Pride is a sin which God despises and must be overcome in a Christian's life.

Bible Solutions for Pride


What the Scriptures Teach About Being Pride

Pride is a sin which God despises and must be overcome in a Christian's life. Here's what the Bible has to say about pride.
Calling oneself a Christian is a claim that is not be taken lightly by many religious individuals. In fact, according to the Bible in Exodus 20:3, God Himself declares, “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” This is actually the third commandment of the Ten Commandments.
Sanctification

When a religious person accepts Jesus as his or her personal Saviour, the person may begin the process of putting away sin and becoming "Christ-like" in character. The Bible teaches that pride and other sins like it have no place in the Christian life. 1 Thessalonians 4:3 states, “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification.” This is sometimes referred to as "growing in grace" by religious groups.

Christians believe that sanctification does not happen immediately upon acceptance of the free gift of salvation, but requires effort on the part of each Christian. In Philippians 2: 12, Paul admonishes believers to strive for perfection in these words, “Work out your own salvation.” Christ explains the reason that Christians must aim for perfection in these words as recorded in Matthew 5:48, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”
Help for Overcoming Pride
Pride is hated by God, according to Proverbs 6: 16-19 where it says, “Six things doth the Lord hate… a proud look.”
Pride is resisted by God. The Bible teaches that God resists those who nurture pride, for in James 4:6 it says, “God resisteth the proud.”
Pride is a sin, as the Bible states in Proverbs 21: 4, “An high look, and a proud heart… is sin.”
Pride goes before destruction, according to the Bible. Pride precedes disgrace and ruin, for the scriptures say in Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.”
Pride was satan’s downfall. The Bible teaches that pride originated with satan, for Ezekiel 28: 17 records, “Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty.”
Pride will be destroyed in the end, as the scriptures teach that pride and all other sins will ultimately be destroyed, for in Malachi 4:1 it says, “All the proud…shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up.”
Assurance of Victory Over Pride

Although pride may be rooted in a person's life, Christians may find reason to hope for deliverance from this besetting sin. Many Christians believe that they have assurance of victory over sins like pride because of statements offered in the following Bible verses:
“Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” ~1 John 5:5
“Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” ~1 Corinthians 15:57
“Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” ~Romans 8:37


God Bless to All...

The Bible Shows the Power in Humility

The Bible Shows the Power in Humility


(Understanding the Meaning of Humility in the Bible)



Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (1 Peter 5:5).


God and humility: The meaning of humility in the Bible
Many people have the wrong idea about God, the Bible and humility, or being humble. They think being humble means groveling in front of others or thinking we're no good and others are good.

That’s not the Bible's picture. God says when you are humble, you are free from pride and arrogance. You know that in your flesh you are inadequate, yet you also know who you are in Christ.

You don't need to defend yourself when you understand the Bible's picture of humility, for you know who you are in Christ. You are able to be a peacemaker without needing to fight for your rights. You are able to walk humbly in the power of God’s Holy Spirit, not your own personal power.

Godly humility is being comfortable with who you are in the Lord and therefore putting others first. The meaning of humility in the Bible is one of loving others, not being a wimp!
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves (Philippians 2:3).
In the Bible, we see that Jesus gave us a good example of humility in action. Although he was humble, he also was strong.
I am gentle and humble in heart (Matthew 11:29).

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:5-8).
Humility in action
Many people misunderstand the Bible, God and humility. The following statements show the power in humility.

You can defuse arguments when you are humble.
You do not need to stand up for yourself in an angry manner. And you do not have to win every argument.
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger (Proverbs 15:1).
You can handle unfair treatment peacefully when you are humble.
You can respond to unfair treatment without being overcome by bitterness. Godly humility means you do not feel a need for vengeance or revenge.
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).
You do not have to put on a "false front" when you are humble.
When you understand God and humility, you don't need to act like a big shot. The better you know God, the less you have to prove.
You can eat "humble pie" without being crushed when you are humble.
When you are humble, you can respond to and learn from criticism without defensiveness—whether it is deserved or not deserved. Likewise, you can be aware of your failures without being emotionally devastated.
You can ask forgiveness when you are humble.
Even if you think you are only one percent wrong, you can easily apologize for what you did wrong.
Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift (Matthew 5:23-24).
You can talk with the right attitude when you are humble.
You can talk courteously and lovingly, regardless of the situation—even if you need to be firm or take strong actions.
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen (Ephesians 4:29).
Being humble does not mean being a wimp.
As I already wrote, many people misunderstand humility. The following statements correct three inaccurate pictures of humility.

Bible-based humility does not mean groveling.
When I humble myself, I feel strong in the Lord. I don't need to be defensive.
Bible-based humility isn't being unaware of your gifts or calling.
Although we should avoid self-pride, godly humility does not mean we should pretend we are unaware of the gifts God has given us. The key is to remember that they are from God.
Although I am less than the least of all of God’s people, this grace was given to me: to preach to the gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ (Ephesians 3:8).

I am not in the least inferior to the "super-apostles," even though I am nothing (2 Corinthians 12:11).
Bible-based humility does not mean never speaking directly.
When God says to be humble, he it lets us know we must examine our motives and attitudes. We also must examine how we take action.

But there are times when we need to take strong actions. Here are two examples of taking strong actions while maintaining a humble spirit:

Jesus was meek of spirit, yet he chased the moneychangers out of the temple (Matthew 21:12 and Mark 11:15-16).

As an employer, I can discipline or fire someone, yet do so quietly and gently.
God and humility: Enjoy the power in humility.
The results from understanding what the Bible says about God and humility are more successful than those from an taking arrogant approach. (When you are humble, you are likely to have more influence than when you fight abrasively.) Even if your results are not successful, you have the joy and pleasure of having acted in a godly manner; you are a winner even if you do not "win," when you you understand the meaning of humility in the Bible and put it into practice.
Personal Application
How would you define meaning of humility in the Bible (or the meaning of 'humble' in the Bible)?



Write a prayer asking God to help you understand the Bible's message about humility and to help you be more humble.

Resist Temptation by Choosing the Path of True Love

Resist Temptation by Choosing the Path of True Love
If you truly love someone, you won't sin with him or her

Love does not delight in evil (1 Corinthians 13:6).


Temptation and true love: Introduction
The struggle against temptation can be hard. We often are tempted to do something wrong, and we face an inner conflict: We want to do it, but we also don't want to do it.
I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do (Romans 7:15).
One of the best ways to avoid sinning with other people is to truly love them. If you love someone, you will not do anything to hurt him or her. Clearly, the most harmful thing you can do to someone is to tempt him or her to sin and thus push this person away from God.

Sin is the expression of selfishness or self-will. True love is the alternative to selfishness. If you truly love people, you will not commit sin with them or tempt them to commit sin. This Bible study will show you how to resist temptation—by choosing the path of love.
And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ (Philippians 1:9-10).
What is true love?
True love wants the best for the other person. To better understand this, study 1 Corinthians 13:1-8. True love is not just an emotion, but rather it is an attitude. It is wanting the best for the other person.

True love is a decision that results in loving actions. When you truly love others, your actions will be pure and blameless.

True love is different from love based on hormones or emotions. True love turns people toward God, not toward sin and away from God. True love genuinely wants the best for others. It is not focused on pleasing yourself or being ruled by your emotions.
Beware of counterfeit love.
If you want to sin with someone because you think you are in love, you don't love this person as much as you think. Don't let your emotions, hormones, daydreams, desires, or selfishness masquerade as love.

For example, if you think you love someone who is married to someone else and are tempted to have an affair, or if you want that person to divorce so you can marry, you do not truly love him or her. If you really loved the other person, you wouldn't encourage him or her to sin.

Along the same lines, if you are engaged and feel sexual desires awakening, demonstrate your love by waiting until you are married before becoming sexually intimate.
When you are tempted, choose to truly love the other person.
Take the path of love any time you are tempted to sin with someone, Whether your temptation is to have sex, divorce your spouse to be with someone else, gossip, gamble, take drugs, get drunk, tell dirty jokes, spend money foolishly, or anything else, choose to overcome it because you truly love someone and want to be the best friend you can be. Choose true love. Don't let yourself be controlled by your feeling or desires.

If you are tempted to sin with a Christian:
Ask God to help you see him or her as your brother or sister. If you are tempted to sin sexually, look at him or her as a precious, holy relative, not a sex object.

Treat ... older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity (1 Timothy 5:1-2).
If you are tempted to sin with a non-Christian:
Ask God to help you look at non-Christians as people who need to know Jesus, people who need to be saved, instead of sinning with them and driving them further from God. Pray for their salvation.
Personal application
Pray for God to help you have true love and a genuine concern for others. Ask him to help you overcome any temptation to sin with others by truly loving them.


God Bless to All...

Righteous judgment is different than judging

Judge Not…


“Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.” - Matthew 7:1-5

Our way of life depends on making judgments, opinions and evaluations. We are always rating something, weighing decisions, and watching things around us to make the right choices. And we all have to judge situations, circumstances and events, but according to Jesus, it is NOT OK to judge PEOPLE.
Unfortunately, we all love to judge. We all actively and passionately love to find faults in people to put them in categories and boxes.

If they are not judging, then let me ask them what their definition of judging is?

The American Heritage Dictionary’s definition of “judge”:
1. To form an opinion or estimation of after careful consideration: judge heights; judging character.
2a. Law To hear and decide on in a court of law; try: judge a case.
b. Obsolete To pass sentence on; condemn.
c. To act as one appointed to decide the winners of: judge an essay contest.
3. To determine or declare after consideration or deliberation.
4. Informal To have as an opinion or assumption; suppose: I judge you're right.
5. Bible To govern; rule. Used of an ancient Israelite leader.


When one judges, one forms an opinion and from that opinion, we act, and negative judgment results in negative behavior.
We move away from people, fear them, take action against them and spread rumors so others will also take action. We make stereotypes and divisions to keep their kind away from us and when we do meet them, we twist everything about them to fit our idea of how they should be.
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." -Galatians 5:22-23

And the fruits of judging are self-righteousness, division, resentment, arrogance, alienation, condemnation and isolation,
while the fruits of NOT judging are love, acceptance, equality, fairness, inclusion, unity, healing, reconciliation and community.

A minister seeking to serve God in Spirit understands that IT IS NOT RIGHTEOUS to judge others, but to be humble before God AND His people. To those who choose to continue to judge others, Jesus not only says, “...take the log out of your own eye...”, but says also “...He who is without sin among you, let him be the the first to throw a stone...” -John 8:7, meaning to say…look at yourself first before you find the faults of someone else.

Each person is on his/her own personal journey in their search for God. They may be struggling with their lives now. Or perhaps it will require more years before they grasp their relationship with God. Either way, it is with God whom they are dealing with and we should not be on the sidelines making catcalls, comments or remarks, but minding our own journey. And much of the time, what we accuse people of, is exactly what our same problem is. A person who accuses someone else of lust, usually does so because they themselves have lust on their mind. Think about it.

Paul says, “Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and stand he will, for the Lord is able to make him stand.” -Romans 14:4. And he goes on: “But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God.” -Romans 14:10.

James also had his say: “Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother, or judges his brother, speaks against the law, and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge of it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor?” – James 4:11-12.

Jesus said, “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” -John 7:24. Righteous judgment is different than judging. Righteous judgment is what Jesus instructed us to do among us, (Matthew 18:15-17) as did Paul (1 Corinthians 5:9-13) for the health of the church, but not towards non-believers. Righteous judgment involves discernment, wisdom, love and kindness. Much judging has NO love or kindness whatsoever, but rather arrogance and self-righteousness. Many Christians take these verses as cues to go hog-wild, jumping at every chance to sit up on the bench, passing judgments as they feel like, hiding under “righteous judgment.” There are far more people who judge un-righteously than those who use righteous judgment. And I believe righteous judgment is meant for the spiritually mature. But many Christians, regardless of spiritual maturity, make judging the favored church approved activity, surpassing helping, loving and forgiving. A favorite activity because it empowers a person to condemn anyone.

They even look to Jesus' statement in Matthew 7:5 saying, "If I take the log out of my eye, then I will be allowed to take the speck out of my neighbor's." But they fail to see that that sentence begins with "You hypocrite". Jesus is making a point to them, not giving them permission. If a person's eye is truly clear, he will see that it is righteous to NOT JUDGE but rather to LOVE.

"Righteous judgment" is a gift given to those servants of God who seek Him in truth, spirit and humbleness. To judge another person is to place oneself above them, but Jesus says, “…but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all.” -Mark 10:43-44

Judging is one of the most unspiritual things anyone can do to someone else.

The activity that Jesus does tell us to get into is loving our neighbors, loving our enemies, loving the unloved, forgiving each other, feeding the poor, visiting the sick and those in prison, to name a few.

Jesus commanded us to “Love your neighbor as yourself” and judging does not fit in anyway into this category. Jesus said to do those things that involve love for people, as opposed to judging which involves showing reasons why we should not love them.

And when we do judge, we need to remember what Jesus said, “…Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.” -Matthew 25:40.

We all know we can’t judge someone on how they look, but how many of us still judge someone if thet use swear words, have a bad attitude or indulge in a sin? Believe it or not, many people who do such things believe in God and know they need to do better, but are not at that place in their life right now. We only encounter people for a few minutes, but do we really know what is in their hearts?

“…for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” -1 Samuel 16:7

When Jesus says “Do not judge” He is saying that means NO ONE MAY DO IT. And especially NOT his followers.
And He gives the warning that the way you judge will be done to you as well and what we fail to understand is that our own judgment is what condemns us and the only way to be free of condemnation is to NOT JUDGE, which is what Jesus is trying to get us to do.

Trying not to judge is almost impossible because it goes against our very human nature, but it is a crucial aspect of following Christ that we need to change about ourselves. Correct judgment requires knowledge, something we don’t have. Only God has full knowledge of what lies in someone’s heart. He knows all the pain, sorrow and struggles of each person, He knows each person's habits, their way of thinking and why they think in those ways, and He understands, forgives and gives endless mercy to all of us.


Jesus tell us NOT to judge people, (form an opinion, categorize, have bias to, condemn) but just to love them! Regardless of what we think about anyone, Jesus says we are to give love to them. These words of Jesus are powerful, radical and of a higher spiritual principle, harder to practice for even most pastors and ministers let alone ordinary folks. But, only with the help of the Holy Spirit can we learn to look at each person as a living, breathing human being and a child of God whom He dearly loves and for whom Jesus died to give eternal life.

Gog Bless to All…

True meaning of Love

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” —I Corinthians 13:4-8a (NIV)
This verse describes the characteristics of true love. These qualities can certainly be found in the person of Jesus Christ, and they can be found in all truly loving relationships. The problem with trying to “find” love in our dating lives, is that too often we don't look for these characteristics. Rather we look at physical appearance, popularity, or wealth. These are not the qualities that God looks at and neither should we.

But the LORD said to Samuel, “…The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
—I Samuel 16:7b (NIV)

Love is best seen as devotion and action, not an emotion. Love is not exclusively based on how we feel. Certainly our emotions are involved, but they cannot be our only criteria for love. True devotion will always lead to action—true love.

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with ACTIONS and in truth.
I John 3:18 (NIV)

Christ was devoted to us enough to give his own life for us (Romans 5:8), even when he didn't feel like it (Matthew 26:39).

Sex is not love! Our culture has taught us that sex and love are one in the same. This is a lie. Sex is a beautiful God-given activity that is wonderful when practiced within the boundaries of a Biblical marriage. Sex is the completion of the binding of two people within Biblical marriage; it is a God-given gift.


PRE-MARITAL SEX

Because premarital sex is not love, it only leads to pain and disappointment for those who are seeking that love. The Bible says that when two people are married, they become one flesh (Ephesians 5:31). Sex is consummation of that union. When two people break off their relationship after having sex, it is like ripping apart flesh. This is why two teenagers will struggle so much and become so dependent on those they give their bodies to. In light of I Corinthians 13:4-8 (above), it is easy to see that premarital sex is not patient, it is not kind, it does not protect, it is self-seeking. It is not love!
IDENTIFYING TRUE LOVE

We can only identify true love and know when we have found it, based on the Word of God. When we match our relationships up to what the Bible says that love is—and we are honestly prepared to make a life-long commitment to that person—then we can say that we are truly “in love.” The three keys to that statement are:

We have to…
…look at the Word of God
…be completely honest with ourselves
…understand the level of commitment that comes with true love



God Bless to all

The Bible says " truly righteous man attains life "

A BIBLICAL HEALTH PLAN

We sometimes think that God is some sort of an old meanie sitting up in the heavens. For his pastime he makes up a bunch of rules that take all the fun out of life. However, in Deuteronomy 10:13, we see something very different and revealing. We are told that all God's laws are given for our own good. God's laws guard, preserve and shelter our lives. After all, God not only made the world but he made us. He is intimately acquainted with all the intricacies of our physical bodies. He certainly knows what is best for us.

Consider obedience to our parents. In Proverbs 30:17, we are told that "The eye that mocks a father, that scorns obedience to a mother, will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley, will be eaten by the vultures" (Prov. 30:17). Not so healthy! On the other hand, in Ephesians 6:2-3 we read: "Honor your father and mother” which is the first commandment with a promise "that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth." There is something about honoring parents that causes things to go well for us and also causes our lives to be extended. Those who fail to honor parents will likely fail to honor and respect other authorities. In some cases, such people may run amok of the authorities and find themselves severely punished or even killed.

In Proverbs 11:19, we read that "The truly righteous man attains life, but he who pursues evil goes to his death." In Proverbs 3:8, we read that if we fear God and depart from evil it will be health to our flesh and strength to our bones. The Bible also says that God's words will bring life and health to our whole bodies (Prov. 4:22). We thus see that righteousness is better for us than oat-bran muffins. Again, in Proverbs 3:2, we are told that keeping God's commands will add long life and peace to us. Also, they will give us "life, prosperity and honor." (Prov. 21:21). God even adds wealth and riches to the other blessings we may already have (Psa. 112:3).

Many today are involved in all sorts of exercise programs for the sake of their health. Yet in 1 Timothy 4:8 (NKJV) we read: "For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come." With all its sweat and exertion, bodily exercise only profit's a little, while the exercise of a Godly and righteous life profits a lot. Godliness is healthy.

Now someone will remember a mean old man who lived to be a hundred. Another may remember a righteous person who died young. Sometimes it's God's merciful plan to extend the life of a wicked person or to take a righteous person at a young age for his purposes as he did in the case of Stephen. However, the righteous tend to live longer. That is the rule. The righteous also tend to be happier. They have continual joy in their hearts because of the Lord. The Bible says in Proverbs 17:22: "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."

LIFE ABUNDANTLY

In John 10:10, Jesus says of his sheep, "... I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." To believe in the Lord Jesus and follow him in simple obedience to his word will tend to make us happy, healthy, blessed and beautiful in this life. It will also give us eternal life in the world hereafter.

Does this mean that the righteous person will never have problems? They are virtually guaranteed. In Psalm 34:19 we read: "A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all..."

Through all life's difficulties the Lord is standing by to restore our souls in times of adversity. He even sets a table before us in the very presence of our enemies (Psa. 23:5). He makes our cup run over.


God Bless you all..

The defenition of contentment according to the Bible....

What is "contentment"? It is the being satisfied with the sovereign dispensations of God’s providence. It is the opposite of murmuring, which is the spirit of rebellion—the clay saying to the Potter, "Why hast Thou made me thus?" Instead of complaining at his lot, a contented man is thankful that his condition and circumstances are no worse than they are. Instead of greedily desiring something more than the supply of his present need, he rejoices that God still cares for him. Such an one is "content" with such as he has (Heb. 13:5).

One of the fatal hindrances to contentment is covetousness, which is a canker eating into and destroying present satisfaction. It was not, therefore, without good reason, that our Lord gave the solemn commandment to His followers—Take heed, and beware of covetousness" (Luke 12:15). Few things are more insidious. Often it poses under the fair name of thrift, or the wise safeguarding of the future—present economy so as to lay up for a "rainy day." The Scripture says, covetousness which is idolatry" (Col. 3:5), the affection of the heart being set upon material things rather than upon God. The language of a covetous heart is that of the horseleach’s daughter, Give! Give! The covetous man is always desirous of more, whether he has little or much. How vastly different the words of the apostle—"And having food and raiment let us be therewith content" (1 Tim. 6:8). A much needed word is that of Luke 3:14: "Be content with your wages"!

"Godliness with contentment is great gain" (1 Tim. 6:6). Negatively, it delivers from worry and fretfulness, from avarice and selfishness. Positively, it leaves us free to enjoy what God has given us. What a contrast is found in the word which follows: "But they that will be (desire to be) rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows" (1 Tim. 6:9,10). May the Lord in His grace deliver us from the spirit of this world, and make us to be "content with such things as we have."

Contentment, then, is the product of a heart resting in God. It is the soul’s enjoyment of that peace which passeth all understanding. It is the outcome of my will being brought into subjection to the Divine will. It is the blessed assurance that God doeth all things well, and is, even now, making all things work together for my ultimate good. This experience has to be "learned" by "proving what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God" (Rom. 12:2). Contentment is possible only as we cultivate and maintain that attitude of accepting everything which enters our lives as coming from the Hand of Him who is too wise to err, and too loving to cause one of His children a needless tear.

Let our final word be this: real contentment is only possible by being much in the presence of the Lord Jesus. This comes out clearly in the verses which follow our opening text; "I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me" (Phil. 4:12, 13). It is only by cultivating intimacy with that One who was never discontent that we shall be delivered from the sin of complaining. It is only by daily fellowship with Him who ever delighted in the Father’s will that we shall learn the secret of contentment. May both writer and reader so behold in the mirror of the Word the glory of the Lord that we shall be "changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Cor. 3:18)

Celebrate this new year with God in our lives..

It is time to celebrate! We celebrate because we are loved! We celebrate because God is good! We celebrate because we are safe in His love! Let's celebrate with the Lord and His Word so that we can bring in the New Year in his will...


Another year is over and a new one is about to begin. The world has its way of celebrating this transition, but God has a better way! No matter what has happened this past year, God has been faithful to you! Even if you don't believe that right now...it's true!

If only we could see with spirit eyes the battle all around us. Angels at war protecting our health, lives, loved ones, possessions, and honor. We can only see what God allows to make us stronger in Him, not all that He keeps the enemy from inflicting. I encourage you to enter 2012 with worship, prayer, and God's Word. Why not gather together sometime this week with other believers who are serious about the things of God. Seek His face together as the New Year begins. Worshiping Jesus was the center of our celebration!

Jesus is our Promise Keeper! He has protected you this past year from untold tragedy, misfortune, and peril. We look at all that has happened, but so often we don't think about what might have happened. Maybe you lost your house this past year, a terrible thing, but you still have your family. Maybe you lost a loved one this past year, but you are not here in this world alone. Imagine the destruction that could have come your way that the Lord prevented.


Thank God for all He's done for us (even what we couldn't see!) in the past year and shared a Scripture that was meaningful. We treasure this time each year as a way of looking back with thankfulness and looking forward with hope.

I will look back and evaluate the past year in terms of my obedience to Him. You see, I don't evaluate the Lord, I evaluate myself. Am I living for Him in a way that is honorable and upright? Is my heart pure? I will pull out my goals from last year and see which have been met and which are still in process. God is good! We don't always understand His ways in our lives.

Let us set Goals for this year 2012 all t for the Glory of God...


God Bless to All..