Posted on

One Necessary Component You Need for Spiritual Growth in God

The Bridge Commentary: The Epistle of First Peter

by

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.”]

Posted on

#S4-029: How God Uses Dreams to Direct His People [Encore Podcast]

Secrets to Hearing God

by

God Can and Does Direct His Children Through Dreams

Dreams played an important part in the lives of God’s people. Of the 116 references to dreams listed in Young’s Concordance, 52 come in Genesis during the early patriarchal period and 29 in the Book of Daniel 1. The book of  Zechariah is about eight special dreams that God gave to the prophet Zechariah, so he can tell God’s people what they mean. The dreams are all about God’s people rebuilding the temple, staying away from sin, and loving God with all their hearts2 Are you open to the Lord speaking to you in this way?

This is Part Six of the Series ‘Secrets to Hearing God’. You can find Part 1 by clicking ‘Are You Listening?‘,’Part Two by clicking ‘Are You Waiting?‘, Part Three ‘Are You Sensitive‘, Part Four ‘What’s the Number One Way God Leads You?‘, and Part Five ‘Dreams and Visions.‘

[Tweet “The Bible calls dreams night visions in Genesis 46:1-4.”]

Listen to the Audio

Click to Listen | Right Click to Download | Subscribe in iTunes

Posted on

How to Make Certain You Never Backslide

The Second Epistle of Peter

by

Diligence os one Key to Keep from Falling

As a teenager, J. Stephen Conn sensed God calling him to be a preacher. But he felt a certain disadvantage. Because he had been saved when he was 7 years old, he would never be able to hold an audience spellbound with stories of a wicked past. So he asked God for permission to backslide — just long enough to get some experience in a life of sin to “enhance” his preaching later on. Deep within he knew that God would not answer such a request, so he decided just to preach the Bible without a dramatic testimony. Sometime later Conn wrote, “For the past 11 years I’ve been pastoring a church. I realize now what a great testimony I really have. God not only has the power to deliver from sin, He has the even greater power to keep from sin. God not only saved my soul—He saved my entire life!”1  Did you know the Bible gives you the exact path to follow to keep from ever falling? The word backslide can be erased from your thinking and vocabulary if you follow God’s prescription in the book of Second Peter.

For more on the Second Epistle of Peter please see “Why You Can Be Thrilled With God’s Excellence.”

[Tweet “giving all diligence’ is the part a believer needs to add to the mix in order to become ‘fall proof’.”]

Posted on

#S4-028: How God Communicates By Dreams And Visions [Encore Podcast]

Secrets to Hearing God

by

God Can Communicate with You by Dreams and Visions

While on vacation, Bethany was speeding down a California freeway with three teenage friends. One of them, Jody, said she had dreamed the night before that they were in a serious wreck and that she, the only one with a fastened seatbelt on, had survived. Hearing that, everyone fastened their seat belts. Later, their car swerved into the grass median and rolled. The investigating officer looked at the car and said, “If you hadn’t had your seat belts on, the outcome would have been a lot different.” Where did Jody’s dream come from? 1. In this week’s podcast, we will take a look at some of the other ways God communicates through His use of dreams and visions.

This is Part Three of the Series Secrets to Hearing God. You can find Part One by clicking “Are You Listening? and Part Two by clicking “Are You Waiting?” Part Three ‘Are You Sensitive‘, and Part Four ‘What’s the Number One Way God Leads You?‘

Listen to the Audio

Click to Listen | Right Click to Download | Subscribe in iTunes

[Tweet “There are many ways the Lord will lead you. He is not limited in His approach towards you.”]

Posted on

How To Build Strong Character by Refusing Compromise

by

You Can Build Strong Character by Refusing Compromise

The following is a Russian parable. A hunter raised his rifle and took careful aim at a large bear. When about to pull the trigger, the bear spoke in a soft, soothing voice, “Isn’t it better to talk than to shoot? What do you want? Let us negotiate the matter.” Lowering his rifle, the hunter replied, “I want a fur coat.” “Good,” said the bear, “that is a negotiable question. I only want a full stomach, so let us negotiate a compromise.” They sat down to negotiate, and after a time the bear walked away alone. The negotiations had been successful. The bear had a full stomach, and the hunter had his fur coat. Compromise rarely satisfy both sides in equal measure.1 They are absolutely lethal to building strong God-like character.

[Tweet “Whatever you compromise to keep, you will ultimately lose.”]

Posted on

Secrets to Hearing God: The Number One Way God Leads You

Podcast: Light on Life Season Four Episode Forty-Seven

by

Secrets to Hearing God: The Number One Way God Leads You

Many times people seek guidance from the Lord in ways He did not intend. An example is fleecing. It is scripturally incorrect for born-again believers to put out fleeces in order to determine God’s will. It’s always best for ‘new creation’ men to stay with God’s Word in these areas. In the pages of the Bible, the Lord Himself gave us clear instruction about how God leads New Testament children. In fact, He details for us the number one way God leads us in the affairs of life, the conscience.

This is Part Four of the Series Secrets to Hearing God. You can find Part One by clicking ‘Are You Listening?’ Part Two by clicking ‘Are You Waiting?‘ and Part Three ‘Are You Sensitive’

Listen to the Audio

Click to Listen | Right Click to Download | Subscribe in Stitcher

One Necessary Component You Need for Spiritual Growth in God

[Tweet “You experience the Spirit’s witness in the most important area of your life, salvation.”]

Posted on

Why Character Needs to Be King in Jesus Followers

by

Why Character Needs to Be King for Jesus Followers

Robert Murray McCheyne was a Scottish minister in the nineteenth century. He was a deeply prayerful and spiritual man. To a young ministerial student, McCheyne wrote the following words on the subject of character.

I know you will apply hard to German, but do not forget the culture of the inner man—I mean of the heart. How diligently the cavalry officer keeps his sabre clean and sharp; every stain he rubs off with the greatest care. Remember you are God’s sword, His instrument—I trust, a chosen vessel unto Him to bear His name. In great measure, according to the purity and perfection of the instrument, will be the success. It is not great talents God blesses so much as likeness to Jesus. A holy minister is an awful weapon in the hand of God.1

According to the purity and perfection of the instrument, will be the success. Those are good words to hear. So, let’s talk about character: what it is and how to develop it in our everyday lives.

[Tweet “Good character is formed by hundreds of decisions made over the course of time.”]

Posted on

#S4-026: Secrets to Hearing God: Are You Sensitive? [Encore Podcast]

by

You Can Develop Your Heart to Be Sensitive to God

Are you sensitive in your heart to the promptings and the urges of the Spirit of God? Are you hearing  Him? Are you easily moved by His gentle manner? Developing sensitivity of heart opens you to the life of God found in Jesus. For, the Spirit of God will lead you and guide you into all the truth about Him.

This is Part Three of the Series Secrets to Hearing God. You can find Part One by clicking “Are You Listening? and Part Two by clicking “Are You Waiting?”

Listen to the Audio

Click to Listen | Right Click to Download | Subscribe in iTunes

[Tweet “If you want to hear God’s voice, you have to develop a sensitivity to it.”]

Posted on

The Rewards and Blessings of the Highly Diligent

Scripture List

by

There are rewards and blessings for those who walk in diligence.

Diligence, the Bible speaks a great deal of the importance of this word as it connects to our everyday life. What is diligence and what do the scriptures say about this all-important character trait? Here are a plethora of Bible verses on the subject. You could even call this a scripture list of which there are already several on this website. The truth is the more fanatical you are about Jesus, the more fervent and zealous you are about His plan for your life, the greater the impact you are going to make for the Kingdom of God. Let’s drill down a bit into this life-changing Bible word.

[Tweet “With diligence, you cleave to God’s Word and by doing so you reap His blessings.”]

Posted on

#S4-025: Secrets to Hearing God: Are You Waiting? [Encore Podcast]

by

Waiting on God Helps You Hear God

In close connection with listening to God is the idea of waiting on God. People are hindered from receiving direction from God simply because they are not waiting around long enough to hear what He has to say. We are religiously praying instead of spiritually listening. Waiting to hear is part of the prayer discipline.

This is Part Two of the Series Secrets to Hearing God. You can find Part One by clicking “Secrets to Hearing God: Are You Listening? [Podcast]

[Tweet “Calmness, understanding, and strength are never the companions of hurry.”]

Listen to the Audio

Click to Listen | Right Click to Download | Subscribe in iTunes

Posted on

Why You Need To Walk In The Light to Enjoy Fellowship 

by

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.”]

Posted on

#S4-024: The Good News Is the Bad News Was Wrong [Podcast]

Revival Fire for the Twenty First Century

by

The Age of Miracles Has Not Passed Away. That's Good News!

Miracles, we see them in the Bible, a book which spans 4000 years of recorded history. From the very first book of the Bible where God healed Abimelech in response to Abraham’s prayer in Genesis 20:17 all the way through to the leaves of healing from the Tree of Life in Revelation 22: 2, we see God’s desire for man to be ‘every bit whole.’ Yet there are those who say it’s all in the past. That the age of miracles has ceased. That God waited until the death of the last apostle and then removed His miracle hand from the earth because now we have His Word. Or, at least that’s the theory of it. This ideology has a name. It is called cessationism. Cessationists believe that when the Old Testament canon closed at Malachi, for the next 400 years until John the Baptist, the gifts had ceased. Similarly, when the New Testament canon closed the gifts ceased.[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cessationism] Well if God doesn’t do miracles any more, than that’s bad news. But, I’m here to tell you today that the good news is, the bad news was wrong. That’s what we’re talking about on this week’s Light on Life.

Listen to the Audio

Click to Listen | Right Click to Download | Subscribe in iTunes

[Tweet “How can people say healing is no more when we have historical records from the Church Fathers?”]