Search Results

The lifestyle art from the testimony of Enoch in Hebrews 11:5 is discussed. My faith means I creatively integrate the sacred into my everyday life. In Hebrews 11:5 the author writes that Enoch pleased God. He was so loved by God, he was transported to heaven in an instant.

Jesus knows about the afflictions, poverty and persecution the church at Smyrna has endured. This has not changed for us today. He intimately knows our pressures, needs and misunderstandings, but we can walk through these fires beside Him. We can rejoice with confidence because of our reward in heaven.

The first miracle sign Jesus performed was at the wedding feast in Cana. Changing water to wine is a sign of the lavish lifestyle that Jesus offers to all who will drink life from Him, and also symbolizes the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus Christ.

A great start in our Christian walk matters little if we finish poorly. If we refuse to listen to the voice of God, ignore spiritual values and base our conduct on worldly instincts, eventually we lose our spiritual foundation. A great finish is accomplished by careful attention to godly things.

Jesus commends the Ephesian church for its strengths, offers correction for its problems and encourages members to re-kindle their first love, the Lord Jesus. In the struggle to live passionate Christian lives, we should find ourselves developing deeper love for God and others.

Learning to compromise is a sign of maturity. But compromising our values, morals, ethics, character and bodies is not. Jezebel represents the war between the temptations of Satan and the deep things of God.

The ingredients for answered prayer include understanding God’s will, living a righteous life and praying with faith. When praying for the sick, we need to understand the reasons for sickness and allow for different forms of healing:  sickness unto death, sickness for discipline and sickness for the glory of God.

Peter writes in his letter that we should make every effort to cultivate Christ-like character qualities. Righteousness results from intimacy with Christ.

The backslider is described by Peter as corrupt, enslaved to evil. God commands us to live a life of freedom by surrendering to Him.

Mary of Bethany truly learns to worship at the feet of Jesus. Mary receives her blessings at His feet, and she lays her burdens at the feet of Jesus. Too often we reverse the process. We must learn to know Jesus while sitting at His feet before we bring our problems to Him.

Sometimes our plans have to fail in order for God’s plans to succeed. Divine detours and delays are the ways God gets us where He wants us to go. Paul’s detour as a shipwrecked prisoner on the island of Malta is a perfect example of God using bad circumstances for His purposes.

Paul learns how to survive in the darkest circumstances not only by the “grace power” of God, but by the support system of saints around him. When times get really tough, we need God and we also need each other.