Today's Verse: Mine enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O thou most High . ~Psalm 56:2   David was way over his head in problems. Psalm 56 was written during the Absalom Rebellion. Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel and took over the nation. David and his most loyal men escaped to avoid a conflict. David was in fear and was hurt that Ahithophel, his counselor, joined ranks with Absalom. He was hurt when Shimei came forth to cu

Today's Verse: And he found a new jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it, and slew a thousand men therewith. ~Judges 15:15   When I was a kid, I remember a new candy that came out called a “jawbreaker.” It was a super hard candy that was meant to be sucked on and not chewed or broken with your teeth. The idea was that if you tried to break it down with your teeth, you would wind up breaking your teeth or jaw instead. It was a candy that was meant to last the u

Today's Verse: Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God. Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow. ~Isaiah 50:10-11   Have you ever awakened from a sound sleep in the

Today's Verse: Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually. ~Psalm 52:1   We are in a spiritual battle every day of our lives. Paul said, “When I would do good, evil is present with me.” He describes our spiritual battle as the flesh lusting against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh. In Psalm 52, David was referring to a prime enemy that was a thorn in his side. His name is Doeg.    We see the diabolical of Doeg.  “

Today's Verse: Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, ~Hebrews 6:1   Happy New Year! Believe it or not, today marks the beginning of a new year. It is at the start of a new year when all of us think about and make plans for an improved and more successful year than the one we just completed. Let us see some key principles that are essentia

Today's Verse: And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. ~Numbers 13:30   Today is the last day of the calendar year. If you feel like me, the last year went by really fast. This is indicative of busyness and many planned activities. However, the gauge of our effectiveness is not based on how much we did but on how much progress we made. As we approach a New Year, we must do so with a fresh

Today's Verse: Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. ~Isaiah 41:10   All of us will have to deal with personal insecurities because of an unexpected challenge or a failure on our part. These insecurities can make us unsure of ourselves, second-guess decisions, and feel like there is nothing we can do to make things right. However, I a

Today's Verse: And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. ~Luke 1:35   What’s the hardest thing you have ever been asked to do? There is an uncomfortable feeling we have when we are unexpectedly requested or told to do something that we have never done before. However, imagine how much more uncomfort

Today's Verse: And Sihon would not suffer Israel to pass through his border: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and went out against Israel into the wilderness: and he came to Jahaz, and fought against Israel. ~Numbers 21:23   What is the most gigantic problem you have ever faced? Whatever it may have been, it stood between you and success. This morning, let us see an incident that teaches us the importance of not letting the giants in our life intimidate us or cause

Today's Verse: And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away. ~Acts 27:20   A few years ago, I watched a documentary on the Weather Channel about a cruise ship called the Oceanos and its ill-fated sinking during a storm off the eastern coast of South Africa. Amazingly, no one lost his life, and all 571 passengers were rescued. There were many tense moments before the ship sank when th

Today's Verse: And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome. ~Acts 23:11   What do you do when you’ve been rejected, scorned, and written off as a loser and enemy? This morning, let us see how Paul was encouraged and helped by our Lord when he was at one of the lowest points in his life. Let us see how the Lord is always there for us.    We see the scornfu

Today's Verse: The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him. ~Psalm 28:7   Psalm 28 was written either during David’s flight from Saul or Absalom. There were moments when the closeness of his adversaries made him think life was over. He was overcome with incredible fears. Yet, as this psalm progresses, there is a major shift in his tone and outlook. As we meditate on t

Today's Verse: Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him. ~Job 13:15   “In God We Trust” is the official motto of the United States of America and of the state of Florida. It was adopted as the nation's motto in 1956 as a replacement to the unofficial motto of E pluribus unum , which was adopted when the Great Seal of the United States was created and adopted in 1782 (Wikipedia). This morning, we reflect on a powerful decision by

Today's Verse: Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. ~Isaiah 12:2   Trust is our ability to believe that something promised will occur. It is the belief that someone who has pledged his help to you will not fail you. Trust is a little child who places his hand into that of his mother, believing that she will not let him go. Trust is what we exercise when we board a commerc

Today's Verse: There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. ~John 3:1-2   One of the most significant men of the New Testament is Nicodemus. He was a man who did not allow his education, monetary wealth, prestige, and influence to prevent him from coming to Jesus for the t

Today's Verse: And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he...

Today's Verse: For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth…O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto...

Today's Verse: I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me. ~Psalm 3:5 Sleeping is a necessary part of daily life. Our...

Today's Verse: I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and the right of the poor. ~Psalm 140:12   Have you ever...

Today's Verse: And the LORD said unto Joshua, Be not afraid because of them: for to morrow about this time will I deliver them up all...