Today's Verse: And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there. ~1 Kings 19:3   Fear is when we are afraid of someone or something that we think will cause serious harm to us. Fear will quickly take over every aspect of our life. Fear is the opposite of faith. Everyone has a fear that can overcome them. I believe that fear is one of the devil’s biggest lies that he uses to sideline us from the

Today's Verse: For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:   ~1 Peter 2:21  Has anyone ever said to you, “That’s a step in the right direction”? It’s a way of saying that you are headed on the right path, that you are making progress, and that you are going forward and not backwards. Our sinful nature tends to reject and go against what is right. When we decide to follow the Lord Jesus in every

Today's Verse: For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice, ~Psalm 95:7   One of the blessed metaphors that the Bible uses to describe our relationship to God is that of a shepherd and his sheep. Shepherding is one of the most arduous occupations. It is a very demanding work that is 24/7 in nature. A shepherd must be vigilant at all times. A shepherd must be concerned for the entire flock, and especially

Today's Verse: For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: ~Ephesians 3:1-2   Have you ever been stuck in really bad traffic? This can be very frustrating and draining on your energy. Have you ever been stuck in a problem that made you feel bound and shackled with little certainty of getting out? Paul was in prison bound to two Roman soldiers. He referred to himse

Today's Verse: But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: ~1 Peter 3:15   Many times people have questions about the Bible and the Christian life. They might hear something said in the pastor’s message that they did not completely understand. In order to help someone get a good grasp on a subject, you allow them to ask questions. This enables them to o

Today's Verse: But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil. ~Psalm 92:10   Oil is a necessity of life. It is used for medicinal purposes. It is used to provide relief during the intense heat of the day. It is used for cooking. It was also used to indicate the approval of God upon a new king or a prophet of God. Oil is made by applying strong pressure to olives until all the oil has been extracted. Many olives must be crushed to

Today's Verse: And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down. ~1 Kings 18:30   When you are in major trouble, you are relieved to get out of it. We refer to this as "getting out of a fix." The word "fix" also has the idea of repairing and restoring. King Ahab made an unholy alliance when he married Jezebel of Zidon. Through her influence, Baal worship permeated the land

Today's Verse: As snow in summer, and as rain in harvest, so honour is not seemly for a fool.  ~Proverbs 26:1 A con man is a cheater who is deceitful and fraudulent. He takes advantage of other people for his personal gain. Proverbs 26 speaks to us about three types of con men. There is the conceited man who is proud and full of himself. There is the contemptuous man who despises God, goodness, and righteousness. There is the contentious man who is a troublemaker. Each of the

Today's Verse: And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go. ~Judges 7:4 Has anyone ever told you that you have “too much” or “too many”? “Too many” implies more than necessary or more than is required. The Isr

Today's Verse: Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came! ~Amos 6:1 I love the ministry and serving the Lord. The role that I serve in involves a multiplicity of tasks, responsibilities, and many people who need to be ministered to. The fast pace and large workload require me to be highly inspired and on the edge when it comes to completing tasks. I purposely try to plan a

Today's Verse: I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart. ~Psalm 119:32 A few years ago, a missionary that we support indicated that she was diagnosed with an enlarged heart. This condition led to several other life-threatening health developments. Mayo Clinic says the following about an enlarged heart: “An enlarged heart (cardiomegaly) isn't a disease, but rather a sign of another condition. The term 'cardiomegaly' refers to an enlarged heart s

Today's Verse: And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD. ~Genesis 12:8   The altar was a place established for the worship of God. The altar was identified by sacrifices that the offeror burned at this location. The altar identified the offeror as a worshiper of God. It was meant to stir the devotion o

Today's Verse: There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. ~1 John 4:18   When I was a toddler, my favorite book to have read to me was “Fraidy Cat.” I could identify with his character because I was so afraid of almost everything. Fear is the apprehension we have about a situation and the lack of courage to face it. Fear can be tortuous mentally and emotionally. We want to run and hide.

Today's Verse: Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. ~1 Kings 17:3   There is something tranquil and peaceful about resting at a brook, lake, or calm river. It captures our attention and helps us to get our minds and thoughts off the things that make us anxious and discouraged. This morning, we are at the Brook Cherith. It was there during a terrible drought that God sent Elijah. Let us see the education that com

Today's Verse: On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour: ~Acts 10:9   Every Christian believes in the importance of prayer. We know that prayer is a vital part of our fellowship with God. Jesus taught, “that men ought always to pray and not to faint.” Paul taught that “men should pray everywhere lifting up holy hands.” Prayer is the means by which the hand of God is moved to work

Today's Verse: Bow down thine ear, O LORD, hear me: for I am poor and needy. Preserve my soul; for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee. ~Psalm 86:1-2   A man prayed this prayer one morning: “Dear Heavenly Father, So far, today, I've done all right. I haven't gossiped or lost my temper. I haven't been greedy, grumpy, nasty, or self-centered. I'm really happy about that so far. But in a few minutes I'm going to be getting out of bed and then I'm goi

Today's Verse: And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. ~Acts 9:6   Have you ever been in a dark cavern or room where all you saw was pitch blackness? If you have, you know how eerie a feeling that is. You feel lost, blinded, unsure, and at a standstill. However, once you are able to see light again, you must act decisively. Saul (later Paul)

Today's Verse: First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. ~Romans 1:8   Major corporations are driven by the quest to become a household name. There are established consumer brands, such as Coca-Cola and McDonald’s, which can be found in most countries of the world. Then, there are the tech giants such as Apple, Google, and Facebook, whose products and services have affected most areas of life. All of these

Today's Verse: Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord. ~John 21:12   It is a blessing and privilege when someone invites you to their home for a meal or a banquet celebration. The hosts go to great lengths in effort and expense to make this event something special and enjoyable. In our Western tradition of making invitations, the invited guest is asked to respond with an RSVP. This helps the ho

Today's Verse: But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap: ~ Malachi 3:2   Have you ever done a load of white laundry only to be disappointed that the white clothes did not come out as clean as you had anticipated? Perhaps you tried applying a stronger detergent or more bleach to get the effect you wanted. At His Second Coming, our Lord Jesus is described as a refiner’s fire and a ful