🗣️𝚆𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙱𝚊𝚍𝚐𝚎 𝙾𝚏 𝙿𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 📜“𝙲𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚞𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚊𝚒𝚝𝚑.“ 𝙰𝚌𝚝𝚜 𝟷𝟺:𝟸𝟸 Perseverance is the badge of true saints. The Christian life is not only a beginning in the ways of God, but also means continuing in those ways as long as life lasts. It is with a Christian as it was with the great Napoleon: He said, "Conquest has made me what I am, and conquest must maintain me." So under God, dear believer in the Lord, conquest has made you what you are, and conquest must sustain you. Your motto must be, "Aim higher." The only true conqueror who shall be crowned in the end is he who continues until war's trumpet is blown no more. Perseverance is, therefore, the target of all our spiritual enemies. The world does not object to your being a Christian for a time, if she can tempt you to quit your pilgrimage and settle down to trade with her in Vanity Fair. The flesh will seek to ensnare you and to prevent your pressing on to glory. "Being a pilgrim is weary work and makes me wonder: Am I always to be mortified? Am I never to be indulged? Can I not have at least a holiday from this constant warfare?" Satan will make many a fierce attack on your perseverance; it will be the target for all his arrows. He will strive to hinder you in service: He will insinuate that you are doing no good and that you need to rest. He will endeavor to make you weary of suffering; he will whisper, "Curse God, and die." Or he will attack your steadfastness: "What is the good of being so zealous? Be quiet like the rest; sleep as others do, and let your lamp go out like the foolish virgins." Or he will assail your doctrinal sentiments: "Why do you hold to these doctrinal creeds? Sensible men are getting more liberal; they are removing the old landmarks: Fall in with the times." So, Christian, wear your shield close to your armor and cry earnestly to God, that by His Spirit you may endure to the end. ~𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝚂𝚙𝚞𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚘𝚗 #𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐠𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞

📜 “𝐖𝐡𝐨𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐃“ (𝐏𝐫𝐨. 𝟏𝟔:𝟐𝟎). Wisdom is man's true strength; and under its guidance he is best able to find and fulfill his reason for living. Wisely handling the matter of life gives to man the richest enjoyment and presents the noblest occupation for his powers; and in this way he finds good in the fullest sense. Without wisdom, man is like a wild donkey running here and there, wasting strength that might have been profitably employed. Wisdom is the compass by which man is to steer across the trackless waste of life; without it he is a derelict vessel, the victim of winds and waves. A man must be prudent in such a world as this or he will find no good, but will be betrayed into unnumbered ills. The pilgrim will sorely wound his feet among the briers of the wood of life if he does not pick his steps with the utmost caution. He who is in a wilderness infested with thieves must handle matters wisely if he would journey safely. If, trained by the Great Teacher, we will follow where He leads, we will find good even in the darkness, and celestial fruits to be tasted, and songs of paradise to be sung amid the groves of earth. But where shall this wisdom be found? Many have dreamed of it without possessing it. Where will we learn it? Let us listen to the voice of the Lord, for He has declared the secret. He has revealed to the sons of men where true wisdom lies, and we have it in the text, "blessed is he who trusts in the LORD." The true way to handle a matter wisely is to trust in the Lord. This is the sure clue to the most intricate labyrinths of life; follow it and find eternal bliss. He who trusts in the Lord has a diploma for wisdom granted by inspiration: Happy is he now, and happier he shall be above. Lord, in this sweet evening walk with me in the garden, and teach me the wisdom of faith. ~𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐒𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐨𝐧 #𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐠𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞

"Hallowed be Thy name" (Matt. 6:9). God is holy and deserves your highest respect and your humble obedience. To most people the word hallowed elicits thoughts of Halloween, ivy-covered walls, or starchy religious traditions. But those are all far from its biblical meaning. "Hallowed" in Matthew 6:9 translates a Greek word that means "holy." When Christ said, "Hallowed be Thy name," He was saying in effect, "May Your name be regarded as holy." When you hallow God's name, you set it apart from everything common and give Him the place He deserves in your life. Throughout Scripture, holiness is attributed to persons or things that are consecrated to God's service. The Sabbath day, for example, was to be kept holy—set apart from the other days (Ex. 20:8). The Israelite priests were to be considered holy because they rendered special service to the Lord (Lev. 21:8). As believers in Christ we are to be holy because we belong to God (1 Pet. 1:15). Holiness also speaks of moral excellence and purity. God is called the "Holy One" (1 Pet. 1:15) not only because He is set apart from His creation, but also because He is pure and sinless in His character. That's why Isaiah pronounced a curse on himself when he saw the Lord and heard the angels crying out, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory" (Isa. 6:3- 5). He was overcome with a sense of his own human sinfulness in the presence of a holy God. Such a God deserves your highest respect and reverence. He is your gracious and loving Father, but He is also the sovereign, majestic God of the universe. Consequently, you must guard against thinking of Him as a buddy or addressing Him flippantly. Additionally, He deserves your humble obedience. You hallow His name only when your life is marked by righteousness and moral excellence. May that be true of you today, and may you seek to honor Him in all that you do! Suggestions for Prayer • Always approach God with a sense of respect and reverence. • Think of specific ways that you can hallow His name today. Ask Him for the grace to do so. For Further Study Read each of these verses, noting the specific ways you can glorify God: Joshua 7:19; Psalm 50:23; John 15:8; Romans 15:5-6; 1 Corinthians 6:20; Philippians 2:9-11; and 2 Thessalonians 3:1. #CoramDeo

Conversation Starter: What Is The Gospel? {Please respond in the comments}

I’d like to thank the Lord of glory for glorifying Himself in the creation of LordsBook; and to those who are being used by Him in their walks to be obedient in serving Him: Thank you! {Below you’ll find a link to my testimony and call to ministry} https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oL7pEuxBlH9s9Qw_KW9Z4yiXtsMHIjErNprAG7L9yXY/edit #SoliDeoGloria

He is our Healer indeed! #SoliDeoGloria

Enjoy! 😉 And praise His holy Name! #SoliDeoGloria

✞ Jesus On Genuine Truthfulness ✞ “‘But let your statement be, “Yes, yes” or “No, no”; anything beyond these is of evil’” (Matthew 5:37). Keeping your word is the mark of a genuine worshiper and demonstrates that you, as a child of God, hate lies. Everything in God’s kingdom is sacred and all truth is His truth, so truth has no degrees or shades. Thus even what seems to be the most minor false statement dishonors God’s name. The Lord has never had any standard other than absolute truthfulness. He wants every one of us to possess “truth in the innermost being” (Ps. 51:6). And it follows that “lying lips are an abomination to the Lord” (Prov. 12:22; cf. 6:16–17; Ps. 58:3–4). Because God has the ultimate criterion of complete truthfulness, even our most routine conversations should be truthful and dependable in every detail. Our everyday talk ought to be plain and straightforward, uncluttered by qualifiers, exaggerations, or hedges on the truth. Our word must be as good as our bond or as any vow or oath we ever make. James’s admonishment agrees with Jesus’ teaching, “But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment” (James 5:12). Ask Yourself Truth and honesty will never be your default setting until you pursue it deliberately—spending your words carefully and keeping your word completely. In what particular areas of your life is it hardest for you to keep your promises? #SoliDeoGloria

✞ 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝗢𝗻 𝗩𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗢𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘀 ✞ “‘Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, “You shall not make false vows, but shall fulfill your vows to the Lord.” But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black’” (Matthew 5:33–36). In the regular business of life, people use vows and oaths—at marriage ceremonies, in the courtroom, executive oaths of office. Because human nature is prone to lying and distrust, God has provided for proper use of oaths (cf. Heb. 6:16). In describing who may enter God’s presence, the psalmist says one requirement is that the person be one who “swears to his own hurt and does not change” (Ps. 15:4b; cf. vv. 2–3). Such a person’s word is more important than his or her welfare. God Himself has issued oaths in the past (Gen. 22:16–17; cf. Pss. 89:3, 49; 110:4; Jer. 11:5; Luke 1:73). He did so to impress upon people the special importance or urgency of a promise. As Hebrews notes, “Since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself” (6:13). Christ often used the expression “truly” or “truly, truly” (e.g., Matt. 5:18, 26; 6:2, 5, 16; John 1:51; 3:3, 5; 5:19, 24). As with the Father’s oaths, the Son’s use of “truly” did not make those statements any more trustworthy than any other pronouncements. The “truly” teachings underscored the importance of certain teachings. Jesus even used an oath before the high priest Caiaphas that He was indeed God’s Son (Matt. 26:63–64). In view of the special nature of divine oaths, we should “make no oath[s] at all”—in other words, no frivolous ones that would compromise our truthfulness and integrity (cf. Pss. 119:29, 163; 120:2). Ask Yourself Could your conversation be improved with less embellishment and exaggeration? Can your word stand on its own two feet? #SoliDeoGloria #grayburglife

Why are you thankful? What or who satisfies you?