Mark 4:2, 'And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine,'
MARK 4:1-12
The Greek word used here for 'doctrine' means 'teaching' and occurs a total of 30 times in the New Testament. The four gospels refer to Jesus teaching 43 times and preaching 19 times, and six verses refer to Him preaching and teaching in the same verse. This would indicate that Jesus spent twice as much time teaching as He did preaching. Jesus' teaching is the basic building block of making disciples and a stumbling block to the...
To Whom Much Is Given
Matthew 12:43, 'When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.'
MATTHEW 12:43-45
Most often, verses 43-45 are used to teach about demon possession and deliverance from evil spirits. Jesus made it clear that getting rid of an unclean spirit is only a part of deliverance. You must also fill the place that was previously occupied by the demonic spirit with the presence and power of God as protection. If a person is cleansed from an evil spirit but left 'empty,' the spirit will return with even more spirits and the individual will be much worse off. Simply being empty of the devil, but not full of God, is a very dangerous and short-lived condition. True...
ISN'T IT GREAT TO KNOW THAT GOD HAS THOUGHTS OF PEACE TOWARD US. THAT IS WHAT JEREMIAH 29:11 SAYS, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." JUST TO THINK THAT THE GOD OF THIS WHOLE UNIVERSE, THE ONE WHO CREATED US AND EVERYTHING, THINKS ABOUT US. WHEN READING THIS, WE HAVE TO REALIZE THIS WAS HUNDREDS OF YEARS BEFORE JESUS, OUR SAVIOR, WAS EVEN BORN. I WOULD ASSUME THAT THE "EXPECTED END" WOULD BE OUR SALVATION AND OUR BEING ABLE TO LIVE WITH HIM FOREVER. THAT IS AN "EXPECTED END" I AM GOING TO ENJOY.
I HAVE WRITTEN BEFORE ON THE POWER OF GOD'S WORD BUT I HAVE A LITTLE MORE TO SAY ON THAT SUBJECT. SOME PEOPLE DON'T BELIEVE IN GOD'S WORD. IF THEY DID, THEY WOULD NOT BE IN NEED OR SICK OR DEPRESSED. I HAVE HEARD A LOT OF BAD COMMENTS ON WHAT SOME PEOPLE CALL THOSE "NAME IT AND CLAIM IT" CHRISTIANS BUT WHAT IS REALLY WRONG WITH BEING ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE. WELL YOU CAN CALL ME ONE BECAUSE I DO BELIEVE IN GOD'S WORD AND HE SAYS TO ASK AND IT SHALL BE GIVEN TO ME. READ IT FOR YOURSELF. (LUKE 6:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.) HE DIDN'T SAY "IT MIGHT", HE SAID "IT SHALL". NOW THERE ARE THINGS WE HAVE TO DO AND THAT IS TO NOT ASK ANYTHING THAT IS NOT ACCORDING TO HIS WILL AND WORD. THE OTHER THING IS...
Just Words
Matthew 12:37, 'For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.'
MATTHEW 12:34-37
God created the heavens and the earth and everything that is in the earth by His words (Heb. 11:3). The whole creation was made by, and responds to, words. Our words, when spoken in faith, release either life or death (Prov. 18:21) and will affect people, things, and circumstances. We can release the power that is in faith by our words.
Every word counts. There is no such things as an 'idle' word which will not work for us or against us. Our words can be our most powerful weapon against the devil, or they can become a snare of the devil (Prov. 6:2). Faith-filled words can move mountains.
The...
HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED HOW THE ALMIGHTY GOD COULD LIVE INSIDE US? SOLOMON EVEN SAYS IN 2ND CHRONICLES 2:6 SAYS "But who is able to build him an house, seeing the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain him?" who am I then, that I should build him an house, save only to burn sacrifice before him?
NOW DON'T YOU FEEL BETTER KNOWING THAT YOU HAVE THE FULLNESS OF GOD IN YOU. (JOHN 1:16 And of his fulness have all we...
Matthew 12:35, 'A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.'
MATTHEW 12:32-45
Our spirit is definitely a part of our heart, but as seen in 1 Peter 3:4, it is only a part. Sin, iniquity, unbelief, etc., come from the heart but not the born-again spirit. Hebrews 4:12 suggests that spirit and soul are both part of the heart; hence, the scriptures admonish us to believe with all our heart (Acts 8:37), have singleness of heart (Col. 3:22), and tell us our hearts can have two minds or ways of thinking (Jas. 4:8).
Even Christians still struggle with things like pride and foolishness which Jesus said came out of our heart. It's...