Not everyone will be happy when you begin to better yourself. Those who are for you will not just celebrate in your triumphs, but they will also pray with you through your tribulations.
T. D. JakesRead
Whenever you face obstacles, crises and dilemmas and your confidence is in your associates more than in God- it is a sign your faith is deteriorating.
Interpretation
True confidence should be rooted in faith in God rather than solely in others.
This quote by T.D. Jakes emphasizes that when we find ourselves relying on the assurance and support of those around us more than on our faith in God, it may indicate a weakening of our spiritual conviction. The idea is that external obstacles and crises should draw us closer to our faith rather than distance us from it, suggesting that trust in God is essential for maintaining a strong belief system, especially in challenging times.
In practice
In a sermon about reliance on faith during tough times, you might quote T.D. Jakes.
Not everyone will be happy when you begin to better yourself. Those who are for you will not just celebrate in your triumphs, but they will also pray with you through your tribulations.
The critic is a prisoner to his own experiences and perspectives, erroneously believing his limited experiences are the sum of all truth
Excellence requires discomfort.
I think the amazing thing about Gospel music is that not only does it lift up the death and resurrection of our Lord, which is consistent with the Gospel, but it is uniquely communicated depending upon the generation.
Instead of loaves of bread, many times God gives out handfuls of purpose.
Surround yourself with people whose definition of you is not based on your history, but your destiny.
We are able to persevere only because God works within us, within our free wills. And because God is at work in us, we are certain to persevere. The decrees of God concerning election are immutable. They do not change, because He does not change. All whom He justifies He glorifies. None of the elect has ever been lost.
My parents were early converts to Christianity in my part of Nigeria. They were not just converts; my father was an evangelist, a religious teacher. He and my mother traveled for thirty-five years to different parts of Igboland, spreading the gospel.
Beware of anything that competes with your loyalty to Jesus Christ.
Let the storm rage and the sky darken - not for that shall we be dismayed. If we trust as we should in Mary, we shall recognize in her, the Virgin Most Powerful "who with virginal foot did crush the head of the serpent.
God involves us in his missions not because He needs us, but because He loves us. And in His mercy He has invited us to be involved in His sovereign design for the spread of the gospel to the ends of the earth.
Maybe we are a little crazy. After all, we believe in things we don't see. The Scriptures say that faith is "being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" (Heb. 11:1). We believe poverty can end even though it is all around us. We believe in peace even though we hear only rumours of wars. And since we are people of expectation, we are so convinced that another world is coming that we start living as if it were already here.
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