Man has an inborn hunger for God. He cannot be satisfied with anything less than God. God alone can supply the bread which satisfies the inner longing of your soul and the hunger of your heart... The Bible says that He is the Bread of Life

"Suffering and success go together. If you are succeeding without suffering, it is because others before you have suffered; if you are suffering without succeeding, it is that others after you may succeed"

Because God often allows crisis in our lives in order to get our attention. All of a sudden we're laid flat on our backs and we're forced to look up

A different result in the lions' den would not have been a failure by Yahweh. Daniel knew what the Lord could do, but he was at peace no matter what his God chose to do. His obedience was settled whether he lived or died. We do not obey God to avoid death; we obey Him without fear because we understand death does not have the last word

The most common mistake Christians make in worship today is seeking an experience rather than seeking God

There is an old story that tells about a pig. ... The farmer brought the pig into the house. He gave him a bath, polished his hooves, put some Chanel No. 5 on him, put a ribbon around his neck, and put him in the living room. The pig looked fine. He made a nice and companionable pet for a few minutes. But as soon as the door was opened, the pig left the living room and jumped into the first mud puddle that he could find. Why? Because he was still a pig at heart. His nature had not been changed. He had changed outwardly but not inwardly.... You can take a man—dress him up, put him in the front row in church, and he almost looks like a saint. He may fool even his best friends for a while, but then put him in his office, or in the club on Saturday night, and you will see his true nature come out again. Why does he act that way? Because his nature has not been changed. He has not been born again.

Regardless of circumstances and how you feel, hang on to God's unchanging character. Remind yourself what you know to be eternally true about God: He is good, he loves me, he is with me, he knows what I'm going through, he cares, and he has a good plan for my life.

God views our lives from and for eternity, so he is never in a hurry. The moment you open yourself to Christ, Jesus begins to work in your life. You may think you have surrendered all your life to him, but the truth is, there is a lot to your life that you aren't even conscious of. You can only give God as much of you as you understand at that moment. That's okay. Once Jesus begins to work, he takes over more and more of your life until all of your is completely his. There will be struggles and battles, but the outcome will never be in doubt. God has promised that "he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion."

Remember that your character is the sum total of your habits

When people are casual about their growth in Christlikeness, it shows they don't understand the implications.

Behind everything you do is a thought. Every behavior is motivated by a belief, and every action is prompted by an attitude.

This is God's definition of success - being exactly who God made you to be so that your life can have meaning.

If you want to hear God speak, you must first cultivate an open mind. You have to be willing, ready, and eager to hear from him so you can receive what he has to say.

If you want to hear God whisper to you, you have to be quiet.

When you learn to live in light of eternity, your values change. You use your time and money more wisely. You place a higher premium on relationships and character instead of fame or wealth or achievements or even fun. Your priorities are reordered.

Set goals according to God's direction. The Bible says, "We may make our plans, but God has the last word." (Proverbs 16:1 GNT) In other words, planning without praying is presumption. Start by praying, "God, what do you want me to do?" Live one day at a time. Decide to make the most of each moment of your life to accomplish God's will in your life. Jesus said, "Don't be anxious about tomorrow. God will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time." (Matthew 6:34 LB) Don't procrastinate. Do it now! "Don't boast about what you're going to do tomorrow, for you don't know what a day may bring forth." (Proverbs 27:1) Procrastinating is a subtle trap. It wastes today by postponing things until tomorrow.

Goodness is the fact that God gives us good things in life that we don't deserve. Mercy means God holds back the condemnation we deserve.

Abraham Lincoln in a letter to a friend said, "I am profitably engaged in reading the Bible. Take all of this Book upon reason that you can, and the balance upon faith. You will live and die a better man."

Life is a glorious opportunity, if it is used to condition us for eternity. If we fail in this, though we succeed in everything else, our life will have been a failure.

To have a guilty conscience cleansed and to be free from its constant accusation is an experience, but it is not the cleansing of the conscience that saves you; it is faith in Christ that saves, and a cleansed conscience is the result of having come into the right relationship with God.

The Bible does not teach that sin is completely eradicated from the Christian in this life, but it does teach that sin shall no longer reign over you.

man was created in the image of God and cannot find complete rest, happiness, joy, and peace until he comes back to God.

God put us on this earth for a purpose, and our purpose is fellowship with God and to glorify God.

There can be no peace until we find peace with God.

We should ask ourselves three questions before we speak: Is it true? Is it kind? Does it glorify Christ?

We are therefore overwhelmed with present cares and distrusts, because we do not understand, and remember, what we have known and seen of the power and goodness of our Lord Jesus.

"The secret of happiness is not to do what you like to do, but to learn to like what you have to do."

This is true worship: bringing pleasure to God as we give ourselves completely to him. Surrendering is best demonstrated in obedience, cooperating with your Creator. You say "Yes, Lord" to whatever he asks of you. God is not a cruel slave driver or a bully who uses brute force to coerce us into submission. He doesn't try to break our will, but woos us to himself, so that we might offer it freely to him. God is a lover and a liberator, and surrendering brings freedom, not bondage. When we completely surrender ourselves to Jesus, we discover that he is not a tyrant but a savior; not a boss, but a brother; not a dictator, but a friend.

To give to God the PRIME of our lives, the BEST of our time, talents & treasures (3Ts), is to serve Him consistently and persistently with the BEST of our attitude, attention & abilities (3As)!

"When they're young, always talk to your children about God. When they grow up, always talk to God about your children."

I look at my dedication to You, Jesus, my Lord and Savior, and am ashamed -You gave everything for me. May I always live totally committed in love to You.

Following God's path requires faith that He knows where we should go and patience that He knows how to lead us there.

But if a man has enough to live on, and yet when he sees his brother in need shuts up his heart against him, how can it be said that the divine love dwells in him? My children, love must not be a matter of words or talk; it must be genuine, and show itself in action.

God has never promised to remove all our troubles, problems, and difficulties. In fact, sometimes I think the truly committed Christian is in conflict with the society around him more than any other person. Society is going in one direction, and the Christian is going in the opposite direction. This brings about friction and conflict. But God has promised, in the midst of trouble and conflict, a genuine peace, a sense of assurance and security, that the worldly person never knows. - Billy Graham

A little learning may take a man away from God, but full understanding will bring him back.

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” Isaiah 26:3

Our deeper yearnings and longings can be met only by a close relationsip with the One in whose image we were created, God.

Our own lives may seem at times to be morally good and decent; but in comparison to the holiness and the purity of God, we are defiled and filthy. In spite of our sins and moral uncleanness God loves us. He decided to provide a righteousness for us. That is the reason that He gave His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross.

The Bible teaches that the law was given as a mirror; I look into the law and see my spiritual condition. I see how far short I come, and this drives me to the cross of Christ for forgiveness. The Bible teaches that this is why Christ came—to redeem them that were under the law. Man could not keep the law, he was condemned by the law.

We can do nothing to "deserve" answered prayer. Rather, we need to rely on God's grace and mercy to give according to His riches in glory.

Help me not to count the cost of serving You, Lord Jesus, but let me be completely yielded to Your leading.

There is sorrow in my soul when I remember how I fail You, loving Lord. Forgive my frailties.

When we have faith in God, circumstances will no longer dictate our peace and contentment. We are able to be patient and wait on God's timing instead of forcing our own agenda.

Our preaching has purpose Our faith has forgiveness Our death has deliverance Our service has significance

You have no excuse, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you practice the very same things

God’s kindness is meant to us to repentance

For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified

The righteousness of God is manifested through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. We are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, to be received by faith.

Present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life

I do not know much about God, but what I do know has changed my life

“Said the robin to the sparrow, ‘I should really like to know, Why these anxious human beings Rush about and worry so.’ Said the sparrow to the robin, ‘Friend, I think that it must be, That they have no heavenly Father Such as cares for you and me.’”

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. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”

But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong

People are little creatures with big capacities, finite beings with infinite desires, deserving nothing but demanding all.

God made people with this huge capacity and desire in order that He might come in and completely satisfy that desire. God made the human heart so big that only He can fill it.

You cannot work your way toward happiness and heaven, you cannot moralize your way, you cannot reform your way, you cannot buy your way. It comes as a gift of God through Christ.

If God can be fully proved by the human mind, then He is no greater than the mind that proves Him.

what you hope for shapes what you live for

It is not the temptations you have, but the decision you make about them that counts.

what one generation accepts the next embrace. what one rejects the next neglects

Temptation shows what people really are. It does not make us Christian or un-Christian. It does make the Christian stronger and causes him to discover resources of power. You can benefit from what might be tragedy, if you will only discover that in just such a time of temptation, Christ can become more real to you than ever, and His salvation will become more meaningful.

Between seedtime and harvest comes a time of waiting. Roots shoot down, digging their way through the ground. It takes time for this to happen, and it takes place underground. Above the ground, you can't tell anything is happening. After we plant seeds of obedience, we feel like nothing is happening, but all kinds of things are happening inside where we can't see. And like the seed that finally bursts through the ground with a beautiful green shoot, our seeds of obedience will finally break forth into a beautiful manifestation of God in our lives. Prayer Starter: Lord, because seedtime is necessary for harvest time, I won't get discouraged while I'm waiting and feeling like nothing's happening.

what a person believes shapes how he lives

"Surely your goodness will pursue me." - King David is not saying, "Surely only good things are going to happen to me!' He knew as well as anyone that bad things happen to good people. David's point is that only God's goodness will follow after, or pursue, him. No matter how bad, or evil, or difficult something seems, God will work it out for good. It's one of God's great promises that he's given to believers: We know all that happens to us is working for our good - if we love God and are fitting into his plans (Romans 8:28). If you're a believer, the Bible says all things are working together for good - - not that all things are good - - but working together for good. There is no difficulty, dilemma, defeat, or disaster in the life of a believer that God can't ultimately turn toward his purpose.