FOOD FOR THOUGHT. Have you ever wondered why God doesn’t answer people’s prayers to win the lottery? James 4:3 gives us insight: “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” Try asking God for blessings that will help you bless others. Or try asking Him to bless others first, rather than yourself. Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” If He is your desire and your delight, it will delight His heart to grant your desires. God is not a glorified Santa Claus. Nor is He obligated to bless any of us. If you’re all about you, and what God is or isn’t giving you, God might be choosing not to bless your life until you become all about Him (Luke 9:23). When you die to self (Galatians 2:20), your focus won’t be on whether or not you’re being blessed, but on how to be a blessing to God. How many times do we get disgruntled at God because He hasn’t provided for us when we haven’t taken the time to even ask Him for what we specifically need? Sure, God knows our needs. But He wants a relationship with us in which we come to Him, in faith, and ask for what we need. Scripture says, “You do not have because you do not ask God” (James 4:2). And Jesus told his followers: “Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete” (John 16:24). Start asking specifically and see what God wants to teach you about asking, trusting, and being thankful. FOOD FOR THOUGHT. Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com PayPal.me/donatetochurch PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
COMMITMENT TO GOD Commitment to God arises from faith in his promises, is expressed in worship and adoration and leads to obedience to his commands. Romans 12:1–2 Brothers and sisters, in view of all we have just shared about God’s compassion, I encourage you to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, dedicated to God and pleasing to him. This kind of worship is appropriate for you. Don’t become like the people of this world. Instead, change the way you think. Then you will always be able to determine what God really wants—what is good, pleasing, and perfect. 1 Thessalonians 4:1 Now then, brothers and sisters, because of the Lord Jesus we ask and encourage you to excel in living a God-pleasing life even more than you already do. Do this the way we taught you. 2 Timothy 2:22 Stay away from lusts which tempt young people. Pursue what has God’s approval. Pursue faith, love, and peace together with those who worship the Lord with a pure heart. CHECK YOURSELF: ARE YOU COMMITTED TO GOD? IS YOUR LIFE PLEASING TO GOD? LET US STRIVE TO GIVE ALL OF OUR LIFE TO GOD. Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com PayPal.me/donatetochurch PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
The Blessed Ones The word “blessed” in the following passages means “happy.” The soul of happiness may be summarised as contentment, peace, and joy. The blessed or happy ones are those: 1. “Whose robes are washed in the Blood of the Lamb” (Rev. 22:14, R.V.). 2. Whose iniquities are forgiven through God’s grace—Rom. 4:7, 8. 3. Who obey Christ’s Word to minister to others—John 13:17. 4. Who endure temptation by getting the victory—James 1:12. 5. Who give of their substance rather than receive—Acts 20:35. 6. Who have not seen Christ, and yet believe in Him—John 20:29. 7. Who fulfil the conditions embodied in the twelve Blesseds of Christ found in Matthew’s Gospel—Matt. 5:3–11; 11:6; 13:16; 24:46. ALLOW THESE VERSES TO BE A GUIDE UNTO YOUR LIFE. Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
The character of believers: Believers should be compassionate Colossians 3:12 As holy people whom God has chosen and loved, be sympathetic, kind, humble, gentle, and patient. 1 Peter 3:8 Finally, everyone must live in harmony, be sympathetic, love each other, have compassion, and be humble. Believers should be humble 1 Peter 5:5 Young people, in a similar way, place yourselves under the authority of spiritual leaders. Furthermore, all of you must serve each other with humility, because God opposes the arrogant but favors the humble. Philippians 2:3 Don’t act out of selfish ambition or be conceited. Instead, humbly think of others as being better than yourselves. Believers should be joyful Philippians 4:4 Always be joyful in the Lord! I’ll say it again: Be joyful! Romans 12:12-13 Be happy in your confidence, be patient in trouble, and pray continually. Share what you have with God’s people who are in need. Be hospitable. Believers should be loving 1 John 4:7 Dear friends, we must love each other because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born from God and knows God. Galatians 5:22–26 But the spiritual nature produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There are no laws against things like that. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their corrupt nature along with its passions and desires. If we live by our spiritual nature, then our lives need to conform to our spiritual nature. We can’t allow ourselves to act arrogantly and to provoke or envy each other. ALLOW THIS WORD FROM GOD TO BE A GUIDE UNTO YOUR LIFE. Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
THE BIBLE TALKS TO US ABOUT LOVING GOD. To love God is better than all sacrifices. Mark 12:33. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as you love yourself is more important than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices.” To love God is a characteristic of believers. Ps. 5:11-12. But let all who take refuge in you rejoice. Let them sing with joy forever. Protect them, and let those who love your name triumph in you. You bless righteous people, O LORD. Like a large shield, you surround them with your favor. To love God is commanded Deut. 11:1. Love the LORD your God, and do what he wants you to do. Always obey his laws, rules, and commands. Josh 22:5 Carefully follow the commands and teachings that the LORD’s servant Moses gave you. Love the LORD your God, follow his directions, and keep his commands. Be loyal to him, and serve him with all your heart and soul.” Encourage one another to love God. Ps. 31:23. Love the LORD, all you godly ones! The LORD protects faithful people, but he pays back in full those who act arrogantly. God is faithful to those who love Him Deut. 7:9. Keep in mind that the LORD your God is ⸤the only⸥ God. He is a faithful God, who keeps his promise and is merciful to thousands of generations of those who love him and obey his commands. LOVING GOD COMES WITH BENEFITS. FOOD FOR THOUGHT. ALLOW THESE VERSES TO BE A GUIDE UNTO YOUR LIFE. Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com PayPal.me/donatetochurch PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
JESUS CHRIST IS FAITHFUL Hebrews 3:6 But Christ is a faithful son in charge of God’s household. We are his household if we continue to have courage and to be proud of the confidence we have. 2 Thessalonians 3:3 But the Lord is faithful and will strengthen you and protect you against the evil one. 2 Timothy 2:13 If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful because he cannot be untrue to himself. Lamentations 3:22-23 It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, Because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: Great is thy faithfulness. JESUS IS FAITHFUL. WE CAN DEPEND ON JESUS. Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com PayPal.me/donatetochurch PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
THE LOVE OF GOD Is Inseparable. Rom. 8:38-39 I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love which Christ Jesus our Lord shows us. We can’t be separated by death or life, by angels or rulers, by anything in the present or anything in the future, by forces or powers in the world above or in the world below, or by anything else in creation. God’s love Is Unfailing. Isa. 49:15–16 Can a woman forget her nursing child? Will she have no compassion on the child from her womb? Although mothers may forget, I will not forget you. I have engraved you on the palms of my hands. Your walls are always in my presence. 1 John 3:1 Consider this: The Father has given us his love. He loves us so much that we are actually called God’s dear children. And that’s what we are. For this reason the world doesn’t recognize us, and it didn’t recognize him either. Romans 5:8 Christ died for us while we were still sinners. This demonstrates God’s love for us. 1 John 4:10 This is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the payment for our sins. OUR GOD HAS SHOWN US HOW MUCH HE LOVES US. HOW ARE YOU SHOWING YOUR LOVE FOR GOD? OUR GOD HAS LEFT NO DOUBT ABOUT HOW MUCH HE LOVES US. Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com PayPal.me/donatetochurch PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
Proverbs 5 Sexual sin is eventually disappointing When married people honor and respect sex as God instructs them in His Word, they can experience increasing enjoyment and enrichment in their intimacy. But when people break the rules, the result is just the opposite. They experience disappointment and disillusionment and have to search for larger “doses” of sexual adventure in order to attain the imaginary pleasure level they’re seeking. God created sex not only for reproduction but also for enjoyment, and He didn’t put the “marriage wall” around sex to rob us of pleasure but to increase pleasure and protect it. In this chapter, Solomon explains the disappointments that come when people violate God’s loving laws of sexual purity. Their experience goes from sweetness to bitterness (vv. 1–6). We’ve met “the strange woman” before (2:16; NIV, “adulteress”) and she’ll be mentioned again (5:20; 6:24; 7:5; 20:16; 22:14; 23:27; 27:13). The word translated “strange” basically means “not related to.” The “strange woman” is one to whom the man is not related by marriage, and therefore any sexual liaison with her is evil. The beginning of this sinful alliance may be exciting and sweet, because the kisses and words from her lips drip like honey (7:13–20), but in the end, the “sweetness” turns to bitterness and the honey becomes poison (5:4). The Book of Proverbs emphasizes the importance of looking ahead to see where your actions will lead you (see 5:11; 14:12–14; 16:25; 19:20; 20:21; 23:17–18, 32; 24:14, 20; 25:8). The wise person checks on the destination before buying a ticket (4:26), but modern society thinks that people can violate God’s laws and escape the consequences. They’re sure that whatever has happened to others will never happen to them. Sad to say, their ignorance and insolence can never neutralize the tragic aftermath that comes when people break the laws of God. “Oh, that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!” (Deut. 32:29) Their experience goes from gain to loss (vv. 7–14). Temptation always includes hopeful promises; otherwise, people would never take the devil’s bait. For a time, it seems like these promises have been fulfilled, and sinners bask in the sunshine of pleasant experiences and false assurances. This is what family counselor J. Allan Petersen calls, “the myth of the greener grass.” People who commit sexual sins think their problems are solved (“She understands me so much better than my wife does!”) and that life will get better and better. But disobedience to God’s laws always brings sad consequences and sinners eventually pay dearly for their brief moments of pleasure. When you read verses 9–14, you hear the words of a suffering sinner lamenting the high cost of disobeying God’s laws, because the most expensive thing in the world is sin. He discovers that the woman’s husband is a cruel man who demands that he pay for what he’s done, so the adulterer ends up giving his strength to others and toiling away to pay his debt. Instead of luxury, the sinner has misery; instead of riches, poverty; instead of success, ruin; and instead of a good reputation, the name of an adulterer. He looks back and wishes he had listened to his parents and his spiritual instructors, but his wishes can’t change his wretched situation. Yes, God in His grace will forgive his sins if he repents, but God in His government sees to it that he reaps what he sows. Their experience goes from purity to pollution (vv. 15–20). Solomon compares enjoying married love to drinking pure water from a fresh well, but committing sexual sin is like drinking polluted water from the gutter or sewer. Sex within marriage is a beautiful river that brings life and refreshment, but sex outside marriage is a sewer that defiles everything it touches. To commit sexual sin is to pour this beautiful river into the streets and the public squares. What waste! If you “drink deep” of the wrong kind of love (7:18, NIV) it will destroy you. The commitment of marriage is like the banks of the river that keep the river from becoming a swamp. God’s holy law confines the waters within the banks, and this produces power and depth. Extramarital and premarital affairs don’t satisfy because they’re shallow, and it doesn’t take much to stir up shallow water. A man and woman pledged to each other in marriage can experience the growing satisfaction that comes with love, commitment, depth, and purity. But there’s something else involved here. Solomon admonishes the husband to be “ravished” with his wife’s love (5:19–20); the word translated “ravished” also means “intoxicated” or “infatuated.” The adulterer watches the river turn into a sewer, but the faithful husband sees the water become wine! I think it’s significant that Jesus turned water into wine at a wedding feast, as though He were giving us an object lesson concerning the growing delights of marriage (John 2:1–11). When a husband and wife are faithful to the Lord and to each other, and when they obey Scriptures like 1 Corinthians 7:1–5 and Ephesians 5:22–33, neither of them will look for satisfaction anywhere else. If they love each other and seek to please each other and the Lord, their relationship will be one of deepening joy and satisfaction; they won’t look around for “the greener grass.” Their experience goes from freedom to bondage (vv. 21–23). Freedom of choice is one of the privileges God has given us, but He instructs us and urges us to use that freedom wisely. The laws of God are guideposts to lead us on the path of life, and He watches the decisions we make and the roads we take. “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good” (15:3). As long as we use our freedom wisely, we will mature in Christian character, and God can trust us with more freedom. But if we abuse our freedom and deliberately disobey His Word, our freedom will gradually become bondage, the kind of bondage that can’t easily be broken. “The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him; the cords of his sin hold him fast” (5:22, NIV). Those words could have been used as an epitaph for Samson (Jud. 13–16). It’s impossible to sin without being bound. One of the deceitful things about sin is that it promises freedom but only brings slavery. “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin” (John 8:34, NKJV). “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?” (Rom. 6:16, NKJV) The cords of sin get stronger the more we sin, yet sin deceives us into thinking we’re free and can quit sinning whenever we please. As the invisible chains of habit are forged, we discover to our horror that we don’t have the strength to break them. Millions of people in our world today are in one kind of bondage or another and are seeking for deliverance, but the only One who can set them free is Jesus Christ. “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:36, NKJV). No wonder the father warns his children to stay away from the adulteress. “Remove your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house” (Prov. 5:8, NKJV). “Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death” (7:27). I HOPE YOU ENJOYED AND RECEIVED FROM THIS DEEP STUDY. ALLOW THIS WORD FROM GOD TO BE A GUIDE UNTO YOUR LIFE. Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com PayPal.me/donatetochurch PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
“Be Not Afraid” 1. “Be not afraid” when Christ says, “It is I” (Matt. 14:27). 2. “Be not afraid” when He says, “Arise” (Matt. 17:7). 3. “Be not afraid” when told to “go” and “tell” (Matt. 28:10). 4. “Be not afraid “when Christ says, “Believe” (Mark 5:36). 5. “Be not afraid” of what may happen, provided God is feared—Luke 12:4–7. 6. “Be not afraid” when God commands us to “speak” (Acts 18:9). 7. “Be not afraid” when ungodly men are a “terror” (1 Peter 3:14). DON’T BE AFRAID, RECOGNIZE GOD. DON’T BE AFRAID KNOW THAT GOD IS WITH YOU. DON’T BE AFRAID TO DO WHAT GOD TELLS YOU TO DO. DON’T BE AFRAID TO BELIEVE, AND TRUST GOD. DON’T BE AFRAID OF MAN, BE AFRAID OF GOD. DON’T BE AFRAID, LIVE GODLY AND BE BLESSED BY GOD. Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com PayPal.me/donatetochurch PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
GOD TEACHES US ABOUT MARRIAGE Marriage is honourable for all. Heb 13:4 Marriage is honorable in every way, so husbands and wives should be faithful to each other. God will judge those who commit sexual sins, especially those who commit adultery. Marriage should be only in the Lord. 1 Corinthians 7:39 A married woman must remain with her husband as long as he lives. If her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but only if the man is a Christian. Marriage is divinely instituted. Ge 2:24. That is why a man will leave his father and mother and will be united with his wife, and they will become one flesh. Designed for a. The happiness of man. Ge 2:18. Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is right for him.” b. Increasing the human population. Ge 1:28 God blessed them and said, “Be fertile, increase in number, fill the earth, and be its master. Rule the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that crawl on the earth.” Ge 9:1 God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fertile, increase in number, and fill the earth. c. Raising up godly seed. Mal 2:15 Didn’t ⸤God⸥ make you one? Your flesh and spirit belong to him. And what does the same ⸤God⸥ look for but godly descendants? So be careful not to be unfaithful to the wife of your youth. d. Preventing fornication. 1 Co 7:2 But in order to avoid sexual sins, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband. I HOPE YOU ENJOYED AND RECEIVED FROM THIS QUICK REFRESHER. Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com PayPal.me/donatetochurch PASTER ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
