November 2nd Authority and independence If ye love Me, ye will keep My commandments. John 14:15 (R.V.). Our Lord never insists upon obedience; He tells us very emphatically what we ought to do, but He never takes means to make us do it. We have to obey Him out of oneness of spirit. That is […]
LIVING IN FAITH “As ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord.” — Colossians 2:6 The life of faith is represented as receiving—an act which implies the very opposite of anything like merit. It is simply the acceptance of a gift. As the earth drinks in the rain, as the sea receives the streams, as night […]
“Underneath are the everlasting arms.” — Deuteronomy 33:27 God—the eternal God—is himself our support at all times, and especially when we are sinking in deep trouble. There are seasons when the Christian sinks very low in humiliation. Under a deep sense of his great sinfulness, he is humbled before God till he scarcely […]
VISION & DESTINY Jesus never lost focus of His destiny, which was the cross on Calvary. His focus was on the Father’s will and the vision and destiny that the Father had for Him. We too must hold onto the visions and callings that the Lord has given us. We must continue the good […]
“For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth.” — 3 John 3 The truth was in Gaius, and Gaius walked in the truth. If the first had not been the case, the second could never have occurred; and […]
Looking to God and Others Jeremiah 37:1–38:28; Romans 9:1–12; Proverbs 23:19–35 We have a natural tendency to be concerned with our own condition. As redeemed people, God is transforming us from being self-centered people—concerned with our own ambitions—to other-centered people who want to see God’s work done in and around us. Sometimes even our spiritual […]
JESUS OUR PRINCE OF PEACE Don’t settle for merely attempting to find peace from earthly sources or possessions, you must encounter peace! The Prince of Peace! Once you encounter Peace (JESUS), all the earthly mindsets and methods of obtaining peace become shattered. Earthly possessions once thought to bring peace have no value or substance […]
The Kingdom of Heaven is Like … Genesis 19:30–21:21; Matthew 13:44–14:36; Ecclesiastes 4:8–16 Few in the world have sold everything to pursue an idea. Yet Jesus claims those who discover the kingdom of heaven are willing to do so. “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, that a man found and […]
SPIRITUAL REMODELING VS. REBUILDING Mark 14:58 (AMP) 58 We heard Him say, I will destroy this temple (sanctuary) which is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, made without hands. 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 (AMP) 19 Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of […]
THE REFINER’S FIRE David Wilkerson March 26, 2015 All the Old Testament prophets foretold God’s people going into the refiner’s fire. “I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried” (Zechariah 13:9). “For he is like a refiner’s fire, […]