Math Not Allowed

Deuteronomy 4:2 (NIV) Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you.

In life, there are many times when we need to add or subtract from the things that we say. Sometimes you need to add context to something you've said and sometimes you need to take back (or take away) something that we have said in haste or that wasn't true. We add and subtract from things that we have stated all throughout our liv

Being Taught What to Say

Exodus 4:11-12 (NIV) The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”

When God appeared to Moses in the burning bush, He told him that He had chosen him to deliver His people from slavery in Egypt. This was shocking news to Moses and he felt totally unqualified to do it. He gave God the excuse that he had a s

Keep Your Lamp Burning

Psalm 18:8 (NIV) You, Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.

Back in the time of the tabernacle that God instructed Moses to construct, the Lord commanded that the lamps of the lampstand be kept burning continually. The light was never to go out on them. This lampstand was the only source of light in the tabernacle. We now know that the lampstand was meant to represent Jesus, the light of the world (John 8:12). Jesus proclaimed to be the light of

Mercy Preferred

Hosea 6:6 (NIV) For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.

I believe that the majority of the people in this world don’t really know what Jesus is all about, including many who profess to know Him. Many people who self-identify as Christians are religious. Religious people do the right things on the outside, such as going to church, giving money to charity, being righteous in public (but not privately), and endeavoring to look

He Is All You Need

Exodus 33:11 (NIV) Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments.

Moses had a very special relationship with God. The Word of God tells us that the Lord would speak to Moses face to face as one speaks with a friend (Exodus 33:11). Moses was allowed to approach God’s presence when everybody else was prohibited from doing so (Exodus 24:1-2). What mad

Be Very Careful

Ephesians 5:15-17 (NIV) Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

One of the things that a lot of believers do not think about is how they are living their lives. What I mean is that even though Christians generally stay away from what we all consider to be big sins, many are careless in a lot of other areas. The scriptu

Praise from Unlikely Sources

Daniel 6:26b-27a (NIV) “For he is the living God and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end. He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth.”

If you read the portion of scripture above without knowing the context, you would assume that it is one of the servants of God in the Bible that loved and feared Him. It is a beautiful tribute of praise to the God who is worthy of it all. But when you

Independence Through Dependence

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Romans 6:20-22 (NIV) When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to h

Credit Where Credit is Due

Daniel 2:27-29 (NIV) Daniel replied, “No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come. Your dream and the visions that passed through your mind as you were lying in bed are these: “As Your Majesty was lying there, your mind turned to things to come, and the revealer of mysteries showed you what is going t

The Lord's Concern for You

Exodus 4:31b (NIV) And when they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.

The Hebrew people had been in bondage in Egypt for a long time and the situation was getting worse. God had confided many years before to His servant, Abraham, that his descendants would suffer and be oppressed in Egypt for 400 years (Genesis 15:13). This happened because the people of God had started picking up the habits and customs of t

Properly Dressed for the Wedding

Galatians 3:27 (NIV) ...for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

Even though some things have changed with dress protocols in our country, there are still dress codes that should and usually are adhered to. For example, most people would not show up to a funeral service in shorts and sandals. You would dress appropriately to show respect for the deceased and for their family. Another example is a wedding. If you show up to a wedding

Our Pilgrimage

Genesis 47:9 (NIV) And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty. My years have been few and difficult, and they do not equal the years of the pilgrimage of my fathers.”

As we read the miraculous story of Jacob’s life, we see him begin as a shrewd schemer. He was the second of twin boys and when the first son, Esau, was born, the second, he, Jacob, was holding onto his brother’s heal. As Jacob grew, we read that he tricked Esau out of his

Then...God

Exodus 2:3, 5 (NIV) But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. Then Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the riverbank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her female slave to get it.

Many times when you read scripture, you read a series of events that, to most peopl

Avoiding Sin

Genesis 39:10 (NIV) And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.

I have had the opportunity to counsel with many, many believers who have needed guidance for their lives. A good number of those people’s issue was their struggle with sin. It is a fight to the finish when it comes to sin because the flesh is insatiable. It can never get enough and what it craves is sinful things. If you have not dealt properly with your

The Solution

John 14:6 (NIV) Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

I was talking to a group of men the other day and one of them was sharing how his life had been radically transformed through a relationship with Jesus. Before being saved, he was in and out of prison, was coping with life by using drugs, and he couldn't maintain a relationship. His life was a complete mess until he found Jesus. But before he got into hi