Lies - Samuel Godfrey George

The Forbidden Fruit - Samuel Godfrey George

Running The Race

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us" (Hebrews 12: 1)

Can we live any way we want?

The Sayings of Samuel Godfrey George - Temptations and Addictions

To like a person for his or her looks, what a deceptive thing that is! I have fallen for looks many times and I am far from being victorious in this area. Thankfully God is with me to guide me away from such superficial attractions. With God I have learned to look into the hearts and minds of people. I do not have the prowess of God in such a task. But I certainly have his Spirit in me, and He gives me insight into human nature.

What is evil? Anything that distracts you from God is evil. Even if the thing is harmless in itself, as long as it draws your attention away from God and denies Him the first place in your heart it is undoubtedly evil.

Be your own thought police. Say, “This kind of thinking can’t go on, as it militates against what I know about God.” Even if it moves only a fraction off the Godly way, even if it should look harmless and good and 

desirable, discard it, kick it and demolish it. Consider it dead and buried.

Lucifer whispers, “Don’t only think about God. Think about other things too. You will be missing out on all the good things in life. Even God does not mind your enjoying these things. He created these things and He wants you to enjoy them. He is not so severe as to ask you to stay away from these. As long as God is in you, you cannot cross the line. You will be in control. Just experience what you want to experience. Express the longings of your heart. This is how you truly experience life. And this is how you glorify God by truly enjoying what He created.”

It is not in wanting but in not wanting that strength is expressed. You should not want what you cannot have. And when you cannot have something it is strong not to want it.

Deception is saying the unholy thing in the holy way. It is falsehood uttered like truth. It is pain conveyed like joy. It is hell portrayed as heaven.

What is the use of a beautiful exterior without a beautiful interior? The exterior may only point to the interior. But without a beautiful interior the beauty of an exterior is worthless.

Can you run away from what troubles you? Can you fly away from every temptation? If so, will you not be running all your life? Is it not better to confront the problem and deal with it? Is it not better to bring in all that you have learned from previous mistakes to resolve the problem? Is it not better to believe that you can deal with your problems rather than believe that they are too difficult to deal with?

To see and to not reach out, to have and to not experience, to possess and to not retain, this is strength, this is how you overcome the irresistible impulse. You can never run away from the thing that pursues you. But you can live with it and discard it through the knowledge of the self.

Does the sore still itch? Does the wound still produce a tingle of pain? Is your sleep still disturbed? Are you dreams still unpleasant? Don't worry. Don't give it undue thought. Know this, Jesus is at work within you. He has saved you from your sin, even if you don't feel saved. If the Son has saved you, you are saved indeed. Believe in this and walk by faith.

When Christ is in you, all will be well. No matter what the conflict, no matter what the urge, Christ will have His way in you.

Are you as incapable as you think you are? See what reduces you to powerlessness. See it well. May be when you see it completely you will regain the power that you surrendered to it.

It is water that you must discipline yourself to drink. There is many a flavoured drink around. It is the Living Water that you must thirst for. There is many a man-made god around.

The only lie in the mind of the addict that needs to be dispelled is that the addiction is too strong to be overcome. When the lie is rejected and the addict realizes and finds his strength, the addiction will be broken.

When the tempting thing is pushed away it shall tempt you even more. Abstain from a temptation and it shall tempt you worse than before. But stay close to the temptation, look it in the eye, study it from all angles, experience it in deep concentration, and then you shall taste and see the littleness of it. And the more you see the littleness of it the less its hold over you.

You can either face something that tempts you to the core and overcome it or die trying to overcome it. Or you can run away from it and keep running away for the rest of your life, savouring the thought that you could not find the courage to confront the thing that most challenged you.

The next time you want to fool around with something, because you get a kick out of it, ask, "Is this all I can get out of it? Is there anything else I can do with it? Can I exercise a degree of control over it?" And then maybe you will stop and do something else with it.

Even the decapitated head of a snake may bite I have heard. If true, then one must beat the head into a pulp after the decapitation, as no risk may be taken with snake heads, both real and imaginary.

There are many beautiful forms in the world. You may look at all of them. But there is a danger in looking at even some of them. You may lose yourself in your desire for them. You may wander in desert places with an undying thirst. Beauty is not all. Beyond beauty there is something else.

Just do two or three things. Don't be obsessed with one thing.

Don't submit to the weak desires. What weakens you is a weak desire. Submit only to the strong desires, those that strengthen you and make you the person that you know you have to be.

Don't beat your head about the mistake that you made today. Let this not ruin your hope in God, who has paid for all your mistakes. So let not your latest error pull you away from the love of your Lord who understands your vulnerability. Rest in His undying love. But continue to hope and strive towards betterment, for the Lord is your strength, and the closer you draw to Him, the greater will be your strength.

Power over evil is to be able to do evil and still be willing to refrain from doing it. It is only he who can do evil and yet does not choose to do evil that has any power over evil.

Not everything is beneficial

Everything is permissible for me

The Sayings of Samuel Godfrey George - Advice to the Young

There is no need to be rude to make a point. All that you need to do is to say it quietly yet forcefully, dispassionately yet memorably, and gently yet uncompromisingly.

Don't be hard on yourself for the mistake you made today. Let this not ruin your hope in God, who has forgiven all your mistakes. So let not your latest error pull you away from the love of your Lord who understands your vulnerability. Rest in His undying love. But continue to hope and strive towards betterment, for the Lord is your strength, and the closer you draw to Him, the greater will be your strength.

It is good to be friendly to others. Still examine your heart as to why you are friendly. Are you showing affection without any desire for a return gesture, or are you seeking something from the person to whom you are being friendly? Are you willing to face rejection and still continue to show affection, or will you cease to be friendly when you realize that your attentions are spurned? The only kind of friendliness that passes the test is the one that is given without any expectation and is willing to suffer rejection.

Don't submit to the weak desires. Submit only to the strong desires, those that strengthen you and make you the person that you want to be.

I will not scratch your back today. You may scratch mine if you like. Maybe then your scratching will be unselfish.

There are many beautiful forms in the world. You may look at all of them. But there is a danger in looking at even some of them. You may lose yourself in your desire for them. You may wander in desert places with an undying thirst. Beauty is not all. Beyond beauty there is something else.

Just do two or three things. Don't be obsessed with one thing.

Speak. But never speak completely. Always withhold the very essence. You shall not be known.

Be grateful for everything, even for the beggarly gift. You are not entitled to anything, and yet you have been given.

Some things are slow. Some things take a long time. If you are prepared to wait they are surely worth the wait. But if you are not prepared to wait, either you are not worthy of them or they are not worthy of you.

If you want to teach something practise it yourself. No one teaches as powerfully as he who displays the qualities that he intends to instil in others.

You see the truth. But will you remember the truth in the time of the test? Will you hang on to it? Will you wield it to destroy the falsehood that has a temporary appeal that is greater than the truth? This is the question that you must affirmatively answer.

If someone is truly your friend he will search for you. Allow him to search for you. Separate yourself from him. Deprive him of your company. And you shall see how much you mean to him.

Delay everything you long to do by a few hours. You may discover that your longing may diminish with time.

Forgive not because forgiveness is good for you. Such forgiveness is worthless. Forgive because everyone whom you will ever forgive is as weak and flawed as you are. People need your forgiveness as much as you need theirs.

It is good not to ridicule anyone or anything. We are all quite ridiculous anyway.

Sometimes when you do something people notice. Sometimes when you do something people do not notice. Regardless of how people react, do something. Do something as long as you want to do something. Do something only for that reason.

Speak the truth even if everybody speaks it. Speak it especially when nobody speaks it.

Spell out even painfully your expectations. Declare them as truth even if they should look utterly improbable. As light came to dispel a huge darkness your hope will eventually dismantle the barriers that seem impregnable.

To conquer the thing you fear you must do the thing you fear. Then you must wait and learn.

A step-by-step approach is best. It is good not to achieve the goal immediately. Let achievement and addition be gradual and spaced out. In this way every event can be studied and judged. Thus one can maintain a greater control over something.

To let something grow one must be willing to ignore it.

Everything that crushes hope redefines your soul and renews hope that will better endure the realities of life.

You say that you have tried hard. But have you put in your best effort? You say that you have, but have you really done that? Have you deliberately concluded that you have put in your best effort when you know that you haven't?

Do not create strange places of discomfort but familiar places of comfort. Where there is comfort there is hope. Where there is hope there is strength.

Dig deep into yourself. There is no telling what you will find in there. There is no limit to self-discovery.

When you launch your thought into action, there is every opportunity for learning and realization no matter what the outcome of the venture. Lose or gain, happy or disappointed, you will return with knowledge as long as you are receptive to it.

Whatever the cost, when you know that something is wrong and that you can do something about it, step in and do something about it.

God bless you my dear. You are more important than any mistake that you might have made. I was upset about something that you did not remember to do. But the unhappy feeling lasted only a while. The joy of having you in my life, and the joy of knowing you outlast any unpleasantness that you may have occasioned.

You must not be ashamed to love. If there is a tender muscle in your body exercise it now.

Give it time, only give it time, and the thing that you do not think is possible will happen.

Do you know why you are depressed? You do not take joy in the little things. There are many beautiful things happening in your life. But you do not notice them, for you are waiting for the big thing to happen. Nothing that is useful no matter how small should be ignored. Rejoice in the little things, and you will be happy.

If you want something badly you must be prepared to wait for it.

When something does not happen, just will it to happen. Don't lose hope, but be absolutely certain that it will happen.

It's a good thing to feel pain. Don't be alarmed. It's good to be dissatisfied and hungry. It's good to keep on longing. By far this state is better than that of the one who is content with the present situation. Keep striving for the extra, keep longing for the elusive, keep dreaming of achieving and keep hoping in God, who shall make everything possible.

The requirement for an approach that allows for mistakes is the ability to live with mistakes. A man who is willing to make mistakes should not cringe from living with his mistakes.

Are you as incapable as you think you are? See what reduces you to powerlessness. See it well. May be when you see it completely you will regain the power that you surrendered to it.

Do what stimulates you. Exercise the mind and the body regularly. This is how you show your gratitude for the gift of life.

Distinguish between what you really want to learn and what you will not mind learning. Then focus your mind and direct your heart to all that you really want to learn and discard everything else.

When Christ is in you, all will be well. No matter what the conflict, no matter what the urge, Christ will have His way in you.

Sometimes you can try your best and still fail to produce the desired effect. That's when you should draw from within and continue in the same vein. It really does not matter how you're received as long as you perform optimally.

You are waiting for a glorious moment. But what do you think about this moment? Are you not celebrating today? Do you not rejoice in the present moment? Are you not already so far ahead from where you were once?

Does the sore still itch? Does the wound still produce a tingle of pain? Is your sleep still disturbed? Are you dreams still unpleasant? Don't worry. Don't give it undue thought. Know this, Jesus is at work within you. He has saved you from your sin, even if you don't feel saved. If the Son has saved you, you are saved indeed. Believe in this and walk by faith.

Every trickle of blessing that comes your way, stop and give thanks. Cease your relentless search for joy, pause and take note of God's act of kindness, though it may be little. Thank God with all your heart. Celebrate the little things, the little strokes of love from God's fingers.

To succeed in communication, restraint is more important than expression. Language is powerful, and he who can restrain from the unnecessary use of language is most powerful in his use of it.

To see and to not reach out, to have and to not experience, to possess and to not retain, this is strength, this is how you overcome the irresistible impulse. You can never run away from the thing that pursues you. But you can live with it and discard it through the knowledge of the self.

You've got to get a little angry sometimes, at least to know the use of anger. Anger is never useless. It may be needless.

Do misunderstand. Only then shall you understand.

Never react immediately. Delay your reaction by days, months, preferably by a year or two.

Can you run away from what troubles you? Can you fly away from every temptation? If so, will you not be running all your life? Is it not better to confront the problem and deal with it? Is it not better to bring in all that you have learned from previous mistakes to resolve the problem? Is it not better to believe that you can deal with your problems rather than believe that they are too difficult to deal with?

The advantage of pain is that you become stronger through experiencing it. So don't be afraid of pain. Don't treat it as something undesirable. Take it and experience it. Love it and learn from it. It is going to tell you something that no joy no matter how wonderful can convey to you.

Learning to be silent is more important than learning to speak.

If you can create something and give it to others and then walk away from what you created without looking back, then you have gained mastery over your creation.

To work well you must learn to work in silence. Do not depend on anything or anyone. Just draw from within what has been placed by divine hands. Believe in yourself, believe in your strength. And draw from within in utter silence. And when you produce your work and present it to the world accept nothing but silence in return.

What is the use of a beautiful exterior without a beautiful interior? The exterior may only point to the interior. But without a beautiful interior the beauty of an exterior is worthless.

It is beauty that we seek. It is beauty that we want to celebrate. Not physical beauty as it lasts only a while, and its celebration is only momentary. But inner beauty, the beauty of the mind and the heart cannot be erased by time. This beauty ennobles the seeker and fulfils his soul.

It is not in wanting but in not wanting that strength is expressed. You should not want what you cannot have. And when you cannot have something it is strong not to want it.

Why I am not a Muslim - Samuel Godfrey George

The Lord's Prayer

The Sayings of Samuel Godfrey George - Self-Assessment and Resolutions

To like a person for his or her looks, what a deceptive thing that is! I have fallen for looks many times and I am far from being victorious in this area. Thankfully God is with me to guide me away from such superficial attractions. With God I have learned to look into the hearts and minds of people. I do not have the prowess of God in such a task. But I certainly have his Spirit in me, and He gives me insight into human nature.

Doing what I think is good is not good enough anymore. Doing what is truly good in the eyes of God is what I need to do. My life should be determined by God’s will for me. May I seek God’s will as those who thirst in a dry land seek water.  

I don’t want to meet anyone randomly. Let every human contact be God-ordained and purpose-driven. Let every person I meet be the one God wants me to meet for a certain reason.

It is time for me not to say that I love God. That time is over. It is time for me to prove that I love God. And the only way I can do that is by following God and living according to His teachings.

To experience the good things of life as I see them or to experience them as God promises to reveal them, that is the question.

To destroy a person is absolutely easy. I have the linguistic and cerebral skills to dismantle many and even any. But the fact that I refuse to wield the sword as the world wields it, is a testimony of my exceptional restraint, a gift from God. To construct a person is particularly difficult and sometimes immensely annoying. But that is another story.

All this silence is good. I have stayed much in places that are not silent. Now I can hear the sound of my own thoughts and discern the truth of what I am not hearing. This is the blessing that may appear distressing.

I shall let you remain only to remind me of how unsatisfactory you are, of how futile the pursuit of the unsatisfactory is.

It is always, "Why have people not noticed? Why have people not commented? Why have people not agreed with me?" When will it be, "Why have I not noticed God? Why have I not sought God's opinion? What does God think about what I just did?" This is the mental graduation that has till now eluded me.

So what if the world finds my faith laughable? I shall not laugh along with the world.

This is where I often get derailed. It is not what I do. It is what God does in me and through me. What I can do is solely determined by what God can do through me.

My mind is my worst enemy. No human being, not even the devil can exert an influence so destructive as that of my own mind. Therefore it is most important that I befriend my own mind, that I find a way to coexist with my established thought patterns and to conform them slowly and gradually to the life that I am to live.

I may not have certain things. But what I do have is precious, and probably more precious than what I do not have. Let me not forget to give thanks to God for what I have today.

I need a place and a time for making mistakes. I must make mistakes in order to learn. I need to learn because I want to know. I want to know so that I may ascertain my doubts.

Would not the direct approach have been better? Was it not best to hit the bull's-eye? At the least I would have failed trying to do what I wanted to do. At the most I would have accomplished my goal sooner.

How dare I feel this joy of life! Where is all this warmth coming from? There is a fountain within me unseen. Suddenly it flows out as I reflect on Christ and His power, His liberating power. Yes, Christ liberates. Christ releases the one with the convict mentality.

God rewarded me well when I was at my worst. Can it therefore be said that he shall reward me more when I improve my behaviour? And if he rewarded me more when I behaved better, then he surely rewarded me for my improved behaviour. I know that God is gracious, and if he rewarded a man for his behaviour then that reward cannot be gracious as it is merited. Thus I conclude that a perfectly gracious God cannot and should not base his reward on behaviour. Needless to say my conclusion is based on human wisdom, which is not as wise as God's foolishness.

I'm so happy Lord. I'm so happy that I can love others. It was you who put that love in me. It was you who gave me the power to convey it.

What startles me from my complacency? This is the only thing worth looking forward to.

I have nothing. I own nothing. I come to you as nothing. This life is yours. This voice is yours. This body is yours. I have treated your salvation with little respect. I have treated you with little respect. Forgive me today. I count on your mercy. I deserve no mercy. But I count on your grace. Have mercy on this nothing. Listen to the cry of this nothing. And put an end to my folly. Amen.

It's not what I do. It's what I am led to do.

The first Christian service I should do is to be courteous and kind to all people. I should smile and speak encouraging words to everyone, even to those who are difficult to deal with. I ask everyone at my home to practise this. It is not easy for people to show love and gentleness. This I have painfully discovered. However we should never stop trying. The first thing Christ-like to me is a spirit of kindness that endures all challenges.

Till now I have wanted my life to go a certain way, my way. I imagined my life taking a certain turn. I saw myself achieving certain goals and living a certain kind of life. Now I am going to lay this down to rest. I have been struggling with God too long. Now I shall let Him lead me. I shall let Him have His way. I shall ask Him to do His will, whatever that may be. I shall take what He has to offer and live with it.

It is God who empowers and guides me. What I do is a result of his empowerment and guidance. What results from what I do is the fulfilment of God's purpose for me, and though I may have carried out a certain sequence of actions in the world, the origin of those actions is in God who alone determines their nature and purpose.

I have been subtle. Do you recognize my subtlety? The word "subtlety" may suggest one or the other. But this is what I mean. By a mere rearrangement of my name, I suggested a growth, an evolution from voicelessness to voice, from heartlessness to heart, from Godlessness to God.

Christ With Me - Saint Patrick

Morning Has Broken

The Sayings of Samuel Godfrey George - Observations

Difference is painful. A divergent mind is born of pain. The extraordinary is separated from the ordinary in turmoil. He who dares to think differently anywhere and in anything has to pay a great price for it.

There is one indisputable truth that applies to all regardless of religion and nationality. One good act inspires another.

There are many beautiful forms in the world. You may look at all of them. But there is a danger in looking at even some of them. You may lose yourself in your desire for them. You may wander in desert places with an undying thirst. Beauty is not all. Beyond beauty there is something else.

Even the decapitated head of a snake may bite I have heard. If true, then one must beat the head into a pulp after the decapitation, as no risk may be taken with snake heads, both real and imaginary. 

Some things are slow. Some things take a long time. If you are prepared to wait they are surely worth the wait. But if you are not prepared to wait, either you are not worthy of them or they are not worthy of you.

What is evil? Anything that distracts you from God is evil. Even if the thing is harmless in itself, as long as it draws your attention away from God and denies Him the first place in your heart it is undoubtedly evil.

It is not in wanting but in not wanting that strength is expressed. You should not want what you cannot have. And when you cannot have something it is strong not to want it.

If someone is truly your friend he will search for you. Allow him to search for you. Separate yourself from him. Deprive him of your company. And you shall see how much you mean to him.

Deception is saying the unholy thing in the holy way. It is falsehood uttered like truth. It is pain conveyed like joy. It is hell portrayed as heaven.

Strength is to be able to discard everything that is considered gain. It is to be able to look away from everything that distracts and comforts and to be able to look at that which is most painful to consider.

The artist has the right to destroy his work. Creation cannot totally satisfy if you cannot put an end to it.

It is good not to ridicule anyone or anything. We are all quite ridiculous anyway.

Rejection is not always bad. In some cases it is an absolute must.

When the truth is denied a few times it will seem like a lie.

Phobia is usually fibia, based on fibs.

It is good not to ridicule anyone or anything. Each one of us is ridiculous in his own way.

A step-by-step approach is best. It is good not to achieve the goal immediately. Let achievement and addition be gradual and spaced out. In this way every event can be studied and judged. Thus one can maintain a greater control over something.

To let something grow one must be willing to ignore it.

Everything that crushes hope redefines your soul and renews hope that will better endure the realities of life.

The constricted, cloistered approach is inimical to the proper expression of beauty that emerges from varied influences, each of which significantly contributing to the ultimate effect and thus meriting mention.

There is wretchedness in the goodness. And as the wretchedness grows sharper in focus one is increasing in goodness.

To search for what can be seen normally and what has been seen is the lowest of all desires. But to search for what cannot be seen normally and what has not been seen is the highest of all desires. The man who wishes to rise above the earthly mould must choose to follow the highest desire.

The requirement for an approach that allows for mistakes is the ability to live with mistakes. A man who is willing to make mistakes should not cringe from living with his mistakes.

Whether one is viewed 300 times or 3 times when one broadcasts a message does not really matter. Whether one has said what one wanted to say in the manner that one wanted to say it, that matters.

Theoretically nobody is a problem and nothing is a problem. Practically the picture is different. To make practice imitate theory, that is the game of life.

To succeed in communication, restraint is more important than expression. Language is powerful, and he who can restrain from the unnecessary use of language is most powerful in his use of it.

To see and to not reach out, to have and to not experience, to possess and to not retain, this is strength, this is how you overcome the irresistible impulse. You can never run away from the thing that pursues you. But you can live with it and discard it through the knowledge of the self.

In matters of spirituality theory cannot achieve. It may help to clarify a bit. A thorough experiential knowledge of sin and strife along with a progressive discovery of divine grace is the only road to improvement.

It takes years, it takes many foolish years to know what foolishness is.

Never react immediately. Delay your reaction by days, months, preferably by a year or two.

Learning to be silent is more important than learning to speak.

What is the use of a beautiful exterior without a beautiful interior? The exterior may only point to the interior. But without a beautiful interior the beauty of an exterior is worthless.

It is beauty that we seek. It is beauty that we want to celebrate. Not physical beauty as it lasts only a while, and its celebration is only momentary. But inner beauty, the beauty of the mind and the heart cannot be erased by time. This beauty ennobles the seeker and fulfils his soul.

I used to be an atheist

The Atheist's Dislike of God

The Sayings of Samuel Godfrey George - Declarations of Faith

I have the mind of Christ. I have the vision of Christ. This is what I will choose to believe even if my mind and my eyes deceive me at times. Let my choices and my path be dictated by what I choose to believe. There is a path that seems right, but let that path not be mine. There is a path that only God knows is right. Let that be my path. There is a life that God has prepared for me. Let that be my life. Every other desire no matter how good and legitimate, let it vanish from my life.

Doing what I think is good is not good enough anymore. Doing what is truly good in the eyes of God is what I need to do. My life should be determined by God’s will for me. May I seek God’s will as those who thirst in a dry land seek water.  

It is time for me not to say that I love God. That time is over. It is time for me to prove that I love God. And the only way I can do that is by following God and living according to His teachings.

What is evil? Anything that distracts you from God is evil. Even if the thing is harmless in itself, as long as it draws your attention away from God and denies Him the first place in your heart it is undoubtedly evil.

  

You must stop so that God may start.

Be your own thought police. Say, “This kind of thinking can’t go on, as it militates against what I know about God.” Even if it moves only a fraction off the Godly way, even if it should look harmless and good and desirable, discard it, kick it and demolish it. Consider it dead and buried.

If ever there is a question as to whether Man or God is right, it will most certainly be God for me. I’d rather trust God in His most casual moment than Man in his most earnest.

So what if the world finds my faith laughable? I shall not laugh along with the world.

Every trickle of blessing that comes your way, stop and give thanks. Cease your relentless search for joy, pause and take note of God's act of kindness, though it may be little. Thank God with all your heart. Celebrate the little things, the little strokes of love from God's fingers.

When Christ is in you, all will be well. No matter what the conflict, no matter what the urge, Christ will have His way in you.

To impress someone is the lowest of all joys. But to live to one's full potential in obedience to God, that is the highest joy in this life.

To search for what can be seen normally and what has been seen is the lowest of all desires. But to search for what cannot be seen normally and what has not been seen is the highest of all desires. The man who wishes to rise above the earthly mould must choose to follow the highest desire.

When a person shows confidence in God, no fear can come near. For God is power, and those who believe in Him have power, feel power and wield power.

Service to God lies in service to people. To serve people you should love them or at least like them. It is not easy to like or love people. Some are unlikeable and unlovable. Many are self-involved and ungrateful. Only a very few may respond to the service. To serve people one must serve without expectation with the love of God that endures rejection.

There's no point persuading the atheist. He is spiritually ignorant and may remain so for the rest of his life. In fact it is pointless to persuade anyone to believe in God through human effort. The only effective persuasion comes from above when deep calls to deep. Such depth no feeble human art can achieve.

  

Do you want to progress spiritually? Then you must believe even if your belief appears ridiculous. You must wait though waiting seems hopeless. You must endure even if endurance means your ultimate doom. You should walk into the fire daring death yet hopeful of triumph.

God rewarded me well when I was at my worst. Can it therefore be said that he shall reward me more when I improve my behaviour? And if he rewarded me more when I behaved better, then he surely rewarded me for my improved behaviour. I know that God is gracious, and if he rewarded a man for his behaviour then that reward cannot be gracious as it is merited. Thus I conclude that a perfectly gracious God cannot and should not base his reward on behaviour. Needless to say my conclusion is based on human wisdom, which is not as wise as God's foolishness.

I'm so happy Lord. I'm so happy that I can love others. It was you who put that love in me. It was you who gave me the power to convey it.

If ever there is a question as to whether Man or God is right, it will most certainly be God for me. I’d rather trust God in His most casual moment than Man in his most earnest.

I have presented a faith that is real, at least to me. My faith is a product of childhood credulity, juvenile disbelief, adult experience and mature belief. My final belief is not without an element of doubt, yet it is more belief than unbelief.

Wherever I walk, whatever I do my God goes with me. I may stray away, but he always leads me back to the path that he has chosen for me. His rod keeps me going in this way. Thank you Lord for persisting with me. If not for your determination I will have surely lost my way.

I have nothing. I own nothing. I come to you as nothing. This life is yours. This voice is yours. This body is yours. I have treated your salvation with little respect. I have treated you with little respect. Forgive me today. I count on your mercy. I deserve no mercy. But I count on your grace. Have mercy on this nothing. Listen to the cry of this nothing. And put an end to my folly. Amen.

Mighty is the God I serve. Limitless is his ability to calm my fears and wipe away my tears. I will believe in him today.

Today give me the strength to devote myself to what is right. Let me focus on what is true and noble. Let me dwell on the pure and lovely beauty of God and seek His admirable ways. Stay with me Lord. In your strength alone I can achieve this.

God has taught me this. I must be courteous to all people. I must be kind especially to those who are unkind to me. I must never lose my temper. If I cannot control my feelings, I will tap into God's strength. I may not always succeed. But I will never stop trying. I must be kind whatever the cost. I must convey the love of Christ, for I belong to Him.

The first Christian service I should do is to be courteous and kind to all people. I should smile and speak encouraging words to everyone, even to those who are difficult to deal with. I ask everyone at my home to practise this. It is not easy for people to show love and gentleness. This I have painfully discovered. However we should never stop trying. The first thing Christ-like to me is a spirit of kindness that endures all challenges.

Till now I have wanted my life to go a certain way, my way. I imagined my life taking a certain turn. I saw myself achieving certain goals and living a certain kind of life. Now I am going to lay this down to rest. I have been struggling with God too long. Now I shall let Him lead me. I shall let Him have His way. I shall ask Him to do His will, whatever that may be. I shall take what He has to offer and live with it.

It is God who empowers and guides me. What I do is a result of his empowerment and guidance. What results from what I do is the fulfilment of God's purpose for me, and though I may have carried out a certain sequence of actions in the world, the origin of those actions is in God who alone determines their nature and purpose.

Don't beat your head about the mistake that you made today. Let this not ruin your hope in God, who has paid for all your mistakes. So let not your latest error pull you away from the love of your Lord who understands your vulnerability. Rest in His undying love. But continue to hope and strive towards betterment, for the Lord is your strength, and the closer you draw to Him, the greater will be your strength.