“If I’m sleepless at midnight, I spend the hours in grateful reflection.” Psalm 63:6 (The Message Paraphrase) God gives His children peaceful rest. They have the stamina to work diligently, but they also have the calm and contentment to rest peacefully. The reason behind both their rest and their peace is the knowledge that God is still in control. Oftentimes,…
“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” Ephesians 6:13 Careful preparation is required if one is to continue standing under the pressures of the world, the flesh, and the devil. The armed attack of the enemy which may work through all three,…
“And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry” 1 Timothy 1:12 The challenges of ministry are constant. There are always important things to do and areas of significance in need of being addressed. It is too easy to take the path of least resistance and say what…
“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6 There is a place where our heart and truth connects. The heart beforehand had grown accustomed to wandering in search of whatever would bring any semblance…
“But He said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” Luke 18:27 The miracle of salvation is the greatest of all the miraculous wonders of God. None of our efforts are sufficient enough to reach the height of such a grand and glorious precipice. It is often cheapened in mind and thought as being attainable without…
“Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” Habakkuk 3:18 Circumstances ought not to control our rejoicing. Our faith is often strained by the pressures that are brought to bear against us. When the fig tree is full of figs, our joy is because they are sufficient in quantity even with some…
“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. (23)They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness”. Lamentations 3:22-23 God gives us a new day after having learned from the experiences of yesterday, but not carrying the baggage of the many mistakes we had made. The freshness of today is as if we were starting…
“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” Hebrews 12:1 The host of heaven gives witness to our challenge. All of the saints that have gone before us…
“Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content.” Philippians 4:11 When there is a convergence of our state and our contentment, evidence of spiritual maturity is made manifest. There is a steadiness in the life of the individual that lives on that level of confidence knowing that God…
“Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” (34) Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God….” 1 Corinthians 15:33-34 The company of the deceived is hard to penetrate. There is strength in numbers among them. Even God had to come down and confound the language of those who would have…
“If it had not been the Lord who was on our side,” Psalm 124:1 The possibilities of failure and calamities would have been overwhelming if things had been different. God chose Israel, for no other reason than His love being bestowed upon her. She was protected from dangers and blessed to prosper. The Lord had favored her thus stood in…
“Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” 2 Corinthians 3:17 The living Spirit of God frees us to give a fuller expression of His will. We are no longer bound to obey His Law as heavy restrictions levied against us, but rather freed inwardly to joyful give expression to what…