Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
--Psalm 119:105
In Ephesians 6:10-12, Paul says, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
A vital part of standing firm in the spiritual battle is to take up the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Becoming a fully committed follower of the Lord Jesus Christ begins by picking up your sword each day!
Second Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”
The Bible is not a human book. It’s a God-given book! And it is sufficient for your every need.
That’s why I want to encourage you to have a daily time of devotion and discipline when you open God’s Word… when you pray and ask God to speak to you through the Scriptures.
I want to also encourage you to take your Bible with you when you gather with other believers in worship. Take your Bible to church! And take a pen with you so you can underline or highlight some Scriptures and take a few notes and really engage! Don’t be a passive listener; be a proactive learner!
Just like your physical health, your spiritual health will deteriorate if you neglect it.
So… as 1 Timothy 4 encourages us… take the time and the trouble to be spiritually fit! It’s the only way you’ll be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might… able to withstand the attacks of our enemy, the devil. It’s the only way you’ll be able to stand strong in the spiritual battle you face every day!
Your best defense against the attacks of the enemy is Ggod’s word.
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved? And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”
Luke 18:26–27
Most people in the world who think about eternity believe that their destiny is determined by themselves—how they act toward others, or whether in the end their good deeds outweigh the bad things they have done. But if we understand what the Bible says about the perfection of God and the standard of unchanging holiness that governs His Heaven, we quickly see that any salvation that depends on our own works and efforts is an utter impossibility.
In the time of Christ, great wealth was seen as a sign of God’s special blessing (and in many places it is still the same today). So when Jesus said that it was hard for rich people to be saved, it came as a shock to His hearers. Their assumption seems to have been that if these favored people would find salvation difficult to attain no one else stood a chance. But Jesus pointed out to them the vital truth that salvation is not about what we have or do, but about what God does in response to our faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of His Son.
The reality is that none of us have any hope of salvation on our own. No accomplishment, no atonement, no achievement that we can reach offers any means of acceptance in His sight. Paul wrote, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). The word used for sin literally means “to miss the mark,” like an archer shooting at a target and completely missing. We don’t even come close to what God demands. But in His love and mercy, He provided the miracle of salvation for all who will believe.
Today’s Growth Principle:
Rejoice today in your own salvation and then take time to share the good news with someone else.
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