Choose growing Christians as your close friends. Yes, those no-spiritual-compromise, winsome types who are fruitbearing and wisely balanced in applying God's word. Do you yet know any who are on-fire spiritually? You'll never regret it.

May I say it again? I challenge you if I may, to choose only growing Christian friends who are wisely balanced and biblically red-hot on fire for Jesus. Those who are growing strong in the living Word of God. You'll be so glad you did!

Sometimes it's really hard to enjoy fellowship and friendship when your job demands so many hours from you, but these still need to remain a priority for Christians. Doing our best. We commit the rest. We commit it all to the Lord in prayer and sometimes He leads us into a better employment situation.

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All Your Friends Are Worth Praying For

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." 1 Peter 5:8

Not every relationship is meant to be close, but every close friendship will shape the direction of your life.

The people you welcome into your inner circle will either strengthen your walk with Christ or slowly weaken it. Scripture repeatedly teaches that companions influence character, convictions, priorities, and ultimately our future.

Bad company corrupts good morals. So choose your closest friends prayerfully.

Fight for friendships that help you love Christ more. Pray for them. Encourage them. Forgive them. Stand with them through hardship. Friendships centered on Christ are treasures worth protecting.

Above all, make Jesus your closest of close Friends, for no one has ever loved you more deeply. He is the initiator and we are the responders cuz he is God and we are his creation. We love him because he first loved us.

"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13

Christ proved His friendship at the cross.

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What are some marks of God's kind of wisdom?

A. A wise person listens more than he speaks. "When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent." Proverbs 10:19

Wisdom has ears before it has a mouth.

B. A wise person chooses close friends carefully. "Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm." Proverbs 13:20

The direction of your friendships often becomes the direction of your life.

C. A wise person works diligently. "The hand of the diligent will rule, while the slothful will be put to forced labor." Proverbs 12:24

God honors faithful labor, not careless living.

D. A wise person controls his temper. "Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding." Proverbs 14:29

Strength is often seen most clearly in self-control.

E. A wise person humbly accepts correction. "Whoever listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise." Proverbs 15:31-32

The teachable keep growing because they never stop learning.

F. A wise person fears the Lord above everything else. "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom." Proverbs 9:10

Holy awe inside is where true wisdom begins. We do not fear God as criminals fear a judge, but as redeemed children reverence their loving holy Father. His greatness humbles us, steadies us, and teaches us how to live with friends.

I don't know one Christian who doesn't crave fellowship, and friendship upwards and outwards with other growing Believers. We sow to this united edifying synergy.

"Blessed is the man

Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,

Nor stands in the path of sinners,

Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;

But his delight is in the law of the LORD,

And in His law he meditates day and night" (Psalm 1:1–2, NKJV).

How do you prioritize your friendships and time in fellowship? All belivers need to be active in fellowshiping together at a healthy church. How do you personally limit your time with those who could easily pull you down morally and spiritually? 

The Warmth Of Christ's Gentle Nature, Says We Just Gotta Return To Authentic Nurture!

The blessed man does not go casually stroll “in the counsel of the ungodly.” In the original Hebrew, the word translated “counsel” is a noun meaning “something that provides direction or advice as to a decision or course of action.” The “ungodly” are wicked people, sinners, and those characterized by godlessness.

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The Fear of the Lord Changes Everything

When the fear of God fills the heart, the wisdom of God directs the life.

God's wisdom never tears people down. It builds them up with the word.

Godly character leads wisely for the benefit of others.

Biblical faith endures.

Truth produces stability in believers.

Love speaks with grace and truth.

Holiness in the Lord leaves a lasting influence.

"The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere." James 3:17

Do you need some wisdom for basic friendships? Man, who doesn't, right?

Can a close friendship be maintained all the way through your whole married life together? Yes, in the Lord it can work well, cuz He can easily make a way for you both. Yep, there's indeed a Way--He is the way! 

“Look, you are beautiful, my beloved. Look, you are beautiful. Your eyes are doves. Look. you are beautiful. my beloved. Truly pleasant.” – S. of S. 1:15–16

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What Is a True Friend?

The Bible defines friendship far differently than modern culture defines it.

A true friend is not merely someone who enjoys your company but someone who faithfully helps you follow Christ.

A true friend loves you enough to tell you the truth.

A true friend encourages your obedience to God rather than your compromise with the world.

A true friend is trustworthy, loyal, forgiving, and spiritually dependable.

A true friend will pray with you, rejoice with you, weep with you, strengthen you when you are weak, and lovingly correct you when you wander.

"A friend loves at all times." Proverbs 17:17

"Faithful are the wounds of a friend." Proverbs 27:6

"Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another." Proverbs 27:17

"Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?" Amos 3:3

David and Jonathan beautifully illustrate a straight covenant friendship of faith (1 Samuel 18-20). Jonathan chose loyalty, sacrificial love, and godly courage over personal ambition. Their friendship reflected faithfulness rooted in God.

Yet every earthly Christian friendship points to the greatest Friend of all -- to Christ. Every book in the Bible points to Him as well. 

Jesus Christ laid down His life for sinners cuz He really loves us.

"But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13

No one has ever loved more deeply.

No one has ever sacrificed more completely.

No one has ever remained more faithful.

Jesus was and is the friend of sinners. Let's be like that too to help and win all the people we can. There's a better way to live and live a life of sin. 

A godly marriage is built on being close friends in the Lord. Please don't allow anyone other than Jesus to be closer friends to you and your spouse. We love Him most, and then we love others better than we would alone.  

Is it right for a Christian to date or marry a non-Christian?

Should Christians have close friendships with unbelievers?

What is the counsel of the ungodly, and how do we not walk in it (Psalm 1:1)?

How does bad company corrupt good character (1 Corinthians 15:33)?

What does it mean to be unequally yoked (2 Corinthians 6:14)?

What does the Bible say about toxic relationships?

Should Christians go to drinking parties with friends? Naww.

Does a godly marriage hinder your relationship with God? Nope.

What does the Bible say about courting? Don't try to marry to fix and win them to Jesus? 

What is friendship evangelism?

Why did Jesus say, “I have called you friends” in John 15:15?

How can a friend stick closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24)?

I want some Bible verses about friends?

What does the Bible say about having platonic friendships with members of the opposite sex?

Why was Abraham called a friend of God (Isaiah 41:8)?

Should a married person have a really close friend of the opposite sex?

What was the straight friendship between David and Jonathan like?

Why were Saul and Jonathan so different in their relationship with David?

What is true friendship according to the Bible?

What is phileo love?

How should a Christian relate to non-Christian friends? ..as normal kind friends Duh!

Phileō love is warm, relational, and rooted in friendship. Phileō love reflects genuine affection that blesses others best when it flows from our love for Christ.

Friendship that's really close in the Lord is good.

Should a Christian have gay friends? Jesus is your very best friend, but yes, in the same way and for the same reasons that Jesus would have had gay His friends. 

He came to properly show love and save us all. He saw every person as someone created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27). He saw the person He had created them to be. He saw their fear, their confusion, their heartaches, and their future without Him. He offered everyone the same pardon and transformation when they were willing to make Him Lord of their lives. A Christian is simply a sinner who has accepted the gospel and now represents Christ to everyone, including our gay friends, with grace and truth (John 1:14). 

Is it good to have friendships with unbelievers? Yes, but really close friends with...?

Should a Christian attend the wedding of a couple of another faith?

Should Christians become best friends with, or date and marry non-Christians?

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Choose Your Close Friends Wisely

Worldly, foolish, fleshly, or merely religious companions may seem enjoyable for a season, but they often lead to spiritual weakness and unnecessary sorrow. God's Word lovingly warns us to pursue friendships that stir us toward holiness, truth, and Christlike maturity.

Walk with people who love Scripture.

Walk with people who pray.

Walk with people who repent quickly.

Walk with people who humbly receive correction.

Walk with people whose greatest desire is to glorify Jesus Christ.

The closer your friends are to Christ, the more they will encourage you to become like Him.

The best friends do not simply make life happier.

They help prepare one another for eternity.

"Show me your friends, and I will show you the direction of your life."

That saying is not a Bible verse, but it reflects the biblical principle of Proverbs 13:20.

So watch and pray.

Guard your heart.

Treasure godly friendships.

Fight for them on your knees.

And above all, stay close to the Friend who will never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5), for "there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother" (Proverbs 18:24). In its fullest sense, that truth finds its perfect fulfillment in the Lord Jesus Christ.

AGAIN, HERE ARE 6 PRINCIPLES OF A WISE MAN (FROM PROVERBS)

1 A wise man listens more than he speaks 

- Meditate upon PROVERBS 10:19

2 A wise man chooses close friends carefully

- Meditate upon PROVERBS 13:20

3 A wise man works diligently and avoids laziness 

- PROVERBS 12:24

4 A wise man controls his temper 

- Meditate upon PROVERBS 14:29

5 A wise man receives correction humbly

- Meditate upon PROVERBS 15:31-32

6 A wise man fears the Lord above all else

- Meditate upon PROVERBS 9:10 

That certain AWE.. aka the holy FEAR of the LORD IS THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM 

YEP, IT'S GOOD, cuz He is.

The Lord's type of WISDOM.. EDIFIES, encourages, and BUILDS PEOPLE UP.

Godly CHARACTER.. LEADS. 

Biblical FAITH ..LASTS. Knowing the Lord as your very best friend is the best thing that could happen to you. Your choice: go for Him. KnowGod.org

"For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” — Luke 14:11 esv

In a good sense, I feel proud of our nation, but none of us really need harbor any hubris inside.  

The Bible actually suggests that pride was the cause of beautiful Lucifer’s fall from glorious heaven. Such an ugly situation! It also led to the fall of mankind. And all of us suffer from it in some measure, whether we know it or not.

Have you ever heard anything from your mind or heart that whispers to you, reliably, "Hey, me first." 

I think we've all had to deal with inner pride. Humbling ourselves before God doesn't seem to come naturally or easily. 

Pride stinks to high heaven! C.S. Lewis identified this issue as no ordinary flaw. In Mere Christianity, he wrote: “According to Christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil, is pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere fleabites in comparison: it was through pride that the devil became the devil: pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind….it is pride which has been the chief cause of misery in every nation and every family since the world began.”

Lewis tells us that pride is “essentially competitive—is competitive by its very nature—while the other vices are only competitive, so to speak, by accident. Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only having more of it than the next man….it is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest.”

Because of its nature, pride eats away at our relationships. “..pride always means enmity— it is enmity. And not only enmity between man and man but enmity to God….as long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on things and people: and as long as you are looking down you cannot see something that is above you.”

The remedy for our pride is humility. “If anyone would like to acquire humility, I can, I think, tell him the first step. The first step is to realize one is proud. And a biggish step, too. At least nothing whatever can be done before it. If you think you are not conceited, it means you are very conceited, indeed.”

The psalmist prayed: "Search me, O God, and know my heart, try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way." Psalm 139.23-24

That is not some mild diagnosis. Pride is not merely a personality quirk. It is, as Lewis said, the very thing that turned a beautiful angel into the adversary of God. A way ugly situation!

Which is precisely why Jesus, at a dinner party, chose to address it. Remember?

The Seat You Choose

In Luke 14, Jesus is a guest at the home of a prominent Pharisee. The meal is good, the company is distinguished, and the scene unfolding around the table is quietly embarrassing. Every guest is angling for the chair closest to the host. In that culture, proximity meant status. The best seat was a public announcement: this person matters. And everyone in the room knows exactly how the auction works.

Jesus watches all of it, then speaks: "When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor... But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, 'Friend, move up higher'..For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted" (Luke 14:8, 10-11, ESV).

He is not teaching table etiquette. He is describing the internal logic of an entire Kingdom. In God's economy, the road to lasting greatness runs straight through the lowest seat. No detour. No shortcut. No workaround.

Can we speak against arrogance too much, or speak about the need for humble faith and repentance too often? I don't think so. 

What You Put On Every Morning

The Apostle Paul, writing to the church in Colossae, tells believers to "put on humility" (Colossians 3:12). That language is deliberate. Humility is not the emotional residue of a good sermon. It is not what you feel after a humiliating week. It is something you put on. Consciously. Every morning. The way you reach for a coat before stepping into cold air, knowing what the day holds.

Paul's Greek word here is tapeinophrosynen, meaning lowliness of mind. It goes far deeper than an outward posture. It is a genuine, interior recognition of where you actually stand before God, and where the person standing next to you stands as well. Both of you need grace exactly as desperately as the other.

Charles Spurgeon, who never softened truth to make it comfortable, put it simply: "Humility is to make a right estimate of one's self." Not lower than reality. Not a performance of self-deprecation. Just accurate. Honest. Grounded in what is actually true.

Paul used this same word in his letter to the Philippians: "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others" (Philippians 2:3-4). The Apostle Peter echoes it: "All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because 'God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble'" (1 Peter 5:5).

Notice the stakes. God does not merely observe pride from a distance with mild disappointment. He actively opposes it. The weight of the Almighty pushes against the direction of your life when pride is the engine driving it. That is not a comfortable verse to sit with. But it is an honest one.

The Pattern You Cannot Improve On

Christian humility is not finally a philosophy or a social strategy. It is a Person.

"Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being... and died a criminal's death on a cross" (Philippians 2:6-8, NLT).

The eternal Son of God, through whom all things were created (Colossians 1:16), became a carpenter's child in a Roman-occupied province. He washed twelve pairs of road-filthy feet with His own hands (John 13:1-20). He touched lepers. He ate with people that proper religious society had written off. He allowed Himself to be arrested without resistance, though He could have called twelve legions of angels to His side (Matthew 26:53). He died for the people killing Him and asked His Father to forgive them in the very act (Luke 23:34).

None of that looks like weakness. Not at the distance of two thousand years.

"He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross" (Philippians 2:8, ESV). The One who had every right to be first chose last, every time. That is the pattern we are called to follow. KnowGod.org

Andrew Murray, who gave his life studying this subject, wrote in Humility: The Journey Toward Holiness: "The root of all virtue and grace, of all faith and acceptable worship, is that we know that we have nothing but what we receive, and bow in deepest humility before God." When you truly understand what you have received, and what it cost to give it, the scramble for the best seat begins to look very small.

Four Ways Humility Becomes Real

Humility is never abstract for long. It becomes specific. Here is how.

The first is obedience. Jesus submitted to His earthly parents (Luke 2:51) and to His Father without exception (John 5:30; Philippians 2:8). Even in Gethsemane, where the cost of obedience was everything, He prayed: "Not my will, but yours, be done" (Matthew 26:39). He submitted to God even when it tore Him open (1 Peter 2:23). He calls us into the same surrender (Matthew 19:17; John 15:10; 1 John 2:5; Ephesians 6:6). Obedience is not the lowest form of the Christian life. It is humility with traction.

The second is dependence. We put on humility when we stop pretending we are self-sufficient and acknowledge what we actually are: creatures who cannot draw a breath, form a coherent thought, or take a single step without God's sustaining grace. John the Baptist said it plainly: "A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven" (John 3:27). Paul makes the same argument with less room to maneuver: we are saved "not a result of works, so that no one may boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). 

James adds that every good gift "comes down from the Father of lights" (James 1:17). We can trust that God will supply what we genuinely need (Philippians 4:19), guard us in the places we cannot guard ourselves (Psalm 23; Hebrews 13:6), and strengthen us past the edge of what we can produce alone (Philippians 4:13). Choosing to depend on God rather than yourself is not weakness. It is the most accurate reading of reality available to a human being.

The third is forgiveness. We put on humility when we look honestly at what God cancelled on our behalf through the cross, and then extend that same cancellation to the people who have wronged us. Jesus drew the connection between receiving and giving forgiveness with uncomfortable clarity (Matthew 18:15-20; Luke 6:37; Colossians 3:13). Paul told the Ephesians to be "kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you" (Ephesians 4:32, NLT). Unforgiveness, if you trace it far enough back, is usually pride insisting that what was done to you is too significant to release. Humility disagrees. Not because what happened was small, but because what was forgiven at the cross was not small either.

The fourth is service. Jesus did not leave the definition of greatness open to interpretation: "The greatest among you will be your servant" (Matthew 23:11). And again: "Whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:44-45). The evening He knelt and washed His disciples' feet was not a piece of theater. It was a tutorial (John 13:15-17). This is what love looks like when humility is genuinely operative. No fanfare. No scorekeeping. Just the basin, the towel, and the willingness to be last.

Thomas à Kempis asked a question in The Imitation of Christ that deserves to land quietly in the chest: "What doth it profit thee to enter into deep discussion concerning the Holy Trinity, if thou lack humility, and be thus displeasing to the Trinity?" You can carry impeccable theology and a heart that has never genuinely bowed. The distance between knowing about humility and actually wearing it is exactly the gap between the mind and the will.

The Freedom on the Other Side of Pride.. As You Walk With The Lord in Humility

Ultimately, putting on humility is putting on the mind of Jesus Christ. "Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 2:5, ESV). You walk as He walked (1 Peter 2:21). You become, as Paul describes, an imitator of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1; 1 Thessalonians 1:6), walking in love "just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God" (Ephesians 5:2).

This is not a self-improvement project. It is transformation. And it requires something far costlier than effort: the continual death of self and the continual application of God's grace to the places where self keeps reasserting itself. That is the work of a lifetime. No one completes it before glory.

But the person it produces is the most quietly powerful person in any room. Not because they have made themselves great, but because they are genuinely free from the need to be. They can sit in the lowest seat at the table and be at peace. They can wash feet without keeping a record of it. They can forgive what cost them something real to forgive. They can hear someone else praised and feel nothing diminished within themselves.

That is the person God had in mind when His Son said that the one who humbles himself will be exalted (Luke 14:11). In His own time, in His own way, at a table where the seating arrangements are entirely His to make, God will say what every proud heart has spent a lifetime trying to manufacture from the wrong direction:

Friend, move up higher spiritually.

The way up in God's kingdom is downward to serve, and the way down is to put yourself up to be served. 

For liberty's sake, did there really need to be a USA Revolution? Yep.

Christianity was central to America's founding. Yes, many of the Revolution's key ideas were shaped by biblical convictions in the hearts of real believing patriots, and God's providence was at work in this nation's birth. 

Many historians agree that biblical Christianity significantly influenced the founding era, while others emphasize additional influences such as Enlightenment philosophy, English common law, and classical republicanism.

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There Really Needed To Be A Revolution! 

America was not born merely from political rebellion but from deeply held convictions about God, truth, liberty, and human dignity. The American Revolution succeeded because countless pastors, ordinary believers, courageous statesmen, and citizens believed that God alone is the ultimate King and that every person is accountable first to Him.

The Revolution rested on a simple but profound conviction:

Human rights are not granted by governments. They are gifts from the Creator. Because God gives them, no king, parliament, president, or court possesses the authority to take them away.

This conviction distinguished America from previous revolutions. Liberty was viewed not as permission to do whatever one pleased but as the God-given freedom to pursue righteousness, worship freely, govern oneself responsibly, and obey one's conscience under God.

The founders repeatedly acknowledged God's providence. George Washington often referred to "the Invisible Hand" or "Providence," recognizing that many events leading to American independence seemed beyond human explanation. Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry, John Jay, and many others spoke openly of dependence upon God.

The pulpits of colonial America played an extraordinary role. Faithful ministers preached from Scripture that unjust rulers are accountable to God and that civil government exists to reward good and restrain evil (Romans 13; 1 Peter 2:13–17). They urged believers to seek liberty not for selfish independence but so they could faithfully serve God.

This American experiment depended upon something deeper than constitutions and elections. Freedom requires self-government, and self-government requires moral character. Laws alone cannot preserve liberty if virtue disappears.

America's greatness, therefore, does not ultimately rest upon military strength, wealth, technology, or political institutions. It rests upon a people who acknowledge God, cultivate virtue, defend truth, cherish religious liberty, and understand that freedom carries responsibility.

America has been given a remarkable stewardship: to shine as a "city set on a hill," demonstrating that a free people under God can flourish and bless the nations. That calling must be renewed by each generation. KnowGod.org

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Real Christians Wanted To Live Free!

Eric Metaxas says...

"Freedom is never an end in itself. It exists so that people may freely choose what is good."

"Rights come from God, not government."

"Without virtue, liberty eventually destroys itself."

"The American story cannot be understood apart from the God who guided it."

"Providence is the missing chapter in much modern history."

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Go USA, and KEEP Going Forward... not Backward.

George Washington

"It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible." (Been told, but help to verify it was from GW.)

"Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, Religion and morality are indispensable supports." — Farewell Address (1796)

John Adams

"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious People. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."

Samuel Adams

"The rights of the colonists as Christians... may be best understood by reading and carefully studying the institutions of the great Lawgiver and Head of the Christian Church."

Patrick Henry

“It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason, peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here.” (Been told, but help to verify.) 

In Bible college my hermineutics and homeletics teachers kind of gave us this formula for preparation.

YEAH HERE'S THE (Saved spiritual Christian) PREACHER'S Prescription AS YOU.. Live the life authentically in public as well as in private as His good example to learn from. 

A watching world is there to take note. 

"Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction." 2 Timothy 4:2

"If God has given you a message, go and give it to the people as God has given it to you. It is a stupid thing to try to be eloquent" - D L Moody

Start with prayer and the Bible Text and then let it speak for itself.. calling sin ..sin, and righteousness.. right. Don't read into the text with your own meanings. Talk about Jesus brag about Jesus. Let the book point to Jesus as it does. He's the one we.all need most.

MORE JESUS

LESS DRAMA

LESS SELFISHNESS

LESS INVERTEDNESS 

LESS RELIGIOSITY

LESS WILLFULNESS 

LESS COMPLAINING

LESS BITTERNESS

LESS GOSSIP 

LESS CARNALITY 

LESS WORLDLINESS

LESS PRIDE

LESS FLESHLINESS

LESS UNBELIEF 

LESS ANGER

LESS UNCONFESSING

LESS ME

Would you pray something like, Lord, please increase in and through me! More of You, Lord.

When we pray we access our God's generous unchanging Bible promises. One cannot do Bible exposition unless you’re willing to make the effort that it takes to apply yourself studiously, prayerfully to the text. 

Be sure you are acquainted with the human author, the person or persons to whom the passage is addressed and the historical culture and circumstantial context to and from which the passage is written. That's basic. 

To whom did the human author write? One must Understand the author, the human author, insights in to his personality, into his ministry, into his circumstances at the time. Why did he write what he wrote? To whom did he write it? What were their circumstances? What was going on in their particular time and place – historical, cultural, m context, utterly and essentially important.

Why did he write what he wrote? To whom did he write it? What were their circumstances? What was going on in their particular time and place – historical, cultural, circumstantial context, utterly and essentially important.

Determining what the historical, cultural, circumstantial context is about is important. 

If you understand something of context and background and the framework, it really makes the passage come alive. Sure, when you take the interpretation step in the process (which involves bibliography as well as textual familiarity), this brings life. 

Choose to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit, and the sequence, understanding the scope and depth of the divine truths contained in the passage and where they fit into the total scope of the book in which they reside and the Bible as a whole. 

You always want to be involved with your preparation time in this process of principle-izing that text. In other words, you have a Bible text in front of you that you've prayed over, and what you want to do is transform that into basic principles. And that flows out of the interpretative process. For example, what principle is there to apply when we look at Matthew 8:1-4.. that we could wisely apply? Well Jesus wanted that particular man to immediately obey the law of God, to put feet to his faith. Now there it is -- you have a spiritual principle for the people.

Remember, out of the text flows the Biblical principle. The principle then becomes the basis upon which you survey the Scripture.

The application is to draw out of the text a divine truth, a divine principle. Therefore, you have principle-ized the text. Just follow the flow of the text.

You can often get your illustration from the text as well, but after you've principle-ized the text, you take that principle and find it wherever you can in the Word of God to support the fact that this is a Scripture-wide truth (not an idea merely in one location). And it’s like a diamond. You want to come at it in all kinds of facets.

God is the Author of the Bible, though He used people to pen it. God is very consistent with Himself and never once inconsistent with Himself.

Purpose early on. Do nothing independent from the Holy Spirit leading you. When you get feeling your oats, get feeling real intellectual with all the data, pray about it and remain dependent upon the Spirit.

This is where you and I need to stop, humble ourselves, confess our need, and spend time allowing the Spirit of God to purify your heart, soul and mind.

Do you remember the promise of our Lord to the Bible writers in John’s gospel? He said that the Spirit would come and lead them into all truth and bring all things to their remembrance.

Those words were primarily for the writers of Scripture, and not for us. But you and I have a similar promise in 1 John, don’t we? Sure. That we have an anointing from God, an unction, so that we need not that any man should teach us for the anointing from God teaches us all things.

I don't depend upon me, and you don’t depend upon you. We don't lean on human wisdom, but we depend on the wisdom of God.

Listen, you and I could never be effective students or ministers with the Scriptures unless you and I walk in the Spirit, unless our lives remain yielded to the Holy Spirit step by step.

Never forget, true biblical exposition lets the Bible fully speak for itself, so please guard the text through proper interpretation. The best Bible-prep-tool is the Bible. (Make all of it help for sound worship, for a believer's growth, and for soul-winning too. I like recalling the C.I.A. method - Context, Interpretation, and wise application). 

Exegesis vs. Eisegesis:
• Drawing meaning out of the text instead of reading ideas into it. 
Letting Scripture Speak as the Holy Spirit Illuminates Where He Will:
• Refusing front-loaded personal presuppositions or forcing verses to match a pre-made outline. 
Divine Intent:
• Explaining precisely what God meant when He inspired the passage, making His voice paramount. 

"Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine..." 1 TIMOTHY 4:16

1.) CONFESS YOURSELF CLEAN (Meaning you can't but God can. Sincerely confess sins to God asking for His Kind forgiveness. Yes, in repentance and faith admit it an quit it.. confess specifically.. knowing that he will indeed freely forgive you) Keep short accounts with God. Be quick to run to him and tell on yourself. A clean forgiven heart receives peace and anointing .. This life with Jesus gives power to the message, because he empowers.

2.) PRAY YOURSELF HOT (It's not you that changes the temperature, but your decisions and getting close to the Lord will change your life)

The fire in the pulpit is kindled in the Private closet and all through the day prayer connection.

3.) STUDY YOURSELF FULL (of Truth) Fill your mind with Scripture until truth overflows your life naturally. The best tool for learning truth from different parts of the Bible is the Bible.

4.) PREACH YOURSELF EMPTY (Go for it as the Spirit leads you). I pray I never go one minute too long or forgive to give sinners and opportunity to get right with God. (As you live the life and tell your own story (your testimony of how you got saved by Jesus, and how the Lord freed you from the bondage of sin and destructive habits), as you witness sharing the gospel message, there's great fulfillment and satisfaction in living your purpose)

What do Sermonettes produce? I would say, Christianettes.

Have you yet cultivated a healthy spiritual appitite for the milk and the meat of the word? Man, don't we still have way too many preacherettes preaching too many sermonettes to too many Christianettes. Is that what any of us really want to be? 

People are hungry and want to know how to live -- they don't want to be shortchanged when you edify them. Generiously give, holding nothing back until you know it's done. On the cross Jesus said "It is finished" (John 19:30), cuz His work was completed. Not half done, half baked. Don't add to or take away from the message. Don't water it down. Give people the whole 9 yards of the gospel message. Give them an opportunity to get right with God. Put a hook or a net in every opportunity. Pour out the message God has placed in your heart From his word.

5.) TRUST GOD FOR THE RESULTS THAT ONLY HE CAN PULL OFF

Faithfully sow the seeds of Faith and leave the harvest to God. The Lord is the only one that saves, but we can give people opportunities to repent and believe in Jesus. God didn't make us the judge. He made us witnesses that tell clearly what we've seen and experienced. Don't pressure manipulate or coerce anyone to come to church or to Christ.

Every single day life in Christ is a wonderful Adventure. Who will come across my past today that needs to hear about God's love? Lord, who can I pray for today? Who's open to hear the truth cuz I don't want to force it on anyone who's not open to the truth? GOD'S WORD OUR MESSAGE. His great commission is in my great mission. KnowGod.org

What!? A Preacher's Prescription! REALLY now?

"Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers."
1 Timothy 4:16 esv

Before God uses a man publicly, He shapes him privately. A preacher's life must be as consistent in the secret place as it is in the pulpit. A watching world notices both our message and our manner of life. May I review it again? 

A. Confess Your Sins and Walk in God's Cleansing

Keep short accounts with God.

Run quickly to your heavenly Father in repentance and faith. Be honest about your failures, knowing that Christ gladly forgives all who truly confess and turn to Him.

A clean conscience does not come from our efforts but from the finished work of Jesus Christ. As we walk in fellowship with Him, He restores our joy, peace, and usefulness for His service.

Key Scriptures: Psalm 32:1-5; Psalm 51:1-12; Proverbs 28:13; 1 John 1:9.

B. Pray Until Your Heart Burns for Christ

No one can manufacture spiritual fire. Only the Holy Spirit can kindle a heart that delights in God.

The fire in the pulpit is first kindled in the prayer closet. Communion with Christ throughout the day keeps our hearts tender, dependent, and spiritually alive.

The greatest sermons are born on our knees before they are spoken from our lips.

Key Scriptures: Jeremiah 20:9; Luke 24:32; Acts 4:31; Ephesians 6:18.

C. Study Until You Are Filled with God's Truth

Fill your heart and mind with the Scriptures until God's truth naturally overflows into your speech and your life.

The Bible is the best interpreter of the Bible. Compare Scripture with Scripture. Let God's Word shape your thinking rather than allowing the world to shape it.

A preacher who has little Scripture has little authority, but a preacher saturated with God's Word speaks with heaven's authority.

Key Scriptures: 2 Timothy 2:15; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Psalm 1:1-3; Colossians 3:16.

D. Bro, Preach Whole Heartedly, not Half-Heartedly

Be enthusiastic, in a real way. Hold nothing back.

Preach the whole counsel of God without adding to His Word or taking anything away from it. Never dilute the gospel to make it more acceptable.

Share your testimony of God's saving grace. Tell how Jesus rescued you from the penalty and power of sin. Point people to Christ, not yourself.

In every conversation, look for opportunities to cast the gospel net. Give people a clear opportunity to repent, believe in Jesus Christ, and follow Him.

Pour out what God has poured into you.

Key Scriptures: Acts 20:27; Romans 1:16; 2 Timothy 4:2; Revelation 22:18-19.

E. Trust God for the Results

Our responsibility is faithfulness. God's responsibility is the harvest.

Sow the seed of God's Word with love, truth, patience, and compassion. The Holy Spirit alone convicts sinners and gives new life. We are not called to manipulate decisions but to faithfully proclaim Christ and lovingly invite people to respond.

God has not appointed us to be judges. He has appointed us to be His witnesses, telling others what we have seen, heard, and experienced through Jesus Christ.

Leave the results in God's hands.

See: John 6:44; 1 Corinthians 3:6-7; Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 5:20.

Every day with Christ is a wonderful adventure.

"Lord, whose path will cross mine today? Open my eyes to those who need Your love. Show me who needs encouragement, prayer, or the hope of the gospel. Give me wisdom to recognize hearts You have prepared. 

Help me never to force Your truth on anyone, but to lovingly and boldly share Christ whenever You open the door.

May Your Word be my message, Your Spirit be my strength, Your glory be my goal, and Your Great Commission become my joyful mission. In Jesus' name, Amen."

See the New Testament pattern of ministry: watch your life (1 Timothy 4:16), pray (Acts 6:4), study the Word (2 Timothy 2:15), preach Christ faithfully (2 Timothy 4:2), and trust God to give the increase (1 Corinthians 3:6-7).

Don't clean yourself up to come to Christ. That's a bad idea cuz who can wash themselves clean? Come to Christ and let him clean up your life. The wise fisherman catches his fish before he cleans it. Christ cleanses us as we confess our sins (1 John 1:9). 

How can one "pray yourself hot"? That's a memorable expression, but it is the Holy Spirit who produces zeal and spiritual fervor as we abide in Christ (Romans 12:11; John 15:4-5). KnowGod.org

Influence: Stewarding God's Gift for His Glory, Not Our Gain

How has your influence been thus far? Good or bad?

Today, it would appear to us all.. that many public ministers for both the state and the Church have used their influence in the wrong way. Do the opposite of that, and please the Lord.

Have you ever seen so much fraud exposed in one year? 

"When you see that in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing - When you see that money is flowing to those who deal, not in goods, but in favors - When you see that men get richer by graft and by pull than by work, and your laws don't protect you against them, but protect them against you - When you see corruption being rewarded and honesty becoming a self-sacrifice - You may know that your society is doomed." Ayn Rand 1957

People today build their fortunes through dishonest political corruption and personal favors rather than through honest hard work and looking out for the citizens.

Graft: Using a public office, job, or position of trust to dishonestly steal or gain money (like taking bribes, kickbacks, or misusing public funds).

Pull: Having personal connections or "influence" with people in power who can give you special advantages, jobs, or business contracts that others cannot get fairly.

When people get rich by graft and pull, it means that they're so-called success has come from their consistent cheating of the system, and knowing the right corrupt officials - i.e., paying or giving of bribes.

"For none of us lives to himself..." (Romans 14:7)

Every person is an influencer. For good or for bad.

Whether you realize it or not, your life is constantly preaching a sermon. Your words teach. Your attitudes spread. Your habits are contagious. Your character leaves fingerprints on everyone you meet. Some influence thousands, others influence only a few, but no one influences no one.

The question is not, "Do I have influence?"

The question is, "Whose kingdom is my influence advancing?"

Is it pointing people to Christ or to myself.. or elsewhere?

Is it encouraging holiness or trying to normalize spiritual compromise?

Is it strengthening faith or weakening convictions? Is it helping to build up the Church or tearing it down. Whose kingdom is it building up?

When I became a Christian at age 18, I was godsmacked and amazed to realize that God would forgive a party-animal surfer like me, that He would change me and that He had a good plan for my life. In fact, his plan for me is better than the plan I had for myself.

But when it came to God actually using me for His purposes, I wondered what I could bring to the table. I've never been some great comedian or great academic. I wasn’t a musician. And I wasn’t even close to being an orator.

I was just a 18-year-old kid and Dana Point with not a whole lot to offer to God. 

Remember the boy in the New Testament story of the Feeding of the Five Thousand. He wanted to help and so did I. I still do. 

The boy had a few barley loaves and a couple of fish, yet Jesus multiplied them. 

We all have a part to play. big or small and the important part is that we each do our part in obedience to what the Lord directs us to do.

The thought that God could use me amazed me, actually.

In Costa Mesa, I heard from my pastors Chuck Smith, Randy Ziegler (He's the one who witnessed to me on the beach), and Greg Laurie that I should be out caring and sharing in that order.. telling other people about Jesus Christ. 

I was a baby Christian and wanted to live the life first .. but maybe I could live it until it at the same time? 

I thought I’d give it a go. I saw another surfer named Brad about my age sitting on the beach at South Creek, and I thought he has always been a nice guy. We worked at a restaurant for a period of time together. 

So I walked up to him calm and trying to be confident.. I engaged him in a conversation about the Bible and who that whole book points to - Jesus. Did I use a lot of versus or a long testimony story? Nope. I’m sure I made a mess of how it's supposed to be done, but much to my shock and delight, he said yes when I asked her if she would like to accept Christ into her life.

Afterward I thought and prayed, “Lord, I want to pray, trust You, and do this some more. Please use me.” 

Yes, Lord, I want You to help me to even pray better and do this wisely.. more. 

Yes, I wanted God to use me in other ways too.

I'm not totally sure at all about how much God has used me, but I can confidently say that the greatest joy I know, next to being a Christian following the Lord, is being used by God. What a ginormous privilege it is.

In the book of Ezekiel, chapter 22, God said, “I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn’t have to destroy the land, but I found no one” (verse 30 NLT).

Think about that. I believe God is still looking for people to use. He’s looking and saying, “Is there someone I could use, someone who could stand in the gap? Is there someone who could speak up for Me, who would not be embarrassed or afraid? Is there someone who would just take a little bit of risk and let Me speak through them?”

Back in the day, a young man named Dwight Lyman Moody was working in a shoe store. Yes, he was a shoe clerk. His coworker shared the gospel with him, and as a result Moody became a born-again believer. Then one day someone said to him, “The world has yet to see what God will do with a man fully consecrated to Him.”

Moody thought By the grace of God, I want to become that person.. “By the Holy Spirit in me I’ll be that man.”

So he went from selling soles to being used by Jesus to save souls. Yes, God used D. L. Moody powerfully to touch thousands, even millions, of people.

And God is still looking for a man or a woman He could work through who is fully committed to Him.

Everyone has a pulpit so to speak, wherever they are. That pulpit, so to speak, is the platform before the people we influence. It might be the people we run into when we get our morning coffee or the people around us at work. It’s people in our families and in our neighborhoods. That’s our platform, our pulpit. God can use you as a full-time minister as he calls some people to become or as a tent maker minister as he calls others to become. He saves us, cleans us up, and He reshapes us for His world-changing purpose. He has a specific plan for you, so you need to pray specifically. You are a meaningful specific in Christ, not a wandering generality. 

Influence Is a Stewardship from God

Every opportunity, every relationship, every conversation, every position of leadership, every gift, every talent, every dollar, every platform, every friendship, and every moment of life is entrusted to us by God.

None of it ultimately belongs to us.

We are stewards, not owners.

Jesus taught that one day every servant will stand before the Master and give an account (Matthew 25:14-30; Luke 12:42-48). Our influence is one of those sacred trusts.

Influence is never given so that we may build our own kingdom.

It is given so we may build Christ's Kingdom.

John the Baptist expressed the heart every believer should have:

"He must increase, but I must decrease." (John 3:30)

That is God's philosophy of influence.

The world says, "Build your own platform for you."

Jesus says, "Take up your cross."

The world says, "Promote yourself for your own sake."

Jesus says, "Deny yourself."

The world says, "Gain followers after You primarily."

Jesus says, "Follow Me."

You and I can't go wrong if we keep living the life in the Spirit and pointing people to Christ. We want everyone to repent, believe and join Jesus in His great eternal Cause. 

Influence Without the Fear of God .. It Can Become Dangerous

We all seem to have feet of clay up to our armpits -- we all still contend with a fleshly nature still. 

Influence itself is neither good nor evil.

Its value depends upon the heart that exercises it.

Throughout Scripture we see people who used influence for selfish ambition and others who used it for God's glory.

Joseph used his influence to preserve precious life.

Daniel used his influence to honor God before pagan kings.

Esther used her influence to save her people.

Nehemiah used his influence to rebuild what had been broken.

Paul used his influence to preach Christ across the Roman Empire.

Yet Pharaoh used influence to oppress.

Jezebel used influence to spread her beloved idolatry.

Judas used influence to betray Christ.

Diotrephes "loved to be first" and abused his position within the church (3 John 9-10).

The fear of the Lord is what keeps influence from becoming manipulation.

Without reverence for God, influence becomes a tool for pride, power, control, greed, and self-promotion.

With the fear of God, influence becomes humble service.

We Are Living Epistles

Long before people read our Bible, they read our lives.

Paul wrote,

"You are our letter...known and read by everyone." (2 Corinthians 3:2-3)

Our neighbors are reading us.

Our families are reading us.

Our coworkers are reading us.

Our churches are reading us.

Our children are reading us.

The question is: What Gospel are they seeing?

Do they see Christ's patience?

His purity?

His compassion?

His humility?

His truth?

Or do they simply see another religious person living like everyone else?

Is Jesus Living His Life Through You?

Christianity is not merely trying harder.

It is Christ living His life through surrendered people.

Paul testified,

"It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me." (Galatians 2:20)

Jesus never intended believers merely to imitate Him in human strength.

He came to live in His people through the Holy Spirit.

The Christian life is supernatural.

When we walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-26), His fruit begins to appear naturally: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

That fruit becomes one of the greatest influences any believer can have upon a watching world.

The Bible Changes People—and Changed Societies

God's Word has never returned empty.

Isaiah declared,

"So shall my word be...it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose." (Isaiah 55:10-11)

Throughout history, wherever Scripture has been believed and obeyed, lives have been transformed.

Families have been restored.

Hospitals have been founded.

Schools established.

Slavery challenged.

The poor cared for.

The unborn defended.

Missionaries sent.

Churches planted.

Communities changed.

Yet the Bible's primary mission has never been merely to reform cultures.

It transforms hearts.

Changed hearts produce changed homes.

Changed homes strengthen churches.

Healthy churches become lights within communities.

Communities influenced by godly people often experience greater justice, compassion, honesty, and stability.

The gospel works from the inside out.

Our Mission Is His Great Commission 

Ancient Israel was uniquely established by God as a covenant nation under His direct rule.

The New Testament never commands the Church to recreate Israel's civil government.

Instead, believers are instructed to respect governing authorities (Romans 13:1-7), pray for leaders (1 Timothy 2:1-4), obey lawful authority, and live peaceful, godly lives.

At the same time, Christians should never abandon their responsibility to speak truth, defend righteousness, pursue justice, and seek the welfare of their communities.

We influence society not by coercion but by conviction.

Not merely through political power but through transformed lives.

Not first by changing laws but by proclaiming the gospel that changes hearts.

People need Christ even more than they need better government.

Salt and Light

Jesus called His followers "the salt of the earth" and "the light of the world" (Matthew 5:13-16).

Salt preserves.

Light exposes darkness.

Neither accomplishes its purpose by hiding.

Christians are called to enter every sphere of society—as faithful workers, parents, business owners, teachers, neighbors, public servants, and church members—bringing the character of Christ wherever God places them.

Our influence should make dishonesty less acceptable.

Our kindness should soften bitterness.

Our integrity should expose corruption.

Our compassion should reveal God's heart.

Our truthfulness should point people to Christ.

Influence That Lasts Forever

Many people spend their lives building reputations that disappear with time.

Jesus calls us to invest in eternal things.

Influence measured by social media fades.

Influence measured by heaven lasts forever.

The greatest leaders are not those who accumulate the most followers.

They are those who faithfully point the most people to Jesus.

The greatest influence is not popularity.

It is Christlikeness.

A Final Challenge

Someone is becoming more like you every day.

Your children.

Your grandchildren.

Your friends.

Your coworkers.

Your church family.

Your neighbors.

The question is not whether you are influencing them.

You already are.

The question is whether your influence is making it easier for them to see Jesus.

So live under the fear of God.

Walk in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Fill your mind with God's Word.

Love people sincerely.

Serve without seeking applause.

Speak the truth with grace for decisions. Jesus alone can save people. 

Use every opportunity God gives you to exalt Jesus and win souls to Him—not to make your own name great—but to make much of Jesus Christ. KnowGod.org

May our lives be so full of Christ that when people remember us, they remember Him.

The Bible never teaches that Christians should seek influence as an end in itself, or for self. Rather, we seek Christ, and to positively influence People towards him. This influence is to be the byproduct of a holy life empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Jesus never commanded us, "Go gain influence." He commanded us to follow Him, make disciples, love God, love our neighbor, and proclaim the gospel. As we obey Him, our influence naturally grows for His glory. To be a good leader.. influencing righteousnessly means to be a good follower of Christ biblically.

Christ lovingly transforms people by the truth of His Word and Spirit, and transformed people influence families, churches, communities, and even nations towards God's word. 

The ultimate goal is never personal influence or political power so you can sit, soak, sour, and wallow in the gravy, but its for glorifying God through spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ.