 
### NOTHING CAN SEPARATE YOU FROM THE LOVE OF GOD

100 BIBLE VERSES ABOUT GOD'S LOVE FOR YOU

### LILLIET GARRISON

Copyright © 2016 by Lilliet Garrison

Published by: Wisdom Brings Freedom Ministries

Printed in the United States of America

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever without permission, except for brief quotations in books and critical reviews.

All Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, various translations. 100 Bible Verses are taken from the ESV Bible.

CONTENTS

CH 1: DEATH WILL NOT SEPARATE YOU FROM THE LOVE OF GOD

CH 2: GOD HAS GIVEN US POWERFUL SPIRITUAL WEAPONS BECAUSE HE LOVES US

CH 3: SORROWS PURIFY OUR CHARACTER

CH 4: THE BEST FATHER YOU COULD EVER HAVE

CH 5: BE A FIGHTER – A MIGHTY WARRIOR WHO BRINGS GOD GLORY

CH 6: OUR CITIZENSHIP IS IN HEAVEN

CH 7: THE GENTLENESS OF CHRIST

CH 8: GOD WILL ALWAYS WORK TO PERFECT YOU

CH 9: DELIGHTING OURSELVES IN THE JOY OF THE LORD

CH 10: GOD'S LOVE GIVES US CONFIDENCE

Prayer for Salvation

100 Bible Verses About God's Love for YOU

LILLIET'S OTHER BOOKS

http://www.amazon.com/Lilliet-Garrison/e/B004H28MCU

What Are We to Do About Our Doubt?

Saying Goodbye to Discouragement-100 Bible Verses About Discouragement

How to Test the Spirits to See if They Are from God-61 Scriptures About Testing the Spirits

Binding the Strongman-How to Keep Satan from Stealing What is Rightfully Yours

How to Know if You Belong to God-54 Scriptures About Knowing God Personally

19 Ways We Grieve the Holy Spirit–100 Scriptures About Grieving the Holy Spirit

How to Resist the Devil-100 Scriptures on Resisting the Devil

Victory without Trying-100 Scriptures About God's Grace

Practicing the Presence of Jesus– 24 Scriptures on the Presence of Jesus

El Shaddai-The God Who is Enough- 67 B.V. on God is Always Enough

How to Die to Self...and receive the life Jesus died to give you

10 Reasons Why the Bible is the Word of God-100 Bible Verses About the Word of God

Recognizing the Antichrist: Bible Signs of the End Times-65 B.V. About the Antichrist

Deliverance from Bondage-100 Bible Verses About Deliverance from Evil

How to be Ready for the Rapture-100 Bible Verses About the Rapture

All of God's Promises are Yes and Amen -65 Bible Verses About Answered Prayers

I Will Not Leave You Comfortless-49 Bible Verses About the Comforter

Satan Wants Your Mind- 85 B.V About Satan & Our Mind -47 B.V. About Having a Sound Mind

How to Pray for the Lost, 100 Bible Verses About Praying for the Lost

Defeating Satan and Evil Spirits-100 Bible Verses About Satan, 58 Bible Verses About Evil Spirits

Don't Let Your Heart Harden- 40 Bible Verses About a Hard Heart

The Most Important Question -7 Benefits to Making the Right Decision about Jesus

How to Have Daily Family Devotions -91 Bible Verses About the Family

How God Guides Us – 96 Bible Verses About God's Guidance

Because Your Heart Was Tender-You Will Not See Evil-100 Script on Tender Hearted-98 About Gentleness

A Much-Needed Heart Change- 100 Bible Verses About the Heart

Our Faithful Promiser-100 B.V. About the Promises of God - 67 B.V. About the Faithfulness of God

How to Overcome Sin-100 Bible Verses About Sin

Prayer Puts God to Work – 100 Bible Verses About Prayer

Spiritual Warfare-A Practical & Real Path to Victory over Temptation

Be Filled with the Holy Spirit-Living the Spirit Filled Life

A Faith that Saves-What is Believing Faith?

Choosing to Live One Day at a Time

Nothing Can Separate You from the Love of God

What Does the Bible Say About Satan and the Origin of Evil? 100 Bible Verses About Satan

Satan's Twisted Counterfeits – 100 Bible Verses About Satan

Is Heaven Real? – 100 Bible Verses About Heaven

What God's Love Teaches Us – 100 Bible Verses About God's Love

What Does the Bible Say About God's Mercy and Grace-85 Verses About God's Grace–88 About God's Mercy

What Does the Bible Say About Not Being Fearful–57 Verses About "Do Not Fear"–100 About Fear

What Does the Bible Say About Marriage? – 100 Bible Verses of God's Counsel for a Thriving, God-Centered Marriage

Will God Forgive Me? 100 Bible Verses About God's Forgiveness

What Does the Bible Say About Life After Death – 91 Bibles Verses from God to You

100 Bible Verses About Eternal Life

100 Bible Verses About Money: What God Says About Wealth & Poverty

Scriptures of God's Unfailing Love for You–God's Promises to Love You Forever

100 Bible Verses of God's Healing Power

40 Healing Scriptures That Will Forever Change Your Life

God's Promises to Bless You and Prosper You

Jesus Christ, Our Great Healer

God's Emergency Phone Numbers When You Find Yourself in Need

Prayers in Times of Trouble

The God of All Comfort Devotional

Prayer for Every Circumstance

God's Loving Kindness

The Power of Prayer to Change a Life

How to Be Sure You Are Saved

God's Promises for Your Every Concern

God's Promises to You in the Bible

Considerations for the God Seeker: Gems from Charles Spurgeon

Living Satisfied: Life Lessons from King Solomon and the Book of Ecclesiastes

7 Keys to a Victorious Life

How to Make Good Decisions–Practical Steps to Making God-Glorifying Choices

Secrets to Being a Happy Christian

Absolute Surrender–Surrender What You Can't Keep, To Gain What You Can Never Buy

The Greatest Prayer

How to Develop an Intimate Relationship with God

When God is Silent

How to Gain a Clear Conscience

The Unpardonable Sin – Is This Sin Really Unforgiveable?

A Woman of Powerful Prayer

Don't Be A Worry Wart – Accept God's Peace and Change Your Life

Breaking Free from Guilt and Shame

Getting Unstuck–Moving Beyond What's Holding You Back

The Christian Woman's Guide to Abundant Success

A Woman of Grace and Strength – Growing Strong in the Grace and Knowledge of our Lord

A Woman of Substance–Growing Spiritually Mature in an Immature World (Unabridged, 8 volumes in 1 book)

A Woman of Substance Series (8 individual volumes)

AMAZON REVIEWS

Thank you for purchasing my book. If you find it helpful, please consider leaving a short review on Amazon so others will discover it too. Thanks, Lilliet

CHAPTER 1

DEATH WILL NOT SEPARATE YOU FROM THE LOVE OF GOD

" _I am convinced that neither death nor life will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." --Romans 8:38-39_

One of the most profound passages in Paul's letters, is his confidence that nothing can separate the Christian from the love of God. We're not surprised that Paul mentions death, for death carries us from "our home of time and place" into a mystery we can't comprehend. So, we're grateful for the assurance that NOTHING—not even the finality of death—will ever separate us from God's love.

It's significant to know that life itself is named among the dangers we're exposed to. Still, God's Word gives us the assurance that death cannot separate us from His love.

Living is far more hazardous than dying. Think about what life holds. It's not about getting through life the best way we can or making a good living to support ourselves. Our actual purpose—God's original plan for all people—is to live a praiseworthy life by discovering who God is and how He wants us to fulfill our calling. The Christian's purpose is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Our purpose is not to convince God to get on board with what we want out of life, rather, it is to seek God's will and to fulfill His purposes on this earth.

Ephesians 2:10: For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

John 15:8: By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

Our lives are to be a testimony to others of what God has done for us—and in that, we desire nothing more than to please Him and to serve Him all the days of our lives. We are motivated because of His complete and utter devotion to us. He loved us first...before we were worthy of His love. This is our purpose. We show our gratitude to Jesus by our love and devotion to Him in return for loving us first. This is what we're to wholeheartedly pursue. Again, this is the Christian's purpose, so there's no mystery in trying to find our purpose. It's not mysterious or unknowable. Pleasing God is the believer's sole purpose because we were created for God's good pleasure.

Love Comes from God

1 John 4:18-20: There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. The one who fears has not been perfected in love. We love because He first loved us. If anyone says, "I love God," but hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen....

Revelation 4:11: Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast CREATED ALL THINGS, and for thy PLEASURE they are and were created.

We were created in the image of God to reflect His glory. I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him. –Isaiah 43:7.

The believer who fully understands what Jesus died to give us is changed forever. We're so thankful that Jesus changes us personally and doesn't leave us as we were before. The grateful Christian DESIRES and ENJOYS serving their Lord. Of course, if we don't know Jesus personally, then we're not able to do this entirely.

Ephesians 5:8-10:...for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.

2 Corinthians 5:9: Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.

Think of the way we begin life as a baby. We have the world before us. We have boundless potential—but it must be developed. Our potential is revealed through strength, but as a baby, we are weak. We have no wisdom, no judgement, and certainly no understanding. In our infancy, we're profoundly uninformed and inexperienced.

Think of the evil that's in the world and how easy it is to drift to its dark edges. Think of the many temptations that come against us and how unprepared we are to achieve victory over them. Think of the work we must do and the burdens we must carry. Think of the responsibilities that are ours and the common mistakes we make every day.

2 Thessalonians 3:3: But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.

It's not easy to live life on earth. Every step of our passage from birth to death is filled with risk and danger. Yet, we have the assurance that life cannot separate us from the love of God. God has told us that in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. Romans 8:37

Romans 8:35: "Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?"

As serious as life is, we should not dread living. No enemy can harm us. No burden can crush us. No power can pull us away from God's protection. Indeed, divine love changes our difficulties into blessings. There's a way of living that takes evil and transforms it into good.

2 Timothy 4:18: And the Lord will rescue me from every evil action and bring me safely into His heavenly kingdom. To Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Before Jesus went away, He committed His disciples to His Father's care. He didn't ask that they be taken out of the world, for there was still plenty of kingdom work to do. Jesus also understood that the work they had to do...would do a work in them.

Because Jesus suffered on this earth, He understands our suffering too. When we find life more difficult than we can bear, it helps to remember that our Savior uses everything for our spiritual development. Although Jesus didn't ask that His disciples be taken from the world—He did ask that they be kept from the world's evil. The correct prayer in times of testing is not that we be delivered from all difficulties—but that we would pass through them unharmed.

2 Peter 2:9:... if all this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment.

THERE'S ONLY ONE REAL EVIL

We should always pray that we be kept from evil; but we must recognize that there's only one true evil. It's not sickness, poverty, human cruelty, or earthly loss—the only evil is SIN. Nothing else can harm us. One rebellious thought will hurt us more than all other offenses.

There's another word of Paul's to observe:

Romans 8:28: "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them."

GOD WANTS US TO ENJOY OUR LIFE

Instead of dreading life because we must endure danger, resentment, burdens, pain, and sorrows—we should view life as a classroom that prepares us to learn invaluable lessons for our personal growth and spiritual maturity. Life's many challenges have a way of taking the rough edges off us if we'll permit the process to work.

Most of all, what happens to us is a matter of our perception. If we perceive that every obstacle that comes against us is meant for our ruin, then most likely this will become our world view. However, if we view an obstacle as an opportunity to solve a problem and grow from it, then many of the situations we encounter will become an opportunity to grow our character.

FAILURES SERVE A PURPOSE

Even our failures teach us what we didn't know the first time around. We need failures to learn what not to repeat. This is wisdom. The fool continues to repeat what doesn't work. Difficulties are our opportunity to turn to God and ask Him for His wise counsel and guidance. We ask Him to show us what we're not seeing in the natural. We need spiritual eyes to see a situation as God sees it. "Natural thinking" and seeing with "natural eyes" won't allow us to see an opportunity that is presently hidden from us. This is the reason it is so important to see things as if they were, not as they are.

Romans 4:17; as it is written, "I have made you the father of many nations"—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.

1 Corinthians 13:12: For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

2 Corinthians 5:7: For we walk by faith, not by sight.

Psalm 119:18: Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.

SEEING THE WORLD THROUGH GOD'S EYES

The believer must learn to see things from God's point of view. If we remain immature in our faith and understanding of what God is trying to work out in our life, then this will be difficult. We won't be able to see that many things are needed to bring us to maturity in our faith.

Hebrews 6:1-4: "Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, and of instruction about washings the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits."

We don't see ourselves clearly. We think we are one thing, but God sees what we don't yet see. He must work on us, so we can come into what He has had for us from the beginning of time. We must be developed. A child is trained. An effective leader is trained in leadership principals. An effective Christian is trained in Christian principals. A spiritually mature Christian must come to understand and see things from God's righteous position and Deity. It's called "transforming our mind with the Word of God."

Romans 12:2: Do not conform 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.

The Bible tells us what God is after. It gives us a practical and spiritual view of God's heart. It tells us what pleases Him and what displeases Him. A child sees from a child's viewpoint. A child doesn't understand things from an adult's perspective.

1 Corinthians 13:11: When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.

If we cast every care upon Jesus, as Scripture tells us to do, then many of our disappointments can be turned around by placing our trust in Him. It's called simple faith. Simple faith reveals to Jesus that we will wait patiently for Him to do His work—and in His own time!

1 Peter 5:7: Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Psalm 37:5: Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will do it.

In the end, we need many corrections along life's journey. Disappointments and pain are not fun at the time, but later we see that many unpleasant events brought about something good as they taught us things we needed to know. As the years pass, we see that life's sorrows gave us a perspective that youth did not. Additionally, every situation that we learned a valuable lesson from, can be shared with another person going through something similar.

Isaiah 61:1-3 1The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, 2to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3and provide for those who grieve in Zion- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.

Matthew 6:27: Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

Psalms 27:13-14: I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living! Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!

Proverbs 3:5-6: Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Isaiah 30:18: Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.

DETERMINE TO ENJOY LIFE REGARDLESS OF WHAT COMES AGAINST YOU

God planned for us to enjoy life. If we continue to grow in spiritual maturity and conform our mind to God's Word and what He desires for us, then we can enjoy life despite having less than perfect circumstances. Again, how we respond to difficulties and pain determines how we will ultimately view our life. Remember, that even our worst day here on earth, is much better than many people experience around the world. Also remember, that the worst day on earth is better with Jesus as our Savior, then all the good days without Him. It's a matter of perspective! God created a beautiful world; therefore, He wants us to enjoy the things He made for our enjoyment and pleasure.

RESIST TEMPTATION AND FLEE FROM EVIL

Temptations are sent by the "evil one" to destroy us. But when we resist, they assist us in becoming stronger and more determined to overcome evil. Learning to overcome what Satan throws at us, bolsters us as we realize that we can overcome again and again if we need to. We learn that we're not as fragile as we first thought. Soon, we realize that Satan doesn't have the power we thought he had over us. God's Word tells us—we can fight Satan, and we can win every time. God commands us to resist Satan. Jesus has already given us His authority to do. You can send Satan packing when you say to him: "Be gone Satan, in the name of Jesus." Jesus' name holds all power and authority, so you have His authority when you use His name." His name is POWER and it controls Satan. Satan has no power over you when you know your authority and rights as a believer in Jesus Christ! Here are some power Scriptures to use as they arm you to win over Satan every time. If you become fearful, do not let fear overtake you. Just remember to tell Satan that He must flee in the name of Jesus.

James 4:7: Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Luke 10:19: Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you.

1 John 4:4: You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.

Psalm 34:17: The righteous cry and the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.

Ephesians 4:27:...and do not give the devil a foothold.

Ephesians 6:11: Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil's schemes.

1 Peter 5:6: Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, so that in due time He may exalt you.

1 Peter 5:8-9: Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in your faith and in the knowledge that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.

Psalm 112:2: His descendants will be mighty on earth; The generation of the upright will be blessed.

Hebrews 4:15: For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.

YOU HAVE EVERYTHING YOU NEED IN JESUS

John 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" is a powerful reminder that what we have in Jesus, always outweighs whatever the devil tries to do to us. It should serve as a great source of comfort to know that Jesus loves you so much that He gives you His authority to rule over Satan and put him under your feet.

GOD'S WRITTEN WORD IS YOUR POWER SOURCE AGAINST EVIL

We must learn that God's written Word is life and power to us; and we need to personally believe God's written Word for it to be effective against temptation and evil. If God said it, we must trust it! We can trust that what was written for our instruction and deliverance, is indeed God's perfect plan for us. God has already supplied our deliverance. His plan for our rescue and liberty is in the power of our spoken words. Do we know what those words from God to us are? Do we use the power the Holy Spirit gives us to fight the evil that comes against us to defeat us? Do we repeat God's Word (Scripture) to Satan to send him away every time he attempts to speak to us or tempt us to turn away from God and sin?

Luke 10:19: "Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you."

2 Chronicles 20:15: "This is what the Lord says to you: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's." Remember, when the Devil tries to attack you, he is indirectly trying to attack God and we all know God wins every time.

Deuteronomy 3:22: "Do not fear them, for the Lord your God is the one fighting for you."

Deuteronomy 28:7: "The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before you. They shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways."

Romans 8:37: "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."

Ephesians 6:11–17: "Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

FINISH YOUR RACE WELL

The Christian has a race to run. We must know how to stay the course, so we win our race and receive the crown at the finish line. We can't afford to be taken out of the race—it's just too costly. Moreover, it doesn't glorify God and it keeps us from being able to enjoy Him. ** (See my free book on Amazon "Getting Unstuck" for more on this.)

1 Peter 2:12: Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.

RUN TO WIN THE CROWN

Psalm 145: Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.

How do we do stay in our race—the race God has called us to run? We read His Word. Then we determine to believe it and apply it! We assimilate what we read. Others witness our victory. They see we've persevered to overcome our weaknesses and spiritual naivete. Others see real growth and advancement, rather than constant failures and setbacks. Learning that the Christian has power to overcome worldliness in thought and deeds, by asking the Holy Spirit for His fullness, brings advancement. This is how we grow spiritually mature.

Moreover, when we learn to overcome our flesh and live righteously, we see that living for Jesus is not as difficult as we thought when we were carnal. Being able to receive God's love for us, permits us to love Him in return. This is God's will for our life as Christians.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8: Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends...

Romans 8:37-39: No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

BECOME A SERIOUS BELIEVER AND TAKE YOUR AUTHORITY OVER YOUR ENEMY

We take our authority by engaging in spiritual warfare! We understand that the devil is real and that he's a serious enemy to our race and spiritual progress. He desires nothing more than to keep us weak and ineffective in our Christian walk. When we're in this state, we are no threat to Satan. No one will want what we have, and no one will suspect that we're a Christian anyway. When we ask the Holy Spirit for His fullness, or to be baptized in the Holy Spirit, we are saying we want all the weapons we can possibly have, because we understand we are in this fight to WIN. Winning is the only option for the believer. It's mandatory! It's the only way we win in this life and attain eternal life with Jesus forever.

Romans 6:23: For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Titus 1:2:...in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began.

Reading God's Word for instruction and wisdom and asking God to give us the fullness of the Holy Spirit to empower us, shows God we take Him at His Word, and we BELIEVE Him! We don't read and quickly forget. We read and apply. This is the power the believer has in God's Word. There is power in the name of Jesus. It's all the believer needs for power and victory.

Deuteronomy 20:1-4: When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you. When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army. He shall say: "Hear, Israel: Today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not panic or be terrified by them. For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory."

1 Corinthians 15:57: But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our LORD Jesus Christ.

1 John 5:4:...for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.

Ephesians 6:10: Finally, be strong in the LORD and in his mighty power.
CHAPTER 2

GOD HAS GIVEN US POWERFUL SPIRITUAL WEAPONS BECAUSE HE LOVE US

God's weapons (the Fruit of the Spirit) is for our protection. They fortify us and make it possible to live in victory and peace. We do not live as those who don't know Christ. We do not faint, and we don't cower in fear with trembling. This is the principle that makes us victorious every time Satan comes against us to steal our joy and our peace. It's the shield that protects us from what the world throws at us. Nothing can come against those who know the One who goes before them and fights their battles on their behalf. Jesus died on the cross to set us free. He sets us free from sin and condemnation. When we accept Jesus by faith, we are given His victory and His righteousness to live by. This gives us the power to die to sin. When we start to grasp what Jesus did to buy us a life of victory, we start to recognize the magnitude of His love for us. His love for us makes us confident and mighty to fight evil and wickedness. His love for us causes us to worship Him with deep gratitude. His love changes us forever. Victory over our carnal appetites permits us to be obedient to our Lord, which is what He wants for every Christian.

1 Peter 2:24: He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

1 John 1:9: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

CALL OUT FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT'S ASSISTANCE EVERY TIME YOU'RE TEMPTED TO SIN

Satan may come against us, but if we use the spiritual weapons from the Holy Spirit that are always available to us, then he has no power to dominate us. Satan has no power; other than the power we give him. We can't bend on this even a little, or he believes that has full authority to rule over us. Satan, our ever-present enemy, seeks to control us utterly. Once under his control, he drives us until we self-destruct.

John 10:10: The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

1 Peter 5:8: Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

Satan has only one goal for us—and that's our complete and utter destruction. He wants us dead! He's after our complete annihilation. He wants to steal our Christian testimony. He desires that God receives no love, glory, or devotion from us, because we're too entrenched in Satan's web of deceit, which brings us guilt and shame. Guilt and shame keep us from going to our Savior. Shame causes us to run away from Him; so, consider this the next time you give in to Satan's control over you. Satan has one desire and that is to render us useless to the Kingdom of God. He's not merely trying to make us sick, helpless, or weak. He seeks our total demise.

John 8:44: You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Only you can decide if you will become one of Satan's victims. If you decide to be passive and give in to him, then you can blame no one else for your choice. This is never the choice God wants a person to make. For at any moment, we can cry out to Jesus and He will deliver us from evil. If you don't want to be a casualty, then call on God to defend you and recue you from Satan's death grip.

Romans 6:23: For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Acts 4:12: And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

SATAN IS AT FIRST SUBTLE AND THEN AGGRESSIVE

First it starts with little sins and gradually we become addicted or too ashamed of what we're doing and what we've become. The enemy tells us God will never accept us back into His family because we're just too sinful and deceitful. Don't believe this for a moment. God loves the repentant and the humble. If you will go to God in your sin and ask Him to forgive you, He will! Then ask Him to make you strong to withstand your enemy. Do your part by staying in God's Word, staying in prayer, and asking God to show you a way out of your temptation every time Satan tempts you to go back to your past sin and darkness.

Romans 5:8: But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Be around other Christians for accountability and if you're determined to change your life, then surrender your will to God's will for you. Without total and complete humility and surrender, people often take Satan's bait again and soon return to their former enslavement. Don't be a statistic, be a winner. Win in the game of life.

Romans 6:19-23: I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our LORD.

Satan has only one side—he is devious and deadly. Scriptures tells us he must flee when we command him, in the name of Jesus, to be gone. We must refuse to give him our righteousness or our certainty in Christ. This is God's plan for us and it's written in His Word—the Bible.

Yes, we are more than conquerors; we're more than able to endure. The Lord has told us to fight Satan. We have the power to win every battle, every time. It's all written down for us in the Bible. We additionally have the power of the Holy Spirit who tells us how to fight and what to do next. Listen and He will direct your path.

Jeremiah 20:11: But the Lord is with me like a dread champion; Therefore my persecutors will stumble and not prevail. They will be utterly ashamed, because they have failed, With an everlasting disgrace that will not be forgotten.

John 14:6: Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

1 Peter 1:18-19: Knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.

Difficulties cause us to look to God to help us. When we see that He rescues us from the fire, we understand how much He loves us and wants to take care of us. Asking God to help us every time we need help, makes us go down deeper as we learn to problem solve through the wisdom of God and the gracious work of the Holy Spirit. We pray more earnestly asking God to show us a way out, or at least to push through to the other side. At times we need deliverance, and at other times we need endurance to push through to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Yet, in all of life, we know God loves us and sustains us.

Job 33:4: "The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

Psalm 36:6: Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; Your judgments are like a great deep. O Lord, You preserve man and beast.

Tests from God reveal our weaknesses to us. Why do we need to recognize them? Because if we don't put them before God and ask Him to work with us to overcome them—then they will become the stumbling blocks that trip us up. Sin wins when we don't gain self-control. Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit. Ask for the full power of the Holy Spirit so you can overcome your "natural" inclination to sin. Remember, when we ask God to help us endure to victory, He will give us what we ask. This is what He wants us to seek. And when we've come out the other side, we're deeper and wiser for the experience.

1 John 4:4: Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

Some denominations, or evangelicals, believe you have all of the Holy Spirit when you pray for and receive salvation. They believe the "fullness" and the gifts of the Holy Spirit were for those in the Old Testament and that they are not for today. This is called cessation.

According to www.compellingtruth.org: Cessationism is the theological belief that the sign gifts of the New Testament period have ceased to function. While cessationists believe God still performs miracles today, they teach that God does not specifically equip individual Christians to perform miraculous signs. The biblical evidence most often used to support this view is 1 Corinthians 13:8-10: "Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away." It is clear from this passage that certain gifts will cease at some point. Cessationists believe the miraculous gifts ceased with the end of the apostolic age and the completion of New Testament revelation. Is this view biblical? To answer, it is accurate to say cessationism is based on a biblical worldview. However, many debate whether cessationism is the best interpretation of the Bible's information regarding spiritual gifts. Non-cessationists suggest that the phrase "when the perfect comes" in 1 Corinthians 13:10 refers to the return of Christ. If so, then all spiritual gifts could potentially remain active until this still-future time.

CHANGING MY VIEW OF GOD, THE HOLY SPIRIT

After being a believer (an evangelical) for 30 years, I discovered for myself, by listening to different preachers on television and reading books on the Holy Spirit, that this was not true. I, like many, believed what I had been told. But as I observed other Christians who did not believe this, I recognized they had a joy that was so desirable, I asked God for it. With it came the realization that the Holy Spirit had completely changed me as He was showing me more of His fullness. It brought indescribable joy to my life (also observed by my family) and a greater understanding of spiritual truths I hadn't been able to fully understand before.

Asking God to baptize me in the Holy Spirit 30 years after becoming a born-again Christian, was the best decision of my life, besides asking for salvation. I can tell you from personal experience that there is a world of difference. There is actually no comparison between the two. I have enjoyed my last fifteen years of knowing the Holy Spirit more intimately—more than the thirty years of being a believer without the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

I have a greater awareness of needing enlightenment and revelation to successfully engage in spiritual warfare. Many Christians don't really know what is working behind the scenes to bring them down and cause their confusion, misery, depression, or lack of self-control. They easily fall into Satan's traps and fall into sin because they are ill-prepared for living in this evil world.

I can't imagine why it took me so long to discover the majesty and power of the Holy Spirit. (Well I do know one reason, and that's because I stayed in the same lane for 30 years.)

The Holy Spirit is our teacher and He desires to teach us many things that we don't fully understand about God and the Bible. God seems mysterious when we don't have enough understanding or knowledge about Him. We need to know these mysteries because they bring us life. Without them, we'll experience eternal death. What we believe about God and the Bible are the most important questions in all of life.

John 16:13: But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.

Hosea 4:6...my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. "Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children."

How glorious to know that God wants us to know many things about Him. He never intended to keep us in the dark about His personality, attributes, goodness, mercy, grace, or the fact that He sent us His Son to redeem us back to Himself after the fall. God wanted us to know that we could have eternal life with the Godhead (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), so He left us His Word. The gospel is called the "good new" and God is gracious to reveal Himself through our conscience and in creation. He wanted us to know and receive this good news for ourselves because it's the only way to eternal life. It gives us liberty and immense peace, rest, and joy.

Romans 1:19-21: For what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts....

God is not unfair or unjust as many presume because they know all the wrong things about Him—or nothing at all! Listen to people who don't know anything about the truth contained in the Word of God, portray Him. They believe He brings all the evil things into existence to punish us. They have no understanding because they don't seek the truth out for themselves. Ignorance brings darkness, and those who have no use for God have darkened minds and hearts of stone. This is foolish and deadly!

Ephesian 4:18: Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him.

Romans 1:21: For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts.

THE WORLD EXISTS ACCORDING TO GOD'S SPIRITUAL LAWS

Whether we believe it or not, there's a spiritual world that works according to God's spiritual principles. God is the Creator of all things whether we believe this truth or reject it. We were not asked our opinion when the Godhead was there in the beginning of Creation. God doesn't ask us what we think about His handiwork or His universe. He designed space, time, the cosmos, and us. He decided how everything would work together. He fashioned this world in a way that would reveal His creativity, beauty, and majesty. Therefore, God had no need to ask us if we approved of His plan.

Psalm 33: 8-9: Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere Him. For He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it stood fast.

Hebrews 11:3: By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

What we think, frankly, doesn't matter at all. We are here for a time and then we're gone. We are not infinite as God is. We have a beginning and an end. Where we spend eternity is dependent on what we do with Jesus. The world doesn't exist based on what we think or don't think about God's creation of it. We do not have all knowledge or all wisdom, but God does. This tells us it is wise to seek the all-wise God who knows all things.

1 Corinthians 2:10-11: For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.

EXAMINE GOD'S TRUTH FOR YOURSELF

If we never examine for ourselves the truth contained in God's Word and believe the enemy or what others who nothing about God tell us, then we'll reach a faulty conclusion about God. Satan is a liar and tells people all the time that God does not love them. Search the Scriptures yourself and you will discover that this is indeed a big lie. God loves us all the time and forever. This is the real truth!

John 3:16: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Romans 5:8: But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Zephaniah 3:17: The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

Knowing truth from lies is a life and death matter. If you go to your death bed never searching for God or His truth, then it will lead to your certain death. Many people consider all types of information more important than where they will end up at the end of their life. This is foolish, however. Yet, this is a reality for every one of us, whether we want to think about it or not.

John 11:26: And everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?"

Romans 6:23: For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Matthew 10:28: And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Proverbs 18:21: Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.

John 11:25-26: Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?"

Hebrews 9:27: And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment

Ecclesiastes 9:5: For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten.

" **FOR I HAVE NO PLEASURE IN THE DEATH OF ANYONE, DECLARES THE LORD GOD, SO TURN, AND LIVE."** Ezekiel 18:32

A wrong view of God and His love for us will lead us to a bad ending. However, this is not what God wants for us. He wants us to choose wisely. He wants us to be informed and He wants us to know the truth about Him. That's why He left us His Word and why He sent His only Son to die on the cross to take away our sin.

Death is forever—but so is eternal life with God! Without the Holy Spirit's fullness, we never do understand many spiritual concepts in the Bible that are meant to bring us life—not death. Being closed to God makes our mind and heart dark. A darkened mind does not let the light of truth permeate the darkness. Yet, God permits us to arrive at our own conclusions about life and death matters, even though He tells us in Deuteronomy 30:19 to choose life.

Deuteronomy 30:15-18: See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity. This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live. NIV

Psalm 115:17" The dead do not praise the Lord, nor do any who go down into silence.

SATAN BRINGS DEATH, BUT JESUS GIVES LIFE

In Matthew 4:10 it states: "Then Jesus said to him, 'Be gone, Satan! For it is written that you shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve.'"

This verse teaches us about the authority that Jesus has over the devil. During this time Satan was trying to tempt Jesus to go the dark side. Jesus had to pass the test that Adam failed in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:16–17; 3:1–6). Jesus refused to believe the devil's lies and instead obeyed His Father. Jesus was tempted but did not sin (Hebrews 4:15). Satan has power, but Jesus has ultimate power over all creation. When Jesus said, "Be gone, Satan!" the devil had to obey him (Matthew 4:11). We can be confident during any trial, that God is in control. God expects us to treat Satan and the lies he tells us the same way that Jesus treated him in the desert.

Deuteronomy 10:17: For the Lord your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe.

John 12:35-36: Then Jesus said to them, "A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light." These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.

Job 12:7: But ask the animals, and they will instruct you; ask the birds of the air, and they will tell you.

Psalm 19:1: The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.

Genesis 1:1: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Jeremiah 51:15: He made the earth by His power; He established the world by His wisdom and stretched out the heavens by His understanding

Jeremiah 5:21: Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear.
CHAPTER 3

SORROWS PURIFY OUR CHARACTER

Sorrows wound and scar us—but they also purify our character as nothing else can. They serve a purpose. Often, we don't see who we really are until things go awry. If we must describe ourselves to others, we tend to use terms that describe what we do for a living or what family we came from, etc. When we're wounded from the battles of life, we see who we are apart from what we do or our associations with others. We see our inner person and our vulnerabilities. We see we can't survive without God in our life. In this way, hardships can be our greatest blessing. We need to use them to our advantage, as they teach us the deeper things of God and the real meaning of life.

2 Corinthians 4:17: For our light and momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal glory that is far beyond comparison.

Psalm 126:5: Those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of joy.

Psalm 118:1: Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His loving devotion endures forever.

LET GOD SPEAK TO YOU IN YOUR PAIN

Pain not only gives us a glimpse of who we really are apart from our worldly assets and what we've achieved, but it reveals our weak areas to us. Achievement doesn't always reveal our weaknesses. Character weaknesses are our blind spot. We may not see them in ourselves, but God sees them. And because they can be deadly if we don't acknowledge that they're there, God must reveal them to us so we can hand them to Him and ask Him to go to work on us to correct them. This is crucial because Satan uses these flaws to kill us. Jesus doesn't want that to happen, so He protects us by showing us where we are weak and unprotected. Scripture tells us to put on the full armor of God, because the enemy will take advantage of the places that lack armor.

The armor of God

Ephesians 6:10-18: Finally, be strong in the LORD and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the LORD's people.

SELF EXAMINATION IS GOOD FOR US

It is good to see our personal character weaknesses as we reevaluate our life due to unexpected events, distress, or loss. We can achieve greater spiritual growth if we allow God to speak to us during these times of self-awareness. We need times to reflect. We need to understand what's driving us to do what we're doing. We need to understand why we think a certain way. Why do we treat others the way we do? Why do we ignore God and act like He doesn't matter, when God is the only thing that makes sense in this world?

1 Timothy 2:5: For, there is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus.

Deuteronomy 4:35: You were shown these things so that you would know that the LORD is God; there is no other besides Him.

Deuteronomy 4:39: Know therefore this day and take to heart that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other.

When times are good, we generally don't think to ask ourselves intense life questions. If you're a believer, then perhaps it's time to ask yourself some hard questions. Are you living for Jesus? Do you seek to glorify Him with your life? Be honest! Do you trust God with the details of your life? If not, then now is the time to ask Him to make something good come out of your mistakes or willful sinning against Him. This is the only way to turn your life around for good. Surrender will cause you to have all the good things God wants you to inherit.

Jeremiah 10:6: There is none like You, O LORD. You are great, and Your name is mighty in power.

LIFE IS NOT GUARANTEED

Life is distracting, uncertain, and fleeting. As I add new material and update this book, the world has just gone through something globally that's not occurred before. Will life ever be the same? Will society function as it did before the Corona virus came onto the scene? And what is happening worldwide governmentally, socially, politicly, and ethically? Yes, this is a fight against good and evil. We are in the end times and we are living during extraordinary upheaval and social and religious change.

We are seeing displays of pure evil. Our world is changing dramatically, just as the Bible tells us it will in the end times. Only one thing is certain, and that's our death. It is appointed unto man to live once and then die (Heb 9:27). We need to know who we belong to and where we will spend eternity, or we will despair of life as widespread evil displays itself for all to see.

Hebrews 9:27 And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment...

Luke 21:26:...people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

What's going on in the world and in the news keeps us focused on current events. However, these are not the only life and death questions we need to ask ourselves in a time that demands reflection. First, we should ask our self if we belong to God, and if not, what will we do to ensure that we do. (**I have written several books on this topic and have included a pray for salvation at the end of this book)

ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS ABOUT LIFE

And if we are a genuine Christian, are we making the choices God wants us to make? Are we listening to Him and then waiting for Him to work out His plan for us _in His own time?_ Focusing on what God wants for us keeps us from solely focusing on our temporal, turbulent world. This is what genuine self-examination should accomplish for the believer. Grow from your past difficulties and errors in judgment. Grow from what you see happening around the world. Do you understand how close we are to the end? Are you watching the signs? Jesus told us to _watch and pray_...are we doing this? Don't waste any ordeal or hardship. Ask God what He wants you to learn from your mistakes and what you observe around you. Ask Him to help you grow in spiritual insight, so you remain obedient to Him during the turbulent days ahead.

Ephesians 6:12: For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

God doesn't bring on our hardship, but once the hardship presents itself, He will often use it to bring us to greater spiritual maturity. Unfortunately, it's often the only way we grow. Too many kick and scream anytime life doesn't go as they plan, but this is nothing but immaturity and selfishness at work. All children must grow up. Unfortunately, we all know those who never do. Let's make sure we're not guilty of this.

GROW UP AND LEAVE CHILDHOOD BEHIND

God calls us to grow up, and that includes growing up in our faith. For without it, we can't fulfill the plan of God for our life. Immaturity suggests childhood. Immaturity is not attractive in a grown person. People may not see it in themselves, but I assure you, others see it (and God sees it) and it reveals more than they intend.

Ephesians 4:13-15:...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 the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.

1 Corinthians 14:20: Brothers and sisters, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults.

2 Peter 3:18: 2 Peter 3:18: But grow in the grace and knowledge of our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

1 Corinthians 3:1-3: Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly-mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans?

Remember, we will draw others that are like minded to us. Examine your friendships. Are these the people you want in your life? Ask yourself: are you the type of person that mature people want to be around? Do you bring anything positive to others? If you're a drain on others, consider that now is the perfect time to reimagine yourself. You can change with the help of God. If you want to bless others, then become the type of person others seek out. It's time to lose the immaturity and selfishness the world wants us to engage in.

Proverbs 13:20: Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.

Proverbs 16:28: A troublemaker plants seeds of strife; gossip separates the best of friends.
CHAPTER 4

THE BEST FATHER YOU COULD

EVER HAVE

Our God is a good and wise Father. He knows how to parent us well. And we need a wise Parent to show us the right way to live. We need His constant input to live a rich, meaningful, and blessed life. His instructions guide us, so we reap rewards from Him at the end of our life. If you're reading this book, then I applaud you, because it indicates you don't want to live with regrets. Those who love God and desire to please Him, are blessed indeed.

Psalm 20:4: May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.

Philippians 4:19: And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

Psalm 34:8: Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

Does this mean we avoid all the heartaches of this life? Does being a Christian mean we escape all wickedness? Does it mean that we're not negatively affected from time to time from living in this evil world? No, not at all! But it means we have a wise Father who always watches over us. Not only does He watch over us at all times, but in an instant, when we pray to Him for guidance, He gives it. When we ask Him to protect us because we sense that something is coming against us, He is there to shield us. When we ask Him for wisdom to know what to do in a situation that we're unprepared for, He gives us supernatural wisdom. We can ask Him for peace, and He keeps us from fear. We can ask Him for friendship, and He is a brother to us. He is even a husband to those who have lost their mate or who are single.

Isaiah 54:5: For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called.

Matthew 5:4: Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Jesus is there for you and He will be what you need. He will never leave you or abandon you.

Deuteronomy 31:8: It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed."

Joshua 1:5: No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.

Hebrews 13:5-6: Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." So we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?"

Joshua 1:9: Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

JESUS IS THE ANSWER TO EVERYTHING WE NEED

Jesus is always available when you need to talk. If it's 3 a.m. in the morning, He's there to listen. When we can't think of a thing to say, He's there to speak to us. He prays for us continually. He upholds us before the Father always. When we need to know the truth about a spiritual matter we can't understand, He makes things clear. When we need reassurance, because life is hard and it has many heartbreaks along the way, He is there to comfort us. Jesus is always standing by us because He loves us deeply and devotedly.

Zephaniah 3:17: The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

Ephesians 2:4-5: But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved—

1 Peter 5:6-7: Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Job 34:19:...who shows no partiality to princes, nor regards the rich more than the poor, for they are all the work of his hands?

Psalm 86:15: But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious,

The next time you're tempted to think He's not available or that He's distracted because of His work, or because He has other children and obligations, remember, Jesus is not a man. He is not distracted by the things that distract us on this earth. He is not of this physical world. He has no limitations. He is Deity—He is not a mortal with frailties, as we are. He is not affected by the things that divert us in this world. He is completely committed to us. He has all the time to listen to us and spend time with us in sweet fellowship. He longs for this type of relationship with us. That's why He created us—for fellowship. We bring Him joy.

Psalm 147:10-11: His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of the warrior; the LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.

Psalm 18:19: He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me.

Not all earthy fathers are entirely devoted to their children, as God is. No doubt, most fathers love their children. But we also understand that we live in an imperfect world, so imperfections show up in our earthly relationships. Not so with our Heavenly Father. He is the "perfect" Father for each of us individually. He personally knows what each of us needs, so He responds accordingly. He doesn't treat us all the same because He didn't create us to be a carbon copy of another. We are each wonderfully made. We are unique and He loves us just that way.

Psalm 139:14: I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Luke 1:49: For the Mighty One has done great things for me; And holy is His name.

Psalm 92:12: The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree, He will grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

John 7:38: He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'

WE NEED STRENGTH TO ENDURE TO THE END

God desires for us to become stronger in our faith so we can endure to the end. He needs strong warriors to carry out His work in the end times. Who will be God's voice on this earth? Who will wrap their arms around a brother or sister who needs love and comfort? Who will go and tell the lost and dying that they can receive salvation and live with God forever?

JESUS IS THE ONE WHO WILL GIVE YOU A NEW LIFE

People need to hear that their sins can all be washed away. They can be made new and clean. This is the message of the gospel—this message is the good news. Sin defiles us, but Jesus died to forgive us and wash us as white as snow. Why did He do this for us? Simply because He loves us so! When we repent of our sins and accept Jesus by faith, He bestows on to us everything that He is and everything He has. The Kingdom of God is open to us and nothing is held back. Salvation gives us His righteousness. We are justified in Jesus. That's not just the good news—it's the best news ever!

Isaiah 1:18: "Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool."

Yes, accepting Jesus as Savior, changes everything. Nothing from this evil world can permanently stain us. It can no longer be a part of our life. We are washed clean and made new. Salvation makes us a new creation in Christ Jesus. Hallelujah! We should be so thankful that Jesus made this provision for us. How can people reject this wonderful, free gift of eternal life? Yet, they do!

Psalm 86:1:5 But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.

1 John 3:1: See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
CHAPTER 5

BE A FIGHTER—A MIGHTY WARRIOR WHO BRINGS GOD GLORY

Strong fighters show others how wonderful freedom is. Christians must be robust, victorious fighters so they can show other how to receive life and liberty. A mighty warrior is someone who can lead others to freedom. The Christian who is constantly entangled by sin can't be on the front line. There's no power or authority for those who are not prepared to win in battle. This world requires Christians to take their calling seriously. We're to rise up and show others the way to glory. We must be strong leaders and influencers. There's no glory in being weak or fainthearted. If you are overly involved with the world, decide today is the last day you will waste the life Jesus died to give you. Make it count. Lead others to freedom.

Galatians 5:13-14: You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love...

2 Corinthians 3:17: Now the LORD is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the LORD is, there is freedom.

Galatians 5:1: It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

We can see that evil and perversion is celebrated in our day. But this is not what God wants for His children. God wants all those who will listen, to hear the Word of God, which brings them deliverance and salvation.

Psalm 74:12: But God is my King from long ago; he brings salvation on the earth.

Psalm 68:20: God is to us a God of deliverances; And to God the Lord belong escapes from death.

Psalm 32:7: You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance.

DETERMINE TO LIVE A DEEPER, MORE MEANINGFUL LIFE

The deepest lives are those who've suffered and struggled the most. The people who reach the highest levels of character and maturity are often the most useful and productive.

Those who wish only to have an easy, comfortable life generally are preoccupied with self. Self wants to live the good life—the unburdened life. But unfortunately, we usually don't lose our selflessness until we have suffered a bit ourselves. Only then, do many of us learn to sympathize with others in their misery and loss.

Romans 12:2: And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

1 Peter 2:9: But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

DON'T WISH FOR AN EASY LIFE

A life of ease keeps us weak and self-focused. Struggles teach us to persevere knowing that when we are weak—Jesus is strong on our behalf. I repeat, having to travel down a difficult road teaches us to be sympathetic with others as nothing else can. Additionally, it shows us the areas in our life where we need to mature. We need to endure, to bring God glory with our lives.

Isaiah 41:10: Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

1 Corinthians 14:20: Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature.

Ephesians 1:17-18:...that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

BE CERTAIN OF GOD'S LOVE FOR YOU

In the hardest experiences of life, we can always be sure of God's enduring love for us. An Arctic explorer was asked if the long months of slow starvation that he and his companions endured had caused them to suffer from the pangs of hunger. He replied that the pangs were forgotten when they believed their friends back home had forgotten them and weren't coming to rescue them.

There's no suffering more profound than the sense of abandonment. The thought that nobody cares for us wounds us to our core. But remember, no matter how many people may reject you or forget about you— _the Christian faith assures you that God loves you eternally._ His love for you has no beginning and no end. It is infinite. God will never forget you or abandon you— _ever—_ for God's love is _constant!_

Isaiah 40:28-31: "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

1 John 4:9-11, ESV: "In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."

Psalm 103:11: "For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him."

Psalm 86:15: "But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness."

GOD'S ASTOUNDING LOVE FOR US CHANGES US PROFOUNDLY

It's one of the wonders of divine love that God will take our mistakes and change them into blessings. God takes our flaws and by His marvelous grace, turns them into marks of beauty. But if we refuse to let go of the past, then we won't be able to enter the glorious future God has for us.

Isaiah 43:18-19: Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

David's grievous sin was not only forgiven, but it was a major transforming event in his life. Peter's heartbreaking failure was a turning point for him through the Lord's tender forgiveness. Peter never would have become the man he became, if he had not denied his Lord, repented, and been restored.

IF YOU ASK GOD TO FORGIVE YOU, HE WILL!

"Repentance is as much a mark of a Christian, as faith is. A very little sin, as the world calls it, is a very great sin to a true Christian." Charles Spurgeon

God forgives and restores the repentant! We should all be comforted by this profound truth. How encouraging to know that God transforms us even in our weakness. It's not easy making a man or woman into something beautiful God wants to behold. Some people are harder to transform than others. Sometimes it comes at immense cost. It took work to turn Peter into the powerful apostle he became.

Luke 15:4-7; "If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won't he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep. In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven't strayed away!"

Sometimes we think God deals harshly with us. We understandably have many failures and setbacks trying to live this earthly life. We stumble and fall again and again. 'Why?' we ask. Here's the answer: God is changing us. He's increasing our endurance, faith, trust, and character. He's working selfishness out of us so we can serve others in love.

Why do we need so much work? Because God wants us to enter our eternal home with Him when our work on earth is done. It's costly to be completely transformed into Christ's image. But is any price of discomfort too much to pay for such an outcome? Never!

There's one thing we must always remember. Paul tells us that we become more than conquerors in all of life's trials "through Him that loved us." Without Jesus, we can only be defeated. There's only one thing that turns evil into good and pain into blessing—and that is the love of our Savior. There's only one Person who takes our crumbling life and transforms it into something exquisite.

Romans 8:35-39: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: 'For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.' Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

GOD'S LOVE NEVER CHANGES

Even if we know all about God's enduring love for us, there's still a way for us to miss out on the blessings that come from it. God's love never changes; nothing can separate us from it. Yet, unbelief can rob us of the blessings of that love. We can lock it out of our hearts if we want to. But then everything in life will impair us rather than help us. The one secret of being in the world, and not of the world, is to have the love of God in our hearts.

Romans 5:5: And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
CHAPTER **6**

OUR CITIZENSHIP IS IN HEAVEN

The Lord spoke a great deal about a kingdom that's not of this world. This kingdom doesn't come from observation. It's not an outward kingdom, but a realm that resides in the human heart. It was this kingdom that Jesus came to establish. He sent His disciples to win people for this kingdom. He is the King! He doesn't set up a throne on earth; His throne is in heaven. All those who personally know Jesus as Savior, are subjects of this heavenly kingdom—not this world. Paul puts it clearly when he says:

Philippians 3:20: "Our citizenship is in heaven."

Those who belong to Jesus are citizens of a heavenly nation. This is an interesting concept. If you've ever lived in a foreign country, no doubt you've taken in the scenic sights and marveled at how beautiful other parts of the world are. Although we can appreciate seeing new places, there's something in us that has our heart set on our homeland, and we can't wait to return.

THE CHRISTIAN'S TRUE HOME IS HEAVEN

So, it should be with the Christian. We live in this world for a time. We travel and meet many interesting people. We're devoted to our family, friends, and our personal pursuits. But our heart is in heaven, for this is the believer's true home. Our thoughts go to that sacred place. This doesn't mean that we neglect our work here. But sometimes we make the mistake of thinking we can only live near to God by separating ourselves from earthly life. But this is not what God asks us to do.

The New Testament doesn't say a word against living in the world. Jesus didn't ask that His disciples be taken out of this world. He asked that they remain—but be kept from the evil of the world.

The ancient Greeks thought that toil was vulgar. They had nothing to do with shopkeepers or those who worked in the fields. But from the beginning, Jesus had the same message for the working class as He did for the privileged. Work is not hostile towards godliness, for work is a means of grace. We grow best when we're engaged in ordinary, everyday work.

Colossians 3:23-24: Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

It's through the limitations, conflicts, and the monotony of our daily work that we discover what living life really entails. We don't shun daily living to develop a "saintly" life. Devoutness doesn't come from seclusion, but when we mingle with others in their human need. This is what it takes to develop a more compassionate spirit in us.

DO YOU YEARN TO TELL PEOPLE ABOUT JESUS?

It's in this lost world that we sense our desire to evangelize. We want to tell people the truth about the gospel and how it's the only thing that brings healing and hope to the sick, lost, and hopeless. There's no meaning in life unless we mingle with others...and like Peter, we learn who we really are, not who we perceive we are, when we mingle with others.

John 13:35: By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

Colossians 3:13-14: Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Our spiritual motives must infiltrate our secular life. If we gain any success in our work, it's by the power of God's grace. We can do the humblest things in a heavenly way. We can have the most mundane job, yet, make it worthy by living a god-honoring life. Not everyone who has a sacred calling does so in a heartfelt way. Some go about their work in an irreverent manner. The everyday person with a pure heart will be used by God more than the recent seminary graduate whose heart has been defiled by worldly cares and secret sin.

John 17:23: I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

The Son of God came to earth and lived a human life. He worked at a common trade and taught that holy motives exalt the humblest work. Yet, while Jesus had common work to do, His heart was set on His Father's purposes. He worked cheerfully and obediently, for He was in constant communion with His Father.

John 5:17: In his defense Jesus said to them, "My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working."

John 6:38 38: For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.

Likewise, while we're engaged in the world's work, we can have a spiritual motive. God asks us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. If we're mindful to do this, then God will certainly care for us.

Romans 12:16: Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

ARE WE DOING WHAT GOD WANTS US TO DO?

Our business is to be doing the business of God. God takes care of the person who desires to do His work. What does God consider important? Spreading the gospel message, making disciples, and loving others! We can do this in our secular work by being an example to the world.

1 Corinthians 12:12-13: Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink

KEEP YOUR EYES FIXED ON JESUS AND YOU WILL RECEIVE JOY FOR YOUR SORROW

When our heavenly citizenship is realized, our sorrow finds comfort. The deepest joy comes out of our most painful griefs.

John 16:20: "I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn over what is going to happen to me, but the world will rejoice. You will grieve, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy."

This is what the Savior promised. It's in the hope of our transformation that the stars shine brightly on our darkest nights. In our times of overwhelming grief, we must not look down: down into the grave, down at our emptiness, and down at our sorrow and darkness. There's no comfort in looking down. Only when we look up into the face of Jesus, do we see our hope.

When we linger and set out eyes on Jesus' face and meet His gaze, we see nothing but His vast love for us. He came to earth and died a horrible death...all because He loved us deeply. He wants us with Him for all time, so He willingly surrendered His will to what the Father wanted Him to accomplish for us. We look up into heaven and know that one day we will be joined with Jesus and our loved ones. This is our blessed hope as we are comforted by God our Father and His immense love for us.

Psalm 23:4: Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.

2 Corinthians 1:5: For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ.

Psalm 119:50: This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life.

ARE YOU MISSING THE BEST PART OF LIFE?

The life that produces a deep character capable of loving Jesus wholeheartedly, is a life that has its source in heaven. A character that lacks the beauty of heaven is sadly defective. One who never prays, never ponders the Word of God, has no fellowship with other believers, only has thoughts about earthly matters, and is consumed with doubts and fears... has missed the best. Where do we go to find the "best" that life has to offer? The best is found only in Jesus.

The Supremacy of Christ

Colosianns1:16-18: For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and firstborn from among the dead, so that in all things He may have preeminence....

The person who never connects God to their everyday life, knows nothing of spiritual things. Nothing of the calm, strong patience that allows us to endure our momentary trails. Only the Father can give us the tender comfort we need in these turbulent times.

Psalm 119:76-77: Now let your unfailing love comfort me, just as you promised me, your servant. Surround me with your tender mercies so I may live, for your instructions are my delight.

Psalm 119:81-82: My soul faints with longing for your salvation, but I have put my hope in your word...

Isaiah 58:9: Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I...

YOUR THOUGHTS BUILD YOUR CHARACTER

It's a law of life that our thoughts build our character. If we meditate on the purity, holiness, goodness, love, and the righteousness of Christ, then these qualities will print themselves upon our hearts. Paul gives us an unfailing recipe for the best of life.

Philippians 4:8: "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things!"

Then he adds: _"These things do—and the God of peace will be with you."_

THE BELIEVER'S ETERNAL HOME IS WITH GOD IN HEAVEN

If our citizenship is truly in heaven, we'll receive power from above. It's never easy to live honorably. From beginning to end, life is a struggle between the natural and the spiritual. The advantages we gain must be won in the face of hatred. The rewards of life are only for "those who overcome." We can't live victoriously if we fight alone. But if we're living in communion with Jesus, we have all His strength, authority, power, and influence working in us for every struggle we encounter. Jesus is alive and with us always!

Deuteronomy 3:22: "Do not be afraid of them; the LORD your God himself will fight for you."

Deuteronomy 31:8: "The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

Joshua 1:9: "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

Psalm 23:4: "Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."

Outside a garden wall hangs a vine full of purple clusters that grow every year. When you look for its root you discover that it's inside the wall. The vine grows inside the garden where it's nurtured. Its fruit hangs outside where the hungry can feed upon it. So, it should be with us. With the roots of our life in heaven, we should bear fruit in this world to feed the hunger of all those who are still searching.
CHAPTER **7**

THE GENTLENESS OF CHRIST

Gentleness is not weakness. A genuinely strong person is always gentle. Occasionally we find high up on a barren mountain top, a beautiful flower that's growing out of a tiny crack in the granite. That's gentleness! The mighty rock that's inhospitable, can produce a tender, fragrant bloom. Gentleness is essential to the Christian life. But gentleness is beautiful only when combined with strength.

Galatians 5:23:...gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Colossians 3:12: Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Philippians 4:5: Let your gentleness be evident to all. The LORD is near.

Jesus is gentle with those who suffer. There's skill in knowing how to comfort those who hurt. Many of us say the wrong words when we sit with someone who's in pain or trouble.

Job's friends were miserable comforters. They tried to make Job believe that he had displeased God, and this was the cause of his misfortune.

Many good people think that when they sit beside someone who's mourning, that they must talk about their loss in detail. But this often makes the situation more painful to endure. The best comforter isn't the person who can sympathize the most—but the one who's able to lift the believer with hope by letting them see that Jesus is always with them, even in their mourning.

This is how Jesus handles our grief and sorrows. He doesn't seek to take away the burden—rather, He makes us strong to bear them.

Psalm 68:19-20: Praise be to the LORD, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign LORD comes escape from death.

Matthew 11:29-30: Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Some people forever mark the days of their loss and suffering. They will never forget that day. But the believer has a reason to rejoice. She remembers when she received salvation in Jesus, when she met the person she would marry, the day she met her close Christian friend, the day her child received Jesus by faith and was baptized.

We can remember the day the Lord rescued us from a personal or financial disaster. Remembering the day we met the Savior, should bring us unspeakable joy.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. |

Yes, we endure hardships and loss, but choosing to remember our Savior's gentle way with those who suffer gives us hope for the future.

THERE WILL BE SUFFERING IN THIS WORLD

Sometimes we suffer because of our own rebellion—and this always causes us pain and regret in the end. The Lord's gentleness isn't always apparent at the beginning of our ordeal because we're not always ready to listen or submit to Him. Unfortunately for many, sin often takes a person to the brink before they give in and surrender to God and ask Him for His forgiveness.

1 John 1:9 9: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

While our struggle continues, there's no peace, no joy, and no evidence of love. Resistance only makes the darkness more profound and the trials harder to endure. At last we yield and run to the Savior. Then joy comes. Who can say that the Lord is not gentle with those who are stubborn, independent, or rebellious?

Matthew 6:14-15: For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

JESUS ALWAYS GIVES US A SECOND CHANCE

Jesus is particularly gentle with those who've sinned and are trying to start over. He has no tolerance for sin—but is infinitely patient with the sinner. Jesus is patient with anyone who sees their sin and desires to repent of it.

Matthew 4:17: From that time Jesus began to preach his message: "Turn away from your sins, because the Kingdom of heaven is near!"

Proverbs 28:1: 3You will never succeed in life if you try to hide your sins. Confess them and give them up; then God will show mercy to you.

Jesus saves by forgiving. He loves us unconditionally. His grace is unlimited. No matter how often we fail, when we come back and ask to try again, Jesus welcomes us and gives us another chance. This is our hope. If He were not gentle with us, we would never see our eternal home.

Matthew 3:8 _: Do those things that will show that you have turned from your sins._

Acts 3:19: Repent, then, and turn to God, so that He will forgive your sins.

Luke 17:3: So watch what you do! "If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him."

WOULD OUR OWN WAY BE BETTER?

We often believe we could do better if we were directing our own lives. But can we make ourselves happier? Can we make ourselves kinder to others? We must admit that when we feel dissatisfaction with life, that something meaningful is missing. That feeling is there to show us the emptiness of our own pursuits and pleasures?

Proverbs 14:12: There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.

Perhaps what we really need is for God to deal with us in His divine way. Only when we sense that He's real, do we find what's meaningful in life.

We believe that if we were running the world, we would eliminate everything that's painful or unpleasant. We would make everyone prosperous and happy. No one would suffer injustice, prejudice, or intolerance. Our days would be filled with pleasure and fun. Our paths would be soft and easy. But our greatest misfortune is to have the sole responsibility for directing our own affairs. We have no wisdom for knowing what's best for us. Today is not the rest of our life. We have a long future ahead—and then hopefully, immortality thereafter.

Job 15:31-32: Let him not trust in emptiness, deceiving himself, for emptiness will be his payment. It will be paid in full before his time, and his branch will not be green.

What we believe will give us the greatest pleasure today—may work to destroy our future. Present gratification often bankrupts our future opportunities and potential, let alone our very souls.

2 Corinthians 7:10: Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.

Our desire for pleasure and our real needs, are not the same. We want gratification and prosperity, but perhaps what we really need is what pain, disappointment, self-denial, and loss teach us. We shrink from sacrifice and struggle. But these experiences cause us to grow beyond our self-centeredness and immaturity. They teach us to grow up. They teach us to be less self-indulgent. The Christian learns about the grace of God through struggle, and because of it, is made fit for service to God and others.

We should always remember that the object of living is not about our present comfort or to accumulate vast wealth and possessions, but to share the love of Christ with others. We're here to grow into the beauty of Christ and to do the measure of God's will that belongs to us. This makes it impossible to work in a vacuum or only for our own good.

FIND OUT WHAT GOD HAS FOR YOU

God has already decided our purpose and course. It's our place to discover what that course is and then pursue it with passion and conviction. Consequently, discovering our purpose comes through the many experiences that God gives us. We can't work out our own plan, for in the beginning, we don't know what God is calling us to. We can't choose our own experiences, because we don't know yet, how God will use them for His glory.

Ephesians 5:17: Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the LORD's will is.

There's something inspiring about imagining the journey God has for us. God doesn't expect us to drift aimlessly in life. And He doesn't want us to wonder endlessly about our purpose. We're sent from God to do His will on earth. The Bible tells us what God's general will is for our life is. Beyond that, God will gradually reveal our specific will as we grow in our knowledge of Him.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-19: Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit.

1 Thessalonians 4:2-4: For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the LORD Jesus. It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable,

GOD HAS A PURPOSE FOR YOUR LIFE

Jeremiah 29:11: "For I know the plans I have for you" declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

When we study the Word and grow in spiritual discernment, wisdom, and knowledge of who God really is, we move from feeding on milk to being able to chew meat. Becoming more familiar with the ways of God, helps us discern what God may be calling us to more specifically. This is our God-given purpose and it's God's will for every born-again believer.

1 Thessalonians 4:3: It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality...

1 Peter 2:15-16: For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God's slaves.

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE GIVER OF SPIRITUAL GIFTS

The Holy Spirit gives us spiritual gifts the moment we accept Jesus as Savior. These gifts enable us to carry out our calling in an effortless way. Each of us has a divine plan for our life—something God has expressly purposed for us to do. Our lives are in the hands of God. He chooses our place, orders our circumstances, and makes all things work together for our good.

Romans 8:28: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. New Living Translation. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

Our part in this divine plan is to accept God's will for our life. Gradually He makes that known to us day by day. If we'll acquiesce to His will—we'll fulfill our divine purpose, and in that purpose, find complete fulfillment.

When we pursue God's purposes for us, we feel His pleasure and love for us. We honor Him by doing His will. This is how we sense His love for us. If we don't feel His love, then we need to examine our motives and see if our heart desires to please God. It's a high honor that God trusts us to do His work on earth. To think that God, from the beginning of time, thought about us and had a plan all along for what we would do on earth.

Jeremiah 29:1: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

When we finally discover God's perfect plan for our life, we understand that His ways are better than ours. The road to that place is often painful, but in the struggle, there's abundant blessings as we enjoy the rest of God.

Hebrews 13:20-21: "Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepard of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, though Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."

Often when we experience a setback, illness, or loss of some kind, we feel like we've been put on a shelf. Everything seems to grind to a halt. It seems that our time and effort is being wasted. We think of all the things that need to be done, yet we sit there on the shelf, not able to do anything to move forward. We sit with folded hands in a darkened room. We feel this monetary cost is just too high. If we were directing the affairs of our own lives, we would not have sickness touch us.

Hebrews 10:36: You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.

Of course, we may never know all the reasons that pain and suffering come into our lives. We may never fully understand God's design for us in the trials of life. What we can be sure of is that we don't need to understand or even ask why. We know that God loves us immeasurably, and in that truth, we can trust Him to know what's best for us. His wisdom is infinite and one day we'll know all the reasons when we join Jesus in heaven.

Psalm 86:11: Teach me Your way, O Lord, that I may walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name.
CHAPTER 8

GOD WILL ALWAYS WORK TO PERFECT YOU

1 John 5:14-15: This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that He hears us- whatever we ask- we know that we have what we asked of him.

Is it possible for blessing and good to come from setbacks, disappointments, sickness, and heartbreak? The Master has other work and lessons to teach us. There's the outward work that we do, and then there's the "inward" work that must be done in us. Sometimes this inner work in our heart can't fully be appreciated apart from adversity. This "inner work" is often more important than any work we do out in the world.

The more we're unaware of what our "natural" inborn nature is apart from God, the more God must go to work on us so that we reflect His nature to others. Asking God to change us on a regular basis will keep us from resenting God when He must do a work in your heart. Free yourself from earthly thinking, emotions, materialism, status, and pride and you will learn to welcome God's work in your heart. Nothing is better than loving the real "you" that God has perfected.

2 Timothy 1:14: Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you - guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

1 Thessalonians 5:18: "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

There are certain lessons that we grasp only when we've come out of the dark room of sickness and grief. If we live in the glare of the bright sun, we don't go to the depths with God that we do in the darkness of our loneliness. Our shut-in days never need to be wasted days. Whatever they cost us in money, suffering, or loneliness, we come out richer for what they taught us. How else can we fully appreciate the wonder of life we've been given by our gracious Savior? The very Savior who died on our behalf to save us from sin and destruction.

Galatians 3:26-27: So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

Micah 6:8: He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

OUR SAVIOR KNEW SUFFERING, LONLINESS, AND SORROW

Our Savior experienced abuse and humiliation. He knew horrific pain, anguish, sorrow, and separation. He was rejected on earth by men and separated from His Heavenly Father.

1 Peter 1:10-11:...looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.

This is not what we would plan for our life. We would not want to suffer and die for something we weren't guilty of. Yet, Jesus, because of His great love for us, suffered and died on our behalf. To think of the crucifixion and all its cruelty is devastating and painful; nevertheless, Jesus was willing to endure the cross and injustice to save us from eternal death.

Hebrews 12:2:...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

GOD MAKES SOMETHING GOOD COME OUT OF TRIBULATION AND LOSS

Can we think of any way that sorrow leaves us better or richer? We know there are some blessings we'll never reach unless we're willing to pass the tests that those who enjoy heaven must endure. Perseverance teaches us that we are not frail and that we can endure; and endurance brings us great rewards from God. Prevailing against the odds gives us stamina and builds our patience, fortitude, and our opportunities, here on earth and later, in heaven.

1 Peter 1:6-7: So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

It may seem better if we could skip out on life's burdens and only experience happiness; but when we get "to our heavenly home" we'll see that the best days of our life were the days we thought were our saddest.

1 Peter 1:6: In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4: Praise be to the God and Father of our LORD Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

Matthew 5:1-4: Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them. He said: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."

Psalm 23:1-6: The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 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.

When we get to heaven, we'll understand that many of our misfortunes came from Satan and not God. Just like Job, we'll know in hindsight that God was working when we thought He had abandoned us. God doesn't make mistakes. When Satan is permitted to test us, God is always working on our behalf, even when we're not aware of it. And like Job, we're blessed especially for our worldly sorrows.

NO LONGER MY WILL BE DONE... BUT GOD'S WILL BE DONE IN MY LIFE

James 1:2-3: And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

It wouldn't be better if we had our own way. Just when we thought we were choosing wisely; we'd discover that we lost a heavenly good for a worldly trinket that lasted a day. When we thought the path we were taking would lead to worldly advantages, we discover in the end that it only left us wanting. This gives us many reasons to have immense gratitude that we're not solely responsible for managing our own lives. Thank God that He alone has infinite wisdom to direct our paths.

Psalm 31:15: "My times are in Your hands!"

ACCEPT GOD'S WISE AND PERFECT LEADING

We need only to accept God's way and go where He leads. In the end, we'll find that even in the smallest matters, we were wisely directed by God. We don't know what the future holds, but our future is secure when we turn it over to God and let Him handle all the details.

1 Peter 5:10: And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
CHAPTER 9

DELIGHTING OURSELVES IN THE JOY OF THE LORD

Perhaps we don't understand that we have a responsibility to push through the clutter of life to find lasting JOY. When God makes us joyful, our joy can't be contained. Finding the joy of the Lord is what makes like rewarding. We're nourished through joy. Joy is what sustains us in times of struggle and bereavement. Therefore, we're to develop a deep joy that's not affected by worldly sorrows...and our joy needs to be shared with others. It's meant to be passed on where it can positively encourage others.

Psalm 94:19: When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.

1 Peter 5:10: And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

The blessing God gave to Abraham wasn't only for Abraham's sake. He was the custodian of this gift from God so he could be a blessing to others. So, we must ask ourselves the question after receiving any blessing from God, "What did I do for others when God blessed me?" "What blessings of hope and encouragement did I pass on to others when God made my heart glad?"

Psalm 30:5: For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.

We should be able to encourage others to fight the good fight of faith. We remember with them that mourning is replaced with joy in the morning. God answers our prayers and gives us gladness so we may inspire others to look to God for the answers they need. Our mountain-top days are not merely experiences to be happy ourselves, but to encourage others to be happy as well.

When God reveals a new truth to us, or gives us renewed faith and hope, we must pass it on. Many people have lost all hope. Many more find life meaningless. And far too many are plagued by worry and fear.

But if we have the joy of Lord in our heart, it should shine forth and lift others up out of their heaviness. This is one of the ways we let our light shine before people. We should remember that we're responsible for what our faces say to others. The believer should not be going around showing signs of doubt, fear, irritation, unhappiness, or bitterness. We're not witnessing admirably for Christ—unless we're witnessing with our faces to the joy and blessing of God's abundant love.

Romans 15:13: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 12:11-12: Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the LORD. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer

WHEREVER WE ARE, WE HAVE THE LOVE OF JESUS WITH US

The world is a mirror that reflects our moods whether positive or negative. Joy should cause us to smile inside and laugh out loud. Our laughter causes others to laugh as well. Wherever we go, if we know the love of Jesus, there's a voice bidding us to share our joy.

We represent Christ, and Christ's face was always a blessing. He never caused anyone's burden to be heavier or their heart sadder with a downcast look. Our faces must shine the joy and light of Christ into their dark world.

Proverbs 15:13: A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.

IS YOUR COUNTENANCE JOYFUL?

Along with a joyful face, we're to have a joyful countenance. The mind of Christ should inspire us to have a personal ministry of kindness. When we've been warmed by God's fire of love, it's our duty to share that warmth with others. The ministry of kindness is always needed. Love is always kind and ministering. Nothing else does more to brighten this dark world.

Ecclesiastes 8:1: Who is like the wise man and who knows the interpretation of a matter? A man's wisdom illumines him and causes his stern face to beam.

Robert Louis Stevenson wrote in a letter: "It is the history of our kindnesses that alone makes the world tolerable. If it were not for that, for the effect of kind words, kind looks, kind letters, multiplying, spreading, making one happy through another, and bringing forth benefits, some thirty, some fifty, some a thousand fold, I would be tempted to think our life a practical jest of the worst possible kind."

Kindnesses are the small coins of love. We should always be ready to scatter these bright coins wherever we go. Kindnesses are usually the small things we do for others as we go along our life's journey. We don't know the value of these small acts or their far-reaching influence.

In the parable we're told how a mustard seed grew into a tree. In its branches the birds sang. We never know when we do a small thing out of our love for Jesus where it will end. Even the smallest seed will produce an abundant harvest of good when we let Jesus' love grow deep in our heart.

1 Peter 1:8: Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,

It's a beautiful thing to plant a flower that grows large and lush. It's the beginning to a garden that blooms even in parched places. It's worthwhile to plant the seed, to nourish it, and then wait for the beauty it brings in an otherwise dry and barren spot. It's personally rewarding to change a desert into a garden. But even more rewarding, is to witness love flourishing in the heart that only knew selfishness and hate before.

OUR LIVES ARE IN THE FATHER'S HANDS

Matthew 6:9: "Our Father in heaven."

There's infinite comfort in the fact that God is our divine Father. The name "Father" carries with it a whole theology of reconciliation, goodwill, and joy. If we're looking to define God, then we can define Him as LOVE.

IS GOD YOUR FATHER?

If God is indeed your Father, that's all you need to know! The question is settled once for all. We don't need to ask Him "why" when He's working in ways we don't understand. All we need to know is that He loves us unconditionally and forever. We know that infinite love is the guiding principle in everything He does.

Romans 5:5: "And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us."

Psalm 33:18: Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love,

If God is our Father, we don't need to be fearful about our future. Life is mysterious and we have days when our human reasoning finds nothing good in what we're going through. Everything seems hurtful. We find no love in the dark. At these times it brings us comfort to say: "God is my Father and He loves me completely. He never makes a mistake... and He won't make a mistake this time either!"

John 8:42: Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me."

1 John 4:7-9: Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.
CHAPTER 10

GOD'S LOVE GIVES US CONFIDENCE

It was this confidence that sustained Jesus in His darkest moments on the cross. When He couldn't see His Father's face—His faith found assurance in what He knew of His Father's love for Him. It was still "My God, my God." The anchor held. Then it was light again, and He said:

Luke 23:4: "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit."

JESUS IS OUR GARDENER

Jesus gives us the lessons we need to sustain us. He assures us that His Father has us firmly in His hands. "My Father is the gardener" He said to His disciples. The gardener watches over the vines. He knows how to care for them. He plants them where they'll grow the best. He prunes and cares for them, so they'll grow abundantly. They're never left to grow without the gardener's constant care.

JESUS IS OUR CARETAKER

When Jesus said: "My Father is the gardener" He was saying that the care of their lives would be in the hands of God, whose name is LOVE. He is not a mere mortal with faults and defects. He's the ONE AND ONLY ETERNAL GOD OF THE UNIVERSE. HE WAS AND IS! HE REMAINS FOREVER AND EVER! He's the One who made heaven and earth, and He knows how to care for us in His perfection.

Psalm 18:30: As for God, His way is blameless; The word of the Lord is tried; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.

Psalm 136:2: Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever.

Psalm 33:18: Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love,

Psalm 109:21: But you, O GOD my Lord, deal on my behalf for your name's sake; because your steadfast love is good, deliver me!

It's not chance that directs our lives. That's what atheists would have us believe. "There is no God" it tries to convince us! "Things happen. There's no one at the center who thinks about you. There's no hand but the iron hand of fate working in your affairs. There's no love, no heart. Only vast spaces. The universe grinds on with relentless power and what comes into your life—comes as the result of this undirected, loveless grinding" atheism tries to persuade us.

No wonder people are without hope—all because they choose to believe the lies and foolishness of this world, rather than the love of God. There's little comfort in godless teachings. It's never able to give us assurance in times of trouble. This is not what Jesus teaches. Jesus cares for His Father's world and for His Father's children. Not only did He create the world and us, but He adorned the world and us with beauty fitting for God's children. Jesus has not abandoned the world He created. Neither will He abandon us, the crown jewel of His creation.

Ephesians 2:10: For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

EVERYTHING IS UNDER GOD'S CONTROL

God doesn't leave His creation to chance. He's a God of order and divine rule. Jesus said in John 5:17:

" _My Father is always working, and so am I."_

All things are under God's infinite wisdom and control. The world is not a loveless machine that grinds out our daily fate. It's not Que Sera Sera...whatever will be, will be. God's heart of everlasting love is always front and center of everything that's ever been created. God doesn't need us to work all things out for our own good. He's not dependent upon our mind, physical strength, or ability to produce results. What He does ask is for us to trust Him and communicate with Him in all things through prayer and faith in His ability to manage our affairs.

Proverbs 3:5: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

Psalm 28:7: The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.

God is well able to meet our every need. He's a benevolent God who gives His children good gifts. Our part is simply to learn what God's will for us is—and then do it with a cheerful heart. This is our Father's world. Those who have given Him their heart—and their love, are the true children of God.

Romans 8:14: For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

If we trust Him to care for us, we don't need to worry about worldly outcomes or everyday concerns. We need to remember that Jesus told us to be anxious for nothing. As the turbulent days ahead will soon be upon us...let us claim this verse as our life verse.

Philippians 4:6: Be anxious about nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God

Isaiah 41:13: For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, "Fear not, I am the one who helps you."

Even if everything isn't going our way, we can trust God to work things out in the end. God has the power to turn any negative situation around to a positive outcome. Nothing is too difficult for God. He's not detoured by our weaknesses, failures, and occasional loss of faith.

Even when we're having a crisis of faith, it doesn't keep God from blessing us beyond measure. Look at Job's life and you'll discover how God blessed him with a double portion of blessings for his anguish. We must always remember that although we think our sorrows will go on forever, they are temporary—because our lives on earth are temporary. One day we'll join Jesus in heaven. And in heaven, we won't be thinking about earthly struggles.

2 Corinthians 4:18: So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

" _My Father is the gardener."_ It's the Father who transplants us into heaven with Him. When the pruning-knife cuts away things we hold tightly to, the Father does it because in the end it produces more fruit in our lives. It's not 'blind chance' that uproots us. Nor is it cruelty that brings suffering. "How can I believe that God loves me when I have so much distress?" people sometimes question. The answer to that issue is: "My Father is the gardener!"

John 15:1-2: I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.

Sometimes we don't observe that we're in need of serious pruning. It's no different for any child who receives training and correction from her parents. We don't understand because we can't see what the Father sees. We can't comprehend the future or what the Father has for us. But it's sufficient to know that God cares enough for us to keep us from wandering away from His protective care. If we only understood that this is real love. That the Father cares enough to keep us from hurting ourselves, even to the point of death.

Psalm 103:15-16: As for man, his days are like grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourishes. When the wind has passed over it, it is no more, and its place acknowledges it no longer.

BLESSINGS IN SPITE OF SORROWS

We should remember, too, that there are blessings that come to us only in sorrow. Even of Jesus, it was said that He was made perfect through suffering. All of us have the potential of spiritual depth, but it often takes suffering to fully develop it. If we can't endure suffering, we won't grow into full maturity.

A gardener will say: "I must cut these vines back, even if I don't have grapes for a couple of years." What is the result of such drastic pruning? The gardener will have sweeter clusters of succulent grapes when the two years is over.

Matthew 12:33: "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit.

This is a parable of Christian life. We should pray that we reach the highest levels of Christlikeness while we're granted time on this earth. God wants us to produce the best fruit our life has to offer Him and others.

Matthew 3:8: Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.

John 15:16:You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit-fruit that will last-and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.

Ephesians 3:17-19: "So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength 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."

JESUS THE GARDNER, MAKES OUR LIFE USEFUL

We were created to be useful. So, when we find ourselves face to face with difficulties, we must be conscious that it may be part of the Father's pruning process. If we allow the pruning process to teach us precious, life altering lessons we can't learn any other way, we'll come out the other side producing much sweeter fruit. We must not shrink from the experiences that bring us to our full usefulness. For it's in the pruning that we're made perfect and more yielding. What a glorious outcome we will one day experience when we let the Gardner have His own way with us.

1 Corinthians 2:7:...but we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory...

PRAYER FOR SALVATION

Your First Real Conversation with God

The _"_ _prayer for salvation_ _"_ is the most important prayer you will ever pray. When you're ready to become a Christian, you're ready to have your first real conversation with God. These are the components:

**-Acknowledge that Jesus Christ is God** ; that He came to earth as a man to live the sinless life that we cannot live; that He died in our place so we would not have to pay the penalty we deserve.

**-Confess your past life of sin** ; for living for yourself and for not loving and obeying God.

-Admit that you are ready to trust Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord.

**-Ask Jesus to come into your heart** to take up residence there. **Additionally ask for the power of the Holy Spirit** to help you overcome sin.

It Begins with Faith in God

**When we pray for salvation, we're letting God know we believe His Word is true. By the faith He's given us, we choose to believe in Him.** The Bible tells us that _"without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6)._

So, when we pray asking God for the gift of salvation, we're exercising our free will by acknowledging that we believe in Him. That demonstration of faith pleases God, as we have freely chosen to know Him more intimately.

Confessing Our Sin

**When we pray asking God for salvation we're acknowledging that we've sinned.** The Bible says of everyone except Jesus: _"For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23)._

**To sin is simply to fall short of the mark, as an arrow that doesn't quite hit the bull's-eye. The glory of God that we fall short of is found only in Jesus Christ:** _"For God, who said, "Let there be light in the darkness," has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ." (2 Corinthians 4:6, NLT)._

**The prayer for salvation recognizes that Jesus Christ is the only human who ever lived without sin.** _"For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21)._

Professing Faith in Christ as Savior and Lord

**With Christ as our standard of perfection, we're now acknowledging faith in Him as God.** _"In the beginning was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made" (John 1:1-3)._

**Because God could only accept a perfect, sinless sacrifice, and because He knew we couldn't possibly accomplish that, He sent His Son to die for us and pay the eternal price.** _"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)._

Prayer for Salvation - Say It & Mean It Now!

**Do you agree with everything you've read so far?** If you do, don't wait a moment longer to start your new life in Christ Jesus. You're simply expressing your heart to God.

Pray this:

"Father, I know that I have broken your laws and my sins have separated me from you. I repent of my sins and my past sinful life. Please forgive me. I believe that your Son, Jesus Christ, died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and now hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You and to do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen."

I've Prayed It; Now What?

**If you've prayed to receive salvation with true conviction, you are now a follower of Christ Jesus.** Religious systems may have led you to believe that you should feel something – a warm glow, a tingle, or some other mystical experience. The fact is, you may, or you may not. The Bible tells us that we can have assurance of your eternal salvation and destiny! _"...that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead,_ _you will be saved_ _" (Romans 10:9)._

You may ask, "Now that I am saved, what's next?" First, you need to get into a bible-based church and study God's Word. Once you've found a church home, you'll want to become water-baptized. By accepting Christ, you are baptized in the Spirit, but it is through water-baptism that you show your obedience to the Lord. Water baptism is a symbol of your salvation from the dead. You were dead, but now you live for the Lord Jesus Christ who redeemed you for a price! The price was His death on the cross.

Additionally, _ask God to_ _baptize you_ _in the fullness of the Holy Spirit_ _._ The Holy Spirit gives us His power and fullness to overcome sin and our carnal nature, so we can live victoriously. He helps us overcome temptation and the snares of Satan that cause us to compromise our testimony or move away from God. The Holy Spirit's power is needed to overcome this evil world. Additionally, the baptism in the Spirit gives us greater wisdom and understanding of spiritual teachings, which accelerates our spiritual growth and keeps our heart devoted to God.

" _And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12_

Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." John 3:5

" _And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' Acts 11:16_

" _Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20_

God Bless You in your new Christian life. The angels in heaven are rejoicing with God that you now belong to your heavenly Father and are a part of God's family. Walk with God faithfully, and you will live the abundant, blessed life Jesus died to give you.

**100 BIBLE VERSES ABOUT GOD'S LOVE FOR** YOU

Isaiah 41:10

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Romans 5:8

But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

John 3:16

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Romans 8:35-39

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

1 John 4:16

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

Ephesians 3:17-19

So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength 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.

1 John 4:10

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

John 15:13

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

Psalm 118:6

The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?

Psalm 147:3

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

Romans 8:31

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Psalm 103:8

The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

Jeremiah 31:3

The Lord appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.

Isaiah 43:4-5

Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life. Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you.

Romans 5:3-5

More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Ephesians 2:8

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

1 John 4:19

We love because he first loved us.

Revelation 21:4

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away."

Isaiah 53:5

But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.

Romans 10:13

For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

Psalm 62:8

Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah

Psalm 62:7

On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God.

Psalm 139:14

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.

Isaiah 49:16

Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.

Psalm 103:13

As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.

John 10:9-11

I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

Romans 8:28

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Isaiah 41:13

For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, "Fear not, I am the one who helps you."

John 1:12

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,

2 Corinthians 5:21

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Lamentations 3:22-23

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Hebrews 13:5

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."

Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Psalm 27:1-14

Of David. The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident. One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock. ...

John 14:6

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Zephaniah 3:17

The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

Psalm 63:3

Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.

2 Peter 3:9

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

John 3:36

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

Matthew 11:29

Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

1 John 4:8

Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

1 Corinthians 13:4

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant

Romans 10:9-10

Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

Matthew 28:20

Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

1 John 3:16

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

1 John 3:1-3

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

Isaiah 53:6

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Psalm 103:2-5

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

Revelation 3:20

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

Ephesians 1:3

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,

John 6:44

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.

Jeremiah 29:10-14

"For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

Luke 12:7-59

Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows. "And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God, but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God. And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, ...

Malachi 3:17

"They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him.

Jeremiah 33:3

Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.

John 3:16-17

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Acts 4:12

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

Isaiah 54:10

For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed," says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

Psalm 121:1-3

A Song of Ascents. I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.

Romans 10:17

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Romans 8:38-39

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Psalm 36:10-12

Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you, and your righteousness to the upright of heart! Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away. There the evildoers lie fallen; they are thrust down, unable to rise.

Psalm 19:7

The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;

Romans 11:22

Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.

Galatians 2:20

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

2 Corinthians 5:10

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

Psalm 46:1-11

To the choirmaster. Of the Sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A Song. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. ...

Titus 3:3-6

For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,

1 Corinthians 13:13

So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Romans 3:23

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Matthew 11:28-30

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Lamentations 3:26

It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

Proverbs 15:9

The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but he loves him who pursues righteousness.

1 Corinthians 15:3-4

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,

John 11:1-57

Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent to him, saying, "Lord, he whom you love is ill." But when Jesus heard it he said, "This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it." Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. ...

Matthew 6:24

"No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Jeremiah 9:24

But let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord."

Psalm 1:6

For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

John 17:23

I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.

John 5:24

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

Proverbs 5:7

And now, O sons, listen to me, and do not depart from the words of my mouth.

Revelation 12:11

And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.

John 21:7

That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea.

Isaiah 26:3

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.

John 21:1-25

After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We will go with you." They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, "Children, do you have any fish?" They answered him, "No." ...

Luke 18:13

But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!'

Matthew 10:29-31

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

1 John 2:3

And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; ...

John 15:9

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.

Jeremiah 31:13

Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy; I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.

Jeremiah 17:9

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

Psalm 119:1

Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord!

2 Corinthians 10:13

But we will not boast beyond limits, but will boast only with regard to the area of influence God assigned to us, to reach even to you.

Matthew 11:5

The blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.

John 13:34-35

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

Deuteronomy 33:12

Of Benjamin he said, "The beloved of the Lord dwells in safety. The High God surrounds him all day long, and dwells between his shoulders."

John 5:39

You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me,

Isaiah 43:4

Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life.

Hebrews 12:6

For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives."
