Exercise Your Faith!
Her husband had died, leaving her mourning, raising two sons, and deeply in debt. In that day her sons could be taken away as salves to pay back the debt of their father. She had come to the end of both her resources and her hope. A prophet named Elisha gave her what seemed to be strange instructions, but a closer look reveals why it was such good advice. He said: “Go outside, borrow vessels from all your neighbors, empty vessels and not too few.” 2 Kings 4:3 ESV In essence, the… Read More
“I Hated Life”
The story is told of two young boys. One was pessimistic and chronically negative. The other was optimistic and always positive. A test was given to further assess the depths of the boys’ outlooks on life. The pessimistic boy was placed in a large room filled with hundreds of his favorite toys and games. Everything he had ever desired was there for him. True to form, instead of enjoying what had been provided, the boy became frustrated and just stood in the middle of the room, folding his hands, not touching anything…. Read More
Accepted by God; Rejected by the World
“Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”Acts 7:58-60 ESV As believers and followers of Jesus we can expect resistance and persecution. The spirit of anti-Christ is vehemently opposed to… Read More
How Prayer is Like a Key
Our church is beginning 2017 with 21 days of prayer and fasting. It’s something that was actually initiated by our denomination, The Foursquare Church, which has provided an app to help guide us through the 21 days. (Search “Foursquare prayer” in the App Store.) In my devotion times I have been especially sensitive to passages of Scripture that mention prayer or fasting. Today, when I read Luke’s account of Jesus’ baptism by John in the Jordan River, I noticed this phrase: “…when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens… Read More