We are to feed the new nature on the Word of God constantly, and we are to starve the old nature, which craves the world and the flesh. We are told to “make not provision for the flesh” [Romans 13:14 KJV].
~ Billy Graham
The greatest need in the world is the transformation of human nature. We need a new heart that will not have lust and greed and hate in it. We need a heart filled with love and peace and joy, and that is why Jesus came into the world.
Men cannot help that it is their nature to respond to the lewd, the salacious, and the vile. They will have difficulty doing otherwise until they are born again.
In John 6 we read that when great multitudes went after Him, He told them three times that unless they were willing to pay the price, they could not be His followers.
[Jesus] asked [His followers] to count the cost carefully, lest they should turn back when they met with suffering and privation. He told His followers that the world would hate them.
Don’t be deceived by Satan and his lies. Instead, stay close to Christ—because the closer you are to Him, the farther away you are from the devil.
Christ warned His followers that to believe in Him would not make them popular, and that they should be prepared to face affliction for His sake.
If [Christian leaders] do not teach Christian principles to all followers of Christ, we are not equipping them with God’s truth that willovercome worldly influence.
Following Christ has been made too easy. It is easy to follow Him when our world is safe and comfortable . . .but when that world shatters, only a secure faith will sustain us.
Learn to keep close to [Jesus], to listen to His voice, and follow Him.
By faith in [Jesus] we can be forgiven of our sins and know the joy of following Him every day.
The men who followed Jesus were unique in their generation. They turned the world upside down because their hearts had been turned right side up.
The same Book that tells us over and over again of God’s love warns us constantly of the devil who would come between us and God, the devil who is ever waiting to ensnare men’s souls.
The devil is the god of this world and he has blinded our eyes.
Satan wants to lure us into his traps, and he knows exactly what kind of “bait” will appeal to us. He knows what we’re like, and he will attack us exactly where we are the weakest.
Satan will do everything he can to divide Christians and destroy our witness. Only the Holy Spirit can subdue our old nature and overcome it with God’s love.
Don’t give Satan a foothold, but discipline yourself to stay close to God. He alone is your security.
Satan rejoices when old habits overwhelm [us] and we cave in to the pressure of the crowd . . .perhaps temptation lures [us] into sin . . .a backsliding Christian compromises their faith and causes unbelievers to mock the Gospel.
[Christians] are called to distinguish themselves as Christ followers, not community organizers.
The devil and his demons really do believe in God—and why wouldn’t they? They understand that they are engaged in a cosmic battle of titanic proportions, and they know they are up against the Creator of the universe—a truth that makes them shudder. There are no atheists in hell!
When our minds are on Christ, Satan has little room to maneuver.
The greatest roadblock to Satan’s work is the Christian who, above all else, lives for God, walks with integrity, is filled with the Spirit, and is obedient to God’s truth.
The greatest hindrance to Satan’s destructive efforts is our standing strong in the knowledge and fear of the Lord.
Satan rejoices when we are inconsistent, because he knows that an inconsistent Christian is an ineffective Christian—or worse.
We constantly pass up the rich and beautiful and ennobling experiences and seek out the tawdry, the cheap, and the degrading. These are the works of the devil, and they flourish on every side!
The devil is a master at making us question God and His Word. Twisting Scripture . . . taking a verse out of context . . .deceiving us into thinking God is mean-spirited—these are some of Satan’s favorite tricks.
Satan does not care how much you theorize about Christianity or how much you profess to know Christ. What he opposes vigorously is the way you live Christ.
We must be constantly aware that Satan can take any human effort and twist it to serve his own purposes.
Only God can thwart the plans of Satan and his legions.
If you are not careful you will find yourself actually in the employ of the devil. He is powerful, slick, crafty, wily, and subtle.
One of the devil’s methods is to attack everyone . . . He knows that the Word of God is powerful, and he will try to keep you from it.
When we are filled with the Spirit of God, obeying God, in His will and quoting Scripture, Satan will be defeated.
Jesus did not dispute [Satan] . . . our Lord quoted Scripture, and that’s one thing the devil can’t stand! The Scripture defeats him every time.
Fear can paralyze us and keep us from believing God and stepping out in faith. The devil loves a fearful Christian!
We have seen moral and religious leaders,men who claim to be followers of Jesus,fall into disgrace in the eyes of God and man, and worst of all we have seen the Gospel of Jesus Christ and twisted and distorted it by false teachers to accommodate the destructive morals and secular behavior of these times.
As long as Satan is loose in the world and our hearts are dominated by his evil passions, it will never be easy or popular to be a follower of Christ.
God’s followers need to know the truth He sets forth in His Word so that we can confidently discern between His truth and Satan’s lies.
Salvation is free, but there is a price to pay in following Jesus. It is never said in Scripture that we can have “Christ and . . .”.It is always “Christ or . . .”. What is your “or”?
God—the Bible’s Author—loves you and wants you to be His child through faith in Jesus Christ.
Faith is loved and honored by God more than any other single thing.
