Category Archives: Counsel
Pre-Conditions?
Ex.20:3 “You must not have any other god but me.”
When we begin to flirt with ideas that the enemy wants us to flirt with, we open our hearts to compromise. When you toy with the idea of keeping secrets, you are asking for trouble. Read the rest of this entry
Love’s Comfort
Heb.12:5 “And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said, “My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you”
Being at peace with others does not mean keeping peace. Being at peace with others is making peace. There is a huge difference between keeping peace and making peace. Similarly, there is a huge difference between correction and revenge. Read the rest of this entry
Line of Sight
Ps.27: 1 “The Lord is my Light and my Salvation. I will fear no one.” [GN, with emphasis].
Jn.12:42-43 “…many believed in Jesus. But they would not admit it for fear of the Pharisees… They were more concerned to have the approval of men than the approval of God” [Ph].
The last damaging effect of the fear of rejection that we will be looking at is: it Produces depression and unhappiness. Being more concerned about the approval of men rather than the approval of God produces depression and unhappiness.
Single Minded
Ex.17:10 Joshua did exactly as Moses had instructed him to do…[Voice] 13 As a result, Joshua overwhelmed the army of Amalek in battle [NLT, with emphasis]
In your business, maintain a single line of command. In your home, it must be a single line of command. In your life, it must be a single line of command. Joshua could have challenged Moses instruction, “Why do I have to be the one to risk getting killed on the battle field? Let us switch places, you go and fight and give me the rod of God and I will stand on the mountain.” But who determined the victory, was it Joshua’s militancy or Moses on the hill? Aaron and Hur could have said to Moses, “Now that your hands are tired, it Read the rest of this entry
Force Multiplier
Ex.17: 10 “Joshua did exactly as Moses had instructed him to do. He gathered the strongest men he could find and fought against the soldiers of Amalek. Meanwhile, Moses, Aaron, and Hur climbed to the top of the hill” [with emphasis]
The Power to Prevail is Multiplied in Community. Ex.17:9 “Moses called for a young leader named Joshua. Moses (to Joshua): Select some of our best men, and go fight against the soldiers of Amalek…” [with emphasis]. Joshua could not go and fight all by himself. Moses did not expect Joshua to go alone. Joshua needed to attend to this assignment with a team and that was exactly what he did. Even Moses did not go up on the hill alone.
Permanent Part
Heb.12:16 “Make sure that no one is immoral or godless like Esau, who traded his birthright as the first born son for a single meal”
No matter how much God loves people, He tells the story of their lives as it is. This thread runs through the entire Bible – Isaac, Israel, Paul, Peter, Matthew, Rahab. Concerning Rahab, I would say to God, “How about removing the part that she was a prostitute? So that Jesus can have a clean linage”. Even with David, the man after God’s heart, God was brutally truthful in telling his story including the episode with Bathsheba. Jesus obviously loved the rich young man, but Jesus still said the man chose money rather than eternity. I Read the rest of this entry
Wrestle This!
Gen.5:23 “Enoch lived 365 years, 24 walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him.”
Every time you allow the world to contaminate your consecration to God, you are asking for trouble. One major hazard to God’s people has always been the influence of the people around them. The examples in Scripture are for you and I, so that we do not make the same mistakes they made. Do not gloss over it! Learn from it. A ship can go from one continent to another without sinking as long as the ocean stays outside of the ship. The moment the water begins to enter the ship, it will sink. You are in the world but you are not of Read the rest of this entry
Speak Up
Est.4:16 “Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die.”
The beauty about our relationship with God is that whenever we call on Him, He hears us and answers us. Scriptures give us many examples of God’s faithfulness through answered prayers. Over the next few days we are going to be looking at examples of people in the Bible that encountered God, how God changed their destinies and they moved forward.
Our first example is Esther. King Xerxes had a problem with his wife and she was dethroned. His search for a new queen led him to Read the rest of this entry
Your Job
2 Kings 2: 23 … a large group of young boys …began making fun of him: “Keep going, baldy! Keep going, baldy!” 24 …Elisha …spoke against them by the authority of the Eternal. Almost immediately, 2 female bears walked out of the forest and ripped up 42 of the …boys” [Voice]
I imagine that there were more than forty-two children there, but the Bible records that forty-two were ripped up. So it is safe to assume that some got away, with scratches on their bodies and deeply traumatized. That tells me that those ones had parents that were praying for them. Some people always seem to have near death experiences while others in similar situations do not survive it. Why? Someone is on his or her knees praying for him or her. You have to pray for your children. It is so important because this world Read the rest of this entry
Knowing IX
Prov.22:17–19 [TLB, emphasis added] “Listen to this wise advice; follow it closely, for it will do you good, and you can pass it on to others…”
When God wants to take you into a new experience with Him, what do you do? I would say the only response is to follow Him. And this is the beauty of relationship; the more you spend time with God, the more He reveals Himself to you. Has God not been beautiful beyond description even before you and I were formed? But as you spend time with Him, as you experience Him and tarry in His Presence, these things become real to you. Then you become better equipped to pick out His voice even amidst a crowd.
