Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart. – Psalm 37:4, Amplified Bible (AMP) According to C. S. Lewis: * All enjoyment spontaneously overflows into praise. . . . The world rings with praise—lovers praising their mistresses, readers their favourite poet, walkers praising the countryside, players praising… Continue reading All enjoyment spontaneously overflows into praise.
Category: Basics of Faith
How to transfer authority over your cares to God.
And [Hannah] was in distress of soul, praying to the Lord and weeping bitterly. – 1 Samuel 1:10, Amplified Bible (AMP) One my favorite Bible verses is 1 Peter 5:7, which states (AMP): Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for… Continue reading How to transfer authority over your cares to God.
Being holy is constant work.
[For it is He] Who delivered and saved us and called us with a calling in itself holy and leading to holiness [to a life of consecration, a vocation of holiness]… – 2 Timothy 1:9, Amplified Bible (AMP) Too many Christians foolishly think that their lives are to be lived in “compartments.” For example, they… Continue reading Being holy is constant work.
Be cautious about those new ideas.
And Gideon made an ephod [a sacred, high priest’s garment] of it, and put it in his city of Ophrah, and all Israel paid homage to it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and to his family. – Judges 8:27, Amplified Bible (AMP) The law of unintended consequences teaches that, no matter how… Continue reading Be cautious about those new ideas.
Here’s the secret to overcoming your enemies.
…You can not stand before your enemies until you take away from among you the things devoted [to destruction]. – Joshua 7:13, Amplified Bible (AMP) Many, many Christians lead defeated lives. They often question their faith because rarely, if ever, do they see God actively working to help them overcome great obstacles. Rather than experience… Continue reading Here’s the secret to overcoming your enemies.
Promises, promises. Make sure you keep yours!
When the Angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the Israelites, the people lifted up their voice and wept. – Judges 2:4, Amplified Bible (AMP) God never fails to keep His promises, but we often do. When we do, our bad choices can lead to lifetimes of consequences. In the latter part of… Continue reading Promises, promises. Make sure you keep yours!
Who is God to you? A crutch, or a cornerstone?
And you and the Levite and the stranger and the sojourner among you shall rejoice in all the good which the Lord your God has given you and your household. – Deuteronomy 26:11, Amplified Bible (AMP) For many, many Christians, God is afterthought. Their prayer life is almost non-existent. They rarely read the Bible. They may or may not… Continue reading Who is God to you? A crutch, or a cornerstone?
Sometimes you have to make tough choices when trapped in a dark alley.
For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts that they should come against Israel in battle, that [Israel] might destroy them utterly, and that without favor and mercy, as the Lord commanded Moses. – Joshua 11:20, Amplified Bible (AMP) Let’s face it. It is hard to read about Israel’s total annihilation of the… Continue reading Sometimes you have to make tough choices when trapped in a dark alley.
How many licks to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Pop?
Do not say in your [mind and] heart…It is because of my righteousness that the Lord has brought me in to possess this land—whereas it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is dispossessing them before you…you are a hard and stubborn people. – Deuteronomy 9:4, 6, Amplified Bible (AMP) One… Continue reading How many licks to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Pop?
Time to kill off those distractions.
You shall not give consent to him or listen to him; nor shall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare him or conceal him. But you shall surely kill him; your hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hands of all the people. – Deuteronomy 13:8-9, Amplified Bible… Continue reading Time to kill off those distractions.