“So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.  (James 1:21) The Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed that is planted in the ground and starts out small, but then grows to become the largest of all plants with long branches, and birds can make nests in its shade. (Mark 4:31) We know from the…..

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“If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom.” (James 3:13) James reminds us that unless our faith produces good deeds, that it is dead and useless (James 2:17). He tell us that whatever we say or do, to remember that the law that is at work in our life was intended to set us free. So, by your conduct, not only your heart…..

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“He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for Him.” Hebrews 9:28b The word salvation here is the Greek word, sōtēría, Strongs# 4991. It means deliverance, preservation and safety. [1] We are told that now is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). The gospel of our salvation (Ephesians 1:13) leads us to fullness of life on earth as well as eternal life. And, in light of this,…..

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”And furthermore, it is not angels who will control the future world we are talking about.  For in one place the Scriptures say, ‘What are mere mortals that you should think about them, or a son of man that you should care for him? Yet for a little while you made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor.’  ‘You gave them authority over all things.’” Now when it says ‘all things,’ it means…..

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And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.” (Colossians 3:17 NLT) Charles Finney, in Power From On High, writes that Christians find their highest enjoyment and truest pleasure in pleasing God and seeking good of others. He argues that enjoyment is not about what you seek but what you experience as a result of choices that are wise. [1] Like love is the fruit of…..

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“Instead [of getting involved in foolish, ignorant arguments, that only start fights], train yourselves to be godly.  Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” (1 Timothy 4:8) So how do we train for godliness? The senior pastor at my church recently spoke about this in a sermon.  He said that if you want to win, you have to train.   To train, he noted, one entered…..

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“I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not!  It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ.” At the time that Jesus came, many knew the law.  They followed every detail.  And for every detail they did not know, they had Rabbi’s who would make up additional rules to follow.   They lived in bondage to keeping the law.  One wealthy ruler once…..

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“Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord.”  (Philippians 3:1); “Always be full of joy in the Lord.  I say it again—rejoice!”  (Philippians 4:4) Rejoice here is the same word that is used in Matthew 2:10 where the Magi saw the star was leading them to baby Jesus and they were overjoyed.   It was the fruit from searching for Jesus and finding Him.   There was joy in standing in God’s will and seeing His purposes divinely unfold…..

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2 Corinthians 5:15-17, “And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one according to the flesh [human origin and empowerment]. Although we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!” As…..

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2 Corinthians 10: 4-6 (NIV), “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.  We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.” I woke up this morning with a dream of talking…..

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