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“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!” (Rom. 11:33). Our heavenly Father has given us unfathomable blessings, but we often fail to live as if they are truly ours. In thankfulness and Confession, Brad Scheelke encourages readers to meditate on and rejoice in the glorious riches of our inheritance in Christ. As we regularly give thanks for what God has given us, our thoughts and actions will begin to change . . . often in surprising ways. Gratitude also changes how we deal with sin. When we confess our sin, bringing it into the light of Christ’s riches, we now see not only the darkness of our own evil, but also the beauty of God’s holiness and grace. When we learn to practice thankfulness and confession in this way, our hearts will overflow in joy, in love for one another, and in glory to God. -
Rejoice in the Lord always: again I will say, rejoice. (Phil. 4:4 NKJV)
Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me. (Psalm 51:12)
Have you ever felt like you are just wasting away, like your strength is sapped? The normal Christian life is a life of joy. Yet many (if not most) Christians are not consistently joyful. What is it that keeps us from obeying the command to rejoice always? Often, it is unconfessed and unrepented sin that hinders us from living a life of joy.
In this short booklet, Jim Wilson shares the story of his early Christian walk and his journey towards understanding the connection between repentance and rejoicing in the Lord. With Scripture, graphs, and clear explanations, he helps us see how failure to confess sins quickly steals our joy and how keeping short accounts—both with God and with others—sets us free to rejoice in the Lord no matter the circumstances.
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In Christianity and all religions that claim to be Christian, there is a promise of salvation. The promise may be conditional, or it may be positive, but it will be based on either doctrine or works. This booklet gives nine biblical, experiential evidences of salvation. When a person compares his experiences with those described in the Bible, he may come to one of several conclusions:- He thought he was not saved, but he finds out that he is.
- He thought he was saved, but finds out he isn't.
- He thought he was not saved, and that is confirmed.
- He thought he was saved, and now he knows that he is.
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Vincit qui se vincit“He conquers who conquers himself.”Is it ok to be in the military and be moral? The answer is yes. In the early 1950s, my ship left San Diego for the Western Pacific. We had eighteen “boots” aboard. The captain decided that these young men needed to be protected, and should be informed of the facts of life. It was a three-pronged effort. The exec talked to the men in a fatherly sort of way about their mothers, their sisters, their hometown girlfriends, and their wives. This nostalgia was to protect them from waywardness. An “assigned” chaplain talked with them about absolute morality and sin. And finally, the medical officer and the corpsman taught them about condoms and “past event cleansing.” ... The training had left out the effects of peer pressure... This essay was first written for the U.S. Naval Institute Prize Essay Contest. Because of the gross moral lapses in the U.S. military in the last few decades, I thought I should prepare it for distribution to our future leaders. It is dedicated to the future military leadership of the United States. - James I. Wilson -
Jesus’ death paid for our sins - the guilt, the death, and the punishment. Jesus does not repay the man who got ripped off when we stole from him. According to the Bible, the person who comes to the Lord in repentance is to pay the one he stole from the value of the stolen goods plus one fifth of the value. But what if it is a candy bar you took twenty years ago? The amount stolen and the time since the theft do not make it yours. There are many Christians who are living subnormal Christian lives because they are too proud or too afraid to make restitution. They are like people with low-grade fevers; they are not sick enough to be in bed, but too sick to do anything worthwhile. Even if no one knows about the thefts, these Christians are poor witnesses for Jesus Christ. They may have confessed and repented in words, but if they do not make restitution, it is not true repentance, and they are not forgiven. -
We love our kids, but do we love like God loves....without conditions, reservations, or reluctance? In this excerpt from his popular book How to be Free from Bitterness, Jim Wilson identifies the troublesome consequences of insufficient parental love and points readers to the glorious fruit of superabundant kindness, and patience and helps parents apply the eternal truths of Scripture to grow peace and joy in their homes. -
Bitterness often grows out of a small offense - perhaps a passing word, an accidental shove, or a pair of dirty socks left in the middle of the living room floor. Yet when bitterness takes root in our hearts, its effects are anything but small. In this collection of short articles, Jim Wilson and others discuss what it means to live as "imitators of God." As the Apostle Paul says in Ephesians, we have been called to leave the bitterness and anger of the world and instead embrace the love and compassion of our God. The authors remind us that we are to forgive others just as we have been forgiven, pointing to Scriptural admonitions and examples as they offer sound teaching on the trials and temptations of everyday life. Have an Audible account? Get this title on Audible here. Did you know we give away more copies of How to Be Free from Bitterness than we sell? These copies are paid for entirely by donations. Have you been blessed by this booklet? You can help fund copies for someone else by making a tax-deductible gift to the literature fund here. -
Men were designed, created, and commanded to bear responsibility, but our history of failure in this area stretches all the way back to Adam. Today irresponsibility is considered normal, even a birthright. Jim Wilson outlines the causes and results of this failure, the biblical principles and characteristics that define a responsible man, and how men can apply them both in their own lives and in raising their sons.
Masculinity does not have to be proved with muscularity, sexual prowess, or bragging. True masculinity is established by taking up the responsibility God has given you.
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You love God. You love your kids. So why don’t they love Him? God promises lovingkindness to a thousand generations for families who love and obey Him (Deut. 7:9). Why are children who grew up in Christian homes leaving the faith, and how do we get them to come back? No matter how old your children are, there is a solution. With decades of pastoral wisdom, Jim Wilson identifies the common causes of rebellion and helps parents apply the eternal truths of Scripture to “turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke 1:17). -
Naval Academy midshipman Jim Wilson didn't cuss or smoke or chew or go with girls who do. When a friend asked him if he was going to heaven, Jim replied, "If someone like me can't make it, heaven is going to be thinly populated." It was a serious answer, but his friend laughed. Jim was in for a surprise: Turns out you have to be bad to go to heaven. -
Hope is a promise of God. Anxiety is a lie of Satan. When we are anxious, we become immobilized. We cannot make decisions; we cannot get things done; we cannot sleep. What can we do to be free from this constant worry? “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isa. 41:10). “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matt. 6:31–33). “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Pet. 5:7). In this booklet, Jim Wilson teaches you how to trust God and be free from anxiety every day. God knows our needs, God is faithful, and He cares for you.
