The Lord is very patient with his children. He actually invites us, “Bring forth your strong reasons” (Isaiah 41:21), meaning that it is fine to have moments of questioning. We might receive some sudden, awful news — the death of a loved one, a pending divorce of a son or daughter, unfaithfulness of a mate. In such moments, God sends the Holy Spirit to bring us comfort, ease our pain, and settle our hearts. Our Lord feels every jolt of pain, fear and panic that strikes us.
God can restore whatever has seemed dead in our lives with just a single word. Are you having financial problems, unable to pay your bills? So it was with the Lord’s disciples.
When tax time came around, Christ and his disciples had no money to pay the needed amount. So how did the Lord fix the situation? He sent Peter out to fish. “Go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give to them for Me and you” (Matthew 17:27).
Are you growing in grace? To me, grace is Holy Spirit empowerment to become more like Jesus; therefore, growing in grace means increasing in Christlikeness through the unmerited power of God’s Spirit. So let me rephrase the question: Are you relying on the Holy Spirit to make you more like Jesus — at home, at work, in relationships?
“The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). At the time these words were proclaimed, the Israelites had just returned from captivity in Babylon. Under the leadership of Ezra and Nehemiah, the people had rebuilt Jerusalem’s ruined walls, and now they set their sights on reestablishing the temple and restoring the nation.
If you claim to have no enemies, I would love to hear how you managed to get this far in life without having a single person oppose you. Surely at some time someone has envied you or tried to wreck your goals or interrupt your plans. And, the fact is, these things are what make someone your enemy.
There seems to be a counterfeit for just about everything today. It used to be that as you walked down the streets of New York City, you encountered street vendors hawking “authentic” Rolex watches, designer purses, jewelry and other desirable wares. They looked great but they were cheap imitations of the real things.
The Holy Spirit stirred my spirit concerning his love and led me to this passage: “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keeping yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ until eternal life” (Jude 20-21).
At times David suffered greatly under the Lord’s chastening rod. He was afraid the Lord had utterly forsaken him because of his sin, a thought he could not bear, and he pleaded with the Lord, “Let not the floodwater overflow me, nor let the deep swallow me up; and let not the pit shut its mouth on me” (Psalm 69:15). He was saying, “Lord, please don’t let me go so far down I can’t get out!”
How often do you pray for others? Too often when we tell someone, “I’ll pray for you,” we forget to do it. Or we pray once and then quickly forget about their need.
The apostle Paul experienced hardships so dire that he feared for his life: “For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life” (2 Corinthians 1:8). Paul shared his need with his brothers and after he was delivered, he gave them credit for their support in prayer (see 2 Corinthians 1:11).
America’s children today are a lost generation. No generation in history has been so plagued by sex, drugs, alcohol, greed and murder at such a young age. Who is to blame for this?
Our educational system has become vile and perverted as teachers are introducing students to atheism, evolution, perversion, permissive sexual attitudes and anti-religious bigotry. A teacher cannot place a Bible on his desk — but he can display literature on subjects ranging from communism to pornography.