Category Archives: Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Facing Life’s Unknowns

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Hebrews 11:23-29

Uncertain circumstances characterized Moses’ entire life. He was born in Egypt at a time when the growing Hebrew population was seen as a threat. The king enslaved the community and ordered that their male infants be killed (Ex. 1:22). To protect Moses, his family let others raise him as an Egyptian (2:1-10).

When he was grown, Moses had to flee and live far away from home (vv. 11-15). Later, in a personal encounter with the Lord, he learned that he was God’s choice to be leader of the Israelite slaves (3:10). Moses felt ill-equipped for his new role, which involved approaching Pharaoh to request his people’s release. And then imagine how he must have questioned his ability to lead more than a million Hebrews while contending with their ingratitude and rebelliousness.

Yet Moses steadfastly carried on. What enabled him to persevere was faith, which God’s Word defines as “the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen” (Heb. 11:1 NLT). Because Moses had learned how to see “Him who is unseen” (v. 27), he was able to grasp the reality of his invisible Lord’s character and promises. After encountering God at the burning bush (Ex. 3:2), he viewed life differently—from then on, his purpose was to rely on the Lord and follow His divine plan.

Though Moses did not live perfectly, the Scriptures commend him for walking by faith. From his example, we can learn how to persevere through the unknowns of life. And with the Holy Spirit’s help, we, too, can become men and women of great faith.

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – The Desires of Your Heart

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 Psalm 37:1-8

You may have read God’s promise to give you “the desires of your heart,” but too quick a glance at verse 4 of today’s reading will lead only to frustration and disappointment. To understand the scope of the Lord’s awesome promise, it’s important to explore the conditions He set in this passage.

First, Psalm 37:1 instructs us not to fret about “evildoers” or envy them. That is, we’re not to be consumed with the success of unrighteous people. God will deal with them; our responsibility is to watch our own actions.

Next, verse 3 instructs us to “trust in the Lord,” “do good,” and “cultivate faithfulness.” God is interested in our maturity. He wants us to be responsible with the big things in life, which relate to our deepest desires.

In verse 4, we are clearly told to “delight . . . in the Lord.” This is another way of saying we are to seek His desires. If we truly pursue God’s good pleasure, our own desires will fall right into place.

Then, verse 5 commands that we “commit [our] way to the Lord” and trust Him. When we focus our steps on His path, we know we’re heading in the right direction. God will not bless our sinful missteps; our duty is to keep to His purposeful plan.

Finally, verse 7 calls us to “rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him.” God’s timing is perfect. If we see no immediate response to a faithful prayer, we must trust Him for His flawless timing.

When it comes to your desires, are you frustrated by God’s seeming lack of response? Pray through Psalm 37:1-8 and ask Him to bring your will in line with His.

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley –Why are men saved?

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“Nevertheless he saved them for his name’s sake.” Psalm 106:8

Suggested Further Reading: 1 Peter 1:1,2

Jesus Christ is the Saviour; but not more so than God the Father, or God the Holy Spirit. Some persons who are ignorant of the system of divine truth think of God the Father as being a great being full of wrath, and anger, and justice, but having no love, they think of God the Spirit perhaps as a mere influence proceeding from the Father and the Son. Now, nothing can be more incorrect than such opinions. It is true the Son redeems me, but then the Father gave the Son to die for me, and the Father chose me in the everlasting election of his grace. The Father blots out my sin; the Father accepts me and adopts me into his family through Christ. The Son could not save without the Father any more than the Father without the Son; and as for the Holy Spirit, if the Son redeems, do you not know that the Holy Spirit regenerates? It is he that makes us new creatures in Christ, who “begets us again unto a lively hope,” who purifies our soul, who sanctifies our spirit, and who, at last, presents us spotless and faultless before the throne of the Most High, accepted in the beloved. When you say, “Saviour,” remember there is a Trinity in that word—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, this Saviour being three persons under one name. You cannot be saved by the Son without the Father, nor by the Father without the Son, nor by Father and Son without the Spirit. But as they are one in creation, so are they one in salvation, working together in one God for our salvation, and unto that God be glory everlasting, world without end. Amen.

For meditation: We are to be baptised in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19) in acknowledgement of the fact that all three persons of the Trinity have accomplished our salvation.

Sermon no. 115
1 February (1857)

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Reasons We Fail

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Read | John 14:15

When parents ask why their son or daughter didn’t do what was asked, the response is often an excuse. “I didn’t hear you,” “I didn’t have time,” and “I didn’t realize you wanted it done right away” are familiar statements to moms and dads.

In a similar way, we tend to offer a wide variety of justifications to the Father; “excusitis” is all too common an ailment. Excuses are an attempt to shift responsibility for what we’ve done (or failed to do) to something or someone besides our self.

We may fail to achieve God’s plans for another reason: greed. Selfishness won’t help us succeed in His kingdom. But generosity—giving as the Lord commands, taking the opportunity to speak words of encouragement, or using our time to help others—brings blessing.

Acting against our conscience is another hindrance. It makes us double-minded: We feel guilty over our action but want to continue anyway. In this condition, we find our concentration diminishes, preventing us from putting our wealth of experience, ability, and talent into the work God has assigned us.

One last obstacle is laziness, which is often accompanied by many excuses and yields the same result: disobedience to God. For example, the Lord commands all of us to practice the “one another” (Rom. 12:9-16), but frequently His instruction goes ignored because it takes too much effort.

With the Holy Spirit’s help, we can overcome these common negative tendencies. Which one is He prompting you to work on?

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Behaviors That Bind Us

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Read | 1 Corinthians 3:1-3

It would seem that in a world of such plenty, there should be great contentment. Yet even in the most prosperous countries, the opposite is true in most cases. Why are so many people unhappy, anxious, unsettled, and discontent?

First, it’s because most of the world does not know Jesus Christ personally. Second, many people, even in privileged circumstances, are living on “leftovers”— emotions and attitudes left over from the way they were raised.

For instance, those who as children felt they could never measure up to expectations are likely to experience feelings of inadequacy, rejection, and guilt as adults; they may also deal with resentment and hostility. And grownups who walk away from responsibilities or commitments when they don’t get their way are frequently the ones whose parents caved in to their every desire. This is why it’s so detrimental to respond to children’s temper tantrums by giving in to their demands.

The adult pitfall of low self-esteem often is created by a lack of childhood acceptance and affirmation. It’s important for children to learn that they are of tremendous value to Christ—their sense of security should come, not from possessions, but from a personal relationship with Him. Otherwise, they may grow into materialistic adults.

The behaviors that bind us start early. By the same token, positive mindsets can also be ingrained at a young age. Let’s take this as a strong reminder to regard children as the gifts they truly are.

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Consequences of Coveting

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Read | Exodus 18:17-21

People oftentimes develop a desire for something that is not in God’s plan for them. When they fail to attain what their heart is set on, the desire can build into intense, unrelenting pressure.

Christians who are consumed by covetousness have ceased to depend on God. To reach a goal, some will manipulate circumstances because they’ve lost faith in the Lord’s ability to know what is best and provide it. Such behavior indicates a rejection of God’s sovereignty. Then fear becomes an issue as the person chases harder and harder after the object of his desire.

The consequences of jealousy are painful: A believer’s spiritual sensitivity can be weakened to the point that he no longer hears when God speaks to him. As a Christian distances himself from the Lord, an envious attitude is likely to breed ungratefulness. It’s hard to be thankful for the things one has when the focus is on what’s lacking.

Covetousness leads to a life of tension and worry. Jethro wisely advised his son-in-law Moses to search for assistants who hated ill-gotten gain. These men were more interested in what God provided for them than in what they could acquire for themselves. If we want to be like them, we must focus on God’s purpose for our life. When we are sensitive to His voice, He will teach us to distinguish between desires falling within His will and those that lie beyond. As believers, we have the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit to help us resist the lure of wrong desires. Covetousness does not have to be our downfall.

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – The Landmine of Covetousness

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Read | Ephesians 5:1-5

One of the best-concealed landmines in the life of a believer is covetousness. We tend to think the term simply describes a desire for an item belonging to another person, but it goes deeper than that. Covetousness is an intense yearning for something we do not have, coupled with the belief that we will not be happy or satisfied until we get it.

If we are driven by an insatiable longing that distracts us from our relationship with God, then we are in danger—such intense craving is really a form of idolatry. Our preoccupation with satisfying the desire translates into our placing higher priority on the object than on God. That is the very nature of idol worship.

We all have desires of the heart, and many of these are planted by the Lord Himself. Longings within the framework of God’s will are acceptable. For example, there is nothing in the Scriptures that says it is wrong to want a nice house or a reliable car. God has a purpose, plan, and time worked out to meet our needs and supply legitimate wants. However, when we choose to fulfill a God-given desire in a way that is not in keeping with the Lord’s will, we are guilty of covetousness.

The reason covetousness is so damaging is that it has no end. When we achieve one goal that we thought would satisfy, we discover that we are still not content. So we look to something else that we think will bring satisfaction. But nothing can bring peace and genuine contentment to our heart other than a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – The Making of an Encourager

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Read | 2 Corinthians 1:3-7

People love encouragers, and the Lord intends for each of His children to be one. An encourager is able to stand beside someone else to give hope and the motivation to persevere through difficult times. We are not born with this ability fully developed, but we can follow several essential steps to become capable of supporting and empathizing with a hurting friend.

First, we must be willing to experience pain. The apostle Paul was an encourager; in verse 4 of today’s passage, he urges us to reach out to others with the “comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” To experience comfort and have it flow through us, we must suffer some heartache. There’s power in the touch of a person who has been in the valley. Someone who experiences pain does not offer empty words, but hope.

Second, we need to learn the principles that are available to us in our suffering. If we can view our heartache as a class in God’s university, where our enrollment will produce a degree in encouragement, much of the sting will dissipate. The Lord teaches us to place our trust in Him alone, and then we can pass that wisdom on to others.

The most effective encouragers are those who say, “There was nothing I could do but cry out to God. Let me tell you what the Lord did in response.” If we try to escape pain, we will miss out on the principles that can be learned only from suffering; then we cannot be useful to others. Our loving Father builds encouragers from the material of a life willing to be broken.

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – The Benefits of Praise

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Read | Psalm 150

Think about your most recent prayer to the Lord. Did you spend as much time praising Him as you did making requests?

In our selfish society, many people even attend church to get needs met: Singing helps emotions, sermons “feed the flock,” and the choir entertains. It is possible to let our own preferences overshadow the Creator’s primary purpose for our lives—namely, to exalt Him.

Praise both magnifies and pleases the Lord, but we actually benefit from the practice as well. First, adoration of God modifies our estimation of “self”—it’s impossible to truly elevate God while clinging to pride. Instead, we come to recognize our sin, weakness, and need of Him. As Scripture tells us, the Lord’s power is manifest when we show genuine humility (2 Cor. 12:10).

Next, praise appropriately humbles us, as it is a reminder of God’s greatness and our dependence upon Him. But at the same time, exalting Him strengthens our sense of assurance, thereby increasing our faith. Then we are able to look beyond ourselves and our circumstances to see life from God’s perspective. And consider one additional benefit of praise that involves our physical bodies: When we focus on Jesus’ goodness, tension leaves and we find new strength. All these supernatural effects of exaltation are possible because as we lift up His name, God is present—Psalm 22:3 tells us that He inhabits the praise of His people (KJV).

Think about the Lord’s attributes and His work in your life. What can you praise Him for today?

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – How do I handle a difficult trial not of my own doing?

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Scripture: 1 Peter 1:6-7

Even those who maintain close, intimate fellowship with the Lord are not immune to disappointments, obstacles, challenges, struggles, and feelings of hopelessness. In fact at times, God allows us to face impossible circumstances in order to test and try our faith. It is the adversity that motivates us to seek Him, and when we do, He faithfully strengthens and refreshes us.

God knows every emotion, need, and desire we have. He cares when we face difficult situations and grow weary. He hears our cries and understands exactly what it will take to bring us into a more intimate relationship with Him.

The apostle Peter addressed his two letters to “those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia” (1 Pet. 1:1; 2 Pet. 3:1). If he were choosing a modern title for his letters, he might consider “Encouragement for Times of Suffering,” or “Hope for the Hurting,” because encouragement and hope are exactly what Peter conveyed to these distressed believers.

These Christians faced all kinds of persecution. They were beaten, slandered, assaulted, and in many cases lost their lives for their faith in Jesus Christ. Peter called them “aliens” because their citizenship was not of this world but of the kingdom of God. Still, they faced times of great discouragement and loss and needed the courage only available through Christ. Peter explained that they could rejoice even in times of trial because Jesus— their risen Savior and Lord—would always be the living hope within them (1 Pet. 1:3). So long as we have the Lord Jesus Christ, no situation is hopeless.

Would you like to have eternal hope? Then focus your heart on Jesus (1 Tim. 4:6). He wants to bring His will and good pleasure to fruition in your life. Even if you find yourself in a seemingly impossible situation, remember that He has an entirely different view of the details. And if you will let Him, He will take your life, no matter how bruised and broken, and make something beautiful out of it.

Isn’t this what hope is all about—beauty for ashes, gladness instead of sorrow, and a coat of praise instead of fainting (Is. 61:1–3)? This is the ongoing ministry of Jesus Christ in your life. Therefore, bring to Him your afflictions and disappointments. Tell Him your sorrows, and He will restore your hope.

Adapted from “The Charles F. Stanley’s Life Principles Bible,” 2008

 

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Grace on Display

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Read | 1 Timothy 1:12-17

Paul described himself as the worst of sinners, and yet someone to whom the Lord had expressed His favor and love (1 Tim. 1:16). Because of divine grace, the apostle became spiritually alive and a member of God’s family. He had a new purpose for living—one that would glorify his heavenly Father and help build His kingdom. From that day forward, Paul’s attitudes and behavior were dramatically different.

Through the transforming work of the Holy Spirit, Paul’s character was increasingly marked by gratitude and compassion. His writings consistently expressed appreciation for God’s blessings and urged others to be grateful as well. His words also reveal humility. A highly educated and influential man, he now counted all his credentials as “loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus [his] Lord” (Phil. 3:8).

After Paul met the Savior, his actions also changed dramatically. He cared deeply about those who were still separated from God, and he fervently desired to help Christians grow in their faith. For the rest of his life, he served the Lord by sharing the gospel, encouraging fellow believers, and meeting the needs of others. He accepted that suffering for the cause of Christ was part of this new life.

As we read about the apostle’s life, we see grace on display. He was used as God’s ambassador to the Gentiles. Through him, biblical truths were recorded for future generations. The Holy Spirit seeks to transform our lives, just as He did Paul’s. Are you allowing grace to work within you?

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Life Before Grace

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Read | Ephesians 2:1-3

Grace is the unmerited love that God shows to sinful people. He expressed this love through the sacrificial death of His Son. It becomes ours when we confess that we are sinners and receive Jesus Christ as our Savior. Because of grace, we’re forgiven by God and adopted into His family.

Today’s passage describes our life before grace—we were dead in our trespasses and sins. This means that every person is born with a deadness to the things of God; we come into this world with no spiritual life. Our nature leans away from the Lord and toward ourselves. In addition, our thinking and behavior follow that of the world, which, according to Scripture, is under Satan’s control. His plan always opposes God’s and leads us to rebel against divine commands.

Before encountering grace, Paul was very religious but blind to the Lord’s perspective and plan. He actively opposed those who followed Christ (Acts 26:9-11). With a goal of destroying the church, he sought to eradicate the Christian faith, which he deemed false. Paul continued persecuting believers until he encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus (9:3-6). Only then did the future apostle surrender his will to God’s and become a true follower of Christ.

If you have not trusted in the Savior, then you are spiritually dead, separated from God, and under His judgment. Like Paul, you may be very religious and yet lack a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. God offers you salvation today through faith in Him. How will you respond?

 

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – A Lifestyle of Waiting on God

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Read | Psalm 37:1-11

Ever notice how some people will ask a question but then rush out the door before you can respond? We can act the same way toward the Lord when we fail to wait on Him.

To develop a lifestyle of waiting on God, we need to have:

Faith. We must be willing to trust the Lord when a solution isn’t obvious and we can’t see a way through our struggle. Meditating on Scripture and applying it to life’s trials will result in strengthened faith (Rom. 10:17).

Humility. Recognizing that we can accomplish nothing apart from Jesus, we should be willing to endure until God reveals His answer (John 15:5). His ways are always perfect; our cleverest plan will not be as adequate.

Patience. A calm demeanor and inner peace come from believing that the Lord is who He says He is and that He will do exactly as He’s promised. The Holy Spirit will help us to face stressful circumstances without complaint and accept life’s challenges instead of trying to manipulate a way out.

Courage. It is human nature to want to be in control—we yearn to know what’s going to happen and when. Courage is necessary if we are to resist following our own schedule or caving in to pressure from others. With the Holy Spirit’s enablement, we can hold steady to wait on God, even when people around us disapprove of our choices.

Wisdom and right action come through seeking God and His will. Won’t you quiet your heart and mind and listen to what He has to say?

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – The Rewards of Waiting

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Read | Psalm 33:12-22

We have all experienced many times of waiting—in doctors’ offices, traffic jams, or checkout lines. While there, we have nothing to do but wait for our turn. In God’s kingdom, waiting is defined as an active stillness—active because we are continuing in our present situation, and still because we are focusing our attention on Him for guidance. A lifestyle of active stillness requires a purposeful and expectant attitude, a patient and determined frame of mind, and a prayerful and obedient heart.

There are rewards for waiting on the Lord. One involves receiving the supernatural strength needed for godly living. When we feel overwhelmed, we might be tempted to get out of step with God. Even though we know He is calling us to keep a steady pace, we may start lagging behind. At other times, our schedules leave us little time to think. So we make quick decisions, pushing ahead of Him. In either case, we risk becoming weary and emotionally spent because we are operating in our own strength. Patiently waiting on God will bring us the physical energy and emotional reserves we need to keep going.

Here are two additional benefits of waiting: discovering God’s will, which is always for our good (Rom. 8:28), and gaining spiritual victory in life’s trials.

Our omniscient and omnipotent God is always right on time. It is we who leave too early or arrive too late. Pick a situation in which you are tempted to overrule the Lord’s perfect timing. Then submit to Him, realizing the issue is a matter of trust.

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Walking With God

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Read | Genesis 6

Once we receive Jesus as Savior, His Spirit indwells us permanently. Yet there is a difference between having salvation and actually walking with the Lord. Being saved involves the forgiveness of sin and the blessing of eternal security, whereas walking with God is a privilege that we live out day by day.

To understand this idea more fully, let’s consider the example of Noah. Genesis 6:9 identifies him as a man who followed the Lord in a God-pleasing way. In other words, he lived by faith. Surely Noah did not understand God’s direction to build an ark. After all, there had never even been any rain, let alone a cataclysmic deluge. Until the flood, mist would rise from the ground to nourish vegetation. But because the Almighty spoke, Noah believed and obeyed.

For us, walking by faith need not mean something as monumental as building an ark to save wildlife from destruction. Instead, it’s likely to involve something more commonplace, such as living with godly priorities, spending time in the Word, or holding to God’s values in a world that belittles them. In fact, it is frequently when there is no crisis or quandary to motivate us that our true character is revealed. When we are faithful with the simple, mundane things, our heavenly Father will entrust us with more.

Believing God and acting accordingly is an important aspect of following Him. Do you have such trust that you obey even when His directions are difficult or confusing? Ask Him to increase your faith, and renew your commitment to follow wherever He leads.

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – What Is Genuine Repentance?

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“Lord, I’m really sorry I got caught.”

“God, I really regret that sin. I sure hope I can do better next time.”

Does either of these statements indicate genuine repentance? I don’t think so. Both are prompted out of guilt or embarrassment, not a heartfelt sense of remorse over the fact that the Father has been grieved. Usually, these people have no intention of changing. They just want God off of their backs.

Genuine repentance involves several things. First of all, confession. Not just, “Lord, I’m sorry for my mistake,” but “Lord, I have sinned against you.” Confession acknowledges guilt. Second, repentance involves recognizing that the sin was against God. Although David committed adultery with Bathsheba and then had her husband killed, he realized that his sin was primarily against the Lord (Ps. 51:4).

All of us need to recognize that our sin is primarily against God. Other people may be hurt as well. However, when we hold our sin up to the love of the Father expressed through the Cross, we see that is where sin is darkest.

Repentance also includes taking full responsibility for our sin. David didn’t blame Bathsheba or make any excuses for himself. He said, “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me” (Ps. 51:3).

Whenever we catch ourselves blaming someone else for our sin, our repentance is incomplete. We should take full responsibility for our offense, no matter what happened or who was involved. Regardless of the temptation, we are ultimately the ones who chose to sin.

Last, repentance is not complete without honesty. I believe God is looking for us to be honest about our weaknesses, our failures, and our frustrations. Honesty promotes fellowship. As long as we are open and honest with the Lord, He can continue to work with us, even after we have sinned.

We get into trouble when we start to cover things up: “Now, Lord, I know I made a mistake. But after all, everybody makes mistakes. Nobody’s perfect.” Responding this way avoids the real issue and is therefore dishonest. As long as we approach God in that fashion, there is not much He can do with us.

Repentance for the Unbeliever

Repentance for those outside of Christ means a change of mind. The unbeliever is to change his mind about what he believes concerning Jesus. He moves from unbelief to belief that Christ paid the penalty for his sin. An unsaved person admits that she cannot save herself. She trusts Jesus, instead of her goodness, for eternal life. She changes her mind about God and His payment for our sin.

It is important to understand that repentance for the unbeliever is not referring to cleaning up his life. If he can earn forgiveness of sin and a home in heaven by changing his life through self-effort, there is no need for the Cross.

Repentance and belief are so intertwined that they are almost synonymous. You cannot have one without the other. They are two sides of the same coin. Jesus used repentance as synonymous with belief when He said, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem” (Luke 24:46-47).

After you receive Jesus, you will continue to repent as you grow in Christian faith and character. This repentance is a change of mind that leads to a change in behavior.

What happens when we delay our repentance? The Bible teaches that God disciplines those who are disobedient. When we perpetuate our sin with no intention of stopping, we won’t escape the disciplining hand of the Father. However, it is my conviction that if you and I deal with our sin genuinely, openly and immediately, God can lessen the severity of our discipline. We are wise to repent quickly.

Adapted from “Charles Stanley’s Handbook for Christian Living,” 1996.

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – The Truth About Believers

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Psalm 103:1-5

When I became a believer, someone patted me on the shoulder and said, “Do the best you can,” which is neither biblical nor helpful advice. A while later, I was discipled by some faithful saints, who taught me the truth about believers.

A believer is identified as a child of God. Through prayer, we have access to our Father at any time, and we can expect that He will be faithful to every one of His promises. What’s more, we are no longer classified as “sinners,” a term describing those who have not received Jesus Christ as Savior. We’ve been transformed into saints—holy persons saved by grace and set apart for God’s purposes. Sin and temptation will continue to be realities for us as long as we’re on earth. But our transgressions are forgiven, and our new identity cannot change.

A believer is positioned in Christ. God’s Spirit dwells in us so we can live righteously, as Jesus did. Today’s passage uses a grapevine metaphor to describe this relationship. It tells us the Lord is the vine and we are the branches connected to Him and drawing on His power.

A believer’s mission is to show Christ to the world. Our vine is to bear the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23). When our character and conduct reflect these aspects of Jesus’ nature, we help others to see the beauty of a relationship with the Lord.

The truth about believers is that we don’t have to “do the best we can.” God works through His children to accomplish His purposes.

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Keeping a Young Attitude

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Read | Psalm 103:1-5

We all want to live each day fully. To do that, we need to maintain a youthful attitude instead of letting ourselves grow old and useless to the kingdom. Here are some suggestions for staying young all our life.

First, we need to keep laughing. We are never more like children than when we are having fun with our friends. Yet in order to laugh, we at times must let go of emotional baggage. Some people have been hurt deeply, and their laughter is buried under old pains. But clutching past bitterness and feelings of rejection will age us quickly. Jesus Christ is willing to remove all that ugliness when we lay it down, which we do by forgiving ourselves and others—perhaps repeatedly. Every day is a fresh start and another chance for our indwelling God to help us smile and laugh.

Second, we should keep longing. That means we ought to keep chasing our dreams and working toward goals. When a person wakes up with something to accomplish or a friend to aid, he or she experiences more of the joy life has to offer. As soon as we settle for watching the world go by, we start to age.

Finally, and most importantly, we must keep leaning on the Lord. If we live with childlike trust, God will bless our life and use us to bring blessing upon others. He will give a sense of contentment so deep that no trial or spiritual attack can shake us.

As believers, we have the opportunity to take part in the Lord’s work every day of our life. If we give up before He wants us to stop, we cheat both God and ourselves.

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Beyond Ourselves

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2 Corinthians 12:5-10

The apostle Paul understood what it meant to be pushed to the limit. According to his letters, he knew a lot about hardships and suffering. But he was most knowledgeable about the ultimate importance of all of those painful experiences—namely, glorifying Jesus through his weakness.

We don’t like to feel that we’re helpless or lacking control of our own lives. But we can learn from Paul and from our personal life experiences that the prelude to great strength is great weakness. Take note of this important lesson about the Christian life: Our weakest moments—when we feel the most desperate—are the very times when God is free to do His greatest work by empowering and strengthening us. It is in those difficulties during which we whisper, “Father, I cannot go on” that we are granted the best equipping and the greatest enabling to endure adversity.

Human nature cries out for strength, courage, and adequacy to meet life’s challenges. Consequently, many people avoid fiery trials and valley experiences at all costs so they won’t have to face weakness. They tell themselves, I am able to handle life on my own terms; my strength is sufficient. But we can never understand the supernatural empowerment to go beyond our own limits unless we experience it for ourselves. The only way to have conviction about the Lord’s adequacy is to endure weakness and then witness the strength that springs from it. No matter what’s going on in our lives, there is power available to the children of God.

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Principles of Prosperity

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Read | Psalm 24:1-2

Remember the truth that God owns it all? When we have a firm grasp of this concept and apply it to our thinking and handling of money, we will have mastered the first principle of prosperity. If we realize that everything we see in our world is His, then we will begin to realize that we literally own nothing; we are merely stewards handling the wealth of our Master. As money managers, we must understand that we do not have the right to dictate how it is to be spent or invested; only God does. He is still in control, and He wants to have the final word in the matter.

The second principle of prosperity is that God wants His resources used in a way that glorifies Him. Not only does He own it all and have the right to tell us how to manage it, but He also expects us to obey. Our obedience in money matters brings Him glory. The Lord wants us to keep this in mind as we put His resources into circulation to accomplish His work, to meet basic needs, and to provide enjoyment.

So for the New Year, ask God these three questions: How much do You want to be designated for Your work? What proportion should go to meet my basic needs and the needs of others? How much do You want me to utilize to enjoy life?

When we accept that God owns it all, that we are His money managers and our resources are to be used to glorify Him, then we will be satisfied with His choices for how to use the money we have. How satisfied are you?