MARIA'S VICTORY QUOTES!
--Compiled and Read on Audio Cassette by Maria
CHANGE
1. All changes are difficult & sometimes costly, but if they're good changes, in the long run they pay off.
2. You'd better move now with the life of God, or you'll be left behind in the death of this world.
3. As long as you can continue to change, you'll survive. But if you solidify & freeze, you're doomed to a tomb.
4. When you're through changing, you're through.
5. There's no standing still. You're either climbing & getting to the top, or you're sinking & drifting to the bottom, progressing or backsliding.
6. There is no such thing as standing still in your spiritual life.
7. Sometimes people get settled down in a groove, in a rut, & let the roots grow down too long, & then the Lord has to uproot them, tear'm loose & really break'm & shake'm up.
8. Most people don't like to change, they prefer to stay in their same old rut, because it costs too much to change. It takes a lot of time, effort, thought & real sacrifice to change.
9. "Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God."--Psa.55:19b.
10. "A new heart also will I give you, & a new spirit will I put within you: & I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, & I will give you an heart of flesh."--Eze.36:26
CHOICE & DECISION MAKING
11. Commitment brings peace.
12. If you're His child & you let Him choose, He's going to choose that which is best for you & that which will make you happy.
13. God isn't going to make you do anything you don't want to do, but He may make you awful sorry you didn't.
14. He knows, He loves, He cares,
Nothing His Truth can dim.
He gives His very best
To those who leave the choice with Him.
15. The most dangerous enemy you've got is yourself. All Heaven is at your command, but you still have the majesty of choice & your stubborn spirit can do as it damn well pleases.
16. There are some things that God cannot do because He will not do them, because He has bound Himself within certain limitations & confined Himself to not interfering with your power of choice, because you have to make the decision & He's not going to force you to do His will.
COMFORT
17. He gives me joy in place of sorrow,
He gives me love that casts out fear,
He gives me sunshine for my shadow
And beauty for ashes, dear!
18. When you walk through the storm
Hold your head up high
And don't be afraid of the dark.
At the end of a the storm is a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of a lark!
19. He restoreth my soul when I'm weary,
He giveth me strength day by day.
He leads me beside the still waters,
He guards me each step of the way.
20. When all is dark & I cannot see,
I call Your name, You come to me.
You take my hand & draw me near,
You light my way & make it clear.
21. You've got all the promises in the whole Bible on your side.
22. Without weaknesses, we couldn't help others.
23. Nothing happens to you that hasn't happened to someone else.
24. He was better to me than all my hopes,
He was brighter than all my fears.
He made a bridge of my broken works
And a rainbow of my tears.
25. Though we tremble in the dark,
In need of strength & help & cheer,
We have a tender Father's Word:
"Fear not, for I am here!"
26. When wearied with the strain of it all you can fly to God on the wings of prayer & faith & get the relief that He alone can give you.
27. Thank God for the comfort of His cleansing Word.
28. Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face.
And the things of Earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory & grace.
29. Help them to know the joy, the love & the healing balm, Lord, that cleanses every heart & heals every wound & removes every stain.
30. No one ever cared for me like Jesus
There's no other friend so kind as He.
No one else could take away my sin & sadness,
Oh how much He cares for me!
31. I have nothing to do with tomorrow,
My Saviour has made that His care.
Its grace & its strength I can't borrow,
So why should I borrow its care?
32. Fear thou not for I am with thee,
I will still thy pilot be.
Never mind those tossing billows,
Take My hand & trust in Me.
33. You are His forever, so He'll never leave nor forsake you even unto the end of the work. He'll hold your fast.
34. Let not your heart be troubled,
His tender words do hear.
Just rest within His goodness
And lose your doubts & fears.
35. Did you stumble today? Did you fall today? The Lord saw it, He cares, & He's going to hold you no matter what. Even if you stumble & fall, the Lord will lift you up.
36. God is still on the throne
And He will remember His Own.
Though trials may press us & burdens distress us
He never will leave us alone.
God is still on the throne,
He never forsaketh His Own.
His promise is true,
He will not forget you,
God is still on the throne!
37. He will never suffer you to be tempted above that which you are able to bear, He'll always give you some way of escape.
38. You don't know how you're going to make it, but He can make it for you.
39. God will not allow anything to come to you that He & you together can't handle.
40. Out of one thousand things that can come into a Christian's life, it is not 999 of them that work together for good, but 999 plus one!
41. If the Weaver of our life's pattern chooses another plan than the one we thought to use, is He not wiser than we? Surely it will be a pattern more beautiful than our fondest dreams.
42. "I can't!" despairingly I cried!
This gentle whisper sounded at my side:
"Of course not, child, thou wast not fashioned so,
But I, thy Father, can & will.
I know thy weakness, all thy longings see,
And I am always strong to strengthen thee."
43. God never fails the soul who is utterly abandoned to Him. He employs all His omnipotence & His omniscience on his behalf.
44. We cannot be mended unless we are broken.
45. If instead of trying to trust we will press closer to the Comforter & lean our weary heads upon His sufficient grace, trust will come without our trying & the promised perfect peace will calm every troubled wave of sorrow.
46. He climbs beside you, lean upon Him.
47. Oh, the wonderful story of deathless love,
Each child is dear to that heart above.
He fights for me when I cannot fight
He comforts me in the gloom of night.
He lifts the burden for He is strong,
He stills the sigh & awakens the song.
The burdens that bow me down He bears
And loves & pities because He cares.
48. I cannot row it myself, this boat on the raging sea,
But beside me sits Another who pulls & steers with me.
49. The way is long, my child, but it shall be
Not one step longer than is best for thee.
50. You do not have to understand all God's ways with you. God does not expect you to understand them. You do not expect your child to understand, only believe. Some day you will see the glory of God in the things which you do not now understand.
51. Where God's finger points, there God's hand will make a way.
52. What will prayer do for you? All that God can do for you!
53. Wrestling prayer can wonders do,
Bring relief in deepest straits.
Prayer can force a passage through iron bars
And brazen gates.
54. All things truly work together for good to them that love the Lord no matter what it is.
55. It may not always seem like it, but God often gets His greatest victories out of seeming defeat.
56. God never gives us burdens greater than we are able to bear.
57. God is a loving & merciful God, He knows your frame, He remembers that you are but dust, & He knows how much you can stand.
58. While there is life, there is hope.
59. He is your peace, your help comes from Him. In Him is your confidence. You must put your confidence in Him.
60. When things look darkest, don't look down, look up. Be not fearful but believing.
61. It's not always going to seem easy, but the Lord promised it would be easy.
62. "David encouraged himself in the Lord his God."--1Sam.30:6b.
63. "Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down, for the Lord upholdeth him with His hand."--Psa.37:4.
64. "The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in truth."--Psa.145:18.
65. "He will fulfil the desire of them that fear Him, He also will hear their cry & will save them."--Psa.145:19.
66. "Being confident of this very thing, that Hewhich hath begun a good work in you, will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ."--Phil.1:6.
67. "Faithful is He that calleth you who also will do it."--1Thes.5:11.
CONVICTION & COMPROMISE
68. It is so easy to make excuses,--legitimate, logical, reasonable, acceptable excuses why you can't make it, why you shouldn't be expected to make it, & in most cases most people will accept your excuses because most people don't have faith either & in excusing you, they're excusing themselves. But is God going to excuse you?
69. People don't realise that if they hold one little thing back from the Lord, one little compromise, one little tiny thing from the Lord, they're on their way to backsliding. Because one little disobedience leads to another, one little refusal & denial leads to another, one bit of selfishness leads to more.
DEVIL'S DEVICES
70. If the Devil can get you to agree on even a short ceasefire, he has time to bring up reinforcements, encircle you, infiltrate you with his lies & spies & try to trap you completely.
71. You can't do business with the Enemy even for a moment, he's out to win.
72. Most of the time jealousy exaggerates things so much that they seem worse than they really are. That's the Devil's business, to blow things up as big as a mountain.
73. Watch your thoughts, they are real things.
74. The main purpose of the Enemy's words is to cause fear, to weaken your work for the Lord & upset you in any way he can.
75. The Devil was ordained to see if he could get you not to believe God.
76. The Devil will put in a partial half-truth to give credence to the lie.
77. The Devil attacks us first in our thoughts, that's the door through which he finds entrance. But thank God you can slam that door shut with Scriptures as Jesus did.
78. Any hold Satan has is only as a usurper. He tries to hold on to that which is not rightfully his.
79. The Devil is a liar & is usually bluffing.
80. The Devil can't stand the Word nor the name of Jesus.
81. The first purpose of the Devil is to condemn.
82. A lot of times the reason why you have to fight the Devil so much is because you're fighting God & the Truth.
83. Part of what the Devil says is always true. Because he has no hope of getting you to believe his lies unless he tells you some truth mixed with them in an attempt to try to deceive you into thinking his lies are true too.
84. The Devil always tries to reverse things, & the minute God says anything, the Devil immediately tries to contradict it.
85. If the Devil can't discourage you in any other way, he tries to belittle you & belittle what you're doing.
86. The Enemy is always on the job, always watching & ready to give us a shove & cause us to stumble & fall if we're not watching & praying & looking & holding on to the Lord.
DOUBTS
87. The best cure for doubts is the Word.
88. You can't keep the birds from flying over your head, but you can sure keep them from building a nest in your hair.
89. Just a little bit of doubt, a little bit of fear, a little bit of complaint, a little bit of discouragement can grow & grow until you're totally defeated & a terrible influence on others.
90. At the root of every doubt there is sin, the heinous, diabolical sin of rebellion against God's will.
91. Doubts are monsters that devour & destroy you & the things around you. They are the Devil's thoughts & Satan's words, & when you're doubting in your mind, you're thinking the Enemy's thoughts. When you're voicing your doubts to others you're spreading Satan's propaganda, & it's all designed to bring division, & through division, destruction of the Work of God.
92. Are you a potential Judas? You are if you're doubtful, unhappy, discontented, disobedient & unbelieving.
93. You cannot entertain the thoughts of the Enemy & yet receive the thoughts of God.
94. Murmuring is the voice of doubt.
95. If you let the Devil use your mouth to speak doubts & discouragement & his lies, you're preaching the Devil's own doctrines.
96. Don't listen to the Devil or pretty soon you'll be believing him.
97. Doubt is contagious!
98. You are not responsible for the thoughts that pass your door, you are responsible for those you admit & entertain.
99. The reason people doubt is because they're not willing to accept the truth.
100. Which will you be?--A doubter, disobeyer & denier?-- Or a believer, obeyer & broadcaster of the truth even if it kills you?
101. The worst sin of all is the wicked, horrible, heinous sin of unbelief which leads to faith in the Devil & his lies.
102. The major sin is unbelief, rejecting, doubting the Word of God, & believing the lying propaganda of the Devil.
103. If you have doubts you can cure them by faith which comes by hearing the Word. The Word will cure any doubts you have if you're willing to receive the truth & really want to know.
104. Let go of those damn doubts & fears & discouragements & devilish burdens put there by the enemy, & hang on to the Lord!
FAITH & TRUST
105. The Lord loves faith! He loves you because you believe Him, just because He said so.
106. When you remind God of His Word, it shows you have faith in it. It's a positive declaration of your faith & your knowledge of the Word, which pleases God.
107. One of God's greatest interests is in getting you to believe in the unseeable.
108. Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that thou mayest believe, but believe that thou mayest understand.
109. You get what you ask for & what you have faith for.
110. Faith praises no matter what happens.
111. Doubt sees the obstacles,
Faith sees the way!
Doubt sees the darkest night,
Faith sees the day!
Doubt dreads to take a step,
Faith soars on high!
Doubt questions, "Who believes?"
Faith answers, "I!"
112. Faith isn't faith unless it's all you're holding onto.
113. Faith knows God will do it & He does.
114. With faith, believing is seeing.
115. Faith works on blind obedience whether you ever get the answer or not.
116. Discouragement is the Devil's favourite weapon, & the only thing that defeats it is faith.
117. It is impossible to have faith unless you have the Word, because your faith is something that is built by faithful study of God's Word.
118. There's no excuse for not having the faith for something.
119. "Faith cometh by hearing the Word."--Rom.10:17.
120. It's faith that keeps you from worry, it's faith that keeps out fear.
121. Faith is just doing what God tells you to do today & believing Him for tomorrow.
122. I believe in putting God on the spot & asking Him to do a miracle.
123. If the Word & reading the Word doesn't give you the faith for it, it is because you have rejected the Word, & therefore you refused to receive it or obey it.
124. Trying to have faith is a work of the flesh, accepting faith through His Word is a work of God's grace.
125. The very Words of God are mingled with supernatural power to be released by the touch of your faith.
126. Faith, mighty faith, the promise sees,
And looks to God alone.
Laughs at impossibilities,
And cries, "It shall be done!"
127. God has confined Himself & His operations to our faith & our prayers.
128. Faith must be dead to doubt, dumb to discouragement & blind to impossibilities.
129. Faith that cannot stand the test is no faith at all.
130. If you've got real faith you'll keep on going for God even if it kills you, & it will kill you, because it means death to self & pride & all that damned self-righteousness as you die daily.
131. Faith is idle when circumstances are bright, only when they are adverse is ones faith in God exercised.
132. Faith, like a muscle, grows strong & supple with exercise.
133. Don't work it up, pray it down.
134. "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he," & if he thinks so, then it has that influence or that power over him.
135. Doubt, fear, discouragement & murmuring kill! Faith, trust, courage & praising the Lord make alive!
136. Worry does not empty tomorrow of its trouble, it does empty today of its strength.
137. So many take their burdens to the Lord & lay them at His feet, & then pick them right back up again & walk off with them.
138. Let go & let God!
139. Trust is never tension. True faith is complete relaxation.
140. Thou dost not have to see nor understand all things, neither dost thou have to know the mind of thy Father, nor to understand all the Words of David, for all of these things which I have ordained are already in My hands & are finished.
141. There's no need to worry about things in advance, because when the time comes the Lord tells you exactly what to do.
142. Don't worry one minute in advance about anything, just flow with it as the Spirit leads you.
143. Forget the things that are behind & fret not thyself for tomorrow are two of God's cardinal rules for eliminating most of your worries.
144. Never doubt for a moment
That God will reply,
He has to, He wants to,
Trust Him; He can't lie!
Just keep on trusting
When things go all wrong,
And you'll soon shout the victory
And sing His new song!
145. Time solves so many problems, a minute, a few hours, a few days, & you'll find that God has solved things without your help. Give God a chance, give Him time. Wait on the Lord.
146. Disappointment, His appointment
Change one letter then I see,
That the thwarting of my purpose
Is God's better choice for me.
147. If you're down in the dumps, then dump it on Jesus! Are you on the spot? Turn around & put God on the spot!
148. God gives you power for the hour, grace for the trial--at the hour & when it comes, not before.
149. Never put a question mark where God has put a period.
150. People who live within God's golden gates of faith can survive anything, even death, & can still say like Job, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him."
151. You can have faith for almost anything if you take it a day at a time.
152. Oh, how many silly children has the Father in His Family, crying year in & year out, "Give, give!" And the Father all the while saying, "Take, take, my child!"
153. It pays to trust the Lord, amen? Even to obey when it looks like it's crazy or it's going to hurt. It might hurt a little while, but you always come out better in the end if you obey the Lord.
154. "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart & lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him & He shall direct thy paths."--Pro.3:5,6.
155. "According to your faith be it unto you."--Mat.9:29b.
156. "Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out & said with tears, Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief."--Mk.9:23,24
157. "With God nothing shall be impossible."--Luke 1:37.
158. "And blessed is she that believed, for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord."--Luke 1:45.
159. "The things which are impossible with men, are possible with God!"--Luke 18:27.
160. "Be not faithless but believing!"--Jn.20:27b
161. "For what if some did not believe? Shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?"--Rom.3:3.
162. "He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief but was strong in faith giving glory to God & being fully persuaded that what He had promised He was able also to perform."--Rom.4:20,21.
163. "Faith cometh by hearing, & hearing by the Word of God."--Rom.10:17.
164. "For we walk by faith, not by sight."--2Cor.5:7.
165. "If we believe not, yet He abideth faithful, He cannot deny Himself."--2Tim.2:13.
166. "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the work, & this is the victory that overcometh the work, even our faith."--1Jn.5:4.
FREEDOM FROM FEAR
167. Face your fears, acknowledge them, confess them, take a positive stand against them. Face your fears & fight them!
168. It pays to face your fears, recognise they're there, decide between the real & the unreal, the truth & the lie & go on the attack to dispel the vaporous fiction of the fairy tale & to drive away the genuine reality of real threat.
169. To recognise & face the problem helps to attack it.
170. You cannot have faith & fear at the same time.
171. You've gotta face your fears & face the facts before you can get the victory.
172. Freedom from fear is one of the greatest freedoms of all.
173. Freedom from fear is faith.
174. To confess your fears is really to confess your innermost self.
175. Face your fears! By facing them you can draw a line of distinction between that which is the truth & those fears which are the lies of the Devil.
176. It doesn't pay to try to gloss the trouble over or just turn your back on it & ignore it & hope it will go away.
177. Don't be so worried about the future that you can't enjoy life today.
178. Keep faith as a constant companion. When fear knocks at your door, send faith to answer it.
179. Your fears can become demons which will torment you.
180. Watch out for the evil imaginations of your heart lest they become realities that can destroy you.
181. Almost the Devil's total power is in fear.
182. The two greatest sources of worry & fear are the past & the future--remorse over the past & fear of the future, & God's Word forbids worry about either.
183. Just as the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, fear of Satan is really the beginning of death.
184. And though this work with devils filled
Should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear for God hath willed
His Truth to triumph through us!
185. Don't listen to the Devil, he's a liar, the father of deceit & the father lies! A liar from the beginning, Jesus said, so why should you listen to his doubts & his fears & his lies when he says all those terrible things & tries to scare you out?
186. Worry is a sign of fear, & fear is not faith. If you trust in the Lord you know He is going to take care of you & you don't have to worry.
187. The impotent do not have enough spirit or power because they're holding back & not willing to give all. They're not willing to lie stripped before their Lord & let Him empower them.
188. You have to have faith in God's love in order to obey & come & strip off the outer garments of appearances, cover-ups & false fronts & expose yourself to the Lord, totally yielding yourself to Him in submission & humility.
189. "I sought the Lord & He heard me & delivered me from all my fears."--Psa.34:4.
190. "Be not afraid, only believe."--Mk.5:36b
191. "Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness & hath translated us into the Kingdom of His dear Son."--Col.1:13.
FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT
192. Keep on believing, don't ever give up. Keep on believing, don't be discouraged. Keep on believing, don't quit! Whatever you do, don't quit!
193. You've got to keep going, you've got to keep sacrificing, you've got to keep forsaking, you've got to keep fighting every day.
194. Winners never quit, but quitters never win.
195. We may lose some battles, but we're winning the war & the work will soon be ours for God & His Kingdom.
196. We have not yet begun to fight.
197. Where there's a will there's a way.
198. Victory belongs to the most persevering.
199. If you fall, don't just lie there, get up & try again.
200. Victory is failure turned inside out,
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt.
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit,
It's when things seem worse that you must not quit!
201. Whatever you do, just keep on going for God. You're bound to make it sometime if you try often enough.
202. The only way we can ever be conquered is if we stop attacking & give up & stop having the faith to take the initiative.
203. Keep on holding to His promises, don't let go! Keep on standing on the Word, don't get off! Keep on going for Jesus, don't stop! Keep on keeping on!
204. The people that complain about the battle & then quit just before the victory's won never get to enjoy it.
205. Keep fighting & you won't lose! Keep wielding the weapon of the Word & you'll win!
206. Every day is a battle!
207. We all have besetting sins, we just have to learn to resist them.
208. It's a battle, it's a war, but we're bound to win.
209. If you're a fighter like I am you enjoy the battle.
210. A victorious knight returned from the battle has more of a shine than one who hasn't been in the battle.
211. The Devil can't lick you as long as you keep trying. The only way he can possibly lick you is if you surrender.
212. You only win a war in which you lead the attack.
213. You don't have time to sharpen your sword in the middle of a battle, but if your sword is so dull it turns out to be nothing but a club, it's better than nothing.
214. If you run off & hide before the battle's won, God will hold you to blame for the defeat.
215. You have to fight the Devil & your old self every day. You can never stop battling, you can never stop winning victories, you can never stop progressing or you'll backslide.
216. Each battle God gives you in which you win a victory is followed with a bigger battle, because He knows He can now trust you with more.
217. The greater the battle, the greater the victory. The greater the sacrifice, the greater the reward.
218. To get greater victories you have to keep fighting greater battles, & for greater rewards you have to keep making greater sacrifices, & for greater joys, you have to keep suffering greater pains.
219. Don't rescue me prematurely.
220. If you win this battle, He'll give you a bigger battle tomorrow.
221. You've either got to surrender & make peace with your enemy or you've got to fight.
222. Try a little "umph" if you want to triumph!
223. If you didn't have the fight you wouldn't appreciate the victory.
224. If you think the time's coming in this life when you'll no longer have to fight self & sin & the old man, you're mistaken.
225. Some things do get easier. You don't usually have to fight the same battles over again if you get the victory.
226. Anything wonderful can happen in that little margin of time when you do not give up but keep on believing & keep on praying.
227. It's a struggle to live! It takes faith & courage & fight & lot of real hard work to live the faith life.
228. People who faint, faint first in their minds. They sort of give up mentally or spiritually first.
229. That's what you joined the army for, to fight.
230. A good soldier knows how to fight, how to wield the weapon of the Word!
231. Hope never quits, faith never stops trusting & love never fails--if you keep fighting!
232. God didn't call you to a playground, but a battleground!
233. The best way to stop an attack is to counterattack. The best defense is an offence.
234. We are in a fight to the finish & the victory is ours praise be to God.
235. Don't depend on yesterday, get inspired today!
236. An attacking initiative is what wins a war!
237. When things get tough you've got to fight all the harder! When the going gets tough, the tough get going!
238. We need to get more militant, more aggressive, more specific & go on the attack, take the offensive & hit the thing head-on immediately!
239. How do you get the victory? You just keep fighting!
240. The more difficult the obstacle, the stronger you become after hurdling it.
241. "The voice of their father will encourage them to fight the battle."
242. The victory isn't just walking across the goal line, it's struggling through opposition to the goal.
243. Fight discouragement, pray & read the Word!
244. I don't do business with the Devil. I don't care to have him around & I'll scrap it out with him any day before I'll reach any compromise & live with him.
245. The Lord & His Angels & you are far more powerful than the Devil & his demons.
246. Even Satan has to obey your commands in the Name of Jesus. He might fight against you for awhile like he is, but sooner or later he's going to have to knuckle under.
247. We who have Jesus have more power than Satan, we have more power than the demons, because we have the power of God & the power of His Spirit of Love.
248. "At the Name of Jesus, every knee shall bow!"--Phil.2:10a.
249. You have to baptise yourself constantly in prayer, soak yourself in the Word, memorise & quote constantly to the Devil & to yourself. You have to wage a militant warfare against the Enemy!
250. We rebuke you, Satan, in Jesus' name & all your powers & angels & evil spirits! Thank You for Thy great mighty army, Lord, that surrounds us, that resists all the powers of Hell though they be let loose against us! Even one angel is enough to deal with them all. "The angel of the Lord encampeth around them that fear Him & delivereth them." Thank You Lord for all Thy goodness & mercy! Help us to stay close to Thee in the charmed circle of Thy protection, in Jesus' name.
251. When you rebuke the Devil you don't do it calmly, you get angry & practically yell & shout & curse & scream at him, you get so angry in the spirit!
252. When the Enemy attacks it really gets us on the stick & on the ball & back close to the Lord & praying & working & fighting back & revives us spiritually & kills that old lazy lethargy that sets in when everything is going too smoothly & so easy that we don't have to stir up ourselves or fight or work very hard!
253. When you attack the Enemy he tries to hit back. Nevertheless, God's Word says if you attack him with great faith, if you resist him, he shall flee from thee. That doesn't mean you're not going to have a little fight before he runs. He may fight a little bit, but if you keep on fighting he can't take it, he will turn & run!
254. "When the Enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of God will raise up a standard against him."--Isa.59:19b.
255. Don't take the Devil's no for an answer, push ahead until you totally defeat him!
256. You've got to be militant, you've got to be positive, you've got to rise up & fight the Devil, not just be passive!
257. "And I will give unto thee the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, & whatsoever thou shalt bind on Earth shall be bound in Heaven; & whatsoever thou shalt loose on Earth shall be loosed in Heaven."--Mat.16:19.
258. "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, casting down imaginations & every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God. And bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ."--2Cor.10:3-5.
259. "Finally my brethren, be strong in the Lord & in the power of His might. Put on the whole armour of God that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the Devil."--Eph.6:10,11.
FIRST PLACE
260. Take time to be holy--wholly His & whole in body, mind & spirit.
261. To neglect your fellowship with the King of kings because you're so busy with the affairs of the Kingdom can be disastrous to your spiritual life & communion with the Lord.
FORSAKING ALL
262. You can't just forsake all once, you've got to keep doing it every day.
263. Forsaking all is not just something you do once & for all, you have got to constantly be forsaking in your heart.
264. Every day you're forsaking the Devil's voice & temptations to try to suck you back into the old ways & the old system.
265. Sometimes God makes you forsake a thing or lay it on the altar just to see if you're willing to forsake all to follow Him, when He intends to give it back to you, like Isaac.
266. You don't have to have very much to have great possessions, it only has to be just a little bit bigger than God in your eyes. It only has to keep you from serving God. It only has to be just enough to keep you from breaking loose & shaking loose & serving God.
GIVING
267. By giving your all, you're going to get everything!
268. When we don't give willingly or cheerfully, then we're really not giving.
269. If you give your all to Him, He gives His all to you.
270. We have to burn & be consumed to send up that beautiful smoke & sweet fragrance.
271. Lay him or her on the altar, lay this or that on the altar for God & don't even expect to get it back. If you're giving with that motive & intention it's no sacrifice. Most of the sacrifices God asks you to give you think you give them up forever, but I'll tell you this for your encouragement, I've found that God gave me many things back that I gave up for Him. He gave me back things that I gave up for Him when He could trust me with them.
HOLY SPIRIT
272. Holy Spirit oil poured on troubled waters calms the waters. Oil that's poured on squeaky parts of a mechanism that are complaining & howling & growling & groaning makes that part of the mechanism quiet & run smoothly without complaint. He just pours in His Holy Spirit & just fills you from top to bottom until you just overflow, & it just flows out all over you & covers you up & hides you so that they can only see Jesus in you. All they can see is Jesus & you just disappear.
273. When you get filled with His Holy Spirit, you get so full of the Spirit you run over! It runs out your eyes, it runs out your mouth, it runs out your ears, it runs out all over so we see no man save Jesus only. We see only Jesus in you, that same glorious expression, happiness, joy, spirit, smile & peace that is a little bit of Heaven on Earth, the reflection of Heaven in you.
HUMILITY/PRIDE
274. Great men forget themselves, that is why they are remembered by others.
275. It's a wonderful thing when you can see you're wrong.
276. People who are proud & selfish lay themselves wide open for the Devil.
277. Once the Lord humbles you, He has to keep humbling you. He's got to keep you humble.
278. When you get too proud & so smart that you can't stand to have somebody give you a suggestion or correction, you're in pretty bad shape.
279. God does some things to make you humble, other things to keep you humble, & yet others to make sure you're still humble.
280. This is a war! We have little time for sensitivity, nursing our wounds & hurt feelings, we must fight on!
281. Let me be when I am weary
Just a little bit more cheery,
Think a little more of others
And a little less of me!
282. Never be ashamed to ask for help or prayer when you need it!
283. The very thing you're fighting is the thing God wants to use to humble & break you.
284. Death to self, death to sin, death to your own ideas, death to your own strength, death to your reputation, death to your pride are hard to go through, but they're worth it because they bring out the life of Christ.
285. Confess your faults, never defend them.
286. There's perfect rest in humility, because humility has love & faith without fear.
287. God can only use truly broken men & women.
288. There is no limit to what can be accomplished if you give the Lord all the glory for it.
289. The less there is of you, the more the light gets through.
290. If you're not big enough to stand criticism, you're too small to be praised.
291. Stop & praise the Lord & have a good laugh at your own weaknesses & ridiculous inabilities to do anything or accomplish anything except for the Lord.
292. It's not easy to confess you've been wrong, but it's a lot easier than staying wrong to try to support a false position.
293. Selfishness is pride. The selfish believe they deserve more than others, therefore they are unwilling to share.
294. Lack of power is the result of fear born of pride, fear of not succeeding, fear of being embarrassed, fear of being ashamed. Such fear always comes as a result of pride, because the proud are afraid of failure.
295. The rich & the powerful are the most fearful people in the work.
296. It's a sign of pride if we're too sensitive & we snap back or we feel hurt. Sensitiveness is born of pride, & pride is of the Enemy.
297. If there's anything any soldier has got to learn to do, it's to be able to take a cussing out by his commanding officer for his mistakes & say, "Yes sir, thank you sir, & what next sir?" Even if it hurts. This is a war & we have little time for sensitivity & nursing our wounds or hurt feelings. We must fight on.
298. When you have the poor-me's, you're usually just trying to get attention & sympathy. Your pride is wounded, your ego has been a little deflated, your self-confidence has been a little shaken & you begin to feel sorry for yourself & wonder if you should quit. The cure is to forget yourself & love others.
299. Some people are so damned delicate they can't stand anything. They can't take the slightest pressure, they collapse because they're not holding on to the Lord, they're not standing on the Word, they're not believing in His promises. They're depending on some damned self- righteousness of their own, some depraved greatness they think they have. Let me tell you, that kind of sanctimonious hypocrisy can't stand the shock treatments of the Devil, it shatters very easily.
300. Not being able to take chastening & correction for your mistakes is a very poor example of humility.
301. Even an inferiority complex & really being bothered by it in a way is pride. You're worried about what people think about you.
302. Don't feel sorry for yourself & try to blame it on God & quit, self-pity is pride, hurt feelings are damnable, stinking self, & at the root of every doubt, there is sin, the heinous, diabolical sin of rebellion against God's Will.
303. If we'll just recognise that we're little children who don't know anything, & the Lord is the One Who knows it all & that He's the only only One Who is really wise & knows what He's doing & that we must just follow Him, then He can really show His power.
304. As long as you're calling you can expect God to answer. As long as you're seeking, God will show the way. As long as you admit that you're empty, you'll be able to be filled.
305. The hardest words to say in any language are: I was wrong.
306. If you are not willing to admit you are wrong & confess that you need help & an answer & solution to your problem, God will never have an opportunity to do the miracle you need. That takes humility of the kind only God can give.
307. It is better to be humble & bend gracefully when it storms, than to be proud & stiff & break when adversity comes.
UNSELFISHNESS/SELFISHNESS
308. An independent spirit is really selfishness.
309. One little bit of refusing to share & refusing to give all, refusing to forsake all & sacrifice all, leads to more & greater refusals.
310. Unselfishness is a habit that you have to cultivate.
311. I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit.--1Cor.10:33a.
OBEDIENCE
312. Yours not to make reply,
Yours not to reason why,
Yours but to do & die.
313. Your own spirit becomes evil when you disobey & are out of fellowship with God & out of His Spirit, then it becomes an evil spirit because you're in disobedience, defiance, compromise, failure, doubting, grumbling & lack of faith.
314. For God's sake follow God!--Not yourself, not your own ideas, not your own plans & programs, but God!
315. Do what you can & God will do what you can't.
316. Without obedience it's impossible to have faith.
317. The right thing is to obey.
318. If you don't obey, you can't expect to trust, because that's what it takes, trust & obedience. For if you trust, you can obey, & if you obey, you can certainly trust God to take care of you. It takes both: Trust & obedience.
319. How can God bless disobedience? He cannot protect, prosper or bless you when you are out of His will & running around outside of the secret place & from under His shadow, His wings & His fortress of perfect fellowship with Him.
320. You don't always have to know why you're fighting or what you're fighting for, all you have to know is that Jesus gave the order & you obey it no matter what the outcome, even if it kills you.
321. Truth resisted loses its power over the mind.
322. God is the One that has to understand, we just obey.
323. Some people think that stubbornness isn't all that bad, most people seem to think that's part of your virtue of independence, but when it comes to being that way with God, God says it's as bad as witchcraft & idolatry. Stubbornness is really rebellion.
324. "Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice & to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, & stubbornness is as iniquity & idolatry."1Sam.15:23.
325. It's God that wins the battle, it's obedience that wins the battle, it's humble faith that wins the battle, it's believing in God & the quietness of faithful obedience to the Lord which wins the battle, regardless of how few you have & how weak you seem to be & how little you've got. It's God that honours your faith & your meekness & your quietness & your obedience to win the battle.
326. Obedience comes before the blessing, obedience comes before the reward, obedience comes before the anointing. You don't get the anointing to obey, you get the anointing because you obey. You get the faith to obey if you'll believe His Word. He will give you the faith to make that step of obedience, & the moment you, because of faith, obey, then you get the blessing & the anointing to carry on.
327. You don't have to understand, all you have to do is obey.
328. "Why call ye Me, Lord, Lord, & do not the things which I say?"--Luke 6:46.
329. "Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice as menpleasers, but in singleness of heart fearing God."--Col.3:22.
330. "Obey them that have the rule over you & submit yourselves, for they watch for your souls as they that must give account that they may do it with joy & not with grief."--Heb.13:17.
PATIENCE
331. Learning patience seems to be one of God's most frequent lessons, yet one of our rarest virtues, as it really tests our faith & drives us to the Lord & His Word, to Whom & Which we might not otherwise give so much time & attention.
332. Patience is the result of real faith, & without faith it is impossible to please God, because faith worketh patience.
333. Lord, we ask that You will teach Thy sons & daughters patience & faith which takes time. Teach them never to get in such a hurry, not to push themselves so hard as though they need to do it in their own strength.
334. Patience is slowness, waiting. Impatience is hurry, rush, haste, push, pressure, tension! Patience shows faith, impatience shows lack of faith.
335. "I waited patiently for the Lord & He inclined unto me & heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, & set my feet upon a rock & established my goings."--Psa.40:1,2.
336. "He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty, & he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city."--Prov.16:32.
337. "But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may perfect & entire, lacking nothing."--Jam.1:4.
338. "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God."--Jam.1:19,20.
POSITIVENESS
339. Let's talk about Jesus! Let's get positive! Let's talk about the Word. Let's talk about the needs of others.
340. Faults are thick where love is thin.
341. Suspicion is far more apt to be wrong than right, oftener unjust than just. It is no friend to virtue & always an enemy to happiness.
342. Keep your eyes on Jesus, because otherwise there's no other way to look but down at the dismal abyss of horrible nothingness.
343. If we don't keep our eyes on the Lord & our mind on His Word, we're doomed to defeat, doubt, disillusionment & final failure.
344. If you're downhearted & downcast, it's because you're looking down too much at the waves. You've got your antenna pointed down toward Hell instead of up toward Heaven.
345. The Lord doesn't say, "Look at yourself," He says, "Look unto Jesus!"
346. If you keep your mind on the Lord, that keeps you from getting it on your problems & your troubles.
347. The only person who can have perfect peace & perfectly positive thoughts & no negative thoughts is somebody who keeps his mind on Jesus all the time.
348. There's plenty for the Devil to pick on & he really tries, but you just have to overcome him with positive actions, quote Scriptures that deny the lies & start praising the Lord & thanking Him for all your blessings.
349. Start thinking on the positive things, quit looking at all the negative things & trials of the Devil & doubts & fears & woes & troubles & tribulations & afflictions.
PRAISE
350. There are two times to praise the Lord: When you feel like it & when you don't feel like it.
351. As long as you're thinking about the Scripture & the Lord & you've got a song or a praise in your mouth, you can't complain & murmur & groan & bemoan about how bad you feel.
352. If you want to knock the Devil for a loop, just start praising the Lord no matter what's happening.
353. Praise the Lord, & you'll often praise your way right out of the pit into which the Devil is trying to cast you!
354. Let me be a little kinder
Let me be a little blinder
To the faults of those around me.
Let me praise a little more.
355. The only excuse for not praising the Lord is if you are out of breath. "Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord!"
356. Praise is the voice of faith!
357. If you don't thank Him for the blessings He's already given you, He's not going to feel much like answering your prayers to give you something else you want.
358. Why dost thou not praise the Lord with thy mouth & offer the sacrifice of thy praise with thy lips, & lift thy heart to the Lord in praise for the mighty works He has done this day?
PRAYER
359. The Lord does not always answer us right away, which sometimes tests our faith & draws us closer to Him in the Spirit.
360. Some folks just don't seem to realise when they're moaning about not getting prayers answered, that "no" is the answer, or "wait."
361. God is just waiting on us to command the situation. He said, "Command thou Me!" He's given such faith & power to man that you can even command God to do what you want Him to do for you. If you're righteous, doing the right thing & trying to please God, you can command Him to do what You want Him to do. He's already promised to do it in His Word, to answer prayer.
362. What God does depends on your will & your action & what you want & how you pray. You're not supposed to just stand there & let God & the Devil fight it out.
363. The Lord wants to be recognised. He wants you to know that you need Him, that's why He wants you to pray.
364. You ought to really get down to business with God! There must be times when you really cry out to the Lord & really pray & seek the Lord & really pray in the Spirit with strong tongues & tears & really call upon the Lord with a whole heart.
365. Since you can pray & your prayers can change things, if things aren't changed, it's your fault for not praying & believing & asking God to do something. You must pray desperately all the time, every moment, if you expect to be spared from troubles caused by the Enemy.
366. Never underestimate the power of prayer!
367. God knows your needs, but He likes you to be humble & be willing to pray & acknowledge His power & show your faith by asking, then He likes to answer so you can give Him the thanks & the glory.
368. Prayer is powerful! When we pray, things will happen & things will be different. God will answer prayer. But God said to Israel one time that bad things were happening because "no man stirreth himself to call upon Me."--Isa.64:7.
369. The Lord wants us to be happy, but there should be times when you are not satisfied with just the usual run of things, when you really seek the Lord for a needed change & really pray, pouring out your heart to the Lord.
370. If your day is hemmed with prayer, it is less likely to unravel.
371. You'd better pray at the first sign of little troubles so they don't get to be big ones.
372. When we get to Heaven we're going to find out a lot of things that happened or didn't happen were not the Devil's fault or God's fault, but they were our fault because we failed to pray.
373. He who ceases to pray, ceases to prosper.
374. "One can chase a thousand, but two can put ten thousand to flight," & it helps greatly to have someone else pray with you when you feel oppressed or distressed or attacked by the Enemy.
375. Faith & obedience come first, then God answers prayer.
376. Satan trembles when he sees
The weakest saint upon his knees.
377. You're to pray in the name of Jesus, you're to ask in the name of Jesus, you're to claim victories in the name of Jesus, & you're to rebuke the Enemy in the name of Jesus.
378. You can always call on the Lord & through Him have power over everything.
379. Quote Scripture when you pray, hold God to His promises.
380. Often God is not stirred because we are not stirred.
381. Everything that God in His Word has promised to do, prayer can bring to pass.
382. God likes you to be specific, He likes you to tell Him exactly what you want, because He likes to know what you've really got the faith for.
383. Sometimes the Lord just lets us have a problem in order that He can give us the answer.
384. The Lord likes us to find out we can't always solve all our problems & that we need His help. If we could figure it all out & solve all our problems, we wouldn't need Him!
385. All the answers are simple for the Lord & all the solutions are easy for Him.
386. The Lord loves to give you the answer. He knows exactly what to do & how to do it. So why don't you ask Him instead of going to all the trouble of trying to figure it out yourself?
PROTECTION
387. We are in a war! You'd better keep in tune & in touch with the Holy Spirit & on God's territory all the time & close to His Word & in the right spirit & constantly in prayer & seeking the Lord & praying for His protection & His help & thanking Him constantly for His blessings & staying mighty close to the Lord, or you're going to be singed by that old fire-breathing dragon!
388. If you go running around outside of the tower of God's protection & the holy place of His will, that old Devil is going to be on your trail & try to give you all kinds of trouble.
RESISTING THE DEVIL
389. God's Word says, "Resist the Devil & he will flee from you!"--Jam.4:7. That doesn't mean lying down & letting him walk right over you.
390. Don't just stand there, do something! Sing, shout, praise the Lord, quote Scriptures, hit the Devil back, sock it to him with the Word! Take up that white hot sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God & cut the Devil to the heart!
391. Fighting the Devil takes a lot out of you, but when it happens & you get the victory, God puts a lot in!
392. The only way you can get rid of the Devil is to defy him, resist him, rebuke him, refuse to obey him, get up on your feet & quit fearing him. Give worship to God!
393. You're not stronger than the Devil, but God is.
394. You have power over the Devil, you can order the Devil what to do.
395. Through the Name of Jesus you have power over the Devil & you can command him what to do & where to go.
396. Let the light in & the darkness will flee of itself.
397. That's the way the Devil always works, he starts out with some little thing that doesn't seem to be too bad, but then it's the horrors that it leads to that begin to shake you up.
398. If the Devil can just scare you out before you begin, then you'll never accomplish what God wants you to do.
399. When you entertain the Devil's lies in your mind & heart, eventually they're going to come out of your mouth.
400. If the Devil can get you to doubt God's Word, you are believing the Devil's word.
401. Stay dropped out of the doubts of the Devil by staying in God's Word & close to the Lord.
402. When you've got the Enemy on the run, you need to keep after him.
403. The demons & the evil spirits are subject unto us, they have no free will of their own. They cannot do as they please, they have to do what we tell them to do in Jesus' name.
404. You don't get the victory over the Enemy by running from him, you get the victory by standing there & making him run!
405. The Devil can never stop the man who refuses to quit.
406. When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look & see Christ there
Who made an end of all my sin.
407. Put the Enemy out of action with the Word! Bury him in a flood of the truth!
408. When you first hear the Devil's knock, slam the door in his face so quick & so hard it cuts his nose off!
409. Don't worry about the Devil, just fight him & defeat him by the power of the Spirit!
410. The Devil is a coward & if you face him down & resist him he'll run, & every time I did, he ran. I'm still going & I'm still winning & he's still running.
411. Help us not to have any unguarded moments, Lord, but to guard every moment in prayer.
412. All the devils of Hell including Satan himself are subject to your power because you have the power of Christ!
413. The Devil will give up if you don't give in.
414. Jesus is our Defense Attorney before God our Judge, defending us from all the fiery darts of the evil one, that prosecuting attorney, the accuser of the saints, Satan himself.
415. By God's Word, His Truth & His revelations He destroys the power of the Enemy.
416. The Prince of Darkness grim,
We tremble not for him!
His rage we can endure,
For lo, his doom is sure!
One little Word shall fell him--Jesus!
417. Satan's powers are very real, yet he is not to be feared, much less worshipped. But he is to be resisted, rebuked, exorcised, gotten rid of, reproved & cast out & sent away!
418. Prayer & the power of positive praise
419. Defeat the Enemy & all his ways!
420. The Devil can't do anything with you unless you let him in, unless you give him a chance & you harbor his thoughts & his sins.
421. If you stay close to the Lord in obedience to God & filled with His Spirit, you don't have to worry about the Devil.
422. We are in a serious warfare & you had better be constantly on your guard, ready at all times to fight any attack of the Enemy who is going to wait for your unguarded moment & for the time when you are a little weak & a little out of sorts & out of tune, out of touch & out of the Spirit. He's going to sock you so hard it might knock you for a loop because you didn't stay in the right spirit, you didn't stay close to the Lord, you weren't obedient, you didn't do what you should have done, you weren't on your guard, praying without ceasing, giving thanks always, staying close to the Lord in the Spirit.
423. You have but to utter the Name of Jesus to fell all the demons of Hell, Oplexicon & Satan himself!
424. You don't have to know all the evil machinations of the Enemy to be able to fight him, all you have to know is the truth!
425. You can't do business with the Devil, you can't make peace with the Devil, you just have to fight him & curse him & get rid of him.
426. "When the Enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him."--Isa.59:19b
427. "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents & scorpions & over all the power of the Enemy, & nothing shall by any means hurt you."--Luk.10:19.
428. "Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the Devil as a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour. Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world."--1Pet.5:8,9.
RESTING IN THE LORD
429. You wouldn't worry & fret so & be so upset if you'd spend more time with the Lord. He can solve all your problems in one little glimpse. He can refresh your whole spirit with one deep breath. He can clarify all your thoughts with just one sweet strain of Heavenly music. He can wipe away all your fears & tears with just one little restful moment in the perfect peace He gives when your mind is stayed on Him & Him alone because you trust Him.
430. "Casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you."--1Pet.5:7.
SHTICK
431. Don't quit too soon! Don't flunk out by running out just before God's school bell rings & He's about to promote you to another grade. Don't run away from your school of Laban just before you begin to inherit the promises.
432. "The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me."--Psa.138:8a.
SPIRIT WORLD
433. "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses!"--Heb.12:1. Imagine how much they must jump up & down & shout when you do the right thing. Every time you win, every time you make a goal, every time you win a soul!
434. We are not alone in this fight, the Lord is fighting for us & right now the archangels are battling the devils in a constant great war.
435. There is a terrible battle being waged in the spirit world with great noise & clashing of arms & shouts & screams against us & what we're doing for the Lord. The Devil is under God's control & all of the spirits are under God's control, & they have to do whatever He says.
436. Thank You Lord for Thy many counsellors & the multitudes of spirit helpers Thou hast given us at our disposal & our command.
437. All spirits are subject unto you, both good & evil.
STRENGTH & POWER
438. I'm a very small person, but I have a very big God Who is more than big enough for the job.
439. Do what you can do & God will do what you can't do.
440. Man's extremity is God's opportunity.
441. I can of my own self give nothing & of my own self see nothing but what the Father giveth through me & what He showeth me.
442. In the name of Jesus there is power, because God has confined Himself to work through the power of the name of Jesus Christ.
443. There's nothing too small for the Lord or too hard for Him.
444. It takes an impossible situation for God to do a miracle.
445. God never gives you burdens greater than you're able to bear.
446. When you're weakest in the flesh then you're strongest in the spirit.
447. When you are weak & incapable & insufficient, then God has a chance to be strong & capable & sufficient in you.
448. There is a power to lift you up which is stronger than all the things that hold you down.
449. Don't tell me you can't, because if you couldn't, God wouldn't have asked it of you.
450. The Lord never lets you down quite all the way, even though it's your own foolish mistake, disobedience & unpreparedness which has caused all the trouble.
451. The power that God has given you is able to destroy the works of the Enemy.
452. You have Jesus so you have His power.
453. When you have nothing left but God, then for the first time you become aware that God is enough.
454. All of God's great spiritual giants were weak men who were made strong by His power.
455. Give me a task too big,
Too hard for human hands,
Then shall I come at length to lean on Thee,
And leaning find my strength.
456. Just leave it with the Lord, knowing that only He can solve the problems & only He can do the work. We cannot solve the problems, He has to do it. Let go & let God.
457. You are weak because in your pride you're trying to do things in the energy of your own flesh instead of trusting God for His grace to do it. And the reason you haven't got the faith & can't believe God for sufficient strength is because you're not yielded yet, most of all your pride.
458. Is anything too hard for the Lord?
459. "God is my strength & power & He maketh my way perfect."--2Sam.22:33.
460. "I know that Thou canst do everything."--Job 42:2a.
461. "The Lord is my strength & my shield, my heart trusted in Him & I am helped."--Psa.28:7.
462. "My flesh & my heart faileth, but God is the strength of my heart & my portion forever."--Psa.73:26.
463. "He giveth power to the faint, & to them that have no might He increaseth strength."--Isa.41:29.
464. "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit saith the Lord of hosts."--Zec.4:6b.
465. "For I know that in me, that is in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing."--Rom.7:18a.
466. "We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God & not of us."--2Cor.4:7.
467. "And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake, for when I am weak, then am I strong."--2Cor.12:9,10.
468. "I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live. Yet not I, but Christ liveth in me, & the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God Who loved me & gave Himself for me."--Gal.2:20.
469. "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."--Phil.4:13.
SUCCESS/FAILURE
470. Those who win are those who wait upon His Word, & those who fail are those who go ahead without it.
471. Even your mistakes are part of your training. Making mistakes is one way God has of keeping you humble.
472. If things aren't going quite right we certainly know it's not God's fault & that we must just not be getting our signals straight somehow or our wires must be crossed somewhere in some way that's not suitable or pleasing to Him.
473. Pride causes fear of failure, & therefore causes failure.
474. The minute you neglect the Lord & His Word & the Words of His prophet, you are programmed to self-destruct.
475. Defeat teaches you a lot.
476. The greatest men in the Bible were men who made terrible mistakes & realised that they needed God.
477. God not only remembers all the good you're doing, but He even forgets your failures.
478. Negative thinking is one of the forces that destroys accomplishment.
479. You may fall into puddles, but you don't have to lie there.
480. God's bus of golden opportunity
May lift your spirit still,
If you're really sorry you missed it
And want to find His Will!
481. You're never going to accomplish as much if you keep trying to do it in the energy of the flesh & all yourself instead of sitting down & saying, "Now Lord, what do You want me to do?"
THANKFULNESS/MURMURING
482. When you've thanked God for every blessing, what time is there left for murmurs or laments?
483. Be thankful for the little bit God gives you or He may take it all back.
484. God takes away blessings when we don't appreciate them.
485. God hates murmuring. You need to get your mind on your blessings & be thankful for all God's goodness. If you don't, He'll give you something to cry about!
486. Lord, help us not to forget to be thankful continually, constantly praising Thee & quoting Thy Word to encourage our faith, & singing positive songs of praise to rebuke the Enemy.
487. A few little bad things have to happen so you'll be thankful that they don't happen all the time.
488. You don't always get your way & get to do everything you want to do & have everything that you want to have, because if you did, you wouldn't even appreciate it.
489. Thank God for the answer even if you don't see it immediately.
490. Thank God for your blessings, thank God for the Family, thank God for love, thank God for salvation, thank God for protection, thank God for provision, thank God for everything!
491. The Lord wants us to appreciate everything while it lasts, to appreciate these days of Heaven on Earth--Heavenly Family, Heavenly Homes, Heavenly children, Heavenly work, & treasure every one, every passing day, every bit of fellowship, every bit of love, every bit of contact, every bit of luxury & sup-ply of every need & want as well. We should be thankful & treasure it & be grateful for it day by day, every moment of every day be praising & thanking the Lord even if it's our last.
492. "Giving thanks always for all things unto God & the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."--Eph.5:20.
493. "In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."--1Thes.5:18.
TRIALS & TESTS
494. It's no sin when the Devil tempts you to do something, it's only a sin when you do it.
495. 'Tis easy enough to be pleasant
When life flows along like a song,
But the man worthwhile
Is the one who will smile
When everything goes dead wrong!
496. The diamond cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials.
497. God only uses that which has been humbled, broken, melted, remolded & remade, a vessel which is marred in the hands of the Potter & broken, that He may make of it a better vessel.
498. When things begin to go awry you usually know that either He's trying to show you something or that you're missing the mark somewhere.
499. A difficulty is a thing to be overcome.
500. Trials can either melt you or harden you.
501. The main evil spirit we have the biggest problem with is our own.
502. God gives everybody tests, many times it's their own personality.
503. Before God can make you really great, He has to make absolutely nothing out of you.
504. God has to beat the Hell out of you till there's none of it left, crucify the flesh till its dead as a doornail, mortify the mind till its almost gone so that Jesus can live & think & move in you.
505. Sometimes life's darkest hour is just before dawn. Sometimes God's got to get you all the way down before He can make you look up.
506. We should be stronger, but if we were so self- righteous & perfect & didn't have weaknesses, we couldn't help others much or be sympathetic or compassionate. We couldn't even understand them.
507. If you ever get anything more than you're able to bear, it's probably because you made a mistake & you didn't do what the Lord told you to do.
508. Jesus says His yoke is easy & His burden is light, so if the yoke you carry is too hard & the burden too heavy, then either you or somebody else is making it too hard & heavy.
509. God only uses broken men & women, no others will do.
510. We sometimes suffer more than we need to by failing to report problems sooner.
511. When God beats you down & puts you through the ringer & through a trial & test, it's a compliment.
512. He gives us a little more each day to test us, to try us, to build up our strength & resistance.
513. He's testing you now, putting you through the fire to burn out the dross, & through the storm to blow away the chaff, & through the deep waters so you can learn to swim.
514. The Lord tries to be good to us, but we often can't take it. He almost has to be holding us over the fire all the time in order to keep us really close to Him.
515. Faith that cannot stand a test is no faith at all, but the trying of your faith is more precious than gold.
516. God tests you with little things to see if you have learned big principles.
517. Got any rivers you think are uncrossable?
Got any mountains you can't tunnel through?
God specialises in things thought impossible
And He can do what no other friend can do.
518. Don't chicken out when the going gets tough
And the life & death game of faith gets too rough,
For the greatest darkness comes just before dawn,
Will you wait for the rescue, or doubt & be gone?
519. Some of the most precious lessons you learn from the Lord come out of deep, dark experiences.
520. Man's extremity is God's opportunity.
521. When you come to the end of your rope, then God has a chance to work.
522. It's hard to be broken, it makes you want to die, but then you're willing to live--for Jesus!
523. If you're only willing to believe & obey the Lord as long as everything goes all right, you won't be believing or obeying very much. Because a lot of things go wrong when you're serving the Lord. "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of them all."--Psa.34:19.
524. If something is haywire, it's usually because you have neglected the Word, neglected the Lord, ignored His Voice or just been too busy to listen or got too interested in something else.
525. Every fall can be a step upward. Make your stumblingblocks steppingstones!
526. Wings are often born out of weights.
527. God takes all of our seeming defeats,
And weaving with His precious hands
He makes the most beautiful tapestry of life
Out of just such broken strands.
528. When his ship was sinking, his crew slaughtered & his own arm nearly torn off & the enemy demanded a surrender, John Paul Jones screamed back, "Hell no! We haven't even begun to fight!" And he was right, he hadn't.--But he did, & he went on to win the battle!
529. You'll find that real gold, no matter how hot the fire or how long the fire, how hot the test or how long it lasts, will still come out gold, even finer gold, "Yea, than much fine gold."--Psa.19:10a. Because the fire burns all the dross & the impurities away.
530. Paul's thorn in the flesh didn't keep him from serving the Lord.
531. You can get the victory if you choose to, because God's got it for you & there are oodles of promises on it. You have absolutely no excuse for not getting the victory!
532. Of course it's a battle! What the hell do you think you joined the army for? An army is to fight battles, & we've got plenty of them to fight. But hallelujah, I love to fight because I know I'm fighting for the One that's worth fighting for & the souls that are worth winning & the goals that are worth attaining!
533. Once you pass the little tests, then He starts giving you bigger ones. And if you think just because you have a one time victory you've got the victory once & for all, you sure are mistaken.
534. God will not take second place. He wants to make sure you are going to put Him first & He tests you to find out.
535. Sometimes you feel like you're in a fog, lots of times, but up there the sun is always shining & you just need to make it through the fog.
536. The Lion of Judah will break every chain,
And give to us the victory again & again!
537. If you're a terrible mess, cheer up! Then if you accomplish anything you know it's nothing but the Lord & everybody else knows it's nothing but the Lord, & He gets all the glory.
538. Don't let one little mistake discourage you, just rectify the situation, learn from it, & try not to make the same mistake again.
539. When you're down & discouraged it sometimes helps to talk about it with someone so they can pray with you & help you rebuke the Enemy. If you share your heart with them, they can often help to dispel any doubts & fears by pointing out the truth that you may not be able to see because you're being hit with the lies & misinterpretations of the Devil.
540. The Bible says "Bear ye one another's burdens" (Gal.6:2), but how can someone help you bear your burdens if they don't know what they are? And how are they going to know unless you share them? You're not to murmur & complain about your problems, but you can humbly tell others so they can pray for you.
541. "One can chase a thousand, but two can put ten thousand to flight." That's what brothers & sisters are for, to help you, to pray for you & to lift you up when you're down. So if you need help, speak up.
542. "He knoweth the way that I take; when He hath tried me I shall come forth as gold."--Job 23:10.
543. "Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads, we went through fire & through water; but Thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place."--Psa.66:12.
544. "I called upon the Lord in distress, the Lord answered me & set me in a large place."--Psa.118:5.
545. "If thou faint in the day of adversity thy strength is small."--Pro.24:10.
546. "Sorrow is better than laughter, for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better."--Ecc.7:3.
547. "And the vessel that He made of clay was marred in the hand of the Potter, so He made it again another vessel as seemed good to the Potter to make it."--Jer.18:4.
548. "He hath done all things well."--Mk.7:37.
549. "Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit, He taketh away. And every branch that beareth fruit He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit."--Jn.15:2.
550. "Thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."--1Cor.15:57.
551. "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations, knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience."--Jam.1:2,3.
552. "The Lord knoweth how to deliver the Godly out of temptations."--2Pet.2:8a.
553. "He that overcometh shall inherit all things & I will be his God."--Rev.21:7a.
VISIONS & GOALS
554. God never puts any man in a space too small to grow in.
555. Always attack each new challenge, not with why we can't, but how we can.
556. Keep your eyes upon the goal
And the victory in your soul,
And if you go, go all the way!
557. Don't let all these nagging little details get your mind & heart off the end of the road. There may be a lot of flats, car troubles, breakdowns, repairs, delays & changes, but we'll hit the road again & keep on rolling & nothing can stop us till we've reached the end & that Heavenly City with its Space King Who makes it worth it all!
558. I like to set my sights high & aim at a goal that I know would be good if we could ever attain it.
559. We shouldn't bring our goals down to the level of little faith, but rather try to raise our faith to the level of higher goals.
WILL OF GOD
560. The Lord has to set us in place like a nail, hold onto us real tight for a little while to get us started while He hits us on the head with the hammer of His will to give us a shove in the right direction.
561. The desire of your heart isn't always necessarily good for you, & what you think you need isn't always necessarily what you really need.
562. Now with this newborn day
I give myself anew to Thee,
That as Thou willest I may live
And what Thou willest be.
563. "I delight to do Thy Will, O my God, yea, Thy law is within my heart."--Psa.40:8.
THE WORD
564. Many people struggle through life needlessly when only a little more time spent with God's Word would bring the peace, faith & happiness they seek.
565. The secret of power & victory & overcoming & fruitfulness & fire & life & warmth & light & leadership & everything is the Word!
566. Staying close to the Lord & His Word is the only insulation against backsliding. The only sure cure & the only sure prevention is the Word, so don't neglect it.
567. Never underestimate the power of the Word. God is bound by His Word.
568. Put the Word first & the Lord will always give you time to do the other things.
569. It doesn't matter what the Devil says, if God's Word says it, it's true.
570. You grow by feeding on the Word of God continually, the cure for all life's problems.
571. The Word is our weapon against the Enemy & his stronghold on people's minds & hearts.
572. Are you wanting God to answer?
Are you waiting at His door?
Try looking in His Word
At all He said before.
573. God's Word & His guarantees have no restrictions, no limitations, no qualifications except your faith.
574. With every promise there have to be some conditions. God makes promises but His promises are contracts with conditions.
FAITH & TRUST
575. Sometimes a wrong decision on the part of one of your leaders or co-workers may be the Lord testing you to see how you'll react, whether you'll get all upset or whether you'll just trust the Lord to take care of it somehow, knowing that He won't let anything drastic happen to His work that He's more concerned about than you are. Maybe He's trying to see if you really believe Romans 8:28.
576. When you worry about things that you're afraid are going to happen but haven't happened & may never happen, you're not even giving God a chance to work it out. Why don't you just leave things in the Lord's hands & let Him work them out?
THE WORD
577. You have to quote the terms of the contract, the Bible, to the Contract-Maker, God, & hold Him to it.
578. In God's Word you can find the answer to every question, every problem that you will ever have in life.
579. If you doubt the Word, then you doubt the Worder & the Prophet & eventually the Word of God. If you doubt God's will, then you doubt God's Word, & of course if you doubt the Word, then you've got nothing to stand on & you're bound to go astray.
580. "Thou dost not have to see nor understand all things, neither dost thou have to know the mind of thy father, nor to understand all the Words of David, for all of these things which I have ordained are already in My hands & are finished."
581. "If only thou couldst know the power I have given unto the Words of thy Father which is greater than all the sources of all energy & more powerful than all of that which they seek after."
582. "They are better than gold & better than silver, the Words of love that speak to thee through thy Father. More precious than fine jewels are these things I speak from his bosom. Many precious things thou dost write in thy book, more precious than the things that come from the Earth & from below & from the deep places are the things which come from above & from the heart & the bosom of thy Father."
583. "Thou shalt treasure the seeds in thy secret parts that they may bring forth fruit in thee from Me."
584. "Kiss all the Words of David & cherish them to thy bosom & nourish them in thy heart & thou shalt be satisfied."
585. "Neither have I gone back from the commandment of His lips, I have esteemed the Words of His mouth more than my necessary food."--Job 23:12.
586. "Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way; by taking heed thereto according to Thy Word."--Psa.119:9.
587. "Thy Word have I hid in mine heart that I might not sin against thee."--Psa.119:11.
588. "The entrance of Thy Words giveth light, it giveth understanding unto the simple."--Psa.119:130.
589. "Now ye are clean through the Word which I have spoken unto you."--Jn.15:3.
590. "For the Word of God is quick & powerful & sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul & spirit & of the joints & marrow, & is a discerner of the thoughts & intents of the heart."--Heb.4:12.
591. "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great & precious promises, that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the work through lust."--2Pet.1:4.
YIELDEDNESS
592. When you become nothing but a tool & a channel, nothing but a little diamond of dust, then God can really use you.
593. Jesus bought & paid for us, we're His property, we belong to Him now. He can do whatever He wants to with us.
594. When your will is in perfect harmony with God's will, you have perfect peace & Heavenly rest.
595. God doesn't expect you to do it, all He expects you to do is obey, & He'll do it through you.
596. You quit having a battle when you surrender.
597. When He can get you out of the way, then He has a chance.
598. The oil flows freely through a wick that is yielded & deeply soaked in the oil. Then it is the oil that burns & not the wick, & gives bright, pure, clear light to all the house in the beauty of His perfection, in the holiness of His Light.
599. Our own spirits are still unrestrained & must be voluntarily under the Lord's control or they can certainly lead us astray just as bad as an evil spirit. They become evil spirits in disobedience.
600. Truth resisted loses its power over the mind.
601. The more you resist the Spirit of God, the more control the Enemy has.
602. Thank the Lord for softening our hearts, so often hardened by our own selfishness.
603. It's only as we yield to His love that we melt.
604. If you fight God too hard, God will fight you.
605. There is no limit to what God can do with a man who is yielded & willing to do His will.
606. God has to break you, melt you & mold you again in the hands of the Potter to make you a better vessel, so you're willing to go anywhere, any time & do anything for anybody & be nobody to please Him & help everybody.
607. The answer's always there if you're willing to receive it, but if you resist the answer He gives, He shuts up because you won't listen.
608. Jesus can use anything if it's yielded, obedient & willing to be filled with His Love.
609. God will use anything you've got if you let Him.
610. He that fails to be broken upon the Rock of God will some day find the Rock falling upon him & crushing him to powder & dust, which the winds of His judgements will blow away.
611. When you have yielded your life to God on His altar of sacrifice & asked Him to take it, He will, & He will try to use it for His glory as much as you will let Him.
612. If the Lord can find the workers, He'll furnish the pay. If He can find the yielded hearts & minds & wills that are willing to obey & go & do it, He'll foot the bill.
613. All He needs is for you to say yes & take the job & He'll pay the salary.
614. Spiritual resistance causes spiritual callousness. Every time we resist God's Spirit, our hearts grow harder until He will strive with us no more & we are destroyed without remedy.
615. The only way the candle can ever be a flame is to be completely consumed.
616. He can make something out of nothing, even you, if you'll listen, trust & obey. You can be whatever God wants you to be if you're willing.
617. The Lord wants volunteers, not draftees.
618. The hardest thing to give, is in.
619. Give yourself to God, He can do more with you than you can.
620. If you're willing to be what God wants you to be, not what you are but what God wants you to be, then He can mightily use you.
621. If I'd stubbornly clung to my own way, we would never be where we are today.
622. Sometimes you have to accept God's no in order to find His yes.
623. You should ride the waves instead of trying to stop them. Let the wave carry you instead of drown you or destroy you.
624. If your breaking process is not yet complete, don't leave school before the bell rings.
625. We're not Christian triers, but Lord letters!
626. Surrender isn't giving up something you don't want, it's giving up what you do want.
627. God is not as much concerned with your ability as with your availability.
628. Ready to go, ready to stay,
Ready my place to fill!
Ready for service lowly or great,
Ready to do Thy Will!
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