Category Archives: Spiritual Development

Practical teachings from the Bible for every day living.

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Did You Know that A Good God Has A Good Plan For Your Life?

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A Good God Has A Good Plan for Your Life

A good God has a good plan for your life. He works out portions of the plan getting them ready years in advance. But you have to choose to go God’s way. You have to be sold out to His way of thinking and choose to follow him. Author Max Lucado speaks honestly and to the point when he says, “If there are a thousand steps between us and God, He will take all but one. He will leave the final one for us. The choice is ours.”1 More importantly show God your willingness to obey Him. When He knows that you love Him and that you will demonstrate that love by trusting Him enough to listen to what He, then, in due time, that plan that plan will unfold in your everyday life.

[Tweet “The greatest tragedy in life is not dying but living without a reason.”]

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How to Keep from Being Sidetracked

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You don't have to be sidetracked from God's purpose for your life.

Billy Graham referenced the idea of being sidetracked with the following words. “A compass is narrow-minded-it always points to the magnetic north. It seems that is a very narrow view, but a compass is not broad-minded. If it were, all the ships at sea and all the planes in the air would be in danger. We must discipline ourselves, personally, to fight any deviation from the course Jesus set for us. We cannot be tolerant of any other course. To deviate is to sin.”1 These are sound words on how to keep from living a sidetracked life. The Word of God also helps us with sound words designed to help us run our race.

[Tweet “When it comes to Bible doctrine, major on the majors and minor on the minors.”]

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Why It’s Absolutely Important to Finish What You Started

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It's Absolutely Important to Finish What You Started

I once heard a very godly gentleman say when he was in the twilight of his life, ‘It takes the same dedication at seventy years of age as it did when you were twenty.’ Do we get a pass on being committed just because we are in the fourth quarter of our lives? Do we get to ‘retire’ from living like a believer in Jesus? Just because we have some age under our belts does not mean we get a break from trusting God. We have to learn the fine art of focusing. We have to know what it means to finish our race in Jesus.

[Tweet “Have you looked at your dream while you were in the secret place of God’s Presence? (Psalm 91:1)”]

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How to Break A Destructive Bad Habit

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How to Break a Destructive Bad Habit

For non-smoking men between the ages of 55 through 59, there is one chance in 8197 of dying from lung cancer; light smokers, one chance in 2075; moderate smokers, one chance in 867; heavy smokers, one chance in 573. For nonsmokers between the ages of 60 through 64, there is one chance in 7092 of dying from lung cancer; light smokers, one in 1081; moderate smokers, one in 552; heavy smokers, one in 371. For nonsmokers over 65 years of age, there is one chance in 3165 of dying from lung cancer; light smokers, one in 412; moderate smokers, one in 393; heavy smokers, one in 296.1  Death by bad habits doesn’t have to be your legacy. You can overcome destructive bad habits by the power of God.

[Tweet “How long does it take to establish a new habit or break an old one? However long it takes!”]

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#S4-030: How to Locate Your God Ordained Place [Encore Podcast]

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You Can Know God's Place For Your Life

Josh McDowell told this great story. An executive hirer, a “headhunter” who goes out and hires corporation executives for other firms, once told me, “When I get an executive that I’m trying to hire for someone else, I like to disarm him. I offer him a drink, take my coat off, then my vest, undo my tie, throw up my feet and talk about baseball, football, family, whatever until he’s all relaxed. Then, when I think I’ve got him relaxed, I lean over, look him square in the eye and say, “What’s your purpose in life?” It’s amazing how top executives fall apart at that question. “Well, I was interviewing this fellow the other day, had him all disarmed, with my feet up on his desk, talking about football. Then I leaned up and said, ‘What’s your purpose in life, Bob?’ And he said, without blinking an eye, ‘To go to heaven and take as many people with me as I can.’ For the first time in my career, I was speechless.” What about you? Do you know what your place is in God? Do you know how to find it?

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[Tweet “If God promotes you from little to much, it is obvious that little was not your place.”]

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One Necessary Component You Need for Spiritual Growth in God

The Bridge Commentary: The Epistle of First Peter

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The Word of God is the Key to Spiritual Growth

The earliest African converts to Christianity were earnest and regular in their private devotions. Each one reportedly had separate spots in the thicket where he poured out his heart to God. The several paths to these little ‘Bethels’ became distinctly marked; and when anyone began to decline in devotions, it was soon apparent to others. They would then kindly remind him, saying, “Brother, the grass grows on your path yonder.”1 Being regular in your time with God is a key to spiritual growth as the Apostle Peter lets us know in his second epistle.

Why You Don’t Have to Be Sick in Light of the Bible

[Tweet “You can be saved for a whole pile of physical years and still be a spiritual infant.”]

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Why You Need To Walk In The Light to Enjoy Fellowship 

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You Can Have a Rich and Full Fellowship with God

During World War II, the enemy conducted experiments to find the most effective type of punishment for eliciting information from prisoners. They found that solitary confinement was the most effective. After a few days of solitary confinement, most men would tell all. That is why we need fellowship—without it, we too become easy prey for temptation and abandonment of our values.1 Fellowship is what we are going to look at today. What is fellowship? The word is one of those ingrained Christian words. It ranks up there with the word prayer, faith, grace, and righteousness. But what is real fellowship with God?

[Tweet “Fellowship is not a one-way street. Joint participation is a better way of looking at the word fellowship.”]

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Are You Over Prioritizing Your Everyday Life?

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Are You Over Prioritizing Your Life?

Someone asked Emily Post, “What is the correct procedure when one is invited to the White House and has a previous engagement?” She answered, “An invitation to lunch or dine at the White House is a command, and automatically cancels any other engagement.” 1 The issue is one of priority. There are life’s situations which take precedence. What about God and His Kingdom? Is there a priority we need to observe in the realm of the Spirit? The word ‘priority’ is not a Bible word but the concept is. It is epitomized by the word ‘first’ in such passages as Matthew 6:33. Many in our generation are experiencing the pains of an overload. We overcommit and overprioritize. Practicing the concept of ‘first things’ is a sure way of helping you navigate the maze.

[Tweet “Taking take care of your family is a responsibility, not a calling. There’s a difference.”]

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#S4-021: What Is Revival and Why Is It Fatal to the Kingdom of Darkness [Podcast]

Revival Fire for the Twenty First Century

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What is Revival?

What is a revival? According to Ron Mcintosh, former chaplain of ORU, the term ‘revival’ means several things. For one, it is a divine attack on society. It is the marshaling of forces fatal to the kingdom of darkness. It is the enlisting, training, and empowering of believers as a prelude to evangelism. Revival is God’s military tactic which concentrates His resources for a vital blow at a crucial moment. It is a reinvigoration of God’s people with His truth and power.1 As you can see, true revival covers a wide and diverse range. In the last two podcasts, Why Humility Is Part of An Excellent Life and Humility: Putting on God’s Suit we introduced and spoke on the fruit of the spirit called humility. Humility certainly finds it’s way into the spectrum of revival via verses like 2 Chronicles 7:14. We’ll take a look at this and some other matters as we start this new series with the subject ‘Why Revival Is Fatal to the Kingdom of Darkness’, all this and more on this week’s Light on Life.

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[Tweet “When you experience His reviving personally then revival becomes God’s active moving for you.”]

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#S4-020: Humility: How to Put On God’s Glory Suit [Podcast]

Developing the Fruit of the Spirit

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How to Put On Humility

Some people think of themselves as God’s gift to the world. However, a meek person is not this way at all. Listen carefully to this story about an American general. General Grant was stricken with a fatal illness. As he approached the end of his life, he felt his need of the Saviour and His sustaining presence. He called for a minister. Simply the minister presented the gospel to him. “General,” he said, “God in love sent the Saviour to seek and to save that which was lost. If you will sincerely call upon Him from your heart, you will receive from Him mercy and abundant pardon!” When the minister knelt and prayed, God opened the heart of the general and he was joyfully converted. God cleansed his heart from sin. The minister was elated. “God’s kingdom has gained a great acquisition in your conversion, General,” said the minister. Immediately General Grant protested, saying, “God does not need great men, but great men need God! There is just one thing that I now greatly desire since Christ’s great peace has come to me …” “What’s that, General?” asked the minister. “I would like to live one year more so that I might tell others of this wonderful gift of God’s love!” Strength is always found in true meekness. Meekness is not weakness; rather it is the proper way to demonstrate strength and resolve.1 But how do you develop in humility? How do you put it on?

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[Tweet “Humility is a right evaluation of yourself. The right value to possess is the ‘real truth about you.'”]

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#S4-019: Why Humility is Part of An Excellent Life [Podcast]

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Humility is PArt of Living An Excellent Life

A minister, a Boy Scout, and a computer expert were the only passengers on a small plane. The pilot came back to the cabin and said that the plane was going down but there were only three parachutes and four people. The pilot added, “I should have one of the parachutes because I have a wife and three small children.” So he took one and jumped. The computer whiz said, “I should have one of the parachutes because I am the smartest man in the world and everyone needs me.” So he took one and jumped. The minister turned to the Boy Scout and with a sad smile said, “You are young and I have lived a rich life, so you take the remaining parachute, and I’ll go down with the plane.” The Boy Scout said, “Relax, Reverend, the smartest man in the world just picked up my knapsack and jumped out!”1 Have you met people in your world who make themselves out to be candidates for the title “Smartest Man in the World?” People, who possess an innate overestimation of themselves? What you will find as you study the truth of God’s Word is that pride is an absolute downer. Overrunning pride always leads to a severe fall. In the case of this illustration, it was a several thousand foot fall. The way of humility is the right way, the normal Christian life. How do you diminish the pride of natural life while increasing in the fruit of humility?

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[Tweet “Mark this down, you don’t want any of Satan’s ‘I will’ business. You want God’s will, not yours.”]

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#S4-017: Why You Need to See the World As God Sees It [Podcast]

Gospel Truths on Healing

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We Need to See the World As God Sees It

One gentleman named ‘Brother Roloff’ had a friend who had quite a number of pigeons. On a certain occasion Brother Roloff, who lived in Ohio, was invited to the home of Vernon the pigeon man. Vernon told him about one particular bird in his collection. He said, “See this bird. I’ll point out just one. She flew the five hundred miles from St. Louis to Ohio non-stop!” Roloff said, “Non-stop! Now, let’s be done with this foolishness! You weren’t there. How do you know?” “Oh,” he said, “Brother Roloff, there’s a way to know. She came in clean.” He said, “What! Came in clean!” “When she came in, she had no flour and no mud, on her feet; and had nothing on her to make me think she had stopped. She came in clean.1 What is the concept of clean and unclean in the Old Testament? We need to see it as God sees it. We will continue to look into this idea as we pick-up where we left off in last week’s podcast on the ritual cleansing of the leper in Leviticus fourteen.

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[Tweet “Clean and unclean is a viewpoint which God has. It’s how He saw the world after Adam’s sin.”]