James 1:15 says “Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”
Sin is not a spontaneous act, but the result of a process. The Greek words for “hath conceived” and “bringeth forth sin” liken the process to physical conception and birth. James shows that temptation can follow a similar sequence and produce sin. While sin does not result in spiritual death for the believer, it can lead to physical death (1 Corinthians 11:30;1 JOHN 5:16). 
The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Christians do not have to pay those wages because Jesus paid them for us. In James 1:15 “conceived” means to catch, help, or take. Then when lust takes hold, that person sins. We need to get our flesh under control.   

Was Jesus poor

Jesus was neither rich nor poor. He did not seek earthly possessions (Matthew 6: 19-21) but he did not lack the necessities of life (Matthew 6: 31-33).
This idea that Jesus lived in poverty occurred in the fourth century through misinformation and most of the incompetent monastic and ascetics who believed that poverty was a virtue and the idea persists today. The Bible does not teach that poverty or wealth is a virtue. In Proverbs 30: 8-9 Agur does not pray for wealth or poverty. He feared that he would deny God if he prayed for riches and feared that if he lived in poverty, he would steal and take God’s name in vain. Jesus was a rabbi. He would be known as having a job and a livelihood. Jesus was a carpenter (Matthew 13:55; Mark 6: 3). John 4: 8, says that the disciples went to the town to buy food. This means there is cash flow. Jesus and the twelve had money boxes to buy food and give to the poor (John 12: 13:29). They are financially supported by women. Six to eight are mentioned in the record of the crucifixion, but Luke 8: 3 says “many more” contributed. At the crucifixion, the Roman soldiers did not tear his robe , but they cast lots for it, meaning that it was of high quality (John 19: 23-24). The Bible does not say, nor does it mean, that Jesus lived in the desert as a hermit, in those days.
Jesus did not have to be a poor man without a home to care for and love the poor, and the homeless

Gods promise

Galatians 3:16 tells us, “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to the seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed which is in Christ.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             In Christ, both Jew and Gentile inherit the promises. 
Galatians 3:29 says, “And if ye [be] Christs, then ye are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”   
We need not take any thought of what we are to say. God will fill us with what we should say, as we need it. He is with us and in us.
Colossians 1:27 says, “To whom God would make known what [is] the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which Christ is in you, the hope of glory:”

Wisdom,knowledge and understanding

Wisdom is the ability to have good judgment based on knowledge. Knowledge is the information, skills, and facts gained by someone through life experience or education. Understanding is the ability to decide. Understanding is knowledge put into action. 
If knowledge is power, and wisdom is your choice to use that power, then understanding would be the ability to execute your choice to use that power.
Knowledge, wisdom, and understanding are all noble qualities to have and all humans should seek to possess them. 

Religion

“The English word “religion” is etymologically derived from the Latin word religo, meaning to “bind up.” Religion binds people up in rules and regulations or in ritualistic patterns of devotion.

Christianity was never meant to be a religion. Christianity is the dynamic spiritual life of the risen Lord Jesus indwelling the spirit of man so as to create functional behavior to the glory of God. Granted, men have attempted to force Christianity into the molds and forms of religion. That is evident by all the steeples and sanctuaries and ecclesiastical programs that dot the landscape of our society……It is the propensity of man to formulate religion ­ to take that which is of the invisible God and attempt to make it visible, tangible and controllable. Man-made religion! The apostle Paul refers to it as “self-made religion” (Colossians 2:23), and goes on to indicate that it is of no value against fleshly indulgence. In essence, Paul is saying that “religion is of no value against man’s sinfulness.” In fact, religion is a co-dependent enabler of the sins of mankind. It is itself an addiction.

Religion is essentially idolatry. Men worship their man-made formations and structures their ideological idols formed in the concrete of inflexible minds. When the apostle Paul came to Athens (Acts 17:22), he observed their idols and exclaimed, “Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects.” The Greek word that Paul used for “religious” literally means “to have great respect for demons.”

Dealing with difficult people

What does the Bible say about dealing with difficult people?
Difficult people are everywhere. Hostile, rude, mean, selfish, impatient, uncaring, and worse (Romans 1:29–31; 2 Timothy 3:1–4; Galatians 5:19–21; 1 Corinthians 6:9–11). What may be shocking to many of us is that we have and can act the same as these people. Are we always hostile, rude, mean, selfish, impatient, and uncaring? No, but we all have the seeds of all such attitudes in our hearts (Matthew 15:19; Jeremiah 17:9). Therefore, the first step in helping us deal with difficult people is understanding that we are not better than such people by nature (Ephesians 2:1–3). We live in a fallen world filled with sinful people. We must remind ourselves of this fact so that we are not surprised when we encounter difficult people, or when we find ourselves being a difficult person.

If we have received Jesus Christ, then we are forgiven for these sinful attitudes and behaviors. When we find ourselves displaying such attitudes and behaviors, we confess to God and trust that He has already forgiven us and will cleanse us (1 John 1:8–9). We make amends when possible and seek to live differently. God’s forgiveness of our difficultness/sinfulness is the basis for how we are to respond to difficult people, which is with grace.

As believers in Christ our mandate is not to get even or return evil for evil but to return evil with good (Romans 12:19–21). We are called to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:43–45). This may seem impossible, and in our own power it is impossible. However, with God working in us it is possible (Matthew 19:26).

To return evil with good may chafe at our sense of justice, and sometimes rightly so. However, we must remember that it is God’s role to mete out justice. We are to leave the matter in God’s hands and trust that He will judge justly (Romans 12:19). Most importantly, we must realize that we have not received what we deserve from God but have received mercy and unmerited favor instead. While we were hostile and at enmity with God, He sent His Son to die for our sins (Romans 5:6–8; Ephesians 2:1–10). Jesus, even while He was being persecuted, prayed for His tormentors (Luke 23:34).

As a point of clarity, it is not wrong to involve legal authorities. Criminal behavior is not what we are referring to when we talk about “difficult people.” Social authorities have been put in place by God to uphold the law, and it is not wrong to use them (Romans 13:1–7). However, we are not to seek societal justice out of vengeance. Similarly, depending on the difficult behavior, it is not wrong to involve church authorities. Matthew 18:15–20 outlines the proper procedure for addressing grievances among church members. Again, the intent is not to seek vengeance, but to bring about peace.

As believers in Christ we are indwelt by the Spirit of God who produces the attitudes of love, joy, peace, longsuffering (patience, forbearance), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22–23). Therefore, we are to pray to be filled with the Spirit and to keep in step with the Spirit, and not grieve Him (Ephesians 4:30; 5:18; Galatians 5:25). If we are to respond to difficult people with grace and love, we must depend upon and draw upon the power of God’s Spirit. When we become angry and return evil with evil, we must quickly confess our sin and ask God for the grace to imitate Jesus Christ and show ourselves to be sons and daughters of our merciful Father (Luke 6:36). If we refuse to love our enemies then we are imitating not our Heavenly Father, but the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:21–35). It is in our eternal best interest to imitate the former and not the latter. How can we who have received such grace and forgiveness from God refuse to show the same to others?

Often it is simple to know how we should act toward difficult people, but it can be quite a challenge to do so in our daily lives. The Proverbs have some excellent practical advice. For example, Proverbs 15:1 says, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” We can memorize this verse and, when confronted by a difficult person, attempt to respond with gentleness. You might be surprised how the situation de-escalates. Proverbs 12:16 says, “The vexation of a fool is known at once, but the prudent ignores an insult.” Rather than take insults personally and respond with immediate offense, we can learn to simply ignore them. Proverbs 20:3 says, “It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife, but every fool will be quarreling.” Titus 3:9 has similar encouragement to “avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless.” Proverbs 17:14 similarly encourages ending quarrels before they begin. We can remind ourselves of the things that really matter and remember that some quarrels are simply pointless. There is no use getting entangled with a difficult person when the end result is “unprofitable and worthless.”

In some situations, it is best to try to avoid certain difficult people altogether. Proverbs 22:24–25 says, “Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man, lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare.” First Corinthians 15:33 says, “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company ruins good morals.'” As much as we are able, we should make friendships with those who are seeking to honor God the same way we are. We are also called to live peaceably with others as far as we are able (Romans 12:18; Hebrews 12:14).

We can be proactive in dealing with difficult people by reading and even memorizing God’s Word to give us the right perspective on life. His Word tells us that all people are made in His image (Genesis 1:26). When we view others as image-bearers, we may find it easier to bear with them. We can also recognize that dealing with difficult people is a trial that God can use to produce good things in us. For example, see how Romans 5:3–5 and James 1:2–5 address trials and hardships.

Dealing with difficult people becomes easier when we seek to exhibit empathy for others. We know that we ourselves can be difficult, particularly when tired or stressed or hungry. How would we want to be treated in such situations? Matthew 7:12 talks about doing unto others as we want them to do unto us. James 2:8 talks about loving others as we love ourselves. First Peter 4:8 says, “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins” (see also Proverbs 10:12). As we proactively seek to love one another, we will be more able to forgive offenses and deal with difficulties in a way that honors God.

Difficult people are often difficult as a result of their own pain. Seeing difficult people as those who are hurting and in need of Christ’s touch can encourage us to forgive them. We can also pray for their healing. Perhaps in showing them kindness their hearts will be softened to Christ.

At times we will need to confront a difficult person or point out challenging inter-personal behaviors. This will hopefully help them stop inflicting damage on others around them as well as aid them in their own spiritual growth. Christians are called to speak truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). This means that we speak truth because we love and also do so from a heart of love. Truth can sometimes be hard to share and hard to receive, but we speak it with grace out of love for others. If the difficult person in our life is an unbeliever, we share the truth of the gospel with them as well.

Dealing with difficult people requires prayer and the power of God. When we know we are going to encounter a difficult person, we should pray beforehand. Ask for God’s wisdom and His strength to respond well. Pray for the person and for God’s work in his or her life. Remind yourself of some of the biblical truths shared here. Then seek to love as best as you can. Take any frustrations or emotional pain from your interaction with the difficult person straight to God and seek His healing and comfort.  An article from Compelling Truth magazine.

Heaven and Hell

Most people believe they will go to Heaven or Hell based on how good or bad they were on earth. While most people think it will be close, they believe that they’ll make it to Heaven. Unfortunately, the opposite is true. “Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him” (Hebrews 9:27-28).In Romans 3-7 Paul shows us how all have sinned and are guilty. In Romans 1-2 Paul shows us why good men and women aren’t good enough for God’s heaven. Good people need forgiveness for their sins, just like everyone else. Christians have their sins forgiven at the cross. Because of God’s grace and mercy, Christians will never face their sins again. Not so with those who died without a Savior.

Holy fear

Holy fear is the kind of fear inspired by love. A fear based on respect for someone we love. When we genuinely love another person we will live inside a healthy anxiety, a worry that our actions should never disappoint, disrespect or violate the other person. We live in Holy fear when we are not anxious to betray, or disrespect someone. This differs from being afraid of something though. God does not intimidate you.God revealed Hell to us for a purpose. That purpose is to warn us about how awful it will be there (scare us) so that we would want to avoid it. God then leads us to the solution (Jesus) so we can avoid going there (hell).Hell is a scary place. I believe it is alright to scare people about things that are truly scary. A father and mother must warn their children about sex, drugs, crime, about being dishonest, and they should warn them about hell also. If telling them the truth about those things scares them away from them and steers them toward God then scaring them would be a good thing.

Bible Stats

Books of the Bible and Authors
1) Genesis: Moses
2) Exodus: Moses
3) Leviticus: Moses
4) Numbers: Moses
5) Deuteronomy: Moses
6) Joshua: Joshua
7) Judges: Samuel
8) Ruth: Samuel
9) 1 Samuel: Samuel; Gad; Nathan
10) 2 Samuel: Gad; Nathan
11) 1 Kings: Jeremiah
12) 2 Kings: Jeremiah
13) 1 Chronicles: Ezra
14) 2 Chronicles: Ezra
15) Ezra: Ezra
16) Nehemiah: Nehemiah
17) Esther: Mordecai
18) Job: Moses
19) Psalms: David and others
20) Proverbs: Solomon; Agur; Lemuel
21) Ecclesiastes: Solomon
22) Songs of Solomon: Solomon
23) Isaiah: Isaiah
24) Jeremiah: Jeremiah
25) Lamentations: Jeremiah
26) Ezekiel: Ezekiel
27) Daniel: Daniel
28) Hosea: Hosea
29) Joel: Joel
30) Amos: Amos
31) Obadiah: Obadiah
32) Jonah: Jonah
33) Micah: Micah
34) Nahum: Nahum
35) Habakkuk: Habakkuk
36) Zephaniah: Zephaniah
37) Haggai: Haggai
38) Zechariah: Zechariah
39) Malachi: Malachi
40) Matthew: Matthew
41) Mark: Mark
42) Luke: Luke
43) John: Apostle John
44) Acts: Luke
45) Romans: Paul
46) 1 Corinthians: Paul
47) 2 Corinthians: Paul
48) Galatians: Paul
49) Ephesians: Paul
50) Philippians: Paul
51) Colossians: Paul
52) 1 Thessalonians: Paul
53) 2 Thessalonians: Paul
54) 1 Timothy: Paul
55) 2 Timothy: Paul
56) Titus: Paul
57) Philemon: Paul
58) Hebrews: Unknown
59) James: James (Jesus’ brother)
60) 1 Peter: Peter
61) 2 Peter: Peter
62) 1 John: Apostle John
63) 2 John: Apostle John
64) 3 John: Apostle John
65) Jude: Jude (Jesus’ brother)
66) Revelation: Apostle John*BIBLE STATISTICS**Amazing Bible Facts And Statistics*
👉🏼 Number of Books in the Bible: *66*
👉🏼 Chapters: 1,189
👉🏼 Verses: 31,101
👉🏼 Words: 783,137
👉🏼 Letters: 3,566,480
👉🏼 Number of Promises given in the Bible: 1,260
👉🏼 Commands: 6,468
👉🏼 Predictions: over 8,000
👉🏼 Fulfilled Prophecy: 3,268 verses
👉🏼 Unfulfilled Prophecy: 3,140
👉🏼 Number of Questions: 3,294
👉🏼Longest Name: Mahershalalhashbaz (Isaiah 8:1)
👉🏼 Longest Verse: Esther 8:9 (78 words)
👉🏼 Shortest Verse: John 11:35 (2 words: “Jesus wept” .
👉🏼 Middle Books: Micah and Nahum
👉🏼 Middle Chapter: Psalm 117
👉🏼 Shortest Chapter (by number of words): Psalm 117 (by number of words)
👉🏼 Longest Book: Psalms (150 Chapters)
👉🏼 Shortest Book (by number of words): 3 John
👉🏼 Longest Chapter: Psalm 119 (176 verses)
👉🏼 Number of times the word *”God”* appears: 3,358
👉🏼 Number of times the word *”Lord”* appears: 7,736
👉🏼 Number of different authors: 40
👉🏼 Number of languages the Bible has been translated into: over 1,200*OLD TESTAMENT STATISTICS:*
👉🏼 Number of Books: 39
👉🏼 Chapters: 929
👉🏼 Verses: 23,114
👉🏼 Words: 602,585
👉🏼 Letters: 2,278,100
👉🏼 Middle Book: Proverbs
👉🏼 Middle Chapter: Job 20
👉🏼 Middle Verses: 2 Chronicles 20:17,18
👉🏼 Smallest Book: Obadiah
👉🏼 Shortest Verse: 1 Chronicles 1:25
👉🏼 Longest Verse: Esther 8:9 (78 words)
👉🏼 Longest Chapter: Psalms 119*NEW TESTAMENT STATISTICS:*
👉🏼 Number of Books: 27
👉🏼 Number of Chapters: 260
👉🏼 Number of Verses: 7,957
👉🏼 Words: 180,552
👉🏼 Letters: 838,380
👉🏼 Middle Book: 2 Thessalonians
👉🏼 Middle Chapters: Romans 8, 9
👉🏼 Middle Verse: Acts 27:17
👉🏼 Smallest Book: 3 John
👉🏼 Shortest Verse: John 11:35
👉🏼 Longest Verse: Revelation 20:4 (68 words)
👉🏼Longest Chapter: Luke 1There are 8,674 different Hebrew words in the Bible, 5,624 different
Greek words, and 12,143 different English words in the King James Version.• Bible Written by Approximately 40 Authors
• Written over a period of 1,600 years
• Written over 40 generations
• Written in three languages: Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic
• Written on three continents: Europe, Asia and Africa
• Written in different locations: wilderness, dungeon, palace, prison, in exile, at home
• Written by men from all occupations: kings, peasants, doctors, fishermen, tax collectors, scholars, etc.
• Written in different times: war, peace, poverty, prosperity, freedom and slavery
• Written in different moods: heights of joy to the depths of despair
• Written in harmonious agreement on a widely diverse range of subjects and doctrines.*10 Longest Books in the Bible*1) Psalm – 150 Chapters, 2,461 verses, 43,743 words
2) Jeremiah – 52 chapters, 1,364 verses, 42,659 words
3) Ezekiel – 48 chapters, 1,273 verses, 39,407 words
4) Genesis – 50 chapters, 1,533 verses, 38,267 words
5) Isaiah – 66 chapters, 1,292 verses, 37,044 words
6) Numbers – 36 chapters, 1,288 verses, 32,902 words
7) Exodus – 40 chapters, 1,213 verses, 32.602 words
8) Deuteronomy – 34 chapters, 959 verses, 28,461 words
9) 2 Chronicles – 36 chapters, 822 verses, 26,074 words
10) Luke – 24 chapters, 1,151 verses, 25,944 words*10 Shortest Books in the Bible*
1) 3 John – 1 chapter, 14 verses, 299 words
2) 2 John – 1 chapter, 13 verses, 303 words
3) Philemon – 1 chapter,bb 25 verses, 445 words
4) Jude – 1 chapter, 25 verses, 613 words
5) Obadiah – 1 chapter, 21 verses, 670 words
6) Titus – 3 chapters, 46 verses, 921 words
7) 2 Thessalonians – 3 chapters, 47 verses, 1,042 words
8) Haggai – 2 chapters, 38 verses, 1,131 words
9) Nahum – 3 chapters, 47 verses, 1,285 words
10) Jonah – 4 chapters, 48 verses, 1,321.

Acknowledge God

God wants us to acknowledge Him. Psalm 46:10 says “Be still and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth”. When we acknowledge God, there will be a confession of sin (Proverbs 28:13), a confession of salvation (Romans 10:10), a confession of the Savior (John 4:15). We must admit our own weakness in the flesh, our inability to help ourselves and our total dependence on Jesus Christ. Jesus said “without me, ye can do nothing” John 15:5. Paul said, ” I can do all things through Christ which strengthen me” (Philippians 4:13). We are to commit our ways to Him (Proverbs 3:6), we are to commit our lives to Him (Philippians 1:21), and we are to commit our will to Him (Luke 22:42).  God wants our allegiance. Jesus commanded, ” And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:27). We give our allegiance to many things, political parties, employers, family and friends and many other things, but God wants us to give Him our allegiance first. We will make time for what is most important in our lives. Colossians 3:2 says “Set your affections on things above, not on things of the earth”. God wants us to be available to Him. We need God. Many time’s people think God needs them. People who think this have, an over-inflated ego. Nothing could be further from the truth. Romans 12:3 says, “For I say through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think…….. The Lord wants to use us but He can and will use someone else if we are not willing to be obedient to Him.