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Angelic Protection
Matthew 18:10 'Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.'
MATTHEW 18:10-11
We have angels assigned to us. Hebrews 1:14 further reveals that their purpose is to minister to us (i.e. on our behalf). In the Old Testament, Psalm 91 teaches on the ministry of angels to God's people.
Some have realized this truth and have taken it even further to say that we are supposed to speak to our angels and they will obey our commands. There is no instruction in scripture to do this nor is there any example of it being done. Many of the angels' protective duties described in Psalm 91 are preventative, and we...
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...
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 needed....
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...
Give All The Glory To God
John 17:18 'As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.'
We are not from the world. Through the new birth, we come from God and should constantly remind ourselves of this. It is not good to be too 'at home' in the world. We are in the world but are not of the world. Great men and women of God have always had this attitude.
The primary reason that God chooses to use those who are nothing by the world's standards, is so no one else can take credit for the great things that are accomplished.
If the Lord used those who had it 'all together' in the natural, then they would share the glory that rightfully belongs to God alone. But when the Lord works miraculously through someone who obviously...