If God has called you, don’t spend time looking over your shoulder to see who is following.

Dare to Be Different

Dare to be different. Life is so full
Of people who follow the same push-and-pull.
Poor, plodding people who, other than name,
Try to pretend they’re exactly the same.

God made men different; there never will be
A replica soul made of you or of me.
The charm–the glory of all creation
Rests on this very deviation.

Your charm–your own glory, too,
Lies in being uniquely you–
Lies in being true to your best,
That part of you different from all of the rest.

- Helen Marshall

To deny self is to become a nonconformist. The Bible tells us not to be conformed to this world either physically or intellectually or spiritually.

- Billy Graham

* * *
A young man came to Dwight L. Moody, the famous American evangelist, and said, “Mr. Moody, I want to be a Christian, but must I give up the world?”

Moody characteristically replied, “Young man, if you live the out-and-out Christian life, the world will soon give you up.”

* * *
“Be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2).

* * *
One of the outstanding ironies of history is the utter disregard of ranks and titles in the final judgments men pass on each other. The final estimate of men shows that history cares not an iota for the rank or title a man has borne, or the office he has held, but only the quality of his deeds and the character of his mind and heart.

* * *
You have to have conviction or you can’t live!–And then you have to do something about your conviction, or you can’t stand to live with yourself!

- David Brandt Berg

* * *
It is so easy to make excuses-legitimate, logical, reasonable, acceptable excuses-why you can’t make it, why you shouldn’t be expected to make it. And in most cases most people will accept your excuses, because they don’t have the faith either and in excusing you they’re excusing themselves. But is God going to excuse you?

- David Brandt Berg

* * *
Florence Nightingale, who left wealth and comfort for poverty, war, and disease to nurse the sick, wrote in her diary: “I am thirty years of age, the age at which Christ began His mission. Now no more childish things, no more vain things. Now, Lord, let me think only of Thy will.” Years later, near the end of her illustrious, heroic life, she was asked for her life’s secret, and she replied: “Well, I can only give one explanation. That is, I have kept nothing back from God.”

* * *
John and Betty Stamm, missionaries in China, were martyred December 8, 1934. On December 6, John Stamm wrote, “My wife, baby and myself are today in the hands of Communists. All our possessions and stores they have taken, but we praise God for peace in our hearts and a meal tonight. God grant you wisdom in what you do and us fortitude, courage and peace of heart. He is able, and a wonderful Friend in such a time.” And in closing he said, “The Lord bless and guide you, and as for us, may God be glorified, whether by life or death.”

* * *
You cannot stop the man of faith! You cannot dissuade him! You cannot divert him! He’ll go on, with or without you, or right over you, if necessary!

- David Brandt Berg

* * *
IT’S BETTER TO DIE FOR SOMETHING THAN TO LIVE FOR NOTHING.

A classic in the annals of the U.S. Coast Guard is the story of Captain Pat Etheridge of the Cape Batterne station. One night in the howling hurricane, the lookout saw a distress signal from a ship that had gone aground on the dangerous Diamond Shoals, ten miles at sea. The lifeboats were ordered out. One of the lifeguards protested, “Captain Pat, we can get out there, but we can never get back.”

Responding to the call of duty, the captain gave the reply that has gone down in history: “Boys, we don’t have to come back.”

The Lord has given us our marching orders. He has commanded that the Gospel be preached in all the world. He has not promised His messengers an easy time. He has not given the assurance of a safe return to the home base, but He did say, “Go!”

* * *
David Livingstone, the great missionary and explorer, said of his life: “People talk of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa, Can that which is simply paid back as a small part of a great debt we owe to our God be called a sacrifice? Is that a sacrifice which brings its own best reward in healthful activity, the knowledge that one is doing good, peace of mind, and a bright hope of a glorious destiny hereafter?

“It is emphatically no sacrifice. Say, rather, it is a privilege. Anxiety, sickness, suffering, or danger now and then, with less of the common conveniences of this life, may make us pause and cause the spirit to waver and the soul to sink, but let this be only for a moment.

“All these are nothing when compared with the glory which shall be revealed in and for us. I never made a sacrifice! We ought not to talk of this when we remember the great sacrifice made by Him who left His Father’s throne on high to give Himself to us.”

* * *
Be strong!
We are not here to play, to dream, to drift;
We have hard work to do, and loads to lift.
Shun not the struggle; face it.
‘ Tis God’s gift.

Be strong!
Say not the days are evil, who’s to blame?
And fold the hands and acquiesce-O shame!
Stand up, speak out, and bravely,
In God’s name.

Be strong!
It matters not how deep entrenched the wrong,
How hard the battle goes, the day how long,
Faint not, fight on!
Tomorrow comes the song.

– Maltbie D. Babcock

BE A FIGHTER!

Comments by David Brandt Berg

May God give us fighters who like to fight for the Lord with the weapon of His Word and who enjoy defeating evil and who know they can’t lose and who like to win victories! Conquering heroes that like to live and fight and die for Jesus and their brethren and the Truth!

There’s no crown without a cross, no testimony without a test, no triumph without a trial, no victory without a battle, no rose without a thorn! That’s what you joined the Lord’s army for: to fight and to win! Let’s get on with the Lord’s battle!

We may not win all the battles, but we’re going to win the war!

Keep on holding on to God’s promises!–Don’t let go! Keep on standing on the Word!–Don’t get off! Keep on going for Jesus!–Don’t stop! Keep on keeping on!

Anything can happen in that little margin of time when you do not give up, but keep on believing and keep on praying!

We can’t lose! The victory is already ours! Just keep fighting until we get there! If you keep fighting, you can’t lose! Keep resisting the Devil, keep raising up the standard of the Spirit, keep wielding the weapon of the Word, and you cannot lose if you keep fighting! “Fight the good fight of faith!” (See 1 Timothy 6:12; Jude 3; 2 Timothy 2:3; 4:7; Ephesians 6:13-17.)

To a Worldchanger, Copyright © 1998-2012, The Family International