Not the Answer I Expected

Difficult situations can push us to our knees in prayer, pleading to God for relief. Yet how many times does God answer that prayer in a way we did not expect or desire? I wondered this about Ananias in Acts 9. I could see him, like other followers of Jesus at the time, praying to […]

Opposing God’s Call

At times we are asked to respond to God’s call with little information and despite our apprehension. Jonah and Ananias demonstrate the consequences of fleeing God’s call or responding despite our fears.

Impatiently Waiting

David experienced the pressures of life, including criticism and false accusations under King Saul. He serves as a role model on the importance of relying on God’s timing amid distress and hardship.

Letting God Transform You

Paul resisted the Spirit’s leading and sought to destroy the early church. However, a powerful encounter with Jesus transformed him into a fervent follower. This illustrates how God’s new work may require a change in our lives. Are we open to God’s transformative power when he leads us in a new direction?

The Torment of Sin

Remorse over our sin is the Spirit of God inviting us to repentance. How we respond to that conviction is important. In Psalm 51, we read David’s remorse over his sin with Bathsheba. He feels the pain of how sin separates us from God, yet he expresses remorse and seeks forgiveness. He wants to again […]

The Evidence of God in You

Your faith in Jesus—your faithfulness in serving Him—is evident to those around you even if you don’t say a word to them. We see this in 1 Samuel 16 where Samuel anointed David and “the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward (verse 13).” Tragically, “the Spirit of the LORD […]

The Fruit of a Clean Heart

In Psalm 51, David is expressing a repentant heart after he had “gone in with Bathsheba.” He seeks “a clean heart” and “a steadfast spirit (10, NASB).” David knows what his predecessor Saul experienced after he repeatedly sinned against God. “Now the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the […]

#WednesdayWalk — Subdued Enthusiasm

“The Phillistines conquered them before,” my companion says to me. “They killed their King Saul and his sons.” “But this King David is different,” I reply. “There’s something about him that scares me.” “I hear he was just a shepherd boy.” “But he killed Goliath with a few stones.” My companion frowns at me. “That’s […]

Your Value in the Eyes of God

Too often we are quick to dismiss how The Lord views us and the tasks he appoints us to do. We are too quick to measure ourselves by the world’s standards instead of by God’s standards.