All Equal in God’s Eyes

1 Samuel  30:9-25

Whoever said we are all created equal may have meant well, but its simply not true. Some men are strong and others not so much. Some are very smart while others are average. Some have great looks while others may be less attractive. So no, we are not all equal—at least not from a physical/mental/emotional  standpoint.

David and his men marched for 6 days before finding their homes destroyed and their people taken and then, a day of fast marching/running to try and catch up to them. Scripture tells us 200 of David’s men couldn’t go on and stayed behind with the baggage.  When the other 400 found and defeated the enemy, they retrieved everything plus a vast treasure of captured goods.

When David reunited with his troops who were left guarding the baggage, a group of his men decide they don’t want to share the spoils. This is how God refers to them in 30:24, “wicked and worthless fellows”.  The men who stayed behind didn’t “quit” because they were lazy, they were simply at their ends. The others who were blessed with the ability to go on and do battle—some, not all—looked down on their brothers as not worthy or not good enough to share in the victory.

1 Corinthians 12:20-25

No one part of the body, no individual, is more valuable in Gods economy than any other. We are all precious and wired exactly as God intended. If the 200 men had not stayed behind at the river, they would all have had to carry their own baggage which could have slowed them down and not allowed them to overtake the enemy. By staying back, those men allowed the others to do what they needed to do. Wicked and worthless are Gods words to describe those who would look down on His creation—on His redeemed in Christ.

Its not always easy to consider all our brothers as equals—but it is what God has called us to do.      

Father, help me to embrace all my brothers as you do us in Christ. Amen  — Steve Schmidt writes weekly for Freedom Fighter and serves full-time at America’s Keswick

Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 74-76; Acts 21:1-26

Quote of the day: Each of us has a splendid site for a heavenly temple. It looks out upon

eternity and commands a view of all that is glorious in the possibilities of existence. The house that is built upon it now, however, is a worthless wreck, it is past improving. Our patching and repairing is worse than waste. What God wants of us is simply that we

give him the possibilities of our lives and let him build upon them a temple of holiness which he will make his own abode and which he will let us dwell in with him as his happy guests in the house of the Lord forever. A. B. Simpson

Verse to Memorize: I cry out to the Lord with my whole heart; Hear me, O Lord! I will keep your statutes. I cry out to You; save me and I will keep your testimonies. Psalm 119:145-146

 

 

Pursuing Our Destiny, Part 12–The Discipline of Secrecy

But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret.  And your Father who sees in secret will reward you (Mt. 6:6, ESV).

 Jesus practiced what he preached.  If you’ll check out the times in the gospels where Jesus is praying, you’ll find that he’s almost always alone, and often he’s gone to some place no one else knows about.  He made a practice of not “tooting his own horn” like so many religious leaders of his day did with regularity.

It is out of Jesus’ teaching and practice that we get the discipline of secrecy.  It’s not commonly recognized as a spiritual discipline, but those engaged with the disciplines through the centuries have affirmed it as necessary for our formation in Christ.  What does this discipline look like; what does it mean?  I like the definition that Adele Ahlberg Calhoun gives in “The Spiritual Disciplines Handbook”: Secrecy is practicing the spirit of Christ reflected in hiddenness, anonymity, lack of display, and holding of confidences.

To look at it another way, it’s  serving God in the opposite way of the Pharisees.  Do you remember what Jesus said about them?  They do all their deeds to be seen by others.  For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces and being called “rabbi” by others. (Mt. 23:5-7, ESV)  The discipline of secrecy calls us to do our service for Christ in ways that draw attention to him and away from ourselves.

One writer sees this discipline as “keeping things from common knowledge or view. Giving up credit or praise. Choosing not to let our good deeds and qualities be known to others.”  He goes on to say that “secrecy allows you to do acts of love, kindness, sacrifice and service for others in the name of Jesus Christ without taking credit for it. You do things but nobody gets to know about it except God. Your reward is in heaven.”

Many of us are addicted to praise, affirmation, and acceptance.  We want people to see what we do because we “need” their approval.  Once we go down that road, we continually have to feed the monster we’ve created.  Ultimately, it will destroy us and leave us with no eternal rewards.  Like the Pharisees, we’ll already have received our reward, and it will leave us empty and unfulfilled.

The secrecy discipline also applies to our praying.  There is value in taking our needs and requests only to God and trusting him to hear, answer, and meet our needs.  We so often tell others more than we tell God, and our faith isn’t strengthened when others come to our aid.  Telling God alone and then waiting for God alone to meet the need will strengthen us and increase our faith.  There is value in staying in the prayer closet and keeping what happens in the closet between us and God while we wait on him!

Let me close my thinking with some words from Dallas Willard.  Secrecy at its best teaches love and humility before God and others.  And that love and humility encourages us to see our associates in the best possible light, even to the point of our hoping they will do better and appear better than us.  It actually becomes possible for us to “do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than ourselves. (Philippians 2:3)

How might God want us to practice the spiritual discipline of secrecy this week?  — Pastor John Strain blogs weekly on Freedom Fighter and is available for pulpit supply

Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 72-73; Acts 26

Quote of the day: The…duty rests on you, not to take up with mere surface reading. You must have your whole mind in it. For what use were your minds given but for this ? Be sure there is depth enough for the deepest mind. Go, then, and ask the Spirit to enlighten you fully. Do not be content with mere babe’s meat, but with meat for strong men, as the Lord grant. Robert Murray M’Cheyne

Verse to Memorize: I cry out to the Lord with my whole heart; Hear me, O Lord! I will keep your statutes. I cry out to You; save me and I will keep your testimonies. Psalm 119:145-146

 

Not Compatible

“That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” John 3:6

Recently I was shopping around for a new computer, scary. I’m a carpenter by trade and although I can find my way around some technology I would much rather shop for tools than electronics.

As I asked my geek friends what I should be looking for one word stuck out, “Compatible”. Now the dictionary describes compatible as – able to exist together harmoniously. I was told that if I was going to want my new computer to “play nice” with existing components I need to make sure it’s compatible.

As I ventured out it seemed that if I wanted the least amount of trouble, start fresh. In the conversation Jesus had with Nicodemus it seems to me that He is trying to explain to Nicodemus that his Religion is not compatible with Spiritual things. I can still remember my first thought when I was told “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” John 3:3b.

After shopping around for my new computer I came to the conclusion that it’s better to abandon the old and start new. I find that as I see the men of the colony begin their new life the success of their recovery can depend on whether they have abandoned their old life and embraced the new. Too many times I see them try to “fit in” Christianity and make it compatible with their old life.

If you were to study the scriptures and see the contrast of the Spirit and the flesh you will see that the two are not compatible. One of my favorite verses comes from Galatians 6:8 “For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life”.

So if you’re having trouble with your “connection”, don’t call the Geek squad, call Jesus, He’ll get you up and running…”With JOY”! —  Rob Russomano serves full-time at America’s Keswick and is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy

Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 70-71; Acts 26

Quote of the day: God is too wise not to know all about us, and what is really best for us to be, and to have. And He is too good, not to desire our highest good; and too powerful, desiring, not to effect it. If, then, what He has appointed for us does not seem to us the best, or even to be good, our true course is to remember that He sees further than we do, and that we shall understand Him in time, when His plans have unfolded themselves; meanwhile casting all our care upon Him, since He careth for us. Henry Parry Liddon

Verse to Memorize: I cry out to the Lord with my whole heart; Hear me, O Lord! I will keep your statutes. I cry out to You; save me and I will keep your testimonies. Psalm 119:145-146

It Isn’t All About Me …

But none of these things move me, nor do I count my life dear to myself … Acts 20:24

Last Monday we talked about “joy suckers” and how easily they can steal our joy. I hope you have been able to identify the joy suckers in your life and get the victory! It is an on-going battle – but we become “more than conquerors” one day at a time.

The second part of this amazing verse is the phrase “nor do I count my life dear to myself.”  And you know what – when we allow the joy suckers to rob us of our joy sometimes it is because we have reached the place where we really do believe it is all about us …

It is:

My agenda

My “to-d0” list

My expectations

My plan

Some days I get frustrated because I have planned out my day and interruptions come that just weren’t on my radar. It may be a phone call or someone out of the blue who shows up at the Front Desk who thinks their agenda is more important than mine.

For me this summer it seemed like every time I had a day off some one who mess up my plan. In fact one week, a guest died and I found myself getting ticked off. While I was driving over to the building to meet with the family the Holy Spirit nudged me again and said, “Hey Bill, it’s not all about you.”

Remember that Dr. Luke was recounting these words from Paul in his recording of Acts 20. If anyone had the right to say “nor do I count my life dear to myself” it certainly was Paul. Think about all the “unexpected” things that messed up his plans, agenda, and schedule.

Just maybe he was able to say this because he understood that there was a greater purpose for his life. I think he so grasped the gospel and the power of the gospel that he wrote “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I count all these things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ!” (Philippians 3:7-8)

Wow. Help me, Lord, to get to the place that I am willing to look at all the stuff as insignificant in order to gain more of Christ in my life. After all – it isn’t all about me – it is all about YOU!

Running the race with joy,

Bill Welte
President/CEO America’s Keswick

Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 68-69; Acts 24

Quote of the day: Actions speak louder than words, but not as often.

Verse to Memorize: I cry out to the Lord with my whole heart; Hear me, O Lord! I will keep your statutes. I cry out to You; save me and I will keep your testimonies. Psalm 119:145-146

Dealing with life 1 prayer at a time.

1 Samuel 30:1-8a

Every day we have issues come into our lives that we need to deal with. Some are very common and others, perhaps once in a life time issues. Regardless of their magnitude, quite often, my first instinct is to try and figure out what I need to do, how to solve the problem or resolve the issue. I consider myself a fairly intelligent man and possessing some degree of common sense. But there have been times—and there will be more—when life deals us days that no amount of intelligence or common sense will get us through.

David had one of those days. He had just returned home after being rejected by the Philistines and found his entire town and everything he and his army loved taken captive by the Amalekites. He and his men are devastated to have lost all the people they love as well as everything they owned. They are grief stricken—and mad. The men are blaming David for this tragedy and are ready to kill him.

Now for me, the answer to this situation would have seemed very clear—pick up your swords and get our people back. Do whatever it takes to stop the men from killing me and return our goods to our possession. But David does what all of us should do when we are faced with a dilemma—PRAY.

In 1 Samuel 30:8a, scripture tells us “And David inquired of the Lord”. He prayed. He knew that no matter how good his intentions, no matter how right his cause, if God was not directing his actions, he was not in Gods will and would most likely fail.

Why is this such a hard lesson for most men to learn? We have this “I can fix this” gene that needs to be replaced with a “Pray first” gene. God is always awake, always listening and always ready to direct our paths—if we will just call on His name and seek His wisdom.

Lord, help me to be a man who will fall to his knees before jumping to any conclusions on how to handle life’s many issues. Amen – Steve Schmidt serves full-time at America’s Keswick and is a weekly Freedom Fighter blogger

Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 60-62; Acts 22

Quote of the day: I can hardly recollect a single plan of mine, of which I have not since seen reason to be satisfied, that had it taken place in season and circumstance just as I proposed, it would, humanly speaking, have proved my ruin; or at least it would have deprived me of the greater good the Lord had designed for me. We judge of things by their present appearances, but the Lord sees them in their consequences, if we could do so likewise we should be perfectly of His mind; but as we cannot, it is an unspeakable mercy that He will manage for us, whether we are pleased with His management or not; and it is spoken of as one of his heaviest judgments, when He gives any person or people up to the way of their own hearts, and to walk after their own counsels. John Newton

Verse to Memorize: Your righteousness is everlasting and your law is true. Troubles and distress have come upon me, but your commands are my delight. Psalm 119:142-143

 

 

…to the 4^th Power The Biblical Skeptic

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 (ESV)

There are some polls out there that say that sixty-five percent of Americans believe The Bible answers all or most of the basic questions of life. There is no denying that God’s Word contains life experiences that are as relevant today as they were in the yesterdays. So why is it that a Biblical worldview has only been able to be attained by about nine percent of us? Maybe it is a problem in the understanding of it definition? You might ask “What is its definition?” Well, here it is…

1. Absolute moral truth exists…it doesn’t need to be voted on

2. Good works cannot earn a person to Heaven…it’s about the fruit

3. The Bible is totally accurate in all of its teachings…just read Proverbs

4. Jesus lived a sinless life…’nough said there, Amen?

5. Satan is a real being…and his job is to leave shopping carts in any available parking spaces at Wal-mart. (Well not really but it sure can seem that way on rainy days)

6. God is the all-knowing, all powerful ruler of creation…El Elyon Elohim

Now that the Biblical worldview has been defined why would people rely on other ancient writings (yet question the Bible’s reliability) like that of Homer or Aristotle? Or how about a more recent writer who penned titles like “Human, All Too Human” and “Beyond Good and Evil”, Friedrich Nietzsche? Well I think in terms of ancient writers they are so far in the past that we can’t rely there being any original manuscripts left and that is key to getting the authors true intent. Besides, the library in Alexandria, Egypt burned down back in the ancient times so there aren’t any originals to really speak of. And as far as Nietzsche goes, his human condition was in serious disarray as he wrote so I would contend that his view point came from that of madness.

In the Book of Acts, chapter 26, Luke gives us an accurate account with all the details to prove that there was a reluctance on Festus’ part to believe Paul. King Agrippa even states later on in the passage that he is almost persuaded to become a Christian. This tells us that us that God’s Word gives us both sides of dispute when it comes to rightly dividing His Word. In 2Peter 1:16 Peter comes right out and says, “For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” As you continue to read that passage along you realize that Peter is a witness to Christ Jesus coming to us and not a man who fabricated a story.

What needs to be brought up here is that The Bible was written by men under the influence of the Holy Spirit but The Bible is not man-made. The skeptic, with his worldview of Secularism thinks there is nothing eternal or sacred; therefore man’s ideas are frame-worked into the here and now. So we need to ask them, “If God really gave us a book, how would we know it came from Him?” Then help them walk through the ordinary and the extraordinary because they are both tied together. The Bible is honest about people and can be backed up by history and at the very least we can find ourselves in one of the Bible characters that shaped our need for a Savior to come and bring reconciliation between the creation and the Creator. – Chris Hughes graduated from the Colony of Mercy and is a weekly blogger for Freedom Fighter

Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 57-59; Acts 21:18-40

Quote of the day: “We should make it clear to the skeptic that we don’t believe just because “the Bible says so,” but because its authenticity is consistent with history and its accurate, extensive, and vivid depiction of the human condition.”—Bill Foster

Verse to Memorize: Your righteousness is everlasting and your law is true. Troubles and distress have come upon me, but your commands are my delight. Psalm 119:142-143

Pursuing Our Destiny, Part 11—The Discipline of Chastity

For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor (1 Thessalonians 4:3-4).

C. S. Lewis wrote that “Chastity is the most unpopular of the Christian virtues.”  If Lewis’ assessment was on target in his day, he would be doubly correct in our generation!  Even the thought of pursuing chastity in our culture is considered a bit “stuffy” and often completely disregarded, even in Christian circles.

Several years ago, during the time of their big stadium events, PromiseKeepers polled the men attending those events.  More than 50% of the men in attendance admitted some kind of unchaste behavior in the last year.  When we factor in that most of the men attending those weekend rallies were professing Christians, we can come to only one conclusion:  the American male, Christian or not, has a problem with sexual purity.

Chastity is so foreign to many of us, that I sense the necessity to provide a clear definition of the term.  As I understand it, chastity is the practice of sexual purity whether married or not.  For the unmarried, chastity includes celibacy.  But, the issue is not just abstinence from sex; it is living with a commitment to moral purity in our minds, hearts, and bodies.

We all need to hear God’s Word on this issue, too:

The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord (1 Cor. 6:13, ESV).

Flee from sexual immorality.  Every other sin a person commits is outside the        body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.  Or do you not            know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you whom you have       from God?  You are not your own, for you were bought with a price.  So glorify           God in your body (1 Cor. 6:18-20, ESV).

We must not engage in sexual immorality . . . (1 Cor. 10:8, ESV).

As simply as I know how to put it, those who want to pursue their destiny, i.e., to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29) cannot avoid the spiritual discipline of chastity.  Choosing to pursue purity is not only a discipline; it’s also a virtue.  Lauren Winner, writing for Focus on the Family said it this way:  . . . the most essential truth of chastity is that in turning away from certain expressions of sexuality and romanticism, we can allow ourselves to focus on God in a particular way that would otherwise not be possible. 

She goes on to say that we pursue purity, modesty, and moral integrity so that we can focus on our truest Lover, the Lord.  Practice chastity because, in the words of the 6^th-century monk John Climacus, “Chastity makes us familiar with God.”

All of us need to be reminded of the words in Hebrews about our Lord Jesus.  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15, ESV).  The very best reason for all of us to pursue chastity is to become more like Jesus.  He endured the same temptations all of us experience, and he didn’t sin.  Allowing this spiritual discipline to have its work in our lives leads us on the transformation, the renewing of our minds; that will make us more like our Savior. – Pastor John Strain is a weekly Freedom Fighter blogger

Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 54-56; Acts 21:1-17

Quote of the day: The Holy Scriptures are our letters from home. Augustine

Verse to Memorize: Your righteousness is everlasting and your law is true. Troubles and distress have come upon me, but your commands are my delight. Psalm 119:142-143

Believing Prayer

…call a sacred assembly. Summon the elders and all who live in the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD. (Joel 1: 14 NIV)

Question: Do we really believe that God hears and answers prayer? Do we want to see the Spirit of God moving in our churches? Then my question is this: What happened to prayer? Prayer meeting in most churches has become obsolete. If there is prayer meeting, much of our praying is praying for Aunt Susie’s sisters’s cousin’s brother who has a hang nail. I am being facetious for sure, but am I really?

When was the last time you experienced the power of God at a prayer meeting? Thankfully there are still churches like the Brooklyn Tabernacle that believe that God still wants to meet with us when we pray.

George Mueller was considered one of the most successful pray-ers in Christian history. Does God only answer Mueller’s prayers? Absolutely not. God did amazing things in the book of Acts when people prayed. Mueller wrote in his journal, “God will show up for prayer meetings, if only the people will.”

The late Norman Grubb said, “Prayer meetings are dead affairs when they are merely asking sessions. There is adventure, hope and life when they are BELIEVING sessions, and the faith is corporately, practically and deliberately affirmed.

Hey, I am not attacking your PASTOR and your prayer meeting. What I am suggesting is that God wants to do so much more, and He longs to meet us when we pray corporately and cry out to Him with believing faith.

Are we willing enough to be a part of another revival in our day? Are we willing to PUSH – Pray Until Something Happens? Think about it.

— Dr. Bill Welte

Keswick, America’s  (2012-12-13). Real Victory for Real Life Volume 2 (Kindle Locations 7409-7428).  . Kindle Edition.

Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 51-53; Acts 20:17-38

Quote of the day: Coals of fire cannot by concealed beneath the most sumptuous apparel. They will betray themselves as smoke and flames. Neither can pet sins belong hidden beneath the most ostentatious profession of faith. They will sooner or later discover themselves and  burn sad holes in the person’s reputation. Sin needs the quenching of the Saviour’s blood, not concealed in our secret closets.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Verses to Memorize: Your righteousness is everlasting and your law is true. Troubles and distress have come upon me, but your commands are my delight. Psalm 119:142-143

Joy Suckers

“But none of these things move me, nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy and the ministry I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” Acts 20:24

I have shared before that Acts 20:24 is our theme verse for 2013.  The Lord keeps using this verse in my life in so many ways.

Have you ever noticed how easy it is at times to lose your joy? Last week everyone was whining (including me) was complaining about the hot weather. The Lord blessed us  on Wednesday and Thursday with two beautifully cool days and everyone seemed to be whining about the cold weather. It made me chuckle. Are we ever satisfied?

This past week at America’s Keswick we had a rough week. Maybe it was the heat finally getting to everyone. Staff were complaining. Guests were complaining. Colony men were complaining. Everyone was complaining about something.

I found myself getting a headache and saying, “What is going on with everyone?” It seemed like every time someone said, “Can I talk to you for five minutes” it was to grumble, complain or criticize. I actually couldn’t wait for the week to end.

Again the Holy Spirit gently nudged me with the verse from Acts 20:24. “But NONE of these THINGS move me … so I may finish my race with joy.”

Wow. How easy it is for me to lose my joy. How easy it is for me to be come frustrated with the joy-suckers. But then I stopped and asked myself the question, “How have I been a joy sucker” with my wife? My kids? My staff? My donors? My friends?

I want to honest look at that. What are the ways that I can become a joy-giver to those God has placed in my life? Yes, there will always be joy suckers in our lives. But I am praying that the joy-suckers will not move me – but instead that I will finish my race with joy. Are you a joy sucker or a joy giver? Think about it.

Running the race with joy,

Bill Welte
President/CEO

Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 49-50; Acts 20:1-16

Quote of the day: The difference between a rut and a grave is the depth!

Verse to Memorize: Your righteousness is everlasting and your law is true. Troubles and distress have come upon me, but your commands are my delight. Psalm 119:142-143

Set Free

“Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” Hebrews 12:1b

One of my favorite worship songs is Chris Tomlin’s version of Amazing Grace. I love the chorus “My Chains are Gone, I’ve been SET FREE”! Now I’ve never been arrested or put in handcuffs but I understand the concept, you are bound and are not free.

I believe you don’t have to be in hand cuffs to bound or in bondage. As I have been attending the conferences at Keswick this summer, I have been challenged to put into practice the message we have been entrusted to. “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” James 1:22. One of the speakers boldly told us “The last thing most of us need is another message, you haven’t done anything with the ones you already heard” OUCH!

What is it that keeps us from being “Doers of the word”? What are the “Chains” that are holding us hostage and in bondage, that are preventing us from “acting” on what we already know. Maybe it’s fear, maybe unbelief or our priorities are out of wack.

Whatever it is, the best thing we can do is identify it as sin, confess it, and listen for the chains to fall off. I can sometimes fall into the trap of thinking just because drugs and alcohol are no longer a part of my life that I’m free. Well God has shown me that whatever prevents me from “Getting in the Game” and to “Run with endurance the race that is set before us”, is bondage and those chains have got to go. Amen! – Rob Russomano is a grad of the Colony of Mercy and serves full-time at America’s Keswick

Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 40-42; Acts 18

Quote of the day: I can hardly recollect a single plan of mine, of which I have not since seen reason to be satisfied, that had it taken place in season and circumstance just as I proposed, it would, humanly speaking, have proved my ruin; or at least it would have deprived me of the greater good the Lord had designed for me. We judge of things by their present appearances, but the Lord sees them in their consequences, if we could do so likewise we should be perfectly of His mind; but as we cannot, it is an unspeakable mercy that He will manage for us, whether we are pleased with His management or not; and it is spoken of as one of his heaviest judgments, when He gives any person or people up to the way of their own hearts, and to walk after their own counsels. John Newton

Verse to Memorize: Your promise is well tried and your servant loves it. I am small and despised, yet I do not forget your precepts. Psalm 119:140-141 ESV