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BUT I SAY

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” ~ Matthew 5:27-28   REFERENCE:  Matthew 5:21-22; 27-28; 31-35 & 43-44   God created the heavens and the earth with His spoken words. Genesis 1:3 says, “Then God said, “Let there be light…” verse 4 says, “And God saw the light….” The Almighty God shaped His world with words; He changed what was unpleasant to a beautiful sight with spoken words....
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A PLEASING SPEECH

"The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing." ~ I Kings 3:10   REFERENCE: I KINGS 3:4-13   Words matter and the right words matter. When we know the power of words, we will use them carefully and thoughtfully. Solomon said, "A fool's mouth calls for blows… Righteous lips are the delight of kings." God commended Him for a good speech because of suitable words. God appeared to Solomon in a dream and said, "Ask! What shall I give you?" The young king asked for an understanding heart to judge the people and to discern between good and evil. It...
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THE PERFECT WORK OF PATIENCE

"But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." – James 1:4   REFERENCE: James 1:2-4   The Greek word for Patience, 'Hupomonē,' means hopeful endurance or constancy, patient enduring, sustaining, and perseverance. Webster says Patience is "to remain calm and not become annoyed when waiting for a long time or dealing with problems or difficult people." However, God uses Patience to qualify us for His higher purpose and mission for our lives; for this reason, we must let Patience have its perfect work. Patience is challenging; our nature recoils at it because we like things to happen...
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MIND YOUR BUSINESS

“…that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you.” ~ I Thessalonians 4:11   REFERENCE I Thessalonians 4:9-11   God made Adam, placed him in a garden He planted eastward of Eden, and commanded him to tend and keep the garden. To tend in Hebrew is to labor as a servant over something, and to keep suggests to have charge, attend to, protect, and preserve. God gave Adam the business of nurturing, protecting, and attending to the garden to grow and multiply it. Adam gave...
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BECOME A DISCIPLE

"A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher." – Luke 6:40   REFERENCE: LUKE 6:39-40 Our ultimate goal as believers is to become disciples of Jesus. A disciple is a disciplined student who trusts and follows the teaching and practices of his teacher. A disciple of Christ, therefore, is someone committed to following Jesus, not just in words but deeds. Getting saved is excellent, but there is more; being a part of a cell group is good, but that is not the goal; worship and giving are commendable, but discipleship is...
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SUPERNATURAL ADVANTAGE

“For out of His fullness [the superabundance of His grace and truth] we have all received grace upon grace [spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing, favor upon favor, and gift heaped upon gift].” – John 1:16 (AMP)   REFERENCE: John 1:14-17 (AMP)   We all run in the race of life, trying to achieve our goals and make ends meet. We have certain expectations that we lack the means to make happen. There are fitter, stronger, wealthier, more educated, and better-positioned people than you who are competing or looking for the same things you seek. That is the reason why you need a supernatural...
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YOUR COMFORTS

“In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul.” ~ Psalm 94:19   REFERENCE: Psalm 94:16-22   We live in a noisy world. Political leaders and their cronies rant all day; the economy, bills, marital strain, projects to execute, and bad news all over the TV and social media are noises we contend with. Today, many things seem out of proper balance, weigh on the mind, and often cause anxiety and panic attacks. However, God has ways He comforts His own. In this Psalm, David relates his contentions with wicked men who prospered in their wickedness. They haunted him...
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NO ONE HIRED US

“And about the eleventh hour He went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day?’ They said to Him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.’” – Matthew 20:6-7 NKJV   REFERENCE: Matthew 20:1-7   The laborers in this text waited almost all day to get hired until the landowner came at 5 pm (eleventh hour) to hire them. Jesus said, “Work during the day, for the night comes when no man can work.” The day...
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DON’T LOSE YOUR JOY

“The vine has dried up, and the fig tree has withered; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree—All the trees of the field are withered; surely joy has withered away from the sons of men.” ~ Joel 1:12   REFERENCE: Joel 1:11-12   We are spirit beings that live in human bodies. Most of what happens around us first occur in our spirit-man. Hence, the Bible says, “A broken spirit dries the bones.” The first part of this text says, “A merry heart does good like medicine.” Joy revives the spirit. Joy in the spirit (or heart) of a man...
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THREE-WAY LIVING

“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” ~ I Thessalonians 5:23   REFERENCE: I Thessalonians 5:23-24   Humans are three-part beings. We are a spirit, have a soul, and live in a body. For this reason, God wants us to live lives that cater to this triune reality – a three-way living. Paul said God wants our spirit, soul, and body to be wholly sanctified; He wants us to live balanced lives that make significant investments in each of...
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