“Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” ~ II Corinthians 12:10 REFERENCE: II Corinthians 12:9-10 If you can’t find any weakness, ‘disability,’ disadvantage, or flaw in your life, then maybe you are not human; you are a robot, perhaps. We all have an area of our lives that we wish was better, stronger, more beautiful, or better developed. Some desire to be taller, others to look better, be more intelligent, or wish they had a better family background. However, life...
“…Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” – John 1:29b REFERENCE: John 1:29-34 The Baptist’s statement, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!” calls us to take a close look at Jesus and discover Him in His fulness as God’s answer to everything that plagues man and the hope he desires. John saw Him as a sacrificial lamb because of His mission to be our substitute at the executioner’s post, dying for our sins. Several prophets and saints beheld Him and spoke glowingly about Him. Today, behold...
"Now when the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, "My father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?" But he answered, "You shall not kill them…" ~ II Kings 6:21-22a REFERENCE: II Kings 6:13-23 The default mode of many believers is that God must kill enemies. You hear them saying, "Die, die," when praying about a person(s) they perceive as an enemy. However, our real enemy is the devil; he always wants us to focus on the people around us, terming them as enemies. Give a dog a bad name, and you can hang it....
"And the temple, when it was being built, was built with stone finished at the quarry so that no hammer or chisel or any iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built." ~ I kings 6:7 Reference: 1 Kings 6:1-7 In the 6th century, Solomon's Temple was called one of the seven wonders of the ancient world (Wikipedia). Its magnificence was such that people came from all over the world to see it. It was the pride of Israel, and it housed the Ark of Covenant, which signified the presence of God. Solomon used the...
“Then it happened, when the musician played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him. And he said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Make this valley full of ditches.’ For thus says the Lord: ‘You shall not see wind, nor shall you see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water….” ~ II Kings 3:15-18 REFERENCE: II Kings 3:8-20 The kings of Israel and Judah, Jehoram and Jehoshaphat, allied to fight against the Moabites to crush their rebellion. After a session of military strategy and projection, they concluded that they would make an incursion on Moab through the...
"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....
"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...
“He is not here but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying… And they remembered His words…” – Luke 24:6-8 REFERENCE: Luke 24:1-12 Happy Easter Monday! Jesus is risen and sits on the right hand of God the Father in heaven. Journey back to the tomb after He arose from the grave. The women had spices to embalm Jesus’ body, but they met an empty tomb on getting there. They were devastated, perplexed, and shocked. Confused about what it all meant, two angels lifted their spirits by telling them, “Remember how...