Anchor Your Life

Together We Can Make a Difference

God's Word

The BIG Question

By

Teach me knowledge and good judgment, for I believe in your commands. (NIV) Psalm 119:66

By far and away the most oft asked question that I field is: “How can I know God’s will?” The primary way of knowing God’s will is through God’s Word! God’s Word will never contradict His will. If you don’t know God’s Word, dig in and you will find His will! Look at some of the ways that God’s Word works in our lives.

Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. (NIV) Joshua 1:8

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (NIV) 2 Timothy 3:16-17

How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. (NIV) Psalm 119:9-11

He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me; and he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him, and will disclose Myself to him.” (NAS) John 14:21

How well do you know God’s Word? Not just your favorite passages, but the whole book? What will it take to for you to become better acquainted with God’s Word so that you will know His will?

Share

Christian Unity

By

I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. (NIV) John 17:23

“The task to which we are called is not the sacrifice of any principle in which we firmly believe. It is rather to return to Christ not a figure of the imagination, but the Christ of the Scriptures and to listen to His voice in obedience, to discover afresh what is the Truth. All unpretentious Bible study, every effort to disseminate a true scriptural theology, and every earnest prayer is part of the task of promoting that unity which is truly Christian. We must not envisage Christian Unity as consisting of far off and doubtful schemes, but as something very nigh which affects us all.”

“If we are really to seek for Christian Unity, we must be prepared to pay the cost. For it must be based upon love, and love is always costly. It will never be attained until there is ‘far more humility, far more thought, far more self-sacrifice, and far more prayer, than there is at present.’ (Streeter) If we are right in the conclusion that such disunion as has been sinful in the history of the Church has been due to pride, self assertion, and contempt for God’s Word and commandment, then it follows that the way to the unity which God wills [is] through humility, love of the brethren, and obedience to the Divine Revelation. When Christians pray to be shown where they have been wrong, proud, complaisant, or censorious, and to be put right; when they meet for common counsel and study of the Word, in the spirit of obedience and prepared to subject their individual opinions to the guidance of the Spirit; where the strong are willing to foster and strengthen the weak; and where all are seeking the common good rather than their own sectional interests: then the pathway to unity will become plain, and God will grant His blessing.” – G. T. Manley, Christian Unity [1945]

What are you doing to promote Christian unity?

Share

Change in Position

By

“For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” So they began to celebrate. (NIV) Luke 15:24

“For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” Can you imagine the look of love that must have been on the father’s face as he said that!?! The father in the parable is the picture of the Heavenly Father. Just as the father in the parable exemplified authentic, self-sacrificing love towards his son, our Heavenly Father extends authentic, self-sacrificing LOVE to us.

God wants us in His family. . .in His presence. . .with Him forever. . .to lavish us with honor, royalty, and blessings. . .to give us sufficiency in being His child. He does not want to just clothe us in outer beauty, but in the righteousness of Jesus Christ Himself. He wants to transform us from the inside out. He will not feed us with a fattened calf, but will feed us on His word. He is not interested in just the celebration of a banquet, but in joyful living.

Our heavenly Father’s compassion is offered to change our eternal destiny, and make a marked difference in the quality of life today. If there is still something missing from your life, run to the Father, spend time with Him in His Word, and allow Him to transform you into all that He has created you to be!

Share

In Times of Trouble

By

When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. (NIV) Acts 18:5

Paul invested God’s Word in the lives of those in Corinth and God changed lives. “Crispus, the synagogue ruler, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard him believed and were baptized” (Acts 18:8). But, Paul had opposition. The Jews became abusive to him. Once again Paul faces oppostion. But, God is good. He knows what we need at all times and He encouraged Paul.

One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God. (Acts 18:9-11)

Although God told Paul to “not be afraid” it did not mean that Paul’s ministry in Corinth would go smoothly. “. . .the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him into court” (Acts 18:12). They charged him with trying to persuade the people to worship God in ways that were contrary to the law. Paul was persecuted for sharing God’s Word.

How are you facing opposition as you follow God? Are you discouraged in your ministry? How are you being persecuted when you share God’s Word with others? How are you suffering for living a life that honors God? Do not get discouraged. Do not give up hope. Turn to the One who sees all. . .who hears all. . .who knows all. . .and has purposes for His Kingdom.

And the God of all grace,
who called you to his eternal glory in Christ,
after you have suffered a little while,
will himself restore you
and make you strong, firm and steadfast. (NIV) 1 Peter 5:10

Share

Truth

By

Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. (NIV) John 17:17

What are you doing to diffuse Truth? TRUTH. . . not opinions, not traditions. . .not what you’ve heard and believed, but never lined it up against Scripture. How are you sharing Truth with your neighbors? co-workers? children? everyday acquaintances? When do purposely spread Truth? Is your life saturated with Truth?

Truth is found in one place, in one person, Jesus Christ. The only way you and I will know if what we believe about Jesus Christ is Truth, is if we line up our beliefs with the Word of God? Will you choose to dig into the Bible today with the purpose of knowing Truth in a more intimate way so that you can spread His Truth everywhere you go?

Written by Marji “Mike” Kruger

Share

A Christ-Following Quiz

By

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. (NIV) John 10:27

  • Are you being diligent in learning to accurately handle God’s Word? (2 Timothy 2:15)
  • How consistently do you examine yourself in light of God’s Word? or are you simply comparing yourself to how others live? (1 Samuel 16:7; 2 Corinthians 10:12; Hebrews 4:12)
  • Are you a doer of the Word? How much does your life reflect an increasing obedience to God’s Word? (James 1:22-25)
  • Do you deny yourself by trying to put off your natural self-centeredness? or do you only think of yourself? (Matthew 10:38-39; Luke 9:23-24)
  • Do you put the welfare of others ahead of yourself? or are you always looking out for number 1? (Philippians 2:3-4)
  • Are you loving others in Biblical ways? (1 Corinthians 13)
  • Are you forgiving others as Christ has forgiven you? or are you hanging on to your “rights”? (Ephesians 4:32; James 4:17; Psalm 103:10; Psalm 51:9)

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. (NIV) Matthew 16:24

Written by Marji “Mike” Kruger

Share

Give Me a Passion to Know You and Your Word

By

Oh Father, I see the passion that the author of Psalm 119 had for You as he writes. . .

I Seek You with all my heart. . .I have hidden Your word in my heart. . .I delight in Your decrees. . .I have set my heart on Your laws. . .I run in the path of Your commands. . .turn my heart, my eyes toward Your statutes. . .I have put my hope in Your laws. . .Your decrees are the theme of my song. . .You are my portion. . .I have sought your face with all my heart. . . at midnight I rise to give you thanks. . .I keep Your precepts with all my heart. . .I have put my hope in Your Word. . .My soul faints with longing for your salvation.

I have sought out Your precepts. . .I will ponder Your statutes. . .I meditate on it all day long. . .Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart. . .my heart is set on keeping Your decrees. . .I stand in awe of Your laws. . . I open my mouth and pant, longing for Your commands. . .streams of tears flow from my eyes for Your law is not obeyed. . .my zeal wears me out.

I call with all my heart. . .I rise before dawn and cry out to You. . .my eyes stay open through the watches of the night. . . I love Your precepts. . .my heart trembles at Your word. . .I love Your law. . .7 times a day I praise You. . .I wait for Your salvation, I follow Your commands, I obey Your statutes, for I love them greatly. . .may my lips overflow, my tongue sing. . . I long for Your salvation. . .Your law is my delight. . .I have strayed like a lost sheep.  Seek Your servant, for I have not forgotten Your commands.

A prayer to pray:
Oh Lord, I long to have a passion for You and Your Word like that. I want an unquenchable passion to know You and Your Word.  And yet the author is very honest.  Even he strayed from You, “like a lost sheep.”  He knows that only You can seek Him out, find him, deliver him.  Father, I want that passion. Forgive me for turning away from You and pursuing other things. . .forgive me for when I choose to dwell on impure thoughts. . .there is no good thing in me. I want to echo Psalm 16:2: I said to the LORD, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.” (NIV) There is no good in me, only You. The incredible thing is that that is enough. Amen

Read through the Bible in a Year!

Share

His Word

By

God’s Word truly does stand forever. Personally, I don’t want to depend on anything or anyone else, but God and His Word! Not other men or even men’s opinions about God’s Word!

Who are you listening to? Are you digging into God’s Word and finding Truth for yourself? Or are you depending upon what others to give you? depending upon others to explain God’s Word? Are you depending upon a pastor to show you God through His Word? or a teacher? or a radio personality? your spouse? a friend?

Those who teach us from the Bible are important, but God also wants you to get into His Word for yourself. . . spend time in the Bible . . . wrestle with what He is saying to you through His Word. . . and I promise you, you’ll never be the same!

Read through the Bible in a Year!

Share

© 1997-2024 Anchor Your Life All Rights Reserved