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Date Posted: 13:11:17 03/29/21 Mon
Author: c
Subject: Spiritual notebook (since 2017)

Jesus Christ to be glorified tremendously in all ways in how I go through overcoming challenging situations (am I doing that in the power of the Holy Spirit?)

Love Jesus Christ so much (which seems hard and not initially pleasing) firstly in order to later love the results we get from that lifestyle.

We need to pattern our lives after Jesus, the One we claim to represent.

May our lives verily express the love we verbally profess.

We need to search the Scriptures and ask Jesus Christ to help us see ourselves as He sees us.

Make sure no sin is blacking the light of Jesus Christ from shining through you - in you

Like a mighty oak, most of our life-giving growth occurs beneath the surface.

The fruit of our deep-rooted faith becomes evident to people around us.

The high honor of being Jesus Christ's follower should show in our lives.

We have to clearly identify with Jesus Christ Kingdom to be effective heralds for Jesus Christ.
- salt and light

When Jesus Christ is your life, your life shows signs of that reality

Purity of heart is obtained by degrees as we resist old patterns and grow in Christlikeness - A sincere desire

May our lives display the beauty of Jesus Christ

There's nothing like the beauty of a loving heart.

Joy is the one irrefutable and undeniable evidence of the presence of God

Elect to rejoice continually even when your life is hard, because that is how you will overcome every obstacle

Our Christian maturity is in proportion to the degree of our childlikeness.

Jesus Christ's ultimate goal is that we saints become more like Him. So saints should trust that His direction and timing are ultimately for our good. Choose to draw near and trust that He will guide you.

Jesus Christ is more present to us than the trouble that drives us to Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ doesn't protect us from all trouble, but His love and compassion guide us as we go through it.

Suffering and difficulties afford opportunities for God to “show Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him.”

Maybe God had allowed the problem so she could see Him at work and get to know Him better

Do you have a problem today? Ask God to show you the resource to start with.

Our problems are opportunities to discover God’s solutions


While we saints are trying to figure things out, Jesus Christ has already worked things out on our behalf


If all you want is relief, you could descend into anger and doubt. But if your desire is to become the person God wants you to be, you’ll see each trial as an opportunity for Christ to display His character and strength in you.

The more we delight ourselves in Jesus Christ, the more our desires will align with what He wants for us.

It is a blessing to know what is not for you as much as knowing what is for you:

"I don't know what God has for me, but I know that isn't it"

Our waiting period is God’s preparation time. In bringing about His sovereign purposes, He may put us on hold while He coordinates events to line up with His will

How you wait is important as well as what you do as you wait.

The beauty of Christian surrender is its acceptance of the unpredictable.

Jesus Christ orchestrates "destiny hookups" - wait for the right destiny hookup at the right time - don't leap when nothing is leaping within you for a particular choice for a particular time.

"In the time of trouble say:

In His good time He can bring me out again - how and when He knows

I am here - by God's appointment, in His keeping, under His training, for His time.

You're going to get the victory by being grounded

Do we have the "Good Samaritan" look of a loving, gracious heart? The "yes" face must come from the inside: It must be the product of a heart after God's heart of love.

We need to put forth specific effort to become the kind, friendly person we want to be, and thus to create fond memories

The challenge is to practice learning Jesus Christ presence moment by moment
- be ready, responsive, and reflective

Yet we must recognize man's natural tendency to regress.

Often communicate with Jesus Christ to keep learning and applying His truth.

We must learn to listen to our heavenly Father and be sensitive to the quiet voice prompting us throughout the day. ..... Ultimately this awareness leads to a life-style of walking with the Lord and receiving His best for us.

Transformation will happen only when you surrender to the promptings of the Spirit. Remember, fruit is not something you work to attain. It’s something that can take you by surprise as the Holy Spirit produces it in your life.

We who follow Jesus Christ know true satisfaction, the wholeness that comes with our salvation.

The way to follow Jesus is to firmly put some things behind you and to focus on other things ahead.

Keeping the faith means trusting Jesus Christ to faithfully keep you.

The Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ desire to prove powerful in my life. Experience that power by more and more waiting and trusting in the Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

Focusing on Christ puts everything into perspective.

What happens in us is more important than what happens to us.
- Nurture what happens in me.

Reverence has to be practiced more and more increasingly as a groove of grace to get continual benefits from a lifestyle of reverence.

A growing Christian has increasing wonderment about the Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

Success in every sphere must ever depend upon our cultivating a spirit of worship.

The narrow way is built upon a good foundation

We need a faith that will help us say "No!" to sin, and that will enable us to carry the cross, to practice self-denial, to follow Jesus, and to maintain our walk on the narrow way.

Our desire to please God should be our highest motive for obeying God.

We should be delighted and extremely strongly reinforced when Jesus Christ works things out in our favor.

Instead of focusing on where you are, focus on accessing Jesus Christ presence and knowing He is there with you

The evil one points us away from the many blessings we already enjoy. he wants us to focus on what seems to be a lack of God's blessing instead of all the Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have done for us.

We need patience for the process
- don't be spoiled by past favor
- sit still (Isaiah 40:31)

Can we get bad news like Jairus and still stay hopeful and trusting?

How will you react to bad news and events?
- still be hopeful?

Can we stand on God's Word when things go wrong?

The Heavenly Father wants to develop us (not delight us)

Sometimes the Heavenly Father makes our breakthrough/blessings a long-shot so He gets maximum glory out of the situation.

Whenever that command seemed impossible, she remembered God's instructions: "Day by day, a bit at a time."

But it wasn't easy.....

Whenever we become discouraged by the evil we can see, we need to think instead about the good work God is doing that we cannot see.

When you are struggling, pray this prayer: "Lord, I believe but help me with my unbelief!" Faith is a trust convinced that God ultimately knows what is best and that He will do what is right.

Jesus Christ multiplies by subtraction: So saints aren't tragic victims when we suffer wrongs but are usually being set up for a very good blessing! Always speak that reality of even though the evil one is attempting to kill, steal and destroy, Jesus Christ has the Holy Blood and Grace and Word to give us saints true victory and abundant life in many amazing ways!

Admit that you don't like certain bad turns and events but confess that our Master Jesus Christ is in control to work out a good result eventually in this particular situation

Admit Psalm 119:75 for a bad result of an unwise choice but also soon confess Lamentations 3:21-24, Micah 7:7-9, 2 Samuel 16:12 and Psalms 94:19 about handling some sort of difficult situation in a profitable way.

If your name were written in history, would you be known for making wise decisions with an eternal perspective?

Care about how you are representing Jesus Christ

Each choice we make is vital to moving onward and upward in faith, and I’ll be honest: each day is a battle—a battle to deny ourselves and pursue God’s will instead. But praise God; He has given us the promises of Scripture, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the armor of God to win the day!

Are you moving forward in faith daily?

God calls most of us to fill our place doing ordinary things in a quiet humble way. Through Christ we have the power to be loving and kind to those around us.

God is good in both the good times and the bad.

Strong faith must constantly grow in our hearts, for we need it in both easy and difficult times.

The effective way to increase your love for the Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ is to recall all the Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have done for you and your family and friends and people you have prayed for.

Christ's love is the greatest of all motivators. It causes those who follow Him to live for Him, not for themselves.

We are shaped and fashioned by what we love most.

We should desire and treasure a good spiritual appetite because it truly is a treasure.

During a difficult time, pray "Lord, use this for good! Use this for my progress! Use this for the advancement of Your work! Turn it to good, dear Jesus Christ."

A relationship with Jesus Christ makes us believe there is always life after a tough season.

We can trust God to bring something new out of our seasons of lament.

We become stronger not by traveling an easy path but by overcoming obstacles.

We could think of our lives as a continuous series of opportunities orchestrated by God to lead us into His will
- sometimes the openings He gives seem like obstructions to our plans.

Pursuing Jesus Christ is the only effective way of dealing with disappointment.

If you believe God is telling the truth, if you truly believe the truth about the grace of God, then don't budge from it. Plant your feet on that truth and everything that flows out of it, and be ready for the battle, knowing that even though there is suffering to come, the outcome is known. You are on the winning team....

We have to learn to act counting on the power of God to act with us. We learn to stop trusting ourselves and what we manage and manipulate, and we learn to trust God.

We can have much joy when we let Jesus Christ fight the battles in our lives and we concentrate on being thankful that Jesus Christ has unrestrained power over all the circumstances we face.

By the grace of Jesus Christ, we can be victorious in all the tests of life knowing that they are monitored by Him.

Whenever you go through a tough season, the harder the trial is shows that the outcome has more at stake than what you might be able to recognize.

Instead of pleading with Jesus Christ to take away difficulties, ask Jesus Christ for strength and a new perspective.

Take what is revealed about us during challenges and use that insight to make effective corrections.

Having your true spiritual condition revealed is more valuable than getting a blessing under the impression that everything is okay

We want blessings, so we want to feel everything is okay but that makes us want to put knowing our true spiritual condition on the back burner

Strive to not make mistakes or blemishes, but soon after stumbling, be sure to make important corrections.

Repentance has a beginning but it must continue and mature. It is a starting event and a continuing process.

Prepare today for tomorrow's watershed moments.

Proactive prayer is learning to pray in advance of hardship
- strength to face challenges before they hit us.

It is better to look ahead and prepare, than to look back and despair.

A prepared soldier is a believer whose mind and heart are full of the Lord and His Word.

Our daily time with God - reading His Word, praying, and worshiping - is like exercise in a spiritual gym, where we build up our spiritual muscles to prepare for action.
- The secret to a life of power and victory is time spent with God.

The Heavenly Father has given us the resources to succeed, but we must have a determined mindset to triumph over sin and whatever character building circumstances the Heavenly Father allows in our path.

Command your thoughts to effectively control your actions.

We are inclined to prioritize spiritual matters and pursuits and behaviors when spiritual matters are truly our interests

Be aware of your thoughts and preoccupations. What commands your time and impulses?

Disciplined people structure their lives strategically for victory.

Get a system of priorities that is based on putting Jesus Christ first.
- especially in romantic relationships/pursuits

We chart the course to our eternal destiny by our daily choices

Am I redeeming my God-given time in a truly profitable way?

Perseverance is our willingness to wait on God to apply His grace to our frustrations and His answers to our questions. And as we wait, we continue to move forward. This is no easy lesson to learn, but the relief of learning it is one of life's greatest comforts.

Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant

Always be sensitive to the Spirit of God so that the seeds we sow will glorify our Lord.

Each small step of faith is a giant step of growth.

Carefully chosen words honor God.

Meekness requires that we refrain from reacting too quickly and discern how to respond wisely

If you're remaining fully present in Him, in what ways does that imply your absence elsewhere?

John Cherry preached that people aggrandize good seasons but if people were really handling the good seasons the right way, perhaps the bad seasons could have been prevented.
- what we do in the good seasons sometimes leads to the bad seasons

A wise person evaluates choices by looking ahead to see what negative consequences could follow a course of action.

Let us be diligent in our spiritual maintenance program.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

A moment of patience can prevent a great disaster

What will become of the seeds that you have planted recently? Our actions are steps on a road, so consider where the steps are leading you.

People who do not believe in the future, spend all of their money in the now. They put their money where their belief system is.

Are we pleased with what we are getting? Maybe it's time to change what we are doing.

When we suffer wrong, we must turn our attention from those who wronged us, tend to our wounds by bringing our wounds to Jesus Christ and forgiving those who wronged us.

We are never more like Jesus than when we forgive others.
- the hurts and offenses we suffer are opportunities to trust Jesus Christ and let Him transform us.

When the world asks us, "Why do you show grace?" we saints should respond: "Because He first loved us."

Perseverance is our willingness to wait on Jesus Christ to apply His grace to our frustrations and give us breakthroughs.

Many times Jesus Christ takes a seemingly impossible situation and makes a beautiful way out of it, a way we had never thought of before....

Faith: a saint must believe to see.

The Bible says: 2 Corinthians 5:7 "we walk by faith and not by sight"...walk by the Word of God....whatever you walk by, that's what you're going to speak

The thing I'm most persistent in prayer about is the thing I have the most faith about.

Does the Holy Spirit bear witness to my spirit that God is pleased with my petition?

Will God be honored by fulfilling this promise?

We have the expectation of amazing possibilities

- don't rely on sight



Most things have a "see the limitations of..." type of dimension....


but "keeping my mind stayed on Jesus Christ"....?



Love can cover this. And it does. Love has a way of doing that.

Life's journey is a marathon and I must keep "while I'm trying to figure it out, Jesus Christ is already working it out" foremost in my mind especially about romance and strife so I can have a love mentality for others and not get tripped by my leaning to my analysis of situations.

The God of surprise waits so we can learn to walk by faith. So we can learn to live in His love. So we can learn to trust His purposes.



I'm just going to plead the Blood of Jesus Christ over my challenging issues

- one day going forward at a time.



Gettysburging by praying, morning connection affirmations, speaking life/victory, sowing financial seeds

- but are you trusting in Jesus Christ or what you did?

Start to see yourself excited about life...Wake up every morning like a child! Each day, fill your mind with great energy and exciting expectations for the day.

We must continue to do the right thing day in and day out. Some seasons it will feel like nothing is moving for us. But remember, we must learn to trust the process, not our feelings. God sometimes uses seasons of silence to build character in us. Stay encouraged! Keep your eyes open! Look for the good in every day and you will find it.

Rather than deny or bury your feelings, you can open up to them. Cut yourself a little slack. Give yourself a break. No one is gonna bat 100 percent or even close to it. Get used to it. Every time you mess up this week, say these words: "I'm not okay, you're not okay, and that's okay!"

Almost every time a blessing is about to arrive at your doorstep, adversity shows up to test you. Don't respond to the distraction! Stay focused, it's only a test!

Be prepared - you will be given the chance to take the test again

What we do with doubts and fears while wrestling with them is what counts.
- Jesus Christ in Gethsemane

Actively look for the "but God.." in our moments of struggle and strife. Look for the God of surprise in all the circumstances of life - and trust that His perfect plan will come together.

Valleys are symbols of suffering and shadows. But when we're walking with the Heavenly Father, He creates rivers from the heights and fountains in the valley.

Better to bask in the oven of hardship than to bake in a basin of bliss.

How would you describe your attitude when you find yourself in a "desert season" of life?

...We must acknowledge that detours can and will give us a skewed perspective on reality

Life's difficulties refine us and we become more Christ-like. Then we will have good days.

Our character is revealed by the way we handle misunderstandings and rejection. Our growth can be painful but it is more precious than gold.

The next time I face a new challenge, gird up my mind and heart and reach for new strength.

Breaking up our fallow ground by sincerely and diligently seeking Jesus Christ will seem painful, but the whole process leads to becoming an effective saint.

Crying out for help - from others and from God - may be the strongest moment of our lives.

Comfort zones are mainly negative and have to be "shaken" for real understanding and growth.

Bad situations have to linger until a saint is "forced" to look at his or her situation for what it really is - not just something to "process" to get back to his or her comfort zone.

The Heavenly Father will help us prepare for life's surprises so we can take advantage of them.

Christlike fruit can only be developed as you walk in obedience to Jesus Christ's Holy Spirit.

We must be sincerely committed to heeding the Holy Spirit's promptings so that He can produce real fruit from the cultivated soil of our hearts.

To obtain mercy, we must relinquish our love for sin.

We must have a greater love for our relationship with Jesus than anything, especially our own natural desires.

Instead, as one set free in Christ and adopted into the family of God, you're called to recognize the full weight and reality and evil of sin. Now that you and I call the ultimate Judge Father, we must never diminish the reality or the offense of sin.

Don't ever be so foolish as to trade your treasures in Christ for a moment of sin. In all cases, anything is far better than sin. Anything!

We defeat strongholds of sin in our life by being actively involved in Biblical, spiritual things. We must discipline our minds, and not allow fantasies, lies, and temptations to live there

"Sin will take you farther than you want to go, it will cost you more than you want to pay, and it will keep you longer than you want to stay."

When we want to satisfy our flesh in some way, we will eventually do things that trap us.

Temptation compels us to exercise our weapons and prove their potency. It shows us the recouse of Christ and the preciousness of the promises of God. Every victory gives us new confidence in our victorious Leader and new courage for the next onslaught of the foe.

Taking one step in the right direction can help us see how that faithful action fits into Jesus Christ's overarching plan.

While we'll still wrestle with sin, liberation comes as we recognize that Jesus has already won the battle. May we live out that truth in His power.

Getting back up after stumbling allows us saints to get back on the path of victory to ride into the true freedom only Jesus Christ can provide.

Wherever we are, Jesus Christ is willing to work with us as we are: saved and growing by grace.

Freedom involves willing submission to the One Whose goal is our increasing independence from the bondage of sin.

A testimony of faithfulness to duty and freedom from sin's power will prove that Jesus Christ is truly the Owner of our life.

Sincerely praying "Thy will be done" shows a submissive and trusting spirit.

We should refrain from judging those who fail when their faith is tested because we probably will be put in a test that will make us want to make wrong choices/responses too.

As Heaven-bound pilgrims, we need to focus by faith on unseen, eternal realities

You would be joyful too if you believed you were gaining something worth more than what you were giving up.

Prayer isn't about getting what we want, but rather prayer is an expression of our trust in the Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ's power, wisdom, love and grace.

When we pray, we are showing Jesus Christ that we have faith in Him and that we are willing to do what He says.

Prayer is not a test. Prayer is an act of worship.

Perfect obedience would be perfect happiness if only we had confidence in Jesus Christ
- Trust and obedience are mutually dependent and when both are in place, the result is perfect happiness.

More and more each day be motivated by Jesus Christ's love.

Your most important job is to ask yourself everyday: "How can I love like Jesus Christ today?"

When you realize you are the Heavenly Father's special possession, you want to make the right choices about where you go and what you do.

Be boldly present in a hostile world and make the Kingdom of Jesus Christ visible there

When we choose to accept the discomfort that self-denial and cross-bearing involves, we find deliverance from the bondage of self.

When we choose to change our thinking to live a service-filled life, we are worshipping the Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ with all our heart, soul, and mind.

Love must be bolstered by strong faith in Jesus Christ and The Word to have power, depth, endurance and effectiveness.

Obedience flows freely from a heart of love.

Following Jesus Christ's instructions allows us to escape the consequences that come from choices we later wish we could undo.
- Obeying gives us true freedom

Emotional maturity is a characteristic or condition of people who are able to do what is good regardless of how they feel, or what they want, or their emotional engagements of various kinds.

The primary act of the will is relying on God.

The mind is central to the will.

Our choices about where we put our mind, then, become substantial in determining how we will mature emotionally and spiritually.

The choice of where to put our mind is what most determines where we go.

The most important thing we do is thinking about God

Glorifying God through righteousness is natural when we're focused on Him instead of ourselves.

It is our view of God that determines our attitude to the circumstances in which we find ourselves.

....My view of God shapes my response to everything in my life, especially the hardest things.

Possibly the greatest expression of faith is the readiness to be thankful for the things we don't particularly like.

Don't let yourself gradually go more and more - one step at a time - in the direction of evil.
- David moving from unwise looking to greater wrongs.

Keeping our focus right will help us flee from temptation.

CS Lewis: Be thankful for all kinds of fortune

For Good Fortune - because it is good

For Bad Fortune - because it keeps you from loving the world. Drives you away from loving the world.

Consistency begins in the mind.

- committed to valuable thinking

We have to identify, address, and overcome the thoughts that paralyze us from getting on with life and replace them with the promises and reassurances God provides for us.

Some let difficulties to affect their view of Jesus Christ
Others let Jesus Christ affect their view of difficulties

Be patient while you wait for the purpose of Jesus Christ's moves in your life to be revealed.

Detours are a time to rectify drifting and focus on Jesus Christ's purposes for our lives. Trying to see Jesus Christ's purposes reminds us that we are not in charge of the journey or the destination.

A detour is the perfect time to get a glimpse of Jesus Christ's sovereignty.

Seeing Jesus Christ's faithfulness just may be the reason your detour began in the first place.

Live like Jesus is coming.

We must ask for wisdom in our hearts to make choices that take us in the right direction.

Feelings are about what happened. Praise is about expectation - what is going to happen.

The foundation for hope is God's character. Knowing Jesus Christ's goodness allows us to release our grip on fear so that we can cling to Jesus and His promise to sustain and help us

Faith thrives when there is no hope but Jesus Christ.

Faith is trusting Jesus Christ's heart and trusting Jesus Christ's power.

When faithfulness is most difficult, it is most necessary

When you boldly step out in faith and obedience to Jesus Christ, you may be surprised at how a good stretch can strengthen you.

True contentment is knowing what God's will is and living by faith in it.

We should turn from old patterns and instead nurture new desires and ambitions that align with Jesus Christ.

A childlike faith unlocks the door to the Kingdom of Heaven

We can ask and receive answers only if our asking is directed to God in faith and according to His will.

Sowing financial seeds into the Kingdom of Heaven is spiritual warfare
- by doing so, we exclaim forcefully to the evil one that we join up with Jesus Christ to conquer- faith

Taking up the cross let's us face challenges and believe Galatians 6:9
- Don't grow weary in well doing because we will reap if we faint not.

I believe Jesus Christ brought me far to bring me further ahead

My way through: Jesus Christ

My way out: Jesus Christ

My way over: Jesus Christ

A saint has to be continuously changed by the Word of Truth in order to be able to engage others who need to be changed by the Word in an effective way.

We have been called to catch the attention of the watching world.

As we saints serve others, do the people we serve become more like Jesus Christ?

......A world that will not hear must be shown. It must see the fierce love

Our Christlikeness is evident when we love God and others so much that we willingly humble ourselves for their sake.

Focusing on blessing others keeps love flowing through us with joy and vitality.
- To have joy we must give joy away.

Christians should be dispensers of grace in the world today. We understand that grace is the work of God through the Holy Spirit, but God can use us as channels to show His grace.

See the people around you as thirsty ground, and imagine a river of refreshment flowing from you to them. Be a refreshing person today. Let the river of God’s Spirit stream through you.

We need to tell the next generation about God's work in our lives.

How we should approach witnessing: get our mind off ourselves and trust the Lord to use us in our fear and weakness.

Ask a spiritual question in sincerity to lead to opportunities to share the Gospel.

As we encounter difficult people, by God’s grace we can see and love them through His eyes

If you have fallen into his snares, others are probably following your example

Most of them are longing to see an honest person. A virtuous person - a person they would like to emulate in their own lives.

Multitudes fail to recognize the tragic end of a wrong way of life. We must warn them.

Let the roots of God's love in your life be entwined with others who need your support.

Listening shows that we care about others. People will not care how much we know until they know how much we care about them. The best way to show we care is to listen.

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