Spiritual Thoughts

Courage is fear that has said its prayers. Dorothy Bernard Psalms 86:6-7 Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; And give heed to the voice of my supplications! In the day of my trouble I shall call upon You, For You will answer me.

Every problem has in it the seeds of its own solution. If you don't have any problems, you don't get any seeds. Norman Vincent Peale Matthew 13:31-32 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches."

Troubles are often the tools by which God fashions us for better things. Henry Ward Beecher In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:6-7

One way to get high blood pressure is to go mountain climbing over molehills. Earl Wilson Stop worrying and start living. Dale Carnegie Philippians 4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Proverbs 12:25 Anxiety in a man's heart weighs it down, But a good word makes it glad.

Reach Back With Gratitude If you are successful remember that somewhere, sometime, someone gave you a lift or an idea that started you in the right direction. Remember, also, to help some less fortunate person, just as you were helped. Napoleon Hill Hebrews 12:28 - 13:1 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our "God is a consuming fire." Keep on loving each other as brothers.

Peace is the deliberate adjustment of my life to the will of God. Anonymous Philippians 4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Courage is being scared to death--and saddling up anyway. -John Wayne Proverbs 3:25-26 Do not be afraid of sudden fear Nor of the onslaught of the wicked when it comes; For the LORD will be your confidence And will keep your foot from being caught.

Count your blessings. Once you realize how valuable you are and how much you have going for you, the smiles will return, the sun will break out, the music will play, and you will finally be able to move forward with the life that God intended for you. Og Mandino Ephesians 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

Most of my major disappointments have turned out to be blessings in disguise. So whenever anything bad does happen to me, I kind of sit back and feel, well, if I give this enough time, it'll turn out that this was good, so I shouldn't worry about it too much. William Gaines Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

"Knowledge is free, but you have to bring your own container." (unknown) Proverbs 3:13-14 Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.

People are like stained glass windows - the true beauty can be seen only when there is light from within. The darker the night, the brighter the windows. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross Proverbs 4:18-19 The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.

We should live our lives as though Christ was coming this afternoon. -Jimmy Carter Romans 13:12 The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Philippians 4:5 Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.

One of the most important responsibilities in the Christian life is to care about others, smile at them, and be a friend to the friendless. -James Dobson James 1:27 Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

The smaller we are the more room God has. Anonymous Isaiah 66:2 " For My hand made all these things, Thus all these things came into being," declares the LORD. "But to this one I will look, To him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word. "

A friend hears the song in my heart and sings it to me when my memory fails. -- Unknown Proverbs 17:17 A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity.

Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all. -Sam Ewing Psalms 62:12 And loving-kindness is Yours, O Lord, For You recompense a man according to his work. Proverbs 18:9 He also who is slack in his work Is brother to him who destroys. Proverbs 22:29 Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before obscure men.

You cannot see faith, but you can see the footprints of the faithful. We must leave behind "faithful footprints" for others to follow. -Dr. Dennis Anderson Hebrews 11:1-2 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval. Hebrews 11:39-40 And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.

Conduct is more convincing than language. -John Woolman Matthew 12:50 "For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother."

The smallest good deed is better than the grandest good intention. -Duguet Matthew 21:28-31 But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, 'Son, go work today in the vineyard.' And he answered, 'I will not'; but afterward he regretted it and went. The man came to the second and said the same thing; and he answered, 'I will, sir'; but he did not go. "Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you.

The Bumblebee by Anthony N. Wade Did you know that according to a theory of aerodynamics that the bumblebee should be unable to fly? The bumblebee's size, weight, and shape of its body, in relationship to its total wingspan, flying is technically impossible. The bumblebee, being ignorant of the technical theory, goes on and flies anyway and makes honey everyday. You and I need to take a few lessons from the bumblebee. First of all, if the bumblebee were to look at its size, it would say "My body is too big for my wings, for that reason I am not able to fly." If it looked at its weight, it would say, "I'm too heavy, it is impossible for my wings to create enough lift for me to do the job I was created to do." If it looked at the contour of its body it would say "Forget it, it is scientifically impossible for me to do this." My friend, the bumblebee is totally unaware of the impossibilities that say it can't do what it does, day after day. It...

"There are many ways of going forward, but only one way of standing still." -Franklin D. Roosevelt Joshua 1:6-7 "Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.