“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Eph. 4:32 ESV)

God is faithful and generous in forgiving you

“For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.” (Psalm 86:5 ESV)

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9 ESV)

You must be generous in forgiving others 

“Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” (Col. 3:12-13 ESV)

“Then Peter came up and said to him, ‘Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.’” (Matt. 18:21-22 ESV)

Therefore…

“Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.” (Luke 17:3-4 ESV)

“So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” (Matt. 5:23-24 ESV)

Quote:

“To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.” - C.S. Lewis

“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” (James 1:19 NIV)

If you stop listening, you will stray 

“Stop listening to instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge.” (Prov. 19:27 ESV)

It is a shame and folly to answer before listening

“To answer before listening— that is folly and shame.” (Prov. 18:3 ESV)

A wise man listens 

“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.” (Prov. 12:15  ESV)

Listen for God’s voice 

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” (Rev. 3:20 ESV)

Therefore…

“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” (Matt. 11:15 ESV)

“Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.” (Prov. 19:20 ESV)

Quotes:

“You see pain with your eyes, but you sympathize with your ears. Sometimes the greatest way to serve someone is just by listening. Behind every need is a story.” - Rick Warren

“Listen with the intent to understand, not the intent to reply.” - Stephen Covey

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” (Col. 3:15 NIV)

Peace in decision-making

Over the years, Susan and I have had to make some big decisions such as whether to buy a certain home or not, whether to home-school our children or not, or whether we should accept certain job opportunities that came our way or not, just to name a few. Sometimes decisions were easy to make when everything was perfectly clear. But, other times they were not and we occasionally got it wrong. In retrospect, and of course hindsight is 20/20, we realized that we had not “let the peace of Christ rule” before making the decision. If we had, we probably would have made different decisions. One thing to watch out for, however, is to not allow fear to get into the mix and not move forward in an important decision simply because you have some fear about it. In reality, most big decisions are scary, yet God can still provide deep inner peace in the midst of it. The important thing is to know the difference and to not allow yourself to be unjustifiably troubled or afraid. If you lack wisdom, ask God for it! (James 1:5)

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” (John 14:27 ESV)

If you make having the peace of God the gage you use for making big decisions, things will generally turn out better for you. 

To have God’s peace in decision making…

• Pray about the decision and don’t be anxious - Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:6-7 ESV)

• Keep your mind stayed on Jesus when making the decision - “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” (Isa. 26:3 ESV)

• Ask God for peace when you need to make a decision - “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way.” (2 Thess. 3:16 ESV)

• Strive for peace while making a decision - “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.” (Heb. 12:14 ESV)

• If the decision contains any element of evil, don’t - “Let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it.” (1 Peter 3:11 ES)

• If your decision is against God’s Word, don’t - Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble.” (Psalm 118:165 ESV)

Therefore…

“For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.” (1 Cor. 14:33 ESV)

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 ESV)

“And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” (James 3:18 ESV)

Quote:

“Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.” - Saint Francis de Sales

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim. 3:16-17 ESV)

Scripture – God’s Word 

• It is Jesus: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

• It is the sword of the Spirit: “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Eph. 6:17 ESV)

• It is living and active: “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.” (Heb. 4:12-14 ESV)

• It is needed to live: “But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

• It gives encouragement and hope: “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” (Rom. 15:4 ESV)

• It gives faith to the hearer: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Rom. 10:17 ESV)

• It accomplishes God’s purpose:  “So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isa. 55:11 ESV)

• It gives light to your pathway: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” ( Psalm 119:105 ESV)

• It lasts forever: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” (Matt. 24:35 ESV)

Therefore…

“The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.” (Psalm 19:7-11 ESV)

“My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” (Prov. 4:29-23 ESV)

“Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.” (Heb. 2:1 ESV)

Quotes:

“Nobody ever outgrows Scripture; the book widens and deepens with our years.” - Charles Spurgeon

“The Word of God I think of as a straight edge, which shows up our own crookedness. We can’t really tell how crooked our thinking is until we line it up with the straight edge of Scripture.” - Elisabeth Elliot

“What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?” (James 2:14 NLT)

Take action: Be a doer of the Word

“For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.” (James 1:23-25 ESV)

Take action: Love in deed and truth

“Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” (1 John 3:18 ESV)

Take action: Supplement your faith 

“For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:5-8 ESV)

Take action: Be rich in good works

“They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.” (1 Tim. 6:18-19 ESV) 

Therefore…

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” (Col. 3:23-24 ESV)

“Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:13 ESV)

Quote:

“The Christian life requires hard work. Our sanctification is a process wherein we are coworkers with God. We have the promise of God's assistance in our labor, but His divine help does not annul our responsibility to work (Phil. 2:12-13).” - R. C. Sproul

“But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer.” (Psalm 66:19)

It’s okay to ask God questions!

In fact, Scripture encourages it. If you lack wisdom about anything, (you need directions about what to do) ask God boldly expecting Him to answer you!

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” (James 1:5 ESV)

“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb. 4:16 KJV)

When you have questions for God

• Ask, seek and knock -  “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Matt. 7:7 ESV)

• Ask with faith - “And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” (Matt. 21:22 ESV)

• Don’t ask selfishly - “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” (James 4:3 ESV)

• Ask for what lines up with God’s will - “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.” (1 John 5:14 ESV)

• Ask in the Name of Jesus - “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.” (John 14:13-14 ESV)

Therefore…

“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” (John 15:7 ESV)

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Phil. 4:6 ESV)

“The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear him, he also hears their cry and saves them.” (Psalm 145:18-19)

Quote:

“Having the answers is not essential to living. What is essential is the sense of God's presence during dark seasons of questioning.” - Ravi Zacharias

“I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16:8-21 ESV) 

What to do when you feel shaken

• Seek the Lord - “I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.” (Psalm 34:4 ESV)

• Pray with thanksgiving - Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Phil. 4:6-7 ESV)

• Humble  yourself - Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:6-7 ESV)

• Move forward - I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Phil. 4:13 ESV)

• Trust God -“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” (Prov. 3:5-6 ESV)

Therefore…

“Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.” (Psalm 37:5 ES)

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Rom. 8:28 ESV)

“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” (2 Cor. 4:16-17 ESV)

Quote:

“I have complete confidence that God is able to take care of any situation and provide an answer to any question or problem - He has all the resources of the universe to draw upon in helping each one of us through any type of crisis if we will trust Him.” - Charles Stanley

“But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.” (James 3:17 ESV)

The fruit of the Spirit

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness…” (Gal. 5:22 ESV)

The fruit of light

“For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.” (Eph. 5:8-11 ESV)

Abide in Jesus to bear much fruit

“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 ESV)

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.” (John 15:16 ESV)

Therefore…

“By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” (John 15:8 ESV)

“Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.” (Matt. 3:8 ESV)

“But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.” (Rom. 6:22 ESV)

Quote:

“It is of no use for any of you to try to be soul-winners if you are not bearing fruit in your own lives. How can you serve the Lord with your lips if you do not serve Him with your lives? How can you preach His gospel with your tongues, when with hands, feet, and heart you are preaching the devil's gospel, and setting up an antichrist by your practical unholiness?” - Charles Spurgeon

“So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.” (Acts 14:3)

The righteous are bold as a lion

“The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.” (Prov. 28:1 ESV)

Boldness without hindrance 

“Proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.” (Acts 28:31 ESV)

Boldness with confidence

“In whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.” (Eph. 3:12 ESV)

Filled with the Holy Spirit to speak the Word of God with boldness

“And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.” (Acts 4:31 ESV)

Therefore..

“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb. 4:16 KJV)

“For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory. Since we have such a hope, we are very bold.” (2 Cor. 3:11-12)

“Since we have such a hope, we are very bold…” (2 Cor. 3:12 ESV)

“And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness…” (Acts 4:29 ESV)

Quotes:

“His voice leads us not into timid discipleship but into bold witness.” - Charles Stanley

“When we find a man meditating on the words of God, my friends, that man is full of boldness and is successful.” - Dwight L. Moody