Then they lifted up their voices and wept again, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. Ruth 1:14 REFERENCE Ruth 1:1-19 Ruth and Orpah were both mourning widows facing an uncertain future. They were at the threshold of two experiences; at the edge of the familiar and the unfamiliar, and at the boundary line of two nations – Moab and Bethlehem. Ruth however crossed the line and headed to Bethlehem. Why? Moab represents the world without God. It is idolatry and sin. For Ruth, it also spoke of the familiar. Bethlehem, however, is the ‘house of bread.’...

Then Elisha said, “Hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord: ‘Tomorrow about this time a seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria.’” - 2 Kings 7:1 REFERENCE 2 Kings 7:1-18 This prophecy was uttered after a long devastating famine had claimed greenery and living things in the land. When Elisha predicted God’s intention to turn things around completely by the next day, it seemed unbelievable to expert minds like the king’s ‘minister of finance,’ who must have been knowledgeable about agriculture and economic matters. He knew that for there...

“In the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the LORD through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.” REFERENCE  Daniel 9:1-21  Most of the wisdom and help you need is often in a book; some persons have faced the same challenge you are going through and written books on how they overcame. Such books are relevant; they will help you develop strength and strategy to tackle the issues you are dealing with. Therefore, ‘BOOKS’ are an integral part...

“Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do: The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads are seven years; the dreams are one.” Genesis 41:25-26  REFERENCE  Genesis 41:1-36 There is always a place for preparation in life even though we have God’s assurance of victory. Proverbs 16:9 says, “A man’s heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps.” God gives us direction to the best pathways for our lives; but, in order to succeed, we have to make concrete plans to...

Then it came to pass, at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh had a dream; and behold, he stood by the river. Genesis 41:1 REFERENCE Genesis 41:1-7 A dream is a series of events that occur in your mind when you are sleeping; however, it is also something you wish for to happen, or someplace you wish to get to in life. Hence, having a dream can be likened to having a vision, foresight, revelation, or a desire of where you want to get to in life. Pharaoh in our passage had a God-given dream while he slept; and...

Many, O Lord my God, are Your wonderful works which You have done; and Your thoughts toward us cannot be recounted to You in order; if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered. Psalm 40:5 REFERENCE Psalm 40:1-5 David captured in an inadequate way, the essence of God’s goodness towards us when He said, “Many.” He must have been overwhelmed by God’s dealings with him while attempting to number them, and came to the conclusion that His mighty works were innumerable, several and diverse – great in quality and in quantity. Still reflecting upon God’s goodness, David in Psalm 116:12 asked rhetorically, “What shall I...

To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified. Isaiah 61:3   REFERENCE Isaiah 61:1-7 As we end the year, regardless of the good or bad experiences the year brought, the prophet Isaiah speaks with a prophetic certainty that better days are ahead for God’s people. Isaiah, whose name means THE SALVATION OF JEHOVAH, through his prophecies, primarily spoke comfort to a disheartened Jewish nation who had gone through an invasion...

Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls—Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. Habakkuk 3:17-18  REFERENCE Habakkuk 3:17-19 Life is not just about the destination, it is a journey and the story of any travel is in the experience of the journey. So, while you may not yet have arrived at the destination you want in life, you may...

Oh, how can I give you up, Israel? How can I let you go? How can I destroy you like Admah or demolish you like Zeboiim? My heart is torn within me, and my compassion overflows. No, I will not unleash my fierce anger. I will not completely destroy Israel, for I am God and not a mere mortal… Hosea 11:8-9 REFERENCE Hosea 11:1-11 (NLT) Here, covenant is calling to God. He had entered a perpetual covenant of love with Israel’s fathers, and He is a covenant keeping God. Therefore, it was hard for Him to let out the full weight of His wrath on Ephraim (Israel) and...