JOHN BEVERE

An offended heart is the breeding ground of deception.

Offense cuts you off from God. We separate ourselves from the pipeline. I've never seen anything block blessings from Heaven except offense.

Jesus never gave advice

There is no other way to know good from evil, right from wrong, unless we have His Word dwelling richly in our heart. It's good for us to spend time in His Word.

We don't want to merely obey God: we need to catch His heart. It is then we will glimpse the wisdom behind His directives, and not just see them as laws.

True honor is an outflow from a heart that fears God.

Often God will send us what we need in a package we don't want. Why? To let us know He's God and we cannot second-guess Him. We cannot search for answers merely with our heads; we must seek Him and His provision with our hearts. Scripture cannot be interpreted from our limited human mental understanding. There must be a breath of the Spirit of God. He alone gives wise counsel and correct application.

We don't honor just to get a reward; we honor because it is the heart of God, and it is our delight.

This truth remains: Only those you care about can hurt you. You expect more from them-after all, you've given more of yourself to them. The higher the expectations, the greater the fall.

How can a good God appoint cruel people to positions of authority? The answer is simple: God is the originator of the authority, but He is not the author of the cruelty. Man is responsible for his cruel actions, not God. All authority is of God, but not all authority is godly.

I see a generation comprised of all ages, inclusive of men and women, awakening to the extraordinary qualities hidden within. The power to accomplish remarkable feats and live an exceptional life is not defined by an individual's family, education, or occupation; it's a disposition of the heart. Unless it's suppressed, there is an innate desire to rise above the norm. I encourage you to step into the unknown, embrace the divine empowerment, and live your extraordinary life.

Do not be afraid to allow the Holy Spirit to reveal any unforgiveness or bitterness. The longer you hide it, the stronger it will become and the harder your heart will grow. Stay tenderhearted.

Christianity is not a sprint but an endurance run. Therefore it is not how we start the race that counts, but how we complete it. How we finish is determined by the choices we make, and those are often formed by patterns we develop along the way.

What we say in private we must be willing to say with a heart burning with love and honor before the face of our leaders. If not, we will poison our spirits and it will manifest in the presence of our leaders.

Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.

We all have life-defining moments. They are like open-book tests, but we don't know we have been examined until it is over.

Grace gives us the power to live, and mercy keeps us free from guilt, condemnation, and shame.

Our response to an offense determines our future.

God is waiting to satisfy us, yet His goodness will not satisfy us if we are already full of other things.

Physical growth is a function of time. No two-year-old child has ever been six feet tall. Intellectual growth is a function of learning. Spiritual growth is neither a function of time or learning, but it is a function of obedience.

Simply put, the promises of God are not automatic; they must be acquired by faith.

God doesn't author hardship but uses it to strengthen us for greater conquests. He never leads us into a storm that He doesn't give us the power to overcome.

If we don’t risk being hurt, we cannot give unconditional love. Unconditional love gives others the right to hurt us.

I am so tired of criticalness being called discernment. Do you want to know true discernment? Paul said "That your love may abound in all discernment." When you are willing to die for somebody that is when you are actually discerning them. Jesus could call the Pharisees hypocrites and snakes because he went to the cross and died for them. So the next time you are quote "discerning" about somebody ask yourselves the question could you die for them? If you can't say yes, you're critical because the love of God is to lay down your life for them, and discernment is rooted only in love. Got it?

The Spirit of God is jealous over us; He doesn't want superficial fellowship, but genuine intimacy.