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PARAKLETOS

“And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever.” ~ John 14:16   REFERENCE:  John 14:15-26   Jesus gives His valedictory speech to His disciples; the thought of Him dying left them morose, like a child who had just got separated from his parents. That prompted Jesus to tell them He would not leave them as orphans; although He would not be present, He would send them a Helper just like Himself in the person of the Holy Spirit. The Greek for ‘Helper’ is Parakletos.  Parakletos describes the ministry of...
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THE SIGNAL IS FOR CHANGE

“When birth pangs signaled it was time to be born, Ephraim was too stupid to come out of the womb. When the passage into life opened up, he didn’t show.” ~ Hosea 13:13 (MSG)   REFERENCE: Hosea 13:12-13 (AMPC)   This imagery is quite disheartening; Ephraim sinned against God, and He brought the tribe into distress and trouble – intense sorrows like the pangs of a woman about to give birth. The plan was that the distress would signal the need for repentance to Ephraim and that a new nation would be born. However, Ephraim did not see that but remained...
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REPENTANCE: TRUE TRANSFORMATION

"Therefore, bear fruits worthy of repentance..." ~ Matthew 3:8   REFERENCE: Matthew 3:1-8   It is a season of transformation (moving from one form to another). A transformed person is a changed person, and true change begins from the mind; hence, repentance. The Greek word 'metanoia' means a change of mind or mode of thought. Biblical repentance is a genuine turning away from sin and a sincere desire to return to God. It is not just admitting you are wrong; it is a spiritual awakening that leads to restoration and a renewed relationship with God.   Let us consider the characteristics of...
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REVIVAL: IGNITE THE FIRE WITHIN

"And now for a little while grace has been shown from the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a peg in His holy place, that our God may enlighten our eyes and give us a measure of revival in our bondage." ~ Ezra 9:8   REFERENCE: Ezra 9:5-8   Ezra, the scribe and the leader of the Israelites, bemoaned the morally deplorable state they had plunged into. Having spent years in captivity amongst the Babylonians, Israel turned from God to the idols of Babylon. Ezra decided to fast for God to reclaim the...
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BROKEN-DOWN ALTAR

“Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So, all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down.” ~ I Kings 18:30   REFERENCE: I Kings 18:20-39   Israel was in a famine that lasted for three years. It had not rained, and the nation was in dire desperation. Rain represents the nourishment of the earth, refreshing, cleansing, renewal, and fruitfulness. The lack of rainfall in Israel’s agrarian (farming) society was bad for the people. They looked upward for a remedy, but the solution to the problem would...
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WHEN SUCCESS LOOKS EASY

“Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.” ~ Luke 4:14   REFERENCE: Luke 4:1-15   Have you seen professionals at their game, work, or art? They make it look easy. Ronaldo and Messi make scoring goals in football look easy, Israel Adesanya makes mixed martial arts look easy, Lebron James makes playing basketball look easy, and several other musicians, authors, actors, preachers, scientists, etc., who excel in their vocation make success look easy. Some people seem born to be successful, make money, or excel in all...
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STRENGTH IN WEAKNESS

“Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” ­~ II Corinthians 12:10   REFERENCE: II Corinthians 12:9-10   If you can’t find any weakness, ‘disability,’ disadvantage, or flaw in your life, then maybe you are not human; you are a robot, perhaps. We all have an area of our lives that we wish was better, stronger, more beautiful, or better developed. Some desire to be taller, others to look better, be more intelligent, or wish they had a better family background. However, life...
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IF YOUR HEART IS WISE

“My son, if your heart is wise, my heart will rejoice – indeed, I myself.” ~ Proverb 23:15   REFERENCE: Proverbs 23:15-16   Our focus verse captures a father’s earnest desire for his son; he expresses the joy he would feel if his son became wise of heart. Why would this be important to the father? It is because wisdom is the principal thing. Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 8:1, “There’s nothing better than being wise, knowing how to interpret the meaning of life. Wisdom puts light in the eyes and gives gentleness to words and manners.” God, our Father, will rejoice if...
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BEHOLD THE LAMB

“…Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” – John 1:29b   REFERENCE: John 1:29-34 The Baptist’s statement, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!” calls us to take a close look at Jesus and discover Him in His fulness as God’s answer to everything that plagues man and the hope he desires. John saw Him as a sacrificial lamb because of His mission to be our substitute at the executioner’s post, dying for our sins. Several prophets and saints beheld Him and spoke glowingly about Him. Today, behold...
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HIDDEN IN THE BEDROOM

"But Jehosheba…sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king's sons who were being murdered; and they hid him and his nurse in the bedroom, from Athaliah, so that he was not killed." ~ II Kings 11:2   REFERENCE: II Kings 11:1-12   It was a chaotic time in Israel; judgment came because of the sins of Ahab's house. God used Jehu to execute His judgment on Ahab's sons. Having killed them, including Ahaziah, Athaliah's son, she vowed to kill every son in the royal line so she could reign unchallenged. Joash was...
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