"Which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." ~ I Corinthians 2:8 REFERENCE: I Corinthians 2:6-10 Easter is a time to remember the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus on the cross of Calvary for the sins of man. As it is a season of gratitude and celebration for us, it is a time of regret for the unseen demonic rulers of this world. Satan and his demons took a gamble they would regret forever. It was a wrong calculation; had they known, they would not have...
“He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps.” ~ Psalm 40:2 REFERENCE: Psalm 40:1-3 This psalm pictures David in an affliction likened to a horrible pit that lasted for a season. He waited patiently, crying to God for deliverance, for which he later rejoiced because God inclined to him and heard his cry. In the place of waiting, God renewed David’s strength to bear the affliction; He did not leave him but brought him out of the horrible pit and gave him...
“Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.” ~ Isaiah 53:4 REFERENCE: Isaiah 53:1-5 If you are a human being, I am sure you feel the effect of man’s fall in the Garden of Eden daily. When Adam ate the forbidden fruit, the whole of God’s creation was thrown out of balance, and corruption came into the created order—pain, sorrow, sickness, afflictions, fears, etc., was introduced into the world because of sin. These became the totality of man’s grief. Grief (Hebrew: Chǒlîy) is a pain like a...
“He sent a man before them—Joseph—who was sold as a slave.” ~ Psalm 105:17 REFERENCE: Psalm 105:16-22 How different would our attitude to life’s misfortunes be if we saw them through the eyes of God? We would see that things are not as they seem. In the most turbulent seasons of our lives, God is ever present, working a bigger purpose and setting the stage for a testimony of His goodness. The events in your life happening around you now are not happening by chance; God knows. From man’s eyes, Joseph went through an excruciating experience of betrayal; his...
"Then Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh's head, guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the firstborn." – Genesis 48:14 REFERENCE: Genesis 48:9-19 Manasseh and Ephraim were brought to Jacob, their blind grandfather, to bless them. Their father Joseph placed Manasseh, the firstborn, by Jacob's right hand and Ephraim on the left. The reason is that the first in the order of birth should receive the double portion blessing of the spiritual inheritance. However, a switch occurred, and the younger was blessed by...
“You pushed me violently, that I might fall, but the Lord helped me.” ~ Psalm 118:13 REFERENCE: Psalm 118:13-15 There was a song by Maranatha Music that comforted me as a young believer going through adverse times. It says, “I look up to the mountains, to the hills I lift my eyes, who will come to help me, can I find a place to hide? The One who made the heavens and the earth will hear my call; the Lord will come to help me, and He will not let me fall.” The Chorus says, “He will not let...
"Yet all this avails me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate." Esther 5:13 SCRIPTURE REFERENCE Esther 5:7-13 The ability to focus is a potent skill. The power to focus on something, a job or assignment, ignoring every distraction until it is done, is a virtue worth celebrating. However, focus can be just as powerful negatively as it is positively. Haman was a great and favored man, but none of these 'blessings' meant anything to him because of Mordecai, the Jew who did not honor him. He was so focused on the...
"Now it happened, as he was telling the king how he had restored the dead to life, that there was the woman whose son he had restored to life, appealing to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said, "My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son whom Elisha restored to life." ~ II Kings 8:5-6 REFERENCE: II Kings 8:1-6 Nothing changes a man's life quicker or more dramatically than finding himself at the right place at the right time and with the right people. This rarely happens, but it...
"The battle became fierce against Saul. The archers hit him, and he was wounded by the archers." ~ I Chronicles 10:3 REFERENCE: I Chronicles 10:1-8 Nothing pleases God more than to be obeyed, and nothing displeases Him more than to be disobeyed. Obedience to God tells Him that we trust His good intentions and plans for our lives; it shows Him that there is only one Lord, and it is Him and not me. We often go against God's word and counsel because we are ignorant of the dangers of disobedience. Disobedience to God will cost a man more...
“The ways of right-living people glow with light; the longer they live, the brighter they shine.” ~ Proverbs 4:18 (MSG) REFERENCE: Proverbs 4:18 (MSG) Deuteronomy 33:25 says, “As your days are, so shall your strength be.” God wants your life to shine brighter as you grow older so that the glory of your latter is greater than that of the former. Being stagnated and stale in life doesn’t look like God’s plan for His children. God is committed to your progress; you must refuse to live a dull and lackluster life. A man who walks with God can be sure that life will...