Have you come to “when” yet?

Job 42:10
And the Lord restored Job's losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.

The ministry of the interior 

1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light;

Questions in Genesis

25:22
But the children struggled together within her; and she said, “If all is well, why am I like this?” So she went to inquire of the Lord.

25:32
And Esau said, “Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?”

27:24
Then he said, “Are you really my son Esau?”
  He said, “I am.”

1 Peter 2:19

For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God. —

Unjust suffering! Ouch, even the sound of those words sends a chill up and down my spine. Such a thing doesn't seem fair or appropriate — and it probably isn't. Yet we have many brothers and sisters bearing up under pain and unjust suffering because of their commitment and loyalty to the only True God and to his Son, Jesus Christ. Wouldn't it be incredible if those of us who are not touched by terrible persecution or hardship would begin each day praying for those in our spiritual family who do face hardship, persecution, suffering, and mistreatment?

As they display the grace of Christ in the face of such difficulty to honor God, let's pray that our Father will not only give them strength to endure, but that he will also deliver them soon!

[Message No: 7060]

God solves our Problems

Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the LORD, who do their work in darkness and think, "Who sees us? Who will know?" – Isaiah 29:15

Aren't we so very silly sometimes! We try to hide what we've done and what we're planning from the Lord. Of course we're only fooling ourselves. At first glance, God knows our plans and seeing our actions is threatening. But after a little time to think it through, isn't it nice that God does see everything, including our motives and thoughts?

This insures justice will be done and our mess-ups will be evaluated in terms of our intentions, not just our failures! On top of that, it also means that those who plot to do us harm will have to answer to God, and we don't have to worry about "settling the score" or "getting even."

Get on move on

2 Peter 1:5
But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,

Questions in 2 Kings

2:14
Then he took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, and said, “Where is the Lord God of Elijah?” And when he also had struc
 the water, it was divided this way and that; and Elisha crossed over.

2:18
And when they came back to him, for he had stayed in Jericho, he said to them, “Did I not say to you, ‘Do not go’?”

3:7
Then he went and sent to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, saying, “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?”
  And he said, “I will go up; I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.”

Service of Passion Devotion

John 21:6
And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish.

[Message No: 7059]

Angels who sinned – Example

2 Peter 2:4
For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment;

Jude 1:6
And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day;

Cain – Example

Genesis 4:13-15
And Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear! Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face; I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me.”

   And the Lord said to him, “Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him.

1 John 3:13
not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother's righteous.

Jude 1:6
And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day;

Questions in Nehemiah

5:9
Then I said, “What you are doing is not good. Should you not walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the nations, our enemies?

6:3
So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?”

[Message No: 7058]

People of Sodom

People of Sodom – Example

Genesis 13:13
But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord.

Genesis 19:13
For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.”

2 Peter 2:6
and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly;

Luke 17:26-27
And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.

Questions in Nehemiah

2:2
Therefore the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart.”
  So I became dreadfully afraid,

4:2
And he spoke before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they complete it in a day? Will they revive the stones from the heaps of rubbish—stones that are burned?”

5:8
And I said to them, “According to our ability we have redeemed our Jewish brethren who were sold to the nations. Now indeed, will you even sell your brethren? Or should they be sold to us?”

  Then they were silenced and found nothing to say.

[Message No: 7057]

Twelve Ordained

Mark 3:13
And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him.

Luke 6:12
Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.

Luke 9:1
Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases.

Mark 6:7
And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits.

Warning to Believers – Against Worry and Anxiety

Luke 12:22
 Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.

Philippians 4:6
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;

1 Peter 5:7
casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

1 Corinthians 13:4-5

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. —

Love does not focus on myself, but on others. Each of these qualities of love is based upon an affectionate, compassionate, and forgiving attitude that regards others as being valuable and not just placing value on myself and my desires. No wonder the old saying goes "The middle of sIn is a big I!" When "I" become more important than others and what "I" want and that "I" win is more significant than what someone else truly needs, then "I" have lost my way and do not display the love of Christ.

[Message No: 7056]

Prayers Answered

[Significance of Humility]

2 Chronicles 33:12-13
Now when he was in affliction, he implored the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, and prayed to Him; and He received his entreaty, heard his supplication, and brought him back to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God.
God’s anger averted

2 Chronicles 12:7
Now when the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, saying, “They have humbled themselves; therefore I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance. My wrath shall not be poured out on Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak.

Questions in 2 Kings

1:18
Now the rest of the acts of Ahaziah which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

2:3
Now the sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that the Lord will take away your master from over you today?”
  And he said, “Yes, I know; keep silent!”

2:5
Now the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho came to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that the Lord will take away your master from over you today?”
  So he answered, “Yes, I know; keep silent!”

Getting There 

Matthew 11:28
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

John 1:39
He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).

Mark 1:17
Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.

[Message No: 7055]

Trusting God in Prayer

Matthew 7:7-11
Prayer is one area of our Christian life in which most of us recognize the need for improvement. Not only do we battle with distractions, but we’re also tempted to give up if we don’t see immediate results.

Yet the Lord wants us to keep coming to Him with our concerns because in the process, we develop an intimate relationship with Him.

Questions in 2 Chronicles 

19:2
And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord? Therefore the wrath of the Lord is upon you.

20:6
and said: “O Lord God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You?

20:7
Are You not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and gave it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever?

2 Corinthians 5:14-15

For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. —
What motivates you to do what you do? What drives you to accomplish, to achieve, and to pursue even more? Paul said that love was his compelling force. What would happen in our lives if love was truly THE compelling factor in our motivation and behavior? What if our desire to love those who do not know Jesus' saving grace became our all-consuming concern out of love? He died so that it would be! Let's not disappoint him.

Thought 

. Prayer—the best wireless connection. – Unknown

[Message No: 7054]

John Wesley

Thirteen years before his conversion, John Wesley had a conversation one night with a porter of his college that impressed Wesley that there was more to Christianity than he had found. The porter had only one coat. He had eaten no food that day and yet his heart was full of gratitude to God. Wesley said to him, “You thank God when you have nothing to wear, nothing to eat, and no bed to lie upon? What else do you thank him for?”

“I thank him,” answered the porter, “that He has given me my life and being, and a heart to love Him, and a desire to serve Him.”

Teachings of Christ 

Lost opportunity

Matthew 25:7-12 

7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps.

8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

9 “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’

10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

11 “Later the others also came. ‘Sir! Sir!’ they said. ‘Open the door for us!’

12 “But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I don't know you.’

Philippians 4:13

I can do everything through him who gives me strength. -

What's the basis of our happiness? If it's our outward circumstances, we're all in trouble because sooner or later, these aren't going to be too good. Paul said he had learned the secret to living above life's circumstances. That secret was Jesus Christ. Jesus was his assurance that no matter how difficult our problems might be, they were not permanent.

No matter how hard life was, Jesus would give him the strength to persevere. Paul is just as sure that Jesus will do this for you and me!

[Message No: 7053]