"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)