Love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. If our desire is to have these qualities, then we have to believe that the Holy Spirit is leading us. Make sure not to confuse subjective feelings with the Spirit’s leading. Being led by the Holy Spirit requires us have a desire to hear, a readiness to obey God’s Word, and the sensitivity to discern between our feelings and the path God has for us. …
Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. ~ Psalm 139: 23-24 We should all make this beautiful and impressive verse a prayer for the commencement of each and every day. When we ask the Lord to search our hearts, our thoughts and to reveal our sins, we can repent and be forgiven. Remember …
For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace …
No matter what the contradictions of life are, we must work toward the single purpose of knowing God. We should enjoy life, but this does not excuse us from obeying God’s commands. We should also search for purpose and meaning in life, but remember they can’t be found in human endeavors. We need to acknowledge the evil, foolishness, and injustice in life, but maintain a positive attitude and strong faith in God. Using all of …
The word Bema is translated from Greek, meaning “the judgment seat”. The judgment seat of Christ, in the English Bible, causes some to draw the wrong conclusion. A common misconception from the English translation is that God will delve out a just retribution for sins in a believer’s life, and some measure of punishment for those sins will result. The judgment seat of Christ is not a place and time when the Lord will delve …
One day, a professor entered the classroom and asked his students to prepare for a surprise test. They all waited anxiously at their desks for the exam to begin. The professor handed out the exams with the text facing down, as usual. Once he handed them all out, he asked the students to turn over the papers. To everyone’s surprise, there were no questions—just a black dot in the center of the sheet …
From My Notes by Pastor Ron Campbell As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” ~ Matthew 24: 3 The disciples asked Jesus a two-part question concerning the end times, “When it will be?” to which Christ didn’t answer. However, when the …
From My Notes by Pastor Ron Campbell A good friend sent me this scripture by email, with no explanation. So, I began contemplate on what these verses say to us today… and more specifically “What do I or we need to learn from these verses?” Thank you, Ed. I am blessed by our friendship. —————————————————————- Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. But just as at that time he who was born …
From My Notes by Pastor Ron Campbell Sometimes we find ourselves feeling justifiably angry about someone else’s sin. We need to be careful. Of course, we need to speak out against sin, but we must do so in a spirit of humility. Often the sins we notice in others are the ones that have taken root in us. If we look closely at ourselves, we may find that we are committing the same sins but …
From My Notes by Pastor Ron Campbell As Christians we battle against the powerful evil forces of fallen angels headed by the devil, who is a vicious fighter. We must depend on God’s strength to withstand their attacks and use every piece of his armor. What is the Full Armor of God? It is quite clear that when we follow all the instructions faithfully that Paul gave us in Ephesian, we will be able to …