TRUTH, NOT COMPROMISE 2 Corinthians 6:14–16 Stop forming inappropriate relationships with unbelievers. Can right and wrong be partners? Can light have anything in common with darkness? Can Christ agree with the devil? Can a believer share life with an unbeliever? Can God’s temple contain false gods? Clearly, we are the temple of the living God. As God said, “I will live and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” James 4:4-5 You unfaithful people! Don’t you know that love for this ⸤evil⸥ world is hatred toward God? Whoever wants to be a friend of this world is an enemy of God. Do you think this passage means nothing? It says, “The Spirit that lives in us wants us to be his own.” 2 Peter 3:17-18 Dear friends, you already know these things. So be on your guard not to be carried away by the deception of people who have no principles. Then you won’t fall from your firm position. But grow in the good will and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Glory belongs to him now and for that eternal day! Amen. From the liberality which says everybody is right, from the charity which forbids us to say anybody is wrong, from the peace which is bought at the expense of truth—may the good Lord deliver us! ALLOW THIS WORD FROM GOD TO BE A GUIDE UNTO YOUR LIFE. Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM 2 Corinthians 6:14–16 Stop forming inappropriate relationships with unbelievers. Can right and wrong be partners? Can light have anything in common with darkness? Can Christ agree with the devil? Can a believer share life with an unbeliever? Can God’s temple contain false gods? Clearly, we are the temple of the living God. As God said, “I will live and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” James 4:4-5 You unfaithful people! Don’t you know that love for this ⸤evil⸥ world is hatred toward God? Whoever wants to be a friend of this world is an enemy of God. Do you think this passage means nothing? It says, “The Spirit that lives in us wants us to be his own.” 2 Peter 3:17-18 Dear friends, you already know these things. So be on your guard not to be carried away by the deception of people who have no principles. Then you won’t fall from your firm position. But grow in the good will and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Glory belongs to him now and for that eternal day! Amen. From the liberality which says everybody is right, from the charity which forbids us to say anybody is wrong, from the peace which is bought at the expense of truth—may the good Lord deliver us! ALLOW THIS WORD FROM GOD TO BE A GUIDE UNTO YOUR LIFE. Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
GOD SPEAKS TO US ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS Ephesians 5:25-26 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word. Colossians 3:18-19 Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. 2 Corinthians 6:14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? Genesis 2:18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” Hebrews 13:4 Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. I HOPE YOU FOUND THIS QUICK REFRESHER TO BE HELPFUL. Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
THE BIBLE TEACHES US HOW WE ARE TO LOVE GOD Matthew 22:37-38 GW Jesus answered him, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ [38] This is the greatest and most important commandment. John 14:15 GW “If you love me, you will obey my commandments. 1 John 4:21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. 1 John 2:15 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. Ultimately, we make a choice as Christians in this life to fully love God and forego the allures and temptations of this world… or to love the world and the fleeting comforts and pleasures wherein. May these Bible verses about true “Love for God” inspire you to seek the love and mercy of Christ with your whole being! Did you find this refresher to be a good reminder? Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com PayPal.me/donatetochurch PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
Psalm 4:8 NIV In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety. OUR SAFETY IS IN GOD. GOD WILL KEEP US SAFE. STAY CLOSE TO GOD. LET US DWELL IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD AND BE SAFE. Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com Pastor Andra Higginbotham
Whatever a Soul Can Desire Is Found in Christ John 6:35 Jesus told them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never become hungry, and whoever believes in me will never become thirsty. John 6:53–58 Jesus told them, “I can guarantee this truth: If you don’t eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you don’t have the source of life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will bring them back to life on the last day. My flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood live in me, and I live in them. The Father who has life sent me, and I live because of the Father. So those who feed on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came from heaven. It is not like the bread your ancestors ate. They eventually died. Those who eat this bread will live forever.” Cast your eyes among all created beings, survey the universe, observe strength in one, beauty in a second, faithfulness in a third, wisdom in a fourth; but you shall find none excelling in them all as Christ does. Bread has one quality, water another, clothing another, medicine another; but none has all in itself as Christ has. He is bread to the hungry, water to the thirsty, a garment to the naked, healing to the wounded; and whatever a soul can desire is found in him. I HOPE YOU FOUND THIS QUICK REFRESHER TO BE HELPFUL. Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com PayPal.me/donatetochurch PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
THE BIBLE Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com How did we get the Bible? It’s in the Bible, 2 Peter 1:20, 21, NIV. “You must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” The Bible is not the ideas of men; it is the word of God. God told those whom He chose what to say and write. God is the source of all the information in the Bible. It’s in the Bible, 2 Timothy 3:16, NIV. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” The Bible introduces us to Jesus Christ. It’s in the Bible, Hebrews 1:1, 2, NIV. “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.” For what purpose were the Scriptures written? It’s in the Bible, Romans 15:4, NIV. “Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” What are the Scriptures able to do for the person who believes them? It’s in the Bible, 2 Timothy 3:15, TLB. “You know how, when you were a small child, you were taught the holy Scriptures; and it is these that make you wise to accept God’s salvation by trusting in Christ Jesus.” What are the conditions to God’s promise that we will be able to understand divine things? It’s in the Bible, Proverbs 2:1-6, NIV. “My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” We are to accept the entire Bible—not just the parts that appeal to us. It’s in the Bible, Jeremiah 26:2, TLB. “Give them the entire message; don’t leave out one word of all I have for them to hear.” The Holy Spirit will help you understand the Bible. It’s in the Bible, John 16:13, 14, NIV. “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me [Jesus] by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.” The Bible is like a light, showing us the way to live. It’s in the Bible, Psalm 119:105, NIV. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” It’s in the Bible, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word” (Psalm 119:9, NIV). The Bible gives us wisdom. It’s in the Bible, Psalm 119:99, NIV. “I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes.” The Bible gives us God’s commands, which are unchanging. It’s in the Bible, Matthew 5:18, NIV. “I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.” How should we study God’s Word? It’s in the Bible, Isaiah 28:9, 10, NKJV. “Whom will he [God] teach knowledge? And whom will he make to understand the message? For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little.” It’s in the Bible, “Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (Acts 17:11, NIV). On whom did Jesus pronounce a blessing? It’s in the Bible, Luke 11:28, NIV. “Blessed . . . are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS QUICK REFRESHER. PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
GOD SPEAKS TO US ABOUT CONSEQUENCES The consequence of sin is death. It’s in the Bible, Romans 6:23, NIV. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Men reap the consequences for their actions. It’s in the Bible, Galatians 6:7-8, TLB. “Don’t be misled; remember that you can’t ignore God and get away with it: a man will always reap just the kind of crop he sows! If he sows to please his own wrong desires, he will be planting seeds of evil and he will surely reap a harvest of spiritual decay and death; but if he plants the good things of the Spirit, he will reap the everlasting life which the Holy Spirit gives him.” You will be treated in the same way you treat others. It’s in the Bible, Matthew 7:1-2, TLB. “Don’t criticize, and then you won’t be criticized. For others will treat you as you treat them.” THINK ABOUT IT. Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com PayPal.me/donatetochurch PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
WE MUST STUDY THE WORD OF GOD James 1:25 GW However, the person who continues to study God’s perfect laws that make people free and who remains committed to them will be blessed. People like that don’t merely listen and forget; they actually do what God’s laws say. IF YOU WILL STUDY GOD’S WORD, COMMITT TO GOD’S WORD, AND LIVE BY GOD’S WORD, YOU WILL BE BLESSED BY GOD. GOD AND I ARE ASKING YOU TO PLEASE SHARE THIS WORD WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS, THANK YOU. Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com PayPal.me/donatetochurch PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
A Psalm of Confidence Psalm 16:1–11 Protect me, O God, because I take refuge in you. I said to the LORD, “You are my Lord. Without you, I have nothing good.” Those who lead holy lives on earth are the noble ones who fill me with joy. Those who quickly chase after other gods multiply their sorrows. I will not pour out their sacrificial offerings of blood or use my lips to speak their names. The LORD is my inheritance and my cup. You are the one who determines my destiny. Your boundary lines mark out pleasant places for me. Indeed, my inheritance is something beautiful. I will praise the LORD, who advises me. My conscience warns me at night. I always keep the LORD in front of me. When he is by my side, I cannot be moved. That is why my heart is glad and my soul rejoices. My body rests securely because you do not abandon my soul to the grave or allow your holy one to decay. You make the path of life known to me. Complete joy is in your presence. Pleasures are by your side forever. “You are my Lord,” the psalmist acknowledges. “I have no good apart from you” (Psa 16:2). We know that God is everything we need, but somehow the details still get in the way. We want to alleviate our troubles through other means—that vacation, the position that will bring recognition, or the spouse who will complete us. The psalmist says that anyone who places their desire in anything other than God will only increase in sorrow (Psa 16:4). It seems radical and difficult to live out the psalmist’s simple confession. The ancient practice of idol worship is alive and well in our modern-day culture and in our own hearts. (Just look at the magazine rack or TV shows if you think I’m wrong: what is worshiped there?) We are just like the Israelites—unfaithful and prone to “hurry after another god” (Psa 16:4). For the psalmist, however, “Yahweh is the portion which is my share and my cup” (Psa 16:5). He is all the psalmist ever needs: “I have set Yahweh before me always. Because he is at my right hand I will not be shaken” (Psa 16:8). God brings the psalmist hope, and He can do the same for us. We just need to turn to Him. ALLOW THIS PASSAGE OF SCRIPTURE TO BE A GUIDE UNTO YOUR LIFE. Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
