Humility Before Honor
Matthew 18:4 'Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.'
MATTHEW 18:1-5; MARK 9:30-37; LUKE 9:46-48
It is interesting that Jesus used a little child to illustrate humility. Although it is true that little children have a purity and humility that is many times missing in adults, they certainly are not selfless. A child comes into the world totally self-centered, wanting what he wants when he wants it. Parents are to train children out of this self-centeredness.
One of humility's dominant characteristics is a God-dependency and not a self-sufficiency. The truth of humility being the key to greatness or success was not new. Jesus gave this...
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One Hundred Times Zero
Matthew 17:27 'Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money; that take, and give unto them for me and thee.'
MATTHEW 17:24-27
This was quite a miracle. Not only was the money supplied for their taxes, but it was the exact amount needed, and it was from the first fish that was caught.
Although this sets the precedent that God can supply our needs in a miraculous way, it's important to remember that God doesn't counterfeit money. He didn't create money in the fish, but rather he had the fish miraculously find and swallow the exact Roman coin that Peter...
IF YOU ARE A CHRISTIAN, YOU HAVE HOLY SPIRIT DWELLING IN YOU AND I DON'T BELIEVE YOU HAVE TO SPEAK IN TONGUES TO PROVE IT, NO MORE THAN YOU HAVE TO TELL PEOPLE ABOUT JESUS TO PROVE YOU ARE BORN AGAIN. WE ALL SHOULD BUT IT IS A CHOICE THAT WE HAVE TO MAKE`. WE CHRISTIANS HAVE THE ABILITY TO USE THE POWER OF HOLY SPIRIT. HE IS IN US ALL AND WE HAVE TO EXERCISE THAT RIGHT...
Fasting Drives Away Doubt
Mark 9:29 'And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.'
MARK 9:28-29
Prayer and fasting do not drive certain demons out. If the name of Jesus and faith in His name won't do the job, then fasting and prayer won't either. Jesus is saying that fasting and prayer are the only ways of casting out this type of unbelief.
An unbelief that comes as a result of ignorance can be done away with by receiving the truth of God's Word (Rom. 10:17; 2 Pet. 1:4). However, the unbelief that hindered the disciples in this case was a 'natural' type of unbelief. They had been taught all of their lives to believe what their five senses told them. They were simply dominated by this...