I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. Galatians 5:16&17 REFERENCE Galatians 5:16-25 There is an on-going battle between the Spirit and the flesh in every believer; both are contrary to each other. The Spirit opposes the flesh and its evil influences and the flesh resists the Spirit and His good influence. Whoever wins the conflict between the flesh and the Spirit will determine...
And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Matthew 22:39 REFERENCE Matthew 22:35-40 Christianity is a religion of relationships. The very root of Christianity is in God’s great love for humanity, which motivated Him to send His Son to die for us (John 3:16). In fact, looking at the Ten Commandments, one notices that six of them deal with relating with people, i.e. not steal, kill, covet their properties, etc., but rather, to respect and treat them right. The heart of the New Testament church, likewise, is one of relating well with others, for Jesus...
And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. Mark 10:44-45 REFERENCE Mark 10:35-45 In our 21st century, the world is beginning to realign with the biblical qualifications of who a true leader is. There is an increased awareness that true leadership is ‘servanthood,’ and we now hear terms like servant-leadership. Many today, are like James and John – they like to be preferred. For such ones, the definition of leadership is...
O death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? - I Corinthians 15:55 REFERENCE I Corinthians 15:50-57 Death is man’s greatest enemy. The bible calls it ‘the last enemy.’ The concept of death sends shivers down the spines of most people, and one of the commonest fears amongst people is the fear of death. The day of birth brings joy amongst men while the day of a man’s death (especially of a loved one) often brings sorrow. Death has separated loved ones, taken away infants, claimed youths while they blossomed and has whisked men of age...
So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!... John 19:30 REFERENCE John 19:28-30 What a proclamation Jesus made on the cross before He gave up the ghost at the cross. The Greek word for “It is finished” is “Tetelestai” which means, “To bring to an end.” “To fulfill.” “To complete.” “To accomplish.” “To perform.” “To make payment.” This means everything is now completely paid for, and every litigation against us is over. In those days, Tetelestai painted the picture of: (a) A servant who had completed His assigned Task – Jesus completed the task...
Pilate then went out again, and said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, that you may know that I find no fault in Him.” - John 19:4 REFERENCE John 19:1-6 The obvious and disturbing question that comes to mind in this passage is, “Mr. Pilate, if you found no fault in Him, why did you embarrass Him and have Him publicly flogged mercilessly?” Was it to please the people or for political correctness? More importantly however, the Levitical law stipulated that the Passover Lamb (or sin offering) was to be brought to the priests for...
Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.” Colossians 2:15 REFERENCE
Colossians 2:13-15 Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, He broke every curse, stopped the unchecked reign of Satan over you, gave you all-authority, set you on a throne, gave you a scepter of authority and made you a light for the world… A light that lights men’s lives and which darkness cannot comprehend. Therefore, you must make it your aim to demonstrate the victory of Jesus in every area of your life. To demonstrate is “to clearly show the existence...
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 Joseph here brings his sons for Jacob to bless them. And as a good father, he dutifully places the firstborn (Manasseh) under Jacob’s right hand and the second born (Ephraim), under his left hand to be blessed. He understood that by the position, age, qualification and person of Manasseh, he should receive certain blessings and certain rights…but God doesn’t...
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. - I John 4:11 REFERENCE I John 4:7-12 Many people are disillusioned by the word, ‘love,’ it is as though it is dead and buried. Many have been taken advantage of by people who claimed to love them, many have been heartbroken, abandoned and deserted by people who vowed to love them, and many use the word carelessly to manipulate and get what they want at a particular time. So several people have concluded that LOVE IS DEAD! However, Scripture makes us understand that love...
For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”~ Genesis 3:5 REFERENCE Genesis 3:1-6 Pride goes before a fall. It led to Satan’s fall and it played an active role in the fall of man in paradise. Satan (disguised as the serpent), knowing that he lost his place and prominence in the Angelic hierarchy in heaven through pride, understood that for man to lose his paradise, pride must be injected. He knew from experience, that when pride comes, a fall follows because...