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2062 illustrations evoking joy
"Light shines from holy lives—personal and social holiness visible to the world. Your good works are fruits of sanctification: feeding hungry, visiting prisoners, loving neighbor. Holiness is not hidden; it illuminates. The world sees transformed lives and glorifies God." — John Wesley.
"Abide in Christ and watch the FRUIT flow! Not your effort—HIS life! Not your striving—HIS power! The branch doesn't strain to produce fruit; it RECEIVES it! Stay connected to the Vine and SUPERNATURAL fruit appears—beyond what you could produce yourself!" — T.D.
"The LORD is your LIGHT—supernatural illumination! Your SALVATION—deliverance from every attack! Your STRONGHOLD—no weapon formed against you shall prosper! Walk in BOLD confidence! Angels surround you; the GLORY covers you! WHOM shall you fear? NO ONE!" — Bill Johnson. Charismatic: supernatural confidence.
"Delight is cultivated—we choose to fix our hearts on God; we practice His presence until joy overflows. This is cooperative grace: God offers Himself as our delight; we respond by delighting. Holy affections grow; desires are sanctified. Heart-transformation is the...
"Chosen for mission—that you may DECLARE. The royal priesthood exists not for itself but for the world. We mediate between God and nations, declaring His excellencies. Identity precedes mission; knowing who we are fuels what we do. Chosen to proclaim." — Lesslie Newbigin.
"The world gives trouble; Christ gives peace. But His peace is not escape from trouble—He overcame through the cross, through suffering, through death. Our victory is not around suffering but through it. Take heart: the suffering servant has conquered death itself." — Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
"The Holy Spirit gives us parresia—boldness, courage to speak and act. Power for witness, love for the poor, prudence in decision. These are gifts of Confirmation, activated daily. The Spirit makes us missionary disciples, not timid spectators." — Pope Francis.
"DECLARE it: The LORD is MY light! MY salvation! MY stronghold! SAY IT until you believe it! Fear has NO place when God is YOUR God! Whatever you're facing—WHOM SHALL I FEAR? The enemy is DEFEATED; the Light has WON!
"TASTE His PRESENCE! SEE His GLORY! God is not concept but ENCOUNTER! When you step into His presence, you TASTE His goodness—tangible, real, overwhelming! Don't settle for theology about God; experience the God of theology! The goodness is meant to be FELT!" — Bill Johnson.
"We taste and see together—around the table, in shared meals, through mutual aid. God's goodness is experienced in community; solitary tasting misses the fullness. The church is meant to be a foretaste of the kingdom: taste our life together and...
"'I have overcome'—past tense. The victory is accomplished, not merely anticipated. In Christ, the world is already conquered; trouble is real but penultimate. God's sovereignty ensures the outcome. Our troubles serve His purposes; His victory transforms their meaning." — R.C.
"I was surprised by joy—tasting God's goodness when I least expected. He is not safe, but He is good. Those who taste Him find their deepest desires fulfilled in ways they never anticipated. Taste and see: He is better than...
"Work 'as unto the Lord' means work that serves the community, not just individual gain. The church forms workers who value service over success, community over competition. Whatever you do, do it for the body, for the neighbor, for Christ's...
"In regeneration we become new creations—but the old nature still contends. The promise points toward entire sanctification: the old truly passing, the new fully coming. New creation begins at conversion and progresses toward perfection in love." — John Wesley. Wesleyan:...
"Wages are just—sin deserves death; God would be righteous to pay what is owed. But the gift! Grace gives what is not deserved. In Christ, justice and mercy meet: our wages were paid by Him; His life is gifted to us.
"Faith was the substance that sustained the enslaved when hope seemed impossible. They believed in what they could not see: freedom, dignity, justice. Their faith was evidence itself—proof that God was real because they survived. Faith carried a people through night." — Howard Thurman.
"Don't just know ABOUT God—TASTE Him! EXPERIENCE Him! Feel His presence! See His power! The Lord is GOOD—not just doctrinally but EXPERIENTIALLY! When you ENCOUNTER God, you KNOW He's good! Stop reading about the feast and START EATING!" — T.D.
"The disinherited know death's wages intimately—lynching, poverty, despair. But God's gift is LIFE—abundant, dignified, eternal. The slave masters dealt death; God deals life. Choose life! The gift outweighs every wage the world has paid us. In Christ, life wins." — Howard Thurman.
"God's ways are not our ways—and this is hope for the disinherited. Human ways crush; God's ways liberate. What seems defeat may be victory; what seems ending may be beginning. The oppressor cannot predict God; His thoughts overturn expectations." — Howard Thurman.
"Seek first the kingdom and His righteousness—and that righteousness is justice. The beloved community IS the kingdom present. When we seek justice first, trusting God for provision, we find that the struggle itself becomes the way of abundance—spiritual abundance." — Martin Luther King Jr.
"God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him. Delight in the Lord IS the goal—not merely the means to getting desires fulfilled. When God becomes our supreme treasure, our desires change. We get God; that...
"Wisdom is participation in divine life—theosis includes the mind. As we grow in union with God, wisdom increases. Prayer for wisdom is prayer for deeper participation in the Logos. God gives generously because He desires our transformation into His likeness." — St.
"God can do EXCEEDINGLY, ABUNDANTLY, ABOVE all you ask or think! Your biggest prayer is TOO SMALL! Your wildest dream is TOO TAME! The POWER at work in you is SUPERNATURAL! Expect MORE! Believe for MORE! God is the God of OVERFLOW!" — T.D.
Amazing grace! You can't earn it, buy it, or deserve it—you can only RECEIVE it! Open your heart right now and let grace flood in! The same grace that saved you empowers you. Grace isn't just for salvation; it's for LIVING!" — David Wilkerson.