“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” ~ II Timothy 1:7 REFERENCE: I II Timothy 1:3-7 Fear is a damaging emotion to man. Fear can stop your ability to think or act or, at best, make you act irrationally. It is satan’s greatest weapon against man. If satan is allowed to inject fear in the heart, his work is done; a cycle of negative thoughts, hopelessness, worry, paranoia, etc., will begin; such a person will end up sabotaging himself. Job said, “the thing I greatly...
"Therefore, I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on…" – Matthew 6:25 REFERENCE: Matthew 6:25-34 It is important to God that you do not worry about the details of your life. Worry is detrimental to your general well-being, so Jesus repeated, "Do not worry" three times in these few verses. We live in an uncertain world where most of the things we respond to are other people's fault – their decisions or choices; hence, we are prone to anxiety...
"Now when Abner had returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside in the gate to speak with him privately, and there stabbed him in the stomach, so that he died for the blood of Asahel his brother." ~ II Samuel 3:27 REFERENCE: II Samuel 3:22-30 Joab deceitfully lured Abner from the well of Sirah. He tricked him into thinking King David had information from him, and he caused him to depart from his course, eventually leading to his death. Joab’s quest for revenge and his despicable nature led him to shed the blood of war in a time of...
"And when Joab had gone from David's presence, he sent messengers after Abner, who brought him back from the well of Sirah. But David did not know it." ~ II Samuel 3:26 REFERENCE: II Samuel 3:22-30 Joab heard that his archrival Abner, who killed his brother and was Saul's military chief, visited David to give him Israel's throne, and David let him go unhurt. Joab loathed this for two reasons: Abner killed his brother, and he sought revenge; also, his position as David's military chief could be threatened if David allied with Abner. So, he sent for Abner, whom...
"Those in the crowd were indignant and scolded him for making so much of a disturbance, but he kept shouting with all his might, “Son of David, have mercy on me now and heal me!” ~ Mark 10:48 TPT REFERENCE: Mark 10: 46-52 Timai (Aramaic) was his name, and it means ‘highly prized’ or ‘honored,' but he was not at a location that befit his name. He was a blind beggar, sitting at the side of the road outside the village, wrapped in his beggar’s cloak. There was nothing that looked honorable at that season of Timai’s life....
“Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you.” Isaiah 60:1 REFERENCE: Isaiah 60:1-5 This famous Bible verse forms the lyrics of gospel songs we may have sung at different times without paying attention to what we are saying. Today, we are going to pay attention to the verse and receive the instructions in it. Yes, it is a command! ‘ARISE’ denotes an action. It is a verb. These three dictionary definitions reflect this: 1. To come up from a lower to a higher position 2. To come up or get up...
"So, David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, "Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?". ~ II Samuel 11:3 REFERENCE: II Samuel 11:1-5 God has given us freedom in Christ. He made us free-moral agents to choose and do what we consider to serve our purpose. We have the freedom of expression, acquisition, and association. However, your freedom stops wherever it infringes on another person's rights or stops them from enjoying their freedom. Although we are free, we must respect boundaries. Freedom without boundaries is hazardous. Suppose you can...
"It happened in the spring of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel... But David remained at Jerusalem." ~ II Samuel 11:1 REFERENCE: II Samuel 11:1-15 It is usually said, "Don't send a boy to do a man's job." The saying described David's mistake when he sent Joab to fight the battle he should have led as a king. Most of Israel's decisive victories came when David led his men's charge (see II Samuel 10). God had trained his hands for war and his fingers...
"It happened in the spring of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the people of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem." ~ II Samuel 11:1 REFERENCE: II Samuel 11:1-15 Recently, we looked at King David as a man of a noble spirit. Still, some dirty deeds stained his illustrious personage. Although the sweet psalmist of Israel and a man after God's heart, David was human. A look at David's dirty deed reveals the progression of sin...
“Now there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. But David grew stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.” ~ II Samuel 3:1 REFERENCE: II Samuel 3:1-10 God promised David the kingship of Israel. Although he ascended the throne of Judah, he had no rest nor enjoyed peace, for the house of Saul was bitter towards him, resisted his kingship, and opposed his authority. Although Saul was dead, his household still troubled David. Can you identify what is supposed to have died in your life, yet you...