David was anointed to be king by Samuel. Part of his preparation for the work of reigning over God’s nation was in Jesse’s fields, where he learned to worship, and to fight enemies greater than himself. Part of his preparation for ruling was accomplished by developing a friendship with Saul’s son Jonathan. Part came from silencing Goliath’s threats of abuse against the nation. Before David was crowned even by part […]
Author Archive: Douglas Thomas
Full of Power
Being filled with the Spirit of God and being filled with the power of the Spirit have a trip through the desert between them. Luke 4:1;14
Fearwall
You need a firewall if you have a computer. It stops some stupid people from being able to destroy or steal your stuff. You rarely need a fearwall, though. Hiding until things look easier or safer or more respectable is usually not the path to your awesome destiny. Gideon could not become who the angel said he was until he climbed out of the wine press. He was hiding there, doing […]
Sacrifices
2 Corinthians 12:14-15 Look, I am ready this third time to come and visit you; and I will not be a burden to you; for it is not what you own that I want, but you! Children are not supposed to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. And as for me, I will most gladly spend everything I have and be spent myself too for your […]
Champions
Your sons and daughters need a champion to lead them. They don’t need a hall monitor. They don’t need the police. They need someone who will shout a charge to steal 3rd, not someone who is constantly reminding them to keep touching the base until they are ready to run. They may really be maintenance staff, who will just take the things we built and keep the lights on and […]
First Page of “Using the Bible”
Matthew 3:16 When Jesus was baptized by his cousin John in the river, Heaven opened and the Spirit of God came down on Him. The Holy Spirit then did something that He loves to do after He baptizes someone: He drove Jesus out into the wilderness. In the place of lack and pain and threats of more, Jesus encountered misery and exile. He began to suffer the things through which […]
Meeting Jesus in our Baptisms
Some Criteria for Identifying Baptisms * There is a real danger of our destruction * God intends to effect growth through the baptism, usually in one or more of three areas: – Knowing our God – Knowing who He says we are – Knowing our purpose/ministry/destiny/calling * We have to submit to our God and His fellowship in the baptism and in His intent in order to receive the blessing of the […]
Whose Image do you Bear?
Genesis 4:25-5:4 And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, “For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.” And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the Lord. 5 This is the book of the genealogy of […]
Curses or Blessings
We have tendency to value everything from our perspective and nothing from Yahweh’s perspective. When we get that repaired, we will be walking in the Spirit in His Kingdom. We can’t tell the difference between blessed things and cursed things until we can see them from the throne room of God. There is a Hebrew word that is transliterated “cherem” (Strongs: h2764) that appears 38 times in Scripture. It literally […]
Using the Lord’s Name in Vain
Acts 19:13-20 The typical version of a “power encounter,” such as the confrontation of Baal and Yahweh on Mt. Carmel with Elijah representing Yahweh, is that Yahweh overpowers the unclean spirits and embarrasses them in the process. Another such encounter was in Philippi in Acts 16, when Paul cast a python spirit out of a soothsaying girl. Many people were saved, and public knowledge of the local principality having to bow […]