Fervent: A Woman's Battle Plan to Serious, Specific and Strategic Prayer

Fervent: A Woman's Battle Plan to Serious, Specific and Strategic Prayer by Priscilla Shirer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thai book was written after the movie, "War Room!" The author played an important part in the movie and she is also a well known Christian speaker, and daughter of the Pastor Tony Evans. Even though this book is written for women, I think it is an encouragement and challenge to all who read it. Many wonderful principles taught in this book! I trust the quotes below will be a blessing to you:

Not everything good thing is a God thing. ~Priscilla Shirer

Satan’s ploy is to make you believe your core value as a person is tied to how much work you do, how much activity you can accomplish, how much stuff you can accumulate, how much business you can generate. ~Priscilla Shirer

God doesn’t want something from you. He wants something for you. Your value is not in what you do (as if you could ever do enough) but in who you are (as if you could ever be more loved and accepted by Him than you already are). ~Priscilla Shirer

Easy not to notice how every time Moses approached Pharaoh throughout the early part of Exodus, declaring God’s Words to the Egyptian ruler, he didn’t just say, “Let My people go,” like the lyrics to the old spiritual says. He said, “Let My people do, so that they may serve Me (Ex. 9:1). Said it about a dozen times. Look it up. There was a specific reason for their release. ~Priscilla Shirer

This one life is all we’ve got. This one pass through the gauntlet of life’s pressures and demands is our one chance to choose: Will we let them dominate and define us? Steal our hearts and devotion? Or will our service and adoration of the Father determine how we operate – determine what fills our plate? ~Priscilla Shirer

Unforgiveness is a strategic “design,” craftily implemented by your enemy to “outwit” you, to cripple your effectiveness in prayer and your power to stand against him victoriously. ~Priscilla Shirer

Yes: “All of God’s promises,” the Bible says, “have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding ‘YES!’” (2 Cor. 1:20)

Prayer
Releases
All
Your
Eternal
Resources


I would recommend this book to everyone!

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Miracles From Heaven

My wife and I had an opportunity to see a screening of this movie. Excellent movie, but please make sure you take tissues with you. It is very emotional.  Check out the trailer below:




Here are the words of one of the songs in the movie. The song is song by Third Day:

"Your Words"

Let me hear Your words
Above all other voices
Above all the distractions in this world

Let me hear Your words
Above all of the voices
Above all the distractions in this world

For Your words bring life
And Your voice speaks promises
Lord, Your love offers more
Than anything else in this world

Your words give us life that’s never ending
Your words bring us love that never fails
Everything else will fade away
But what will remain
Are Your words

Let us speak Your words
More than ours, more than ever
Let us share Your love with all the world

The grass will wither and the flowers will fall
But the word of our God will last forever
The grass will wither and the flowers will fall
But the word of our God will last forever

Below is the song on YouTube

War Room: Prayer Is a Powerful Weapon

War Room: Prayer Is a Powerful Weapon by Chris Fabry

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Excellent movie! This book is taken from the movie. The only thing different is most of the deleted scenes are in the book. If you enjoyed the movie you will enjoy this book. Every believer ought to see the movie, then if you enjoy reading read the book. I have listed many quotes from this book (movie) below. The words encouraged and challenged me and I trust they will do the same for you!

A prayer strategy. Yes. I used to do what you and your husband are doing, but it got me nowhere. Then I started really studying what the Scriptures say, and God showed me that it wasn’t my job to do the heavy lifting. No. That was something that only He could do. It was my job to seek Him to trust Him, and to stand on His Word.

Elizabeth said, “Miss Clara, I’ve never seen anything like this (her prayer closet). And I admire it, I really do. It’s just that I don’t have time to pray that mush every day. Miss Clara’s response, “But you apparently have time to fight losing battles with your husband.”

The other truth she believed, from a life experiencing it, was that for real change to happen deep in the soul, God tended to make people miserable rather than happy. He brought them to the end of themselves and showed them how powerless they were in order to show them how powerful He was. The children of Israel didn’t push back the Red Sea. They didn’t knock down the walls of Jericho. It was only when they were at the end of their rope and had to depend on someone bigger that they saw God work mightily. It was the same with each follower of Jesus.

She wanted to pray that God would restore Elizabeth’s marriage and turn her husband’s heart around and that everything would be fixed overnight. Immediate healing was easier to pray for than a transplant because a transplant takes time and someone else has to die. But the more Clara spoke with the Lord about the situation, the more she understood Elizabeth’s life was probably going to get worse before it got better. And the issue wasn’t just Elizabeth’s husband. It was Elizabeth herself.

“When I fought against my husband,” Clara continued, “I was fighting against my own marriage and my family. I tried for years to fix Leo, but I couldn’t do it.”
“Well, I’ve gotten nowhere with Tony.”
“Cause it’s not your job! Who said it was your responsibility to fix Tony? It’s your job to love him, respect him, and to pray for the man. God knows he needs it.” She raised her voice to a falsetto. “And men don’t like it when their woman’s always trying to fix them.”

“Elizabeth, you got to plead with God so that He can do what only He can do, and then you got to get out of the way and let Him do it.”

“God does hear what we pray. You don’t need a megaphone or a million people to get His attention. But the point of prayer is not to get what we want. Prayer changes the person who prays.”

“The goal of prayer is not to change God’s mind about what you want. The goal of prayer is to change your own heart, to want what He wants, to the glory of God.”

And you need to do your fightin’ in prayer. You need to kick the real enemy out of your home with the Word of God.

Now here Elizabeth stood, fully awake to the battle. “I don’t know where you are, devil,” she said loudly, “but I know you can hear me.” She looked at the stone fireplace and the furniture in the room. “You have played with my mind. And had your way long enough. No more! You are done!” She walked into the kitchen, lights reflecting on the granite countertop. She glanced back from where she had just come. “Jesus is Lord of this house, and that means there’s no place for you here anymore! So take your lies, your schemes and accusations, and get out! In Jesus’ name!” Elizabeth could hear Clara’s voice echoing in her head – the way she would say those words. She opened the back door and walked onto the deck. “You can’t have my marriage, you can’t have my daughter, and you sure can’t have my man! This house is under new management, and that means you are out!” She walked inside and slammed the door behind her. Then something clicked in her mind and she opened the door again and stepped outside. “And another thing! I am so sick of you stealing my joy. But that’s changing too. My joy doesn’t come from my friends, it doesn’t come from my job, it doesn’t even come from my husband. My joy is found in Jesus, and just in case you forgot, He has already defeated you. So go back to hell where you belong and leave my family alone!” Elizabeth slammed the door again and it felt like the exclamation point to her proclamation. She was finally taking control. No, that wasn’t the truth. She was getting out of the way and letting God take control. She was going with Him, agreeing with Him instead of her enemy. No longer would she be ruled by fear or by the actions of anyone else.

She wanted to tell Elizabeth that if you come to God with a good plan, you’ll probably leave frustrated. The believer’s job was to come to God with a surrendered heart. To come empty-handed every morning not to get what you wanted but to receive all of who He was and what He wanted for you.

“Sometimes the best gifts God gives us are not the easy times when everything goes our way. The best gifts are the hard times when your life is reduced to a couple of good questions: What is this all about? Why are we here? Sometimes it’s a diagnosis. Sometimes it’s a slamming door when someone you love walks out. Might be a bill you can’t pay. And at first you think the answer will be healing or that loved one returning or a pile of money that drops right out of heaven. Now I’m not against healing. I’m for it. And I’m for reconciliation. If God opens up the storehouses of heaven and rains down hundred-dollar bills, I’ll get out a basket and gather them like manna.” Elizabeth laughed, though Clara figured tears were running down her cheeks at the same time. “But here’s the thing I’ve discovered after walking with the Lord a long time, Elizabeth. God is not interested in making me comfortable or happy. His goal is to make me holy, like His Son. And I’ve never met a follower of Jesus who hasn’t encountered some suffering pain. God doesn’t tell us to pick up a memory foam cross. It’s rugged and it’s heavy. You can run and try to find some easier way, but eventually He leads you through the thorns and briars and that valley of the shadow. But I promise you, if you trust Him, He will lead you to green pastures and peaceful waters. Not just when you get to heaven, but right now. Peace and contentment in the middle of the storm. In the middle of the disappointment and fear and anger.

The bad times are really the good times in disguise.

“All I know is, you can fight against your wife, and probably hold your own, but if God is fighting for her, you can hit the gym all you want to, but it’s not looking too good for you.”

Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in God.

But I’ve learned that my contentment can’t come from you. Tony, I love you. But I am His before I’m yours. And because I love Jesus, I’m staying right here.

“Ha-haaaa! Devil, you just got your butt kicked!” she screamed. “My God is faithful! He’s powerful! He’s merciful! He’s in charge! You can’t fire Him, and He’ll never retire! Glory! Praise the Lord!”

“Really, what I’m talking about here is the difference between you working hard to change things and revival. I hear people talking a lot about revival and what they want God to do to change society and the culture and how much sin there is in Hollywood and everywhere else. I pray for revival. But I’ve lived long enough to know that it doesn’t start with anybody but me. Right here.” Clara pointed a bony finger toward her own heart. “If you find yourself getting anxious, nervous, questioning whether Tony can change, you’re not really questioning him, you’re questioning whether God has the power to do what He said He could do.”

C.S. Lewis Quote:
To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket – safe, dark, motionless, airless – it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.

“Lord Jesus, You know the struggle that Tony has. You know the indecision, the shame, the pain of his choices. I pray You would remind him right now of whose child he is. And that when You look at him, You see the perfection of Your Son, Jesus. Thank You that You have conquered sin. Thank You that the evil one is not in control. Give Tony the courage to do what You’re asking him to do, in Your timing.”

“Once the power of God is unleashed in a life, things don’t stay the same. And that’s what prayer does, it unleashes the power of God. You see, prayer is not about getting things right. You don’t get your prayers answered because you kneel in just the right spot or say just the right words.”

Why pray at all? “If God knows everything and if He’s working out His will in the world, what’s the point?” “Mm-hmm,” Clara said. “The answer to that question is simple, but not easy. We pray because God tells us to. He commands us to. So we obey. And John says whenever we ask anything according to God’s will, He hears us. So why would God ask us to do something that makes no difference? That’s really your question.” “I do or I wouldn’t waste my time or the cartilage in my knees.” “Prayer brings us closer to the heart of God. It opens your heart to those around you and makes you long for what He longs for. And it’s clear from the first page to the last that God does respond to the requests of His people. I don’t pretend to understand it, but it’s true.”

Pray and wait. That’s what she had done in the past few weeks. And in the waiting came the strengthening of the muscles of faith. It was a whole-faith workout to wait and allow God to do what He wanted to do. As Clara said, it was time to just get out of His way.

“God is working here. He’s done a big thing in your husband’s heart. And it doesn’t matter what that company decides.”

“The circumstance doesn’t matter. It’s your reaction to it that matters.”

“Most people think ‘God helps those who help themselves’ is in the Bible. Listen, God helps those who have come to the end of themselves. And that’s where Tony is. I know it feels terrible, but it’s a very good thing.”

No matter what happened to her and Tony, no matter how choppy the waters became because of the evil one’s influence, she had a choice. She could choose to be tossed about and blown off course, or she could be controlled by the love of God. She could choose to look at how far God had gone to show her love – the death of His only Son. She could choose to see the rescue plan God put in place for her soul, how much He cared, how much He wanted to bless her. She could either look at the circumstances she was in, which were pretty dire, or she could see the big picture, that God was ultimately in control and would walk with her no matter what happen.

I hear people say, “Well all we can do now is pray.” That’s the best thing we can do.

A lot of people want to do great things for God. A lot of people want to change the world. I just shake my head when I hear that. God is the only one who can change the world because He’s the only one who can change hearts and minds.

My whole source of joy is in You.

I would rather have a man chasing Jesus than a house full of stuff.

If … My people who are called by My name humble themselves, pray and seek My face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.

“You’ve done it again, Lord. You’ve done it again. You are good and You are mighty and You are merciful. And You keep taking care of me when I don’t deserve it. Praise You, Jesus. You are Lord.”

“Give me another one, Lord. Guide me to who You want me to help. Raise up more that will call on Your name. Raise up those that love You and seek You and trust You. Raise them up, Lord, raise them up!”

In her mind, she saw a family clasping hands at the dinner table to pray. A man on a tractor in the middle of his field. Two men with bowed heads praying in front of a world map.

“Lord, we need a generation of believers who are not ashamed of the gospel. We need an army of believers who hate to be lukewarm and will stand on Your Word above all else. Raise’em up Lord. Raise them up.”

Clara saw streams of young people moving toward a flagpole, encircling the area with eyes closed. Others were heading for a church in the distance, carrying young children.

“I pray for unity among those that love You. I pray that You’d open their eyes so that they can see Your truth. I pray for Your hand of protection and guidance.”

Clara thought of the police officers in her town and across the nation. Of the division between races and the struggles she had witnessed over the years.

“Raise up a generation, Lord that will take light into this world. That will not compromise under pressure that will not cower when others fall away. Raise them up, Lord; that they will proclaim that there is salvation in the name of Jesus Christ. Raise up warriors who will fight on their knees, who will worship You with their whole hearts. Lord, call us to battle, that we may proclaim You King of kings and Lord of lords!”

Clara pictured fathers praying over their newborn children. She pictured men and women in places of high power kneeling and praying for guidance. She thought of schoolteachers and business leaders and gas station attendants and mothers at PTA meetings. She thought of pastors and youth workers and missionaries and the faces all came together in her final words of petition.

“I pray these things with all my heart. … Raise them up, Lord, raise them up!”

Check out the website, kendrickbrothers

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Where Are the Nine?

Where Are the Nine? by George G. Brainard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The author of this book is a friend of mine. He sent me this book. When I saw the title and read the back cover to be honest I did not think I would enjoy the book. Boy, was I wrong. This short book is an excellent read. The story is a fictional account of what happen to the 10 lepers that were healed (The Biblical account recorded in Luke 17:11-19). The main character in the book is the one leper that returned to Jesus to give thanks. The story is very interesting and it also is inspirational.I share just a few quotes below:

His years of ministry had prepared him well to deal with my youthful zeal ... impatience. "We must trust the solid examples we find in God's Word, my son. Consider how Noah spent 120 years building a mammoth ark before the great flood. Or, how Moses had to spend all those years in Pharaoh's court and in the desert before he was ready to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. God is in control and He is not hurried. He wants you to be properly prepared before you go. You must also seek His wisdom for the best plan. You need a God directed mission strategy."

The wise:
1. They listen to sound advice
2. They obey it
3. They are declared righteous
4. They ultimately prosper
5. They receive life
The foolish:
1. They ignore sound advice
2. They rebel
3. They remain evil - wicked
4. They ultimately fail
5. They end in hopeless death
The key to Proverbs:
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

My List - We must:
1. Live a godly life first
2. Have a working knowledge of God's Word
3. Be somewhat familiar with those we are called to reach
4. Pray for guidance to find them and wisdom to deal with them
5. Trust God for the results
6. Meet weekly to encourage each other and share God's progress

As you can see the book is very practical. I especially enjoyed the author listing the hymns and words to the hymns that he enjoyed. These were listed at the end of the book.

All believers will enjoy this book. To order a copy of this book email George at georgebrainard@reagan.com


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God's Not Dead 2

God's Not Dead, He Is Surely Alive!

My wife and I had the opportunity to see this movie tonight! Excellent movie. If you enjoyed God's Not Dead, then you will enjoy this one!

Excellent quote from the movie:  "I'd rather stand with God and be judged by the world, than stand with the world, and be judged by God."

Here are the lyrics to "Guilty" a powerful song the Newsboys perform in the movie:

When did it become breaking a rule

To say Your name out loud in school

When Your name’s the only one that sets us free

When did it become incorrect

To speak the truth about life and death

When Your life gave us all eternity

Even if it gets me convicted

I’ll still be on my knees with my hands lifted

If serving You is against the law of man

If living out my faith in You is banned

Then I’ll stand right before the jury

If saying I believe is out of line

If I’m judged cause I’m gonna give my life

To show the world the love that fills me

Then I want to be Guilty

Here is a video of the song:





Here is the Trailer for the movie:

Holman Old Testament Commentary - Deuteronomy

Holman Old Testament Commentary - Deuteronomy: 3 by Max Anders
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a very practical commentary on the book of Deuteronomy. I used it as our Sunday School classes studied the book. I trust you will be blessed and challenged by the quotes below;

Fear of the right type can be beneficial to the people of God (see Prov. 1:7), but the fear of man’s hostile intentions seldom fits that category. ~Max Anders

Believers should be more concerned for God’s opinion of them than for what human opponents might do to their bodies. ~Max Anders

The thoughtful believer recalls God’s faithfulness in the past when confronted by any new threat. Part of spiritual maturity is strong sense of one’s own history. ~Max Anders

Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers, but for powers equal to your tasks. Today’s pains not only affect today. They are God’s training ground for our tomorrows. ~Phillips Brooks & Max Anders

The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything else. ~Oswald Chambers

God’s Word calls His people to adore Him exclusively and completely and to love people as themselves. ~Max Anders

The concept of freedom in Scripture differs from modern notions. Freedom is not a life lived free of restraints but a life that recognizes healthy limits, those that are concern to produce prosperity and order for the person who observes them. ~Max Anders

The labor of self-love is a heavy one indeed. Think whether much of your sorrow has not arisen from someone speaking slightingly of you. As long as you set yourself up as a little god to which you must be loyal, how can you hope to find inward peace? ~A.W. Tozer

Nothing should be considered outside the scope of God’s authority. ~Max Anders

Moses warned them [Israelites] that the leading spiritual danger they would face on entering the [promise] land would be forgetting the Lord. What adversity would not do, prosperity and satisfaction could. They were to be on their guard against spiritual lethargy. ~Max Anders

Conversion is essential, but it is a beginning, not an end. The believer in Jesus Christ is not simply rescued from the penalty of his sin; he is redeemed to love God and his neighbor so that others might come to know him. ~Max Anders

Moses simplifies the whole duty of Israel (and of humanity) by crystalizing the moral law into a single command to love God supremely. ~Max Anders

Even the wisest people learn little from their successes; God warns His people against allowing their victories (which He will grant) to lead them into pride and spiritual indifference. Instead, they should pay close attention to God’s Word. ~Max Anders

Although their parents died in the wilderness for their stubbornness, Israel could profit from the older generation’s failure by remembering that God had used adversity to train them. ~Max Anders

It is a good thing to let prayer be the first business in the morning and the last in the evening. Guard yourself against such false and deceitful thoughts that keep whispering, “Wait a while. In an hour or so I will pray. I must first finish this or that.” Thinking such thoughts we get away from prayer into other things that will hold us and involve us till the prayer of the day comes to naught. ~Martin Luther

Although God’s people find many successes in the world, they must not fall prey to a spirit of pride. We succeed not because of our moral superiority but because of the faithfulness of our divine intercessor and because of the great mercy of God. ~Max Anders

If and when a horror turns up you will then be given Grace to help you. I don’t think one is usually given it in advance. “Give us our daily bread” (not an annuity for life) applies to spiritual gifts too; the little daily support for the daily trial. Life has to be taken day by day and hour by hour. ~C.S. Lewis

In Deuteronomy 11, God offers Israel a choice; either a life of productivity and enjoyment made possible by obedience to Him, or a life of difficulty and opposition made necessary by disobedience. The happiness Israel desires can only be theirs by being properly related to Him. ~Max Anders

Israel’s [as well as our] enjoyment of the land is contingent on their behavior. Blessings or cruses lie before them; the choice is theirs. ~Max Anders

Worship is the submission of all our nature to God. It is the quickening of conscience by His holiness; the nourishment of mind with His truth; the purifying of imagination by His beauty; the opening of the heart to His love; the surrender of will to His purpose – and all of this gathered up in adoration, the most selfless emotion of which our nature is capable and therefore the chief remedy for that self-centeredness which is our original sin and the source of all actual sin. ~William Temple

False teaching – anything that would weaken the believer’s ties to his Lord – must be confronted wherever it appears, even if that confrontation requires painful correction. ~Max Anders

Father, we ask that you give us a passion for the truth and not merely a hatred of falsehood. Keep us concerned for the spiritual health of people but open to your own rebukes from your mighty Word. ~Max Anders

God loves as we are, but He loves us too much to leave us that way. ~Anonymous

The worship practices of the people of God are to be marked by devotion to Him and compassion to the needy. ~Max Anders

If Israel is to please the Lord fully, they will live lives that are as distinctive among the nations as their Lord is different from pagan deities. ~Max Anders

In glory God is incomprehensible, in greatness unfathomable, in height inconceivable, in power incomparable, in wisdom unrivaled, in goodness inimitable, in kindness unutterable. ~Theophilus of Antioch

God demonstrates generosity, then asks it from His people. ~Max Anders

Giving works best when the Lord's portion is removed first and believers learn to live within the remainder. ~Max Anders

The generous giver, demonstrating the nature of God by his behavior, can never outgive God. ~Max Anders

God expects believers to improve their attitude in giving as well as their giving itself. ~Max Anders

Since all wealth ultimately comes from God, His people ought to acknowledge His primacy by offering Him the best of their wealth, time, and abilities. ~Max Anders

All human beings pass away. Do not let your happiness depend on something you may lose. If love is to be a blessing, not a misery, it must be for the only beloved who will never pass away. ~C.S. Lewis

Discussing Deut. 7:22-23, “However, God would not, as He did against the Egyptians, destroy all the armies of the nations in one brief encounter, all at once. Instead, He would drive out those nations … little by little. Israel would fight a war that it could win, but not a war that would be swift or uncomplicated. It was to Israel’s benefit that they not enter a deserted land. Had they done so, the wild animals would multiply around them and place them in jeopardy. The war that Christians must fight bears many similarities to the divine design for occupying the Holy Land. Christians must go to war every day, putting to death the deeds of the body so they can live victorious lives. Although the greatest victory is already won, a life still waits to be carved out for each soldier, and progress generally comes little by little. Come it will, however, to the one who fights, just as it would for Israel. The Lord promised to deliver their enemies over if His people would fight faithfully. ~Max Anders

God wanted Israel, as He wants Christians, to learn to utterly abhor and detest anything that had the potential of coming between them and their God. The believer’s enemies are typically internal rather than external, and they pose a powerful threat to spiritual health and progress. ~Max Anders

Wisdom lies in recognizing the dangers that lie within us and doing battle with them daily. ~Max Anders

The choice of a mate is crucial because no one has a greater influence on our spiritual lives. ~Max Anders

Kindness that allows barriers to one’s relationship with God to spring up is self-destructive. ~Max Anders

God chooses people not for what He can do for them, but for the good they can do for others. ~Max Anders

Christianity, righty understood, is utterly unlike religion that man invents. It is so completely contrary to the way man does things that it must have come from God. Take Christmas, for example; only God could have thought of that. When man invents a super being, he comes up with a Superman, or a Captain Marvel. God gives the world a baby. ~Richard Halverson.

My mother’s influence in molding my character was conspicuous. She forced me to learn daily long chapters of the Bible by heart. To that discipline and patient, accurate resolve I owe not only much of my general power of taking pains, but of the best part of my taste for literature. ~John Ruskin

People sometimes punish to exact judgment for past actions. God disciplines in order to teach and always in the interest of those whom he disciplines. ~Max Anders

God leads His people whether they are obedient or rebellious, but His leading is far more pleasant when they obey. ~Max Anders

God’s loving discipline brings us face-to-face with our pride. ~Max Anders

Chastening is a mark of affection, not a sign of rejection. ~Max Anders

God delights in providing His people with material gain and comfort, although prosperity can pose a threat to spiritual well-being. ~Max Anders

If someone considers the prophetic writings with all the diligence and reverence they are worth, while he reads and examines with great care, it is certain that in that very act he will be struck in his mind and senses by some more divine breath and will recognize that the books he reads have not been produced in a human way, but are words of God. ~Origen of Alexandria

There is no merit where there is no trial; and till experience stamps the mark of strength, cowards may pass for heroes, and falsehood for faith. ~Aaron Hill

The meaning of earthly existence lies, not as we have grown used to thinking, in prospering, but in the development of the soul. ~Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Never yet did there exist a full faith in the divine Word, which did not expand the intellect while it purified the heart; which did not multiply the aims and objects of the understanding, while it fixed and simplified those of the desires and passions. ~Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Intercessors constitute the greatest unseen group of spiritual heroes in world history. Their labors are not seen, but the results are. Those who pray for the spiritual needs of others do immeasurable good in the world, often preventing (at least for a time) divine judgment. ~Max Anders

Although God’s people find many successes in the world, they must not fall prey to a spirit of pride. We succeed not because of our moral superiority but because of the faithfulness of our Divine Intercessor and because of the great mercy of God. ~Max Anders

Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God. ~William Carey

There is no limit to what God’s people can expect their God to do if they are rightly related to Him. ~Max Anders

In any spiritual undertaking, God’s first order of business is to see to the spiritual health of His people. ~Max Anders

Believers are inclined to attribute their spiritual successes to their godliness when it would be more accurate to connect them with God’s faithfulness. ~Max Anders

The believer who feels the agony caused by rebellion will grow to become the best intercessor. ~Max Anders

Persistence in prayer brings results that casual prayer does not. ~Max Anders

To know God and to find one’s full satisfaction in that knowledge is the ultimate goal of Christian experience. The Lord’s greatest delight comes when His people discover the ultimate value lies in the knowledge of God. Nothing in the material world can complete with the delights that are present in His Person. ~Max Anders

Grace is always given freely by God, but grace received should always issue in a joyous delight in Him. ~Max Anders

For my part, I have never ceased to rejoice that God has appointed me to such an office. People talk of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa …. Is that a sacrifice, which brings its own blest reward in healthful activity, the consciousness of doing good, peace of mind, and a bright hope of glorious destiny hereafter? Away with the word in such a view, and with such a thought! It is emphatically no sacrifice. Say rather it is a privilege. Anxiety, sickness, suffering, or danger, now and then, with a foregoing of the common conveniences and charities of the life, may make us pause, and cause the spirit to waver, and the soul to sink; but let this only be for a moment. All these are nothing when compared with the glory, which shall be revealed in and for us. I never made a sacrifice. ~David Livingstone

The heart that delights in God and longs only to see His glory advance will seldom be conscious of sacrifice. God in His wisdom asks that we first love Him and then live in keeping with that core value. He does not want His people to think of what they do as sacrificial, even though from the world’s point of view it may be just that. Gratitude for grace of God will always be found near the center of the Biblical Christian’s most powerful motivations. ~Max Anders

Just as the ark rested in the center of Israel’s camp, God wants His Word to form the center of the believer’s life. ~Max Anders

The most blessed gift that God can give any person is a knowledge of Himself. ~Max Anders

Fear of God and love for God coexist happily in the heart of people who are rightly related to Him. ~Max Anders

God’s commandments not only reflect His holiness, they promote our happiness. ~Max Anders

All believers can increase their commitment to God by reflecting on His faithfulness and by considering the forms such commitment should assume in their experience. ~Max Anders

Spiritual strength is connected to faithful obedience to God’s commands. ~Max Anders

God supplies the needs of His people according to their needs but does not ordinarily allow stockpiling. ~Max Anders

The worship of false gods is always an outgrowth of spiritual deception. ~Max Anders

Since the success of believers is tied to our knowledge of and obedience to God’s Word, the memorizing of portions of the Bible is advisable. ~Max Anders

David memorized Scripture and recognized it as a key to walking with God: “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Ps. 119:11). He knew that memorization was the doorway to constant meditation and all the benefits associated with it: “But [the godly person’s] delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night” (Ps. 1:2). Fixing God’s Word on the heart and mind is both preventative and corrective to engage in foolish and sinful practices. At the same time, God will use Scripture to help us realize it when our actions are not pleasing to Him. ~Max Anders

Curiosity is an enormous challenge to godly living. ~Max Anders

Believers have just as much to fear from legalism as from waywardness. The first detracts from the beauty of the message, while the second mars it content. ~Max Anders

Worship is accomplished with the life as well as with the words and attitudes of people. Changed and transformed lives testify to the character and supernatural power of the God of heaven. Closeness to Him produces changes in character and holiness. ~Max Anders

Attachments to older forms of worship may be comfortable, but they may contain elements of falsehood that make them unacceptable to God. ~Max Anders

Common sense religion emphasizes the human contributions that are supposed to move the deity. Valid worship always begins with recognition of what God has already done. ~Max Anders

Religious truth is not false for being narrow any more than mathematical or scientific truth is false for the same reason. ~Max Anders

Rejoicing is the essence of genuine worship. A sad face (apart from remorse for sin or regret concerning the pain of others) is an affront to a gracious and generous God. ~Max Anders

God ought to be given the choice portion of our wealth and not its dregs. ~Max Anders

God warned Israel, “And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it” (Ex. 20:25). To pollute something is to make it ordinary. God insists that any approach crafted by human ingenuity will produce a worship system just like all the pagan systems in the world. In other words, it will be common or profane – just like everyone else’s paganism. ~Max Anders

By definition, if man contributes anything toward acceptance by God, he loses everything. God expects man to be the recipient, not the originator. Jesus paid it all, not 99% of it. Paul wrote, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph. 2:8-9). ~Max Anders

We dare not trim stones to make God an altar, for if we do we ruin everything. We would spend time bringing people to the altar and saying, “Look at those beautiful stones we trimmed!” We merely need to accept the work that God has done for us in Christ. The object of His restrictions is to help us see how wonderful He is and to spend the rest of our lives rendering true worship to Him. ~Max Anders

Simplicity reaches out after God; purity discovers and enjoys Him. ~Thomas a Kempis

How little people know who think that holiness is dull. When one meets the real thing ... it is irresistible. If even ten percent of the world's population had it, would not the whole world be converted and happy before year's end? ~C.S. Lewis

Act in such a way that you always treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, never simply as a means but always also as an end. ~Immanuel Kant

Earth’s crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God. And only he who sees takes off his shoes, the rest sit around and pick blackberries. ~Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Unless we know the difference between flowers and weeds, we are not fit to take care of a garden. It is not enough to have truth planted in our minds. We must learn and labor to keep the ground clear of thorns and briars, follies and perversities, which have a wicked propensity to choke the word of life. ~Clyde Francis Lytle

True repentance hates the sin, and not merely the penalty; and it hates the sin most of all because it has discovered and felt God’s love. ~William Mackergo Taylor

When people stop believing in God, they do not believe in nothing. They believe in anything. ~ G.K. Chesterton

Conversion is not a repairing of the old building; but it takes all down and erects a new structure. The sincere Christian is quite a new fabric – from the foundation to the top stone all new. ~Joseph Alleine

Love thy God and love Him only and thy breast will ne’er be lonely. ~Aubrey Thomas DeVere

Grace binds with far stronger cords than the cords of duty or obligation can bind you. Grace is free, but when once you take it you are bound forever to the Giver, and bound to catch the spirit of the Giver. Like produces like. Grace makes you gracious, the Giver makes you give. ~ E. Stanley Jones

With the goodness of God to desire our highest welfare, the wisdom of God to plan it, and the power of God to achieve it, what do we lack?  ~A. W. Tozer

Faith, mighty faith, the promise sees, and looks to that alone; laughs at life’s impossibilities, and cries, it shall be done.   ~Charles Wesley

Theological error is the most pernicious of errors; it strikes at man’s center and separates him from his Creator and Redeemer. God insisted not only that Israelites should judge their own hearts and cast aside falsehood about Him but that they should also confront it wherever it emerged.  ~Max Anders

False teaching – anything that would weaken the believer’s ties to his Lord – must be confronted wherever it appears, even if that confrontation requires painful correction.  ~Max Anders

The dictionary defines tolerance as “the capacity for or the practice of recognizing and respecting the beliefs or practices of others.” Tolerance in this traditional sense is merely an outgrowth of Christian love, part of practicing the Golden Rule. We like to have our views and practices respected. The Lord insisted that the best way to encourage this is to grant it to other people.

But as is so often the case, the directory is running behind the culture. Today we are hearing a new definition of tolerance in the modern world. To respect people as people is not enough. To grant them the right to their practices is inadequate. Today, we must accept their ideas as equally valid with our own. We are constantly asked to jettison a love for the truth for the sake of harmony.

In the Western world, tolerance has now become the highest of all virtues. No one should be made uncomfortable by raising questions about the validity of their beliefs. Still less acceptable are people who have strong spiritual convictions. Christian evangelism is now often viewed as a form of hate speech.

Many Christians today subscribe to this perspective, not realizing that this modern brand of tolerance brings with it a diminished concern for lost people. We now can comfort ourselves when we are indifferent to people without Christ by explaining that we dare not cause them discomfort. As our biblical text shows, however, spiritual truth is literally a matter of life and death. Christians must not fail to show loving spiritual concern for others by justifying such neglect in the name of good manners. Our witness must always be winsome, but it must be a winsome witness.  ~Max Anders

Truth can be attested by the supernatural, but so can falsehood.  ~Max Anders

A concern for doctrinal purity should always be based on love of the Lord, not a desire to express spiritual pride.   ~Max Anders

Some believers tend to forget God’s persistent faithfulness in the face of the spectacular and showy.  ~Max Anders

There is a kind of misguided pity that deals gently with false teachers at the expense of their victims.  ~Max Anders

Error is most painful when it is found inside the family.  ~Max Anders

God chose Israel not because they were superior but because of what He could do through them for others.  ~Max Anders

The fear of God does not come naturally to human beings; it must be learned through Scripture, worship, and the hard knocks of experience.  ~Max Anders

God not only allowed for joyful worship but also commanded it.  ~Max Anders

Compassion is easily forsaken in the midst of prosperity, even when this prosperity is God given.  ~Max Anders

God is glorified when His people find satisfaction in Him and in His provisions for them. ~Max Anders

When things are out of our hands, then it is easier to hold on to God.  ~Mission Air

God demonstrates generosity, then asks it from His people.   ~Max Anders

Giving works best when the Lord’s portion is removed first and believers learn to live within the remainder.    ~Max Anders

The generous giver, demonstrating the nature of God by his behavior, can never outgive God.   ~Max Anders

God expects believers to improve their attitude in giving as well as their giving itself.  ~Max Anders

Since all wealth ultimately comes from God, His people ought to acknowledge His primacy by offering Him the best of their wealth, time, and abilities.   ~Max Anders

God delights to see His people rejoice in what He has provided.  ~Max Anders

A good memory is one of the most precious assets of spiritual living. ~Max Anders

Recalling what our lives were like before Jesus Christ entered them will help keep our daily problems in perspective.   ~Max Anders

Prosperity is often the enemy of spiritual development. ~Max Anders

A worshiper’s gift makes a statement about the worshiper and his God.  ~Max Anders

In God’s pattern of justice, He takes the risk of the guilty going free but not the innocent being punished.  ~Max Anders

Man’s sinful nature causes him to deny his guilt as well as pervert the judicial system that seeks to discover the truth.   ~Max Anders

God is not naïve in the giving of His laws; He anticipates our disobedience even as He commands our obedience.   ~Max Anders

There is no substitute for a firsthand encounter with the Word of God.  ~Max Anders

Those who serve God in vocational ministry must learn to trust Him for their daily needs before they can encourage others to do so.   ~Max Anders

Intimacy with God is to be preferred above material wealth.  ~Max Anders

Giving to God should come from the firstfruits of a person’s labor rather than from what is left after the bills are paid.  ~Max Anders

When believers neglect the revealed Word of God, they are likely to turn to silly and unprofitable methods of insight.  ~Max Anders

God realizes His people need protection from the pains and heartaches of the world.  ~Max Anders

The agonies of those who are falsely accused are of great concern to the living God, and He acts as their defender.  ~Max Anders

The task of evangelism often involves preparing an open road so offenders can find their refuge in Christ.  ~Max Anders

Compassion for victims is sometimes forgotten in a misapplied concern for their oppressors and murderers.  ~Max Anders

The faithfulness of God in the past fortifies believers for future challenges.   ~Max Anders

Courage is the most fundamental of all virtues.  ~Max Anders

Discouragement is contagious and is easily transmitted to others.  ~Max Anders

Exposure to false doctrine places a person at risk not just for theological errors but for moral failure.   ~Max Anders

Love is one factor – but not the only on – that God uses to promote the permanence of the marriage bond.   ~Max Anders

People are not free to violate law or convention to satisfy their wants and cravings.    ~Max Anders

Even guilty people deserve to be treated as those made in the image of God.   ~Max Anders

The opposite of love is indifference to the genuine needs of others.  ~Max Anders

God is concerned that Christians live consistent with their profession even in the seemingly small and insignificant areas of life.  ~Max Anders

God wants believers to take an interest in the well-being of the society in which they live.   ~Max Anders

Protection of human life can be costly; but so is the neglect of that protection.  ~Max Anders

Sometimes believers are hampered in their public effectiveness by limitations that are no fault of their own.  ~Max Anders

God is able to transform the hostile intentions of wicked people into blessings for His people.  ~Max Anders

God is always near His people, but their sinful behavior may cause His presence to be grievous. ~Max Anders

Christians must allow no unclean thing to interfere with a harmonious relationship with Christ.  ~Max Anders

The health of marriage and the health of society are bound together; as one goes, so goes the other.  ~Max Anders

The wise Christian will learn from the spiritual blunders of others.  ~Max Anders

Equal justice under law is a spiritual as well as a civic principle.   ~Max Anders

Individual believers are not to usurp the role of civil government and judge people who are offensive.  ~Max Anders

Christians should be among those who speak loudest in defense of civil liberties and the protection of the weak.  ~Max Anders

Some duties exist simply because we are part of a larger family or community.  ~Max Anders

When shame is missing from corporate life, society, quickly becomes uncivilized.  ~Max Anders

Every demonstration of God’s faithfulness to us is an opportunity for us to testify of Him to others.   ~Max Anders

An enriched capacity for rejoicing is an expanded capacity for worship.  ~Max Anders

Celebration is best done in the company of others who can rejoice with us over God’s goodness.  ~Max Anders

Before we can pray for God’s blessing, we should ask ourselves if our disobedience could hinder his blessing.   ~Max Anders

Hearing alone is less effective in learning God’s truth than hearing combined with reading.  ~Max Anders

The person who believes he must earn the right to go through the door of eternal life will miss the mark.  ~Max Anders

Our identity as the people of God is marked primarily by our faithfulness in obedience to Him.   ~Max Anders

What we do in public determines our reputation; what we do in private determines our character.  ~Max Anders

The Lord longs to exalt His people as trophies of His work in them. ~Max Anders

Mental confusion can be the product of divine discipline.   ~Max Anders

No amount of human willfulness can overcome God’s determined love.  ~Max Anders

While catastrophes do enter the lives of godly people, they attach themselves far more to people who reject Him.  ~Max Anders

Conversion engages the mind as well as the emotions.  ~Max Anders

Distance is no barrier to the love of God.  ~Max Anders

A healthy relationship with God is built on the internal changes He brings about through Christ.   ~Max Anders

A life that is lived without regard to God cannot be called living.    ~Max Anders

It is sometimes easier to trust God in a life-threatening battle than in the small challenges of daily life.  ~Max Anders

Although spiritual growth puts our wills to the test, after the battle has been won, we recognize that the Lord is the true victor in the struggle.   ~Max Anders

Only people of proven character should be placed in positions of spiritual leadership.   ~Max Anders

No amount of temporal success can compensate for the loss of God’s approval.  ~Max Anders

In a world of constant change, God alone is the Rock upon which to build a life.  ~Max Anders

Although the world places a premium on the latest things, some realities are discovered by looking into the past.   ~Max Anders

Many people find spiritual growth possible only when times are hard; prosperity tends to promote complacency.  ~Max Anders

Demons lie behind much of the world’s pagan worship systems.  ~Max Anders

God’s love does not depend on the current spiritual condition of those He loves.  ~Max Anders

One of the greatest testimonials to God’s love is His provision of His Word.  ~Max Anders

Spiritual leadership ought to be given to those who have proven themselves under stress.  ~Max Anders

The spiritual heritage of the godly lives on after they are gone.  ~Max Anders

God never forgets a promise.  ~Max Anders

Our lives will last as long as God has something for us to do.  ~Max Anders

Christians can mourn, but not as those who have no hope (1 Thess. 4:13).  ~Max Anders

Training leaders is part of the work of discipling. ~Max Anders

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Think Big: Unleashing Your Potential for Excellence by Ben Carson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ben Carson’s book, Think Big is actually a book about how to have success in your life. He using the acrostic THINK BIG for an outline to teach the steps a person would use to have success. The T stands for talent. He says, “If we recognize our talents, use them appropriately, and choose a field that uses those talents, we will rise to the top of our field.” The H stands for honesty. He says, “If we live the rule of honesty and accept our problems, we can go far down the road of achievement.” I stands for insight. Carson says, “If we observe and reflect and commit ourselves to giving our best, we will come out on top.” N stands for nice. He says, “If we are nice to others, others respond to us in the same way – and we can give our best for each other.” K stands for knowledge. Carson say, “If we make every attempt to increase our knowledge in order to use for human good, it will make a difference in us and in our world.” B stands for books. He says, “If we commit ourselves to reading, thus increasing our knowledge, only God limits how far we can go in this world.” I stands for in-depth knowledge. He says, “If we develop in-depth knowledge, it will enable us to give our best to others and help to make a better world.” G stands for God. He says, “If we acknowledge our need for God, He will help us.”

Carson uses personal examples as well as examples from others to expand and verify each of the points listed above. I really enjoyed this book. It does repeat a few stories from his other books. This man is very wise and offers a lot of truth that can be applied to all lives. As I write this I see that Ben Carson is gaining in the polls as a presidential candidate. I think he would be an excellent president and is what this country needs. I trust you will enjoy and be challenged by the quotes below:

If things go bad for you-
And make you a bit ashamed,
Often you will find out that
You have yourself to blame …
Swiftly we ran to mischief
And then the bad luck came.
Why do we fault others?
We have ourselves to blame …
Whatever happens to us,
Here are the words we say,
“Had it not been for s0-in-so
Things wouldn’t have gone that way.”
And if you are short of friends,
I’ll tell you what to do-
Make an examination,
You’ll find the fault’s in you …
You’re the captain of your ship,
So agree with the same –
If you travel downward,
You have yourself to blame. ~Mayme White Miller

After I got acquainted with God and we entered into partnership, I knew that God did not make any race or nationality to be inferior or superior. We were black, but that did not mean we were dumb and supposed to fail. God loves everybody and wants only good things for us. I tried to get my sons to grasp that what God does for one – He’ll do for anyone else. I use to tell Ben and Curtis, “I think God made different nationalities to see what our reaction was going to be toward each other. Maybe God made it for a special measurement just to see if we could really love someone who is different from us.” One day while I was reading, I came across this verse in the Bible: “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And He has given us this command: Whomsoever loves God must also love his brother” (1 John 4:20-21). ~Mary Carson

A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops. ~Henry Brooke Adams

The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be ignited. ~Plutarch

Anyone who can’t learn from other people’s mistakes simply can’t learn, and that’s all there is to it. There is value in the wrong way of doing things. The knowledge gained from errors contributes to our knowledge base. ~Don Long

You must have a sound rationale for what you are doing right now. ~Don Long

Be nice to people – all people – even when you don’t have to be. Everybody is important. ~Don Long

Isn’t it strangeThat princes and kings,
And clowns that caper
In sawdust rings,
And common people
Like you and me
Are builders for eternity?
Each is given a bag of tools,
A shapeless mass,
A book of rules;
And each must make-
Ere life is flown-
A stumbling block
Or a steppingstone. ~R.L. Sharpe

No one can make us feel inferior without our permission. ~Eleanor Roosevelt

Every man who knows how to read has it in his power to magnify himself, to multiply the ways in which he exists, to make his life full, significant, and interesting. ~Aldous Huxley

It is chiefly through books that we enjoy intercourse with superior minds. … In the best books, great men talk to us, give us their most precious thoughts, and pour their souls into ours. God be thanked for books. They are the voices of the distant and the dead, and make us heirs of the spiritual life of past ages. Books are true levelers. They give to all, who will faithfully use them, the society, the spiritual presence, of the best and greatest of our race. ~William Ellery Channing

Here are three significant serendipities that reading furnishes us:
1.) Reading activates and exercise the mind.
2.) 2.) Reading forces the mind to discriminate. From the beginning, readers have to recognize letters printed on the page, make them into words, the words into sentences, and the sentences into concepts.
3.) Reading pushes us to use our imagination and makes us more creatively inclined.

When books are opened, we discover that we have wings. ~Helen Hayes

God helps us by:
- encouraging us to use our intelligence
- -urging us to take advantage of learning opportunities
- inspiring us to acquire the necessary skills and knowledge we need to work effectively in whatever area we have chosen as a career.

More things are wrought by prayer
Than this world dreams of. ~Tennyson

God cares about every area of our lives, and God wants us to ask for help.

Humility is not groveling and telling everyone how worthless we are – humility is knowing who we are and what God is doing and has done in our lives.

I have worked out a simple formula for humility.
IF WE RECOGNIZE THAT:
1.) God created this universe, including us, and
2.) God shows that He is much more powerful than we are by what He does and has done in our world, and
3.) God gives each of us abilities that we cannot supply to ourselves or explain our worthiness of, THEN WE ARE HUMBLED.

Remaining a victim of circumstance is a state of being that we choose, a choice that
- allows us to blame other people
- lets us blame circumstances
- permits us to avoid responsibility for our lives
- encourages us to feel sorry for ourselves, and
- guarantees that we will stay victims.
No one has to be a victim!

To some, success in life means putting more into life than we take out. I think of success as reaching beyond ourselves and helping other people in specific ways.

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