Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all. Psalms 34:19 REFERENCE Psalms 34:17-22 Life comes with its ups and downs and its twists and turns, but there’s a God who in all things, works after the purpose of His will and works all things together for our good. Many are the BUTS (weaknesses, question marks, and misnomers in an otherwise good life) of the righteous, BUT the Lord delivers him out of them all. David who wrote this psalm didn’t write theoretically; he wrote from personal experience. At the time he wrote...
The Lord has brought upon you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned; and the Lord has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son. So now you are caught in your own evil, because you are a bloodthirsty man! 2 Samuel 16:8 REFERENCE 2 Samuel 16:5-8 It is interesting how people can make conclusions about the reasons why a person may be going through a particular challenge. We become judges and interpreters of the seasons and events of people’s lives, when in actual sense, we have no clue...
When the LORD saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, ‘Do not weep.’ Luke 7:13 REFERENCE Luke 7:11-17 Jesus is our loving Savior who is touched by the things that cause pain and sorrow in our lives. As depicted in this story, He saw how crushed, hopeless and helpless this widow had become as a result of losing her only son – the only support she had as a widow. And so, He was moved with compassion to do something for her. Probably because of the magnitude of her loss, she had so many...
But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? James 2:20 REFERENCE James 2:18-24 Yesterday we concluded with the thought that FAITH has some corresponding actions that make it a dominant and conquering force otherwise it will remain inactive. When faith possesses a man’s heart, it manifests itself in different ‘actions of faith.’ Here are some of them: 1. Thinking in line with God’s Word – “As a man thinks so he is…” The woman with the issue of blood kept thinking in her heart (muttering to herself), ‘if I may touch the helm of His...
Every God-begotten person conquers the world’s ways. The conquering power that brings the world to its knees is our faith. I John 5:4 (MSG) REFERENCE I John 5:4 The natural law and system of this world often fails because the world is a fallen place. That is why we see a lot of hardship and evil in the world. As believers, we need to start moving from the natural to the supernatural. We need to operate a system or a law that is higher than the one that is prevalent around us and that system/law is FAITH. Faith...
But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, long-suffering and abundant in mercy and truth. Psalms 86:15 REFERENCE Psalm 86:15-17 Our Christianity can only be as good as our knowledge or concept of God; and it is only when we have a balanced perception of God’s nature that we can cultivate a healthy and sustained relationship with Him. Some people perceive God to be like their earthly fathers who mete out instant justice by punishing them any time they do wrong. They think God has a short fuse and looks for the slightest wrong in their...
Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before unknown men. Proverbs 22:9 REFERENCE Proverbs 22:29 Diligence can make a man that has been labelled a failure excel and prosper exceedingly, it can revive a dying business and it can restore the lost passion of a dry and tasteless marriage. It will turn a mistake in your life into a miracle. It will take an ‘F’ student to the honor roll and it will make an employee get promoted on his job many times over his colleagues. You cannot...
And when the people of Ashdod arose early in the morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its face to the earth before the ark of the LORD… I Samuel 5:3 REFERENCE I Samuel 5:1-12 The account in this passage reveals God’s omnipotence (unlimited power) over all dominions, gods, rulers and kingdoms. Dagon – the god of Ashdod, had to bow when it came in contact with the ark of the Lord, which represented the presence of God in the Old Testament. The destruction caused by the ark in Ashdod was so bad that the people of Ashdod volunteered to take...
Who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, ‘So shall your descendants be.’ Romans 4:18 REFERENCE Romans 4:18-21 Having hope in God is not mere wishful thinking; rather, it is ‘absolute belief,’ ‘confident expectation’ or ‘firm assurance’ in the things He has promised. Abraham hoped in God in spite of his hopeless circumstances and this led him to develop strong faith - believing in what could not be seen, and so, he actually became the father of many nations just as it had been told him. When someone...
What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? … and You have crowned him with glory and honor. Psalm 8:4-5 REFERENCE Psalm 8:1-9 This is just a beautiful Psalm about how important man is to God. It starts with a focus on the beauty and glory of God, and then onto His amazing creations like the moon, stars and the heavens. Finally, it goes on to talk about how mind-full God is of man, to make man the ruler over all these amazing creations. Verse 5 says, ‘man is crowned with...