There may be no greater prayers than, “Lord, teach us to pray,” and “Lord, teach us to listen,” and “Lord, teach us to obey.”
Author Archive: Douglas Thomas
God’s Riches in Glory
What Paul wrote to the congregations in Philippi was a letter to people he loved, encouraging and thanking them for their increasing love for him and for the rest of the ekklesia. He shared with them some of his prayers for them. He also prophesied a blessing over them, blessing them in response to the fact that they had blessed him. His response to “…your partnership in the gospel from […]
Responsible Servants
And whoever doesn’t take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. Anyone finding his life will lose it, and anyone losing his life because of Me will find it. The one who welcomes you welcomes Me, and the one who welcomes Me welcomes Him who sent Me. (Matthew 10:38-40 Holman Christian Standard Bible ®©) Whatever it means today to embrace what is killing me and follow […]
Born of God
Many psychiatrists think wrongly that we are only two-part beings. One part is physical, the other is some combination of soul and spirit, something that is intangible or untouchable, but which undeniably exists. The fact that they cannot perceive the difference between soul and spirit accounts for the fact that they have only two avenues of assistance to persons in their care. They can counsel, and they can administer drugs. […]
Throwing Old Stuff Away
An ebenezer (“stone of help”) is a marker on a point in time or space (or both) commemorating an intervention by Yahweh that delivered us when we needed His help. It can range in value and influence from a reminder of His greatness to a symbol we worship in our past. Its greatest value would be to prompt us to expect His help in the future. Its greatest cost could […]
Praying Better
When our prayers start to advance beyond fixing our broken stuff and empty bank accounts to asking for preparation and opportunities that are related to being servants of the King of Heaven and Earth, we will not have to pray as much for our broken stuff and empty bank accounts: “This is why I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; […]
Hope of Glory
Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Also through Him, we have obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven […]
Back in the Battle
“Men! Why are you doing these things? We are men also, with the same nature as you, and we are proclaiming good news to you, that you should turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and everything in them. In past generations He allowed all the nations to go their own way, although He did not leave Himself without a […]
Getting Ready
When David faced Goliath, he was not trained as a warrior, or even as a soldier. He was simply skilled at keeping sheep safe. He had been prepared for the encounter with Goliath, though. He recognized when he stood before Goliath the two courses he had been enrolled in that made him ready: one day, he had been empowered by Yahweh to kill a lion, and on another, to kill […]
Cast Demons Out
During their Kingdom missions, and as a prophetic picture of their futures after Jesus ascended to Heaven, Jesus instructed His people to throw demons out of people (Mark 6:7-13; Mark 16:14-18). During the “Dark Ages,” the Roman Church performed exorcisms of demons with the same vigor they performed executions of dissenters. After the “Age of Enlightenment,” scientists taught people that demons were nonexistent, and that everything previously attributed to them […]