“What sorrow awaits the leaders of my people—the shepherds of my sheep—for they have destroyed and scattered the very ones they were expected to care for,” says the Lord. Therefore, this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to these shepherds: “Instead of caring for my flock and leading them to safety, you have deserted them and driven them to destruction. Now I will pour out judgment on you for the evil you have done to them.” ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭23:1-2‬ ‭NLT‬‬ “This is what t

“And she made a vow, saying, “ Lord Almighty, if You will only look on Your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget Your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.” ‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭1:11‬ ‭NIV‬‬ Had Hannah been blessed with children we never would’ve read this prayer, and the prophet Samuel would never have been heard of. The strategic planning and purposes of God were met in this

“Then the Lord told him, “Go back the same way you came, and travel to the wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive there, anoint Hazael to be king of Aram. Then anoint Jehu, grandson of Nimshi to be king of Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from the town of Abel-meholah to replace you as My prophet. Anyone who escapes from Hazael will be killed by Jehu, and those who escape Jehu will be killed by Elisha!” ‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭19:15-17‬ ‭NLT‬‬ What’s the first thing you do whene

“You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and

The Holy Spirit’s definition of the title is this. You don’t want it, but you don’t want anyone else to have it either. The “It” is salvation through Jesus Christ alone. The Pharisees in Jesus’ day had this title down to a science. They rejected Jesus and everything He taught, and sought to teach others to do the same. For three years they opposed and hated Jesus and His message of salvation. They held to their religious views and rejected anything they thought interfered wi

We don’t get to decide how we get into heaven, God has already set His standards for admission. 1 John 5:9-12 However, we do get to decide how we get into hell, we choose the path that leads there. September 25, 2018 was when I wrote those words down. They may not be earth shattering words, but they are a fact. Everyone wants to go to heaven, but not everyone wants to follow God’s protocol for getting there. After all, we all serve the same “god” and there are many paths, all

According to the apostle Paul, hardness of heart is produced as a result of a darkened understanding of spiritual things, a separation from the life of God and ignorance. Paul urges all believers to avoid anyone and anything that may cause us to fall prey to the old way of living. “So with the wisdom given to me from the Lord I say: You should not live like the unbelievers around you who walk in their empty delusions. Their corrupted logic has been clouded because their hear

Are you ready to be blown away? Are you a candidate for some great news? Can you use or handle a perspective that stands up against everything you’ve been feeding yourself through the current events of this life? Are you prepared for some real rest? Then look no further than the Psalm above. It is backed up and supported by the Creator of the universe. Open your hearts to receive and be blessed. Taste every word, let it wash over your wearied minds. Embrace its truths and be

“We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in

No, I’m not speaking about the prescribed medication the doctor has suggested we take, but rather the One most neglected by many. The Word of God. The one we really cannot live without, especially if you are a child of God. I shared in one of my earlier messages of Sheri’s Nana (babysitter) who had been a member of her church for 50 years, served faithfully in her auxiliary, but never opened her Bible. Christians are suffering from a Word deficiency, and until we give God’s W

“NOW THE Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled before [them] and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. And the Philistines pursued Saul and his sons, and slew Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua, Saul's sons. The battle went heavily against Saul, and the archers severely wounded him. Saul said to his armor-bearer, Draw your sword and thrust me through, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through and abuse and mock me. But his armor-bearer would not, fo

To avoid error do what this verse recommends. 2 Timothy 2:15 I heard a pastor teach that the Word is good but that a relationship to Jesus is more important. I disagree with that statement on the basis of this question. How do you get to know about Jesus? The error presented in that argument suggests that it’s interchangeable or one is more important than the other. John chapter one says this about the Word. “IN THE beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the W

“A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha. This is the Mary who later poured the expensive perfume on the Lord’s feet and wiped them with her hair. Her brother, Lazarus, was sick. So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, “Lord, your dear friend is very sick.” But when Jesus heard about it He said, “Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory f

What do you do when God is silent? There is a right and wrong way to respond. One will encourage and refresh the other will weaken and discourage. I’ve discovered that we can learn from silence a lot more than we can in incessant chattering. God’s silence is an opportunity for us to draw nearer to Him. Ever thought of that? Or do you begin questioning your relationship with Jesus? I believe the latter is what most of us do. I used to be one of them. Until I discovered this

How do we show our love for the Father? Is it by the songs we sing, the worship we bring, church attendance, giving, or the prayers we pray? Jesus had a different perspective on what loving the Father looked like. And it’s none of the above, as noteworthy as they are. Let’s read and find out. “I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over Me, but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what My

Do you remember when bungee jumping was all the rage? Grown folks with only a cord tied around their waists were paying big bucks to jump off some pretty scary heights. And for what? A sense of adventure? The adrenaline rush? Or just plain stupid? I don’t know which, but they were willing to trust a cord. Yet some of these same people would squawk at the idea of trusting Jesus by faith. They even have names for those of us who do: Naive or religious fanatics. The notion that

“The Lord has given me a strong warning not to think like everyone else does. He said, “Don’t call everything a conspiracy, like they do, and don’t live in dread of what frightens them. Make the Lord of Heaven’s Armies holy in your life. He is the One you should fear. He is the One who should make you tremble. He will keep you safe. ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭8:11-14a NLT‬‬ “Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord. Don’t touch their filthy

Why would Jesus make that statement? And then pivot to what’s in His Father’s house? It’s obvious by all the pushbacks He’s received by declaring that He’s the Son of God, and that He and God the Father are one and the same, that He was speaking to an audience that was struggling with someone familiar to them as God’s Son. They knew His family well, so this wasn’t about convincing but an invitation to believe. (See John 10) In chapter 13 of John’s gospel, Jesus was speaking t

Deception is built up over time and comes mainly to test your truth in any area in which you are not truly convinced in your own heart. For example: If you’re not truly convinced that Jesus is the only way to God, then your truth or belief will be tested. It will be easier to believe the lie that there are indeed many paths to God. Deception is not new, it’s and old trick first tested in the garden of eden, and it always begins with a question. Questions are intended to eithe

I heard someone give the following biblical definition of temptation that I’d like to share with you. He also shared a foolproof way to avoid its lure. Unfortunately this was years ago and I cannot recall his name to give him credit. But I never forgot it. Here’s what he said. A temptation is an opportunity to fulfill a need by illegitimate means. Then he proceeded to give ways in which we can avoid falling into temptation. Prevention- to prevent temptation own up to the fact