Today's Verse: Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: ~John 11:25 The entertainment industry has mesmerized America with the concept of dead people coming back to life as zombies that terrorize communities. It is an accepted fact that once all life activity in a person ceases, that person is dead. When there is a death, it is accepted that the deceased is gone from this life. When Lazarus di

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: 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: And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth. ~1 Kings 17:24 Do you know anyone who is a skeptic? Are you someone who is a skeptic? The Jews tend to be skeptical people. Jesus said about them, “Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.” After crossing the Red Sea, the Hebrews saw and then believed. However, faith means believing first and then seeing. Faith is belie

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: 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: For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth. ~Psalm 71:5 Most of us deposit money into a bank without much fear of loss. Banks insure our money up to a certain amount through the FDIC. There is an implied trust we have in the banking institution that the money we have deposited is safe and secure. Many people keep their money with a mainline bank for most of their lifetime because they feel a sense of reliability in the size, strength, a

Today's Verse: But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour. ~Matthew 9:22 It is a joy and privilege to make hospital visits and pray with my members who are hospitalized. However, I feel at a loss and so inadequate for members who struggle with ailments for which medicine can’t seem to give immediate healing or relief. Our devotion this morning centers on

Today's Verse: And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people. ~Acts 6:8 One of the great Christians in the New Testament is Stephen. Acts 6-7 places a holy spotlight on Stephen and the impact he had on many lives. Stephen’s name in the Greek is “stephanos,” which refers to a crown. It was a wreath woven together in the shape of a crown and was awarded to the winner of an Olympic race. This morning, let us be inspired by Stephen’s life

Today's Verse: And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. ~Matthew 8:26 A hurricane is a major storm that is categorized into levels 1 to 5. A storm is classified as a hurricane when the winds reach 74 miles per hour or more. The highest category of a hurricane is level 5, where winds are more than 157 miles per hour. We are told that Jesus and the disciples experienced a gr

Today's Verse: But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. ~Genesis 6:8 Noah’s name is found 44 times in the Bible. We find him as the focal point in Genesis 6-8 and listed in the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11. Noah is most prominently associated with the construction of the ark. What stands out to us this morning about Noah is that he found grace in the eyes of the Lord. We see Noah and his conversion. “These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect

Today's Verse: And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, ~Jude 14 This morning, we are examining the life of Enoch. He is the seventh descendant from Adam. He was an exception among the men of his day. His name means “dedicated.” He is a man who inspires us to live above the world. We see Enoch and his walk. “And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and be

Today's Verse: When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. ~Matthew 8:10 How great is your faith in the Lord? Can you recall a situation in your life where you had to exercise great faith in God? This morning, we see a man of authority who did just that. What this man did was the exception, and not the rule. Let us see this morning the exercise of great faith. We see the app

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