Deuteronomy 1:29 “Then I (Moses) said to you, ‘Do not be shocked, or fear them.’” When Moses was about to die, he recounted the events he and the Israelites shared together in the desert. Today’s passage comes from that recollection. When the Israelites neared the land that God had promised them long before they left Egypt, they sent twelve spies to check out the territory. When the spies saw the Anakim, the giants that lived there, ten came back terrified….
Isaiah 64:4 For from of old they have not heard nor perceived by ear, neither has the eye seen a God besides Thee, who acts in behalf of the one who waits for Him. Of all the world religions of all the ages, there is no God who forgives sins, who came to earth to tell us of the One True God, who offered His own self on a cross as payment for our sins, and then died. But there…
Mark 11:24 (Jesus said) “Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they shall be granted you.” When our desires are His desires we can ask Him to intervene in a situation and He will. Some people call this, “Having no mind in the matter.” In other words, we need to put our agenda aside. Ask God to pray through us whatever His will is in a given…
John 6:33 (Jesus said)“For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.” In this passage, the 5,000 people who had shared the little boy’s five loaves and two fish, asked Jesus what they should do to work the works of God. Jesus told them that the work of God was to believe in Him, the One God sent to earth (John 6:28-29). He then told them He was the bread…
Colossians 2:15 When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him. Most of us know the Easter story, but fewer know the scope of what Jesus accomplished for us in those terrible hours. Jesus removed our sin (John 1:29 and Hebrews 9:26). He removed God’s wrath from us (Hebrews 2:17). He reconciled us to God (Romans chapters 10 and 11). When Jesus was whipped He purchased our healing…
Proverbs 3:26 The Lord will be your confidence, and will keep your foot from being caught. I love the Hebrew language. It’s words draw pictures. This scripture is an example. The Lord, the existing One will be “at your side.” The English version says “confidence.” With Jesus at my side I am confident. But “at your side” speaks to me ten times more than “confidence.” The next phrase says “keep your foot.” The word “keep” is “guard, observe, give heed,…
II Timothy 4:18 The Lord will deliver me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. Second Timothy is the last letter Paul wrote to his beloved son in the faith. He knew his time of earthly service was drawing to a close. In writing to Timothy, he reassured Timothy of God’s faithfulness—of his assurance God would draw him to Himself. The Lord had been with…
In the Bible God tells us, “You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you” (Deuteronomy 4:2). In case we miss it, He tells us again in Deuteronomy 12:32, “Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do; you shall not add to nor take away from it.” In His final instructions in Revelation, He makes…
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. The Bible’s definition of faith is “the trust that God exists and that He is the creator and ruler of all things.” The meaning of faith doesn’t stop there. Biblical faith is “a deep conviction, a firm trust God gives to believers, resulting in eternal salvation through Jesus Christ.” As believers, we wait and hope with joy and a full confidence, for this…
I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. I wonder if God gave us seasons, especially spring to bring us hope of His renewing power. Sometimes our lives look as bleak as the landscape in winter with dead brown grass that looks like it will never be green again. Naked trees wave their arms in stiff, winter winds. We wonder if we’ll ever see them…