In this verse Hosea condemned God’s people for worshiping idols and using black magic and superstition in making decisions. The New International Version translates this verse, “they [God’s people] consult a wooden idol and are answered by a stick of wood.” Continue reading SILLY SUPERSTITIONS
The Good News that God has for people is all wrapped up in the person, life, and teachings of Jesus Christ. When Jesus started His ministry, He declared that a new time in history had arrived. The God who created this world and all its people was now on the planet in a human body. Knowing that God was not far away or disconnected from this Continue reading WHAT IS GOD’S GOOD NEWS? (MARK 1:14)
C.S. Lewis once said most people make one of two mistakes when considering Satan. Either they give him too much credit and power, or they underestimate his existence and role in this world. Satan does have great power was once an angel who rebelled against God and was thrown out of heaven. Satan’s power is certainly not equal to God’s power. He has limited power far less than God because Satan himself was originally created by God as an angel. Satan’s goal is to keep us from knowing God. Continue reading HOW MUCH POWER DOES SATAN HAVE IN THIS WORLD-AND OVER US? (MARK 3:23-30)
Habakkuk opens his short book with a question voiced many times by many people: Who’s listening to my prayers? Several psalms echo the same sentiment (see Psalm 6 and 10). Continue reading WHY DOES GOD MAKE US WAIT FOR THE ANSWERS TO OUR PRAYERS? (HABAKKUK 1:1)
In Psalm 34, David is on his knees pouring out his heart to God in repentance, thanksgiving, faith, and in request to God for assurance, strength, deliverance, and instruction. He says, “I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears” (34:4). Continue reading HOW CAN YOU FIND PEACE?
In a few places in the Bibles, the term beast is used in its modern descriptive sense of la menacing or mindless animal whose behavior is somewhat unpredictable. Jacob compared his son Issachar to a donkey or beast of burden (Gen 49:14), creating a picture of capacity and stubbornness as strong traits in his ninth born. Many biblical monsters seem to be mythical, or at least are symbolic of threats of God’s order and authority in the world. But unlike the monstrous beasts of surrounding cultures and religions, God retains power over all the beasts and chaos in the world, and will ultimately defeat them. Continue reading SIGNS & SYMBOLS OF THE BIBLE (BEAST)
The message of Joel was first given to a specific audience at one time in history. Although all of the message applied to them, it applied in different ways. The same process works today. Application refers to the way God’s Word covers us, governs us, and becomes the basis for action. Continue reading HOW DOES JOEL’S MESSAGE TO ISRAEL APPLY TO ANYTHING TODAY? “JOEL 2:12-13”
Repentance describes the process of sorrow and regret over sin that causes a person to turn away from sin and turn to God. Like most human experiences, repentance comes in true and false versions. True repentance affects the deep inner springs of the human heart; false repentance settles for a change in behavior unconnected to any internal transformation. In the Bible, people often would tear their clothes as a sign of repentance. Continue reading WHAT IS REPENTANCE? “JOEL 2:13”
Continue reading SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY (JOHN 14:1-4) JESUS, THE WAY TO THE FATHER!
Continue reading SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY (1 TIMOTHY 3:1-6) LEADERS OF THE CHURCH
