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True creativity will always seek to solve a problem and present the move effective solution for the task at hand. That is why I would be very careful to call something creative (and art) when it is frivolous, vain, and without any problem-solving element. Everything else in the universe has a plan and purpose (Psalm 104:19; Jeremiah 29:11). How did it happen that we began to exalt "chasing-after-the-wind" creativity (adapted from Ecclesiastes 1:14), praising art and fashion simply for themselves. And how is this not idolatry?
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Anastacia Plastinina ("I AM" GOD OF FASHION: Reconciling the Fashion Industry Back to Its Creator)
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Take David, the man after God’s own heart. For decades, he held on to God’s promise that he would become king. But then he gave up and moved to Goliath’s native country, where he worked for the Philistine king and fought the wrong battles (1 Samuel 27). Abraham, the father of faith, had bad days. He once ran away from the promised land and lied about his wife being his sister to protect himself (Genesis 20). Why? He was afraid. The apostle Paul begged God three times to take away a painful trial that was far too heavy for him to carry (2 Corinthians 12:7–8). Elijah, the mightiest of the miracle-working prophets, had a total emotional breakdown when a woman cussed him out. He ended up running away from home, hiding under a tree, and wishing for death (1 Kings 19:4). The prophet Jeremiah got so stressed out that he told God he was never going to preach again (Jeremiah 20:9). And then there’s John the Baptist. Jesus said that he is the best person ever to be born of a woman. He had such a big crisis of faith in prison that he doubted whether he had made the right choice in baptizing Jesus as the Messiah (Luke 7:20).
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Levi Lusko (Through the Eyes of a Lion: Facing Impossible Pain, Finding Incredible Power)
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the causes of poverty as put forth in the Bible are remarkably balanced. The Bible gives us a matrix of causes. One factor is oppression, which includes a judicial system weighted in favor of the powerful (Leviticus 19:15), or loans with excessive interest (Exodus 22:25-27), or unjustly low wages (Jeremiah 22:13; James 5:1-6). Ultimately, however, the prophets blame the rich when extremes of wealth and poverty in society appear (Amos 5:11-12; Ezekiel 22:29; Micah 2:2; Isaiah 5:8). As we have seen, a great deal of the Mosaic legislation was designed to keep the ordinary disparities between the wealthy and the poor from becoming aggravated and extreme. Therefore, whenever great disparities arose, the prophets assumed that to some degree it was the result of selfish individualism rather than concern with the common good.
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Timothy J. Keller (Generous Justice: How God's Grace Makes Us Just)
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The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies. PSALM 18:2-3 Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; for He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. PSALM 91:9-12 I will restore health to you and heal you of your wounds. JEREMIAH 30:17 Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. 1 CORINTHIANS 6:19-20 The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. JAMES 5:15
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Stormie Omartian (The Power of a Praying Husband)
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FEBRUARY 4 I WILL DESTROY THE WORKS OF LUST AND PERVERSION MY CHILD, DON’T be fooled. Anyone who keeps on sinning belongs to the devil. He has sinned from the beginning, but My Son came to destroy all that he has done. If anyone loves the world, My love is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of Me, but is of the world. The world is passing away, and the lust of it. When you ask why the land perishes and burns up like a wilderness so that no one can pass through, I will respond: Because you have forsaken My law which I set before you, and have not obeyed My voice, nor walked according to it. Therefore I will scatter those who do the works of lust and perversion and will send a sword after them until I have consumed them. GENESIS 19:12–13; 1 JOHN 2:16; JEREMIAH 9:12–16 Prayer Declaration Let the spirits of lust and perversion be destroyed with Your fire. Pass through the land and burn up all wickedness and perversion from out of it. The world is passing away, and the lust of it, but he who does the will of God abides forever.
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John Eckhardt (Daily Declarations for Spiritual Warfare: Biblical Principles to Defeat the Devil)
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Unqualified Champions Consider these individuals from the Bible. Each person was aware of a personal shortcoming which should have rendered him disqualified for service. God, however, saw champion potential … Moses struggled with a speech impediment: “Then Moses said to the LORD, ‘Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue’” (Exodus 4:10). Yet God served as Moses’ source of strength. God used him to deliver the Israelites from bondage. Jeremiah considered himself too young to deliver a prophetic message to an adult population: “Then I said, ‘Alas, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, because I am a youth’” (Jeremiah 1:6). God’s reply: “Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you,” (Jeremiah 1:8). Isaiah, whose encouragement I quoted earlier, had reservations of his own. Perhaps his vocabulary reflected my own—especially my vocabulary as a teenager: “I am a man of unclean lips” (Isaiah 6:5). Despite Isaiah’s flaws, God saw him as a man He could use to provide guidance to the nation of Judah. Paul the Apostle had, in his past, persecuted the very people to whom God would send him later. To most of us, Paul’s track record would disqualify him for use. But God brought change to Paul’s heart and redemption to his fervency. Samson squandered his potential through poor life choices. As I read about him, I can’t help but think, “The guy acted like a spoiled brat.” But God had placed a call on his life. Though Samson sank to life’s darkest depths—captors blinded him and placed him in slavery—at the end of his life, he turned his heart toward God and asked to be used for God’s purposes. God used Samson to bring deliverance to the Israelites. Do you feel like the least qualified, the least important, the least regarded? Perhaps your reward is yet to come. God has high regard for those who are the least. Jesus said, “For the one who is least among all of you, this is the one who is great” (Luke 9:48) and “But many who are first will be last; and the last, first” (Matthew 19:30). If heaven includes strategic positioning among God’s people, which I believe it will, that positioning will be ego-free and based on a humble heart. Those of high position in God’s eyes don’t focus on position. They focus on hearts: their own hearts before God, and the hearts of others loved by God. When we get to heaven, I believe many people’s positions of responsibility will surprise us. What if, in heaven, the some of today’s most accomplished individuals end up reporting to someone who cried herself to sleep at night—yet kept her heart pure before God? According to Jesus in Matthew 6:5, some rewards are given in full before we reach heaven. When He spoke those words, He referred to hypocritical religious leaders as an example. Could we be in for a heavenly surprise? I believe many who are last today—the ultimate servants—will be first in heaven. God sees things differently than we do.
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John Herrick (8 Reasons Your Life Matters)
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The intimate link existing between Yahweh and the Kenites is strengthened by the following observations:
1. The first mention of Yahweh (neither Elohim nor Yahweh-Elohim) in the book of Genesis is related to the birth of Cain: 'Now the man knew his wife Even, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, "I have produced a man with the help of the LORD"' (Gen. 4.1). This may be a symbolic way to claim that the 'discovery' of Yahweh is concomitant to the discovery of metallurgy.
2. Enosh is mentioned in Genesis as the first man who worshipped Yahweh: 'To Seth also a son was born, and he names him Enosh. At that time people began to invoke the name of the LORD' (Gen. 4.26). Interestingly, Enosh is the father of Keynan (= Cain). Again, the worship of Yahweh appears to have been linked to the discovery of metallurgy.
3. The Kenites had a sign (taw) on their forehead. From Gen. 4.15, it appears that this sign signalled that Yahweh protects Cain and his sons. From Ezek. 9.4-6, it seems that, at the end of the First Temple period, a similar sign remained the symbol of devotion to Yahweh.
4. The book of Jeremiah confirms the existence of a Kenite worship of Yahweh as follows:'Jonadab son of Rechab shall not lack a descendant to stand before me [Yahweh] for all time' (Jer. 35.19). This fidelity of smelters and smiths to the initial Yahwistic tradition may explain why the liberators of Judah, Israel and Jerusalem are depicted as smiths in the book of Zechariah (Zech. 2.3-4).
When considered together, these data suggest that Yahweh was intimately related with the metallurgists from the very discovery of copper smelting. (pp. 393-394)
from 'Yahweh, the Canaanite God of Metallurgy?', JSOT 33.4 (2009): 387-404
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Nissim Amzallag
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Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him. 1 CORINTHIANS 2:9 There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off. PROVERBS 23:18 NIV Keep sound wisdom and discretion; so they will be life to your soul and grace to your neck. Then you will walk safely in your way, and your foot will not stumble. When you lie down, you will not be afraid; yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet. Do not be afraid of sudden terror, nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes; for the LORD will be your confidence, and will keep your foot from being caught. PROVERBS 3:21-26 Houses and riches are an inheritance from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the LORD. PROVERBS 19:14 I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. JEREMIAH 29:11-13
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Stormie Omartian (The Power of a Praying Husband)
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Further, I mean that God offers salvation to individuals and concomitantly grace enables them to make a real choice to either follow Christ or not follow Christ. The means of this grace enablement include but are not limited to: Gods’ salvific love for all (John 3:16), God’s manifestation of His power so that all may know He is the Sovereign (Isaiah 45:21—22) and Creator (Romans 1:18—20), which assures that everyone has opportunity to know about Him. Christ paying for all sins (John 1:29), conviction of the Holy Spirit (John 16:7—11), working of the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 6:1—6), enlightening of the Son (John 1:9), God’s teaching (John 6:45), God opening hearts (Acts 16:14), and the power of the gospel (Romans 1:16), without such redemptive grace, no one seeks or comes to God (Romans 3:11). Further, I believe that man, because of these gracious provisions and workings of God, can choose to seek and find God (Jeremiah 29:13; Acts 17:11—12). Moreover, no one can come to God without God drawing (John 6:44), and that God is drawing all men, individuals (John 12:32). The same Greek word for draw, helkuō, is used in both verses.” About 115 passages condition salvation on believing alone, and about 35 simply on faith.”140 Other grace enablements may include providential workings in and through other people, situations, and timing or circumstances that are a part of grace to provide an opportunity for every individual to choose to follow Christ.
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Ronnie W. Rogers (Reflections of a Disenchanted Calvinist: The Disquieting Realities of Calvinism)
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IDENTITY CLUE 15: THE KINGS OF THE MEDES WON’T DESTROY THEMSELVES Jeremiah gives us a significant clue as to the source of the devastating disaster that will come upon the Daughter of Babylon: “The LORD has stirred up the kings of the Medes, because his purpose is to destroy Babylon.” (Jeremiah 51:11b). The Bible includes references to the Medes and the Persians (Daniel 5:28 and Esther 1:19).
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John Price (The End of America: The Role of Islam in the End Times and Biblical Warnings to Flee America)
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JANUARY 1 MY WORD AND MY POWER ARE ALL YOU NEED IN MY WORD you will discover the thoughts that I think about you. I have desired that your life be filled with My great peace, not with the evil and turmoil that you will find in the world, which the enemy will try to thrust upon you. My Word will help you to see the glorious future I have planned for you and will surround your life with the hope of overcoming the evil in this world through My strength and power. Allow My Holy Spirit to fill you up with My supernatural power. With My power there is nothing the enemy can do to hurt you. My Word and My power will help you to fill the whole earth with My glory. JEREMIAH 29:11; MATTHEW 10:1; PSALM 72:19
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John Eckhardt (Daily Declarations for Spiritual Warfare: Biblical Principles to Defeat the Devil)
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Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) One of the distinguishing characteristics of Judaism, the religion of Jesus, is its sense of moral and social responsibility. After liberating the Hebrew people from slavery in Egypt in the Exodus, God made explicit God's covenant with this people through Moses at Mount Sinai—“I am your God, and you are my people.” The primary conditions for being God's people were to worship God alone (monotheism and the prohibition of idolatry) and to create a just community (righteousness and justice). God insists that the Hebrews respect the rights and needs of the alien (or immigrant), the widow, and the orphan—that is, the marginal and vulnerable people—reminding them that they were once slaves in Egypt and that their God is the defender of the oppressed (Deut 24:17–18; 26:12–15; Ex 22:21–24; Jer 22:3).17 The laws regarding the forgiveness of debts during sabbatical years (Deut 15:1–11 and Lev 25:1–7) and the return to the original equality among the twelve tribes of Israel during the Jubilee year (Lev 25:8–17) symbolize the justice and community required of the Hebrew people.18 After the Hebrew people settled in the Promised Land, oppression came to characterize Israel. The God who had liberated the people from oppression in Egypt now sent prophets who called them to adhere to the requirements of the covenant or face the fate of the Egyptians—destruction. The Hebrew prophets (eighth century to sixth century B.C.E.), such as Amos, Micah, Hosea, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, accused the people of infidelity to the covenant because of their idolatry and the social injustice they created.19 The warnings and the promises of the prophets remind each generation of God's passion for justice and God's faithful love. In Judaism, one's relationship with God (faith) affects one's relationship with others, the community, and the earth (justice).20 Faith and justice are relational, both personally and communally.
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J. Milburn Thompson (Introducing Catholic Social Thought)
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III. THE REASONS WHY THE GOODNESS OF GOD DOES NOT PRODUCE THAT EFFECT. These are — 1. Ignorance. “Not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance. Ignorance of their fallen state and exposure to Divine wrath; of the worth and necessity of holiness; of the true character of God, that He is as holy and just as He is merciful and gracious; of the dignity of the Redeemer, and of His great love and sufferings: of the end of man’s creation, preservation, and redemption; of the infinite importance of this short span of human life, and how much depends on our rightly improving it, as a state of trial, for eternity. 2. Hardness, or callousness, contracted by sinning against light, and the formation of evil habits (Ephesians 4:18, 19). 3. An impenitent heart, i.e., an inconsiderate, unreflecting, and therefore unrelenting heart. (Joseph Brown.) God’s goodness: its abuse and its design: — 1. It is an instance of Divine condescension that the Lord reasons with men, and asks this question, and others like it (Isaiah 1:5, 55:2; Jeremiah 3:4; Ezekiel 33:11).
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Joseph S. Exell (The Biblical Illustrator - Vol. 45 - Pastoral Commentary on Romans)
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[Concerning the 'over-extended domain' of Yahweh:]
It is very interesting to observe that, in the Bible, Yahweh is not exclusively linked to Israel. This point is clearly stressed in the book of Amos, where it is claimed: 'On that day...they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by my name, says the LORD who does this' (Amos 9.11-12). Indeed, it appears from many biblical sources that Yahweh also 'protects' the Canaanite alliances of Edom, Moab and Amon, sometimes against the political interest of the Israelite Alliance. [61]
Even more intriguing is the special attention, in the book of Jeremiah, devoted to the far country of Elam:
I [Yahweh] will terrify Elam before their enemies, and before those who seek their life; I will bring disaster upon them, my fierce anger, says the LORD. I will send the sword after them, until I have consumed them; and I will set my throne in Elam, and destroy their king and officials, says the LORD. But in the latter days I will restore the fortunes of Elam, says the LORD (Jer. 49.37-39).
This oracle is amazingly similar to those devoted to Judah and Israel. Such a commitment concerning Elam suggests that the Elamites were also regarded here as a 'people of Yahweh'. In this case, however, one has to assume a homology (if not an identity) between Yahweh and Napir ('the great god'), the main deity of Elam, who was also the god of metallurgy.
(pp. 401-402)
(from 'Yahweh, the Canaanite God of Metallurgy?', JSOT 33.4 (2009): 387-404)
[61] It is especially mentioned that the Israelites cannot conquer the lands of Edom, Moab and Ammon, since Yahweh has given them forever to the sons of Esau (Deut. 2.5) and Lot (Deut. 2.9, 19). In Jer. 9.24-25, Edom, Moab and Ammon are considered together with Judah as the circumcised, the peoples of Yahweh. The Amos oracles against Amon, Moab, Damas or Edom (Amos 1 and 2) not only mention their 'cimres' against Judah and Israel, but also all the 'crimes' perpetrated between and among them in regard to Yahweh.
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Nissim Amzallag
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Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go. JOSHUA 1:9
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David Jeremiah (What Are You Afraid Of?: Facing Down Your Fears with Faith)
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MARCH 17 YOU WILL UPROOT ANY ROOTS OF WICKEDNESS FROM YOUR LIFE TAKE HEED TO walk in the way of goodness and keep to the paths of righteousness. For My upright and blameless children will dwell in My land. But the wicked will be cut off from the earth, and the unfaithful will be uprooted from it. I have this day given you My authority and power over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant. My ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. But if your roots are holy, so will be your branches. When I grafted you into the true vine, which is My Son, you now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root. But remember this: you do not support the root; My Son, Jesus, is the root who supports you. JEREMIAH 1:10; ROMANS 11:17–19; HEBREWS 12:15 Prayer Declaration I lay the ax to the root of every evil tree in my life. Let every ungodly generational taproot be cut and pulled out of my bloodline in the name of Jesus. Let the roots of wickedness be as rottenness. I speak to every evil tree to be uprooted and cast into the sea. Let every root of bitterness be cut from my life. Let Your holy fire burn up every ungodly root in the name of Jesus.
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John Eckhardt (Daily Declarations for Spiritual Warfare: Biblical Principles to Defeat the Devil)
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APRIL 29 I WILL NOT PERMIT THE PROUD TO OPPRESS YOU I WILL NOT leave you to your oppressors, and I will not let the proud oppress you. I will bless you because you put your trust in Me and do not respect the proud, nor those who turn aside to lies. Meditate on My precepts. Do not fear the oppressors, for I will put them to shame and revive you according to My loving-kindness. I will destroy the house of the proud, but I hear every prayer of the righteous. I will resist the proud, but I will give My grace to you if you remain humble. Behold, I have released you from the oppression of the wicked. I will multiply your life, and you will not be diminished. I will glorify you with My righteousness, and your children will be established. But I will punish all who seek to oppress you. PSALMS 119:122; 40:4; 119:88; 1 PETER 5:5; JEREMIAH 30:19–20 Prayer Declaration Because I have placed my trust in You, O Lord, and have humbled myself and resisted the wicked intentions of the proud, You have blessed my life and set me free from the bondage of oppression. Because of Your loving-kindness to me, I will seek to bring Your consolation and encouragement to others by becoming a servant to them and developing the same attitude as that of Your Son, Christ Jesus.
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John Eckhardt (Daily Declarations for Spiritual Warfare: Biblical Principles to Defeat the Devil)
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February 5 On the Thin Ice When calamity comes, the wicked are brought down, but even in death the righteous have a refuge.—Proverbs 14:32 My husband had an harrowing experience a few weeks ago. As he was driving over a low overpass, a patch of “black ice” caught him by surprise. His truck spun around and headed for the concrete guardrail. All he could do was wait for the impact. As he told me about the incident, I thought about how often it seems that situations in our lives are just as far out of our control as a truck sliding around on ice. One moment things seem to be going smoothly; then all of a sudden there is a death, a diagnosis, a crisis, or something else that knocks the wind out of us. There is very rarely anything we can do to prevent these sorts of catastrophes; they seem to fall out of the sky. However, mental and spiritual preparation can keep us from being crushed. Remembering that nothing is impossible with God, and meditating on his faithfulness to me in the past, reminds me that there is good reason to trust him with the future (Luke 1:37; Psalm. 89:8). With this in mind, our first reaction to calamity can be to turn toward God, knowing that He will give us His peace (Philippians 4:6-7). We can calmly steer into the skid that life has thrown us, knowing that He is always there (Joshua 1:9). We may be bowed low by trouble and heartache but, by the grace of God, we will not be defeated (2 Corinthians 4:8)! By the way, I am thrilled to say that my husband arrived home without a scratch on him or his truck, thanks to the mighty hand of God that delivered him! Truly, nothing is too hard for the Lord (Jeremiah 32:27). Thank You, Lord, that You are my refuge in times of trouble (Psalm. 9:9). What a comfort to know that Your strong arms are there when the very ground I’m standing on seems to crumble beneath my feet!
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The writers of Encouraging.com (God Moments: A Year in the Word)
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You are precious to God. (Jeremiah 31:3) Your salvation was bought at a great price—Jesus hung on a cross alone for you and me. (1 Corinthians 6:20) He loves you unconditionally, no strings attached. (1 John 4:19) He will never leave you or let you down. (Deuteronomy 31:8) He will strengthen you and bring you His peace. (Colossians 1:11–20) He gives you His courage, His wisdom, and His humility. (Micah 6:8) “Nothing will be impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37 ESV)
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Bear Grylls (Soul Fuel: A Daily Devotional)
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Paul describes a second, more overarching, consequence of Christ’s compelling love: So whoever is in Christ is a new creation. The creator God has established a new order through the coming of Jesus, the new Adam (2 Cor 4:6; Gal 6:15). Because the obedient Messiah has defeated the enslaving powers of sin and death (see Rom 5:18–19), new life exists for those who are “in Christ,” who are in personal union with Christ and incorporated into his body through baptism. God has brought about “new things” in the baptized that exceed anything we could achieve on our own—a new heart, a new ability to love God and others, a new capacity to participate in the actualization of God’s kingdom on earth, inaugurated by Jesus’ ministry. Paul refers to this divine work within us when he states that the old things have passed away; behold new things have come. These words evoke several passages from the book of Isaiah (e.g., 42:9; 43:18–19; 48:6). Just as the †new covenant ministry, through which God’s Spirit now transforms hearts, fulfills Jeremiah’s and Ezekiel’s prophecies (see 2 Cor 3:1–6), so also Isaiah’s promises of “new things” to come are being fulfilled following the world-changing death and resurrection of Christ Jesus.
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Thomas D. Stegman (Second Corinthians (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture): (A Catholic Bible Commentary on the New Testament by Trusted Catholic Biblical Scholars - CCSS))
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Lord, I pray that You would give (husband’s name) a vision for his future. Help him to understand that Your plans for him are for good and not evil—to give him a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11). Fill him with the knowledge of Your will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that he may have a walk worthy of You, fully pleasing You, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of You (Colossians 1:9-10). May he live with a clear leading from Your Spirit and not walk in doubt and fear of what may happen. Help him to mature and grow in You daily, submitting to You all his dreams and desires, knowing that “the things which are impossible with men are possible with God” (Luke 18:27). Give him God-ordained goals and show him how to conduct himself in a way that always invests in his future. I pray that he will be active in service for You all the days of his life. Keep him from losing his sense of purpose and fill him with hope for his future as an “anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast” (Hebrews 6:19). Give him “his heart’s desire” (Psalm 21:2) and “the heritage of those who fear Your name” (Psalm 61:5). Plant him firmly in Your house and keep him fresh and flourishing and bearing fruit into old age (Psalm 92:13-14). And when it comes time for him to leave this earth and go to be with You, may he have such a strong vision for his eternal future that it makes his transition smooth, painless, and accompanied by peace and joy. Until that day, I pray he will find the vision for his future in You. In Jesus’ name I pray.
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Stormie Omartian (The Power of a Praying® Wife)
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duties required by this Commandment we cannot do better than to quote the Westminster Confession of Faith. They are "the knowing and acknowledging of God to be the only true God, and our God (1 Chronicles 28:9; Dent. 26:17, etc.); and to worship and glorify Him accordingly (Psalm 95:6, Verse 7; Matthew 4:10, etc.),by thinking (Malachi 3:16), meditating (Psalm 63:6), remembering (Ecclesiastes 12:1), highly esteeming (Psalm 71:19), honoring (Malachi 1:6), adoring (Isaiah 45:23), choosing (Joshua 24:15), loving (Deuteronomy 6:5), desiring (Psalm 73:25), fearing of Him (Isaiah 8:13), believing Him (Exodus 14:3 1), trusting (Isaiah 26:4), hoping (Psalm 103:7), delighting (Psalm 37:4), rejoicing in Him (Psalm 32:11), being zealous for Him (Romans 12:11), calling upon him, giving all praise and thanks (Philippians 4:6), and yielding all obedience and submission to Him with the whole man (Jeremiah 7:23), being careful in all things to please Him (1 John 3:22), and sorrowful when in anything he is offended (Jeremiah 31:18; Psalm
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Arthur W. Pink (Arthur W. Pink Collection (43 Volumes))
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Certainly God was writing an address in history that only his Messiah could fulfill. Approximately forty men have claimed to be the Jewish Messiah. But only one—Jesus Christ—appealed to fulfilled prophecy to substantiate his claims, and only his credentials back up those claims.
What are some of those credentials? And what events had to precede and coincide with the appearance of God’s Son?
To begin, we must go back to Genesis 3:15, where we find the first messianic prophecy in the Bible: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” (NKJV). This prophecy could refer to only one man in all of Scripture. No other but Jesus could be referred to as the “seed” of a woman. All others born in history come from the seed of a man. Other versions make the same claim when they identify this conqueror of Satan to be the offspring of a woman, when in all other instances the Bible counts offspring through the line of the man. This offspring or “seed” of a woman will come into the world and destroy the works of Satan (bruise his head).
In Genesis 9 and 10 God narrowed down the address further. Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. All the nations of the world can be traced back to these three men. But God effectively eliminated two-thirds of the human race from the line of messiahship by specifying that the Messiah would come through the lineage of Shem.
Then continuing on down to the year 2000 BC, we find that God called a man named Abraham out of Ur of the Chaldees. With Abraham, God became still more specific, stating that the Messiah will be one of his descendants. All the families of the earth will be blessed through Abraham (see Genesis 12:1-3; 17:1-8; 22:15-18). When he had two sons, Isaac and Ishmael, many of Abraham’s descendants were eliminated when God selected the second son, Isaac, to be the progenitor of the Messiah (see Genesis 17:19-21; 21:12).
Isaac had two sons, Jacob and Esau. God chose the line of Jacob (see Genesis 28:1-4; 35:10-12; Numbers 24:17). Jacob had twelve sons, out of whose descendants developed the twelve tribes of Israel. Then God singled out the tribe of Judah for messiahship and eliminated eleven-twelfths of the Israelite tribes. And of all the family lines within the tribe of Judah, he chose the line of Jesse (see Isaiah 11:1-5, niv). We can see the address narrowing.
Jesse had eight sons, and in 2 Samuel 7:12-16 and Jeremiah 23:5 God eliminated seven-eighths of Jesse’s family line by choosing Jesse’s son David. So, in terms of lineage, the Messiah must be born of the seed of a woman, the lineage of Shem, the race of the Jews, the line of Isaac, the line of Jacob, the tribe of Judah, the family of Jesse, and the house of David.
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Sean and Josh McDowell
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Comfort Numbers 14:9
Deuteronomy 31:6
Psalm 27:10
Psalm 46:7
Psalm 73:23
Psalm 94:14
Psalm 103:17
Isaiah 41:17
Matthew 28:20
John 6:37-39
Romans 8:38-39 Peace Exodus 33:14
Numbers 6:24-26
Psalm 85:8
Psalm 119:165
Isaiah 26:3
Isaiah 32:17
Isaiah 57:2
Matthew 11:29-30
John 14:27
Romans 5:1-2
Ephesians 2:14
Colossians 3:15 Fear Deuteronomy 1:17
Deuteronomy 7:21
1 Chronicles 16:25-26
Nehemiah 4:14
Psalm 4:8
Psalm 28:7
Psalm 56:3
Proverbs 16:6
Isaiah 35:4
Isaiah 41:10
Jeremiah 15:20
Joel 3:16
2 Corinthians 1:10
Philippians 4:9
Hebrews 13:6 Anxiety Genesis 28:15
Job 34:12
Psalm 20:7
Psalm 50:15
Psalm 55:22
Psalm 68:19
Psalm 86:7
Proverbs 3:5-6
Isaiah 40:11
Isaiah 41:13
Matthew 11:28
John 16:33 For Those Who Feel Weak 1 Chronicles 16:11
Psalm 37:10-11
Psalm 55:18
Psalm 62:11
Psalm 72:13
Psalm 142:3
Psalm 147:6
Isaiah 57:15
Jeremiah 10:6
Habakkuk 3:19
2 Corinthians 12:9
Ephesians 3:16 Despair Psalm 46:1
Psalm 100:5
Psalm 119:116
Isaiah 40:29
Isaiah 51:6
Jeremiah 32:17
Ezekiel 34:16
Daniel 2:23
Haggai 2:4
Ephesians 1:18 2
Thessalonians 3:3
Hebrews 10:35
James 1:12 Grief Psalm 34:7
Psalm 71:20-21
Psalm 116:15
Psalm 119:28
Psalm 119:50
Psalm 121:5-8
Isaiah 43:2 2
Corinthians 1:3-4 Times of Trouble Psalm 9:12
Psalm 34:7
Psalm 37:39-40
Psalm 46:1
Psalm 50:15
Psalm 121:5-8
Psalm 138:7
John 16:33 Feeling Desperate and Depressed Psalm 30:5
Psalm 34:18
Psalm 40:1-2
Psalm 42:11
Psalm 126:5
Zephaniah 3:17
John 10:10
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H. Norman Wright (The Complete Guide to Crisis & Trauma Counseling: What to Do and Say When It Matters Most!)
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Moses was stuck on the backside of the desert for years, unaware of God’s future for him (Ex. 3:1). Naomi was trapped in Moab after the deaths of her husband and sons (Ruth 1:5). Elijah was stuck in the wilderness, feeling sorry for himself after his failure to bring about the revival he’d hoped for Israel (1 Kings 19:10). Ezekiel was stranded in Babylon at age thirty, frustrated he couldn’t enter his priestly service in Jerusalem at the temple (Ezek. 1:1). Peter was caught in a dark, depressive cycle on the Saturday before Easter (Matt. 26:75). Thomas was cast into faithless despondency when he missed the Savior’s appearance on Easter Sunday (John 20:24). Paul was stuck in Troas where a great door of evangelism was open for him, but he had no peace of mind because of anxiety about problems in the Corinthian church (2 Cor. 2:12–13). The apostle John was exiled on the Island of Patmos, lonely and unable to continue his ministry—or so he thought (Rev. 1:9).
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David Jeremiah (Forward: Discovering God’s Presence and Purpose in Your Tomorrow)
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Do not be afraid of them... They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you,' declares the Lord.
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The Bible (Jeremiah 1:17,19)
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Do not be afraid of them... They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you,' declares the Lord.
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The Bible (Jeremiah 1:17,19))
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Remember that He has not forsaken you in your falling. Hold to what He has said in Joshua 1:9, ‘Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.’ “Finally, do not forget His great purpose in your most severe test of faith. It is to prove to you what you are worth to Him — to reveal His ultimate plans for your good. As He has declared in Jeremiah 29:11, ‘For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ “Never forget — it is when we are weak in ourselves that we are strongest!
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D.I. Hennessey (The Dragon's Tail (Niergel Chronicles #4))
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Don’t worry, but be strong and courageous because God is always with you (Joshua 1:9). Don’t give up now—because we have God, we will always have hope (Jeremiah 29:11). And God works all things to the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28).
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Erica Rodgers (Alexis and the Sacramento Surprise (Camp Club Girls Book 4))
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In the Bible we find examples of fasts that lasted one day or part of a day (see Judges 20:26; 1 Samuel 7:6; 2 Samuel 1:12; 3:35; Nehemiah 9:1; Jeremiah 36:6), a one-night fast (see Daniel 6:18-24), three-day fasts (see Esther 4:16; Acts 9:9), seven-day fasts (see 1 Samuel 31:13; 2 Samuel 12:16-23), a fourteen-day fast (see Acts 27:33-34), a twenty-one-day fast (see Daniel 10:3-13), forty-day fasts (see Deuteronomy 9:9; 1 Kings 19:8; Matthew 4:2), and fasts of unspecified lengths (see Matthew 9:14; Luke 2:37; Acts 13:2; 14:23).
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Donald S. Whitney (Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life)
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Jesus is from the seed of a woman and He will one day crush Satan. (Genesis 3:15)
He is from the line of Seth (Genesis 4:25)
A descendent of Shem (Genesis 9:26)
Jesus appears in the Old Testament as the “Angel of the LORD” in Gen 16:7-13
The offspring of Abraham (Genesis 12:3)
From the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10)
The son of David (Jeremiah 23:5-6)
Conceived of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14)
He is born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2)
Jesus appears in the Old Testament to Abraham and is called Lord in Gen 18: 1-14
He is Heralded as the Messiah (Isaiah 40:3)
He is the coming King (Zechariah 9:9)
The sacrificial offering for our sins (Isaiah 53)
He was pierced in His side at the cross (Zechariah 12:10)
And He was resurrected from the dead (Psalm 2; 16)
Jesus is testified to by ‘the Law and the Prophets in Romans 3:21
Jesus, as the pre-incarnate LORD, calling fire from the LORD the eternal Father in heaven Gen 19:24
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Shaila Touchton
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Chapter 1 Prayer Points Pray for President Trump to walk humbly. Pray Proverbs 16:7, Psalm 25:9, Micah 6:8, Colossians 3:12-13, and James 4:10 over him. Pray for godly counsel to be released to President Trump and received by him. Pray Proverbs 19:20-21 over him. A Shocking Visit to the White House In a prophetic dream in early February of 2019, I arrived at the White House in a white limousine.
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Jeremiah Johnson (Trump and the Future of America)
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He that flies, has warrant to do so; he that stands, has warrant to do so. Yea, the same man may both fly and stand, as the call and working of God with his heart may be. Moses fled, Exodus 2:15; Moses stood, Hebrews 11:27. David fled, 1 Samuel 19:12; David stood, 24:8. Jeremiah fled, Jeremiah 37:11–12; Jeremiah stood, 38:17. Christ withdrew himself, Luke 9:10; Christ stood, John 18:1–8. Paul fled, 2 Corinthians 11:33; Paul stood, Acts 20:22–23. . . .
Do not fly out of a slavish fear, but rather because flying is an ordinance of God, opening a door for the escape of some, which door is opened by God’s providence, and the escape countenanced by God’s Word, Matthew 10:23.
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John Bunyan
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REVIEW 1 John 1:9 Ephesians 2:8–9 1 John 4:7 Psalm 34:19 Jeremiah 33:3
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Pamela L. McQuade (Bible Memory Plan: 52 Verses You Should --and CAN--Know)
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The Beatitudes of Revelation 1. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it. (Revelation 1:3) 2. Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. (Revelation 14:13) 3. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame. (Revelation 16:15) 4. Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb! (Revelation 19:9) 5. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years. (Revelation 20:6) 6. Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book. (Revelation 22:7) 7. Blessed are those who do His commandments that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. (Revelation 22:14)
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David Jeremiah (Agents of the Apocalypse: A Riveting Look at the Key Players of the End Times)