Proverbs 12:1 Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is brutish.
What happens when you try to build something without following the instructions? Usually, it is not going to turn out the way that you expected it. Why did your parents discipline you for disobeying them when you were growing up? Usually, it […]

Proverbs 11:24 There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.
Jesus commanded us, 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 […]

1 Peter 3:6 Even as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement.
Abraham obeyed God by leaving his home to sojourn in the Promise Land. However, when a famine was in the land, Abraham went down to Egypt. Abraham was […]

Proverbs 10:29 The way of the LORD is strength to the upright: but destruction shall be to the worker of iniquity.
Abraham was told by God that he was to sacrifice his son upon an altar. Abraham had a long history of hearing the voice of God so HE understood what God had told him to […]

Proverbs 10:22 The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.
The Lord owns the cattle on a thousand hills. Rich people can be very miserable. They are so busy hoarding their money that they fail to enjoy life. However, when God blesses one of his children with money and […]

1 Corinthians 13:6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity,
Love is not glad when injustice occurs. If you have love in your heart, this means that there is no room to be cheerful or full of joy when injustice, unrighteousness, or moral wrongs are committed around you.
When Moses was returning to Egypt after receiving from God the instructions […]

Proverbs 7:3 Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart.
You have heard of people tying a string on their finger so that they would not forget something important. You have heard of people keeping a journal or a diary so that they would not be quick to forget what occurred […]

Proverbs 7:1 My son keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.
How can you keep that which you have not obtained? You cannot keep a rare family heirloom if you have never received it. As such, you need to obtain the words of God. When you understand what God has to say to […]

Genesis 22:8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: and so they went both of them together.
Abraham had been given the ultimate test by God: did he love God enough to do that which was not best in his own interests? Abraham had to wait many years […]

Proverbs 4:12 When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened: and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.
The word straitened in this passage can also be translated as distress. How would you like to live your daily life without distress? How would you like to live your life not stumbling in sin? God has […]

Proverbs 2:5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.
God has promised you that you can find knowledge and that you can understand the fear of the Lord. This promise is not given to all; it is given to those who desire to find knowledge. You will not […]

Acts 27:24 Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.
God has a way of encouraging those who seek HIM and are willing to follow HIS direction. Paul was a prisoner aboard a ship bound for Rome when a storm arose that […]

Acts 27:12 And because the haven was not commodious to winter in, the more part advised to depart thence also, if by any means they might attain to Phenice, and there to winter;
Paul was a prisoner being taken to Rome. Along the way, he advised Julius, the centurion who was in charge of him, that […]

Acts 23:16 And when Paul’s sister’s son heard of their lying in wait, he went and entered into the castle, and told Paul.
Forty men entered into a conspiracy that they would not eat or drink until they had killed Paul. However, what these men had plotted together in secret, God revealed in the open. God […]

Act 23:11 And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.
Paul had already been told of God that he was going to preach in Rome. Paul had shared with others that […]

Acts 20:35 I have showed you all things, how that so laboring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
Paul is speaking to the elders of the church of Ephesus. Paul is reminding them of the […]

Acts 10:39 And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree:
How did Peter know about the power of Jesus? How did Peter know about the death and resurrection of Jesus? Peter knew because he was an […]

Acts 10:20 Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them.
How easy is it for you to allow doubt to cloud your judgment? Thomas had heard with his ears that others had seen Jesus alive, but he refused to believe until he personally saw his risen Lord […]

Acts 5:19 - 20 But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said, Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.
The religious leaders had arrested Peter and the other apostles for preaching the name of Christ. While the […]

Philippians 3:8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
In this passage, we see that Paul is willing to give up everything […]

Isaiah 58:10 And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy thy afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness as the noonday:
In this passage we see a promise of God conditioned by your actions. If you love your neighbor as yourself, if you look after those who […]

Lamentations 3:26 It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.
Waiting is never easy, but in this verse we see that not only are we supposed to wait, but that we are to do so quietly. What does it mean to quietly wait? How does one […]

Lamentations 3:25 The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.
The words wait and seeking do not seem like they belong in the same passage. A very quick glance at this passage would cause one to scratch their head and wonder what this verse means. Wait typically means […]

I John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
It is real easy to become materialistic and start to love the things of the world more than God. Most people spend most of their week […]

I John 2:10 He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.
Temptation is all around us. Even Jesus, the Son of God was tempted. It is not a sin to be tempted; it is a sin to yield to temptation. Jesus was tempted like you, but […]

Psalms 143:5 I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the work of thy hands.
David decided that he was going to fill his life with the testimonies of God’s goodness. There may be many difficult things that he was facing, but he made a conscience effort to fill […]

Psalms 125:1 They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion which cannot be removed, but abideth forever.
How many times have you seen a ministry destroyed because the leader of that ministry was caught in some sin? The leader was well known for the good that he was doing for the kingdom of […]

Psalms 105:8 He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations.
As you study scripture, you learn the importance of keeping your oaths to God. God requires that you keep your oaths to HIM because HE will fulfill HIS promises to you. God is faithful; HE will fulfill that […]

Psalms 89:1 I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.
God desires to hear your praises. However, you are not to simply praise HIM to yourself, but one of the reasons you praise God is so that others are encouraged by […]

James 4:2 yet ye have not, because ye ask not.

In this passage you see a very important element of prayer, asking. In Matthew 7:7 Jesus told you �Ask, and it shall be given you�. He went on to say in verse 8 �For every one that asketh receiveth�. Christ taught the importance of asking when HE promised you in Matthew 21:22 �And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.�

It is important to ask, but just as important in asking is making sure you are asking for the right thing. James went on to tell you in verse 3 �Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.� Thus it is not only important that you ask but that you ask for the right thing. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus analogized our relationship with God to that of a son asking his father for bread. Jesus explained that a father would not give his son a rock when he asked for bread. Jesus then said in Matthew 7:11 �If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?