Friends

Friendship, said Christopher Robin, is a very comforting thing to have.

[A.A. Milne]

Proverbs 17:17 ... A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

John 15:13 ...  Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Proverbs 27:9 ... Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel. ❤

Four Principles ...

There are four principles we need to maintain: 

First, read the Word of God. Second, consume the Word of God until it consumes you. Third believe the Word of God. Fourth, act on the Word. 

[Smith Wigglesworth]

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2 Timothy 2:15 ... Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Psalm 119:103 ...  How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

Ephesians 1:13 ...  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

James 1:22 ... But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. ❤

Old Adam, Put in a Better Dress

Natural honesty, moral virtue, prudence, loyalty, liberality, temperance, these are not the new birth. These make a splendid show in the eye of the world, but they differ as much from the new birth, as a stick differs from a star! 

Morality indeed is commendable, and it would be well if there were more of it. Yet morality is but human nature at its best; it does not amount to saving grace. There is nothing of the Gospel, in mere morality. That fruit is sour which does not grow on the root of Jesus! 

Heat water to the highest degree and you still cannot make wine out of it; it is water still. Just so, let morality be raised to the highest it is human nature still. It is but old Adam, put in a better dress. Moral virtue may exist with the hatred of godliness. A moral man hates holiness as much as he does vice! 

[Thomas Watson] 

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John 3:3 ...  Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

John 3:7 ...  Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. ❤

Take Heed of The Company You Keep!!

Beware of unnecessary familiarity with the ungodly.

We cannot catch health from another, but we may soon catch a disease! The disease of sin is very contagious! I should be as afraid of going among the wicked as going among those who have the plague! "They mingled among the pagans and adopted their evil customs." (Psalm 106:35) If we cannot make others better let us take care that they make us no worse.

Lot was a 'miracle' he kept fresh in Sodom's salt-water!

My beloved, take heed of the occasions of sin evil company is a great occasion of sin. The Nazarites in the old law, as they were not to drink wine, so they were also forbidden grapes, from which the wine was made, as you read in Numbers 6. This teaches us, that all occasions of sin must be avoided.

Evil company is the devil's drawnet, by which he draws millions to Hell. How many families, and how many souls have been ruined and undone in this city by evil company? Many there are, who go from a playhouse and from a tavern to the bottomless pit!

[Thomas Watson]

Proverbs 13:20 ... He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed. ❤

The Prince of Peace

Peace does not come from circumstances.  Peace comes from Christ. He is the Prince of Peace!

Isaiah 9:6 ... For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Philippians 4:7 ...  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

John 16:33 ... These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. ❤

Unknown Mercies

When I look back over the path the Lord has led me, I can trace certain mercies clearly: answered prayers, near-escapes, unexpected provisions. Yet I often wonder how many more mercies lie hidden in the folds of His providence unseen, but no less real. How many times has His hand turned aside the danger I never sensed, hushed the accusation I never heard, or stilled the storm I never saw gathering? 

The psalmist calls Him "my strength and my shield." (Psalm 28:7) Strength is felt within; the shield guards externally. I feel His strength in the hour of trial, but His shielding is mostly secret. Every peaceful night's rest, every uneventful journey, every quiet day untouched by calamity is the fruit of His invisible mercies. The Lord protects His redeemed people from unknown adversaries: from the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil; from all the arrows that fly by day, and from all the terrors that haunt us by night. 

Knowing as we do that our adversary, the devil, walks about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour; our security from his hostile attacks is this the Lord is our shield. Though earth and Hell should combine their malice they are safe, whom God protects. If I could read the full record of His care, I would find that many a sorrow never came, because He forbade it; and many a snare never closed, because He broke it first. Someday in glory, when the curtain of time is drawn aside, I shall behold the multitude of dangers from which He rescued me and my praise will swell for mercies once unknown. 

Until that day, I would walk quietly under His watchful eye, thankful not only for what I remember, but for what I never knew. The same hand that fashioned the stars, guards my steps upon the earth. The same Shepherd who laid down His life for the sheep, now guides and keeps them in paths of peace. 

[Charles H. Spurgeon] 

Psalm 121:7-8 ... The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

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God Has Two Fires!

God has two fires: 

One where He puts His gold, one where He puts His dross. 

The fire where He puts His gold, is the fire of affliction to purify them. 

The fire where He puts His dross, is the fire of damnation - to punish them.

[Thomas Watson]

 Isaiah 48:10 ... Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.

Matthew 25:41, 46 ... Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: ...

And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

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ALL The Time!

We just don't need God when we are in trouble.  We need God twenty-four hours per day and three-hundred-sixty-five days per year!!  Amen!!

Philippians 4:19 ... But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Hebrews 13:6 ... So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

Psalm 37:3-5 ... Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.  Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

Philippians 4:11-13 ... Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.  I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.  I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

John 15:5 ...  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

1 Peter 5:6-7 ... Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 ...  In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

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Regeneration

Regeneration (or the New Birth) is the sovereign act of God, performed by the Holy Spirit through the Word, bringing a Hell-deserving sinner from spiritual death to life in Christ. 

1. The NECESSITY of regeneration. Every man and woman enters this world not as a blank slate, but as a fallen creature "dead in trespasses and sins." (Ephesians 2:1) Our hearts are deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked! (Jeremiah 17:9) By nature, we are enemies of God (Romans 8:7), children of wrath (Ephesians 2:3), and slaves to sin and Satan. (John 8:34) In our natural state, we have no spiritual life, no spark of goodness, no inclination toward God. Our will is bound by sin, our affections are corrupt, and our understanding is darkened! (1 Corinthians 2:14) Since this is the spiritual condition of every person, then nothing short of a new birth can save us. The words of Jesus to Nicodemus are absolute unless one is born again, he cannot even see the kingdom of God. Neither reformation, education, morality, or religion; can produce spiritual life from spiritual death. The heart of man is a little Hell; full of sin and only fit for the eternal fire. We are all born with a bias toward evil and leave the womb as heirs of wrath! "Do not be amazed that I told you, that you MUST be born again!" (John 3:7) To be born again is not a luxury, it is a necessity. There is no other way to Heaven. Without the new birth, you can never enter the kingdom of God. 

2. The SOURCE of regeneration. Regeneration is not man's work, but the Spirit's work from beginning to end. Man can no more create a new heart in himself, than he could create the world! It is the sovereign act of the Holy Spirit, applying the saving work of Jesus to the heart. The Spirit quickens whom He wills, through the preaching of the Word, according to the Father's eternal decree, and the Son's redeeming grace. (Titus 3:5)

3. The EFFECTS of regeneration. When the Spirit regenerates, He gives a new heart. The man now loves what he once hated Jesus, holiness, and truth; and hates what he once loved the world, the flesh, and the devil's delights. In regeneration, the man becomes a "new creation" (2 Corinthians 5:17); his affections are transformed, his desires are sanctified, and his life is increasingly conformed to the Lord Jesus. 

4. The eternal END of regeneration. The life begun by regeneration on earth, is consummated in the glories of Heaven. The believer, once a child of wrath, is now an heir of God and a co-heir with Jesus. (Romans 8:17) The end of regeneration, is eternal communion with Jesus, and the enjoyment of His presence forever! (Revelation 22:4–5) Christian, marvel at the sovereign mercy of God that when you were dead in sin, He made you alive in Jesus! (Ephesians 2:5) Let this truth humble you, sanctify you, and move you to worship Him who has rescued you from the dominion of darkness, and brought you into the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom you have redemption, and the forgiveness of sins! (Colossians 1:13–14)

[Charles H. Spurgeon]

John 3:3 ... Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

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Your Calling

 God did not choose the strongest, He choose the surrendered.

1 Corinthians 1:26-31 ... For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence.

But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

Under The Blood!

You may be under an attack but remember you are also under His Blood!

Isaiah 54:17 ... No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.

Luke 10:19 ... Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

Revelation 12:11 ... And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Psalm 27:1-3 ... The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.

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