LIFE LESSONS
Pray as if your life depended on it because it does! Read your Bible as if your life depended on it because it does! If you doubt these are that important and neglect them, you are extremely foolish and doing great harm to yourself and your family.
Get serious about your health! Take care of your body. Walk briskly, exercise, stretch, eat and drink only healthy, nutritious things, do these every single day. Neglect your health and it will rob your bank account and much of what you’ve worked so hard to gain. It will limit your ability to serve others and over time, lead to very difficult, painful consequences.
Save money! Save money in every possible way you can. Find every possible way to economize and save. Exponentially increase your savings by investing in things that increase in value over time. One primary reason to save is to take care of the ones you love, to be prepared for unforeseen expenses and to be generous with others. Savers are always among the most generous people.
You will gain much greater peace of mind and satisfaction by saving the money you would spend to travel to Paris, than any temporary pleasure the Effel tower might give to you.
Do everything possible to stay out of debt. Except for your mortgage. With regard to your mortgage, try to pay extra on it each month. You will save yourself tens of thousands of dollars by paying it off early. Millions of Americans are enslaved to debt and a slave of their lenders. Avoid it at all costs.
Strive for excellence in everything you do. As a spouse, as a parent, in your vocation, in your service to God, and in your personal life. Mediocrity does not honor God. Mediocrity will cost you in very painful ways and never wins you the respect of others.
Life is hard! But, your foolish, ill-considered choices will make it much, much harder.
You can do far more than you think you can, but far less than you are prepared to do!
The wisest things I ever did were: Give my life fully to Jesus Christ, put all my trust in God and read, believe and obey my Bible. This lifelong practice is by far the wisest thing I have ever done. All else came as a result of this.
Everything, absolutely everything you have or ever will have is a gift from God. Never, ever forget it. Thank Him every single day for them. Your thanksgiving to God is a sacrifice that greatly pleases the heart of God. Gratitude greatly impacts your spiritual, mental and emotional well being.
The stupidest thing I’ve ever done in my life were the times I ignored God!
Develop, practice, and maintain good habits in all areas of your life. You will reap many rewards as a result. Bad habits, repeated over and over again, will do you and your family much harm.
War is our life! We are at war with the world’s system, its values and culture, with our own flesh and with the devil, and they are at war with you! Get militant, fierce, determined, armored up and fight, or you and your family will be a terrible casualty of this war.
Watch over your life, your marriage, and your children with great care, attention, and vigilance. If you are haphazard in any way in these things, you and they will suffer greatly. You may even lose them completely.
Loving God with all your heart, mind, soul, strength and emotions, protects you from falling in love with things that will destroy your life. Why? Because your heart, soul, mind, and emotional strength are preoccupied with a greater, more rewarding love affair! If you don’t love God this way, you will fall in love with things of this world.
The maximum life is a life of devotion and service to God and service to others. Those who lose their life will find real life! The greatest of all is the servant of all.
Learn to be content, to gratefully appreciate what God has given you. No matter how insignificant or ordinary it seems to be. Godliness with contentment is a Great Gain!
Faith in God is your greatest asset. Build your faith. Grow your faith. Strengthen your faith. Feed your faith. Obeying God’s Word is walking by faith. God will reward the faith of those who diligently seek him, who believe He is the rewarder of those who seek Him. Daily fervent prayer is putting your faith in God in action!
Practice kindness and generosity toward others. God will bless you for it, and you will be greatly enriched, blessed, and refreshed because of it.
Dump on God! Pour out your heart, emotions, anxieties, worries, fears, sorrows, griefs, complaints, aggravations, frustrations, heartaches, and all other burdensome things to Him. Put them into spoken words to God in your prayer closet, and you will be stunned and amazed by what you can endure, and the strength God gives to your soul and spirit.
Five people telling the same lie does not make their lie the truth! A million people telling the same lie does not make their lie the truth! Never forget that. We are a nation full of liars and lies.
Never compromise with evil. Never compromise with wicked, evil people. If you do, you pollute yourself and you will be of no eternal good to others or to God.
Always stand up for what is right. No matter what it cost you. But be fully aware it will cost you dearly to stand up for what is right in these wicked times we live, and amongst the compromised Christians filling our churches today. You will be ridiculed, mistreated, ostracized, slandered, and often alone. You will be canceled by some family members or friends. But heaven will cheer your name!
Live to please God and God alone. People’s approval is worthless in light of eternity. God’s praise and approval last forever!
Put your trust and hope in God alone, never in people. Many people who kiss you today will kill you tomorrow.
Be prepared to suffer. There is a great suffering for choosing to truly follow Jesus Christ. The days we live in and the coming years ahead are going to be extremely difficult for righteous people. Prepare your children for it.
Life is full of obstacles and will be the rest of your life. The secret is: Faith in God. Adapt. Improvise. Overcome.
Materialism is idolatry, it is greed in our quest for more things. We are the most materialistic, greedy culture in the history of the world, and it is terrible idolatry. Simplify your life, and do not fall victim to this modern form of idol worship.
The greatest blessing in my life is the friendship of God. Nothing compares to a rich relationship with God.
Know your whys. Never lose sight of them.
Be very careful what you think about. Your thoughts, what you feed your mind on and your self-talk will either lead you to transformation or ruination.
The most important factor in my life has been the outpouring of God’s grace and blessing. Oh God, I long for your blessing more than anything else.
God is not subject to opinion polls, nor the edicts of man or the market forces of this world. His rule and reign are unshakable, unchanging, and eternal. He can overcome and circumvent any obstacle in order to answer our prayers!
Helping you become a Strong Disciple,
Because of Jesus,
Pastor Mark Darling
