The Connie Giordano Show

"Across the ages there has always been a suffering Church. Today as well, in many parts of the world, allegiance to JESUS means suffering, discrimination, and ridicule. The letter of Peter is especially helpful for all who know such sufferings, or for those whose personal experience of suffering has caused doubts. The first letter of Peter helps us see God's prescription for thise who suffer. It calls for holiness, for submission, and for acceptance of the amazing truth that suffering can be a gift from God." (The Illustrated Concise Bible Handbook)

"It is our privilege to serve the Lord in all things. It is ours to please the Lord in loosing the latchet of a shoe; and to enjoy the expression of His favor therein. The servant of God is not serving at the same time another master; he has not been hired for occasional service; he abides in the service of his God, and cannot be about anything but his Master's business; he eats, he drinks, he sleeps, he walks, he discourses, he finds recreation, all by the way of serving God." (Treasury Of David)

"Faith has given way to feeling. Where once faith was so mighty and so prevalent that it had to be inquired about, now feelings prredominate and must be accounted for. What is the result? We place more emphasis upon this world, the things of the world, and the things which are temporal. We live more and more in the realm of the seen, rather than the unseen. We look more to the material world than to the spiritual." (Hebrews - Everitt Fjordbak)

"The early Hebrew Christians found it very difficult openly to confess Christ; for their unbelieving countrymen treated all who did so as renegades from Israel, and apostates from Israel's God. But fidelity to the truth was necessary then, and it is equally necessary now. Every believer is bound publicly to confess Christ. He must do so for Christ's sake, for his own sake, and for the sake of his fellow men." (The Pulpit Commentary)

"In the Hebrew sanctuary, there were three degrees of approach to God. The outer court was for the general congregation; the holy place for the officiating priests; and the holiest of all for the high priest, and was so rigidly limited to him that neither priest in the holy place, nor worshipper in the outer court, must accompany him, or the glories of the Shekinah would have consumed him. But it is far otherwise now. Our 'great High Priest' has opened the way to the mercy seat in heaven, and is now present at the right hand of God, so that any Jew or Gentile may at once enter into the Divine Presence, and with holy boldness or joyous freedom utter all he thinks to his reconciled Father." (James Nisbet Commentary)

"All true believers live with Him - live with Him in a larger sense than would have been before or otherwise possible. Life is enlarged and glorified by the risen life of the once crucified Savior. Christ dieth no more: then we have an ever-living intercessor. Christ dieth no more: then we have an abiding helper. Christ dieth no more: then we need no other sacrifice and no other priest. Christ dieth no more: then we need not fear, for the Good Shepherd will ever watch over His sheep. and lead them in pastures of delight." (The Preacher's Homiletic Commentary)

"Reader, in what state art thou? Hast thou gone back from Christ, or art thou going back? Wilt thou go? Thou, whom He has redeemed by HIs blood - thou, whom He has upheld by His power, and fed by His providence - thou, into whose wounded soul He has poured the balm of pardoning mercy - thou, whom He has adopted into the heavenly family - thou, whom He has comforted in so many tribulations and adversities - thou, whose multiplied offenses He has freely and fully pardoned; wilt thou go away?" (Adam Clarke)

"Likewise, the Church is filled with people who ought to be spiritual adults by now, but they are still spiritual infants because they have not been exercised by the Word of God. For this reason, there are large numbers of believers who, like infants, have put a lot of spiritual poison into their spiritual mouths that is not safe for consumption. Not only will the mixing of truth with false doctrine weaken their foundation and minimize their ability to produce fruit that is eternal, but it could also eventually pull them so far off course that it leads them to a 'shipwreck' in various areas of their lives." (Rick Renner - "How To Keep Your Head On Straight In A World Gone Crazy")

"The early Hebrew Christians found it very difficult openly to confess Christ; for their unbelieving countrymen treated all who did so as renegrades from Israel, and apostates from Israel's God. But fidelity to the truth was necessary then, and it is equally necessary now. Every believer is bound publicly to confess Christ. He must do so for Christ's sake, for his own sake, and for the sake of his fellow men." (The Pulpit Commentary)

:"The Holy Spirit speaks to us concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment. If we ignore His voice, our hearts will increasingly grow hard and unyielding until they are no longer sensitive to God's Word or the desires of the Spirit. Commitment to truth and to righteous living will no longer be a priority, but we will more and more seek pleasure in the ways of the world rather than God's ways. The Holy Spirit warns us that God will not go on pleading with us indefinitely if we harden our hearts in rebellion. There is a point of no return." (Life In The Spirit Study Bible)

"The danger is ever present: 'lest at any time.' It is an exhortation to the Church today, lest the seed of the Word should fall on stony ground. It would bear no fruit, for the fowls of the air come and devour the seed. By careless living, the same fate that threatened the Early Church could befall us. For most Christians, the danger is not one of plunging back into sin, but of drifting without noticing it, back into the world. Very few would deliberately turn their backs upon God and go into sin; rather, it is a day-by-day experience of slipping father and farther away from the Lord Jesus. To heed is to live, but to drift is to die." (Hebrews - Everitt M. Fjordbak)

"God is our maker, our preserver, and the giver of all our mercies. On Him we ever have been and must be dependent for all good, and to Him we should be habitually devoted." (Family Bible Notes)

"It is easy to lose our vision. It is so easy to permit time to crowd us, to become so busy in the affairs and the cares of this life, even in the work of the Lord, that we lose our vision of Who JESUS really is. How careful we must be that we do not lose that first touch, that first love, that first sweet, precious communication with our Lord. That is what happened to the Hebrew Christians." (Hebrews Commentary by Everitt Fyordbak)

"No matter how great or many the dangers may be, yet God always has ways to deliver His." (Geneva Bible Footnotes)

"It is the duty and interest of the people of God not to be afraid of evil tidings, not to be afraid of hearing bad news; and, when they do, not to be put into confusion by it and into an amazing expectation of worse and worse, but whatever happens, whatever threatens, to be able to say, with blessed Paul, None of these things move me, neither will I fear, though the earth be removed." (Matthew Henry)

"If you desire to be for the Lord and stand for Him, see to it that you are not sidetracked by the way of compromise. While you go through the world, men will say to you, 'Weknow as much about it as you. We are as true Christians as you.' Yet they are going on with the world, endorsing the world, speaking the things the world loves, introducing those false things which are sweeping professing Christianity. By the grace of God, let 'no compromise' be our watchword. Be obedient to the instructions that God has given us in His word." (Writings of F.B. Hole)

"What we need is help, - help powerful, efficient, constant: we need a very present help in trouble. What a mercy that we have it in our God. Our hope is in Jehovah, for our help comes from Him. Help is on the road, and will not fail to reach us in due time, for He Who sends it to us was never known to be too late. Jehovah Who created all things is equal to every emergency; heaven and earth are at the disposal of Him Who made them, therefore let us be very joyful in our infinite helper." (The Treasury Of David)

"There are the 'ways" of men, and the 'ways" of God; the 'paths' of sin, and the 'paths' of righteousness: there are Thy ways, and there are my ways; Thine the ways of truth, mine the ways of error; Thine which are good in Thine eyes, and mine which are good in mine eyes; Thine which lead to heaven, mine which lead to Hell. Wherefore, shew me Thy ways, O LORD; teach me Thy paths, lest I mistake mine own ways for Thine; yea, lead me in Thy truth, and teach me, lest I turn out of Thy ways into mine own..." (The Treasury Of David)

"A Christian is always in danger, and therefore should ever be on the watch; but the danger is greater at some times and under some circumstances...If a Christian would be secure, he must be on his guard; and the more his danger, the greater vigilance is needful for his security." (Matthew Henry)

"In the great spiritual transformation experienced by every believer, there is a twofold and coincident operation - the putting off of the old and the putting on of the new; there is an act of renunciation and unclothing and an act of reception and investment. This change is complete; it pervades the whole man, ruling every power, fashioning the character, and inspiring the entire life. This change is divine in its origin and outworking." (The Preacher's Homiletic Commentary)

"There is something very agreeable and desirable in ease. Yet, strange as the declaration may appear, this tranquility is too common; and to disturb it should be our design. For your peace may be a false peace. Before an earthquake, the air is uncommonly serene." (The Biblical Illustrator)

"To cleave to anything is to grasp it firmly, to hold it tenaciously, and to prefer to be torn In pieces rather than to be torn from it...So let young converts, and even aged saints, cleave unto or continue 'to abide with the Lord'; then they will avoid every by-path." (The Biblical Illustrator)

"Every Christian is a living temple of the living God. God dwelt in the Jewish temple, took possession of it, and resided in it, by that glorious cloud that was the token of His presence with that people. So Christ by His Spirit dwells in all true believers. The temple was devoted and consecrated to God, and set apart from every common to a holy use, to the immediate service of God. So all Christians are separated from common uses, and set apart for God and His service." (Matthew Henry)

"As obedient children. An invariable characteristic of all Christians. The divisions between God's children and the children of this world turns on obedience to God." (The People's New Testament Commentary)

"Let others lift up their souls to vanity, I will dare to be singular, I will lift up my soul to Thee." (The Biblical Illustrator)

"Those who have God for their Savior, Protector, and Guide, have no reason to fear, but may walk through life and through the valley of the shadow of death unmoved by the enemies and dangers that may surround them." (Family Bible Notes)

"They seek Him with their whole heart. They do not seek themselves and their own things, but God only; this is that which they aim at...He is, and will be, the rewarder, the reward, of all those who thus seek Him diligently, seek Him with the heart, for that is it that God looks at and requires; and with the whole heart, for if the heart be divided between Him and the world, it is faulty." (Matthew Henry)

"Men spend years of study in seeking the solution to a mathematical problem, in perfecting a mechanical instrument, or in verifying a scientific discovery. A whole lifetime cannot be better spent than in seeking after God. Such seekers make the grandest discoveries, and confer the greatest blessings on the world." (The Preacher's Homiletic Commentary)

"To be transformed into the image of Christ means to increasingly reflect His loving, compassionate character in our behavior. Therefore, if we are not becoming more loving toward others - especially the most helpless of our society - we have taken a wrong turn somewhere. We have either neglected our relationship with Him or have disobeyed His commands." (Charles Stanley's Life Principles Study Notes)

"A man's words are a true index or evidence of his character; and they also react upon that character, and tend to confirm it for good or evil. Should, therefore, a person who has been for many years a member of a Christian Church indulge always, without restraint, in evil speaking; should he be in the habit of soiling his tongue with impure , or malicious, or false, or foolish words; what other conclusion can be drawn about his character than just that he is not a true Christian?" (The Pulpit Commentary)

"Many of you do not give the motives and principles of the gospel, which you say you believe, a chance of influencing you, because so interruptedly and spasmodically, and at such long intervals, and for so few moments, do you gaze upon them. Steadfast and continued attention is needful if we are to be 'doers of the work.' " (The Preacher's Homiletic Commentary)

"Religious knowledge is not the final result of religious instruction. Religious feeling is not the final result of religious instruction. Religious talk is not the final result of religious instrucion. Religious doing is the final result of religious instruction... The true hearer is 'the doer that worketh'; and the true preacher or teacher is he who can inspire men unto doing..." (Preacher's Homiletic Commentary)

"The Word of God, either preached or written, cannot effectively take hold of a person's life if he or she is not separated from moral filth and evil. God commands us as believers to set aside all the ungodly filth that permeates a corrupt society and seeks to influence us and our families. This filth will defile our souls and blight our lives." (Life In The Spirit Study Bible)

"Be calm, whatever may be the wickedness of the world. The supreme direction belongs to God, and He will dispose of it in the best way." (Barnes' Notes)

"Our natural tendency in respect to God's Word is to be slow to hear and quick to speak. Not fully understanding because of faulty listening, we are quick to jump to wrong conclusions, quick to judge, quick to say the worst, quick to offer advice. We so naturally pronounce opinions and verdicts on every situation and person. But we must keep in mind that 'slow to speak' is an ongoing command from the Holy Spirit Himself." (Preaching The Word)

"A true Christian is a creature begotten anew. He becomes as different a person from what he was before the renewing influences of divine grace as if he were formed over again, and born afresh." (Matthew Henry)

"We may be sure that whatever changes there may be in human affairs; whatever reverses we may undergo; whatever oceans we may cross, or whatever mountains we may climb, or in whatever worlds we may hereafter take up our abode, God is the same." (Barnes' Notes)

"Have you ever blamed your parents or other people for what you have become? Have you ever blamed circumstances for what you have done? Of course people and circumstances do affect us. However, one of the most significant ways we resist the work of God for our growth toward becoming 'mature and complete' is that we blame factors outside of ourselves for our sin."

"Just as holy trials are designed to bring out the best in us, so unholy temptations are designed to bring out the worst in us. One thing must be clearly understood. When we are tempted to sin, the temptation does not come from God. God does test or try men, as far as their faith is concerned, but He never tempts a man to commit any form of evil. He Himself has no dealings with evil and He does not entice to sin." (The Believer's Bible Commentary)

"The difficulties we face in life can trip us up and tempt us into doubt and despair...but blessed is the man who endures these trials and tribulations...because when he has passed the test, he will receive the magnificent crown of life, which the Lord our God has promised to all who love Him." (Knowing Jesus)

"Trials, if properly understood through the gift of God's wisdom, will grant a new perspective, in which riches are seen for what they are. Riches have the capacity to dull our sight until we fail to see the image of God in those around us. They have the potential to woo us into an uncritical acceptance of the standards of the world as the rightful standards of the church." (NIV Application Commentary)

"God does not answer the prayers of presumptuous people who do not even believe their own prayers. He is not under obligation to answer anyone, especially those who seriously doubt His ability to answer prayer." (The Bible Exposition Commentary)

" 'Nothing doubting' should be the Christian's motto in prayer. The petitioner must not shift backwards and forwards between faith and doubt like a tumbling billow of the sea. He must not swing like a pendulum between cheerful confidence and dark suspicion. It must be his fixed persuasion that God is, and that He is the Hearer of prayer." (The Pulpit Commentary)

"We don't have to face the problems of life in our own wisdom. If, in the time of trial, we lack spiritual insight, we should go to God and tell Him all about our perplexity and ignorance. All who are thus exercised to find God's purposes in the trials will be liberally rewarded." (The Believer's Bible Commentary)

"God used the trials Joseph endured to bring about something good: 'the saving of many lives,' including those of his brothers who had hated him so much. We can learn a lot from the patient endurance of Joseph during the hardships he experienced in Egypt and trust that God is using all situations for His and for our good." (Got Questions)

"God tells us to expect trials. It is not 'if you fall into trials,' but 'when you fall into trials.' The believer who expects the Christian life to be easy is in for a shock. We cannot always expect everything to go our way. Some trials come simply because we are human - sickness, accidents, disappointments, even seeming tragedies. Other trials come because we are Christians. Satan fights us and the world opposes us, resulting in a life of battle." (NKJV Wiersbe Study Bible)

Who are you? How do you identify yourself as a Christian in today's world? Many in the church today are facing unnecessary problems and difficulties in life because they don't know who they are or whose they are. They are experiencing an identity crisis. The answer is to get your identity straightened out first. Settle it in your heart that you are first and foremost a servant of God and of the Lord JESUS Christ.

"It is a disease which has never ceased to prevail all over Christendom. It is a soul-ruining plague, which is continually sweeping away crowds of Gospel hearers down the broad way to destruction. Open sin, and avowed unbelief, no doubt slay their thousands. But profession without practice slays its tens of thousands." (J.C. Ryle)

"Many, like the Jews, do not say, Never, but not yet. Conscience will not let them say, We will never be religious and work for God; but they procrastinate - put off till to-morrow what should be done to day, and thus leave the great work of life undone. The time is always come to him who wishes to do right. In HIs providence and by His prophets, God calls now. The present is the opportunity to respond, undertake, and finish the work which God has given us to do." (The Preacher's Homiletic Commentary)

"Only the man who is born of God really overcomes the world, because by faith he is able to rise above the perishing things of this world and to see things in their true, eternal perspective."

"Every good we possess comes from God, and we should neither use our eyes, nor our ears, nor any thing we possess, but in strict subserviency to His will." (Adam Clarke) God is speaking! Do you have an "hearing ear"? Is it an "obedient" ear? Is it an "open" ear - open to ALL of God's Truth?