Life Principle 23: You can never out give God.

God challenges us to give Him the privilege to prove Himself and has promised to bless us in return (Prov. 3:9-10). The psalmist asked, “What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits toward me?” (Ps. 116:12). The question could be translated, “How can I repay the Lord for all His goodness toward me?”

Life Principle 22: To walk in the Spirit is to obey the initial promptings of the Spirit.

We’re much more likely to hear what the Holy Spirit has to say if we’re actively listening for Him to speak. We’re much more likely to see the Holy Spirit’s direction if we’re looking for Him. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that God is a “rewarder of those who seek Him.” We’re to be diligent in seeking His guidance, asking for it, watching for it, anticipating it, and receiving it.

The Holy Spirit has come to reveal the truth to us. He has come in His all-knowing ability to impart what we need to know in order to live obedient and faithful lives. Trust Him to guide you, now and always.

Life Principle 21: Obedience always brings blessing.

When you choose to obey Him, He will bless you. Obedience always leads to blessing. Therefore, make it your goal to obey the Lord and watch Him work in your life.

Life Principle 20: Disappointments are inevitable, discouragement is a choice.

In the daily disappointments that threaten to consume your emotional resources and deflect your attention away from the Lord, you have real hope and a real choice for joy and abundant living in Christ. Circumstances don’t control you; Jesus does. You never have to be the victim of your feelings. You can choose to look to God, listen, learn, and move ahead. As you do, the wounded, dejected places in your heart and the scars of old disappointments will melt away in God’s restoring love.

Life Principle 19: Anything you hold too tightly, you will lose.

Remember, whatever you hold too tightly, you will lose. Whatever you’re clutching for safety has become an idol for you. Regardless of whether it’s wealth, giftedness, relationships, or religious rituals, God is not going to allow you to keep it as your source of confidence—a role that rightly belongs to Him. Rather, He will allow it to fail you so you will see He truly is your sovereign and unfailing Lord.

Life Principle 18: As children of a sovereign God, we are never victims of our circumstances.

The One who endured the cross lives in you, so you’re fully equipped for anything He calls you to do. Therefore, ask Him to infuse you with His power and wisdom, then obey anything He commands of you. Remember, you are never a victim of your circumstances, for your sovereign God can use everything that happens to you for your blessing and His glory.

Life Principle 17: We stand tallest and strongest on our knees.

Always remember God is bigger than any problem you face. The distance between your success and failure (or your victory and defeat) is the distance between your knees and the floor as you kneel before the Savior in surrendered prayer. 

Need to dedicate a time, place and journal to record prayer and blessings

Life Principle 16: Whatever you acquire outside of God’s will eventually turns to ashes.

Augustine wrote, “You made us for Yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in You.” Once we satisfy ourselves with God’s presence, we require far less of what the world has to offer. 

Life Principle 14: God acts on behalf of those who wait for Him.

When we do things our way in our time, we end up defeated. But when we wait on God and obey His commands, He ensures our victory 

Although waiting can be one of the more difficult things in the Christian life, it’s not wasted time. God gives us instructions through periods of actively waiting, keeps us in step with His will, prepares us for His answers, and uses the time to sift our motives and strengthen our faith. When we choose to wait on Him, God will use the long pauses in our lives for our blessing—both large and unexpected—if we let Him.

Life Principle 13: Listening to God is essential to walking with God.

One of the most important lessons we can learn is how to listen to God. In our complex and hectic lives, nothing is more urgent, nothing more necessary, and nothing more rewarding than hearing what God has to say to us and then obeying Him.

Life Principle 15: Brokenness is God’s requirement for maximum usefulness.

Whenever you experience brokenness, God’s grace can sustain and mature you. He’ll show you how to relinquish your reliance on earthly forms of security and teach you how to rest in His wonderful provision and love. Therefore, be confident that Jesus Christ can take any weakness you may have and turn it into strength, hope, and honor.

Life Principle 13: Listening to God is essential to walking with God.

One of the most important lessons we can learn is how to listen to God. In our complex and hectic lives, nothing is more urgent, nothing more necessary, and nothing more rewarding than hearing what God has to say to us and then obeying Him.

Life Principle 11: God assumes full responsibility for our needs when we obey Him.

God is committed to meeting our needs, but first He wants to know that we’re committed to living our lives for Him.

Faith requires complete trust in Him, even when we don’t understand why 

God knows our hearts. When we’re surrendered to Him, He sees our devotion and goes to work on our behalf.

You can count on God’s love, wisdom, power, and grace. He’s never failed you. He’s the God who cares, and He will provide what you need at just the right time. And when He does, it will be abundantly beyond all you imagined.

Life Principle 12: Peace with God is the fruit of oneness with God.

How can we change the feelings of anxiety when we come under pressure? One of the first steps is to recognize anxiety for what it is—the opposite of peace. It’s the fan that flames the fires of doubt and confusion, and it has the ability to leave us helplessly bundled in worry and fear. When we cave to thoughts of anxiety, we lose our spiritual focus and mindset. The key to overcoming anxiety is found only in the presence of God.

Accepting God’s timetable and the limitations He places on a given situation help to dispel rising anxiety. Therefore, let Him provide for you in His timing. When you accept life as a gift from the hand of God, there you will find mercy and grace, forgiveness and hope, peace and everlasting security.

Life Principle 10: If necessary, God will move heaven and earth to show us His will.

The Father always knows exactly where you are in your journey of faith and precisely what it will take to get your attention. 

Life Principle 9: Trusting God means looking beyond what we can see to what God sees.

Whatever Goliath you face, you need to bury one truth deep within your heart: God loves you, and when you place your trust in Him, He will help you triumph. You may go through times of failure. Life may not always turn out the way you planned. But ultimately, God will be glorified, and you will be blessed.

You can face any circumstance with confidence and hope because it’s not your strength, wisdom, energy, or power that brings victory. Triumph comes because of Christ’s ability. And when you place your trust in Him, you tap into an irresistible force that no one and nothing can successfully oppose.

Life Principle 8: Fight all your battles on your knees and you win every time.

Furthermore, you can remain firm in your faith only when you completely submit to God in all areas of your life. When you refuse to submit a problem or area to the Lord, you’re saying, “I can handle this. I don’t need Your help.” That’s precisely what Satan wants you to do: trust in your ability and not in omnipotent God. It’s also the place where he will level his greatest attack against you!

Life Principle 6: You reap what you sow, more than you sow, and later than you sow.

This same principle is a comforting and assuring thought to those who faithfully labor under difficult circumstances. “For whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.” Faithfulness in such situations will produce a rich harvest in the future, for our heavenly Father always keeps His promises.

Life Principle 5: God does not require us to understand His will, just obey it, even if it seems unreasonable.

Therefore, whatever He requires of us—whether it be painful or joyful, profitable or costly, reasonable or peculiar—our heavenly Father will give us the ability and strength to be faithful, regardless of what others think or how our circumstances appear.

Obedience must be a priority in every believer’s life. It’s the only way you will ever become the person God wants you to be and the only way you will ever achieve the things in life He has so wonderfully prepared for you. It’s the Holy Spirit who enables you to walk obediently before the Lord in His strength and His power.

Life Principle 4: The awareness of God’s presence energizes us for our work.

We make a terrible mistake by segmenting life. We may think that Monday through Friday we go to work, Saturday we play, and Sunday we worship. God has not designed life that way. If Jesus Christ is our Savior, we can’t exclude Him from any part of life. 

You serve the Lord Jesus Christ (Col. 3:24). Do you have a good testimony in the marketplace for Him? 

Life Principle 3: God's Word is an immovable anchor in times of storm.

The Lord always honors our desire to seek His guidance and wisdom. If we will come to God expecting Him to answer, He will never disappoint us.

His Word is therefore a compass, a guide, and an instruction book to life. Just as we use instruction manuals at work or in the kitchen, we’re to use God’s Word as our resource for wisdom and truth. No one would think of baking a cake without a recipe, nor would a mechanic rebuild a car engine without a manual.

Salt and light

Am I preserving the land? Or do you remain in the saltshaker clumped together with the rest of the salt? You know what happens then. The longer it stays in that shaker, the harder it is to shake loose.

Is your light pleasant to be around? Or is it blinding? Just what are you illuminating anyway?

Life Principle 2: Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him.

When we choose to obey God, we take the way of wisdom. His promises of blessing for obedience far outweigh any possible consequences. He asks us to submit ourselves to Him and leave whatever happens to His loving care.

We must remember that God loves us and is committed to us. He commands our obedience, not because He is a strict taskmaster, but because He knows the devastating affect that disobedience and sin will have on our lives.

Obedience may not be easy—you may receive criticism from others or face fierce obstacles and opposition—but it will always put you in a favorable position before God. He will take care of all that concerns you; therefore, stay on the path of obedience and leave the rest to Him.

Life Principle 1: Our intimacy with God

Life Principle 1: Our intimacy with God—His highest priority for our lives—determines the impact of our lives. One of our greatest needs is to know we are loved. Each of us has to feel certain, deep down, that someone loves us, cares for us, and has our best interest at heart. That is how God designed us. He wants us to know He loves us with a passionate intensity too deep for words.  God created human beings with fellowship in mind—first with Himself and then with others. But we cannot fully love one another until we have ourselves experienced the love of God. We experience His love when we willingly surrender to His call to be our Savior, Lord, and Friend.

Vagrant faith

“This (earth) is not my home; I’m just passing through.” How many times have you heard someone say that? Sometimes we casually (and maybe a little too snobbishly) use that phrase to communicate our reluctance to identify with the world or worldly practices—to stand apart and in contrast to what’s going on in society all around us. The problem with standing apart from someone is that you never have a chance to stand with them. Representing Christ will often take us in opposite directions of where our culture is headed. But that does not mean separation from people. To the contrary, the opposite direction is not about geography, but about bringing a lifestyle and a love that is worlds apart from culture. Christ offers everyone a new lifestyle to live that I call the vagrant faith. In this economy of the kingdom of God, no one is greater because he gives, and no one is lesser because he receives. The world needs to see that. And to see that in Christ, I have everything I need, yet own nothing. Jesus is talking about a new form of personal economy. It is not the money we have that makes one rich or poor. Rather, one’s richness is the degree to which one wants to conform to Jesus, and to understand that all they have is not theirs, but God’s. The incarnation of Christ was not just to save people, but to exhibit a walking, breathing, working model of God’s kingdom. Poverty of the spirit is what really keeps people enslaved. Being poor materially may keep one less comfortable, but not necessarily less joyful or content. So, may the vagrant faith spirit of having everything, and owning nothing, be your lifestyle. When you find that, you find your true identity in Christ. Now, that’s something I can buy into. And I can buy it at no charge. Such a deal.

The upside down Kingdom

Jesus points us to a way of life upside down from this earthly kingdom in order to get us right-side up with God. He reminds us that our earthly lives ought to be an expression of the heavenly kingdom...exemplified by forgiveness for others and ourselves, and the will to stay away from the temptations that seek to derail our journey to the heavenly kingdom.

Forgiveness and temptation

Forgiveness is a central theme because it’s integral for entering and enjoying God’s kingdom. We get a glimpse of it on earth and see it fully in action in heaven because only the forgiven and those who forgave will be there (Matthew 6:14-15). When put into practice, forgiveness has power to transform. What impedes forgiveness like nothing else? Temptations. They blur our vision of the eternal because they focus solely on the temporal to satisfy our natural desires. That’s why Jesus focuses so strongly on forgiveness and temptation. There is no resisting of temptation without forgiveness, and no forgiveness without resisting the efforts of the evil one, who uses temptations as cataracts of our heavenly vision.

The Lord's Prayer

Jesus gave us this simple prayer as a glimpse of the heavenly modus operandi for enjoying a quality of life here on earth. He meant to have us look outside of ourselves and beyond our circumstances to God’s heavenly kingdom as the focal point for understanding earthly existence. Basically, we can experience now on earth the same kind of relationship with God that is experienced in heaven. They are one and the same.

They will do greater things

As a Christ-follower, Jesus expects me to believe everything he said and be his representative here on earth. “Anyone who believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these” (John 14:12 NIV). You ask, How could anyone do greater things than Jesus? Notice, he didn’t say that we’d do the same works. No, he said greater works. What could be greater than raising the dead, feeding 5,000 people, or healing those in need? Then it dawned on me. Jesus was really speaking to his followers who’d come after him. They’d speak to millions, change the course of history, devote themselves to starting schools, orphanages, hospitals, leper colonies, and prayerfully take down corrupt governments and institutions that enslaved people. These are greater works. Even more importantly, Jesus was telling his followers that they would have a new identity as well. The mark of a believer would not be defined solely by what they did, but by another glaring characteristic—their love for one another. Their oneness would set them apart from everyone else. It would include people of every race, nationality, gender, and age group. This creation of a new ethnicity of people would be called Christ-followers.

Learning to trust

Jesus tells us that security is best understood as a trust relationship and not a theological concept. Understanding theology only brings us to the point of belief. Knowing Jesus takes us over that line of belief to the crux of the issue, which is not whether we can lose security, but whether God can lose control of his universe. Corrie ten Boom learned the distinction between the two in the crucible of a concentration camp. And she learned to rest in that trust.
Is your security defined by what you possess, or who possesses you?

Corrie Ten Boom

“Don’t hold onto anything so tightly that Jesus can’t take it from you.”

Do unto others

Everyone can quote the Golden Rule — “Do to others as you would have them do to you” (Luke 6:31 NIV).

Self-sacrifice is soon replaced by self-gain.

Much like Moses’ experience at Mt. Sinai in Exodus 32, people begin to look elsewhere for their significance and security when God’s presence leaves the camp. Without leadership based on God’s moral law, many of us will clamor for gods that are fashioned to fit our lifestyles and cravings.

Ironically, we’ve replaced the golden rule for a golden calf. We often look to worship the created rather than the Creator.

Ultimately, with no moral constraint or concern for others, chaos ensues. Society crumbles under the weight of its sin.

King David tells us in Psalm 115 that those who seek to replace God with an idol (literal or figurative) will ultimately be like them—hollow, hard, and unbending.

Ultimately, we wind up worshipping ourselves. 

Idols

Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them. Psalm 115:8 NIV https://psalm.bible/psalm-115-8

No condemnation

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:17 NIV https://bible.com/bible/111/jhn.3.17.NIV

Righteousness without tears?

It has been said that righteousness without tears is arrogance. I’m afraid the world has seen too much of our righteousness and not our tears of compassion.

Conviction

It is he who convicts (John 16:7-11). Note it says he convicts, not condemns. Neither Jesus nor the Holy Spirit condemns people. Conviction does not leave love out of the equation, whereas condemnation leaves no room for love. Conviction is born of love; condemnation from a lack of love and compassion.