Skip to main content

THE SUBTLENESS OF SIN

"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful." ~ Psalm 1:1 REFERENCE: Psalm 1:1-6   It is often said, "If the devil came as a two-horned beast draped in a red cape with a pitchfork, many people would never be victims of satan's shenanigans." However, the devil is the master of subtlety and guise. He comes as a harmless thought, a handsome young man, an innocent proposal to get wealth, etc. It takes proper discernment to not fall for satan or...
Read More

RETURN TO THE LORD

“Come, and let us return to the LORD; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up.” ~ Hosea 6:1 REFERENCE: Hosea 5:14-6:3 In the previous chapters, God accused Israel (Ephraim) of the sin of idolatry and harlotry. He sent prophet after prophet to point out their sins, but Israel was hardened. God threatened to give them up to their idolatries until His judgment would come upon them. Matthew Henry said, “If sin is in the house, there is a need to fear ruin at the door.” Israel would pay for their...
Read More

OH, WHAT A GOOD GOD!

“…But You are God, ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abundant in kindness, and did not forsake them.” ~ Nehemiah 9:17   REFERENCE: Nehemiah 9:13-27   I knew the above verse early in my Christian walk. I understand that the virtues in the verse separate our God from other gods. If they claim to be ‘a God,’ weigh them by these virtues: are they quick to pardon, slow to anger, forgiving, and full of kindness? No god exhibits these virtues entirely and consistently, but the Lord God. Oh, what a good God He is! Nehemiah chronicles all God...
Read More

THE FAITH PLUG

"Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."" ~ Mark 9:23   REFERENCE: Mark 9:17-27   God is a God of limitless ability. The world He created and stories of many changed lives testify to this. God is as powerful today as He was yesterday, but faith is the plug that connects you with His power. He is moved by faith and not by whining or crying; without faith, it is impossible to please Him. So, replace all your worries, complaints, and cries with the faith plug. Jesus was baffled when the boy's...
Read More

YOUR STRENGTH IS IN JOY

"… Don't be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!" – Nehemiah 8:10 (NLT)   REFERENCE: Nehemiah 8:9-11 (NLT)   If the devil can't steal your joy, he cannot keep your goods. Your strength is in Joy, but we often fail to see it. It is why the most significant part of every spiritual battle or challenge you may be dealing with now is psychological warfare. When the devil can manipulate your mind, give you a false view of your struggles, and blow your issues out of proportion, he will bring you to a point where...
Read More

THE RIGHT LOCATION

“Then she arose with her daughters-in-law that she might return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the country of Moab that the LORD had visited His people by giving them bread.” ~ Ruth 1:6   REFERENCE: Ruth 1:6-10   Location is critical. Being in the right location significantly affects our lives, but we rarely think much of it. The right location will determine whether the rice you plant yields a harvest. Rice does not grow in arid lands, nor will yam tubers grow in sandy soil. No matter how grown a fish becomes, it will never reside...
Read More

GOD IS WORKING

"Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him." ~ John 9:2-3   REFERENCE: John 9:1-7   Trouble sometimes comes back-to-back and never seems to diminish. I have experienced days like that; questions quickly arise: "God, what have I done wrong? Where did I miss it? Lord, why me?" There are a few times that these questions are appropriate, but primarily, trouble comes because we are in this world. Still, the comfort we have is that God...
Read More

PROVE YOURSELF A MAN

“Now the days of David drew near that he should die, and he charged Solomon his son, saying: “I go the way of all the earth; be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man.” I Kings 2:1-4   King David lays on his death bed, giving his farewell speech as he gazes at heaven’s gates, ready to embark on the journey all men must travel. He has many important things to say about life in the kingdom when he’s gone: the building of the temple, execution of justice, etc. Top on his list, however, is that his son, Solomon, who...
Read More

YOU ARE MY ANOINTED

"Thus says the LORD to His anointed, To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held — To subdue nations before him and loose the armor of kings, to open before him the double doors, So that the gates will not be shut." ~ Isaiah 45:1   REFERENCE: Isaiah 45:1-4   Do you sometimes wonder if you have what it takes to do what God has called you to do? Do you feel you are to bless multitudes but struggle with the how or capacity to? What you need is divine enablement to do the work of God. That divine enablement is...
Read More

THE GOOD WINE

"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 2:1-10   As the year winds down, I prophesy that it will end better than it started for you, in Jesus' name. God's plan is that the latter's glory is greater than the former. It is what Jesus did at the wedding in Cana when He gave good wine, better than what they started the party with. It was so good that...
Read More
1 … 13 14 15 … 136