“Where can I go to escape your Spirit?
New English Translation
Where can I flee to escape your presence?
If I were to ascend to heaven, you would be there.
If I were to sprawl out in Sheol, there you would be.
If I were to fly away on the wings of the dawn,
and settle down on the other side of the sea,
even there your hand would guide me,
your right hand would grab hold of me.
If I were to say, “Certainly the darkness will cover me,
and the light will turn to night all around me,”
even the darkness is not too dark for you to see,
and the night is as bright as day;
darkness and light are the same to you.” Psalm 139:7-12
He Said What?
Continue reading “He Said What?”Now the serpent was shrewder than any of the wild animals that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Is it really true that God said, ‘You must not eat from any tree of the orchard’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit from the trees of the orchard; but concerning the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the orchard God said, ‘You must not eat from it, and you must not touch it, or else you will die.’” Genesis 3:1-3
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After he fasted forty days and forty nights he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread.” But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city, had him stand on the highest point of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you’ and ‘with their hands they will lift you up, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “Once again it is written: ‘You are not to put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their grandeur. And he said to him, “I will give you all these things if you throw yourself to the ground and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written: ‘You are to worship the Lord your God and serve only him. Then the devil left him, and angels came and began ministering to his needs. Matthew 4:1-11
New English Translation
Ministry is for All
I want to celebrate a little bit and recognize a big milestone for my blog. Today I’m celebrating my 100th blog post! It’s amazing to think how God has developed me as a writer through this blog, and has revealed so many important lessons from scripture that are essential to learn. I hope that as you have journeyed with me through this blog that you too have been impacted by what God is saying. Now, onto His teaching!
Continue reading “Ministry is for All”He Heals
Continue reading “He Heals”He was wounded because of our rebellious deeds,
New English Translation
crushed because of our sins;
he endured punishment that made us well;
because of his wounds we have been healed. Isaiah 53:5
Don’t Use God
Continue reading “Don’t Use God”Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Pray to the Lord to take the frogs away from me and my people, and I will let your people go to offer sacrifices to the Lord.”
Moses said to Pharaoh, “I leave to you the honor of setting the time for me to pray for you and your officials and your people that you and your houses may be rid of the frogs, except for those that remain in the Nile.”
“Tomorrow,” Pharaoh said.
Moses replied, “It will be as you say, so that you may know there is no one like the Lord our God. The frogs will leave you and your houses, your officials and your people; they will remain only in the Nile.”
After Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh, Moses cried out to the Lord about the frogs he had brought on Pharaoh. And the Lord did what Moses asked. The frogs died in the houses, in the courtyards and in the fields. They were piled into heaps, and the land reeked of them. But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said. Exodus 8:8-15
New International Version
Blindly Following
As I am reading through the book of Genesis, I landed on chapter 22 for January 1st. In that chapter, as with all scripture, we gain an important lesson, one that is especially helpful as we launch into a new year (but just as important every other time of year too).
Continue reading “Blindly Following”What is Love?
Continue reading “What is Love?”In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, if God so loved us, then we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God resides in us, and his love is perfected in us. 1 John 4:10-12
New English Translation
Don’t Follow Your Heart
Continue reading “Don’t Follow Your Heart”Guard your heart with all vigilance,
New English Translation
for from it are the sources of life.
Remove perverse speech from your mouth;
keep devious talk far from your lips.
Let your eyes look directly in front of you
and let your gaze look straight before you.
Make the path for your feet level,
so that all your ways may be established.
Do not turn to the right or to the left;
turn yourself away from evil. Proverbs 4:23-27
Forgiving is Hard
Continue reading “Forgiving is Hard”Then Peter came to him and said, “Lord, how many times must I forgive my brother who sins against me? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, I tell you, but seventy-seven times!” Matthew 18:21-22
New English Translation
What I Understand
For the past weeks I’ve been reading the book of Revelation. I currently finished chapter 17 moments before typing this post. It’s crazy, there is just so much that I don’t understand about this book. Tragic events, glorious moments, and incomprehensible instances are recorded for us to read. Honestly, I can get caught up in my confusion and miss the importance of the one thing I actually understand from this book.
Continue reading “What I Understand”