Romans 10: 8-13 (Confess That Jesus Is Lord)

But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 

Proverbs 3 (Further Benefits of Wisdom)

1-My son, do not forget my teaching,

but keep my commands in your heart,

2-for they will prolong your life many years

and bring you prosperity.

3-Let love and faithfulness never leave you;

bind them around your neck,

write them on the tablet of your heart.

4-Then you will win favor and a good name

in the sight of God and man.

5-Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

6-in all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make your paths straight.a

7-Do not be wise in your own eyes;

fear the Lord and shun evil.

8-This will bring health to your body

and nourishment to your bones.

9-Honor the Lord with your wealth,

with the firstfruits of all your crops;

10-then your barns will be filled to overflowing,

and your vats will brim over with new wine.

11-My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline

and do not resent his rebuke,

12-because the Lord disciplines those he loves,

as a fatherb the son he delights in.

13-Blessed is the man who finds wisdom,

the man who gains understanding,

14-for she is more profitable than silver

and yields better returns than gold.

15-She is more precious than rubies;

nothing you desire can compare with her.

16-Long life is in her right hand;

in her left hand are riches and honor.

17-Her ways are pleasant ways,

and all her paths are peace.

18-She is a tree of life to those who embrace her;

those who lay hold of her will be blessed.

19-By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations,

by understanding he set the heavens in place;

20-by his knowledge the deeps were divided,

and the clouds let drop the dew.

21-My son, preserve sound judgment and discernment,

do not let them out of your sight;

22-they will be life for you,

an ornament to grace your neck.

23-Then you will go on your way in safety,

and your foot will not stumble;

24-when you lie down, you will not be afraid;

when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

25-Have no fear of sudden disaster

or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked,

26-for the Lord will be your confidence

and will keep your foot from being snared.

27-Do not withhold good from those who deserve it,

when it is in your power to act.

28-Do not say to your neighbor,

“Come back later; I’ll give it tomorrow”—

when you now have it with you.

29-Do not plot harm against your neighbor,

who lives trustfully near you.

30-Do not accuse a man for no reason—

when he has done you no harm.

31-Do not envy a violent man

or choose any of his ways,

32-for the Lord detests a perverse man

but takes the upright into his confidence.

33-The Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked,

but he blesses the home of the righteous.

34-He mocks proud mockers

but gives grace to the humble.

35-The wise inherit honor,

but fools he holds up to shame.

James 3: 1-12 (Taming The Tongue)

1-Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.

2-We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.

3-When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4-Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go.

5-Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.

6-The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

7-All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, 8-but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

9-With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10-Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 11-Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12-My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

John 8:44 (Jesus: The Devil Is Your Father Because You Can't Hear my Word)

42-Jesus said to them, If God were your Father, you would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.

43-Why do you not understand my speech? even because you cannot hear my word.

44-You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and stayed not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

45-And because I tell you the truth, you believe me not.

46-Which of you convinces me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do you not believe me?

47-He that is of God hears God's words: you therefore hear them not, because you are not of God.

James 4:4-6 (Friendship With The World Is Enmity With God)

Friendship With The World Is Enmity With God.

4 -You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

5 - Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”?

6 - But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 

James 1: 22-25 (Don't Just Listen To The Word, Do What It Says)

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.

2 Timothy 4:2-4 (Listening To What Their Itching Ears Want To Hear)

Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 

1 Corinthian 9:24-27 (Run The Race)

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

1 Corinthians 1:18-19 (The Message Of The Cross Is Foolish To Others)

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”

Matthew 7: 15-23 (The Wolf In Sheep's Clothing/ False Prophets)

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ 

James 4: 1-12 (Submit Yourselves To God)

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely?But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:

“God opposes the proud

but gives grace to the humble.”

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?

1 Corinthians 3:18-20 (The Wisdom Of This World)

‎"Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a “fool” so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”;and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.” 

James 5:7-12 (Patience In Suffering)

7Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. 8You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. 9Don’t grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!

10Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

12Above all, my brothers, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your “Yes” be yes, and your “No,” no, or you will be condemned.

James 5:1-6 (Warning To The Rich)

Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. Your wealth has rotted and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourself in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murder innocent men, who were not opposing you.

Philippians 2: 1-11 NIV (Imitating Christ’s Humility)

1If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

6Who, being in very nature God,

did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,

7but made himself nothing,

taking the very nature of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

8And being found in appearance as a man,

he humbled himself

and became obedient to death—

even death on a cross!

9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place

and gave him the name that is above every name,

10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

1 Peter 3:10-12 (Key To A Good Life)

For the Scriptures say, "If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies. Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it. The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil."

Roman 12:2 (Do Not Conform To This World)

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--His good, pleasing and perfect will.

Exodus 22: 22-28 (Social Responsibility)

"Do not take advantage of a widow or an orphan.  If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry. My anger will be aroused, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives will become widows and your children fatherless. If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not be like a moneylender; charge him no interest. If you take your neighbor's cloak as a pledge, return it to him by sunset,  because his cloak is the only covering he has for his body. What else will he sleep in? When he cries out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate. Do not blaspheme God or curse the ruler of your people."

Matthew 6:1-34 (About Giving, Praying, Fasting & The Treasures In Heaven)

Giving to the Needy

1“Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

2“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Prayer

5“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7And when you pray, do not keep on babbling* like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

9“This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

10your kingdom come,

your will be done

on earth as it is in heaven.

11Give us today our daily bread.

12Forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

13And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one.^a’

14For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Fasting

16“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 17But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Treasures in Heaven

19“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

22“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

24“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

Do Not Worry

25“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life^b?


28“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.


*babbling - Uttering incoherently or meaninglessly repetitious manner.

Ephesians 6: 10-17 (The Whole Armor Of God)

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers , against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and as shoes for your feet, having put the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

And pray in the Spirit* on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

*Mystery Weapon (The Spear)