Positive Thinking

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.

Proverbs 17:22  

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

Philippians 4:6  

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Matthew 15:11  

What goes into a man's mouth does not make him ‘unclean,’ but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him ‘unclean.’”

Philippians 4:13  

I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Romans 12:2  

Do not conform any longer 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.

Proverbs 15:1  

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Ephesians 4:31-32

31  Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 

32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

2 Corinthians 10:5  

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.

Old and New Covenant Contrasts

Brought death

2 Corinthians 3:7
Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was

Brought life

Romans 8:2 

Because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

Makes guilty

2 Corinthians 3:9 

If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness!

Makes free

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.

A shadow

Colossians 2:14-17 

14 having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. 

15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 

17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.

The reality

Hebrews 10:1-8 

1 The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. 

2 If it could, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. 

3 But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, 

4 because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

5 Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me;

6 with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased.

7 Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll— I have come to do your will, O God.’”

8 First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them” (although the law required them to be made).

Men Classed Their Kind as Sheep

Jesus Christ

Matthew 9:36

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Matthew 10:6

 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.

Matthew 10:16

I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.

Matthew 12:11-12

11 He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out?

12 How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”

Matthew 15:24

He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”

Matthew 18:12-13

12 “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off?

13 And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off.

Matthew 25:32-33

32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

John 10:27

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

John 21:16-17

16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.

Paul

Hebrews 13:20

May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep,

Peter

1 Peter 2:25

For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Learning to Live by Faith

Matthew 14:28  

“Lord, if it's you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

1. Faith enables us to live above common trials

2. Faith tests the waters between the known and the unknown

3. Faith realizes that underneath are the everlasting arms of God

Ravi Zacharias quotes 

.God, Word, Themselves

We all want Canaan without going through the wilderness.

. Wilderness

My premise is that the popular aphorism that 'all religions are fundamentally the same and only superficially different' simply is not true. It is more correct to say that all religions are, at best, superficially similar but fundamentally different.

. Best, True, Simply

Only through repentance and faith in Christ can anyone be saved. No religious activity will be sufficient, only true faith in Jesus Christ alone.

Faith Quotes

Smith, Sydney – “It is always right that a man should be able to render a reason for the faith that is within him.”

Stott, John R. – “Faith is a reasoning trust, a trust which reckons thoughtfully and confidently upon the trustworthiness of God.”

Teller, Edward – “When you get to the end of all the light you know and it’s time to step into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing that one of two things shall happen: either you will be given something solid to stand on, or you will be taught how to fly.”

Thackeray, William M. – “Tis not the dying for a faith that’s so hard… ‘Tis the living up to it that’s difficult.”

Fear 

Deuteronomy 3:2  

The LORD said to me, “Do not be afraid of him, for I have handed him over to you with his whole army and his land. Do to him what you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon.”

Deuteronomy 3:22  

Do not be afraid of them; the LORD your God himself will fight for you.”

Deuteronomy 4:10  

Remember the day you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, when he said to me, “Assemble the people before me to hear my words so that they may learn to revere me as long as they live in the land and may teach them to their children.”

Kinds of Tongues

Healthy tongue

Proverbs 12:18

Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Naughty tongue

Proverbs 17:4

A wicked man listens to evil lips; a liar pays attention to a malicious tongue.

Perverse tongue

Proverbs 17:20

A man of perverse heart does not prosper; he whose tongue is deceitful falls into trouble.

Soft tongue

Proverbs 25:15

Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone.

Stammering tongue

Isaiah 28:11

Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues God will speak to this people,

Isaiah 33:19

You will see those arrogant people no more, those people of an obscure speech, with their strange, incomprehensible tongue.

Backbiting tongue

Proverbs 25:23

As a north wind brings rain, so a sly tongue brings angry looks.

Charles Finney’s Quotes

~ It is the great business of every Christian to save souls. People complain that they do not know how to take hold of this matter. Why, the reason is plain enough; they have never studied it. They have never taken the proper pains to qualify themselves for the work. If you do not make it a matter of study, how you may successfully act in building up the kingdom of Christ, you are acting a very wicked and absurd part as a Christian.

~ A state of mind that sees God in everything is evidence of growth in grace and a thankful heart.

~ Sin is the most expensive thing in the universe.

~ A tender heart always brings great peace to the soul.

God Is Our Strength - Not Trusting In Our Own Strength

Ephesians 3:14-19

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 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.

Ephesians 6:10

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

Philippians 4:13

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Colossians 1:10-12

And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

1 Thessalonians 3:13

May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.

2 Timothy 4:17

But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it

1 Peter 4:11

If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

  

Jesus is the only way…

John 14:6 

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 10:9 

I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.

Acts 4:12 

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

Ephesians 2:18 

For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

John 1:14 

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

1 John 5:20 

We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true—even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

Hebrews 7:25 

Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

John 1:4 

In him was life, and that life was the light of men.

John 1:17 

For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

John 5:21 

For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.

Isaiah 41:10

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

Thoughts on Today's Verse....

Fear saps our will power and leaves us feeling depleted and hopeless. Yet very few of us have ever experienced a defeat so complete and bitter as the one God's people faced when Isaiah shared this message of hope. The preservation of Israel through their horrors to the time of Jesus, the resurrection of Jesus from the dead when all appeared lost, the triumph of the Church through centuries of persecution and opposition are all powerful reminders that underneath us are the everlasting arms of a mighty and loving God who will ultimately bring us to share in his eternal victory.

1 John 1:7

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

Thoughts on Today's Verse....

As we seek to please God and trust in his grace, more grace is supplied — we are given relationship with each other. And while Jesus' death was "once for all," its cleansing power goes on and on as long as our hearts are tuned to his grace and our hearts seek to walk his path.

Beth Moore’s Quotes

~ For most of us who have failed over and over, our faith nearly disintegrated because somewhere along the way we confused faith in God with faith in ourselves. We’ve let ourselves down so many times that now we’re nearly hopeless.

~ Spit out sins of pride. Nothing contributes more to the length of our stay in the pit. Pride is the number one reason why a person who knows better remains reluctant to cry out to God.

Daily Thoughts

. If Christ comes today, will you be prepared to meet Him?

. A few kind words can make the difference between giving up and going on.

. Neglect is all it takes to ruin a life.

. Believing Christ died--that’s history; believing He died for me--that’s Salvation!

. Christians can cope with their past because of their hope in the future.

. Never fear criticism when you’re right; never ignore it when you’re wrong.

. Fear God and will have nothing else to fear.

. If you hold your tongue now, you won’t have to eat your words later.