with no explanation of Himself other than the words, "I AM." But Moses wanted to know something more of God. So, he pleaded with Him, "Lord, show me your glory."
I believe there is only one thing that can keep us going in the coming hard times and that is an understanding of God's glory. Now, this may sound like a high, lofty concept to you, one that's best left to theologians. (Since when has this ever stopped me?)
But I'm convinced the subject of God's glory has very real, practical value for every true believer. By grasping it, we unlock the door to an overcoming life!
Here are two important truths in my study of this subject:
1. The glory of God is a revelation of our Lord's nature and being.
You may recall from the Old Testament that Moses got a literal glimpse of God's glory. Before
God responded, by taking Moses aside and putting him in the cleft of a rock. Then, scripture says, He revealed Himself to Moses in all His glory: "The Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin " (Exodus 34:6-7).
I believe this passage is absolutely essential to our understanding of who our Lord is. Often when we think about the glory of God, we think of His majesty and splendor, His power and dominion, or some manifestation in His people, such as boisterous worship. All such things can be a result of seeing God's glory. But this isn't the glory that He wants us to know Him by.
The way God wants us to know His glory is through the revelation of His great love toward human-
kind. And that's just what He revealed to Moses: " the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin " (Exodus 34:6-7).
The Lord is forever waiting to show us His love to forgive us and shower us with His mercy and restore us to Him!
2. The revelation of God's glory has powerful effects on those who receive it and pray for an understanding of it.
Up to this point, Moses had viewed the Lord as a God of law and wrath. He trembled with terror in the Lord's presence petitioning Him, crying out to Him and pleading with Him on behalf of Israel. This had been the basis of his faceto-face relationship with the Lord.
Yet now, at the first sight of God's glory, Moses was no longer fearful of the Lord. Instead, he was moved to worship: "Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped”. He saw
that God wasn't just the thunder, lightning and piercing trumpet that had made him shrivel in fear. On the contrary, God was love and His nature was one of kindness and tender mercy!
Do you see the incredible truth scripture is showing us here? True worship arises from hearts that are overcome by a vision of God's unmerited love for us. It's based on the revelation that God gives us of Himself, of His goodness, His mercy and His readiness to forgive. So, if we're to praise God both in spirit and in truth, our worship must be based on this awesome truth about Him.
Indeed, once we receive a revelation of God's glory, our worship can't help but change. Why? Seeing His glory, changes the way we live! It affects our countenance and behavior changing us from "glory to glory," making us more like Him. Each new revelation of His love
of God demonstrates this truth. The Lord sent Moses to deliver Israel without giving him a full revelation of who the God of Israel was. The Lord merely told him, "Go, and say I AM sent you." But He gave no explanation of who "I AM" was.
of His glory to us now is meant to change us into an expression of Christ!
of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints" (Ephesians 1:17-18).
God's glory is a revelation of His nature and attributes!
Scripture makes clear that it's possible for every true follower of Jesus to see and understand the glory of God. Indeed, our Lord reveals His glory to all who ask and seek for it diligently. Moreover, I believe the revelation of God's glory will equip His people for the perilous days ahead. Paul states that this revelation can build you up and to give you an inheritance among all of them which are sanctified" (Acts 20:32).
The Lord himself defines His glory this way in scripture. Therefore, when we pray, "Lord, show me your glory," we're praying, "Father, reveal to me who you are." And if the Lord does give us a revelation of His glory, it's a revelation of how He wants to be known by us.
Moses' experience with the glory
I believe therefore Moses cried, "[Lord]...I beseech thee, show me thy glory" (Exodus 33:18). Moses had a gnawing hunger and thirst to know who the great I AM was -- to know what His nature and character were all about.
And the Lord answered Moses' prayer. First, He instructed Moses to hide himself in the cleft of a rock. Yet, as Moses waited for the glory of God to appear, he saw no thunder, no lightning, and no shaking of the earth. Rather, God's glory came to him in a simple revelation:
"The Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression..." (Exodus 34:6-7).
God only reveals His power or glory with a purpose in mind
God allowed Moses to see His glory so that he might be changed by the sight of it! And the same is true for us today. God reveals His glory to us so that, by seeing it, we might be changed into His very own image!
Today, Jesus Christ is the express image of who God is. When our Lord became flesh, it was as a full revelation of the heavenly father's mercy, grace, goodness, and readiness to forgive. God wrapped up everything of His nature and character in Jesus. And any revelation
The apostle Paul understood well the purpose and effect of seeing the glory of God. He saw it as power to change the beholder -- to revolutionize the life of every follower of Christ. "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass [mirror] the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Corinthians 3:18).
Paul is telling us, "Once you get this revelation of God's glory -- of His love, mercy, grace, long-suffering and readiness to forgive -- the Holy Spirit will continually open your eyes to more of these aspects of His nature and character. You'll have an everincreasing revelation of God; in the way He wants to be known to you!"
Paul then says in an even stronger tone: "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him: the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope
Friends, God wants to tell us, "Moses understood My glory and now I want you to understand it. I want to open your eyes by My Spirit to show you who I am. I'm not just a God of wrath and judgment. My nature is love!"
"That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fullness of God".
Paul is telling us, "Let this revelation of God's glory become so real to you that you become rooted and grounded in it. Keep seeking it, studying it, claiming it, and appropriating it in your life -- until the vision of Christ's glory bursts forth in you! As you remain in the word, seeking the revelation of His glory, you'll be changed. And you'll keep changing, from glory to glory!"
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the fullness of Christ. (Ephesians 4:13)
To that end, he uses every circumstance—every up, every down, every relationship—in our lives to conform us to His likeness. Nothing goes to waste!
child of His is to become a disciple – a ROMANS 12 Christian!
The question is: How?
Based on a sermon series by Chip Ingram, learn what it takes to put true spirituality into practice. Start by developing transformative relationships with ourselves, God, the world, and others.
Every parent has a dream for his or her child, and God is no different. You are His child, and He has a dream for you. Read ahead and uncover that dream, and the way God will help you achieve it.
God’s dream for you is, ultimately, to make you like His Son.
…until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of
For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. (Romans 8:29)
He’s even designed the church to be the perfect classroom in which to learn and grow in maturity. God reminds us that through the church, we enter relationships, and we use our gifts for the betterment of the body. The purpose is to grow in the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
In short, God’s dream for every
In this instructive chapter of the Scriptures, Paul paints a clear picture of what a believer’s life should look like, both today and 2000 years ago. In short, when we develop healthy relationships with God, ourselves, and others, we can begin to experience the maturity that makes us more like Jesus.
When we develop healthy relationships with ourselves, God, the world, and others, we can begin to experience the maturity that makes us more like Jesus.
Let’s explore each relationship— connections that are foundational to each of us as humans—and our response as Romans 12 Christians.
Experience true spirituality as you live in community and serve each other. Experience true spirituality as you live in community and serve each other.
1. SURRENDER
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.
(Romans 12:1)
Your relationship with God is at the core of authentic, true spirituality.
For many of us, we have faith, but we’re anemic. We don’t experience His power because our lives aren’t surrendered.
It’s like a spraying hose that suddenly gets kinked. We believe, and we understand true spirituality, but no water is coming out. Instead, we depend on moralism and attempts to live a great life, but our hose is
still kinked because our relationship with God is not surrendered.
Surrendering to God is the power that transforms our faith.
2. SEPARATE from the World Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is— His good, pleasing, and perfect will.
(Romans 12:2)
When we don’t cultivate a healthy relationship with the world, we lack peace. Here’s how: We live not surrendered.
We need distractions to make us feel better.
We’re uncomfortable with quiet and with our thoughts.
We seldom take the opportunity to have our minds renewed.
Can you relate? We drive home from work listening to SiriusXM and then walk into the house and ask Alexa to play a podcast. We busy ourselves with chores and trips to the refrigerator and chats with others, all the while avoiding the silence.
How can we know God’s will when we haven’t allowed for
mind renewal?
Develop a healthy relationship with the world by taking time to gain perspective and, ultimately, peace.
How can we know God’s will when we haven’t allowed for mind renewal? Develop a healthy relationship with the world by taking time to gain perspective and, ultimately, peace.
For by the grace given me, I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is
showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. (Romans 12:3-8)
A healthy relationship with yourself looks like this:
You wake up, stretch, and walk to the bathroom. Looking in the physical, spiritual, and relational mirror, you say, “I like that person.” Is that hard for you to imagine saying?
In the sovereignty of God, He wants you to have an accurate, sober view of yourself: your personality, your gifts, height, eye color, deep struggles, your family background. God wants you to see yourself the way He sees you— dearly loved, valuable, precious, and forgiven. You are valuable.
How do you come to grips with the real, authentic you? It happens when you take a sober self-assessment and see yourself the way God sees you.
How do you come to grips with the real, authentic you? It happens when you take a sober self-assessment and see yourself the way God sees you: beloved.
4. SERVING in Love
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. (Romans 12:9-13)
His Spirit lives inside of these other people called fellow Christians, and He’s deposited gifts in them. He wants to hug you through THEM, and He wants to love you through THEM, and He wants to hold you accountable through THEM. He wants to encourage you through THEM. And are you ready? He wants you to do that right back.
Part of experiencing true spirituality is having relationships with other believers. We commit to:
Know each other.
Like each other.
Sacrifice for one another.
Pray for each other.
Do whatever it takes to help one another.
This is what it’s like to live in an authentic Christian community. By the way, this is not a new concept. Remember what Jesus said to the early church?
By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another. (John 13:35)
The way we navigate life with nonbelievers is another key relationship in our transformation and true spirituality.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is Mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.
On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:14-21)
This passage isn’t just talking about nonbelievers; it’s also referring to people who’ve been hostile to the Gospel and maybe even towards you. Or maybe they’ve hurt or betrayed you and become
your enemy.
How do you respond to evil with good?
In a recent article, I explore the steps to forgive those who’ve hurt or persecuted you. It’s a difficult subject to tackle, but freedom awaits. I hope you’ll start that forgiving process today.
As we fulfill God’s purpose for us, to make us more like His Son, we experience true spirituality. We’re transformed by our relationship with our Heavenly Father, the world, with ourselves, with believers, and then with unbelievers.
Be encouraged: true spirituality has nothing to do with living a good life so that God will love you. On
the contrary, it has everything to do with starting to grasp the height and depth and length and breadth of how much God has ALREADY loves you.
By J R Miller
There is a powerful, silent, personal influence, like a shadow, which emanates from everyone — and this influence is always leaving results wherever it touches another person. You cannot live a day — and not touch some other life with this influence. Wherever you go, your shadow falls on others — and they are either better or worse for your presence.
Our influence depends upon what we are — more than upon what we do. It is by living a beautiful life, that we bless the world. I do not underestimate good works. Good deeds must characterize every true life. But if your life itself is noble, beautiful, holy, Christlike, one that is itself a blessing and an inspiration — then the worth of your influence is multiplied many times!
There is not a Christian who cannot preach sermons every day, at home and among neighbors and friends most eloquently — by the beauty of holiness in his or her own everyday life. Wherever a Christian goes — his life ought to be an inspiration. Our silent influence ought to touch other lives with blessing. People ought to feel stronger, happier, and more uplifted — after meeting us. Our very faces ought to shed light, shining like holy lamps into sad, weary hearts. Our lives ought to be blessings to repair human sorrow and need all around us.
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and mercy brings supernatural change.
I'm convinced this is the only way lasting change occurs. It comes not from attending how-to seminars, or hearing famous speakers, or absorbing self-improvement messages from books or tapes. No, it comes from having a revelation of God, period! And God has already given us that revelation of Himself, in Exodus 34.
Seeing God's glory also changes our relationships with others. Paul tells the Ephesian church, "You've seen and tasted the glory of God. Now, be a reflection of that glory to others!" "Be kind to one another and tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake, has forgiven you". (Ephesians 4:32).
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sonal brand as you grow and get to know yourself better over time. So, how do you create a winning personal brand?
back and write them down.
2. What are my talents and values?
Nike. Apple. Starbucks. What flashes across your mind when you think of these big brands? You might picture hardworking athletes when you think of Nike, or words like sleek, modern and cutting edge when hear Apple. Guess what? The same idea applies to your personal brand. What comes to mind when people hear your name or see you at work? This is your personal brand.
Creating a personal brand takes self-awareness and intentionality. But how do you create a winning personal brand—a reputation that’s positive, reliable and recognizable? You need to understand your values and how people see and experience you right now. And I’m here to tell you that you have more control over that picture than you might think.
What Is a Personal Brand?
Simply put, your personal brand is how other people perceive you— for better or worse. It’s an outside snapshot of what you value on the inside, and it creates meaning, trust, opportunity and reliable experiences for you and the people you interact with.
Stop leading alone! Get trusted advice and accountability when you join an Advisory Group of likeminded business owners helping you win.
A personal brand isn’t created overnight. It takes time and consistency to make this image stick at work and in the world. But the good news is you can change your per-
There are a few steps to creating a winning personal brand. We’re going to start by looking at where you stand—and who you are—right now. Here are a few questions to ask yourself to understand your current personal brand.
1. What does my personal brand look like today?
The first step to creating your personal brand is to take note of what’s working for you—or not working for you—right now. Don’t overthink this. Ask yourself:
How do people experience me? Maybe you’re known as a happy helper or someone who’s more standoffish. How would people describe your personality and behavior on a normal day?
What traits do I need to keep and elevate? When you think of your best qualities, what comes to mind? List out your strongest positive traits—ones that would make a big impact on your life with just a little more oomph. Maybe you love to teach, are a great communicator, or are the most reliable person you know. Keep track of the natural qualities that create a positive impact on the world around you.
What behaviors do I need to get rid of? Think of any behaviors that are holding you back or have a negative effect on your day-to-day life. Maybe you’re always skidding into the office five minutes late or have a hard time accepting compliments. Making simple tweaks here could really improve your personal brand. But for now, just think about those pesky behaviors holding you
Now that you’ve looked at your daily behaviors, it’s time to dig a bit deeper and think about how you’re built and what matters most to you. Here are a few questions to start asking:
How has God wired me? Some people are built to create, others thrive doing tough physical work, and some find fulfillment as a coach or humanitarian. Jot down those activities that make you come alive. What do I want to be known for? Dig deep, folks! This question is not meant to create a lofty and impossible goal—it’s supposed to reveal the core of who you really are. If you love business, maybe you want to be known as an incredible team builder. If you’re a hairstylist, you might want recognition
for bringing out someone’s unique features. What’s the one thing you want to be remembered for?
If _______ is what matters, how do I want to be perceived? What actions do I need to take to cause that perception? If leadership matters most to you, you might want to be perceived as a team player. To be perceived as a team player, you need to take actions that support and serve your team. It sounds simple, but consistent action over time backs up your personal brand.
How do I express myself in other ways? The way you dress, walk and talk are all ways you express your values. Do you smile? Do your clothes fit well and represent your
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industry? (Side note: You don’t need to blow your budget trying to look the part, but a little bit of attention to your appearance can make a big difference for your personal brand.) Do you speak with confidence and kindness? These are all cues helping—or hurting—your personal brand.
Invite your leader, trusted peers, and anyone else who knows you closely to speak into your current personal brand. (Now, brace yourself, because this process is a little uncomfortable.) You’re going to have blind spots pointed out, but this is good. You’re also going to learn what people appreciate about you that you didn’t know.
The point here is to get an idea of how people experience you—not for them to judge your character. To do this, send a brief email that goes something like this:
“I’d like to know where I stand with my personal brand so I can make some changes. I value your input and would like to get your feedback on my personal strengths and blind spots. I want to understand how you experience me so I can learn where and how to improve.”
Here are a few great questions to ask other people so you can start understanding your current personal brand at work.
In your opinion, am I well-liked in the office?
Do I receive coaching well in the areas I need to improve?
Can you count on me to finish the work I’m responsible for?
Do I adapt well with unexpected changes at work?
Do you trust me to make the right decisions, even when no one is looking?
And when you get feedback, say, “Thank you so much,” and that’s it. Don’t defend yourself or explain why you do what you do. This is for you to learn how other people experience you, not to defend your behavior. (It’s your job to create a safe conversation where people can answer honestly. Because let’s face it, asking someone what they REALLY think can be awkward for everyone involved.)
Now that you have an idea of how others perceive you, it’s time to create a new vision for your winning personal brand. With a little
more curiosity, you can discover core character traits to show off in your new personal brand. Ask yourself:
What do I do best?
What are my beliefs? What do I stand for?
What are the results I want to produce?
What does my personality bring out in my relationships and work?
These questions go one layer deeper to help you discover what really motivates you and what you want to express to the world. (Remember, this is your personal brand, so answer what’s most true for you—not your parents, coworkers, or spouse.)
All this work to create a personal brand won’t matter if you don’t share it with the world. Here’s how to communicate what you’ve learned about your values, beliefs, strengths and character with the people around you.
Be authentic.
Whoever you are, be that. Don’t try to be something or someone you’re not. If you try to be a knockoff of somebody else, you rob the world (and yourself) of your unique talents, mission and purpose.
Take action.
Put your values into practice. Start taking steps that line up with who you want to be. Come to work a few minutes earlier (and don’t complain about it). Thank Jenny in accounting when she compliments your new haircut. Flash the barista a big grin when she hands you a steaming double espresso. It’s these little interactions that add up over time.
Show (and tell) your brand.
Now, don’t be obnoxious with it, but you want people to know what you’re all about. Naturally introduce those facts about yourself, your values, and your skills in conversations over time. Live them out. Walk your talk. Do this and you’ll grow your brand in a positive way.
Keep maintaining and growing your brand.
Do as much as you can to live and work in excellence. Continue learning through books, classes, and podcasts. Invest in your relationships with peers and mentors. Take care of your health so you have the energy and excitement to apply yourself in new ways. Developing your character and personal
brand is a lifelong journey, and this is just the beginning.
Your Impact and Income With a Trustworthy Personal Brand
Making more money and having more meaning at work comes down to creating a personal brand that people trust. Curious about how you’re perceived both personally and professionally? The questions in my Personal Brand Survey will help you get some valuable input on what you’re doing well and how you can improve your personal brand. Remember, it’s good to be open to honest and genuine feedback—you never know how much it could help you move forward in your career!
listeners discover what they were born to do. Ken makes regular appearances on Fox News, and he co-hosts The Ramsey Show, the second-largest talk show in the nation with 18 million weekly listeners. Through his speaking, broadcasting and syndicated columns, Ken gives people expert career advice, providing strategic steps to grow professionally, land their dream job, and get promoted.
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Ken Coleman is America’s Career Coach and author of the national bestselling book From Paycheck to Purpose and the #1 national bestseller The Proximity Principle. He hosts The Ken Coleman Show, a nationally syndicated, caller-driven show that helps
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. 1 Peter 3:18
J R Miller
Those who succeed usually receive quite enough encouragement. But few people speak cheering words to those who do not get along so well. Yet those are the very ones who need to be heartened on their way. Often it is true that those, whose work seems to come to nothing, are really doing most useful service.
When a great building is to be erected, deep excavations are made, and piles of stones are laid down in the darkness, only to be covered up and hidden out of sight by the imposing structure which rises high into the air. This foundation work receives no praise. It is not even seen by any eye. It appears, in a sense, to be wasted work. Yet we know that without it, there could be no massive building towering in majestic proportions.
Just so, there are men whose lives seem to be failures. Their work is covered up and hidden out of sight. Yet all the while they are laying foundations on which those who come after them will build. Nearly every great discovery or invention which has proved a blessing to the world had a long history of self-denying effort and seeming failure behind its final success.
Who will say that the men who
who at length brought the inventions to triumphant success.
A man, prospecting in Arizona, found a remarkable natural bridge. It spans a deep canyon, forty-five feet in width. The bridge is made by a great agatized tree which lies across the gorge. Scientific men say that many ages since, this tree was prostrated by some terrific storm and fell across the canyon. By the effects of the water and of time, it has passed through various stages of mineralization and is now a tree of solid agate. There it lies, forming an agate bridge over which men may pass from side to side.
This tree seemed to be a failure when, that day in its prime, it was broken off and hurled to the ground. But has it proved a failure? To what nobler use could it have been put than thus to become a bridge of agate, to stand for ages, on which countless human feet may cross the gap?
This tree is an illustration of many lives which have fallen and seemed to fail — but which in time have proved to be bridges over which others walk to honor, success and triumph. We are all daily passing over bridges built of the toils, sacrifices and failures of those who have gone before us. The luxury, ease, and comfort which we now enjoy, cost others before us tears, pain and loss. We cross continually to our blessings and privileges, our promised lands, on bridges built for us by those whose lives seem to be failures.
Perhaps few of what the world calls its greatest successes, are real-
lowmen. If we would do the will of God, we must often turn aside from the path of human ambition.
Thus, it was that the Good Samaritan won his high honor, in the Master's parable. If he had kept right on, as the priest and the Levite did, he would have had no higher honor than they. He stopped, however, to give help to a suffering one, and wrote his name high in the ranks of men.
The world says men are foolish who permit themselves to fail through tenderness and sympathy; but that never is failure which comes through pausing to comfort and help another. Rather, it is such ministries as these which alone redeem an earthly life from utter failure.
The man, who steels his heart against all appeals for help and goes remorselessly on to the goal of his ambition without turning aside at the calls of need, finds no blessing in that which he achieves. But he who seeks first the kingdom of God, stopping in his busiest days to do good, turning aside from his
most ardent pursuits to minister to human want or sorrow, though his hands hold less of this world at the end, will be rich in the rewards of love's service.
We may set it down as an unalterable truth, that there can be no real failure when one is faithful to God and to duty. Sin is always a failure. Selfishness leaves only a blank when it is finished. The apparent success that men build up through evil doing is but a gilded picture without substance, a mere illusion. It will vanish in the presence of the divine judgment as the morning mists before the rising sun. He who does the will of God, and he only, abides forever. No true life can ever be lost. It may sink away and seem to perish — but from its grave will come an influence which will be a blessing in the world.
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To humble the pride of man, to exalt the grace of God in salvation and to promote real holiness in heart and life. ©GraceGems.org 2022 >
Have you noticed that life has become more meaningless and fragile than ever in our world? There is no longer a policy of “life assurance.” We feel vulnerable and unprotected, and living in a “culture of death.” Group suicides are glorified, especially among youth, abortions have become routine, and end-of-life agreements—or even worse, euthanasia—have become acceptable, and, in some cases, expected! In addition, urban life has seen a steady rise in murders, and life-threatening violence. On a global scale, even genocides no longer shock us.
In the book of Deuteronomy, God urged us to “choose life and live.” (Chapter 30:19) In the book of Genesis, mankind was banished from the Garden of Eden, where the Tree of Life was; and so, death entered the world, much to the Devil’s delight. To re-establish a relationship with man for eternity, God had to deal with man’s sin, and so He sent Jesus to rescue those that trusted in His
atonement to live eternally with Him. Jesus’ death and resurrection from the dead cancelled the power of the grave. He said, “I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.” (John 11:25)
A verse in Romans says that nothing can separate us from the love of God and it mentions, among other things, that neither death nor life can. When we know Jesus personally, we have the “abundant life.” As we know, man is never satisfied, so an abundance of things or wealth is not what God is talking about. Consider the Apostle Paul, who, among other hard experiences, was shipwrecked and in prison. Or Jesus’ life, homeless and hated and hung on a cross. In the true “abundant life,” we abound in “fruit unto holiness and the end, everlasting life.” (Romans 6:22)
King David in (Psalm 63:3) wrote, “Thy lovingkindness is better than life.” >
your relationships and set you up for difficulties?
Get equipped to fight against the enemy’s lies when you study these encouraging Bible verses about truth, shared by Chip’s wife, Theresa Ingram.
I spent years feeling lost, abandoned, unloved, and afraid. I’d become convinced that I was unwanted—not pretty or smart enough to have a successful, happy life.
Somehow, I began to believe the lies that had taken root and I felt totally unworthy.
As I came to a saving knowledge of Christ and began to unpack the roadblocks that held me back, I became aware of the damage those false beliefs had caused in my life.
Can you relate? Have your negative thoughts or doubts about your self-worth caused damage to
Here, I’m going to share with you the life-changing truths that were revealed to me from the Scriptures that replaced the lies I had believed.
Will you meditate on these Bible verses about truth and ask God to give you great faith to believe His words about you and fight against the enemy’s lies?
God pursues His sheep.
Even while we’re destitute and far from Him, God wants us.
We are precious in His sight.
His creation is wonderfully made.
Every person has value.
Our worth is not determined by our outward image.
Our minds can be transformed and renewed.
1. God pursues His sheep.
Every one of us was a lost sheep until we found our shepherd. Here’s the parable Jesus told: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” (Luke 15:4–7)
Like the rebellious sheep, we foolishly run away when our shepherd is chasing after us. We misunderstand His pursuit and have a hard time believing that He really wants to help us. But instead of punishing the sheep, look what the shepherd does in this parable – he gives up everything for the rebellious sheep to be found. And, when
he’s finally safe, the shepherd rejoices.
Like the rebellious sheep, we foolishly run away when our shepherd is chasing after us. We doubt He really wants to help us. But not only does he leave everything to find us, he rejoices when we’re found.
Get equipped to fight against the enemy’s lies and transform your thinking when you study these encouraging Bible verses about truth.
2. Even while we’re destitute and far from Him, God wants us.
When I was troubled and alone, He was right there with me. Although I searched the world for the love and acceptance I was deeply craving, God’s plan was for me to find it only in Him.
“Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.” (Psalm 23:6)
But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8
3. We are precious in His sight.
Read this verse to see how God feels about you and who you are in His eyes.
“But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name.
You are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your place.
Since you were precious in My sight, you have been honored, And I have loved you; Therefore, I will give men for you, and people for your life. Fear not, for I am with you.
I will bring your descendants from the east and gather you from the west; I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ And to the south, ‘Do not keep them back!’ Bring My sons from afar, And My daughters from the ends of the earth— Every-
one who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him.” (Isaiah 43:1–7)
In God, there is redemption for comfort for His people, regardless of the circumstances. We are His and He doesn’t give up on those called for His glory.
Get equipped to fight against the enemy’s lies and transform your thinking when you study these encouraging Bible verses about truth.
4. His creation is wonderfully made.
“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good …” (Genesis 1:31)
That’s you! You were wonderfully made with intention and purpose, not as a clone to any other one of God’s created beings.
God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. That’s YOU.
Get equipped to fight against the enemy’s lies and transform your thinking when you study these encouraging Bible verses about truth.
5. Every person has value.
Since we belong to a loving Father, we ARE loved. And not only do we belong to Him, but we were also created by Him. God supervised our creation, watching
over us as we were intricately knit together in our mother’s womb.
“For you created my inmost being you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful,
I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are Your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand— when I awake, I am still with You.” (Psalm 139:13-18)
Every single person is known and loved by the Creator God.
Get equipped to fight against the enemy’s lies and transform your thinking when you study these encouraging Bible verses about truth.
6. Our worth is not determined by our outward image.
Thankfully, the Lord looks at the heart, not at our exterior.
As humans, it’s normal to notice appearances and it’s second nature
to make some assumptions. However, God asks us to go further – to look past the exterior and see each person based on their heart, just like He does.
“Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” (Romans 12:2)
Get equipped to fight against the enemy’s lies and transform your thinking when you study these encouraging Bible verses about truth.
7. Our minds can be transformed and renewed.
“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” (Isaiah 26:3)
He has given us everything we need to renew our minds and know His will. When we study His word and know the truth, we can replace the lies with words that speak life and remind us of our value and worth in Him.
Get equipped to fight against the enemy’s lies and transform your thinking when you study these encouraging Bible verses about truth.
Ultimately, in our weakness and sin, we know that untruths are easy to believe. But when you study these life-changing truths from the Bible and make efforts to hear them over the lies, healing will take place.
“When we spend time in God’s Word and in prayer, the truth is revealed to us.”
It took me decades of study, meditation, and prayer, but God has given me great faith and truth has been revealed. I know for certain that my value and worth is unchanging, thanks to a loving Savior.
and doing the dishes more, are possible unexpected bonuses of developing a keystone habit.
“When you start to change a habit, it sets up this chain reaction,” Charles said in his interview with EntreLeadership. “Both on the job and on the home front, keystone habits get you focused on one area you can improve and lead to progress in other areas.
ing that first cup of coffee in the morning to become a functioning human again. These loops can become so unconscious and engrained in our lives that they help us complete some tasks automatically (even complex ones)—like when you go on autopilot driving home and safely roll up to your driveway.
Come sleet or snow, hell, or high water—some people just seem to (GSD). Get. Stuff. Done. Crush a morning workout? Check. Read three chapters of a book before their first sip of coffee? Check. Stick to a zero-based budget? Big ol’ check. These unicorns complete their list of tasks (and even things beyond their list) every day. Want to hear their not-so-secret secret? They’ve developed keystone habits—and you can too.
But before we dive into the what, where, why and how, we need to introduce you to the who: author and Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Charles Duhigg. He first showcased keystone habits in his book The Power of Habit, which went on to become a New York Times bestseller. We’ve gathered some of Charles’ best tips and tricks so you can learn how to develop keystone habits and improve your life.
What’s a Habit and a Keystone Habit?
A habit is a routine behavior. It’s almost involuntary, meaning you do it without thinking. And we’ve got all kinds of habits to make our everyday lives easier. Habits are valuable because the less time you spend thinking about what action to take, the faster you can act.
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Then, there are keystone habits—the big ones that kick-start
other habits. These don’t have to be complicated or out of reach. They simply get the ball rolling for you to create even more habits to help you become the best version of yourself.
Charles explains how keystone habits can change your life with a simple example: exercise. Let’s say you decide you want to lose 30 pounds, so you make an exercise plan and start hitting the gym three days a week. When you sit down for dinner after working out, you find yourself reaching for the salad mix more often than the leftover pizza.
And since your eating habits are changing, you become more conscious of what you put on your grocery list. You start to choose more fresh foods and limit impulse buys (like your favorite ice cream or candy bar) during your trips to the supermarket. Before you know it, you’re even sleeping better because you’re tracking your sleep schedule.
See what’s happening? What started as just a simple exercise routine (the keystone habit) caused a ripple effect of other (secondary) positive habits. And secondary habits don’t necessarily have to be related to the original keystone habit. Charles shares that research has found that people who start exercising regularly also improve in other areas of their lives. He points out that better habits, like using credit cards less (or not at all)
Keystone habits tap into something you care about deeply, and they’re powerful enough to trigger secondary habits. Because you’re working on yourself, the secondary habits you didn’t even mean to create start appearing in both related and unrelated areas of life. And just like that, these habits have become a part of your everyday life through what Charles calls a habit loop.
A habit loop is how habits are created. Charles breaks the loop down into three parts:
A cue: a trigger telling your brain to act on something. Cues can be centered around a location, time of day, emotions, people around you, or a previous action. For example, a stop light turning red is your cue to stop.
A reward: something that satisfies a craving that we may or may not know we have. This can look like sitting down to watch a TV show after cleaning the house or something as simple as getting a snack when your brain tells you you’re hungry.
A routine: the actions you take triggered by a cue to get a reward. If you want to feel awake by the time you get to work in the morning (reward) because you’ve noticed you barely get anything done before lunch (cue), your routine might look like going to sleep earlier the night before and eating a balanced breakfast when you wake up. If you write down your routine, you’re more likely to stick to it. And be sure to post it where you’ll see it every day!
We all use habit loops every day—even if it’s as simple as mak-
How Do I Make a Keystone Habit?
This is important: You can’t squash a habit. You can only change it. Charles’ golden rule of habit change is to use a similar cue to one you’re already used to. And when you see or hear that cue, practice the new routine slowly over time. Then
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with Me. Revelation 3:20
reward yourself with something you crave. As you do this more and more, you’ll create a new habit loop that sets you up for lasting change.
These four simple steps can help you get started:
1. Identify an emotionally charged need. Keystone habits have emotions at their core. Emotions are the fuel that takes our old, lifeless routines and supercharges them into keystone habits. In his interview on the podcast, Charles said, “For a keystone habit to gain power, it must change our self-image . . . It must be something that ties into our values.” He explained that anything that helps you see yourself differently is a great candidate for a keystone habit.
So, what do you want to improve in your life or your work that gets you fired up? It could be
having the energy and health to enjoy your loved ones more, doing work that matters, or giving hope and help to others. The sky’s the limit. Tap into the desires and needs that get you excited, and then write them down on a goal tracker.
2. Create a new habit loop.
Identify a cue, practice a new routine, and determine a reward for completing the routine. Just like babies crawl, then walk, then run, your keystone habit needs to be doable enough that it doesn’t overwhelm you. Over time, one action done regularly can turn into a superpower. Pro tip: If you change one habit loop at the start of your day, you can boost your actions for the rest of day. Create a plan for your new habit loop, make it easy to start and go for it!
3. Create a sense of urgency.
Most people aren’t motivated to change until something shakes their core. The best way to bring about change is to tie it to an urgent need
and paint a clear picture of the obstacle in your way. Set the stakes! What will it cost you and the people around you if you bury your head in the sand? What do you stand to gain by changing your behaviors through keystone habits? Identify areas you can grow in and take charge.
4. Believe change is possible.
The major difference between wanting to change and changing is believing you can. This is huge. We avoid going backward when we believe deeply that we can change permanently. Charles says any habit can change. Any habit. Regardless of how old you are, what background you come from, or how deep-rooted a habit is, you can create keystone habits that transform you. Don’t let toxic words, setbacks or a negative mindset have the final say over who you are and what you accomplish. Be optimistic. Cheer for yourself. Every win proves you’ve got what it takes.
Where Do I Start?
Here are some examples of how you can level up your common habits into keystone habits.
Habit: Quickly making your bed in the morning as you rush to start your day.
Keystone habit: Carefully making your bed in the morning to kick sloppiness and poor time management in the butt.
Habit: Rushing into morning meetings or events with little to no preparation.
Keystone habit: Taking a few minutes before entering meetings and events to breathe, smile (yes, literally), and commit to bringing your best to others.
Habit: Popping open a drink and planting yourself in your favorite chair when you get home at the end of the day.
Keystone habit: Greeting your family with hugs when you get home and asking if anyone needs help with dinner or homework. —Or if you’re single, changing straight into workout clothes instead of lounge pants when you get home.
Habit: Hustling out of the office at the end of the day without any plan for the next day.
Keystone habit: Closing each workday by reviewing your calendar for the next day and making a simple priority list and game plan.
Habit: Watching TV or reading your favorite book until bedtime.
Keystone habit: Turning off the TV or putting the book down a couple of minutes before bedtime to clear your thoughts and journal your wins and lessons for the day.
What intentional habit shifts will you make to improve your life? Your set of keystone habits should be as unique as you are. Start small, picture the thrill of victory, and create a plan for success—then watch the domino effect of those positive habits changing your life.
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By Angie Lewis
I know what you’re thinking, you’re thinking, I don’t need someone to tell me how to love – I already know how to love. Yes, you’re probably right. But most of us only know how to love superficially – it’s not real. Did you know that Jesus commands us to love others and He teaches us how to love appropriately? Real love is based upon principles. When we are serving others, we need to ask ourselves, is this what Christ would do? Let’s look at some important principles about loving.
1. Love Your Neighbor As You Love Yourself (James 2:8)
Christians are called to serve one another in whatever ways God has blessed them with. I’m not sure if taking our brothers and sister to court is serving them very well. One great principle that Christ teaches us is to get rid of the sinful nature we have towards our neighbors, such as spite, envy, jealousy, and covetousness. That’s not loving our neighbor when we harbor these negative emotions, is it? The best way to love our neighbor is to let them see Christ working in us.
2. Be Compassionate and Humble (1 Peter 3:8-9)
Christ taught us how to be compassionate and walk in humbleness.
Isn’t that what He did? What better example do we have than Christ himself? Self-righteous and proud behavior does not help anyone see Jesus Christ in us, but only reflects our own sinful nature. Pride and selfishness can take a precedent in our heart sometimes, so we must allow God to take these negative thoughts away from our mind and refresh us with loving, humble thoughts.
3. Be Forgiving (Luke 6:30-31)
Would you want to be forgiven? The greatest attitude to have about loving others is the golden rule principle. “Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you”. Ask God to help you forgive in its completeness. God wants us to forgive so we will be free to love.
4. Do Not Be Self-Seeking (I Corinthians 13:4-6)
We can’t love anyone if we’re only looking out for ourselves. Christ teaches us that loving others is exactly the opposite – we are to look out for others. I think this principle works, because if we are new in Christ than we can love properly and that means that Christ takes care of our needs – we don’t need to look out for ourselves – He is already doing it! We all have needs. How can you serve somebody and help them to get their needs met?
5. Do Not Seek Revenge –(Leviticus 19:18)
Jesus has taught us to turn the other cheek and walk away. But how often have we done the exact opposite? Is there someone you can’t seem to forgive and now are
giving the silent treatment to? Have you ever taken someone to court just because of your unforgiving heart? Why are Christians seeking revenge? It is wrong. Seek Christ’s forgiveness for yourself so you can forgive your brothers and sisters in the Lord.
6. Carry Each Other’s Burdens – (Galatians 6:2)
Sometimes we think we’re the only person or family with problems in this life. But everyone, at some time in their life, has distresses and discomforts that challenge their faith in Christ or belief system. We all have been given gifts, talents, and abilities to use for encouraging, helping, and teaching others. What is your gift? Are you using it to help others find Christ, or helping other Christians who are having difficulties in this life? Christ wants us to use our gifts to help others carry their heavy burden. We will be rewarded for our efforts.
7. Love Others As Christ Has Loved You – (John 15:12-13)
How can we truly love others in the same way that Jesus Christ has loved us? It just doesn’t seem pos-
sible. Would that mean we have to suffer and die for our friends, family, and fellow brothers and sisters? Yes! It means we must throw off the old person and allow that person to die and then be reborn a new spiritual person in the Lord. This is the only way we can give up our selfish lifestyle and love others appropriately in the Lord. This is how we learn to love unconditionally. We first must repent and be forgiven for our sins before we can truly forgive and love others.
“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness knowledge, and to knowledge self-control; and to selfcontrol, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord, Jesus Christ”.
(II Peter 1: 5-8)
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responsibilities around the house and the neighborhood. And if they choose not to help, they won’t get paid. It’s as simple as that!
by themselves:
1. Babysit or be a nanny.
Check out babysitting certification courses through your local hospital or community center. There are also vetted websites like UrbanSitter that can help teens find flexible, well-paid work with trusted families.
2. Help with chores and odd jobs at home.
supervision, if needed) have tons of benefits, like making money, getting free cuddles, spending time in fresh air and sunshine—all without the commitment of permanent pet ownership. It’s a win-win!
7. Host a garage sale.
If you think kids must wait until they turn 16 to get their first job and start earning money, think again! It’s never too soon to start having money conversations with your kids. And one of the best ways to make these teachings real is to help your children find ways to make money by themselves.
But I’m not talking about giving them an allowance. Nope! We don’t do allowances or hand out crisp dollar bills just for being cute. Our kids work on commission. They’re young, but they can still find ways to earn money by pitching in with
If your kids are looking for odd jobs and projects to do to make money, I want to encourage you to support them. Earning cash on their own is a big step—and one of the first steps on the path to managing money well. That’s why I’ve put together a list of 15 ways to make money as a kid that you can read through together.
All right, I’m so excited to look at ways your kids can earn money. No matter their age or what grade they’re in, there are tons of opportunities for your kids to start bringing home some bacon. Here are 15 ways kids can start making money
Housework never ends, am I right? But with a little planning, you can set your kids up for success with a chore schedule that fits their age and abilities. From feeding the dog to helping fold laundry, the options are endless.
Odd jobs like cleaning gutters, painting walls, and putting up Christmas lights are just a few of the ways your kids can help with basic home projects. Now, I’m not suggesting your kids tackle more advanced plumbing or electric jobs, but basic home projects they can do safely are all good options to make some extra money and learn handy life skills.
3. Do yard work in the neighborhood.
Pulling weeds, cleaning up after pets, planting gardens, raking leaves—no matter what season it is, there’s yard work to do. And, man, yards are a lot of work. A lot of people would rather pay someone else to do the work for them, so don’t forget to ask the neighbors if they need help too. If you live in a colder place, shoveling snowy driveways and sidewalks in the winter can be helpful to your elderly neighbors and a good way for your kid to make a few bucks.
4. Tutor other kids.
Whether your child is a math whiz or the next great American novelist, there are always other students who could use some help with math, English and other subjects. Why not develop their teaching skills while making some money?
5. Wash and vacuum cars.
If you live in a family-friendly neighborhood, I guarantee plenty of cars on your block have more than a few stray Cheerios hiding under the seats. This could be an easy side job for your kid to work into their routine. And good news! Vacuums are super portable now, and you can put together an affordable car wash starter kit with some dollar store buckets, sponges and soap.
6. Walk dogs or pet sit.
Is your child an animal lover? Dog walking and pet sitting (with
If you’ve been meaning to clean out some clutter in your house (ugh—not how I want spend a Saturday), get your kiddos to help. They’ll have fun making a few bucks digging out old holiday decorations and long-forgotten toys that can be sold to other families who have a use for them. And on the plus side, you’ll have some extra space in your house!
8. Have a bake sale.
Who doesn’t love a homemade cupcake? Throwing a bake sale is a great way to make three things: delicious baked goods, money and memories with your kids. What are you waiting for? Find some fun recipes online and get to baking.
9. Sell arts and crafts.
If you get creative, there’s plenty of arts and crafts your kids can make for cheap and sell. Think homemade Christmas ornaments, personalized key chains, decorative picture frames, customized placemats, handmade potholders, decorative flowerpots . . . the list goes on. To get started, take a walk through your local craft store for ideas.
10. Teach music lessons or perform at events.
If your child has a talent for music, why not encourage them to share their gift with others? They can teach lessons to other students after school or perform at local events with community groups.
11. Share creative talents on online freelance sites.
Online marketplace and freelance sites like Fiverr, Etsy and UpWork are awesome platforms for older teens to start building a client base for creative work. If your child is a talented illustrator, writer, photographer, audio tech or has any other marketable professional skills, there’s nothing stopping them from working on paid projects. (Also consider helping local businesses with social media and contributing to neighborhood magazines.)
12. Sell homemade jewelry.
All right, your kids can have tons of fun creating unique, handmade accessories, like earrings, friend-
ship bracelets and custom necklaces. Craft stores sell jewelry making tools and pretty beads and charms. Let your kids express their inner artist and entrepreneur by selling jewelry to friends, family and neighbors!
13. Resell furniture and clothes.
As your children outgrow their clothes and bedroom furniture, help them resell these items. You can list gently worn clothes on apps like Mercari, Poshmark and thredUP, or even take them to a local consignment store for cash.
For larger items like furniture, try Facebook Marketplace, where you and your teen can vet buyers and agree on a public place to meet for the sale. (It should go without saying: If you’re using online selling, be sure to supervise for safety reasons.)
14. Get a part-time job.
If they’re old enough, teenagers can find part-time jobs that work around their school schedule. Look for weekend or evening shifts and seasonal schedules during summer break. Check out local libraries, movie theaters, the YMCA, frozen yogurt shops and other retail and
service industry jobs for a steady paycheck.
15. Recycle cans and bottles.
I know, recycling cans for cash sounds super old-school. But hey, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Do a quick Google search to see if your city offers paid recycling. Bonus: The more recycling you bring in, the cleaner the planet will be. Every little bit counts!
As you and your kids are brainstorming ways to make money, I want to talk a little bit about the importance of contentment. While you’re teaching them about earning money, it’s important to explain that money doesn’t buy happiness. And keeping up with the Joneses (even if the Joneses are their friends at school) isn’t the path to peace.
As you teach them about the value of hard work, helping others, and being paid for a job well done, you’ll naturally start explaining what your kids can do with that money. This includes giving, spending and saving. Ultimately, peace comes from managing money well—even as a young person. And this understanding can help set them up for healthy money tenden-
cies early on.
You guys, it is so important to talk about money as a family, and it all starts with how you handle money in your own home. As I like to say, more is caught than taught. Having direct conversations and setting a good example will help kids be good stewards of their money as teens and adults. And the good news is, they can get started on this journey today.
Ready to Get Started? Take the Next Step in Teen Entrepreneurship
Looking for more ideas on how kids can make money? Check out the Teen Entrepreneur Toolbox. This small-business guide walks teens through eight easy, practical steps for starting their own business using our entrepreneurial plan. Plus, this toolbox includes business ideas, activities and authentic, reallife stories from teenagers and successful entrepreneurs. What are you waiting for? Help your kids start making and taking control of their money today!
Rachel Cruze is a #1 New York Times bestselling author, financial
expert, and host of The Rachel Cruze Show. Rachel writes and speaks on personal finances, budgeting, investing and money trends. As a co-host of The Ramsey Show, America’s second-largest talk radio show, Rachel reaches 18 million weekly listeners with her personal finance advice. She has appeared on Good Morning America and Fox News and has been featured in publications such as Time Magazine, Real Simple Magazine and Women’s Health Magazine. Through her shows, books, syndicated columns and speaking events, Rachel shares fun, practical ways to take control of your money and create a life you love.
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9
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second thought. However, Paul shows the requirements of the new creation to be one of gentle nourishing. It’s the new order breaking through and shining in.
opment and training.
The gospel changes everything. It changes individuals, husbands, wives, parents, and kids. In the previous article, I focused on the negative part of the command; do not exasperate your children. Now I’ll focus on the positive side.
Paul instructs parents in (Ephesians 6:4) to bring up their children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
This verse should have a parent’s attention. We can package Paul’s teaching in three words: gentleness, discipline, and instruction.
This phrase “bring them up” doesn’t really communicate the personal nature of what the text is after. The idea is more about nurturing. In fact, it’s the same word is translated as “nourish” in (Ephesians 5:29). There’s a calculated gentleness and carefulness involved with parenting.
God knows our frame. He knows children are vulnerable. They can be easily crushed. Or they can blossom and bloom. Calvin translated this command as, “let them be kindly cherished,” and then goes on to emphasize that the overall idea is gentleness and friendliness.
This is a sharp contrast to the common practice in Paul’s day. Fathers were quite insensitive, running over their children without a
Along these lines, I like what Kent Hughes says: “Men are never more true men than when they are tender with their children, whether holding a baby in their arms, loving their grade-schooler, or hugging their teenager or a grown son or daughter.”
Before rushing on to anything else in their parenting, Christian parents must have a gentle hand and nourishing spirit. This reflects the Lord Jesus, who does not break the bruised reed (Matt. 12:20). What a convicting word for parents. You may not be a gentle person, but you must be a gentle parent. You can’t nourish someone carelessly or harshly.
You may not be a gentle person, but you must be a gentle parent. You can’t nourish someone carelessly or harshly.
On the other hand, there needs to be ongoing care given to guard the children against developing patterns that would be harmful to them and others, and dishonoring to the Lord. The word “discipline” means training and even punishment. It involves correcting the wrong behavior. It’s the overall, comprehensive instruction of the life of the child.
It’s not God’s will that parents, in the name of kindness and love, should spare their children of discipline. Clearly, to do this would be to harm the children in their devel-
And so we have the Bible speak of the need for parents to love their children, even with discipline: Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him. (Prov. 13:24)
Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it. (Prov. 22:6)
Kindness does not neglect discipline and correction.
God knows that children need kindness, but he also understands that they need correction. Christian parents, you must see the difference between what our culture holds forth as parenting and what God says is parenting. You must discipline your children. They will not grow, mature, and gain wisdom on their own. God has appointed you in their life to discipline and train them.
This word means placing before the mind. Its verbal instruction that corrects, admonishes, or confronts the behavior. But notice, it has everything to do with the Bible. It is the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Parents cannot neglect this. Remember Eli and his sons (1 Sam. 2:22-27). We must teach the Word of God to our children and apply life to the Word. Remember (Deuteronomy 6:7):
You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
The Word of God should always
be in the air, in the conversation. Like bread on the table or water in the pitcher, the Bible is to have its placemat on the table. To properly instruct, there needs to be a verbal and visible commitment to the Bible in the home.
When you put these together, you have instruction and discipline with a disposition of kindness and gentleness. Without instruction, discipline looks like abuse. Without a nurturing gentleness, instruction is unfeeling. Without discipline, parents are not fully instructing.
I’ve often thought of Luther’s balancing comment to parents: “Spare the rod and spoil the child— that is true. But beside the rod, keep an apple to give him when he has done well.”
Like bread on the table or water in the pitcher, the Bible is to have its placemat on the family table. In order to properly instruct there needs to be a verbal and visible commitment to the Bible in the home.
This puts the burden on parents. How can parents raise their children like God says unless they know what the Word of God teaches? How can they teach with wisdom unless they’ve personally learned in Christ’s school? Parents must be growing in personal godliness if they want to faithfully care for their children.
Yes, parenting is hard. Thankfully, God is gracious. The Bible is sufficient. And, the Holy Spirit indwells believers, making us more and more like Jesus. This encourages discouraged parents to be faithful and prideful parents to be humble.
Summer was about over Eddy had learned to fish with his father. They had fished almost every day for their food. Then one day Eddy was told he could go fishing alone. Eddy thought that would be great fun. What he didn't know was Father Eagle was following him to be sure he didn't have trouble. He knew something Eddy did not know. There were bullies that hung around waiting to take the fish of young eagles when they began to fish on their own.
Eddy flew to the lake, meeting another young eagle on the way. They flew along feeling very proud of themselves. When they arrived at the lake it appeared there were only young birds fishing, Eddy decided he would show all the others he could catch the largest fish. He began to fly a circle around the lake so he could see the fish swimming below the water. The others began to catch the little fish. Eddy was waiting for a big one. Then he noticed a large bird snatching fish from one of the other young eagles. As he watched another was stolen, then another. Eddy became angry at that. His dives bombed the thief, causing him to drop the stolen fish. He took the fish to the bird who had
lost it. Then returned to his own fishing, but as he looked to the left other fish were being stolen. He realized there were several thieves at work. He called the other eagles to follow him. They flew off to a empty beach and he began to talk to them. “If we stick together, we can run those thieves away. Let’s take turns fishing while the others watch. If a thief goes after a fish everyone dives after them. Remember we must stick together."
It worked, when they all stayed together, took turns fishing and watching everyone got to fish for their food and were able to have a good time doing it. The thieves seemed to have disappeared so when the other birds left to rest Eddy stayed. He was still hoping to catch a big fish to take back with him. The fish seemed to know the fishing was over and as Eddy was watching he began to see more and more fish. Still, he waited he wanted a really big fish. Then he saw it, a great big fish even larger than the one father eagle had caught the other day. Eddy went into a dive, he caught the fish, and he was holding tight. Something was wrong he couldn't get out of the water. He realized the fish was too big for him to lift, the problem was he couldn't turn loose. He had locked his talons so as not to lose the big fish and they wouldn't unlock until the weight was not pulling on them.
Eddy did not have time to even look up, but he heard a cry above him. Father Eagle zoomed out of the sky, took hold of the fish and together they were able to carry it to shore. Once Eddy was free, he had to rest, he was ashamed he had
to be rescued again, but he was thankful his father had been there. Finely Eddy looked up at Father Eagle who was enjoying a good meal. "I'm sorry." Eddy said.
"I'm not," his father said, " I have been watching this fish and wishing I had someone to help catch him. Now that we have him, I am going to enjoy it. I had not eaten this morning I was waiting for all the young ones to finish, so I could catch my meal. Come on Eddy eat, there is plenty to take to Ella." As they eat Eddy asked, "You were watching all the time?" Father eagle tore off a piece of fish before answering. "Yes, I wanted to be sure you didn't get into trouble." "Why didn't you help when the thieves were stealing the fish?" Eddy wanted to know.
Father only shook head. "You didn't need me then; I knew you would do something and you did the right thing. You see Eddy you have to learn to do some things for yourself, but there will be times you will need help. When the job is too
big or you make a wrong choice."
"What about the bullies, why do they do that?" Eddy wanted to know. Father Eagle looked at Eddy and smiled. "The bullies will always be around, they are lazy, maybe someone treats them like that, or they see someone that gets things by being a bully. When you stick together with others, they will back off. There is nothing wrong with asking for help when you have a problem you can't handle alone, Eddy. You did a good job with the thieves Eddy. You should have thought about the fish a little more, but you won't forget that lesson."
Father Eagle laughed.
What about you, have you met a bully? Remember if you see someone getting bullied, be a friend. Then tell an adult if the problem continues.
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(Ecclesiastes 11:9;12:1;I Timothy 4:12)
Someone has suggested that it is a shame that youth should be squandered on young people who have insufficient experience to use it wisely. Youth is priceless and golden. It passes all too rapidly. It is gone before one can appraise its worth accurately. Then one looks back with sickening dismay and disappointed ambitions to the one period in life that could have made a difference in all succeeding stages. Middle age and old age can never affect youth. But what one is in youth makes all the difference to middle and old age.
Time travels in one direction. Youth first, then it is gone forever; middle age next; finally old age.
Why is youth so all-important?
First, it is the period of habit formation. Psychologists inform us that 98 per cent of all of our acts are those of habit. Personal habits are formed before one is twenty, and professional before one is thirty. These mold and set the remaining years of our lives. Therefore, it is imperative that good habits be formed.
Second, youth is a period of awakening. Physically one "grows up."
Awkwardness produces self-consciousness. With this comes a social awakening and a mental stirring which leads to such questions as: Who am I? Where did I come from? Why am I living? Where am I going? Following such always comes a spiritual awakening.
To be awake means to be conscious. To be conscious means to be active and to be active means to make decisions and decisions are made in the light of one's ideals, be they are good or bad.
Third, youth is the period of the formation of ideals. We grow morally to the extent to which we realize our ideals. In fact, moral value or one's character is the degree to which one has turned his ideals into personal reality.
Nothing is more important in youth than that the proper heroes and heroines, who are the embodiment of the highest ideals, are placed before our young people.
Fourth, youth is the period of vision. The Bible declares, "Your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams." Here is the dividing line between youth and old age. Dreams are made up of past experiences; visions are composed of future possibilities. Age looks backward; youth looks forward. And it is not always a matter of biology. Some men of seventy are young; they see
bigger and better things ahead. Some men of twenty are old; they lack vision.
Fifth, youth is a period of creative genius. In every field of life, masterpieces are either produced by young men or their foundation is laid in youth. Great old men have usually been great young men.
Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone at twenty-five.
Galileo discovered the law of the vibration of the pendulum at eighteen, was a professor at twentyfive.
Joan of Arc led the armies of France at eighteen.
Alexander had conquered the world at thirty-two.
Abraham Lincoln entered the Illinois legislature at twenty-five and Congress at thirty-eight.
Alexander Hamilton wrote the Constitution at thirty and became Secretary of the Treasury at thirtytwo.
Napoleon was commander of the armies of Italy at twenty-seven and emperor of France at thirty.
Theodore Roosevelt was Presi-
dent at forty-three.
Isaac Newton, professor of mathematics at twenty-seven.
John Calvin wrote his famous Institutes at twenty-seven, Martin Luther became professor of philosophy at twenty-five, David Livingstone began his career in Africa at twenty-seven.
Wright brothers, Woolworth, Rockefeller, Schwab, Heinz, and Gilbert all did the work for which they are remembered before they were thirty-five.
Youth is a time for preparation, for good habit formation, for visions, and for creative genius. Don't squander it. Don't waste it. Mold it. Train it. Cultivate it. Use it.
Give yourself to the best.
Give your best to Christ, the Ideal of the Ideals.
He said, "Come, follow Me, and I'll make you."
Use your youth so that your middle age can be useful, and your old age can be blissful.
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By Greg Laurie
someone who could be known in this life. I just thought of Him as an amazing historical figure, and I thought it was too bad how He died.
By the age of 17, I felt like I was 70. It was because of my upbringing. My mother was a raging alcoholic who had been married and divorced seven times. As a result of that, I had to grow up fast. I felt as though I was more the parent in the relationship than she was.
As I tried to take care of her, I made my own bad choices in life. So, by the time I was 17, I felt so old, so empty, and so sad. But then on my high school campus, I heard about Jesus Christ. I heard there was a God in Heaven who loved me.
I had always believed in Jesus. In fact, I loved the story of Jesus. I had seen all His movies, and I was a big fan. But I never thought of Jesus as
But after I became a believer, I realized that the crucifixion was the point of the entire story. Jesus was born to die so that we might live. Jesus left heaven and came to the Earth on a rescue operation to be born in a manger in Bethlehem, live a perfect life, and ultimately die a perfect death on the cross for our sins, because we’re all separated from God.
I remember when I heard that as a high school student. I thought, “Well, I wish I could do this, but I don’t think it will work for me. I’m not the religious type.” But when I heard the promise that God loved me and that Christ would come and live inside of me, when I heard that He would forgive all of my sin, I took a step of faith that day. I prayed right there on my high school campus and asked Jesus Christ to come into my life.
The Difference that Jesus
Honestly, I felt absolutely nothing after I prayed. But that is the day Jesus came into my life, and He satisfied the thirst in my soul that I had tried to satisfy with other things.
Jesus said, “I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life” (Revelation 21:5 NLT).
Are you spiritually thirsty right now? Jesus encountered someone who was. She had been married and divorced five times and was living with a man at the time. She probably thought that men would fill the void in her life.
But one day as she sat by a well in Samaria, Jesus told her, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life” (John 4:13–14 NLT).
I think Jesus was using that well as a metaphor for her life. She had tried to satisfy her inner thirst with relationships, and a lot of people still do the same today. Others try to do this with possessions or fame. Still others try to do it with drugs or alcohol. And some even try to satisfy their thirst with religion by trying to be pious.
However, none of those things will work. We need Jesus. He is the answer. And the only way to live the best life in this life is to always be aware of the nearness of the afterlife. In other words, think about Heaven.
The apostle Paul wrote to the Christians in Colossae, “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of
cells in our digestive tracts.
Healthy bacteria, whether already in the gut or consumed via foods or probiotic supplements, need a food source to proliferate.
In nature, inulin is found in many plants, like chicory root. Inulin is made up of fructose molecules linked by bonds human digestive tracts can’t break down and digest.
intact. It provides bulk and softness to stools, subtle laxative effects, and can improve digestive health, in addition to other benefits of fiber.
TOP 10 HEALTH BENEFITS OF FIBER ON KETO ZONE (INULIN & PSYLLIUM HUSK)
Are you getting enough fiber?
If you’ve cut down on carbohydrates, you need to be more proactive to make sure you’re getting enough fiber. Which goes beyond just what it needs for digestion.
There are many health benefits of fiber.
And you can certainly get enough on Keto Zone if you’re aware of good sources.
For example, inulin and psyllium husk are two great sources. Here’s what they are, how they are different, great sources, and the health benefits of fiber.
Inulin is a prebiotic fiber, meaning it feeds the healthy bacteria and
In this way, it’s not a nutritive carbohydrate or calorie. Instead, inulin is consumed by healthy bacteria and converted into a shortchain fatty acid that further nourishes colon cells.
Our Keto Zone Shake and MCT Oil Powder both contain inulin powder to aid in healthy digestion.
WHAT IS PSYLLIUM HUSK?
Psyllium husk is made of both soluble (70%) and insoluble fibers (30%). This means twice the benefits.
Like inulin, the soluble fiber acts as a prebiotic, to feed and fortify healthy gut bacteria.
The insoluble fiber passes through the digestive tract, mostly
How?
First, as a fiber, it slows digestion to reduce blood sugar spikes.
1. PROMOTES
For those looking to lose weight, inulin and psyllium husk are great choices. Multiple studies show that it can reduce intake and promote weight loss.
In fact, in one study, the inulin fiber group lost 2 pounds while the control group gained one. While consuming 21 grams of inulin per day, the inulin group experienced lower hunger-hormone levels and increased fullness.
2. OPTIMAL BLOOD SUGARS AND IMPROVED DIABETES CONTROL
For those with diabetes and prediabetes, several studies on inulin and psyllium husk suggest it may help optimize blood sugars.
Second, it has been shown to decrease fat in the livers of people with prediabetes. Reducing liver fat can reduce insulin resistance and may help reverse diabetes.
What’s more, another study showed that 10 grams of High-Performance inulin per day reduced fasting blood by an average of 8.5% and hemoglobin A1C (HgbA1C) by an average of 10.5%.
3.
Healthy gut bacteria are at the center of overall health.
Both inulin and psyllium husk stimulate the growth of beneficial bacteria. When these bacteria proliferate, yeast overgrowth is inhibited, digestion improves, and the immune function benefits.
4. REDUCES CONSTIPATION See KETO ZONE on Page 26
By Dr Don Colbert
middle-aged women initiating divorce. However, this is not to indict women and their hormones as the sole contributing factors to divorce! Men and their hormones obviously play a significant role as well.
You might be surprised to learn that a study conducted for AARP The Magazine found that women aged 40 to 60 initiate 66 percent of divorces! To top it off, 26 percent of men admitted that “they never saw it coming.” Now obviously there are many factors that can contribute to divorce, but what is so striking about this statistic is how the numbers so closely correlate to the age of menopause in women, which is 51 years on average.
The Mayo Clinic defines menopause as the single day exactly 12 months after a woman’s final menstruation. However, perimenopause (meaning “around menopause”) can begin up to ten years before the cessation of menses. Symptoms can include Irregular periods, vaginal dryness, hot flashes, night sweats, sleep problems, weight gain and slowed metabolism, thinning hair and dry skin, loss of breast fullness, and mood changes.
Note “mood changes.” The symptoms of perimenopause are not merely physical. They are psychological as well. According to neuropsychiatrist Louann Brizendine, “the biggest time for changes for women in terms of behavior and symptoms is in the perimenopause, when estrogen and progesterone fluctuate the most in the female brain.” Brizendine continues saying “this is when the dialogue between the brain and ovaries begins to run out of fuel, and that may change our reality as we are going through our cycle.”
And it is very well established that hormone levels can drastically affect the brain thus changing how one perceives reality.
During perimenopause women can exhibit the psychological symptoms of irritability, sadness, aggression, anxiety, and tension. If unaware of the true underlying cause of these symptoms, women may attribute them to their partner.
Knowing this, it is easier to comprehend how the hormonal changes induced by menopause can be a significant factor in the prevalence of
Male menopause, or andropause, basically constitutes a decrease in testosterone in middle-aged males. Although the term “andropause” is controversial as a distinct medical phenomenon, it is generally accepted that testosterone levels tend to decline with age. This hormonal change in men tends to happen much more gradually than the relatively expeditious shift of hormones caused by menopause in women.
The physical symptoms of andropause include Irritability, weight gain, muscle loss, low libido, erectile dysfunction, hair loss, hot flashes, night sweats, memory loss, insomnia, fatigue, low energy, and gynecomastia. As with women, the hormonal imbalance in men also includes psychological symptoms such as irritability, indecisiveness, and depression. These are not qualities many women find attractive, especially when dealing with their own symptoms of perimenopause.
As you can see, the hormonal changes caused by aging in both men and women have the possibility of contributing to marital difficulty. However, all is not lost. There is a simple, safe, and effective solution in the form of bio-identical hormone therapy.
This therapy uses natural plant derived hormones in rice-sized pellets placed under the skin that deliver consistent physiologically compatible ratios of hormones to compensate for the lower levels associated with aging. Bio-identical hormones have the same molecular structure as the hormones that are secreted by your own body and are therefore easily recognized and utilized for the regulation of various bodily functions. The introduction of these exogenous hormones can return levels to a more optimal and youthful range.
Functional medicine practitioner and hormone replacement specialist, Dr. Don Colbert, M.D., provides this cutting-edge therapy at his clinics in Longwood, FL and Southlake, TX. The treatment is quick and effective and can result in a healthier, happier marriage. You can visit divinehealthwellness. com to learn more and call (407) 3317007 to schedule your appointment.
With age, hormone levels decline in both men and women. The psychological difficulties that accompany these changes can be easily misconstrued as marital problems. So, before you consider divorce, get your hormone levels checked, as they may be contributing to the issues that you are attributing to your partner.
Here’s to a healthy, happy, and life-long marriage!
© All rights reserved 2022 - Dr. Don Colbert. >
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An engaging, social lifestyle. Excellent ameni�es that can make every day special. Services that help you live the life you want. Apartments big enough for the grandkids’ visit! All these and more are wai�ng for you when you choose to make the move to our community and we can t wait to welcome you home! Schedule your visit today!
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 2 Corinthians 3:17
Continued from Page 21
heaven, not the things of earth” (Colossians 3:1–2 NLT).
What Captivates Your Thoughts?
What do you spend most of your time thinking about? You are the air traffic controller, so to speak, of your mind. You decide what plane lands where and when. You decide what thoughts come in and what thoughts stay out. So guard your mind and think about heavenly things. Think about spiritual things. Think Heaven.
Yes, our feet must be on Earth, but our minds must be in Heaven. But do we really believe this?
Do you really believe the Bible is true? Do you really believe there is an afterlife? And do you really believe there is a heaven waiting for those who believe in Jesus and a Hell waiting for those who reject Him?
Yes, there is a Heaven. And there’s also a Hell, but it wasn’t created for people. According to Jesus, it was created for the devil and his angels (see Matthew 25:41). If you reject God’s offer of forgiveness and end up in the place called Hell, you’ll have no one to blame on that final day but yourself. The gates of Hell are locked from the inside. You will have sent yourself there by your rejection of God’s offer.
On the other hand, if you have Jesus Christ living inside of you,
you don’t have to be afraid, because you have the promise of Heaven.
So, what will happen to you in the afterlife? Would you like to know that you will go to Heaven when you die? Would you like to satisfy your inner spiritual thirst? Would you like to be forgiven of your sin? Would you like to have your guilt taken away? If the answer to those questions is yes, then here’s what you need to know.
Jesus died on the cross for you and then rose from the dead. He now stands at the door of your life and knocks, and He says that if you will hear His voice and open the door, He will come in.
Are you feeling worn out, beat up, and even old? Jesus said, “Behold, I make all things new” (Revelation 21:5 NKJV).
You can ask Him to come into your life, and today can be the greatest day of your life. He’s only a prayer away.
Inulin and psyllium husk also decrease constipation, hemorrhoids, and other digestion issues.
Inulin relieves constipation with soluble fibers; Psyllium does so with both soluble and insoluble fibers.
For example, one 4-week study found that 15 grams of inulin per day improved constipation in older adults.
Psyllium husk softens stools and increases stool bulk to reduce constipation and hemorrhoids.
5. INULIN REPLACES HIGHCARBOHYDRATE THICKENERS
Inulin improves the texture of manufactured foods.
You can use it in home cooking as well. Use inulin powder in Keto Zone recipes to thicken sauces, soups, condiments and more. Stir it into a warm liquid and continue stirring until slightly thickened.
6. IMPROVES TRIGLYCERIDE AND CHOLESTEROL LEVELS
Psyllium husk and inulin are proven cholesterol reducer.
One study concluded that 6 weeks of psyllium intake resulted
in lower cholesterol in obese and overweight participants.
What’s more, another study confirmed that 5 grams of psyllium three times daily for six weeks reduced triglycerides by 26%, compared to the placebo.
Bone health depends on the efficient absorption of minerals, including calcium and magnesium.
Lab studies have found inulin improves the absorption of both, resulting in improved bone density.
What’s more, studies of children (ages 9-13) have shown better calcium absorption and bone mineralization when taking inulin.
inulin saw a reduction in precancerous colon growths.
In terms of human studies, one promising experiment showed that inulin caused the colon environment to be less favorable for cancer cells.
Since these fibers promote stools and reduce constipation, it’s a wonder they can also improve diarrhea. Digestion is about “balance.” With the right amount of fiber, you should experience regularity without constipation or diarrhea.
How does it work?
of fiber. Both inulin and psyllium husk can improve health from digestion to heart health to bones to blood sugars. If you’ve eliminated many carbohydrate sources from your diet, you can still get plenty of fiber. Choose whole foods like nuts, seeds, and vegetables, and inulin and psyllium husk as supplements.
8.
Studies have shown that psyllium husk can reduce blood pressure.
In fact, one study showed a diet with an additional 12 grams of fiber from psyllium reduced systolic blood pressure by 5.9 mm mercury in 36 participants with high blood pressure.
9. MAY REDUCE INCIDENCE OF COLON CANCER
Studies have supported inulin as an anti-colon cancer agent.
A review of 12 animal studies found that 88% of the groups given
The fibers absorb water, thereby reducing diarrhea and increasing stool softness and bulk ARE
The safety of inulin and psyllium husk has been studied extensively.
For most people, it’s completely safe.
For those who have experienced small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, there may be side effects. Also rarely, those allergic to ragweed may experience worsening symptoms from inulin.
Overall, they are both extremely safe and beneficial in reasonable doses.
If you don’t get enough fiber on a regular basis, there’s a Keto Zone product to help. Try Fiber Zone. It’s formulated with psyllium husk and inulin and will support health, as described above, in an easy-to-take powdered supplement.
There are many health benefits
Dr. Don Colbert is a graduate of Oral Roberts School of Medicine and shares his years of experience and research in nutritional medicine in all of his work. He is a national speaker, bestselling author and host of a national talk show titled Your Health Matters.
© 2022 Dr. Don Colbert, MD PA www.drcolbert.com >
By Angie Lewis
Proper communication is very important in our relationships with others, especially the person we married. In our anger or resentment, we often say things we do not mean to say. Or we just don't communicate our feelings at all. Both ways of communicating are detrimental to our relationships with others. Below I have outlined five ways we can become better communicators.
How often do we blurt out derogatory and spiteful things from our mouth because we are angry, tired, or stressed? A far better way to communicate is to make it a habit to walk away in anger, and then come back later and talk about feelings appropriately when we can be more positive and productive with our speech. Shouldn't we ask God to help us in our anger so we can learn to control what we say?
Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the laps of fools. (Ecclesiastes 7:9)
Put yourself in the other person's shoes. Have you ever tried that? I had to teach myself to do this because I realized that at times, I was being unjust with my words, especially when I was in a not so good mood. Realistically, people
get moody from time to time. We wouldn't be real people if we didn't have negative feelings once in a while. But that does not mean that we need to beat others down with our moodiness. Try patience and a little bit more understanding towards how the other person might be feeling, and it gets your mind off your own negativity. It really works!
A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense (Proverbs 19:11
This is a must in all relationships from time to time. Some of our relationships with others can be more difficult, and sometimes we will have to detach from them emotionally, lest we say and do things that we really shouldn't have. When we don't detach, many times, we make ourselves the victim instead; we do this to ourselves, and it makes us bitter and resentful. Don't become a victim, detach instead. Doesn't Jesus Christ tell us to turn the other cheek?
Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so, drop the matter before a dispute breaks out. (Proverbs 17:14)
It is always important to resolve our conflicts on the same day. Married couples especially, should never go to bed angry at each other. Why? Couples should never let marital issues pile up; it causes resentful feelings, and loss of intimacy. Couples, I believe, remain intimate by resolving difficult issues and coming to compromising solutions. Do not let the sun go
down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. (Ephesians 4:26-27)
If we want communication with our spouse or with others to be productive and positive, we certainly will need to forgive. People just don't realize how often they need to forgive, and the reason why is we have not learned to detach from those who try and hurt us or trespass against our spirit. I don't even think we realize that we need to forgive, but we do! We either need to learn to turn the other cheek and not become the victim, or keep forgiving over and over again.
Get rid of all bitterness, rage,
and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (Ephesians 4:31-32 )
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powerful, transforming grace and his life-rearranging wisdom.
Here are three of those life-rearranging wisdom perspectives that Scripture gives us that enable us to be better prepared in our marriage:
You and I just don’t get to be married to someone perfect. It seems obvious when you read it, but how often do we forget it in our relationship’s mundane moments?
This year, Luella and I will celebrate 50 years of marriage. When we look back, we are amazed at all that has happened, and all that God has done. We love one another dearly, and we are very grateful for our years together.
But we know our story isn’t a story of marital success. If you could watch a video of our life together, you would soon realize that we have not figured out how to “win” at this thing called marriage.
No, our five decades is the narrative of two people who have been rescued by grace and wisdom again and again.
Over the next few weeks of Wednesday’s Word, I will write about marriage. Not because Paul Tripp has any personal brilliance to offer, but because God has generously provided us two things: his
We all face the same thing. Our marriages exist in the middle of a world that does not function as God intended. Somehow, someway, your marriage is touched every day by the brokenness of this world.
I am persuaded that understanding your fallen world and God’s purpose for keeping you in it is foundational to building a marriage of unity, understanding, and love. This does not mean that you will stop being grieved; Jesus wept when he walked the roads of our world.
But this grief is not a dark tunnel that fate has sent your way. It is a wise tool in the hands of a loving God who knows how deep your need is and wants to give you gifts of grace that will last forever.
2. We Are Sinners Married to
You and your spouse contribute something destructive to what a marriage needs and must do. The Bible names it: sin.
This is where the narrative of Scripture is so helpful. The world of the Bible is like your world— messy and broken. The people of the Bible are like you and your spouse—weak and failing. The situations of the Bible are like yours— complicated and unexpected.
God’s honesty about the address where we live is itself an act of love and grace. He does this so we will be realistic in our expectations, then humbly reach out for the help that he alone can give us.
3. God Is Faithful, Powerful, and Willing
Yes, you live in a bad neighborhood, and the two of you are less than perfect, but you must never forget that you are not alone in your struggle. Acts 17:27 says that God is near, so near that in your moment of need, you can reach out and touch him because he is not far from each one of us.
So, when you are sinned against or when the fallen world breaks your door down, don’t lash out or run away. Stand in your weakness and confusion and say, “I am not alone. God is with me, and he is faithful, powerful, and willing.”
1. How long have you been married? Do you take each anniversary for granted? For your next anniversary, how can you emphasize and celebrate God’s grace more?
2. How have you experienced the brokenness of this fallen world? In what ways have you and your spouse suffered as a result of your environment?
3. Has your suffering drawn you closer as a couple or created conflict? Are there areas that you can address today that might create a deeper unity during suffering?
4. Where has the sin of your spouse splashed up into your life recently? Don’t spend too much time thinking about this answer! Instead, consider how your sin complicates the life of your spouse. Where do you need to repent today?
5. How was God proven himself to be faithful, powerful, and willing in other areas of your life outside of marriage? How can you celebrate his life-transforming grace and take hold of it together with your spouse?
habits, feelings, attitudes, liberties, and effectiveness.
But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.” (Revelation 2:4-5)
Are you and those who are with you dangerously close to experiencing this judgment? Is the Light of God’s presence dim, almost imperceptible? Do you have form without power and activity without fruit? If so, Christ says you must . . .
Remember
Using a few key words and phrases, indicate what it was like in the time of your purest and most sincere affection for Christ. Think about
Write out the habitual sins of your life and those acts against others that have not been dealt with in humility and honesty. Carefully consider the sins listed below and ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to all areas of disobedience. Pray for the grace to sincerely and deeply change both heart and actions. Do not stop short in your evaluation. And do not be deceived. Anyone can name his sins, but those God uses most determine to stop their sinful activity, right every wrong, and walk in obedience. This God-given determination and true hatred of each sin is biblical repentance.
Read over the list below carefully. Mark items which need further reflection as you are writing out your sins. (If in a group, a leader may read this section out loud slowly while the group contemplates and makes a list.)
Are there sins of pride, preoccupation with appearance or status, always having your own way, draw-
ing of attention to yourself in conversation, self-pity, forgetfulness, and inconsideration of others due to self-absorption? Do you act as if you know everything? Is there rebellion, willfulness, stubbornness, haughtiness, pouting, and over-sensitivity, or a despising of the authorities God has placed in your life? Has bitterness, anger, rudeness, or a sharpness of speech toward others entered in? Is there lack of love? Have you left relationships not mended? Have you been unforgiving?
Are there sins of speech, such as coarse jesting, filthy language, crudeness, slang unbecoming a child of God, undue pessimism in light of God’s goodness, judging of others? Are you materialistic, always concerned with your money and possessions, lusting for more and more, insistent upon having the latest and the best, discontent with what God has given, ungrateful? Are you dishonest, telling half-truths to appear
better than you are? Have you stolen goods, time, or information? Have you stolen from God?
Are you immoral in mind or body; do you let impure and worthless things come before your eyes; are you flirtatious; do you dress, speak, or behave sensuously? Do you have a secret love for the impure? Are you jealous or envious of others? Do you worship and serve God halfheartedly? Are you prayerless? Do you neglect his Word? Are you failing to trust God, making Him out to be an unconcerned and unloving Father? Do you worry? Are you involved in any way in the occult, consulting mediums, astrology, or witchcraft?
Are there sins of over-indulgence, pleasing the body first and foremost? Are you unconcerned over the plight of others who are impover-
the new Interstate.
My first assignment was to take a water truck down to the big curve, now known as the I-75/I-40 split, about 14 miles to where the rest of the machinery was parked. At the time, no excavation had been done to indicate there would also be an I-75.
truck, and to help the excavators by keeping the top of the "blue top stakes visible." (These stakes established the lay of the highway).
away); that there would be engineers waiting there to explain what needed to be done.
What does the phrase, "in Jesus’ name" mean to you? Does it mean, "I'm doing this for Jesus," or "this is in remembrance of Him?" Or are you saying, "These words and actions are backed by the very powers of Heaven."
My first public job was working on the construction of Interstate 40, through Knoxville, TN. It began one morning in the Spring of 1961 at what is now the "Papermill Road" exit. There was nothing there but the outline of what would become
Having grown up on a farm, I could operate nearly all the big farm equipment, but had never seen machines as large as these. Some of the excavators had enormous engines on each end and weighed approximately 200 tons. The tires were much taller than a man, 3 feet wide, and cost more than a new Cadillac.
Working around these machines, and occasionally hitching a ride, was quite an experience for an 18-year-old farm boy.
My job was to operate the water
I worked with these men every day and would often tease them during our lunch hour. For instance, 5 minutes before time to go back to work, I might playfully say, "I'm the boss, and I think it's time to get back to work." Perhaps even worse I would quote something I had overheard the boss say, "Hopefully we can get a little more done than we have the past few days."
This would usually bring a big dirt clod zinging by, or more often than not, one of them would get up and chase me; most of the time they couldn't catch me, but when they did would just wrestle me to the ground. But it was all in fun, and I would do it again at the next opportunity.
One morning a new boss showed up. He was a construction engineer awaiting an assignment that was soon to open in South America. In the meanwhile, he would help out on this job, and I was to be his, "helper."
Most of my new duties consisted of running errands in his truck, (sometimes to get him a cold drink or a candy bar at the nearest store). We became friends, and he invited me to go with him to work on the upcoming job in South America, but at the age of 18, I had other things in mind.
So, what does this have to do with the phrase, "in Jesus’ name?"
As completion time drew near, the work schedule became very intense. One morning the Federal Highway Inspectors discovered an error in the grade level several miles back. It was still only dirt but was scheduled to be paved shortly, so the mistake had to be corrected right away.
The boss called me over and told me that he could not leave what he was doing and that I was to take his truck and go to where the heavy equipment operators were working. I was to tell them to stop their work immediately and hurry to this designated area, (about three miles
"Sure," I said, "I know exactly where they are." However, along the way I began to wonder, would they listen to the youngest employee on the payroll, so young he wasn't allowed even to drive their machines, the one they had tossed mud-clods at, and teased?
After all, these types of moves were usually planned days, and sometimes weeks in advance, and were very expensive.
Still struggling with these thoughts, I found the crew and delivered the message. To my surprise they didn't tease, jokingly throw anything at me, or even ask questions; they just got on their machines and roared off to their new assignment.
In less than 5 minutes from my arrival, they were almost out of sight. There, in the midst of the dust, diesel smoke, and fading rumble of the engines, I began to understand.
They had listened because I was driving the bosses' personal truck, with his name written on the side. I was delivering the message "in his name." His power and authority were behind my every word and action.
So, it is when we act in Jesus’ name because He is our Lord and Master. His name is above every name; His power and authority are above every other power and authority in Heaven, and on earth.
When acting and speaking in the name of my boss I was in the physical world. When we act and speak in the name of Jesus, we are operating in the supernatural spiritual world, where the Holy Spirit and all the powers of Heaven are available to back our prayers, words, and actions.
We are to use His Name:
"...My Father will grant you whatever you ask in My Name.
(John 16:23)"...ask of the Father in My name, He may give to you” (John 15:16).“Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do...” (John 14:13)."Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me (Mark 9:39) "And he spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus..." (The Apostle Paul) (Acts 9:29)
"Is anyone among you sick? Let hem call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord." (James 5:14)
"The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name." (Luke 10:17).
There are many excellent studies regarding speaking or acting in Jesus Name. The purpose of this article is to illustrate one of the ways Jesus intends for His name to be used.
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ished or cannot defend themselves? Are you unloving and uncaring toward others of a different social class or economic level? Are you inconsiderate of the real needs of your family or the needs of other believers?
Are there other sins the Holy Spirit brings to your mind? Write carefully and thoroughly what God shows you. Your sins may have been committed years ago but remain unresolved between you and someone else, or they may be current as ongoing disobedience in your life now. Do not fail to deal with every sin God brings to mind.
Are you repenting of these sins?
The fruit of repentance is obedience. What has God shown you to do? What habits are to be renewed? What wrong relationships are to be restored? What confession is to be made to a person or group? What actions are to be taken? Write down what you are going to do and begin to obey this moment. For accountability, tell a friend what you intend to do.
To continue to love as you should :
Depend on God. The life of faith is the only life that God honors. Without it you cannot please God. Love for God is a fruit of God’s Spirit; therefore, in your zeal to love Him through obedience, you must also trust Him for the will and actual ability. It is God who works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure, yet you are never allowed to blame God for your lack of desire or disobedience. (Phil. 2:12-13; 3:15-16; Heb. 11:6)
Renew your mind. By meditating on Scripture, you are transformed into the person God intends you to be. Meditation is a blend of your words to God and His Word to you; it is loving conversation between you and God through the pages of His Word. It is absorption of His words into your mind by prayerful contemplation and concentration. Jesus said, “Sanctify them by Your truth; Your word is truth.” As a man thinks, so is he. (Jn. 17:17; Rom. 12:1-2; Prov. 23:7)
Keep short accounts. Do not let sin reign in your body. You do not have to continue this sin, though all Christians fail out of inbred weakness. When you sin, repent immediately of your disobedience and continue in your affection for God.
Don’t let sin have one hour of your time. Destroy it by the weapons of repentance and faith. God also intends that all walls of separation between you and others be taken down in so far as you are responsible. To put a wall between you and others is to build a wall between you and God. (Rom. 6:12; Rev. 3:19; Mt. 5:23-24; Mt. 18:15)
Rejoice in God. “Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.” (Phil. 3:1) You can be happy that the love of God has brought you to repentance. In you sorrow there is joy. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” (Mt. 5:4)
For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Galatians 5:14
use it to hit some of the hallmark goals for a healthy new year. Use this guide as a reference as you set your goals, and then move through healthy habits each month.
Every new year, you have a blank calendar before you. You have amazing opportunities to choose your dreams, goals, and habits. You can also choose to support your health. You can make it a Healthy New Year!
What do you want 2023 to be for you? How can you end 2023 healthier than you’re starting?
Here is a month-by-month guide. Go through it quicker or slower but
One of my favorite things about a New Year is the new beginning. To me, it feels like a gift. A blank story laid out before me, and I get to write the chapters.
In January, take some time to decide what you want your 2023 story to be. Some people might call these goals or resolutions.
I recommend starting with dreams and adventures
What do you want to accomplish? What dream do you want to
make a reality? Is there an adventure you want to tackle?
Write these down. Then, write what you need to change in your life, schedule, or habits to accomplish them. Some tips for this part include:
Dream Big. Shoot for the stars. It’s okay if it takes more than one year. But aim for something that motivates you and puts a smile on your face.
Determine if there’s one change you need to make to make it possible. Do you need to wake up 15 minutes earlier? Do you need to prioritize your own health? Do you need to set aside 20 minutes per day to start writing that book? Usually, there’s one big shift that allows other habits to flow more easily.
Name the habits needed to accomplish your dream. Do you need to take class? Eat differently? Locate a friend? Be specific here. Are you stuck? Do you have a hard time sticking to new habits? No problem! Here are some great, actionable tips to help you!
Whatever your goals and dreams, go for it! January is for new beginnings and an optimistic outlook for a New Year!
FEBRUARY: NO EXCUSES –PRIORITIZE SLEEP
Believe it or not, one of the best healthy habits you can develop is more sleep!
Why?
Sleep is one of the strongest immune-boosters available to you. It can support your immune function through your lymph system and help your body restore itself each day.
In fact, it allows your body and brain to recoup, restore, and fight chronic illness. During sleep, your immune system releases cytokines which both promote sleep and fight illness. When you are awake, your body must do the work of being awake, moving, and maintaining an active brain. This takes most of its resources. When you are asleep, it can do maintenance on your body.
Studies have found that sleep also promotes heart health, brain health, normalized blood sugars, and healthy blood pressure. What’s more, it encourages healthy moods and mental health, especially in the winter months.
That’s a lot accomplished from this one change! To learn tips for improving sleep, check out this article.
Of course, healthy habits must include a great diet. If you’re ready to really support your health, from head to toe, consider getting into the Keto Zone® this year and adding intermittent fasting.
First, the Keto Zone can help you obtain a healthy weight, omit harmful sugars, reduce carbohydrates, support healthy blood sugars, and support heart health.
The best way to get started is to get the book: Dr. Colbert’s Keto Zone Diet Book. You will find how to cut carbs and get into ketosis. Then, continue to follow our posts, recipes, Facebook groups, and more to keep going. You can also join our FREE 21-Day Keto Zone Challenge!
To help you get into ketosis quickly, make sure you add Keto Zone® Instant Exogenous Ketone Powder. Exogenous ketones can boost energy, vastly reduce ketone flu, and slow cell aging.
Then, you can take it a step farther and enjoy the benefits of intermittent fasting. Here’s a simple way:
To fast 15-16 out of the 24 hours per day, finish eating at 7 pm each day, and fast with only non-carbohydrate liquids (like coffee) until 10 am or so. Then, utilize Keto Zone eating for 8 hours per day.
There are many documented benefits to intermittent fasting. In fact, study after study has shown that intermittent fasting benefits body systems often affected by aging, including brain health, heart health, and blood sugars.
Drinking more water is a simple habit, but not necessarily an easy one. Throughout your day, drink 80 ounces or more water. It’s important to your health!
In fact, one study found that increasing water consumption by 2 liters per day improved skin condition and physiology, even in those who already consumed high amounts of water. It can also improve digestive health, reduce incidence of headaches, reduce stressful moods and feelings of overwhelm, and boost metabolism (if you’re drinking ice-water).
Next, you can use ice-water in an altogether different way. Try icewater showers (or at least a cold blast during your shower). Why?
When your body is exposed to very cold water, it uses brown fat cells to warm itself. These cells are extremely advantageous for metabolism. What’s more, ice-cold showers have been found in studies to activate “white fat” by making it act more like “brown fat”. In time, your body will naturally burn more calories the browner fat you have. Studies have also found that icecold plunges reduce sick days.
While you may think the only benefit of gardening is the food you harvest, there’s many health benefits when you put your hands in soil. In fact, studies have found that gardening is a great stress reducer and promotes feelings of calm and well-being.
What’s more, gardening is a great excuse to get outside and be active. Take advantage of the time using your muscles and increasing vitamin D production from the sun.
Of course, the harvest is great, too. When you add more greens, herbs, and vegetables to your diet, you consume the same components plants use to grow and flourish, like chlorophyll. You can get these amazing components from your bounty or Divine Health® Organic Fermented Green Supremefood®. Plant compounds are great for plants and humans alike!
There are so many great options for exercise and movement. The key is to find one you love, you
look forward to, and get your body moving!
If you don’t know what you love, try walking, running, yoga, aerobics, classes, biking, hiking, swimming, lifting weights, or others.
And, if you can, get outside! Whether it’s just a short walk or a ride on a bike, God has given us a huge gift: the outdoors elevates our moods. Not only is any activity good for our muscles, hearts, and brains, outdoor activity specifically has been shown to improve mood and depression. What’s more, if the sun is shining, your body will make Vitamin D, an immune- stimulating vitamin, while enjoying the immune-enhancing benefits of exercise itself.
JULY: CHECK YOURSELF –ARE YOU LAUGHING EACH DAY?
Let’s add a joyful habit. Laughter.
Have you ever wondered why we laugh? Why did God give us this
gift?
It is an amazing health-promoting habit. The more you can build laughter into your daily life, the more you’ll reduce cortisol, See NEW YEAR on Page 34
In Him and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. Ephesians 3:12
improve your mood, and decrease depression.
These, in turn, will encourage healthy immune function.
Interestingly, multiple studies show that the benefits of smiling, and laughter are experienced whether it’s real or fake. So, fake it if you need to, and get in a good belly laugh each day.
At least once per year, make sure you feel good about your connections. Far-away friends, local friends, family, and groups.
God has created us for relationships, and they are important for overall health and healthy immune function. In fact, positive relationships can improve your mood and decrease stress. This, in turn, can promote a strong immune system.
To maintain relationships even when you can’t always be with
each other in-person:
Invest in the relationships within your household, neighborhoods, and towns. Head to a park for a pick-up game, watch movies together, take walks, invite friends for simple gatherings, and create other ways to make great memories together.
Stay in touch with loved ones however you can. Write letters and send cards. Use technology to video-call, send videos to friends, and keep in touch. Social media can be a negative addiction if left unchecked, but it can also be a great way to feel a sense of community if you’re away from loved ones. Be proactive and initiate re-connections if you’d like!
Maintain the relationships that are important to you. It’s good for your health and immune function!
SEPTEMBER: ADD NATURE’S BEST STRESSRELIEF
Almost every habit on this list reduces stress. Reducing stress is a
foundational health habit that promotes health throughout your body. It’s a top habit for your healthy new year
You can take it to the next level. In addition to healthy daily habits, add nature’s best stress relief.
It’s Hemp Oil. Hemp oil, specifically nano-particle oils like those in Dr. Colbert’s Nano-Science Hemp Oil, promotes health across the body’s systems.
It is a broad-spectrum hemp oil that is organically grown, vegan, and GMO-free. In terms of health, Hemp Oil has been shown to support healthy, stable moods, promote stress relief and normalized cortisol levels, support comfortable, healthy joints, encourage healthy sleep habits, promote healthy skin with fewer irregularities and blemishes, support healthy brain and nervous system functions, and encourage healthy cardiovascular functions and normalized inflammatory actions.
What an amazing oil for overall health and stress!
OCTOBER: STRETCH FOR A YOUTHFUL BODY AND A HEALTHY NEW YEAR
Stretching and maintaining (or improving) flexibility can literally change your body and your life.
Amazingly, just 3-5 minutes of stretching can be enough. Stretch in the morning or before bed. Believe it or not, as you gain flexibility in your spinal cord, you’ll improve your posture, range of motion of your limbs, and support cardiovascular health.
There’s more. It turns out that trunk flexibility directly represents the flexibility of your arteries. As crazy as it sounds, researchers have found that poor trunk flexibility is associated with stiff arteries. This means that keeping your body flexible enough to touch your toes means better artery health and blood pressure.
If you’re interested in your health, let gratitude and optimism rule. One great way is to start (or restart) a gratitude journal. You may have started one during the Thanksgiving and the Holiday Season in previous years. Or this idea may be new to you.
Gratitude journals, focusing on small daily blessings, are powerful. Being grateful is associated with better mental, emotional, and phys-
ical health and immunity.
To start a gratitude journal, first simply get a pen and a paper, or a journal. Next, write 5-10 “gratitudes” per day. They can be big or small things. You can write them throughout the day, or at the beginning or end.
It’s time to let gratitude rule. Choose to focus on simple gratitudes each day as one of your new year lifestyle habits.
Prayer is not a last-ditch effort for health or spirituality, but a foundation for your relationship with God. It also affects your mental health, physical health, and entire well-being.
In fact, prayer releases control from you and gives it to God. It helps change your heart towards any stressful situation, even if the situation itself doesn’t change. And lastly, it allows you to focus on the truth. God’s truth is that He is with you in any circumstance. That nothing is too big. And, that He will walk with you through it.
The act of prayer has shown to increase certain helpful neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, which help promote a state of relaxation, focus, motivation, and well-being. Studies have shown that it reduces anxiety and stressful moods.
A focus on prayer and your relationship with God is a great way to start and end every year (and every day).
Healthy New Year! Decide what you want in 2023 and go after it. Then, add healthy habits throughout the year as you work towards your dreams!
© All rights reserved 2022 - Dr. Don Colbert. >
wisely.
12 DAILY HEALTHY IMMUNE FUNCTION HABITS
Each day you wake up to new experiences, challenges, and opportunities. You likely think about the tasks ahead at the beginning of the day. Within that time, do you think about ways you can support your immune system? Or healthy immune function habits that promote whole body health?
If not, we have a cheat sheet for you. Here are 12 Daily Healthy Immune Habits that are easy to implement starting today. Moreover, here’s how simple habits affect immune function both positively and negatively.
HOW CAN HABITS SUPPORT IMMUNE FUNCTION?
There are a few different ways lifestyle habits can affect immune function.
First, they can reduce inflammatory actions and oxidative stress in the body. Next, they can activate immune cells directly. Third, they can indirectly affect your immunity. For example, high blood sugars are associated with increased infection risk, while controlled ones are not.
Lastly, and on the other side, they can negatively impact immune function by diminishing the health of immune cells or degrading the body’s overall health.
Your daily habits matter. Throughout each day, you can choose to support your immune function. Make your habit choices
1.
How can you prioritize your health and immune function right when you wake up? You can be purposeful to start the day with gratitude. Whatever lies ahead in your day, you can be grateful for something or someone to start.
How does this support immune health?
Gratitude is one of our daily immune support habits because it can reduce stress and cortisol. Cortisol increases inflammation in the body. What’s more, gratitude can improve sleep while reducing stress.
A study of 400 individuals found that writing gratitudes during the day and/or before sleep improves both the quality and duration of sleep. Another study found that gratitude was linked to a 10% improvement in sleep and a 19% decrease in sadness levels in patients with health issues and insomnia.
For an extra boost, combine your time of gratitude with meditation. Focus on the moment, the day, and those things for which you are grateful. Be present in these thoughts, not thinking ahead or behind. Incredibly, this sort of mindful meditation can stimulate the immune system. Its benefits include improvements in specific markers of inflammation, cellmediated immunity, and biological aging.
Not everyone enjoys an ice-cold
shower or burst of cold water in the morning. But for those who can stand it, it will support immune health!
How?
First, cold showers are linked to an improved immune system. A recent study from the Netherlands found that cold showers significantly reduced sick days in workers. In fact, 30 seconds or more of cold showering per day reduced sick days by 29% in the study. Additionally, more than half the participants decided to continue the cold-shower practice after the study since they were convinced by the results.
Why would cold water improve immunity? It’s thought that coldwater-stress induces the production of catecholamines, which may play a critical role in supporting the immune system.
Specific vitamins, minerals and compounds support your immune function. While you can certainly eat foods that do so as well, supplements can bolster immunity with larger amounts of isolated nutrients. Specific immune-supporting nutrients include vitamin C, B-vitamins, elderberry, zinc, and vitamin D3.
If you’re looking for a one-stopshop for all these compounds, try this supplement. Dr. Colbert’s Immune Support contains each one in amounts designed to support your immune system best.
Increase vitamin D production: Optimal vitamin D levels are associated with fewer seasonal illnesses. What’s more, optimal vitamin D levels support health throughout the body, from bones to skin to organs
Improve melatonin levels, especially if you’re out in the early hours after waking. Why does this matter for immune function? Optimal melatonin improves sleep, and sleep is directly beneficial to the immune system
Improve mood, which decreases cortisol to support healthy immune function
Get outside whenever you can and aim for early hours if possible.
5.
Did you know that fluid restriction and dehydration may increase cortisol in your body? This becomes especially true if you are participating in an outdoor activity.
To reduce cortisol and therefore inflammation, hydrate your body regularly.
4.
There are many benefits to getting outside. And the earlier you do it, the better. Sunshine and time outdoors both support immune health, for free! They:
As a bonus, you’ll promote overall cell health and skin. One recent study has shown that increasing water consumption by 2 liters per day improved skin condition and physiology, even in those who already consumed high amounts of water. The researchers concluded that this increase and improvement in skin health would likely have the most positive effect on those with lower daily water consumption.
If you want to take the immune and health benefits even further, drink green tea for part of your daily hydration.
6. MEALS WITH IMMUNE SUPPORTING FOODS
Throughout the day, choose foods that are anti-inflammatory and full of antioxidants. Vibrant fruits and vegetables, healthy fats, nuts, spices, and protein often fit the bill. Specific foods include: Fish and seafood
Healthy fats such as extra virgin olive oil, avocados, MCT oil powder, and more Vibrant vegetables and small amounts of fruits
Cacao, spices, and herbs such as ginger, garlic, basil, and more Potent greens and herbs like spirulina, wheatgrass, milk thistle, and more
Great foods can be delicious and promote healthy immune function!
Exercise provides a powerful 3-punch combination of immune function, health, and healthy aging. It:
Modulates antioxidant and antiinflammatory effects in the body by supporting neuroprotective action, increasing circulating of anti-
inflammatory markers, and improving antioxidant defenses.
Promotes overall body composition and healthy weights. Unhealthy weights are associated with a decline in immune function.
Decreases blood glucose. High blood sugars are linked to worsened infections.
What do healthy relationships and laughter have to do with immune function and overall health?
Incredibly, the Harvard Study of Adult Development has shown that good social relationships promote physical and mental health, provide a buffer against loneliness, increase longevity, and foster happiness. The Harvard Nurses’ Health Study found similar results. This means less anxiety and cortisol, and better health outcomes.
Next, laughter further reduces cortisol, increases dopamine, and increases endorphins. These chemicals decrease discomfort, cortisol, and depressed moods while elevating cellular health.
9. STARTING MID-EVENING, EMPLOY INTERMITTENT FASTING
Around 7 pm in the evening, consider starting a daily intermittent fast to support your health and immune function.
Amazingly, there are many documented benefits to intermittent fasting including:
Immune function support Improve cholesterol markers* Reduced triglyceride levels* Improved aging*
Healthy weight changes without negative cellular adaptations*
Reduced blood sugar abnormalities*
In fact, many studies have shown that intermittent fasting supports healthy aging, brain health, heart health, and blood sugars.
To add intermittent fasting to support immune health, aim to fast 15-16 out of the 24 hours per day. Simply finish eating dinner at 7 pm each night, and fast with only noncarbohydrate liquids (like coffee) until 10 am or so.
10. SLEEP: 7 OR MORE HOURS PER NIGHT
Good quality sleep has many health and aging benefits. These include:
Reduced daily cortisol*
Healthy immune function* Better melatonin levels* Less depressed moods* Less inflammatory reactions*
Healthy body weight* Healthy heart function*
It’s a cycle. Good sleep begets good sleep, and lack of sleep increases cortisol for up to 24 hours which negatively affects sleep again. Lack of sleep has also been shown to reduce mental performance and alertness while increasing inflammation and cortisol.
Amazingly, stress and high cortisol levels can negatively affect immune function and response. You can fight back with an amazing allnatural stress-reducing oil.
Hemp oil, specifically nano-particle oils like those in Dr. Colbert’s Nano-Science Hemp Oil, promotes health across the body’s systems while combatting stress. In fact, it’s nature’s best stress relief.
It is a broad-spectrum hemp oil that is organically grown, vegan,
and GMO-free. In terms of health, it has been shown to:
Support healthy, stable moods
Promote stress relief and normalized cortisol levels
Support comfortable, healthy joints
Encourage healthy sleep habits
Promote healthy skin with fewer irregularities and blemishes
Support healthy brain and nervous system functions
Encourage healthy cardiovascular functions and normalized inflammatory actions
12. FAST FROM FROM DETRIMENTAL FOODS AND DETOX THE BODY REGULARLY
Here’s another healthy habit with a big punch! Get rid and detox from the foods that have a negative effect on health and immune function.
It’s time to reduce sweets, sugars, and refined carbohydrates, omit processed food fats like soybean oil, and help your body detox from the build-up of toxins and chemicals. How?
The easiest and most effective way is to follow the Keto Zone Diet. In fact, Dr. Colbert’s Gut Zone Book provides a complete road map to reducing these foods, achieving a healthy weight, and supporting healthy immune function.
Ready to support immune health every day? You can do it! These easy healthy immune function habits can be implemented together, or one at a time. Focus each day on your immune system and promote health throughout your body!
© All rights reserved 2022 - Dr. Don Colbert. >
ingly obvious in some areas, but other symptoms can be subtle. Here are a few signs you may have a bad company culture:
• Team members don’t feel safe to communicate openly with leaders
Every business has a culture— that’s right, even yours! But what makes the difference between a healthy company culture and a toxic one? Read on to find out.
First, let’s get clear about what company culture is. It can seem kind of hazy, but culture is just the collective attitudes and behaviors of your organization. Culture is how your company does things— and it’s not one-size-fits-all. Now that you know what it is, you may be asking: Why is it important to focus on company culture? That’s a great question! And we have the answers (and some tips you can use to transform your business). Let’s get into it.
The way your team experiences your business has a major impact on how effective they are in their roles. A miserable work experience (aka a toxic culture) is bad for your business’s brand and growth potential, as well as team members’ productivity and mental health. And the opposite is true too—a healthy culture keeps your team happy and engaged in their roles and contributes to the growth of your business. According to a survey by Gallup, businesses with the highest employee engagement are 23% more profitable than those with the lowest employee engagement.
Characteristics of a Toxic Company Culture
So, what does a harmful company culture look like? It may be glar-
• Illegal, dishonest, or unethical behaviors (especially by leadership)
• High team member turnover rate
• Pressure from leaders to constantly work long hours, not take vacation days, and neglect worklife balance
•Team members constantly fear failure or being fired without warning
• Gossip and work-related drama
• Passive-aggressive communication
Examples of Companies with Great Cultures
Every company, big or small, has a workplace culture. Here are some examples of healthy company cultures:
This online shoe giant consistently gets ranked as one of the best corporate cultures in America—and that doesn’t happen by accident. When describing their company culture, Zappos said, “We’ve learned that if you identify your company’s core values, hire by them, onboard team members by them, and truly live by them; then your business is on a long-term path to success, profit and growth.”
From its hiring practices to customer service to the work environment, everything and everyone reinforce the company’s core values.
BELAY
Named one of Inc. magazine’s
Best Workplaces of 2020 and listed in FlexJobs’ Top 100 Companies to Watch for Remote Jobs in 2021, the virtual staffing firm has built a highly engaged team and award-winning culture—even while working 100% remote. BELAY attributes that to knowing how culture is really built: with values, not gimmicks. “[Our culture is] not Ping-Pong tables, fully stocked beer fridges, and nap pods,” said BELAY. “We instill our mission and values of gratitude, teamwork, vision, passion, fun and God into every one of our nearly 1,200 remote workforce team members.”
Not to toot our own horn, but yes, Ramsey Solutions is known for our culture. Named one of the Best Places to Work in Nashville 11 times, thousands of people apply to work at Ramsey Solutions every year. To name a few of our perks: Communication is open, every team member knows they’re doing work that matters, schedules are flexible, and work-life balance is encouraged. Add to that our amazing leadership who encourage their teams to personally grow, and you can see why it’s so popular to work here.
Okay, so culture is important. But how do you make sure yours is healthy? Well, whatever your cul-
ture is like, it’s either being created or tolerated. Meaning, you’re either intentionally leading your business’s culture, or you’re just accepting whatever behaviors your team dishes out.
If you’re worried your team (including leadership) might be a bit toxic, there’s good news: Leaders get to decide what they want their workplace culture to be like and can make changes. Here are six things you can do to improve your company’s culture:
Create your culture by leading your business with core values. These values answer the question, “What do we, as an organization, stand for?” By clearly defining what your business stands for (and what it doesn’t), you’re deciding to create a culture where people with similar values can love the work they do—and thrive.
Core values communicate:
• What you expect from your team
• What your team can expect from you
• How your business should interact with customers
Your core values can also help you make good hires, better deci-
See COMPANY CULTURE on Page 38
sions and a strong impression in the marketplace. So, if you haven’t already, you want to spend some time thinking about this and putting in the work to write out your company values. But remember, just defining your values isn’t enough— you have to live them out! And your team needs to do the same.
For many business owners, a mission statement is just a checked box—something they put on their website and forget about. They don’t really use it to inspire, make decisions, or drive their business forward. But doing that has a negative effect on company culture, team member engagement and productivity.
Team members feel it when a business doesn’t have a genuine, meaningful mission. In fact, it’s so important that one survey found over half of U.S. employees said they have taken a pay cut for a job that provides more meaningful work.
People really want to do work that matters. And it makes a big difference to their performance. One study shows that people who feel like they do meaningful work are
more likely to work harder and retire later in life.
Bestselling author and speaker Simon Sinek said it well: “Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress. Working hard for something we love is called passion.” To have a highly engaged culture, you need to lead your business toward fulfilling a clear, aspirational mission. So, ask yourself: Why does my business exist?
The people you invite on your team can have a big impact on the health of your culture. Think about it, have you ever made a bad hire? If so, you know one killjoy can undermine morale, slow things down, and put your business’s reputation in jeopardy. And turnover is expensive, whether a team member chooses to leave, or you show them the door. In fact, the Work Institute estimates that employers lose $15,000 every time a team member leaves—and that’s a conservative number.
So, tighten up your hiring process. Don’t just look for skills and experience alone. Look for character qualities that align with your company’s core values—and take your time! We know when you’re in a bind that it can be tempting to
get anyone with experience in the door. But the biggest mistake leaders make when hiring is rushing the process. It takes time and conversation to really get a sense for a person’s personality, values, and passions—all of which are important for figuring out if a candidate is a good fit for the culture.
We recommend a thorough approach when it comes to adding new members to the team—our hiring process has 12 steps. That may seem like a lot of time and effort but hiring the wrong person can cost you a lot more.
Most people accept workplace gossip as par for the course. People talk—no big deal, right? Wrong! Gossip is destructive—it can kill team unity dead. We define gossip as: saying something negative about anyone or anything to someone who can’t do anything about it. It’s better when team members only tell their leaders about the bad stuff— not each other. In fact, we follow a rule: Negatives go up, positives go all around. Celebrate with everyone, but if someone has a problem, they need to take it to someone who can do something about it. Otherwise, it just creates drama, speculation, mistrust, confusion and the
like. So, get rid of gossip!
Are you guilty of gossip? Your first step to turning things around in your business is to make sure you’re setting the example. Then communicate to your team that gossip won’t be tolerated at work anymore. Finally—and this is the hardest part—stick to your guns. You must follow through and hold people accountable to your no-gossip policy if you want to remove it from your culture.
5 Communicate with Transparency
Lack of information can lead to confusion and frustration, and many people just have a bad habit of assuming the worst. That’s why companies with winning cultures have high levels of communication with their teams. You don’t have to share everything, but you must be transparent with your team to build trust. It may seem simple but communicate early and often with your team. And not just about the bad stuff—be proactive about celebrating too.
Here are a few topics to cover with your team regularly:
• The mission of the business
By John Dillard
ONE OF THE most widely discussed issues in all the Bible is money, covering its gathering, storing, and use. In the New International Version of the Bible money is mentioned one hundred and fourteen times. Knowing how to properly use money and to understand how God views money is your best defense to preclude money's rule over your life. Reviewing these words will help you to know what money was intendd for and what it is not. Money, like all good and perfect gifts, and be misused. Money is a method of currency established by God to help us transact business, buy needed wares and foodstuffs, and as enumeration for services. Money when used wisely can be a great asset for both your family, your physical well-being, and the Kingdom. Keeping these time-tested precepts at the forefront of your mind will help enable you to use money the way God had always intended.
Money as a Tool
Money was never intended to be
used as anything but a commodity. Like wheat or any other tangible item, it can be measured and valued, it can lose as well as gain in worth and as we have seen in the dramatic recent fall of stock markets nationally and abroad. Though all of us have basic money concerns when our stock values fall, inflation and bankruptcies soar, home values decline, we are encouraged to keep all in perspective.
If we fail to keep money in its proper place, to use and see it as a tool rather than an end, we are prone to its idolization and therefore our own personal spiritual demise. Just as we are called to be content in all things so should we be content with the resources God has granted us by utilizing them wisely. In (Proverbs 17:16) we are told that a man who has money and does not seek wisdom is a fool and God offers wisdom liberally for all who seek it.
"Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless." (Ecclesiastes 5:10)
Live Below Your Means
Living below your means is totally against all that the world would have us do. With credit card debt, home equity loans, car loans and second mortgages being readily
available it is difficult for all of us to exercise restraint. Keeping in mind a few simple ideas will do much to help eliminate unnecessary spending. Never use a credit card if you can't pay the balance in full when the bill arrives or unless it is an absolute emergency. Regardless of how you feel or the extent of your desires, having the latest technological gadget or latest fashion item is not an absolute and critical need.
For most all of us, buying a car is the second largest purchase we will ever make and therefore the second most essential that we make a wise and judicious decision. Car companies will offer longer re-payment periods, leases, and sweetheart deals to entice you to buy whatever your heart desires. Many of the payment periods are so long that many vehicles will have no substantive working or monetary value at the time of the last payment, necessitating that your next vehicle purchase also be over an extended payment period. To avoid falling prey to the constant "money trap" of car payments it is generally better not to lease cars, but to buy and own them outright and to finance a car over a shorter rather than a longer payment period.
Most initial car purchases may require some type of debt to get you started but limiting this debt, paying it off as soon as possible and paying cash for future vehicles will be a good start to limiting excessive car payments and liabilities. Also explore buying a good use car as an alternative to the often-unnecessary expense of that new car you feel you cannot live without. Living below your means will allow you to
better provide for your business and family allowing you a cushion and extra margin when unexpected contingencies arrive.
"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have." (Hebrews 13:5)
Invest & Use Money Wisely God exhorts us to earn our money honestly, investing it wisely and allowing it to grow slowly over time (Proverbs 13:11). For we can either chose to serve God or to serve money, as it is impossible to do both (Matthew 6:24). Using money judiciously requires us to understand not only money is used but also how it should be invested.
One of the most telling of Jesus parables is in the telling of the talents where a master's money is allocated to his three servants based upon the ability of the parties involved. Two of the servants invested the money well and earned even more money while the third
servant hid the money failing to gain even the interest that could have been gained had it been invested at a bank. Upon the master returning and discovering what had transpired, he took the money from the un-wise investor and gave it to the servants who invested prudently. Then the servant who now had nothing was thrown outside into the dark where there was great weeping and gnashing of teeth. God wants his people to enjoy all good and perfect gifts He provides, and it is up to us as Believers to know and understand God's plan for money and our lives. Although I am not aware of compounding interest being examined anywhere in either the Old or New Testament, the concept of interest and its ability for growth are time tested, well approved, and documented.
God is best able to help us when we are in the Word, surrounded by wise counsel and are seeking after His will for our life. In (Acts 8:20), we are reminded that our money and all we accumulate will be immediately of no use to us at our death as indeed we are all saved by grace, and that no gift or any amount of money will ever help us buy our way into Heaven. In Mark 6:8 when Jesus sends the disciples out for missions, he encourages them to
take no money along with them for the journey leaving divine providence alone as the financier of their work. It is usually when we are at our wits end or out of resources where our walk become more faith than self-based.
"Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers-not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be not greedy for money, but eager to serve." (1 Peter 5:2)
We are all a work in process for which God prunes us, readying our spirit for what lay ahead. Leaning not on our own understanding but the Bible's is the most important step you will ever make in determining to use your resources wisely. Applying these precepts to your money management will help you avoid unnecessary debt, frivolous expenditures, invest wisely and to use your money as it has always been intended.
John Dillard is an author and Certified Public Accountant. To See how he takes Christ along with him to work visit www.HisCPA.com and for his latest book Overcoming Life's 9/11's: Job's Journey visit www.John-Dillard.com "Dare to Attempt Something so Great for the Kingdom of God that it is doomed to failure, lest Christ be in it!"
© 2022 oChristian.com. All Rights Reserved >
• Core values
• Vision for the future
• Team transitions and changes
• Revenue goals and how the business is performing
• The why behind business decisions
• Your appreciation
All these things build deeper, stronger connections with your team and keep everyone on the same page with what’s going on in the business. And don’t worry, if communication isn’t your strength, our free Team Communication Field Guide can help you cover the basics.
Working hard and not getting paid well is a major buzzkill. While money isn’t the only thing that matters to team member engagement, it does matter. If you want people who are super fired up to help your business win every day, then make sure you’re not only paying them well but also incentivizing them— including non-salespeople—for excellent work.
Here at Ramsey Solutions, there are numerous compensation plans—from commission for salespeople to monthly profit sharing and bonuses. Maybe you can’t overhaul your entire payroll, but there are other creative ways you can reward your team (think: team outings, an occasional complimentary lunch, and a surprise gift card for that assistant who went above and beyond during a tough week). To get more ideas, check out The
EntreLeader’s Guide to Compensation on our website.
Changing company culture is no easy feat—but you can do it. And it’ll be worth all the hard work, because when you create a company culture where people are unified and love what they do, there’s really nothing you can’t achieve as a team.
And if you need some hands-on guidance, join us for EntreLeadership Master Series. This conference will give you real-life, proven advice for growing your business and building a best-place-to-workever culture.
Remember, culture is either created or tolerated. So, get intentional and get to it!
Ramsey Solutions has been committed to helping people regain control of their money, build wealth, grow their leadership skills, and enhance their lives through personal development since 1992. Millions of people have used our financial advice through 22 books (including 12 national bestsellers) published by Ramsey Press, as well as two syndicated radio shows and 10 podcasts, which have over 17 million weekly listeners.
©2022 Lampo Licensing, LLC. All rights reserved
"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." Galatians 5:22-23
The worst-tempered people may be made gentle and loving in all their words, acts, and dispositions — by the renewing and transforming power of divine grace. God can take the jangled keys and put them in tune — if we will only put them into His hand.
But we must strive ourselves to be sweet-tempered. We must watch the rising anger — and quickly choke it back. We must keep down our ugly disposition. We must learn to control ourselves, our tempers, our feelings, our passions, and our tongues. We must seek to develop the gentle virtues — and crowd out the thorns! This discipline is not easy, but the lessons can be mastered.
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13 GRACE GEMS! A Treasury of Ageless Sovereign Grace Devotional Writings Our Purpose
To humble the pride of man, to exalt the grace of God in salvation and to promote real holiness in heart and life. ©GraceGems.org 2022 >
serving the Lord. They think: “I once had the opportunity to serve Christ, but when I (name that sin), I lost my opportunity. My brain knows that God forgives and restores, but my heart just can’t seem to get the message.”
Regardless of your geographical state of residence, if you’re a Christian, there is a second state in which you live: The state of Grace! And while it is not a geographical location, the state of Grace does represent a government and a ruling authority—that of the kingdom of God. And one day during the coming Millennium, when Christ rules from His throne in Jerusalem, the whole world will represent the state of Grace. Indeed, during those days, the grace of God will be the “rule of the realm.”
Land of Opportunity: Lost and Found
I have encountered many committed followers of Christ who have allowed a past sin, mistake, choice, or lifestyle to rob them of their opportunity to be fully engaged in
Do you feel that way? I believe the sense of lost opportunity is rooted in a faulty understanding of God’s grace. Likewise, when grace is grasped and embraced, the Land of Opportunity becomes yours again.
Living in the state of Grace without knowing it’s the Land of LostOpportunities-Found is like being a water enthusiast in Minnesota and not knowing it’s the Land of 10,000 Lakes. There is a huge disconnect between living in the state of Grace and saying, “I lost my opportunity to be involved due to sin.”
In the state of Grace, there is no such thing as opportunity lost that cannot be found. Grace means forgiveness—period. Forgiveness doesn’t come in shades of gray in the state of Grace: You’re either forgiven by God or you’re not. If
you are lacking opportunities to serve, it’s not because God hasn’t forgiven you—so who does that leave? Yes, it’s important to seek His forgiveness, be reconciled to other people, and repent and turn away from sin. But when we have done those things to the best of our spiritual and practical ability, “He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”—and restore our opportunity to serve Him with the fullness of His blessing (1 John 1:9).
Moving to the State of Grace
Former televangelist Jim Bakker told how, after five years in prison, the Billy Graham family reached out to provide everything he needed. He had lost his ministry, his wife, his reputation, and possessions.
After being out of prison less than 48 hours, the Graham clan invited Bakker to attend church with them in Montreat, North Carolina. The last to arrive at church was Ruth Graham who came in and seated herself right beside Jim Bak-
ker. At lunch at the Graham’s home after church, they continued to minister to the former convict.
That’s the state of Grace: forgiven, accepted, and given everything necessary to live in God’s Land of Opportunity. When God forgives one of His own, so should the church. When debts are paid, no opportunity is withheld (Ephesians 4:32).
Just as Jim Bakker moved back into ministry in God’s Land of Opportunity, so did the apostle Peter. We all know the story of his denial of Christ on the eve of the Crucifixion and how he wept in shame over his spiritual failure (Matthew 26:75). But Jesus forgave Peter and re-commissioned him for service (John 21:15-19); and in a matter of days, we find Peter boldly preaching the Gospel and leading the church in Jerusalem (Acts 2 – 7).
Live in the Land of Opportunity
Alternatively, we might fall into another subtle error. Because we believe that “all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching (2 Timothy 3:16), we risk bending, twisting, and stretching Scripture to make it say something that it doesn’t say.
You cannot read very long before encountering the shocking honesty of the Bible. Living in the fallen world isn’t minimized or sugarcoated (see Romans 8:20–22). Yet, many Christians are confused, discouraged, surprised, and unprepared because they do not understand the environment in which they live, work, play, and worship.
2. The Bible introduces us to real people.
These four biblical perspectives—Real World, Real People, Real God, Real Redemption—give us essential wisdom for anything we will face in human life.
Only when we see the world as broken, ourselves as sinners, God in all his glory, and the completeness of the Redeemer’s work, can we have a balanced and functionally worthwhile perspective on anything and everything!
Many Christians try to handle the Bible as if it was God’s great encyclopedia—a topical index of human problems and divine solutions.
If you go to Scripture looking for specific issues, you might not find it explicitly referenced between Genesis and Revelation. (For example: a midlife crisis, teenagers, social media, a global pandemic, and many others).
Frustrated and discouraged, many of us look to other sources and choose only to use the Bible’s help when it speaks clearly about the matter at hand.
Both errors miss the genius of what the Bible is about. The Bible is a narrative, the incredible story of redemption with divine theological notes that encompasses every human life. It is comprehensive in scope but not exhaustive in content.
So even though the Bible might not directly address every experience you face in 2021, it can exegete (or interpret) the most profound issues of your existence. Here are four reasons why:
1. The Bible presents us with a real world.
There’s a famous line said by Hamlet that certainly can be applied to our lives today: “The time is out of joint.” Essentially, it means that things are going wrong and have become out of the norm. it’s as if the abnormal has become the norm. Think of children born now, who never experience a regular school situation - - only learning by computer. Only time will tell how our current society will morph into one that we won’t recognize in the future. We used to call that “science fiction!”
But Shakespeare was implying that when time is “out of joint,” it’s because it has become unacceptable to what we expect and can accept. It’s like everyone becomes used to the “food” that astronauts must use in space . . . a gradual conditioning, until we don’t remember how everyone ate in the past.
Many sense that things are going wrong - - or to use the term, “out of joint” as Hamlet suspected. When
things go wrong, it’s human nature to look for a “scapegoat” to blame -the government, or the younger generation, or the authorities, or . . . even God. We make God responsible for what we suffer or can’t control, what we do to ourselves.
But we should realize that often these events are the result of our choices - - good or bad. After all, we have the gift of free will. Only when we make the conscious choice to allow God to intervene in our lives can we be put on track - - meaning that our times will be in His hands, as the Bible says in (Psalm 31:15) Because we surrender our free will to Him - - which is our most precious possession - - can we expect our lives to turn out the way He planned for us. (Hosea in Chapter 10:12) said it best: “Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till He come and rain righteousness upon you.” >
The characters of Scripture are not wax figures in a museum of human nobility, nor are they cartoon characters with saccharine smiles and melodic voices. A rich display of the full range of human emotions dyes almost every page of Scripture.
By studying the Bible, we are ushered into the hallways of human hearts to examine their thoughts, inspect their desires, and understand their choices. In the process, we are exposed and confronted. There is no better method of selfknowledge and self-exposure than the mirror of Scripture (James 1:22-25).
3. The Bible calls us to the worship of a real God.
The God of Scripture is not the hero of myth. He is not the projection of weak minds who need something more to depend on than themselves. On the contrary, he, the creator, sustainer, and ruler of all that is, is the only being in the universe worthy of worship.
The revelation of God in Scripture is the only place to find real hope for absolutely every area of life. He is the only one who is at once entirely above everything that we face (Ephesians 4:6) yet intimately familiar with all of it (Psalm 139:3, Hebrews 4:15). We run to him because he is Lord over it all and has the power to help.
4. The Bible welcomes us to real redemption.
The world is full of false systems of redemption. Government, education, philosophy, sociology, and psychology all promise redemption, yet none can deliver. If they could have dealt with the comprehensive and devastating results of sin, Jesus would have never come.
The Bible invites me to the hope that can only be found in a Redeemer. If there is no help and hope for what is inside of me (Psalm 51:10), there is no way that I will ever accurately deal with what is outside of me.
God bless, Paul David Tripp
1. Identify a current personal struggle of your life that Scripture doesn’t explicitly address. What are some new cultural or technological challenges that we face that didn’t exist in Biblical times?
2. How have you recently experienced the brokenness of the Real World that the Bible addresses? Did this take you by surprise, or were you unprepared for what you faced?
3. Name some Real People in the Bible who experienced similar struggles to you. How did they respond? What was their relationship with the Lord like, and how can you learn from their story?
4. What comfort can we find in the fact that God is “acquainted with all my ways” (Psalm 139:3)? Be specific. List how your Savior was tempted like you and which of your weaknesses he can sympathize with (Hebrews 4:15).
5. In what ways did you display your need for the ongoing work of sanctification yesterday? Where do you need to confess and repent of sin? How do the promises of God give you hope for today in your battle with temptation?
Paul Tripp Ministries, Inc. 7214 Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19135 · 215-338-4000 >
I bring you a prophetic word from the Lord. The Redeemer of Zion is about to appear in His glory, in our day, in His church!
"And the Redeemer shall come to Zion and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, says the Lord..." (Isaiah 59:20).
The vision of Isaiah the prophet is about to be fulfilled. God is about to move with vengeance toward all who have twisted the truth and all who have turned to covetousness. Isaiah spoke to the conditions in the church of the last days: (Isaiah 59:14.15).
"...and the Lord saw it and it displeased Him that there was no judgment..."
Isaiah is saying to us, "Let it be known that truth is being twisted and trampled upon. The church of Christ has become victimized by those who preach false doctrine. God is displeased because no one will stand up and judge the perversions of truth and righteousness."
God's ministers sit idly by while truth is thrown to the ground. Lying spirits have found a voice in the church and no one stands against it! The true men of God refuse to judge it. Therefore, the Lord Himself will judge it! The Redeemer of Zion is now going to arise and judge the carnality, wickedness, and covetousness the mockery of truth!
"And He (the Lord) saw that there was no man and wondered that there was no intercessor..." (Isaiah 59:16).
Where are those with discernment? Where are those who will show the people the truth? Truth is falling and few seem to care or understand. The Lord wonders why! "...the Lord shall judge His people..." (Deuteronomy 32:36).
Believe it, saints of God! Something new and something awesome and something eternal is about to take place in God's house! It will be sudden and glorious!
You have heard that He is going
to shake all that can be shaken. Now, let us ask God for understanding as to why the shaking. Why the vengeance and fury. And why the Lord Himself must return to Zion. Why will the Lord take the matter out of the hands of His servants and ministers and do the work in His own sovereign power?
It is all clearly set before us by the prophets. Because they hear from heaven!
1. First, The Redeemer Is Coming to Zion Because The Enemy Has Come As A Flood Against His Church.
"When the enemy shall come in like a flood..." (Isaiah 59:19). Or a plague!
Satan has in the past few years flooded the church with one new doctrine after the other with a spirit of covetousness and carnality. He has poured out a demonic flood of adultery, immorality, and filth!
This is Satan's final attack against God's holiest, most consecrated people. He is now determined to deceive even God's elect, His chosen few, the remnant who calls upon the Lord in truth.
"...to seduce, if possible, even the chosen..." (Mark 13:22)
Is Satan prevailing for a season? We know the gates of hell will not prevail against the church in the end but is he prevailing now? Satan has established a beachhead, a stronghold in the church! Many of God's elect are deceived right now! Satan has come with another gospel. Paul told us exactly how he will come against God's holy people, to deceive:
"For Satan is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore, it is no great thing if his ministers also get transformed as the ministers of righteousness..." (II Corinthians 11:14, 15).
"Many will come who are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ..." (II Corinthians 11:13)
Satan's stronghold in the church is a host of teachers and ministers who have been transformed by a gospel of the flesh! They come as the Lord's most enlightened ministers! They sound like preachers of Christ. They come as preachers of righteousness. They use the Scrip-
ture. They cast out devils, heal the
ture. They cast out devils, heal the sick in the Lord's name, and do many wonderful works. But their message is another gospel! It is a deception of Satan! It is of the flesh not the Spirit!
These teachers have been so deceived by Satan; they are blind to what they preach. They preach lies, believing it to be the truth. They are not even aware they are tools of Satan.
Right now, these false doctrines of Satan are prevailing in the church. Multitudes flock to crusades and meetings to hear this other gospel; it is a gospel of self and success. The gospel of the flesh is riding high for now!
Wake up, saints! Are you being deceived? Have you been trapped in the teachings of an angel of light from Satan? Have you been swept away by the flood? Get into God's Word. Hear the gospel of Christ, and judge what you see and hear. Compare what Jesus said to what they are saying.
The Scripture proves, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Satan's new gospel is, "Gain is Godliness"! It is a compromising message without repentance or godliness. It is a gospel of gain. It is based on the hypothesis that the godlier you are, the more gain you will have. Listen to Paul's warning:
"If any man teaches otherwise... even the words of our Lord Jesus and to the doctrine which is according to godliness... he is proud, knowing nothing... destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness..." (I Timothy 6:3-5).
Paul cries out, "Turn away from them!" Away from this other gospel!
Listen to the words of Jesus. This is the true gospel!
"Blessed be you who are poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you that hunger now: for you shall be filled. Blessed are
"And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus."
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you that weep now: for you shall laugh. Blessed are you when men shall hate you and when they shall separate you from their company and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake..." (Luke 6:20-22).
Here is what the gospel says about seeking material things. It is from the lips of the Lord Himself.
"Woe unto you that are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe unto you that are full, for you shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep! Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets..." (Luke 6:24-26).
This gospel of gain despises poverty. It rejects and despises the poor.
"But you have despised the poor..." (James 2:6)
James exposed this hypocrisy. He said of them: "you say unto him that is most prosperous and dressed best (with gold rings and fine apparel), Sit here in the good place... And to the poor you say, sit here at the low place, the footstool..." (James 2:2, 3)
How blind can we be, saints of God? Is this the gospel to a dying world? Gain is godliness!? Faith is for prosperity!? Poor people lack faith!? Christ became poor so we could become rich, in goods. Take and use your faith to get all you want?
One billion people on this earth are near starvation. The heart of God breaks over the sight of weeping mothers who cradle starving babies with bloated stomachs. Millions are unemployed. The ends of the world are coming down upon us. The world is headed for Armageddon. Cities are about to explode into riots. Persecution and tribulation are coming. The elements will soon melt with fervent heat. The world is on fire! God's people around the world are being jailed, persecuted, and losing all they possess.
Am I to believe that the Spirit of God is going to send His true servants into this desperate, hungry world to preach success and prosperity? When people don't have enough to eat, is God going to send me a message that I have the right to claim a bigger house and a better
car? Will it be a man sent from God who tells me that? Only false teachers would promise me health and wealth and let the rest of the world die!
Oh, no brother, sister. We have it all wrong. The rich man lands in hell! It is the poor man who goes to heaven! Jesus Himself became poor, so that we might become rich in faith.
Listen to Paul and flee from these preachers of success and prosperity: "From such... turn away..." (II Timothy 3:5).
They have no burden for repentance. They do not preach against sin. They offer blessings without godly sorrow. They are accumulators of this world's goods. How can they care for the poor when they preach that gain is godliness? Their theology doesn't produce love for missions and a care for the poor of this world.
How can they repent of something they are not even sorry for?
2. The Redeemer is coming to break down Every Satanic Stronghold and Bring Back the Standard of Truth to Zion!
"When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will raise up a standard against him." (Isaiah 59:19).
There will not be a prophet raised up to bring the church back to truth and repentance. No new doctrine. No new revelation. The Redeemer Himself will appear and with the power of His holy presence and He will devour all carnality and flesh in His temple. We are going to witness a revival of the actual presence of God!
We are going to see many servants whose bodies will be destroyed so that their souls may be saved. God is going to either humble us or remove us!
"...that no flesh should glory in His presence..." (I Corinthians 1:29).
Not all who die young are removed because they have sinned. Some of us have had a sentence of death from the Lord, who knows their time is short. But a lot of people are going to die when His presence is fully revealed, because sin cannot stand before Him! They will be forced to forsake their sins or be destroyed. Like Jonah, they are going to flee from the presence of the Lord " (Jonah 1:10).
Ministers, teachers, and evangelists all boast about the presence of
the Lord in their midst! But we don't know what they are talking about. Let me tell you what happens when God's presence fills the house.
1. Men are convicted of sin and fall on their faces to repent. Even God's chosen see their iniquities. None can stand in His presence. All must fall on their faces.
2. All success, self-esteem, secret sin, human abilities, and strength vanish. It turns to corruption!
3. The entire audience would be on its knees, melted, broken, confessing, making restoration and turning over all their worldly goods at the feet of Christ. Men would cry, "Woe is me. I am not a success. I am not a winner. I am undone! I am a worm. I am proud, I know nothing. But for His blood, I am damned." And heads would be in the dust, not in the air! They would cry as did the apostle Paul, "He has chosen the weak, the foolish, and the nothings that no flesh should glory in His presence..." (I Corinthians 1:27, 29).
Saints of God, this is the gos-
pel of Jesus Christ for these last days "Put on righteousness! Lay aside every weight and the sin that easily besets you. Do not become entangled. Go forth to meet Him. Light your lamps. Get your oil supply. Lay no more treasures up here on earth!"
The Redeemer must come to Zion because multitudes are not ready to meet Him in eternity.
advance in her career. She instead is majoring in minors.
Here is a man with outstanding qualities for leadership but he never finds the time to improve his position, but he can spend time on nonwork activities, while losing valuable irreplaceable time, majoring on minors.
Here is a minister who could be a spiritual giant in leading a needy flock to the green pastures of inner satisfaction, but he is obsessed with some nonessential fiddling that robs his focus and passion, he instead is majoring on minors.
After all, what is the major thing in life?
Is it my body and the fulfillment of its demands for pleasures and thrills? Is it my popularity and its desire for attention? Is it my social self and its craving for friendship and fellowship? Is it my position in society and its consequential place of influence and prestige?
Is it my ambitious desire for power?
No, all of these are minors.
12: 13, 14).
Paul proclaimed: "This one thing I do . . . I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3: 13, 14).
Jesus commanded: "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matt. 6: 33).
In other words, Solomon, Paul, and Jesus are agreed in saying, "Seek the majors, and the minors will be added."
Seek the all-important, necessary, essential major and the needful, desirable minors will be yours as well. But the man or woman who majors on minors will never find the major and eventually will lose the minors also.
We must be busy for a purpose, active for a cause and living for an ideal.
(Philippians 3:12, 13; Matthew 6: 33; Matthew 16:26)
One of the great dangers of our fast, modern tempo is that we will become so occupied with incidentals, nonessentials, and minors that we shall neglect the fundamentals, essentials, and majors.
It is not enough to be busy or to be active or to be alive. We must be busy for a purpose, active for a cause and living for an ideal.
A person riding a merry-goround and whirling a hundred times travels three miles, but he gets nowhere. He merely takes a ride for the ride's sake. In reality, he is taken for a ride." For millions of people, life is one continuous merry-goround, going but never arriving, moving but going nowhere.
There are other millions who are preoccupied with the incidentals of life and allow the essentials to slip away. Such are "penny wise but dollar foolish." They save a dime and lose a dollar.
Others spend so much time and energy on nonessential things that they lose the fundamental items of value. Such keep the peelings and throw away the banana or potato or apple; or, to use another figure of
speech, they keep the shells and throw the pearls back.
In brief, such people are majoring in minors. Everyone majors in something. Some interest or project or activity becomes one's primary concern. It is his major, even though it may be minor.
A well-known nursery rhyme conveys the truth of this teaching.
"Pussy cat, pussy cat, where have you been? I've been to London to see the queen. Pussy cat, pussy cat, what did you do there? I frightened a little mouse under a chair."
Poor little pussy cat started out to see the queen but instead merely saw a mouse. Too many people start out with worthy ideals and noble ambitions but end up chasing mice, killing mosquitoes, executing gnats, or exterminating rats. They major in minors. For them the little thing becomes big, the means becomes the end, or the incidental becomes the essential.
Here is a talented woman who can have an outstanding career, but she is too wrapped up in burning the midnight oil on Facebook to stay popular and participates in social groups to stay in the know rather than burning the midnight oil in preparation for a life of usefulness for God’s kingdom and to
The number one fact of my entire personality is that I am a spirit possessing a body and a mind and am living in a social environment. I have appetites, instincts, desires, and emotions. When I major on my body or my mind or on the satisfaction of any appetite or instinct or desire, I am majoring on minors.
So, what should be the major concern of every person? It should be the welfare of his soul and its relationship to God. Everything else is incidental, nonessential, and minor.
The wisest man who ever lived said: "Fear God and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it is good, or whether it is evil" (Eccles.
It is the major that gives the minors meaning. Jesus asks: "What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world [minors], and lose his own soul [major]?"
If you major in minors, you will soon be a minus sign yourself. But if you seek the major, you will find it along with the minors.
So, permit me to exhort every reader, Reorient you!
Put first things first!
You are more important than your earthly desires. God is allimportant. Relate yourself to Him and His will and He will relate Himself to you and your needs.
Don't, whatever you do major in minors.
Save The Nations Ministries >
Have you ever considered what pleases God? In (Ephesians 5:10), Paul charges his readers with this very task: “Try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.” Jesus Christ is not merely someone to believe in; He is Lord and Master over His people. He has saved us by grace through faith, and He has called us to serve, love, trust, and obey Him (Eph. 2:8–10; James 2:14–26). In other words, we shouldn’t think of faith as a basic package of salvation with optional add-ons for devotion. Part of God’s purpose in salvation is that we will live in a way that is pleasing to our Savior.
Thankfully, Paul does not leave us on our own to figure out what God wants. In (Colossians 1:10–12), as he recounts his prayers for the Colossian church, he unpacks what it looks like to “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him.” Such a walk is comprehensive, touching every dimension of our lives. Yet Paul prays about four ways of living that will help us to please God.
The first thing Paul prays for is a life that is “bearing fruit in every good work” (Col. 1:10). Christians who bear fruit are those who display the righteousness of Christ in their lives, which overflows in loving service to God and neighbor.
As the people of God, we are united to Christ, and this union is our sole source of spiritual vitality. Jesus said, “Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). If we would bear fruit, we must remain intimately connected to Christ through all the means of grace available to us—prayer, God’s Word, the fellowship of believers, and so on. When we abide in Him, He works in us and through us to produce fruit for His kingdom.
Even when we feel useless, inadequate, and incompetent, Christ works through us when we abide in Him. Indeed, He specializes in bearing fruit through weak people.
The inverse is also true: there is no amount of innate gifting or personal goodness of heart that can produce lasting fruit in someone who is not abiding in Christ. Neither is their fruit to be found in those who treat the Lord Jesus as an add-on to their lives. Claims of faith in Christ from people who do not truly abide in Him are simply— and sadly—empty professions, with the result being lives that are indistinguishable from the world and its ways. But for those who cling to Christ, the Spirit will indeed bear fruit (Gal. 5:22–25).
Paul also prays that his readers would please the Lord by “increasing in the knowledge of God” (Col. 1:10).
What kind of knowledge is this? It’s not the kind that turns us into tadpoles, swimming around with enormous heads and hardly anything else to show for it. It is rather “to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Eph. 3:18–
19). Facts and figures and philosophies can be very important, but personal knowledge of the deep riches of Jesus Christ is indispensable. When the Holy Spirit gives us a glimpse of who God is in the Gospel of Jesus, it transforms our hearts and renews our lives. This is the knowledge that pleases the Lord.
Even when we feel useless, inadequate, and incompetent, Christ works through us when we abide in Him.
If you truly love someone, you are not satisfied with a mere static awareness of him or her. You want
to grow in your familiarity with that person. So, it is with God. We should want to be “increasing” in our knowledge of God because we love Him. We should want to enjoy hearing His Word because that’s how we know Him. We should want to enjoy engaging in conversation with Him in prayer, pouring out our hearts before Him. The knowledge that pleases God goes further, goes deeper, goes harder after that which pleases Him—and He uses it to reveal His transforming power in our lives.
3) Powerful Living Paul prays further that his readers might be “strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy” (Col. 1:11).
How do you know if you’re living according to this power? Does it manifest in great deeds of strength and miraculous works? No, it is found in “endurance and patience with joy.” This is the kind of power that Christ modeled for us when, “for the joy that was set before him,” He “endured the cross” (Heb. 12:2). The power of God that resides within us leads us to the kind of steady persistence and quiet, faith-filled confidence that Christ displayed at Calvary. And it is this kind of humble power that is pleasing to our Lord.
The power of God that resides within us leads us to the kind of steady persistence and quiet, faithfilled confidence that Christ displayed at Calvary.
Paradoxically, the Christian’s power also is found in an awareness and acknowledgment of personal weakness, which teaches us to depend on God’s grace (2 Cor. 12:9–10). While we are continually weak in ourselves, we may continually find God’s power at work within us. His power is not like a cannon, where there’s an initial blast that eventually fades away. No, to be in Christ means that we are carried along from start to finish by the power of His glorious might. This is something for which we should be exceedingly thankful.
Finally, Paul prays that we would please the Lord by “giving thanks
to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light” (Col. 1:12).
Those who are most thankful will always be the most joyful— and of all people in the world, God’s people have the greatest reason for gratitude. We grasp that our sins are many and that they merit judgment. But in Christ, we do not get what we deserve; we get what Jesus has earned for us. Through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, the Father has allowed us to share in the inheritance of all God’s people. We have fellowship with God and with all His people, and for this we should overflow with God-pleasing gratitude.
There is no greater gift than the gift of eternal life that is ours in Christ. In response to such a gift, we gladly sing, “Jesus paid it all! All to Him I owe!” There is no higher or more joyful call than to pursue a life in Christ of fruitfulness, knowledge, power, and thankfulness. This is pleasing to the Lord. >
You shall not be afraid of the terror by night
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”
Surely, He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence.
He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
Continued from Page 45
ple) must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ?
"For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ... every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess to God... so then every one of us shall give account of himself to God..." (Rom. 14:10-12).
God wants us to be "presented before the throne, not blamable with exceeding great joy..." Our Redeemer is coming to His church to prepare His people for judgment, to melt down our flesh and to consume all the hay, wood, and stubble and to burn out all the secret sins and hidden motives.
Finally, and most important of all, the Redeemer is coming to restore His glory in His church! The Lord's greatest desire for His people is to share with them His glory!
"...that they may behold My glory, which thou have given Me..." (Luke 17:24).
What is His glory? What are His riches? It is that glory Mary and Martha beheld! Resurrection Power! A revelation of eternal life here on earth! The Bible says our Redeemer is "bringing many sons
A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes shall you look, And see the reward of the wicked. Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place, No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; (Psalm 91:1-10, NKJV) >
In Psalm 31, David introduces us to the phrase “the secret of Your presence.” He writes, “Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of the sons of men! You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues” (Psalm 31:19-20, NKJV).
heavenly Father, all hell cries out, “God is with this believer. This one has a divine presence. What can we do against such?”
Therefore, Satan will do everything in his power to rob you of the Lord’s presence in your life. It’s why he wants to bog down your soul in doubt and fear. He wants you drained of all strength, and he’ll use anything he can, even ‘good’ things, to keep you away from spending time alone with Jesus. He knows your time with Christ makes you victorious over the fears and anxieties of this age.
into glory..." (Hebrews 2:10). That means Christ is bringing His church to recognize their true inheritance everlasting, resurrection life! God is going to give His people a new heart for eternal values. Eternal values will drive out all temporal values.
When I say resurrection glory, I am not referring to the day we will come forth out of the grave. I am talking about the transforming power of resurrection now! Raised from the death of self to new life now! It is the power of God that takes us away from living to ourselves, to living every moment unto Him. It is the renewing of our minds, raising us out of worldliness into godliness.
Friends that is where my faith is being spent now on revelation of His resurrection glory:
"Believe and thou shalt see the glory of God..." (John 11:40)
Let the blind squander their misguided faith on the things of this world. Let them cry for health, wealth, and success. For me and my house, we want to see His resurrection glory! >
David is saying something very profound here. In the Old Testament, the presence of the Lord was associated with the ark. Israel believed that wherever the ark was, God’s presence was there, so wherever the people traveled, they took the ark along with them. We see an example of this faith concerning the Lord’s presence with the ark in (1 Samuel 4).
The devil greatly fears the Lord’s presence in our lives. He trembles at the very thought of a believer’s nearness to Christ. When his demonic gangs see you praying each day in the presence of your
The Word of God tells us we can pray without ceasing. This is an unspoken prayer, anywhere, any time. I have come to believe that my most important prayers are those quiet whispers of thanksgiving that I offer to Him all through the day. This keeps me in constant awareness of the Spirit.
All true strength comes from drawing near to the Lord. The measure of our strength is proportionate to our nearness to Him. All the strength we’re ever going to need will come only through our secret life of prayer. If we’ll just draw near to Christ, he will draw near to us, giving us a fresh supply of strength daily. This is the secret of His presence!
© 2022 World Challenge, Inc | All Rights Reserved >
lawyer.” What’s the difference between a witness and a lawyer? A lawyer argues a case; a witness tells what he has seen and heard. That’s the reason you need to know your testimony. A witness doesn’t have to know the answer to everything. All you need to know is what you have seen and what you have heard. How can I get motivated to share Jesus with others?
There are at least six motivations for sharing your faith described in the Bible. Ultimately, all six of these are rooted in living a Spiritfilled life.
In (2 Corinthians 5:11), Paul continues by saying, “Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men...” Paul was a soul winner because he knew what it meant for a soul to die unredeemed and go to Hell. He called it “the terror of the Lord.”
Motivation #4: The Soul Winner's Compassion
You need to know the Gospel of Jesus Christ (the good news):
All mankind has a sin problem. (See Romans 3:23.)
God’s punishment for sin is eternal condemnation. (See Romans 6:23.)
God sent His Son, Jesus, to Earth to
1) live a perfect life--so His sacrifice would be acceptable, 2) die as a sacrifice for each of us, and
3) be raised back to life--to prove His sacrifice was accepted by God.
(See Romans 5:8.)
4)God did all this for us because of His love for us and wants to remove our condemnation based on His Son’s sacrifice for us.
(See Romans 8:1 )
5) ach of us must make a personal decision to repent of our sins and surrender our lives to Jesus. This “change of direction in our lives” is the provision that applies God's forgiveness to our lives. (See Romans 10:9, 13.)
You need to know your own experience:
Write out your own story (testimony) so you can be comfortable telling it to others. It is your story, not someone else’s.
You need to know your assignment:
(Acts 1:8) tells us: “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Witnessing is our assignment. We don’t have to wonder what God wants us to do. We’re to be witnesses.
God didn’t say, “You shall be my
Motivation #1: The Soul Winner's Compulsion
(2 Corinthians 5:9) tells us: “Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.” He is simply saying, “I want to be acceptable to God. I want Him to be pleased with me.”
If we are not endeavoring to bring souls to Christ, we are not acceptable to God. It doesn’t matter how much money you give, how often you attend church, or how faithfully you live your life; if you are not endeavoring to bring souls to Jesus Christ, you are not acceptable or pleasing to Him.
Motivation #2: The Soul Winner's Compensation
The Apostle Paul was motivated by future rewards. In (2 Corinthians 5:10), he says, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”
Motivation #3: The Soul Winner's Conviction
The Apostle Paul was also motivated by overwhelming compassion that caused some to say he was not mentally stable–that he was “beside himself.” He replied, “For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; or if we are of sound mind, it is for you. For the love of Christ compels us...” (2 Corinthians 5:13-14) How can we say we love Jesus and not be concerned for the souls He died for?
Motivation #5: The Soul Winner's Confidence
In (2 Corinthians 5:16-17), we see another of Paul's motivations: “Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
Here's Paul’s confidence–if I lead a soul to Christ, he will be a new creature. He will become brand new in the Lord Jesus Christ. We too should not see people, but souls that Jesus died for and wants to transform.
Motivation #6: The Soul Winner's Commission
Finally, Paul was motivated by his calling–his commission. (Second Corinthians 5:18) and following: “Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.”
We all have been called to the ministry of reconciliation. We have been reconciled. And we now have a responsibility to be ministers of reconciliation. If we're not interested in winning souls, we are guilty of treason against Heaven's King.
Adrian Rogers
© 2022 Love Worth Finding Ministries. All Rights Reserved. >
The first chamber in the King's holy palace is the Chamber of the New Birth. By nature, we are destitute of life, dead in trespasses and sins. We need, therefore, not a new creed, but a new life. The prophet's staff is well enough where there is life, but it is useless on the face of death. The first requisite is LIFE This is what the Holy Spirit gives us at conversion.
As an outstretched hand has two sides- the upper, called the back, the under, called the palm- so there are two sides and names for the act of entrance into the Chamber of the New Birth. Angels, looking at it from the heaven side, call it Being Born
Again. Man, looking at it from the earth side, calls it Trusting Jesus. Those that believe in His name are born again; those that receive Him have the right to become the sons of God (John 1:12,13). If you are born again, you will trust. And if you are trusting Jesus, however many your doubts and fears, you are certainly born again and have entered the palace. If you go no further, you will be saved, but you will miss untold blessedness. Jesus Christ has bought us with His blood, but, alas, He has not had His money's worth! He paid for ALL, and He has had but a fragment of our energy, time, and earnings. By an act of consecration, let us ask Him to forgive the robbery of the past, and let us profess our desire to be henceforth utterly and only for Him.
As soon as we say this, He will test our sincerity, as He did the young ruler's, by asking something of us. He will lay His finger on something within us which He needs us to alter, obeying some command, or abstaining from some indulgence. If we instantly give up our will and way to Him, we pass the narrow doorway into the CHAMBER OF SURRENDER,
which is ever warm and radiant with His presence because obedience is the condition of manifested love (John 14:23).
This doorway is very narrow, and entrance is only possible for those who will lay aside weights as well as sins. A weight is anything which, without being essentially wrong or hurtful to others, is yet a hindrance to us. We may always know a weight by three signs: first, we are uneasy about it; second, we argue for it against our conscience; third, we go about asking people's advice whether we may not keep it without harm. All these things must be laid aside in the strength which Jesus waits to give. Ask Him to deal with them for you, that you may be set in joint in every good work to do His will (Hebrews 13:21).
Consecration is the steppingstone to blessedness and is clearly established in the experience of God's children. There must be full surrender before there can be full blessedness. God admits you by the one into the other. First, I was shown that the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses from all sin; and then it was made plain to
me that He who had thus cleansed me had power to keep me clean; so, I utterly yielded myself to Him and utterly trusted Him to keep me."
The act of consecration is recognizing Christ's ownership and accepting it, saying to Him, with the whole heart, "Lord, I am Yours by right, and I wish to be Yours by choice." Of old the mighty men of Israel were willing to swim the flooded rivers to come to David, their uncrowned, but God-appointed king. And when they met him, they cried, "We are yours, and on your side, David, son of Jesse." They were his because God had given them to him, but they could not rest content until they were his also by their glad choice. Why then should we not say the same to Jesus Christ? "Lord Jesus, I am Yours by right; forgive me that I have lived so l as if I were my own. And now I gladly recognize that You have a rightful claim on all I have and am. I want to live as Yours from now on,
uals, we are in danger of nothing so much as self-contentment. The secret spirit of Laodicea--we are rich and increased in goods and have need of nothing--may prevail where it is not suspected. The divine warning--poor and wretched and miserable--finds little response just where it is most needed.
And Every Branch That Bears Fruit, He Cleans, That it May Bear More Fruit--(John 15.2)
The thought of fruit is so prominent in the eye of Him who sees things as they are, fruit is so truly the one thing God has set His heart upon, that our Lord, after having said that the branch that bears no fruit is taken away, at once adds: and where there is fruit, the one desire of the Husbandman is more fruit. As the gift of His grace, as the token of spiritual vigor, as the showing forth of the glory of God and of Christ, as the only way for satisfying the need of the world, God longs and fits for, more fruit.
More Fruit--This is a very searching word. As churches and individ-
Let us not rest content with the thought that we are taking an equal share with others in the work that is being done, or that men are satisfied with our efforts in Christ's service, or even point to us as examples. Let our only desire be to know whether we are bearing all the fruit Christ is willing to give through us as living branches, in close and living union with Himself, whether we are satisfying the loving heart of the great Husbandman, our Father in Heaven, in His desire for more fruit.
More Fruit--The word comes with divine authority to search and test our life: the true disciple will heartily surrender himself to its holy light and will earnestly ask that God Himself may show what there may be lacking in the measure or the character of the fruit he bears.
Do let us believe that the Word is meant to lead us on to a fuller experience of the Father's purpose of love, of Christ's fullness, and of the wonderful privilege of bearing much fruit in the salvation of men. More Fruit--The word is a most encouraging one. Let us listen to it. It is just to the branch that is bearing fruit that the message comes: more fruit. God does not demand this as Pharaoh the taskmaster, or as Moses the lawgiver, without providing the means. He comes as a Father, who gives what He asks, and works what He commands. He comes to us as the living branches of the living Vine, and offers to work the more fruit in us, if we but yield ourselves into His hands. Shall we not admit the claim, accept the offer, and look to Him to work it in us?
"That it may bear more fruit": do let us believe that as the owner of a vine does everything to make the fruitage as rich and large as possible, the divine Husbandman will do all that is needed to make us bear more fruit. All He asks is, that we
set our heart's desire on it, entrust ourselves to His working and care, and joyfully look to Him to do His perfect work in us. God has set His heart on more fruit; Christ waits to work it in us; let us joyfully look up to our divine Husbandman and our heavenly Vine, to ensure our bearing more fruit.
Our Father which art in Heaven, Thou art the heavenly Husbandman. And Christ is the heavenly Vine. And I am a heavenly branch, partaker of His heavenly life, to bear His heavenly fruit. Father, let the power of His life so fill me, that I may ever bear more fruit, to the glory of Thy name.
"Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." ~ James 5:6
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By A.w. Tozer
tom, nor allow themselves to be influenced by the love of publicity or the desire for reputation.
Much that the church - even the evangelical church - is doing today, it is doing because it is afraid not to do it. Ministerial associations take
up projects for no higher reasons than that they are scared into it.
lord it over God's heritage. It is fear and lack of self-assurance that has led men to try to bring others under their feet. They have had some interest to protect, some position to secure, so they have demanded subjection from their followers as a guarantee of their own safety. But
Continued from Page 41
You are no different than the apostle Peter, a fallen televangelist, or any other follower of Christ who has failed and been restored— unless you haven’t yet begun to enjoy all that the state of Grace has available for you.
THE MOST CRITICAL NEED of the Church at this moment is men -
the right kind of men, bold men. The talk is that we need revival, that we need a new baptism of the Holy Spirit - and God knows we must have both - but God will not revive mice. He will not fill rabbits with the Holy Spirit.
We languish for men who feel themselves expendable in the warfare of the soul because they have already died to the allurements of this world. Such men will be free from the compulsions that control weaker men. They will not be forced to do things by the squeeze of circumstances. Their only compulsion will come from within - or from above.
This kind of freedom is necessary if we are to have prophets in our pulpits again instead of mascots. These free men will serve God and mankind from motives too high to be understood by the rank and file of religious retainers who today shuttle in and out of the sanctuary. They will make no decisions out of fear, take no course out of a desire to please, accept no service for financial considerations, perform no religious acts out of mere cus-
Whatever their ear-to-theground, fear-inspired reconnoitering leads them to believe - or fear - the world expects them to do, they will be doing come next Monday morning with all kinds of trumped-up zeal and show of godliness. The pressure of public opinion calls these prophets, not the voice of Jehovah.
The true church has never sounded out public expectations before launching its crusades. Its leaders heard from God and went ahead wholly independent of popular support or the lack of it. They knew their Lord's will and did it, and their people followed them - sometimes to triumph, but more often to insults and public persecution - and their sufficient reward was the satisfaction of being right in a wrong world.
Another characteristic of the true prophet has been love. The free man who has learned to hear God's voice and dared to obey it has felt the moral burden that broke the hearts of the Old Testament prophets, crushed the soul of our Lord Jesus Christ, and wrung streams of tears from the eyes of the apostles.
The free man has never been a religious tyrant, nor has he sought to
the free man - never. He has nothing to protect, no ambition to pursue and no enemy to fear. For that reason, he is completely careless of his standing among men. If they follow him - well and good. If not, he loses nothing that he holds dear. But whether he is accepted or rejected, he will go on loving his people with sincere devotion, and only death can silence his tender intercession for them. Yes, if evangelical Christianity is to stay alive, it must have men againthe right kind of men. It must repudiate the weaklings who dare not speak out, and it must seek in prayer and much humility the coming again of men of the stuff of which prophets and martyrs are made.
God will hear the cries of His people as He heard the cries of Israel in Egypt, and He will send deliverance by sending deliverers. It is His way.
And when the deliverers comereformers, revivalists, prophetsthey will be men of God and men of courage. They will have God on their side because they are careful to stay on God's side. They will be co-workers with Christ and instruments in the hands of the Holy Spirit.
Such men will be baptized with the Spirit indeed and through their labors He will baptize others and send the long-delayed revival.
~SOURCE: "This World: Playground or Battleground?" by A.W. Tozer. >
I encourage you today to begin living afresh in the Land of Opportunity—the kingdom of God’s amazing grace. If you know you are forgiven . . . live like it! As a citizen of the state of Grace, let “Land of Opportunity” be your lifelong motto.
Dr. David Jeremiah
>
The whole cosmos, from the largest and farthest galaxies down to the most microscopic organisms and beyond, depends on the faithfulness of God in Christ, who “upholds the universe by the word of his power” (Heb. 1:3). The reason we haven’t all burned up in an astronomical firestorm, the reason our very atoms stay in place, is because God holds everything together (Col. 1:17) and is faithful.
Unbelievers and believers alike depend on God every second of every day, whether we acknowledge it or not. Such is the reality of being a creature before our Creator: “In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind” (Job 12:10). His faithfulness will never fail us. And in fact, as His Holy Spirit enables us to trust Him, we grow in a faithfulness that reflects His own—and as we grow, our conduct will invite more and more to find themselves enveloped by God’s faithfulness with us.
When we say that God is faithful, we mean that He is trustworthy, truthful in what He says, and
reliable in His dealings with His creation.
God’s faithfulness—His trustworthiness, truthfulness, reliability—is rooted and grounded in His own identity. Paul reminds us that even “if we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself” (2 Tim. 2:13). For God to become unfaithful would be for Him to disavow His very nature. In an earlier era, William Grimshaw put it to his congregation like this: “Before the Lord will suffer his promise to fail, he will lay aside his divinity and unGod himself.”1 But can God “unGod” Himself? Can God lay aside His Godness? Can He be anything other than He is? No! The Great I Am is ever and always who He is (Ex. 3:14).
God is faithful in all His dealings. He’s sweeping even the difficult parts of your life into the unfolding drama of His purpose to make you fruitful and make you like Jesus.
The Bible consistently praises God for His faithfulness. The psalmist exclaims, “Let the heavens praise your wonders, O LORD,
your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones!” (Ps. 89:5). These praises are inspired by God’s concrete actions for His people. He promised Abraham and Sarah a son, and as the book of Hebrews recounts, “Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age” (11:11). How was that possible? Because God makes good on His promises. (James 1:17) helps us see that in God, “there is no variation or shadow due to change”— or, as (Hebrews 13:8) has it, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
Maybe you doubt the faithfulness of God. Maybe your circumstances are pressing and difficult. Maybe you feel like God hasn’t been there for you in the past. If
so, don’t let your doubts and feelings be your guide. Instead, trust in this biblical truth: God is faithful in all His dealings. He’s sweeping even the difficult parts of your life into the unfolding drama of His purpose to make you fruitful and make you like Jesus. Remember, too, that God’s faithfulness is most fully realized in the person of Jesus Christ, who “loved us and gave himself up for us” (Eph. 5:2). Tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger— we may experience all of these things and more, but they cannot separate us from God’s love and His promise of redemption in Jesus Christ. (See Rom. 8:23, 35–39.)
"Peace, I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." ~ John 14:27
In a culture that increasingly tolerates unkept promises and broken vows, God asks all His people to grow in the Spirit-empowered fruit of faithfulness (Gal. 5:22). The entire fabric of our Christian lives ought to be permeated with it. As the Holy Spirit makes believers more like Christ, He makes them trustworthy, truthful, and reliable like God Himself.
While there’s no limit to the places we can see faithfulness at work, let’s consider four common life circumstances where it will reveal itself.
Husbands and wives vow that their covenant promise will be for better or for worse, for richer or poorer. If you are married, perhaps you find yourself in territory that you might consider “worse” or “poorer.” Remember, though: it’s what you signed up for! And if the covenant promise of marriage reflects the relationship of Christ and His church (Eph.
5:32), then marriage requires permanent faithfulness, even in the face of difficulty.
Consider also that this faithfulness is physical, mental, and emotional. While sex is to be enjoyed with and only with one’s spouse, faithful husbands and wives will also guard their hearts and minds to keep them from running after others. No sooner should a husband leave his wife or a wife her husband—in heart, mind, or body—than Christ will desert His church. To be faithful like Christ, we need the Holy Spirit to equip us and to lead us back from our failures time and time again.
But not everybody is married, nor will everybody be married. Christians sometimes talk as if their very identify as Christians is wrapped up in whether they are in a relationship or pursuing a relationship, but it’s not; it’s tied to our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ! The apostle Paul himself, speaking of his singleness, said, “I wish that all were as I myself am” (1 Cor. 7:7).
As wonderful as marriage is, the freedom and privileges afforded by singleness—the opportunities of being generous with time and resources—are an expression of God’s faithfulness to us and through us. Single people should not feel that they have no context in which to be faithful. Instead, they should learn to see expressions of faithfulness in friendship, in service to God’s people, and in their dealings with the world as opportunities for the Spirit to bear fruit in their lives. Like married people, they should glorify God in their bodies (1 Cor. 6:12–19), and like Paul, they should seek to give their undivided devotion to the Lord (1 Cor. 7:35), not life’s frivolities.
As wonderful as marriage is, the freedom and privileges afforded by singleness—the opportunities of being generous with time and resources—are an expression of God’s faithfulness to us and through us.
Parenting, too, requires great faithfulness, because parents are responsible to “train up a child in
the way that he should go” (Prov. 22:6). Paul instructs the Ephesian fathers to bring their children up “in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” and not to provoke them (Eph. 6:4). Yes, children need shelter, food, and water, but they also need more than that. Faithful Christian parents lovingly discipline their children so that they will know right from wrong, and they share the Gospel with their children so that they, too, can share in God’s loving faithfulness.
There is no guarantee, of course, that parents’ faithfulness will result in children becoming godly adults. Some parents have done a wonderful job, but their children are not where they had hoped. Maybe that’s your situation. Even then, the call is to remain faithful and to let your children know that the door is always open. However far off they may wander, however wide they may stray, parents are meant to remain ever faithful to their children, just as our heavenly Father is to us.
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Finally, as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are His ambassadors wherever we go (2 Cor. 5:20)—and that includes our workplaces. As Christians, we should be known for our reliability, honesty, and consistency. As employers, we should be faithful in paying well and in treating those in our charge with dignity. As employees, we should be faithful to work what we’ve agreed to work and not fritter our time away scrolling on our phones, reading the news, or catching up on the latest sports scores. Such actions may seem harmless, but they do nothing to cultivate the fruit of faithfulness in our vocations.
To practice faithfulness is no easy task, no matter the arena of life. In fact, in human terms, it’s impossible. We will only grow in faithfulness when we acknowledge just how unfaithful we have already been. The psalmist knew this tragedy deeply: “Who can discern his errors? Declare me inno-
cent from hidden faults” (Ps. 19:12). Each of us has been unfaithful in ways that are hidden from even our own eyes—and so we must plead with the Lord to produce the fruit of faithfulness in increasing measure, then step out in faith and act.
Paul tells us, “He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it” (1 Thess. 5:24). God will keep us and preserve us. How could it be otherwise? The very name of Lord and Savior is “Faithful and True” (Rev. 19:11). He will surely produce in us the faithfulness He desires for Himself and for those around us.
This article was adapted from the sermon “Faithfulness” by Alistair Begg.
Continued from Page 50
and I do solemnly at this hour give myself to You to be Yours in life and death, Yours absolutely and forever."
Do not try to make a covenant with God, lest you should break it and be discouraged. But quietly fall into your right attitude as one who belongs to Christ. Take as your motto the noble confession, "Whose I am and Whom I serve." Breathe the grand old simple lines: Just as I am, Your love unknown has broken every barrier down, now to be Yours, yes, Yours alone, O Lamb of God, I come.
Consecration is only possible when we give up our will about EVERYTHING. As soon as we come to the point of giving ourselves to God, we are almost certain to become aware of the presence of one thing, if not of more, out of harmony with HIS WILL. And while we feel able to surrender ourselves to all other points, here we exercise reserve. But that small reserve spoils the whole To give 99% and to withhold the 1% undoes the whole transaction Jesus will have all or none. And He is wise.
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AN ACT OF THE WILL Consecration is not the act of our feelings but of our WILL. Do not try to feel anything; do not try to make yourself fit or good or earnest enough for Christ. God is working in you to will, whether you feel it or not. He is giving you power, at this moment, to will and do His good pleasure. Believe this, act upon it at once, and say, "Lord Jesus, I am willing to be Yours"; or, if you cannot say as much as that, say, "Lord Jesus, I am willing to be made willing to be Yours forevermore."
The reason that so many fail to attain The Blessed Life is that there is some one point in which they hold back from God and concerning which they prefer to have their own way and will rather than His. In this one thing, they will not yield their will and accept God's; and this one little thing ruins the whole, robs them of peace, and compels them to wander in the desert.
If you cannot GIVE all, ask the Lord Jesus to TAKE all, and especially that which seems so hard to give. >
"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak."
