Isaiah 40:8

Jesus made it clear that we would endure many hardships in this life. But God provided amazing tools to keep trials from overwhelming us. For instance, He placed His Spirit inside each believer to guide and empower. In addition, He gave us prayer so we could not only communicate and stay connected with our Father but also bring Him our requests.

Today I want to focus on yet another one of His marvelous gifts: the Bible. Scripture is the actual Word of God Almighty. It is truth. It never changes. It enables us in all circumstances, so we have a sure foundation on which to base our lives and decisions.

There are thousands of promises in the Bible—countless assurances that we can rely on with perfect confidence. God wants us to learn them so we won’t miss out on blessings He wants to give. And wise believers will turn His promises into prayers, which they express as the cry of their heart.

Continue reading Charles Stanley – Praying the Promises of God →

1 Peter 1:13-16

First Peter 1:16 says, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” What an overwhelming command! But that is exactly what the Lord is committed to do in our lives—make us holy. His grand plan can be summed up in one word: sanctification. This is the three-stage process by which He sets us apart for His purposes.

Stage one occurs at the moment of our salvation. When God declares us righteous, we are positionally holy. The second stage is a progression of growth as we become more and more in practice what we already are in position. This process will continue for as long as we are alive on this earth.

The Father has predestined us to be conformed to the image of His Son (Rom. 8:29), and He is continually working to shape our character, conduct, and conversation. Although God is the one who accomplishes the transformation, we have some responsibility in the process. If we don’t cooperate with Him, the world will squeeze us into its mold, and we will miss the great plans He has for us.

Continue reading Charles Stanley – God’s Grand Plan →

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Many people hold an unbiblical view of sainthood. Their idea of a saint is one who has led such an exemplary life that he or she is venerated by the church, but God’s Word presents quite a different picture. The Corinthian church struggled with all sorts of ungodly behaviors, yet Paul describes them as “those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling” (1 Cor. 1:2).

Sanctify means to set apart from common use to a sacred use. Throughout the Bible, the Lord has sanctified days (such as the Sabbath), places (the tabernacle), things (the ark of the covenant), and people. A saint is simply a person whom God has set apart for His purposes. This means that every believer is a saint.

Before you were saved, your position relative to God was one of enmity (Rom. 5:10). But the moment you trusted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, the Lord changed your position and set you apart for Himself. You were born again and are now His child. He forgave your sins and declared you righteous. A saint is not a perfect person but one who is in a right relationship with the heavenly Father. Although our position of sanctification is not predicated on good behavior, the Lord expects us to live in a manner that honors Him.

Just think—God set you apart for a sacred purpose. That means you are here, not to live as you please but to bring glory to Him. He calls us to live according to our new position in Christ. When we accept this responsibility of sainthood with gratitude, we bring joy to the Father’s heart.

Bible in a Year: 2 Kings 1-3

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Romans 8:32-39

We have been learning about the Lord’s amazing plan to save us for all eternity. A persuasive argument for believing in eternal security is found in two of the apostle Paul’s questions in Romans 8.

Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? The answer is simple: No one can bring an accusation against believers and make it stick. Satan certainly tries, but God has justified us through His Son Jesus Christ—He has declared that we are no longer guilty. No matter what new sin we might commit after we are saved, we can’t be tried in God’s court a second time. If you fall into a stage of unbelief or sinful living, you may lose your reward, but you cannot lose your eternity in heaven with God (1 Cor. 3:12-15).

Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Undoubtedly, there are many experiences that test our faith, but we are ultimately saved by God’s grace. Jesus understands our trials and doubts, and He is not interested in casting us away at our first misstep. God always knew we would make thousands of mistakes after receiving Christ, but He saved us anyway.

Some followers of Jesus Christ worry that embracing eternal security will motivate people to go out and live a life of sin because they have nothing to lose. If we think about the wonder and majesty of our heavenly Father, doesn’t it make more sense that people would be motivated to praise Him for saving them out of the filth of their disobedience? The more we know of Jesus and His love for us, the more we will love Him and want to please Him. Forever.

Bible in a Year: 1 Kings 20-22

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Psalm 25:8-15

Are you living thoughtfully and intentionally—or are you living automatically? It’s so easy to get up each morning, do our work, enjoy some relaxation or entertainment, and fall into bed each night without giving any thought to God’s involvement in our everyday life. But to be ignorant of how He has blessed, guided, protected, and warned us is a foolish way to live. Just consider the benefits of keeping our spiritual eyes and ears open throughout the day.

We who are aware of God’s presence during daily activities enjoy the peace of knowing He’s always in control and working to achieve His good purposes. Day-to-day experiences with Him teach us to know and love Him more.

When we learn to see God’s footprints throughout each week, we will become aware of the scope of His involvement in His children’s lives. Maybe He strengthened us for a task or opened a door of opportunity. Perhaps He guided our decisions or helped us respond in a godly way to a difficult person or a challenging situation.

Continue reading Charles Stanley – Thoughtful Living →

2 Samuel 7:8-17

From his days as a simple shepherd boy to the time he was a heroic ruler, David served God in many capacities. By looking at the various stages of his life, we can clearly see how his godly devotion allowed the Lord to use him mightily.

Shepherd. David was anointed as king long before commanding anything other than sheep (1 Samuel 16:1-13). Shepherding was a job he took so seriously that he even killed a lion and a bear to protect his flock. During those days, he learned to be strong and brave, and to take care of creatures weaker than himself. An early life of obedience to his earthly father taught him the humility he would later need in order to depend on his heavenly Father.

Psalmist. David’s writings reveal his hunger for God. He is open about issues such as fear, depression, defeat, loneliness, and sorrow. By describing valley experiences and communing with the Lord in the night watches, David provided us with intimate glimpses of the God he knew so well.

Leader. Following his encounter with Bathsheba, David’s life was plagued by heartache, suffering, and conflict. He’d sinned greatly, but God forgave him and continued to use him as king and military commander. He ruled Israel for 40 years, and his people called Jerusalem the “City of David.” His restoration teaches us about sin’s consequences and God’s limitlessness grace. Continue reading Charles Stanley – David: A Model of Servanthood →

John 10:22-30

Jesus is the most important and controversial person in all of history; His name stirs up virulent hatred in some people and radical devotion in others.

Jesus claimed to be the Son of God. As a result, every person on earth must decide what to do with Him. He didn’t leave us the option of ignoring Him or washing our hands of the matter. There are really just two choices: Believe Him or reject Him. Rejection will result in judgment and eternal separation from God (John 3:18), but eternal life is promised to whoever trusts in Him.

Believers must also decide what they will do with Jesus after salvation. Faith in Him isn’t just the way to eternal life in heaven; it is also to be our way of life here and now. If we believe in Jesus, we will:

Follow Him. Christ’s sheep hear His voice and submit to His leadership.

Worship Him. As we grow in our love for and trust in the Savior, our natural response will be to adore and praise Him. Continue reading Charles Stanley – What Will You Do With Jesus? →

Acts 20:33-35

The Lord wants us to make wise decisions that are based on sound biblical principles. But choices that follow His will aren’t always compatible with the world’s way of doing business. For instance, some people may be surprised that the foundational concept of God’s financial plan is to give rather than to save or invest.

Give sacrificially. Typically, when people decide how much to donate toward charity or church, they consider their income versus their expenses and choose an amount that feels comfortable and doable. In contrast, a sacrificial offering can mean that believers follow the Holy Spirit’s leading to pledge resources beyond their means. Initially, some Christians may feel worried about exercising their faith in this way. But thankfully, God has promised that He “will supply all [our] needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19), and He is totally and completely trustworthy.

Give compassionately. Psalm 24:1 says, “The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it.” Believers with a generous spirit hold their material possessions loosely and desire to use their share of the Lord’s wealth to spread His blessing to others. A missionary, charity, or pastor does not have to beg them to part with their money.

God’s financial plan differs from any we will see in the world, but His principles have proven to be effective. The Bible and church history show that for thousands of years, Christ’s followers have chosen to give from a compassionate heart and a sacrificial spirit. And He rewards them with increased faith and enough material goods to meet all of their needs.

Bible in a Year: 1 Kings 8-9

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2 Corinthians 8:1-6

The first-century church in Jerusalem was impoverished. Jews who became Christians were often ostracized, and their businesses suffered as a result. This affected local giving and increased the number of poor in the community. As the church grew, resources were spread thinner and thinner. So as he traveled, the apostle Paul asked his congregations to aid the mother church.

Many of these congregations were also in financial crisis, but they pledged to help Jerusalem anyway. The Corinthian church was among those that agreed to send support (2 Cor. 8:10). To inspire them to meet or exceed their goal, Paul described the Macedonians’ sacrificial giving as an example. He noted that despite being poor, that church managed to give beyond its ability—and did so with a heart of gratitude and joy. Like the widow whom Jesus praised for giving her last coins to the temple treasury, the Macedonians gave a gift that was liberal, compared to its resources (Mark 12:43). The congregation trusted that God would provide the gift and continue to meet their needs.

Modern believers have much to learn from the Macedonians’ example. The amount we donate towards God’s work isn’t as important as our feelings about giving. Generosity is a quality of the heart—an attitude that grows out of a believer’s thankfulness for the Father’s spiritual and material provisions.

God wants us to be givers because the act of charity spiritually enriches the benefactor. The Lord will respond to a generous heart by pouring out blessing, according to His promise in Luke 6:38: “By your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”

Bible in a Year: 1 Kings 6-7

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1 John 5:14-15

Sometimes our prayers are filled more with doubt than with confidence. We know that for God to answer our requests, our prayers must be in line with His will. However, wondering if we are praying according to His will can trip us up, and faced with the uncertainty, we will occasionally fall silent.

God’s will is for each of us to have a healthy relationship with Him through His Son Jesus Christ. That means knowing the Father with increasing intimacy and progressively becoming more and more like Jesus. By focusing our prayers on having this type of relationship with the Lord, it becomes easier to know what to pray. Simply find a scripture that tells you something about God’s character, and pray that for others and for yourself. The results are:

• You can pray with confidence because God wants His children to be like Jesus Christ.
• You can pray expectantly because you know He will work out His will in our lives.
• You can cooperate with the Holy Spirit while He works to develop the same quality in you.

Prayer is not a game of “I Spy,” where we have to guess when to talk to the Lord or about what. Scripture is full of God’s attributes and His desires for our lives. Pick one and start praying. Then watch what God does in response. Prayer gains access to the proud spirit, to the hardened heart, to the unbelieving mind; there are no walls too high or thick for Him to breach. So pray God’s will and watch lives change—especially your own.

Bible in a Year: 1 Kings 3-5

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John 1:29-36

Scripture has a variety of titles for Jesus—Messiah, Lord, Christ, Rabbi, Teacher—but the one that is probably least familiar to the modern world is the Lamb of God. Since most of us do not have a Jewish background, we may have a limited understanding of this designation. But the Israelites of that day understood its significance. Lambs were for sacrifice.

God has always dealt with transgression through the blood of sacrifices. When Adam and Eve sinned, an animal was slain to cover the nakedness and shame of two individuals (Gen. 3:21). On the first Passover, each household covered the doorway with sacrificial blood (Ex. 12:1-7). Later, a goat was slaughtered for the atonement of the entire nation (Lev. 16:15). Now in John 1:29, we see the ultimate sacrifice—the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world.

Many lives are marked by some fine achievements, but think about the enormity of what Jesus accomplished through His death. Just as innocent animals had died in place of the guilty, so Christ gave His perfect life for sinful mankind. He assumed full responsibility for all our sins and took the punishment that we deserved. As He hung on the cross, the judgment and wrath of God was poured out on Him instead of on us.

Since we are limited by our human minds and senses, we cannot fully understand all that the Lamb of God endured to bring us salvation. But we know enough to realize that we owe Him our lives. He took our place on the cross, so let’s give Him first place in our hearts.

Bible in a Year: 1 Samuel 30-31

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