Blogs
Recognize The Real Enemy
May 28th
Mark 8:33, 'But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.'
MARK 8:30-33
Jesus was not implying that Peter and Satan were one-and-the-same, but was referring to the fact that Satan had inspired Peter's statement. This type of metaphor was used elsewhere in scripture such as when God spoke to the serpent in the garden of Eden (Gen. 3:15) as though addressing Satan. The serpent was merely the vehicle of communication Satan used to tempt Adam and Eve, while Peter was the vehicle Satan used to tempt Jesus. Ephesians 6:12 reveals...
God's Will Above Ours
May 27th
Luke 9:23, 'And he said to them all, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.'
MATTHEW 16:16-26; MARK 8:30-37; LUKE 9:21-27
Self-denial is an important part of the Christian life. Jesus sacrificed His life for us and He demands that we die to ourselves that we might experience the new life He has provided. We do this first by recognizing that we can't save ourselves by our own effort and, second, by trusting God - not self - for salvation. Then daily, we need to deny our own wisdom and seek God's wisdom and direction for our lives.
Self-denial is only good when we are denying ourselves for the singular purpose...
JESUS, THE MESSIAH, THE SON OF GOD
PROPHECY....ISAIAH 7:14 Therefore the Lord...
Jesus, The Chief Cornerstone
May 26th
Matthew 16:18, 'And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.'
MATTHEW 16:13-19
Some people have mistakenly interpreted this passage to say that Peter was the foundation on which Christ would build His Church. However, that would violate many scriptures that refer to Jesus as the 'chief cornerstone.'
Ephesians 2:20 does mention the apostles as being part of the foundation stones of Christ's church, but it doesn't single Peter out above any of the other apostles, This same scripture once again mentions Jesus as the 'chief cornerstone.'
There are two different...
I HAVE HEARD SO MANY TIMES THAT IT IS SO HARD TO LIVE A GOOD CHRISTIAN LIFE. DO YOU THINK IT IS? WELL, IT IS IF YOU ARE NOT GIVING ENOUGH ATTENTION TO JESUS. I KNOW THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS OUT THERE THAT CAN TEMPT US. OUR JOB IS TO MAKE SURE WE DO NOT DWELL ON THEM AND LET THEM TAKE OUR FOCUS AWAY FROM JESUS. CHRISTIANS DO HAVE FUN!! I HAVE MORE FUN AT A GOOD BIBLE STUDY CLASS THEN I EVER DID AT A POKER GAME. I HAVE MORE FUN IN CHURCH THAN I EVER DID SITTING IN A BAR DRINKING. IT IS WHERE YOU CHOOSE TO BE.
Petition Not Repetition
May 25th
Mark 8:24-25, 'And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.'
MATTHEW 7:7-11; MARK 8:22-25
It was unusual for Jesus to inquire about the results of His ministry as He did in verse 23. It was even more unusual that Jesus laid hands on this man a second time. This is the only example in the New Testament where Jesus had to minister to any need more than once to affect a total healing.
Many people request things from God and then look at their circumstances to see if God answered their prayer. That is walking by sight and not by faith. If...
Symptoms Of A Hard Heart
May 24th
Mark 8:17, 'And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened?'
MATTHEW 16:1-12; MARK 8:11-21
Just a few days before this instance, hardened hearts caused Jesus' disciples to be amazed when they saw Jesus walk on the water to them. Here, Jesus' statements reveal some of the characteristics of someone with a hardened heart.
First, a hard heart keeps us from perceiving spiritual truths. This is why everyone in a church service hears exactly the same message yet, some will receive while others won't. It's not the Word that is the variable, but rather the...