Today's Verse: When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. ~Luke 7:9 God expects us to exercise faith. Paul said, “The just shall live by faith.” He also said, “For we walk by faith, and not by sight.” Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Faith is the victory that overcomes the world. However, the question this morning is, ho

Today's Verse: And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. ~Luke 5:6 Commercial fishing is perhaps one of the hardest and most demanding occupations in the world. This kind of fishing is done mainly at night, when it is dark and cold. It is rewarding work when the evening catch is very good, with nets full of fish, and very disappointing when the catch is dismal. Cleaning the nets and the boat is a daily necessity to be ready

Today's Verse: And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season. ~Luke 1:20 Being tongue-tied is when you are speechless and do not have the words to say what you want, perhaps out of shyness or embarrassment. This morning, we are considering a man who was “tongue-tied” because he did not believe the word of the Lord and was unable to speak

Today's Verse: And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. ~James 2:23 Of the many wonderful things to describe a man's relationship to God, being called the Friend of God in Scripture ranks as one of them. This morning, we want to examine why Abraham stands out as a man who is called the Friend of God. There is the necessity. To not be a friend of God is to be at en

Today's Verse: Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No. ~John 21:5 One of the hardest things for us to deal with is when God shows us we lack maturity in our decisions, judgment, and works. We don’t like being told we are immature. This morning, seven of Jesus' choicest men received a vital and timely lesson on what real maturity is all about when it comes to doing the work of the Lord. We see a dismal failure. “Simon Peter saith unt

Today's Verse: By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned. ~Hebrews 11:29 According to Wikipedia, the Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. It borders six countries. This salty sea is just over 190 miles across at its widest point and about 1,200 miles in length. There's a measured maximum depth of 8,200 feet and an estimated average depth of 1,640 feet. Needless to say, i

Today's Verse: For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh; ~Colossians 2:1 The word "conflict" means to fight or contend with. Dictionary.com defines it as a fight, battle, or struggle, especially a prolonged struggle or strife. Paul had a “shepherd’s heart” for the spiritual lives of believers. The devil seeks to discredit or destroy the faith of every believer. Paul wanted his

Today's Verse: By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible. ~Hebrews 11:27 In life, we are sometimes faced with the decision of having to part ways with people or things. Someone seeking asylum from a country that represses freedom must part ways with that country and whatever good memories he may have had in the past. When a professional ball player is traded by his team, that player is parting ways with forme

Today's Verse: But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss. And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship. ~Acts 27:21-22 The eye of the storm is the centermost part of it. It is at this location where there is calm and peace. It can also be the most dangerous part of t

Today's Verse: But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon. ~Acts 27:14 Maritime travel can be exciting and adventurous. It can also be a harrowing experience if you are in a major storm out on the open seas. The bobbing up and down of the ship, combined with massive waves thrashing against it, will have you on edge and wondering if “this could be it.” Paul was on a ship headed to Italy via the Mediterranean Sea. He encountered an epic sto

Today's Verse: Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. ~Proverbs 30:5 During the hot summer months, most people know that extended time in the sun can put them at risk of developing skin cancer. Sunscreen is a protective lotion that can be applied to the parts of the body that will be exposed to the ultraviolet rays of the sun. The stronger the SPF factor, the greater the protection. Thus, sunscreen serves as a shield from the damagin

Today's Verse: And he said, Take the arrows. And he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he smote thrice, and stayed. ~2 Kings 13:18 One of the greatest virtues we need in our lives is the virtue of persistence. Persistence is staying at something for a long time. It is not throwing in the towel and giving up early. It is staying in the race even if you are in agony. It is doing what you do with maximum effort until it is complete. Spurg

Today's Verse: By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; ~Hebrews 11:24 This morning, we are studying the second mention of the Moses' faith. Faith is a decision that we must make many times in our lives. We walk by faith and not by sight. The just shall live by faith. Faith can be exercised by little children and older adults. Everyone can and should live by faith. Let us see the ingredients of a maturing faith. We see

Today's Verse: By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment. ~Hebrews 11:23 The faith of Moses is referred to five times in Hebrews 11:23-29. He demonstrated great faith at critical junctures of his life. The first mention of his faith occurs when he was born. It is not so much his faith as it is the faith of his parents. This morning, let us see how the faith

Today's Verse: And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. 1 John 5:19 When two people have a disagreement on a serious matter, they might describe their situation as being worlds apart. When this occurs, they are very far from coming to any kind of agreement. As we consider God’s will for our lives, we quickly realize that living for Jesus and living for this life are worlds apart. We see the condition. “The whole world lieth in wickedness.”

Today's Verse: Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens. ~Psalm 123:1 How well can you handle criticism? Criticism is when someone has taken the opportunity to give his opinion and remarks about who we are, what we said, what we believe, or what we have done. There is constructive criticism, which helps us make needed improvements to our life or performance. There is adversarial criticism that dismantles, divides, and destroys. Adversarial criticism

Today's Verse: I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. ~Psalm 121:1 The background to Psalm 121 is a believer who is in a valley and trapped by his enemies. He is outnumbered, overwhelmed, and desperate. He looks behind him and he is in trouble. He looks ahead of him and he is in trouble. He looks to his left and to his right and he is in trouble. However, he looks up to the hills and help is on the way. This morning, let us look to the hills, fr

Today's Verse: I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee. ~Job 42:2 What you think and believe about God determines the kind of Christian you are. Years ago, leadership and management expert John Maxwell spoke about the law of the lid. The lid is the ceiling that you allow in your thinking and faith. The lid is what keeps you from attaining your goal or seeing a dream come to fruition. Job was going through an intense time of suff

Today's Verse: By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, ~Hebrews 11:17 How much do you trust God? Do you have enough faith to trust God about everything in your life? Do you have enough faith to believe that God will take care of you? This morning we are considering “faith under fire.” We see the reason. “By faith Abraham, when he was tried...” God uses trials to determine our spiritua

Today's Verse: Arise, Barak, and lead….. ~Judges 5:12b The Bible contains the historical account of insignificant and weak people whom God used to do great things. Someone said, “The men who conquered the world were men the world could not conquer.” One of these seemingly insignificant men was Barak. Barak is presented to us as a man of faith. “And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae....” (Hebrews