Author: admin

The world is obsessed with women and their appearance. Billboards, television advertisements, movies, and magazines all highlight the dazzling appearance of women. As a result, women can feel enormous pressure to spend many hours working on their external self, while neglecting their walk with God. Yet in God’s eyes, it is the woman who has a healthy reverence for God that is beautiful. Having the fear of the Lord means she truly understand how awesome God is. It means she takes His commands seriously. It also provides a powerful sense of accountability to her life.

In the course of a man’s work, he may meet various women who have dressed professionally and attractively. In the workplace, people tend to look their best. Men ought to be focusing on what God looks at. A pure heart and devotion to God are beautiful in heaven’s eyes. Devotion to God ought to be much more praiseworthy than a designer outfit! Christian men must not let the secular world program them to value and look for the same things it does. Godly men ought to esteem godly women. Too often, however, we obtain our values and standards from the world.

The popular media has glamorized women based on their appearance (often altered electronically for pictures) and upon sex appeal. Yet the high divorce rate and unhappiness among media celebrities betrays the shallowness of such values.

Scripture knows that the godliness of a wife or husband is of far greater importance than their outward appearance. Some people spend untold hours sprucing up their exterior while carelessly neglecting their inner life. They may appear beautiful at first glance, but upon closer examination, their inner character is repulsive.

For those who have been blessed with a virtuous wife, they need to be treated as someone of great value. Unfortunately, they can be inadvertently taken for granted.Women of virtue do not always demand their rights or cry loudly at their neglect. Yet they deserve to be treasured. Has God blessed your life by granting you a virtuous spouse? Treasure her, for she will bring much joy and peace to your home.

No one is perfect. At certain moments, anyone can say foolish things or show indiscretion. The key is not that we always utter wise words with robotic regularity, but that when we do say things we shouldn’t have, we quickly correct the problem. At times we can hear words coming out of our mouth that we know are beneath us and that bring dishonor to Christ. We might be horrified to hear the self-centered or destructive words that are flowing out of our mouth.

That is the moment to bring that conversation to an abrupt end. It isn’t always easy. We may have already gathered an audience. Perhaps those listening are speaking in the same vein. Like stopping the flow of water after a break occurs in a dam, it can be difficult to bring conversations to an end once the words are flowing.

Yet while we cannot go back and retrieve words once they have been uttered, we can put an immediate stop to them once we realize we are sinning. Showing self-control at the end of the day is still better than demonstrating no self-control at all. If you have developed some bad habits in which you say things you shouldn’t, take decisive action today to put a stop to it. You are still the master of your mouth. You can stop sinful behavior any time you choose to.

Our world today assumes that it sets its own standards for correct living.

Well-meaning Christians are constantly making statements such as: “I just believe,” or “who am I to judge?” or “as long as no one get’s hurt” or “God loves us despite what we do.” We inadvertently set our own standard on what is right and wrong and, in the process, ensure that whatever behaviors we are exhibiting are conveniently placed in the “acceptable” category.

This is essentially what the ancient Israelites did when they built idols to worship. They crafted much more than a figure made of stone or precious metals. They also created the god’s value system. The gods that people created never condemned their immorality, in fact, they encouraged it. The false gods never rebuked them or challenged their hypocrisy. Values and standards were as fleeting as peoples’ moods.

Of course, when we set the standards for our behavior, we tend to find that our actions are always noble and good. After all, we know we meant well. We can minimize God’s word where it seems outdated or unreasonable and we can magnify biblical commandments that we feel we have mastered. Yet ultimately, we are not the ones who determine what God’s standards are. He does. God does not measure us by what we intended to do or what we believe are good behaviors to practice, but what we actually did. God has never delegated the supervision and amendments of His standards to anyone else. He certainly will not do so in your case.

There is much debate about those who wish to delete from scripture passages and verses that prove uncomfortable to them. Some wish to excise the accounts of miracles. Others would brazenly remove accounts of Christ’s divinity. Yet others would discard verses that contradict their professed theology. Such treatment of Scripture is anathema.

However, there is an equally abominable practice and that is adding things to Scripture that it does not explicitly teach. Just like the Pharisees of the New Testament, these people want to make verses of Scripture “stronger” than what is found in the actual text. These people seek to “fill in the gaps” for what the Bible does not actually say. They ban behaviors that Scripture does not explicitly condemn. They make certain practices mandatory when Scripture is silent on the issue. In people’s well-meaning attempts to “protect” the Bible, they actually deface it by changing what the divine author meant in the first place.

Some people add to Scripture because they want to make it stronger. But they accomplish the opposite. God’s word has proven the test of time. It has not required any amendments. While there may be some facts we wish the Bible had chosen to reveal, nothing is lacking when it comes to how we should live.

Be careful when people begin telling you facts and principles that are not found in the Bible. Anyone who feels a need to supplement Scripture’s teachings has too low a view of God’s word. God has already given us everything necessary for life and godliness (2 Timothy 3:16).

God does not beat around the bush! He never says things in half measures or doublespeak. God’s words are pure. Mark Twain once commented that many people struggled with passages in Scripture they did not understand. He confessed that he had difficulty with the passages that he did understand. Those preaching and teaching God’s word may not always be pure, but the words of God being preached are always without blemish.

Because God’s words are true, and pure, they bring great comfort and protection to those who believe and follow them. When we hide our life in God’s word, we have God as our shield to ensure His word proves true in our circumstances. Despite thousands of years, no one has found God’s word to be false, when they accepted it and obeyed it. Instead, doing things God’s way has provided enormous comfort and strength.

When you live your life on your terms, you are the one who must serve as a guarantor that your life principles are trustworthy. However, when you base your life on God’s word, then He is responsible for ensuring that His word proves true in your life. God has an impeccable track record when people have trusted His word. Your life will be safe when you embrace God’s word for your life as well.

There are many things in life for which we could be fearful. Crime, violence, disease, terrorism, heights, flying in airplanes, public speaking, spiders and snakes! While you might have some real struggles in overcoming your fear of snakes or heights, God is prepared to assist you in freeing yourself from being intimidated by people.

Many people habitually come on strong toward others. They huff and they bluff and they threaten and make loud, menacing pronouncements that are designed to intimidate those who are listening. Yet as with everything, God’s people quietly take what others say to God for His evaluation. Not only is God unimpressed with peoples’ threats; He actually laughs at them (Psalm 2:4).

Tragically, much of God’s work on earth is hindered because His people are afraid to obey what He told them. People excuse their lack of witnessing to others or public testimony for Christ because they feel uncomfortable doing so. Some refuse to take a stand for righteousness out of inordinate concern for how others will respond. Others refuse to obey God’s leading for fear of opposition or misunderstanding. As a result, God’s people allow their fears to prevent them from obeying God and experiencing spiritual victory.

When we focus on what people are saying, we can easily become intimidated. When, however, we place the threat of others in light of God’s powerful presence, we clearly see that we have nothing to fear.

Anger has the power to destroy even the strongest people. It causes us to set our reason aside and say and do things that harm us as well as others. Anger divides people and causes deep wounds. It leads us to disregard the consequences of our words or actions in our burning desire to satisfy our wrath. Allowing anger to remain in our life is playing with fire. Harm is inevitable.

Some people are addicted to anger. They have been upset for so long they would not know how to live any other way. Because they assume their anger is justified, they do not seek a remedy. Because they feel angry, they justify the pain and suffering their harsh words and acts cause others.

If you are a person who gets angry, then you are an angry person. If this is your case, stop justifying your temper. Take your anger to Christ and persist with Him until He sets you free (Colossians 3:8). Your life is too brief and precious to squander it harming others because of your wrath. Anger poisons your soul. You may believe it is justified, due to what others have done to you, but its stultifying effects on your soul will rob you of the joy and laughter that could have been yours. Take your anger to the cross today, and leave it with Christ. You can be set free today.

There are many ways to treat those you lead. You might speak to them dismissively, as if they are beneath you. You could attempt to squeeze every ounce of labor and effort out of them to further your purposes. You may simply relate to them with sublime disregard, as if they had no more humanity than your car or dishwasher. Or, you may be a demanding and demeaning taskmaster who is generous with insults and parsimonious with gratitude.

The manner in which you treat others has enormous implications for how others work with you. People may be in your employ, but that does not necessitate that they give you their best effort. There may be grumbling in the ranks. You may suffer a high turnover of employees and volunteers. Your reputation may be tarnished in the community.

However, when you treat those who work with you well, you draw out others’ best efforts. People will be loyal and more willing to go the extra mile. Over a lifetime of treating others with respect and generosity, there will be many who are grateful they had the opportunity to work with you.

How well do you treat those who work with you? Would you want a boss like yourself? What adjustments might you need to make so your treatment of those who work with you honors Christ?

This is perhaps one of the most misquoted verses among leaders! It has traditionally been translated, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” That seems perfectly fine to most leaders. Leaders are all about developing a vision for their organization, then ‘selling’ their vision and encouraging their people to ‘buy in’ to it. Those who don’t support the leader’s vision are eventually ushered out the door for not supporting the leader.

But that is not what this verse is saying. It claims that without revelation, the people have no sense of direction. People can drum up a vision. They must receive a revelation. Revelation occurs when God discloses what His agenda is. Without a word from God, people do what is right in their own eyes. The key to spiritual leadership is receiving a word from God.

Some leaders are so busy developing their own goals and objectives and constructing their next Power Point presentation that they have scant time to hear what God is saying. Unfortunately, God is not obligated to make our plans succeed, regardless of how noble their aim may be. God is unimpressed when we initiate efforts in His name. God is concerned with achieving His purposes, His way.

Have you received a fresh revelation of God’s will lately? Have you been listening?