“Since Jacob was in love with Rachel, he told her father, ‘I’ll work for you for seven years if you’ll give me Rachel, your younger daughter, as my wife.’” -Genesis 29:18 Do you have a dream? You might be at a stage in your life where you want to do something great with your life,

“So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two

“This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Give careful thought to your ways. Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build my house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,’ says the LORD. ‘You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home,

“Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to

“So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.” -Romans 8:6 Has your mind ever gotten the best of you? Every day, there is a great temptation to believe the worst about someone or something that has happened to us. Even

“…but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism.” -Romans 2:10-11 Sometimes, rather unintentionally, we as the body of Christ can develop a “superstar” mentality. What I mean by this is that we have had a revelation of our identity

“For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the

“Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” -Matthew 19:24 Once I had a coworker friend when I was a server at an upscale restaurant. For our purposes, we’ll call him Rob. Rob

“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.” -Galatians 5:16,

“Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm…” -Job 40:6 We live really busy lives. With work, school, church, social activities, hobbies and family time it becomes more and more difficult to schedule quality time with God. Even if we do have a quiet time, it’s short at the most! On top of

“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” -Ephesians 4:1-3 As human beings, we

“Your approval means nothing to Me, because I know you don’t have God’s love within you. For I have come to you in My Father’ name, and you have rejected Me. Yet if others come in their own name, you gladly welcome them. No wonder you can’t believe! For you gladly honor each other, but

“Once a religious leader asked Jesus this question: ‘Good Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?’ ‘Why do you call me good?’ Jesus asked him. ‘Only God is truly good.’” -Luke 18:18 & 19 Have you ever said about someone, “She’s such a good person,” or “He’s a good person”? I’ve found myself

“Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” -Exodus 20:8 What is a Sabbath? The Israelites in Biblical times were religious about the Sabbath – and for good reason! A Sabbath was a “rest day”, a day of remembering God and honoring Him in that day. It was a day that was set

“But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.’” -Luke 1:30 What does it mean to be favored by God? How do we find favor (preference) with Him? In order to birth God’s plans, we need to be people He can trust. Does God pick and choose

“The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy.” -Genesis 26:13 During the time that Isaac (the son of Abraham) lived in the Old Testament, there was a famine. Isaac decided to go to the king of the Philistines for help. God spoke to Isaac and said, “Do not

“A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.” -Proverbs 19:11 Has anybody ever made you mad? Like seething, fuming angry? Or has anyone done something to you or someone else that has hurt you? We all have to deal with offenses – we are human! It’s been said before

“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” -Proverbs 4:23 Many of us have heard the phrase “guard your heart” before. But what does this mean? Why does the Bible say to guard our hearts? Is this optional for someone who loves the Lord? I would venture to say that

“So God created human beings in His own image. In the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.” -Genesis 1:27 Women had a special place in the Bible. They also had a special place in Jesus’ heart. Consider these encounters Jesus had with women in the Bible: “Anna, a prophet,

“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. You won’t go in yourselves, and you don’t let others enter either.” -Matthew 23:13 Have you ever been around someone who seemed to exude self-righteousness? Often it’s difficult to respect

“But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.” Luke 5:16 There is no doubt that prayer (or talking with God) is an essential component of a believer’s life. But often we can get caught up in the demands and interruptions of life, and we may or may not spend enough time in prayer. Truthfully,

“But He gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: ‘God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.’ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” -James 4:6 & 7 Some days I wish I could start my life all over. I feel like I have

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.” -1 Corinthians 9:24 Several years ago, a lady at my church had given me a CD recording from a women’s meeting I had missed the week before.

“For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” -2 Timothy 1:6-7 Have you ever noticed the dichotomy between faith and

“For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” -Romans 12:4,5 Dr. Lance Wallnau, a speaker and author on Christian cultural influence, talks about supporting

“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” -1 Peter 5:8 Have you ever started something you know God had called you to only to be met with extreme resistance? “Why is this happening to me?” we might ask. “God, all

“Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” -Matthew 18:18 Have you ever noticed that Jesus does the rather uncanny? He drives demons into pigs, He turns water into wine – He multiplies bread and fish. Twice He

“Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” -Matthew 11:29-30 In our busy world, it is easy to get involved in so many

“I am nothing—how could I ever find the answers? I will cover my mouth with my hand. I have said too much already. I have nothing more to say.” -Job 40:4&5 Have you ever marveled at the greatness God? There are so many things that I cannot understand or comprehend. My human mind just can’t

“At once they left their nets and followed Him.” -Matthew 4:20 What makes a great follower? Why should we be great followers? Becoming a selfless follower is one of the biggest proving grounds for becoming a leader. We need to learn to lay down our own agenda. A great follower will more than likely produce