by Walt Henrichsen | Apr 29, 2019 | Articles, Mentors Corner
“A man may arrange his thoughts, but what he says depends on the LORD.” Proverbs 16:1 Scripture teaches many things that are counter-intuitive. This is one of them: God determines what you say. You may determine what you think about, but God determines what happens next. Solomon also said, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.”1 Because Judas entertained evil thoughts concerning the Savior, God incited him to execute them. In this verse God says He also determines what a person says. My mother warned her children to guard their tongues, for words once spoken can never be rescinded. The problem with words is, they lodge in the minds of those listening, and at the most inopportune time return to the memory with disturbing effect. Solomon warned that the only way you can control your tongue is to control your thoughts. When you think about something you cannot guarantee that you will not say what you think. Thus Proverbs contains an astonishing truth: We are responsible for our thoughts, but based on them, God determines what we say. Our instincts may suggest otherwise, but this is what God promises. “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”2 Because our words reflect our thoughts, God will judge us, in part, on the basis of our words: “…every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.”3 1 Proverbs 23:7 2 Matthew 12:34 3 Matthew 12:36 For more articles by Walt...
by Gayle Jackson | Apr 15, 2019 | Articles, Mentors Corner
The Word: The Bible, the Word of God is the key to all we believe. To waffle in your thinking on the accuracy and authority of the Word, is to disrupt your relationship and walk with God. Your commitment to the Word is a key to your walk with Christ. 1:8 “This book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it by day and by night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall act wisely”. 1Pe 1:23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the living Word of God, and abiding forever. Instead of a treatise on The Word, let me ask 11 Questions on the subject: 1. Have you ever read/studied the history of the bible and how it came about? If not, when are you going to? 2. Do you know the history of the canonization? 3. Do you believe in a closed or open cannon? 4. Do you believe the bible is inerrant? 5. If you don’t a. What parts are errant to you? b. Can you trust Jesus history and teachings, i.e. His use of Jonah as a historical character? c. If you don’t embrace inerrancy are you declaring your opinion as more accurate than God’s? d. Since Jesus quoted the bible often, what are we to conclude? 6. Do you have problems of squaring the bible with the archeologist? 7. Can you accept creation account? 8. Are scripture teachings, like...
by Ron Hocutt | Apr 1, 2019 | Articles, Testimonies
I was driving along behind a truck the other day when I caught a strong gasoline smell. The first thing that popped into my mind was “I hope that that’s from the guy in front of me and not me.” On the surface, this is a natural thought and one to which I wouldn’t give any extra consideration. What I really said in the quiet of my own heart is “I hope that guy has a problem rather than me.” What I desperately want to think (automatically) is “I hope that guy doesn’t have a problem, and I don’t want one either, but will accept it if it’s God’s will.” What a sad commentary on the state of my soul when I hope evil rests on another in order to protect myself. I had little thought for this man’s safety, life, or soul – only my own. There are those of you who may say that this isn’t important and is such a small thing. True enough; I have not robbed a bank or murdered anyone today (yet), but the longer I walk with Christ, the more convinced I am that we are undone more by the small things than by the large. We ignore these at our peril. Consider the following quote: Watch your thoughts, they become words. Watch your words, they become actions. Watch your actions, they become habits. Watch your habits, they become your character. Watch your character, it becomes your destiny Consider these verses from scripture: A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out...
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