Scripture:  Isa. 43: 2 -  “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.”A. W. Tozer in The Pursuit of God says it as profoundly as to what hinders us from a more intimate, dynamic, and personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.  He says “Why ...  Read More

Scripture:  Psalms 3:3 - But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.The Webster Dictionary states that a (physical) shield is a broad piece of armor, varying widely in form and size, carried apart from the body, usually on the left arm as a defense against swords, lances, arrows, etc.  The Vines Expository Dictionary states that a shield of faith (thureos in Gr...  Read More

Scripture: Job 10:1- (NIV) I loathe my very life; therefore, I will give free rein to my complaint and speak out in the bitterness of my soul.Have you ever had a pity party? Have you invited God? Did you wonder why God did not come to your party? News Flash, God is not coming to your pity party. Self-pity at its core is a heart issue; pity is selfish and seeks to draw others in. There is an old sa...  Read More

Scripture:  Matthew 6:34 (NKJV) - Therefore do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about its own things.  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.Over the years I’ve observed that unbelievers generally appear--superficially anyway-- to be worried about very little, if anything.  Perhaps many subscribe to the “fake it til you make it” philosophy—FITYMI.  Essentially this slogan says...  Read More

John 10:1-30The thief has come only to steal and kill and destroy; I have comethat they might have life and have it more abundantly. There is a real concern that those who have received eternal life through faith in the Lord Jesus can miss living in the true daily experience of it.  The passage refers to those that are the sheep of Jesus, but there is a danger of being robbed, fooled, and deprived...  Read More

Acts 4:12  - Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Philippians 2:9-11 - God has also highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jes...  Read More

Matthew 8:5-13:  Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, 6 saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.” 7 And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I also am a man...  Read More

Mark 11:29 (NASB)  - And Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question, and you answer Me, and then I will you by what authority I do these things.  There are 3,294 questions  contained in the Word of God.  I think that fact alone qualifies the Holy Scriptures as being the most spiritually interactive book available to humankind.  Interestingly enough, the very first question we see in the Word...  Read More

Isaiah 29:13-14 - Then the Lord said, “Because this people draw near with their words And honor Me with their lip service, but they remove their hearts far from Me, and their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote, 14 Therefore behold, I will once again deal marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous; and the wisdom of their wise men will perish, and the discernment of thei...  Read More

Nehemiah 6:1 - 4 (NKJV) - Now it happened, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies, heard that I had rebuilt the wall, and that there were no breaks left in it (though at that time I had not hung the doors in the gates), 2that Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come, let us meet together among the villages in the plan of Ono.” But they thought to do me h...  Read More

Psalm 63:1 (NASB) - Early Will I Seek Thee”    An aging wizened sheriff in a popular movie a couple of years back stood gazing out of a window near the film’s end.  After spending several days in the storyline tracking down a psychopathic evil money-grubbing villain--he sadly commented, ‘ I always kind of thought that God would somehow kind of come into my life as I got older…but He never did.’  (...  Read More

Genesis 16:1-16: Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. And she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar. 2 So Sarai said to Abram, “See now, the Lord has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai. 3 Then Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar her maid, the Egyptian, and gave her to her ...  Read More

Scripture: Draw near to God and He will draw near to you … James 4:8aOh Lord please tell me what I have to do to have a deeper relationship with You. All of my life, there has never been a closer friend than You, and I am so desperate just to be closer to You.I want to enter into Your courts with praise, and worship You for the rest of my days. I want to go beyond the veil and experience how it fe...  Read More

Luke 6:46 NKJ -  But, why do you call Me Lord, Lord, and not do the things which I say?While Peter was on the housetop praying, “not so Lord” was a self-contradicting response to the Lord’s command. How could He be Peter’s Lord if he felt free to disobey His command?The doctrine and practice of Lordship of Christ has been most controversial through the years in Christendom. Christians today refer ...  Read More

Galatians 2:20 -  I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.A banana tree is a very sturdy and resilient tree, and yet it looks very weak. As unbelievable as it may be, no fire or typhoon can kill a banana tree. Even if the banana tree was ...  Read More

Scripture:  Exodus 3:10-15 - Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”12 So He said, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought th...  Read More

Scripture:  “Good understanding wins favor, but the way of the transgressor is hard [like the barren, dry soil or the impassable swamp].  Prov. 13:15 (AMP)A few months ago, I heard a judge tell a defendant, ‘….and you thought your idea was much better than mine?!?’  The defendant had removed himself from two treatment programs that the judge had specifically ordered him to complete.  Yet, for some...  Read More

Scripture: Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20A dear sisterfriend of mine and her husband had been trying to have a baby since they got married almost 7 years ago. Unfortunately...  Read More