Following Christ English

“Stay on the path that the Lord your God has commanded you to follow. Then you will live long and prosperous lives in the land…” Deuteronomy 5:33   Your Heavenly Father wants to bless your life. Psalms 35:27 says, “Let them shout for joy and be glad who favor my righteous cause: Let them say continually, ‘Let the Lord be magnified who has pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.’”   One of the first ways to experience the wonderful blessings of God is to care about the same things He cares about. When you “favor his righteous cause” by helping the poor and oppressed, you are preparing for God’s blessings. Being compassionate and becoming focused on others brings joy to your life.   Notice the verse didn’t say, “I take pleasure in their poverty.” God doesn’t take pleasure in watching you barely get by. He smiles when His children prosper. He is interested in every detail of your life, and He greatly cares about your house payment, savings account, and college fund. Believe

Pursue righteous living…Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.” 2 Timothy 2:22   If you want to be in God’s will and experience His blessings, you have to be around the right people. The people who are right for you are the people who will be honest with you. They don’t just tell you what you want to hear, but they tell you what you need to hear. “Faithful are the wounds of a friend.” (Proverbs 27:6). Good friends are not afraid to confront you.   Get around the right people because everybody who comes into your life brings a spirit. Sometimes, it is easy to gravitate to people we can relate to and who are similar to us. But the problem with that is, if you both share the same weaknesses, you will not grow in that area. You need to get around someone who is strong in the areas where you are weak. They know how to help get you to where you want to be.   In 2 Chronicles 10, Rehoboam had just been appointed king. Some of the leaders of Israel m

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13   Yesterday, we shared about the power of Jesus, but what is even more astounding about Jesus is His love for people. When the angry mob and guards came to arrest Jesus, Peter drew his sword and cut off the ear of a servant of the high priest. Peter did this to defend Jesus, but Jesus reprimanded Peter and then healed the man’s ear. Then Jesus made a profound statement. He said, “Do you not think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53) In Roman culture, twelve legions would have equated to 72,000 angels! In the book of Chronicles, just one angel killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. Jesus was saying no man could take His life.   In John 10:18, Jesus says, “No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up.” It wasn’t t

“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” Proverbs 19:21 When the Israelites were traveling to the promised land, God would lead them by a cloud by day and a pillar of fire at night. They wouldn’t make one move unless God’s cloud or fire moved. They knew that He had their best interests in mind.    Are you following God’s leading for your life? There are several ways you can be sure you are being led by God and not “leaning on your own understanding” for the decisions you have to make.   One way to be led by God is to make sure you are living according to His Word. The Bible is a roadmap that will lead you to great places if guided by it. God’s Word is “a lamp for your feet and a light on your path” Psalm 119:105. If you are making a decision not supported by the Bible, you are headed down a destructive path. The boundaries of the Bible are there to protect you and your family.   Another way to know what path you should be taking

Q: I hear the phrase often to “rest in the Lord,” yet the Bible says that we should work. Resting in the Lord must mean something very different from doing nothing, and I’d like to know what this means because I find that I am restless and unfocused when I rest. A: From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham God is near to those who belong to Christ and have Him at the center of life. When we struggle, fight, and strive for our way, we are not resting in the Lord. The psalmist wrote, “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him” (Psalm 37:7). True Christians are the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised that God the Father would send His Spirit to help us in all things. We must admit our weakness so that we can ask Him to take over. Standing with Christ means that we stand aside and let Him have His way in our hearts and minds. The human heart is resistant. What a comfort to know that our Savior is constantly praying for those who belong to Him. Paul wrote, “The

“Christ’s anointing teaches you the truth on everything you need to know about yourself and him.” 1Jn 2:27    When you pray diligently and believe you have heard from God, but then you start asking other people what they think, you’re honoring their opinions above God’s. That kind of mindset will prevent you from developing a relationship where you constantly hear from Him. You need to trust Him. If you have made bad decisions in the past, this can be difficult. But you must learn to listen to God without constantly needing reassurance from others. The Bible says: “The anointing (the sacred appointment, the unction) which you received from Him abides [permanently] in you; [so]…you have no need that anyone should instruct you…His anointing teaches you concerning everything and is true…so you must abide in (live in, never depart from) Him” . That doesn’t mean you don’t need teaching and instruction when it comes to understanding God’s Word; it means you have God’s Spirit livi

Question I constantly hear about how people should love one another but when I look at the world, the evidence is overwhelming—there is more hate than love. Even in my own life I find that I stay upset and angry and find it difficult to show love, especially to those who do wrong. I’ve asked the Lord to help me be more loving but it seems many times that I exhibit just the opposite and it discourages me. I’m sure God prefers that we exhibit love rather than hate. Answer From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham For those who belong to Jesus Christ, God’s priority is that His love would become the hallmark of life—because it is the hallmark of Christ’s life. How does this become a reality? It doesn’t happen by accident or by gritting our teeth and hoping that somehow we can make ourselves love others. It happens only as we grow closer to Christ and submit our lives to Him, allowing His Holy Spirit to cleanse and change us. The Bible says that “the fruit of the Spirit is lov