Proverbs 31:10 Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies.
Do you really understand that apart from God, you will never find HIS perfect will for your life? It does not matter all the things that you have done, you need God in order to find HIS direction for your life.
Proverbs […]

Proverbs 24:14 So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off.
Seek and you shall find. Are you seeking for knowledge of the ways of God? Are you like Solomon who asked God for wisdom to […]

Proverbs 16:7 When a man’s ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.
Jacob was on his way back to the land of Canaan when his father-in-law Laban came after him with a band of men. Jacob was doing that which was pleasing to the Lord and as such, […]

Proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.
Have you ever seen a young couple in love? All they want to do is be with each other. They can hardly wait until the wedding day so that they can spend the rest of their life […]

Acts 21:39 But Paul said, I am a man which am a Jew of Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city: and, I beseech thee, suffer me to speak unto the people.
Paul was seen in the temple in Jerusalem by some Jews from Asia. These Jews stirred up a riot among […]

Acts 18:9 Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace:
Paul was a man called by God to preach the gospel. While God used Paul to bring many to HIM; Paul did have some enemies that tended to make his life difficult. […]

Acts 18:5 And when Silas and Timothy were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ.
Understanding the will of God means you wait when God desires you to wait and you proceed when God gives you the green light. In this passage, we see that […]

Acts 18:3 And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers.
Paul left Athens and went to minister in Corinth. Silas and Timothy were still in Berea ministering to the people there. Because he did not have the accountability and help of Silas and […]

Act 16:9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; there stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us.
Paul had attempted to go to Asia but the Lord stopped him. Paul then tried to go to Bithynia but the Lord stopped him again. Paul understood that […]

Acts 8:29 Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.
Philip had initially been told to go into the desert but was not told what to do. Upon reaching the desert, he saw the Ethiopian eunuch reading Isaiah. It was at this time that the Lord finally showed Philip why […]

Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Jesus was about to ascend up into heaven. However, before HE left, HE wanted to […]

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 […]

Psalms 127:1 Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.
What can you do apart from the grace of God in your life? If God determines that you are not going to do something, there is nothing you can […]

Psalms 37:34 Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shall see it.
Do you desire God to do great things through you? In order to receive the blessing of God exalting you to do great things for HIM, HE […]

Psalms 37:7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
When you wait, God desires that you do so patiently. There are two ways to wait; you can do it your way or God’s way. […]

James 5:7-8 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; establish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.
There is a time […]

Lamentations 3:25 The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.
We live in a society that wants everything and we want it now. However, God has a different plan for your life. God desires that HIS children learn patience. God says that it is good for you to […]

Psalms 90:17 And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.
This psalm is titled the Prayer of Moses. Moses had a special calling on his life; Moses was to deliver the people of […]

Matthew 19:26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

What is the impossible situation that you face? Whatever the impossible situation is, God can make the impossible possible. All you have to do is look through the Bible and you will see how God did the impossible. Joseph was in prison but God brought him out of prison and placed him in a position of leadership. Joseph tried to obtain his own release from prison but of his own accord, he was in an impossible situation.

The nation of Israel was following God�s direction in leaving Egypt. They were obeying God and they were faced with the choice of either drowning in the Red Sea or dying at the hands of the Egyptians. The nation of Israel thought they were in an impossible situation but with God, all things are possible and they walked across the Red Sea on dry ground. In order to obey God, they needed to allow God to do the impossible for them.

Matthew 4:23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.

Virtue changes your course of thought, feelings and actions. When you take the time to add virtue to your life, your life has a meaning beyond its simple existence. Virtue will change you so that you are no longer living for yourself but now you are living for the glory of God.

From a very young age, Jesus desired to be about HIS Father�s business. However, Jesus understood that while it was God�s will for HIM to teach the world about the love of HIS� Father, Jesus had to wait until God�s perfect timing. When God�s timing finally arrived, Jesus did not hesitate in doing the will of HIS� Father. Jesus lived HIS life so that the Father would receive the praise for the good things that HE had done.

Matthew 4:10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Satan tried to tempt Jesus with the entire world if Jesus would only bow down to him. Satan understood that while he would be giving up his territory, in reality, he would not since by Jesus bowing down to him, it would be the same as Jesus acknowledging that Satan was greater than God. Jesus being the Son of God understood that while Satan was the prince of the earth, that there was coming a day that HE would fight Satan and defeat him. At that time, the earth would properly return to the Lord.

Matthew 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

The Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness where for forty days HE did not eat. After forty days, of fasting, Satan came unto Jesus and said, �If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.� Jesus was the Son of God and all HE needed to do was say the words and the stones would have become bread for HIM to eat. Jesus however understood that God was leading HIM and that while HE understood that HE would have to eat soon, HE also understood that HE needed to follow God�s timing for HIS life.

Acts 25:9 But Festus, willing to do the Jews a pleasure, answered Paul, and said, Will thou go up to Jerusalem, and there be judged of these things before me?

Festus had just sat in judgment of Paul and saw firsthand that the Jews were unable to prove that Paul did anything wrong. Even though Festus knew that Paul was innocent, Festus was willing to give the Jews a second chance of convicting Paul. Festus feared the Jews more then he feared God. Festus desired to keep the Jews happy even if it meant that Paul was going to suffer.

Paul was required to stay in prison not because his accusers could prove that he had done anything wrong but because the rulers of the land were corrupt and they desired peace more then they desired justice. The rulers were willing to allow one man to suffer injustice if they were able to maintain peace in their kingdom.

Acts 24:27 But after two years Porcius Festus came into Felix� room: and Felix, willing to show the Jews a pleasure, left Paul bound.

Felix was not concerned with justice; he was concerned about maintaining peace. Felix understood that the Jews despised Paul. Even though Felix believed that Paul was innocent, he did not let him go until Paul paid him a bribe. When Felix saw that Paul was not going to pay the bribe, he did not change his ways but instead decided that Paul was going to remain locked up because this would mean that the Jews would like him and it would mean that there would be peace. Evidently Felix did not want too many riots that could cause his superiors to take his authority away.

Acts 19:10 And this continued by the space of two years; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.

Paul had felt led of the Lord to preach the good news in Asia but the Lord stopped him. Paul understood correctly that it was God�s will to preach in Asia, but he was also careful to ensure that he did God�s will in God�s timing. When God finally released Paul to preach in Asia, over the course of two years, all the Jews and Greeks heard the message God had placed on Paul�s heart.

Paul�s message began with twelve men who had received the baptism of John but had not received the Holy Ghost. From here Paul started teaching in the synagogue and then teaching daily in a school. God gave Paul the ability to heal the sick and cast out devils so then the people started coming to Paul in order to be healed. God opened up the doors for Paul to share the gospel with all of Asia and Paul did not have to travel.

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.

The believers in Ephesus had requested that Paul stay in their community and continue to preach. However, because Paul felt led of the Lord to return to Jerusalem, Paul did not stay. While Paul was not the answer to prayer that the believers in Ephesus were looking for, God sent to the city Apollos, a Jew. Apollos was an eloquent man who was mighty in the scriptures. Apollos was able to expound the scriptures to the believers while Aquila and Priscilla were able to expound unto him the way of God more perfectly.

Acts 18:5 And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ.

Paul had already been taking the time to preach in the synagogue every Sabbath. However, now that help had arrived in Corinth, God opened the door for Paul to go do what Paul desired to do, preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. God understood that the people in Corinth were ready to hear the truth, but he had Paul wait until help arrived.

Why God waited to press upon Paul that he could now preach the gospel is not known. However, what is known is that God�s perfect timing corresponded with Paul receiving help. It could be God did not want Paul to work on his own because God did not want Paul to become proud in how God was working through him. It could be that God knew the harvest would be abundant and that Paul could not handle the harvest on his own. Whatever the reason, God caused Paul to go through a period of waiting before HE released Paul to fulfill God�s purpose for his life.

Acts 18:3 And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers.

Paul left Athens and came to Corinth. He was still waiting for Silas and Timothy to arrive from Macedonia. While he waited, Paul stayed with Aquila and Priscilla and worked with them as a tentmaker. Paul was called to be a great missionary yet he was willing to do manual labor. Paul�s calling to be a missionary did not cause him to become proud and refuse to do manual labor. Instead, Paul was willing to humble himself to earn wages while he waited for the Silas and Timothy to come.

Acts 16:6 Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia,

Paul, Silas and Timothy were traveling city to city preaching the good news of Jesus� birth, life, death and resurrection. It became their desire to go and preach in Asia, nonetheless, God forbid them from going to Asia. No reason is given; all they knew was that God shut that door.

Paul desired to preach the gospel. What better desire to have then that. However, even though the desire of Paul�s heart was to preach the gospel, it was not the will of God for Paul to go to Asia at this time. God thus shut this door by very clearly speaking to them and letting them know that they were not to go. Paul probably wrestled with God on this issue. You could imagine him praying the Psalm of David, �Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.� Paul probably reminded God of how HE was called to be a missionary to the Gentiles. However, the most important thing is that Paul obeyed God and did not go into Asia until God permitted him.

Acts 18:20 When they desired him to tarry longer time with them, he consented not;

Paul had reached the city of Ephesus and while he was in the synagogue the people requested that Paul stay with them. Paul had such rough treatment in so many towns and now here is a town that is opening its arms for him to stay and preach the gospel. However, Paul knew that he was supposed to go to the feast in Jerusalem and as such, he told the people of Ephesus that he would return if the Lord allowed him.

By faith, Paul understood that he was supposed to go to Jerusalem for this particular feast. Paul had taken the time to understand the Lord�s timing for his life and Paul would not allow Satan to distract him from the Lord�s timing by giving him a hospitable reception. It would have been so tempting to stay where the fruit was ripe. However, Paul understood, that he needed to go where the Lord told him to go when the Lord told him to go if he desired the Lord�s blessing on his life.