God must be in my beginning

In order for us to genuinely amount to anything worthwhile, the Bible teaches us from its start in Genesis all the way to its finish in Revelation that God must be at the forefront. He must be in our beginning. When we study what Jehovah did in Genesis 1, we see how he methodically set...

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He’s moving us from glory to glory

Prior to the time we as believers were enlightened by the Holy Spirit, our "minds were blinded" (2 Corinthians 3:14), our hearts were hardened against God and his word. Spiritually speaking, we had sin and unbelief covering our faces like a veil preventing us from seeing the Lord clearly. But thanks be to God he...

Tongues and minds powered by prayer

As we have seen in the times we live in now, navigating this life can be like walking through a field of land mines. Make the wrong step or say the wrong thing and a situation can explode. On the other hand, sometimes it may be necessary to make a move even if an explosion...

How the church body and saints get true blessings

To conclude 2 Corinthians, Paul spoke a special blessing over that church. His blessing them was a final instruction on how they could not only receive the Lord's blessings, but more importantly revealed how they could be a blessing to God, to fellow saints, and to the world. He stated the following: Finally, brethren, farewell....

When we prosper, it’s good to know our limitations

Success in life is an excellent goal to have. Nothing can be better in the midst of prospering than having the assurance that God is the one partnering with us to bring about success. It helps remind us we are still human with human limitations that can trip us up at any moment and also...

Remaining obedient to the heavenly vision

All of us saints have a story to tell that is tied to a vision the Lord gives us. For some of us that vision may have come about by the Lord working through normal, natural channels or circumstances, such as when someone hits rock bottom based on bad choices in life and cries out...

Holy Spirit-centered

Toward the end of 1 Thessalonians 5, Paul unleashes what seems to be a string of last minute random statements. Although his statements can be quoted (and often are) as stand-alone phrases, they are all linked together. I'm speaking especially of verses 16-23, which read as follows: 16 Rejoice evermore. 17 Pray without ceasing. 18 In every thing...

Declaring the whole counsel of God

26 Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. 27 For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Acts 20 Paul's farewell address to the leaders of the Ephesian church is an excellent example of what we as Christians individually and...

Four all-encompassing perks of the believer

21 Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; 22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. 2 Corinthians 1 I. Established in Christ. In our relationship with Christ, we are like the wise man who built his house on...