Baptist City Blog

Tuesday, 5/3/16  Rom 1:22, Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. He who knows not and knows not that he knows not is a fool; shun him.                  Gen 37:2, These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being 17 years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report. Blended families and strife between step-family members is nothing new. God knows your situation and has steps and plans and a will for your situation.

 

Wednesday, 5/4/16  Pro 8:5a, O ye simple, understand wisdom: and ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart. He who knows not and knows that he knows not is a child; teach him.        Job 36:3, I will fetch my knowledge from afar, and will ascribe righteousness to my Maker. Don’t let the only knowledge that you utilize today come from what you gather with your senses. Use knowledge derived from God also. And take God off of trial: “ascribe righteousness” to Him. Give Him some credit.

 

Thursday, 5/5/16  Pro 20:5, Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water; but a man of understanding will draw it out. He who knows and knows not that he knows is asleep; wake him.                    “I’ve been bad! God doesn’t want to hear from me!!” Ps 120:1, In my distress I cried unto the Lord, and he heard me. God is love! He holds no grudges. Just come from wherever you are & however you are...and the good news is: He’s only 1 step away from you, right now.

 

Friday, 5/6/16  2 Tim 2:7, Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things. He who knows and knows that he knows is wise: follow him.                       Ps 143:10, Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness. Many of us are willing for Him to teach us His will, but we leave off the 2 words: “to do.” Are you learning to know, or learning to do? He’s God: He has a right to demand that we bend and conform to Him. He’s good and is trying to lead us to the land of uprightness.

 

Saturday, 5/7/16  Pro 28:25, He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife. “Stirreth up” vs. letting an initial offense go. Which more often characterizes you?                  Ps 133:1, Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!  To dwell together in unity under the same roof, proper considerations must be made to attend to the other person on a physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual level. Examine your home relationships: marriage, parent-child; child-parent, siblings.

 

Sunday, 5/8/16  Ps 106:20, Thus they changed their glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass. It’s not God, His word, His will or His preferences that has changed: it’s you that has changed God. Get back to obeying more and questioning less.                Ps 134:1-2, Behold, bless ye the Lord, all ye servants of the Lord, which by night stand in the house of the Lord. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord. Think of being a night watchman. This psalm is dedicated to them. Lesson: If you’re bored, simply think harder of what you could, should, or might do.

 

Monday, 5/9/16  Ps 106:13, They soon forgat his works; they waited not for his counsel. Are you rushing forward without waiting for God’s counsel? Have you prayed about your situation? Sought biblical guidelines/instruction/examples on the subject? Asked for godly counsel?               Pro 4:1, Hear ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend (pay attention by choice) to know understanding. Basic home stuff:  kids (either living at home or moved out): how long has it been since you initiated a conversation, let alone sought counsel from each of your parents? (Both are important.) Put down FB and Instagram and Snapchat and pick your parents’ brains. “I’ve heard it all before...” No, you haven’t, and even so, you’ll miss him or her when they’re gone. And, if nothing else, take your parents (individually) out for ice cream and simply express some gratitude and love.

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- You are not defined by your past: you are prepared by it.

- God wants nothing from you but your heart: but when God has your heart, He has everything else, too.

- Paul gloried and grew in enduring tribulation, not in evading or escaping it.

- There is an arresting difference between God’s thoughts and man’s concerning weakness and inadequacy. We are inclined to consider these justifiable excuse for shrinking from the difficult task. God advances these very qualities as reasons for tackling it. We maintain that we are too weak. God asserts that to be the very reason He chose us. Instead of the wise and mighty and noble filling the front ranks of God’s army, we find the foolish, the weak, the despised, the nonentities. And why? That no human being might boast in the presence of God, and that His strength might be made perfect in our weakness.

- God cannot entrust a man with any deep blessing, any important spiritual ministry, until there has come a complete collapse of self.

- In necessary things, unity; in doubtful things, liberty; in all things, charity.

- The lower you allow yourself to go, regress, or sink the harder it is, and longer it takes, to get back to where you're supposed to be.

- When a man loses his Heavenly desire he may expect all the fires of Hell to break loose.

- Often I pray for God to work around me, about me, and for me, when I should be praying for God to work in me. It is human nature for me to ask God to fix everything externally. It is Divine nature for me to ask God to fix me internally. For that was His desire all along!

- We often treat the Lord the way King Saul treated David: we want Him to sing songs and chase away the evil spirits, but we don’t want Him to be king!

- We cannot pray in love and live in hate and think that we’re still worshipping God.

- God is not “nice.” He is good, holy, and just.

- Life is short but there should always be time for mom and dad!

- Better than getting right with God is staying right with God by doing right for God.

- Waiting until the end of the day to walk with God is like playing a concert and tuning your instrument afterwards.

- Do not expect God to reveal Himself to you if you’re not willing to expose yourself to Him.

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- Ps 45:6, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the scepter of thy kingdom is a right scepter. Our God’s power and authority are never ending. We need to recognize and accept this.

- Ex 15:27, And they came to Elim, where were 12 wells of water and [70] palm trees, and they encamped by the waters. It was about 5 miles from Marah’s bitter waters to Elim’s pleasant waters. It’s about the same distance from the bitter experiences of life to the joy that’s found in Christ.

- Ps 47:1, O clap your hands, all ye people: shout unto God with the voice of triumph. If we can’t shout and praise God, who else in the world can?

- Ps 43:5, Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me? Hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God. When we get down and discouraged, it’s a time to look up and trust in God, not in doctors and drugs!! (This thought was written by a doctor!!!)

- 1 Sam 1:27, For this child I prayed, and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him. Thank the Lord for praying godly moms who not only pray for their children before birth, but continue to pray and loan them to God! How blessed many of us are.

- Sometimes God uses a storm in your life to correct your course. Consider Jonah.

- Bible thoughts! Ps 39:12b, ...for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were. David did not say that he was a stranger FROM God, but a stranger WITH God. He was a stranger, but not alone. They were strangers together in a hostile world. I love that! We are not alone!

- Bible thoughts! Ps 38:10, My heart panteth, my strength faileth me: as for the light of mine eyes, it also is gone from me. I'm SO glad that we have a place to go when our strength is all dried up!

- Bible thoughts! Gen 39:2a, And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man. This one is for us, ladies! 🏼🏼🏼Put YOUR husband’s name there. Let's pray to the Lord that our hubbies will be prosperous in all that they do!

- Bible thoughts! Ps 37:4, Delight thyself also in the Lord ; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Wow! I found a GREAT quote referring to this favorite Psalm of so many. Enjoy!   "Do not think first of the desires of thy heart, but think first of delighting thyself in thy God. If thou hast accepted him as thy Lord, he is thine; so delight in him, and then he will give thee the desires of thy heart."

- Bible thoughts! Ps 34:22, The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate. Wow! What a God we serve! He won't leave His children devastated or ravaged!