Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. - Hebrews 11:1   REFERENCE Hebrews 11:1-6   Faith is the most potent force on the face of the earth. It is believing in what cannot be perceived with the physical senses. John calls it the victory that overcomes the world; that is, the power that brings the world to its knees. Jesus said, “All things are possible to the person walking by faith.” (I John 5:4 & Mark 9:23 GNT). Faith pleases God, and He credits and calls a man of faith a ‘RIGHTEOUS...

Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. - Romans 4:20 (NLT)   REFERENCE Romans 4:16-21   Waiting can be mentally torturing, it can be discouraging and overwhelming. It is a call to faith because you are not in control of the variables that determine the outcome of your expectation and the timing of its appearing. You have to depend and wait on God to act. Waiting on God to act was what Saul couldn’t do as we saw from previous episodes, and that cost him his...

Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you did not come WITHIN the DAYS APPOINTED…” - I Samuel 13:11   REFERENCE I Samuel 13:1-2 & 5-15   One of the reasons the Scripture is given to us, according to II Timothy 3:16, is for correction and instruction in righteousness. In the past two episodes, we looked at Saul’s blunder in the matter of ‘Waiting on God.’ Today, we will continue with the same thought, so we can be instructed and not become victims of the same blunder as Saul’s. Time was another factor...

Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattered from me… and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash, then I said, ‘The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal…’” - I Samuel 13:11-12   REFERENCE I Samuel 13:1-2 & 5-15   Yesterday we examined Saul’s life and mentioned some of the factors that contributed to his impatience with Samuel. In addition to these factors, another reason Saul erred was because of people pressure. When he saw that the people scattered from him, he must have felt compelled to act. They may have made comments like, “Why...

Then he waited seven days, according to the time set by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him. – 1 Samuel 13:8   REFERENCE I Samuel 13:1-2 & 5-15   Whether we know it or not, at some point in our lives, we will all be confronted with the choice to either wait or not. Waiting is not an easy experience; however, God never intends for it to break you but to build you. Delay does not necessarily mean denial; it means God has a better time. You must learn to “trust...

It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. – Lamentations 3:26   REFERENCE Lamentations 3:24-26   Although, Scripture says, “All the promises of God in Christ are YES and in Him, Amen,” God’s response to our prayers, from man’s perspective, comes to us in 3 forms: YES, NO and WAIT! ‘Yes’ is exhilarating. ‘No’ can be disappointing, but you are assured of your fate. However, ‘WAIT’ can be a bit perplexing – it starts with the joy of knowing it is not a ‘NO,’ but after a while, you begin to wonder...

Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. - Matthew 10:31   REFERENCE Matthew 6:26-30 & Matthew 10:29-31   The God of heaven clothes the lilies and gives the flowers their beautiful colors. Not a bird falls to the ground without His permission; so even when the hunter takes aim, it is only by the will of God that his aim hits a bird. How do birds get their daily supply of food without toiling? How do they live without a care when they keep nothing in store? Do they fall sick, and when they do,...

And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make. - Jeremiah 18:4   REFERENCE Jeremiah 18:1-6   The potter works by throwing a lump of clay on a turning wheel, while he uses his hands to mould and shape whatever vessel he desires. Like the clay vessel on the Potter’s wheel, you may feel like you have just been going round in circles and life doesn’t make sense again; but irrespective of where you are now...

Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, nor was the word of the LORD yet revealed to him. - I Samuel 3:7   REFERENCE I Samuel 3:1-9   Though Samuel had been ministering in the temple of God for some years, he still didn't know the Lord. He read the scrolls, but it was just a closed book to him, and he never received a word from God through it or from it. It is possible to be serving in church and not know the God of the church. You can be so faithful and overburdened with church activities...

But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here..." - Mark 16:6   REFERENCE Mark 16:1-8   You will very well remember that Pilate, at the behest of the chief priests and Pharisees, commanded the tomb of Jesus to be secured with a large stone, sealed with an ‘official seal,’ and also that a guard of soldiers should be set around it. All these were attempts by the powers of hell to seal the fate of the ‘crucified’ Savior in the tomb. It was to...