The Bible NETWork ~ Impacting the World for Christ one post at a time!

“He…was strengthened in faith.” Ro 4:20 NKJV
TRUST GOD’S WORD, NOT YOUR FEELINGS

Have you read the story of Isaac blessing his two sons when he was old, almost blind,
and nearing death (See Ge 27)? When Jacob, the younger son, wanted his older
brother Esau’s part of the family inheritance, which was twice as much, his mother Rebekah
helped him steal it. Here’s how she did it. Esau was hairy and Jacob had smooth skin. So
Rebekah wrapped Jacob’s arms and neck in goat hair and gave him some of Esau’s clothes
to wear. When Jacob went in to his aging father pretending to be Esau, his father asked
him to come near so that he could feel him. His father told him that he sounded like Jacob
but he felt like Esau, so he decided to trust what he felt over what he heard. As a result,
he gave the birthright that was destined for his firstborn, Esau, to his second-born son,
Jacob. Bottom line: he was deceived by what he felt. Now we know God was at work in
all this. But the point here is, you can’t always trust your feelings because they don’t
always line up with God’s Word and they can deceive you. You say, “I got my feelings
hurt so I haven’t spoken to my family in over a year.” Get over it! Learn to forgive. Refuse
to remain offended. Practice love. If you let feelings rule your life they will mess you up.
Feelings are like spoiled children: the more you indulge them the more they will control
you. You shouldn’t suppress your feelings or deny them, but you must not be led by them

“Forget not all His benefits.” Ps 103:2 NKJV
KEEP YOUR SENSE OF GRATITUDE

Author Philip Yancey writes, “On my first visit to Yellowstone National Park flocks of
tourists surrounded the geyser, Old Faithful, cameras trained like weapons, while a big
digital clock predicted the next eruption. We were in the dining room of the inn overlooking
the geyser when the clock showed one minute to go. So along with every other
diner, we rushed to the window to see the big event. We ‘oohed’ and ‘aahed’ and clicked
our cameras; some even applauded. But glancing back I noticed that not a single waiter
or busboy even bothered to look up. Old Faithful had become so familiar that it had lost
its power to impress them.” So here’s the question: why do we lose our sense of gratitude
and begin to overlook God’s goodness? For three reasons:
(1) Problems. If you close one eye and hold a penny close enough to your other eye,
you can actually block out the light of the sun. Getting the point? (2) Pressures. Sometimes
the perks we thought would bring us pleasure end up wearing us down. (3) People.
When they disappoint us we turn sour and forget all that God has done for us. What’s the
solution? “The [unfailing] love of the Lord never ends…Great is his faithfulness; his mercies
begin afresh each morning” (Lam 3:22-23 NLT). God’s mercies begin each morning, and
your gratitude should too. Indeed, your days should be saturated in it. Continual gratitude
comes from looking beyond your blessings to their unfailing source, the Lord. His
love, His faithfulness and His mercy are already at work when your eyes open each day.

“Let us not grow weary while doing good.” Gal 6:9 NKJV
THE POWER OF PERSEVERANCE (1)

One of the great themes of the Bible is—perseverance. Paul, who refused to quit, wrote:
“Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do
not lose heart.” Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “The great majority of men are bundles of
beginnings.” Are you merely a starter, or are you also a finisher? When the enthusiasm
for a new idea fades, when the odds against you increase and the results diminish, when
it looks as if success is impossible, you must keep forging ahead. Admiral Robert Peary
attempted to reach the North Pole seven times before he finally succeeded. Oscar Hammerstein
produced five shows on Broadway that were flops before staging Oklahoma,
which was seen by almost five million people during a record-breaking run of 2,212
performances. Quitting is more about who you are, than where you are or what you’re
up against. We all have our excuses. The truth is, external things don’t stop us; it’s what
happens to us on the inside! Most of us stop ourselves from reaching our potential. We
can pretend that people, things, and situations outside of ourselves are to blame, but in
reality most failures are just the result of a lack of bulldog-like tenacity. Leonardo da Vinci
said, “Obstacles cannot crush me. Every obstacle yields to stern resolve. He who is fixed
on a star, does not change his mind.” You must have a mindset to tenaciously pursue your
dream. The only guarantee for failure is to stop trying. There is no insurmountable barrier,
except your own inherent lack of purpose and persistence.

“We shall reap if we do not lose heart.” Gal 6:9 NKJV
THE POWER OF PERSEVERANCE (2)

There’s a legend about a soldier being court-martialed before Alexander the Great.
Believing the verdict was unjust, the soldier asked to appeal it. The conqueror informed
him that there was no one higher to whom he could plead his case. “In that case,” the
soldier replied, “I appeal my case from Alexander the Small, to Alexander the Great.” In
each of us there is a lesser self and a greater self struggling for supremacy. Your lesser self
says, “Not enough people believe in me. I’ll never make it.” Your greater self says, “My faith
in God and in myself is enough; I can make it.” Your lesser self says, “It’s taking too long
to realize my dream.” Your greater self says, “Dreams are realized one day at a time.” Your
lesser self says, “Enough is enough! I’ve taken too many hits.” Your greater self says, “I’ve
come too far to give up now.” Your lesser self says, “I don’t have the strength to hold on
to my dream.” Your greater self says, “Hold on a little longer; the darkest hour is just
before the dawn.” After speaking about being shipwrecked, stoned, imprisoned, betrayed,
hungry, thirsty, sleepless, cold and naked, Paul, who was resolute in his purpose and relentless
in the pursuit of it, writes: “Who is weak, and I am not weak” (2Co11:29 NKJV).
Where does that kind of strength and tenacity come from? God! The assignment God
gives you will never be greater than the grace He provides. So draw on His strength, keep
pressing ahead, pursue your goal and you will prevail.

“Stop being bitter and angry and mad at others.” Eph 4:31 CEV
DON’T GIVE IN TO BITTERNESS

When it comes to bitterness, here are two things you need to keep in mind: (1) It is
contagious. You are a part of the body of Christ. So what happens to you, and in
you, affects those you are connected to both positively and negatively. The Bible says, “If
one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with
it” (1Co12:26 NIV). A snakebite doesn’t just affect the body part that gets bitten; the venom
spreads through the entire system. “Keep a sharp eye out for weeds of bitter discontent.
A thistle or two gone to seed can ruin a whole garden in no time” (Heb 12:15 TM). Don’t
get upset and leave the church God has placed you in. You need them and they need
you. By overcoming bitterness you spread God’s blessing to others. (2) It can be overcome.
Here’s how: (a) Acknowledge and admit it. (b) Don’t rehearse it in your mind or recite it
to others. (c) Repent and renounce any attitude that’s not Christ-like. (d) Ask God to give
you self-control, then submit to His leadership. (e) Don’t infect others and don’t let them
infect you. (f) Without waiting for admissions or apologies, verbalize to yourself, God and
a trusted friend, your decision to forgive all wrongs against you. “Forgive one another as
quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you” (Eph 4:32 TM). This will set you free
to enjoy your relationship with God, yourself, and others. (g) Look for practical ways to “be
kind…[and] tenderhearted” toward those who hurt you (v. 32 NKJV).

“Your words…were my joy and my heart’s delight.” Jer 15:16 NIV
ACTING ON GOD’S DECISIONS

Together they built and pastored a great church. The husband was a gifted preacher
and musician who wrote songs and led worship. His wife was a Bible teacher who
knew God and taught His Word skillfully. But when he died, she experienced months of
depression before eventually bouncing back. When someone says, “If you really love God
and walk according to His Word you will never get depressed,” clearly, they have never
read the Scriptures and never been depressed. Elijah called down fire from heaven in a
spectacular victory, yet he became so depressed in the aftermath that he wanted to die.
“It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life” (1Ki19:4 NKJV). That’s major-league depression!
When you try to act super-spiritual and allow people to think you never battle in areas like
fear, failure, finances, family, or feelings, you give them a complex and cause them to
walk away feeling they’re not spiritual or mature enough to be used by God. Jesus uncovered
Himself and washed His disciples’ feet. Then He told them to do the same for one
another. You are never more effective than when you are transparent. Knowing that
leadership decisions had to be made concerning the future of their church, this pastor’s
wife felt overwhelmed and prayed, “Lord, I don’t know how to make all these decisions.”
God told her, “I have already made every decision concerning you and the church. My will
was established in the counsels of eternity. All you have to do is decide today what I have
already decided yesterday, and tomorrow you will walk in My blessings and benefits.”

“He is like a refiner’s fire and like launderers’ soap.” Mal 3:2NKJV
FIRE AND SOAP

Soap cleanses the outside, fire cleanses the inside. And the Spirit of God does both!
When you sin, repent! In-depth repentance brings in-depth cleansing. Don’t feel bad
about feeling bad, feel good about it. Be glad your conscience is still sensitive and responsive
to God. What you never want to hear God say is what He said about Ephraim:
“Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone” (Hos 4:17 NKJV). The fact that God is convicting
you of sin is proof of His love for you. God can forgive your sin but He cannot overlook it.
Unconfessed sin disrupts your fellowship with Him. Forgiveness is about more than just
escaping the penalty of sin, it’s about restoring your fellowship with God. You say, “Won’t
God get tired of me sinning and repenting?” If Jesus told Peter to forgive his brother
“seventy times seven” would He do less for you? The Bible says: “’Come now, and 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 be as wool’” (Isa 1:18 NKJV). When
you sin and try to hide from God you only prolong your misery. So the moment you
become aware of your sin, confess it, then leave His presence confident that He has forgiven
you. You’re not a loser, you’re a learner. Alexander Pope said: “A man should never
be ashamed to own he has been wrong, which is but saying in other words, that he is wiser
today than he was yesterday.”

“We will receive…grace to help us when we need it.” Heb 4:16 NLT
ARE YOU BEING TEMPTED? (1)

No matter how spiritually mature you become you will never outgrow temptation.
When you conquer it on one front it attacks you on another. And the closer you get
to God the more Satan will try to tempt you. Paul explains it this way: “The sinful nature
wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants…These two forces are
constantly fighting each other” (Gal 5:17 NLT). So what’s the answer? Here are two ways
you can overcome temptation: (1) Be honest about it. Ask yourself, “When am I tempted
most?” Usually we are most vulnerable when we are under stress: when we are hurt, angry,
worried, alone, bored, tired, or after a big success or spiritual high. Learn to identify your
patterns: “God’s people…protect themselves by watching where they go” (Pr 16:17 CEV).
(2) Reach for God’s help. “Call on me in times of trouble. I will rescue you” (Ps 50:15 GWT).
So why don’t we call on God more often? Because sometimes we just want to do what
we want to do, right? Or we are embarrassed because we keep giving in to the same
temptations. Don’t be discouraged; God won’t give up on you. His Word says, “Let us…
come before God’s throne where…we [will] receive…grace to help us when we need it”
(Heb 4:16 NCV). If you have to cry out for God’s help every hour of the day, He will be
there for you! Just as the roots of a tree deepen when storms come, each time you stand
up to a temptation you become stronger.

“Your life is shaped by your thoughts.” Pr 4:23 GNT
ARE YOU BEING TEMPTED? (2)

Ever watch a food commercial on television and suddenly feel hungry? That’s the power
of suggestion. Whatever can grab your attention can capture you. Simply repeating, “I
must stop drinking, or smoking, or overeating, or lusting,” doesn’t work because it just
keeps you thinking about what you don’t want. Instead of trying to remove those thoughts,
replace them. Once your focus is on something good, evil begins to lose its grip. Only by
reprogramming your mind can you keep it centered on the right things. The Bible says:
“Don’t let evil get the upper hand but conquer evil by doing good” (Ro 12:21 TLB). Satan
can’t get and keep your attention when your mind is given to something else. That’s why
Paul writes: “Fill your minds with…good” (Php 4:8 GNT). Fighting a thought is futile; it only
strengthens the connection between you and it. By dwelling on it you actually reinforce
it. Hit the remote; change the channel! Furthermore, you don’t overcome temptation by
fighting the feeling of it. The more you fight a feeling, the more it engages and draws you.
Turn your attention to something better! Your mind is where the battle is won or lost. Start
managing your mind and monitoring your media intake. The Bible says, “Your life is
shaped by your thoughts.” The Psalmist prayed, “Keep me from paying attention to what
is worthless” (Ps 119:37 GNT). Is this easy to do? No, it takes discipline and practice. But
with time, and God’s grace, you can change the way you think and overcome temptation.

“God is no respecter of persons.” Ac 10:34
PREJUDICE

Prejudice is the product of a lazy mind. It’s contempt, prior to investigation. Your first impression
of someone is incomplete, and often inaccurate. Don’t assume your intuition
is always right. Don’t make lasting decisions based on limited insights. Your success in life
will be adversely affected by prejudice, fear, and any form of discrimination you allow to
color your thinking. Jesus never determined a person’s worth based on their race, gender,
financial status, or appearance. He was comfortable in the presence of fishermen and tax
collectors. He was at ease with the rich and the poor. He knew that every person He met
had potential and He never looked down on them because of their past. Born to a mother
who conceived Him as a virgin, He knew what it meant to have a questionable background
and be subject to the rumor mill. But He rose above it. And He broke tradition. The
Samaritans were considered such a lower class of people that Jews wouldn’t talk to them.
But Jesus did. In fact, He went out of His way to meet with a five-times-divorced Samaritan
woman, discussing the mysteries of worship with her and changing her life. When
Peter, who struggled with prejudice, was called to introduce the gospel to the first group
of Gentiles, he had to acknowledge, “I perceive that God is no respecter of persons.” That
day God dealt with some of Peter’s deep-seated biases. And He will deal with yours too!
If “God so loved the world” but you don’t, how can you claim to be “godly”?

“I have…determined to do his will.” Isa 50:7 NLT
BE PASSIONATE ABOUT IT

Isaiah said, “I have set my face like a stone, determined to do His will.” You’ll never have
real success with anything until you become passionate about it. The Psalmist wrote,
“My heart is steadfast” (Ps 57:7 NKJV). The word “steadfast” means to have a commitment
that’s as strong as rock. Henry Ford was passionate about automobiles. Thomas Edison
was passionate about light. The Wright Brothers were passionate about flying. Paul was
passionate about evangelism. You will only be remembered in life for what you were
passionate about. Standing before Pilate, who tried to judge Him, Jesus said, “For this
reason I was born, and for this I came into the world” (Jn18:37 NIV). Eight inches of thorns
would crush His brow. A spear would puncture His side. Spikes would be driven into His
hands. Thirty-nine stripes would tear His back to shreds. What He felt most passionate
about could only be achieved through pain. The same will be true in your life. You may
feel insignificant. You may have to start out small. But when what you love begins to consume
your mind, your thoughts, your conversation and your schedule—then you are
headed for success. Do you dread going to work? Do you watch the clock? Does your
mind wander to other places and things you would rather be doing? Then you won’t succeed.
Find something you feel passionate about, something that energizes you, something
worthy of building your life around. Jesus did, and He won the world.

“A man of two minds [is]…unstable and unreliable and uncertain about
everything.” Jas 1:8 AMP
STOP TRYING TO CONTROL EVERYTHING

Do you have a compulsive need to find a solution to every problem, and to control
everything? Do you always have a back-up plan in case things don’t go the way
you think they should? Have you noticed that the more you try to “fix” things, the more
anxiety you experience? The Bible says, “The mind of the flesh […sense and reason…] is
death…But the mind of the…Spirit is life” (Ro 8:6 AMP). “Fixing” is the opposite of
“trusting.” Now God doesn’t want you to be mindless or helpless, He just wants you to live
by faith and not head knowledge. When you learn to trust God and operate in “the mind
of the Spirit,” you experience peace even when you’re surrounded by tough circumstances.
One of the pitfalls of human reasoning is that it causes you to become double minded and
stuck: “A man of two minds [is] unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything.”
What frame of mind do you live in? Instead of always trying to figure everything out, learn
to be comfortable not knowing and trust the One who does. Decide that each time you
feel anxious you’ll stop and pray: “Lord, I’m not going to try to figure this out myself, I’m
bringing it to You, trusting You for the answer.” When you stop struggling with the whens,
wheres, whys and hows, you start experiencing God’s peace in a way you never have
before. You also put yourself in a position where God can intervene on your behalf. So stop
trying to control everything.

“Revive us again.” Ps 85:6 NKJV
THE REVIVAL WE NEED (1)

For the next few days let’s talk about the revival we need in the church today.
First, a revival of life. True revival begins with an honest recognition that we have
become spiritually dull, dry, and even dead. Ezekiel describes it this way: “The hand of the
Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the
midst of the valley; and it was full of bones…and indeed they were very dry…He said to
me, ‘Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, “O dry bones, hear the word of the
Lord!”‘…And as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones
came together…and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an
exceedingly great army” (Eze 37:1-10 NKJV). Ezekiel’s vision teaches us the following
truths: (a) Revival begins with acknowledging we are not a healthy, connected, functioning
body. (b) Our church services have become too formal and dry. (c) We must hunger
for God’s Word. Otherwise we live in denial, excusing and rationalizing our spiritual
condition. God said to Israel, an agricultural people, “Sow to yourselves in righteousness,
reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and
rain righteousness upon you” (Hos 10:12). Notice the elements in a true revival: an emphasis
on righteous living; showing mercy to one another; recognizing our careless and
cavalier attitude toward sin; crying out to God in sustained, heartfelt prayer, “Revive us
again, that your people may rejoice in You.”

“Your word is…a light for my path.” Ps 119:105 NIV
THE REVIVAL WE NEED (2)

Second, a revival of Light. Your job takes up about ten hours of your day, including
travel. Sleeping, eating, bathing and dressing take another ten. Your family and your
hobbies, etc., account for the remaining hours. Today a “committed church member” is in
church two to three times a month. Do the math. Out of 168 hours in your week, about
ninety minutes are given to spiritual growth—less than one percent! And what are the results?
Spiritual ignorance and weakness. Divorce is as common inside the church as outside.
Believers have as big a problem with pornography as unbelievers. The alcoholism and
addiction rate is roughly the same. A recent ABC News poll found that while certain
churches are growing rapidly, many of the newcomers have an “eclectic theology.” They
believe in the resurrection, but they also think reincarnation is okay. They believe God
guides through prayer, and also through horoscopes. While devout Muslims commit
themselves to memorizing the Koran, the average Christian doesn’t read their Bible once
a week. As hard as your pastor may try, spoon feeding you from the pulpit and burping
you at the door won’t make you spiritually mature. “Your word is…a light for my path.”
You’ve got to put God’s Word at the top of your daily “to do” list. “No longer be children,
tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men…
but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ”
(Eph 4:14-15 NKJV).

“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” 2Co 3:17 NKJV
THE REVIVAL WE NEED (3)

Third, a revival of liberty. Is the Holy Spirit welcome in your church? Are you responsive
to His leadings? It’s okay to have a program as long as you’re willing to let God change
it. Now that doesn’t mean somebody can just jump up and interrupt the pastor’s sermon.
God is a God of order. You say, “But I felt led by the Spirit to do it.” Really? The Holy Spirit
is a gentleman; He won’t speak through you when He is already speaking through
God-ordained leadership. God works through structure. If you doubt that, look at how
He planned the tabernacle in the wilderness and Solomon’s temple. There were times
when God’s presence was so strong that the priests were unable to conduct the service
as usual; all they could do was fall on their faces before Him. And we must pray for and
welcome such times too. But liberty isn’t license to do as you please. Paul addresses the
liberty/license argument in these words: “For you, brethren, have been called to liberty;
only do not use your liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one
another.” The liberty Christ brings sets us free from the need to “show off,” and instead
teaches us to “serve one another.” Paul bottom-lines it: “Now the Lord is the Spirit; and
where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” You say, “What does that mean?” It means
that when you make Jesus “Lord,” He sets you free to enjoy His presence in church, at
home, in business, and in every area of life.