BAD REASONS FOR DEVORCE: There are many Christians who give terrible excuses for why they want a divorce. Right when it gets a little hard they want to call it quits. If this is how you are feeling right now please seek biblical counseling, but most of all you must pray and fast not only for God to change your spouse, but for yourself as well. Marriage helps with sanctification so sometimes it won’t be easy, but you must not run away when it gets hard. Did God tell Hosea to divorce his adulterous wife? No He said, “go show your love to your wife again.” It is always for better or for worse. Did God leave us when we sinned against Him, went astray, and when we were unfaithful to Him? No, He brought us a Savior Jesus Christ. Do you not see that we are a reflection of God? My fellow Christian if God didn’t leave you through the worst times, but showed His love for you then, who are you to leave your spouse when it gets a little tough? Always remember that God loves you and He can fix any relationship. Boldly seek Him in your time of need. Don’t say you want to fix your marriage but you do not seek God’s face daily. My husband / wife is an unbeliever or was never truly saved. 1 Corinthians 7:12-14 “To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.” 1 Peter 3:1 “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.” My husband / wife is addicted to pornography. Joel 2:12 “Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” Proverbs 11:14 “Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.” We are just so incompatible. We always argue. James 5:16 “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” I got married to the wrong person. 1 Corinthians 7:17 “Nevertheless, each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches.” My spouse just doesn’t love me anymore. Hebrews 4:16 “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” I don’t love my spouse anymore. Ephesians 5:33 “However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.” Colossians 3:19 “Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them.” I HOPE YOU FOUND THIS QUICK STUDY TO BE HELPFUL. PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM EVERLASTING SALVATION CHURCH OF GOD MINISTRIES PayPal.me/donatetochurch Church link: Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com
IF YOU WANT GOD’S APPROVAL ON YOUR LIFE, READ THIS, AND APPLY IT TO YOUR LIFE: In the future your children will ask you, “What do these regulations, laws, and rules which the Lord our God commanded you mean to you?” Tell them, “We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt, but the Lord used his mighty hand to bring us out of there. Right before our eyes the Lord did miraculous signs and amazing things that were spectacular but terrible for Egypt, Pharaoh, and his whole family. The Lord led us out of there to bring us here and give us this land he promised to our ancestors with an oath. The Lord our God commanded us to obey all these laws and to fear him. These laws are for our own good as long as we live so that he will preserve our lives. It’s still true today. This is how we’ll have the Lord’s approval: If we faithfully obey all these laws in the presence of the Lord our God, as he has commanded us.” Deuteronomy 6:20-25 GW THE WORD OF GOD IS STILL ACTIVE, AND POWERFUL. OBEY THE WORD OF GOD AND HAVE A JOYFUL LONG LIFE. PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM EVERLASTING SALVATION CHURCH OF GOD MINISTRIES PayPal.me/donatetochurch Church link: Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com
A QUICK STUDY ABOUT LOVE, PART 4: ROMANS 8:28 “We know that God works all things together for good for the ones who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose.” If ever you don’t understand what God’s plan is for you, remember that He loves you and is taking care of you — even if it feels like He’s putting you through some challenges first. JOHN 3:16 “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him won’t perish but will have eternal life.” Never forget the love God has shown all throughout history for His people. Time and time again, He has proven how much He cares. 1 CORINTHIANS 1313 “Now faith, hope, and love remain—these three things—and the greatest of these is love.” Faith, hope, and love are three key virtues of the Christian religion. But without love, faith and hope would almost be useless. Once we truly believe in love (as God loved us as his children from the beginning of creation), then the virtues of faith and hope will be fully realized. I HOPE YOU FOUND THIS QUICK STUDY TO BE A GREAT REFRESHER. PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM EVERLASTING SALVATION CHURCH OF GOD MINISTRIES PayPal.me/donatetochurch Church link: Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com
2 Corinthians 6:17-18 GW The Lord says, “Get away from unbelievers. Separate yourselves from them. Have nothing to do with anything unclean. Then I will welcome you.” The Lord Almighty says, “I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters.” Proverbs 14:26 GW In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, and his children will have a place of refuge. 2 Corinthians 7:1 GW Since we have these promises, dear friends, we need to cleanse ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit and live a holy life in the fear of God. Ephesians 5:1-2 GW Imitate God, since you are the children he loves. Live in love as Christ also loved us. He gave his life for us as an offering and sacrifice, a soothing aroma to God. ALLOW THESE VERSES TO BE A GUIDE UNTO YOUR LIFE. PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM EVERLASTING SALVATION CHURCH OF GOD MINISTRIES PayPal.me/donatetochurch Church link: Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com
GOD SPEAKS TO US ABOUT COURAGE Deuteronomy 31:6 BeDeuteronomy 31:6 strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. 2 Timothy 1:7 God didn’t give us a cowardly spirit but a spirit of power, love, and good judgment. 1 Corinthians 16:13 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Psalms 90:17 Let the kindness of the Lord our God be with us. Make us successful in everything we do. Yes, make us successful in everything we do. ALLOW THESE VERSES TO BE A GUIDE UNTO YOUR LIFE. PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM EVERLASTING SALVATION CHURCH OF GOD MINISTRIES PayPal.me/donatetochurch Church link: Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com
Things in Which God’s People Should Delight 1. The Lord Himself. “Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord” (Isa. 58:14). Note the “then” of the soul’s condition in the previous verse, which makes the delighting in the Lord possible. 2. The Lord’s Will. “I delight to do Thy will, 0 my God” (Psa. 40:8). Christ is our Example, for imitation, and our Empowerer for inspiration in doing God’s will. 3. The Lord’s Word. “Thy testimonies also are my delight” (Psa. 119:24, 35). To delight in God’s Word is a sign of healthy spiritual life—Psa. 1:2. 4. The Lord’s Abundance. “The meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace” (Psa. 37:11). The Lord not only favours us with His pardon, but He also feasts us with His promises. 5. The Lord’s Protection. “I sat down under His shadow with great delight” (Cant. 2:3). The shadow of Christ’s atonement is the protection which shields from God’s wrath. 6. The Lord’s Acquaintance. “Then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty.” The good of blessing all comes through being acquainted with Him—Job. 22:21–30. I HOPE YOU FOUND THIS TO BE A GOOD REFRESHER. PASTOR ANERA HIGGINBOTHAM EVERLASTING SALVATION CHURCH OF GOD MINISTRIES PayPal.me/donatetochurch Church link: Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com
The bible teaches us about the things of God In 1 Corinthians 1 1. The Will of God—v. 1. God’s will is revealed in God’s Word, and we know it experimentally as we walk in His ways. 2. The Church of God—v. 2. Some affirm, “It is the Church which makes Christians,” but God’s truth declares, “It is the Christians (Christ’s own) which make the Church.” 3. The Grace of God—v. 4. Grace stands for favour, strength, and beauty—God’s favour towards us, Christ’s strength in us, and the Spirit’s beauty upon us. 4. The Power of God—v. 18. God’s power comes in several ways. The Blood has power to cleanse, the Word has power to assure, His love has power to constrain, His peace has power to keep, His joy has power to gladden, His grace has power to enable, and the Spirit is the power of all power. 5. The Wisdom of God—v. 21. Wisdom is the right application of knowledge. The Lord knows how to apply His blessings to us. He tempers His blessings to each temperament and displays His wisdom especially in the Cross of His Son. 6. The Foolishness of God—v. 25. God could not be foolish in a positive sense, but comparatively it is so, for what seems foolish in the eyes of foolish men turns out to be the greatest and profoundest wisdom. 7. The Weakness of God—v. 25. There is more strength in God’s little finger than in all the combined hands of men. DID YOU FIND THIS QUICK REFRESHER TO BE HELPFUL? DO YOU ENJOY THESE QUICK REFRESHERS, SHOULD I CONTINUE SHARING THE QUICK REFRESHERS? PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM EVERLASTING SALVATION CHURCH OF GOD MINISTRIES PayPal.me/donatetochurch Church link: Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com
GOD TEACHES US ABOUT VIOLENCE: 1:8–19 My son, if sinners entice you … PROVERBS 1:10 THE BIBLE DOES NOT DESCRIBE how life ought to be. It matches how life is. The wisdom of Proverbs is reality-based counseling as we live in this fantasy-world of human invention. We see the blunt realism of the Bible in Proverbs 1:8–19. Why are we in the book of Proverbs at all? Because so much of life is a series of nuanced judgment calls. The Ten Commandments say, “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13). Are you struggling with that decision today? Probably not. But even at this moment we are all creating social dynamics both subtle and powerful, and those dynamics are either life-depleting or life-enriching. What makes the difference is the wisdom of our life together as the church of Christ. Have you ever done something with the best of intentions, but then it exploded in your face—like pathetic Wile E. Coyote in the Road Runner cartoons? Good intentions and wishful thinking can be oblivious to reality. But wisdom helps us create the chemistry—not rules but chemistry—of life at its best together in the new community of Christ. Wisdom does not theorize. Wisdom pays attention to the realities built into us by God our Creator. Wisdom humbly gives in to God’s design; it adapts and adjusts. A wise person notices, picks up on the clues, cuts with the grain, tears along the perforated line. Unwise people can be gifted, but they are trying to be healthy on junk food, or run high RPMs on low-octane gas, or get home by the wrong road, or swim against the stream of the universe. Sin is trying to succeed by ignoring reality. And that makes the devil the ultimate fool. He wants to reengineer the creation his own way. He is both evil and dumb. C. S. Lewis wrote, “The Devil is (in the long run) an ass.” But the book of Proverbs is where God speaks to us as our life coach, guiding us into the only real success that’s out there. In Proverbs 1:8–19 we hear two voices—the wisdom that is reality-based and the folly that is in denial. Wisdom is speaking here as a loving father. Fools are speaking here too. Their message is a kind of reverse-evangelism. They are inviting us into their dead-end lives. But God is calling us into the beauty of real human relationships. Here is what God is saying in this passage: Refuse violence. It is tempting, but it will destroy you. Wisdom will beautify you. But hold on here. Violence? That is a bad thing, we all know. But why is that message here? Has anyone ever said to you, “Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood” (v. 11)? In certain neighborhoods, that might happen. But still, this passage can seem surprising. As we have already seen, the book of Proverbs opens with a mini-introduction in 1:1–7, and then the rest of chapters 1–9 is the mega-introduction. Chapters 1–9 are a series of poems in praise of wisdom, preparing us for the actual proverbs in chapters 10–31. So, now we come to 1:8. We probably come to this verse thinking, “Okay, Mr. Super-Smart Wise Man, we’re ready. Tell us the positive difference wisdom can make in our lives.” And the first thing he says is, “Don’t join a gang!” Why that? Let’s get inside this and dig out the wisdom. There are three points here: the offer of wisdom, the warning of wisdom, and the promise of wisdom. I HOPE YOU WERE ABLE TO RECEIVE FROM THIS QUICK STUDY. PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM EVERLASTING SALVATION CHURH OF GOD MINISTRIES PayPal.me/donatetochurch Church link: Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com
