Good Words for Today

Faith chooses to believe when it would be easy to give up. Believe in God! Believe in his goodness. Believe in his love. Believe in his kindness. Faith is a choice made by the heart. If you want to believe, you will believe, and the angels of heaven will come to your aid.

You can always be faithful if you can’t be anything else.  It’s good to win the victory, but if you can’t do that, don’t give up without a fight. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith" (2 Timothy 4:7).

Just because your life is messy doesn't mean God has messed up your life.

Sometimes the best thing you can do is to keep on doing what you are already doing whether anyone pays attention or not. If you keep doing right long enough, sooner or later it will pay off.

’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, And grace will lead me home.

Jesus Christ is the supreme truthteller, and those who want to find the truth must listen to him. “I came into the world to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me" (John 18:37).

When you invite the devil in, don't be surprised when he doesn't want to leave.

It is better to be a child of God in a lion’s den than to be a king without God in a palace.

My Lord, give me eyes to see your hand at work in my life. When nothing around me makes sense, anchor my heart in you. Amen.

True freedom comes not from rebellion but from obedience to God’s commands.

Waiting does not mean doing nothing. Waiting for the Lord means, "I know God is at work in this situation even though I cannot see it at the moment. By God's grace I will do the next thing that needs to be done, trusting that God is at work behind the scenes." That little step forward is a step of faith. While you wait, you do what needs to be done because you believe God is at work in the midst of the crisis.

When we view our trials through the lens of God’s providence, they turn out to be gifts from heaven. This is true even when our trials seem like a great burden. God knows what he is doing even when we can’t see it.

What God says about us matters much more than what the World says about us. Our condition in the world is tenuous, but our position with God could not be better!

Be careful about choosing leaders. Wrong leaders can destroy a church, a school, a city, or a nation.

Something to think about: Comparison leads to envy. Envy leads to frustration. Frustration leads to anger. Anger leads to bitterness. Bitterness destroys everything. There is a better way: "Instead, be kind to one another, tender-hearted, graciously forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has graciously forgiven you" (Ephesians 4:32).

Over the course of life, we will all lead others, and we will all follow others. We learn how to lead well by learning how to follow well.  

Our only duty is to follow Jesus wherever he leads us. Everything else is details.

Our trials are not sent to make us fall. They are sent to cause us to soar by grace. They are not meant to defeat us but to be the means to a greater spiritual victory. They are not intended to make us weaker but to make us stronger. They are not sent to hurt us but to help us. Therefore, we should not complain when hard times come. We should rejoice. And we will rejoice if we believe what God has said. Every hard trial is another step on the stairway that leads from earth to heaven.

If you fight God at the point of your suffering, you’ll never receive the ocean of love he wants to pour into your life. ‘‘Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. For he wounds, but he also binds up; he injures, but his hands also heal” (Job 5:17-18).

Lord, grant me tenacious winsome courage as I go through this day. When I am tempted to give up, help me to keep going. Grant me a cheerful spirit when things don’t go my way. And give me courage to do whatever needs to be done. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

God can use anything yielded to him—even an oxgoad. Remember Shamgar! (Judges 3:31).    

Most people think that money is the most important thing in the world. But money can't forgive a single sin. The blood of Jesus is far more precious than all the money in the world.

Never use the darkness as an excuse not to light a candle!

“Pastor Ray, how do you feel about things?” I feel great! God's plan is working perfectly. We were made for times like these. These are great days to serve the Lord. The future is as bright as the promises of God!

God continually puts us in situations where our faith will be tested to see if we will obey the Lord. This explains why “God makes it hard when it ought to be easy.” If obedience doesn’t cost you anything, it can’t be worth very much.

If you want to boast, boast that you know the Lord. That’s the only thing that matters.

Even in days of moral decline, faith can still move mountains.

Failure is a wonderful teacher if we are willing to learn.

Who can say why a prayer which has been uttered 9,999 times should finally be answered the 10,000th time?  But sometimes it happens.  So keep on praying as long as you can. “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up” (Luke 18:1).

Repentance isn't about feeling guilty or stupid or down on yourself. Repentance happens when you say, "Lord, you were right, and I was wrong." The moment you say that, healing can begin.

If the statement “I wouldn’t trade my pain for the things God has shown me” makes no sense to you, it is only because you haven’t been there yet.

Praise is a choice. No one is forced into bitterness. You choose the way you live. Praise starts with a conscious choice not to forget what God has done for you. “You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you" (Psalm 118:28).

He is always the God of the Second Chance—and the third and the fourth and the fifth. If that weren't true, there would be no hope for any of us.

"This is my Father’s world. O let me ne’er forget That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet. This is my Father’s world: the battle is not done: Jesus Who died shall be satisfied, And earth and Heav’n be one."

Those who walk in obedience before God establish a godly heritage. Their great-grandchildren will rise up and call them blessed.

God did not say, “My answers are sufficient,” but rather, “My grace is sufficient for you.” "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness'" (2 Corinthians 12:9).

If we follow Jesus, we’ll end up in the right place. If we follow Jesus, we won’t need to compare. If we follow Jesus, the road won’t be easy. If we follow Jesus, we will end up at the cross. If we follow Jesus, we will have everything we need when we need it.

Your advancing years cannot cancel God’s faithfulness.  He has a special promise for those who live long enough to have gray hair. “Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you” (Isaiah 46:4).  

The hands that were nailed to the cross will someday rule the world. Though we do not see it today, it is certain and sure of fulfillment. That’s what the book of Revelation is all about. Read it for yourself and see how the story ends.

Faith is belief plus unbelief and acting on the belief part.