Where is the room or place for pride? In the great hymn, “When I survey the wondrous cross,” we read these words: “Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, Save in the cross of Christ my God; All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to His blood.” If we ever feel the need to boast or brag about what we have done, or take any glory for ourselves, then we need to run to the cross in repentance, and cry out to God who will always be ready to cleanse us and forgive us. His mercy endures forever!

Apart from God, we can’t resist temptation. Jesus told the disciples to watch and pray, and that includes us, so we don’t enter into temptation. (Matthew 26:41) We need to pray, and pray often. We also need to pray with others when we can. The enemy makes something look true when it’s a lie, and he makes it look pleasant to the desires of our old nature. It seems good, but it is destructive. We need to recognise temptation for what it is – something that can lead to sin.

God gives us authority in the name of Jesus the moment we are born again. Authority is ours when we become a child of God. Every believer has God-given authority. It is by the grace of God. It is not something we earn. God’s power works through our God-given authority. Authority and power go together. Authority is the channel for the power to flow through. The power of the Holy Spirit works in us and through us, as believers. God is the all-powerful One. His power is the greatest power of all! The Holy Spirit lives in us as born again believers. We have the greatest power living in us! (1 John 4:4)

Sixty-three stand-alone short chapters of help in living the Christian life. There are chapters here for everyone – people who are walking towards God, people walking with God, and those walking on with God. The short chapters are arranged approximately in this order, but there is much value in the early chapters for those looking for a deeper faith. This is not a book where you have to start at Chapter 1 and work your way through to the end. The Contents page lists the title of every chapter, so just dive in and read one that inter-ests you. Of course, you can start at Chapter 1 and read the whole book if you prefer, and our prayer is that every reader will be greatly blessed by what they read. The majority of these sixty-three chapters have been released individually as booklets, and every chapter as individual eBooks that are available in all formats from major eBook distributors. The eBook editions are free from most distributors. This whole volume is also available as a paperback from major book distributors.

Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.. Jesus intercedes to the Father on their behalf. Even though He was suffering on the cross, being rejected and mocked, treated like a criminal, Jesus still was pleading with His Father not to lay it to their charge. The Holy Spirit helps us know what God is saying to us and what is in His heart. We cannot trust our own wisdom, but the Holy Spirit helps us in all our weaknesses. He empowers us to pray in line with the will and purpose of God. We need to follow His leading in intercession. The Holy Spirit will put people and situations on our hearts, just at the right time when prayer is needed. We need to pray in faith, believing (Mark 11:24).

God’s promises are packed with His provision – according to His riches in glory. And you can’t get any more packed than that! God is an abundant God, a God of plenty. Whatever we place into God’s hands, however small, God will enlarge and use in a mighty way. We must never think that what we have is too small. Nothing is too small for God. It may seem small to us, but when God blesses it, it multiplies. A tiny acorn becomes a large oak tree. Perhaps we feel that our gifts, our time, our talents, and our efforts are too small to make a difference. But when we trust God with them and place them into His hands, He blesses them and increases them. God uses them in ways we never imagined.

Our faith in God is not an escape from the trials of life. God keeps us and sustains us, and these trials help our faith to grow even stronger. Trials come in many different areas in our lives. Some are short, and some are long. Some are more intense than others. But one thing is the same in all of them – they can all carry mystery and cause us to wonder why they happened. God will use the hard times in our lives as a refining process to bring out the best in us. Gold is valuable when it is purified through heat. God is very much in control of the temperature. He wants to mature and develop us. He knows where we need Him to work on us by His Holy Spirit. He does it all for our good. As we grow and develop in Christ, He will teach us to be the overcomers we were made to be.