Paul says to stand your ground in the spiritual battle. I first read Ephesians 6 in the NIV translation. There, the word stand is used four times in four consecutive verses. Evidently, the concept of standing must be important. Ephesians 6: 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your …
Temptation often follows victories due to fatigue and the celebration that accompanies them. The most dangerous time for a mountain climber is the descent down the mountain. The exhilaration of reaching the top can lead to overconfidence. The increasing exhaustion from the trip adds to the temptation to overlook safety precautions. This combination can lead …
We all desire a heart that blesses others, and through Jesus’s love, this transformation is possible. When successful invaders attacked Sodom, Abram’s nephew Lot was taken captive. In response, Abram organized and led a group of 318 trained men from his household to rescue Lot and others from their captors. There was a blessing after …
The story of Abram and Melchizedek contains the first mention of tithing. A tithe is simply one-tenth of an amount. Genesis 14: 19 Melchizedek blessed Abram with this blessing: “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. 20 And blessed be God Most High, who has defeated your enemies for you.” Then Abram …
Abram was a man of peace, but he had also made Godly preparations for an emergency. Genesis 14: 13 But one of Lot’s men escaped and reported everything to Abram the Hebrew, who was living near the oak grove belonging to Mamre the Amorite. Mamre and his relatives, Eshcol and Aner, were Abram’s allies. 14 When Abram …
Satan is behind the spiritual battle and is our enemy. The Scriptures tell us there are two forces in the world: evil and good. God’s word also tells us that these forces are not equal and satan only continues to exist because God is using him to carry out His plan. Why did God create …
God gives us the promise of Messiah after the fall of Adam and Eve. Amid their sin and its consequences, God gave them hope. Genesis 3:15 And I will cause hostility between you and the woman and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.[1] The Scripture …
In an answer to a question from King Xerxes, Esther requested a second day for the Jews to defend themselves. Esther 9: 12 he (King Xerxes) called for Queen Esther. He said, “The Jews have killed 500 men in the fortress of Susa alone, as well as Haman’s ten sons. If they have done that here, …
God spares us because He loves us with unending love. To spare someone is allowing someone or something to escape harm, damage, or death, especially when others do not.[1] The Apostle Paul tells us that God spares us because His Son took our punishment on the cross. We could not pay the price for our …
The consequence of sin is something we don’t like to think about. We want to ignore the thought as we push the envelope in the wrong direction. Throwing caution to the wind may work when playing a board game, but life is different. I remember ministering in a jail in Central America where some inmates …