Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men. - Proverbs 22:29 (KJV). DILIGENCE is one of the strongest forces on earth; it can make someone who has been labeled a failure excel and prosper exceedingly. Diligence, simply means doing something consistently until the purpose is accomplished. God requires us to be diligent in all we do but especially in seeking an intimate relationship with Him, so no matter where we are in life (mountain top or valley), we will be consistent in pursuing Him. If you must walk...

So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days. - 1 Kings 17:15 REFERENCE 1 Kings 17:8-16 Faith is taking a risk based on God’s word; it means belief in the word of God to the point of acting on it. The widow in our passage today took a risk based on the word of God Elijah gave her; it wasn’t a convenient thing for her to do but it was absolutely necessary for her sustenance. This shows us that faith is not always convenient, it...

For by You I can run against (or through) a troop, by my God, I can leap over a wall. - Psalm 18:29 (Emphasis mine). REFERENCE Psalm 18:29-39 David made this statement in our text today after God victoriously brought him through a series of life-threatening battles. He saw the mighty hand of God move so much in his life that he came to the conclusion that he could scale any wall no matter how high that wall was as long as the Lord was on his side. Like David, you too can overcome any situation you face headlong as...

But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come. – Mark 4:29   REFERENCE Mark 4:26-29   A seed is a flowering plant’s unit of reproduction, capable of developing into another such plant. It is anything that can multiply and become more if sown in the proper soil. When an orange seed is planted in the right soil, it becomes an orange tree with time. This is a natural law (an established principle) and so it must be fulfilled. In the same way, when ‘seeds’ are planted in the kingdom of God, they...

And Nathaniel said to him, 'Can anything good come out of Nazareth?' Philip said to him, 'Come and see.' - ‭John‬ ‭1:46 REFERENCE John 1:43-48 ‬ Nathanael of Galilee describes just how many of us perceive life. He is so taken by his hometown, Galilee, that he thinks 'the world' of it. Interestingly, Galilee means, 'Circle or Circuit, or Ring.' Therefore, it is Nathanael's globe; the world that encircles him and it defines his outlook on life. What he doesn’t know is that Galilee has become a wall around him, it has bounded him in, and it has kept him...

…lest there be any FORNICATOR or PROFANE person like Esau, who for ONE MORSEL OF FOOD SOLD HIS BIRTHRIGHT. For you know that AFTERWARD, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, HE WAS REJECTED, for he FOUND NO PLACE FOR REPENTANCE, though he sought it diligently with TEARS. - Hebrews 12:16-17 (Emphasis mine). REFERENCE Hebrews 12:12-17 ‘Fornicator’ in Greek is – PORNOS, it is from a root word which means to SELL. One of its meanings is PROSTITUTE. Of course, a prostitute sells his/her body to get economic benefits. 'Profane’ in Greek is – BEBELOS. It means, unhallowed, common, accessible...

Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. - John 12:42-43 REFERENCE John 12:42-50 If you are A SUCKER for men's praise, approval and gifts, YOU WILL NEVER follow God. This is still a question of BUYING AND SELLING: Many have sold their conscience to buy a steady flow of ‘currency.’ Many have sold their conviction to buy and maintain a position. Many have sold their voice...

See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise. - Ephesians 5:15 REFERENCE Ephesians 5:8-17 William Shakespeare said, “All the world is a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” It would have been much more true to say that "All the world is a market, and all the men and women buyers and sellers." Every day is a MARKET-DAY, and every evening brings its BALANCE-SHEET to us: things bought and things sold, with the net GAIN, or, it may be, LOSS. FOOLISH people are always selling the BETTER things for the WORSE; while the...

This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles. – Psalm 34:6 REFERENCE Psalm 34:1-10 The title of today’s devotional looks paradoxical and you may be tempted to ask, "What blessing can be associated with pain?" Without a doubt, pain is a part of life mostly related with suffering and hardship. As humans, we would rather avoid pain. However, if properly channeled, pain can become a pathway to progress. How? Most of the Psalms were written by David during those painful years when he was running from Saul or fighting one...