Today’s Verse: Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. ~2 Timothy 2:22 Have you ever been in a situation so perilous that you were told to make a run for it? People who live on the coastline of an earthquake-prone area know that when a tsunami siren sounds, anyone near the shoreline needs to make a run for it as quickly as possible to higher ground to avoid being swept away by the quickly

Today’s Verse: Now in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah did Sennacherib king of Assyria come up against all the fenced cities of Judah, and took them. And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, I have offended; return from me: that which thou puttest on me will I bear. And the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found i

Today’s Verse: There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. ~1 Corinthians 10:13 "In the Australian bush country grows a little plant called the "sundew." It has a slender stem and tiny, round leaves fringed with hairs that glisten with bright drops of liquid as delicate as fine dew. Woe

Today’s Verse: Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. ~Matthew 4:1 In football, a tackle occurs when the one in possession of the ball is taken down. When he is tackled, he is prevented from going any further with the ball. The one making the tackle has demonstrated superiority in stopping the ball from entering the end zone and making a score. In essence, it is the takedown of his opponent. This morning, let us see through the mod

Today’s Verse: And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth… ~Genesis 14:22 Abraham is considered one of the great men of faith. His testimony concerning his faith is mentioned at length in Hebrews 11. Romans 4:20 tells us that he was strong in faith, not doubting the promise of God. He is such a great example that we are told in Isaiah 51:2, “Look unto Abraham.” In our devotion this morning,

Today’s Verse: Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. ~Matthew 26:41 Times of suffering and sorrow can be very difficult on anyone. It is during these settings that we can become very vulnerable to spiritual attack. They are also times in which we can become very disconnected with the reality of our situation and leave ourselves unprepared for further mishap. Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane. At this locati

Today’s Verse: And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not? ~Exodus 17:7 How strong is your faith in God? The strength of our faith is best determined during times of difficulty and testing. It is always when our resources are lacking and there are no immediate answers. It is when we receive unexpected news and we feel like our world has crash

Today’s Verse: Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. ~James 1:12 The Olympic Games were one of the big events in Roman society. Athletes trained to win and receive the stephanos crown. This was a garland wreath made out of leaves that was placed on the head of the victor. It was recognition that this athlete competed among the best athletes in his event and was

Today’s Verse: When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee: And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite. ~Proverbs 23:1-2 One of the most frightening circumstances that could happen to you is to have someone put a sharp knife to your throat. The slightest resistance could result in the perpetrator using the knife to cut your throat and your bleeding to death. You don’t want to do anything that results in your injury. Pu

Today’s Verse: But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. ~1 Timothy 6:11-12 Lifeguards are individuals trained in rescuing people who are at risk of drowning in the water. Their duty is to monitor and be alert to anyone who shows signs of distress while

Today’s Verse: Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. ~Matthew 4:1 In football a tackle occurs when the one in possession of the ball is taken down. When he is tackled he is prevented from going any further with the ball. The one making the tackle has demonstrated superiority in stopping the ball from entering the end zone and making a score. In essence, it is the take down of your opponent. This morning let us see through the mode

Today’s Verse: And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. ~Matthew 26:40-21 What time of the day do you consider your energy and strength level to be your best? For me, it is the early morning hours after I have had a good night’s rest. I try to do my most vigorous physical exercises during that

Today’s Verse: Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: ~Hebrews 3:7-8 How is your hearing this morning? Hearing is one of the five major senses that God has given to us. When it becomes difficult for us to hear, we are in need of a hearing aid to help us. In Hebrews 3, the believers to whom Paul was writing were having difficulty hearing what God was saying

Today’s Verse: But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. ~Matthew 4:4 I enjoy eating! It is a blessing to have an appetite and eat. If we lack an appetite, this could be a symptom of a possible health problem. Most people either live to eat, or they eat to live. This morning, we see where having a right spiritual appetite requires us to eat to live. We see the temptation. “And when he

Today’s Verse: And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. ~Genesis 3:6 One of the keys to understanding the Bible is a good understanding of the book of Genesis. Genesis is the book of beginnings. In Genesis, we have the first mention of key doctrines and concepts. This morning, we ar

Today’s Verse: For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. ~Romans 7:18-19 A turf war is a conflict between two opposing factions for control over territory. Gangs typically fight over territory. Nations or people groups at war with each other fight for territory. The more territory an opposi