Praying the powerful names of God is the way Jesus prays. He is intimately connected with His Heavenly Father, so He knows both the Father’s heart and the Father’s will. When we focus on God’s attributes, we can pray in confidence that He will hear and answer.

To walk by the spirit is to live with a moment-by-moment dependency on, and sensitivity to, the initial promptings of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit intends to produce in us the character of Jesus Christ. What does this look like? The fruit of the spirit, the most effective evangelistic tool we have.

Stephen is one of God’s overlooked, unsung heroes. But the New Testament is born because Stephen lives and dies for the glory of God. Being persecuted for our faith is the outward sign of convition when unbelievers reject Christ and His followers.

Every Christian will eventually be wounded in church. How do we heal? By recognizing Satan’s schemes, facing issues with honesty, comfort, forgiveness and love.

The four gospels present distinctive portraits of Christ: Jesus as King (Matthew), Jesus as Servant (Mark), Jesus as a Man (Luke) and Jesus as God (John). In the Old Testament, Christ is Creator and the Angel of the Lord.

The first part of the Hebrews seminar covers Christ’s role as king and priest after the order of Melchizedek. We are encouraged to grow up in the faith and encourage each other to stay the course.

It is important to reduce stress by setting a wise balance in this imbalanced world and by being proactive in preventing disease.

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.

John used this miracle to drive home the point that Jesus is the Bread that satisfies mankind’s deepest spiritual longings. He also was careful to record the line that Jesus drew in the sand as He set forth the conditions for obtaining Bread.

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.