Proverbs 28:14 Happy is the man that feareth always: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief.
Are you happy? When people ask you about your day, do you immediately tell them all the good things that occurred in your life or do you waste your time discouraging them with all the bad things […]

Proverbs 28:5 Evil men understand not judgment: but they that seek the LORD understand all things.
Seek and you shall find. It is not always easy to seek the Lord, but the rewards of understanding the will of God will always be worth the effort. Just as a gold miner must actively seek for gold in […]

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 2:6 For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.
God told us in the book of 2 Peter that we are to diligently add knowledge to our life. In this verse, we see the source of knowledge that God desires that you obtain. Knowledge comes from God. God is the […]

Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
We have been instructed to add knowledge of the ways of the Lord to our life. In this passage, we see that the fear of the Lord is the foundation of knowledge. If you do not have the […]

Acts 23:29 Whom I perceived to be accused of questions of their law, but to have nothing laid to his charge worthy of death or bonds.
Paul was disliked by the religious leaders of his day because he did not live his life according to their desires. For so many years, they controlled the hearts and […]

Acts 16:3 Him would Paul have to go forth with him; and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters: for they knew all that his father was a Greek.
Paul had recently left the church in Jerusalem where he argued that circumcision was not necessary in order to be saved. […]

Acts 4:19-20 But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.
The religious leaders recognized that God had performed a mighty miracle through Peter […]

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 114:7 Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the God of Jacob;
In this Psalm we see several example of how God controls the earth. The psalmist draws our attention to the parting of the Red Sea and the Jordan River. In addition, we are reminded of how God turned a rock into water. God […]

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 77:11 I will remember the works of the Lord: surely I will remember thy wonders of old.
There is nothing that requires you to remember all the good things God has done for you. God does not require that you spend four hours each day thinking about all the things HE has done for […]

Psalms 56:11  In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.
What is the worst thing that man can do to you? What is the worst thing God can do to you? Jesus told us that we are to “fear him which is able to destroy both […]

Psalms 11:1 In the Lord put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?

David made a commitment in his heart that regardless what occurred in his heart, he was going to trust in the Lord. David understood that there would be times when things would become difficult and that those around him would encourage him to take matters into his own hands but David made a commitment to God. Regardless what trials occurred in his life, David was going to put his trust in the Lord and not in his own strength.

In verse five of this Psalm, David acknowledges that the Lord brings trials into the life of the righteous. David understood that trials are God�s way of testing HIS children to see who will really trust in HIM and who will rely upon their own strength. When trials come into your life, how will you respond? Have you made a commitment to God that when you seem to face difficult times, your trust will be in God?

Acts 21:37 And as Paul was to be led into the castle, he said unto the chief captain, May I speak unto thee? Who said, Canst thou speak Greek?

Paul was just rescued from the midst of a riot. The Jews took Paul out of the temple and shut the doors behind him. This probably was not a polite ushering out of the temple since the captain of the band upon his arrival the Jews stopped beating Paul. The captain of the guard did not treat Paul with any special care since he immediately bound Paul with two chains and then demanded who Paul was and what his crime was. Because of the tumult as the Jews attempted to accuse Paul, the guards carried Paul out of the riot.

Acts 18:9-10 Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city.

Paul was in the city of Corinth preaching the gospel unto the Jews. However, the Jews rejected the truth and Paul shook his cloth and told the Jews that their blood was on their own heads and that he was now going to only preach to the Gentiles. Paul evidently had some fear in his life that because of his actions, the Jews were going to kill him. Paul must have been considering leaving the town of Corinth because God came to him by night and told him not to be afraid.

Acts 12:6 And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night
Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the
keepers before the door kept the prison.

Herod had just killed James the brother of John. Herod saw how it
pleased the Jews to kill the apostles so he had Peter arrested. Herod
had every intention to kill Peter also. Herod was a man who did that
which is right in his own eyes; he did those things that would cause him
to gain popularity with those around him. He was more concerned about
having people like him then he was about being a just ruler.

Daniel 3:17-18 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

Nebuchadnezzar made a golden image that was approximately 90 feet tall. He ordered that upon the sound of the music playing, everyone was to bow down to the golden image. Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah refused to bow down to the image as they were ordered. The king was going to give Daniel�s three friends a second chance at bowing down to his golden image. However, when Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah told the king that they were not going to bow down to a false god the second chance was taken away. The king commanded that the fiery furnace be made seven times hotter.

Philemon 1:6 That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.

Your faith must be more visible then just to yourself. Your faith must be a vivid demonstration to the world that you serve a living God. The world mocks Christians because they feel that if they submit their lives to Christ Jesus that they will no longer be able to have any fun. The world is correct, if the definition of fun is being able to do whatever you want whenever you want.

The world is afraid of living to a higher standard where they now have to do that which is right in the eyes of God; where they are accountable to God for what they do, say, and think. What they do not understand is that they are already held accountable to such a high standard, the difference is whether they are willing to live by grace and please God, or if they want to do what seems right in their own eyes and live for eternity in hell.

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 high priest was filled with indignation and he had several of the apostles thrown into prison. However, the next morning, when he sent for the apostles, the prison was locked and the guards were intently watching but the prison was emptied.

The apostles demonstrated their faith by their obedience to follow God. If you knew that someone hated you and desired to kill you and they had locked you up one night and somehow you escaped, your natural tendency would not be to go straight to that persons work and make yourself visible. No your natural tendency would be to run and hide. However, these apostles understood that their life was in God�s hands. They understood that they served a God who enabled them to escape from prison. It was their duty to do what God asked them to do and leave the results in HIS hands.

Hebrews 11:34b escaped the edge of the sword,

Faith is understanding that God has a higher purpose for your life and living your life for that purpose regardless of the fact that it appears you are about to die. David escaped the sword of Saul on several occasions. The Jews escaped the edge of the sword because of Esther�s faith. Elijah escaped the sword of Jezebel. Joseph�s brothers were going to kill him and he escaped death to be sold as a slave.

The Bible is full of examples of individuals who escaped death because they needed to do more for God. Even the New Testament is full of examples of individuals who escaped death. Peter was led by an angel out of prison. Herod had just killed James and was planning on doing the same with Peter. While Peter did end of being killed later, it was not God�s timing and he escaped the sword on this occasion.

Hebrews 11:23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king�s commandment.

In this verse, we are taught the faith of Moses� parents. The verse does not list their names. In fact, the story of Moses� parents faith listed in Exodus does not even list their names. In order to learn that Amram and Jochebed were the parents of Moses you must examine the genealogies of the tribe of Levi. In studying the genealogy of Levi you learn that Jochebed was the daughter of Levi while Amram was the grandson of Levi. The lesson in this passage is that faith can be demonstrated by anyone who does not allow the fear of man to control their lives.