The Christian life is not a life free of pressure, stress, anguish, adversity, oppression, affliction, and crushing. In fact, when Jesus said, “In the world you will have tribulation” (John 16:33), the Greek word He used is “thlipsis” which means all of the above! The word is actually used of pressing olives or grapes to […]
Since the secret place of God is in Jesus who became the physical manifestation of the rock upon which Moses stood, the physical manifestation of God and His presence, we can only enter through Him. He Himself declared in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, No man comes to the […]
In Psalm 17, David references his own situation in which enemies and evil men have oppressed and surrounded him. He calls on God to be his vindicator, appealing to Him for His help. There is a neat thing about Scripture, where in portions like this, it focuses on the then present time and people, yet […]
In Philippians 3:10, “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection…” is the goal of the apostle Paul. The Contemporary English version says, “All I want is to know Christ and the power that raised Him to life”. Are you seeking to know Him, or are you merely seeking to know about Him? Are […]
Psalm 139:3 in the Amplified Bible reads, “You sift and search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways.” In the language of the Psalmist David, to sift out meant to toss about, by implication to diffuse and winnow; so the picture is that of threshing grain, in which the grain is removed […]
“I will lift up my eyes to the hills – From whence comes my help?” (Psalm 121:1). The KJV places a period at the end of this verse, but six other versions I have looked at place a question mark. Looking at it from that angle, the Psalmist recognizes that the hills and mountains in […]
In 1 John 4:19, the beloved Apostle wrote, “We love Him because He first loved us.” The first and foremost thing that God desires from us is that we love Him in return for His love for us. In Deuteronomy 6:5, He said to His people, “you shall love the Lord your God with all […]
The Apostle Paul writes in 2 Thessalonians of that future day when Jesus will be revealed from heaven, giving rest to those who have fought “the good fight of faith” (1 Timothy 6:12), and to render the vengeance of judgment “on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the […]
Have you ever wondered how we are to wait on God? What does He mean when He says we should wait on Him? Let’s look at a couple of scripture verses to help us understand this: first, and I believe foremost, is Isaiah 40:31, “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they […]
Diligence is a key and primary ingredient in both seeking and serving God. To be diligent and function in diligence is to put forth constant careful effort, preserving in hard work with steady effort, painstakingly. Half-heartedness is not acceptable with God. Jeremiah 29:13 tells us that we will find God when we search for Him with […]