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26/05/2026

25/05/2026

Developing Good Habits, May 26

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Consecration and Christian Experience

I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word. Psalm 119:101.

We are nearing the end of time, and we want now, not to meet the world’s tastes and practices, but to meet the mind of God; to see what saith the Scriptures, and then to walk according to the light which God has given us.84Testimonies for the Church 5:506.

The youth are forming habits which will, in nine cases out of ten, decide their future. The influence of the company they keep, the associations they form, and the principles they adopt will be carried with them through life.85Testimonies for the Church 4:426.

We shall be individually, for time and eternity, what our habits make us. The lives of those who form right habits, and are faithful in the performance of every duty, will be as shining lights, shedding bright beams upon the pathway of others.86Testimonies for the Church 4:452.

There is no need of being spiritual dwarfs if the mind is continually exercised in spiritual things. But merely praying for this, and about this, will not meet the necessities of the case. You must habituate the mind to concentration upon spiritual things. Exercise will bring strength. Many professed Christians are in a fair way to lose both worlds. To be half a Christian and half a worldly man makes you about one-hundredth part a Christian and all the rest worldly.87Testimonies for the Church 2:264.

The mind must be educated and disciplined to love purity. A love for spiritual things should be encouraged; yea, must be encouraged, if you would grow in grace and in the knowledge of the truth.... The will must be exercised in the right direction. I will be a whole-hearted Christian. I will know the length and breadth, the height and depth, of perfect love. Listen to the words of Jesus: “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” Matthew 5:6. Ample provisions are made by Christ to satisfy the soul that hungers and thirst for righteousness.88Testimonies for the Church 2:264-266.

From The Faith I Live By - Page 152

17/05/2026

When bad news hits, our first instinct is to fix it. But what if the better response is to sit, grieve, and pray?

Friend, we understand when you're carrying the weight of your family on your shoulders, trying to hold everything together, the first instinct may be to search for the right words, the right solution, the right way to fix what feels broken. The pressure to fix it all can be overwhelming. The fear, the uncertainty, the waiting… it can leave you feeling anxious, exhausted, and out of control.

But what if your role was never to control the outcome?

What if the most powerful thing you could do for the people you love is to bring them before God, honestly, consistently, and with open hands?

In this episode, you'll learn what it looks like to make prayer your first response instead of your last resort.

Praying Scripture aligns our hearts with God’s will, and through ongoing conversation with God, we can learn to respond to difficult situations with honesty, grief, and trust instead of control.

Because even when you don’t have the power to fix everything… we are never powerless when you pray.

Join Lysa Terkeurst, Dr. Joel Muddamalle, and licensed counselor Jim Cress for this week’s episode of the Therapy & Theology podcast.

You can listen to this conversation here: https://proverbs31.io/4u7rA0d

17/05/2026

This Is My Beloved Son,” May 18

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Buried With Him in Baptism

And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: and lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Matthew 3:16, 17.

As Jesus asked for baptism, John drew back, exclaiming, “I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?” With firm yet gentle authority, Jesus answered, “Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.” Matthew 3:14, 15. And John, yielding, led the Saviour down into the Jordan, and buried Him beneath the water. “And straightway coming up out of the water,” Jesus “saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him. Mark 1:10.... The solemnity of the divine Presence rested upon the assembly. The people stood silently gazing upon Christ. His form was bathed in the light that ever surrounds the throne of God. His upturned face was glorified as they had never before seen the face of man. From the open heavens a voice was heard saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:17....

The word that was spoken to Jesus at the Jordan ... embraces humanity. God spoke to Jesus as our representative. With all our sins and weaknesses, we are not cast aside as worthless. “He hath made us accepted in the beloved.” Ephesians 1:6. The glory that rested upon Christ is a pledge of the love of God for us His love has encircled man, and reached the highest heaven. The light which fell from the open portals upon the head of our Saviour will fall upon us as we pray for help to resist temptation. The voice which spoke to Jesus says to every believing soul, This is My beloved child, in whom I am well pleased....

Our Redeemer has opened the way so that the most sinful, the most needy, the most oppressed and despised, may find access to the Father. All may have a home in the mansions which Jesus has gone to prepare.59The Desire of Ages, 111-113.

From The Faith I Live By - Page 144

24/04/2026

We are justified by His grace, but still sin. Justification declares us righteous purely because of our faith in Jesus Christ. Can we accept or believe that we are justified? Many of us do not live like we are justified.

It is hard to feel justified when we still sin. And, if we still sin, how can God look at us as righteous? Yet, that is exactly what He does, “being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Rom 3:24 NKJV). This is not about our feelings, but about what God can do through His Son Jesus Christ. We must believe and live out this truth, which is hard to do.

Paul asks the question about being sinners still, “But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not!” (Gal 2:17 NKJV). He concludes, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal 2:20 NKJV).

So, how does God look at us? God sees us as His children. We ought to be humbled and grateful that God would make us heirs, “that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:7 NKJV).

I pray that we all, “have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Gal 5:24 NKJV) and that we let Christ live through us. I pray that we live like justified children of God because that is the truth (Mark 10:15). Do we believe it?

May the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

https://whyischristianitysohard.com/

24/04/2026

How it must break God's heart when we work like we don’t believe He’s capable. We say we trust Him but then act as if everything depends on us. We give all we have to the tasks at hand, with only occasional leftovers of time to slightly acknowledge Him.

It’s like a little girl running while holding a cup, sloshing out all it contains. She thinks what will refill her is just ahead. So she presses on with determination — clutching an empty cup.

She keeps running toward an agenda God never set, one that will never satisfy.

She holds out her cup as she runs by Him but catches only a few drops of His provision because she didn’t stop long enough for her cup to be filled.

Emptiness can’t be tempered with mere drops. The tragic truth is what will fill her … what will fill us … isn’t the accomplishment just ahead. That shiny thing is actually a vacuum that sucks us dry and can never refill us.

Jesus doesn’t participate in the rat race. He’s into the slower rhythms of life like abiding, delighting, and dwelling — all words Scripture uses to describe us being with Him.

In fact, when Jesus appointed the disciples, there were two parts to their calling, as we see in Mark 3:14-15: “He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons” (emphases added).

Yes, they were to go preach and drive out demons, but the first part of their calling was simply to “be with him.”

True fulfillment comes when we remember to be with Jesus before going out to serve Him. He wants our hearts in alignment with Him before our hands set about doing today’s assignment for Him.

Jesus extends what we need each day, and He invites us to receive in prayer, worship, and His Word. I can imagine Him lovingly replenishing our cup while whispering: This isn’t a race to test the fastest pace. I just want you to persevere on the path I have marked out especially for you. Fix your eyes not on a worldly prize but on staying in love with Me.

That’s an agenda that’s always completely satisfying.

-Lysa TerKeurst

On a practical level, what does it look like for you to abide, delight, and dwell in God right now?

24/04/2026

Only one thing ra gyud naa sa imong hunhuna ug mo enter ka ani..the word " Focus" and your aim to hit the goal , the center, ..and for me ang akong mga sala akong gihunahuna ani nga unsaon gyud pag undang ..pagpatay... bitaw only if mag focus ta sa Ginoo makab ot nato atong goal na makita sya ug makauban sa atong kinabuhi..ang kalibutan puno sa temptation, disturbo ug imo nang tagdon ang mga saba ug mga honghong makalingi ka di ka makapadayon di ka maka hit sa imong goal.

The Bible often uses athletic metaphors to describe the focus and discipline needed to achieve a goal. Here are the most prominent verses about staying focused to "hit the mark":

1. Philippians 3:13–14 — The Ultimate Focus

This is perhaps the most famous passage regarding goal-setting. It emphasizes letting go of the past to focus entirely on what lies ahead.

"Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

2. 1 Corinthians 9:24–26 — Running to Win

St. Paul compares life and spiritual growth to a race, noting that hitting a goal requires more than just participation—it requires intentionality and discipline.

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training... Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air."

3. Hebrews 12:1–2 — Removing Distractions

To hit a goal, you must remove the "weights" or distractions that slow you down. This verse encourages keeping your eyes fixed on the "pioneer" of your faith.

"...let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith."

4. Proverbs 4:25–27 — Keeping a Straight Path

This wisdom literature provides practical advice on focus: look straight ahead and do not get sidetracked by distractions on either side.

"Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil."

5. Habakkuk 2:2 — Visualizing the Goal

Focus often starts with clarity. This verse speaks to the importance of writing down a vision so that you can act on it effectively.

"Then the Lord replied: 'Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it.'"

Summary of Key Principles:

- Forget the past: Don't let previous failures or even successes distract you from your current objective.
- Discipline: Treat your goal like an athlete in training; avoid aimless effort.
- Fix your gaze: Narrow your field of vision to the path directly in front of you.
- Persevere: Expect a long "race" and prepare to endure until the end.

Is there a specific area of your life—like work, health, or personal growth—where you are trying to apply these principles right now?

23/04/2026

Hidden Truths in the Bible
The venom was burning.
The gaze was life.

The Israelites were in the middle of a desert, and their patience had run dry. They weren't just tired; they were rebellious, speaking against God and Moses. In response, the protection that usually surrounded them was pulled back, and "fiery serpents" entered the camp. The ground was no longer safe; every shadow held a lethal bite.

The Paradox of the Cure
The Admission of the Bite: When the people cried out in repentance, God didn't just snap His fingers and make the snakes vanish. Instead, He commanded a remedy that required a physical act of faith. To be healed, a person had to stop looking at their wound and look up at the very image of what had bitten them.

The Bronze Symbol: Moses crafted a snake out of bronze—a metal often associated with judgment in the Bible—and lifted it high on a pole. It was a strange sight: the symbol of their death became the source of their life.

The Act of Looking: There was no medicine, no ointment, and no ritual. There was only a choice.

"Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived."

(Numbers 21:9)

Centuries later, Jesus sat with a religious leader named Nicodemus in the dead of night and pulled this story from the archives. He explained that He, too, would be "lifted up." Just as the bronze snake represented the judgment of the serpents, Jesus would take the judgment of sin upon Himself.

The cure wasn't in the bronze; it was in the obedience of the gaze. The cure for the bite was looking at the One who took the sting.

Are you staring at the "wounds" of your past and watching the venom spread, or are you willing to look up at the One who was lifted up for your healing?

23/04/2026

The Ladder to Perfection, April 24

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Sanctified by His Life

According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue. 2 Peter 1:3.

Jesus is the ladder to heaven, ... and God calls upon us to mount this ladder. But we cannot do this while we load ourselves down with earthly treasures. We wrong ourselves when we place our convenience and personal advantages before the things of God. There is no salvation in earthly possessions or surroundings. A man is not exalted in God’s sight, or accredited by Him as possessing goodness, because he has earthly riches. If we gain a genuine experience in climbing, ... we must leave every hindrance behind. Those who mount must place their feet firmly on every round of the ladder.92SDA Bible Commentary 1:1095.

We are saved by climbing round after round of the ladder, looking to Christ, clinging to Christ, mounting step by step to the height of Christ, so that He is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. Faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity are the rounds of this ladder.93Testimonies for the Church 6:147.

Courage, fortitude, faith, and implicit trust in God’s power to save are needed. These heavenly graces do not come in a moment; they are acquired by the experience of years. But every sincere and earnest seeker will become a partaker of the divine nature. His soul will be filled with intense longing to know the fullness of that love which passes knowledge. As he advances in the divine life, he will be better able to grasp the elevated, ennobling truths of the Word of God, until, by beholding, he becomes changed, and is enabled to reflect the likeness of his Redeemer.94The Watchman, September 25, 1906.

Child of God, angels are watching the character you develop, they are weighing your words and actions; therefore take heed to your ways, ... prove whether you are in the love of God.95The Watchman, September 25, 1906.

To love God supremely and our neighbor as ourselves is genuine sanctification.96The Signs of the Times, February 24, 1890.

From The Faith I Live By - Page