us, God must either change His mind, nullify His Word, disregard His Son and snatch back His gift; or someone or something in this universe would have to be stronger than He is. As you read this lesson, you will be comforted in knowing "no man can pluck them out of my Father's hand."
View Beatitudes (527-556)
527AOh, What BlissIt is a common thing to ask God to bless our loved ones, but often God's definition of blessing and ours aren't the same. In fact, much of the time, the things we are asking God to take away or make well so that a person can be blessed are, in fact, the blessings themselves. This lesson is the first of a series on the Beatitudes.
View 527BThe Poor in SpiritHow does God view you? Maybe more importantly, how do you view yourself in relation to God? In this foundational lesson of the Beatitudes, we come to understand more fully what it means to be poor in spirit. We will learn how this is the cornerstone upon which all of the other Beatitudes are built.
View 528APortraits of the Poor in SpiritGod has a physical portrait of every spiritual truth. We are called upon to see physical things in terms of spiritual application and thereby make the "spiritual switch". In this study, we will look at physical poverty to see an enlarged replica of the character quality in life that Jesus labeled poor in spirit.
View 528BBlessed are the Poor in Spirit - Relative InsignificanceJesus told a parable concerning a publican and a Pharisee praying, asking which was the more spiritual of the two. Which one was truly "poor in spirit" and blessed by God? Are we comparing ourselves in light of who God is as the publican did, or are we seeing ourselves in light of how we measure up to others? There is a big difference, and God knows the difference.
View 529ABlessed are the Poor in Spirit - Relative ExpectationsWhat do we expect from God? In this lesson, we will look at the expectations of a poor man. As we look at these expectations, we will see that right expectations involve living each day with an attitude of gratitude that the Living God loves me enough to provide for me in the physical realms whatever He think will bring glory to His name.
View 529BThough He Was Rich, He Became PoorOur quest to find out what it means to be poor in spirit brings us to Philippians chapter two. This lesson takes a look at the manner in which Jesus humbled himself. He tells us "to let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus." In this lesson we will find out what God says about dying to self.
View 530AFour Things That Make God CryCrying is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength. It is a sign that the heart is open to the needs of others, that the heart has the capacity to feel, to grieve, and to enter into the hurts of others. Crying Christians are in good company as we see many strong men, as well as women, in the Bible crying. What are some things we should be grieving over to the point of tears?
View 530BOne More Reason to CryIn this study, we come to find one final reason why Christians should cry. It is a problem Jesus never had, but a problem we face everyday. We are instructed in Scripture to weep, to lament, to mourn over our own sins. It is a painful subject, but one the Spirit uses to then comfort us and give us joy.
View 531ALearning to MournWhat does it mean to mourn over our sins? Do we see sin as God sees it? Have we learned to come before God with an honest, broken heart? Only a holy, loving God could take our mourning and turn it into joy, and that is exactly what He promises to do as we finish our lesson on "Blessed are those who mourn."
View 531BBlessed Are The MeekHow do we respond to injustice? The meek man not only turns the other cheek, but loves and prays for his enemies. It is through showing meekness in a world that cries out for justice and fairness, that we can show a difference to the world. Meekness is a quality that can only come from God. It is a quality that Jesus used to describe Himself. God's goal is to overcome evil with good. Meekness is the vehicle.
View 532ABlessed Are The Meek (Part 2)In this continuation of our lesson on meekness, this lesson delves into three basic areas in which we need a meek response. We need to be meek when our reputation is challenged. We need to be meek when our authority is challenged. We need to be meek when our possessions are challenged. Meekness is simply trusting our reputation, our authority, and our possessions to the sovereignty of God.
View 532BHungering and ThirstingWhat does it mean to be hungry and thirsty? Taking a look at what it means to be physically hungry, we can then make the spiritual switch to see what it means to hunger and thirst spiritually. God doesn't want us to be hungry as we know hunger. He wants us to have real starvation for spiritual things. He wants us to starve for righteousness.
View 533AWhat Is Righteousness?What God wants from you and me today is for us to crave that kind of intimacy with Him more than our necessary food, as the Scripture says. Spiritually, He sees you as righteous. Bodily, He promises one day you will be righteous, but what He wants is a minute by minute control of your life. That is what righteousness is.
View 533BDeveloping a Spiritual AppetiteThere is a simple acronym to help us remember a solution to getting spiritually hungry. The solution is EAT. In this lesson we will learn what each of these letters represent, and thereby learn the process of personally experiencing the righteousness of God. It is that righteousness that creates a hunger for itself.
View 534ABlessed Are The MercifulMercy is not a saccharine-sweet sentimentality that weeps and considers its job done. Mercy gets actively involved in rendering aid to the person in need, as in the parable of the Good Samaritan which we will study in this lesson. As we review this parable, we will find that mercy can be divided into seven parts. As we go through these seven parts, it will be clear that completion over the long haul defines real mercy
View 534BThe Purpose of MercyMercy has a purpose. It is the meeting of physical and emotional needs to give opportunity for the meeting of spiritual needs. Ultimately, Jesus did not come to clothe or feed the world; He came to seek and to save that which was lost. We need to be careful we do not lose our direction.
View 535AWhat Is Compassion?In this lesson, we are going to follow Jesus. We will superimpose our circumstances upon His responses and see if in some supernatural way God might communicate to us the essence of compassion. As we see Him walk through life, how does He view the needs of others and what action does He take? By seeing Jesus, we will try to grasp what the word compassion really means.
View 535BWhat Is Compassion? Part 2Once again in this lesson, we will follow Jesus and see how He shows compassion to those around Him. God is waiting to give us that kind of compassion in the measure in which we seek it. He is waiting for us to move out of ourselves and into the lives of others. We will look at eight final principles concerning compassion as we conclude this lesson.
View 536AThe Pure in HeartThe heart is what God is after. In the next few lessons we are going headlong into a look into our hearts. What does it mean to be pure in heart? What are the evidences of a pure heart? As we begin to marvel in our Saviour, He desire to give us a new heart felled with Godlikeness. It is a heart so pure that we can see God.
View 536BHypocrite of the Year AwardUsing a television awards analogy, we see Jesus giving out Hypocrite of the Year Awards to various types of people who try to "act" righteous, but their hearts are full of deceit. The thing the Pharisees and scribes did are the things we do. Perhaps as we read this lesson we will see ourselves getting some of the awards. God says, blessed is the transparent man whose pure heart is without pretense, for through his transparency men will see God.
View 537AHypocrisy: the Reasons, the Results, the RemedyWhat is hypocrisy? Why do we pretend to be what we really aren't? In this lesson, we will look at the reasons, the results, and the remedy. The Reason will pose the question, "Why are we such phonies?" The Results will expose the effects it will have on ;our lives. The Remedy will examine how we can become more real. Many of us have successfully cleaned up our act. Now it is time to allow God to clean up our hearts.
View 537BMotives - the Love of ChristAnother evidence of a pure heart is pure motive. Why do we do the things we do? Until we get to heaven our motives will never be 100% pure, but it is the will of God and the desire of the heart of God to see us progressively change until our motivations become more and more in harmony with His. One way in which we can do that is through learning to worship.
View 538AClear Conscience Towards GodOur conscience convicts us of sin. It is to lead us to true confession. We cannot have a pure heart apart from having a clear conscience toward God. What does it mean to confess our sins ad what is the motive behind our confession? In this lesson, we will answer four questions about confessing sin that may give us a better understanding of how God's heart breaks over our sin.
View 538BAm I My Brother's Conscience?In this lesson, we will deal with what it means to have no offense in our behavior that wounds another's conscience toward God. How do our lives affect the conscience of other Christians? If their conscience is wounded or confused by what we do, can we still have a clear conscience before God? We will deal with practical questions in this lesson such as: Is it wrong to go to a R-rated movie if it doesn't cause spiritual conflict in your own heart? Is it wrong to drink? Is the way you spend your money anyone else's business? These and others will be addressed in this lesson.
View 539AClear Conscience With MenHow do we become reconciled with those around us whom we have offended? God is the initiator of reconciliation, and he desires us to be reconciled to our brother. What are the steps to reconciliation? Why is it necessary? We need to build bridges of love back into the hearts of those we have offended and then we can come before God with a pure heart.
View 539BWhat is Spiritual Adultery?God's plan is that we are to be in the world but not of the world. We are not to take on its color, nor reflect its behavior, nor adhere to its lifestyle. We are to be ambassadors to serve, but never lose the marks of an ambassador. Spiritual adultery is the dividing of our affections between God and the things of this world. Satan tries to feed us lies concerning the "good life" through education, religion, media, and entertainment. We will take a look at some of the tools Satan uses to confuse the Christian as well as nine foundational truths concerning the issue of spiritual adultery.
View 540AGod's Truth About the Character of ManIn this lesson, we want to look at some of the lies Satan tells concerning the character of man. What are Satan's objectives? What is it that Satan is trying to do? What does God say about the character of man? We need to learn to combat Satan's lies with the truth. We need to reinforce the truth with our right responses, because blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
View 540BGod's Truth About SuccessSatan bombards us daily with lies of what it means to be successful. Satan wants us to be caught up in creating a physical kingdom with physical benefits. God's truth is always that happiness comes from the Holy Spirit within. In this lesson, we will take a look at Satan's lies regarding money as well as look at five reasons why God gives us money. We will also briefly touch on other avenues in which Satan has lied regarding success.
View 541AGod's Truth About Marriage and DivorceIn this study of Satan's lies and God's truths, we look at what God has to say concerning marriage and divorce. The world has bombarded us with messages that tell us that sex outside of marriage is fine, that marriage isn't always lasting, and that divorce is an option. God, however, has laid down principles in His Word that we must agree upon. God has a plan for marriage and He did not design divorce as an option.
View 541BGod's Truth About the HomeOnce again, God's picture book comes into focus as we look at the portrait of the home as the training school for spiritual education. We catch a glimpse of the Father, the perfect gather, and how He love us. He serves as the perfect example of what it means for parents to love their children well. As we take a look at the characteristics of the perfect Father, may we follow His example in such a way that our children will see Him.
View 542AGod's Truth About the Roles of Men and WomenSatan's strategy is to destroy or reverse the Scriptural roles of men and women. If this world can be made to believe there is no difference between men and women, no distinctive, no authority in the male-female relationship, then he is able to tear down the stronghold of the family. However, God does have a design; there are roles for men and women. They can be equal, yet different at the same time. Only God could design the perfect balance and He did.
View 542BGod's Truth About Authority and DisciplineIn this lesson, we will discuss Satan's lies about parents, authority and discipline. We will look at the need for discipline and how God, through His example, gives us a pattern for discipline. God gave children parents to direct them and to protect them, but also to correct them. From the Scripture we will find 13 different principles concerning how to discipline our children. As an aside, Russell also gives us some thoughts on the subject of Halloween.
View 543AGod's Truth About Rebellion and PatriotismIn this lesson, we continue our study of Satan's lies and God's truths concerning three basic areas: authority, rebellion and patriotism. Satan has fostered basic lies in each of these three areas, but we want to take a look at what it means to be under authority, and we will also take a test to find out about our rebellion quotient. Finally, we will take a brief look at what our duty is concerning our country.
View 543BGod's Truth About God's WordThe objective of this lesson is to examine seven basic truths bout the Scripture which make Satan's lie, that God's Word is not infallible, the most unbelievable lie yet. What convictions should we have concerning the Word of God? How can spending time in the Word of God change our lives? The rest of our lives can be the best of our lives, if for the whole of our lives, we build it around the only three things that last. What are they? The Word of God, the Word of God, the Word of God.
View 544AGod's Truth About ResponsibilityWho is to blame for our problems? How much can we blame on society? How much can we blame on our parents? How much can we blame on God? As we seek to answer these questions, we will also look at what it means to be held personally accountable. We will look at examples from the lives of Joseph, Paul, and Job as to what our response should be when difficult circumstances arrive. We will learn God's truth about responsibility.
View 544BGod's Truth About HeroesEvery generation has its heroes. Who are this generation's heroes? In this lesson we will look at Satan's lie and God's truth about the heroes of our generation. It seems that Satan's heroes prove that their is something supernatural apart from God. He wants to glorify that which is physical; he tries to get us to believe in new heroes whose moral conduct is not acceptable in God's sight.
View 545AGod's Truth AboutWhat is meant by an alliance relationship? We cannot and should not align ourselves with those who are not Christians. God gives us specific reasons for this. If we become unequally yoked with an unbeliever, we are stepping outside of the will of God and God's power will no longer be with us. Another reason is that we cannot walk in two different directions at once. We cannot follow Satan and God. We need to ask ourselves who we are aligned with.
View 545BGod's TruthUnequal yoking is a principle God presents throughout both the Old and New Testaments. As we look at some of the consequences of unequal yoking, we will see why God has warned his people against it. What does it mean to be in an alliance with marriage partners, business partners and as nations? We must be careful to acquaint ourselves with God's Word concerning these binding relationships, lest we enter into a partnership that is not pleasing to God.
View 546AGod's Truth About Alliances: DatingThe Scripture lays out principles for us to follow concerning the dating relationship. As we go through this lesson, we are reminded that God's goals for relationships are spiritual in nature. As parents we are to teach our children about relationships, starting with godly friendship. We, as parents, are also responsible for controlling who our children date. What questions ought we to ask concerning the ones our children are interested in dating? How do we go about giving our children a road map of conviction they can follow during their teen years? What is the parent's responsibility? What is the child's responsibility? We will see that God has many principles regarding dating.
View 546BGod's Truth About Satan's LiesThis is the last in a mini-series about God's truths about Satan's lies. As the time gets closer for Christ's return, Satan is becoming more up front with his lies. In this lesson we will review the nine areas of conflict in which Satan has declared war on the truth of God. Within those nine areas are twenty-six lies that we must reflect on as Christians. If we learn of Satan's lies, we will be able to hold fast to God's truth and not be deceived.
View 547AThe Pure in Heart - "The Issues"In this lesson we want to look at another measure of a pure heart and that is a clean thought life. The key to understanding what it is that defies the thought life is to understand the word "lust". We are going to see what the Scripture says about lust and how it affects us. In the next lesson, we will learn the five things every Christian can do to bring his thoughts under God's control.
View 547BThe Pure in Heart - "The Answers"God is looking for a pure heart. He is looking for a progressively pure heart as we grow spiritually. He understands our temptations, and he has made provision for escape and forgiveness. The best thing, however, is not to let lust enter our minds in the first place. We will look at a case for innocence, particularly keeping our children from viewing things that are harmful. We will also see that God has given us a moment of truth in which we make a choice whether to allow impure thoughts to enter in and cause us to sin or to flee as Joseph did.
View 548AThe Pure in Heart - "Meditation"Meditation is the process of inhaling from the Scriptures the principles and the person and the character qualities of God. Practically speaking, how do we meditate on Scripture? This lesson will take us on a step-by-step journey through the process of meditation, and as we finish, it will be only the beginning of a life long transformation as we commit to breathing God's Word into our lives.
View 548BThe Pure in Heart - "Spiritual Surgery"How desperate are you to be pure in heart? Are you desperate enough to desire spiritual surgery? Spiritual surgery is the process of seriously dealing with disease or deformity that does not heal through treatment with the normal spiritual disciplines or spiritual diet. Are you willing to commit yourself to the time needed for treatment? Are you willing to admit you need help? Are you willing to fast before surgery? Are you willing to accept the post-operative pain as part of the healing process? Perhaps, it is time to allow the Great Physician to do His work.
View 549ABlessed Are the PeacemakersWhat would you do if you knew of a plan that would bring peace to the world, peace to broken marriages, and peace to every troubled family? God has given us a plan for peace. In this lesson, we will look at just what peace really is, and then we will look at God's peace proposal.
View 549BLeading Men to Peace With GodWe are all, as Christians, ambassadors for Jesus Christ placed in strategic places all over the world. It is our job to tell of God's peace plan to others. It doesn't take much preparation- just a willing heart. God has called us to go to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the outermost part of the world. We will take a look at what that looks like as we live in this world. We may never know the effects of our witness on men and women around us, but that is not our problem. We were called to be the ambassadors God wants us to be.
View 550APeacemakersHow do we become the witnesses we were meant to be? Where are we to go? The Scripture teaches that each of us has been strategically placed as witnesses in four different places of ministry. In this lesson, we will, for the most part, just watch Jesus as He approached and shared himself with three unlikely prospects. We will discuss the questions He asks, the illustrations He used and the invitation He gave to find peace with God.
View 550BTests of a TestimonyWhat constitutes a testimony? It is through sharing our personal testimony that we can, in a non-threatening way, share the gospel with others. Paul's testimony was central in the New Testament. In this lesson, we will learn what things should be included in our testimony and how to present it in such a way that it will be clearly understood.
View 551ALet Not Your Heart Be TroubledPeace, heart peace, inner peace, what is it? In this lesson we will look at that inner peace in four ways. We will look at the entrance of inner peace-what did we give up when we came to Christ, and what did we receive in return. The second is the expression of peace. The third area we will discuss is the enemies of peace. What spirits affect your peace in a negative way? Lastly, we will look at the experience of peace as we take a look at Jesus and us in the storms of life.
View 551BThe Eye That Needs A HandThe world is looking at the church of Jesus Christ, and you and I are what they see. Will they see hands only calling attention to hands? Will they see feet scurrying away from ears? Will they see eyes looking for ways to leave the knees? Or will they see a body that is whole, full of harmony and at peace? In a world where even peace has lost its significance, God wants the church to show that peace. All of the parts need to be seen as reflecting unity and all reflecting that they belong to the same body.
View 552AThe "Yes, Sir" of the HeartThe world pits each man against the other, which results in conflict. God places men and women over one another for harmony, so that peace may ensue. Why is submission to authority essential for peace? Why does God choose to use authority? Through submission, we can be the cornerstone of peace in our homes and offices. However, it isn't just submission to authority. It can be submission in a peer level relationship, as well. We will see that as Christians we have all the rights of dead men. We have no rights to claim.
View 552BLife on Two Mile IslandLife on "Two Mile Island" is relatively simple. All of the signs say, "Yield". It is the concept of going the extra mile that makes a Christian's testimony much more powerful. Nothing has done greater damage to our testimony than our trying to be right and demanding right of others. The question becomes, "Do we want to be right, or do we want to be cross-bearers?" Jesus chose the cross-which do you choose?
View 553ALife on Two Mile Island (Part 2)On "Two Mile Island" there is no clock. God owns all of time. There are no signs that say, "Sorry, Too Tired to Help." God provides all the strength we need. God, like the Roman soldiers who compelled people to serve them, is touching His spear to our sides and enlisting us in the Master's army. He will give us eternity for time. He will trade us His strength for our weakness, if when He calls us into service, we will just "yield".
View 553BLife on Two Mile Island (Part 3)The essence of this study is that the money we have all belongs to God. He entrusts us with it to meet our basic needs, but also to be able to give it away to others who are in need. His love in us relinquishes claim to all we have and rushes out to give sacrificially to any brother or sister who has a need. As He does this, He replenishes the storehouse again and again. We cannot out give God.
View 554AThe Reality of PersecutionIn this world, the church is to have persecution. Persecution is part and parcel of the life of Christ. In this study we will look at the four "R's" of persecution: the reality of persecution, the reason for persecution, the results of persecution, and the response of persecution. In this age in which we live, we need to be prepared for persecution, for no Christian is exempt.
View 554BThe Reason for PersecutionThe cause of persecution is the cross. It is God's righteousness replacing every thread of self-righteousness. The cross speaks through the crucified life. It defies human understanding, and the world is stunned and angry. The cross speaks of unqualified forgiveness, unselfish compassion, and uncompromising submission. The world does not understand the cross and fights against it. It makes foolish the righteousness of man; but for the Christian, persecution only leads to greater faith in the unbelievable life of the cross.
View 555AThe Results of PersecutionIt is hard to believe that blessing could come from persecution. Yet, in this lesson, we will look at 11 blessings that occur as a result of persecution. Jesus educated His disciples before the fact, not in the midst of the storm. He has also left an instruction book for us that gives us ample instruction where persecution is concerned. The Bible says we need to count it a privilege to be counted worthy to suffer for His sake. As we do, we will receive blessings only reserved for those who endure persecution. The kingdom of heaven is ours.
View 555BThe Results of Persecution (Part 2)In this lesson, we will look at the last seven of the eleven benefits of persecution. Only God could take persecution and turn it into a blessing, and that is what He does, indeed. So when the fires of persecution come, we can begin to look at it Jesus' way, knowing that the kingdom of heaven will be ours.
View 556AThe Response to PersecutionWhat is our attitude suppose to be toward those who persecute us? What must be our actions and reactions to them as they jeer at us, lie about us and even threaten our lives? The Christian's response and responsibility is to love, with agape love, our enemies. We are to bless them, serve them, and pray for them. It is only the Spirit that indwells us that can do that, and there lies the blessing.
View 556BGod's Beautiful AttitudesWe attempt in this lesson to condense our whole study of the Beatitudes into one last review, seeing how all of the Beatitudes are woven and interlocked together to make a beautiful picture of the Christian life. The key to this blessed life is much time spent in the presence of God, beholding His beautiful attributes. We can have the joy that can withstand all of the circumstances of life, because it is a joy that finds its power within in the character of a perfect God. It is a joy that the world does not understand, because it is contained in the heart of God Himself.
View Caring Church in a Hurting World, The (1100-1105)
1100AWhy Do You Run When I'm CryingThis is the first in a series of messages about sensitizing the church to minister to those who are hurting. In future lessons, we will look at ministering to those who are grieving and lonely, those children crying out to be themselves in a cookie-cutter world, crumbling marriages, the life of the elderly and dying, and those people the world considers "different". We will look to see the balance in a church which calls on men to repent and believe, but also goes out to a hurting, dying, grieving world and demonstrates the heart of Christ..
View 1100BIf Only You'd Been HereAs we look at the familiar portion of Scripture that deals with the death of Lazarus, we see Jesus as our model of sensitivity in the midst of grief. Jesus' spirit was deeply troubled at the death of Lazarus, but he did not move until God's timing was perfect. He knew Lazarus was about to be raised again, but his heart was grieved that those He loved were hurting. We are given the challenge to display the mind and heart of Christ, who met the needs of those placed in his path with compassion.
View 1101ABetter a MillstoneIn this lesson we will look at a particular part of the body that God cares a great deal about-children, in particular hurting children. God intends for us to seriously consider the way we deal with children on a day to day basis, and the way we minister to them as a church. We will look at six ways that God views children. In light of how God views children, we will also look at how we should treat the children we come in contact with, and especially how every church ought to view their role in ministering to children.
View 1101BMade in Heaven, Destroyed in EarthHurting hearts in hurting homes is the subject of this lesson. We will be spending much time in Genesis, chapters 1-3, because to get to the root of hurting marriages, we must go back to the beginning of marriage itself. What are the principles established in marriage, and how does Satan try to twist these principles? Today, in the aftermath of generations of defiance of God's principles, the church of Jesus Christ is filled with hurting people whose hearts are breaking because the enemy has established a foothold. What can we do? Find out as you read this lesson.
View 1102ALate Life LeprosyThis lesson is about "Late-life Leprosy". It is about the elderly of our day, who simply because they are old, have often been separated, treated as untouchable, devoid of love and respect. As a result, they live out the last of their days like lepers; lonely, hopeless, and without self-esteem. This is not the Biblical perspective of old-age. In God's eyes the usefulness of man grows greater the older he gets-the more valuable he becomes to the Kingdom. The Scriptures address the issue of age clearly. It addresses the reality of old age; it issues promises to the aged who follow God's plan; and it issues priorities to the aged so that they understand their role in the scheme of things. What is the Christian's responsibility to the aged? God evidently foresaw the problem and He lovingly wove into the Scriptures passages to warn us of the consequences of not taking care of the aged.
View 1102BI'm Human, TooThis study is about the people the world calls "handicapped". People God calls "blessed". These are the people that Jesus took the time to minister to and love. This study challenges us with ten questions to ask ourselves concerning how we view those who are afflicted or handicapped. These ten questions engraved on the Living Word will give us at least a glimpse of the mind of God where the crippled and handicapped are concerned.
View 1103AJesus StoppedIn our last lesson, we asked ourselves ten questions concerning the handicapped. In this lesson, we are going to do three things. We are going to turn those questions into precepts; we are going to take the stethoscope of life and try to measure the heartbeat of some men and women who do understand how the handicapped feel; and lastly, we are going to make a list of some practical things that we, as individuals, and that churches as bodies of believers can do to be God's men and women in a world of hurting and handicapped people.
View 1103BI Can't Hear; I'm TalkingThis lesson is designed for those of us who simply do not know how to stop talking long enough to listen; those of us who never stop thinking of ourselves long enough to listen; those of us who never stop wanting to be the center of attention long enough to listen; those of us who never hush long enough to hear; or care long enough to respond. The Bible has a lot to say about hearing problems. It addresses both the negative and the positive side. The first step in meeting the needs of a hurting world is to stop long enough to hear them.
View 1104AThe Greatest of These is LoveWhat is love? It is perhaps one of the most misused words in our language. In this lesson we need to establish a definition of love as used in Scripture. Love is an active process of giving oneself away without regard to personal cost. It doesn't stop to determine whether or not the person is worthy of that love, and it doesn't wait to see if the person appreciates that love, it simply gives itself away. How do we do that? This lesson will give us a few suggestions.
View 1104BLove Never FailsThe most famous passage on love in the Scriptures is I Corinthians 13. We are going to take a look at that passage of Scripture and see how love works practically in the life of the believer. We can't study it in detail, but we need to pause long enough to examine the key points. The very definition of love means that if it is not demonstrated, it is not real. We don't give ourselves away in work, talking about love is not love. Giving yourself away is love.
View 1105AThe Kind of Friend He is to MeIf we are going to look at the church's role in meeting the needs of hurting people, we simply cannot complete our task without looking at one of the most overlooked essentials in the Christian experience: the matter of right relationships. We have to begin by asking ourselves, "what is a friend" and what does God mean, when He says "now you are my friend." If we are to be the kind of friend to others that God is to us, what must we do? Let's look at our call to friendship.
View 1105BThe Other Side of the RoadOn the other side. . .that's where we are so much of the time when people are hurting. We see them, or do we? We hear them, or do we? We have all kinds of theological gems to toss their way, or to toss out behind their backs. It's costly to get involved and to cross over to their side of the road. Let's take another look at the Good Samaritan and see what it means to cross over to the side of the hurting.
View Character of God, The (1238-1243)
1238ABecause He IsHow big is God? How powerful is God? How wise is He? The issue at stake is "how well do we know our God?" Until we progressively come to see Him as He is, we will live in frustration and fear. However, the more we know of Him, we will also see the magnificent life of victory as we rest in who He is.
View 1238BBecause He is...GodIn our first look at God's nature, we will look at His supremacy: that aspect of His being that so sets Him apart from man that comparisons with man become meaningless. Snapshots from God's Word will give us a clue to the incomprehensible nature of God. Though we will not know this side of heaven all of His marvelous power, we are nonetheless to give our lives to progressively coming to know Him.
View 1239ABecause He Is...OmnipotentPower! We see God's power at work in nature all around us in hurricanes, tornadoes, the very sun rising in the morning. God never gets tired. He never gets weary. His power never needs to be replenished. He does what He does without effort, and He does not need our aid to accomplish His purposes. However, God has taken the vehicle of His power, His spoken Word, and made it available to us. Yes, God's power can be ours! God has granted to us unlimited power through His Word: power that will change the course of our lives and the course of history.
View 1239BBecause He Is...OmniscientWhat does God know? He knows everything. He knows everything that ever happened, is happening, or will happen. He knows our every thought, and the secret motives of our hearts are clear to Him. Because He knows, we need not hide from God, but rather find rest in Him. He knows everything about us and loves us.
View 1240ABecause He Is...ImmutableGod never changes. He is eternal. He is immutable. He is God. Were He to change, He could not be God. Were He to be bound by time, He could not be God. The very essence of His being demands that He be eternal and immutable. Understanding what that means can literally transform our lives.
View 1240BBecause He Is...HolyHoly is our God. What does that mean? Why does the One who created heaven and earth call Himself "Holy"? If God is holy, and we were created to reflect His likeness, shouldn't we also live a life of holiness? We need to recapture a sense of the holiness of God in the church today. As we do, we, like Moses, will be standing on holy ground in awe of the presence of our God.
View 1241ABecause He Is...MercyMercy. It defies every basic characteristic of the natural man. No other attribute of God more greatly benefits sinful man than this one. It is that aspect of God's nature that allows Him to temper His wrath without compromising His holiness. What does the mercy of God do? Why does God do it? The mercy of God is ours for the asking. Find out how you, too, can experience the mercy of God.
View 1241BBecause He Is...Grace (Part I)Amazing Grace-what is it all about? We talk a lot about grace, but do we actually understand it. How do we become recipients of God's grace? What are the four elements that must be remembered, for grace to be grace? What are the four enemies of grace? For the next several lessons we will look at the grace life and see how it functions.
View 1242AGrowing in GraceGrace: it is God's power implanted in a human body for divine purposes. It is alive in you and me-doing what we cannot do, being what we cannot be. How can we grow in grace? How can we live in the freedom of God's grace? Like growing up physically, it requires nourishment, exercise and certain experiences that require us to make decisions and live by the results of those decisions. We cannot, but He can totally by His grace.
View 1242BMy Grace Is SufficientGrace in adversity. We have all experienced it or will experience it as Christians. Will God take circumstances away? Not necessarily. Sometimes grace is the ability to endure without defeats of self-pity or bitterness. It could be a calmness that comes over our souls as the storms intensify. One thing we know is that God's grace is sufficient. What is the purpose behind granting grace through adversity? It radiates the nature of God to a world who is searching for answers. See how God's grace is sufficient for your life.
View 1243AGrace Greater Than All Our SinWe believe that God's grace is sufficient for salvation, but we often fail to believe that the same grace can deliver us from the same bondage to the same enemy who once held us captive. We need to take a fresh look at God's indwelling grace. Are you still chafing under the guilt of sins long since forgiven? Are you using God's grace to resist the devil in a time of temptation? There is always a way of escape- through grace.
View 1243BYet Not IThe New Testament church was not characterized by programs, but by power. It was that amazing thing called grace that enabled a band of nobodieys, who had nothing but God, to turn their world upside down. Only God could change the world, and if he were to use the likes of them, it would only be by grace. He calls, He enables, and He it is that is to receive the glory. Although the devil would try to convince us that we have succeeded in accomplishing great things for God, don't be fooled. It is not I, but Christ in me.
View Fictional Stories
182AI'm Dreaming of a White ChristmasHaving a "White Christmas" is more than seeing snowflakes falling on the barren ground. As the Fontaine family found out, Christmas is more than snow, and carols, and lights, and trees, and gift giving. A truly "White Christmas" comes through the gift of God through Jesus Christ. Through His shed blood on the Cross, we can become "whiter than snow" on the inside. The Fontaines found that Christmas is about a Savior who wants to make a heart that is black as white as snow.
View N/A 191AThe Day That Grandpa was BornForest Grove was not a town you would particularly want to visit, at least not until Pastor Tom started praying. He prayed fervently for God to send one man whose heart beat for Him. What a surprise as God reveals to Pastor Tom, through a series of unforeseen circumstances, the answer to his prayer. As we see the effect of one person's life who is sold out for God, we find that the little town of Forest Grove will never be the same again and neither will Grandpa.
View 191BEthel's Amazing UmbrellaAs a sequel to The Day Grandpa Was Born", this fictional story takes place five years after the Christmas that Grandpa was "born over." Grandpa continues to share his faith with everyone who will listen, although convincing his wife Ethel of her need for a Savior was quite a different story. It seems that Ethel had an "amazing umbrella" called self-reliance that seemed to work quite well, thank you. Her philosophy was that of "God helps those who help themselves." It wasn't until she found a big hole in that "umbrella" that she came to realize what her true condition was.
View 192AThe Story of Edith EasterDo you believe in Easter? That question was always on Edith Berns' lips as she talked to everyone she met. Edith not only knew what Easter was all about, she experienced it every day; therefore, her faith remained unshaken even as her doctor told her she had a terminal disease, Edith, knowing she would soon be with her Lord, helped to make Easter a reality for many others around her.
View 192BResurrectionThis is a fictional story of five missionaries who went to the island of Parasinna to tell the story of Jesus Christ and the message of salvation to the natives there. It is a story that transcends all language. It is the story of people finding Jesus and new life, of a sacrifice made and a resurrected life given.
View 195AA New Heart for AlexIn this Easter story, Alex Richland has a heart attack and needs a new heart; however, the heart he finds is quite different than the heart he anticipated. This story is a story of the hope and triumph of Easter and will cause you to want a new heart, too.
View N/A 198ALittle Jeremy RaincloudGod loves us and has a special plan for all of us-even little Jeremy Raincloud. Jeremy was a special child, born with Down's Syndrome, he did things a little different than most children. His enthusiastic spirit was continually getting him into trouble; thus the nickname "Raincloud" However, when Jeremy asked Jesus into his heart at the Christmas musical people began calling him Jeremy "Sunshine" instead, because God had indeed changed his heart.
View N/A 199AThe Least Likely Angel of AllIt's Easter Sunday at Lakeview Memorial Church. Everyone was there including maybe an angel or two, but not everyone was welcome. Some had their own idea of who should be included at church, how everyone would dress, and how everyone should act. It wasn't until they were confronted by "one of the least of these", that they realized what God's program for the church really was.
View N/A 302AThe Name of the Game Isn't FootballWinning was everything to Ron. He sacrificed his relationships and all that he was to his quest for winning football games. In the meantime, everything of eternal value was not given a second thought. He forgot that the name of the game is Jesus. In eternity, we will discover,it is really the only game in town.
View N/A 309AWhen the Sun Comes Up In the Desert (fiction)For now, the warfare has ceased. But the real war, the battle for the souls of men, continues and even intensifies in these last days. In every corner of the globe, and on every street corner in the world are people whose very lives hang in the balance. When the sun comes up in the desert tomorrow, thousands of men and women around the world will have faced, in one way or the other, the choice the soldiers in Desert Storm faced; whether to live their lives and die in their sins, or give their lives to Christ and be born again.
View N/A 309PSWhen the Sun Comes Up In the Desert - (pocket size fiction 4x6)For now, the warfare has ceased. But the real war, the battle for the souls of men, continues and even intensifies in these last days. In every corner of the globe, and on every street corner in the world are people whose very lives hang in the balance. When the sun comes up in the desert tomorrow, thousands of men and women around the world will have faced, in one way or the other, the choice the soldiers in Desert Storm faced; whether to live their lives and die in their sins, or give their lives to Christ and be born again.
View N/A First Timothy (1215-1229)
1215ADear Tim: Letters to a Faithful ManThis begins a series of studies of the book of Timothy. The apostle Paul is writing to his dear friend who is as a son to him. Our goal in these next few lessons will be to read this letter with Timothy and see what the Holy Spirit through Paul might have been saying to him. There was much going on in the church at that time. Strange doctrines were appearing resulting in heresy. False teachers were trying to bring the church back under the law. There was a need, as well, for the church to be organized and operated. Let's listen as Paul addresses these issues as he writes to Timothy.
View 1215BDear Tim: The Gospel According to PaulPaul's message through Timothy to this young church was simple: "Get back to the basics". Stop listening to those who would lead you astray. The answers aren't in legalism, liberalism, traditionalism, or fanaticism. The answer is in the person of Jesus Christ. Paul tells Timothy that the church has gotten off course. It is up to Timothy to get them back to the truth.
View 1216ADr. Paul's PrescriptionHow does false doctrine find its way into a normally healthy body? What were the characteristics of these false teachers? Most importantly, what was Paul's antidote for a church that is no longer operating under God's principles? In verse 5 of I Timothy we find the Paul gives four keys to victory. It should have as its goals, the love of God, a purity of heart, a good conscience and a genuine faith. Learn what constitutes each of these and see if you have what it takes to provide the cure today.
View 1216BDear Tim: I Was Shown MercyWho was this man Paul? What right did he have to teach Timothy. In this lesson we will look at what Paul says about his own life and ministry. First, he takes young Timothy back to the days of the former Paul, before he met the Lord. Paul tells us about the law and how the law was to be a mirror to reflect God and pointed him to the need for God's grace. It was God's grace and mercy that brought Paul to God. It was also God who could take one who was a blasphemer, persecutor, and violent and make him an apostle. As Paul says--He "was shown mercy, so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on Him and receive eternal life." Paul never forgot that who he was only due to the mercy of God.
View 1217AShipwrecked SaintsShipwrecked lives! Paul gives two basic laws that must be followed if our lives are not to be shipwrecked. One involves "holding on to faith". .A gradual drifting from that level of confidence in the finished work of Christ will lead to a shipwrecked life's sensing unit that quickens your mind and recalls the Scripture when you are about to make a choice. We need to take inventory and consider how we are reacting to the conscience of God's Spirit and make the necessary corrections.
View 1217BFirst of all, PrayIs prayer your first priority? That is what Paul told Timothy his first priority should be. Who was Timothy to pray for? Everyone. The problem is that we think of prayer in terms of a specified activity at a specified place at a specified time. We call it prayer time. That's not what Paul meant. He said "pray without ceasing". We are to pray all the time no matter where we are. We are not just to pray for those we love but for everyone. This lesson should challenge us to make prayer a priority in our lives.
View 1218AThis is Good and Pleases GodWhat pleases God? It pleases Him when we obey what He commands. One thing He has told us to do is pray. How do we pray? What do we pray for? What is God's purpose in prayer? These are just some of the questions dealt with in this lesson. Find out why prayer is good and it pleases God very much.
View 1218BThere Is Only OneThere is only one God. Not only is there only one God, but there is only one mediator between God and men and that is Jesus Christ. Jesus is the one way to God. He gave Himself to be a ransom for man's sins. But there is a choice involved. The choice is whether or not to take the way God has provided to come to Him. All you need to do to come to God is say yes to Jesus.
View 1219ASavedSaved is not a word coined by religious fanatics. It is a word used by God over and over an over in His Word to emphasize both the intensity and the finality of His deliverance from an eternal hell. We know that there is only one who can save and that is Jesus. It is a one time act, but involves the act of being kept as well. Find out the four truths of salvation in this lesson and come to know how deep is the love God has for us.
View 1219BThe "All" in God's CALLThe mission of the church is evangelism. The message of the church is the Cross. The mentality of the church is to have a burden for the lost that is so great that we take on the mind of Christ as reflected by the angels in Heaven. God wants all men to be saved. No one is to be excluded from hearing the message, and no one should be ignored.
View 1220AThe Godly WomanJust what is the Apostle Paul saying about women's dress. The issue is that nothing that belongs to God is disorderly, and the way we appear in public says more to the world than we care to think about. The believing woman dresses in good taste always. She's not calling attention to herself, but she's trying to glorify her God, so anything she does that makes her stand out in the crowd because of her appearance detracts from the nature of God who wants to express His character through her. Find out how a godly woman portrays herself by the way she is adorned.
View 1220BThe Two-Fold Glory of WomanhoodThere are two distinctive qualities that were to be specifically accentuated in women. Can you guess what they are? Yes, it is quietness and submission. See how beautiful these qualities can be in a society that seeks to make men and women equal in every aspect. People with a genuine quiet and submissive spirit do stand out, and the result is a beauty that glorifies God. The world will be constantly at war against it and Satan will expose cunningly devised counterfeits to God's plan that will seem "liberating", but there is a two-fold glory to womanhood: a quiet, gentle spirit that genuinely, graciously submits to authority.
View 1221AMale and Female Created He ThemRoles and responsibilities. Each were given to man and woman for a purpose. It does not mean that one is spiritually inferior to the other. See what roles were given to men and to women in the context of the church, and what picture they were to display. The roles of men and women were designed by God in eternity past to be so distinctly different that only through the leading of God's spirit could they be fulfilled. What role has God given you and how will you respond?
View 1221BWanted, A Few Good MenWhat is God looking for in a man? Does he have as his goal becoming God's kind of man? What does God's kind of man look like in terms of character and moral excellence. You will find that the list is quite extensive. Let's begin with the term "blameless". Is Christ so apparent in you that were a tribunal of judges trying to find something in your life with which to discredit the Gospel, they would come up empty-handed? That's what it means to behave blamelessly. As this lesson paints a word picture of what it means to live blamelessly, remember that it is Christ working through you which causes you to live victoriously in this area.
View 1222AA One-Woman ManWhat is God looking for in a Christian leader? In our last lesson we saw that the Christian leader is to be blameless. This lesson has to do with the relationship of a man to his wife. Just what does it mean to be the husband of one wife? The meaning goes far deeper than just having one wife. There are three aspects of marriage that this lesson explores. God has designed marriage to be the testing ground of a man's faith. Will you abide with your wife, love her and serve her no matter what? This is the true mark of a leader.
View 1222BTest of Character: The Storms of LifeDo you portray calmness under fire? Jesus did. Discover how Jesus was able to be calm in the face of everything that Satan could throw at Him. The calm, steady persevering man of God will one day rise to the top and become the kind of man God wants to lead His church, because of who he is. He is a man of the Word and a man of prayer. This is the first test of character of a man of God.
View 1223AGod Needs Gentle MenGod is looking for a few good men. What qualities must these men possess? In this lesson we will look at three more of the qualities that make a man a leader. One of those qualities is gentleness. The gentle man is basically God's man under unjust attack. The second of the qualities is dignity. It is the kind of quality that doesn't stoop to the standards of the world. The third quality is not being covetous. Are you investing in people at the expense of things, or are you still coveting things at the expense of people? Take time to check out these three qualities that really make a man of God.
View 1223BThe Challenge of ChoicePaul now turns from the matter of character to the matter of behavior. Is the man in question, a man of self-control? Is his life controlled by his will in response to the Word over the objection of his emotions and desires? This is a mark of the man of God. What are the hindrances to self-control and how can we make our lives a picture of self under control? Men of self-control. That is what the church is looking for, because that is what God is looking for.
View 1224AOn the Outside Lookin' InHow does the world see you? How does your family see you? How does the church see you? Many times the world cannot hear what is said, because they see how you live. As a man of God, is your life characterized by patience, holiness, righteousness and submission? Do people see the life of Christ lived out in you? This lesson is a challenge to die to self and live victoriously through the Christ that lives in you.
View 1224BIn the Easy Chair At HomeWho is the man of God at home? This lesson looks on the man of God as he sits in the "easy chair" at home. The tv is blaring; the vcr is recording; the kids are complaining; and the bank account is straining. The world is looking on, trying to see if his responses are any different than theirs. It is at home where the man of God is supposed to be what the world and the church thinks he is. There are three roles that he is to juggle at home-that of servant, boss, and host. As these roles are assumed, God assumes responsibility for the outcome. Oh, the joy that awaits the man who trades in his easy chair for the task of being God's man at home.
View 1225AStanding the Test of TimeStanding the test of time. There is no greater measure of a man than if he stands the test of time. Real greatness is not measurable until the ravages of time have made their mark, and the glamor of personality has given way to the timelessness of character. Paul was looking for a few good men, and those would have to be men who would still be standing when the storms had passed, and the years had melted away. In this jet age we live in, God seems to be taking forever, but anything worthwhile takes time.
View 1225BA Mystery SolvedGod has all sorts of secrets He wants to reveal to His children. These are things that have purposely been hidden by God from the world. What are these secrets that are hidden in God's Word, and how do they affect us as believers? We are meant to know the end of the story. For us it will no longer be a secret. The mystery will be solved.
View 1226AIn the Last DaysDo you like to read the end of the story first? This is a lesson you will enjoy, because we have been given the ending to our story here on earth. He lets us in on just what will happen as this world, as we know it, comes to a close. The picture that is painted is not a pretty one, but the ending is the happiest of all. What difference should knowing the end of the story make in our lives? Come visit the last days with us and see.
View 1226BA Widow IndeedGod has a special place in His heart for widows. Paul in his letter to Timothy exhorts the church in how to care for the widows. Throughout all of Scripture God not only promises to defend the widow, He commands His children to do the same. It is with this thought in mind that we look at how this special group of people is to be cared for. May we pay attention.
View 1227AA Widow Indeed - Part 2What is the responsibility of the children to their parents? Does the widow, herself, have any responsibilities? How about the church? What is its role in this matter? God does have a plan for the care of those He loves. He is a God of order and even in the matter of the care of the widows, He, Himself, has given us through His Word a practical way of ministering to their needs.
View 1227BDouble HonorPaul is dealing with issues concerning the church in I Timothy. He seems to miss nothing. His letter even addresses paying the staff of the church. What is Paul talking about when he speaks of honoring our pastor? Does that also include our missionaries? Another matter that Paul brings up in this section of Scripture is that of rebuking an elder or pastor. God gives us practical guidelines on both of these principles. What a fair and just God we have!
View 1228ASome Men's SinsSin is the one word we don't like to mention. Paul's warning to Timothy about sin is that "some men's sins are evident; other men's sins follow after them to the judgement." Don't try to judge spirituality by popularity or prosperity or even productivity. Most of all, don't ever be satisfied with the level of purity and transparency in your own heart. It is our sin that separates us from God. Make no mistake about it, we will be judged according to our sins. May we take this time to repent and pray until we have gained victory in those areas of our lives no man sees.
View 1228B...but rather serve themWhat is a slave to do? The issue is really respecting those in authority, because all authority is given by God. The natural response of man is diametrically opposed to the response that would most glorify God, but it often is. It does not mean that the Church ignores moral wrongs, but how we conduct ourselves under authority even as we move towards change is of primary importance to God.
View 1229AYou Can't Take It With YouPaul in his letter to Timothy emphasizes that real godliness is characterized by a spirit of contentment. Your real pleasure should come in doing the will of God, not in the things which money can buy. It is the absence of concern over temporal success. The problem most of us face is relative contentment. We would like to be satisfied with our lot in life, but all around us are people who have more of everything. Just how do we develop a life of contentment?
View 1229BTo Whom Be HonorOnce we get a grasp on the Christian life, we often begin to move in on "camp" or another. On the one hand, there are the "doers" in the Body of Christ who determine that if we are to serve as believers we must get out there and do a work for God. There are others who tune into a surrendered Christian life and are certain that the way to rewards is rest. The achieving of that balance is what this lesson is all about.
View Four Callings of God, The (1236-1237)
1236AThe Call To DiscipleshipThe call to discipleship was the heart of Jesus' ministry. His message was simple. Come to the Cross. Die. Let the Living God have His way in your life. The path He leads may, at times, lead to suffering, but it will always lead to His glory and our benefit.
View 1236BThe Call to ServanthoodJesus set the example for us to follow as servants. Just as He led His small band of disciples in servanthood by washing their feet, so He calls us to "wash the feet of one another." The mark of the Christian was to be his deep love for others. How can they see that love? Not by what we say, but by how unselfishly we serve.
View 1237AThe Call To EvangelismJesus said "I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." That, in one sentence is the message we are to proclaim. There is only one way to God. There is only One who is the Truth about God, and there is only One who gives life to man. Proclaiming this message is our calling.
View 1237BThe Call to SurrenderWhat is the balanced Christian life? It is a series of choices to obey God. We choose to obey that which the Scripture teaches. We also choose to acknowledge that only God's Spirit in us can obey. The call is for us to surrender. The life we now live is not ours, but His.
View Fruit of the Spirit, The (1205-1214a)
1205AThis Book...Shall Not DepartAs Christians, we possess all that is needed to live the Christian life. It has been given to us in the form of God's Spirit who indwells us and enables us, and God's Word which directs us. The issue is not whether or not we will have what it takes to live in victory. The issue is whether or not we will take what He has given us. So we begin a new series of lessons on taking the land that is ours through developing the fruits of the Spirit.
View 1205BDay and NightMeditation is the most overlooked source of spiritual power in the Christian world. It is not aan option, but a command by God. Just how do you do it? Is there a pattern to follow? Learn from this lesson how to meditate on a portion of Scripture until it becomes a part of you. This is God's plan for transformation.
View 1206AThe Fruit of the Spirit IsThe need of the hour in a nutshell is transformation. The objective of this lesson will be to look intently through the lens of the Scriptures at the nine-fold fruit of the Spirit that God tells us is a perfect reflection of His life as it flows through the believer. As we begin meditating on the fruit of the Spirit, our lives will be transformed with the power of God into His likeness.
View 1206BThe Fruit of the Spirit is...LoveTo seek to define love is either the most impossible task known to man, or it is the simplest, depending on your perspective. Apart from Calvary, love cannot be defined. However, as we look at Calvary God has defined love for us. Love is the essence of who God is , and the foundation for all God does. It can best be defined by a Cross. You say, "But I can't love like that." True. But God in you cannot love any other way.
View 1207AThe Fruit of the Spirit is...JOYAre joy and happiness synonymous? The world would think so, but Scripture says differently. Joy is a heart attitude that reflects excitement and pleasure over things eternal. If we know what joy is, then how do we appropriate it; or if it is already resident within us, how do we release it? Begin today to meditate day and night on the Worth, the Words, the Works, and the Ways of your God.
View 1207BThe Joy of Who He IsHow would you like to be filled with the joy of the Lord?... constantly, consistently, enthusiastically even in the storms of life? One way is to meditate day and night on the nature of God, who He is. The joy of the Lord is God's nature revealed in the Christian in the all things of life. It is seeing God in man's circumstances and thus rejoicing even when those circumstances give no cause for happiness. We need to take the Word of God and see what it says about the Worth of God until we see through our circumstances a chance for God to be God.
View 1208AThe Joy of What He Has DoneSometimes we forget what life was like before Christ came into our lives. We forget how gracious He has been in the past. We forget what it's like to be content with virtually nothing, once we have lived with virtually everything. But as we forget, we lose our joy. We lose the joy of what He's done. We need to keep reminders of the works God has done in our lives and the joy that those works have brought.
View 1208BPraise for His WaysWhat is meant by the ways of God, is "the incredibly different means He uses to accomplish His purposes, so only He can receive the Glory." The "ways of God" are cause for great joy. Meditating on how decidedly different are His ways will comfort you and encourage you and fill your heart with gladness and rejoicing. As you begin expressing your joy through praise and go singing into battle, your heart will be transformed and the fruit of the Spirit will become evident.
View 1209ALet Heaven and Nature SingHow do you react to life's intrusions? Do you respond with joy or do you wait until you feel joyful. Occasionally, you will feel joyful, and because you feel joyful, you will rejoice. But more often than not, the times you need most to express joy will be times when you feel anything but joyful. It is those times when the Scripture clearly instructs you to rejoice: to express joy by praise to God, and by a quiet, consistent response before men.
View 1209BPeace I Leave With YouThe peace of God. It is a tri-faceted miracle of the nature of God. It allows you to have peace with God by surrendering to God and accepting His terms for eternal peace. It allows you to have peace with man by surrendering your rights and letting God be responsible for the outcome. It allows you to live in a world beset by trials and pain and hostility with an inner rest that defies description. It allows you to live above the tensions of life by living life under the control of the One who is the Prince of Peace.
View 1210APerfect PeaceThe peace of God. We were instructed by Jesus never to let our hearts be troubled and never to be afraid. Jesus is saying to us that since He in us is perfect peace, we simply must not ever, under any circumstances, allow ourselves to fall into a state of agitation or unrest; nor under any conditions are we permitted to fall into a state of fear. What this lesson looks at is how we can walk in the Spirit, and because the Spirit is perfect peace we can rest in God's sovereignty.
View 1210BThe Patience of JobPatience is a virtue that cannot be measured, except by eternal standards. It is a quality of life that grows richer, the longer it exists, and yet even the process of becoming patient requires patience. If you are a Christian, you have within you the capacity to be patient. The reason is, that God is in you, and God is... perfect patience.
View 1211AThe Fruit of the Spirit is...KindnessKindness is God with arms that reach around the hurting; legs that run to their defense; eyes that see their very needs even before they surface. Because God so loved, when we were still dead in sin, totally unable to return that love, and totally undeserving of receiving the love, He demonstrated His grace in kindness. How does that translate to our responsibility to society? How does it apply to the body of Christ as it takes care of its own? What about that guy you never liked? We should obey the Word where kindness is concerned.
View 1211BThe Fruit of the Spirit Is...GoodnessDo you know what God wants from you? He wants you to be "good". Do you know how He wants to do it? He wants you to get out of the way and let Jesus Christ walk in your shoes, talk with your mouth, work with your hands, and respond with your heart. He wants you to stop trying to imitate goodness and set the real Goodness of God free in its place. You will have done nothing. God will have done everything, and you will have been good.
View 1212AFaithful Is HeFaithfulness is the lost art of remaining in place, no matter what, because the one who promised never to leave you or forsake you lives in you, and He will remain faithful to the end. The faithful man or woman is not trusting in his circumstances to determine what to do, but is trusting in the word of the one in whom he has faith. Our study, then, should take a look at this God who is faithful, for it is He that lives in us and produces faithfulness in us. For "faithful is He who has called you. He will also do it".
View 1212BMeek and Lowly In HeartWe live in a world where bigness is the norm, and performance is the yardstick by which all of life is measured. However, we see that what God is looking for are men and women who know they can do nothing . He is looking for believers who are so aware of their frailties that they become totally unaware of their strengths. The world calls it weakness. God calls it meekness. What is meekness and why does God value it so highly? In this lesson we will discover the three-fold progression of meekness and how God transforms our lives through it.
View 1213AA Gentle LifeYou and I were designed by our God to walk this earth as He did; not clothed in the pious arrogance of the Pharisees, but wrapped in the cloak of servitude, worn by God Himself. Is that how God sees you? The single most absent ingredient in the church today may well be a spirit of meekness; a gentle spirit towards man, reflecting a humble spirit towards self, because of a meek spirit towards God. God is after men and women of humility. He delights when His children live in the home with such gentleness that the word of the day is "how can I serve you". He delights when we correct those who are captured in sin with such a gentle heart that they are drawn irresistibly to resist that sin and repent. He delights when we let the world see the amazing difference that only Jesus can make in a life.
View 1213BSelf Under ControlThe final fruit of the spirit is the steering wheel that keeps the others on course. Self-control is the will responding to the Spirit of God over the objections of the emotions or appetites. It is a life of balanced restraint. How do you deal with the emotions and appetites that attempt to rule your life? Test your anger. Test your envy. Test your gluttony. Test what you watch. Is it a calculated decision based on what is Scripturally best for your eyes to see? Or do you watch what your appetites draw you to ? Do you decide based on what is best, or do your appetites cry out to be satisfied, and rather that hurt their feelings, you comply? Is your self under control?
View 1214AThe Fruit of the Spirit is...JesusChrist in us. . .our only hope of glory. That means that it isn't up to us to live the Christian life; it's up to God. The choice, minute by minute is ours. We live in a world filled with frustrated Christians trying to live a life they were never intended to live. The fruits of the Spirit serve as a measuring stick to demonstrate whether or not we are living this life or God. The fruit of the spirit is nothing more, nothing less, than the life of God revealed. Therefore, The bottom line is this: The fruit of the Spirit is Jesus.. When Jesus is allowed to be Lord, He flows through our lives with a supernatural power that demonstrates itself to a lost world with such love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness and self-control that they will no longer see us. We will be less and less aware of ourselves, as well. We will be caught up together in the theater of eternity watching the God of eternity behave in the confines of time.
View God's Amazing Grace (1347-1353)
1347ALest Any Man Should BoastIt is amazing grace, indeed. There have probably been more songs written about it than all of God's other attributes combined. It is mentioned in nearly every sermon, referred to in virtually every Christian book. It is key to our salvation. Without it, we are lost and bound for an eternity in hell apart from God, yet once we experience it and are born again into the family of God, we become vessels hooked up to an unceasing flow of it, and the more of it we allow to flow through us, the more filled with joy we are, the more filled with peace we are, the more we are able to be literally changed in Christ-likeness. It produces spiritual fruit, but to whatever degree we revel in the fruit, we steal the rewards and lose the grace. Most Christians seem to understand what it means to be saved by grace, but beyond that, it seems a mystery indeed.
View 1347BIt Wasn't Free To HimGod, the Perfect Father, let the ruthless mob take the life of His only Son, just so He could transplant His precious, sinless heart into the souls of the very people who crucified Him. "It's free!" we cry, and indeed it was to us. But, beloved, it wasn't free to Him. Unless and until we come to grips with what it cost the Great Physician to make that transplant, we'll never really have a grasp of grace.
View 1348AAdopted, Accepted, AdoredOur lives should reflect the sheer joy along with the uncommon humility that comes from being picked up out of the orphanage of losers and adopted into the family of the King of Kings. Our countenance ought to reflect His likeness, because we have spent so much time at His feet. Our behavior ought to never in any way demean the Crown. A child of the King! An undeserving child of the King. He came. He looked. He saw our need. He chose us. He redeemed us. He paid a price for us we never could even fathom. And now He has given to us everything He has; how could our lives not reflect His values? How could our hearts not beat with joy at the mention of His name? How could we not live every waking moment in the sheer ecstasy of knowing that though we do not deserve it and never will, we are children of the King, and we have been adopted, accepted, and adored?
View 1348BHis WorkmanshipGrace, of course is what this series is all about; but then grace is what life is all about, isn't it? Life is all about a loving God who could not let a corrupted, rebellious creation die in their sins. He possessed a quality called "love" that simply would not let us walk away, so He determined that it didn't matter what it cost Him, it would have to be free and undeserved for us. So He died in our place. Now He lives in us to work through us. We are His workmanship.
View 1349AThe Grace of WeaknessWe now embark on the road of practical Christian living to see just how God goes about providing grace when we need it, and how that provision becomes the beacon that shines through us and leads others to Christ. We are going to begin at our most vulnerable place, for in essence, that is the door where all grace must be initiated; where we are weak.
View 1349BThe Grace of HolinessHoliness is not a badge we wear, it is a privilege we bear. It is not a source of personal pride, but an invisible magnet drawing us to humble repentance and deep recognition of personal sin; not in others, in ourselves. It is sovereign, and it is undeserved. Never forget it. But it is free and it is eternal. God will never allow holiness to become something we do to gain recognition. It will always be an unconscious outpouring of who He is, and the recognition will go to the One who sent His Holy Spirit to be Holy in us.
View 1350AThe Grace of Holiness (Part 2)We have been instructed to "love not the world, neither the things that are in the world." Everything we reach out and touch that does not draw us closer to God's heart is violating His desire for us to be separate. While the world is reaching out for things and for thrills, the believer is to be reaching out to God for strength and for wisdom and for spiritual blessings even at the cost of material gain. There are, it seems, two kinds of holiness. There is "positional" holiness and "possessional" holiness.
View 1350BThe Grace of Holiness (Part 3)We have to die before we can be resurrected. We have to die to self before grace can make strength out of weakness and take control of our lives. We don't like the idea of dying, and we don't like the idea of not being in control. So we study faith, grace, and sovereignty with the same intellectual intensity we would use to study geography, psychology, or mathematics. How foolish! This is not an academic pursuit. It is the pursuit of holiness. It will not be achieved through knowledge, but through the appropriation of grace.
View 1351AAgape GraceLove. What an unusual word. It is the essence of God's being. God, remember, does not simply possess love. God is love. That means that everything God does issues forth from what He is, and He is love, so everything He does and says is a reflection of His love. We have already looked at the two-fold expression of that love to man; His mercy which withholds from man the punishment he deserves, and His grace which gives to man the blessings he does not deserve.
View 1351BAgape Grace (Part Two)Are you willing to open your eyes to the crying, the hurting, and the grieving that you pass by on a daily basis? I did not say "Are you able?" The question is "Are you willing?" For it isn't natural. It has to be supernatural. It has to be of grace. God isn't asking you to do what only He can do. He wants you to examine His word, surrender to His will, and ask Him for the grace to do what He calls you to do.
View 1352AAgape Grace (Part 3)As we finish part three on agape grace, we come to understand that Jesus in us wants to take what we've learned, lay aside our robes of spiritual self-satisfaction, and go into the ghettos of life, and love the unlovable. In this lesson we will look at how to put agape grace into action.
View 1352BThe Grace of ForgivenessThe grace of forgiveness. It is a gift from a forgiving God that sets us free and sets Him free to be Himself in us. But remember, only God in you can make it happen. He can do something even more wonderful than that. He can actually fill your heart with love for the very person you have hated for so long. He can fill you with a desire to pray for them, to bless them and to do good to them.
View 1353AComforting GraceComforting grace. It is one of those wonderful commodities that lies in the storehouse of God's wonders and waits to be called on. But once invited, it flows like a river into the heart and life of the believer until he is lifted up beyond the circumstances and into the waiting arms of Jesus. Truly, underneath are the everlasting arms. It is the grace of God that lifts us up and wraps about our hurting lives.
View 1353BGrace and PeaceAs we draw towards a conclusion of the study of God's amazing grace, we need to take a Biblical look at this subject of peace. We need to steal away into that place of quiet rest near to the heart of God and see what there is about it that makes it so special, and what there is about us that causes us to rush from that garden so frequently and leave behind the serenity we found there. Just what is "the peace of God"? Why did Paul pray for it so earnestly? Why did he so often couple it with the word "grace"? Such are the issues we need to explore as we seek to have God's wonderful grace an experiential part of our daily existence.
View In Everything Give Thanks (965-968)
965AIn Everything Give ThanksMany of us simply do not live a life of constant praise. We are affected by our emotions, and we are affected by our circumstances. There are those of us who can only be thankful when we feel thankful. If we don't feel thankful or don't have something tangible that appears worth being thankful for, then what do we do? God has given us a clear answer in Scripture in I Thessalonians 5 where he exhorts us to in everything give thanks.
View 965BJust Because He IsDo you want to develop a life of praise? It is not enough just to thank Him for what His love has done for you. That still allows you to share the spotlight with Him. What we are to praise God for is that, in essence, He is love. Learn to praise God. . ..just because He is! This lesson will take a look at five characteristics of God's love that demonstrate His nature so that as we come face to face with situations in the days to come that cause us to resist or refuse that love, we can instead, armed with the Word of God, learn to give thanks.
View 966AWhen Last Did You Visit The HillThe purpose of this lesson is to paint once and for all indelibly upon our consciences the need to regularly visit the Hill. Our goal is to take our ungrateful spirits back to that garden and then to that Cross, where ingratitude melts into grief, and self centeredness dissolves in an ocean of praise. The reason for this study is to remind us that regular visits to Calvary are the Master Physicians's prescription to help us develop a thankful heart.
View 966BPraise For The PlannerWe are who we are because of what God has allowed us to go through. Others are looking at God through what we have become as a result of what we have been through; and our very ministries will in most cases be the result of passing on to others the same grace that God gives us. The issue then, isn't simply learning to accept those things as something we could not help, but rather the secret is learning to turn the past into praise.
View 967APraise from a PrisonLong-term prison experiences for most of us are those experiences that appear to have no immediate relief such as incurable illnesses, a bad marriage, financial bondage, or terminal loneliness. What are we to do when faced with these experiences in our life? Yes, we are to praise. We are to let the Word of God flow from our hearts and begin to praise Him for who He is. We may see the doors of our circumstances swing open ,open, or instead, God in His still small voice may give us comfort and strength. Either way we will know true freedom.
View 967BThanksgiving of the HeartWhy is it we are not more thankful? What is it we must do to become that way? Why do we take life so for granted, and God for granted, that we assume that before we can be thankful, God owes us some form of mystical standard of living, or some kind of preconceived physical blessings. These are questions we will attempt to answer in this lesson.
View 968ASome Golden Daybreak Thankgiving Will ComeIf we actually learn to live in this world with our eyes on the next, our praise will be multiplied as we envision what awaits us in the endless eternity just beyond that momentous experience of death; an experience the world calls 'tragic'; that God calls 'victory'. The purpose of this lesson is to take a quick journey through the Scriptures to grab hold of some of those promises, and to let those promises form the basis for a whole new life of praise.
View 968BPraise HimWe know that in everything we are to give thanks. We are to praise God for who He is and not focus on the circumstances around us. Our vantage point needs to be eternal, so that we can see things as God sees them. The question then becomes, Now what are we going to do to see that we never stop praising Him? How do we make sure that knowledge gets turned into wisdom? This lesson will give us a few practical suggestions.
View Joseph and the Sovereignty of God (1230-1235)
1230AJoseph: The Dothan ConspiracyGod often uses real people to teach us life's lessons. Joseph is an example of how greatness is often borne of weakness transformed, rather than strength magnified. God turned insensitivity into survival, vision into foresight, and pride into leadership. There is a great future in failure when God is in it. As we travel through this series, see how God is glorified through what the world would see as hopeless situations.
View 1230BSuccess on the JobJoseph is a picture of the Christian in the workplace. What should a Christian be like on his job? What if his boss is an unbeliever? It is not by accident that we are in the jobs we are in, but for God's purpose and to give God the glory. Are we glorifying God today in our workplaces?
View 1231AHave You Considered My ServantWhy do God's children suffer? Why do the wicked prosper? These are questions that will be covered in this lesson on the life of Joseph. As we take a look at Joseph who was unjustly accused by Potiphar's wife, we will see how God even turns unjust suffering to our benefit and for His glory. God counted Joseph worthy to suffer for His Name's sake, because of that he could certainly be counted a living legend.
View 1231BJoseph: It is Not in MeWhat was Joseph's secret of greatness? Joseph had served and submitted until every trace of personal ambition and every hint of personal glory was gone. He had surrendered his life to God. Therefore, he was able to say to Pharaoh, "It is not in me. God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace." Joseph did not take the glory, but rather gave the glory to God. Just as Joseph, God is teaching us to give our lives to Him and allow Him to work through us in all situations. If we do that , we can say like Joseph--"It is not in me."
View 1232ATo God Be the GloryGlory. The purpose of this study is for us to come to more perfectly understand why it is that with every breath we breathe, with every word we speak, the glory belongs only to Him. It isn't our church, our programs, or our preacher that needs to be glorified, but God alone. One of Satan's supreme pitfalls is to get us to share the glory that belongs only to God. Our responsibility is to point men to the King and let our God reveal Himself for who He is. To God be the glory.
View 1232BThe Road to RepentanceJoseph is a type of Christ. He is an image of the One to come. Joseph was given by Pharaoh the task of bringing in the harvest before the time of reckoning came. He gave him all the power at his disposal to bring it to pass. The day of revelation came when Joseph's brothers being hungry came to ask Joseph for food. What was his response? Did he indeed find his brothers repentant? Find the steps Joseph took them through to find out if they were truly repentant.
View 1233AGod Meant It For GoodThrough this lesson we see God saying through the life of Joseph, "Don't be bitter over your past or those in your past who seemed so to use you or hurt you. God was there! And He says forgive them'. He was only using them to accomplish His purposes in your life'' to make you someone He could use to change your world. God takes those broken pieces and rearranges them into prisms that reflect his light from every angle.
View 1233BThe Power in Our PastGod makes no mistakes. Nothing is done that He is not aware of and not prepared to use for his glory. Nothing. That is the subject of this study. It is about how the God of Eternity takes the events of the past and uses them in the present to equip us for the future. The life of Joseph ought to remind us as few things can, just how much higher His ways are than ours.
View 1234AThe Blessing of WeaknessHow are we blessed by our weaknesses? In this lesson we take a look at five principles revealed in Scripture, concerning how God uses our weaknesses for His glory. Instead of looking at our weaknesses as a detriment we can begin looking on weakness as God sees it--a springboard for revealing the glory of God. As Paul says, " My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." We need no longer look on our weaknesses as excuses for bad behavior, but as a way in which people can see God's strength as never before.
View 1234BThe Miracle of Plan "B"We are all caught up in the world's concepts of what is "good" and what is "bad". God's concepts are almost always the opposite. Secular counselors will argue that the deep problems in our personalities and our behavior are the direct result of traumas or abuses or rejections in our childhood. We need not disagree. What they overlook, however, is that the negative traits those incidents produced are character in the making. This lesson will show you how every negative trait is a positive quality misused.
View 1235ANineteen Ninety LastBeginning again! Isn't it wonderful that God gives us reminders that we can begin anew with Him. As we look at the sunrise of a new day, the first day of the week, or a new year, each is a revealing of God's mercy. Why did God create New Years? More importantly, we should ask ourselves how that should affect our plans and our goals beginning today? How will we begin anew being faithful to what God has called us to do?
View 1235BThe Story of Your LifeYou are an autobiography in the making. No one else is made exactly like you. You have been given specific gifts and talents. Nothing you have experienced is accidental or incidental. It is all part of a life message. God is writing in you. Your design and experiences are vital ingredients to making a man or a woman for God to use someplace no one else can go. What about my physical abilities? my failures? the trauma I have experienced? my parents? God is creating a beautiful story through you and in you and it isn't finished yet. Only when he takes you in his arms and brings you home will your story be complete.
View Let God Be God (969-997)
969ASatan's SlingshotSpiritual pride. It is so subtle, so disguised in spiritual robes that we miss it. Satan has taken that old rascal "self" yanked him out of his coffin, dusted him off, and set him on the front pew. In Satan's slingshot, in this generation, is the most dangerous form of pride of all: spiritual pride. It masquerades itself as righteousness, when in reality it is the most subtle form of self-righteousness known to man. We must never forget how God feels about pride.
View 969BWhat Is HumilityHumility is the life of Christ giving Himself away with no regard to recognition: its only reward the joy of having pleased the Father. Humility has no rights to claim; no recognition to demand; no results to be guaranteed. It only has one purpose... to reveal the incredible, supernatural life of Jesus Christ in the midst of a world that is struggling to prove itself by declaring itself to be important. How do we go about gaining that humility that was so evident in the life of Christ? That is the subject of our lesson.
View 970AThe Bus Is LeavingJesus laid it all on the line. To Him, discipleship was nothing more and nothing less than dying to yourself and letting God be God in you. You can't live the Christian life; God has to live it; therefore, all He's asking you to do is let Him. Did you, like the disciples, begin your walk with God, not knowing just what it was that God was calling you to do? Did you assume the world's posture that God in you would now rescue you from what the world calls trouble? What is He calling you to do? How does this definition of discipleship apply to your life today? What choice will you make?
View 970B"Be Still"Be still! The very words seem out of place in our society. We have become so busy, we have forgotten our true priority of sitting at the feet of Jesus and realizing who He is. Until we can learn to be still, we cannot win life's battles or learn life's lessons. There are two ways to be still. We can choose to be still setting aside time to wait on God, or we can be stilled by the circumstances of life until we have no choice. In either case, God wants us to stand still and be still, so that we might see the salvation of the Lord. He wants to fight for us, but He can't if we won't stop long enough to let Him.
View 971ALet God Be GodWhat does it mean to make Jesus Lord of your life? How does God live in you as He lived in His own Son? Does this mean a life free from suffering? It didn't for Jesus. Does that mean a life of prosperity? It didn't for Jesus. Does that mean a life free of persecution? It didn't for Jesus. It means a life of Spirit-controlled joy in the midst of persecution; a life of Spirit -controlled peace in the midst of suffering. Have you ever surrendered your life to the Lordship of Christ? You cannot live the Christian life, but God can. Just let God be God.
View 971BWhen the Warfare Gets ToughWhen the warfare gets tough, God wants to fight for us. Our lesson takes a look at Jesus as He was led into the wilderness and tempted by Satan. His life demonstrates in the testings of life, in the battlefields we face daily, how God behaves when He is allowed to be God in us. How does Satan attack us, and how does God respond? As we look at the life of Jesus, we will see the power of God at work just as that same power can be demonstrated through us who believe.
View 972AAnd the Angels CameAs we look again at the story of Jesus' temptation in the wilderness, this lesson will center around three statements made in that passage; statements that seem to be central in the unfolding of the layers of truth that are lovingly wrapped around this conflict of the ages. The first of the three statements holds the key to how Satan attacks the child of God. The second holds the key to how God in man responds to those attacks. The third holds they key to how a loving Father always ends a successful battle.
View 972BAll These Things I Will Give You ifThis lesson takes a close look at the third, perhaps the deadliest, temptation. It is a subtle affront to God What were "all these things" that Satan had vowed to give Jesus? And what was the catch? See how Satan uses the "Two Kingdom Lie" to try to lure us into his camp.
View 973AWho Are YouIn this lesson we will take a look at the life of John the Baptist who knew exactly who He was and who His Lord was. As people came to John the Baptist, they began looking to him as the Messiah, instead of merely a channel God was using. They saw him as the power source and not just the vessel. Men seek to glory in men; men seek to glory in churches; men seek to glory in systems. Our belief needs to be in the Creator God. Do you acknowledge God's greatness, but inwardly wonder how God ever managed before He had you to use? Do you let others brag on your ministry? Do you promote yourself, your ministry, or you church as though by promoting it you were proclaiming Christ? If so, you need to look at Who Are You.
View 973BFollow MeAs Jesus called out his disciples, he said two simple words-follow me. Following means total abandonment of what you intended to become; total abandonment of what you intended to own; total abandonment of what you intended to accomplish. It means death to self. Is Jesus asking you to follow Him today in some area of your life?
View 974AOverturned TablesThe message of the overturned tables is, in reality, a singular message. It is that religion is not a business; it is a relationship with the Living God. Whatever business is necessary to define and develop that relationship, God honors. Whatever goes beyond that and becomes self-serving and self-perpetuating God loathes. Thus we see Jesus in the temple demonstrate more righteous indignation than at any other time as he drives the money changers from the temple.
View 974BYe Must Be Born AgainThe story of Nicodemus reveals to us just why Jesus came. Nicodemus came to Jesus wanting to know who He was. But he couldn't. He did not possess the capability to understand spiritual truth, because he was spiritually dead. So Jesus, rather than tell Nicodemus who he was, told him what he needed to do to find out. He had to be born again. Find out what it means to be born again and know not only about God, but really know God.
View 975AHow Can These Things BeAs we look again at the story of Nicodemus, we take a closer look at what it means to be "born again". Jesus explains that there are clearly two worlds, the world of the flesh and the world of the spirit. We have all been born of the flesh, but not until we are born of the spirit can we see God's kingdom. For a second time Jesus reveals the miracle of the second birth. Listen as Jesus explains.
View 975BYes Jesus Loves MeAs we look once again at the subject of being born again, we see that not only must man be born again, but there must be a perfect sacrifice for this to take place. As we take a look at the most memorized passage in Scripture, John 3:16, we see the awesome love of God. He sent His only Son in our place to take away our sins. Satan says that salvation is a mirage. God just came to earth to condemn us. The Eternal, Living, Creator God came to earth for only one reason: to rescue those who were perishing and give them life.
View 976ALiving WaterOur Scripture for this lesson is Matthew chapter 4, which is the story of Jesus' encounter with the woman at the well. Our primary reason for this series of lessons was to seek to discern how Jesus behaves in the marketplace of life. Therefore, we must cautiously observe why Jesus went through Samaria, and why Jesus spoke to this woman. See how Jesus used such a common thing as water to begin a conversation of spiritual things. How patient He was and how quietly He moved with the Truth. What is the message of the Living Water that He brought to this woman?
View 976BNow, I KnowThere are two absolutes that we find all throughout Scripture. They are the universality of sin and the love of God. One requires the other. Without a knowledge of sin, we will never appreciate God's love. As we look again at the story of the Samaritan woman there are four truths that become evident concerning our relationship to God. As we examine these truths we will see that to know about God is not the same as knowing God.
View 977AThey Left Everything (Part 1)How did Jesus draw men who would leave everything they had to follow him? In this lesson we will look at how Jesus drew a crowd, how he designed his facilities, how he developed a ministry and how he defined discipleship. The church of today needs to look at the example of Jesus instead of man's techniques and man's technology as the basis for growth. If we lift up the Word of God and teach it without apology, without compromise, without retreating, but with compassion and love, the crowds God wants us to teach will come.
View 977BThey Left Everything (Part 2)In part two of this lesson, we will look further at what it means to develop a ministry, and what it means to be a disciple. Jesus teaches us that a successful ministry is one in which the one doing the ministering has no expectations based on his own natural talents or abilities. He has no expectations based on prior performance or the world's plans. He is simply available to the Master. As he becomes available he leaves everything to follow Him. His goal is no longer self-motivated, but self-abandonment. Jesus is calling us to everything to have nothing. He is calling us to leave the unimportant to find the important. He is asking us to turn our backs on the temporary to experience the eternal. Follow Him.
View 978AIn Solitary PlacesIt is in solitary places that God and man most often conduct business which is eternal. God still does His greatest work when we retire for a time to solitary places. Jesus kept withdrawing to be alone with The Father and once alone, He prayed. Man in our age has no time for the solitary place; no time to recharge the batteries of his spirit apart from the drain of daily activities. Jesus had to have it, and now Jesus lives in us. Therefore, He in us demands it, if we are to maintain that level of fellowship with the Son that the Son had to have with the Father.
View 978BWho Can Forgive SinsA paralytic man is lowered from the roof of a house right in front of Jesus. What will Jesus do? He said to the paralytic, "Take courage young man, your sins are forgiven you." The scribes and Pharisees among them began to murmur, "Who can forgive sins but God?' Had Jesus simply said "Rise up and walk", they would have been satisfied, but only God can forgive sins. Which is more important? The miracle of forgiveness is much more powerful than the miracle of healing. Only God can forgive sin.
View 979AChasing After ShadowsThe Jews began accusing Jesus of not complying with the law, although it was really their tradition. The issue of the Sabbath was in question. Was it right to work on the Sabbath, and what constituted work? What is right to heal on the Sabbath? The Jews had taken the principles of God and turned them into a religious system. Today we might call it legalism. There are several major issues about which we must never compromise, but as a church we are not to get at odds with our brothers over the traditions of men or the interpretations of men that our church or group has elevated to the place of infallibility. Give God room to work. Look beyond the pettiness to the principle.
View 979BSalt from the SteepleSalt from the steeple; light from the hill. Two amazing commodities, so simple, so available, so seemingly insignificant that they would be overlooked in man's scramble for a more complicated formula with which to impress a searching world. Salt from the steeple; light from the hill. Could it really be that simple? If so, then why wasn't the world transformed in a generation? Jesus clearly explained that as well.
View 980ALet Your Light So ShineLight is not a quality, or a creation or a force, it is a person. Jesus Christ is The Light. If we are to be lights, we are to be inhabited by that person. The character of light, then, is a reflection of a Person. What will this light do when properly allowed to shine? What happens when we succumb to the curse of becoming hidden light? This is the subject of Jesus' lesson to his disciples.
View 980BSound No TrumpetIn Matthew chapter six, Jesus began teaching on the evidences of deeper spirituality. To the Jew, there were three great religious activities which set a man apart as spiritually successful: almsgiving, praying, and fasting. These were the hallmarks of a religious man. It was here that Jesus chose to pull back the layers of artificial godliness and expose man for what he really is apart from the grace of God. What we do will be rewarded either in this life or in eternity, not in both. If our motivation is to do things for men, we have received our reward; but if our motivation is to please God, we are to sound no trumpets, for God sees us and our reward will be eternal.
View 981APray Like ThisThe Lord's Prayer- many of us have read it, memorized it ,andit, and recited it many times. But, do we use it as the pattern God intended it to be? In Matthew chapter six, Jesus shows us a pattern of how to come before God in prayer. This study is about that model. It is the beginning of a look at that portion of the Sermon on the Mount that teaches us how to pray.
View 981BOne Day at a TimeGive us this day our daily bread. Our God wants us to ask Him to meet our needs, not because He does not know what they are; He knows long before we ask. He knows, but in all likelihood, we don't. Therefore, He insists that we ask. It will exercise our faith; it will make us dependent; and it will multiply His glory. Every day we must come before Him and ask.
View 982AFree At LastWe need to learn to pray as Jesus prayed and forgive as He forgave. We have been loosed from the prison house of sin by a gracious God. We have been forgiven. We can make a mockery of that forgiveness by refusing to forgive others, and thus willingly enter again into bondage, or we can walk into the sunlight of a new life. Because of the great forgiveness we have received, we are to pour that forgiveness liberally into the lives of all who might offend us.
View 982BLead Us Not Into TemptationEvery day we are tempted and every day we must pray that God will deliver us from falling into the hands of Satan. The battle goes on and the enemy will attack. God can remove the conflict; and God can remove us from the conflict. Usually, He does neither. He wants us to be tested that we might come forth as gold. In that flaming furnace of old, God desires that the world around us see us go through the fire. God is there to deliver us... not from it; but through it.
View 983AThine Is the KingdomWhen we pray "Thine is the Kingdom", we are bowing before the one who owns us and acknowledging His ownership. This world is His; He owns it. Our life is His; He purchased it. Eternity is His; He will reign over it. Is He our King at the altar of worship? Is He our King when the bullets begin to fly, and the bombs begin to fall? Our will needs to surrender to God's for His is the Kingdom.
View 983BThine Is the PowerAll power belongs to God. He is the omnipotent, all-powerful God of creation. There is nothing He cannot do. Therefore, there is nothing we cannot trust Him to do. We can trust His Word, because He has the power to keep His Word... We can trust His love, because He has the power to demonstrate His love. We can trust His righteousness, because He has the power to defend His righteousness. His is the power. We can trust in Him.
View 984AThine Is the GloryJust what do we know of God's glory? Do we know what it is? We can hardly ask for it unless we do. Is glory something we give to God? If so, why does He need it? Isn't He all-sufficient? Or is glory something God reveals to us? If so, can we handle it? Or is glory a place we will someday enjoy. If so, then how can we experience it now? Just what is God's glory? And if "the glory belongs to God", then how can we "Give God the Glory." That is the subject of our lesson.
View 984BForever, AmenAs we conclude this series of lessons on the Lord's Prayer, we will look at our concept of eternity. Are we living for the here and now ,now, or are we living for eternity? As we seek to answer that question, we will see how our perspective will change, our pursuits will change and our concept of praise will change.
View 985AWhere Your Treasure IsFor where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Is our treasure in heaven or on earth? What do we treasure? In this lesson we are asked three questions concerning our treasure. The answers to these questions may well help determine where our treasures are. We need to examine ourselves to see where our hearts really lie.
View 985BConsider the LiliesHow anxious are you? How fretful? How much of your idle time is spent in answering "what if" questions in your mind to a make-believe stranger? How tense do you get when life empties its clouds of doom over your house and the world has no answers? Beloved, consider the lilies. They toil not; neither do they spin. If our precious God, who so clothes the grass of the field, which is present today and gone tomorrow, how much more concerned will He be for your welfare.
View 986AWhere Has All the Love GoneJesus did not come to teach us how to take what was ours... Satan had already taught us that! Jesus came to teach us how to give away, how to turn loose of everything we have. He came to teach us how to give in order to teach us how to live. He came to demonstrate how to give a life away! That is where we will take up in this lesson.
View 986BSeeking First the Kingdom of GodTo seek first the Kingdom is to place as our only priority in life the Mind of Christ. We should have as our only goal in life, to see life from God's perspective. What are the characteristics of a church which is seeking first the kingdom? What has happened to the church today? Where has all of the power gone? Maybe we have confused the kingdoms. Which kingdom are we really seeking? We will take a closer look at that question in this lesson.
View 987AGod's Boomerang LawsThe Word of God has a lot to say about cause and effect. At the outset of Matthew 7 and the corresponding passage in Luke 6, we find our Lord explaining some spiritual laws that appear to have even more direct cause and effect results; results that would always come back to the Christian in exact measure and in exactly the same area of the Christian's life. Jesus took four of the most crucial areas of Christian behavior and tied a boomerang to them, so they would return in the exact measure and to the exact place we let them go. They are the law of judging, the law of condemning, the law of forgiving and the law of giving. Which do we want coming back to us?
View 987BI am not worthyHow aware are we of the greatness of God? The centurion with the sick child understood. His faith touched the heart of God as he cried out, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you even come under my roof. " It is only as we adopt the mindset of this centurion that we will ever truly adopt the mind of Christ? Is it because, when we look in the mirror, we do not like ourselves? No, it is because when we look at Jesus, we do not so much as think of ourselves. Our minds are totally absorbed with the honor of being His.
View 988AAriseGod can deliver us from life's unpleasantries, and He will, if that is all we have the faith to believe He can do. But, quarantined Christians don't win many battles. Quarantined Christians don't claim many victories. That is why mature Christians will constantly be passing through the fires of life. The men and women in the Word, who were men and women after God's own heart, spent their lives doing battle with enemies and winning.
View 988BThe Seed is the WordThis lesson centers around an important parable that Jesus taught concerning the seed bearing fruit in certain types of soils. Many refer to this parable as the parable of the soils. It should rather be considered the parable of the seed. The seed is the Word of God. . Only one thing will bring others to Christ and that is the Word of God. That is why we must stay in the Scriptures day and night if we are to stay in God's will. Do we dare give the Word anything less than it's rightful place in our lives? Dare we treat it as anything less than our necessary food?
View 989AThe Sower Sows the WordThe godly sower knows the seed. He knows it is precious. He knows it is pure. He knows it is powerful. He knows it is permanent. The godly sower sows the seed without wavering, without compromising, without complaining without doubting and without glorying. But above all, He sows the seed. He knows that it was not entrusted to him for him to start a seed museum, but to sow the seed. Perhaps it is time that some of us stopped clutching the seed, or storing the seed, and simply began to sow the seed.
View 989BThen Came the Seed SnatcherThe Scriptures give us a very balanced picture of Satan. He is described in great detail, but always to give us an understanding of his tactics, not a fear of his actions. We are admonished to be aware of his authority, but to be even more aware of the far greater authority of the indwelling Christ. Nearly every time we see the power of Satan mentioned in the New Testament, it is mentioned to draw attention to the power of God. Our purpose in this lesson is to draw attention to the remarks Jesus made about the evil one, and the resulting glory that will accrue to God as we are made aware of how he works.
View 990ARootsThis is a lesson about roots. It is a lesson on what makes a tree grow strong enough to weather life's storms, and correspondingly what makes a man or woman grow strong enough to weather life's storms as well. In both cases, it's the same, roots. That is why we need to lay aside every other thing we consider important in this life, and place at the top of the order of priorities in our lives the process of developing roots.
View 990BDon't choke the WordThe cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in ;in; these things choke the Word. And when they do, no matter how much we study; no matter how much we hear; no matter how faithful we seem to be to the outward evidences of religiosity... little by little, the cancerous disease of compromise eats away at the fiber of our beings, and the Word becomes unprofitable. We never stopped planting the Word in our life, but we didn't tend the garden. We didn't root out the weeds as they began to grow, and because in the spiritual realm they didn't show, we assumed they were not doing any damage. Wrong!
View 991AEleven Fifty-Nine and HoldingIf we were to assume this was the year of the Lord's return, how would it affect our lives? We are destined to choose at the start of each year whether or not that year will see our perspective broaden, and our walk with God deepen, or not. Do we get as excited about heaven as we do about a new house? Does the thought of spending eternity with Jesus captivate our hearts morning, noon ,noon, and night? It is time to take inventory of where our hearts are focused in this new year.
View 991BThe Miracle of MultiplicationThe miracle of miracles is the message of multiplication. It is God taking soil the likes of our hearts and using that. He takes the Seed of His Word and pours it into our lives, producing fruit adequate to feed the world, spiritually. That's the miracle. What are the methods God uses for this multiplication? There are a variety of ways, but this lesson will zero in on four of them. We need to tend the soil of our lives as the parable has warned us to do and let God be Himself in us. We will see Him multiply Himself through our lives in ways we could not imagine.
View 992ASpiritual Soil ConservationJesus said the key to the harvest is in the seed. We must be hearing The Word constantly. The soil must be ready for the seed. It must fall into an honest and good heart. We will take a look at what each of those words mean. We are then to turn the Word into understanding by personalizing the Scripture and applying it to our lives. Jesus also tells us we must be patient as the seed grows. Gradually a Christ-likeness will settle into our spirit and a godliness beam from our faces, we are in the process of becoming the man or woman we were meant to be.
View 992BPeace Be StillIs it possible to have peace in the midst of life's storms? As the disciples faced the storm, they became afraid. They thought that Jesus did not care about them. Do we feel that way also in the midst of trying circumstances? Jesus, as always, was trying to teach the disciples through the storm to rest in Him. He wants us to take a deep breath and say to our anxious souls: "Peace, Be Still". He may speak to the winds, and they may cease. He may speak to the waves, and in an instant, they may become like a crystal sea. However, He may choose to say to our hearts, "Rest, my child, in Me."
View 993AWho Needs a DoctorWe have been called to serve one another. To do that, we've got to go where the people are. We have to accept, like Jesus, the tax collector's invitation to have supper with the city's ten most hated list. We have to go, bathed in the love of Christ, not to enjoy their sin or be attracted by their greed, but neither to condemn them by ignoring them or condescending to them. They need Jesus. We have Jesus. They are sick. We know the Doctor.
View 993BWhile He Was SpeakingJesus took one day at a time. One interruption at a time. One crisis at a time. If while He was yet speaking, another crisis arose, He quietly dealt with what seemed to be most immediate, and left the long-range solutions in the hands of the Father. That is the key to the Christ-filled, joy-filled, Christian life--letting God be Himself. When we do that, we do not become frantic, even if while we are speaking, or as we are going, another seemingly impossible crisis arises.
View 994AFrom Death to LifeWhere man's relationship with God is concerned, true strength comes from known dependence, not from independence. Jesus said clearly, "I am the way, I am the truth, I am the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." We have a choice to come to God only through accepting Jesus Christ as our Saviour. Our lives become dependent on His. The minute we invite Him in us as our Saviour, we pass from death to life. Our old self dies, and we are eternally connected to Jesus. He is waiting for us to ask Him in today.
View 994BMore Than Many SparrowsIt is time for the disciples to embark on their first real venture of evangelism. Jesus taught them a few things concerning what they would face and what they should do. The Lord warned them about the kind of reception the world would give them, but He also gave them words of encouragement concerning the power of the words they speak. He also spoke of how much the Father loved them, and with those words, the twelve went out with boldness--will we?
View 995AGod's Plan for SurvivalWhat is God's plan for survival in a conflict that will not end until the enemy has been trodden underfoot? In Matthew 10, Jesus gives us some guidelines for surviving the attack of the enemy. We are to identify ourselves with the Lord and recognize the devices of the enemy. We are to stop holding back anything that keeps us from being a good soldier. We will take a good look at things that can hold us back and cause us to compromise our course. We are also to remember that the outcome is not up to us. We are the soldiers, and God is the Commander-in-Chief. It won't be easy, but the eternal reward is great.
View 995BWhat Are These Among So ManyFive little loaves and a pair of fish. What were these among so many? Jesus intended to retreat with His disciples to a quiet place and He did, but a great number of people appeared. What would Jesus do? He welcomed them, and taught them. He talked to them about the Kingdom of God and He healed those who had need of healing. Jesus also saw that the people were hungry. He was quite aware of the numbers and what He would have to work with, but the less He has to work with, the more He can do. Jesus keeps reaching out and showing us that He is all we need.
View 996AIT IS.. I AMJesus had sent the disciples away, because He needed to be alone. What a startling commentary on us in our lives of busyness! Examine why Jesus felt the need to be alone. However, the disciples had taken charge again and had gotten in their boats. A storm arose and Jesus saw that they were afraid. We watch, in this lesson, as Jesus walks on top of the circumstances rather that being tossed about by the circumstances. He comfortingly says, "It is I Am. Do not fear." Why did the disciples panic? Why didn't they expect Him to come? Why didn't they recognize Him when He did come?
View 996BI AM the Bread of LifeJesus is the great I Am. He did not come to demonstrate how to feed the masses with a minimum of food, nor did He come to demonstrate to doctors how to heal with a minimum amount of medicine. He didn't come to demonstrate how to walk on water, or entertain, or educate the religiously acceptable of our society. He is nothing less than the Bread of Life. If a man takes of Him, he will never hunger again; he will never thirst again. When people come looking for the living bread, will they find the Bread of Life living in us?
View 997AMy Time Has Not Yet ComeJesus got more done in three years than anyone else would have in three thousand years. Yet, He was never rushed. Never panicked. Never frantic. Never distraught. He just took His time, and when the pressure began to build, instead of trying to do more, He spent more time in the Father's presence, so He could be sure that He did what He did in the Father's strength. When the time was right, He went. Not a minute before; not a minute late. God's timing is always perfect.
View 997BNeither Do I Condemn YouNo matter what we have done, the God who framed the worlds has created an even greater miracle than the sun and the moon, and He has packaged it just for us. It is called "Grace." There is no scar that can exist in our lives today that cannot be covered over with the blood of Jesus Christ. If we have refused to come to Christ, because we feel our sins are too great for God to forgive; this story was written for us. Just as the woman caught in adultery found out, God's forgiveness knows no limits.
View Little Known Legends (1244-1249)
1244AAnd His Wife's Name was AbigailAbigail was the portrait of an intercessor. Being willing to stand in the gap for her foolish husband, Nabal, we see Abigail as a living legend that serves as an example to us today. Perhaps there is someone God has placed in your path who has taken a foolish path. Like Abigail you have been called to the role of an intercessor. Interceding is dangerous, tiring, and hard. It makes us vulnerable and humbles us causing us to be reminded that apart from God's grace, we, too, would be Nabals.
View 1244BJehu: But Not With All His HeartJehu was a little-known king of Israel. Through this one unheralded hero, Jehovah overturned generations of witchcraft, immorality and disobedience to His laws. All he possessed was a record of obedience to God's commands--it was not because of his ability, but because of his availability. However, later in life, Jehu did not keep the law of the Lord with all of his heart. Jehu began to lose battles, and Israel began to become a second-rate power. All he lacked was one thing--he did not seek the Lord with all his heart.
View 1245AMicaiah: Mark My Words, All You PeopleMicaiah was a prophet of the Lord. He stood alone in speaking God's truth to the people regardless if what he said went against popular opinion. He was a man drawn into a difficult situation with impossible odds, and all he had to do was to agree with the majority, but the majority were not in harmony with the Word of God. When all about us compromises are being made, would we consider the Word of God more important than our lives?
View 1245BBarzillai: "I Will Provide for You"God has a way of meeting His people's needs, and often it is through other people. God used Barzillai to provide for the needs of King David while he was in hiding from Absalom. He was hungry, tired and thirsty; but he risked his life to see that the need of King David was met. Here was a man who understood how to give of himself unselfishly. When God's man has a need, let nothing stand in our way of serving.
View 1246AJosiah: He Did What Was RightMany times we read of children who grew up in a wicked environment with ungodly parents, but by God's grace there would rise up a man or woman whose heart beat for God. Such a man was Josiah. What characterized this man? "He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord... not turning aside to the right or to the left." We find two things consistent in the life of Josiah--a hatred for sin and an awe for God's Word. Take a closer look at this one who simply wanted to do His Father's will.
View 1246BElizabeth: Blessed is SheElizabeth was a woman of faith and humility. She, like Abraham, had enough faith to believe that "what God had promised, He is also able to perform." She waited for years for the promise to come true; but when God spoke, she believed.
View 1247AJochebed: By FaithJochebed was a Hebrew woman who refused to obey the Pharaoh's edict to drown her child. Instead, she hid her child as long as she could and finally hid him in a makeshift basket of reeds along the Nile. Thus began the life of Moses. By faith, she had to give up what was hers, because what was hers was God's. How can we give our children back to God? Look to the life of Jochebed.
View 1247BTychicus:God is looking for those who will be faithful. Tychicus was such a man. Tychicus was the Apostle Paul's right-hand man. He was available to Paul to do what was needed. There are many jobs in the Christian community that just require faithful availability.. There needs to be someone who is always ready to do the little things. Someone who, if he says he will do it, he does it.
View 1248APhinehas: A Lasting PriesthoodPhinehas' entrance into Israel came at a time when the Word of God was being violated and the heart of God broken. In the midst of flagrant violations of God's holiness, Phinehas moves on stage zealous for God's honor. When God's honor is at stake, the believer must not remain idle. When men and women who profess to be Christians violate basic Scriptural principles, the church has an obligation to act.
View 1248BZerubbabel: A Type of ChristZerubbabel was one of the Babylonian captives. He was chosen by King Cyrus to lead the Jews out of Babylon and back to their homeland to build their temple. As we will see, God placed his hand upon this man and chose him to sit in an exalted position in the restored kingdom and through his life to paint a graphic picture of the one who sits even today at the right hand of the Father.
View 1249AZerubbabel: A Type of Christ (Part 2)Zerubbabel is a type of Christ in the Old Testament. As he led his people out of Babylonian captivity, we get a glimpse of what it will be like when Christ will take us home. He possessed a heart for God's Word. He finished the course with joy. He possessed a deep desire to worship. How can we learn from Zerubbabel's example?
View 1249BHave You Ever Heard of Asa?Asa did it God's way. In this lesson we see spiritual leadership in action as Asa tears down strongholds and encounters spiritual warfare. What was the secret of Asa's victory? What deep battles are you facing in your life right now? Learn from Asa what the real battle is all about.
View Living Legends 1 (701-737)
701AGod's Living LegendsIn this series of lessons, God takes seemingly unusable people and through the miracle of his transforming power makes them into living legends. We are going to take God's Biographical Express and travel back to the beginning of time and examine the lives, both good and bad, of the men and women God chose to include in Scripture. We will begin at the beginning with Adam. Have you ever looked at what Adam had going for him? He had the world's best father, a direct line to heaven, a perfect environment, and a marriage made in heaven. What was Adam's problem?
View 701BAdam: Was He Content?Contentment. Probably no attitude so stands at the core of man's rebellion than the absence of contentment. What is contentment? We will look at some suggestions for maintaining a contented spirit in a world that wants desperately to steer our focus onto anything other than God.
View 702AAdam: Was He Faithful?If there is any one thing the Scripture teaches that God desires of His children, it is faithfulness. He does not measure a man by how many talents he has, nor does God measure man by his accomplishments, or his busyness. How then does God measure a man? How does God measure a woman? We will look at one of God's most crucial plumb lines. God's measure of a man: Is He Faithful?
View 702BAdam: Was He Responsible?Was Adam responsible? A responsible spirit is the attitude that seeks no scapegoats in life. It is the quiet accountability for one's actions and attitudes. Instead, as we look at the life of Adam, we see him playing a game of "Hide and Seek" with God, but can we really hide from God?
View 703ACain and Able at the CrossroadsThere are only two roads that man can travel. There is the way of Cain. It is "the way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof is the way of death." It is the way of self-destruction. The other way is the way of Abel-the way of life. It is the way of the Cross. This lesson will examine both paths to see where they ultimately lead.
View 703BAs It Was In the Days of NoahDo you want a picture of what life will be in the last days? We need to look to what life was like in the days of Noah, for the Scripture says " as it was in the days of Noah, so it shall be in the last days." There are at least twelve symptoms or similarities that we will look at between Noah,'s days, Lot's days, and the last days.
View 704ANoah Found GraceHave you ever wondered how many it takes to make a majority with God? Do you ever feel alone on your job, because you are the only Christian there? Do you ever feel as though you are the only Christian in your family? What does it take for God to act? One faithful man; one faithful woman.
View 704BThe Message of the StormThe Bible has only one message: Jesus. The Old Testament stories act out on the stage of life the story of Jesus. In this lesson we will learn six truths about Jesus from Noah, and in learning these truths we will also begin to learn what our response should be in the midst of the storm.
View 705AThus Did NoahMan's problem and our problem is not finding the will of God, it is doing the will of God. If everyone of us purposed to obey without hesitation or compromise, we would begin to see lives that have direction, peace, strength and fellowship. God said to Noah, "Do this." Noah heard him, because he was available. Being available, Noah obeyed.
View 705BRemember Lot's WifeLot's life was a series of choices. These choices led up to inevitable disaster. Our lives are also a series of choices, and it is the little choices that are, the essence of man. Lot identified with the pleasures of this world. He thought it would have no damaging effect on his life and his walk with God, but it reduced his life to ashes.
View 706AStakes, Altars, and RoadblocksStakes, altars, and roadblocks. These are reminders to stop, reminders to worship, reminders not to pass that way again. That was God's plan for Lot, but Lot forgot. We are a lot like Lot.
View 706BThe High Cost of Living in SodomWhere are you living spiritually? Have you built your home in Sodom amidst the glamour of the world? Are you beginning to accept the world's standards of morality, of holiness, of marriage, of integrity or spirituality? Learning from Lot, we cannot afford to live in Sodom anymore.
View 707AJoining the CIAAs we end our look at Lot's life, let's look once again at the message God wants to give us through Lot. It is the simple message that God wants total commitment and total surrender. He wants us to quit playing around in two worlds and make a decision to follow Him no matter what the cost.
View 707BIshmael and the All Things of LifeOne of the hardest things for us to comprehend is that God can even use our stupid mistakes, our deliberate wrong choices, and our acts of impulse to bring about a testimony of His grace. As we look at the life of Ishmael, we will see that God never makes a mistake. Even our bad choices can become putty in the hands of Sovereignty.
View 708AIsaac, Where Is the LambWhat if you had to give up your only son? God asked Abraham to do just that. He tested Abraham's commitment to Him by asking him to give up the very son God had promised to him. This lesson is very applicable to all parents as God calls us to yield our children to Him and have complete faith in Him.
View 708BIsaac: Here Comes the BrideGod has a far deeper significance to marriage than its physical and earthly implications. Marriage is designed to be a portrait of the relationship of Christ and His church. In this lesson we will look at those implications as well as some important principles of marriage itself.
View 709AIf It Be So, Then Why?Isaac and Rebekah were God's special saints chosen for each other with a divine destiny awaiting them, their children, and their children's children. But trouble fee? No way. If God has designed a plan for us, why does He throw in such difficulties? If God has chosen us, why do we suffer such pain? We can find much comfort in the story from Genesis.
View 709BJacob/Esau Lets Make a DealJacob and Esau were as different as night and day. Each had a parent who favored him and the scene was soon set for an extremely competitive household in which principles took a back seat to attaining a goal. There are several principles we can learn from this lesson on bringing up our children, as well as several examples of what not to do.
View 710ADear Gabby, Dear IsaacLife was beginning to look discouraging to Isaac. He had division in his family, deception from his son, disappointment in his son's choices, and a disability that caused him not to see. What was God doing to His chosen? We will find in this lesson that God is in control. He still loves us, and His plan never changes.
View 710BThe Transformation of JacobIn this lesson we will see how God began transforming the life of Jacob. At last Jacob recognizes a need for God, and God confronts him. Conversion takes a moment, but transformation a life timelifetime. God uses many situations, many people, and a variety of difficulties to cause His child to draw close to Him. In this lesson discover four principles that surfaced as we look at the transformation of the life of Jacob.
View 711AJacob: Return to BethelJacob returned to Bethel at God's command. There he separated himself from the world, and gained an unbelievable power over the enemy. There he learned to revere, remember, and renew his relationship with God. At Bethel life took on a new perspective. It is at Bethel that we receive a new beginning.
View 711BJoseph: The Dothan ConspiracyAs we look at the first in a series of lessons on God's living legends, Joseph, we see someone who is insensitive, insightful, visionary, yet prideful. What must God allow to transform Joseph into a person He has destined to deliver His people? It wasn't what Joseph would have chosen, yet in this man we will see a portrait of Jesus Christ.
View 712ASuccess on the JobAs we continue to observe the life of Joseph, we see that he is sold to a wealthy Egyptian where he became very successful. How can we become like Joseph on the job? There are twenty qualities from the life of Joseph that we are to emulate, if we are to be a successful Christian in our places of work.
View 712BHave You Considered My ServantThis lesson finds our Living Legend, Joseph, being tempted and then unjustly accused by Potiphar's wife. We might ask "Is there justice with God?" God answers "Yes." We see the wicked prospering all around us, while God's children suffer. We will look, in this lesson, at why we suffer justly, and why Christians suffer unjustly as Joseph did.
View 713AJoseph: It is Not in MeThe reality of the Christian life is "Christ in you, the hope of glory." So it was with Joseph. He had learned that of himself he could do nothing. When God chooses to use him, all of the glory will go where all of the glory belongs, to God. "It is not in me," Joseph answered, "But let me tell you of One who can." Thus began Joseph's ascent to greatness.
View 713BTo God Be the GloryIn this lesson, we will look at how to deal with success and give glory to God. We will look for a definition of glory and at who we rob when we take the praise that belongs to Him. All of the glory belongs to Him and Him alone.
View 714AThe Road to RepentanceThis lesson reveals Joseph as face to face with his brothers, the same brothers who had sold him. What was the way Joseph's brothers had to travel to get to the place of repentance? What was Joseph's response? Finally, what is the picture of restoration we see in this lesson?
View 714BGod Meant It For GoodWe begin our journey through the final days of Joseph's life by taking a look at the story itself. We will be looking at the story in terms of the foreshadowing of Jesus. What a beautiful picture of a Sovereign God and a grand reunion that will come someday at Christ's return.
View 715AMoses: The Wonderful Ways of GodHave you ever done a study on the ways of God? Have you ever noticed it is almost never the way we would have planned it? This lesson will look at the ten common denominators or principles God always seems to adhere to in accomplishing His will.
View 715BMoses: In the Process of TimeMoses is seen in this lesson as a grown man forty years old. Moses chose to cast his lot with the Israelites rather than remain in Egypt. See how God gets a man ready to be used by Him. It took forty years to bring Moses to the point of dying to self. God now will present His call to Him.
View 716AMoses: Who Am I That I Should GoMoses was eighty when God called him to confront Pharaoh. He had several questions for God, one being, "who am I that I should go?" God wants to use us, but are we open to His call? God's plan will go on either way, but God wants us in on the blessing.
View 716BWho Is the LordWhen Moses told Pharaoh that the Lord had said "Let my people go," Pharaoh responds by speaking honestly that he did not know the Lord, so why should he obey. Good question. Can a heart without Christ understand the things of God? A heart must first be converted. Pharaoh would have nothing to do with this God.
View 717AMoses: Let My People GoGod's purposes, plans, and patience are always perfect. In this spiritual conflict between God and Pharaoh and the forces of Satan, God has his own timetable for victory. His timetable reveals perfectly to an unbelieving world who God is, and it magnifies His glory. In the midst of the conflict, no matter how the outcome might look, absolute victory belongs to the Lord.
View 717BWhen I See the BloodIn this lesson, we will look at the last of the plagues placed upon Egypt. In it we will see clearly God's plan of redemption. We will see a perfect picture of the way of salvation through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
View 718ALearning How to Walk With GodGod led Moses and His people. He taught Moses four key principles of walking with God as they came out of Egypt. He taught them how to walk in remembrance, so that they wouldn't make the same mistakes again. He taught them how to walk in His promises. He taught them how to travel the long road so that they would not interfere with His process. He taught them how to walk in His will. Walking with God hinges on being in step with Him.
View 718BMoses: Don't Be AfraidIs there a Red Sea in front of you, a sea of circumstances that seems difficult to cross? Are the footsteps of the enemy seemingly right behind you? Are you afraid because God seems so long in answering your prayers? Are you afraid of the odds that seem to be stacked against you? God has one answer to all of these concerns, "Don't be afraid. Just stand still and see what God can do."
View 719AThe Message of MannaManna is the paint on the artist's brush that paints a portrait of the provisions and the priorities of God. It not only teaches us truths about God's physical provisions, but also teaches us of the true bread of life, the Lord Jesus, Himself.
View 719BThe Glory of His PresenceThere is nothing we can do in our Christian experience that can substitute for spending quality time alone with God. Our task should be to do whatever, it takes to spend time alone with Him; so that we, like Moses, might begin to be so at home in His presence that He will proportionately increase our capacity to behold His glory, until one day we are at home in the glory of His presence.
View 720ACornerstones of the FaithWhat is the significance of the Ten Commandments to us? For God to make such an earth-shaking announcement, we know that he had earth-shaking purposes. What were they? Why the law? Are we not free from it? In this lesson, we will focus on the first three of the Ten Commandments.
View 720BThe Sabbath Rest of GodWhat are the principles behind the Sabbath Rest of God? Why was it designed by God in the first place? What is the meaning for us today, as believers, as we look at the spiritual rest that God emphasizes in the New Testament?
View 721AHonor Your ParentsWhat does it mean to honor your father and your mother? It includes more than obedience; it includes respect. In this lesson, we will take a look at seven ways we can show respect to our parents.
View 721BWanted for MurderMost of us have never committed murder, or have we? What is the Bible's definition of murder? What are its consequences? As we look at the sixth commandment, we will be surprised to realize that we have all murdered at one time or another.
View 722AAdultery: Disease of the EyeEvery generation, at regular intervals, needs to look carefully at what God says about the issues surrounding moral fidelity, because society is always in the process of redefining its concepts of morality. God, fortunately, never changes His. Any moral compromise is a sin against the character of God, against the temple of God, against our marriage to Christ. Thus it cannot be tolerated by the child of God.
View 722BAdultery: Disease of the Eye (Part 2)How do we treat the disease of adultery? In this lesson we will take a look at the Scripture to tell us how we can combat this disease effectively. The process of recovery can be slow and painful, but the cure is amazing.
View 723AThe Issue of IntegrityHow honest are you? Are you a man or woman of integrity? Would you rather die than take something that isn't yours or bend the truth just a little? Or have you been so affected by the world's philosophy and the world's standards that you simply bend the rules just enough to be respected by your peers? The issue of integrity is seen in the next two commandments, "Thou shalt not steal" and "Thou shalt not bear false witness".
View 723BThe Truth Will Set You FreeThe Scripture speaks out on the dangers of slandering your neighbor through false witness. However, the deeper problem is one of esteeming God's whole concept of truth. Nearly every passage on bearing false witness is set in the larger context of lying lips. As we look at this ninth commandment, we see that God is speaking of the greater issue of telling the truth in every situation.
View 724AIf Only I...In this lesson, we come to God's final commandment, "Thou shalt not covet." God despises a covetous spirit. What is coveting? Why does God hate it so much? How can we learn to be more thankful?
View 724BWhen The Heavens Appear To Be SilentWhen the heavens appear to be silent, it is because God is doing His most precious work. He is in the workshop of heaven building you a mansion. He is in the kitchen of heaven preparing you a feast. When the heavens are silent, you are in the midst of your greatest test, and God is in the midst of His greatest work. Don't move. Don't press God for some meaningless show of power. Be still. His silence is a sign that He is seasoning a whole new helping of faith for you.
View 725AWhy WanderIn spite of all that God had done for the Israelites and the way He had delivered them from Egypt, they still refused to believe they could conquer the land that God said was theirs. They came to the banks of the Jordan only to turn and wander back again into the wilderness of spiritual compromise. Why do we choose to wander? Would we rather have a life full of relative ease in the wilderness while never knowing the heart of God?
View 725BThe Roots of RebellionWhat is rebellion? There are basically three roots of rebellion, and the degree to which we deal with these is the degree that God will only be able to work in our lives. As we look in this lesson at Korah's challenge to Moses, we find a man filled with rebellion caused by an ungrateful spirit.
View 726ALessons for LeadersThis is a lesson for leaders. It has to do with the responsibility that accompanies authority and success. We will look at the closing days in the life of Moses where we see Moses making an error that carried with it a very high price tag.
View 726BLife Through the Eyes of a Living LegendNow we find Moses at the end of his earthly pilgrimage. Through the eyes of the world, he was a failure. Through the eyes of the Word, he became a Living Legend. As Deuteronomy 29 unfolds, we see Moses at the sunset of his life. In this lesson we will listen as Moses shares with the people the wisdom God has taught him over the years.
View 727AHere Come the JudgesWe cannot coexist with the enemy. They will turn out to be giants and eat us alive. The Israelites, by compromising in their dealings with the enemy, lost the victory, lost the joy, and lost the ability to enjoy the milk and honey that was theirs. However, here come the judges, God's delivery men, to rescue his children from disaster. For the next few lessons, we will look at how these representatives of judgement were used to bring back the people of God.
View 727BEhud, Eglon and a Two-edged SwordGod wants to finish what he started in our lives. He wants to drive out the enemy from his place of close quartered coexistence, and He wants use the two-edged sword of the Word of God to do it. God never intended us to suffer the endless frustration of having Satan share our living rooms. We are to drive Him out with God's Word.
View 728ADeborah's Song and OursHas God delivered you in a battle lately? Have you stopped to praise the Lord for His victory and His goodness toward you? Deborah did. As we see God once again deliver the Israelites, we also see a grateful Deborah, her heart attuned to the Lord, singing a song of triumph to her God.
View 728BThe Sword of the Lord and of GideonWhat kind of odds does God like? What kind of battle plan would He devise? His ways are always perfect. In this lesson, we will see a God who delights in the impossible and whose glory shines best when we get out of the way and let God be God.
View 729ABriars, Thorns and Toppled TowersSuccess is not measured by what we are doing or how well we are doing in the eyes of one another. Success is measured by what God is doing in our lives and in our ministries. Is the enemy being defeated? Is the glory going only to God.? In this lesson we will see if Gideon was able to handle his success.
View 729BA God Who CaresThe children of Israel had been out of fellowship a long time. Can God ever forgive them for all of the idols in their life.? In this lesson we will see a God who cares deeply. We will see that it is impossible for God to stop loving us. It is impossible for God not to care.
View 730ALove IsIn this lesson we will look at the breadth of the love of God, and oh, how broad it is. Can we define love? Not totally, but Scripture has drawn us a list of characteristics that emerge as a portion of that definition. We will look at the nine signs of the love of God.
View 730BSamson: God's All AmericanGod is looking for spiritual Samson's today. These are people who, when the enemy attacks, believe God and stand until the enemy retreats in defeat. God called on Samson to be a man like that. How strong are you? What kind of endurance do you have when the heat of the battle becomes intense?
View 731AA Lion, A Riddle and 300 FoxesPower is the authority to control. Jesus spoke with authority and great power. This power is ours if we set our minds through the years on becoming strong. How do we get that strength?
View 731BSamson's Final HourIf Samson were to leave us a final message, what would it be? There are three messages that Samson might deliver as he faced his final hour. Looking back on his life, God had taught him many things about what real strength is.
View 732ADon't Call Me BitterNaomi had experienced a series of life's bad deals. She had become a bitter person. What are the symptoms of a bitter spirit? Do we not see God as a God of love? What is the cure for a bitter spirit? These are all questions that we will tackle in this lesson.
View 732BRuth: The Lost Art of LoyaltyRuth is a portrait of God's loyalty to us. What does it mean to be loyal and who are we to be loyal to? Are we committed to someone or something only as long as there is something in it for us? Are we committed to someone even if he doesn't live up to our expectations? God is also calling us to become loyal to Him. He is calling us to do what He called Ruth to do: to leave behind all of the commitments to the old life and commit ourselves to a whole new beginning.
View 733ARuth's Redemption and OursThe story of Ruth, in essence, is the story of the redemption of man. Jesus, himself, has become our kinsman redeemer. He has bought us back again through His shed blood on Calvary. He only asked one thing, that we come lay ourselves at His feet and ask Him to redeem us. He did the rest.
View 733BHannah: For This Child I PrayedWhen the heaven'sheavens are silent and the shut-off valve of God's blessing is closed, is when most of us learn to pray. That was the situation with Hannah. She prayed for a son she had not been able to have. We need to learn to pray as Hannah. We need to pray fervently for God's will to be done, giving over all of our expectations.
View 734AAn Attitude of GratitudeHannah's thanksgiving celebration teaches us a lot about how to praise God. She was preoccupied with the nature of God. Her focus was not on herself, but the character of her God. What are some things the Bible says we are to praise God for? Why are we so presumptuous with God? Hannah stands as a living legend, an example to us, of how to praise.
View 734BSpeak, Lord, Thy Servant HearethOur lesson turns to the living legend, Samuel. We will see how God called Samuel, and how he calls us; but more importantly how Samuel responded to God's call. How will we respond when God speaks to us?
View 736AThe Glory Has Not DepartedHave you ever marched into a situation where you were simply sure that it was the will of God, only to find yourself fortunate to escape with your life? God may lead us into failure, even spiritual defeat, if that is what it takes to get our attention for ultimate spiritual victory. The key is how we handle it when the smoke begins to clear, and we have nothing to show for the conflict but the battle scars.
View 736BIf You ReturnWe may go off on tangents. We may simply grow cold and indifferent. We may blatantly rebel and run as fast as we can from the God of glory, and like the prodigal son, thrust ourselves into a far country. But no matter how we got lost, what a joy it is to return home and to find the Father's arms always outstretched, waiting for us. That is what this lesson is all about.
View 737AIt's A Matter of PrincipleThe people of Israel kept crying out for a king. They did not want to trust in God as their king, because they saw all of the other nations around them with a king. They wanted to be like everyone else. God decided to give them what they wanted, but was that what they really needed?
View 737BLetters to LegendsGod has a purpose in sharing these stories in Scripture. He wants us to look at these men and women's lives and then look at Him and learn and live. That is what the Living Legends are for .for. If your faith is weak, remember Abraham. If you are tempted to unfaithfulness, remember Noah. If you are tempted to compromise, remember Lot. If you are tempted to besetting sins, remember Samson. Spend your life looking at Jesus, and you too can become a Living Legend If we aren't men and women of faith, it is simply because we are not men and women of the Book. We have no one to blame but ourselves.
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950ALong Live The King!The Israelites wanted a king. It was not what God wanted, but it is what they asked for. They knew the will of God; they just didn't like the will of God. They wanted to be like everyone else and have a king. God gave them Saul. They got their king and lost their power. Are we praying right? Are we praying for the will of God regardless of the cost, and searching for that will as we pray? Or are we asking God for kings when God has clearly told us no?
View 950B5 Excuses God Does Not NeedOnce again we will take a look at the Living Legend of Saul, King of Israel. Perhaps the greatest lesson this legend has to teach us is the importance of facing God and facing sin honestly. Saul wasn't correctable. He had a suitcase full of excuses, just in case he ever got caught red-handed. When God through His Word or God through his people confronts us with an area of our lives that needs attention, or an attitude or an action that needs correcting, what is our first response?
View 951ATo Obey Is BetterTo obey is better than sacrifice. God wants men and women of honesty, integrity and principle. Men and women who will simply take the word for what it is ,is, The Word of God, and refuse to bend it, twist it, avoid it, or ignore it in the name of faith. God is not fooled by our frenzied activity or our empty works. Teaching, serving, working, even witnessing doesn't gloss over what God's looking for-a pure heart. God appreciates our sacrifice of time or energy, but "to obey is better."
View 951BA Man After God's HeartWhat is it that marks a man apart as a man after God's own heart? David was such a man. In I Samuel we will begin to take a look into the life and heart of David. In this lesson we will look at five important characteristics of the life of David that evidence his heart. We need to begin this series of lessons and pray with David, "Search me O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way."
View 952AThat Quality Called CourageThe story of David and Goliath exemplifies a most important quality, that of courage. The dictionary defines courage as " the state or quality of mind or spirit that enables one to face danger with self possession, confidence, and resolution. Biblically, we see courage with almost the identical meaning except that the strength can only come from one source to be valid. Biblical courage is the result of surrender and sovereignty. Our surrender to God's sovereignty, and our trust in God's strength, not our own. Let's look at how David was courageous in the face of giant circumstances.
View 952BAfter the Triumph the TrialsWhat happened after David defeated Goliath? Our story takes a familiar twist, for this is more often the case than not in our lives. After the triumph came the trials. That's what happened. God allows us, like David, to taste the sweetness of victory early to prepare us for eternity. He allows some of life's more bitter takes to prepare us for planet earth. God hasn't forsaken us, God is just training us, because He loves us.
View 953ASurrender to SovereigntyThe quest for revenge; how sweet it is to so many! But the Word of God indicates there is a better way! It is not natural; therefore, it has to be supernatural. It is that "better" way that we address in this study as we continue our journey through the pages of Scripture seeking to unravel the mystery and validate the history of this living legend we've come to know as "David".
View 953BThe Lord Answered Him NotSaul was unmindful of pleasing God on a day to day basis. His heart was unrepentant and because of that the Lord answered him not. Saul needed some answers, so Saul turned to other sources for his solutions. He turns to the occult. Our lesson deals with the dangers of a rebellious heart and the extent to which one will go to have his way. He turns to the very thing he knows is wrong. With an unrepentant heart the wrong will seem right and poor choices will be made.
View 954APromisesDo you want to learn to claim the promises of God? Before you can lay hold of the promises of God, you must learn to bow before the awesomeness of God and worship. Only then, will you see Him as He is. Only when you see Him as He is, will you see yourself as you are, and will you be ready to lay hold of all of the heavenly treasures God has laid at your feet. David found how to possess the promises of God.
View 954BStanding on the PromisesWe would all like to claim the promises of God. That's the mind of God where the promises of God are concerned. They are designed to exalt Him, to confirm His word, to bring glory to His name, and to further His purposes. In the process, we will be blessed. The reason for the promises is to exalt his name and make us love him, not to give us what we deserve or need. Find the true meaning of the promises of God.
View 955AThe Treasure Is YoursNot all promises are alike. As we claim or lay hold of promises we need to make sure that the promise is for us. As our lesson will show us, thus far, we have learned about four types of promises-consolidated, conditional, unconditional, and limited. Not all promises were designed for everyone. As we look at the promises through the whole of Scripture, we can find the very treasure that God has for us personally.
View 955BThe Whole Counsel of GodOur study on promises continues with two additional types of promises. They are restricted promises and reverse promises. A restricted promise depends on another's free will, whereas a reverse promise guarantees us things we do not want that God knows we need. We do need to claim the promises of God, but we need to claim them correctly. Learn to examine the whole counsel of God, for God has not given us license to make the Scripture say what we want. Examine the promises carefully to see which type of promise it is, and whether it is for you.
View 956AIt Didn't Have to HappenKing David broke the heart of God, as he allowed sin to have its way in his heart. He looked at Bathsheba, lingered and then lusted. Sin is a process. It is a progressive pattern where each compromise leads to a greater compromise. The only cure is to stop the process before it reaches the runaway stage. The good news is that God has made a way of escape. The moment we see the progressive consequences of sin beginning, be it anger or bitterness or greed or lust, we need to stop immediately and cry out to God and then do anything it takes to flee from the very appearance of evil.
View 956BDear God, What Happened to David?After David's encounter with Bathsheba, David began trying to cover up his sin. There is something about the cover up that is darker than the crime itself. David, instead of confessing his sin before God and man, chose instead to cover up his sin and hide it, but we cannot hide from God. In this lesson, we see the results of unconfessed sin in the death of Uriah, the Hittite. We also see a mighty lesson concerning the progression of sin.
View 957AThou Art the ManGod used Nathan in David's life to expose his sin. He uses many means to expose our sins today, but they will be exposed. God does not shove them under a rug. Just as Nathan reminded David of his sin, and David repents before the Lord, so should we see our sins as a sin against the heart of a holy God. However, the consequences must go on. That's part of the plan, but the fellowship, the relationship, the power that has vanished can be restored. We can be God's men or God's women again.
View 957BWhiter Than SnowDavid had fallen to a place so low, no doubt, he never dreamed that restoration was possible. Then he looked in the eyes of His God. And once he repented, he saw in those eyes the soft, tender, look of love. He heard from those lips, not the harsh cry of condemnation; but the quiet, sensitive words of One whose love transcends man's understanding of love itself. The words were "I forgive".
View 958AOh, My Son, My SonAs we continue in the study of the life of David, we see him begin to pay the consequences of his sins. God had said the sword would never depart from his house, and that what he did secretly, others would do to his own family before the whole world, and that the child born out of this immoral relationship would die. This lesson takes a look at one of those consequences that broke the heart of David, the rebellion of his son Absalom.
View 958BWith Pen in HandIf we could rewrite history and see things from God's perspective, how would the responses of David, Absalom and Joab be changed. What lessons do we learn from the terrible consequences of David's sin and Absalom's rebellion? All of history is written to teach and remind us of God's principles. Let's take a look at the previous lesson and learn how things could have been made right. Maybe then we can learn from God's living legends how to take the way of escape.
View 959AThe HomecomingOur study revolves around three little known characters and their responses to the King. Those characters are Shimei, Mephibosheth, and Barzillai. Shimei represents those who have sinned and are at the foot of the cross asking forgiveness. Mephibosheth on the other hand represents those who simply have gotten misled, and missed the heat of the battle. Perhaps you may have given your allegiance to the King years ago, but now you realize that when the King comes, you will have nothing to offer Him. Then there is Barzillai who greeted the king with eager anticipation, because he was ready for the homecoming. Which person are you?
View 959BDivided We FallWho was in charge? Our story about the life of David evolves into his twilight years as his general goes off to battle, each wanting to outdo the other. As we look at the issue of division of God's family or in God's families, we see very clearly a few basic principles that are engraved in Scripture from beginning to end. We will see that in all relationships division is the tool of Satan. He has one avowed purpose; to destroy the body of Christ. A house divided against itself can do nothing else but fall.
View 960AThe Giants Still FallDavid, though old in years, still has giants to face. However, the danger David faced and the danger we face is that we believe the devil's lie, that because we are too tired or because we are too weak to face the enemy with the same youthful exuberance we once possessed the giants no longer fall. In our season of self-pity, encouraged by an age that has relegated us to premature senility, we may have overlooked the truth that we never were giant slayers. We simply know a God who only had to speak, and giants fell.
View 960BSome Trust in ChariotsDavid decided to take a census of his people. It doesn't sound like a sinful idea, but in the eyes of the Lord it was. David began to delight in his power and in the number of his armies. His trust and his glory began to be moved away from God to the things that God had provided. How often do we as Christians, or we as churches, begin glorying in our ministries? All glory belongs to Jesus.
View 961AThe Grandeur of God's PerspectiveAs we look at the close of David's life, we see a man who had gained God's perspective. What is it that David learned through his many mistakes as well as victories? How did he become a man after God's own heart? As we listen to the closing prayer of David before he goes to meet the Father, let's see what the one consuming message was that he left to those who followed him.
View 961BDavid Faces the NationIn this lesson we see David sharing his life through the Psalms. This portrait of David's responses would touch millions upon millions of people for years to come. We do know that as we close the book on this man after God's own heart, that though he was a man who failed God many times; a man who fell into grievous sin; he was as well ,well, a man who, when confronted with his transgressions, seemed to understand genuine repentance. Look to the Psalms to see the heart of our living legend, David.
View 962AWhat Shall I Give TheeJust as God asked Solomon "What shall I give thee", he is also asking the same question of us. We can choose to be responsible for our own lives, and set our priorities and sights on becoming successful, wealthy, or powerful, or we can seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. We can choose, like Solomon, to give our lives to having the Mind of Christ. If we could only have one thing and nothing else, would we be willing to forsake all things in order to be able to think God's thoughts, have God's perspective, and respond to life with God's kind of love? That is what Solomon asked for.
View 962BWiser Than All MenSolomon ,Solomon, the Living Legend, was demonstrating to us what it was like to live life when the literal, living wisdom of God is actually flowing through us. When God's wisdom is flowing though us, others know that it comes from God. When God's wisdom is flowing through us, it is immeasurable when compared to the world's wisdom. When God's wisdom is flowing through us, there is created a literal pipeline through which that wisdom flows into the lives of others. When God's wisdom is flowing through us, it will be communicated in terms others can understand. That's what the wisdom of Solomon will do.
View 963AMission AccomplishedEverything God ever started, He finished. It is imperative as we journey though life that one of the qualities that we earnestly seek for the Spirit to reproduce in our lives is the quality of completion. As we take a look at Solomon's building of the temple, we see that he did not have an easy task. It took seven long years before he could enjoy even one minute of worship from the labors of his people. He faced all types of obstacles, but Solomon understood that what God begins, God plans to complete.
View 963BThere Hath Not Failed One WordFew things in life are as important as keeping our word. It is the lens through which the world views our integrity. It is that character quality perhaps more than any other that typifies the nature of God. Once the unbelieving world comes to realize that God's word cannot fail, it is only a matter of time till they begin to listen to what God's word says. That is the subject of our lesson in our journey through the life of Solomon.
View 964AAs Solomon Grew OldSolomon didn't set out to defy God, but in the midst of his prosperity, his values changed. In the midst of his success, his confidence shifted, and he took liberties with the Word of God. Tasting no immediate consequences, he quietly began to wrongly assume that either a Holy God had a special set of rules for him, or the Word of God had somehow become null and void. How did Solomon's wrong choices, his gradual drifting away from the basics, cause evil to strike his kingdom?
View 964BIf My PeopleSolomon's wrong choices and compromises have caused a gradual drifting away from the absolutes of God. God then comes to Solomon with three questions concerning his possible judgement. However, in II Chronicles 7:14, God in His merciful way, provides a way of escape. As we study this verse in depth, we have a beautiful portrait of true revival. God, in this verse, gives us His plan to restore harmony with Him, to have our lives come aglow in Him again, and to restore our testimony to the world. God will again be exalted. It is called revival.
View Living Legends 3 (1106-1114)
1106ARehoboam: If You Will Be KindHave you ever looked back on your life, or on the life of someone you have studied about in history, and thought to yourself, "how different it all would have turned out, had it not been for that one major mistake? The difference between the greats of the ages and the goats of the ages has often been told in the story of one simple wrong decision. Instead of following the advice of his father's counselors, Rehoboam did the opposite, and with that decision destroyed his people. How does a godly leader lead his people? See how one decision can affect so many.
View 1106BHe Did Not Set His HeartRehoboam was a man destined for greatness simply by virtue of who his father was, and yet a man who missed greatness, simply because he forgot who His Heavenly Father was. He did evil, because he did not set his heart to seek the Lord. He wanted to enjoy the fruits of the kingdom without surrendering to the disciplines of the King, so he missed it, and his name goes down in history, simply as one of the king's kids who missed his claim to greatness. Has there ever been a time when, by an act of your will, you simply handed over the reigns of your life to a Sovereign God who has an incredible plan for that life that will both honor Him and make you what you were intended to be?
View 1107AHave You Ever Heard of Asa?And Asa did good and right in the sight of the Lord His God. He did it God's way. He realized it wasn't his kingdom, it was God's. He humbled himself before God, and he stood tall before men and did what had to be done. Here was a man who believed that God was who He said He was, and could do what He said He could. He called an entire nation to repentance. How can we discover the power of Asa's God? What were the secrets of Asa's victory?
View 1107BWhat in the World Is God Looking ForWhat is God looking for in his children? He is looking for a heart that is completely His. He is looking for a heart that is guileless and pure before God. It should be constantly his heart's desire to let God be God. A perfect heart doesn't produce a perfect life. The flesh will jump in and make mistakes. But even those mistakes will be followed by immediate grief, not just at the consequences, but at having broken the heart of God. Beloved, that's what God is looking for.
View 1108AWhat My God SaithIn this lesson we will take a look at the life of Jehoshophat and glean some spiritual principles that we are prone to violate as believers. Jehoshophat did not choose to listen to man's wisdom, but wanted to hear a word from the Lord. This message tells of receiving wise counsel and not compromising and allowing the cunning ways of Satan to deter us from the path in which God is leading.
View 1108BBe Careful What You DoThere is probably no single characteristic of fallen man more consistent than his desire to be "in charge" . The kings of Israel were perfect examples of the subtle dangers of being leaders in the kingdom. Such is true in the church as well. This lesson is a word of warning given to those who were given the reigns of authority among God's people. And it is a word of warning to those of us who are privileged to lead even in our day. We need to be careful what we do. Our God will have no part in unrighteousness. Whatever we do we need to do heartily, as unto God and not unto man. No matter what.
View 1109ABlue Print for BattleThe Christian life is not a bed of roses. There isare lots of heartache and lots of warfare. In our study of II Chronicles, God portrays the reality of the Christian life. He uses a man named Jehoshaphat, a splintered remnant of His people called "Judah", and an unexpected invasion by their neighbors as a backdrop to paint a three dimensional image of a life of victory in the midst of a life of warfare. Let's see how Jehoshophat handled the bad news that was given to him to know how to respond when we face bad news in our own lives.
View 1109BHow to Pray When Hope is GoneHow do we pray when hope is gone? How do we pray in the midst of circumstances that are very difficult? As we continue our study in II Chronicles, we take a look again at Jehoshophat as the enemy was bearing down upon him. As he calls the people together to tell them what is happening, he begins to pray. It was not a prayer for God to deliver them, letting God know how bad their circumstances were so that he could release the valve a little and give them a break. This prayer was a prayer of worship, that surrendered to the will of God, and allowed them to appropriate inner strength to stand against whatever God allowed. May this become our prayer as we take a look at this living legend.
View 1110AHow to Walk in the Midst of the ConflictIn this passage of Scripture, God paints a vivid picture of the kind of victory that is ours when we set Him free to be Himself. The enemy has no chance against God. The battle is not ours, it is the Lord's. In this passage God outlines a principle for spiritual warfare that is so essential, that there is no hope of victory without it. It is a three-fold plan of stationing ourselves, standing, and watching the Lord win the victory on our behalf. As we do this, we will learn how to walk in the midst of the conflict.
View 1110BHow to Rejoice When the Battle's OverThis is the final of a four-part series outlining a "Blueprint For Battle" from the life of Jehoshaphat. As we saw the enemy bearing down upon Israel, we saw Jehoshaphat pray, surrendering his will to God's. We saw him stand in the midst of battle and watch to see what God would do. This lesson is about what to do when God has handed us even the smallest of victories. We need to stop and praise Him as God gives us rest. It may be for only a day or a long while, but it is imperative that we take the holiday with Him.
View 1111ABut the Brook Dried UpThis is the first in a mini-series on the living legend-Elijah. This lesson comes from I Kings 17 and concerns determining the will of God as regards his direction, his timing, his purpose and his provision. Living by a dried up brook was not Elijah's idea of a perfect plan, but God knew that it was just what Elijah needed. Each step of the way was a divinely designed training mission that the Commander-in-Chief placed on his itinerary to get him to where he needs to be. He does the same with you and I, so don't run when the brook dries up.
View 1111BYou Want Me to Go Where, Lord?God has a personal, private, wonderful plan for your life. It may include drying brooks and starving widows. It may include standing before kings and presidents. It may include neither. One thing is for sure. God has to take you to some out of the way places if He's ever going to use you. He's going to have to let some rivers run dry to teach you to trust, then let some people with needs cross your path, to teach you to loveit is all in His will.
View 1112AAnd the Lord HeardNothing in life is by chance. God has a plan in everything that He does. It was no surprise, then, when God sent Elijah to a sad widow and her son. The Lord does hear our cries and in His perfect timing gives His solutions. God is patient and never writes anyone off, even a widow and her son who are on the brink of starvation. As Elijah prayed for the little boy, God demonstrated the power of prayer to Elijah, because Elijah was about to demonstrate the power of prayer to a whole nation. What a great and masterful planner we have in our God.
View 1112BBetween Two OpinionsThis was a big moment for our friend, Elijah. God has taken him along an indirect route to prepare him for this moment. There was a confrontation between Ahab and Elijah. The question was 'if the Lord is God, then follow Him. If He is not, then Satan is, so follow him. Someone is in charge of the spirit world that dominates this universe and it has to be either Satan or God. We cannot claim to be Christians and then refuse to take our place on the witness stand of eternity and testify to a skceptical world that God is. We cannot straddle the fence. The living legend of Elijah is speaking to us today, calling us to renew our first love; calling us to return to the wonder and excitement and commitment that so characterized our walk with Christ when we first met him..
View 1113AThe Lord, He is GodElijah has outlined for the people of Israel the one great principle that governs all the other principles in man's relationship with God. It is this. Either you belong to Him or you don't. Either He is your Saviour and Lord or He is nothing. Elijah was about to reveal His God to all the prophets of Baal. No matter how big the circumstances, don't surrender. The odds that seem to be so in the enemy's favor are but an exciting backdrop to highlight the Glory of God. When there seem to be no answers, just begin to worship Him and quietly wait for that perfect moment when His perfect timing will bring perfect Glory to His perfect Name. For, The Lord, He is God.
View 1113BUnder the Juniper TreeIt was after Elijah's greatest victory, as he saw the Lord destroy the prophets of Baal and the people crying out that the Lord is God, that Elijah finds himself in an unexpected place--under a juniper tree. Satan knows when we are most vulnerable. Perhaps it is after an exhausting day when all of our energies are spent, or perhaps we are caught up in the victory letdown, that is when we are on a spiritual "high" from answered prayer, or a visible victory. How can we prepare ourselves from those onslaughts from Satan? What are we to do when we are tired and it seems like the enemy looms large? See what happened to Elijah.
View 1114AWhat Are You Doing Here, ElijahWhat happens to a man when he takes his eyes off of the Lord and puts them on himself? That happened to Elijah, right after he witnessed the power of God in all His glory. He was tired and exhausted. Satan began to feed him lies, until he thought that he alone stood for God. His eyes were placed upon himself and self-pity set in. What was the Lord's reaction to Elijah? What three attitude problems surfaced in Elijah's response to God?
View 1114BThe Legend Lives OnAs we wrap up the living legend, Elijah, we see God taking Elijah home in a whirlwind. What a picture book of reality his life was! We can think of Elijah as our hearts begin to resist His call, or when we are called to some thankless task, or when we are called to some magnificent cause and feel terribly unequipped, or as we sit depressed under life's juniper tree. God gives us the whole story regarding the lives of His saints. We can learn much from the life of Elijah.
View Living Lessons From Proverbs (901-931)
901AThe Four Faces of WisdomHow would you like to have the wisdom of Solomon? How would you like to know how to make the right decision every time? How would you like to see your life in harmony with the heart of God in the way you think? The wisdom God gave Solomon is yours, and then some, if you'll just read and heed the book of Proverbs. This lesson will begin a series of lessons on the book of Proverbs where we will find real "Shoe Leather" Christianity.
View 901BThe Perennial Problem of PrideThe perennial problem of pride so blinds the mind to truth that we do not see anything but ourselves. All He wants is to be Lord. All He wants is for us to take that wretched corpse called self down from His throne. We are to see pride for what it is and to choose humility, the mind of Christ. How does God look at pride? How does God respond to pride? Finally, how does God deal with pride? We will take a look at God's divine wisdom where pride is concerned.
View 902ALook At MeThe disease of pride seems to break out in the Christian's life in two deadly forms. The first is "natural pride", various forms of preoccupation with the natural man. The second is "spiritual" pride. Both are vicious. Nearly always, Satan takes five simple statements and through subtle variations, tricks us into conforming to his slimy image. Find out what those five questions are in this lesson.
View 902BThe Perennial Problem of Spiritual PrideSpiritual pride is perhaps Satan's most impressive tool. Through its deceptive destruction, he has moved right onto the Christian's home turf, taken the very things that mean the most to him and used them against him, and in essence has literally used the building blocks of spiritual success to build an altar to the false god of self. It's so subtle, so disguised in spiritual robes, that we miss it. What God is after is serving saints, not proud of their church, their spirituality, their leaders, or talents, just in love with Jesus.
View 903ALandmines and LiesWhat are the reasons for spiritual pride? What are the land mines and the lies that the father of lies uses to deceive the children of God? We will ultimately be looking at nine ways Satan trips up the Christian and causes pride to surface in robes of spirituality. We step on these landmines, because we exercise no caution in our walk in the area of of spiritual pride, and behind or beneath each land mine lies a lie from Satan. We will take a look at nine of those land mines which damage our walk with the Lord.
View 903BLandmines and Lies - (Part 2)Landmines and lies. Subtle. Well-hidden and devastating if ignored. In this lesson, we will look at three landmines known as the landmines of kingdom ambition, that attitude that is so busy competing, seeking to be the greatest that it misses the message of the cross. We need to be careful, also of silent battlefields. The absence of warfare doesn't mean the war is over. We also must be careful to guard against the perennial problem of success, of watching God do the impossible, only to be deceived into thinking we made it possible. These are all part of perennial problem of pride.
View 904AThe High Cost of HumilityPeter said, "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God." Just how do we go about doing that? Our goal is to examine seven ways to do that. As we humble ourselves before God, we are purposing before God to cooperate with Him as He does the rest. There are at least four tools that God uses to humble His saints. We find these tools in the lives of Joseph, Job, Peter, Paul and Moses. The cost is high, but it is worth it.
View 904BThe Battle Is Not Your, But GodsHow many times have we faced circumstances that were completely overwhelming? We had no idea how to deal with them and seemed powerless to face them. Jehoshaphat had the same feeling as he was surrounded by his enemies. In fact, he cried out to God, "We have no might, neither know we what to do, but our eyes are on Thee." God must have smiled. He knew all along that the battle would be won by Him, not Jehoshaphat and so it is with us. We must turn to Him, because He gives the victory.
View 905ASearching for Hidden TreasureHow often do we search the Scriptures with the same intensity we would were we searching for hidden treasure? When we begin to see a nugget of truth appear, do we take all our tools, our concordance, our translations, our Bible dictionaries, and do we dig and dig. The Word of God is the treasure house wherein all of the rare jewels of spirituality are buried at different levels beneath the surface. We need to become treasure-hunting Christians who daily uncover the priceless gems that turn the commonplace into crowns, the natural into the supernatural, the daily discoveries of life into the dynamic of discipleship.
View 905BWanted: Correctable ChristiansGod is looking for men and women who want to be changed, who want to be changed so badly they will cooperate with joy when He sends rebuke or admonition or counsel into their lives. How correctable are you? How graciously do you respond to rebuke? That's the question we're asking in this lesson from the book of Proverbs.
View 906AWanted: Correctable Christians (Part 2)How does God go about getting our attention so that He in us can change our attitude.? God is looking for correctable Christians. See how God uses the Word to change our hearts and minds. He may also use those in authority over us to rebuke us and turn our hearts around. What is our response to rebuke? There is also pressure God places on through counsel and through divine discipline. Would we make a choice to be a correctable Christian?
View 906BSelf-Control: Mirage or MiracleThe book of Proverbs surfaces on nearly every page the need for self-control: godly restraint in our attitudes, godly restrain in our appetites, and godly restrain in our actions and activities. Only the Christian under the Spirit's control can experience the miracle of self-control that the book of Proverbs describes as the normal Christian life. We are to choose who we will serve-the spirit or the flesh.
View 907ADecisions! Decisions! Decisions!What the Christian life boils down to is decisions. It is the process of making right choices without being swayed by Satan's input into our appetites or emotions. We will begin our look at the enemies of the controlled Christian life by looking first at the enemies of God-controlled responses. We will begin by focusing our attention on the central enemy: Satan's attack on our response to making the decisions themselves.
View 907BDecisions! Decisions! Decisions! (Part 2)Decisions are a major part of God's scheme of things. If we accept the Scriptures for what they are: a living God speaking without error, and if we accept life for what it is: a temporary journey through a foreign country as a chosen ambassador for a conquering King, then all of life's decisions are made through the Word with eternity as the only criteria. If we learn that, decision-making will be simplified
View 908ATaming, the Temper (Part One)Anger is the emotion that, if not properly handled, unravels reasons, distorts the truth, and releases a venom that falsely accuses, denies sensibility, and becomes on occasion vicious, vengeful, and vindictive. Is it any wonder that a life under God's control must also have under control the enemy of ungodly anger? Is it any wonder that taming the temper is no option for the Spirit-controlled life?
View 908BTaming The Temper (Part 2)The essence of anger surfaces in detail in the New Testament whichTestament, which seems to reflect three expression of anger that simply are not acceptable to God. As we look at these different types of anger we need to ask God to search us for what rights we are clinging to that we have not given to God. What should our proper response be?
View 909AReckoning With Our Rights - Taming the Temper (PT 3)Much of our anger comes from claiming rights we do not have. The violation of those imaginary "rights" brings about a response in us that God never intended us to have. The result is that we demand our day in court, or boil with resentment, or explode in a rage because we have assumed the place of God. What rights are we claiming that are not ours?
View 909BTeakettles, Sundown, and A Second Hand - Taming the Temper (Part 4)In this fourth of a series on dealing with anger, we are given three practical ways of dealing with our anger. These three principles, if put into practice, will give us victory over anger. Victory will not come overnight, but one day we will awaken to find an ebbing of the old urge to retaliate, a softening taking place in the spirit. The bitterness and rage will be gone. It starts when we begin to seek the mind of Christ in controlling anger.
View 910ATaming the Temper Part 5Taming the temper involves redirecting the energy of anger into transforming, revolutionary spiritual power so the curse becomes a blessing, and the enemy is not only withstood but totally defeated. God is calling us to resist the devil, to choose not to get angry, and then to go on the offensive. Let that temptation to anger become a springboard to loving, blessing, praying, and doing good until a confused and discouraged Satan flees from you.
View 910BThat Enemy Called EnvyEnvy. It will surface in your prayer life, both in who you pray for and who you don't. It will surface in your thought life: the people you compare yourself with. It will surface in your relationships and how you spend your money. How do you combat this enemy called envy? Let's begin by asking some hard questions from the Scriptures concerning envy.
View 911AIt is I...Don't Be Afraid! (Part 1)What are you afraid of? Do you have a stronghold that holds you in bondage in an area of living in which God intended you to be free? Does Satan approach you with a temptation to fear saying that God is not in control.? God has created an alternative to fear. This alternative is the FEAR OF THE LORD. We will discover just what the "fear of the Lord" is in this lesson.
View 911BIt is I...Don't Be Afraid! (Part 2)God does not want us to be afraid. He does not want us to fear what man can do. He does not want us to fear what Satan can do. But above all He is saying that He does not want us to fear what HE can do, if we will but let him. He wants to be Lord and re- release first century power into twenty-first century Christians. He will do it, if we will just stop being afraid.
View 912AIt is I... Don't Be Afraid (Part 3)In this lesson we are going to look at the subjects of why not to fear and how not to fear. God says we have no basis for fear because of who owns us. We need to trust his Sovereignty. So, how do we conquer fear? Find the two keys that will drive out the Satanic fears that hover over us and threaten our peace.
View 912BChristian, Behave!Self-control has two parts. Internal attitudes, a process of transformation, and external behavior, a principle of obedience. It is into that painful second area that we are moving in our study of Proverbs. We will look at four public enemies of the Christian faith over which the Christian is commanded to exercise self-control--sexual immorality, drunkenness, gluttony, and the tongue.
View 913ABe Ye HolyIn this lesson we will take a look at both the character of God, which makes morality possible, and the portrait of His holiness, which makes our morality essential. The power to behave is not based on our determination, but on God's nature, imputed to us by virtue of the new birth. His Spirit placed in us gives us the capacity to behave. We must choose to behave so that the portrait of our Saviour might not be blurred.
View 913BWALKING ON HOT COALS (A Study of the Subject of Adultery)The purpose of this lesson is for us to see adultery from God's perspective-adultery of the eye, mind, will, body, spirit-and having seen it from God's perspective, never again to toy with immorality. Can we walk through fire and not be burned? Can we toy with immorality and not be burned? We cannot. God has erected sign posts on His Word that clearly warn us: Danger: Hot Coals-Stay Away.
View 914APrinciples from Proverbs on GluttonyIt has been said that the most crucial test of a man's character comes as he slides his tray through a cafeteria line. It is then that the real person emerges. Today, we look at the principles from Proverbs on gluttony. God deplores gluttony. The reason is simple: it wrestles control of a key area of a person's life away from the Holy Spirit, and exercises his will in response to an appetite. God wants to control man's appetites-all of them.
View 914BFrom Feasting to FastingThis part of our study on gluttony should be entitled, "The Road to Moderation." How do we get back to the constant control of our will over our emotions.? If controlling our appetites frees us in the spiritual realm to receive greater feasts from God's table, then the logical end of self-control in this area of our lives is fasting. We will also look at the purposes and promises of fasting in this lesson.
View 915AThe Issue of Alcohol: Born Free!We come to the sixth roadblock to godliness, which is so clearly defined in the book of Proverbs: the issue of drunkenness. It involves behavior, but it involves more than behavior. It involves why we get drunk, how we get drunk, what happens, physically, what happens emotionally, and finally, what happens spiritually. Let's take a look at what the Scriptures say on the subject.
View 915BBe Not Drunk... Be FilledPart two of this lesson on what Proverbs teaches about drunkenness delves into issues and answers on the subject of intoxication. It will seek to answer the questions Who says I can't drink? Who's in control of my life? Who's watching what I do? What kind of fruit is my life producing? What is the issue of the hour? What are my options as a Christian?
View 916ATiny Sparks and Great FiresIs it possible to control your tongue? Is it possible not to live on a highway paved with regrets over words you wish you had never said? Is it possible not to have to spend the rest of your life having to constantly ask forgiveness for things you uttered in anger or frustration? Is it possible to bring the tongue totally under control? If you are a Christian the answer is Yes.
View 916BThe Sparks of an Arguing TongueProverbs is practical, and it practically puts the arguer in his place. It says arguing is a senseless pastime enjoyed only by fools who are prompted by pride. It elevates self, wounds others, and breaks the heart of God. The process is to trace the spirit that causes us to argue and root it out, replacing it with the cleansing power of the Word of God.
View 917AIt's Time to Give a Good Report (Part 1)When you look at the cup of life, is it half full or is it half empty? When someone asks you, "How was your day?" do you tell them the good or the bad? It is our perspective that causes men and women to give a bad report, or conversely, a good report. We sometimes get so busy describing the size of the enemy that we forget how big our God is. We need to have the right perspective.
View 917BIt's Time to Give a Good Report (Part 2)What makes us give a bad report of people? Why do we so delight in verbally destroying another person's character? We will find several reasons. How can we begin to give a good report of others and our circumstances? We can purpose in our hearts to make this concept of giving a good report an integral part of our lives by using a threefold triangle of faithfulness-Commitment, Accountability, and Renewal.
View 918AMessages from MurmurersComplaining, murmuring, and nagging form the three-cornered triangle of trouble that mark off the boundaries of our next phase of study. They all have in common a discontented spirit and a negative concept of the sovereignty of God. We'll be looking in this lesson and the next, at the characteristics of these three tongue twisters, and how to bring them under control.
View 918BMessages from Murmurers (Part 2)What are the marks of a murmurer? What are the kinds of things God's people murmur over. If God is in control, what possible reason could we have to murmur.? Let's take a look at some of the murmurers we find in the Scriptures and see what the results were.
View 919AMessages from Murmurers (Part 3)What are our murmuring tongues really saying to the world? A murmurer is someone who utters indistinct or indirect expressions of dissatisfaction or resentment. The subtle message his life reflects can be summed up in one phrase, "Why me, Lord; Why me?" God also has a response to murmurers. Find out what it is.
View 920AWhat Do I Have to Boast About?For the Christian who shouts in his testimony, "Of mine own self I can do nothing," and then subtly underlines his conversations with echoes of his own accomplishments, leaves behind him the wreckage of a confused world. Boasting is self-exaltation. It is man's attempt to bring glory to himself, so boasting is serious business. Just what does the Scripture say we should boast about?
View 920BSo You Want to Be a JudgeWhat is the appeal of being a judge? It is so easy to slip into those robes of self-righteousness and exalt ourselves to the bench of Christian Judgeship. To define judging from a spiritual perspective requires four definitions-criticism, accusation, judging, self-judgement. Are you qualified to be a judge in the eyes of the Judge who sits on the throne?
View 921ASpeaking the Truth in LoveIn this lesson we will examine what the book of Proverbs says about lying. We live in a world of acceptable lying, of justified lying, and yet we belong to a God of absolute Truth. How do we reconcile the two? Or do we ?we? If telling the truth will hurt someone, should I tell the truth? In order to address the problem, we must look at the principles of God's Word.
View 921BGod CAN Control Our TonguesThere are many areas in which are tongues need to be controlled. Three areas that we will touch on in this lesson are flattery, gossip, sarcasm and obscenity. Each has its own way of destroying others and damaging the reputation of the Holy God. We cannot control our tongues, but God can! Let's let Him.
View 922AThe Reality of ResponsibilityIn our study of the book of Proverbs we see the third face of wisdom, that of responsibility. In this lesson we will look at the purpose and direction of the Christian. What does a wise man do with his life? It is time to remind ourselves, as Christians, where we are going and why we are here.
View 922BThe Responsible Christian at WorkThe book of Proverbs draws a contrast between the diligent man and the slothful man. Let's journey through Scripture and see how God views each of them. Work has always been a vital part of the plan of God, so we will use it as the backdrop for viewing these two men.
View 923AThe Responsible Christian Parent (Part 1)We live in a world in which we find ourselves deluged with information on how to raise our children. The problem is what to do with the information we know. First of all, we need to define whether the precepts are from God or are they man's concepts. We have a responsibility to do that which God has convicted or encouraged us to do.
View 923BThe Responsible Christian Parent (Part 2)God gives us tasks as parents to teach our children about His Word, His Worth, his Works and his Ways. We are to teach them consistently, continuously, intently, and personally. As we do, the real joy in being a parent will come pouring into our lives.
View 924AThe Dynamics of Discipline - Responsible Parents: Discipline (Part 3)We must discipline our children when they are young; teaching them first, correcting them secondly, and finally when necessary punishing them to gain their attention and alter their direction. Our objective is always restoration, never condemnation. Our motive is always to demonstrate love; and our example is our loving Heavenly Father.
View 924BThe Dynamics of Discipline - Responsible Parents: Prayer (Part 4)A parent's greatest joy is for his children to walk in Truth: therefore, a parent's greatest concern is the spiritual battle that goes on in his child's life. Their struggle is a battle going on in the Heavenlies for control of their souls. Satan is feeding them the lie that they can live independently of God. God is nurturing them with the seed of Lordship. Every choice they make is a choice to yield to one of those two Spirits. Our greatest weapon in the battle that is taking place is the weapon of prayer. Let's look through the Scriptures and see the prayers of godly parents.
View 925AResponsible Sons and DaughtersThe character of this age is rebellion and disrespect! The crisis of this age is that the world is looking at us as their last hope. So the call of this age is for Christian sons and daughters to return immediately to the standards of respect demanded in the Word of God. In order to do that, they must come to understand the miracle of God's ways. That's the purpose of this study from the book of Proverbs.
View 926AThe Responsible Christian WomanIn this study we will look at God's design for the responsible Christian woman. We will look at God's truths in regard to the roles of the woman as well as a portrait drawn by the Holy Spirit of three basic strengths of the Christian woman.
View 926BResponsible Christian FriendsThe Christian's close friendships, those intimate heart to heart exchanges of lives, are for a special purpose and God has special principles for us to apply. In this lesson we will look again into the book of Proverbs to see what it means to be a friend.
View 927AWhere Has All the Love GoneJesus did not come to teach us how to take what was ours; Satan had already taught us that! Jesus came to teach us how to give away, how to turn loose of everything we have. He came to teach us how to give in order to teach us how to live. He came to demonstrate how to give a life away. That is the subject of this lesson.
View 927BWhere Has All the Love GoneThe church has been commissioned to walk in Jesus' footsteps being led by His Spirit. What He has to give man is spiritual and lasts forever, but in order to communicate spiritual truth in a physical world, there are physical needs that have to be met. We belong to a God who cares; therefore, we need to be caring for those who are poor and needy.
View 928AReach Out and Touch SomeoneIn this lesson we are going to take a walk down the dusty highways of reality with Jesus Christ. We're going to look at how the Master lived His life. We will see what and who was important to Him, and we want to see just how Jesus translated into the fiber of everyday life the principles of God's message of love.
View 928BReaching Out TogetherHow do we reach out as a church body to meet the needs of others? There are two groups of people we are to minister to-the needy and other believers in the body of Christ?. This lesson offers practical suggestions on ways we as a church can reach out into the community to draw men to Himself.
View 929AThe Foolishness of GivingGod has outlined for us in Proverbs some extremely valuable principles to govern how and why we give. They will fall into eleven different principles which are the higher ways of our incredible God. We will find that the treasures of earth won't spend in Heaven; and the treasures of Heaven won't spend on earth. We are either storing up one kind of treasure or the other.
View 929BDear Corinthians: About that offering...In this lesson we will take a look at God's plan for giving. Paul tells the Corinthians of three principles to use as the offering plate is passed. If we are faithful to give, God will simply use His marvelous ministry of multiplication to increase the seed we sow. God is concerned with our attitude while giving as he concludes by saying, "God loves a cheerful giver."
View 930ADear Christian: About Your OFFERINGPaul gives us some principles of giving in Philippians 4 and Acts 2. Follow Paul as he outlines for the church eternal principles of giving we cannot escape. We will also take a look at some suggestions Paul gives us to some practical questions. To whom do we give? How much should we give? What are the enemies of giving?
View 930BIn Search of Sensitive SaintsGod is looking for sensitive saints. Not sensitive, meaning easily offended or unnecessarily jumpy, but sensitive meaning alert, aware and available to those with whom they come in contact. This pilgrimage through Proverbs for the scent of sensitivity will begin as God asks these questions. Have you learned to be a listener? Are you a reflector or an inflictor? Do you respect the rights of those around you? Do you always keep your promises? This lesson gives us much to think about.
View 931AWhere Seldom Is Heard a Discouraging WordAre we encouragers? Do we radiate God's perspective of life to those about us? If we are to become men and women of wisdom, we must become encouragers. The book of Proverbs has much to say about the Christian and the positive perspective.
View 931BIn All Thy Ways...Acknowledge Him!Lordship is more than dedication, more even than commitment. It is abandonment. It is throwing the entire weight of our lives on Jesus Christ, leaving all the results to Him. Proverbs teaches us that we are to "in all thy ways acknowledge Him." Have we made Jesus Christ Lord of our lives?
View Living the End Times (932-935)
932AThat Will Be Glory For MeWould you like to know what the future holds? This is the first in a series of lessons on what will happen on earth and better still what will happen in heaven at the end of this age. Like a spine tingling thriller that will end with an incredible conclusion, the Bible has etched in indelible ink the entire story. Not only will we, as believers, be changed in a twinkling of an eye at the return of Christ, but this study should also change the way we live our lives now.
View N/A 932BIn the Twinkling of an EyeThe rapture-fact or fiction? As we look into the rapture of the church at the second coming of Christ, we will look at 18 facts that the Scripture states concerning the rapture. The miracle of His coming is unfolded by God in a series of statements that leaves us with absolutely no doubt as to what we need to know about that incredibly exciting moment in history. It is a moment that could well take place in the twinkling of an eye.
View N/A 933AWelcome Home, Mister AmbassadorWe have been called to be ambassadors for Christ. What are the guidelines for an ambassador? As we are called home, we will also be called to give an account of whether we have followed the guidelines of being an ambassador. In this lesson, we will look at the great event on the horizon of eternity, the Bema Seat or Judgement Seat of Christ. This is an experience that every child of God will have. It is an experience that ought to affect the attitudes, the actions, and the activities of every one of us. Will we live for this world or the next?
View N/A 933BHere Comes the BrideJust what does the Bible have to say about our marriage to Christ? To answer that question, we will take you on a pilgrimage in this lesson through the land of parables, into the village of Ephesus for Paul's illustration of God's great mystery. We will then go on to the book of Revelation, where God specifically refers to the event that brings to reality the wedding so graphically portrayed throughout the New Testament.
View N/A 934AWhen the Lights go Out on Planet EarthThe central focus of our study will be that period in history known as the "tribulation". We will be asking ourselves two basic questions. What is it? What will happen? We will also be asking ourselves as we go what lessons can we learn as we view what life and death will be like when the lights go out on planet earth, as indeed one day and perhaps very soon they will? So, sit back, hold on and pay close attention. What we are about to witness WILL happen.
View N/A 934BWhen the Lights Go Out on Planet Earth (Part 2)In this lesson, we will look at the cast of characters and at the list of events that make up the first 3 1/2 years of the tribulation. Political deceit is followed by war, famine, plagues, earthquakes and a cosmic explosion that will literally shake the mountains from their foundations. Yet, even though people have tasted of His anger and know of His holiness, they do not turn to Him, at least not in great numbers. But those who do will find that in the blood of the Lamb there is eternal life.
View N/A 935AEvery Eye Shall See HimIn this lesson, our parade of prophecy continues its march into the future to explore the final 3 1/2 years of the tribulation period. It is a time in history in which war will be waged at Armageddon. At the end of this period our Lord will appear and will usher in a new age when the New Jerusalem shall come down out of heaven and every eye shall see Him at last.
View N/A 935BBehold, I Make All Things NewWe have 1,000 years plus eternity to cover in one lesson as we travel through Revelation, chapters 20, 21, and 22. We will look at the millennial reign of Christ, the Great White Throne Judgment and take a look at the New Jerusalem. God will restore life as He intended it to be. The characteristics of this "new life" are etched in the golden strands of those last two chapters of God's Word so that no one who knows Christ need ever be without a spirit of excitement over what is yet to come. Hopefully, you will be excited, too.
View N/A Making the Spiritual Switch (1120-1128)
1120AHow Would You Like to Be a TreeThis lesson is the first in a series of lessons on "making the spiritual switch". "Making the spiritual switch " is the Christian's responsibility to take that which exists in the physical realm and use it to teach and to learn the things of the Spirit. Few elements of nature play a larger part in Scripture than do trees. Over 300 times in the Bible, God speaks of trees or the product of trees or the uses of trees. Let's imagine that you have a yard full of beautiful trees. Every morning you go out to spend time with God and worship. What can God say to you through the Scriptures each time you see a tree? Examine with us the many truths that can be taught to us by God's Spirit through his creation.
View N/A 1120BThe Kind of Tree You Were Meant to BeIt appears that although trees speak a thousand sermons, one is repeated over and over. It is the message of slow, deliberate, long-term growth. It is the picture that God engraved in Scripture of the difference between the quick-planted, heavily fertilized miracle vine, and the slow, painful, patient, nurturing of the tree that is properly planted, painfully pruned, and quietly left to grow and grow and grow. It is the etching of the Master Painter on the Scrolls of Eternity of the life that becomes. It is a picture of the kind of tree we were meant to be.
View N/A 1121AForbidden FruitWhat happens when you have been told that you cannot have something? Forbidden fruit captivates the mind; it tantalizes you, disturbs you, angers you. It is the issue of forbidden fruit that we will be dealing with in this lesson. Our study takes us back to the book of beginnings, back to the first "tree crisis" recorded in Scripture. We will be looking at why God made one tree different from all the others; what that tree represented to man; and how it reflects our attitudes toward God today. God has given us a landscape of reminders not to toy with forbidden fruit, whether itsit's only a drama going on in our minds or we are acting it out on the stage of life. He wants to remind us of the disastrous consequences of forbidden fruit.
View N/A 1121BThe Tree of LifeAfter man had eaten of the forbidden fruit, a new problem was created. His eyes had been opened, and he had chosen to be his own God. Should man now eat from the tree of life, He would impose upon mankind an eternal state of death in which his choice to be his own god would be final. In God's remarkable mercy and love, He not only erected the world's first security system and locked man out of paradise, but He also provided for a way back to Himself through another tree of life- the cross. God paid the price upon a tree. . .for life to be given to you and to me.
View N/A 1122AInherit the WindEvery time we feel the wind, every time we see the tops of the trees begin to bend beneath its force, every time we see the awesomeness of a hurricane, or sense the gentle cooling of a summer breeze, God is saying to us: "Learn of Me, Beloved, I am showing you how My Spirit works, every time the wind blows. "What are some of the characteristics of the wind that speak so eloquently of the work of God's Spirit? We cannot define the wind, nor describe the wind. But neither can we deny the wind. Its presence speaks for itself. Let's make the spiritual switch and see what God has to teach us from the wind.
View N/A 1122BEvery Time the Wind BlowsAs we have the opportunity to study the wind, we have the responsibility to constantly be making "the spiritual switch". God gives us the wind as a reminder of many things. It gives us the evidence of God's residence in our lives. It reminds us of the judgment of God. It reminds of the guidance of the Holy Spirit and how He moves us along with the winds of life. Our job is not to fight the wind during the storms of life, but to let the wind guide us home.
View N/A 1123AHe is the Rock: His Work is PerfectThe Rock is Jesus. His works are perfect. If we want to see in the physical realm something that depicts at least in part, the nature of God, a good place to begin is by looking at a rock. This lesson will take a look at the perfection, provision, and protection of "The Rock". He does not make a mistake. He is firmly planted. He is totally faithful and totally fair.. He is our provision for our needs, and our protection and shelter during the storms.
View 1123BI Will Appear in the CloudThe word "cloud" appears in virtually every book of the Bible, both to speak of its physical value to man, and to speak of its spiritual significance to God. As we make the "spiritual switch" in this lesson, we will see how the clouds represent God's presence, His leading, and His coming one day to take us home to be with Him forever. We will never see clouds in quite the same way again.
View 1124AAs the Rain Comes DownWord pictures about rain pour from every corner of the Bible. In this lesson we will look at eight truths we can learn from rain. We will also take an in-depth look at Isaiah 55 to get a glimpse of the Sovereign God who always keeps His promises. He has said, "my word will never return unto me void. . ." and He has added, "it will always accomplish what I sent it to do. . ."
View 1124BThe Lord God is a SunTo unlock the story of the sun, we simply have to scan the Scriptures to see the miracles it performs physically, and then focus in on the spiritual meaning of those miracles. We will also consider the glory of the sun, for perhaps its greatest purpose of all is the portrait it paints of the Glory of God, and of the glory that we, as His saints, will one day share in eternity. The Lord is both our sun and our shield. He delivers to us spiritually everything the sun delivers physically and shields us from the rays of the evil one at the same time. It is time to make the spiritual switch in this lesson as we focus on the sun.
View 1125AAs Different as Night and DayThe whole issue of the Christian message has to do with whether or not we let our lights shine. Our lives are not to represent varying degrees of shadows between darkness and light. Compared to any unbeliever, our lives are to be as different as night and day. The world will respond when they see the kind of difference between our lives and theirs that they were meant to see. One day, every person we know who has never personally received the Lord Jesus Christ as his Savior, will die and enter into an eternity of total darkness. On the other hand, every person we lead to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ will spend an endless eternity in the presence of total complete unending Light. It is up to us to show them the difference. Listen as God speaks through the Scriptures in this lesson.
View 1125BThat Great Shepherd of the SheepThroughout the entire Old Testament, God drew word pictures of sheep and shepherds to illustrate four great principles; principles that simply had to be communicated if man were to come to understand His relationship with his God. We can categorize those four principles this way: They spoke of God's ownership; of man's sinfulness; of God's leadership; and of God's love. There is no greater picture of God's love for His people than in seeing the Great Shepherd and his wayward sheep.
View 1126A_I AM The Door of the SheepIn this lesson about the door to the sheepfold, we will learn of the concept of exclusive salvation. Jesus said, "I am the way. . .no man cometh to the Father, but by Me." You either come through Him, or you don't come at all. You can't come to Him, but through Him.. The difference is vital. You can come to Him by simply learning all there is to know about Him, and acknowledging His existence, but unless you come through Him, that is, until you give Him the title to your life and agree that He alone is your access to God; you are on the outside of the sheepfold. Have you entered the Kingdom of God through believing in His Son, Jesus Christ?
View N/A 1126BThe High Cost of ShepherdingWhat was the shepherd's role, and what price did he have to pay to be a shepherd? Shepherding portrays the act of one person who is responsible for another, totally absorbing himself in that responsibility until his or her own interests are completely submerged in the interests of the flock. The shepherd, then, surfaces as three things: a type of unselfishness; a type of Christ; and a type of Christian leadership. That is the high cost of shepherding.
View 1127AThe Voice of StrangersAs we return to our look at John 10, we will be taking God's portrait of sheep and shepherds and looking in the particular area of spiritual warfare. In this story, Satan is the thief that comes to steal the sheep. What does he want from the sheep? There are at least three things he wants to steal from God's sheep. What are the means that he uses? How can we keep from listening to the voice of a stranger and instead hear only God's call? These are all practical questions whose answers can be found in this lesson.
View 1127BI Know Thee By NameWhat's in a name? According to God, there is a lot of significance in your name. A name can identify, demonstrate authority, represent character, and signify one's reputation. God also gave us a new name, His name. We have become a new creation. His nature becomes our nature and His works become ours. One day very soon, we will be participants in the grandest roll call of all. We will stand before almighty God, and He will call our names ,and we will be ushered into heaven.
View 1128A_And They Shall Never PerishWe are eternally secure!! We will never perish, if we have accepted the gift of God's Son, and entered the door of the sheepfold through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. It is not because of what we have done, but because of what Jesus has done. He has saved us. The assurance that we are eternally "in Christ" ought not to be our license to sin, but our motivation to praise. It ought not to be our temptation to apathy, but our inner drive to commitment. Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come. Neither height, nor depth, nor anything else can ever separate us from His love.
View N/A 1128B_The Message of the StormEach time the storm clouds gather, God is preaching a message to us. One of the most vivid portraits of the power of God is found in the everyday evidence of God through the elements of the storm. He shows us His strength, His wisdom, and His glory. The clouds speak of his coming again. Through the steady, constant rain, He speaks of the faithfulness of God and through the violent, torrential rains, he tells of His provisions in the test and trials of life. The last message of the storm is the rainbow which speaks of the mercy of God. How will you respond the next time a storm comes into your life?
View N/A Mind of Christ, The (1301-1316)
1301ALet This Mind Be in YouIn this study we are going to try to see a panoramic view of what Paul was saying in Phillipians chapter two. He has urged this band of believers at Philippi (and us) to reassess what Christianity is all about; not based on his concepts, but based on Christ's life. It was as though he was saying, this is the second reason Christ came to earth. The first was to die for the sins of the world. The second was to place the Mind of Christ inside each and every born-again one.
View 1301BHe Thought It Not RobberyThe phrase "thought it not robbery" literally means "did not clutch at". It means that Jesus willingly relinquished, abandoned, turned loose of 100% of the benefits that accrued to Him as God. We cannot grasp what that meant, and making application to that sacrifice in our own lives may well escape us if we are not careful.
View 1302AGrace to the HumbleHow do you resist Satan? You cast all your anxiety on God. To do that, you have to humble yourself even more. The more you humble yourself, the more grace He will give you, and that grace will sustain you, enable you, and lift you... to even higher levels of victory.
View 1302B...of No ReputationIn this study, we go back to Philippians, chapter two, and look at the next step downward Jesus took for us. It says very simply, "He made Himself of no reputation." It literally means, "He emptied Himself" He emptied Himself of what made Him God so you and I could be filled with the very nature of God in His place.
View 1303AThe Form of a ServantJesus added, "Whoever wants to become great among you must become your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave." The truly great in the Kingdom will be the ones who humble themselves the most. The greatest in the Kingdom will be those who actually become slaves of God and servants of men.
View 1303BSo You Want to Be a SlaveIn the truest sense, You have no rights. God owns you. He can do with you whatever He wants, whenever He wants, for however long He wants. When trials come, it will not be up to you to "give up your rights" to happiness so you can patiently endure as a hero whatever He has allowed to come your way. You insult Him when you do that. As His servant, you should awaken everyday, acknowledge His total ownership of your life, and report for duty. If it's a day of blessing and victories, praise Him. If it's a day of storms and tribulation, praise Him. But don't insult Him by "giving Him the right to do" what is already His right to do. Just quietly praise Him. He's the Master. He knows what's best.
View 1304AHis Time Had Not Yet ComeThe issue for us is simple, it is whether or not we are willing to be the slaves we are. The tests Satan throws at us are designed to have us rebel at the concept of being under authority, and so we chafe at the restrictions placed upon us by a Holy God. "We can't eat of that tree? Why not?" "I can't have that job. Why not?" "I have to go through that trial? Why?" Our tests are not so much designed to see whether or not we can endure difficulties. Our tests are designed to see whether or not we can accept difficulties as the sovereign right of our loving Master.
View 1304BGood and Faithful ServantsIn this lesson, we pursue the next aspect of the life of a slave, how he goes about serving those his master sends him to serve. There are several passages that beckon to us, and we will be looking at two of them in this study. If we are serious about being the slaves we are, we had better become serious about looking at these living illustrations of servanthood from the Scriptures.
View 1305ANo More RoomsWhen we cry out to God for the world's accommodations, He may have to answer, there are no rooms, my child. There are no rooms. He may have to whisper to us, "Here, my child follow me, and I will lead you to where you can be used." We so often reply, "No, Lord, not here, Not in life's stables. Not in life's hospitals. Not in life's unemployment lines. Not where the pain is; not where the stench is; not where the rejection is, No Lord, not here."
View 1305BHe Humbled HimselfWhat is humility? We can best define humility by looking at the life of Jesus. Never once did He act independently of the Father, instead He chose a life of servanthood. As we look at His birth, childhood, and baptism; we see that He gave glory to the Father. Do we glory in the Father as Jesus did?
View 1306AHave You Ever Heard of AsaAll God is asking us to do is: "to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God." Walking humbly with our God means humbly letting our God do the walking. It means coming to the point at last where we're tired of being in the driver's seat, pretending to be passengers. It means finally saying to God, "I can't, you can. Here, live my life any way you choose. Take my possessions. Take my children. Take my marriage. Take my ministry. Do with them whatever will most glorify thy name.
View 1306BWalking in Humility (Part 2)Jesus, Himself, walked this earth, He never at any time departed from a position of total dependence, which is, in effect, total humility. Not even once, for a fraction of a second, did Jesus do His own thing. He just let the Father live through Him and in so doing chose to walk in humility. Then He said to us: "let this mind be in you".
View 1307AEye to Eye: Humility in WarfareIf, in life's little challenges, you fail constantly, take note. What will you do when the Jordan swells before you, and you have no place to go? If you have learned to stand eye to eye in humility, you will be ready for the swelling of the Jordan, or anything else the enemy sends your way. Jesus was our example. When the Devil harassed Him and tempted Him, He simply humbled Himself.
View 1307BTO WHOM I SEND YOUThough we are often ignorant of our hypocrisy and prejudices, God isn't. And so, in love, He reassigns us. The job goes sour, and we end up in a little town, far from the corporate eye. The ministry takes a different turn, and suddenly we find ourselves shoulder to shoulder with segments of society we've always avoided. Circumstances change and force us into fellowship with people we would like to forget exist.. "Are you angry, God?" we ask. "Why else would you so humiliate us?" "No," He would reply, "This is your most important assignment of all. As My ambassador, Beloved, you go to whom I send you. The more difficult the assignment, the more important it is."
View 1308ANo One to HelpCan you set God free to be Himself without limitations? Go where the dying are, the lonely are, the crippled are, the weeping are. As you go, listen carefully. I think you will hear what Jesus heard. You will hear them whisper with all the strength they can muster, "I don't want to stay this way, but there's no one to help."
View 1308BBy Himself AloneTime alone with God not only renews our strength, it renews our realization that we can do nothing apart from Him. So we enter again into His rest where we belong. Where we belong, Beloved, is where Jesus was: by ourselves, alone. It will transform our ministries, because it will transform our lives.
View 1309AThe Work of God is ThisWhat must we do? the Jewish people asked. Literally, the meaning is: "What precisely is God wanting us to do, and how do we do it?" Oh, what a powerful question. They had their steno pads handy. Their bic pins were poised to take down the Masters list of "dos and don'ts". They were ready for anything that He said. He said, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."
View 1309BDoes This Offend YouDoes this offend you? I wonder how many times he has wanted to ask that of us? We claim to want the truth at any cost. But when we hear it, so often the flesh cannot tolerate the unbelievable nature of what we have heard. God's precepts go so against the grain of the worldsworld's concepts that we recoil in disbelief or try to pretend we didn't hear it. In our spirits, if not with our lips, we can be heard to murmur, "This is hard teaching. Who can accept it?"
View 1310AHow Did This Man Get Such LearningThe Pharisees logical question was "who taught this guy?" How could a simple carpenter who had never been to their rabbinical school have an understanding of the Scriptures that literally tore away the shield of religiosity from their hearts as they listened, and confronted them with the Living God? Where did He get His learning? Where indeed. The answer is in this study.
View 1310BHis Time Had Not Yet ComeMy time has not yet come, my children, my time has not yet come. Rest assured that when it does, nothing will be able to thwart or stop or even slow down the hand of God's eternal timepiece. With fierce determination , it will move instantly to the moment when the alarm sounds as God's power sweeps into your life. But until His time has come nothing you do will hurry His precious Hand. Why? Because He loves you far too much to compromise His purposes simply in order to satisfy your craving for instant answers. As so many have said, "God may seem slow, but He's always on time."
View 1311AThe First to Throw a StoneThis study is a story that touches the very fiber of God's mercy, yet it deals with such a delicate issue, that the early church avoided reading it for fear it would be misinterpreted. It deals with the woman caught in adultery. How should we we deal with those caught up in sin? Jesus in His love and mercy show us how.
View 1311BHe seemed to be feeling fineWe live in a world where there are only two kinds of people. The first are those that are sinners and know it and have accepted Christ's death on the cross as penalty for their sins. The second are also those who are sinners, but will not admit it; or they will not admit there is only one way to salvation. Which of these two categories will we be in?
View 1312AI AM The Door of the SheepThis study begins by looking at one of those word pictures that Jesus drew on the sands of the human mind in order to develop an image that, when processed, would allow His hearers to actually visualize the nature of God and the purpose of His coming to earth. It is found in John, chapter ten. It was especially vivid to His hearers, the Jews, because the image He was drawing was so familiar to them. It was that of a sheep and his shepherd.
View 1312BAnd They Shall Never PerishWe are eternally secure!! We will never perish, if we have accepted the gift of God's Son, and entered the door of the sheepfold through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. It is not because of what we have done, but because of what Jesus has done. He has saved us. The assurance that we are eternally "in Christ" ought not to be our license to sin, but our motivation to praise. It ought not to be our temptation to apathy, but our inner drive to commitment. Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come. Neither height, nor depth, nor anything else can ever separate us from His love."
View 1313AObedient Unto DeathWhy would a person who has everything leave everything to go to a place where he is unappreciated, not accepted, and certain to be murdered? There is only one reason. Love. With that, the most influential man in all the world walks to his death with a song in his heart because by dying, someone he loves can be saved. He knows the cost. To Him it is worth it.
View 1313BWhat It Means To ObeyThe process of obedience involves much more than the militaristic process of finding a rule and grudgingly, if need be, complying with it. Obedience is the way we demonstrate that Christ's character is controlling us. In this study, we are going to proceed up the first rung of the ladder of obedience. We are going to ask the question: What does it mean to obey?
View 1314AThe Powers That BeThe powers that be are ordained of God. Obedience to them is often God's most abrasive, but effective test of our character and our love for Him. If we love Him, we will obey. That obedience may well come in the test tube of responding to a cruel, unjust, or inconsiderate boss, husband, parent, or government. We must remember that the powers that be are ordained of God, and that we are where we are by divine destiny.
View 1314BThere's No TomorrowThe Scripture has a lot to say about when to obey. It is always the same, and it can be summarized with one word: immediately. When it comes to obedience, there's no tomorrow. The Scripture is plain, and human experience confirms it. The longer you wait to obey the known will of God, the less likely you are to do so. We will be looking in this lesson and the next at five areas where obedience simply must be immediate, or it is not really obedience at all.
View 1315AThe Devil Did Not Make Me Do ItSpiritual warfare is what this life is all about. We are engaged in battle as Satan hurls temptation after temptation in our path. What should our response be to temptation? How do we become overcomers in battle, instead of trying to justify our wrong responses? The key is the immediacy of our response.
View 1315BAll These Blessings...This study is about blessings. Blessings are the things God does, the things God gives, and things God takes away that bring about the mind of Christ in the Christian.
View 1316AWhatever It TakesWe were created by God to be wholly His. We were re-created in Christ to be wholly His as well. Until and unless we daily renew that transfer of the reigns of our lives to the living God, we are fools. Every day we must die to life as we know it, and live unto life in the spirit realm. Every day we must die to material possessions and live for eternal rewards. Every day we must give up our claim to people and relationships and cling to our relationship with Him. Every day we must die to our quest for approval and live only to be accepted in the beloved. Every day we must be willing to die for the faith, and even beyond that, be willing to die, period, if this is God's will for us, and to take it one step further, we must be willing to live as long as He wants us to, because He knows best, and He gives us grace day by day so long as He leaves us here. In other words, every day without fail, we simply must die. We must go before our God and pray, "Lord, whatever it takes."
View 1316BEvery Knee Shall BowIt will be the moment for which all mankind has waited for on tiptoe all_ these years. It will be the crowning conclusion to the conflict of the ages between darkness and light. It will be the grand finale to the story of stories. Satan and his evil entourage will have been put away. Kings and princes and presidents who dared to shake their fist in the face of God will be long since forgotten. The nations who persecuted tiny Israel will be heard from no more. The battle will be over. The victory will be complete. All of mankind and all of nature will bow in humble adoration at the One who is, and was, and ever shall be. And He shall reign forever and ever.
View Miscellaneous Messages
170Noah, God's Ark-AngelThe story of Noah is a familiar one. As we take a look at Noah, we will also see a God of grace. His eyes swept throughout the world to find a faithful man—that man was Noah. There are at least a dozen lessons Noah learned from building the ark. God has also given us tasks to do that might seem overwhelming in which the same lessons apply. Hopefully, as we look to the life of Noah, we can see how we can also say “Yes, sir” to the blueprints He has given to us.
View 171AMaking the Most of Christmas (fiction)The purpose of this study is to remind each of us of the real meaning of Christmas, and to remind each of us that though the world celebrates a different kind of Christmas, we can take the very things they have devised as substitutes for reality and turn those things into literal, visible demonstrations of the spiritual truths that Christmas was really intended to teach. We have within us the real Spirit of Christmas, Christ Himself, thus we can make the most of Christmas.
View 171BWhat If There Had Been No Christmas?Have you ever thought of what life would be like had there been no Christmas? Russell Kelfer gives us a glimpse of the “twelve ways of Christmas, or the twelve ways Christianity revolutionized life. For Christmas to have its truest meaning, we must find out what life would be like if there were no Christmas. For many, this situation exists because they have not accepted Jesus Christ as Savior. It is our prayer that this lesson will guide you into the true message of Christmas, so that the person of Christmas, Jesus, will dwell in your heart forever.
View 171PSMaking the Most of Christmas - How to Switch from Secular to Spiritual (pocket size non-fiction 4x6)The purpose of this study is to remind each of us of the real meaning of Christmas, and to remind each of us that though the world celebrates a different kind of Christmas, we can take the very things they have devised as substitutes for reality and turn those things into literal, visible demonstrations of the spiritual truths that Christmas was really intended to teach. We have within us the real Spirit of Christmas, Christ Himself, thus we can make the most of Christmas.
View N/A 172Enoch Walked With GodHow would you like to have said about you that you pleased God? That is what the Scripture says about Enoch. It was not by virtue of his accomplishments, but rather by virtue of the level of his trust, his faith. Enoch walked with God and knew His heart. What does it take for us to be like Enoch? Let’s search the Scripture to find out more about the little known man of faith.
View 174AGod's Prescription for WorryAre you a worrier? All of us have worries. We worry about our job, our health, and our families, to name a few. Philippians 4:6-7 gives us an antidote for worry. As we explore these verses word by word, may we find God’s peace. For every worry you give to God, He will give you more grace, which in turn, will give you more peace. These verses are God’s prescription for worry.
View N/A 176AHow to Develop a Grateful SpiritOne of the ultimate themes in Scripture is God giving to man what man does not deserve or even appreciate, just because He is God. Therefore, the ultimate measure of spiritual growth in us is how much we grow in our vision of God until eternal things are all that really matter, and thus we have developed a grateful spirit. We have developed a spirit of gratitude for whatever God gives us. How different that is from our self-centered society of today! As we take a look at the story of the ten lepers who were healed by Jesus, we will see what it means to be grateful.
View 176BA Grateful Spirit (Part 2)In the second part of our study on a grateful spirit, we will continue our search through Scripture seeking to find what God has told us to be grateful for. We are also going to ask ourselves the question, “Why aren’t we by nature more grateful?” Learning to be grateful can change our lives and greatly affect our witness to those around us. As we conclude this lesson, we will be asked the question of whether we are like the one leper who came back to say thanks, or like the nine who were blessed and went on their way.
View 179The Miracle in Room 21This lesson is a retelling of the birth of Isaac. You will discover three important principles that unfold as Abraham learned to trust God, "that what He hath promised, He is able to perform."
View 183AWhen They Began to Sing and PraiseWhat do you do when tragedy strikes, when one of life’s setbacks sets you on your heels, or when Satan’s attacks are mounting? What is your first response? Is it one of fear or self-pity? Do you feel like screaming at God or anyone else in sight? Or do you respond with songs of praise? We will see what Jehoshaphat did as he was faced with the enemy, and we will also see how God responded.
View N/A 184You Were ThereThis lesson provides an account of the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. We have heard the story many times, but is it possible as Mark said, "the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches and the lust of other things entering in choke the word" until it no longer controls our lives? Is it possible that our world has so squeezed us into its mold, that we no longer celebrate Easter every day?
View 185ASo What Are You Doing New Years?For the Christian, the ringing out of the old and the ringing in of the new symbolize another new beginning, another fresh start in your Christian walk. God divided life into segments to generate in the Christian, in particular, that inner drive to make life count. So what will God do with you in this new year? Let us be challenged as we look at what Jesus did in the last year of His earthly life, that we may pattern our new year after what He did and how He did it that we may have the mind of Christ throughout this new year.
View 185BNineteen Ninety LastBeginning again! Isn't it wonderful that God gives us reminders that we can begin anew with Him. As we look at the sunrise of a new day, the first day of the week, or a new year, each is a revealing of God's mercy. Why did God create New Years? More importantly, we should ask ourselves how that should affect our plans and our goals beginning today? How will we begin anew being faithful to what God has called us to do?
View 193If It Be So, Then WhyIsaac and Rebekah were God's special saints chosen for each other with a divine destiny awaiting them, their children, and their children's children. But trouble free? Not on your life! And so with this lesson there comes much comfort from the pages of Scripture for husbands and wives, parents and children.
View N/A 301The Case of the Missing CrossThe Cross, what it stands for, and what it means to us is the subject of this lesson. The Gospel is so simple a child can understand it, and yet so profound that the most learned intellect cannot fathom it apart from divine revelation. Why is it that we strive to complicate something God made so clear? There is only one way to get to God... through Jesus Christ, and only one way to come to Christ... by the way of the Cross.
View 303As They Walk Through the DoorWhat are the principles we need to remember each time a seeking friend walks through that door and faces us, be it the first time or the fiftieth time? There are five verses of Scripture which ought to be engraved on our walls and on the tablets of our hearts in sequence and reviewed every time someone walks through the door looking for help. These verses can and will transform the lives of every man and every woman who by God’s amazing grace comes into our lives, if we will but use them.
View 304There's Good News Tonight (Personal Testimony Russell Kelfer)This lesson is the personal testimony of Russell Kelfer. This lesson helps to point out the sheer ecstasy of the Christian experience, the realization that we don't have to worry about living anymore. We're dead. Christ is alive. He can handle anything Satan or this world might throw our way. Praise God!
View 305ANo More RoomsWhen we cry out to God for the world's accommodations, He may have to answer, there are no rooms, my child. There are no rooms. He may have to whisper to us, "Here, my child follow me, and I will lead you to where you can be used." We so often reply, "No, Lord, not here, Not in life's stables. Not in life's hospitals. Not in life's unemployment lines. Not where the pain is; not where the stench is; not where the rejection is, No Lord, not here."
View N/A 306AIf Only I...It seems that God knows our hearts quite well, and He knows quite well the basic dissatisfaction in our hearts that yearns for something or someone more than what we have. God's simple answer is this: STOP IT! As we study the tenth commandment, we will take a look at what covetousness is and where it leads.
View N/A 306BWhen The Heavens Appear To Be SilentFaith is the evidence of things not seen. What then develops more faith? Miracles? Or silence? Were not the greatest periods of silence in history God's most productive times? There was Moses tending Jethro's sheep in silence , and Abraham expecting the promised child, but all he hears is silence. What about that silent period in history just before the birth of Christ? Just remember: We will see that when the heavens appear to be silent, God is doing His greatest work of all.
View N/A 315Ye Must Be Born AgainThe story of Nicodemus reveals to us just why Jesus came. Nicodemus came to Jesus wanting to know who He was. But he couldn't. He did not possess the capability to understand spiritual truth, because he was spiritually dead. So Jesus, rather than tell Nicodemus who he was, told him what he needed to do to find out. He had to be born again. Find out what it means to be born again and know not only about God, but really know God.
View Obedience (514-519a)
514BFour Things That Never Change (The Principles of Obedience)This lesson is the beginning of a series on obedience. As we begin this series, we want to first look at how God looks at obedience. Then we will begin to get into the real test as we learn what it means in terms of practically obeying the Word. Is it obeying Scripture to drive 56 M.P.H. when the speed limit is 55 M.P.H.? What if you are convicted of gossiping, but you pick up the phone and say to yourself, “I’m just giving this friend a prayer request—it really isn’t gossip” How often do we know we need to obey, but put it off until tomorrow? Conviction is onto conviction if it does not cause us to obey. Join us for an extended lesson on obedience that will challenge us to a higher level of commitment to the Lord.
View 515AImmediate Obedience (The Performance)Obedience is responding to knowledge by following instruction. As we begin this series on obedience, we will look at four of God's measuring sticks of obedience. a.) How quickly do we obey? b.) How completely do we obey? c) How consistently do we obey? d.) How joyfully do we obey? In this lesson, we will look at the rewards of immediate obedience as well as the consequences of a lack of obedience as evidenced in the lives of Old Testament followers.
View 515BComplete ObedienceIf we know what God wants us to do, the Word of God teaches that He expects our obedience to be complete. In other words, He expects us to obey to the letter and to the end. God is a god whose mind works in great detail. He wants us to pay attention to detail, because it is the details of our lives from which our life message comes. If you doubt it, ask Noah. Can you imagine if Noah had not listened to the detailed plans God gave him for the ark?
View 516AObedience to the FinishThe Scripture tells us that it is important to finish what we start. There are at least four areas that we tend to sprint and quit in the Christian life. These are in the areas of our relationships, our ministries, our jobs, and the disciplines of life. How, then, do we now when God is through and it is time to press on to something new? We will take a little side trip discovering what it means to confirm god's will as well as discover what it means to be consistent as a Christian.
View 516BJoyful ObedienceDo we obey joyfully? Do we obey because the Word says to, or do we wait to be moved to obedience? In this lesson, we will look at six principles concerning joyful obedience beginning with a definition of joy that tells us that it is based on fact not feeling. It is an inner attitude of spiritual excitement over the character of God that is not affected adversely by adversity. We will look at the life of Jonah and see how our heart attitude affects our blessing for obedience.
View 517ARewards for ObedienceGod still rewards obedience. We will not only receive rewards in this life, but there is a reward platform in heaven that you and I will come before one day. What kind of rewards will we receive, and what will we do with our rewards? The Scripture is clear that we will be so grateful for what He has done in our lives that our rewards will be used to further worship Him.
View 517BIllustrations of ObedienceGod has given us ample illustrations of obedience in nature and in His Word. God has convinced us through His Word that of ourselves we cannot obey. We do not have the authority or the energy apart from Him to obey. But, we have available in Him all that we need to continually be obedient to His perfect will. Let's take a look to see what it takes to plug ourselves into the power of God. It is through our seeing ourselves as conductors that His energy is released through us.
View 518AWrong Counsel and ObedienceGod expects us to reject counsel, instruction and relationships that encourage disobedience. There are those who would have us set up other gods such as success, money, or acceptance; but we cannot accept anything that draws us from Christ being the center of our lives. How do we deal with someone who has given us wrong counsel? What are things to consider when seeking counsel from someone else? It is important that the counsel we receive be in agreement with God's Word.
View 518BWrong Counsel and Obedience (Part 2)In the second part of our lesson concerning receiving instruction, we will look at eight things to consider in the one who gives us counsel. We are to look at their lives and counsel in light of the Word of God. We are to consider such things as their spiritual gift, their life message, their life-style and others. With all of this taken into consideration, what are we to do of this person gives us rebellious counsel? We will also look briefly at our sixth principle of obedience which is that God expects us to use remembrances to encourage obedience.
View 519AFear as a Motive for ObedienceGod's perfect motive for obeying is to please and serve one another as a means of expressing love. This is God's ultimate goal. Unfortunately, throughout our Christian lives, there will be many times when we will not obey through love. Therefore, there needs to be a healthy understanding of the fear of the Lord. What does it mean to fear the Lord? What are we afraid of? The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. It is a vital key to obedience in our lives.
View Parables of Scripture, The (1354-1378)
1354AHe That Hath Ears To HearHe that hath ears to hear, let Him hear. What did He mean? We surely cannot envision a crowd of people, some who had ears, and some who didn't. They all had ears. He was not implying that some did not have good hearing. He was assuming that they all heard physically what He had to say, but only a certain group of those who heard had the capacity to understand.
View 1354BSome Fell On Stony PlacesHas our seed fallen on stony places? Do we sing praises to God only so long as the sun shines? Do we believe Him only as long as God is meeting our needs on our terms? If we receive the Word only until something happens, the seed has fallen on stony ground.
View 1355ASeed among ThronsWeeds. What undesirables they are. They are good for nothing but to be pulled up, burned, or thrown into the trash heaps of life. Not only are they not attractive in themselves, they crush the life out of the plants that are. What are they? Why did God allow them? Where did they come from physically? And what do they say to us, spiritually? That is the topic of this our third look at the parable of the soils. Our study is a beginning look at the third of the four types mentioned in Jesus' amazing illustration of the processes and the purposes of soil conservation. He concluded with, and we begin with, that one statement: "He that ears to hear, let him hear".
View 1355BThe Deceitfulness of RichesBecause deceitfulness is so at the heart of the spiritual battle between Satan and God, the Bible has a lot to say about the despair that accompanies deceitfulness. It can rob us of our joy, our perspective, and our walk with God. This lesson is about a particular source of deceitfulness- that of riches.
View 1356AAt the Root of it All?God's riches are eternal. They are spendable in eternity. They are free and undeserved, but when properly invested they reap great dividends in heaven, even though we paid nothing for them. What God is after is for us to be willing to pay whatever price He calls on us to pay to focus on eternal riches. We cannot serve both God and mammon, and we cannot reap what we have not sown. Choices. That's what it's all about.
View 1356BOther Things Entering InWe mean well, and we schedule things often with good intentions, but "other things enter in" and they take precedence. What Jesus is saying in this parable is that these other things entering in, though apparently harmless, are killers in disguise, and unless we slow down, reschedule our lives, learn to recognize which are weeds and which are not, we will go through the whole planting season, wait on the spring rains, watch the green sprouts begin to push their heads against the stubborn dirt, and never realize that the entire crop is poisoned with thorny weeds, that simply, quietly, entered in.
View 1357AOur Not So Magnificent ObsessionsGod isn't looking for casual followers. He is looking for men and women who are willing to forsake all that they have to be His disciples. He is looking for men and women to take up their own personal cross every single day and follow Him. He is looking for men and women like Paul who are willing to die daily, to bear persecution, pain and pressure with joy and gladness for the crown they will one day be able to lay at His feet. God is looking for men and women obsessed with Jesus Christ. And because He is, anything that crowds into that obsession and begins to occupy that throne becomes an idol, and though it may not be evil in and of itself, God hates it for what it is costing you in your relationship to Him.
View 1357BSome Thirty, Some Sixty, Some HundredfoldGod gives us a look at His guide to good gardening in John chapter 15. In this passage He provides us with five prerequisites for bearing good fruit. By following these keys to good fruit-bearing, we will be bearing fruit some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred fold--not even being aware it is happening.
View 1358AHerein is My Father GlorifiedThe whole essence of the Christian life can be summarized in the verse, "Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples." Bearing fruit will be the true evidence of our discipleship. What does this fruit look like, and how many kinds of fruit are there? Are we to focus on the fruit or focus on abiding in Christ? Learn how the Father can be glorified through our abiding in Him.
View 1358BWhile They Were SleepingSatan's goal is to plant spiritual look-a-likes alongside the converted, mixing them together until they become indistinguishable from the other. He has planted bad seed in with the good seed and built a system that even pays respect to the Cross, just as long as it doesn't lead men and women to the Cross personally. It is time to wake up. Has the enemy been planting bad seeds next to us, while we were sleeping?
View 1359AA Gospel of Insignificant BeginningsA grain of mustard seed. Nothing in Jesus' time was considered smaller or of less significance in and of itself. It was not what the seed was, however; it was what the seed became that was so unusual. In the same way, Christ's life began in an insignificant way born of an unknown woman, an unmarried carpenter became his stepfather, and with no fanfare He began His life in a smelly stable. See how God measures both growth and greatness.
View 1359BThe Pearl of Great PriceWhat is the kingdom of heaven like? It is like the man who found a pearl of great price and "went out and sold all that he had, and bought it." To be a disciple, Jesus concluded, one has to be willing to forsake all he has. The life of surrender is the pearl of great price. But, why would a person want to surrender all he has? Joy-the joy of the fullness of the life of faith and walking intimately with the Father.
View 1360AThe Workers in the VineyardLife isn't fair is a common cry. We know what we deserve, but do we actually want what we deserve? In this parable the goodman of the house said this, "Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with my own." We think this life is ours and that God should listen to us as we show Him what treatment is fair, and what isn't. The truth is: we are not our own; we never were. Follow us through this parable to get a picture of a merciful God and ungrateful man.
View 1360BFive Were Wise; Five Were FoolishWill you be ready when the Lord returns? Although we can and should read the signs of the Lord's coming, we cannot know in advance exactly when He will return. Therefore, we must be in a constant state of readiness. In this parable there are two kinds of people: wise and foolish. How can we prepare ourselves to be one of the wise who will be ready when Christ comes again?
View 1361AWell Done, Thou Good and FaithfulThe parable of the talents is a familiar one. God has given each one of us gifts. Some challenging questions this lesson asks are: To what degree have you invested your time in the Word of God? To what degree have you taken whatever He has given you and poured it into other lives? The Lord commends the workers based on what they do with what they have. Find out what their reward is and what is meant by "spiritual investing".
View 1361BThey All Began To Make ExcusesJesus told the story of a dinner party. All of the invitations had gone out far in advance. The invited parties were to accept or reject ahead of time. When the meal was prepared, the servants went out to tell the guests only to find that they all began to make excuses. What did the master do? The applications of this passage are many concerning both Israel and the church today.
View 1362ALost and FoundHere are two stories about lost possessions, a lost sheep and a lost coin. Jesus uses these parables to teach that being lost and found is still life's one great issue. Christ came to earth, never sinned, died, was buried, and rose again triumphant over death. He paid the price for our sins so we could be saved. Those who do not accept that message are lost. What is keeping us from seeking out the lost just as the shepherd sought out his sheep or the woman her coin?
View 1362BNo More WorthyPerhaps the most familiar of the parables is that of the prodigal son. The prodigal is a picture of the deceitful heart of man. What we can learn from this will teach us a lot about ourselves. However, we also begin to see a beautiful portrait of a loving and forgiving Father who knows how to wait.
View 1363ALo, These Many YearsThis is the second lesson on the prodigal son. This lesson however focuses on the prodigal son's older brother--and his anger. Instead of rejoicing upon the return of his brother, he became angry at the attention he received and , in his eyes, the unfairness of it all. Listen to how the Father not only responds when a sinner comes home; but also how he responds to His own children who can't cope with His grace. What are the results of our wrong responses to God as an "elder brother?"
View 1363BGive an Account of Thy StewardshipAs we continue through the parables, Jesus is focusing on the issue of accountability. What can we learn from this parable? Watch God multiply resources. See how He teaches us to give an account. Learn how to gain eternal rewards. Be careful not to fall in the trap of deceitfulness--God's best and the world's best don't mix. Learn to look at our resources from God's perspective.
View 1364AA Great Gulf FixedHell is a subject we do not like to talk about; however, it is the setting of this parable that Jesus told. Jesus made it very clear through this parable that there is a real heaven and a very real hell. There is a great gulf fixed between the two, and no one will pass from one to the other. The determinations of who will be where are made on earth and binding in eternity. It isn't what we have on earth that matters, but our eternal destiny. Look through the eyes of the rich man and see what became important to him.
View 1364BBecause of His PersistenceThis lesson focuses on prayer. Here, Jesus gives a practical story about prayer and a man who was persistent. Why are we to be so persistent in our requests to God? Why doesn't God answer all of our prayers quickly? Does God grow weary of our asking? The parable of the persistent teaches us that waiting is an opportunity for asking--the silence is an open invitation for man to come closer to the heart of God.
View 1365AGod, Be MercifulJesus turns once again to a parable to teach us how to pray. His characters are a Pharisee and a publican as He once again teaches us how to pray. The five principles taught in this lesson are persistence, privacy, pride, presumption, and penitence. Each of these attitudes are keys to approaching God's throne in prayer.
View 1365BThe Really Good SamaritanOne of the most familiar passages in the Bible, the Good Samaritan, deserves a closer look. As a lawyer asks Jesus the question "Who is my neighbor?", Jesus answers with this parable. There are three different characters with three different responses to the hurt Samaritan. In examining these three responses, we will come face to face with our own response. Find out which was the really good neighbor, and how we can apply that same response to our own lives.
View 1366AWatchWhat does the word "watch" mean? It is significant in studying the next parable concerning the coming of the Lord. It is important that we keep studying and learning. The more we know about His faithfulness, the more we will keep our eye on the eastern sky. We need to get in the habit of looking up and anticipating His return That is our calling.
View 1366BLearning to Make the Spiritual SwitchJesus was a master at taking physical illustrations and weaving them into spiritual truth. He began to paint pictures of nature, or tell stories of incidents that were real, and then call upon His congregation to make 'the spiritual switch." The "spiritual switch" would be the process of taking that which God had created or allowed in the physical realm and laying on top of it spiritual principles which revealed the real reason God created that object the way He did. Learn how to make the 'spiritual switch" and begin seeing God's principles in everything from salt to computers to birds.
View Possessing the Land: The Process of Mentoring (1367-1378)
1367AYou've Wandered Long EnoughThis lesson is the first in a series on mentoring. Using the book of Deuteronomy as a backdrop, we will look at Moses and the Israelites as they stood ready to possess the land. In the process we will also see how God used Moses to train Joshua for leadership. God told the Israelites "You've wandered long enough" What was their response?
View 1367BDiscouraged Hearts and Bad DecisionsThe Israelites had wandered in the wilderness for forty years. Now, God was going to give them another chance. All they had to do was trust that the Lord had given them this land and go up and possess it. What was their response? They hesitated. They became discouraged. They were at the end of their journey and still did not possess the land. What caused them to question God?
View 1368AWhen The Memory GoesThere are times for all of us when our memory fails. That loss of memory and its consequences are the subject of this study as we continue to look into the book of Deuteronomy. Moses gives the Israelites a history lesson concerning the rebellion of their fathers in refusing to go in and possess the land the Lord had given them. In what ways do we rebel against the will of God? Why does God bring giants in our paths? We want the land, but we don't want to have to fight giants to get it. We have fallen into an ocean of forgetfulness and don't remember God's leading and love through similar lands of giants.
View 1368BI Am Not Among YouGod is the only one who can defeat the enemy. We live in a society that teaches from kindergarten up that we are the ones who can. God had clearly told Israel not to go and fight because, "I am not among you.". He could have defeated all the giants, but because of Israel's rebellion, He chose to withdraw. The Israelites then tried to defeat the enemy in their own strength. What happens when we move into battle without God? We do it every day. We try harder, and we become more frustrated. There is a solution.
View 1369AChased Like BeesThe Israelites had decided to go fight the giants in the land, even though God had clearly said "I am not among you". They presumed that since they had admitted their sins, that God would fight for them. They were now going to do in the flesh what God had offered to do supernaturally in the Spirit. In this lesson we are going to take a closer look at the principles of presumption that caused defeat for the Israelites and also give ourselves a test to see how much we presume upon God.
View 1369BThou Hast Lacked NothingWhat is in our hearts? God knows, but He wants us to know, too. Moses reiterates to the people how God had kept them the forty years in the wilderness. He tested them and showed them what was in their heart, so they would learn to rely completely upon God. There was no better school room than the wilderness, and there was no better teacher than God. There were times when He had to take away the very things the people didn't think they could do without, in order to teach them that physical blessings have no eternal value except in how unselfishly they are given away. In the realm of the Spirit, we lack nothing. Everything else is passing away.
View 1370ASome Shall TrembleThe battle is not ours but God's. This is the secret of spiritual warfare. The key to victory is staying at God's feet and listening to God's Word. Spiritual warfare is the result of a relationship, and the result will always be victory, either here or in glory.
View 1370BWhen God Says "No"God always wants to bless us, but sometimes His blessing comes through the word "no". Moses learned that the hard way as he disobeyed what God told him to do. It did not mean God did not love Moses, but He is also a just God and makes Moses pay the consequences for violating His command. Can we begin praising God for the "no" as well as the "yes" in answer to our prayers? The answer "no" may well be the most beautiful answered prayer ever heard.
View 1371AThe Legacy of a Life: The Miracle of MentoringWhat kind of legacy can we leave that will live on after we are gone, yet will not reflect the decline of our physical or mental abilities as the years take their toll? Scripture has the answer-it is people. We will begin a series of lessons to look in depth at how Moses poured his life into Joshua, until he finally handed the mantle of leadership to Him. He was to charge him, encourage him, and strengthen him. See how we can use these same principles to begin pouring our lives into others.
View 1371BThe Things You've Seen and HeardGod's great plan is the transfer of life from one believer to another. Life is transferred in many ways, but this lesson looks specifically at the transfer of life through example. It is what Jesus did for those three years when He gave His life to twelve men. The things the disciples had seen and heard became the message they had to declare. So it was with Moses and Joshua. Joshua had walked hand in hand with this mighty man of God for years. He encountered the same challenges, endured the same persecution, and enjoyed the same victories. He saw and heard how Moses responded. We are, too, like Moses, living examples to someone in the Christian life. They are examining the Christian faith in light of our lives. What will they have seen and heard?
View 1372AMentoring by IntercessionInterceding is hard work. As Joshua went into battle, Moses went to the top of the hill, raised the rod of God, and interceded for Joshua. Interceding was perhaps the hardest thing Moses had to do. This was a man's heart reaching out to God's heart on behalf of someone who was virtually a son to him. Learn how we can intercede for our own Joshuas who are on the battlefield of life. Learn how to fight in the Spirit and receive spiritual results.
View 1372BMentoring by Intercession Part 2Intercession is a battle. How do we effectively intercede for someone and for whom should we regularly be interceding? This is part two of a three part series on intercession. God is calling each of us to a ministry ;many of us have ignored. He is calling us to lift our hearts to heaven even as Moses lifted his arms to heaven on behalf of others who are in the thick of the battle.
View 1373AMentoring by Intercession Part 3This is the last study on mentoring by intercession. This lesson looks at how and why the Spirit of God intercedes for us as we pray. We also will see how the Son of God is in heaven continually making intercession to the Father on our behalf. Also, this lesson takes us back to the beautiful picture Jesus painted in John 17 as He approached the Father, praying for us. We must learn how to stand in the gap for others just as Jesus continues to do for us.
View 1373BMentoring by RemindingSatan is ready to snatch from our minds the memory of the wonderful things God has done on our behalf. As we continue the series on mentoring, we see Moses conducting a class in "Remembering 101" in his school of discipleship. He plans to teach four things 1)reasons to remember 2) some things to remember 3) the ways to remember 4) a plan for remembering. We must prepare to remember, because the older we get, the harder it gets unless we begin early to make provisions for the next generation.
View 1374AMentoring by Reminding Part 2In our last lesson we looked at the importance of remembering. In this second lesson on remembering, our focus will be on what we are to remember. There are four key things that all Christians need to remember. How to etch these four things upon our memory banks will be the subject of this lesson.
View 1374BMentoring by Reminding Part 3We've looked at why we are to mentor by reminding, and we've looked at what we are to be reminded of How can we see that the journey begins and the process goes on? There are very practical ways that we can create reminders for both ourselves and our families. The two keys to doing this are tying everything God has done to His Word and memorizing it and meditating on it. The key to doing that is something called accountability. We don't want to come to the end of our lives having forgotten to remember-but rather leaving a legacy of God-given memories to those around us.
View 1375AMentoring By TeachingIn examining the concept of mentoring by teaching, two main examples stand out-- how Jesus taught the disciples and how the Holy Spirit teaches us. Teaching involves correcting, redirecting, and encouraging. Each of these are used by Jesus as a method of teaching that leads to transformation. Transformation is the end product of true mentoring. Learn how to mentor God's way through God's Word.
View 1375BMentoring by EncouragementWhy do we get discouraged? Discouragement is universal to the human soul, but the levels of discouragement and what it takes to overcome that discouragement will run the gamut. The sources of discouragement are many, but God has also provided the solutions. In order to begin encouraging, we first need to take time to look for the source of discouragement. Once that is found we are then able to place an overlay of God's perspective on top--there lies the true encouragement.
View 1376AMentoring by Encouragement Part 2One arena in which Christians often get discouraged is in the area of this world's goods. The greatest keys to discipling in this matter are that of priorities and pressure. There are several principles clearly revealed in Scripture that will help us help others to overcome the conflict over priorities as well as the pressures of conformity that create depression and discouragement.
View 1376BMentoring Through Life's Storms Part 3If there is a general theme in Paul's writings, it would be encouragement in the midst of trials. A great part of Paul's mentoring became a ministry of the magnificence of seeing the grace of God as it could only be seen through life's storms. How do we, as Paul, encourage others in difficult straits? In one sense, we need to be willing, if need be, to suffer to teach and demonstrate the grace that suffering provides; the strength that only weakness appropriates.
View 1377AMentoring Through The Word of GodThe Word of God. There is nothing like it. The Word of God is the only medicine God has prescribed for spiritual healing. It is profitable for doctrine, reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness. The question becomes how do we use the Word Of God? Do those we mentor stand in awe of God's Word? Do they know that it is 100% true about everything? Do they understand the place of God's Word in spiritual warfare? Those we mentor need to understand the wonder of this book.
View 1377BMentoring Through The Word Part 2God's Word is alive. In part two of this study we are asked a few more questions about the Word of God. Is the Word of God the source of our faith? Do we read what is written about the Bible or the Bible itself? Does the Word of God produce joy? This is the living Word. It will forever change your perspective and will forever change your life.
View 1378AMentoring: The True TestMentoring is a process. It is the pouring of one life into another; the making of one life accountable to another; and the tender, persistent commitment by one person to see that the other person keeps on growing. Perhaps the least utilized tool in our arsenal of mentoring is that of reproof. The true test of mentoring is a changed life. It happens when someone loves someone else enough to help them see their blind spots not as immovable objects, but as transformable opportunities.
View 1378BThe True Test of Mentoring Part 2The true test of mentoring is the changing of character over the process of time. Character is the only real yardstick the mentor has to apply to the heart of his disciple. How do we help another grow in the matter of character? The one who holds the key to character transformation is also the one who answers prayer. The key then comes in praying for those we disciple not so much for circumstances to change, but that character be transformed.
View Prayer: God's "Secret" Weapon (1328-1339)
1328AWhy Don't We PrayThe purpose of this study is not simply to gain knowledge, though there is a need for that. We need to know what God says in His word about prayer. But that will only make us more accountable. We need to be willing to apply that knowledge to our own lives and lay ourselves before God in conviction and humility.
View 1328BWhy Must We PrayIn this study, we begin a long look into the positive side of the subject. "Why Must We Pray?" is the title, and it is step one in the pursuit of a set of priorities that place spending time in God's presence in intimate communication as the number one objective in the Christian life. It will take some reevaluating. But reevaluating is what coming to grips with Scriptural truth is all about. By God's grace, let's look honestly at what the Bible has to say about prayer.
View 1329A"The Essence of Prayer"To pray or not to pray. That is no longer the question . We learned by looking at those sleepy saints in the garden and by searching the New Testament to view the life of Christ and the life of the apostles, that prayer is not an option in the believer's life. It is rather the vehicle through which the Christian enters into the heart of God and thus finds the will of God and is energized with the power of God.
View 1329BThe Secret PlaceThis study in entitled: "The Secret Place". We have looked at the need to pray and at the essence of prayer. Now we begin to look at how we are to pray. If we are to look at how we are to pray, we must begin by looking at Jesus' unusual commands in Matthew, chapter six. It is a look at a trinity of spiritual duties which had a common thread of secrecy that bound them together. They would turn out to be three things Christians often do either subtly or overtly to receive the acclaim of men. Because of that Jesus makes it clear that unless you are doing them in such a way that men do not even know about it, you are in effect, not pleasing God at all. In fact, the reward God has stored up for these duties will be completely lost in eternity.
View 1330AYour Father KnowsGod knows everything. He knows our needs. He knows our hurts. He knows our fears. But even though He knows, we are told to ask. Why? There are at least eight reasons given in Scripture. God knows what we have need of before we ask, but we must ask.
View 1330B"Our Father Who Art in Heaven"God is not confined to the limits our human minds place upon Him. And every time we think of heaven, we ought to marvel at His creative power, at His power over the elements, His ownership of all things, His omnipotence, His omnipresence, His mercy, His sovereignty, His immutability, His coming again, and that every time we mention heaven we are giving out our new address. Heaven is where we are headed, if Christ is our Savior. Praise God. Don't you see? When you pray, "Our Father who art in heaven." You are proclaiming everything God is that sets Him apart from everything and everyone else.
View 1331A"Hallowed Be Thy name"Hallowed be thy name. How many times in your life have you prayed that statement? Do you know what it means? When you pray, do you stop and reflect on what it means? We pray that this study may help us all do just that.
View 1331B"Thy Kingdom Come"When we pray "Thy Kingdom Come" what are we asking God to do? Praying this prayer should be at the center of our lives. What does the Scripture say about the Kingdom? When we know what the Kingdom means, we will never cease praying for it to be at hand again.
View 1332AGive Us This Day Our Daily BreadGod loves you, beloved. He loves you so much that in eternity past, He lovingly designed life to be lived one day at a time. He designed prayer, accordingly. He taught us to pray for one day's needs, for the whole world, for today. Tomorrow is a new day. His compassion's fail not. They are new every morning. He will renew His love and His commitment to us each day.
View 1332BForgive usYou were in bondage. It doesn't matter how much of your sentence you have served. You were in prison, not only for life, but eventually you were to be executed. You were on death row. But God, who is rich in mercy, decided to stay the execution, then rehear the case, and finding you still guilty as charged, He paid the penalty Himself, dying in your place. The result? You have been set free. Not because you were not guilty, but because you were forgiven. That's the word. It means "to send away; to dismiss, to pardon".
View 1333ALead Us Not Into TemptationAsk yourself some very basic questions. What does it mean to be "led"? What is a "temptation"? How does God "deliver us"? What does this prayer really say? The answers to these questions are in this study.
View 1333B"In Jesus' Name, Amen"If we were to take a poll and ask how many of you end your prayers, "In Jesus' Name, Amen." Probably 90% or more would answer "yes". So the phrase is not new at all. To those twelve, however, it was not only a new phrase, but a new thought. What did He mean when he said, "He will give you whatever you ask in My Name." Even more intriguing is the question, What did He mean when He said, "Until now you have not asked for anything in My Name".
View 1334A"That They May Behold"The glory of God is one of the major themes of Scripture. It is spoken of more than 400 times in God's word directly, and is referred to on virtually every page. If we were to take a poll and ask a room full of believers to define the glory of God, I doubt if many could define it. The word seems to be used to describe a variety of things; but the truth is that all of them are the same. The Scripture talks about God's name being glory. It talks about God giving glory. It talks about God receiving glory. It talks about a time and place called glory. It talks about stealing glory, losing glory, beholding glory. May we behold that glory as this lesson unfolds.
View 1334B"That They May Behold My Glory" Part 2In this study, we want to address some other "glory" issues Jesus brought up in His prayer to the Father, and we want to look at some ways the Bible specifically says we glorify God. Then, in future studies, we hope to go on and examine the rest of what Jesus prayed in John, chapter 17.
View 1335A"That They All May Be One"We now embark upon a look at the second great theme of Jesus' prayer in John, chapter 17. It is that of unification. It is a dangerous subject, for taken out of context, it can lead to great doctrinal misunderstandings, yet overlooked, it can lead to great strife and contention.
View 1335B"Holy Father, Keep Them"God's joy indwells us and overtakes us when the uncertainties of life cause us to crawl up into the "keep" and rest. When we see no earthly deliverance, our joy ought to be multiplied. Why? Because the Father is "Keeping" us. He is maintaining our relationship with Him. He is restraining the evil one from taking us out of His Fathers hand. He is conforming us to His nature, and He is "keeping" us as only the Good Shepherd keeps His sheep.
View 1336AThey Are Not of the WorldIn John 17, Jesus prays for us. He prayed that while we are in the world, we would not be of the world. This lesson will take a look at the church's three-fold calling in the light of this prayer. We have been set apart not just to be holy for the sake of holiness, but for the sake of reaching a degenerate, dying world.
View 1336BYou Want Me To Love My Enemies?Do you have enemies? We all have them, those from days gone by that we cannot forgive or forget. There are those ever-present thorns in our sides who make our lives miserable, and there are those one-time enemies, who pass through our lives on the way to eternity, whom God allows to hurt us or offend us so that someone will love them and pray for them before it is too late. They are all our enemies. They are all ours to love!
View 1337AFor All Those in AuthorityThe Bible is a book about authority. It begins with a story of God creating a world of order where a theocracy existed and a loving Creator ruled over His creation. There were very few limits placed upon them. The had the freedom to live and serve with almost no parameters. But there was one. There was one particular tree. And the One in authority knew that this tree held nothing good for those in His keeping. So He gave them the world's first law. "Eat anything you want but that one tree. Apart from that, you have no rules."
View 1337BMaking Mention of You in My PrayersPaul wants to teach us to pray. He wants us to learn to pray through the grid of who God, is and as we do to lift those for whom we intercede into the heavenlies, asking God to take that very part of who He is, and make it part of who they are as well.
View 1338AFilled With All The Fullness of GodPaul want us to be filled with the fullness of God. That, in essence, is what all of his prayers are all about. The fullness of God is the nature of God released through the lives of His children, "In ever increasing splendor, from one degree of glory to another." (II Cor 3:18) He also wants to teach us how to pray for that splendor to be released a measure at a time in the lives of others, providing they choose to allow Him to do it. The choice will be theirs; the responsibility to pray will be ours.
View 1338BLet's Make A Prayer ListPaul knew who he was going to pray for and why. He didn't just bow his head and hope names would pop into his mind. How he did this, we don't know. It's just as well. We would turn it into some kind of legalistic requirement if we did. But again and again, he prayed for large groups of people, whole Christian communities apparently by name. No matter how Paul did it, if we are going to pray we need a prayer list. Satan is a seed-snatcher. When we go to pray, he likes to turn the already limited matter in our brains to mush.. Only when we have a prayer list do we remember to faithfully call before God many of the people know He wants us to bring to Him.
View 1339ALet's Make A CommitmentIt's time to turn understanding into wisdom. It's time to do what we have been talking about for these many months. It's time to drive a stake in the ground and make some kind of commitment to the Father where this matter of prayer is concerned.
View 1339BLet Us PrayPrayer, simply put, is man falling on his face before a holy God, drinking in the grandeur of His majesty, appropriating the marvel of His grace, claiming the assurance of His promises, and surrendering to the marvel of His will. It is not our taking a laundry list to God for Him to do our bidding, so He can prove He's God. It is taking our hearts to Him, laying them before Him, and giving up the reigns of our wills to Him so we can do His bidding and thus grow more perfectly into His likeness and be conformed more perfectly into His image.
View Promises and God's Word (510-514)
510AThe Creativity of a CrisisWhat is a crisis? It can be different things to different people. It can be either good or bad. What matters is how we deal with them so that they bear fruit in our lives. In this lesson, we are offered five steps to deal with a crisis that will turn that crisis into a time of learning. How we handle our crises determines how far we will develop in the Christian life.
View 510BPossessing the Promises (Part 1)Just how do grace and faith work together to help us possess the promises of God? In our lesson, we will take a closer look at grace and try, as best we can, to define it. It is much like the glitter of a diamond, as we stand in different places seeing all the facets of the light shining through it; and once we see it, we will see how His promises are fulfilled through His grace.
View 511APossessing the Promises (Part 2)How do we enter in and receive the promises of God? We will look at seven principles concerning the promises of God which will open our understanding of what it means to possess the victorious Christian life. But, be on guard. Claiming the promises provides victory, buy invites warfare. Possessing the promises will not always come in the way we expect since they usually relate to the things of the Spirit rather than temporal things; nevertheless the results will be glorious.
View 511BPossessing the Promises (Part 3)We will take a journey through Exodus 32 in this the third part of our lesson entitled “Possessing the Promises.” We are going to see how one man, Moses, was able to come into the presence of God with boldness, intercede for the children of God claiming the promises of God. The reason he could do this is that he was the meekest man in all the earth. He was not looking out for himself, but the people. He knew the Word of God and spent time knowing the heart of God, too. May we learn the heart of God so that we, too, may boldly claim His promises.
View 512APossessing the Promises (Part 4)On whose authority do we claim the promises? Is it something we desire and ask God for, or do we ask knowing that God, in His Word, has already promised to do it for us? Do we have a hard time beginning a prayer when we want to claim the promises? Do we get nervous in the presence of God? Once again, we will look at Moses and find out how he was able to gain the ear of the Lord, and we will see what incredible insights into His character that the Lord revealed to Moses.
View 512BThe Miracle of Memorization (Part 1)In the first chapter of Joshua, God gives Joshua a promise as well as a command. Joshua is to be strong, courageous, and obedient meditating on God’s Word. In this mini-series on the miracle of meditation, this lesson looks at the prerequisite of meditation which is memorization. We will see why it is important to memorize the Scripture and hide it in our hearts so that it can be recalled when needed. We will see the benefits of memorizing portions of God’s Word in a systematic fashion.
View 513AThe Miracle of Memorization (Part 2)There are a multitude of excuses that we use for not memorizing Scripture, but memorization of God’s Word is a command. It is the key to unlocking the promises of Scripture. As we look at specifically what Scripture memory does, we will see at least five areas in which memorization is an invaluable tool for growth. We will also be given practical suggestions for how to begin and maintain a personal system of memorization. The time to begin memorizing is now.
View 513BThe Miracle of Meditation (Part 1)What does it mean to meditate and what is the purpose behind it? This lesson will show us the four steps to meditation and will guide us through a passage of Scripture as we learn to apply the principles of meditation in order to produce application in our lives. As we meditate together through two passages of Scripture, the principles of how to meditate will be clear, so that we can then apply them to other favorite passages of Scripture.
View 514AThe Miracle of Meditation (Part 2)After a review of the process of meditation, the more practical aspects of meditation will be studied. When do you meditate? Why do you meditate? On what do you meditate? There are certain patterns we find in Scripture that will answer these questions for us, but the key is not in any kind of formula, but in Jesus as He reveals Himself through His Word.
View Starting Over (1201-1204)
1201AHow Would You Like To Start Over?Every time we turn the pages of a new calendar year, we have the perfect opportunity to see our lives begin again. As Christians, we ought to take inventory just the way a business manbusinessman does, but in this lesson we will be dealing with the business of the Spirit. In this series of lessons we will take an inventory of the storehouse of false guilt, our personal
View 1201BGuilt: True or FalseGod has clearly defined in Scripture what it is we have to be guilty of, who's to blame, and what to do about it. Satan, on the other hand, has created a cleverly disguised counterfeit of the real thing. This lesson teaches us what is true guilt, and what is false. It also teaches us how to deal with guilt and how not to deal with guilt. We can be forgiven, and the God of mercy allows us to start over.
View 1202AFreedom From BitternessSatan uses all kinds of things to sow seeds of resentment that blossom into weeds of bitterness. What will be our response to those unpleasant circumstances, and how will we keep free from developing a bitter spirit? The Bible gives us many examples of those who had to deal with a bitter spirit. How did they break the chains that bound them in the dungeon of bitterness? We will look at the life of Job, David, and others to see how they were able to start over with a clean heart and a greater appreciation of God.
View 1202BFirst, Be ReconciledIs there someone in your life that you have never made things right with? Is there someone whose name comes up whenever you try to pray seriously, someone you've wronged, or someone who thinks you have wronged them, who has never forgiven you? Have you never gone to them and sought their forgiveness? The Scripture tells us clearly that we are to be reconciled with our brother. In taking inventory of our lives, we examine in this lesson the issue of unresolved conflicts and how it damages our walk with the Lord.
View 1203AThe Sin Which Doth So Easily Beset UsBesetting sins are those things that Satan knows have a grip on you. Even though we seem to be growing in the Christian life and seem to be gaining ground in many areas, these pesty, sometimes devastating tendencies seem to make us feel as though we are taking one step forward and three steps backwards in the process. The greatest problem most of us have in this life of faith we live is that we cannot seem to gain the victory in one or two key areas of our lives, so we assume that the territory will remain unconquered until we get to Heaven. The book of Hebrews gives us the solution, and it is in the person of Jesus.
View 1203BDare to Be DisciplinedThis lesson looks at the basic discipline of the Christian life; the things we do that enable us to finish the course with joy. What are the deterrents to discipline? What character qualities are involved in discipline? What are two of the basic disciplines of every believer's life? Through certain basic disciplines, God has ordained that we can become his disciples. He is calling us to dare to be disciplined. To restructure the course of our lives in such a way that time in His presence and time in His word are not options tacked on at the end of a busy schedule, but priorities around which all of life is designed.
View 1204AAre You in Love?Jesus said, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all of your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and the greatest commandment." In one sentence, Jesus swept away the tattered remnants of the legalistic straitjacket that had enslaved men and held them in bondage to their own works.. Jesus proclaimed that man had two basic reasons for being; and the first and foremost was to fall in love with God. What is love? Where does love originate? How do we manufacture this invaluable commodity that is to God not only essential, but the only essential? How would you like to fall in love with Jesus again?
View 1204BLove Who, Lord?God invented the original "Good Neighbor policy". It was certainly not in any way like man's, but it was certainly superior to man's. Man says love your neighbor, if your neighbor is lovable. Love your neighbor, if it is convenient. Love your neighbor, if your neighbor loves you. God redefined love. It is a love that knows no limits, holds no restriction, requires no response, and He revealed that love by making a personal visit to fallen humanity. Love is the act of allowing the character of God to demonstrate itself through a life into a life. Can we begin again loving our neighbor as ourselves?
View Testing (519b-526)
519BThe Keys to TestingAfter looking for several weeks at the principles of obedience, our lesson contains a portrait of obedience. As we walk with Abraham up the mountain to the place of sacrifice, we will see how God often uses the mountains of trials as places of testing our obedience. It is at the mountain that the principles of God are put to the test, and it is there that we learn of God’s faithfulness and His three keys to testing.
View 520AThis Is a TestHow does God get our attention? Oftentimes, it is through tests, and the response He is looking for is obedience. However, there are numerous ways to be tested. Just as in school, we faced various kinds of tests, so, too, in the spiritual realm testing can fall under six different categories. The response to these tests can also produce varied results. For those of us who have been wondering about the purpose of tests that have come into our lives, this lesson offers key insights into some of those purposes.
View 520BWhy God Tests UsWhat are God’s purposes in testing? The major goal of God through testing is to create in us the mind of Jesus. He does this in many ways---by displaying our weaknesses, humbling us and drawing us closer to His Word. The Scripture says, “Count it all joy, my brethren.” As we learn more of God’s purposes in testing, we can learn to rest in the midst of the test and know God is with us, working among us to bring about His good purpose.
View 521ATesting to Teach "God Is"God often tests us to enlarge our vision of who He is. Looking at the life of Job, we can see how God tested Job in order to show Himself more clearly to Job. How big is your God? He will test you proportionately to how big He is in your life, and, with each test, He should end up bigger. We will come to see His perfect grace, His mercy, and His faithfulness. When all is completed, we will be able to relax in the fact that we have a big God who is our rock, our fortress, and our deliverer. He is and ever shall be. May we, as Job, stand amazed at the greatness of our God.
View 521BTesting to Equip Us to MinisterEvery test we pass through is for a purpose. Part of the purpose is to equip us to minister to those who are going through similar difficulties. Isn’t it uncanny how God places in our lives those who are going through similar experiences that we have just had. It isn’t surprising to God; He placed them there. Consider what message God is placing in your life through the tests He is bringing you through, then be available and sensitive to share that message with others, for He is equipping us to comfort those who are going through the same trouble, using the same comfort that we ourselves received of God.
View 522ATesting: To Teach Us to PrayOne of the reasons God brings tests into our lives is to teach us experientially, how to pray. We can learn to pray by reading books and hearing others, but we cannot really learn to pray until we experience the valley of need. In the Psalms, we hear David crying out in times of distress to the Lord, and the Lord is faithful to hear his cry. Join us, as we see David learning of God’s heart and watching as his cries to God turn into songs of blessing to the mighty King.
View 522BTesting and Spiritual WarfareEvery circumstance, every decision, and every response in our lives has deep spiritual significance attached to it. Nothing is outside of the realm of the spirit in the Christian’s life. God is engaged in an intense struggle with Satan for the control of our lives. There are six principles we will learn in this lesson concerning testing and spiritual warfare. We do not want to take spiritual warfare lightly, because our enemy does not.
View 523ATesting: The Voice of the StrangerEvery test we face is accompanied by spiritual warfare. Satan’s battlefield is in the mind of a believer. Ever so subtly he speaks to the believer causing him to question God or the Word of God. How do we know when we are listening to “the voice of the stranger”? It is of the utmost importance that we now whose thoughts are taking our minds captive. As the enemy begins to knock on the door of our minds and we begin to respond, there are things that we know that can indicate to us that this is the voice of the stranger. Let’s be prepared.
View 523BTesting and Satan's PlanIn this life we are faced with spiritual warfare on a daily basis. Are we prepared for the attacks of Satan? Just what are tactics he uses? Once we know his tactics we will be able to resist him properly. God never intended for us to live compromised Christian experiences, because greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. There is a way of escape from Satan’s attack, the question is will we take it?
View 524ATesting: Satan Steals the SeedJesus loved to speak in parables. One such parable was that of the sower and the seed. In this lesson, we will see how Satan attempts to steal the seed that the sower has sown. There are several different methods he uses for doing this. Our responsibility is to deal with the enemy at the point of keeping intact the seed we have received. This lesson will give us practical steps for seeing that the Word of God stays put in our lives.
View 524BSatan Kills the RootsIn this second lesson on the parable of the sower and the seed, we will see how Satan seeks to destroy the seed of the Word. Satan’s attacks through affliction are four-fold. Two are from without, and two are from within. Two are to our personal body, and two are to the corporate body of Christ. Find out how we can thrive under the heat of affliction instead of being destroyed by it.
View 525ASatan Destroys the FruitThis is the third in a series of lessons on the sower and the seed. We will look at the “weeds and thorns” of the world. Jesus divided them into three categories: the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the lust of other things entering in. If the seed of the Word cannot be snatched by the enemy and the roots can’t be stopped from going down into the soil, he is going to try through these three methods to keep fruit from being produced. However, a healthy tree will produce fruit. By being aware of Satan’s plan, we will avoid being drawn by Satan and we can instead enjoy bearing the fruits of the Spirit.
View 525BTesting: God's School for AngelsDid you know we have a ministry to angels? Our response to testing plays a major part in the instruction and growth of the the angels. In the next two lessons we will explore six areas in the lives of angels. This lesson will deal with the nature and character of angels and the ministry of angels to God. Have you ever thought about what they do in heaven? You might be surprised.
View 526ATesting: School for Angels (Part 2)This is part two of our look at angels. In this lesson, we will see how angels minister to believers. However, the crux of this lesson is on how you and I minister to angels. Have you ever thought about what you can teach an angel? There are at least five things that angels have never experienced and by seeing our response as we experience those things, they learn marvelous things about God. So not only is God testing us to humble us and teach us, He is also testing us to teach angels His grace, His power and His love.
View 526BTesting: Testimony to the WorldThis is the final lesson of our series on testing. The world is looking for Jesus. Oftentimes, the tests of life pass into our lives so that the world, through our responses, can see Him. With our lives as His stage, He can demonstrate Himself in a way that , like Rahab, others will cry out “We have heard about your God. Where is He? What will He do next?” Tests give us an opportunity to show the world that God is. He may deliver or He may choose to come alongside and suffer, but the world will know He is there.
View Tough Choices (1324-1327)
1324ATaming the Temper, Part 1Anger is the emotion that, if not properly handled, unravels reasons, distorts the truth, and releases a venom that falsely accuses, denies sensibility, and becomes on occasion vicious, vengeful, and vindictive. Is it any wonder that a life under God's control must also have under control the enemy of ungodly anger? Is it any wonder that taming the temper is no option for the Spirit-controlled life?
View 1324BTaming The Temper, Part 2The essence of anger surfaces in detail in the New Testament which seems to reflect three expression of anger that simply are not acceptable to God. As we look at these different types of anger we need to ask God to search us for what rights we are clinging to that we have not given to God. What should our proper response be?
View 1325ATaming The Temper, Part 3Much of our anger comes from claiming rights we do not have. The violation of those imaginary "rights" brings about a response in us that God never intended us to have. The result is that we demand our day in court, or boil with resentment, or explode in a rage because we have assumed the place of God. What rights are we claiming that are not ours?
View 1325BTeakettles, Sundown and a Second HandIn this fourth of a series on dealing with anger, we are given three practical ways of dealing with our anger. These three principles, if put into practice, will give us victory over anger. Victory will not come overnight, but one day we will awaken to find an ebbing of the old urge to retaliate, a softening taking place in the spirit. The bitterness and rage will be gone. It starts when we begin to seek the mind of Christ in controlling anger.
View 1326ATaming the Temper Part 5, Turning the Curse into a BlessingTaming the temper involves redirecting the energy of anger into transforming, revolutionary spiritual power so the curse becomes a blessing, and the enemy is not only withstood but totally defeated. God is calling us to resist the devil, to choose not to get angry, and then to go on the offensive. Let that temptation to anger become a springboard to loving, blessing, praying, and doing good until a confused and discouraged Satan flees from you.
View 1326BThat Enemy Called EnvyEnvy. It will surface in your prayer life, both in who you pray for and who you don't. It will surface in your thought life: the people you compare yourself with. It will surface in your relationships and how you spend your money. How do you combat this enemy called envy? Let's begin by asking some hard questions from the Scriptures concerning envy.
View 1327ABe Ye HolyIn this lesson we will take a look at both the character of God, which makes morality possible, and the portrait of His holiness, which makes our morality essential. The power to behave is not based on our determination, but on God's nature, imputed to us by virtue of the new birth. His Spirit placed in us gives us the capacity to behave. We must choose to behave so that the portrait of our Saviour might not be blurred.
View 1327BWalking on Hot CoalsThe purpose of this lesson is for us to see adultery from God's perspective-adultery of the eye, mind, will, body, spirit-and having seen it from God's perspective, never again to toy with immorality. Can we walk through fire and not be burned? Can we toy with immorality and not be burned? We cannot. God has erected sign posts on His Word that clearly warn us: Danger: Hot Coals-Stay Away.
View What the Word Says About Word (1317-1322)
1317AOpen My Eyes That I May Behold Wondrous ThingsWe will be scanning the pages of the written word for information about how that word can change our lives. The doorway we will use to enter will be Psalm 119. Nowhere in Scripture is Scripture more clearly defined than in that one chapter. Rather than taking that chapter verse by verse, we will take it topically, cross-referencing each subject with the rest of Scripture. Our goal will be to find the mind of God about the Word of God using the Word of God itself as our textbook.
View 1317BWondrous Things out of Thy LawIn this lesson, our excursion continues as we try to examine what the Psalmist meant when he asked God to open his eyes. We want to know what it means to "behold wondrous things". May God's precious grace enable us to stand even more in awe of Him and His word as we do.
View 1318AO Lord, Teach MeOne source of truth is the Word of God. Whether we are reading, studying, or memorizing it for ourselves, or listening to someone else preaching or teaching it, we cannot learn anything apart from God's Spirit. That dependent relationship on our interpreter is so crucial to the process of transformation that God has reminded us over and over in His word that understanding His Word is the result of what He teaches us.
View 1318BMore Than My Necessary FoodThe word of God is food, too. It, however, feeds that portion of the nature of man that edifies, sustains, and transforms in the spirit realm. Given a choice, it is better to feast on God's word even at the expense of our "necessary" food; food or things that seem essential to the natural man, but compared to things eternal are expendable.
View 1319AIT is Good For MeComfort and renewal. Strength and redirection. Encouragement and power. They are ours for the taking when we get desperate enough to fall down before God and cry out for His word to be our comfort and our guide. The problem is, most of us won't tremble at His word until we have been afflicted. Like Job, most of us, once afflicted, will begin to squirm and justify and lash out at both man and God before we'll admit that what is happening to us is good.
View 1319BThese Words Shall Be On Your HeartThe more you meditate, the more respect you have for God's word, God's ways, and God 's works. As God exalts His name through His word, you honor His word in your heart. It is a natural by-product. Don't wait until you "feel" like it. Once it begins to take hold of you, you'll feel like it. Until you do, Satan will try to tell you it's not working.
View 1320AAs a Man Thinketh in His HeartGod is saying that the real you apart from some form of divine intervention is the most deceitful thing in all the world. Nothing else and no one else is more likely to sell you a lie than your own heart. God said it. It is not only deceitful above all things, it is desperately wicked. That means, that left to itself, you, apart from God, would do anything that would satisfy your own desires.
View 1320BA Thread of TruthThe word of God. We must engrave it on our hearts by memorizing and reviewing it and personalizing it. In this study, we begin to look at how to do that. We intend to get incredibly practical. We are no longer looking at the doctrinal reason for doing it, we accept that as a command. This is a lesson of "how-to's"
View 1321ABringing the Word into FocusWe need to bring the Word into focus. We need to bring our lives into focus. We need to reevaluate what's really important, and what's not. And no matter who gets offended, we need to refocus the lens of our spirits on what will change our lives and change our worlds. We don't have time to win the race against the clock and lose the battle or control of our hearts.
View 1321BThat You May Observe To DoWe can memorize and meditate on the Word, but until we "observe to do" the Word, it will make no real difference in our lives. God has called us to obey His Word. It is time we take inventory and find those areas of our lives that are continuing to plague us. As the commercial says, we need to "just do it".
View 1322AThe Grass WithersOnly two things are eternal, beloved. The word of God and people. We are to pour our lives into loving one another with a pure heart, fervently, pouring this eternal book into their lives as we do, with the intent that men and women be born again through the incorruptible seed of the word of God. Just like the grass in your yard, this world is going to wither and die. Your dreams of greatness will wither and die. Your ambitions of glory will wither and die. Your checkbook, your stocks, your investments will be gone. But not this book. It will abide forever.
View 1322BWhat Now?We have searched the Scriptures to find out what they say about themselves. They say they are everything, and they are waiting to change lives. What now? We need to choose to obey, to get the tools and helps we need to be faithful, to find someone with which we can be accountable, and most importantly, pray. Now it is up to us to obey.
View Will of God, The (1115-1119)
1115AWhat to Do When God CallsHow would you like to fill the shoes of Elijah? That was the task to which God had called Elisha. It is also the story that begins our series on "How to Find the Will of God". We will look at the realities of Elisha's calling and his response to that calling. It will be our goal to look at it in the light of how God calls His children: from what, to what, when, where and why. This is the first in a series of 10 lessons on discerning the will of God.
View 1115BHow To Find The Will of God (Part 1)Just what is the will of God? Our purpose in this study will be to let the Scriptures provide their own definitions. We will learn that the will of God is good, acceptable, and perfect. The moment we become Christians, doing the will of God will become our total objective in life.. From these basic observations that the Word makes about the will of God, we will begin to formulate a definition of God's will.
View 1116AKeys to Finding the Will of GodThe first key to finding the will of God is to accept him as Savior and Lord. We can't know God's spirit, if God's spirit is not living in us. The next step is to seek God's will, not doing what we want to do then asking God's approval. We have a new purpose now, and it is a spiritual purpose. Every decision is made based on how if affects the Kingdom of God. That will not always lead us down the easy road. The will of God is seldom the path lined with the aroma of flowers and the scent of success.. But our prayer should be the same as Jesus', "Father, thy will be done, on earth, as it is in Heaven."
View 1116BThe Key That Opens the Ear of GodPerhaps you are struggling to find the will of God, praying daily for insight, but somehow God seems to have His ears closed. It is as though He does not hear. So many studies on the will of God overlook this one key--A heart that is not right with God cannot receive the leading of God because it'sits cries cannot reach the ears of God. God cannot hear your cry for direction unless the sin and the rebellion and the filth that may have crowded into your life have been washed away. Then He will be free to hear you, and you will be free to follow Him.
View 1117AAbsolute-ly The Will of GodIn our society there are no longer considered to be any absolutes. Nothing is certain. Nothing is unchanging. Making a decision in a world like that is virtually impossible. On what do we base our decisions. There are some absolutes, however, and they are found in the nature of God and His Word. Absolutes are God's permanent laws that apply to every child of His, in every age. In this lesson and the next we will look at some of those absolutes.
View 1117BAbsolute-ly The Will of God (Part 2)In this lesson we will begin to look at some of the absolutes in Scripture and the principles that spring from them, and apply those absolutes and those principles to the kinds of decisions we are each faced with on a day to day basis. From this lesson, we will learn how to take some of the absolutes of Scripture and then search for the principles that will help us make wise decisions.
View 1118ALet's Make it Work!We can make wise decisions. By examining the absolutes of Scripture in the light of God's character and laying them over the grid of the purpose and the priorities of the Christian life, we can discern what is His good, and acceptable, and perfect will. In this lesson we will look to see what God's purpose is and what the priorities of our Christian life should be, so that we can establish that grid. The right decision is the one that will bring the most glory to God, and God will never go against His Word, His principles, or His priorities.
View 1118BOn EarthHow do we pray for the will of God, and what does praying for the will of God really mean? Once we are in harmony with God's absolutes how do we find His specific will for our lives? Prayer is the answer to finding the will of God. As we pray, we are to continually, expectantly give every day and every hour over to His Lordship, specifically asking that His will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. We are to pray until our hearts are so intertwined with God's that to face a Cross would be Glory. We are no longer pleading with God to do our will , but surrendering to God so He can do His will.
View 1119AAlmost in ConclusionHow can we engrave Scripture on our hearts, so that when decision time comes we will know what the Word of God says. This lesson lays before us the concept of memorizing a thread of Scripture in which one Scripture leads to another. Each builds on the one before it, until we possess a Scriptural package that surfaces the will of God about a given subject. After knowing the will of God on a certain subject, the final key is to just do it. Studying about the will of God is not the answer, and neither is memorizing Scripture concerning it, but doing the will of God is what pleases Him.
View 1119BAfter You've Done the Will of GodWhat about those nagging unanswered questions that surface again and again when the will of God is discussed, and which surface again and again when we are counselling or seeking counsel? We would like to discuss at least a handful of those before we close this series. As we conclude this series, we also need to address the subject of God's timing. God will always seem slow and there may often be delays, but He is working a work in us on His timetable. We need to let Him alone to finish His work in us; whatever it takes, however long it takes. God has a plan.
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191CSThe Day Grandpa Was Born and Four Other Christmas stories (book)Forest Grove was not a town you would particularly want to visit, at least not until Pastor Tom started praying. He prayed fervently for God to send one man whose heart beat for Him. What a surprise as God reveals to Pastor Tom, through a series of unforeseen circumstances, the answer to his prayer. As we see the effect of one person's life who is sold out for God, we find that the little town of Forest Grove will never be the same again and neither will Grandpa.
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