Category: Helpful Resources

By Tim Challies 

• When a child of God dies, he does not go away, rather goes ahead. 

• The Bible uses the example of sleep for death. Sleep is a time to rest, but it is not an end. 

• God is good all the time. There’s no laps in God’s sovereignty. 

• Who are we to deem something as evil if God has deemed it as good. 

• Bless God in the giving and in the taking. 

• Our children are more God’s creation than our procreation. 

• Be careful to distinguish the purpose from the results – why God did something and how God will use it.

• You can accept something by faith as God‘s will, and God‘s will is always perfect. 

• Do not charge God with wrong. 

• You can receive something as a trial to steward instead of a punishment to endure.

• Things may scar you but they do not have to define you. 

• God was, is, and will be with you at all times. 

• We can decide to bow our will to God’s throne.

• God’s actions are always good and His timing is always perfect.

• God gave talents: to one servant, one; to another, two; and to another, five. He never asked who wanted what/how many talents, and He doesn’t ask us what He will give or take from us. 

• A perfect God with with perfect character will display His perfect Will. 

• God begins every life, has authority over every life, and ultimately ends every life. 

• Death is the great interruptor. It is also the great redirector. 

• You do not have to spend the rest of your life incapacitated by sorrow, you can allow it to motivate you to serve God greater. 

• God owes you no answer, and you would be wrong to demand one. 

By David Murray

• Just as a runner must set his pace or he will lose the race, so must we do as Christians. Pastors and ministry workers are getting tired and quitting way too often. 

• We might say we believe in sovereign grace, but we yell and scream when things don’t go our way in ministry. We must realize it is God that gives the increase. 

• Not all life or ministry depends on you.

• Yes, it is better to give than to receive, but if we never receive we will end up drying up.

• We must learn to slow down and pace ourselves in life and ministry. Not just so that we may live longer, but we will be more joyful, fruitful, and grateful as a result.

• There are warning lights that are physical (insomnia, being aggravated, etc.), spiritual (still preaching or teaching, but not getting anything from it, not being touched by sermons from others, etc.), marital, mental, etc. Pay attention to these warnings. 

• If you don’t slow down, God might slow you down.

• God is a God of order, not of confusion, and we should live orderly lives. 

• If you do not prioritize your life, someone else will prioritize it for you.

• To prioritize life, we should break things up into four categories: definitely do, desire to do, delay to do, and don’t do.

• We must learn to prune in areas. Instead of making a millimeter of progress in a million areas, it would be better to make much progress in a few areas. 

• We must learn to say no to the nonessential so that we can say yes to the essentials. Learn to say a slow yes and a quick, no.

• What we eat affects our mood. 

• What energizes one person does not necessarily energize another person.

• Replenishment is supposed to be for every day, not for once or twice a year when you get away from everything.

• Our parenting as fathers should represent well the Fatherhood of our God.

• Contentment in ministry is secret to longevity in ministry.

• Sometimes God lets His children go through the wilderness university, and once broken and taught, can use us greater.  

by John MacArthur 

• We are in ministry because of God’s mercy. It’s an undeserved gift. 

• Renounce and repudiate hypocrisy. Be the same in private and in public. 

• A clear conscience is a gift. You keep it clear by winning the sin battle on the inside. 

• You have a duty to your Master. 

• Believe that the results belong to God.

• Paul did not have an inflated view of himself. He knew who he was — 1 Corinthians 15:9; Ephesians 3:8

• We must not forget that we are mere jars of clay.

• Those that do not embrace their suffering are more likely to become overwhelmed, quit or give up their faith altogether.

• Paul was looking for a future reward in Heaven. 

By Jim Logan

• The devil has no authority in the Christian’s life, accept for that which has been surrendered to him.

• If it is possible to give ground or place to the devil, as Ephesians 4:27 says, then it is also possible to reclaim that ground.

• The devil wants to kill, steal, and destroy. The good news for us is that he is a defeated foe. 

• We do not need to ask others if they have the victory, we need to ask if they are standing in the victory they already have. 

• Since every Christian faces spiritual warfare, every Christian is also equipped with the spiritual tools needed for the war. 

• If the Christian could not be influenced by the devil, then why are we told to put on the armor of God and stand firm (Ephesians 6:10), to take every thought captive (2 Corinthians 10:5), and to resist the devil (James 4:7)?

• The popular word that the world uses is “addiction,” but God uses the word “sin.” Addiction gives the idea that you’re a victim of something, but sin suggests you’re making a choice.

• When you give ground to the devil, he can begins digging a foundation to construct whatever he wants.

• When Lazarus was raised from the dead, he had life but was bound with grave clothes and needed help being unwound. 

• Fathers, you have great responsibilities, and the devil wants to attack you, but you have great resources in God.

• As a child of God, you’re calling is to get to know your Father, not the enemy. You should be aware of the devil, but not fear him because you are God’s child.

• Getting free can be easy, but staying free is the challenge.

• You are not fighting to gain victory, you’re fighting from a position of victory. The devil is a defeated foe!

• We have been delivered from the power of darkness, but not from the presence of darkness. We still live in a wicked world.

• Because Satan is already defeated, his only power is in deception.

By Tom Cheshire and Tom Gensler 

• You can’t give away what you don’t possess.

• If you were in a room of people and asked them about discipleship, almost everyone of them would refer to a person that helped them in their life.

• Preaching is essential, but your preaching is not discipleship. 

• Discipleship is 2 Timothy 2:2 in action.

• Discipleship is the process of spiritual growth.

• Jesus was not just telling disciples to be like Him, He was showing them how to live God-centered lives.

• Discipleship is one individual investing in one or more other individuals on a consistent basis.

• Which results more in your children listening — what you tell them to do or what they see you do? And this is what discipleship is about as well. 

• You can and should be a disciple, as well as a disciple maker. 

• You need to know who you are, but you also need to know Who’s you are. 

• If you want others to follow your example, you must have been discipled and be discipling others.

• Discipleship is not about perfection, but about progress.

• Luke 6:12–13 teaches that before Jesus chose the disciples, He spent time in prayer.

• Jesus always spoke to His Father. We would be wise to realize we cannot do anything on our own, we need God’s help. 

• Discipleship is more caught than taught. Do not overcomplicate discipleship; recognize how Jesus walked and spent time investing in others.

• Much of what you need to do with those you are discipling is to love them. 

• In Luke 8, we see only 25% of the seed sown bears fruit. We should not be surprised that not everyone we disciple will bear fruit, but we still do our duty. 

• The growth of an individual is not like a mushroom that shoots up quickly, rather like an oak that grows over a long period of time.

• Discipleship is relational, it is life-on-life. 

by Kristen Welch 

• How can we explain or expect gratitude from our children if we are not showing it in our own lives.

• Although our children should expect our love and acceptance, they must learn not to expect the material things this world places in front of them.

• Entitlement winds its way through families. Everything from portion sizes, presents, activities, clothes and toys.

• Resolving entitlement starts with teaching your children to be thankful for what they already have.

• Entitlement has always been around, so maybe it’s the parenting that has changed and not the children. We are giving without making them earn, not saying no and overindulging.

• Proverbs 22:6 has another side to it, a negative one. If you allow children to do whatever they want, they are not going to depart from their bad ways even when they’re old. 

• Sometimes parents say no so often that they lose the opportunities to explain why they say no.

• Sadly, parents feel pressured to give their children things they don’t necessarily need because everyone else is giving it to their children (best schools, sports, brand names, vacations, etc.).

• Begin your quest for contentment. Is Jesus really enough for you?

• The blurry line of being friend and parent is one of the most controversial lines in parenting today.

• Kids need to learn how to problem solve. Parents do not need to rob this lesson from them.

• We cannot make our parenting decisions based on what other parents are doing.

• Temporary unhappiness from kids not getting their way can make for happiness as adults that love God and others.

• Wanting our kids to be happy all the time might just be feeding their entitlement attitude.

• Let your kids be devastated at age six so their first time is not when they are in college.

• Tell your kids it’s more important who they are then what they have.

• It is not your job as a parent to provide exciting activities every leisure moment. Kids are known for saying they are bored, but they need to learn to go outside, be creative and find things to do. 

• Challenge your kids to turn their phone around and take pictures of others instead of themselves. Take them to a homeless shelter. Teach them to think of others.

• Parents should make restrictions on their kid’s social media platforms/accounts, and should not feel bad about it.

• You should ask and know your children’s passwords and accounts. This is not an invasion of privacy, it is protecting your children. There are predators and dangerous people out there that want to hurt your children.

• We must teach our children self control. We will not always be with them to help make decisions, so they must learn to make decisions on their own. Proverbs 25:28

• Obedience should be expected not suggested. But do so with grace and love.

• Losing is good for your kids, not bad. Giving a participation trophy does not teach them about life, in fact, it makes them expect more.

• Make your marriage more important than your children, it’s what you and your kids need. 

• Nothing makes us more grateful than perspective.

• The best way to teach gratitude is to model it. Do they see you saying thank you, writing a thank you card and being kind to the server at a restaurant?

• You may get mad or feel you’ve messed up with your kids, but there’s time to ask forgiveness… so do it when necessary. 

• Talking to older parents will help coach you as you’re raising your kids.

• 7 Ways yo Teach Gratitude to our Kids, instead of Entitlement:

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. Teach ownership. Chores and responsibilities. Their clothes and possessions. 
            2. Stress the value of money. Saving and spending money. Let them have an allowance for their work or an amount on vacation and not get more when it’s spent. It’s easier for them to spend your money than theirs. Teach and encourage them to give. 
            3. Emphasize the value of hard work. Make work part of your daily routine. Teach them to pick up after themselves as well as specific jobs around the house. Let them be in charge of making dinner and cleaning up after meals.
            4. Teach responsibility and consequences. Require them to do their own laundry when they get to a certain age, and when they run out of clean items don’t run to the rescue. It is hard to watch your kids fail, but sometimes that’s what they need to do. 
            5. See the benefits of delayed gratification. In a world of instant gratification children must learn to delay the immediate reward for the later reward. The reward that is worked for and waited for is usually much more valued. 
            6. Give your children a larger worldview. Perspective is one of the greatest gifts you can give your children and yourself, and service is a great way to package it. Not everyone in the world has what you have, many have far less. Your kids need to know that. Take them to work at a homeless shelter or places they can help and as see the need of others. Your family is at its best when you are helping serve others. 
            7. Strive to instill faithfulness. Persevering when things are hard is often rewarding. 

• Don’t ground your children from spiritual activities. Sometimes parents will not let their children go to a church event because of the way they acted. But they need that influence more than other things they have or do in life.

• One of the greatest gifts we can ask from the Lord is wisdom. 

• Nothing we can do or say can ever substitute for bowing our heads and praying for our children. 

• Prayer is often the last thing we think when raising kids, but God wants to walk this path with us. And there’s nothing greater than telling our parental needs to the One who parents us.

By Lou Priolo 

• The sin of pride is at the heart of people pleasing.

• Codependency (best term used in society for people pleasers) probably best falls under the category of idolatry. It is loving the approval of men more than the approval of God.

• There are two sides to idolatry; the first side is neglecting God, and the second side is replacing God with a cheap substitute.

• Fearing God will keep us from sin, but fearing man will bring a snare (Proverbs 29:15; John 12:42–43).

• People pleasing is not keeping the peace, rather abandoning the peace of God for peace with man. It is being a coward at heart.

• People pleasers rarely confront or speak to others about the sin in their lives.

• The people pleaser is unsatisfied with his own life, coveting what God has given to others.

• Man pleasing causes one to have many masters.

• People pleasing places one under bondage because they’re attempting to please man more than please God.

• Trying to please man will cause you to lose rewards — Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

• The inordinate desire to please men will blind you from sin — Matthew 23:16-26

• Pride tempts you to change things in your life according to man’s priorities instead of the Holy Spirit’s agenda.

• Pride focuses on changing the outward more than the inward.

• Excessive love of what other think causes you to believe opinion of self over God’s opinion — John 5:44

• People pleasing can cause to listen more to flattery of man than conscience and Spirit. Look into the mirror of God’s Word more than approval of man.

• It’s not wrong wanting to please others as long as it doesn’t cause you to say no to the approval of God

• People pleasing cause one to be indecisive.

• People pleasing causes one to be a hypocrite.

• The people pleaser depends more on his abilities to get friends than he depends on God to give him friends.

• If pleasing God does not satisfy you, no amount of men’s approval will satisfy you.

• If you want to stop being a men pleaser, work at being a God pleaser. You must have a stronger desire to please God.

• The God pleaser is more concerned with what God sees on the inside, rather than what man sees on the outside.

• A God pleaser programs his life by God’s Word instead of the world’s culture.

• Ephesians 5:8–10 commands us to know how to please God. 

• It is not wrong please others, but it is wrong to love the pleasure of man to the point it places you in bondage.

• Instead of asking what would please others, ask yourself what would please God. 

By Nathan Knight 

• Don’t look at the best business models, look to God. 

• We love size and speed, but a church can grow and be healthy without those. 

• Most authors and church planters say that size and speed are important in church planting, but when we go to Scripture, the narrative of God is more on slowness. Consider Abraham and Sarah who were childless for 25 years after being told they would have a child. Consider Israel who was is in slavery in Egypt for 420 years. Or consider the coming of Christ in which thousands of years have passed.

• The essence of a church is not their financial stability.

• Multiplication does not come at the expense of depth. 

• Planting by pastoring is glorious and grace filled, but it is not efficient. It takes time and energy. 

• Evangelism is not the finish line in church planting. 

• We want to know names, not just see numbers. We want to know stories, not just statistics. 

• We plant churches to pastor people individually so we can worship Jesus collectively.

• What if Jesus did not intend for churches to look like McDonald’s serving a billion people, rather look like your kitchen to serve your family and friends?

• Pastor’s sacrifice for their sheep

• Jesus knew His people and His people knew Him. He pastored them as names and not numbers.

• The foundation of the church is Jesus and His Gospel. If you are a church planter, you should ask yourself what lies at the foundation of this thing that you are spending so much time building. 

• Let the size and significance of the church you are planting take care of themselves. Slow down and press the Gospel into the lives of the people just as Jesus did.

• The people need to know that you are wanting to help them, not get something from them. You are a pastor, not an entrepreneur.

• Jesus gathered men before He ever held a public campaign or evangelistic effort.

• A planter pastor must have character, competence, and compassion. 

• Charisma might attract people on the front end, but it rarely endures. Your love for Jesus will keep you there, not your charisma. 

• The power is in the Gospel. A magnetic personality and eloquent composure is nice to have, but they are bonus, extra, and unnecessary. 

• If you are planting churches to be respected, heard, and esteemed, you are doing so for the wrong reasons.

• Plant churches for the identity of Jesus, not to find or focus on your own identity.

• Our areas do not need community centers and places of entertainment, they need a church where Christ is preached.

• If you’re going to plant a church you need to be sent out by a church. A church that will love you and lead you.

• A church planting team will minimize weaknesses and maximize effectiveness. Throughout the Bible, we see teams going out. Paul and Barnabas, Jesus and the disciples, and even many letters that Paul signed included a team of people.

• In planting a church, we can get so involved with a list of what needs done and neglect our own souls. 

• A team helps you with encouragement and accountability.

• Prayer is your lifeline to God. Prayer is essential.

• You should allow people to challenge your thinking. Is the place you are wanting to go truly a place of need? 

• When, choosing a city, ask yourself if you are reflecting the need of Romans 15:19–20.

• Preach, pray, love, and stay in a community. 

• Love people, not programs.

• Use as many evangelistic tools as possible, but one of the best tools will be the church members’ influence on other people.

• Church planters can rest in God’s fruit as they faithfully scatter the seed.