Obadiah 1:21 NASB95 The deliverers will ascend Mount Zion To judge the mountain of Esau, And the kingdom will be the LORD’S. Reading the Headlines can be disheartening, but what if they weren't? Iran-backed Houthis seize Yemeni city near Bab el-Mandeb Strait: Illegal immigrant charged with nightmare kidnapping and sexual assault of 6-year-old girl in New Jersey. Ukraine strikes deep into Russia’s Arctic gas heartland as Trump pushes Putin toward peace. Rubio is wrapping up So

The amazing, complete change that happens through Jesus and the Holy Spirit leaves no part untouched! Acts 9:26-29 NASB95: When he came to Jerusalem, he was trying to associate with the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took hold of him and brought him to the apostles and described to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had talked to him, and how at Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of

1 Peter 2:11-12 NASB95 Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation. So often we talk about obedience to Christ. We do this because obedience matters. However, we must not misunderstand the reasoning behind the c

Revelation 12:17 NASB95 So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. If you ask many historians why Adolph Hitler hated the Jews, they often give five or six reasons. I think the answer is found in this verse. He was guided by the serpent of old, the great dragon who has hated and sought to destroy God's plan to bring a Savior who is already Lord. Since Ge

Psalm 141:8 NASB95 For my eyes are toward You, O GOD, the Lord; In You I take refuge; do not leave me defenseless. David in prayer says, " My eyes, I have kept on You, O Lord. In so doing, I am trusting you to protect me from an unseen attack. David shows that while his eyes are focused on God, his flesh is still sensing the things going on around him and providing him with concerns. It is like a horse with blinders. They keep the horse from being distracted by items that are

I met my friend in church after he had been in jail. He was there for breaking his probation and drug charges. He spent his time there and said, "I don't want any part of this life anymore." We talked, and he knew his best bet was to cut ties with that old life and live in his new life with Christ. He was doing really well until Satan put a stumbling block in front of him. Instead of seeking his Lord and his Christian friends for help. He went back to his old friends and sins

A man was about to die. He lay helplessly in bed as his organs began to shut down, and he looked toward his family and said I don't want to die; there is too much I still want to do. I have always wanted to see both the North and South Pole. I wanted to climb Everest. I wanted to walk the Great Wall, see the pyramids, and attend the Super Bowl. About that time, his preacher came in and said Can I read some scripture to you. The man said yes, and the Pastor, read: James 4:4-5

Matthew 23:12 NASB95 “Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted. Nebuchadnezzar was a powerful king over Babylon; he stood and proclaimed that he had built his kingdom by his own two hands. Daniel 4:30 NASB95 “The king reflected and said, ‘Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?’ Almost immediately, he was humbled. God showed him what mig

1 Peter 2:25 NASB95: For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls. Have you ever been in the car with someone who argues with a GPS? It says, "Turn right in 100 feet," and they say, "No, I don't like that way." I will go two more red lights and then turn right. They sit for three minutes at the first red light, turn right at the second, and get stuck in road construction. They wait 5 minutes, then finally

2 Chronicles 18:17 NASB95 Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?” Ahab was an evil man and King. He ruled over Israel during a time when they went further and further away from God. Ahab knew he was against God, so to make himself feel better, he would surround himself with yes-men. If you disagreed with him, he would have you jailed or killed. All he wanted was yes-men. People who would tell h

The Kindertransport started with the 1938 visit of 29-year-old stockbroker Nicholas Winton from England, who traveled to Prague to find out that many Jewish children were doomed to German aggression and concentration camps unless they were removed from Czechoslovakia. He immediately went to work to arrange transport, secure visas, even forging when necessary, getting British Government approval, and funding the operation. His home nation required him to find a foster family f

Have you ever looked at an old family photograph and seen someone who you looked like? Maybe you were looking at a great-grandparent or an aunt or uncle when they were your age, and you thought to yourself, "Wow, they look just like me." It often leads you to want to find out about them. What were they like? How did they live? Were we similar in more than just appearance? My Dad had male pattern baldness. If you have ever seen me, you know I keep my head shaved. One day whil

Zechariah 12:10 NASB95 “I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn. Mitch loved his professor. He had poured into him more than just the lessons of the class, but lessons of life as well. Mitch knew his professor car

The dangers of fighting conviction are real and can be extremely devastating. How many times have you been sitting in the pew, hearing the word of God, knowing that God is speaking to you, and yet you refused to respond? How many times have you been pressed in your spirit to check on someone, but you don't respond? How many times have you stood and sung the hymn of invitation without asking God, "Is there anything I need to address?" How many times have you walked away saying

Ruth 4:6 NASB95 — The closest relative said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, because I would jeopardize my own inheritance. Redeem it for yourself; you may have my right of redemption, for I cannot redeem it.” The law is clear: Deuteronomy 25:5-9 NASB95 “When brothers live together and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the deceased shall not be married outside the family to a strange man. Her husband’s brother shall go in to her and take her to himself as wife and

Titus 1:2 NASB95 in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago, What a blessing to live each day in the hope of eternal life! Eternal life is living outside of time. It is in eternity—a realm where time does not exist. There is no beginning, no end, no hurry, no behind. I cannot completely explain it, but the past is now, the future is now, and now is now. Unlike in time, you do not come closer to the end because there is no end. If Jesus is

A warning made to Judah and Israel can be looked at today as a warning to the church. Judah and Israel are God's chosen. So is the Bride of Christ, the church. If the church is following in the footsteps of Judah and Israel by acting like its surroundings rather than its God, then it can expect a similar response. After all, both serve the same God. He is the only God. Amos 3:13-15 NASB95 “Hear and testify against the house of Jacob,” Declares the Lord GOD, the God of hosts.

Faith is the key to pleasing the Lord. Faith is the road that God's grace travels to reach us. Faith is the currency with which we purchase gifts for our Lord. Faith is the combination to the vault where we store up treasures in heaven. Faith is our garment woven from righteousness. Faith is an ingredient found in God's recipe for man. Faith is music to God's ears. Faith is the eyes of our soul. Faith is required in worship. Faith is the sound waves that carry our prayers to

2 Corinthians 12:10 NASB95 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong. Have you ever noticed that in your weakest and most vulnerable moments you turn to God more consistently and with deeper desire? When you are under attack, you pray to Him for help, and He carries you through. Paul, in the previous verses, speaks of a torment he is suffering. He re

Have you ever been away from home for an extended period of time? If you have, then you know the excitement and anticipation you have when you are finally heading home to see your family again. Then as you are heading home, your plane is put in a holding pattern. It circles the airport multiple times; you look out the window and know there are people down there at the airport excited to see you, but you just keep circling. Your excitement builds, but the person next to you s