Susquehanna Valley Baptist Church

What is a Biblical fast? Are there specific requirements to fasting? There are distinctions to the discipline of fasting. But in general, fasting is a denying for a duration those things God has given us to enjoy.

Fasting in the Bible varies widely in length, from a single meal to forty days, yet consistently reflects a heart surrendered to God. The essence of fasting lies not in the length or type of abstinence, but in the posture of the heart and the purpose of drawing near to God.

Bitterness is a pervasive and destructive sin that undermines the Christian life. Bitterness, though often disguised as justified hurt, is a spiritual malady that corrupts fellowship with God, damages relationships, distorts thinking, and leads to harsh emotions like wrath, anger, and slander. As Naomi dealt with bitterness, she also failed to recognize the blessings in her life.

Le salut est un choix personnel. Il requiert une persuasion pratique et une profession personnelle. Sans quoi, une personne ne peut être sauvée.

उद्धार एक व्यक्तिगत चुनाव है। इसके लिए एक व्यावहारिक प्रेरणा और एक व्यक्तिगत अंगीकार की आवश्यकता है। इनके बिना, कोई व्यक्ति बचाया नहीं जा सकता।

Спасение – это личный выбор. Оно требует практического убеждения и личного исповедания. Без этого человек не может быть спасен.

La salvación es una elección personal. Requiere una persuasión práctica y una profesión personal. Sin lo cual, una persona no puede ser salva.

Sự cứu rỗi là một sự lựa chọn cá nhân. Điều đó đòi hỏi một sự thuyết phục thực hành và một sự xưng nhận cá nhân. Không có những điều này, một người không thể được cứu.

Bitterness is capable of being present in any believer's life. It doesn't require much for it to grow and take hold on the heart. But the believer can have victory over bitterness by recognizing the goodness of God and dwelling in His promises.

Throughout the annals of Scripture, there are multiple times when fasting is mentioned, even enjoined. These times of fasting were for different reasons, but they all hold a lesson for us today as we seek to know and understand the Biblical viewpoint of fasting.

Bitterness, can corrode relationships, hinder spiritual growth, and undermine the work of God. And it is not God's will for us to have bitterness in our lives. The remedy is not mere willpower, but the active, Spirit enabled rejection of bitterness through faith in God's justice, sovereignty, and provision. Forgiving and setting aside the hurt, to pursue holiness.

The biblical practice of fasting is not a legalistic requirement, but a profound act of self-denial rooted in spiritual discipline and alignment with God. Fasting, paired with watchful prayer, reflects a deep commitment to godly service amid trials and burdens, countering the world's self-centered values.

While Biblical Fasting has its rightful place in the disciplines of a believer, it must remain in its proper Biblical context. It is an individual choice, wholly voluntary, that seeks to subdue the flesh for the purpose of surrender to God.

The cross that Christ bore was not easy, nor was it enjoyable. He suffered immensely so that you and I might have salvation from the just penalty for our sins. Jesus, and Jesus alone, was able to go through the pain and suffering that He endured. Praise be to God for His great love!

There are four vital ways believers today can support global missions. By embracing the responsibility of service. Cultivating sympathy through prayer and correspondence. Offering supplication in persistent intercession and providing tangible support through financial stewardship and practical care.

Death is inevitable and judgment follows, yet the rich man's tormented plea in Luke 16, reveals a startling concern for his unsaved brothers. Prioritizing their salvation over his own suffering. Though unregenerate, his continuous cry for someone to warn his family underscores a profound spiritual insight. Often prayer and concern focus on personal needs rather than the desperate spiritual condition of others, urging a renewed urgency to share the gospel before it is too late.

The local church is the birthplace of all missions activities. Yet, the church cannot accomplish God's full purpose if not all the members are fulfilling their duties. One must take the small steps of faith in obedience to God, so that He can use both them and the local church to accomplish great things on His behalf.

What we have in this life is very little, but God takes a little and does a lot with it. The key to the believer's life is total surrender to God. It requires laying your life on the line and going all in for Him.

Our life is an investment we will make for eternity. Therefore, we must take care to invest it for the Lord. It is easy for us as sinners to chase after the things of this world, but they are fruitless. Let us use this opportunity of life to invest for eternal rewards.

God has required two things of believers when it comes to missions. We must send, and we must go. The harvest demands us do both. If we do, we will be able to behold trophies of God's grace.

In the local church, there are two duties concerning missions. We are to send, and we are to go. Neither sending nor going is more important than the other. Each one is necessary for the successful propagation of the Gospel.

God has given believers the great ministry of distributing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Do we find ourselves too accustomed to the Gospel that we don't recognize its greatness, its power, or its working? We must continually stay amazed at the greatness of what God has done so that all men might be saved.

There are countless souls in this world who have never heard the gospel. They, like the man at the pool of Bethesda, cry out, "I have no man." Who will be the man that will step up and take the Gospel to the condemned of Adam's race?

There is only one thing that can transform the life of a sinner and that is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is a sure light. From the events of Acts 16 to the present, He has not changed. The gospel has not changed, and it never will. Hope will only be found in the light which is Christ.

Jesus's victory over sin, death and the world, is not merely spiritual but bodily, culminating in the resurrection of the dead and the transformation of believers into incorruptible, immortal beings, rendering death's sting powerless. As Christians, we need to embody this hope through steadfastness, immovability, and abounding in service, resisting cultural pressures, doctrinal compromise, and weariness by anchoring our identity in Christ's finished work and the sustaining fellowship of the church.

The biblical view of fasting is not a mandatory religious obligation, but a voluntary practice rooted in devotion rather than ritual. Acts 13 and Colossians 2, argues that true spiritual completeness comes not through external disciplines like Lent, whose origins are traced to post-apostolic Catholic tradition, but through being 'complete in Christ,' whose fullness dwells bodily in Him.

One of the identifications of the overcomer in Christ is ones love for God. This love is not words or feelings. It is actions that show our obedience to the command to God to love Him.

The Biblical teaching about the coming judgment should provide a positive motivation for the life of each saint. The Great White Throne Judgment, though not involving believers, provides the believers with many motivations for this life.

God, through Christ, has given us all that we need to overcome the obstacles we have in this present life. We are assured that we will suffer throughout life and have great needs. Yet, through it all, we can be victorious through Jesus Christ.

Though we most often speak of the Lamb's book of life, there are actually several books that are dealt with in Revelation 20. These books show forth the marvelous greatness of our God in His holiness, His faithfulness, and His power.

To be led in the Spirit is to be decisive in submission to Him. It is making the decision to put the dictates of God above one's own personal preferences.

Though the flesh remains weak and prone to failure, the believer's position in Christ ensures ultimate victory, grounded in the resurrection, the cross, and the promise that nothing can separate them from God's love.

Unbelievers have a day of ultimate reckoning that is coming to them. This judgment, referred to as the Great White Throne Judgment will be a day of great agony for all who have not believed God. Regardless of one's status, fame, or popularity, each unbeliever will come face to face with God's might and His majesty. They will forever be regretting the decisions they made on this earth.

We as Christians have many regrets in our lives and perilous times often come. But we can put our trust in God who is our hope and security.

El gozo que perdura no está arraigado en nuestras circunstancias. Más bien, se fundamenta en una relación personal y continua con Dios. Ni el éxito personal ni los deseos cumplidos jamás traerán gozo a nuestras vidas. No, nuestro gozo proviene de nuestro andar con Dios, impulsado por la fe.

Knowing and doing God's will begins with spiritual rebirth, as affirmed in John 3, and is sustained through a life marked by gratitude, sanctification, submission, growth, and even suffering.

What produces your happiness? Is it the things of this world? If so, your life will not be one of great spiritual productivity. True happiness can only come through Jesus Christ and living one's life for the glory of God.

Believers from both the New Testament era and the tribulation period—particularly 144,000 Jewish evangelists and surviving Gentile believers—will reign with Christ, their faith demonstrated through sacrificial works during the final days of earthly turmoil.

Christmas is a time of great joy for believers. Why? Because it marks the time that Jesus was made flesh in order to be the sacrifice for our sins. Without His miraculous incarnation, there is no miraculous salvation.

Il incombe au croyant de connaître la volonté de Dieu pour sa vie. Un manquement à cela témoigne d'un manque de sagesse dans sa vie. À quoi ressemble une personne qui accomplit la volonté de Dieu? Premièrement, elle vit une vie nouvelle.

Great joy is available to the believer through Jesus Christ. This joy is not fleeting but continual. This joy is made possible by the incarnation of Jesus Christ. Without His coming to earth, salvation would have been impossible. But because He came, lived, died, and was raised again, we can have eternal life with God the Father.

Es responsabilidad del creyente conocer la voluntad de Dios para su vida. El no hacerlo es evidencia de una falta de sabiduría en su vida. ¿Cómo se ve una persona que cumple la voluntad de Dios? Primero, está viviendo una vida nueva.

Because of God's faithfulness to keep His promises, believers have no need to be consumed by anxiety about the future. Yet, we still should know what the Bible speaks of concerning the last days. In this lesson, we delve into the judgments of God specifically given in Matthew 25.

It is the believer's responsibility to know the will of God for their lives. A failure to do so is evidence of a lack of wisdom in their life. What does a person fulfilling God's will look like? First, he is living a new life.

There is no greater contrast in this life than the contrast of light and darkness. Jesus Christ is the Light of the World. Yet, the world loves darkness rather than light because He reproves them of their sin. Christ alone is the Grand Truth and the King of Kings.

New Testament believers will be judged at the Bema Seat for their works, not their sins, with rewards or loss based on faithfulness. Old Testament saints, though resurrected and judged for their faith in Christ, are believed to undergo a separate judgment prior to the millennial reign. Tribulation saints, who will be saved during the seven-year tribulation period, are judged for their faithfulness, with their reward being reign with Christ.

Ответственность верующего – знать волю Божию для своей жизни. Незнание её является свидетельством недостатка мудрости в его жизни. Как выглядит человек, исполняющий волю Божию? Во-первых, он живет новой жизнью.

विश्वासी का दायित्व है कि वह अपने जीवन के लिए परमेश्वर की इच्छा को जाने। ऐसा करने में विफलता उसके जीवन में बुद्धि की कमी का प्रमाण है। परमेश्वर की इच्छा पूरी करने वाला व्यक्ति कैसा दिखता है? सबसे पहले, वह एक नया जीवन जी रहा है।

Whose life would you like to have to make you happy? You will never find fulfillment in this world. The way of the world only seems to be prosperous. True success and prosperity come when we revolve our minds around the Truth which is God's Word.

The Scripture mentions several judgments: one past (the judgment of sin), one present (the judgement of the believer for sinning), and seven future judgments. The first of these future judgments is the judgment of New Testament believers which we find in 1 Corinthians 3.