“I do not ask that you take them out of world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in the truth.”—John 17:15-17, 19
Many parents who bolt the door of their house at night, nevertheless allow thieves to come in to their homes and steal their children’s hearts. The body of the child is there but the heart is being stolen …
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me… By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.”—John 15:4, 8, 9
We should be shocked to realize that Jesus says that if we are not fruit-bearing Christians, we are really of no use whatever to God! Even more sobering, He says that if anyone does …
“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
Keep in mind the context of Jesus’ promise. He had just told His disciples that He was about to go away, leaving them on this earth while He returned to “His Father.” The disciples were devastated and confused. After all, as long as Jesus was with them, He would take care of every situation as it developed: He could quiet storms, provide instant food for multitudes, …
Often when we pray for others, we either fall into meaningless repetition, or submit a grocery list of requests to God, hoping that He’ll respond to our wishes and desires. When we’ve finished praying, we end up being unsatisfied, fretful, and uncertain as to whether or not we can trust God with the assignment we’ve just given Him.
My personal experience has been that such “need-based” praying is often boring, filled with uncertainty, and reduces prayer to a meaningless exercise.
What if we changed our perspective on prayer and began to pray Scripture? What if we echoed back to God …
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”—John 12:24-25
When Satan rebelled, there were now two “wills” in the universe. From now on, one of God’s creatures would oppose the Almighty—unsuccessfully, to be sure—in all that he would do. And a drop of Satan’s rebellion has fallen on every human heart. If we expect to be mightily used by …
Imagine what this short prayer means! The children of Israel were delayed in their journey because of idolatry. While Moses was on Mount Sinai, they made a golden calf to have a “god” like the other nations. God was very angry, and Moses—bless him—threw down the stone tablets that were written by the finger of God. After confronting the people about their sin, the perpetrators were put to death.
Moving forward, God made this suggestion: that His Presence—the fire during the night and the cloud during the day—would no longer accompany them, lest the …
“Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today…The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” —Exodus 14:13,14
Pharaoh has finally let the Israelites leave Egypt after the firstborn sons of that nation were put to death by the Angel of the Lord. Now that the waters of the Red Sea have parted for them to walk though, they see the chariots of Egypt pursuing them, intending to capture them to return them to slavery, or worse. The Israelites are terrified and God gives Moses …
“Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring about that many people should be kept alive as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.”—Genesis 50:19-21
These are incredible words from the lips of Joseph. Twenty years earlier, his brothers had sold him as a slave to a caravan on its way to Egypt. With the death of their father, Jacob, these brothers are afraid they will not be fully reconciled to him. They …
“And Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison, But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison…the keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph’s charge, because the LORD was with him. And whatever he did, the LORD made it succeed.” —Genesis 39:20,21,23
Think of the significance of these words.
Joseph is imprisoned, based on a false accusation. Potiphar’s wife tried to …
“After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” —Genesis 15:1
Let’s understand the importance of this promise! Four powerful kings of the north plundered the five kings of the south (near the Dead Sea) and carried off all the treasures of the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah.
When Abraham learned that Lot was among the captives, he rallied 318 troops and pursued the attackers all the way north to Dan (about 140 miles!). Then he continued his pursuit all the way …
