“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

“So she said to Abram, ‘The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her.’ Abram agreed to what Sarai said.” – Genesis 16:2 Presumption is based on our own reasoning. Abraham and Sarah fell into presumption when they got too old to have

“I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” – Philippians 4:13 In the thirteenth century a man named William Wallace became the instrument of freedom from England’s tyranny over Scotland. A very wicked king ruled England. A tragedy in the life of William Wallace launched him into living for this cause. Initially his

“If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer.” – 2 Corinthians 1:6 “God must love you a lot! He doesn’t allow someone to go through the kinds of adversity you have

“Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain.” – Psalm 127:1a What does it mean for the Lord to build the house? It almost seems a contradiction when we consider that we might be the builders in this passage. God wants us to allow Him to build the house. He explains further:

“For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith.” – Hebrews 4:2 The people of Israel were called out of the bondage of Egyptian slavery. God said they would

“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 In business and life the opportunity to harbor bitterness for a wrong suffered is great. We are given plenty of opportunities to grow bitter from relationships that bring

“He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.” – Colossians 4:12b “Good morning. Before we begin our staff business meeting I wish to ask John to give us the intercessors’ report regarding the direction of our new business development program.”

“I will rouse your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O Greece, and make you like a warrior’s sword.” – Zechariah 9:13b In the third and fourth centuries followers of Socratic teaching and other Greek scholars began to influence the Church in ways that were different from the Hebraic roots of the early Church. The

…”Come out of her, My people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues; for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes.” Revelation 18:4 There is a day when God is going to judge the system of Babylon

“I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection….” – Philippians 3:10 If I asked you the purpose for which God made you, what might you say? You might give a lot of answers that required some action on your part. However, the simplest answer to that question relates to one primary thing:

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood….” – Ephesians 6:12 Have you ever heard someone say, “I will never do business with another Christian”? I hear this comment quite often in my dealings with Christian workplace believers. This comment represents the battle that rages against us by the enemy of our soul to

…”It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”– Genesis 41:52 Joseph named his second son Ephraim. Ephraim was given to him after he had been delivered from his suffering of 13 years. Joseph said that he named him this because God had made him fruitful in the land of

“You have said, ‘It is futile to serve God. What did we gain by carrying out His requirements and going about like mourners before the Lord Almighty? But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly the evildoers prosper, and even those who challenge God escape.’” – Malachi 3:14-15 Have you ever felt that serving God

“…Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.” – Zechariah 8:23 Few men of God have become extraordinary people of faith without the influence of mentors. A mentor is one who takes responsibility for the spiritual and, sometimes, physical care of another. It requires a commitment from the teacher

“Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?” – Haggai 1:4 There is a crisis of grand proportions in the spiritual house of God today. The moral fiber of our world has eroded. Greed, idolatry, and pleasure are the gods of our day.

“They mourned and wept and fasted till evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the army of the Lord and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.” – 2 Samuel 1:12 How would you respond if you heard something bad happened to someone who had been trying to cut

“O Lord, by Your hand save me from such men, from men of this world whose reward is in this life….” – Psalm 17:14 Whenever I travel over the ocean, I am always reminded of the seemingly insignificant time we have on this earth. I often imagine dropping a glass of water out the window

“Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears.” – Joel 3:10a In this third chapter of Joel, we hear the prophet describe a time yet to come. It will be a time of great harvest on the earth, and this verse describes the catalyst. A plowshare is an agricultural instrument used to

“I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony.” – John 3:11 When is the last time God did something in your work life that can only be explained as God? Was it yesterday? Was it

“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 One of the great discoveries I made in later years in my walk with God has to do with living in victory over generational strongholds. The Bible speaks of

“And he sent a man before them – Joseph, sold as a slave.” – Psalm 105:17 God is doing a unique work around the world today. He is rising up Josephs throughout the world. Some are still in the “pit” stage of their pilgrimage, while others are heading toward fruitfulness. What does it take for

“Then they were willing to take Him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.” – John 6:21 The disciples were traveling across the lake to Capernaum when a strong wind arose and the waters grew rough. Suddenly they saw a figure on the water, and they were terrified

“He who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I too will love him and show Myself to him.” – John 14:21b We live in a day of 12-step programs for this, four points to success for that, and all forms of programmed means of becoming successful. Have you ever wondered how you

“Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.” – Jonah 2:8 Have you ever exercised your will over the will of God? Have you ever been so willful that you were going to go your own way no matter what God said? If so, you have been at the same

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” – Proverbs 1:7 Marvin Wilson, author of Our Father Abraham, has written incisively about the various meanings for our word “fool”: In Biblical wisdom literature, the pupils of the sages and mentors are the unwise, often termed “fools” (Prov.

“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.” – Psalm 116:15 The Bible often speaks of death as a requirement of living a life in Christ. This death is not a physical death, but a spiritual death. It is a death of the old so the new can be raised.

“Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.” – Psalm 126:5 Psalm 126 describes an interesting process that goes against our natural tendencies when we are taken into a difficult period in our lives. Whenever we are hurled into a crisis that brings tears, our tendency is to retreat or recoil in

…”Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” – John 21:6a The disciples were fishing. It was after Jesus had been crucified. Peter had gone through his most agonizing moment in which he had denied Jesus three times. He had lost a friend. No doubt he probably wondered