DIVINE INSPIRATIONS

  “Fear not, stand firm; the LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be still. ‘Be still, and know that I am God’ ” (Exodus 14:13,14; Psalm 46:10). What does it mean to “be still” in God’s presence? Is it sitting cross-legged on top of a secluded mountain, with nothing around but rocks and wind and a few bald eagles soaring overhead? Or perhaps it’s kneeling quietly in a darkened pew, the waxed scent past prayers and ancient incense floating around you in peaceful, blessed silence. Certainly to “be still” in God can mean those things. Yet how often do you visit a hermit-like mountaintop, or even a quiet pew in an empty church? Not often, most likely—at least, not if you’re anything like me. I wish I could do more of that stuff, but sadly I have bills to pay and people to respond to and deadlines to meet. Spending time in quiet seclusion, just us and God, is certainly essential to a healthy prayer life (yes, that means no cell phones allowed). However, to “be still” means so m...

  Jesus the Good Steward: Five ways to follow his example Have you ever thought about what it really means to be a good steward? Stewardship isn’t just about money—it’s about how we manage everything God entrusts to us: our time, abilities, relationships, and even creation itself. From the very beginning, God has called his people to live as wise and faithful stewards.  Good stewardship lies at the heart of the command given to Adam and Eve in Genesis to be fruitful, subdue the earth and rule over everything. As God’s image bearers they were to reflect the heart of a benevolent God to the world in a caring and wise way (Genesis 1:26-28). It’s a charge that passes on to us. Yet, as we see from Genesis 3 onwards, humanity's stewardship has been marked by failure, as sin distorts our ability to care for what God has entrusted to us. But while many biblical figures illustrate stewardship in different ways, Jesus provides the ultimate example. Here are five ways in which Jesus show...

Salvation is deliverance from danger or suffering. To save is to deliver or protect. The word carries the idea of victory, health, or preservation. Sometimes, the Bible uses the words saved or salvation to refer to temporal, physical deliverance, such as Paul’s deliverance from prison (Philippians 1:19). More often, the word salvation concerns an eternal, spiritual deliverance. When Paul told the Philippian jailer what he must do to be saved, he was referring to the jailer’s eternal destiny (Acts 16:30-31). Jesus equated being saved with entering the kingdom of God (Matthew 19:24-25). What are we saved from? In the Christian doctrine of salvation, we are saved from “wrath,” that is, from God’s judgment of sin (Romans 5:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:9). Our sin has separated us from God, and the consequence of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Biblical salvation refers to our deliverance from the consequence of sin and therefore involves the removal of sin. We are saved from both the power and penalty...

Many people are looking for “steps to salvation.” People like the idea of an instruction manual with five steps that, if followed, will result in salvation. An example of this is Islam with its Five Pillars. According to Islam, if the Five Pillars are obeyed, salvation will be granted. Because the idea of a step-by-step process to salvation is appealing, many in the Christian community make the mistake of presenting salvation as a result of a step-by-step process. Roman Catholicism has seven sacraments. Various Christian denominations add baptism, public confession, turning from sin, speaking in tongues, etc., as steps to salvation. But the Bible only presents one step to salvation. When the Philippian jailer asked Paul, “What must I do to be saved?” Paul responded, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved” (Acts 16:30-31). Faith in Jesus Christ as the Savior is the only “step” to salvation. The message of the Bible is abundantly clear. We have all sinned against God (Ro...

  It continues to blow my mind how many Christians believe salvation can be lost. What surprises me even more is the vehemence with which people will cling to the idea. The issue is covered quite thoroughly on GotQuestions.org (see the links at the bottom of this post). So, there is no need to re-cover every aspect of this debate. But, here are a few points I think are worth emphasizing, based on recent conversations with salvation “lost and found” individuals. Point One: The loss of salvation in Hebrews — you can’t get it back! The most popular verses people who believe salvation can be lost will point to are Hebrews 6:4-6 and Hebrews 10:26-29. What most of them fail to understand, or admit, is that if these passages teach that salvation can be lost, they also teach that salvation, once lost, can never be regained. Hebrews 6:4-6 says that, “it is impossible...to renew them again to repentance.” Hebrews 10:26 says, “if we go on sinning...there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins...

  Sin is described in the Bible as transgression of the law of God (1 John 3:4) and rebellion against God (Deuteronomy 9:7; Joshua 1:18). Sin had its beginning with Lucifer, probably the most beautiful and powerful of the angels. Not content with his position, he desired to be higher than God, and that was his downfall, the beginning of sin (Isaiah 14:12-15). Renamed Satan, he brought sin to the human race in the Garden of Eden, where he tempted Adam and Eve with the same enticement, “you shall be like God.” Genesis 3 describes Adam and Eve’s rebellion against God and against His command. Since that time, sin has been passed down through all the generations of mankind and we, Adam’s descendants, have inherited sin from him. Romans 5:12 tells us that through Adam sin entered the world, and so death was passed on to all men because “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Through Adam, the inherent inclination to sin entered the human race, and human beings became sinners by nature...

  Forgiveness in the Bible is a “release” or a “dismissal” of something. The forgiveness we have in Christ involves the release of sinners from God’s just penalty and the complete dismissal of all charges against us (see Romans 8:1). Colossians 1:14 says that in God’s beloved Son “we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” The Amplified Bible translates the last phrase like this: “the forgiveness of our sins [and the cancellation of sins’ penalty].” God’s gracious forgiveness of our sin is to be the measure of our gracious forgiveness of others (Ephesians 4:32). To some people, forgiveness may seem like weakness or letting an undeserving person win, but it has no connection to weakness or even to emotions. Instead, forgiveness is an act of the will. Forgiveness is not granted because a person deserves to be forgiven. No one deserves to be forgiven. Forgiveness is a deliberate act of love, mercy, and grace. Forgiveness is a decision to not hold something against another person, d...

Simply put, to justify is to declare righteous. Justification is an act of God whereby He pronounces a sinner to be righteous because of that sinner’s faith in Christ. According to one theologian, “the root idea in justification is the declaration of God, the righteous judge, that the man who believes in Christ, sinful though he may be, is righteous—is viewed as being righteous, because in Christ he has come into a righteous relationship with God” (Ladd, G. E., A Theology of the New Testament, Eerdmans, 1974, p. 437). Properly understood, justification has to do with God’s declaration about the sinner, not any change within the sinner. That is, justification, per se, does not make anyone holy; it simply declares him to be not guilty before God and therefore treated as holy. The actual change toward holiness in the sinner occurs with sanctification, which is related to justification but, for definition’s sake, distinct from it. A key passage describing justification in relation to belie...

  Sanctification is God’s will for us (1 Thessalonians 4:3). The word sanctification is related to the word saint; both words have to do with holiness. To “sanctify” something is to set it apart for special use; to “sanctify” a person is to make him holy. Jesus had a lot to say about sanctification in John 17. In verse 16 the Lord says, “They are not of the world, even as I am not of it,” and this is before His request: “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth” (verse 17). In Christian theology, sanctification is a state of separation unto God; all believers enter into this state when they are born of God: “You are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30, ESV). The sanctification mentioned in this verse is a once-for-ever separation of believers unto God. It is a work God performs, an integral part of our salvation and our connection with Christ (Hebrews 10:10). Theologians sometimes refer to thi...

  Are you a Gomer? The story of Hosea and Gomer has to be one of the greatest pictures of God’s love and faithfulness found throughout the Bible. Hosea was an Old Testament prophet that God used in a very unique way. Not only did Hosea speak the words of God, but God turned his very life and marriage into a living parable for the people of God to see and witness. The Lord had Hosea marry a prostitute named Gomer. He took her as his wife, but Gomer kept wandering into the arms of other lovers. She was unfaithful. And yet the Lord told Hosea to keep going after her again and again, and bring her back home. Hosea was a picture of God, and Gomer represented God’s people. God’s people were called to live in a covenant relationship with the Lord. He was their God and they were to have no other gods in their life. They consistently rebelled against God though and chased after other idols. Their history was full of unfaithfulness. Instead of just telling Israel how sinful they were and how...

The phrase principalities and powers occurs six times in the Bible, always in the King James Version and its derivatives (NKJV, MKJV). Other versions translate it variously as “rulers and authorities,” “forces and authorities,” and “rulers and powers.” In most places where the phrase appears, the contexts make it clear that it refers to the vast array of evil and malicious spirits who make war against the people of God. The principalities and powers of Satan are usually in view here, beings that wield power in the unseen realms to oppose everything and everyone that is of God. The first mention of principalities and powers is in Romans 8:37–39: “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lor...

 The book of Proverbs says that “wine is a mocker” and that “beer is a brawler” and that “whoever is led astray by them is not wise” (Proverbs 20:1). The Bible frequently refers to wine, sometimes in positive ways when describing something satisfying (Song of Songs 7:9) or celebratory (Ecclesiastes 9:7), and sometimes metaphorically in negative ways when describing God’s judgment (Psalm 75:8) and wrath (Revelation 14:10). A mocker is somebody who is hostile to a life of righteousness and ridicules all who would oppose him. Saying that “wine is a mocker” is a way of describing someone who succumbs to its influence: a drunk person tends to mock virtue and scoff at the things of God. As a whole, the book of Proverbs provides instructions for living a wise and virtuous life—by avoiding actions that end up harming oneself and others. In Proverbs 20:1 specifically, wine and beer are personified in their victims—they are enemies of wisdom who lead others astray. It can be said, then, that...

  4 Ways the Holy Spirit Guides Us By  Andrea Rogers Before he ascended to heaven, Jesus promised to send us an Advocate, a Helper who would always be with us. “But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.” John 16:7 Gods Spirit is with you each and every second of every day. He is only a prayer away. 1.  He guides us to the truth : The bible teaches that Jesus is Truth, and the Truth can set us free; free from sin, death, loneliness. Free from anything that is contrary to His word. We find the truth by allowing the Holy Sprit to guide us to the truth about Jesus; that is, He came to be our Saviour. The Spirit will also guide us in our lives as we seek Him through prayer. Read – John 16:13   “However, when He, the Spirit of truth has come, He will guide you into all truth…” 2.  He guides us away from sin : Through prayer, our powerful commu...

  By Kara Sensenig on August 11, 2020 A Most Essential Gift: Discerning of Spirits The Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons.  (1 Timothy 4:1, NASB) Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God.  (1 John 4:1, NASB) The gift of discerning of spirits is one of the most needed gifts in the Body of Christ today. Jesus's mandate that we become "wise as serpents and harmless as doves" ( Matthew 10:16 ) implies that we must develop supernatural discernment, the ability to detect motivation and the spirits that motivate. The gift of discerning of spirits will become increasingly important as we approach the end of this age because deception will be the hallmark of these perilous times.   How It Operates   The Apostle Paul wrote,  “the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to ...

  People everywhere search for peace. They sing songs about it and travel on pilgrimages to find it. They even wage war to protect it. Many wealthy, famous, and powerful people would trade everything for just one moment of peace. What they often find, however, is the world’s false peace which is different from the peace offered by Jesus: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not  your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. (John 14:27) The peace offered by the world is an empty promise and can only bring temporary comfort. God’s peace is a permanent peace offered by the only One who can be trusted to keep his Word and heal our sin. The world’s peace is fleeting and changes with circumstances. During times of prosperity, nations experience temporary peace. But when economies struggle, countries find themselves on the brink of civil war as well as war with their neighbors. The peace of the world is a precarious thin...