Can you see angels? How about demons? If not, how do you discern whether ideas that come to you about how to respond to situations have come from good or evil sources? Unless you have come to be so in tune with the voice of the Shepherd that you hear all that He says and obey, you may need ways […]
We are more likely to ask Yahweh to bless what we invented than we are to look for what He invented and do what we can to bless it. Abraham had received promises that Sarah would bear a son to him. The idea was pretty crazy, based on their ages and the fact that she clearly could not get pregnant, […]
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 […]
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 […]
Yes. On the night that He was betrayed, after the meal and the hymn, Jesus led His congregation out of the city, across the valley to a garden. There, He asked them to pray. The inner circle of James, John, and Peter, He called closer to where He was going to pray, and asked them to pray. When they went […]
We must learn to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit, because we have no other means of verifying the wisdom and power of our God from a counterfeit. Your eyes will see your Teacher, and whenever you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear this command behind you: “This is the way. Walk […]
When Naaman was instructed by Elisha that he could be healed of leprosy by washing his body 7 times in the Jordan River, he was offended (2 Kings 5:1-14). He thought that he was being told that the Jordan River water could heal him. He was actually being informed that the word of the Lord, once obeyed, would heal him. […]
Protect me, Lord, from the clutches of the wicked. Keep me safe from violent men who plan to make me stumble. Surely the righteous will praise Your name; the upright will live in Your presence. (Psalm 140:4,13 Holman Christian Standard Bible ®©) Your character is more valuable than your reputation.
Fencing is a sport using swords. The words defense and offense are related to the same type of activities: fending off a foe or being fended off by a foe. Every sin is against Jesus on the cross, because He paid for all of it there. Mine against Him, and mine against you. To allow my failures to offend you […]
One thing that slows the process of growing in the knowledge of our God is the resistance we offer to the process of allowing Him to come to know us. We hide our feelings and our failures like Adam and Eve hid in the garden after becoming aware of good and evil. Our shame and fear of failure make us […]