“A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance” (Proverbs 15:13a). It “doeth good like a medicine; but a broken spirit drieth the bones” (Proverbs 17:22). When the Spirit-filled Christian ministers to an individual and communicates Christ’s life, there is a language in the countenance. The Word of God produces a cheerful...

At first, many of us respond to our Lord as the bride responded in Song of Solomon 2:16 where she said, “My beloved is mine and I am his. He feedeth among the lilies.” There was a sense of her possessing Christ, a sense of her personal pleasure as she...

The foundational truth of the Christian faith is that Jesus Christ died for the sins of the whole world (2). He shed His blood for mankind (3), and imputes His own righteousness to all who believe (4). It is this truth that saves people from everlasting punishment and makes them...

Immaturity is a great hindrance to growing in Christ. When a believer allows it to dominate him. He is literally allowing Satan to rob his entire reason for living. Immaturity is caused by a lack of grace applied to the soul. Whenever the Christian fails, it is so important for...

Did you ever begin an exercise program only to find that your physical condition is not quite what you had expected? Until you started exercising, all was fine; it is only afterwards that you realized the hindrances. As believers, we are running a race. As we continue in the Christian...

Many Christians live in houses instead of homes. A house is where a person lives, eats, drinks, sleeps, etc., but there is no meaningful relationship with those who are living there. They never really get to know each other. Faces may be familiar, but the hearts are far apart. They...

More important than physical food is spiritual food. “My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me, and to finish His work” (John 4:34). Paul says about Israel, “They all ate the same spiritual food” (I Corinthians 10:3, NIV). Those who overcome are able to eat from...

All throughout the Bible, there are countless examples of Christians who have accepted Jesus as their personal savior, but do not have specific convictions about what they believe and how they are to interact in their daily lives. II Timothy 2:15 states, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a...

What can deliver a believer out of his human temperament, his prevailing inclinations or moods, and the tendency to remain unchanged in the passivity of natural disposition? The believer is faced continually with the choice of remaining under the control of the flesh, or changing his mind and allowing the...

One of the great temptations for Christians in the twentieth century is to become familiar with the Word of God. Why? Because it is so easy to become entertainment-oriented. Believers often forget that they must prepare their hearts for the preaching of God’s Word. Therefore, they have a very small...