“Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” John 7:24
“For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7
Hebrews 4:12 says, “The Word of God is living and powerful . . and is a discerner of the thoughts and the intents of the heart.” Continue reading
The underlying key to all aspects of our relationship with Jesus is our surrender to Him. So how does humility express surrender in our lives? Early on, I thought the essence of humility is surrender; such as in Philippians 2:5, 8; where it says, ” Let Jesus’ attitude be in you. . Who, being found as a man, humbled himself, and became a slave, and was obedient unto death, even death on a cross.”
“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” James 1:2-4
“We also glory [rejoice] in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Romans 3:4-5 When I was a little kid, my Momma used to say, often, that tribulation builds character.
Our friend, the prophet Isaiah, says, “Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on [trust in] the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:28-31. Continue reading
The only time you really get to rest in this life is when you find someone you can trust to protect you. And most of the time the only one you can trust completely is God. Everyone else, sooner or later, comes up short. They’re just not there when you really need them most. God is the only One who is really trustworthy. And when you have God to protect you, it’s a lead pipe cinch that nothing bad is going to happen to you. (No evil will befall you) And no catastrophe, no earthquake, no hurricanes, no swine flu, no cancer, and certainly no plague will come near your dwelling. Continue reading
One day I was reading Luke 9:23, where it says, “If anyone would be my disciple, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me;” and I was thinking about what that means, “Take up your cross daily”. I heard a number of preachers and teachers say that it means 1 We all have our burdens (problems, troubles, sacrifices) to bear, and each of us has to trust God to bear those burdens in a Christ-like way. 2 Or some say your cross is whatever job or career or ‘calling’ God has called you to, and to be a disciple, you must focus your attention on doing that calling well and properly for the glory of God. Continue reading
“ . . the prayer of faith will heal the sick and the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.” James 5:15
Who is a “righteous” person? A righteous person is one who has Jesus’s righteousness in him because he has surrendered his whole self to Jesus. Not my righteousness but Jesus’ righteousness is the only thing that is going to save me, the only thing that is going to make me holy, as God is holy. Continue reading
“The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective”. James 5:16 NIV
Praying is an act of service. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Who is righteous? Anyone who has surrendered to Jesus and let His Spirit come to dwell in their heart. No one else is righteous in God’s eyes. If you want to have a powerful and effective prayer life, surrender your whole self to Jesus. “Deny yourself, take up your cross (that means “die to yourself” let Jesus live His Eternal Life in you!) daily, and follow Him.” (Luke 9:23) That’s the ONLY way to have a powerful effective prayer life.
Philippians 4:6-7, says, “Don’t worry about anything; but being thankful for what you have, tell God what you need; and the peace that passes all understanding will keep your heart and your mind, through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Just so you’ll know, if you ever had any doubt, this verse works every time—not the verse, but Our Lord. Prayer is an act of faith (trust) in God. Continue reading
James 5:13 (ERV) says, “Are you having troubles? You should pray. . “
So first, if you are in trouble, pray. I’m sure you already know that every prayer is an act of faith, an act of trust in God.- It’s a service to God to ask for His help; even when you’re saying, “Help! Please! Right Now! I’ve tried everything else and nothing is working! Continue reading
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