Category Archives: Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Success and Money

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Charles Stanley

Luke 12:13-21

The belief that wealth equals success is a common misconception. True success means becoming who God wants you to be and doing the work He has prepared for you to accomplish. Jesus said the man in Luke 12 was a fool because he spent his life pursuing wealth but was not rich toward the Lord.

An idolatrous attitude about money is revealed by an insatiable desire for more, and materialism affects rich and poor alike. So whenever financial concerns have top priority in our thoughts and begin to dictate goals and desires, we can know we’ve succumbed to the foolishness of greed. Worrying about finances is actually a warning sign of not only misplaced priorities but also lack of trust in God.

Money is a vital part of our lives, but it should never come to have a higher place than the Lord intends. Everything belongs to God. We are merely stewards of all that He entrusts to us, and one day we’ll give an account to Him of how we have used what He gave us to oversee. Our goal shouldn’t be to become wealthy but, rather, to be found faithful.

In His great wisdom, the Lord has prescribed a remedy for our tendency to overvalue money. Giving it away breaks the grip of greed, teaches us to trust and obey God, and is an avenue through which treasure can be stored in heaven.

If you hunger for worldly riches more than the riches of knowing God, you’re climbing the wrong ladder of success. Eternal blessing is measured by a relationship with Jesus, not accumulation of money. Make Him your top priority and chief joy, and you’ll know true prosperity.

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – When We Feel Lonely

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Charles Stanley

Psalm 25:15-18

As believers, we have a Father who loves us and desires the best for us. We are part of a large spiritual family with many brothers and sisters. But if that’s the case, why do we sometimes still feel lonely, even when there’s no major crisis in our lives?

The greatest loneliness man can experience is due to separation from the Father. This is a spiritual problem whose source is sin. We experience a break in our close fellowship with the Lord when we disobey Him and go our own way. The remedy is confession (1 John 1:9), which leads to restored fellowship with God. If we refuse to admit our sin, the separation grows worse.

Busyness and preoccupation with earthly affairs also cause this isolation. Sometimes we push aside time with God in order to fulfill our obligations. Or we might focus so heavily on daily living that we ignore Him. To overcome loneliness, spend time reconnecting with God through His Word—take in the knowledge of His deep, abiding love, and meditate on His great promises (Eph. 3:16-18).

Being in harmony with the Lord renews our purpose and energy for life. Then that sense of isolation lessens, hope replaces discouragement, and our focus shifts from “self” to others. It’s important to reconnect with people, so look for opportunities to practice the “one anothers”—encouraging, serving, loving, and supporting those around you.

When David felt isolated and lonely, he turned to the Lord and sought His help. Intimacy with God is both the antidote to loneliness and protection from it.

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Hindrances to Accepting God’s Love

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Charles Stanley

Scripture tells us that God created mankind for the purpose of expressing His divine, unconditional, all-satisfying love. Yet one of the most devastating failures in a Christian’s life is the inability to embrace the pure love of God. What prevents a believer from accepting His unconditional love?

1. Our own love relationships.

Ironically, the way we love each other can distort how we perceive God’s love. As imperfect people, we exhibit imperfect love. Conditional responses, wrong motives, and emotional highs and lows taint our understanding of God’s pure love.

2. Guilt.

Our remorse over sinful behavior can subtly convince us that we are unworthy of God’s love. This is a trap of the devil. We have the assurance of Scripture that the Father loves us completely, regardless of our actions.

3. Legalism.

Many people view the Bible as a simple rule book—a collection of dos and don’ts. If you base your view of divine love on your ability to uphold every biblical precept, you are doomed to failure. God gave us His Word for instruction and inspiration, not as a measuring stick by which He distributes love.

4. Misinterpretation of divine discipline.

Make no mistake—God definitely disciplines His children when hey go astray. However, He is a trustworthy Father; His discipline and love are intimately connected (Heb. 12:5-6) He corrects our behavior when necessary for our benefit, not as a form of punishment. Jesus already paid the price for our sin; He will not make us pay a second time.

Truly, every person was created with a desire and need in his or her heart to love God and feel His love. But it is what we choose to do with this desire—act upon it, or ignore it—that draws us closer to the Father, or away from Him. There are three specific reasons that the Lord placed this desire for Him in our hearts.

First, when we enter into a loving relationship with God, He is able and willing to offer His wisdom to guide us (James 1:5). Second, when we accept the Father’s love, we will be open to becoming the person He created us to be, living to our fullest potential. And third, when we embrace the Lord’s love, we will begin to see people and circumstances as He sees them—from the vantage point of His love.

In light of this, why would anyone choose to refuse God’s love? If you are ready to reap the benefits of God’s perfect love, reach out to Him in prayer today. Ask Him to help you overcome the hindrances so that you may rejoice in His everlasting and tender care.

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Times of Temptation

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Charles Stanley

1 Corinthians 10:6-13

Scripture teaches that at times we’ll all be tempted to act in ways contrary to God’s commands. Our circumstances are not unique to us; others have faced similar situations. Yesterday, we learned an acrostic to help us resist enticement: we can put a “halt” to letting ourselves be too hungry, angry, lonely, or tired. That is, we are wise to eat regularly, experience the peace God offers, stay in fellowship with others, and get enough rest.

But where does the urge to sin come from? Sources of temptation can be the world we live in, the Devil, or something within ourselves. The world wants us to join in on its sensual, selfish pursuits. Satan wants to turn us away from God. And our self-focused “flesh” nature wants us to be in control, not the Lord.

Does God ever tempt us? No, according to James 1:13. Our Father doesn’t want us to do evil; He will, however, test us to reveal to you and me our motives and attitudes. He also uses times of testing to mature us and transform us into Christ’s likeness. His work is always for our good.

Remember, it is not sinful to experience temptation. Feeling tempted is not the same as committing a sin. Jesus Himself was tempted by the Devil at a time of great weariness and physical need, after spending 40 days in the desert without food. Do not judge yourself harshly when you feel enticed toward ungodliness. Only when we act upon the enticement do we cross the line into sin.

The Lord knows exactly how to rescue every one of us from the temptations that we encounter. The question is, How good are you at responding to His direction?