“The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them.” – Acts 15:12 “I was a pastor for 19 years before I went into business,” said the man sitting across the table from me as we were sharing

“Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You. Show me the way I should go, for to You I lift up my soul.” – Psalm 143:8 Two of the greatest inventions of my time have been the laptop computer and e-mail. The laptop means I

“Now the serpent was craftier than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God really say, “You must not eat from any tree in the garden”?’” – Genesis 3:1 God is big on giving man freedom and boundaries-freedom to manage what He has entrusted to us,

…”Oh, that You would bless me and enlarge my territory!….” – 1 Chronicles 4:10 He is mentioned only once in a brief description in the Old Testament, yet what he says and what his life bespeaks could fill volumes. He was a man whom God saw as worthy of a request that had significant consequences

“But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.” – Colossians 3:8 “The root issue you are dealing with is fear. The physical symptom is control, and when you cannot control, you get angry because of unmet expectations.” These were the words

“Because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” – Romans 8:14 The greatest sign that you and I are maturing in our walk with God is when we can discern the difference between “good things” and “God-things.” When the people of Israel journeyed out of Egypt through the desert,

“Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” – Matthew 10:39 Otto Koning was a missionary in New Guinea. He worked among a native tribe that had known only their village ways. One of those village ways was stealing from others. When Otto and his

Now the donkeys belonging to Saul’s father Kish were lost, and Kish said to his son Saul, “Take one of the servants with you and go and look for the donkeys.” – 1 Samuel 9:3 The people of Israel wanted a king. God finally agreed. Samuel was the prophet of Israel who was to anoint

The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position. – James 1:9 Do you find yourself in humble circumstances? If so, James tells us that we are to take pride in this “high” position. These two things would seem to be an oxymoron. Most of us would not consider humble circumstances

For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. – Romans 8:13-14 Joshua and Caleb are described in Scripture as men

When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. – Ecclesiastes 5:4 Have you ever had a business relationship with someone who made a commitment but later said, “Well, things changed, so I cannot honor our original agreement.” Sometimes this may be

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 25:21 Testing allows one to discover how well a product is made when placed under extreme stress. Increasing the pulling pressure

And He said unto them, How is it that ye sought Me? Wist ye not that I must be about My Father’s business? Luke 2:49 KJV Earth is God’s business. He has set up many franchises (churches) designed to send His representatives (Body of Christ) into the world to make known the best product ever

“While they were going out a man, who was demon-possessed and could not talk, was brought to Jesus.” Matthew 9:32 Years ago, it was not uncommon to have your milk delivered to your home. Doctors made house calls. And when you made a call to a company to discuss a problem, you actually spoke to

“But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.” Philippians 3:7 George Mueller was a man known for building orphanages by faith in the mid-1800s. He raised literally millions of dollars for his orphanages, yet died with little in his own bank account. When asked about his conversion experience

“The second son he named Ephraim and said, ‘It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.’” Genesis 41:52 When Joseph was elevated to rule over the Egyptian kingdom, he revealed some profound truths gained from the experiences of his years of adversity. He named his first son, Manasseh for,

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10 Eric Liddell was an Olympic runner from Britain who won a gold medal in the 1924 Paris Olympics. He was a man who had a deep commitment to the Lord and

“I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share that belongs to the men who went with me-to Aner, Eshcol and Mamre. Let them have their share.” Genesis 14:24 Abraham’s nephew was a man named Lot. Lot was part of Abraham’s household until the land on which they fed their flocks

“‘Come, follow Me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’” Matthew 4:19 Our calling has three distinct stages, which we can see in the lives of many called before us, to become mature fishers of men who greatly impact God’s Kingdom. First, there is the gestation period. This is the development stage

“He did this only to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had previous battle experience.” Judges 3:2 God brought the nation of Israel into the Promised Land of Canaan through Joshua. After Joshua, there came an entire generation who had very little experience in fighting battles like the ones fought

“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.”2 Corinthians 10:4 The Bible says when Christ comes to live in your heart, old things are passed away, all things become new (see 2 Cor. 5:17). The Lord has put a new Spirit

“So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.” 2 Corinthians 4:12 Being forced into hard places gives us a whole new perspective on life. Things we once valued no longer hold the same value. Small things become big things, and what we once thought big no longer holds

“Simon, Simon, satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” Luke 22:31-32 Have you ever perceived yourself to be at one place spiritually only to discover that you were actually far from this

“Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father” (John 10:17,18).

“I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete.” 2 John 12 It is easy to fire off a letter to someone in this age of electronic

“See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” Hebrews 12:15 The enemy of our souls has a very specific strategy to destroy relationships. Whether these relationships are in business, marriage, or friendships, the strategy is the same. A conflict

“Jesus answered, ‘If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow Me.’” John 21:22 For several weeks I awoke with heaviness over me. It seemed it did not matter how much I prayed or how much I read the Scriptures. Finally, one night I was reading

“Or do I make my plans in a worldly manner so that in the same breath I say, ‘Yes, yes’ and ‘No, no’?” 2 Corinthians 1:17 The apostle Paul was discussing his plans to come to the church at Corinth. He was acknowledging the serious nature of his trip and informing the Corinthians that he

“This is what we will do to them: We will let them live, so that wrath will not fall on us for breaking the oath we swore to them.” Joshua 9:20 Joshua and the people of Israel were in the Promised Land. They were winning battles and were feeling good about their progress. One day

“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7 God calls each of us to engage in spiritual warfare at times. Whenever satan wants to come against one of God’s children, he does so by trying to intimidate through fear. Goliath’s

“Nevertheless, in their presumption they went up toward the high hill country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the Lord’s covenant moved from the camp.” Numbers 14:44 The people of Israel were brought out of Egypt to enter a new land-the Promised Land. This land was not handed over to them freely; it required