“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” – Proverbs 17:17 “I am in there again,” I told my friend. “The pit.” A time when no one can cheer you up and you wonder if there ever was or is a God. Have you ever had such times? Discouragement can

“These have come so that your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” – 1 Peter 1:7 One of the great tragedies of the Christian life is that if we fail to enter into

“Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people….” – Haggai 2:2 Zerubbabel was the governor of Judah 60 years after the great temple built by Solomon had been destroyed. The temple lay in ruins, and the Lord spoke to

“Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die.” – Genesis 42:2b F. B. Meyer in his book, The Life of Joseph, describes a time in the life of the 12 sons of Jacob in which they were driven from their lives of self-satisfaction to an unlikely place

“For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has rejected you as king.” – 1 Samuel 15:23 A friend of mine who is a jet pilot once told me that whenever a jet goes out of control and

“So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, ‘After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?’” – Genesis 18:12 God had promised Abraham and Sarah a son who would be the seed of a whole nation. Sarah was now beyond childbearing years. So when some angels from

“In the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years.” – Daniel 9:2 When you enter a legal contract, it binds the two parties to fulfill the terms of that contract.

“And Elisha prayed, ‘O Lord, open his eyes so he may see.’ Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” – 2 Kings 6:17 Elisha was counseling the nation of Israel against the impending attack of the king of

“Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.” – Philippians 1:12 Are your life circumstances advancing the gospel? Can you see the Lord’s hand in your life in such a way that all of your life experiences, joys, sorrows, hardships, and training have

“But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him.” – Jeremiah 17:7 Have you ever considered at what point a test becomes so difficult that you decide you can no longer trust in God and you must take over to solve the problem? The prophet Jeremiah describes a situation

…”If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow Me.” – John 21:22 Jesus was talking to Peter after he had just had a very important encounter with Him-one of the last meetings the two would have. This was the third time Jesus had shown Himself

“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for He founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.” – Psalm 24:1-2 As Christian workplace believers, God calls us to view Him as the owner of everything. We are to be stewards of all

“I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.” – Isaiah 45:3 “I have never been in this place before. It is new ground for me, and I find I am way

“For we know, brothers loved by God, that He has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction.” – 1 Thessalonians 1:4-5a Everyone lives a life of conviction. Whatever we give our greatest time, our greatest energies, and our

…”Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” – John 21:6 A former client of mine was the marketing director of a large food brokerage company and told me a story about one of their client grocery stores located in the upper Midwest. It seems that the store

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me.” – Psalm 23:4a KJV In the battles of the workplace, your peace is actually a weapon. The workplace creates many opportunities to rob us of our peace. Cash flow concerns, deadlines, relationships –

“If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more.” – Philippians 3:4b The apostle Paul surely could relate to the business executive. Paul reached the height of his profession only to have it completely stripped and torn from him. What he thought mattered in life became rubbish compared

“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 David is the only person in the Bible whom God describes as a man after His own heart. Despite

“Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.” – Psalm 144:1 David was a man skilled in war. From his days as a shepherd boy to the days of serving in Saul’s army to leading his own army, David learned to be a skillful warrior. How

“Do not hide Your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit.” – Psalm 143:7b Of all the biblical characters, David gives us a glimpse of a man who walked with God with great emotion in victory and in defeat. David never lost a battle throughout his many

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” – Colossians 3:23-24 “I didn’t know you were in full-time Christian work,” said my

“Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God, because of what they have done; remember also the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who have been trying to intimidate me.” – Nehemiah 6:14 Nehemiah set out to rebuild the wall at Jerusalem that had been destroyed. Nehemiah held a position in the Persian Empire

“For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap.” – Malachi 3:2b The Lord has a specific manner of preparing His people for useful service. God desires to turn His children from rough, hard-edged stones into gems of gold and silver. “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; He

“I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” – John 12:24 Almost every significant thing God births He allows to die before the vision is fulfilled in His own way. -Abraham had a

“Jesus gave them this answer: ‘I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by Himself; He can do only what He sees His Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.’” – John 5:19 Have you ever thought about a typical day in Jesus’ life? Perhaps He might have had

“The priests are in mourning, those who minister before the Lord.” – Joel 1:9b The first requirement for being used by God in the life of others is to mourn on their behalf. We must identify with their pain and suffering. Each of us must be broken for others first. In order to be fully

“Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Go south to the road – the desert road – that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’” – Acts 8:26 Philip was conducting what we might today call a revival meeting. God was blessing the meeting, and many were being healed and delivered from demonic influence.

“A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.” – Proverbs 29:11 The workplace can be a pressure-packed world. The demands that are often put on us can bring out things that we never knew were there. Sometimes we begin to think that the source of that pressure

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.” – Matthew 5:11 Recently, a friend told a true story about one of his closest friends who experienced great suffering for the soul of his persecutor. This man worked on a cargo ship. His

“I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten – the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm – My great army that I sent among you.” – Joel 2:25 There are seasons in our lives that involve times of famine and times of restoration. Solomon tells

“David was conscience-stricken after he had counted the fighting men, and he said to the Lord, ‘I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, O Lord, I beg You, take away the guilt of Your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.’” – 2 Samuel 24:10 It just seems to be human