LIFE IN THE SPIRIT – THE GREAT DANGER

Many of you have been blessed by the weekend writings of Pastor John Strain. He is our Pastor and we are blessed by his friendship and ministry. Yesterday’s message was powerful and the outline below is one that I want to encourage you to use to dig deeper in your walk with the Lord:

“God designed each of us to know Him, love Him and serve Him. We do that effectively when we experience “Life in the Spirit.” To live any other way is to live a sub-normal Christian life. That’s why we need to understand “THE GREAT DANGER” that attacks those who want “LIFE IN THE SPIRIT.”

1. Danger lurks at the door when we GRIEVE the Holy Spirit. To
grieve is to make sorry.

2. Danger lurks at the door when we QUENCH the Holy Spirit. To
quench is to extinguish.

3. Danger lurks at the door when we TEST the Holy Spirit. To test is
to deliberately disobey.

4. Danger arrives at the door when we exhaust God’s patience.

So here are four keys to avoiding THE GREAT DANGER:

1. Pursue godliness and resist the enemy.

2. Walk humbly.

3. Live obediently.

4. Choose surrender over independence.

I trust that this simple outline will cause you to think and dig a little deeper. It was what I needed to hear yesterday. – Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK.

God’s WORD for YOU: 2 Chronicles 17-18; John 13:1-20

Think about this: Most Christians are like a man who was toiling along the road, bending under a heavy burden, when a wagon overtook him, and the driver kindly offered to help him on his journey. He joyfully accepted the offer, but when seated, continued to bend beneath his burden, which he still kept on his shoulders. “Why do you not lay down your burden?” asked the kind-hearted driver. “Oh!” replied the man, “I feel that it is almost too much to ask you to carry me, and I could not think of letting you carry my burden too.” And so Christians, who have given themselves into the care and keeping of the Lord Jesus, still continue to bend beneath the weight of their burden, and often go weary and heavy-laden throughout the whole length of their journey. – Hannah Whitall Smith

Wise and Simple-the Path to Secure Living

If you’re a regular reader of Freedom Fighters, you’ve read a lot on the same general theme this week. Bill Welte challenged you earlier in the week to BEWARE the tricks of the enemy with whom we are at war. Chris Hughes wrote Thursday and quoted Dallas Willard as he told us to get off the treadmill and avoid temptation. Yesterday, I wrote about the prudent man who sees evil approaching and runs from it.

I want to continue the theme of careful living today. The Apostle Paul writes wisdom for us in Romans 16:19: “For your obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf; but I want you to be WISE in what is good, and SIMPLE concerning evil.”

The issue, again, is personal responsibility. We live in the power of the Holy Spirit, but the Spirit empowers us to live responsibly. He helps us make wise choices and decisions. All of us know the stories of those who make bad choices and have to live with the consequences. Here is truth we must accept-we don’t have to make those bad choices.

I’d like us to consider two questions this morning. 1) How wise are you and I in what is good? Do we pursue good? Do we work at learning what is good and then choosing it? The Apostle wanted the Romans, and us, to live for that which is good. He knew that choosing good protects us and empowers our witness in the world.

Here’s the second question: How simple are we concerning evil? Most of us live too comfortably with evil. We let it live to close to us and lose the simplicity toward evil that Paul desired for us. Many of us are too confident in ourselves and think we can handle evil. The Apostle urged us to live so far from evil that we’re “simple” or “innocent” toward it. He’s telling us we should be as unacquainted with evil as possible.

So, you and I have make choices. We can listen to the Spirit and become wise in what is good. Or, we can listen to our enemy and flirt with evil. We’ll lose our simple innocence and live in danger rather than security. The choices are ours. May God help choose what is good and be ignorant of what is evil! – Pastor Strain is Senior Pastor of First Baptist Toms River http://www.fbctomsriver.com/

God’s Word for YOU: 2 Chronicles 15-16; John 12:27-50

Think about this: Duties are ours, events are God’s; When our faith goes to meddle with events, and to hold account upon God’s Providence, and beginneth to say, ‘How wilt Thou do this or that?’ we lose ground; we have nothing to do there; it is our part to let the Almighty exercise His own office, and steer His own helm; there is nothing left for us, but to see how we may be approved of Him, and how we roll the weight of our weak souls upon Him who is God omnipotent, and when we thus essay miscarrieth, it shall be neither our sin nor our cross. — Samuel Rutherford

The Responsibility of Self-Protection

Sometimes God just pulls things together in ways that make clear what I need to write for these weekend Freedom Fighter emails. (I want to thank Bill Welte for giving me the privilege of writing the weekend editions. It’s a blessing!) So, on to pulling things together.

Last Tuesday during my morning readings I ran across this verse in Proverbs 27:12. “A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself; the simple pass on and are punished.” Then, I read from “The Seeking Heart” by Fenelon. (If you haven’t used this book as part of your quiet time, you ought to think about it!) Fenelon says “Hold true to what is right so that no one will drag you back to sin. You will have an easier time of it when people know that you cannot be swayed from your commitment to God. If you leave yourself open to go astray, you probably will.”

Then, last Wednesday, Bill Welte wrote in the FF that we must beware the tricky and deadly deceptions of the devil. His comments took me back to what I’d read the previous day, and I knew what I needed to write for today’s FF.

All of us who pursue freedom in Christ know that we are completely dependent upon the triune God for all we need to live life as He has designed it. That does not free us from responsibility. We can and must make wise choices in protecting ourselves. To do less is foolish.

The Proverbs verse assures us that we can be sensible and aware enough of what’s going on around us to see evil coming. Seeing it approach gives us time to run to God for protection through His Word, prayer, the armor of God (Ephesians 6), and the help of others who love God. To ignore incoming evil is foolish and leads to punishment. It’s that simple.

The key to this is understanding that we prepare for evil BEFORE it arrives. That’s where the line from Fenelon comes into play. “If you leave yourself open to go astray, you probably will.” Leaving ourselves open is the opposite of practicing prudent awareness of what’s going on around us. Allowing God to build prudence into our lives protects us from those openings to go astray. If we wait until evil arrives, we don’t have a chance!

You and I can pursue prudence and know protection from evil. We have the responsibility to protect ourselves so we leave no opening to go astray. May God help us! – Pastor John Strain is Senior Pastor at First Baptist Toms River

God’s WORD for YOU: 2 Chronicles 13-14; John 12:1-26

Think about this: Sometimes you have asked, “Lord, make me like Your Son.” And He took you at your word and began the process and you said, “Lord, what happened? Why did You allow this to come into my life? What are You doing with this drying brook?” He answers, “Nothing, except answering your prayer.” For never forget, Jesus Christ, “Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered” (Heb. 5:8). –Howard G. Hendricks

EXPECT ACCUSATION FROM WITHIN

” … the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night.” Revelation 12:10

Growing up I hated tattle-tales! I got in enough trouble as it was, but there was always one in the bunch who had to tattle. A tattle-tale is a finger pointer and that is precisely one of the items on Satan’s job description.

Pastor and writer, Kenny Luck, reminds us that, “emotionally, he is like a category five tornado swirling with anger, making large sucking sounds, yanking people up by the roots, displacing them without mercy, tossing them around, and dumping them in some distant emotional cornfield. That’s what the Devil purposes to do every day to God’s people whenever and wherever the opportunities present themselves …

The good news is that because we have THE ADVOCATE (1 John 2:1) nothing he says sticks in God’s courtroom! However he likes to put on trial with other men and that is where he loves to play. Pastor Kenny reminds us that “a lot of us have a past, some of us have regrets, and EVERYBODY owns hidden self-doubts, insecurities, frailties, wounds, defects and fears. These accessories of the fallen nature act like adhesive for the Accuser to pin accusations on our spirits and discourage us. When a man gets a healthy dose of self-pity, self-despair, or self-condemnation, he arrives to MAGNIFY those thoughts and views to feel fatal and final. He loves to exaggerate the NORMAL and elevate it to extremes:

“I made a mistake” becomes “I ALWAYS blow it!”

“I need to work on that” becomes “I’ll NEVER change!”

“Well, that didn’t go well” becomes “Well, what did I expect?”

“I may need some support in this” becomes “I could never talk about THAT!”

“This is making feel overwhelmed at the moment” becomes “Life is falling apart!”

“This isn’t easy” becomes “How does this always happen to me?”

“I need to figure this out” becomes “This is just like God to do this to me!”

Pastor Kenny goes on to say: “Misery loves company, and Satan is happy to oblige. He magnifies misery to obscure God, isolate you, and get you to medicate your despair with substitute pleasures. Satan says, “Get angry, get high, get nasty, get drunk, get on the Net, get even, just get busy!” Whenever emotions, words, and conclusions begin to be EXAGGERATED, take a deep breath, take a break, and take inventory of reality … If you don’t deal with how you FEEL inside, Satan will use what you leave to manipulate, exaggerate, and motivate you to find ‘solutions’ that will harm you.’ (from FIGHT – coming this summer from Waterbrook Press).

That’s why it is so important for you to be connected daily in the Word, in prayer, and with a local church!!! We cannot do this on our own, guys! Stay connected! – Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

God’s WORD for YOU: 2 Chronicles 10-12; John 11:30-57

Great Quote: Let us give ourselves to God without any reserve, and let us fear nothing. He will love us, and we shall love Him. His love, increasing every day, will take the place of everything else to us. He will fill our whole hearts; He will deprive us only of those things that make us unhappy. He will cause us to do in general, what we have been doing already, but which we have done in an unsatisfactory manner; whereas, hereafter, we shall do them well, because they will be done for His sake. Even the smallest actions of a simple and common life will be turned to consolation and recompense. We shall meet the approach of death in peace; it will be changed for us into the beginning of the immortal life. — Francois Fenelon

A Pebble in the Pathway

“What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. And you are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel.” James 4: 1-2

Ah…to work in the secular world. I wake up to this statement pretty regularly these days. It’s the “busy season” for me and praise God that it truly is busy. Or I would be saying “Ah…to be unemployed.”

I drive to work listening to preachers or teachers (Dr. Jamie Mitchell’s in the disk player…don’t ask why) and arrive with a message. Until I walk in the door. Then in some unforeseen turn of events there is chaos and disorder. This would have not been too much to deal with in my youth but the times have changed…and so have I.

The battle for position and favor can be immense. The way I hear some folks speak of others has really become too much to bear. And you know what? Sometimes I’m catching myself with a slip or two. What a wretched man I can be. And then I stumble upon these verses in James. Gut check time, again.

Every once in a while I hit a pebble in my walk. The world can rub you until you get a skid mark or two but as a doer of the Word I should be more aware of my surroundings. I know James wrote these verses to those believers outside of Jerusalem at the time but they are just as useful now. People are going to want what they do not have and they will make others look bad to get it. Even if it kills them.

Brothers are you driving to this scene everyday like me? Was there a message you had or a glow you wanted to share with the “world” and it did not even take notice? You are not alone. Jesus walked this earth and had trials with the same kind of folks you and I deal with on a daily basis. He remained steadfast and they killed Him on the cross. A price you or I could not pay. I think I need to remember that before I walk through the door at work. I think you should too.

Here’s a good quote,

“Those who let God be God get off the conveyer belt of emotion and desire when it first starts to move toward the buzz saw of sin. They do not wait until it is moving so fast they cannot get off of it. Their aim is not to avoid sin, but temptation-the inclination to sin. They plan their path accordingly.” From “Renovation of the Heart” By Dallas Willard – Chris Hughes is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy.

God’s WORD for YOU: 2 Chronicles 7-9; John 11:1-29

Think About This: Is it a small thing in your eyes to be loved by God – to be the son, the spouse, the love, the delight of the King of glory? Christian, believe this, and think about it: you will be eternally embraced in the arms of the love which was from everlasting, and will extend to everlasting – of the love which brought the Son of God’s love from heaven to earth, from earth to the cross, from the cross to the grave, from the grave to glory – that love which was weary, hungry, tempted, scorned, scourged, buffeted, spat upon, crucified, pierced – which fasted, prayed, taught, healed, wept, sweated, bled, died. That love will eternally embrace you. — Richard Baxter

BEWARE

” … in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.” 2 Corinthians 2:11

The older I get and the more deeply entrenched I become in the ministry of America’s KESWICK, the more I am understanding that we need to be aware that there is an enemy that is on the rampage. Men: we need to be aware of his schemes. It isn’t about looking under every rock to see him lurking there … but we need to be aware that he is alive and well and is “seeking to steal, kill and destroy.” (John 10:10)

In his powerful book, FIGHT (Waterbrook Press), author, speaker and pastor, Kenny Luck, outlines what Jesus has said about this enemy of our
souls:

1. He has a murderous intent. (John 8:39-41)

2. He lies and deceives to justify evil actions. (John 8:44)

3. He practices self-interest and self-gratification at other’s expense.
(John 10:10-13)

4. He uses mental diversion and distraction to eliminate spiritual transformation. (Luke 8:11-12)

5. He uses many words to mask his lack of integrity. (Matthew 5:34-37)

6. He hijacks God’s plan through man’s passions and self-interests.
(Matthew 16:21-23)

7. He opposes the advance of the gospel in one’s life. (Acts 13:7-11)

8. He is synonymous with pride!

9. He is synonymous with death (homicide, suicide, abortion – but also kills relationships, marriages, families, and yes, he is even trying to kill churches!)

10. He is synonymous with out-of-control appetites!

11. He is synonymous with relational separation!

12. He is synonymous with the magnification of negative emotions!

13. He is synonymous with a hurried pace of life!

It’s high time we stopped burying our heads in the sand, men! We need to wake up! Get out your Bible and check it out for yourself. We need to be aware of his influence in our lives. I share more on this tomorrow.
Remember this: Satan thinks he is a winner – but he has already been defeated at the Cross! Praise God! – Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK.

God’s WORD for YOU: 2 Chronicles 4-6; John 10:24-42

Think about this: “We need the knowledge about the enemy, his character, presence and power in order to arouse men to action. This knowledge is vital to victory.” E. M. Bounds

The Sifting Process

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to have all of you, to sift you like wheat. But I (Jesus) have pleaded for you in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen and build up your brothers.” Luke 22:25-33 (NLT)

I am working through a new book written by Pastor Kenny Luck, and the book is coming up this summer. The title is FIGHT – Are You Willing to Pick a Fight with Evil?, and is a part of the EVERYMAN’S BATTLE series. I highly recommend the book to you, and will let you know when it is available because I believe it is a must read for every man who wants to be a FREEDOM FIGHTER!

Listen to what Kenny Luck says about the sifting process: “Sifting is synonymous with elimination. What Peter could not recognize in himself, God eliminated. He allowed Peter to be selected and exposed to a trial and testing that would separate and eliminate his ego from his service for Christ, deconstruct Peter, and raise up a new man with a new CHARACTER. There is no longer a place for darkness to dwell in his life. It has been replaced with the light of the character of CHRIST HIMSELF – an impenetrable source.”

Kenny suggests that we are in a battle. A FREEDOM FIGHTER is a warrior who is cognizant of the strategy of the enemy, but we need to be aware of the “dark footholds of sin, pride, or fear we have trouble letting go:

*an arrogant or self-centered spirit

* a growing materialistic tendency

* overconcern with titles, status, or position

* an addiction to approval

* a secret sexual sin

* emotional reliance upon past successes

* close-mindedness or an unteachable spirit

* an unwillingness to be accountable to others

* a disregard for spiritual disciplines

* a disconnectedness from your spouse

* behaviours that isolate you from other Christians

* harbored resentments or unforgiveness

* a critical spirit

* discontentment, jealousy or envy

* defensiveness

* disrespect of others

* an attitude of entitlement and lack of humility

* permitting questionable behaviors

All of these are examples of that one thing with one common denominator:
dangerous darkness of character. They’re all connected to your morality, dragging it down when you are friendly with darkness. But watch out. If you’ve made a commitment to Christ, Satan will be allowed to come against you in an area of weakness until you realize that God desires the dark corners in your character are to be eliminated. HE wants you proactive in your battle against pride to shut the door on all dark attitudes. It’s when God’s man assimilates the character of CHRIST in a dark area, that the devil withdraws. Only then will Satan know that you know all circumstances, trials, and sifting only work to perfect and complete you as God’s man.” From FIGHT (Waterbrook Press)

Men: Can you identify with an area from the above list this morning? If so, purpose today to deal with it. Get alone with the Lord and surrender that area to Him. – Bill Welte – President and CEO of America’s KESWICK.

God’s WORD for YOU: 2 Chronicles 1-3; John 10:1-23

Think about this: An active faith can give thanks for a promise, though it be not as yet performed; knowing that God’s bonds are as good as ready money. —
Matthew Henry

A PRAYER FOR AMERICA

While driving in the car one day, I heard this powerful song by the Christian artist, Carman. I blew me away. I thought I’d share it with you on this 2008 Memorial Day:

AMERICA AGAIN
George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Adams, first Chief Justice John Jay.Names synonymous with the spirit of our country. The Founding Fathers of the USA. Over Two Hundred years ago, they shook of the chains of tyranny from Great Britain by Divine call.

Citing 27 biblical violations, they wrote the Declaration of Independence, with Liberty, justice for all. But something happened since Jefferson call the Bible the cornerstone for American liberty, then put in our schools for a light. Or since “Give me liberty or give me death” Patrick Henry said,”our country was founded on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. “We eliminated God from the equation from American Life. Thus eliminating the reason why this nation first began.

From beyond the grave I hear the voices of our founding fathers plead,”You need God in America again”Of the 55 men who formed the constitution, 52 were active members of their church. Founding fathers like Noah Webster, who wrote the first dictionary, could literally quote the Bible, Chapter and Verse. James Madison said, “we’ve staked our future on our ability to follow the 10 commandments with all our heart”

These men believed that you could not even call yourself an Americanif you subvert the word of God.In his farewell address, Washington said “you can’t have national morality apart from religious principle,” and it’s true. Because now we have nearly 150,000 kids carrying guns through these war zones that we call public schools.

In the 40’s and 50’s student problems were chewing gum and talking.In the 90’s rape and murder are the trend. The only way this nation can even hope to last this decadeis put God in America again.Chorus:The only hope for America is Jesus. The only hope for our country is Him.If we repent of our ways, stand firm and say, We need God in America again.

Abe Lincoln said, “The philosophy of the school room in one generation, will be the philosophy of government in the next.” So when you eliminate the word of God from the classroom and politics,you eliminate the nation that Word protects. America is now number 1 in teen pregnancy and violent crime. Number 1 in illiteracy, drug use and divorce.Every day a new holocaust of 5,000 unborn die,while pornography floods our streets like open sewers. Americas dead and dying hand is on the threshold of the church, while the spirit of Sodom and Gomorra vex us all. When it gets to the point the people would rather come out of the closet than clean it,it is the sign that the judgment of God is going to fall.

If there has ever been a time to rise up Church, it’s now. And as the blood bought saints of the living God proclaim,that its time to sound the alarm from the church house to the White House and say, “WE WANT GOD IN AMERICA AGAIN.” I believe its time America, to stand up and proclaim,”that one nation under God is our demand.” And send this evil lifestyle back to Satan where it came from. And let the Word of God revive our dying land! For Jesus Christ is coming back again in all his glory. And every eye shall see him on that day. That’s why a new anointing of Gods power is coming on us to boldly tell the world you must be saved!

Because astrology wont save you. Your horoscope won’t save you.The bible says these things are all a farce. If your born again, you don’t need to look to the stars for your answers,cause you can look to the very one that made those stars. History tells us, time and time again,to live like there is no God makes you a fool. If you want to see kids live right, stop handing out condoms and start handing out the word of God in schools.

Chorus:The only hope for America is Jesus.The only hope for our country is Him. If we repent of our ways, stand firm and say, We need God in America again.©Carmen

Hear our prayer, O, Lord! Hear our prayer! – Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

God’s Word for YOU: 1 Chronicles 28-29; John 9:24-41

Think about this: Christ is like a river. A river is continually flowing, there are fresh supplies of water coming from the fountain-head continually so that man may live by it, and be supplied with water all his life. So Christ is an ever-flowing fountain; he is continually supplying his people, and the fountain is not spent. They who live upon Christ, may have fresh supplies from him to all eternity; they may have an increase of blessedness that is new, and new still, and which never will come to an end. Jonathan Edwards

The Freedom to Love

The salvation we have in Christ frees us from a lot of stuff-bondage, judgment and the wrath of God. Those things are gone. Paul tells us to “reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin.” (Romans 6:11) We often think of freedom in terms of those things from which we’ve been made free.

I want to ask you think about the freedom we’ve been given to do what we could not do in our lostness. We have the freedom to walk with Jesus in the yoke, to abide with Him in the vine, to live with Him day by day. We have the freedom to pursue wholeness and power and holiness.

We also have the freedom to love. I sat around a table with 12 other guys this morning in Bible study. As I looked at the men who were there, knowing many of their stories, it occurred to me that each of them needs love. We need to know that there are people who care about us. It also crossed my mind that I have the freedom in Christ to love those men. They, too, have the freedom to love me.

Our world is a hard place. It’s marked by the brokenness and evil of sin. People do bad things to other people. People say bad things about other people. We’ve done it, and we’ve had it done to us. Some of us struggle with addictions, in part, because of bad things done to us in our past.

Jesus says, though, that we can change the world when we love others like He has loved us. Hear His words: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:12) And again, “These things I command you, that you love one another.” (John 15:17) And then again, “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35)

I know too many angry Christians. You probably do, too. You and I can choose to reject anger and pursue love. We’ve received freedom to do that. We can choose to prove our walk with Jesus by loving people as He loved them. He gave us His Spirit to empower us for that calling. Join me in choosing to be a lover. Join me in making a difference in our churches by loving people-even if they’re not lovable.

Jesus made us free to love. Let’s just do it! – Pastor John Strain is Senior Pastor of First Baptist Toms River http://www.fbctomsriver.com/

God’s WORD for YOU: 1 Chronicles 25-27; John 9:1-23

Think about this: When the devil, the foe and the tyrant, sees a man bearing this weapon [fasting], he is straight-away frightened and he recollects and considers that defeat which he suffered in the wilderness at the hands of the Savior; at once his strength is shattered and the very sight of this weapon, given us by our Commander-in-chief, burns him. Isaac of Syria

Join us this afternoon for a southern Gospel concert with The Duffields.
The concert begins at 3:00 PM in the Activity Center at America’s KESWICK. There will be a love offering for the ministry of The Duffields.

UNRUINED

I have the privilege right now to teach a class on spiritual formation in the Keswick Institute of Biblical Studies. Last evening during the class several of the guys who are either Colony grads or residents right now talked about what a mess their lives were when they entered the Colony.

During the discussion, we ran across a line in our textbook, “Renovation of the Heart,” by Dallas Willard. He talks about the fact that all of us were “ruined” in the Fall, but that we have been “unruined” in Christ. As we talked about the concept of being “unruined,” I reminded the guys of what all of us were before Christ; we were all a mess, whether we entered the Colony or not.

Last Sunday morning Robert Hayes had some of our people at First Baptist/Toms River do a really unique reading of 2 Corinthians 5:17.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” We are “unruined!”

Freedom Fighters need to understand that concept. Even on the bad days after coming to Christ, we’re still “unruined.” We won’t get it right all the time. When we don’t, Satan will try to make us think we’re still what we used to be. We’re not! We’ve been “unruined” by the reconciling work of Jesus Christ on the cross. (See 2 Corinthians 5:19&21)

Rejoice this weekend in the fact that you’ve been “unruined.” Ask God to help you live out that condition day by day. Practice being “unruined” by drawing near to God and resisting the devil (James 4:7&8) Spend more time pursuing who you are now and less time regretting who you used to be.

“Unruined” is much better than “ruined.” Being alive in Christ is much better than being dead in trespasses and sins. Believe what God says to you. Reject the lies the devil throws at you. You and I are “unruined!” Praise be to God! – Pastor John Strain is Senior Pastor of First Baptist of Toms River
http://www.fbctomsriver.com/

God’s Word for YOU today: 1 Chronicles 22-24; John 8:28-59

Think About This: If you trust yourself to walk in the light of your own conscience, uninstructed or little instructed by the Word of God, you will end up doing things that you are deeply and sincerely convinced are right. But they may be terribly hurtful and destructive within the Church. R. C. Stedman