“Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit.” -Hebrews 13:17 We rarely like hearing about the words “submission”, “obedience”, and

“If I were in your shoes, I’d go straight to God, I’d throw myself on the mercy of God. After all, he’s famous for great and unexpected acts; there’s no end to his surprises.” –Job 5:8, The Message Every so often in our Christian walk we will find ourselves in scenarios we were meant for.

“The Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them, and you will be changed into a different person.” -1 Samuel 10:6 One of the most commonly asked questions by non-believers of Christians is, “What makes you different?” Clearly, there is a perception problem in the Christian faith if

“But the greatest among you shall be your servant.” -Matthew 20:26 My boss once told me a story about a janitor who worked for a very large corporation. He was cleaning nearby as an important board meeting was going on. The board executives were discussing a very critical issue for which no one had a

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’” -Matthew 25:23 What is the difference between someone who is progressing in their faith and life and someone who is just getting by?

“Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.” -Ephesians 3:8&9 Have you

“Therefore I urge you to imitate me.” -1 Corinthians 4:16 Do you imitate others? As we live our lives, we may not think we’re imitating anyone; we may think we are marching to the beat of our own drum. But the truth is, we are imitating someone. From advertisements to TV, to school to music,

“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, all whose thoughts are fixed on You!” -Isaiah 26:3 What is it like to live in perfect peace? In the world we live in, many people live with lots of fear. Depending on what is going on in the world and in our lives,

“So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.” -Luke 15:20  As 4th and 5th grade Sunday school facilitators, we did a participation exercise with our kids where we

“Then God said, ‘Let Us make mankind in Our image, in Our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’” -Genesis 1:26 “Red, yellow, black and white,

“You, therefore, must be perfect [growing into complete maturity of godliness in mind and character, having reached the proper height of virtue and integrity], as your heavenly Father is perfect.” –Matthew 5:48  When I first joined a particular church once, I was struck by the fact that they didn’t care what I did. Don’t get

“You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God.” -Matthew 5:3, The Message Have you ever felt powerless?  Have you ever felt like you’ve exhausted every resource, but still do not have an answer?   King Jehoshaphat and the tribe of Judah faced an unfortunate situation. 

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” -Romans 12:21 Have you ever wanted to get somewhere, but you just felt stuck? Have you ever encountered something you felt was blocking your way that you just couldn’t get past? There will always be things in life that will try to hinder us

“Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” -Luke 22:42 Have you ever had difficult defining moments in your life, when you just did not want to do something, but you knew it was essential for the fulfillment of

“Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.” -Luke 6:28 Have you ever had an enemy? It could be someone you might have gotten into an argument with, someone who wronged you, or it could even be a former friend or estranged relative. However the enemy became an enemy, Jesus taught us

“Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” -Ecclesiastes 4:12 People make agreements all the time. We make them with friends, with business partners, or in a marriage. Agreements between people can be very powerful. When we agree to do something together, we can accomplish

“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in You.” -Isaiah 26:2-4 Have you ever heard the term, “slow and steady wins the race”? Or, have you ever heard the story of the Rabbit and the Tortoise? I’m sure you’ve heard of one or both of these. This principle

“Who despises the day of small things?” -Zechariah 4:10 Have you ever had an idea for something? Perhaps, if you’ve had an idea for a business, you’ve envisioned a beautiful tall skyscraper with shiny blue windows and your company’s name on the side. You envision 500 of your perfect smiling employees working away within the

“At a lodging place on the way, the LORD met Moses and was about to kill him.” -Exodus 4:24 There is a random verse in Exodus as Moses is on his way to Egypt to free the Israelites from slavery that is quite surprising. Moses and his wife Zipporah are staying at a lodging place.

“Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. But while Joseph was there in the prison, the LORD was with him…” -Genesis 39:20-21 Do you know what a darkroom is? Darkrooms were used as one of the first methods of developing film. Wikipedia says of darkrooms:

“For the LORD your God is a consuming fire…” -Deuteronomy 4:24 We were at the worship concert, singing and worshipping God. The Spirit was very alive in the meeting, and I could feel the “fire” of God all around us. I felt consumed with the power and presence of God. Then I had this thought:

“Then He asked them, ‘But who do you say I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus replied, ‘You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being.’” -Matthew 16:15-17 How

“According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.” -Philippians 1:20 I love how God empowers us in the Bible.  It says in Proverbs

“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light unto my path.” -Psalm 119:105 “I don’t know how people do it,” said my friend. “I don’t know how people do it without the word of God to sustain them. It’s my lifeline.” My friend had recently taken on a job in a large accounting

His master replied, “I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me’”. -John 14:6 Sometimes I have a difficult time talking to friends who question God’s goodness because they believe in something other than, or in addition to, the gospel. “Why would God send good people

“When Jesus came by, He looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. ‘Zacchaeus!’ He said. ‘Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.’” -Luke 19:5 Has God ever spoken to you right where you are? I heard a funny joke one time that a pastor shared. “Do you think

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” -Matthew 4:4 What does the phrase mean, “our daily bread?” When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness by Satan after 40 days of fasting, he replied, “Man shall not live on bread

“When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of

“In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path.” -Proverbs 3:6 Often when we find ourselves struggling in the area of vision, we find it hard to believe that God could do the extraordinary with our lives. We think things will turn out a certain way, and it turns out, they don’t.

“…Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” -Matthew 6:10 Often we hear of people’s answered prayer. Then again, there are many other prayers that seem as of yet unanswered. We think of prayer like a phone call to God, with God on the receiving end. We are happy