“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1 Things hoped for – How does what you hope for affect what you do now? Do you hope to take a vacation in the summer? Great! What are you doing now that will make that vacation a reality? …
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1 Assurance – From 300 BC until 1500 AD, this word was about something very different than “assurance”. But when Martin Luther accepted this translation of another theologian 500 years ago, the landscape of this word changed and the…
“And everything you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive.” Matthew 21:22 Prayer – Do you want to know what the full range of prayer sounds like; what it feels like? Then begin to pray the psalms. David was a man of prayer. But his prayers covered the range of emotions, the landscape of concerns,…
“And everything you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive.” Matthew 21:22 Prayer – Prayer positions the relationship. Who is the head of the tribe, the source of my life, the ruler of my clan, the teacher of wisdom, the lawgiver I acknowledge, the chief I serve, the one I follow? Prayer says it is…
“And everything you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive.” Matthew 21:22 Prayer – Prayer and power. Did Jesus really mean what he said? We have learned that prayer places me in the family that serves the God of power. The reason that I can pray at all is that I am embedded in His…
“And everything you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive.” Matthew 21:22 Prayer – Have you struggled with the mustard seed syndrome? Jesus makes some pretty startling claims about prayer. They’re the kind of statements that get under your spiritual skin because they seem to be impossible. Our usual response to these claims is to…
“For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name” Hebrews 6:10 Forget – God doesn’t forget. That thought used to scare me to death. God will remember all those things that I did that were disobedient, harmful and slanderous to Him and to…
“in order that no advantage be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.” 2 Corinthians 2:11 No advantage be taken – Did you notice the important opening words “in order that”? Something was said before we got here that is critical to understanding this verse. Paul tells us that…
“in order that no advantage be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.” 2 Corinthians 2:11 Not ignorant – Can you make the same claim that Paul did? Are you acquainted with the schemes of Satan so that you recognize his handiwork before it takes hold? The Greek word…
“Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ.” Acts 18:5 (KJV) In the spirit – If you read this verse in modern translations, you won’t find these words. Instead, you will read “Paul devoted himself entirely” or something like that. Why? Because this is one of those Greek…
