Section 1
Demons, even Satan, do not know your heart, thoughts, the actual inner self. i corinthians 2:11 ; only God does i kings 8:39 daniel 2:26-30 . We ourselves don’t even know our own hearts jeremiah 17:9 , but demons are not unobservant ignorants. They look for opportune moments to tempt that just about any of us could sense with attentive observation luke 4:13 . That is why we should stay alert and be self-controlled for we have an enemy looking for an opportunity to tempt us into straying from God i peter 5:8-9 ii corinthians 11:2-3 .
For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
...forgive and act and render to each whose heart You know, according to all his ways (for You, You only, know the hearts of all the children of mankind),
my notes:
The king declared to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, "Are you able to make known to me the dream that I have seen and its interpretation?"
Daniel answered the king and said, "No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, but there is a God in heaven Who reveals mysteries, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these: To you, O king, as you lay in bed came thoughts of what would be after this, and He Who reveals mysteries made known to you what is to be.
But as for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because of any wisdom that I have more than all the living, but in order that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your mind.
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?
my notes:
And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.
For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
my notes:
Section 2
Demonic forces work to destroy us through providing opportunities to sin by the love of this world luke 14:26 ephesians 2:1-3 i john 2:15-17 : its worries, riches, and pleasures luke 8:14 , in order to steal away our love for God matthew 13:19 . The temptations to love something else besides God most often come in the forms of our own: selfish desires, selfish opportunities, and pride i john 2:16 hosea 2:1-17 . Though it is usually disguised as sensible self-preservation hebrews 2:14-15 , but we must be mindful that self-preservation should not be our aim luke 12:22 matthew 16:25 , but rather doing God’s will no matter our own personal cost romans 14:7-8, 12:1 .
"If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.
And you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the disobedient. We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also.
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.
When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path.
For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.
my notes:
...Their mother is a shameless prostitute and became pregnant in a shameful way. She said, ‘I’ll run after other lovers and sell myself to them for food and water, for clothing of wool and linen, and for olive oil and drinks.’
When she runs after her lovers, she won’t be able to catch them. She will search for them but not find them. Then she will think, ‘I might as well return to my husband, for I was better off with him than I am now.’
She doesn’t realize it was I who gave her everything she has— the grain, the new wine, the olive oil; I even gave her silver and gold. But she gave all my gifts to Baal.
"But now I will take back the ripened grain and new wine I generously provided each harvest season. I will take away the wool and linen clothing I gave her to cover her nakedness.
I will destroy her grapevines and fig trees, things she claims her lovers gave her. I will let them grow into tangled thickets, where only wild animals will eat the fruit. I will punish her for all those times when she burned incense to her images of Baal, when she put on her earrings and jewels and went out to look for her lovers but forgot all about Me," says the LORD.
"But then I will win her back once again. I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her there. I will return her vineyards to her and transform the Valley of Trouble into a gateway of hope. She will give herself to Me there, as she did long ago when she was young, when I freed her from her captivity in Egypt.
When that day comes," says the LORD, "you will call Me ‘my husband’ instead of ‘my master.’
O Israel, I will wipe the many names of Baal from your lips, and you will never mention them again.
my notes:
Now since the children have flesh and blood in common, Jesus also shared in these, so that through his death he might destroy the one holding the power of death — that is, the devil — and free those who were held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death.
Then He said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, don’t worry about your life, what you will eat; or about the body, what you will wear.
For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
my notes:
Section 3
We should be aware that Satan is seeking to steal, kill or destroy us john 10:10 , whatever harm he might be able to do. Yet God has revealed in His Word how to resist the enemy ephesians 6:10-18 so that we are thoroughly equipped to do the Lord’s will ii timothy 3:16-17 . The devil is a roaring lion, meaning he has to scheme ii corinthians 2:11 in order to trap us by means of our own sinfulness i peter 5:6-11 ii timothy 2:25-26 i kings 21:25 as he has no direct ability to harm a child of God i john 5:18 ; so, battle your own heart to outwit Satan’s schemes numbers 23:19-23, 25:1-3, 31:16 proverbs 26:2 . The devil’s impact is minimal or even ironically and poetically beneficial esther 9:24-25 genesis 50:20 proverbs 24:30-34 to those who walk in consistent, obedient faith with the Lord i john 5:3-5 ii corinthians 12:7 .
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
my notes:
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the Gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
...so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes.
my notes:
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.
And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, Who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To Him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
...correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.
There was none who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the LORD like Ahab, whom Jezebel his wife incited.
We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but He Who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.
my notes:
God is not man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Has he said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not fulfill it?
Behold, I received a command to bless: He has blessed, and I cannot revoke it. He has not beheld misfortune in Jacob, nor has he seen trouble in Israel. The LORD their God is with them, and the shout of a king is among them.
God brings them out of Egypt and is for them like the horns of the wild ox. For there is no enchantment against Jacob, no divination against Israel; now it shall be said of Jacob and Israel, ‘What has God wrought!’
While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel.
Behold, these, on Balaam’s advice, caused the people of Israel to act treacherously against the LORD in the incident of Peor, and so the plague came among the congregation of the LORD.
Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse does not come to rest.
For Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur (that is, cast lots), to crush and to destroy them. But when it came before the king, he gave orders in writing that his evil plan that he had devised against the Jews should return on his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.
You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result — the survival of many people.
I went past the field of the sluggard, past the vineyard of the man who lacks judgment; thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins. I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw:...
For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.
my notes:
Section 4
Some of the Schemes of Satan
ii corinthians 2:11 csb
...so that we may not be taken advantage of by Satan. For we are not ignorant of his schemes.
"I can’t help it."
i corinthians 10:13 esv
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
philippians 4:13 esv
I can do all things through Him Who strengthens me.
"It’s just a white lie."
proverbs 12:22 esv
Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, but those who act faithfully are His delight.
proverbs 26:18-19 esv
Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, "I am only joking!"
luke 16:10 esv
One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.
"Things will never change."
ii peter 3:4-7 esv
They will say, "Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation." For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
i corinthians 7:31 esv
..and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.
"I will never be able to change."
ii corinthians 5:17 esv
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
i corinthians 6:9-11 niv84
Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
my notes:
"I can’t forgive."
romans 12:19-21 niv84
Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
colossians 3:13 esv
...bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
philippians 4:13 esv
I can do all things through Him Who strengthens me.
"I can’t be forgiven."
i timothy 1:15-16 niv84
Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on Him and receive eternal life.
my notes:
"God won’t have mercy on me this time."
isaiah 55:6-8 esv
Seek the LORD while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near; et the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that He may have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares the LORD.
"I have to worry about my life and care for it; no else will."
luke 12:22, 32 csb
Then He said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, don’t worry about your life, what you will eat; or about the body, what you will wear.
Don’t be afraid, little flock, because your Father delights to give you the kingdom.
psalm 23 esv
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
i peter 5:7 niv84
Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.
my notes:
"I have to love myself more."
ephesians 5:29 esv
For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church...
john 12:25 esv
Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
romans 13:8-10 esv
Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet," and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
"I need more self-esteem."
philippians 2:3 csb
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves.
galatians 6:3 esv
For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
proverbs 16:18 esv
Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
my notes:
"Experts have the answers."
i corinthians 1:20 nlt
So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish.
psalm 146:3 nlt
Don’t put your confidence in powerful people; there is no help for you there.
isaiah 44:24-26 esv
Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, Who formed you from the womb: "I am the LORD, Who made all things, Who alone stretched out the heavens, Who spread out the earth by Myself, Who frustrates the signs of liars and makes fools of diviners, Who turns wise men back and makes their knowledge foolish, Who confirms the word of His servant and fulfills the counsel of His messengers, Who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited,’ and of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall be built, and I will raise up their ruins...
"I need expert help."
i john 2:27 esv
But the anointing that you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as His anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in Him.
romans 15:14 niv84
I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another.
my notes:
"It’s merely a mental disease not a sin."
matthew 9:12-13 esv
But when He heard it, He said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners."
i peter 2:24 esv
He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed.
jeremiah 6:14, 23:14 esv
They have treated My people’s brokenness superficially, claiming, "Peace, peace," when there is no peace.
Among the prophets of Jerusalem also I saw a horrible thing: They commit adultery and walk in lies. They strengthen the hands of evildoers, and none turns his back on evil. They are all like Sodom to me; Jerusalem’s residents are like Gomorrah.
"Venting is necessary to get over anger. Just let it out to someone."
proverbs 29:11 nlt
Fools vent their anger, but the wise quietly hold it back.
james 3:6 esv
And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.
my notes:
"50/50 is the key to a successful marriage."
ephesians 5:25 esv
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her....
i peter 3:1-6 esv
Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.
"If I discipline my kids they will hate me."
proverbs 28:23 esv
Whoever rebukes a man will afterward find more favor than he who flatters with his tongue.
proverbs 29:17 esv
Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will give delight to your heart.
my notes:
"Physical attraction is THE key to a good relationship."
proverbs 31:30 csb
Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord will be praised.
proverbs 11:22 esv
Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman without discretion.
i peter 3:4-5 esv
but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands,
"Sexual purity is boring, sexual license is better."
song of solomon
-too long for the notes here-
proverbs 5:18-23 esv
Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth, a lovely deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight; be intoxicated always in her love.
Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with a forbidden woman and embrace the bosom of an adulteress? For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the LORD, and he ponders all his paths. The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him, and he is held fast in the cords of his sin. He dies for lack of discipline, and because of his great folly he is led astray.
my notes:
"My body is my own."
i corinthians 6:12-20 esv
"All things are lawful for me," but not all things are helpful. "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be dominated by anything.
"Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food"—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by His power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, "The two will become one flesh."
But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him. Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
my notes:
"Money is the key to happiness."
matthew 6:24 esv
No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
i peter 1:8-9 esv
Though you have not seen Him, you love Him. Though you do not now see Him, you believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
psalm 16:11 esv
You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
"We can’t afford to be generous."
ii corinthians 9:6 esv
The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
proverbs 11:25, 19:17 nlt
The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.
If you help the poor, you are lending to the LORD— and he will repay you!
my notes:
"It’s not my gift, so I can’t do it."
ii corinthians 3:4-5 nlt
We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ. It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God.
philippians 4:13 esv
I can do all things through Him Who strengthens me.
"I don’t need church or other believers to walk with God."
proverbs 27:17 esv
Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.
hebrews 10:25 esv
not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
ephesians 4:11-13 esv
And He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ...
my notes:
"Old people can’t minister to and teach young people."
hebrews 13:7 esv
Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.
proverbs 16:31 esv
Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.
i peter 5:5 esv
Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
"Younger people can’t minister and teach older people."
proverbs 20:29 esv
The glory of young men is their strength, but the splendor of old men is their gray hair.
i timothy 4:12 esv
Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.
job 32:8-9 esv
But it is the spirit in man, the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand. It is not the old who are wise, nor the aged who understand what is right.
my notes:
"You got to cater to people’s felt needs to really minister."
jeremiah 17:9-10 esv
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds."
jeremiah 15:19 niv84
Therefore this is what the LORD says: "If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve Me; if you utter worthy, not worthless, words, you will be My spokesman. Let this people turn to you, but you must not turn to them.
"God doesn’t address it in His Word."
ii peter 1:3 csb
His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him Who called us by His own glory and goodness.
psalm 119:96 nlt
Even perfection has its limits, but Your commands have no limit.
my notes:
"Life is complicated more now, the Bible isn’t relevant."
ecclesiastes 1:9 esv
What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.
ii timothy 3:15-17 niv84
...how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
hebrews 4:12 esv
For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
isaiah 55:11 esv
so shall My Word be that goes out from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
ii peter 1:3 csb
His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him Who called us by His own glory and goodness.
my notes:
"If I submit to God, He will ruin my life."
i peter 5:6 esv
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you...
psalm 119:2 csb
Happy are those who keep His decrees and seek Him with all their heart.
psalm 1:1-3 csb
How happy is the one who does not walk in the advice of the wicked or stand in the pathway with sinners or sit in the company of mockers! Instead, his delight is in the LORD’s instruction, and he meditates on it day and night. He is like a tree planted beside flowing streams that bears its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.
"I deserve a good life."
ephesians 2:3-5 esv
among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
lamentations 3:38-39 esv
Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come? Why should a living man complain, a man, about the punishment of his sins?
my notes:
"This life is my one best chance at living life to the fullest."
i timothy 5:6, 6:19 esv
...she who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives.
...thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.
john 6:27, 12:25 esv
Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on Him God the Father has set His seal."
Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
"Difficulties and struggles: physically, emotionally, circumstantially and spiritually are unusual, abnormal and uniquely mine."
i corinthians 10:13 esv
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
i peter 4:12 esv
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.
acts 14:22 esv
...strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.
My struggles are random and purposeless; God has forgotten me.
i kings 8:37-40, 58-60 niv84
When famine or plague comes to the land, or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers, or when an enemy besieges them in any of their cities, whatever disaster or disease may come, and when a prayer or plea is made by any of your people Israel--each one aware of the afflictions of his own heart, and spreading out his hands toward this temple-- then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive and act; deal with each man according to all he does, since You know his heart (for You alone know the hearts of all men), so that they will fear You all the time they live in the land you gave our fathers.
May He turn our hearts to Him, to walk in all His ways and to keep the commands, decrees and regulations He gave our fathers. And may these words of mine, which I have prayed before the LORD, be near to the LORD our God day and night, that He may uphold the cause of His servant and the cause of His people Israel according to each day’s need, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God and that there is no other.
my notes:
"My identity is more important than the relationship to God and others."
ii timothy 3:1-2 esv
But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
matthew 7:12-14 niv
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
ephesians 4:20-24 niv
That, however, is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in Him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
john 12:24-26 niv
Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves Me must follow Me; and where I am, My servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves Me.
my notes:
job 36:5-24 niv84
God is mighty, but does not despise men; He is mighty, and firm in His purpose. He does not keep the wicked alive but gives the afflicted their rights. He does not take His eyes off the righteous; He enthrones them with kings and exalts them forever.
But if men are bound in chains, held fast by cords of affliction, He tells them what they have done-- that they have sinned arrogantly. He makes them listen to correction and commands them to repent of their evil.
If they obey and serve Him, they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity and their years in contentment.
But if they do not listen, they will perish by the sword and die without knowledge. The godless in heart harbor resentment; even when He fetters them, they do not cry for help. They die in their youth, among male prostitutes of the shrines.
But those who suffer He delivers in their suffering; He speaks to them in their affliction. He is wooing you from the jaws of distress to a spacious place free from restriction, to the comfort of your table laden with choice food.
But now you are laden with the judgment due the wicked; judgment and justice have taken hold of you. Be careful that no one entices you by riches; do not let a large bribe turn you aside. Would your wealth or even all your mighty efforts sustain you so you would not be in distress? Do not long for the night, to drag people away from their homes. Beware of turning to evil, which you seem to prefer to affliction.
God is exalted in His power. Who is a teacher like Him? Who has prescribed His ways for Him, or said to Him, ‘You have done wrong’? Remember to extol His work, which men have praised in song.
my notes:
romans 8:28-29 esv
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.
my notes:
Scripture quotations taken from one or more of the following versions as noted:
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NASB = NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE(R), Copyright (C) 1960,1962,1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
HCSB = Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Used by Permission HCSB ©1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 Holman Bible Publishers. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.
NKJV = New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.