Good News Brief For Men

Psalm 56:1,3 Be gracious to me, O God, When I am afraid, I put my trust in Thee. (RSV) There have been times in my past when I was dealing with a physical issue that had posed a serious threat to my life. I needed God to lay out His plan before me so I could follow Him. In all the times I asked Him, I never received a clear answer except, follow Me. Jeremiah 29:11   For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. (NKJV) This verse had become very strong in those times of great need. In my commute from Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem, NC after that morning of radiation treatment for Cancer, I was looking for peace and surely strength to make it yet another day. I also needed Courage. I knew God had a future and hope in front of me, but I also needed courage and strength. I then recited Joshua 1:9 …...Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord...

2 Peter 3:18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (NKJV) As we participate in various Bible Studies around the church along with various small group gatherings, we need to always be on the lookout to what God is saying to us. He can do this through Bible verses that just pop up in our memory from some familiar time before, through friends in conversation or even through a praise or worship song that comes to mind. Be assured, God is always at work in our lives. We see God’s grace develop itself through the scriptures mostly and that is why reading the Bible and learning from the Word is so important. We never know when God is going to use us to reach and encourage someone else, we encounter along our journey. Key Point: Growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, will take effort on our part. He is always ready for you to open His Word and look for His grace and knowledge. Start today. You will reap the rewards! Prayer: Lo...

Colossians 3:16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. (NIV) Do we let the message of Christ radiate through our connections with others along our daily journey? Are we looking for an opportunity to be an encouragement to someone along the way? What would the Apostles do? If you read their letters written in the Word of God, you can see that their focus was Christ Himself. Jesus’ focus Himself was the kingdom of God. We see this clearly in John 14:1-6 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.  2  In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.  3  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am,...

  I Instruct You Proverbs 4:11 I instruct you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. (NIV) We receive vast amounts of wisdom in the Word of God. As we meditate and practice His precepts we grow in understanding and knowledge. It does not come all at once. That would be overwhelming. God parcels His wisdom out in bites of knowledge we can absorb as we continue through His Word. The more we read the Word of God the greater our ability to grow in wisdom as He directs. We take this wisdom and ask God to lead us along the journey He has planned for us. He takes our wandering ways and straightens it out as we work His Word into our everyday life. As we read and study we grow more in His wisdom, and we look at life differently. We see how He leads us and directs us even through the scriptures in which we do not quite see the application. But rest assured, God is at work making our paths straight as we follow Him. Key Point: Our life takes on new purpos...

Two Mind Sets Romans 8:5 Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. (NIV) Today’s verse shows the struggle that occurs between two great forces. We are physically born into this world with a sinful nature, but when we are born again as a new person in Christ, we are given the distinct advantage of the power of the cross. Yet even with this great resource available to us as believers it can be quite difficult to live in accordance with the Spirit . Often, we fail to use these great resources available to us because we simply do not ask for God to intervene in times of trials and tribulation. He wants us to call on His name to help us in growing as believers in Christ. The key here is to recognize the sinful nature so that you know when the temptations of old arise and can dismiss Satan with a single comment. Jesus was tempted in Matth...

Eye Has Not Seen 1 Corinthians 2:9 “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” (NKJV) What would happen if you stopped and took notice of the things God has prepared for you in the past as well as the future? We are not a complicated creation to Him, but we are very complicated to us. He created us and the plans He has for us are geared to our character which He created. Let’s face it folks, we are the ones who mess things up. Let’s stop, sit down with the Word of God, and thank Him first, then open that conversation with Him. He waits for that interchange. We stop the conversation with Him with an AMEN!!! I challenge us to open God’s Word and begin our prayers. He knows your heart in advance. Ask God to put it together for you so you can be better prepared for what He has planned. His preparation is His Word, the Bible. I know some folks who did this and they became so overwhelmed at God mo...

The Lord Takes Pleasure Psalm 147:11 The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, In those who hope in His mercy. (NKJV) This small band of the remnant of Israel had offered sacrifices as God had required. They had worked with exhaustive but great joy to complete the Temple in Jerusalem. Now it was time to come together and sing songs and hymns of praise and worship. This remnant had been through a lot not only on their travels but also on the rebuilding of the Temple. This little band, consisting of several hundred people, had accomplished a great deal to honor God. As they gathered, God had more joy in this small remnant of Israel than some large party held by Kings and diplomats of surrounding nations. The reason God felt this way, was that their worship, hymns, and praise were genuine and their desire was to honor God for what He had done in their lives along this incredible journey. They did not shudder in fear. They feared not following Him in the way th...

Proverbs 4: 1   Hear O sons, the instruction of a father, And give attention that you may gain understanding, (NASB) As I look at this verse for the day I see the seriousness of our responsibilities as fathers to our children. Just as we are to look to our heavenly Father for His wisdom applied to our lives through His Word, our children look to us so that they too, in life, will  gain understanding .  How prepared are we as dads to reveal to our children the truths of life as revealed in the Bible. The first thing they see is our walk. We can say all we want, but unless our walk reflects what we say, our children will not take what we say seriously. At times they will test us and push us to the limit. We MUST stick to our convictions. We also must fulfill the promises we have made to our kids. If we told them we would be there for them at a game, or some performance, or activity, we better be there. If we are not, then the power of ...