Do Not Be Overcome By Evil, But Overcome Evil With Good

Romans 12:21, NIV

Lay Your Grievances Down

I was a state witness to the execution of Velma Barfield, the first woman to be executed in the United States in more than twenty-two years. I had developed a friendship with her about six months prior to her execution as a result of her correspondence with my mother and had grown to love her as a sister in Christ. Following the execution, a newspaper reporter called me, probing my reaction. “Anne, how are you going to get back at the state? Aren’t you bitter?” I knew I had the opportunity to allow the grief over my friend’s death to go a step further and become a grievance that would become bitterness.

By God’s grace, I chose to take my reaction to the cross of Christ. In prayer…

Then Isaac sowed in that land and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the Lord blessed him. And the man waxed great
[rich], and went forward, and grew until he became very great
Genesis 26:12-13

Living by Faith

Isaac had wanted to escape the famine by going down into Egypt, but God
told him not to go, saying, “You know there’s provision in Egypt, but
let me be your provider. Be obedient to me. If you stay here, I will
cause you to prosper.”

Isaac was already a prosperous man. His father was rich, and he had
everything that belonged to his father. But as a result of Isaac’s
obedience, he grew richer and richer until he became very rich.

God wanted to give Isaac an opportunity to live by faith, not by sight.
If you live by sight, you will reap natural results, but if you…

Judge not, that ye be not judged

MATTHEW 7:1-5

RIGHTEOUSJUDGMENT

There are many examples of people judging others in the scriptures. Paul prayed that our love would abound more and more in all judgment (Phil. 1:9). In light of the scriptures where Jesus and the disciples spoke of judging, it is evident that there must be a right and a wrong type of judging.

In Luke 12:56-57, Jesus uses the words “discern” and “judge” interchangeably. A dictionary definition of “judge” can mean many things from “condemn” to “appraise, to form an opinion about; to think or consider.” There is certainly nothing wrong with discerning or appraising a situation or person. Quite the contrary, we need to try the spirits (1 Jn. 4:1). Judging when done as discernment, is good.

It is the condemning type of judgment that is wrong. We can defer passing sentence on people…

Green Thought Bubbles (Photo credit: iNkMan_)

Therefore take no thought, saying, what shall we eat? Or, what shall we drink? Or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed

Matthew 6:31

MATTHEW 6:25-34

Jesus is commanding us not to worry or be anxious about our material needs being met. It would be impossible to have no thought whatsoever about our physical needs. Even Jesus thought about His need for money to pay taxes (Mt. 17:24-27). We are simply not to be preoccupied with thinking about riches or spending our time worrying about necessities. These things will be added unto us as we seek first the Kingdom of God.

The way we take or receive an anxious thought is by speaking it. Doubtful thoughts will come, but we do not sin until we entertain them. According to this verse, speaking forth these thoughts is one way of entertaining them; therefore, don’t speak forth…

The Word Of God Is The Most Powerful Force Ever Released

(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,)
before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and
calleth those things which be not as though they were
Romans 4:17

The most powerful thing in the universe is not some chemical, atomic, nuclear, or hydrogen weapon of mass destruction. No, the most powerful
force ever released in the history of the universe is the Word of God!
God’s Word stands forever, and it is the prime creative force of the
God who calls things into being. God’s Word creates! God’s Word lives!

I am thankful that satan wasn’t a student of prophecy. Satan didn’t
understand what was happening during the thirty-three years Jesus was
on the earth. God gave the devil fair warning in Genesis 3:15, but he
just didn’t…

Humble Submission

Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.”

Matthew 26:36, NKJV

The betrayal and arrest of Jesus was preceded by an extended time of prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. When He stepped out of the garden to present Himself to His enemies, Jesus had been alone, praying and agonizing for hours, wrestling with the will of His Father for His life, sweating what seemed to be great drops of blood in His effort. Throughout His agony He received the personal ministration of angels who helped Him to renew His strength, and He overcame the supreme temptation of the enemy to defy God‘s purpose, choosing instead to go to the Cross.

His humble submission to His Father’s will must have given Him a mantle of power that cloaked Him…

Heaven Is Real

A young man with an incurable disease was reported to have said, “I don’t think I would be afraid to die if I knew what to expect after death.” Evidently this young man had not heard of what God has prepared for those who love Him.

The man had within him the fear of death. For the Christian there need be no fear. Christ has taken away the fear of death and has given hope.

Jesus said, “I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go … I will come again and receive you to Myself” (John 14:2-3). And that place, according to the Apostle Paul, is a “far better” place. Paul wrote, “having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better” (Philippians 1:23).

The grave is not the end. For those who don’t know Christ, death is a…

Sometimes we don’t recognize the miracles God sends to us. If we’re not careful,
we can miss every one of them

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you

James 4:8

If God stood before you today with your miracle – the miracle that you are desperate
for – and offered it to you on a silver platter for you free, would you accept it?
Would you say “yes” to your miracle?

You probably think, “That’s silly. Of course, I would! Doesn’t everyone say yes
to a miracle?”

I love the story of the man who was home alone when it began to rain. Before long,
his house was flooded and the rising waters had covered his feet. He went outside
and saw a man on a raft drift by.

“Need a lift?” the man called.

“No, thanks. I have prayed for a miracle. I’ll wait for…

God knows everything

“He delights in every detail of their lives.” (Psalm 37:23)

Do you ever feel that your parents do not listen to you, your boss does not respect you, or that your co-workers in the church, even the pastor, do not understand you? How devastating to realize that almost no one knows what you are like inside or the dreams you dream. Take heart. Remember that God knows how we are formed. As our Creator, He custom-designed us for a unique purpose.

David declared that the steps of a godly person are directed by the Lord (Psalm 37:23). That means that He will guide us as we live our lives for Him. God even “understands how weak we are; He knows we are only dust” (Psalm 103:14).

This assurance was evident in the experience of a pastor of a small church. He became so discouraged…

Love And Serve One Another  

Acts 20:18-21

“And when they had come to him, he said to them: “You know, from the first day that I came to Asia, in what manner I always lived among you, serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears and trials which happened to me by the plotting of the Jews; how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house, testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.”
NKJV

If you are living the same way you did before you met Jesus, then something is wrong. “Do you mean the bad things I used to do… like lying, drinking, and profanity?” Yes, but only in part because this kind of thinking is what’s wrong with…

Holy Spirit Please Open Our Eyes

“He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.”

John 16:14, NIV

Without the Holy Spirit to clarify the truth to our minds and confirm Who Jesus is in our hearts, we would “see” Jesus as just . . .

a man,

or a holy man,

or a prophet,

or a symbolic figure!

But the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to see and our minds to know and our hearts to receive that Jesus is more than just a man . . . or a prophet . . . or a teacher . . . or a revolutionary . . . or an icon . . . or a symbol. Jesus is . . .

The Messiah of Israel,

The Son of God,

The Saviour of the world,

The Reigning King . …

You are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light

Ephesians 5:8

READ: Ephesians 5:1-10

To be honest, I wasn’t happy to be making another trip to the store. For the previous 4 weeks, my wife and I had been trying to get a refund for a bad refrigerator. As I spoke with the manager—again—it seemed that we were heading down another dead-end road. As we talked, I wondered if we would ever get our money back, but I tried to be gracious.

At one point the manager said, “By now, customers are usually yelling at me, but you’ve been so patient.” Then he said, “Let’s try something else.” He asked me some questions and punched some numbers into a cash register. After a short delay—and some stories about irate customers—the machine spit out a receipt showing a refund! Our appliance nightmare was over. “Thanks for being so…

Spirit Of Peace

“Gideon built an altar . . . and named it The LORD Is Peace.” Judges 6:24

“Y-y-you b-b-better get somebody else,” we stammer. But then God reminds us that He knows we can’t, but He can, and to prove it He gives a wonderful gift. He brings a spirit of peace. A peace before the storm. A peace beyond logic . . . God gave it to David after He showed him Goliath; He gave it to Saul after he showed him the gospel; He gave it to Jesus after He showed Him the cross.

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

Related…

Out Of Egypt

2 Chronicles 36:4

“Then the king of Egypt made Jehoahaz‘s brother Eliakim king over Judah and Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. And Necho took Jehoahaz his brother and carried him off to Egypt.”
NKJV

Throughout the Bible, we see Egypt presented as a picture of sin. It was a land of great wealth and power, but to Israel, it was a land of captivity and bondage. As Christians, we live in a world that is much like Egypt. The world desires to see us in bondage to its system. Whether you call it the “rat race” or “keeping up with the Joneses”, the world system will only leave you wanting more. Friend, we need to get off that train because it’s headed nowhere except over a cliff.

Philippians 2:5 “Let this mind be in you which was also in

Help To Resist Temptation

“Don’t let us yield to temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” (Matthew 6:13)

Satan‘s main strategy with God‘s people has always been to whisper, “Don’t call, don’t ask, don’t depend on God to do great things. You’ll get along fine if you rely on your own cleverness and energy.”

The devil is not terribly frightened of our human efforts, but he knows his kingdom will be damaged when we lift our hearts to God.

Although we can be tempted by our own flesh and by worldly influences, Satan is a major player in our desire to disobey God. Radio Bible teacher David Jeremiah puts temptation in a new light:

Suppose you and one of your friends are on the border of doing something wrong. Both of you know it is wrong. But you are about to do it anyway. But…

God Is Just

Is Justice Delayed Justice Denied?

“The Lord is kind and merciful, slow to get angry, full of unfailing love.” (Psalm 145:8)

Justice delayed is often justice denied. For example, if a defense lawyer can keep postponing a murder case, evidence that is available in a speedy trial becomes useless. Witnesses may die or move away. The defense can challenge the validity of a witness’s memory. Police departments misplace evidence.

However, as believers, it is important that we also recognize that we are saved precisely because God delays His justice. Whatever age you or I received God’s promise of eternal life was more than enough time for God to have caused His just wrath to fall on us.

Dr. Cyril E. M. Joad, who for years was the head of the Philosophy Department at the University of London, probably did more to undermine the faith of…

Your name is a confession

Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee (Genesis 17:5).

All over the world, people bear names that represent different things, some names represent personalities, landmarks or events, and they’re handed down from one generation to another. Many times, Christians have found themselves bearing names that contradict what they believe. Those names were handed to them by their forbears, and not many ever bothered to find out the meaning of those names to be sure they’re consistent with who we are today in Christ Jesus.

It’s no use answering the name that contradict what you believe about the Gospel and who you are in Christ Jesus, for it can work against you. The name you answer is a major confession in your life. As you answer…

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God Is Faithful!

His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23, NKJV

Three hundred and seventy-one days after the Flood began, “God said to Noah, ‘Come out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and their wives'” (Gen. 8:15, NIV). We can almost hear the “Hallelujah Chorus” playing in the background! What a day of rejoicing that must have been! God had been faithful to see him through!

God has not changed. If He was faithful to watch over Noah and all those within the ark, bringing them safely through the storm, He will do the same for you. Just as He was faithful to preserve Joseph through thirteen years of slavery in Potiphar‘s house and Pharaoh‘s prison, just as He was faithful to preserve the little baby Moses floating on…