Life’s Roads

Roads: Some roads are long and narrow,some roads have hills dangerously steep, some roads are short and wide, some roads have valleys very deep. All roads have a beginning, all roads have an end; but all roads are not our friend. The Bible speaks of two roads, one narrow and one wide, the wide one leads to destruction, and on this road, everyone’s journey begins. The other road, the straight and narrow, this road is where God wants you to be, this road is entered by knowing Jesus, our one true guide you see. This road leads to Heaven, with Jesus on our side, when we reach Heaven, with God we will abide.

~Winston Staples

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SETTING SAIL!

Setting Sail: Life is like a voyage, sailing across the sea, setting our sails, to find breezes to set us free. as we set sail, we find the sailing may be rough, the waves roaring high, visibility mighty tough. We discover it is so hard, to be captain of our ship, when we have an enemy, seeking to make us slip. When our lives, like the ships, face tempest and despair, we need to seek a harbor, and find shelter there. In this voyage, we have a choice, who will captain our ship, Jesus, who wants to save us; Satan who wants us scuttle our ship. So dear soul, who will your captain be; Satan who keeps you in bondage, or Jesus who will set you free?

~Winston Staples

EXPLORING GOD’S WORD 74

Word of the Day: Courage

Quote: Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear.  ~Ambrose Redmoon

Psalms 27:¹⁴ Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.

Quote: Every man has his own courage, and is betrayed because he seeks in himself the courage of other persons.  ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Psalms 31:²⁴ Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.

Quote: Courage is what is taken to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.  ~ Winston Churchill

Joshua 1:⁹ Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

^{Acts 28:15} And from thence, when the brethren heard of us, they came to meet us as far as Appii forum, and The three taverns: whom when Paul saw, he thanked God, and took courage.

As believers we should fight our adversary the devil using the words of God and the mighty tool of prayer daily with great courage.

[ prepared by Winston Staples ]

EXPLORING GOD’S WORD 73

Topic:   Proper attitude toward God’s Word :

*to stand in awe of: Psalms 119:¹⁶¹ Princes have persecuted me without a cause: but my heart standeth in awe of thy word.

*tremble at the word: Isaiah 66:² For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the Lord: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and [trembleth] at my word.  ⁵ Hear the word of the Lord, ye that [tremble] at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name’s sake, said, Let the Lord be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.

*speak faithfully the word: Jer. 23:²⁸ The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him [speak] my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the Lord.

*search the word: Acts 17:¹¹ These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and [searched] the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

*speak boldly: Acts 4:²⁹ And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with [all boldness ]they may speak thy word,  ³¹ And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and [they spake the word of God with boldness.]

*preach the Word: Acts 8:²⁵ And they, when they had testified and [preached the word] of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and [preached] the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.

*receive the Word: Acts 11: 1 And the apostles and brethren that were in Judaea heard that the [Gentiles had also received the word of God.]

*Glorify the Word: Acts 13:⁴⁸ And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and [glorified the word] of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.

*obey the Word: 1 Peter 3:Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;

1 Peter 3:1-2 (AMP)

Godly Living

3 In the same way, you wives, be ^[a]submissive to your own husbands [subordinate, not as inferior, but out of respect for the responsibilities entrusted to husbands and their accountability to God, and so partnering with them] so that even if some do not obey the word [of God], they may be won over [to Christ] without discussion by the godly lives of their wives,^(A) 2 when they see your modest and respectful behavior [together with your devotion and appreciation—love your husband, encourage him, and enjoy him as a blessing from God].

*teach: Acts 18:¹¹ And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the Word of God among them.

*handle accurately: 2 Timothy 2:¹⁵ Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman who needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

*Do: James 1:²² But be ye doers of the Word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

^{23 For if any be a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a mirror;}

*suffer: Rev. 1:⁹ I, John, who also am your brother and [companion in tribulation] and in the Kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the isle that is called Patmos, [for the Word of God] and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.

[ prepared by Winston Staples ]

WHERE THE RED PINE GROW!

There is a place,

about a mile away,

where I would go,

and spend hours every day.

I got on the old bike,

an old four wheeler,

on  it I would go,

to my quiet place,

where the red pine grow.

Some days I would see,

a doe in the grove,

if slowly I drove.

At the right time,

late in the day;

I would stop,

and watch the beaver play.

Most of the time,

their play for me,

was work to them,

while they swam;

they quickly repaired the dam.

In the branches of the pine,

the blue jays cried,

and the squirrels played,

with the gentle breeze,

the red pine trees swayed.

It became my favorite

quiet place to go,

to meditate on God’s word,

to keep my outlook on life,

going straight as a sword.

~Winston Staples

EXPLORING GOD’S WORD 72 [Lesson 3]

Topic — Witness of the Holy Spirit:

1/ Given to the Saints.

*When they believe— Acts 15:⁸ And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;  1 John 5:¹⁰ He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.

*Testify of Christ — John 15:²⁶ But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

*Give evidence of our being adopted — Romans 8:¹⁶ The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

*Give evidence of Christ living in the believer — 1 John 3:²⁴ And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

*Give evidence that God dwells in the believer — 1 John 4:¹³ Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.

* Against all unbelievers —Neh.9:³⁰ Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and testifiedst against them by thy spirit in thy prophets: yet would they not give ear: therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the people of the lands.  Acts 28:²⁵ And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers,

²⁶ Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive:

²⁷ For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

[ prepared by Winston Staples ]

EXPLORING GOD’S WORD 72 [lesson 2 ]

TOPIC—Witness of the Holy Spirit

*Exalted to  be Prince and Savior  Acts 5: ³¹ Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a [a] Prince and a Saviour, for to [b] give repentance to Israel, and [c]forgiveness of sins.  Under lined refers to Christ the Son!

³² And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.

*to witness perfecting Saints    Hebrews 10:¹⁴ For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. [He refers to Christ ]

¹⁵ Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before,

*As fortold    John 15:²⁶ But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:   [Colored words speak of the Holy Spirit!]

*In Heaven   1 John 5:⁷ For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. ¹¹ And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

*On earth   1 John 5: And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.

*witness the confirming of preaching the gospel   Acts 14:³ Long time therefore abode they speaking boldly in the Lord, which gave testimony unto the word of his grace, and granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands.   Hebrews 2:⁴ God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?

[ prepared by Winston Staples ]