"Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him?"

In this chapter declaring the greatness of God, this verse speaks of His omniscience (He is all-knowing). The Lord never had to seek counsel or direction from another source. He did not even need an engineer or an architect to create the universe and all things therein! Everything we have, everything we are, and everything we will ever know—none of it can even be compared to the Lord! Since there is One who has never been directed by anyone but Himself, and One who has never sought counsel from any other source other than after His own will—the same One who created all things and the same One who died for all sin for all time and desires a personal relationship with you and me—why should we ever need a second opinion? Why should we seek another direction other than the leadership of the Spirit? Why should we seek other counsel other than the precepts in His Word? We have ALL that we will ever need! It’s so good to have His Spirit, it’s so good to have His Word; it’s so peaceful in the arms of my Lord! Glory to His Name! Amen.

"To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them."

In the midst of opposition as people were being tempted to seek familiar spirits and wizards for answers, Isaiah emphasizes how the people needed to seek the Word of God for the answer! If anyone spoke in contradiction to the Word, it was because there was no light in them. Psalm 119:130 says, “The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.” There are millions today seeking answers from sorcery, witchcraft, and fortune tellers concerning their future. These demon-possessed people cannot give them true answers “because there is no light in them.” Everything apart from the Word of God is darkness! Do not seek darkness for answers—walk in the Light! Jesus is the Light, and the Holy Ghost will illuminate the truth from His Word to be your counselor in every situation. Lord, thank You for the Light of Your Word that guides me from day to day; help me to never listen to counsel from anyone who does not have the light in them! Amen.

"There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand."

A “device” can be a physical machine, but figuratively can refer to an intention or a plan. It also can represent the thoughts and imaginations of man and can lead to inventions. With that in mind, look at this verse again: There are many devices in a man’s heart. Although this proverb was written about 3,000 years ago, it is amazing how applicable this verse is in this digital age. Now, our smart phones—our devices—can be seen in this Scripture as both a physical machine and can also refer to where we get many of our intentions, thoughts, and imaginations from! Beware, lest ye become addicted to your device and rely upon it to establish all the thoughts that go through your mind each day! Remember, the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand. Be sure to get your advice from the source of truth: The Word of God! Be sensitive to the Spirit of God and only seek counsel from men and women of God who regularly read their Bible, pray, and go to church! Finally, heed the warning given to us in 2 Corinthians 2:11, Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices. The devil has led many astray with his devices. Say, what are you using your device for? How much time is spent on your device, versus how much time you spend in the Bible, in prayer, and in spiritual exercises? Maybe if we spent less time on our devices, and more time with Jesus, there would be less wicked thoughts and imaginations formed in our minds.

Lord, help me to spend less time on my devices and more time with Thee, so that my thoughts will be established upon biblical principles, and my mind can be renewed daily by Thy Word! Amen.

"I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name"

David was a man who worshipped the Lord and gave Him praise for so many things throughout the Psalms. But here, we find one of the most powerful truths in all of Scripture: thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name. David praised the Lord for His truth because the Lord Himself magnified the truth of His Word above all His Name! We know the Father has given the Son a Name above every name (Phi. 2:9-11) and has set Him far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come (Eph. 1:21). Yet, according to Psalm 138:2, His Word is magnified above all His Name! What a WORD that we have in our hands today! It is powerful! It is precious! It is pure! It is perfect! It is profitable! It has precepts! It has promises! It has been preserved! It needs proclaimed! It needs preached! Let’s praise God for His Word today!

Lord, thank you for Thy Word which has been magnified above all Thy Name; help me to read, study, meditate, and memorize it, so that it’s power can work in me and so I can share it with others!

"Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep not thy law."

The Psalmist was so broken over those who broke God’s commandments that he cried tears over their rebellion. This brokenness over other’s sins is what God desires to be in our hearts. In the midst of this 2020 Election and this ungodly society we are living in, how many tears have we shed over those who violate God’s Law? If we are not careful, there will be more complaining and rioting done with our words and actions, rather than having a broken heart and crying out to the Lord on their behalf. If God’s people spent as much time praying as they did complaining, maybe true revival could happen in America. But the same problem still exists: Christians do not have a longing desire for the Word of God like they do for politics, sports, and everything else. Let’s meditate on Psalm 119 today and memorize one verse that will incline our hearts more toward God’s Word than anything else! Lord, forgive me for complaining more than praying and give me a greater desire for Thy Word than anything else in this world! Amen.

"O that ye would altogether hold your peace! and it should be your wisdom."

The book of Job is primarily a book of people talking back and forth with each other. In the midst of all the talking, Job tells these “friends” that it would be wise for them to hold their peace at times. Every single one of us have opinions. Our flesh and emotions so easily influence our words and counsel to others. Without crucifying the flesh daily and walking in the Spirit, it is very easy to speak out of turn and give the wrong advice. Even if you are daily in the Word and in prayer, you can still allow your flesh and emotions to get involved in the conversation if you are not careful. The lesson here is that sometimes it is wise to hold your peace, even when you feel your words are important! Make sure your speech is Spirit-led and learn to stay quiet at times. Lord, help me never to give my own opinion to others based on my emotions and experience, but let me always seek You and Your Word for the answer and hold my peace until I hear from you! Amen.

"Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the Lord God of Israel; Then they came... weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building, And hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose... wrote they unto him an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem"

When the people of God began working, there were adversaries who rose up against them to: weaken their hands, trouble them, hire counselors against them to frustrate them, and make accusations against them. The devil is the accuser of the brethren (Rev. 12:10) and is not happy when God’s people are trying to accomplish the work that God has called them to do. He will send demonic forces (Eph. 6:12) to try and weaken us, trouble us, and frustrate us. We must be prepared for the battle by putting on God’s armor and praying always (Eph. 6:13-18)! Lord, strengthen my hands and protect my mind from the attack of the enemy, and help me to pray always for the constant I will face until I die or until You return! Amen.

"...for they had not done it of a long time in such sort as it was written… For there were many in the congregation that were not sanctified..."

These two phrases jumped off the page to me while reading about Hezekiah’s proclamation to observe the Passover according to the Word of God. There had been many kings who had done evil, and some who had only served the Lord half-heartedly over the previous 300 years of the kingdom. When Hezekiah became king, he did his best to put God back in His rightful place and cleanse the temple to properly worship the Lord. It had been a long time since they had observed the Passover feast “in such sort as it was written” and “there were many in the congregation that were not sanctified.” Two of the reasons that we are not experiencing true revival today are people not observing the Word of God “as it is written” and “there are many in the congregation that are not sanctified.” We need to get back to the Book and pray for the Lord to search us and cleanse us! Too many Christians today know more of the latest gossip, the most current political news, the breaking sports news, etc, than they do the Word of God. They are not living “in such sort” as God commands Christians to live and are certainly not doing those things that are pleasing in His sight. Just because our nation may never have true revival again does not mean that individual Christians cannot experience it! Let’s get our eyes off all the ungodliness around us and be more concerned about the uncleanliness within our own hearts! Let’s spend more time in prayer than we do on our devices! Let’s get back to what is written and sanctify ourselves!

"But will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth? behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house which I have built!"

Can we begin to imagine the fact that the Creator of the universe would choose to dwell in a single house? Or the fact that God desires to dwell with us? As I read this passage of Scripture this morning, I could not help but think of my body as the temple and the house. In this dispensation, we are the temple and have the benefit of the indwelling Holy Ghost, if we are born again. Will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth? The Creator of ALL, the Redeemer of ALL who believe, the One by whom ALL things consist—wants to dwell with me! O, what a Saviour! Let’s praise His Name today just because He desires communion with us and let us spend time in secret prayer offering unto Him thanksgiving! Lord, I am overwhelmed this morning that You want to dwell with me and desire an intimate relationship with me; help me to never get over this truth and choose to walk with You every moment of every day! Amen.

"And their brethren, heads of the house of their fathers, a thousand and seven hundred and threescore; very able men for the work of the service of the house of God."

It is said of these 1,760 priests that they were “very able men” to serve in the house of God. That phrase means mighty men or strong and powerful men—not in the sense of physical ability, but strong and mighty in serving the Lord! The Apostle Paul wrote to the Church in Corinth, “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life” (2 Cor. 3:5-6). Here, “able” means “to enable, to qualify; to make sufficient, to equip one with adequate power to perform duties.” We should not ever think that we are sufficient of ourselves to perform the work of the ministry! No matter what kind of education and training we receive, we must have unction to function! There are too many dead preachers giving out dead sermons to dead people nowadays; all is vain unless the Spirit of the Holy One come down! God help us!

"“… AND HE read… AND HE burned... AND HE put down... AND HE brought out... AND HE brake down... AND HE brought all... AND HE defiled Topheth... AND HE took away... AND HE brake in pieces... AND HE slew all..."

When King Josiah read the Word of God, it so moved him to repentance for the entire nation that we read of many things that he did to turn them back to God. The phrase “and he” is used 11 times within these 25 verses to show us some of the things that he did. Whenever the light of the Word of God shines on our heart and life, it ought to move us in the same way. The Word of God will cause us to burn some things, to put down some things, to bring out some things, to break down some things, and to slay some things in our life that do not belong there! Have you allowed the truth of the Word to reveal some things in your heart that do not belong recently? Ask Him to search you today—not just so you can see where you are coming up short, but so you can confess, repent, and truly have a change of heart! Lord, shine some light in my heart so that I can see everything that does not belong there, and help me to get rid of it all so that revival may come to our land—let it begin with me! Amen.

"And it came to pass, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, Is it peace, Jehu? And he answered, What peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many?"

As long as there are whoredoms and witchcraft in the land, there can be no peace. Whoredoms not only means adultery, but also spiritual idolatry. Because Israel had turned from wholly following the Lord to following Baal, they no longer had peace. Isaiah 48:22 says, “There is no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked.” Today, many are searching for peace, but will never find it unless they get rid of all the idols in their heart. Many Christians do not have the peace of God because they have allowed someone or something to become more important to them than serving the Lord. Their Social Media accounts, their daily text messages, and many of the words out of their mouths, are concerning politics, sports, or complaining about this or that, and they no longer have the joy of the Lord. If you find yourself today with no true peace in your heart, pray that the Lord would search you for any idol, so that it can be revealed unto you and so that you can lay it down and have the peace of God! Amen.

"Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it…quot;

The Queen of Sheba did not believe the report she had heard about Solomon until she came and had seen it with her own eyes. On Thursday evening and Friday morning at Church Camp this past week, something took place that is impossible to explain unless you were there! We will without a doubt try to explain it and give you the report, but until your own eyes witness the tangible manifestation of the Holy Ghost in the room with all these children praising and praying to God, there is no way to describe it! May we never get over it and never take it for granted that God met with us in a mighty way! Thank you, Lord!

"Then said the king to Ittai the Gittite, Wherefore goest thou also with us? return to thy place, and abide with the king: for thou art a stranger, and also an exile. Whereas thou camest but yesterday, should I this day make thee go up and down with us? seeing I go whither I may, return thou, and take back thy brethren: mercy and truth be with thee. And Ittai answered the king, and said, As the LORD liveth, and as my lord the king liveth, surely in what place my lord the king shall be, whether in death or life, even there also will thy servant be."

Who is this Ittai? Apparently, he had just joined the king’s army yesterday. Prior to that, he was a stranger and an exile. David was fleeing from his wicked son Absalom. He would no longer be dwelling in the palace but escaping in the wilderness. The king was giving Ittai an opportunity to return to the city and be in Absalom’s army since he had just signed up yesterday. David was showing him mercy. Yet, Ittai chose to be faithful to the true king in whatever place he would go and “whether in death or life.” This revealed that he was not the king’s servant simply for the wealth, but rather for the wisdom! Because of this choice, Ittai became one of David’s mighty men (2 Samuel 23:29).

How about those of you who are in the Lord’s Army? What is your motive and intent for being servant to the King of kings? Are you on the Lord’s side “whether in death or life?” Are you serving Him simply for what He can do for you, or because of who He is? If the comfort of where you are dwelling now was being threatened and you were unsure whether you would live or die by staying loyal, would you still choose to serve the King? “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful” (1 Cor. 4:2). Let us be faithful to the King and serve in His Will! Amen.

"Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying, It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night."

The moment Samuel heard that Saul was turned back from following the Lord, Samuel began to pray for him. He shed tears over Saul’s disobedience. He did not walk from house to house talking about Saul. Samuel did not say, “Can you believe Saul’s actions?” He did not post about it on Facebook. He was so burdened for Saul that he entered the Throne Room and stayed there all night in prayer, weeping over Saul’s sin. How did you respond the last time you heard about someone’s sin? How much time have you spent praying for them? How does that time compare with the amount of time you have talked about them to others? Have you tried to restore them in the spirit of meekness (Galatians 6:1)? The next time you hear something bad about someone, before picking up your phone, spend some time bowing before the Throne, pleading to the Lord in intercessory prayer on their behalf!

Lord, forgive me for all the times that I have chosen to spread negative news about others rather than praying for them and crying out to you on their behalf; help me to make prayer my top priority, knowing that only You can change their hearts! Amen.

"And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the Lord hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the Lord hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?"

Because her husband and her two sons had died, leaving her with two daughters-in-law and no other men to raise up the family name, Naomi claims that God dealt very bitterly with her and afflicted her. Much different is the cry of the Psalmist:“I know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me” (Psalm 119:75). Sometimes circumstances can cause us to forget the mercies of God and we forget that He is still in control. When trials come our way, it is important for us to keep the right attitude concerning God. The unsaved world and every Christian who looks up to us have their eyes on us to see how we handle tragedy. Not only do the decisions we make during difficult times influence them, but the attitude we hold toward God also plays a major role in their lives. Ruth knew that Naomi was acting out of character and still clave unto her despite her temporary bitterness! This led to a beautiful story of redemption and God’s perfect plan for the royal seed line to be preserved through Boaz, Obed, Jesse, & David (Ruth 4:17; Mat. 1:5-6).

"And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, How long are ye slack to go to possess the land, which the LORD God of your fathers hath given you?"

Even after finally entering the Promised Land and seeing a few tribes possess their inheritance, many tribes were still idle and had not yet possessed their possessions. Joshua is asking them an important question: “How long are ye slack to go to possess the land, which the LORD God of your fathers hath given you?” In other words, “How long are you going to keep wandering around? You see some of God’s people enjoying His blessings, how long are you going to stay in your current condition when you could be enjoying His blessings as well? How long are you going to neglect God’s purpose for your life?”

Dear Christian friend, ask yourself: How long are ye slack to enjoy an abundant life in Christ Jesus? How long will ye continue in carnality and compromise and be content with struggling your way through life? How long will ye neglect so great a Salvation? How long will ye be idle seeing that Jesus is coming soon? How long will ye prioritize the worldly over the spiritual? “How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard?” (Proverbs 6:9).

Lord, help me not to be slack concerning Your purpose and Will for my life; let me never neglect my Salvation or be idle in service to You, but let me enjoy Your blessings through obedience to Your Word! Amen.

"And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it. Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore. And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the LORD will do wonders among you."

God’s people were entering territory that they had never been before. After wandering in the wilderness for forty years, Canaanland was finally in their sight! What were they to do next? Sanctify themselves, let the presence of God show them the way, and watch the Lord perform wonders! When the Lord begins leading us somewhere new, we need to follow these same guidelines! The reason we do not see Him perform wonders in our life is because we are wandering around in disobedience to His Word. We have put the cart before the horse and not waited upon His leading. We have compromised with sin and are not sanctifying ourselves. These instructions were given to the people, “THAT YE MAY KNOW the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore.” The only way that we can know the way in which we must go is to allow God’s presence to go before us. And the only way for us to SEE His presence (verse 3) is to sanctify ourselves (verse 5). Lord, forgive me for being impatient and making decisions without Your leadership; help me to sanctify myself while I wait upon You so that I can see You perform wonders in my life! Amen.

"When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the LORD thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt."

This is a repeated theme throughout Scripture. We do not have to fear our enemies when the Lord is on our side. There are more that be with us than there are that be with them! The reason we fear is simply a lack of faith in God. Why do we not trust Him more and take Him at His Word? If we allow ourselves to constantly listen to people and read after people who are not God-fearing Christians, then we will believe their words over God’s Word. We have no need to fear when Jesus is our Lord and Saviour!

Lord, thank You for showing us so many times in Your Word that we do not have to fear our enemies; increase my faith to know that You are still in control, and that deliverance is just ahead!

"And he went after the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel."

When Israel committed whoredom with false religion and worshipped other gods, the Lord’s anger was kindled. The only thing that would turn away his fierce wrath was for those to be put to death who had committed these sins. After that, our text says, “so the plague was stayed.”

Now we are not under the Law, but under Grace (thank the Lord), and the Lord is longsuffering to us without a doubt. But I wonder how much longer He is going to allow America’s whoredoms to go on without severe judgment falling on us? Some of the things we have witnessed in our lifetime and that we are witnessing now could be a direct result of God allowing these things because He is angry with the sins of our nation. Murder of unborn children, approving of homosexuality, promoting violence and sexual perversion, and the list goes on. The only way for “the plague” to go away, is to plead for God’s mercy upon our land, and do our part to stand up against these wicked sins that we have allowed. Lord, have mercy upon our land and help me to take a stand against all the evil around me! Amen.

"And the LORD said unto Moses, Is the LORD’s hand waxed short? thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not."

Moses, after seeing all the miracles of God in Egypt, at the Red Sea, on the mountain, and on many other occasions, still questioned God’s ability to provide flesh for all Israel to eat in the wilderness. The Lord replied to his question with this question: “Is the LORD’s hand waxed short?” I am thankful that the Unseen Hand of God is still able to supply our need today! His Word will always come to pass, and it cannot fail. No matter what your need is today, God’s grace is sufficient to meet it!

Lord, thank You for Your bountiful Hand that has supplied and will continue to supply my every need! Amen.

"Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD."

The Atonement Day once per year for Israel was the day that all their sins were rolled forward for a year and covered by the blood. This, of course, pointed to Calvary when Jesus would shed His blood once for all and offer us the atonement for sins forever! I have never meditated on this verse until this week. Notice the phrase: ye shall afflict your souls. Afflict means to humble oneself.

On the most important day to them (the day their sins were covered by the blood), all Israel was to humble themselves in recognition of the sacrifice that was made to atone for them! HOW MUCH MORE should we humble ourselves daily and take another look at Calvary? When is the last time you just took a few minutes to meditate on what Jesus did for you on that day He shed His blood?

Mercy there was great and grace was free, 
Pardon there was multiplied to me; 
There my burdened soul found liberty, 
AT CALVARY!

"And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD."

The Lord commanded for no strange incense to be offered upon the altar in the holy place (Exo. 30:9). These two men disobeyed the Word of God and it cost them their lives. When we approach the Lord in prayer at the altar, it is a holy thing, and He will not accept “strange” prayers. Strange means to be a foreigner or alienated. Before Salvation, a person is a stranger and foreigner and alienated from the things of God and being able to approach God in prayer; “BUT NOW in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are MADE NIGH by the blood of Christ” (Eph. 2:13). The only way we can approach the Throne Room now and escape judgment of being devoured in the fire for all eternity is if the blood of Jesus has been applied to our heart! If the blood is not applied, any prayer one has to offer is just strange, and never reaches the Throne of God.

Lord, thank You for access by the blood of the Lamb to the Throne of God; help me to sanctify myself before I come into Your presence, and never offer up any strange prayers! Amen.

"And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the LORD continually."

Read this verse again while meditating on what our Great High Priest did for us! The Lord Jesus Christ took our names, judged our sins at Calvary, and entered once into the holy place having obtained eternal redemption for us (Hebrews 9:11-12). When He was on the Cross, I was on His mind—and upon His heart. The high priest performed this ceremony for a memorial before the LORD continually. I’m so thankful that Calvary is our memorial, and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin (1 John 1:7). His blood is performing a continual work on the heavenly mercy seat and is as fresh today as it was when He shed it for us nearly 2,000 years ago!

Hebrews 9:24-26, “For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands… but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: Nor yet that he should offer himself often… but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” This passage of Scripture teaches us that Jesus put away sin ONCE FOR ALL and is now appearing for us, making intercession all the time! Amen.

"It is a night to be much observed unto the LORD for bringing them out from the land of Egypt: this is that night of the LORD to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations."

After 430 years of bondage in Egypt, the Lord delivered Israel by the blood of the lamb. The Passover feast was to be a memorial throughout all their generations in remembrance of what God did for them! Do you remember the time the Lord delivered you from out of bondage by the blood of the Lamb? It is a night to be much observed unto the LORD! The enemy does not want you to remember your deliverance and seeks to destroy your spirit and hold you captive in addictions. BUT if you continually observe the moment you were saved, which is the greatest deliverance of all, then you will have faith to believe that God is able to deliver you out of every temptation and trial that is to come your way in the future! No matter what difficulties you may face, just remember: GOD’S GRACE IS UP TO THE CHALLENGE (2 Cor. 12:9).

Lord, thank You for deliverance out of bondage; help me to observe that night much more so that I would have more faith in Your ability to deliver from every trial and temptation! Amen.

"...Joseph brought unto his father their evil report... they hated him... they hated him yet the more... they hated him yet the more... his brethren envied him..."

Joseph’s brothers hated and envied him. Why? Was it really because Jacob loved Joseph more than them? And if so, why did Jacob love him more? Because he was obedient, and his brothers had an “evil report.” Rather than confess and repent of their sins, they chose to let envy and hatred consume them.

We see the same thing in Cain. Why did Cain envy and hate his brother Abel to the point of murder? Why did God accept Abel’s offering but not Cain’s? Because Abel was obedient to the Word and Cain was disobedient. 1 John 3:12, “Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.” God gave Cain a second chance and said, “If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted?” (Genesis 4:7). Joseph’s brothers could have chosen to confess, repent, and begin doing well, being obedient to their father; but instead, they let envy rule in their hearts to conspire against one who was simply trying to live right. No sin is more offensive to God and more injurious to our neighbor and ourselves than envy! Have you allowed envy to become a stronghold in your life? Envy is grieving at the good of another. Instead of rejoicing with them, you envy God’s blessings on them. Is there any envy in your heart today?

"And the LORD said unto Noah... And God remembered Noah... And God blessed Noah..."

I love how these three chapters open up! Because Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD (Gen. 6:8), God spoke to him differently than anyone else; God remembered Noah and his family during and after the storm, and then God blessed Noah on the other side of the storm! Aren’t you thankful that God still speaks to us, remembers us, and blesses us?!

It is interesting to note that God blessed Noah right after Noah builded an altar unto the LORD (Gen. 8:20). This is the First Mention of “altar” in the Bible and the first time we ever see one built. An altar was used for sacrifice in worship to God from this day forward for the next 4,000+ years until Christ came. Now, we are commanded to present our bodies a living sacrifice, and the only way we can continually do so is by building an altar in our prayer closets and in our churches, laying ourselves down, and being obedient to the Word of God. Don’t forget we are in the Days of Noah! There may be wickedness all around us and the remnant of God’s people seems to be smaller in number, but there is a New Beginning on the horizon! Let us build an altar in worship to the Lord and watch Him pour out His blessings!

"And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath."

Reading this chapter concerning the seven vials of God’s wrath that will be poured out on this earth during the Great Tribulation is enough to make anyone tremble! I am so thankful for 1 Thessalonians 5:9, “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,”

The text says that “great Babylon came in remembrance before God.” Just because God’s judgment has been delayed does not mean He has forgotten about sending it; but praise God, thanks to the blood of Jesus, I will not have to endure the wrath of God because I have obtained Salvation! “And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come” (1 Thessalonians 1:10). Glory to His Name!

Lord, thank You for saving my soul and delivering me from the wrath to come! Amen.

"From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?"

There are many fightings among people today and they want to blame the other person and point to the external things. According to this verse, the problem is not with the other person or on the outside, the problem is with us and has to do with an idol within our own heart. It is easier to point fingers than it is to search our own heart.

Are you in the midst of a conflict and are wondering if that other person is ever going to change? Have you ever wondered if it is actually you that needs to change? Do you have battles with multiple people on a regular basis? What is the common denominator? If you are always angry with certain people, maybe your anger is a result of you not getting your way—the only cure for this is to lay your selfishness down at Jesus’ feet! Let’s stop looking at the wars and fightings from the outside and let’s start praying and asking God to reveal the heart of the matter to us (from the inside out).

Lord, reveal unto me any hidden sin that I have been overlooking and help me to seek reconciliation in every conflict I am currently in—even if the problem did not begin with me, help me to allow love and forgiveness to win the battle! Amen.

"I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting."

I have never paid too much attention to the phrase “without wrath and doubting” concerning this exhortation for us to pray. The “therefore” points back to the first seven verses of this chapter, which is an exhortation to pray for all men, including all that are in authority, in light of the fact that God is willing that all men be saved and “come unto the knowledge of the truth.” Looking up the meaning of “wrath” I found a definition that says, “agitation of the soul, impulse, any violent emotion, but especially anger.” How often have we been agitated in prayer, or so disturbed that we were not even in a position to pray?

If we are not careful, we will allow the leaders of our towns, counties, states, and nation to agitate us so much that we will forget to pray for them! Yes, it is biblical to have righteous indignation and not to be happy with the liberal agenda and sins of our land, but we are exhorted to pray for them. Let’s stop wasting time criticizing them and spend more time praying for them, especially in this crucial hour! If you feel so agitated in your soul that you are not in a position to access the Throne Room, stop what you are doing right now, get right with God, and enter your prayer closet on behalf of all our nation’s leaders. While you are there, spend some time praying for all pastors and church leaders as well who are making difficult decisions. Amen.

"Let such an one think this, that, such as we are in word by letters when we are absent, such will we be also in deed when we are present."

Paul’s words and actions matched one another; in other words, he acted the same way he talked, whether present or absent. There was no hypocrisy with him. “Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.” (1 Cor. 9:14). Does your talk match your walk? Does the life you portray on Social Media match your real life? Do your Christian text messages match the way you live your life? Does your counsel to others match your lifestyle? Do you practice what you preach? Lord, help me to not only preach the Gospel, but to live of the Gospel—may my words never conflict with my actions, whether present or absent, so that I can be found trustworthy to all those You allow me to minister to! Amen.

"Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men."

Too many today do not understand spiritual things, but they sure have malice. Malice is extreme enmity of heart; a disposition to injure others from a spirit of revenge. The Bible commands us to “be children” in this, or in other words, don’t allow those evil desires to grow up in your heart! Those Christians who seek revenge and allow enmity to grow in their heart are children in understanding—they are very immature in the faith. The previous chapter is the greatest we have on charity, which is the most important characteristic of the Christian. It is mentioned exactly nine times in that chapter—the number of good fruit! In another place we read, “And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8). Are you allowing revenge to grow in your heart toward others and do you think negative of them? Or are you letting love reside in your heart to win the battle over those evil desires? Love is mentioned in some form exactly 555 times in Scripture. The only way to truly love is by the grace (5) of Almighty God! Lord, forgive me for ever allowing malice to grow in my heart and help me to have fervent charity instead—teach me to be a student of Your Word so I can be mature in understanding and learn how to let love win the battle! Amen.

"For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance."

This Scripture follows the great mystery of “blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in” (verse 25). Yes, Jesus came unto His own, and His own received Him not. Yes, the Jews as a nation rejected their promised Messiah. And yes, Salvation has been opened up to whosoever will—praise God for that! BUT, God has not forgotten His covenant with Abraham and Israel! How do we know? The gifts and calling of God are without repentance! The everlasting covenant God made with Abraham is still good (Genesis 17:7-8). NOW, concerning the born-again Christians in this dispensation of grace, how does this verse apply to us? What great truth can be benefit from in this? Well, I am thankful that God has a perfect Will for my life, and He has placed a calling on me to preach His Word! I can rest assured based on Romans 11:29, that because He has called me, He has not changed His mind about it! Yes, I have made some mistakes along the way. Yes, I have not always been faithful and true to the call early on due to my youth and folly. And yes, I have some scars that will follow me to my grave one day. BUT, God has not repented over calling me to preach! Whatever He has called you to do, it is still His perfect Will for you to do it! Lord, thank You for the gifts and calling that You have placed upon my life—help me to be faithful and true to the call, knowing that even though I have failed at times, You are still a forgiving, loving, gracious, and merciful God, and it is Your perfect Will that I am obedient to Your calling! Amen.

"And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us."

While reading this, I noticed some things about Lydia I had never paid attention to before. “Whose heart the Lord opened” – I am thankful that He touched my heart one day and opened it up to receive His Word! Once that happened, she attended unto the Word of God spoken by Paul. Not only that, she even constrained the men of God to abide at her house because she desired to hear more of the Word. Once we hear the Word of God and receive it, believing on the Lord Jesus Christ for Salvation, the Author of that Book (the Holy Ghost) indwells us! He gives us a desire to hear more and learn more about truth every day! Sadly, so many who profess that they are on their way to Heaven have little to no desire to hear the Word. Many who tell us they are saved do not act happy about it and try to escape our company, rather than abiding with us desiring to fellowship around the Bible. If a person truly is born-again, the Holy Ghost inside of them will compel them to know more about Jesus! If they rebel against this and allow the things of this world to capture all their affections instead, they are backslidden and in need of revival! Lord, help me to have a greater desire for Thy Word, reading and studying it myself, and to attend more preaching services, listening to men preach Thy Word! Amen.

"And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake."

Stephen, one of the first seven men chosen for the ministry of a deacon, was a man full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom (v. 3) and full of faith and power (v. 8). When men rose up to dispute with him, “they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake!” They could not even stand against and oppose what Stephen said because his words were full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom! When is the last time someone heard you speak in this manner? When people want to dispute with you, by what spirit do you speak in? Have you ever spoke in such a way that they had no response because your words were full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom? Or do others only see a spirit of anger and bitterness in your words? Even when someone is disputing with us and we take a stand on the Word of God and for the right, we still must do it with the right spirit and the right words. Lord, cleanse me of sin, empty me of self, and fill me with thy Spirit, so that when others dispute with me, I will always reply with the right words in the right spirit! Amen.

"… the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take him… Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said unto them, Why have ye not brought him? The officers answered, Never man spake like this man."

The officers were sent out to arrest Jesus, but when they heard Him, His words arrested them instead! How? John 6:63, “... the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” No one ever spoke the way that Jesus spoke! He was the incarnate Word and everything He spoke was the divine Word! Have you heard His Word today? Today He speaks through His written Word that has been finalized for many years now. “Never man spake like this man.” We need to grab a hold of that statement and realize that every other book, newspaper, article, online blog, etc, that we read, cannot compare to reading the Word! It is unlike any other! Its words have the power to transform your life to new beginnings that will last throughout all eternity, rather than some temporary motivation that will soon pass away! NEVER MAN SPAKE LIKE THIS MAN—No other Book speaks like this Book! Lord, thank You for the privilege of having my personal copy of Your completed Word—since it is a Book unlike any other, help me to spend more time reading it than reading anything else! Amen.

"If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple."

The reason many professing Christians never become true disciples of Christ is because their affection is not set on things above (Col. 3:2). They either love some other person more than they love Jesus, they love themselves more than they love Jesus, or they love some thing more than they love Jesus.

Is there anyone or anything in your life that has captured your affection and attention more than the Lord Jesus Christ? Are you pursuing an earthly goal more than an eternal goal? Are your eyes looking unto Jesus or looking to everything else instead? John 8:31-32,“... If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Lord, please forgive me for allowing any person, place, or thing, to consume my time, money, and energy more so than I have given to You— I surrender ALL! Amen.

All to Jesus I surrender,

All to Him I freely give;

I will ever love and trust Him,

In His presence daily live!

"And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season. And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about."

After Jesus used the Word of God to overcome temptation and defeat the enemy, we read that the devil “departed from him for a season.” This means that he would be back to tempt him again. Then we read that after overcoming temptation, Jesus returned “in the power of the Spirit” and many mighty things began to happen in the following verses. We can overcome temptation by relying upon the Word of God and Spirit of God as our helpers; however, we must realize that the enemy will not permanently leave us alone until we are in Heaven—he will only temporarily depart for a season. We must always watch and pray, knowing that the next temptation is right around the corner. After overcoming temptation, we will have the power of the Spirit upon us and can accomplish mighty things for the Lord in whatever He has called us to do. The reason we do not have the power of the Spirit upon us many times is because we have given in to temptation. The next time we are tempted, let us instantly pause and consider the fact that unsaved people are all around us headed straight for Hell, and if we give in, we will not have the Spirit upon us, and our words and actions may drive them farther away from knowing Christ as Saviour! Lord, help me daily to overcome temptation, by staying in Your Word and in prayer, being soul-conscience that someone needs to hear from Heaven, with Your Spirit upon me each day! In Jesus Name, Amen!

"And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts."

In Matthew and Luke, concerning the seed (Word of God) sown by the way side, we read, “then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart” (Mat. 13:19) and “then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved” (Luke 8:12). BUT in Mark’s account, we see these three words, SATAN COMETH IMMEDIATELY. This is a very sobering though, and I have personally seen it as a soul-winner and as a preacher during an invitation. The moment the Holy Ghost begins using the Word of God to convict hearts, immediately the devil begins working. As the incorruptible seed of hope and understanding is being sown, Satan is sowing corruptible seeds of doubt and confusion! As a Christian, we need to be aware of how the enemy works, so we are not ignorant of his devices (2 Cor. 2:11). As we witness to the unsaved or try to show a backslider truth from the Bible, we should know that the devil is going to immediately be at work as well. In light of this, we should always pray before we speak, and pray without ceasing while we speak, that the Holy Ghost would have free course in the individual’s heart! We cannot force truth upon anyone, but each time we deliver it, we need to pray before, during, and after! The best words we can pray after somebody rejects the truth, is Psalm 119:126, “It is time for thee, LORD, to work: for they have made void thy law.” Lord, remind me to pray before I deliver Your Word through preaching, teaching, and witnessing; to pray without ceasing while I am delivering Your Word that the enemy be rebuked; and to pray after delivering Your Word that the Holy Ghost would have free course in each and every heart that heard Your Word, knowing that Satan will come immediately to cast doubt and confusion to Your eternal truth! Amen.

"Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver."

Judas was asking the religious leaders this question concerning what they would be willing to give him if he delivered Jesus to them. So many people today, when it comes to church, ask, “What can the Lord and the Church do for me?” when they should be asking, “How can I serve the Lord in the church?” If we are not careful, we will develop the wrong attitude concerning Christ and the Church and allow our selfishness to rule in our hearts. We should not be seeking the Lord and looking to attend church based on what they will give to us—Christianity is not pursuing a certain job and position and considering some benefit package before we are willing to labor! We should rather be pursuing an intimate relationship with Jesus, being a disciple indeed who is willing to serve Him daily and in a local church—not to receive benefits, but to serve out of our love for Him and what He has already given us in the forgiveness of sins and everlasting life! Lord, help me to never have a selfish spirit and ask you or the Church, “What will ye give me,” but rather, help me to be selfless, and come to worship you with a pure heart, while saying, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?”

"And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you."

This is a biblical principle that can be applied to us today—for preachers when they preach, teachers when they teach, Christians when they testify in Church, and soul-winners in their everyday conversation. The Spirit will give us the right words in the right spirit at the right time to the right person with the right approach; however, we cannot expect Him to do so, if we have not been in His Word, in prayer, and having daily devotions with Him. The Bible also teaches us in 1 Peter 3:15 to sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear. We must always be prepared and ready to talk about Jesus with the Spirit’s guidance. The only way for the Spirit to speak through us is if we have hidden His Word in our heart and have spent alone time with Him. He will often give us something during our daily devotions that He will bring out of us in conversation with others! Lord, let me spend more time with you in Your Word and prayer, so that I can yield myself to Your Spirit, allowing You to give me what is needed for others to hear, and so I will be ready to give it in each and every moment! Amen.

"And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass… In the midst of the street of it…"

The only two references in the Bible concerning the street in the New Heaven teaches us that there is only one street (singular) in the New Jerusalem. There are multitudes of songs that contain the phrase “streets of gold” (plural), just as there are multitudes of people that claim there many ways to get to Heaven. Now, I am not saying that we should disregard every song that has the unbiblical phrase in it (although we may want to consider only singing “street” whenever it appears), but I am saying that there is only ONE WAY to get to Heaven! I believe the Lord has only designed one street in that City because there is only one road that will allow you to enter it someday – the way of the Cross leads home! I am thankful that I started on this journey many years ago; His grace has kept me safe thus far and His grace will lead me home! Say, are you on the right street today?

"If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God."

This passage of Scripture is very plain and simple. It is amazing that the majority of people living today have received the witness of men concerning secular history, but they also deny the witness of God concerning the biblical narrative. I believe that George Washington was the first president of the United States of America because it is record in American history—history written by man. Now, if I am willing to receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater! God has given us a perfect Book that has been divinely inspired and perfectly preserved, yet multitudes of people reject the Gospel truth contained within it. I’m thankful that I received the truth one day, and now I have the witness within myself (you ask me how I know He lives—He lives within my heart!) This passage so plainly declares that if you have received the witness of God and believed on the name of the Son of God (the Lord Jesus Christ), then you can know that you have eternal life right now! Are you 100% sure that if you died right now, you would go to Heaven? I’m glad that I have a know-so Salvation, and I am bound for the New Heaven when Jesus comes back!

"Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip."

Therefore points us back to Chapter One, which contains the things that we ought to give the more earnest heed to—lest at any time we should let them slip. As Christians, there are some things that we need to “tighten our grip” and get a good handle on that are contained in Hebrews Chapter One. Our Country has let some things slip, our Churches have let some things slip, and our Christians have let some things slip. What are those things? In Hebrews Chapter One, you will find the following sound doctrines of the Bible: Inspiration of Scripture (verse 1), Incarnation of Christ (verse 2), Salvation only through Christ (verse 3), and the Deity of Christ (verse 4). These four truths used to be accepted by many Churches, but some have let them slip away. We ought to give the more earnest heed to them now more than ever before! I’m thankful to know these great truths and I am going to tighten my grip even more as the day is approaching!

"Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;"

One of the most harmful errors we can make as a Christian is to assume that we have “arrived” spiritually and theologically. None of us has fully grasped the grandeur and practicality of Scripture. None of us has a completely uncorrupted Christian worldview or mastered the Gospel in all its applications and implications. All of us are people in process, called to minister to other people in process. We must confess our own blindness as we lead others to recognize theirs. We all need the Holy Ghost as our Teacher just as much as the day we first believed! Rich and powerful discoveries in Scripture await all of us, discoveries that are brand new even from old, familiar passages. The needs of the people we serve drive us deeper into Scripture to discover new treasures. We should be thankful for another opportunity to use the tools God has given us more carefully, skillfully, and efficiently. We should not assume that we have arrived!

O the unsearchable riches of Christ! Wealth that can never be told!

Riches exhaustless of mercy and grace, Precious more precious than gold!

Precious, more precious—Wealth that can never be told;

O the unsearchable riches of Christ—Precious, more precious than gold!

"But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you."

What a change we have experienced in our conversion! We have been exposed to that form of doctrine. We have heard the Word with our ears, believed the Word in our hearts, obeyed the Word in our spirits, and our souls were set free by the Word! That form of doctrine. Form is a figure formed by an impression; the pattern in conformity to which a thing must be made. Form suggests a mold into which molten metal is poured so as to take its destined shape; the believer is the molten metal, the doctrine is the mold; when we were saved, God cast our inward nature into the mold described in Romans 6; the Gospel not only delivers us from the penalty of sin, but daily delivers us from the power that sin once had over us by shaping our character according to that form of doctrine. Christians have been poured into the mold of Scripture to be formed and shaped according to the will of God by the Word of God. The first mention of the word form in the Bible is found in Genesis 1:2 in the phrase without form. The earth was without form until the Spirit of God moved upon it! It is the Spirit that transforms the old into the new! Let go and let God!

"Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision."

What would have happened had Saul of Tarsus been disobedient to the heavenly vision? Because of his obedience to the Word of God, he became the apostle to the Gentiles and was the human penmen of 14 out of 27 New Testament books! We never know what God has in store for us, if we would only be obedient whenever He speaks to us. Has the Lord spoken to you about something you need to do for Him? Delayed obedience is not obedience. Now is the time for us to trust and obey! Amen.

"Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk."

You may never have the riches of this world to be able to give away silver and gold, but if you have been born-again, you are able to give Jesus to everyone you come in contact with! There are many who are spiritually poor that need to hear your testimony. There are many unsaved people you work with that need you to live a holy life in front of them. There are many struggling saints that need you to reach out and encourage them. There are many who are looking for solutions to their physical problems that will only be a temporary fix, and they have an underlying spiritual problem that needs addressed for them to have a permanent fix. Will you be the one who reaches out to others in Jesus Name? This task is worth far more than the riches of this world can offer!

I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold

I'd rather be His than have riches untold

I'd rather have Jesus than houses or lands

I'd rather be led by His nail pierced hand

Than to be the king of a vast domain

Or be held in sin's dread sway

I'd rather have Jesus than anything

This world affords today

"The officers answered, Never man spake like this man."

The Pharisees and the chief priests sent out officers to arrest Jesus, but when they found Him, His words arrested them! They said, Never man spake like this man. If you have ever heard the Lord Jesus Christ speak to you, I don’t have to prove to you that He speaks like no one else ever has or ever will! Jesus said, the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life (John 6:63). How can we know His words today? In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (John 1:1, 14). Jesus Christ became the Word incarnate and dwelt on the face of this earth as a man, and everything He spoke was the Word of God; today, because He is the Word, and the full Revelation of Jesus Christ has been given to man in the 66 books of the King James Bible, we can rest assured that if we want to hear His voice, all we have to do is read His Word! My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me (John 10:27). When He speaks, I know His voice! When He speaks, my soul does rejoice! When He speaks, my heart knows no fear! Oh, the peace – when He speaks! Glory to His Name!

"But he that knew not, and did commit such things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required…"

The Lord Jesus Christ was teaching the parable of the steward and his servants when He used this phrase, “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required.” Have you ever meditated on how much we have been given? If we are born an American, we have been given much. If we have ever heard a clear presentation of the Gospel message, we have been given much. If we have been born again into the family of God, we have been given much. If we have been exposed to sound doctrine, we have been given much. If we are a member of a local church where we are spiritually fed and able to grow and have fellowship with the brethren, we have been given much. If we can read and understand the King James Bible, we have been given much. Now that I’ve listed just a few great truths that possibly describe you, consider how much will be required…

"And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out."

I have been meditating on that phrase, “What a word is this” all week long. It was said of Jesus that, “Never man spake like this man” (John 7:26). Jesus said that, “the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). We know that Jesus Himself is the Word of God (John 1:1). Every time we open the King James Bible, we know that we are reading about Jesus! Never approach your daily Bible reading or study time without first saying to yourself, What a word is this! Everything that we read inside this Book has been preserved for our benefit! Amen!

"And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach,"

The first call upon the life of a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ is to be with him. We cannot expect to do the work of God without first being with Him—with Him in private prayer, with Him in reading and studying, with Him in our daily walk, with Him in all things. How often does the devil have us so busy, even while accomplishing the work of God, that we forget to spend time alone with Jesus. Say, when is the last time you got away by yourself just to be with him? Clear off your schedule and begin making it a daily routine to have this much needed time! Amen.

"And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief."

May the Lord Jesus Christ never be able to say this concerning the First Baptist Church of Pinch! Let us all have faith to believe that God is able to do all things, and He will if we only believe! May the Lord continue to do mighty works at our church! Amen.

"And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ… Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost."

In Matthew Chapter 1, you begin to read of the generation of Jesus Christ, and come across the word begat many times. The word begat simply means “to procreate; to generate; to produce; to cause to exist.” The Bible teaches us that Joseph was not the father of Jesus. While Joseph and Mary were espoused, or engaged to be married, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost! Mary was a virgin when the Lord Jesus Christ was conceived in her womb. The prophecy written in Isaiah 7:14 was fulfilled! Jesus Christ was not just another man. He was not just some great teacher or prophet. He was God in the flesh! He was not part God and part man: He was 100% God and 100% man! Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever (Hebrews 13:8). He fully became man without ever ceasing to fully be God. He truly was (and is) God with us! He possessed both the divine nature and the human nature, yet without sin. The Virgin Birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is an essential doctrine that we must believe. Jesus Christ is God’s only begotten Son! Amen.

"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord:"

It is sad that we are living in this day in America, a day of famine for hearing the Word of God; but I’m so thankful that in the midst of this day, I had the privilege of hearing the Word of God from a young age! If you have had the opportunity to hear the pure Word of God, you ought to take some time today (and every day) to just stop and thank God! In a day where modern culture and liberalism have entered into many “churches,” I thank God that I have been firmly planted in the right kind of Church! One that emphasizes the Word of God above the words of men! There is a famine all around us, but we are able to feast on the truth. Thank the Lord!

"But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased."

The Lord, after revealing many things to Daniel by visions and dreams, informs Daniel that at “the time of the end,” there will be an increase in knowledge. We have witnessed an exponential advancement in technology and an increase in knowledge the past 50 years, like has never been seen in the history of mankind. The sad truth is that as man’s knowledge has increased, he has drifted farther away from God. We are warned of this by Paul in 2 Timothy 3:7, after writing about the perilous times of the last days, the Holy Ghost inspires him to write that men shall be “Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” It is time for us to stop looking for the signs and start listening for the trumpet! The Lord Jesus Christ may return for His bride today: Is your name in the Lamb’s Book of Life? Amen.

"A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh."

I am thankful that the day I got saved, I received a brand-new heart and spirit from the Lord. Only the power of God is able to soften a heart of stone and transform lives. Those who have been saved have received this soft heart and been given the ability to love others no matter what they’ve done. This is explained in Romans 5:5, “… the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” Are you showing others the same love of God that has been shown to you? Amen.

"Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me."

The next four verses in this chapter teach us that if we do not warn the wicked person about the coming judgment and tell them how they can escape burning in hell for all eternity, their blood will be required at our hand; however, if we do warn the wicked and tell them about the Lord, then their blood will be on them if they choose to reject the truth. Every born-again Christian is as a watchman and we ought to warn unsaved people every day about what will happen to them if they don’t repent of their sin and accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour! Did you tell someone about Jesus this past week? If not, you can’t go back, but be sure you tell someone this week about Jesus! It could be their last opportunity! Amen.

"And it came to pass, that when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, he cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was on the heart."

After King Jehoiakim heard the Word of God read to him, rather than repent and return to following the Lord, he decided to literally cut the pages with a knife and then burn the pages. Many people today respond the same way when they hear the truth of the Bible. Every time the truth is presented to us, we have two choices, accept it or reject it. We can accept the truth with repentance, if necessary, and live by the Word of God; or we can reject the truth with rebellion and continue in sin. The king rejected the truth to the point it caused him to physically cut and burn it, but that did not change the fact that the judgment of God was still on the way. No matter what people may do to the physical Word of God, it remains the same. It is still the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth! Choose to accept it by faith, even when you aren’t living by its words – you’ll be thankful that you did! Amen.

"Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!"

This verse appears after two solid chapters written about Israel’s backslidings. If you read Jeremiah Chapters 7-8 with America’s Christian heritage in mind, it will cause you to be burdened for how our nation has turned her back on the Lord. When Jeremiah considered how far Israel had come, all he could do is cry. He was known as the weeping prophet and even went on to write the Book of Lamentations. In this verse he pleads for his eyes to be made a fountain of tears in order to weep over Israel’s condition. We have tried everything else in order to see revival in our Country, in our Churches, and among all Christians – I believe that it is time we try tears. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy (Psalm 126:5). Let us cry out to God, pleading to Him for a true revival, and for Him to start the work in us! When is the last time you wept in prayer?

"Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else."

This is one of the greatest verses in the Old Testament concerning Salvation. It teaches us that in order to be saved we must look to the Lord and no other place. In order to look to something, you must look away from something else. To be saved, you must look away from your religion, your good works, your money, your career, your family, and anything that you think may be required in order to be saved. Salvation has nothing to do with what we can offer God, but is based upon what God has already offered us in His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Look away from everything else this morning, and look to Jesus! For there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12). Look to Him today and be SAVED!

"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"

One of the main issues our nation is facing today is that we are raising a generation that doesn’t know the difference in right and wrong, as defined by God. Our politicians, Hollywood, and mainstream media have all accepted the unacceptable. Decade after decade in recent history, and now year after year, our society has moved farther and farther away from God and His Word. The Bible is the only source of absolute moral truth that we have access to! Our country, our churches, and our Christians need to get back to living by that BOOK. If the Bible says its wrong, its wrong; and if the Bible says its right, its right! People may change, society may change, but God never changes – He is always the same, yesterday, today, and forever! Let’s just live by the BOOK no matter what the world thinks about it! Amen.

"A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger."

When someone is stirred up with emotions and talking to you with a loud voice, the best response is a soft answer. The majority of the time when people talk louder than normal in wrath, there are many words spoken that they don’t really mean. There have been countless marriages end, church members leave, and relationships damaged due to someone not following the principle of this proverb. I am certainly not excusing anyone’s bad behavior for starting an argument out of emotions in the first place, but when that happens, if we could all determine to have a soft answer – take a deep breath, pray, and let the Lord speak through you in your response – then there would be less damage done. The devil wants you to use grievous words and fire right back at your spouse, children, friends, or co-workers, but if we are truly following the Lord, we will learn to give a soft answer. Amen.

"Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts."

The reason we are living in a time where young people don’t truly know who Jesus is, is because the previous generation has not praised the Lord enough and declared His mighty acts to the next generation. We have spent too much time praising men, and certain ministries, and churches, and politicians, and leaders, and even certain celebrities and athletes, and not enough time praising God! God help us to declare His mighty acts to all those around us, and re-institute old-time worship in our church services, and stop being so dignified! Give Him praise today, to all those you come in contact with, and at church be the first to stand up and testify and give the Lord the praise! By the way, He is worthy of ALL our praise! Glory to His Name! AMEN.

"Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:"

These two verses are the exact two middle verses in the King James Bible. In the middle of it all, we are reminded that we need to bless the LORD with all that is within us! Why? Because of all his benefits. Time and space would not permit me to type of all the benefits that comes from serving the LORD; all the benefits we have received by being born in America and being so freely exposed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ; all the benefits we have from have a preserved copy of the Word of God without error and the indwelling of the Holy Ghost; all the benefits we have from being protected from the enemy and having the One with all power on our side! So I will end this short devotional with the very text: Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits! Amen.

"If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me."

This verse is very plain and simple to understand. If there is ANY unconfessed sin in your life, then all your prayers are in vain, and God doesn’t even hear you. Until you confess and ask for forgiveness, you will not be able to pray for your unsaved loved ones or for any other need in your life. If there is anything in your heart that is hindering your relationship with God, confess it right now, so that you will be able to get through in your prayer life!

"The LORD hath heard my supplication; the LORD will receive my prayer."

When is the last time you thanked God that he HEARD and received your prayer? Don’t wait until He answers to praise Him but praise Him because you are able to reach the throne room of Heaven! I’m thankful that I have direct access to the Father through the Son, and don’t need a pope or an earthly priest to mediate for me! This is enough reason to shout and be filled with joy – the fact that a holy and just God is willing to listen to your supplications and prayers to begin with!!! AMEN.

"Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food."

Job was able to endure as a faithful man of God all the trials of life that one could possibly have to go through. What was his secret? In this verse he says that the Word of God was more important to him than his necessary food. Most of us love to eat physically, but do we love to eat spiritually as much as Job? If we would get a craving for the reading, studying and meditating of the Bible, we would have much more faith. We never know what may happen from one day to the next in our lives, so we must be sure to eat spiritually every day from the Word of God, so that we have the strength to endure what may happen to us tomorrow. How’s your appetite for the Bible been? Amen.

"Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him."

Job may have gone through more than anyone ever has in this life. If anyone ever had the right to give up on God or to try and take matters into their own hands, it would have been Job. Yet through all the trials that this man faced, he still trusted in God. Despite his wife and his friends speaking in the wrong spirit, Job decided to trust the Spirit of God instead. Job’s faith in God was so strong that he made this statement in the verse above. Even if God decided to take Job’s life from him, he was choosing to trust in the Lord at all costs! I wonder if you and I can say that today? Job covered all scenarios with these powerful words. No matter what would come into his life, even if it meant that he had to die, he was willing to place all his trust in the Lord, knowing that His ways are much higher than our ways, and His thoughts are much higher than our thoughts! Let us determine to be more like Job, and trust in the Lord with all our heart no matter what! Amen.

"And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?"

Nehemiah was working up on the wall when messengers brought word unto him for him to come down and meet with them. His reply was that he was doing a great work and that he couldn’t come down. Thank God he didn’t come down, but finished the work that God had called him to do. Over 400 years later, the Lord Jesus Christ was bleeding and dying for the sin of the world at Calvary. There were people mocking Him, saying, He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him (Mat. 27:42). Jesus didn’t reply to them, but thank God that He was accomplishing the greatest work that ever has been done and ever will be done, and He didn’t come down, and later cried out, It is finished (John 19:30). He stayed on the Cross for you and me!

"And there was no passover like to that kept in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet; neither did all the kings of Israel keep such a passover as Josiah kept, and the priests, and the Levites, and all Judah and Israel that were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem."

Wow, what a time of worship! Josiah was the last godly king of Judah that we read about, after the two prior kings before him were both wicked, and the northern kingdom of Israel had already fallen captive to the Assyrians due to disobedience to the Word of God. What made the difference in his reign as king? Because the Word of God was discovered that had been lost, and when it was brought to the king and read before the king, he humbled himself and desired for the nation to repent and get back to worshipping the Lord the way it is supposed to be done! This verse teaches us that there was a passover kept that hadn’t been done by the Book since the days of Samuel the prophet, which was over 400 years prior to this event. What do we need to do in order to see a move of God among our worship at church like we haven’t seen in over 400 years? Get back to the Book! Forget about the tradition of man, and just let God have His way. Amen.

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

My entire life I have heard of “ifs” and “thens.” If I do something, then something will happen. It is the principle of cause and effect. In this single Bible verse, there is a big IF on the part of God’s people. We often hear many Christians say that they want our nation to be healed and to get back to the way it used to be. If we truly want to see this happen and for God to continue to bless our land as He has for many decades, then we must follow this Bible verse. The answer to the problem doesn’t have to do with wicked sinners being saved or for a certain person to be elected into our government. The answer is the big IF for all of God’s people. IF we humble ourselves, pray, seek God’s face, and turn from our wicked ways, THEN God will heal our land. The problem we are facing is that there are too many prideful Christians who won’t humble themselves, there are too many professing Christians who don’t have a healthy prayer life, there are too many carnal Christians who seek everything else in the world and aren’t seeking God’s face, and there are too many compromising Christians who have unrepented sin in their life and won’t get right with God! IF we truly desire for our land to be healed in America, then Christians must fix these 4 major issues among themselves first! Amen.

"And Solomon determined to build an house for the name of the LORD, and an house for his kingdom."

If we are ever going to accomplish anything concerning the work of God, we need to make a determination that we are not only going to start the work but finish the work. It takes more than an emotional stirring of your heart to be effective in the ministry. It can certainly all begin with your heart being stirred, but if we are going to be faithful and finish the work in which God has called us to do, we must be determined, having a firm or fixed purpose. The world, the flesh, and the devil will always be opposed to the work of God, and we will suffer persecution if we are serving the Lord faithfully. We will be tempted to just quit and walk away at times. If all we have is a quick emotional decision, we will be easily persuaded to give up. Be determined! Solomon was determined to build a house for the name of the LORD. Now, we already have this church building where we gather and worship His Name; but our body is also a house, and the place where the Holy Spirit dwells if we are saved. We need to determine that in our body, the name of the LORD will be magnified, honored, and praised! Everything that we do in our body and everything we allow to be (or not be) on our body is a testimony to who is living on the inside. Have you made a determination that the Lord Jesus Christ is going to be magnified in your body, and when others look at you, they will see Him? Be like Solomon in this matter and be determined! Amen.

"For because ye did it not at the first, the LORD our God made a breach upon us, for that we sought him not after the due order."

There is a due order for us to serve the Lord by. Many people today have forsaken the due order given to us by the Word of God and have attempted to serve the Lord by their own methods. David and Israel were doing the right thing in the wrong way and because of that, the Lord made a breach upon them. By doing the right thing in the wrong way, it cost a man his life because they were disobedient to the Word of God and the due order of how the ark of God was to be carried from one place to another. They got the idea from the enemy, as the Philistines were the first ones to transport the ark on a new cart rather than be carried by staves upon the priests’ shoulders. The ark of God was where the presence of God was, and the holy vessel was not to be touched by man’s hand. This “new cart religion” began over 3,000 years ago, but it is still manifest in many churches today. Many churches are not seeking God after the due order anymore. They claim to be doing the right thing by reaching out to the community and by changing their music to attract a younger generation. But as we learn from this passage of Scripture, we cannot do the right thing in the wrong way and expect God’s blessings to be upon us. We must not only do the right thing, but we must do it in the right way! The priests sanctified themselves and began carrying the ark of God according to the word of the LORD. God’s blessings would then follow once they got back to doing the right thing the right way: by the Book! Get back to the Book! Amen.

"And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested."

In the midst of all the genealogies given in the first few chapters of this book is an amazing verse that God decided to put in His Word concerning this man by the name of Jabez. Can you imagine that one man’s private prayer was so powerful that God didn’t want to just pass over his name among a list of many names? It was a powerful prayer in which he asked God to bless him, enlarge his coast, for God’s Hand to be with him, and to keep him from evil. When was the last time that you asked God to bless you so much that He would enlarge your coast? In other words, to increase your territory or boundary of influence? Spiritually speaking, we should all desire to have a powerful witness and testimony that goes well beyond the four walls of this church, and well outside of the community of Pinch, West Virginia! We have become too comfortable within the territory we are familiar with and if we aren’t careful will lose the desire to reach others with the Gospel. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost (2 Cor. 4:3). Let us ask the Lord today that He would bless us with the right words, in the right spirit, at the right time, to the right person, as we seek to enlarge our coast, and to reach out to all of our unsaved love ones, co-workers, acquaintances, and strangers that we come across! Amen.

"And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses."

King Hezekiah received some bad news in the form of a letter, that the king of Assyria was coming with his army to wipe out Israel. How did Hezekiah respond to this conflict? He ran to the LORD in prayer! Which is exactly what you and I should do every time that conflict arises in our lives. Rather than trying to get vengeance or complaining to everyone about what we are going through, we should take it to the LORD in prayer. The enemy has no defense for prayer! There is no way that you and I can properly know how to handle any situation without asking the LORD to show us what to do and what not to do. But when we do go to the LORD in prayer, and fully trust and rely upon Him to resolve the conflict for us or show us how we are to handle it, then the enemy won’t be able to compete with that! We serve a God who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, and He is more powerful than all the demons and the devil himself! Because Hezekiah ran to the LORD in prayer during this conflict, the LORD sent His angel throughout the camp that night and wiped out 185,000 of the enemy’s army! There is POWER IN PRAYER! AMEN!

"But king Solomon loved many strange women..."

We know Solomon as one of the wisest men who ever lived. He sought the Lord from a young age and was anointed to be the king of Israel after his father David. He did many great things for the Lord in his lifetime and during his reign. BUT king Solomon loved many strange women. How sad that there was a "but" in his life. Because he fell for many strange women, who turned his heart after other gods, the kingdom of Israel broke out in a civil war after his death. There were many consequences that the entire nation suffered because there was a "but" in Solomon's life. This ought to be a strong warning to all of us! Don't ever let there come a time in our Christian lives that someone would be able to say many great things about us and then have to use the word "but." The apostle Paul was able to say I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. We can't live like Solomon and expect to die like Paul. Solomon looked back on his life and all the labor hat he had done and said behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun. Although Solomon started right, he didn't finish right. He allowed worldly riches and strange women to take priority in his heart over God. How about you, dear Christian firned? Is there a "but" in your life? Let us all purpose to finish right, and faithfully die on the battlefield! Amen.

"If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept"

For those who have been born again, the best is yet to come! Being a Christian not only means an abundant life full of joy and peace here on earth, but it comes with the hope of everlasting life, which the Lord gave us the moment we were saved. Many people have said, “If this were all I had to live for, it would still be worth being a Christian down here,” but my friend, this isn’t all we have to live for! If it was, we would be most miserable according to the Bible. BUT NOW is Christ risen from the dead. Thank God! Because He lives, we can live also. I’m thankful there is more to the story than what we can see down here! I’ve got a mansion just over the hilltop. What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see. I’ve got a home in gloryland that outshines the sun! Thanks to Calvary and the Gospel message, I get all of this and Heaven too! So on this resurrection Sunday, be filled with the hope of everlasting life and the promise that we have that we shall see Jesus just as He is one day face to face! Glory to His Name! Hallelujah!

"And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may shew him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?"

David, the king, rather than seeking his enemies for vengeance, sought them for kindness because of the covenant that had been made in the past between him and Jonathan. Mephibosheth, being born into the family of David’s enemy, was able to receive grace in the sight of the king because of a covenant that had been made before he was ever born. Aren’t you thankful this morning, that the King of kings gave His life’s blood on the Cross of Calvary, making a blood covenant with God the Father, long before you and I were born; so that instead of us receiving the wrath of God, we are able to experience the grace of God! I’m glad nearly 2,000 years later, the Covenant is still good! Amen!

"And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armour in his tent."

After David slew the giant Goliath by trusting in the Lord to give him the victory, he took Goliath’s armor and kept it in his tent. Have you ever wondered why he would have done that, seeing the armor would have been way too big to fit David, as even Saul’s armor was too big? I personally believe that David kept Goliath’s armor in his tent so that every morning when he woke up, he saw the victory! When he looked on that armor, he remembered how God delivered the giant into his hand. He remembered that no matter how big the enemy may be that he served a God that was much bigger than that. He remembered that even when everyone else is fearful and afraid to face the giant, that if we would just have faith in God’s divine ability, He would show up on the scene right on time. Too often our minds quickly turn to worry and doubt when trying circumstances come upon us. Let’s put to practice what David did, and set up a memorial of a past victory the Lord has given us somewhere in our homes, so that we often look upon it and remember what He has done for us! If we continually meditate on God’s goodness and how He has showed up in our past, then whatever comes our way in the future we will be more likely to run to the throne room to pray before we pick up the phone to complain! Amen.

Today’s Pastor’s Corner is taken from a devotion that spoke to my heart earlier this week. This is the morning entry for March 29 in the Morning and Evening devotional book by Charles H. Spurgeon:

We are told that the Captain of our salvation was made perfect through suffering; therefore, we who are sinful, and who are far from being perfect, must not wonder if we are called to pass through suffering too. Shall the head be crowned with thorns while the other parts of the body enjoy only comfort and ease? Must Christ pass through seas of His own blood to win the crown while we walk to heaven dry-shod in silver slippers? No, our Master’s experience teaches us that suffering is necessary, and the child of God must not, would not, escape it if he could. But there is one very comforting thought in the fact of Christ’s being made perfect through suffering – it is that He can have complete sympathy with us. He is not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities. In this sympathy of Christ, we find a sustaining power. One of the early martyrs said, “I can bear it all, for Jesus suffered, and He suffers in me now; He sympathizes with me, and this makes me strong.” Believer, lay hold of this thought in all times of agony. Let the thought of Jesus strengthen you as you follow in His steps. Find a sweet support in His sympathy; and remember that to suffer is an honorable thing – to suffer for Christ is glory. The apostles rejoiced that they were counted worthy to do this. Just so far as the Lord shall give us grace to suffer for Christ, to suffer with Christ, just so far does He honor us. If we suffer, we shall also reign with him.

“And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the LORD fought for Israel."

Joshua made one of the largest requests that I have ever seen in the history of mankind: Sun, stand thou still. And what happened? The sun stood still (Joshua 10:12-13). This verse tells us that there was not another day in history like this day! Have you ever had a day that it seemed like there wasn’t enough hours in the day to accomplish what you needed to, and that your enemies were attacking you at the same time? It would have been easy to give in and give up, but Joshua in this situation realized that he served the One who was able to do all things – even make the sun stand still and lengthen the daylight for him! No matter what the magnitude of your problem is, there is a God that is bigger than all your problems – the One who is able to make the sun stand still is able to help you! AMEN.

“Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel."

After being led by Moses for 40 years, out of Egypt and through the wilderness, the time came to enter Canaan land. The entire nation was in a transition of a faithful leader who had just died, to a new leader who would take them into the Promised Land and lead them to victory over their enemies. The LORD spake unto Joshua in this text that Moses my servant is dead. Moses was dead, but God was still alive! If we aren’t careful, our affection and attention will remain on those faithful leaders who have died to the point that we are not supporting the new man that God has appointed in leadership. I’m not saying we shouldn’t remember and thank God for those who fought a good fight before us and have graduated to glory land, but we can’t continue to wander in the wilderness. The path of God’s people is ever onward and ever upward! Onward, Christian Soldiers! God is still on the throne and the work He has called us to do must continue until Jesus comes back! AMEN.

“Then we turned, and took our journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea, as the LORD spake unto me: and we compassed mount Seir many days. And the LORD spake unto me, saying, Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward.”

An 11-day journey (Deut. 1:2) took 40 years for God’s people. It only took God ONE NIGHT to get Israel out of Egypt, but it took 40 YEARS to get “Egypt” out of Israel! How long have you been wandering in the wilderness? It is time to TURN YOU NORTHWARD! Look up! You don't have to give in to the appetites of the flesh and remain wandering in the wilderness your entire Christian life, you are able to live in Canaan now, and have a victorious Christian life! Don’t keep going around and around in circles, in church one Sunday, out of church the next; reading your Bible today, and neglecting it tomorrow; praying fervently today, and not praying at all tomorrow. Get some consistency in your Christian life, and just wait and see what God will do for you! YE HAVE COMPASSED THIS MOUNTAIN LONG ENOUGH! TURN YOU NORTHWARD! Amen.

“Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.”

The children of Israel spake against God, and against Moses by complaining about God’s direction and the man of God’s leadership in verse 5, so the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. The only remedy for sin is to first acknowledge that you have sinned to begin with. We know what happened in verses 8-9, how God told Moses about the lifted-up substitute that the people who had been bitten could look upon and live, but the first step in their cure began when they came and said WE HAVE SINNED. Those are the three hardest words to say in the English language: I have sinned. So many people today are not being saved by the grace of God because they don’t realize that they are a sinner in need of a Saviour. The children of Israel didn’t “beat around the bush” because they had been bitten by the serpent and needed a sure remedy and fast. If sinners today only realized the urgency of the hour, and just confessed their sins to a holy God instead of trying to come up with excuses! AMEN.

“And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Raguel the Midianite, Moses’ father in law, We are journeying unto the place of which the LORD said, I will give it you: come thou with us, and we will do thee good: for the LORD hath spoken good concerning Israel… And it shall be, if thou go with us, yea, it shall be, that what goodness the LORD shall do unto us, the same will we do unto thee.”

The children of Israel were journeying to the Promised Land, and Moses wanted his in-laws to be a partaker of the blessings that the LORD was bestowing upon them. Moses had faith in the Word of God, and knew that what God had done unto them, He would continue to do unto them, and that the blessings would continue to flow. Because of Moses’ experience with not only the blessings of God, but with God Himself, who is the source of every good and perfect gift, that caused him to want to tell everyone else about the goodness of God! He told his in-laws to come with them and they could experience this same life of blessings! Let me say that I have been a partaker of the blessings of God, by being obedient to His Word, and following wherever He leads me! I’m so thankful He led me to this Church, and I’m looking for Him to lead us all to great and mighty things! I hope and pray that each and every one of you will come thou with us on this journey of journeys! AMEN!

“For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make AN ATONEMENT for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh AN ATONEMENT for the soul.”

The phrase AN ATONEMENT appears 65 times in the Bible, all in the Old Testament, but in the New Testament, this phrase never appears; however, we do see one time, a single time, in the NT the phrase THE ATONEMENT.  Rom. 5:11, “And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received THE ATONEMENT.”  In the OT, the priests could only make AN ATONEMENT, that had to be repeated once a year, as the blood of animals could never take away sins (Heb. 10:4), but THIS MAN,    Christ Jesus, after He had offered ONE SACRIFICE FOR SINS FOR EVER, SAT DOWN on the right hand of God (Heb. 10:12).  His work was FINISHED, and His blood was the ultimate sacrifice and payment for every sin that ever has been committed and every sin that ever will be committed; through faith in His blood, we are declared righteous in the eyes of God being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Rom. 3:24-25).  Amen and Amen! 

“For the cloud of the LORD was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.”

The presence of the LORD never departed from the children of Israel: it was with them throughout all their journeys. When the cloud moved, they moved, and when the cloud didn’t move, they didn’t move. Just as the presence of the LORD led them back then, He desires to lead His people in the same way today. Too often in our Christian lives we tend to put the cart in front of the horse, and end up in situations we should have never been in to begin with. We are such an impatient generation and want everything right now, but we must wait upon the LORD to move us, and sometimes that means to stand still and let God move. Back in Chapter 33, the LORD told Moses that His presence would go with them. Moses replied, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. In other words, if the LORD isn’t going to be the leader, then he didn’t want to go anywhere! We ought to have the same mentality as Christians today. AMEN.

“And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone: and Moses put the vail upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him.”

“But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?”

In other words, if being in the presence of God in the Old Testament was so good, that it caused Moses face to shine, HOW MUCH MORE shall the child of God in this Dispensation of Grace, who has the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, be able to shine? If Moses face was shining in a day where the Law brought forth death, HOW MUCH MORE should Christians’ faces be shining in a day where Grace brings forth life? What is our excuse??? This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine! AMEN.

“Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”

The first commandment given to Moses on Mt. Sinai from God unto His people was very simple, yet it is still being broken so often today. The children of Israel had already broken it before Moses even came down from the Mount, as they made and worshipped a golden calf. The Lord God is a jealous God and putting any other god before Him is a sin (Deut. 6:15). I’m afraid we are living in a day where Christians don’t even understand what idolatry is. In this age of technological advancements and sports and extracurricular activities, it has become so easy for us to allow something or someone to become a god to us, and we begin to worship that thing or person more than God Himself. The number one television show in America from 2004-2011 (8 straight years) was American Idol. People all over the country were idolizing these singers who would become the next pop stars in the music industry. Christian people were more faithful to watch that show and listen to its worldly music than they were to get to prayer meeting on Wednesday evenings at their churches. This is just one of many examples of how easy we can allow people or things to become gods in our lives, but we must take heed to the first commandment, Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Amen!

“Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God: and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.”

The magicians in Egypt were able to duplicate some of the first few miracles that Aaron and Moses performed before Pharaoh. There are many spiritual things of God that the devil has an evil counterfeit for. But after so many, the power of God through his men became so mighty, that the demonic work through Pharaoh’s magicians was not strong enough to be able to duplicate those miracles! This is the finger of God. There are some things that ONLY GOD can do. Although we live in a wicked world where many evil sorceries are, and there are demonic principalities and powers that we must face (Eph. 6:12), if we have been born again, we are able to overcome them, because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4). What an encouragement to know that we have a power source that abides within us, and we are more than conquerors through Christ (Rom. 8:37). Let us remember to tap in to this power, and claim the Victory in Jesus! AMEN!

“And he built there an altar, and called the place Elbethel: because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother.”

The name Bethel means the house of God. It was the place where God revealed Himself to Jacob and showed him the ladder reaching from earth to Heaven in a dream. The word El is the name for God, so by adding El onto the name Bethel, the full name now means the God of the house of God. It is the God of the place, rather than just the place. Today we call the church building where we meet to worship the house of God. If we aren’t careful, it will become more about the place, rather than the God of the place. The First Baptist Church of Pinch is a special place, without a doubt, but it isn’t because of the physical materials that constructed the building that we all see and love; this is a special place because of the God who is here, and because of the God who indwells us all who have been born again! We don’t meet here to worship this building – we meet here to worship the God who is in control of this building! Amen.

“But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.”

The next three chapters of the Bible open with these statements: And the LORD said unto Noah (Gen. 7:1), And God remembered Noah (Gen. 8:1), And God blessed Noah (Gen. 9:1). I’m so thankful that I found grace in the eyes of the Lord one day and accepted the free gift of Salvation by grace through faith. Upon receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour, I entered into the Ark of Security. As these next three chapters of Genesis open, they illustrate three of the greatest privileges we have as God’s people: God speaks to us, He remembers us, and He blesses us! What an honor that God speaks to us and desires to have communion with us daily. Even when we sin, thank God for the Holy Ghost dwelling in us that will still speak to us and convict us! God also remembers us, and has promised that He will never leave us, nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5). Finally, God blesses us beyond measure! He not only desires communion with us and has promised to never leave us, but He also wants to bless us each and every day with abundant life. What a God that we serve! Amen.

“O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.”

There are many verses in the Bible that teach us that the Lord knows all about us. He knows us better than we know ourselves. Before we ever think, say, or do anything, He already knows what we are going to think, say, and do. He has searched us, and He knows us. He not only knows everything we have ever done, He already knows everything that we will ever do. O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God (Romans 11:33a). In light of this truth, it ought to cause us to do two things. First, we ought to thank God that even though He knows us so well, He still loved us enough to send Jesus to die on the Cross and pay the penalty for all our sins! O what a Saviour that we have! This truth also should produce the fear of God in each and every one of us. We can’t hide anything from God that we have done, and He already knows what we are thinking and what we are going to do, so shouldn’t we fear Him in a reverential way? I’m not saying that we should be afraid of God (unless we haven’t been bought by the blood of Jesus), but I am saying we need to sober up and realize that He is omniscient, which will cause us to reverence Him in a mighty way. O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. Dear friend, since He already knows you, why not be submissive unto His perfect Will? Since He knows us so well, why bother “beating around the bush” in prayer when we are confessing our sins? We need to simply acknowledge God for who He is and acknowledge our sins before Him, so He can have His way with us! You’d feel a lot better! Amen.

“Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?”

I have a race to run as a Christian, as a Pastor, as a husband, as a son, as a brother, as an employee, etc... It never seems to be the “whats” that cause a hindrance, but it is always the “whos.” This verse says Ye did run well; WHO did hinder you...? I wonder how many times that someone has allowed a person to hinder their Christian race? How many times that someone has said, “I'm not going to church there anymore because THEY go there.” The problem with this mentality is that you have allowed the devil to deceive you into thinking that you are going to stand before other people one day at the Judgment, but the reality is, you are going to stand before God one on one and give an account of your life, your race, that you have run, and these other people’s faults won’t be a valid excuse for your behavior. If you keep your eyes on other people, you will never be who God wants you to be, and you’ll be hindered, BUT if you get your eyes on JESUS, the ONE who died for your sins, the ONE who you are going to stand before at the Judgment one day, then many of your excuses will soon fade away! If every single Christian in the world would get their eyes off other people and get their eyes on Jesus, most problems within the church would be solved. Don’t allow anyone to hinder your Christian race! The reality is, even if that person shouldn’t have done what they did, it isn’t their fault that you have backslid, it is your own fault for allowing a person to hinder your relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. That person isn’t worth you being miserable the rest of your life! Let it go, and get back on the strait and narrow today! Ye did run well; WHO did hinder you…?

“And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works… And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

As good of a book-keeping system that we are able to have in today’s era of technology, it doesn’t compare with God’s ability to keep records! He knows every thought, word, and deed, that you have ever had, spoken, or done! The good news for the Christian is that if you have been born again, the record of all your sins has been washed in the blood of the Lamb, and the old account has been settled! Your name has been written in the Lamb’s Book of Life in the blood, and it is sealed forevermore! The bad news for the unsaved person is that the record of all their sins are recorded in these other books in Heaven, and one day they will have to give an account of every sin they have ever committed! All their excuses will be silenced, as the record will speak for itself. Then, the Lord may open the Book of Life and turn to the page where their name COULD HAVE been written, only to show them an AWFUL BLANK space! Maybe they’ll see the names of all their family members who accepted the Lord Jesus Christ above and below their name, who will be with Jesus forever in Heaven for an eternity of rejoicing. Then, in this awful moment, they will be cast into the Lake of Fire, to burn and suffer torment forever and ever, while they remember all the chances they had to be saved. They will remember every sermon they heard preached, every tract they ever read, every invitation they received to church. What a tragedy! If your sins are still written down in Heaven, why not come to Jesus today, so that they all might be washed in His precious blood, and nothing but white pages will remain!

“And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.”

Once a person dies in this life, that certainly is not the end of that person's influence. THEIR WORKS DO FOLLOW THEM. I thank God for the many men and women of God who were fathers and mothers, grandfathers and grandmothers, in the faith to me while I was growing up. Their works have followed them, and their testimony and voice of influence is still with me today. I thank God for the many Pastors and Preachers who I have had the privilege to sit under, to listen to, to read after, etc. Their ministry has had an impact on my ministry. I can only hope and pray that when I am no longer here, people will be able to look at my life, my preaching, my testimony, and that it will have a positive, godly influence on their lives. Say, if you were to die this very moment, what kind of works would follow you? How would your close family and friends remember you? What have you stood for that will remain as a powerful voice of influence for many years after you're gone?

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.”

We often hear verse 8 quoted, how the devil walketh about, seeking whom he may devour, and this is certainly true, and we all should sober up and realize that there is a real, literal devil out there trying to deceive us daily. BUT thank God for verse 9, that we, as Christians, can RESIST the devil in Jesus Name! Notice the phrase, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren. One of the devil’s greatest deceits is to try and get you to believe that you are alone in this world, and that you are the only one suffering and going through a certain problem, and he wants you to isolate yourself from church, church family, and all Christians, and for you to become depressed and feel lonely. But let me say, you are NOT alone! These same afflictions are in all our Christian lives, and we all fight the devil. This is why CHURCH is so important! You will never live a life of victory as God wants you to, and you will easily get down on yourself or in a state of depression, if you aren’t faithfully attending a Bible-believing Church! It is at Church that we bear one another’s burdens, hear the testimonies of those going through similar circumstances, and pray with one another around the altar, to encourage and love one another! I don’t know how people make it today without a loving Church family. I thank God for our close church family we have! AMEN.

“Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.”

It amazes me that Christians have such a hard time forgiving one another. I have wondered how many unsaved people have never once attended church in their adulthood due to many church members being full of bitterness, pride, and unforgiveness in their heart. HAVE WE FORGOTTEN what Jesus Christ forgave us for? And if we even think for one second that we didn’t need much forgiveness, then we need to take a good look at CALVARY once again. No matter how small you think your past sins were, Jesus still had to die for them! And if He was willing to suffer and die as He did for you to be forgiven, why do you have such a hard time forgiving someone who has done you wrong? How many times do we see people waiting until a wake service or a funeral service to be reunited with those in their own family they parted ways with over something years ago. It doesn’t matter who was right and who was wrong. If you have carried ill feelings for too long in your own heart, that only you know about, it is preventing you from being an effective soul-winner and witness to the lost. Your unforgiveness is sending people to hell for an eternity because there are lost souls looking at your life, as your profession of Christianity bears the Name of Christ, and by your unforgiveness you are testifying that Christ is unforgiving. Their blood will be on your hands one day! Oh how we need another look at CALVARY! I’m thankful that Jesus has forgiven me of all my sins! BLESS HIS HOLY NAME!

“But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:”

You can’t out-give God! The more you give, the more you’ll receive, if you are giving cheerfully from your heart, not expecting anything in return, and not expecting recognition or praise of man. God is able to make ALL grace abound... ALWAYS... ALL sufficiency in ALL things... EVERY good work. Five times God says ALL in one verse. He has a storehouse full of ALL blessings available for us, but in order to receive them, we must be willing to give. And the more you give, the more you’ll get. If you give sparingly, you’ll receive sparingly; but if you give bountifully, you’ll reap bountifully. Giving isn’t only about your money, but also about your time and energy in service to the Lord. We all want to be blessed, but most of us don’t give like we should. This season of Thanksgiving and Christmas, let us all purpose in our hearts to give more of ourselves to God and to others, expecting nothing in return, and just watch how He will bless us for it! Amen.

“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”

This verse right here will answer a lot of questions that are being asked among many church members today. Everything a Christian does ought to be for the glory of God above all else. Instead of asking ourselves, “Is this a sin?” we need to ask ourselves, “Will this thing that I am about to do bring glory to God, or will it hurt my testimony and hinder my witness to someone?” That will answer many questions about tattoos, excessive piercings, going to bars, smoking cigarettes, etc... if something you are doing or having done will not bring honor and glory to God, then it is much better for you that you don’t do it... smoking cigarettes won’t send you to hell, but it will sure make you smell like hell, and it will hinder your Christian witness... getting a tattoo won’t send you to hell, but it will make you look like the world and it will damage your testimony. We should stop justifying our decisions and looking for a way out of conviction over something, and start praying about every decision we make, with this verse in mind. Our main goal as a Christian ought to be for our life to bring glory and honor to the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ! Amen.

“Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,”

I see four things about the Apostle Paul in this simple opening verse in the book of fundamental doctrine for the Church. Paul was a 1. Humble Servant, with a 2. Heavenly Sanction, and had a 3. Heedful Separation, unto the 4. Holy Scriptures! If only every born again Christian would wake up to these four truths, we would see true revival! We all need to be a humble servant, never forgetting that we all deserve hell, but Jesus died to save us while we were yet sinners. We need to realize we have a heavenly sanction, the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, and press toward the mark, knowing our calling is from God and not man! We need to practice a heedful separation, a holy lifestyle, and stop mingling with the world’s ways. And finally, we need to know our purpose is unto the Holy Scriptures! There is no message as powerful as the Gospel Message, and sadly, we have forgotten that it is all about the Gospel: the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ!

“It is time for thee, LORD, to work: for they have made void thy law.”

This is a wonderful prayer to pray every single time after you have witnessed to someone who rejected the Gospel or refused to listen to what you had to say. It is time for thee, LORD, to work: for they have made void thy law. The two things that every Christian can do is to be a witness, and to pray not just before witnessing, but pray afterwards that God would work in their hearts and that the seeds that were sown would be watered by another! Rather than getting discouraged, remember that they aren’t rejecting you, they are rejected the Lord; instead of remaining down in spirit, pray instead that the Lord would go to work on their hearts – that the Holy Ghost would get them under old-time conviction, and take away their appetite, their sleep, whatever it takes to get their attention! Let the words of this verse ring in your hearts, and meditate upon them after you have been obedient to the Lord in witnessing! AMEN.

“Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right.”

So many people spend their entire lives trying to make a certain amount of money, so they can enjoy a better life for themselves and for their family. Jesus asked the question, “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mat. 16:26). This proverb teaches us that it is better to just have a little bit, if with that little we are righteous, meaning we are serving God with what He has blessed us with and are giving the way we should give. It is far better to be saved and faithful to God in all things with very little, than it is to be the most prosperous person financially, but end up in the Lake of Fire one day. It is fine to desire a good education and a good career, so that you can provide for yourself and for your family, but if education and money are keeping you from doing the right thing, then it isn’t worth it! Amen!

“And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”

Jesus is the Light that came into this world and He was not received due to the darkness of man’s evil deeds; but another sad truth is that those of us who have accepted Him are getting used to the dark. Have we forgotten how helpless and hopeless we were before we saw the Light one day? The Bible tells us that evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t still let our light so shine before men! As a matter of fact, the darker the night, the brighter the light. The wickedness all around us should not keep us so depressed that we feel as if there is no hope for this lost and dying world, but rather it should motivate us to spread the Gospel more than we ever have! It isn’t time to just sit around getting used to the dark, we need to shine our lights bright!

“Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.”

Have you ever thought about how much glory the LORD deserves? And then thought on how much glory that you give to Him? We ought to honor the Lord, not just by living a holy life, but by giving Him glory and praise with our lips. The Bible says, “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name” (Heb. 13:15). The Psalmist said, “Seven times a day do I praise thee because of thy righteous judgments” (Psa. 119:164). Can you think of a single day in your Christian life that you praised the Lord seven times in that one day? It is sure easy for us to complain over the circumstances in our life or to gossip about the mistakes of others, but when it comes to giving the Lord the glory and praise that is due Him, we fall short too many times. There are multiple opportunities daily to give glory to the Lord by our life and testimony, and we ought to look for even more opportunities to do so! If you can’t think of anything to tell to others about the Lord, how about how He saved you from an eternity in the Lake of Fire and gave you an eternal home in Heaven?! He is worthy of all our praise! Bless the LORD!!!

“He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?”

God spared nothing in providing man’s salvation. Heaven was emptied of God’s best to provide our redemption. The Father, after bestowing His Only Begotten Son, will NOT withhold the rest from us! All other gifts are small in comparison. All my needs are supplied in Jesus: physical, spiritual, mental, financial, etc. Praise the Lord that He knows what we have need of even before we ask, and He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, and He has promised to supply all our need according to His riches in glory – so why should we ever wonder if God is able or if God will provide? He didn’t spare us of sending the Lord Jesus Christ to save us from our sins, and He will not spare us of a storehouse of blessings if we but trust and obey Him! GLORY!!!

“Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?”

As I had the privilege of looking out into the Gulf of Mexico this past week and saw nothing but water and waves for miles and miles, my mind went to this text and I meditated on this thought: God measured all this water in the hollow of His Hand! The same God that died for my sins and that lives in my heart is the One who has a Hand big enough to hold all this water in His Hand. That same unseen Hand has also led me through many storms and trials in this life! Wow, what a big God we serve who also cares enough about us to take care of our small problems!

“Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.”

The first church addressed in Revelation Chapter 2 was the church of Ephesus, which is representative of the first church period during the times of the Lord Jesus Christ and the next few decades following. After complementing this early church, the Lord gives out a strong rebuke that tells them that have left their first love! In other words, they had gotten saved by the grace of God, but they “got over” their Salvation. They took the love of God for granted. They became used to the blessings of God and lost their gratitude towards Him, and other things began to take priority over their relationship with the Lord. How easy it is to let this happen in our Christian lives if we aren’t careful, and don’t stay faithful to church, Bible reading, and prayer! Have you left your first love? This is the first step to a declining church, which is a slippery slope to becoming a deluded church! God help us.

“But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,”

The first three verses of Ephesians Chapter 2 paint an ugly picture of the sinner’s life before trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour! Before conversion, we were DEAD in trespasses and sins, we were DECEIVED by the prince of the power of the air, we were DISOBEDIENT to God and His Word, we were DEFILED in the lusts of our flesh, and we were DOOMED under the wrath of Almighty God! Oh, but I’m so thankful for that heavenly conjunction, BUT GOD! After God buts in, things quickly change! In the next few verses we see the Mercy of God for His great love, the Miracle of Grace by which we are saved, the Momentary Glimpse we experience by sitting in heavenly places, the Manifest of Glory that will come one day as we are presented as trophies of grace, and the Marvelous Gift, without which we could not be saved! Praise His Holy Name!

“Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.”

Daniel did not compromise his personal prayer life even though the current circumstances were tempting for him to quit praying for thirty days. Daniel had purposed in his heart 70 years prior to this text that he would not defile himself (Dan. 1:8). His life of faithfulness to God was a direct result of his personal prayer life and intimate relationship with the Lord. How many times have we rushed through the day, the week, or even a full month without really praying and getting in touch with God because we are too busy? It could have cost Daniel his life, but he was going to be faithful to God no matter what happened to him. He was much like the Apostle Paul, who desired for Christ to be magnified in his body, whether it be by life, or by death (Phi. 1:20). Have you allowed things in your life to replace your alone time with God? Say, have you ever even had a personal prayer life where you discipline yourself to make time for the Lord regardless of your daily schedule? How we need to be more like Daniel and pray three times a day no matter what the circumstances are all around us! AMEN!

“And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full… And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.”

In our lives there will often arise a great storm, and all of a sudden if we aren’t careful, we will begin to panic and question God. But I want you to notice in this text that although there arose a great storm of wind, and it seemed like the disciples were in trouble, then Jesus arose, and rebuked the wind! Aren’t you thankful that Jesus arose one day and conquered death, hell, and the grave?! If He can rise from the dead, then surely He can rise above the storms of your life and give you a peace that passeth all understanding! Since He has risen from the dead, we ought to be able to have full trust and faith to believe that He is able to rise above any circumstance we will ever face in this life! HALLELUJAH, CHRIST AROSE! AMEN!

“And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation...”

The longsuffering of our Lord is the reason that I am saved today! I personally believe that it is also the reason that our Lord Jesus Christ has not yet returned for His people and began pouring our His wrath upon this wicked world. Could you begin to imagine if our Lord was not longsuffering where we would be today? I’m so thankful that the Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Pet. 3:9). Let’s praise Him today for His longsuffering! AMEN!

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”

The first four words of the Bible declare God’s existence and disprove every incorrect idea about God. Before there was an Atheist Group, there was an Almighty God! Before there was a Lost Sinner, there was a Loving Saviour! Before there was a Death Sentence, there was a Delivering Sacrifice! Before there was a River Boundary, there was a Redeeming Blood! Before there was an Overwhelming Wall, there was an Overcoming Way! Before there was a Consuming Fire, there was a Close Friend! Before there was a Powerful Storm, there was a Peaceful Stillness! Before there was a Complex Problem, there was a Comforting Promise! Before there was a Human Penman, there was a Heavenly Planner! Before there was a Burning Hell, there was a Beautiful Heaven! No matter what you’ll ever face in life, just know that God is already there; He was already aware of it before it came to pass, and He will see you through it, for your good and for His glory! AMEN!

“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.”

The Lord knew every single one of us before we were ever born. From the moment of conception, human life begins. When we were in the womb, we were not a fetus, as the liberals would have us to believe; we were a living person, growing inside of our mother! God knew us then, and He had a perfect plan for our life. He knew we would be born with a sinful nature, so He designed a master plan long ago, and sent His only begotten Son Jesus to die for our sins, long before we were ever born! God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Pet. 3:9). His perfect will is for us all to be saved and to trust Him with all our heart every day that we live. He knows what is best for us, and if we want to be truly happy in life, we will seek Him with our whole heart, and follow the perfect plan that He has in store for us! What a God we serve, Who always has our best interest in mind! AMEN!

“Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.”

What a God that we serve! He is eternal, He is the Creator of all things, He never gets tired, and our minds can never comprehend His understanding! So many times during difficult trials in our lives, we allow our flesh to question our circumstances, and wonder whether or not God is listening to our prayers. Dear Christian friend, hast thou not heard about the God we serve? Hast thou not heard that He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think? Hast thou not heard that my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus? Hast thou not heard that all things work together for good to them that love God! Glory to His Name!

“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.”

As Solomon was closing this book of wisdom as an old man while reflecting on his life, he pens down these final two verses under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. The conclusion of the whole matter in respect of how we should each live our lives is simply to Fear God, and keep his commandments. We tend to make a lot of things complicated, but if we would follow this simple principle in our lives, how better off we would be! To fear God, knowing that He knows everything about us, and to keep His commandments, knowing that it is a sin to break one! Let us all Fear God, and keep his commandments, for then we would be able to experience daily victory in our lives! AMEN!

“Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.”

How Great Thou Art! This song has been in my head and in my heart all weekend long. Have you meditated on how great God is recently? Have you thought about His love, His grace, and His mercy that He has shown to you? The same God that created the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars – the Creator of all the universe – is still a personal Saviour that He died just for you! Since He is so great, He is also greatly to be praised! When is the last time that you just stopped everything else that you were doing and praised the Lord? Through all the hard times and good times, He is still worthy of all our praise. He is so great that His greatness is unsearchable. We will never fully understand just how great God is until we enter Heaven one day, but I sure love talking about the greatness of God of what I can comprehend! Let us all just meditate on the third verse to this powerful old hymn:

And when I think that God, His Son not sparing,
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin;
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

“He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD.”

This Psalm is about the blessed man who fears the Lord. To fear the Lord means to have a reverential trust, with hatred of evil. To trust in the Lord is to take refuge in His promises; to lean on Him during difficult times; to know that He is in control, and that all things work together for good to them that love God (Romans 8:28). This verse is teaching us that if we are in the center of God’s Will, then our heart will be fixed, trusting in the Lord, even when we receive bad news. Fixed means to be firmly established. As a Christian grows in his relationship with the Lord, his faith will begin to grow. As the trials and tribulations come, and as God sees the Christian through them all, we begin to trust in the Lord more. We can look back on our lives and see the Hand of God moving, even when we didn’t realize He was moving! Not only that, but we can see many biblical examples all throughout the Scriptures of God showing up in the right place at the right time. Is your heart fixed today? Is your faith in the Lord firmly established? When evil tidings come your way, do you begin to question God, or do you fully trust God? Do you begin to worry, or do you just praise Him anyway, knowing that He is still in control? My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise (Psalm 57:7). AMEN!

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”

In June 1776, the General Congress appointed a committee to draft a Declaration of Independence. The thirteen colonies represented at Congress unanimously voted to approve the Declaration of Independence on July 2, 1776, and on July 4 it was signed by John Hancock and sent to England. John Adams wrote a letter to his wife Abigail, which said: “The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch [time] in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty… You will think me transported with enthusiasm, but I am not. I am well aware of the toil and blood and treasure that it will cost to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. Yet through all the gloom I can see the rays of ravishing light and glory. I can see that the end is worth more than all the means; that posterity will triumph in that day’s transaction…” We are forever indebted to our forefathers and founding fathers for the sacrifices they made and the vision they had for future generations. The preamble to the Declaration of Independence says, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” Let us be thankful for our heritage! God Bless America!

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Today is 6/23, which always reminds me of Romans 6:23. The wages of sin is DEATH! Sinners are earing wages every day, every hour, every moment, whether they think about it or not. And the day of reckoning is at hand, when the wages will be paid to all those who have not had their sins washed away in the precious blood of Jesus. Every act, word, deed, thought – are all increasing the sum that shall be paid to them, and who can calculate the amount of debt that has been increasing rapidly from the first moment that one began to act? Sinners do nothing but earn wages their entire life. Oh, but thank God, there is an opportunity of cancelling the debt by the grace of God! You can plead the merits of His dear Son, and have the old account settled, and be reconciled to God! Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe – Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow! AMEN!

“I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.”

Meditate means to dwell on anything in thought. The words meditate and meditation are found 20 times in the KJB, and most uses of the words are in connection with meditating upon the Word of God. They are found 7 times in Psalm 119, which is the chapter in the Bible that speaks most about the Word of God. The longest chapter in the Bible has the most mentions of these words, which tells us that we need to meditate upon God’s Word! This is perfect (hence the number 7) meditation! Ask yourselves: Do I meditate upon God’s Word more than anything else? Meditation deliberately engages the conscious mind with the truths of God’s Word. Amen.

“For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”

There is a difference in godly sorrow and sorrow. It is one thing to be sorry for what you’ve done, but it is another thing to be sorrowful toward God for what you’ve done. It is when a sinner realizes that they have sinned against God that godly sorrow will come, which will work them toward repentance and salvation. There have been many people sorry because they got caught or because of the consequences that they had to face, but just being sorry doesn’t produce salvation. Repentance is a change of mind about sin that leads to a changed life. It is not a prayer that saves someone, but the decision of repentance and accepting God’s terms through Jesus Christ for salvation. In order to be saved, you must repent! You must change your mind about sin, and realize that you have sinned, and trust Christ as your Saviour, Who will come into your heart and give you the power to overcome the temptation to sin. There have been many false professions of faith by people who have simply repeated a prayer, but they never truly repented toward God. We must be sure to preach and teach that repentance is necessary for salvation! Amen.

“Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set.”

There is a generation in our churches today that have no idea about the Christian heritage of America. The main reason is that the ancient landmarks have been removed. It seems like each generation that passes, the absolute truth is forgotten little by little. The problem does not lie with the Republicans or the Democrats. It does not lie with the President or the Supreme Court. It does not lie with the liberal media. The problem lies within each individual family. We have removed the ancient landmarks that our fathers have set. We have removed God from our homes and replaced him with the television. We have removed going to church faithfully and replaced it with going to the ball games faithfully. We owe a great debt to our forefathers, to our founding fathers, to our faithful leaders, and to those American soldiers who risked and gave their lives for you and me to have the liberty that we do today! On this Memorial Day weekend, let us never forget those who made sacrifices for us to be able to enjoy the privileges that we have today. If it wasn’t for liberty, we wouldn’t be able to go to church and worship the Lord as we do today. Let us not abuse our privilege by staying home on Sunday and Wednesday evenings! Amen.

“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”

What a verse! This is the only occurrence of the word success in Scripture. The world today defines success by how much money one makes or how popular one is. But the Bible teaches us in this verse that to be successful, you must meditate in the Word of God and obey its commandments. How different from the worldly view! Why would meditating on the Bible and obeying its commandments make us successful? Because the Bible is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, and when a person reads and meditates on its words, their life will become centered around and built upon the truth! The devil has lied to the countless billions throughout the ages, but the God we serve is a God of truth, and His will for every individual is to be born again and to live in the center of His Will. The only way you will be successful is if you are living in the Will of God, and that will only be revealed to you as you read and mediate upon the Bible! Determine today that you will begin to open the Word of God more than you ever have, and a successful life is surely to follow! Amen.

“Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.”

What a question! We are living in a world that has gone through tremendous changes in recent years. We have witnessed a revolution of moral values. Women are being deceived. They are believing the devil’s lie and trading their honored place of God’s design for a place of dishonor in the devil’s plan. Christian women should be determined to set a holy example for those who follow after them. Who can find a virtuous woman? Her heart is priced far above rubies. What a woman is means more than what a woman does. Her character is more important than her accomplishments. Today, people are praised for their accomplishments, but what we need to be concerned about is virtue. Virtue is not trying to be like someone else, but it is allowing the indwelling Christ to take control and make us like Him from the inside out. Many things are said about the appearance of women; but when we talk about the outward appearance, we need to realize that it all starts in the heart. Noah Webster said that virtue is nothing but voluntary obedience to the truth. I thank God for every virtuous woman that is in the world today – we need more of them! Amen.

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

When you trust, you do not question, and you do not worry. As a Christian, the devil wants nothing more than for you to question God on why He has allowed something to happen in your life, and he wants you to worry all the time about how your situation will be resolved. But as you mature as a Christian and learn of God’s faithfulness, you will begin to trust God more and know that He is in control, regardless of the devil trying to tell you otherwise! God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think; He will supply all your need according to His riches in glory; He knows what things ye have need of before ye ask Him! On the other hand, the devil is a liar and the father of it! The devil is a thief that wants to steal, and to kill, and to destroy; he is the accuser of the brethren; he is the master deceiver and wants you to fall into the snares that he has laid for you! But as you mature as a Christian, you will learn to discern the still small voice of the Holy Ghost inside of you, and know whether or not something is of God or of the devil. It all comes down to trusting God and learning not to question or to worry about anything. Let God handle it all! He is able to! Amen.

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

Peace is something that not many people have in the world today because it can only be found in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Prince of Peace. Jesus spoke these words just hours prior to His arrest, trials, sufferings, and death on the Cross. He wanted His disciples to know that although He would no longer be with them physically, that they could still have the peace of God through the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, the Comforter who was to come and abide with them forever! There are many difficult times that we will face in this life, such as the death of a loved one; but because of the hope we have in Christ Jesus, if the one who died had been born again, and if we too are saved, the Comforter will provide us with peace in the midst of the storm, and reassure us of the hope of eternal life! What a Saviour we have, that in the hardest of times in our life when our heart begins to be troubled and when we begin to be afraid, the Comforter will calm our nerves, and we can have perfect peace through Christ even when we are facing the worst storm of our lives! Friend, if you don’t have this peace, I earnestly beg you to place all your faith and trust in the Prince of Peace today! Amen.

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge....”

We live in a world today where knowledge has dramatically increased over the past 100 years. To think of technology advancements in the recent generations is simply amazing, and to see children learning in elementary school what used to take until high school to learn is incredible. This leads me to this thought: How can we have access to so much knowledge today, but yet also live in the most wicked generation? The answer is found in the TEXT verse above. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge. People are learning about everything else except for fearing the LORD. Man thinks that he is the smartest he has ever been, but in reality, we could argue that man is the dumbest he has ever been. Why? Because every generation gets farther and farther away from the truth found in God’s Word. The advancements of knowledge may be amazing, but if they have caused our society to grow further away from God, what is the benefit from it? To quote the founder of our Dictionary, Noah Webster, “Education is useless without the Bible.” We are truly in the last days, where men are ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth (2 Tim. 3:7). It is sad that children today are being educated in everything else other than the most important thing they could be educated in – the fear of the LORD! May God have mercy on us!

“For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth fruit and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”

When a Christian shares the Word of God with someone, it is like planting and watering seed.  In every case, the Word of God will not return void!  Ultimately, God will give the increase.  It is not our responsibility to get certain results from sharing the Word of God, it is just our duty to share it.  The Holy Ghost is the one that will convict the heart of sinners, and we must leave that up to Him.  We may never see the fruit from sharing the Word of God, but it doesn’t mean that the Holy Ghost is not at work.  We are promised that His Word will never return void.  This should encourage us to share the Word of God more than we ever have!  How many people have you witnessed to this past week about the Lord Jesus Christ?  How many Gospel tracts have you passed out?  Let us all begin share the Word of God more every day! Amen.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

As we begin our Spring cleaning in our homes, let us not forget to examine ourselves and do some “Spring cleaning” of our lives, including things in our thoughts or hearts that shouldn’t be there.  The Word of God refers to itself in many places to act as a “cleansing agent” to us.  The more we read that blessed old Book, the cleaner our lives will be.  If you have neglected the Word of God in your devotional life, there are probably unclean thoughts that have lingered in your mind, and ill feelings that have stayed in your heart, and you need to do some “Spring cleaning” right away!  Would you pray this prayer of the Psalmist, and ask God to search your heart and mind, and reveal to you the things that shouldn’t be there, so that you may start fresh today?  Let us all seek to live a cleaner life for the glory of God!  Amen.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”

At the heart of Christianity is the bodily resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.  No other religion is based upon the historical fact that Someone has risen from the dead!  This is unique to Christianity and sets it apart from all other religions.  Since Jesus has risen from the dead in His glorified body, every born again Christian has this lively hope, with the assurance of knowing that one day soon, they too shall receive an everlasting, incorruptible, glorified body likened unto the Lord’s, when we shall be raised to die no more!  Let us spread the Good News this Easter weekend to our lost family members, and to a lost and dying world, that Jesus is alive, and that they too can be made alive in Him!  Amen.