“Then they said to one another, “Look, this dreamer is coming! Come therefore, let us now kill him and cast him into some pit…” – Genesis 37:19-20a REFERENCE: GENESIS 37:18-34 We are familiar with the story of Joseph and how he became a Prince in Egypt. His journey to becoming a prince came at a huge price and it was no mean feat as he had to suffer great losses and shed the ‘weights’ that held him back from becoming who God destined him to be so that he could run to obtain the prize. Firstly, he had the coat...
“…And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!” – Esther 4:16b REFERENCE: ESTHER 4:12-16 When we become comfortable with a good job, money, a good spouse and children, we begin to lose focus and our zeal wanes. It is at such times that we need fire starters like Mordecai to help us refocus, restore our passion, give perspective to our privileges and to stir us to fulfil God’s purpose. “Perhaps, God has placed you in your church, family, office and your community for such a time as this.” This may...
“Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.” – John 2:17 REFERENCE: JOHN 2:14-17 We saw yesterday that zeal is fervency; a burning fire; and true zeal is embodied by Jesus Christ. His zeal would not let Him stomach people ‘buying and selling’ in His Father’s house; zeal for the house had eaten Him up. In John 4:34 He said, “My meat (what gives Me satisfaction) is to do the will of Him who sent me, and to finish His work.” He later said, “I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it...
“And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.” ~ II Corinthians 11:14 REFERENCE: II Corinthians 11:12-15 We conclude our study on the three ways satan tempts Christians today. We have seen him as both a subtle serpent and a devouring lion, now, we will be looking at him as an angel of light. From our text, this strategy of the devil is close to his being a serpent, in the sense that it is built around subtlety and deception. The marked difference between them is that this strategy puts on a spiritual garb; it...
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” – I Peter 5:8 REFERENCE: I PETER 5:6-11 As believers in Christ, we are constantly at war with ungodly spirits that attempt to pull us away from our relationship with God and bring us under God’s judgment. Our main adversary is the devil, whom scripture reveals is God’s arch-enemy and despises everything that God loves. Since you and I are the object of God’s love, the devil hates us and works hard at trying to destroy us. In order to...
“A small rudder on a huge ship in the hands of a skilled captain sets a course in the face of the strongest winds. – James 3:4 (TLB) REFERENCE: JAMES 3:1-4 James reveals that the tongue is a tool that can be used to achieve a purpose - any purpose for that matter. He likens the power of the tongue to a bit in the mouth of a horse, used to control the whole horse. He says the tongue is like a small rudder on a huge ship, which in the hands of a skilled captain, can set...
“Nevertheless, He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.” ~ Acts 14:17 REFERENCE: ACTS 14:14-17 Paul and Barnabas were preaching and confronting the idolatry at Lystra. The people marveled at the power that backed their preaching, for Paul had commanded a man born lame to walk, and he leapt and walked. The people then rushed to ‘deify’ both Barnabas and Paul as one of their many gods; but the apostles vehemently opposed it, tearing their clothes in protest. They then pointed the...
“Now the LORD had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you.” ~ Genesis 12:1 REFERENCE: Genesis 12:1-8 We concluded yesterday that the culture in which one lives can greatly influence him positively or negatively; hence the need to be mindful to guard your heart and mind. Paul said, “We should not let the world around us squeeze us into its mold;” although we are in this world, as believers, we are not of this world. So, how do you live free of the perversion...
“And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city.” ~ Genesis 19:16 REFERENCE: Genesis 19:12-20, 26 & 30-36 Culture, in this context, is the attitudes and behavior characteristic of a particular social group; e.g., a culture of carelessness, a culture of hard work or of hospitality. The culture in which we live affects us more than we think. Often unconsciously, we soon dress, talk, behave and ultimately become like it. In Titus 1:12,...
“And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!”– John 2:10 REFERENCE: JOHN 2:1-11 Only water was now available as the wedding party at Cana had run out of wine. The event would have ended that way or they would have had to, perhaps, wait for servants to journey to get more, but by a ‘quick work,’ Jesus supernaturally supplied wine. In His omnipotence, Jesus can also supply whatever is lacking in your health, your...