For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. - II Peter 1:21 REFERENCE II Peter 1:19-21 What Word has God spoken concerning you? What prophecies, promises or pronouncements are you holding onto? The plan of God is that His Word in your life will not return to Him void, but that it will accomplish the purpose for which it was sent. Hence, every prophetic Word you receive should produce results in your life. The secret to seeing manifestations of the prophetic Word spoken...
Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. Luke 2:10 REFERENCE Luke 2:8-14 Good news is any bit of information that uplifts the soul and gladdens the heart; it is like cold water to a weary soul (Proverbs 25:25). Jesus’ coming heralded the phase of good news to all people. As a result, we can join the heavenly host to shout, “Glory to God in the highest!” Through the birth of this ‘Star’ we have joy and peace with God; and the wall...
Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. Matthew 1:23 (KJV) REFERENCE Matthew 1:18-23 (KJV) The greatest significance of Jesus’ coming is that the God of heaven has chosen to tabernacle with men; we are now God’s temple. For that reason, we no longer need to go up to Moses’ Tent, David’s Tabernacle or Solomon’s Temple like they did in the Old Testament in order to meet with God. Through Jesus’ coming, God has moved headquarters to our ‘zone;’ He now lives...
...Behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” Matthew 2:1-2 REFERENCE Matthew 2:1-11 It’s Christmas!!! Jesus is a gift from heaven to all mankind on earth. He came at a time when man was lost, confused, hopeless, and in need of redemption. For humanity, His coming was like a glass of cold water in a weary land; for He came to deliver us from our strong enemy and now, we who once were...
Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! James 1:22 (MSG) REFERENCE James 1:22-25 (MSG) We were not created to reason with what God’s Word says, but to obey it! Why spend time studying and listening to the Word if you will not obey it? Before God, obedience is the ultimate; as seen in today’s passage, the doers and not just the hearers are the ones that get blessed. It is not what you give to God...
And the king was exceedingly sorry; yet, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he did not want to refuse her. Mark 6:26 REFERENCE Mark 6:17-29 The late French historian and philosopher, Voltaire, said, “We are rarely proud when we are alone.” This statement rings true considering King Herod’s action in today’s text. On realizing that he had made a brash and thoughtless promise to his step daughter, one would expect that the logical thing for him to do was to repent and retrace his steps. However, He proceeded to add evil upon evil by ordering...
And when Herodias’ daughter herself came in and danced, and pleased Herod and those who sat with him, the king said to the girl, “Ask me whatever you want, and I will give it to you…up to half my kingdom.” Mark 6:22-23 REFERENCE Mark 6:17-29 Herod’s character is further put on trial in our text today. We have seen him as an incestuous and shameless man. He exhibited a half-hearted devotion towards God’s Word - passive in doing what was right. We also saw yesterday that he postponed doing whatever he knew was right. Now today, we see him making...
Then an opportune day came when Herod on his birthday gave a feast for his nobles, the high officers, and the chief men of Galilee. Mark 6:21 REFERENCE Mark 6:17-29 As we continue to look at Herod Antipas, we see the danger of procrastination in the events that took place in his palace. To procrastinate is to delay or postpone action; or to put off doing something. We read yesterday about passivity: “If not dealt with, passivity will eventually lead to mediocrity…and it will eventually put you in situations where you will compromise your convictions, as Herod later did.” It then...
For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man, and he protected him. And when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly. Mark 6:20 REFERENCE Mark 6:17-29 To put the records straight, Herod is a title-name of a royal family that flourished among the Jews in the time of Christ and the Apostles, the first of whom was Herod the Great, who ordered the killing of babies 2 years old and younger when Jesus was born (Matthew 2:16). The Herod in our text is his son, ‘Herod Antipas,’ a shameless man who...
But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come. Mark 4:29 REFERENCE Mark 4:26-29 A seed is a flowering plant’s unit of reproduction, capable of developing into another such plant. It is anything that can multiply and become more if sown in the proper soil. When an orange seed is planted in the right soil, it be-comes an orange tree with time. This is a natural law – an established principle and so it must be fulfilled. In like manner, when a seed (money, time, service,) is planted in the kingdom of God,...