The Perfecting of the Saints, Eph 4:11-16

In Eph 4:11-16, pastors and teachers are given to the church for the perfecting of the saints.  Saints are perfected for the work of the ministry and for the edifying of the body of Christ.  In verse 16, “every part maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of ITSELF in love.”  For every part […]

Seven Elements of Christian Character, Eph 5:15-21

There are seven key elements of Christian character found in Eph 5:15-21.  These are not all the qualities of Christian character.  But these are certainly seven of the most essential. If you are missing any of these in your life, you are going to struggle in some areas of your walk with God.  The seven […]

Deciding What To Do, Est 8:5

When you’re trying to figure out what to do, there are some instructions in Est 8:5 that will help you to decide.  The verse is not exhaustive on the subject, but it is a good verse that gives us four things to consider when we’re trying to decide what to do.  Ask yourself these four […]

He Shall Bring It to Pass, Ps 37:4-5

I discovered a very important principle recently.  We pray to God for him to bring our requests to pass.  And when we are urgent about getting the answer, we go straight to him with the request.  We need an answer and we want it now.  With this approach, we have a tendency to develop a […]

Purpose in Your Heart, Acts 11:22-24

In Acts 11:22-24, Barnabas exhorted the church at Antioch “that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.”  To purpose in your heart to do something is to become so resolved that nothing will change your mind.  For instance, in Is 14:24-27, the Lord purposed to break the Assyrian, and no one can […]

Men Preparing for Marriage, Part I Eph. 5:25

Men Preparing for Marriage Eph. 5:25 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO Men preparing for marriage should be much more concerned with preparing themselves than with finding a woman.  As a man, here are some practical and spiritual things that you can do to prepare for your marriage, even long before you find the woman that you […]

Thou Art But a Youth, 1 Sam 17:32-37

In 1 Sam 17, David was just a youth when he defeated Goliath [1 Sam 17:33].  But in his youth he was already aware of the Lord’s work in his life.  He said, “the Lord… delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear,” [1 Sam 17:37].  […]

A Prayer Checkup

“A Prayer Checkup” Ps. 19:14 Our prayer life needs a checkup from time to time. Just as your car, heart or health, computer, etc. need to be checked out, so does your prayer life. You could find problems that you didn’t know existed. You then can fix them before they become very large and hard […]

Suffering as a Christian, 1 Pet 4:12-19

Peter deals with Christian suffering in 1 Pet 4:12-19.  We’ll study, from this passage, the reasons for suffering and our responses to suffering. Reasons for suffering.  You’ll suffer: The fiery trial – 1 Pet 4:12-13 – this fiery trial could be literal like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Dan 3:6-30.  It could be like the […]

Live to the Will of God, 1 Pet 4:1-11

Our text is 1 Pet 4:1-11.  Peter said “Live the rest of your time in the flesh… to the will of God [1 Pet 4:2].  To do this you must: Cease from sin – 1 Pet 4:1-4 – 1 “arm yourselves with the same mind.”  In Rom 6:11 this is called dead reckoning.  “He that […]