The right mental attitude,
Self-control,
Endurance, and,
Having our eyes fixed on Jesus.

If we will keep these requirements in mind, we can finish the race and keep the faith.

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The fact that a person has repented of his sins and claimed salvation in Christ does not mean that his whole character has been instantly transformed. Certainly, a vitally important process of change has been set in motion, but it may take many years for that change to be worked out in every area of his character.

When David needed smooth stones to fit in his sling so that he could slay Goliath, he went down to the valley — the lowly place of humility. There in the brook he found the kind of stones he needed. What had made them smooth? Two pressures: first, the water flowing over them; second, their continual jostling against one another.

This is a picture of how Christian character is formed. First, there is the continual washing of water by the Word (see Ephesians 5:26). Second, as we “jostle” one another in personal relationships, our rough edges are gradually worn down until they become smooth. We are “living stones” who need continual smoothing (see 1 Peter 2:5).

Let me add a side comment that when Jesus needs “living stones” for His sling, He, too, goes to the valley — the place of humility. There, He chooses stones that have been made smooth by the action of God’s Word and by the pressures of regular fellowship with other believers. It is a mark of spiritual maturity to sincerely love our fellow Christians, not simply for what they are in themselves, but for what they mean to Jesus, who shed His lifeblood for each of them.

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The entire Bible shows that our words determine our destinies. As we read in Proverbs 18:21:

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit” (NASB)

The tongue is either going to produce death in our lives, if we make a wrong confession, or life, if we make a right confession. Whatever we say with our tongues, we are going to eat the resultant fruit. That truth was echoed by the words of Jesus when He said:

“And I say to you, that every careless word that men shall speak, they shall render account for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned” (Matthew 12:36–37, NASB)

Christians often say silly things that are not honoring to God, and then excuse themselves by saying, “I didn’t really mean it.” But Jesus said, “Every careless word.” It is not an excuse to say that you didn’t really mean something. We must hold fast our confession.

Ultimately, there are only two alternatives in our relationship to Christ and the Scripture: to confess or to deny. Again, Jesus said:

“Everyone therefore who shall confess Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever shall deny Me befo

Declaring God's Word

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