Acts 18:25 This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.
Apollos was a man who had studied the scriptures and understood that the way of the religious leaders was not proper. Apollos […]
Matthew 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
How come so many Christians have this false belief that just because they are Christians, they are […]
Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
Why was it that you mother always told you to eat your fruits and vegetables? It was because the fruits and vegetables were good for you and would promote your health. So likewise, every word of […]
Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
What is your purpose in life? If you have no purpose, you will live your life aimlessly, moving from opportunity to opportunity never satisfied.
Joseph had a vision for his life. Joseph understood that he was to be […]
Proverbs 21:11 When the scorner is punished, the simple is made wise: and when the wise is instructed, he receiveth knowledge.
Have you ever heard of rich man complaining he had too much money? Most rich men are always chasing the next dollar. This means that it does not matter how much they have, a little […]
Proverbs 20:27 The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly.
Inside each one of us, God has put a conscience. Your conscience will either burn bright or will have hardly any influence upon your life. When God created you, HE put deep inside you a knowledge […]
Proverbs 19:23 The fear of the LORD tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. You must add knowledge of the ways of God to your life if you desire to live a life that is […]
Proverbs 19:16 He that keepeth the commandment keepeth his own soul; but he that despiseth his ways shall die.
You are responsible for your actions. You cannot blame someone else for the choices that you make. If you fail to obey the commandments of God, you will suffer the consequences of your actions.
After the nation of […]
Proverbs 14:27 The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.
Many explorers spent much time seeking the fountain of youth. It was their desire to drink the water of this fountain and to reverse the ageing process. However, while the fountain of youth has never been found, […]
Proverbs 12:13 The wicked is snared by the transgression of his lips: but the just shall come out of trouble.
In Psalm 23:4, David prayed Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. David […]
Proverbs 9:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
You can spend years in school learning but it will not necessarily increase your understanding in the ways of the Lord. You obtain knowledge of the ways of the Lord by taking the time to hear […]
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 […]
Act 16:33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.
The Philippi jailer had seen the faith of Paul and Silas in action and he desired what they had. He was willing to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal […]
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 […]
Exodus 32:26 Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the Lord’s side? Let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.
The nation of Israel had sinned in worshiping a golden calf. Moses had been up in the mountain receiving the tablets […]
Psalms 144:1 Blessed be the Lord my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight:
Look at all the great battles throughout the Old Testament. Look at who received the glory for the victory. When God brings battles into our lives, it is our responsibility to turn to God and see just […]
Psalms 140:7 O God the Lord, the strength of my salvation, thou hast covered my head in the day of battle.
When Joshua fought against Amalek, Moses stood upon the hill lifting up the rod of God. As long as Moses’ hands were raised, Joshua prevailed. When Moses’ hands grew weary and fell down, then Amalek […]
Psalms 108:13 Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies.
It is important to remember that of yourself you can do nothing. If you take the time to examine many of the Old Testament battles, you will see that it was God working through individuals so that HE […]
Psalms 97:10 Ye that love the Lord, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.
You claim to love the Lord, but does your actions demonstrate to God and others that you hate evil? Do you avoid the things of this world in order to […]
Psalms 81:10 I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.
In order to receive God’s promise from this verse, you must first fulfill the condition that God lays out for you. It sounds so simple but you must first be […]
Psalms 68:35 O God, thou art terrible out of thy holy places: the God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his people. Blessed be God.
God does not want you relying upon your own strength. God desires that you learn to rely upon HIM and recognize HIM for what HE […]
Psalms 48:13 Mark ye well her bulwarks, consider her palaces; that ye may tell it to the generation following.
How well do you understand the good things that God has done for you? Have you taken the time to consider the things that God has done? Do you recognize the things HE has done to protect […]
Judges 7:2 And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.
Gideon had blown the trumpet and 32,000 men showed up to fight. Gideon was outnumbered with only 32,000 men, but God told him it was too many men. God had Gideon tell the men who were afraid to go home. Gideon obeyed God and he lost 22,000 men. Only 10,000 men trusted God could be with them against insurmountable odds.
All Israel had heard the stories of Moses and Joshua and how God led the nation supernaturally. However, some believed that God could do it again, while others just did not have enough faith to be the one that God used to deliver Israel. They would rather sit on the sidelines and watch God work and enjoy the benefits. These 22,000 men had other priorities that they would rather worry about. What would the Midianites do to their wives and children should God not be with Gideon?
Judges 3:10 And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel, and went out to war: and the Lord delivered Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed against Chushanrishathaim.
The nation of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and the anger of the Lord was hot. Rather then obeying God and utterly destroying the heathen, they dwelt with them. They not only dwelt with the heathen, but they intermarried with them. The Lord delivered them to Chushanrishathaim. For eight years, the nation of Israel was in bondage before they cried out for deliverance. When the nation of Israel cried out for deliverance, the Lord raised up a deliverer named Othniel.
Hebrews 11:33c obtained promises,
It takes faith to hear the promises of God and believe that HE will give you that which HE has promised. God does not lie; HIS hand is not slack in performing HIS promises. However, HIS promises do not come on a silver platter; they are obtained by faith.
Some promises are not designed for you to obtain. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob sojourned in the promise land but Joshua received the promise. Daniel understood that the nation of Israel would return home in 70 years but it was Ezra and Nehemiah who obtained the promise. David was promised that Solomon would build God�s temple.
Hebrews 11:32g � 33a and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms,
There are many different individuals in the Old Testament that subdued kingdoms. The writer of this passage did not want us to concentrate on the individual but on the act of faith. However, to fully understand the faith involved, we need to examine a couple different individuals who demonstrated their faith by subduing kingdoms.
Joshua subdued kingdoms by actively destroying the Canaanites and removing them from the land. Also, prior to the nation of Israel�s entering the promise land, Joshua led the nation into various victories against different enemies of God. David also was responsible for expanding the land holdings of the nation of Israel. David fought against the Moabites, Syrians, Ammonites, Edomites, and Philistines. The prophet Elisha at his death told Joash, king of Israel to smite and destroy the Syrians.
Hebrews 11:30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.
God told Joshua that the nation of Israel was to march around Jericho once every day for six days. Then on the seventh day, they were to march around it seven times. After they had finished marching, the priest blew the trumpets and the people shouted and the walls fell flat. The nation of Israel had their first victory in the land of Canaan. They had their first victory because they listened to God and followed HIS instructions.
There is more to this lesson of faith then simple obedience to the voice of God. As you look at the whole story, one learns that the people did not say a word while marching around the city. Scripture tells us to be still and know that I am the Lord. For six days the nation could not speak, all they could do while they were marching was think.
