A friend recently told me that the “Old Testament” of the Bible doesn’t really pertain to our modern times, so we need to stay in the New Testament. When she said this, I was right in the middle of reading the Old Testament book of Job. There’s an old ‘country’ expression that describes the experience of an intense or traumatic life event that leaves us forever changed. “Being pulled through the knothole,” means going through a situation so exceptionally intense…
The Bible says in John 14:2, “In my Father’s dwelling place, there are many mansions, [or many abodes, many domains, or many resting places].” Mansions are dimensions or habitations in the spirit. Whatever level of surrender and corresponding harmony each believer attains is where healing and restoration begins. The understanding we reach is our spiritual level or dimension that we will reside in is our eternal home. Individual resting places are in accord with individual spiritual development. While living in…
Being a spiritual helper requires an understanding and spiritual insight about what is currently needed in the person’s life. When you are called into an assignment to help someone, ask God for wisdom in order to help the person where they are, not with what you want them to surrender. The Spirit is the one who knows how to help each person, so develop the sense to hear him. When you have no current assignment, continue your walk with…
Anger is displayed when you are not satisfied with where you are, what you are doing, and you can’t do anything about it. It’s wanting and not having. These desires may or may not be godly, and there is no earthly means that will alleviate the dilemma. There are lots of reasons for anger, but only one cause—dissatisfaction. It’s a long road home, not counting the work necessary to bring about the compatibility needed for the unfamiliar and divine environment…
The story of Gideon in the book of Judges shows him to be uncertain in what God is asking of him. God wanted to use Gideon to rescue Israel, so He sends the angel of the Lord to Gideon to call him into this service. Gideon wasn’t certain of this calling, and he didn’t believe that he was fit for God’s service. Gideon, weak in faith, puts out his fleece to determine what God really wanted him to do. He…
Psalm 119 is a favorite of many, as it is rich in many different aspects: prayers of praise, lament, vindication, worship, obedience, and petitions for wisdom. It has been researched that the word of God is mentioned in every one of the 176 verses except Psalm 119:122. Many beautiful songs are based on verses from Psalm 119. Open My Eyes That I May See (Clara Scott), For the Beauty of the Earth (Folliott Sandford Pierpoint), Break Thou The Bread of…
I read the book of Job about once each year, and each time, I find myself getting frustrated with Job’s friends. The old saying “with friends like these, who needs enemies?” always comes to mind. But I believe that reading these exchanges are meant to force us to think about how we handle people who think they know what is going on in our life and try to make suggestions, help us see what we might be missing, or tell…
Do you ever think about the 12 disciples that Jesus chose and how normal they were? He didn’t choose a rabbi, scribe, priest or anyone from any religious establishment. He didn’t choose anyone from nobility, famous, or powerful. Just ordinary common working men with average abilities and no exceptional talents. He chose these disciples so people could see that it is only God’s power working in them, and these men brought nothing of their own. Look how they continued Jesus’…
In 1 Kings 3:4, God appeared to Solomon in a dream and said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” Solomon asked for a discerning heart – or wisdom. In Proverbs, the words “wisdom” and “wise” appears 113 times, and in Ecclesiastes, 49 times. With our cell phones at our fingertips, knowledge is one swipe away. But is knowledge the same as wisdom? No! Knowledge, commonly called wisdom of the world, is the accumulation of facts and information, while…
Of all people, Paul knew what it was to struggle with the law. In Romans Chapter 7, verses 15-25, he makes this very clear to us: “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but…