Tag Archives: the Word of God

Greg Laurie – Happiness Without Sin

March 18, 2015 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”—Luke 11:28

It is hard for some people to believe, but you can have a happy life without sin. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” (Luke 11:28). There is happiness in hearing, believing, and keeping the Word of God.

To be honest, there is some happiness in sin. There is some fun in sin. I think sometimes that Christians are reluctant to admit that sin isn’t always miserable. In fact, the writer of Hebrews said that Moses “refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin” (11:24–25, emphasis added).

But sin comes with a price—a hefty price. I’m sure it would be very pleasurable to jump out of an airplane and fly through the air without a parachute. I think it would be the ultimate rush. I think it would be better than any roller coaster or any amusement. But then you are going to hit the ground. So there is fun for a time, but inevitably there is a payday.

There will be pleasure in sin for a season—temporarily. But then the repercussions kick in. The Bible warns that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). For a moment of pleasure, you can have a lifetime of regret. But if you keep the Word of God, you will be happy.

James 1:12 says, “Blessed is the man who endures temptation.” Sometimes you don’t feel that way when you’re tempted, because temptation is appealing of course. But when you choose to walk away from temptation, you’ll be glad that you did.

You can have a happy life without sin. And this comes from reading, studying, memorizing, and obeying the Word of God.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – The Perfect Book

March 13, 2015 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.—Psalm 19:7

Do you ever go back and look at your old yearbooks from high school and wonder, What was I thinking? The hairstyles are always entertaining. Remember when mullets were popular? What was the fascination with mullets?

Even as styles change and our culture changes, the Word of God never does. The Bible is never out of date.

The psalmist David declared, “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple” (Psalm 19:7). The phrase “the law of the Lord” is a Hebrew term used to define the Scriptures. It’s a word that speaks of the perfection of the Scriptures. The verse could be translated, “The Word of God is whole; it is complete” or “The Word of God is efficient.”

We are told in 2 Timothy 3:16–17, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” We know that God’s Word is sufficient. It is infallible. The original autographs, the first copies, were without error.

Not long ago I was watching a pastor being interviewed on a news show. He was being pressed on what the Bible says about some issues that aren’t popular in our culture today. The interviewer asked, “Don’t you think it’s time for us to drag the Bible kicking and screaming into the twenty-first century?”

I thought, Oh my. That is the whole problem: we’ve ignored the Bible. The Bible never goes out of date. The news goes out of date—quickly—but never the Word of God. The Word of God is an adequate book. It is a sufficient book. And it is a perfect book.

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread – The Word Among Us

February 13, 2015 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Your testimonies also are my delight and my counselors. —Psalm 119:24

Read: Psalm 119:17-24
Bible in a Year: Leviticus 14; Matthew 26:51-75

The Word of God comes to us in many forms. Bible-centered preaching, Scripture reading, songs, study groups, and devotional articles bring to us the truths of God from Scripture. But we can’t overlook personal reading and studying either.

My heart has recently been touched by a careful, paragraph-by-paragraph study of Deuteronomy alongside the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5–7. Both passages contain codes of belief: The Ten Commandments (Deut. 5:6-21) and the Beatitudes (Matt. 5:3-12). Deuteronomy shows us the old covenant—the law God wanted His people to follow. In Matthew, Jesus shows us how He has come to fulfill that law and establish the principles of the new covenant, which frees us from the burden of the law.

The Holy Spirit comes alongside the Word of God to teach, empower, instruct, convict, and purify us. The result is understanding, repentance, renewal, and growth in Jesus. Theologian Philip Jacob Spener wrote: “The more at home the Word of God is among us, the more we will bring about faith and its fruits.” Let’s pray with the psalmist: “Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law” so that we might live it out in our lives (Ps. 119:18).—David C. Egner

“Heavenly Father, we bow in Your presence. Let Your Word be our rule and guide, Your Spirit our teacher, and Your greater glory be our supreme concern, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.” —John R. W. Stott

When the Word of God is within us, it flows out from our life.

INSIGHT: Psalm 119 is a celebration of God’s law, broken down into 22 sections that follow the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. When we take a look at the individual sections, we see that the psalmist personally looks to God’s law as a source of life and guidance. In today’s passage, the psalmist celebrates God’s grace as he acknowledges that it is only through Him that he can keep His Word (v.17).

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – At Every Turn

March 25, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. —Ephesians 6:17

During the Korean War, a unit known as Baker Company was separated from the regiment, and enemy forces were advancing on them. For several hours, no word came from Baker Company. Finally, radio contact was made, and when asked for a report of their situation, Baker Company replied, “The enemy is to the east of us. The enemy is to the west of us. The enemy is to the south of us. The enemy is to the north of us.” Then, after a brief pause, a voice continued, “And this time, we’re not going to let them escape.”

It seems that way in the life of the believer. The Enemy is at every turn. Yet some Christians don’t realize that the Christian life is not a playground but a battleground. They are oblivious to the fact that a war is raging. And in this war, they are either winning or losing.

In a battle, it’s always better to be an aggressor instead of a defender because the defender is simply waiting for the enemy’s next attack, hoping he will survive. If we, as believers, are always defending, then the Devil is in the superior position. But if we are attacking, then we are in the superior position. When the apostle Paul wrote about the armor of God in Ephesians 6, he mentioned one offensive weapon: “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (verse 17, NLT).

Make no mistake about it: there is authority and power in the Word of God. God’s Word sticks. God’s Word breaks through. God’s Word impacts. When the Enemy has you surrounded, keep him on the defensive with the Word of God.

Today’s devotional is an excerpt from Every Day with Jesus by Greg Laurie, 2013

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – God’s Word Gives Joy and Light

February 10, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

“God’s laws are perfect. They protect us, make us wise, and give us joy and light” (Psalm 19:7,8).

Professor William Lyon Phelps, one of Yale University’s most famous scholars, said, “A knowledge of the Bible without a college education is more valuable than a college education without the Bible.”

Why would he say this? Our verse gives us the answer. The Word of God (1) protects us, (2) makes us wise, (3) gives us joy, and (4) gives us light.

There are many other benefits that come from reading the Word of God. With dividends like these, we are indeed robbing ourselves of untold blessings when we neglect His holy, inspired Word for any reason whatever.

It is my privilege to counsel many thousands of people with just about every kind of problem conceivable – need for salvation, poor self-image, marital problems, financial problems, health problems, loss of loved ones, insecurity, fear, and on and on. One could think of every kind of personal need and problem that man faces, and inevitably there is an answer in the Word of God.

I do not know of any individual who has ever received Christ without some understanding of the Word of God. It is for this reason that I included in The Four Spiritual Laws booklet, which I wrote in the 1950’s, the parenthetical statement on page 2: “References contained in this booklet should be read in context from the Bible wherever possible.”

By 1983, it was estimated that more than a billion copies of The Four Spiritual Laws, which contains the distilled essence of the gospel, had been printed (including translations into every major language) and distributed throughout the world, resulting in many millions of people responding to Christ. Still, it cannot compare with God’s Word, nor can any other piece of Christian or secular literature. There is something unique and powerful about holding the Bible in your hand and reading it with your own eyes, for it speaks with authority and power possessed by no other book ever written.

Bible Reading: 2 Timothy 3:14-17

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: God’s Word is the most important book ever written, and the most important book that I could possibly read. Today I will read it for at least 15 minutes with renewed devotion, dedication and sensitivity to its mighty revolutionary power to transform lives and enable children of God to live supernaturally.

Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; C.P. – The Nitty-Gritty

January 11, 2014 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

“Where the rubber meets the road” is a phrase that means the most important point, the moment of truth, the nitty-gritty. The Word of God takes you to that place. Like the idiom that describes the point of contact between the tire and the pavement, the Bible reveals that point of contact where human nature meets God’s holiness and grace.

For the word of God is living and active…discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12

“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. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:15-16) Jesus is that point of contact for believers. In His teachings you’ll find “where the rubber meets the road.” He explains that eternity trumps the temporal. Faith and grace wins out over the letter of the law. Mercy shines over judgment.

As you contemplate your life and this year’s goals, meditate in the Word…specifically the words of Jesus. Then pray that your country’s leaders and your fellow citizens will understand John 3:16 and how it presents the nitty-gritty for their lives.

Recommended Reading: I Corinthians 2:1-13

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Defeating Doubt

November 29, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

And take the helmet of salvation and the sword that the Spirit wields, which is the Word of God.

—Ephesians 6:17

There was a man who was sick and who was confessing the Word over his body, quoting healing scriptures, and believing for his healing to manifest. While doing so, he was intermittently attacked with thoughts of doubt. After he had gone through a hard time and was beginning to get discouraged, God opened his eyes to the spirit world. This is what he saw: a demon speaking lies to him, telling him that he was not going to get healed and that confessing the Word was not going to work. But he also saw that each time he confessed the Word, light would come out of his mouth like a sword, and the demon would cower and fall backward.

As God showed him this vision, the man then understood why it was so important to keep speaking the Word. He saw that he did have faith, which is why the demon was attacking him with doubt. Doubt is not something God puts in us. The Bible says that God gives every man a measure of faith (SEE ROMANS 12:3 KJV).

God has placed faith in our heart, but the devil tries to negate our faith by attacking us with doubt. Doubt comes in the form of thoughts that are in opposition to the Word of God. This is why it is so important for us to know the Word of God. If we know the Word, then we can recognize when the devil is lying to us. Then we can speak the Word and get the upper hand over doubt.

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