‘Go, and tell this people.’ Isaiah 6:9 NKJV When you’re involved in God’s work, it’s easy to become unbalanced and end up enjoying the work of the Lord more than the Lord of the work. First, Jesus called His disciples to Him; then, He sent them out from Him. The power you need to succeed in your [...]
Joshua 1 11 Teach me your way, O LORD, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies.12 Give me not up to the will of my adversaries; for false witnesses have risen against me, and they breathe out violence. 13 I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living!14 Wait for the [...]
Acts 24–26 1:1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way,3 the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’” 4 John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness [...]
‘Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.’ Genesis 28:16 NKJV Have you ever heard someone say, ‘The Lord told me,’ and it turned out the opposite? It’s easy to become doubting and cynical in these circumstances. But take care! God speaks through people, and your fear of someone ‘getting it wrong’ [...]
‘We regard no one from a worldly point of view.’ 2 Corinthians 5:16 NIV Paul writes, ‘We regard no one from a worldly point of view… if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!’ (2 Corinthians 5:16–17 NKJV) Here’s an important spiritual principle. When you’re trying to help a believer [...]
Acts 22–23 11 While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. 12 And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers 13 and said, “Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night [...]
Acts 20–21 28:1 Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His [...]
‘I would strengthen you with my mouth.’ Job 16:5 NKJV Even when a surgery is successful, the patient can carry scar tissue that causes lingering pain and discomfort. And it’s the same in life. Some people around you wear a mask of success, but inside, they carry wounds they’re unable to talk about. Comedian Jonathan Winters said [...]
‘I try to find common ground with everyone.’ 1 Corinthians 9:22 NLT It’s easy to develop ‘spiritual amnesia’. You forget what you used to be like. And that attitude affects the people you deal with each day. Kelli Trujillo writes: ‘I’ve a workplace acquaintance who embodies all the negative stereotypes of evangelical Christians. She’s judgmental… her behaviour [...]
Acts 18–19 57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. 58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud [...]
Acts 16–17 45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 47 And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This [...]
‘God had mercy on me.’ 1 Timothy 1:15 NLT If you want to win people to Christ, you won’t do it with a holier-than-thou attitude. Sadly, this is how society sees many Christians—their hearts are kinda sometimes in the right place, but their ability to relate with compassion to those outside their immediate circle is almost non-existent. [...]
‘Who makes you different from anyone else?’ 1 Corinthians 4:7 NIV Your success isn’t found in your similarity to others, but in your difference. Instead of comparing yourself with somebody else and competing with them, try to discover your point of God-given difference, for that’s where you will excel. Singer Pearl Bailey said, ‘There are two kinds [...]
Acts 14–15 33 And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), 34 they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. 35 And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots. 36 Then they sat down [...]
Genesis 14:18 A Psalm of David. 110:1 The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.” 2 The LORD sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies!3 Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments; from the womb of the morning, the dew of [...]
‘Don’t participate in the things these people do.’ Ephesians 5:7 NLT Letting go of a person doesn’t mean you no longer love them; it just means the relationship isn’t right for you. How should you handle it? (1) A gradual separation is sometimes the best solution. There are relationships you need to get out of for your [...]
‘He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.’ Proverbs 13:20 NKJV Not every friend is capable of going along with you where God wants to take you. Sometimes they don’t have the emotional capacity required. Other times their vision differs from yours. So how can you know when [...]
‘Pray for each other so that you may be healed.’ James 5:16 NLT Paul writes, ‘Never worry about anything. But in every situation let God know what you need in prayers and requests while giving thanks. Then God’s peace, which goes beyond anything we can imagine, will guard your thoughts and emotions through Christ Jesus.’ (Philippians 4:6–7 GWT) Here [...]
Acts 12–13 27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. 28 And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And [...]
‘The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.’ James 5:16 NLT Seven more thoughts to consider: (1) When it comes to praying and getting involved in church, a University of Michigan study found that it reduced the emotional toll of financial stress. (2) A respected gerontologist reported that following heart surgery, [...]
Acts 10–11 11 Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You have said so.” 12 But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer. 13 Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many things they testify [...]
‘Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction?’ Amos 3:3 NLT Having the right relationships will help you to soar in life; they’re like wind beneath your wings. But the wrong relationships will drag you down; they’re like a ball and chain around your feet. To know which relationships are good for you and which [...]
‘But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.’ Hebrews 10:38 NKJV A little boy in Sunday school heard the story of how Lot’s wife looked back towards Sodom and was turned into a pillar of salt (see Genesis 19:26). ‘That’s nothing,’ he said. ‘Last week when my mother was driving down the street, she looked [...]
‘Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God.’ Philippians 4:6 CEV God’s Word clearly tells us to ‘pray about everything.’ Today, science is beginning to recognise the value and the power of prayer. Researchers investigating the role of faith in health are discovering evidence that’s hard [...]
Acts 8–9 27:1 When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. 2 And they bound him and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate the governor. 3 Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and [...]