We have all heard the statement, “God knows just what I need.” It is possible that most of us have used those words as well. If I could, I would like to put that statement into perspective. Life does not center around me, but around God. Here is how I would like to rearrange that statement: “God knows what He needs or what He needs to get accomplished, and He knows how He can use me to achieve His need and His glory.”

Acts 7:60 “And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”

With summer almost here, let me urge parents to take at least one important action with your children, SHUT DOWN the MEDIA ENTERTAINMENT.

Yesterday, I wrote a few words about being sanctified. With the thought fresh in our minds, I will continue in that direction with a few verses on the same topic:

1 Thessalonians 3:11 “Now God himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you.”

In the Bible, sanctification is often mentioned. To be sanctified means to be set apart, but the word sanctified is a two-fold word; it also means to be separated from one thing to another thing. To sanctify means to set something apart for a purpose. In our early years at Faith Baptist Church, we met in a rented hall. The building served as a dance hall on Saturday, but it was set apart as a church on Sunday and Wednesday — it was SANCTIFIED on those days. On Sundays and Wednesdays, no dancing took place and no booze was consumed — for it was SET APART from the worldly activity and SET APART unto God.

1 Timothy 6:10 "For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”

Joshua 7 tells the story of Achan and Jericho. The city was to be dedicated to the Lord, yet Achan coveted clothing, silver, and gold, and he took those items against the clear command of God.


Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”


Many times, God busily works while men have no idea what is happening. Consider the situations surrounding one's salvation or the great success of a business. So often the success seems random, but we understand that God works where and when He sees fit to invest His influence.

When Jesus gave the Great Commission, He did not intend for us only to tell people about Christ’s resurrection. He wanted us to teach people to observe everything that He had taught. Jesus sent us to send others.

Countless tragedies have been caused by bad counsel. Most of us know the story of Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, who listened to the young men instead of the older men. A nation was split, and countless troubles were caused by this bad counsel. In the life of David, we find another instance of heeding bad counsel.


The Holy Spirit moves inside believers when they get saved. The question is, how much liberty does the Holy Spirit have to shape the believer into the image of Christ?

I was thinking of changes in our lives, especially in vocabulary and the Christian life. I thought of the preaching conferences I attended when I was a young pastor, and the things I heard godly, old pastors talk about. I heard words and phrases such as “power of God,” “courageous,” “stand,” “contend,” “fighting for the faith,” and even words as simple as, “manly,” “feminine,” “virtuous,” and “godly.”

I remember the first year of our church, 1982, when a dad came to me and said that his elementary school-age son came home saying his teacher had announced that he was “gay.” The dad was angry, but the dad left the boy in the school. He should have pulled the boy out and contacted every other parent and urged them to do the same. No students, no problem.

Why? That is a good question to keep close. Have we all not been driven crazy by a child who continually asks, “Why?” They need to do it a few times in order to learn. For adults, it is a question we all need to ask periodically.

Recently, I was asked, by a critical, very educated professional, a really stupid question. I remember in school being told, “there are no dumb questions,” but I take exception to that statement. Stupidity is often born in the heart and mind of the slanderous critic, and I give total credit to those evil roots for how this educated person came to speak so foolishly. Regardless of what made the person ask the question, the question revealed an agenda.

I have a love for mankind; that love was born in a good family that, rarely, if ever, sat around slandering and criticizing others. That care for others was nurtured by thousands of hours of Bible reading and Scripture meditation. That spiritual love for humanity is intimately tied to God’s amazing love for me, a most unworthy sinner.

Considering this commandment, "Thou shalt not steal," (Exodus 20:15) I am wondering why God has not tossed our nation into the trash heap long ago. We consider stealing when someone goes to the bank and takes money, but what about defrauding an insurance company? Our society has become so cold, they feel it is not wrong to abuse insurance to get gain.

When the bombs were dropped on Pearl Harbor, America retaliated against the nation and leaders who did the wrong. Today, two generations later, we are not angry at the Japanese neighbor or nation; they did us no wrong.

All of us enjoy new things, whether it be a car, clothing, or a phone. (Well, maybe not a phone because they change how we do things and it can be frustrating.) I have no problem with new things (certainly, new inventions have made our lives so much more comfortable), but when we get bored with the old and desire the new, simply because it is new, then we are in trouble.