Success

How does lasting change happen in our lives? We would love an “instant fix.” We would love God to snap His fingers and make us permanently free from temptation and sin. But God has a method that He has chosen whereby He works the life of His Son in us. That method is called process.

Without realizing it, we place our confidence in our ability to perform. With this mindset comes a drive to make our flesh better. We must realize that this attempt is futile—we can never make ourselves good enough!

Are you looking for a powerful message to inspire the young men in your life? The Matters of Life and Death series is an enlightening journey through the truths of God's Word, tailored especially for men, and especially for young men seeking to deepen their relationship with the Lord.

A key to forgiving your offenders is realizing that God can work through your suffering to accomplish His purposes in your life. This understanding enabled many people in Scripture to forgive their offenders.

Friendships are some of the most powerful influences in life, because friends greatly impact a person’s development and decisions. Scripture instructs us with these words: “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: But a companion of fools shall be destroyed” (Proverbs 13:20).

Communication with God does not require a certain physical position, neither is a particular position prescribed for a particular occasion. However, our prayer postures can give expression to the attitudes of our hearts.

When we keep—that is, observe, remember, and apply—the commands of Jesus Christ, Scripture explains that we not only demonstrate our sincere love for the Lord, but we also receive many rewards. Praise God that He does not just give us these commands, but He also does them in and through us!

We want our children to continue on in the faith. This outcome does not happen by accident. It is necessary to have a loving relationship with our children in order to influence them for the Lord.

In a dark day of murder, intrigue, and violence, one faithful priest of God emerged as a heroic defender of life.

Death is a tragic consequence of the fall of man. When Adam and Eve were created in the image of God, they were placed in the Garden of Eden and told that if they disobeyed God’s command, they would “surely die” (Genesis 2:17). Little did they realize how ugly death would be! Of the first two sons born to Adam and Eve, the first killed the second. It is a sad testimony of consequence to humanity that the first man ever born on earth was a murderer!

The words of Scripture are living words. Meditation allows God’s Word to live in your heart and enables Scripture to become a personal conversation between you and the Lord. Jesus promised, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you [live in you], ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples” (John 15:7–8).

Each one of us can fulfill five basic roles throughout our lives. We can also help others fulfill these roles in their lives. These life roles include being a mature person, a skilled provider, a loving marriage partner, a wise parent, and an effective proclaimer.

When a person receives Christ as his Savior, he experiences the delight of “first love” for the Lord. God’s Spirit witnesses with his spirit that he is a child of God, and this newfound relationship brings great wonder, joy, and freedom.

To send a young boy alone on such a journey seemed foolish, but Rochunga's father had prepared him well for his journey. Mountains would be climbed, rivers would be crossed, and wild beasts would need to be avoided. But Rochunga was not afraid. He knew that his father would be praying for him on this mountain.

God wants each believer to grow in his knowledge of Him and in his understanding of His ways. He will use situations and circumstances to reveal His love for us and our need for Him. God will use disappointments, hindrances, and what seem to be “dead ends” or hopeless situations in life to motivate us to look to Him for His strength and timing for fulfilling a vision. As we wait on Him, God often works in ways that we never would have expected.

Long before he was the father of his country, George Washington was a son. Men who learn to command must first learn to obey, and men in positions of authority earn their trust by serving faithfully under authority. Throughout his life of service, George Washington was a man who understood and respected authority.

Whenever God speaks of success in the Scripture, He relates it to the continuous activity of Scripture meditation. This continuous mental discipline of memorizing and meditating on Scripture is able to rebuild thought structures, refocus emotions, and redirect desires and goals.

Isaac is probably the least known of the Old Testament patriarchs. But on three important occasions during his life, Isaac demonstrated remarkable honor to his father and mother. His life provides a good example of the blessing of the “long life, and peace” that is promised to the honorable son.

When Truett opened his first Chick-fil-A restaurant in Atlanta’s Greenbriar Mall in 1967, the operators of the mall urged him to stay open all seven days of the week. However, he firmly but kindly explained that Chick-fil-A restaurants were closed on Sunday as his policy was to keep the Lord’s Day set apart for his employees to rest and worship with their families.

Even in the midst of all his military battles, he never forgot the Lord’s Day. On the evening after acquiring the nickname “Stonewall” for his brave stand at Manassas, in his tent Jackson wrote a letter to his pastor. With the letter he enclosed a check for the Sunday School class that he dearly loved. He did not mention in his missive his own heroic actions on that day.