Growing in Grace

  We are not able to go up against the people, for they are too strong for us. . . We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them . Numbers 13:31, 33 NASB  "I'm no grasshopper. . . When I arrive in heaven, I don't want my life here on Earth to have been characterized by viewing myself as a grasshopper. My God is so big, I want to expect and believe Him for great things." -Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade, via Dennis Rainey

Be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer . 1 Peter 4:7 NASB A is for Adoration . Worship and adore God for His love, grace and forgiveness. Praise Him for His work in your marriage and family. C is for Confession . Agree with God about any sin that needs to be confessed before you make requests for His help, clearing your heart to be pure minded in your petitions. T is for Thanksgiving . Thank God for your spouse, your children, your job, your home - anything He brings to mind. S is for Supplication . Ask Him for those things that are heavy on your heart - a child struggling at school, physical and spiritual needs in your family, financial trouble, etc. Don't worry about impressing Him with religious language. Remember that praying is both reverential and relational. -Excerpted from Moments with You by Dennis and Barbara Rainey

The words of wise men are like goads, and masters of these collections are like well-driven nails. Ecclesiastes 12:11 NASB Wisdom, which I define as skill in everyday living, is one of the greatest needs of every generation. And the writer of Ecclesiastes 12 shares about the words of a wise man being like "well-driven nails" - words that bring perspective, security and life. Nail Number One: Remember God Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, the Nobel Prize-winning author and Russian dissident during the Soviet era, said, "I have spent fifty years working on the history of the Russian Revolution. In the process, I have collected hundreds of personal testimonies, read hundreds of books and contributed eight volumes of my own. But if I were asked today to formulate as concisely as possible the main cause of the ruinous revolution that swallowed up some 600 million of our people, I could not put it more accurately than to repeat: Men have forgotten God. " These powerful word...

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus. -Romans 3:23-24 So many are determined to reach heaven on their own terms, not God's. They think Jesus Christ might be the way for us, but not for them. "The real need of people is to acknowledge their need for the one true God, to admit their sinfulness and to experience by faith His love and forgiveness. If we don't understand our own sinfulness and the judgment and penalty it demands, then there seems to be no need for the Savior." "Jesus Christ died for our sins and was raised so that, if we humble ourselves and receive Him as our Lord and Savior, we can be forgiven - despite any mess that we've made of our lives." Excerpted from " Moments With You " by Dennis and Barbara Rainey

They devoted themselves to the apostle's teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. -Acts 2:42 I'm very grateful for our church. Dennis Rainey writes, "I hope you're already part of a church family - not as a spectator but as a committed, involved participant in a community of followers of Jesus Christ. But if you're not, here are five things you should look for as you consider establishing yourself in a church. If you're already an active member and any of these things are lacking in your congregation, consider what you can do and how you can be praying for these characteristics to blossom there:" 1. Is it anchored in Scripture?  Is the Bible clearly taught as the authoritative Word of God? Is the Gospel of Jesus Christ the anchor, motivating you to live and proclaim the transforming grace of God in every area of your life? 2. Does it have a sense of community? Is there a connectedness between people when the service is ove...

The goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 1 Timothy 1:5 Today I find myself calling for radical parents who hold radical beliefs, who have radical purpose and who are committed to raising a radical generation that follows Jesus Christ wholeheartedly. Be challenged to embrace things like the following: *Radical selflessnes s - It's time for every Christian parent to prayerfully ask, Am I dying to self so that I can be the parent God wants me to be in raising the next generation ? *Radical objectives - Far too many parents are more concerned with their children's IQ than their CQ - their character quotient. I'm convinced that the primary reason children depart from the faith of their parents is that many dads and moms don't have this as their objective: to raise children who have a godly desire to love others and to live holy lives. *Radical modeling - Children are like tiny radar units. They lock on. Th...

His delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night . - Psalm 1:2 I was talking with a businessman recently who is involved in a Bible study with about a half-dozen men. These guys are all "well-oiled," financially speaking. But as I listened to him describe these men, I wondered what kind of Christianity they were modeling to their children? As parents, we need to think about the priorities we are teaching our children by our words and our actions. Ask yourself, If I could pass on my relationship with God to my kids, would they be satisfied with what they receive? If my children could never experience anything more than what I have today, would they be given enough to chart themselves successfully through life? Would they experience God? Would they know enough of Christ to long for more - a deeper and deeper fellowship with Jesus Christ? One thing we often say in our conferences and on radio is that your children will listen to what you say...

Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple . - Luke 14:27 We don't talk a lot about cross carrying. That's more the fine print of being a follower of Christ - the part we don't generally go around advertising to those we're hoping to draw into Christian faith. But as I understand Jesus' words in Luke 14:27, you and I cannot truly follow Him unless we are carrying a cross. The cross is not just a popular piece of jewelry but also a unique Christian symbol that represents suffering and sacrifice. So it is with the cross He has asked you to carry. Your cross will undoubtedly extract pain and a price. Cross carrying is not a one-time decision. No, we must choose daily to pick up our cross, again, and follow Him. We are to continue carrying it over the long haul. Do you know what your cross is? Think with me for a moment. When the Savior asks you, "Pick up your cross and follow Me," what exactly is it that He is asking ...

You shall have no other gods before Me . - Exodus 20:3 There's nothing wrong with (sports) - or business or music or writing or entertainment or decorating - but when something becomes the focus of all your dreams and attention and energy, it becomes an idol in your life . For all intents and purposes, you begin worshiping it instead of God. Nothing can satisfy us like God. And nothing should replace Him in our affections. How many false gods could you name in your life? What are you hoping they'll do for you? Pray and ask God to protect your heart from being deceived and to give you an overwhelming desire to worship Him and Him only -Excerpted from Moments With You by Dennis and Barbara Rainey

But godliness with contentment is great gain - 1 Timothy 6:6 Whether you know it or not, your marriage is susceptible to the American Dream Syndrome - the notion that you can have it all, that you deserve it all.The more stuff you have, the better off you are. Desire to acquire. The slogans, like the wish lists, are practically endless. Yet contrary to the seductive tune of the American Dream, enough is never enough. Getting more only fuels the urge to get more. So how do you learn to live within that truth without constantly feeling like your lives don't measure up? You embrace contentment . Contentment arises from a spirit of gratefulness. It's the courageous choice to thank God for what you have and for what you don't have. Even when you don't know where this week's grocery money is coming from. Even when the washer goes on the blink. Even when the kids need braces. Even when your next-door neighbor drives home in a new car or is gone on a fabulous vacat...

Watch the path of your feet and all your ways will be established. Proverbs 4:26 The Great Wall of China is one of the great wonders of the world, a true masterpiece of engineering. It's the only man-made structure that can be seen from outer space. Five to six horses could trot side by side on top of it. The wall was built, of course, to protect China from invasion. Watchtowers and various battlements dot its construction at frequent intervals. But in the first hundred years after the wall was completed, enemies managed to invade the country three times, breaching the security of this enormous, rock-solid defense. How? They didn't go over it. They didn't go through it. They didn't need to knock it down. Because while China was building this impenetrable defense system, it was apparently neglecting to build character into its children's lives. All the invaders had to do was bribe the gatekeepers. I think of this story whenever I hear parents talk of the dr...

Dennis Rainey has named these "the seven non-negotiables of life" - biblical benchmarks that are true simply because He is true. . . Depending on how we treat God's non-negotiables, they will either protect us or destroy us. . . Seek God, not sin. Seek good and not evil, that you may live. -Amos 5:14   Even when we are genuinely denying ourselves and experiencing nearness to Christ, we still know - deep down - that this never happens without a struggle. We are "prone to wander". . .This is why God steps out of eternity to tell us in His Word, "Seek good and not evil, that you may live." He is the life giver. And though our feet are indeed made of clay, our souls know that life is only found in one place - in Christ, in God, through the righteousness given to us at new birth. Seek God, not sin. And live. Fear God, not man. The fear of the Lord leads to life, so that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil. -Proverbs 19:23   Fearing G...

"We must learn to worship in the midst of life. . . and even in the midst of suffering. Worship God, not comfort. Worship in its truest form ascribes and acknowledges that the truth is about God. Worship reminds us of who He is and who we aren't. He alone is God. He is in control. He is the just God, the compassionate and loving God. He knows everything. He knows our condition. God-centered worship ultimately comforts us because it reminds us of the truth about life. It brings hope. When life seems most uncomfortable, worship God." -Excerpted from "Moments with You"; by Dennis and Barbara Rainy Taking our eyes off of ourselves and our troubles is the key to living a hopeful life.