You are of God, little children, and have overcome them because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. I John 4:4 REFERENCE I John 4:4 In this world, we will face trials, stuff will be thrown at us, things will work against us, we will have reasons to quit on our jobs, our marriages, our teams, relationships, careers, and even ultimately quit on ourselves. That is why some people commit suicide. Therefore, we can’t afford to be off our guards; we must constantly have our fingers on the trigger, ready to pull and...
“Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”” ~ Mark 9:23 REFERENCE Mark 9:14-27 We serve an Omnipotent God before whom impossibility and possibility make no difference. His power suspended the starry heavens and planted the majestic mountains. He is limitless in power and no purposes of His can be withheld from Him. There is no telling to what He can do for us and in our lives; but, how come we don’t see Him work in our lives as much as we desire? The father of the young boy in our story shows us why....
Then Saul’s anger was aroused against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman! Do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse…For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, you shall not be established, nor your kingdom...” I Samuel 20:30-31 REFERENCE 1 Samuel 20:17-34 Life can be unfair sometimes; things you hope and pray for often seem to pass you by and happen for other people. If all went according to your prayers, plan and pursuit, you should have been the one promoted on your job and sent for a...
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...