When prayer and faith are aligned, miracles can happen to you, your family and to anyone you are praying for. Unfortunately, when doubt creeps into your mind, your prayers often become cries for help that go unanswered. Despite witnessing countless miracles performed by Jesus, his disciples regularly failed to move the mountains that were standing in their way. This is the topic that inspired Corey Voss’ song God Who Moves Mountains.
When the disciples saw it, they marveled greatly and asked, How is it that the fig tree has withered away all at once? 21 And Jesus answered them, Truly I say to you, if you have faith (a [n]firm relying trust) and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, Be taken up and cast into the sea, it will be done. 22 And whatever you ask for in prayer, having faith and [really] believing, you will receive, Matthew 21:20-22.
As my sister Kathie battles ovarian cancer, I’m trying to remove all doubt from my mind. As I cask God to regenerate red and white blood cells within Kathie’s body to suffocate and kill all cancer cells, I’m praying for a miracle. I’m claiming Jesus’ promise in the passage above to move the mountain of cancer, to do the impossible from a scientific standpoint. Join me in the quest to move the mountains standing in your own way in 2023 so that miracles flow via the power of the Holy Spirit, 2 Peter 1:3-4.
As a young aspiring athlete, my picture of perfection was the best player in every sport. Wayne Gretsky in hockey, Dr. J in basketball, Steve Carlton in baseball and Reggie White in football. Before the existence of social media, news was strictly based upon a player’s performance. Today, there is no picture of perfection as critics on the right and left pick apart rising stars like vultures during a feeding frenzy.
You, therefore, must be perfect [growing into complete [ak]maturity of godliness in mind and character, [al]having reached the proper height of virtue and integrity], as your heavenly Father is perfect, Matthew 5:48.
The Sermon on the Mount points to perfection, but in the sense of striving towards it. The apostle Paul quotes an Old Testament prophet in Romans 3:9-12 to burst the bubble on human perfection. In case you haven’t heard, this is impossible as all men and women has fallen short of God’s glory despite how hard each has tried, Romans 3:23. Despite this painful reality, Hebrews 4:15-16 refers to Jesus as a great high priest who was a model of perfection, dying on our behalf.
For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship), [d]recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live], Ephesians 2:10.
If life is meant to be a series of trial and error, sooner or later you’ll start to take steps toward perfection. The apostle Paul compares God to a spiritual potter, constantly molding and fashioning us into His image, Romans 9:20-21. Meanwhile, Paul compares God to a carpenter in the passage above. Depending upon your gifts and talents, the Holy Spirit seeks to guide you toward the good works God has planned for you in the future, Philippians 1:6. As you keep in step with the Holy Spirit, Galatians 5:25, may your life resemble the fruits if God’s Spirit like a picture of spiritual perfection.
Today’s song touches on the expression, “be careful what you wish for.” While every has dreams and goals in life, earthly desires can serve as barriers, obstacles, and roadblocks from making these wishes a reality. Hey Hey starts with an open-ended question, “what does the world have to offer?” As you look into this from afar or up-close, you may be attracted by what you see? Then again, if you’ve lived long enough like me, you recognize the empty promises to a life filled with sin.
[So] if we say we are partakers together and enjoy fellowship with Him when we live and move and are walking about in darkness, we are [both] speaking falsely and do not live and practice the Truth [which the Gospel presents]. 7 But if we [really] are living and walking in the Light, as He [Himself] is in the Light, we have [true, unbroken] fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses (removes) us from all sin and guilt [keeps us cleansed from sin in all its forms and manifestations]. 8 If we say we have no sin [refusing to admit that we are sinners], we delude and lead ourselves astray, and the Truth [which the Gospel presents] is not in us [does not dwell in our hearts], 1 John 1:6-8.
The Elms bring n important question to light through the lyrics of Hey Hey. While the chorus is nothing more than slang, each new stanza addresses a different group of people. After listening to this song for the first time, I was reminded of the passage above. Who you have fellowship with will dictate the person that you become, Psalm 1:1-3. The more questionable characters you surround yourself with, the more open you become to a secular lifestyle. As you enter a new year, chose wisely.
As someone who rarely worries, 2022 was a year filled with distractions. While most transfers take a few months, mine lingered on for nearly seven months, filling my life with disappointment and rejection. All of this uncertainly challenged me emotionally and spiritually. When my prayers for clarity continued to go unanswered, a spirit of worry interfered with my ability to worship the Lord. One of the byproducts of this disconnect with God was the root of bitterness, Hebrews 12:15.
As you have therefore received Christ, [even] Jesus the Lord, [so] walk (regulate your lives and conduct yourselves) in union with and conformity to Him. 7 Have the roots [of your being] firmly and deeply planted [in Him, fixed and founded in Him], being continually built up in Him, becoming increasingly more confirmed and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and abounding and overflowing in it with thanksgiving. 8 See to it that no one carries you off as spoil or makes you yourselves captive by his so-called philosophy and intellectualism and vain deceit (idle fancies and plain nonsense), following human tradition (men’s ideas of the material rather than the spiritual world), just crude notions following the rudimentary and elemental teachings of the universe and disregarding [the teachings of] Christ (the Messiah), Colossians 2:6-8.
The apostle Paul addresses worry in his letter to the Church at Colosse. One of the best ways to avoid bitterness is by developing strong spiritual root systems. Like the tree in Psalm 1:3, receiving daily nourishment from the Word of God is key to deepening your personal relationship with Jesus Christ, Romans 10:9-11. The planting process starts by surrounding yourself with a healthy environment like the good soil described by Jesus in the Parable of the Sower, Matthew 13:23.
Rejoice in the Lord always [delight, gladden yourselves in Him]; again I say, Rejoice! 5 Let all men know and perceive and recognize your unselfishness (your considerateness, your forbearing spirit). The Lord is near [He is [a]coming soon]. 6 Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition ([b]definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. 7 And God’s peace [shall be yours, that [c]tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall [d]garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, Philippians 4:4-7.
If your church has small groups, this is the best time of the year to join one while your desire to make the most of 2023 is still alive and fresh, John 10:10. If you’re still looking for a place to call home, there’s no such thing as a perfect church. However, the people inside this building are the church. Therefore, find someone who you can relate to by praying for an accountability partner. The next time worry interferes with worship, you’ll have someone to help you break these chains to find a heartbeat for worship.
Hurry up and wait is one of those expressions directed at my impatient nature over the years. As an active, anxious, and eager individual, if I’m not constantly moving, I begin to fall asleep, bored by a non-active life. However, from a spiritual standpoint, some people wait a lifetime searching for the meaning to life. When you’re pointed in the right direction to the passage below, your wait is over.
And there is salvation in and through no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by and in which we must be saved, Acts 4:12.
Disciple’s song the Wait is Over contains a similar theme. If the Bible contains over one verses on wait and waiting, this tells me waiting is important life lesson impatient people need to learn. When it comes to heaven, there is only one name where salvation can be found, Jesus. One of Jesus’ disciples writes a letter to first century Christian to inform them that your eternal destination can be secured without a doubt, 1 John 5:12-13. When you call upon the name of Jesus, Romans 10:9-11, the wait is over.
Celebrating New Year’s Eve as an adult isn’t as exciting as it was when I was younger. I’m not sure if it’s my new work schedule which forces me to go to sleep between eight and nine on weekdays or I’ve lost enthusiasm and luster of the newness of a brand-new day. While reading words from the prophet Jeremiah, I was reminded how quickly sadness can be replaced with joy. In the passage below, Jeremiah transitions from bad news to a message of hope.
My soul has them continually in remembrance and is bowed down within me. 21 But this I recall and therefore have I hope and expectation: Lamentations 3:20-21.
Depending upon how bad of a day, month or year you are having, God’s promise of grace and forgiveness is encouraging to any sinner. Despite his numerous missionary trips, the apostle Paul still considered himself one of the greatest sinners of all, 1 Timothy 1:15. The closer that some believers get to God, the more their sins are laid in plain sight. While the perfectionist in me still causes me to beat myself up from time to time, meditating on God’s love and nature gives me hope for tomorrow.
It is because of the Lord’s mercy and loving-kindness that we are not consumed, because His [tender] compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning; great and abundant is Your stability and faithfulness. 24 The Lord is my portion or share, says my living being (my inner self); therefore will I hope in Him and wait expectantly for Him, Lamentations 3:22-24.
Perhaps, the ideal manner to start a brand-new day is simply emulating Jesus’ early morning practice in Mark 1:35. Although you may not be a morning person but taking a walk before you pray is a great way to clear your mind from the worries of life. Back in college, I ran three to five miles a few times a week to refresh my mind before returning to complete my homework. As 2023 continues to unfold, may the Holy Spirit guide you to develop a special time with God daily so that you’ll be eager and excited to put the new into a brand-new day.
While a first century doctor features a story about a prodigal son, this doesn’t mean that prodigal daughters didn’t exist in the first century. Jesus spent time ministering to a woman at a well in John 4. After a slight back and forth in their conversation, Jesus reveals that this woman has been in a series of sexual relationships and the man she is currently with is not her husband as well. When this discussion ended, a spiritual hungry was left within this woman’s heart.
And He said, There was a certain man who had two sons; 12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the part of the property that falls [to me]. And he divided the estate between them. 13 And not many days after that, the younger son gathered up all that he had and journeyed into a distant country, and there he wasted his fortune in reckless and loose [from restraint] living. 14 And when he had spent all he had, a [g]mighty famine came upon that country, and he began to fall behind and be in want, Luke 15:11-14.
Seventh Day Slumber sings about a similar topic in their song Caroline. While it’s unclear if the song writer is referring to a friend or relative, but Caroline appears to be someone’s prodigal daughter. Due to unknown circumstances, Caroline has taken a break from God and is living life under her own terms. May the lyrics of Caroline inspire you to reach out to fellow Christians who have gone astray and have yet to come back to their senses.
The origins of April Fool’s Day is a mystery. Some historians point to Geoffrey Chaucer’s the Canterbury Tales. This theory is based upon Chaucer’s comments on the time between April 1st and foolishness. Meanwhile, others refer to the 16th century religious figure who refused to celebrate the re-established New Year on January first. This stoic held to the belief that the new year began in April following holy week and Easter Sunday. Whatever the inspiration for April Fool’s Day, someone is always seeking to send confusion throughout the land with a practical joke.
Come, let Us go down and there confound (mix up, confuse) their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. 8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from that place upon the face of the whole earth, and they gave up building the city, Genesis 11:7-8.
However, sometimes the joke is on you. Imagine you’re Baalaam and your donkey starts speaking to you. This may be a sign to others that you’re either drunk, stoned or out of your mind. Then again, maybe God is trying to get your attention, but you don’t like what you’re hearing like Jonah’s initial call to go to Nineveh. When God sent a spirit of confusion upon the land of Babel, this was no joke. Your friend the day before suddenly was a stranger, unable to communicate with you. When the construction workers realized that this was reality, everyone picked up and left, never to return to this job site.
When suddenly there came a sound from heaven like the rushing of a violent tempest blast, and it filled the whole house in which they were sitting. 3 And there appeared to them tongues resembling fire, which were separated and distributed and which settled on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled (diffused throughout their souls) with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other (different, foreign) languages (tongues), as the Spirit [a]kept giving them clear and loud expression [in each tongue in appropriate words]. 5 Now there were then residing in Jerusalem Jews, devout and God-fearing men from every country under heaven, Acts 2:2-5.
When I read articles online or watch the news, I feel like it’s April Fool’s every night of the year. You’ve got to be kidding right? While it’s been thousands of years since God sent a Spirit of Confusion throughout the earth, progressive politicians, Cancel Culture and the Woke Community are ushering in man-made confusion. Rather than state the obvious based upon biological and biblical truths, right and wrong have been turned upside down. May the power of the Holy Spirit restore common sense and sanity to new leaders so that this modern spirit of confusion ceases.
The Book definition of beautiful is a person, place or thing that is pleasing to your senses or mind aesthetically: Today’s song More Beautiful You by Jonny Diaz illustrates the struggles a father of daughters deals with as their baby girl or girls grow up. As girls experience puberty, trying to fit in can be a difficult process, often changing their appearance to be accepted by their peers. The lyrics of Diaz’ song seeks biblical guidance to discover the beauty inside of you transformed by God’s Spirit.
A capable, intelligent, and[b]virtuous woman—who is he who can find her? She is far more precious than jewels and her value is far above rubies or pearls. 11 The heart of her husband trusts in her confidently and relies on and believes in her securely, so that he has no lack of [honest] gain or need of [dishonest] spoil. 12 She comforts, encourages, and does him only good as long as there is life within her, Proverbs 31:10-12.
The attached clip from Joan of Arcadia season two is entitled waiting for beautiful. As Joan struggles with jealousy in this episode, her mother is approached by an old high school sweetheart. Both are tempted by envy, wondering what life on the other side of the fence is like. While Joan fails the test God sets before her, Joan’s mom comes to her senses before exploring a potential open door. May these two videos help guide future teenage girls toward finding the more beautiful you in Christ.
Polygamy is the practice or custom of having more than one wife or husband at the same time. According to Moses, Lamech, son of Methusael, decided to take two wives rather than one. While kings often took more than one wife to insure one of their living sons would hold on to the throne, Lamech made this decision on his own. Although Moses is silent on why Lamech made this decision, he will go down as the first polygamist on earth.
To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael the father of Methusael, and Methusael the father of Lamech. 19 And Lamech took two wives; the name of the one was Adah and of the other was Zillah, Genesis 4:18-19.
When I was in high school, my best friend Carl was a devout Mormon. One of the guys I ran cross country against, Dean, was the son of the pastor of Carl’s church. Prior to meeting Carl, Mormonism was known for its belief and practice of polygamy. My non-Mormon friends would often joke, “I’d convert if I could have two wives.” Like any book, you may have preconceived judgments before reading it, but until you open it up to experience what’s inside, you’ll never know what you’ll find to be true.
Adah bore Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have cattle and purchase possessions. 21 His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe. 22 Zillah bore Tubal-cain; he was the forger of all [cutting] instruments of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah, Genesis 4:20-22.
Moses introduces the first polygamist of the Bible in the passage above. There is no logical explanation provided, but maybe Lamech was torn between two amazing women? Whatever the reason, Lamech is a trend setter for future leaders and kings. King Solomon took this to the extremes with 700 wives and 300 concubines, but this is what happens when you allow human nature to control your thought process, Genesis 4:6-7. May the missteps in life by Cain and Lamech serve as a warning to stay committed to one spouse and one God.
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