GOD SPEAKS TO US ABOUT BLESSING AND CURSING Numbers 6:24–26 The LORD will bless you and watch over you. The LORD will smile on you and be kind to you. The LORD will look on you with favor and give you peace.’ Deuteronomy 11:26–28 Today I’m giving you the choice of a blessing or a curse. You’ll be blessed if you obey the commands of the LORD your God that I’m giving you today. You’ll be cursed if you disobey the commands of the LORD your God, if you turn from the way I’m commanding you to live today, and if you worship other gods you never knew. IT IS GOD’S DESIRE TO BLESS US. BUT HE ALLOWS US TO CHOOSE TO BE BLESSED OR TO BE CURSED. LIVE YOUR LIFE OBEYING GOD AND BE BLESSED BY GOD. REMEMBER, IT IS YOUR CHOICE. PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com
OUR GOD IS RELIABLE Psalm 37:28 For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed; the offspring of the wicked will perish. Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Isaiah 46:4 Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. Deuteronomy 31:6 Be 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. Romans 10:11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” Psalm 9:10 Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you. 1 Chronicles 16:34 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Psalm 33:18 But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love. OUR GOD IS ALMIGHTY WE CAN DEPEND ON OUR GOD OUR GOD IS RELIABLE Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM PayPal.me/donatetochurch
EVERY CONVERSATION IS NOT FOR YOU. “Dirty stories, foul talk and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, remind each other of God’s goodness and be thankful!” (Ephesians 5:4, TLB). EVERY CONVERSATION IS NOT WORTH BEING PART OF, CHOOSE CAREFULLY WHAT YOU TAKE PART IN, AND GUARD WHAT COMES OUT OF YOUR MOUTH. THINK ABOUT IT. PASTOR: ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM. “Dirty stories, foul talk and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, remind each other of God’s goodness and be thankful!” (Ephesians 5:4, TLB). EVERY CONVERSATION IS NOT WORTH BEING PART OF, CHOOSE CAREFULLY WHAT YOU TAKE PART IN, AND GUARD WHAT COMES OUT OF YOUR MOUTH. THINK ABOUT IT. PASTOR: ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
THANK YOU JESUS 1 PETER 2:24 AMP He personally carried our sins in His body on the cross [willingly offering Himself on it, as on an altar of sacrifice], so that we might die to sin [becoming immune from the penalty and power of sin] and live for righteousness; for by His wounds you [who believe] have been healed. THANK’S TO JESUS, SIN DOESN’T HAVE POWER OVER US. STOP SINNING, LIVE A RIGHTEOUS LIFE. Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
Beware, there are many fake Christians Matthew 15:8 These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Isaiah 29:13 And so the Lord says, “These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote. James 1:26 If a person thinks that he is religious but can’t control his tongue, he is fooling himself. That person’s religion is worthless. John 2:9 Those who say that they are in the light but hate other believers are still in the dark. Titus 1:16 They claim to know God, but they deny him by what they do. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit to do anything good. Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com Sadly there are many false believers who will be expecting to go to Heaven and will be denied entrance. The best way to avoid being one is to make sure you have truly put your trust in Christ alone for salvation. When you have repented and put your faith in Christ that will lead to a change of life. Follow God and educate yourself with His Word. Many people follow false teachings from the Bible given by false preachers or they just refuse to obey instructions from God and follow their own minds. There are many people who throw on the Christian name tag and think by just going to church they will be granted Heaven, which is false. You know there are people like that in your church and especially in the youth today. You know there are people still having sex outside of marriage, still going to clubs, they still have a continuous willful potty mouth. Hell will be worse for these people than atheists. They are just Sunday Christians and they don’t care about Christ. Am I saying that a Christian is perfect? No. Can a Christian backslide? Yes, but there will be growth and maturity in a true believers life because it is God working in them. They won’t just remain in darkness if they are the Lord’s sheep because God will discipline them and also His sheep hear His voice. DON’T BE A FAKE CHRISTIAN, CHECK YOURSELF. PayPal.me/donatetochurch PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
Be Vigilant Faith doesn’t always come to bear until we are faced with our own fallibility. When we “enter into temptation,” it often means we haven’t been vigilant—that we’ve stopped pursuing the God who has pursued us. In the aftermath of temptation, we recognize our spiritual laziness. We become wise—but remorsefully. Vigilance and complacency are illustrated in the garden of Gethsemane. In His last moments, Jesus requests that His closest disciples stay awake with Him (Matt 26:38). But while He repeatedly prays, they fall asleep. What seems like a request for moral support gets defined a few verses later: “Stay awake and pray that you will not enter into temptation” (Matt 26:41). Staying awake is associated with spiritual awareness. And their sleep is costly. Because of their spiritual sleepiness, they’re not prepared for His end, even though He had repeatedly prepared them for His death. They abandon Him, and they even deny Him (Matt 26:56; 75). But in this same passage, we get a picture of what vigilance looks like from the Son of God. Jesus anticipated His imminent suffering and death. “Deeply grieved, to the point of death,” He turns to the Father in prayer. Jesus boldly requests relief from suffering; when it is not granted, He submits to the Father’s will. Being vigilant means seeking guidance and refuge from the God who provides it. He has provided refuge, but we must seek it out. This means asking for His Spirit to equip us for discernment. While we don’t know the challenges and temptations we’ll face, He does. And if we ask Him, He will provide us with all we need to face them. Are you seeking God’s guidance today? No matter what your situation may be, pray for His Spirit to provide you with strength and discernment. HOPEFULLY YOU RECEIVED FROM THIS QUICK REFRESHER. Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com PayPal.me/donatetochurch PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
THE LIFE AND WALK OF BELIEVERS 1 Peter 4:7–11 The end of everything is near. Therefore, practice self-control, and keep your minds clear so that you can pray. Above all, love each other warmly, because love covers many sins. Welcome each other as guests without complaining. Each of you as a good manager must use the gift that God has given you to serve others. Whoever speaks must speak God’s words. Whoever serves must serve with the strength God supplies so that in every way God receives glory through Jesus Christ. Glory and power belong to Jesus Christ forever and ever! Amen. ALLOW THIS PASSAGE OF SCRIPTURE TO BE A GUIDE UNTO YOUR LIFE. I HOPE YOU FOUND THIS QUICK REFRESHER TO BE A HELPFUL REMINDER. Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com PayPal.me/donatetochurch PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
DO YOU BELIEVE GOD? 1 John 5:9-13 GW [9] We accept human testimony. God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony that he has given about his Son. [10] Those who believe in the Son of God have the testimony of God in them. Those who don’t believe God have made God a liar. They haven’t believed the testimony that God has given about his Son. [11] This is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is found in his Son. [12] The person who has the Son has this life. The person who doesn’t have the Son of God doesn’t have this life. CONCLUSION [13] I’ve written this to those who believe in the Son of God so that they will know that they have eternal life. IF YOU CAN BELIEVE MAN, YOU CAN CERTAINLY BELIEVE GOD, BECAUSE GOD CANNOT LIE OR EVEN MAKE A MISTAKE. DO YOU BELIEVE GOD? Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com PayPal.me/donatetochurch PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
God Does Not Treat You as Your Doubt Deserves Then [Jesus] said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” (John 20:27) Some passages in the Bible make doubt sound like the sin that God will not pardon. James declares that if you want wisdom from God, you must “ask in faith, with no doubting” (James 1:6). The author of Hebrews tells you that “without faith it is impossible to please [God]” (Heb. 11:6). What does that mean, then, if you are wrestling with thoughts such as “I don’t know if God likes me. I don’t know if I am one of his children. I really want to be his child, but I’m not sure that I’m one of the elect. I don’t know if I’m really saved”? Those thoughts kind of sound like doubt, right? So does this all mean that God is not pleased with you and that you really don’t belong to him? Let’s come at it from a different direction—let’s start with God and his character before we get to you and your thoughts. Remember Thomas, one of Jesus’s disciples? He wasn’t around when Jesus first appeared to his followers after his death, and so Thomas declared that he just couldn’t believe that Jesus was alive. Jesus didn’t get angry with him or keep his distance. Rather, he moved toward Thomas, appearing again when Thomas was present and going straight to him—not to lecture Thomas, berate him, belittle him, or even remind him of all that he had said about rising again after being killed. Instead, he offered him the proof that Thomas needed in order to believe. Jesus bent himself around the doubter’s needs. Do you see how he is comfortable around doubters, and yet doesn’t leave them to flail about in their uncertainty? He doesn’t treat them as their doubt deserves, but he nurtures their souls and leads them from unbelief to faith. So when you read passages like the ones from James and Hebrews above, read them through the filter of what God is like. He isn’t shocked at, appalled at, surprised by, dismayed by, or scared of your doubts. Instead, he has anticipated them. He expected doubt to be a real problem for many of his people, and he did something about it. He talked openly about your struggles with doubt and wrote down what you need to do. And he did that thousands of years before you even knew that you had a problem. Far from being intimidated by your struggle or disappointed in you, he gives you the help you need in order to get beyond that struggle and to be more certain of his love for you. The passages in the Bible about doubt are evidence of the heart he has for doubters—a heart that longs to strengthen your faith and end your doubt. They’re not there to give you less confidence in him; they’re there to give you more. DON’T ALLOW YOUR DOUBT TO CAUSE YOU TO SHY AWAY FROM GOD. GOD CREATED YOU; HE KNEW YOU WOULD HAVE DOUBT, AND HE STILL LOVE YOU JUST LIKE YOU ARE, PLUS GOD WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO OVERCOME YOUR DOUBT. Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com PayPal.me/donatetochurch PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
