Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY MARCH 31, 2026.

SUBJECT : BLESS AND DO NOT CURSE!

Memory verse: "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse." (Romans 12 vs 14.)

READ: James 3 vs 8 - 12:

3:8: But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

3:9: With it we bless our God and Father; and with it we curse men, who has been made in the similitude of God.

3:10: Out of the same mouth proceeds blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.

3:11: Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening?

3:12: Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.

INTIMATION:

Christians should always remember God’s law of love—love for God and our neighbor. Love is the greatest of all human qualities and is an attitude of God Himself (First John 4 vs 8). Love should make a Christian always bless others rather than curse them because it sees good at the end of everything. Therefore, any Christian practicing God’s law of love is never hypocritical. It is hypocritical for a Christian to speak good of God and evil of his brother or sister in Christ at the same time. Hypocrisy is revealed in the one who speaks both blessings and cursing. Hypocrite seeks to worship God, while at the same time, he or she harbors animosity toward his or her brother or sister in Christ. 

Springs do not bring forth fresh and bitter water. Fig trees do not bear olives and grapevines do not yield figs. In the same manner, a sincere Christian does not speak blessings and cursing. As it is unnatural for trees and vines to bear that which is not common to their fruit. Praises to God and curses of men should not come forth from the same mouth. One cannot propose to giving praise to God while at the same time cursing those who are made after the image of God. Criticizing what God has made in His image and likeness, and the same time praising God for all His goodness is duplicitous, and two-faced because on one hand one is saying that God is good, and on the other hand that what He created is not good. 

Our contradictory speech often puzzles us. At times our words are right and pleasing to God, but at other times they are violent and destructive. We were made in God’s image, but the tongue gives us a picture of our basic sinful nature. When our speech is motivated by Satan, it is full of bitter envy, selfish ambition, earthly concerns and desires, unspiritual thoughts and ideas, confusion, and evil. But when motivated by God and His wisdom, it is full of mercy, love for others, peace, consideration for others, submission, sincerity, impartiality, and righteousness. God works to change us from the inside out. When the Holy Spirit purifies a heart, He gives self-control so that the person will speak words that please God. 

It is for this reason that the apostle Paul, in Philippians 4 vs 8 says to us, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” 

What we put into our mind determines what comes out in our speech and actions. The apostle Paul tells us to program our mind with thoughts that are true, noble, right, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy. If one will only meditate on these things, then his or her thoughts will be optimistic about life and others. 

Do not criticize or curse others, but rather think and speak of those good things you know about others. There is no room in the Christian mentality for pessimistic thinking. When one understands that all things are under the control of the God who can do all things, then he or she sees the best things of life. His or her focus is on that which is good and after the nature of God who is working all things together for good. 

A true heart is not one of malice or hate. Hearts of malice and hate identify those individuals who are of the world. Jesus said we should love our enemies and treat them well. If you love your enemies and treat them well, you will truly show that Jesus is Lord of your life. This is only possible for those who give themselves fully to God, because only He can deliver people from natural selfishness. We must trust the Holy Spirit to help us show love to those for whom we may not feel love. By telling us not to retaliate, Jesus keeps us from taking the law into our own hands. By loving and praying for our enemies, we can overcome evil with good. 

Remember that we are not fighting the tongue’s fire in our own strength. The Holy Spirit will give us increasing power to monitor and control what we say, so that when we are offended, the Spirit will remind us of God’s love, and we won’t react in a hateful manner. When we are criticized, the Spirit will heal the hurt and help us to not lash out.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the fruit of the spirit that I my shall manifest the excellent spirit which is in Christ and my speech will bless and not curse, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

What Binds the Hands of Love?

 What Binds the Hands of Love?

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. (Colossians 1:3–5)

The problem with the church today is not that there are too many people who are passionately in love with heaven. The problem is not that professing Christians are retreating from the world, spending half their days reading Scripture and the other half singing about their pleasures in God all the while indifferent to the needs of the world. That’s not happening! The people of God are not so full of love to God that they spend half their days in his word.

The problem is that professing Christians are spending ten minutes reading Scripture and then half their day making money and the other half loving and repairing what they spend it on.

It’s not heavenly-mindedness that hinders love for the lost and hurting of this world. It is worldly-mindedness that hinders love, even when it is disguised by a religious routine on the weekend. 

Where is the person whose heart is so passionately in love with the promised glory of heaven that he feels like an exile and a sojourner on the earth? Where is the person who has so tasted the beauty of the age to come that the diamonds of the world look like marbles from the dollar store, and the entertainment of the world feels empty, and the moral causes of the world are too small because they have no view to eternity? Where is this person?

To be sure, he is not in bondage to the Internet or eating or sleeping or drinking or partying or fishing or sailing or putzing around. He is a free man in a foreign land. And his one question is this: How can I maximize my enjoyment of God for all eternity while I am an exile on this earth? And his answer is always the same: by doing the labors of love. By expanding my joy in God, no matter the cost, if by any means possible I might include others in it.

Only one thing satisfies the heart whose treasure is in heaven: doing the works of heaven. And heaven is a world of love! 

It is not the cords of heaven that bind the hands of love and make them ineffective. It is the love of money and leisure and comfort and praise — these are the cords of selfishness that bind the hands of love. And the power to sever these cords is Christian hope. “We heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven” (Colossians 1:4–5).

I say it again with all the conviction that lies within me: it is not heavenly-mindedness that hinders love on this earth. It is worldly-mindedness. And therefore the great fountain of love is the powerful, freeing confidence of Christian hope.

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY MARCH 30, 2026.

SUBJECT : BE PERSISTENT IN SEEKING GOD!

Memory verse: "Seek the LORD and His strength, seek His face continually.” (First Chronicles 16 vs 11.)

READ: Hebrews 3 vs 14; 11 vs 6: 

3:14: For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end.

11:6: But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him.

INTIMATION:

To persist is to persevere, stand firm, insist, or continue. The Christian life was never promised as an easy way to live; instead, the Scriptures constantly remind us that we must stand firm or persevere in our follower-ship to the end. To believe in Jesus “to the end” will take perseverance because our faith will be challenged and opposed. Several trials will sift true Christians from fair-weather believers. Enduring to the end does not earn salvation for us but marks us as already saved. We must have a purpose and a plan to persist because times will be difficult and Satan will attack. The assurance of our salvation will keep us strong in times of persecution.

Jesus tells us to persist in pursuing God. People often give up after a few halfhearted efforts and conclude that God cannot be found. But knowing God takes faith, focus, and follow-through, and Jesus assures us that we will be rewarded. But we never persevere without the promise of a prize—a promise God will keep. Don’t give up in your efforts to seek God. Continue to ask Him for more knowledge, patience, wisdom, love, and understanding. He will give them to you. Because Christ lives in us as believers, we can remain confident and hopeful to the end. We are not saved by being steadfast and firm in our faith, but our confidence and hope do reveal that our faith is real. Without this enduring faithfulness, we could easily be blown away by the winds of temptation, false teaching, or persecution. 

We persist when we run the Christian race with a purpose; having in mind to run for the prize set before us, and running straight for the goal. We can achieve this by:

(1) Disciplining our bodies, and training it to sustain and even improve on the discipline. The Scriptures say, “Do you not know that those who run in a race run all, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who that competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” (First Corinthians 9 vs 24 - 27.)

(2) We will not be weary in doing good, and for everyone, and not giving up. You do this to please the Spirit of God indwelling you. The SScriptures say, “And let us not be weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith (see Galatians 6 vs 9 - 10). 

(3) You put on the full armor of God, and praying in all occasions; using all the pieces of God’s armor to resist the enemy. This helps you to take a stand against the devil’s schemes. In the Christian life we battle against “principalities” and “powers” (the powerful evil forces of fallen angels headed by the devil, who are a vicious fighters. To withstand their attacks, you must depend on God’s strength and use every piece of His armor (see Ephesians 6 vs 10 - 20.)

(4) You keep pressing on toward the day when you will be all God wants you to be; forgetting the past; straining toward what is ahead—the heavenly prize for which God called you heavenward. Our goal is to know Christ, to be like Christ, and to be all Christ has in mind for us. We should not let anything take our eyes off our goal—knowing Christ. With the single-mindedness of an athlete in training, we must lay aside everything harmful and forsake anything that may distract us from being effective Christians (see Philippians 3 vs 12 - 14).

(5) You should entrust the great truths of Christ to people who are able to pass them on to others. And also being strong in Christ’s grace, even when your faith is faltering. You should endure hardship like a soldier, and don’t get involved in worldly affairs. Follow the Lord’s rules, as an athlete should do in order to win. Work hard, like a farmer who tends His crops for the harvest. At the end you will live with Christ; you will reign with Him. He remains faithful. (Second Timothy 2 vs 1 - 13.)

Our hearts turn away from the living God when we stubbornly refuse to believe Him. If we persist in our unbelief, God will eventually leave us alone in our sin. But God can give us new hearts, new desires, and new spirits (Ezekiel 36 vs 22 - 27). To prevent having an unbelieving heart, stay in fellowship with other believers, talk daily about your mutual faith, be aware of the deceitfulness of sin (it attracts but also destroys), and encourage each other with love and concern.

Prayer: Abba Father, my absolute faith is in You and my utmost heart desire is to be all intend me to be. Give me the grace to follow You faithfully to the end, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

If He Calls, He Keeps

 If He Calls, He Keeps

[The Lord] will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:8–9)

What are you depending on to ensure that your faith will last until Jesus comes? 

The question is not, Do you believe in eternal security? The question is, How are we kept secure? 

Does the perseverance of our faith rest decisively on the reliability of our own resolve? Or does it rest decisively on the work of God to “keep us trusting”?

It is a great and wonderful truth of Scripture that God is faithful and will keep forever those whom he has called. Our confidence that we are eternally secure is a confidence that God will do whatever is necessary to “keep us trusting!” 

The certainty of eternity is no greater than the certainty God will keep us trusting now. But that certainty is very great for all whom God has called. 

At least three passages put the call of God and the keeping of God together in this way.

“[The Lord] will sustain you (keep you) to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:8–9).

“May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:23–24).

“Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, to those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ: May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you” (Jude 1–2). (See the same reality in Romans 8:30, Philippians 1:6, 1 Peter 1:5, and Jude 24.)

The “faithfulness” of God guarantees that he will keep safe forever all whom he has called.

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY MARCH 29, 2026.

SUBJECT : LET YOUR EYES BE SINGLY FOCUSED ON GOD!

Memory verse: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding." (Proverbs 3 vs 5.)

READ: Proverbs 3 vs 5 - 6; Matthew 6 vs 22 - 23:

Proverbs 3:5: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.

3:6: In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

Matthew 6:22: The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. 

6:23: But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

INTIMATION:

Your eyes are the windows into your body and the aperture in your life. Your eye is “good” when it is focused on God and His Word (Joshua 1 vs 8; Psalm 1 vs 2). The more we know of God's Word, the more resources we will have to guide us in our daily decisions. When you have “good” eyes—one that is fixed on God, you develop the desired spiritual vision; the capacity to see clearly what God wants us to do, and to see the world from His own perspective. 

But this spiritual insight can be easily clouded. This happens when your attention is shifted from being completely focusing on God. For instance, self-serving desires, interests, and goals block that vision because it has shifted from focusing on God to bifocal vision of God and self. The quickest way to destroy a person's vision is to give him or her two separate visions. 

And the beclouded spiritual vision can best be restored by serving God with all your heart. 

You can't accomplish your goals when your attention and resources are divided. Have you ever tried to have one of your eyes looking down and the other looking up? It is impossible, and that is how having your eyes focused on two things at the same one time is impossible. If you really want to prosper, then you need to forget everything else and press toward this one goal of putting the kingdom of God first. The Lord is saying that He wants you to have a single focus of your eyes on Him. At first, you might think it is impossible to be totally committed to, and focused upon God in everything you do. Yes, it can be so if you have to rely on human strength. But we don't live the Christian life in our own strength. 

For instance, If you think that supporting your family and earning money is strictly up to you, then you are going to have a divided heart, and divided heart is going to allow darkness to enter your life and hinder you in your relationship with God. The Lord knows what is best for us. He is a better judge of what we want than we are! We must trust Him completely in everything we do, and let Him be the choice we make at any circumstances.

However, we should not omit careful thinking or belittle our God-given ability to reason, but we should not trust our own ideas to the exclusion of God’s leading. We must not be wise in our own eyes. We should always be willing to listen to and be corrected by God’s Word and wise counselors. Bring your decisions to God in prayer; use the Bible as your guide and then follow God’s leading.

King Solomon thirsted for God’s leading; spiritual vision, and earnestly asked for it from God and he was endowed with it, and he received even more than he asked from God (First Kings 4 vs 9 - 13). Consequently, he became the wisest king in Israel’s history, and the wisest man the world has ever known outside of Jesus Christ. This culminated in his writing most of the Books of wisdom (Proverbs and Ecclesiastes) in the Scriptures. He said that to receive God’s guidance, we must acknowledge God in all our ways and in all we do.

About a thousand years later, Jesus emphasized this same truth; seeking first the kingdom of God (Matthew 6 vs 33). Look at your values and priorities. What is important to you? Where is God on that list? What is His advice? Make Him a vital part of everything you do, then He will guide you because you will be working to accomplish His purposes.

Jesus warned against divided attention when He said in Luke 16 vs 13, "No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." Have your focus on the kingdom, and adjoining righteousness of God, and all other things shall be added to you.

Prayer: Abba Father, by strength shall no man prevail. Outside of You we can do nothing. Endue me with the spirit of total obedience and commitment to You in all my ways that I may be completely focused on You in all things and at all times, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

As Sure as God’s Love for His Son

 As Sure as God’s Love for His Son

He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:32)

God strips every pain of its destructive power. You must believe this or you will not thrive, or perhaps even survive, as a Christian, in the pressures and temptations of modern life. 

There is so much pain, so many setbacks and discouragements, so many controversies and pressures. I do not know where I would turn, if I did not believe that almighty God is taking every setback and every discouragement and every controversy and every pressure and every pain, and stripping it of its destructive power, and making it work for the enlargement of my joy in God. 

Listen to Paul’s astonishing words in 1 Corinthians 3:21–23, “All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future — all are yours, and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.” The world is ours. Life is ours. Death is ours. Which I take to mean: God reigns so supremely on behalf of his elect that everything which faces us in a lifetime of obedience and ministry will be subdued by the mighty hand of God and made the servant of our holiness and our everlasting joy in God. 

If God is for us, and if God is God, then it is true that nothing can succeed against us. He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all will infallibly and freely with him give us all things — all things — the world, life, death, and God himself. 

Romans 8:32 is a precious friend. The promise of God’s future grace is simply overwhelming. But all-important is the foundation: I have called it the logic of heaven. Here is a place to stand against all obstacles. God did not spare his own Son! Therefore! Therefore! The logic of heaven! Therefore, how much more will he not spare any effort to give us all that Christ died to purchase — all things, all good, and all bad working for our good!

It is as sure as the certainty that he loved his Son!

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY MARCH 28,2026.

SUBJECT : LIVING BY THE WORD OF GOD!

Memory verse: "And Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’” (Luke 4 vs 4.)

READ: Matthew 7 vs 24 - 27: 

7:24: Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock,

7:25: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

7:26: But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand,

7:27: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.

INTIMATION: 

The Word of God is the message from the Lord, delivered with His authority and made effective by His power. The Bible is the custodian of God’s Word, and is inspired by God through the Holy Spirit. It is completely trustworthy because God was in control of its writing. The Bible is entirely authoritative for our faith and life, and our safeguard against false teaching, and is our source of guidance on how we should live. Knowing the Bible verses is an important step in a Christian's life. It is the sword of the Spirit we engage in spiritual battles. (Ephesians 6 vs 17.) A word-dry Christian is a powerless Christian. 

Real life is accepting, and abiding in the Truth—the Word of God. It is total commitment to God and living by every word that comes from Him. It transforms us, and makes us into what God wants us to be, and gives us everything we could possibly need in living for Him. Jesus said in John 6 vs 63, "....The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life." Life is in the words of Jesus, and that life is the light of men. Anyone who embraces the Word and lives the Word embraces the light which is the life of men. The Word is only living in the lips of the believer who uses it, not in the book nor on the written pages.

How can we live by the Word of God? (1) Recognize our need for it. (2) Agree that God alone can truly satisfy us. (3) Pray for God’s presence, wisdom, and direction as we read the Word. (4) Savor the relationship you have with Him through Christ. (5) Practice what He teaches you. The prevalence of the Word in your heart and in your mouth guarantees a successful Christian life (Romans 10 vs 8). The Word needs to become to you as real as day and night. Dominating events in your life is as close as the Word is to your heart and mouth—believing is in your heart and speaking out is in your mouth. 

When the Word prevails over us, we are sufficient in all things, not because of our abilities, but because of His power-Christ the Word—working in us. Not because we are obeying the law, but because of His grace (His Spirit) working in us. As believeers, we are what He says we are. We can do what He says we can do. He is what He says He is, and no Word from Him is void of ability to be made good in us. 

The Spirit of God uses the Word to make us like the Son of God. To become like Jesus, we must fill our lives with His Word. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us. To be a healthy disciple of Jesus, feeding on God's Word must be your first priority. Jesus called it "abiding." Many believers, because the Word does not prevail in them, live as common men. Disease and sickness prevail over them because they do not walk in the light of the Word. It is the Word in our lips that is active. 

Jesus is the Word (John 1 vs 1), He is the truth (John 14 vs 6), and He is God. Therefore, in Him is God, the Word, and the truth. Abiding in His Word, is abiding in Him, and in the truth. In our day-to-day living, abiding in God's Word includes three activities, namely; accepting its authority, assimilating its truth, and applying its principles. You must accept the authority in the Word. The Bible must become standard for your life: the compass you rely on for direction, the counsel you listen to for making wise decisions, and the benchmark you use for evaluating everything. The Bible must always have the first and last word in your life.

Many of our troubles occur because we base our choices on unreliable authorities: culture ("everyone is doing it"), tradition ("we have always done it"), reason ("it seemed logical"), or emotion ("I just felt right"). All four authorities are the works of man, and they are defective, and imperfect like man himself. What we need is a perfect standard that will never lead us in the wrong direction. Only God's Word meets that need. 

God's Word is the spiritual nourishment you must have to fulfill your purpose in life. Therefore, never take it for granted. You should consider it as essential to your life as food (Job 23 vs 12). The Bible calls the Word of God milk (First Corinthians 3 vs 2; First Peter 2 vs 2), bread (John 6 vs 48), solid food (First Corinthians 3 vs 2), and sweet dessert (Psalm 119 vs 103). This four-course meal is the Spirit's menu for spiritual strength and growth. Crave for it like no other food, because in it all other things exist.

Practicing obedience to the Word is the solid foundation to weather the storms of life. It is likened to building on the rock, a solid foundation, and the builder is considered wise. And everyone that hears the Words and do not do them, is likened to foolish man who built his house on the sand. The hearer must become a doer or else the entire structure that he builds will be destroyed.

Prayer: Abba Father, Your Word endures forever, it is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. O Lord, give me the grace to live my life rooted in the nourishment of Your Word, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

When Everyone Deserts You

 When Everyone Deserts You

At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. (2 Timothy 4:16–18)

This morning I was lingering over these magnificent and heartbreaking words. Paul is in custody in Rome. So far as we know, he was never released. His last letter comes to an end like this. 

Consider and be astounded!

He is deserted: “no one came to stand by me.” He is an old man. A loyal servant. In a foreign city, far from home. Surrounded by enemies. In danger of death. Why? Answer: So he could write this precious sentence for our discouraged, or fearful, or lonely souls: “But the Lord stood by me!”

Oh, how I love those words! When you are deserted by close friends, do you cry out against God? Are the people in your life, then, really your god? Or do you take courage in this magnificent truth: “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20) — no matter who deserts you? Do you strengthen your heart with this inexorable oath: “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5)? 

Then let us say, “The Lord stood by me!”

Question: What was threatened in 2 Timothy 4:18? Answer: that Paul might not attain the Lord’s heavenly kingdom! But over against the threat Paul cries, “The Lord will . . . bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom.”

Question: How was Paul’s attaining the heavenly kingdom threatened? Answer: “evil deeds.” “The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom.”

Question: How could an evil deed threaten Paul’s attaining the heavenly kingdom? Answer: by tempting him to forsake his allegiance to Christ through disobedience.

Question: Was this temptation the “lion’s mouth” from which he was rescued? Answer: Yes. “Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith” (1 Peter 5:8–9).

Question: So who gets the glory that Paul did not yield to this satanic temptation, but endured to the end in faith and obedience? Answer: “To him [the Lord] belong glory and dominion forever and ever” (1 Peter 5:10). “To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen” (2 Timothy 4:18).

Question: Why? Wasn’t it Paul who stood firm? Answer: “The Lord stood by me and strengthened me!”

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY MARCH 27, 2026.

SUBJECT : ESCHEW SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS! 

Memory verse: "Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth, a stranger, and not your own lips." (Proverbs 27 vs 2.)

READ: Luke 18 vs 10 - 14:

18:10: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee, and the other a tax collector.

18:11: The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You, that I am not as other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.

18:12: I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

18:13: And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.’

18:14: I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

INTIMATION:

Self-righteousness is being overly confident that one acts properly (especially in comparison with others). It’s being overly virtuous. Self-righteousness is dangerous. It leads to pride, causes a person to despise others, and prevents him or her from learning anything from God. One should not glory in order to emphasize his own abilities to perform. He should glory in the basis that he or she is in the Lord and thus, it is the Lord working through him or her. When we boast in order to bring glory to Jesus, then we know that our lives are about Jesus, not ourselves. Jesus said, “If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing.” (John 8 vs 54.) One should live a godly life that manifests praise to God, and not give praise to himself. 

The Scriptures say, “But He who boasts, let him boast in the Lord. For it is not he who commends himself that is approved, but he ‘whom the Lord commends.” (Second Corinthians 10 vs 17 - 18). God cannot be placed in debt to either save or glorify on the basis for human performance. Those who glorify themselves before God on the basis of their performance are establishing their own standards, and thus, they are arrogantly asking God to accept their standards as payment for their salvation. 

In comparison to the righteousness of the good God, there is no righteous person. No man can stand righteous before God on the merit of his own works of law or good deeds. Therefore, we cannot establish our own standards of performance, and then, measure ourselves righteous or good before God on the basis of our standards. One can boast only insofar as the grace of God has worked in his or her life to move him or her to respond to the Will of God.

In the passage we read today, the Pharisee boasted concerning his obedience to his self-imposed religious codes and traditions. He checked off his list of righteous deeds that he did and evil deeds that he did not do. He thus trusted in himself, feeling self-confident that his performance of law should satisfy God, and thus, put God in debt to save him. The Pharisee did not go to the temple to pray to God but to announce to all within earshot how good he was. 

The tax collector went recognizing his sin and begging for mercy. I guessed he stood far from the Pharisee because he was judged unrighteous by the Pharisee. However, he stood close to God because he approached God on the basis of his spiritual inadequacies. Because he recognized his spiritual poverty, he trusted in God’s grace for his salvation. He was justified by his faith in God’s grace, not by his perfect law-keeping or performance of good deeds. Those who have self-righteously exalted themselves will be brought down. 

Self-righteous people pride themselves in their self-acclaimed quality of being right or just. Pride is an inordinate self-esteem or conceit. It’s the inner voice that whispers, “My way is best.” Whenever you find yourself looking down on other people, you are being pulled by pride. Pride indicates that a person is self-centered, and thus he will fall over himself as he deals with people. Only when you eliminate pride can God help you become all He meant you to be. God cuts off the pride from His grace. Pride cripples us in our quest for a proper relationship with God. Only God must be exalted is the first step toward developing that relationship with Him. 

The Scripture says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5 vs 3.) Happy are those who are not proud, conceited or arrogant, especially concerning their spiritual relationship with God. One must empty himself of self-reliance and learn to humble himself before God. Those with such an attitude of mind will submit to the kingdom reign of God, therefore, theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The tax collector’s prayer should be our prayer because we all need God’s mercy every day. Don’t let pride in your achievements cut you off from God. 

Prayer: Abba Father, take away any spirit of pride and self-righteousness in me. Everyday of my life my desire is to humble myself before You as a sinner that needs your mercy. Let Your humble spirit dwell in me richly, that I may it's all about You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

10 Results of the Resurrection

 10 Results of the Resurrection

If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. (1 Corinthians 15:17)

Here are ten amazing things we owe to the resurrection of Jesus:

1) A Savior who can never die again. “We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again” (Romans 6:9).

2) Repentance. “The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel” (Acts 5:30–31).

3) New birth. “According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3).

4) Forgiveness of sin. “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17).

5) The Holy Spirit. “This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing” (Acts 2:32–33).

6) No condemnation for the elect. “Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died — more than that, who was raised — who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us” (Romans 8:34).

7) Jesus’s personal fellowship and protection. “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

8) Proof of coming judgment. “[God] has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead” (Acts 17:31).

9) Salvation from the future wrath of God. “[We] wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come” (1 Thessalonians 1:10; Romans 5:9).

10) Our own resurrection from the dead. “[We know] that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence” (2 Corinthians 4:14; Romans 6:4; 8:11; 1 Corinthians 6:14; 15:20).

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY MARCH 26, 2026.

SUBJECT: GOD IS AT WORK IN US TO PLEASE HIM!

Memory verse: “For it is God who works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure." (Philippians 2 vs 13.)

READ: Hebrews 13 vs 20 - 21:

13:20: Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,

13:21: make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

INTIMATION: 

God has not left us alone in our struggles to do His Will—to obey His laws. He wants to come alongside with us and be within us to help, hence His gift of the Holy Spirit—our Helper. God gives us the desire and the power to do what pleases Him. As believers, we are not left to our own resources to cope with problems. God created us for His specific purposes that were predetermined by Him, even before the foundation of the world. Consequently, only Him can work out His plan and purpose in us. 

To please God is to do His Will; to walk in accordance with His precepts. It’s on this pivot that all that pertains to life and godliness revolves. Jesus clearly expressed this fact when He said, “Seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all other things will be added to you” (Matthew 6 vs 33). Every kingdom has a King, and the words of the King is law in the kingdom, and must be obeyed for a favorable and peaceful habitation of the kingdom.

In Ephesians 1 vs 11, the Scripture says, “In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His Will.” God is sovereign and in control of all things. He works all things in us according the counsel of His Will, and “His counsel stands, and He does His pleasure” (Isaiah 46 vs 10). God’s purposes for the believers cannot be thwarted, no matter how hard Satan tries, or what he brings our way.

Jesus gave us the assurances when He said, in John 6 vs 37 - 39, “All the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own Will, but the Will of Him who sent Me. This is the Will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.”

Godhead—the Triune God—is in union with one another, and is at work in the world, and in every believer. God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit never work independently of the other. The Will of the Father is accomplished by the Son with the instrumentality of the Holy Spirit. Thus, anyone who makes a sincere commitment to believe in Jesus Christ as Savior is secure in God’s promises, even the promise of everlasting life with Him. 

God’s work for us began when Christ died on the cross in our place. His work in us began when we first believed. Now, the Holy Spirit—our Helper—lives in us, enabling us to be more like Christ every day, helping us accomplish the Will of God for us. This is the Christian growth and maturity that began when we accepted Jesus, and continues until Christ returns to perfect us and take us home to the Father.

Sometimes, by human assessment, you feel as though you aren’t making progress in your spiritual life, especially when sometimes you fall into sin. But be of good cheer, it is a gradual process that will only come to perfection when Christ returns to take us to the place He has prepared for us in His Father’s house where there are many mansions. 

Now, look at this Scripture, “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1 vs 6.) Be confident that when God starts a project, He completes it! God has given us the Holy Spirit to help us grow in grace until He has completed His work in our lives. Never let your shortcomings, and your feeling of incompleteness, or distress becloud you of God’s promise and provision.

All that is required of the believer is to believe Him and keep His commandments. The same commandments He has sent an Helper—the Holy Spirit—to help us in our weaknesses. God works in us to make us the kind of people that would please Him, and He equips us to do the kind of work that would please Him. Yours is to yield to the total control of the Spirit in order to have His fruit fully manifested in you. His fruit is; love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. In the real sense of it, He does all things. What a benevolent Father!

Prayer: Abba Father, I surrender my all to You. Work Your work in me both to will and to do what is pleasing in Your sight of Your good pleasure, making me complete in every good work, and working in me to do Your Will through Jesus Christ, that I may attend perfection at the His coming, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

How to Delight in God’s Word

 How to Delight in God’s Word

How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! (Psalm 119:103)

Never reduce Christianity to a matter of demands and resolutions and willpower. It is a matter of what we love, what we delight in, what tastes good to us. 

When Jesus came into the world, humanity was split according to what they loved. “The light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light” (John 3:19). The righteous and the wicked are separated by what they delight in — the revelation of God in Jesus, or the way of the world. 

So someone may ask: How can I come to delight in the word of God? My answer is twofold: 

1) pray for new tastebuds on the tongue of your heart;

2) meditate on the staggering promises of God to his people.

The same psalmist who said, “How sweet are your words to my taste” (Psalm 119:103), said earlier, “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law” (Psalm 119:18). He prayed this, because to have spiritual eyes to see glory, or to have holy tastebuds on the tongue of the heart, is a gift of God. No one naturally hungers for, and delights in, God and his wisdom.

But when you have prayed, indeed while you pray, meditate on the benefits God promises to his people and on the joy of having Almighty God as your helper now and forever. Psalm 1:3–4 says that the person who meditates on God’s word “is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.”

Who would not delight to read a book, the reading of which would change one from useless chaff to a mighty cedar of Lebanon, from a Texas dust bowl to a Hawaiian orchard? Nobody deep down wants to be chaff — rootless, weightless, useless. All of us want to draw strength from some deep river of reality and become fruitful, useful people.

That river of reality is the word of God, and all the great saints have been made great by it.

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY MARCH 25, 2026.

SUBJECT: THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY HIS FAITH! 

Memory verse: "Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.” (Habakkuk 2 vs 4.)

READ: Galatians 2 vs 16, 3 vs 11; Hebrews 10 vs 38:

Galatians 2:16: Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

3:11: But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for the just shall live by faith.

Hebrews 10:38: Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, My soul shall have no pleasure in him.

INTIMATION:

"The just shall live by faith" is a foundational biblical principle stating that righteous individuals are saved, sustained, and live by trusting in God, not by works. This phrase is repeated severally in the Bible highlighting its importance. It signifies that faith acts as a "lifeline" and is essential to how the "economy of heaven" functions. Hence "faith" Is the currency of heaven with which we give and receive from the Lord. 

"Just" means being faithful to the original design; it's being honest, conforming to God's standard of correctness. It was first used of persons observant of custom, rule, right, especially in the fulfillment of duties toward gods and men, and of things that were in accordance with right. In the Bible, especially in the New Testament, it denotes righteous; a state of being right, or right conduct, judging whether by the Divine standard, or according to human standards of what is right. 

"Faith," in the context of our study, is reliance, loyalty, or complete trust in God. It is a system of righteous beliefs; primarily a firm persuasion, a conviction based upon hearing the Word of God (Romans 10 vs 17). The main elements of faith in its relation to the invisible God, as distinct from faith in man, are especially brought out in the use of this noun and the corresponding verb; they are (1) a firm conviction, producing a full acknowledgement of God's revelation of truth; (2) a personal surrender to Him; (3) a conduct inspired by such surrender. 

The Gospel shows us both how righteous God is in His plan for us to be saved, and also how we may be made fit for eternal life. By trusting Christ, our relationship with God is made right. In Romans 1 vs 17, the Scriptures say, "For in it the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith." "From faith to faith" means that from start to finish God declares us to be right with Him because of faith and faith alone. If we trust God, we are saved; we have life now, and forever. 

The text is seen as a central theme in Scriptures, balancing spiritual life and reflecting God's righteousness. It implies that true believers ("the just") live by trusting God, relying on His Word, and maintaining faith despite trials. 

Faith is also synonymous with faithfulness; therefore, it is an attitude of those who believe, being obedient and loyal to the Lord. The Bible also tells us that there is not one just person, but we are justified by faith in Christ (Romans 5 vs 1). Those who are justified by Christ live differently, that is, by faith in the Lord.

The message teaches us that living by faith means remaining loyal and confident in God’s purposes. It also means living differently from the standards of unbelievers, away from evil, violence, greed, debauchery, and idolatry. It is trusting and rejoicing in the God of Salvation, even when everything around us crumbles. 

The prophet Habakkuk, in 3 vs 17 - 18, says, "Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls, Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation."

The believer's feelings should not be controlled by the events around him or her, but by faith in God's ability to give him strength. When nothing makes sense, and when troubles seem more than you can bear, remember that God gives strength. Take your eyes off your difficulties and look at God. He gives His followers strength and confidence in difficult times. They will run surefooted as deer across rough and dangerous terrain. 

At the appointed time, God will bring about justice and completely rid the world of evil. In the meantime, God's people need to live in the strength of His Spirit, confident of His ultimate victory over evil. Live by faith in Jesus and receive an abundant life!

In the face of a hostile environment, or turbulent international affairs as we are experiencing now, believers should stand firm in the Lord. These should be the words of one who through faith had transcended the affairs of this world. 

Prayer: Abba Father, You are forever faithful. Endue me with the spirit of faithfulness to You in all things, the circumstances I find myself notwithstanding, and being fully persuaded that You are in control of all things, and Your thoughts for me is of good and not of evil, to bring me to the expected end, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Forever Satisfied

 Forever Satisfied

“I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35)

This text points to the fact that believing in Jesus is a feeding and drinking from all that Jesus is. It goes so far as to say that our soul-thirst is satisfied with Jesus, so that we don’t thirst anymore.

He is the end of our quest for satisfaction. There is nothing beyond, and nothing better.

When we trust Jesus the way John intends for us to, the presence and promise of Jesus is so satisfying that we are not dominated by the alluring pleasures of sin (see Romans 6:14). This accounts for why such faith in Jesus nullifies the power of sin and enables obedience. 

John 4:14 points in the same direction: “Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” In accord with John 6:35, saving faith is spoken of here as a drinking of water that satisfies the deepest longings of the soul. And the satisfaction becomes productive, like a well overflowing.

It’s the same in John 7:37–38: “Jesus stood up and cried out, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”’” 

Through faith, Christ becomes in us an inexhaustible fountain of satisfying life that lasts forever and leads us to heaven, and on the way sets us free from the sinful illusions of other satisfactions. This he does by sending us his Spirit (John 7:38–39).

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY MARCH 24, 2026.

SUBJECT: LET THE JOY OF THE LORD BE IN YOU ALWAYS! 

Memory verse: "Rejoice in the Lord always: Again I will say, rejoice." (Philippians 4 vs 4.)

READ: Psalm 37 vs 4 - 5; Isaiah 12 vs 3:

Psalm 37:4: Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. 

37:5: Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.

Isaiah 12:3: Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

INTIMATION:

One rejoices over specific incidents. However, the demeanor of a Christian lifestyle is one of rejoicing always. Joy is a common theme in Christ’s teaching—He wants us to be joyful always. Joy is the quiet, confident assurance of God's love, and work in our lives—that He will be there no matter what! Joy is lasting because it is based on God’s presence within us. It is only in being joyous that “you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” 

The key to immeasurable joy is living in intimate relationship with Christ, the source of all joy. When we do, we will experience God’s special care and protection and see the victory God brings even when defeat seems certain. The fullness of our joy comes from a consistent and intimate relationship with Christ, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit—the rivers of living water. As we contemplate His daily presence, we will find contentment. 

The Bible, in John 7 vs 37 - 39, says, “On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, who those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” 

Salvation is a gift from God that ensures our overwhelming and unparalleled inheritance in Jesus Christ. You can only access this by your delighting (being joyful) in the Lord. When you delight in the Lord, you will commit your ways to Him, completely trusting in Him, and surely He will give you the desires of your heart, and ensures they are accomplished. 

Joy comes from a consistent relationship with Jesus Christ, that is, abiding in Him and Him in you; being a branch of the vine that you may bear fruit. Abiding in Christ means (1) believing that He is God’s Son, (2) receiving Him as Savior and Lord, (3) doing what God says, (4) continuing to believe the gospel, and (5) relating in love to the community of believers—Christ’s Body. 

When our lives are intertwined with His, He will help us walk through adversity without sinking into debilitating lows and manage prosperity without moving into deceptive highs. The joy of living with Jesus Christ daily will keep us levelheaded, no matter how high or low our circumstances. True joy transcends the rolling waves of circumstances. 

For instance, the apostle Paul wrote our memory verse to the believers in Philippi while he was in prison. It is quite strange that a man in prison will be telling a church to rejoice. But his attitude teaches an important lesson, our inner attitude do not have to reflect our outward circumstances. The apostle Paul was full of joy because he knows that no matter what happens to him, Jesus Christ was with him. 

If you are not joyful, you will never look at things in the right perspective. Ultimate joy comes from Christ indwelling within us through the Holy Spirit. He who lives within us will fulfill His final purposes for us. As we understand the future He has for us, we will experience joy. Don’t base your life on circumstances, but on God who controls circumstances.

To delight in someone means to experience great pleasure and joy in his or her presence. This happens only when we know that person well. Thus, to delight in the LORD, we must know Him better. Knowledge of God’s great love for us indeed makes us delight in Him. And we will commit ourselves to the LORD, entrusting everything—our lives, families, jobs, possessions—to His control and guidance. We are to trust in Him, believing that He can care for us better than we can ourselves. We should be willing to wait patiently for Him to work out what is best for us.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are my everything. My joy is complete in You. My total confidence is in Your assured presence and fellowship with me always, Surely, Your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life as I dwell in Your presence forever, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Ministry and the Fear of Man

 Ministry and the Fear of Man

“Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 1:8)

A great obstacle to serving the Lord, especially among the young, is the fear of rejection and opposition. 

All kinds of thoughts enter the mind about how some people might not like the way we act or speak. People might disagree or be offended. I might make a mistake and get criticized. 

The fear of man is a great hindrance to ministry.

So God says, Don’t fear, because I will be with you and I will deliver you. God’s presence and approval is more valuable than all the accolades of men. And God says that, in and through all your troubles, I will deliver you. You will triumph in the end. You will be more than a conqueror. 

And the same thing is promised to all of us in Christ Jesus today:

“[God] has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’” (Hebrews 13:5–6)

“If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31)

So God said to young Jeremiah, and God says to young people today whom he is calling to serve him — and to the rest of us — “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’” — or I’m too old, or I’m too anything (Jeremiah 1:7). Why?

Because your life is rooted in the unshakable, sovereign purposes of God. You have been chosen and consecrated and formed and appointed for a great purpose.

Because God’s authority, not your own, is behind your serving and your speaking.

And because God himself will be with you to deliver you in all your trials.

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY MARCH 23, 2026.

SUBJECT: WILL GOD REGRET ENTRUSTING YOU WITH HIS GIFTS?

Memory verse: "Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king, who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.” (Matthew 18 vs 23.)

READ: Matthew 25 vs 14 - 19:

25:14: For the kingdom of heaven is as a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered his goods to them.

25:15: And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.

25:16: Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.

25:17: And likewise he who had received two, gained two more also.

25:18: But he that had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord's money.

25:19: After a long time the lord of those servants came, and settled account with them.

INTIMATION:

All we have on earth; our time, energy, intelligence, opportunities, relationships, resources, and so on, are all gifts from God and are entrusted to our care and management by Him. We are stewards of whatever God has given us. We never really own anything during our brief stay on earth. The Owner is God, and has only given us right to use when we come in. It is for this reason we come into the world bringing nothing with us at birth, and takes nothing away with us at death. God loans the earth to us while we're here. And He will give the same right to another when we depart in death. You just get to enjoy it for a while. He expects us to invest all He entrusted to us wisely. 

God entrusted the care of His creation to man and appointed him the trustee of His property (Genesis 1 vs 28). This role has never been rescinded. If God truly is our Master, we must obey willingly without excuses. All He has entrusted to our care must be handled and managed properly. When we ignore, squander, or abuse what we are given, we are rebellious and deserve to be punished. 

This stewardship is the major purpose of our life. Unfortunately, the common culture amongst us is to careless of what you don't own. But that is not God's idea. Christians should live by a higher standard: "Because God owns it, I must take the best care of it to the best of my ability." (See First Corinthians 4 vs 2.)"

Jesus often referred to life as a trust and told many stories to illustrate this responsibility toward God. In the story of the loaned money (the talents) according to the passage we read today, the kingdom of heaven is like a businessman who entrusts his wealth to the care of his servants while he is away. When he returns, he evaluates each servant's performance against given responsibility and rewards them accordingly. Those who do well, in line with his expectations, he says, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy your Lord." (Matthew 25 vs 21.)

In the passage we read today, the master divided the talents among his servants according to their abilities. No one received more or less than he could handle. Therefore, if anyone failed in his assignment, his excuse could not be that he was overwhelmed. It will be obvious he failed due to laziness or hatred toward the master. 

The talent represents any kind of resource God has given us: time, talents, possessions, and other resources according to our abilities, and he expects us to invest them wisely until He returns. We are responsible and accountable for whatever God has delivered to us, and should ensure proper usage or investment. The issue is not how much we have, but how well we use what we have.

In order words, inactivity in the kingdom is not accepted. When the kingdom reign of Jesus is in the hearts of those who have accepted Him as their king, they are moved into action for the king. Inactivity is evidence that the king is not reigning in the hearts of men. The faithful servant does the master's bidding. Each day God presents us with needs and opportunities that challenges us to do what we know is right. We must use our resources—time, talents, abilities, possessions, etc—diligently in order to serve God completely in whatever we do. 

The excuses of the ‘one-talent’ servant actually insulted the integrity of the master. It manifested the fact that he didn’t know the master, and thus, did not know what the master expected. He was rejected on this basis. His inactivity manifested his lack of concern and response to the will of the master. The will of the Master is not burdensome to the one who responds to the love and grace of a Loving Father. The sin of the ‘one-talent’ servant resulted from his ungrateful response to the master who had given him so much.

Stewardship is the main subject of the kingdom. Even those who are “one talent servants” must do what they can for the king. Emphasis is not on how much one does, for the amount one accomplishes is determined by the personal gifts from God. Emphasis is on doing. The world is filled with those who buried their talents in the deceptions of indifferent religiosity, and lack of knowledge. (Hosea 4 vs 6.) We must not make excuses to avoid doing what God called us to do. If God truly is our Master, we must obey willingly. The gifts are not ours, but God’s. When we ignore, squander, or abuse what we have been given, we are rebellious and deserve to be punished.

The ‘five talents’ and ‘two talents’ servants were commended on the basis of their faithfulness and stewardship to carry out in their lives the will of the king. If one determines to serve God, then God will give the increase, for it is God’s grace that works in our hearts to bring forth fruit to God. “Well done good and faithful servant.” What greater words could ever be heard from God? Christians should be motivated to work for God in order to hear these words from Him for the works they do are in response to the grace of God. 

At the end of each one’s life on earth one will be evaluated and rewarded according to how well one handled what God entrusted to him or her. That means everything you do, even simple daily chores, has eternal implications. If you treat everything as a trust, God promises three rewards in eternity. First, you will be given God's affirmation: He will say, "Good job! Well done!" Secondly, you will receive a promotion and be given greater responsibility in eternity: "I will make you ruler over many things." Thirdly, you will be honored with a celebration: "Enter into the joy your Lord." 

The neglected use of one’s gift will result in losing everything one has been given. If one refuses to respond to God’s grace, he cannot expect to receive anything as a result of his lazy ingratitude. In the final end of things, the glories that will be given to the Christian will far outweigh that which he has accomplished on earth. He will receive more than what he can earn by works on this earth, all by God’s grace. 

Prayer: Abba Father, You are forever faithful. Endue me with the spirit of faithfulness to You in all things, being a worthy and effective steward for I have been entrusted with, and be found worthy of Your approval, and Your crown of glory in eternity, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Ignorance Guarantees Ungodliness

 Ignorance Guarantees Ungodliness

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence. (2 Peter 1:3)

I am amazed at the power that the Bible attributes to knowledge. 

Listen again to 2 Peter 1:3: “[God’s] divine power has granted . . . all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.”

Literally, all the power available from God to live and be godly comes through knowledge! Amazing! What a premium we should put on doctrine and instruction in the Scriptures! Life and godliness are at stake.

Not that knowing guarantees godliness. It doesn’t. But it seems that ignorance guarantees ungodliness. Because, Peter says, the divine power that leads to godliness is given through the knowledge of God.

Here are three implications, a warning, and an exhortation.

1. Read! Read! Read! But beware of wasting your time on theological foam and suds. Read rich doctrinal books about “the one who called you to his glory and excellence.”

2. Ponder! Ponder! Slow down. Take time to think about what the Bible means when you read it. Ask questions. Keep a journal. Let yourself be humbly troubled by puzzling things. The deepest insights come from trying to see the unifying root of two apparently antagonistic branches on the tree of truth.

3. Discuss. Discuss. Be a part of a small group that cares passionately about the truth. Not a group that just likes to talk and raise problems. But a group that believes there are biblical answers to biblical problems, and they can be found. 

Warning: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6).“They have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge” (Romans 10:2). So beware of the deadly effects of ignorance.

Exhortation: “Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord” (Hosea 6:3).

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY MARCH 22, 2026.

SUBJECT : THE FLESH AND THE SPIRIT!

Memory verse: "For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish." (Galatians 5 vs 17.) 

READ: Galatians 5 vs 16 - 25:

5:16: I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

5:17: For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.

5:18: But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

5:19: Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,

5:20: Idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,

5:21: Envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I have also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

5:22: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 

5:23: gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

5:24: And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its affections and desires.

5:25: If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

INTIMATION:

The ‘flesh’ is the meaty part of animal and human bodies, the human and weaker or carnal aspect of human nature as opposed to the spiritual or nobler part. While the ‘spirit’ is the invisible, nonmaterial part of human. The flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh, and they are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. The flesh is selfish, and in it is rooted the sinful self-interest in us as humans. And this is at odds with the spirit because the spirit is incompatible with selfishness. 

In the Scripture we read today, the apostle Paul describes two forces fighting within us—the Holy Spirit and the sinful nature (our desires or inclinations that stem from the body). These forces, however, are not equal—the Holy Spirit is infinitely stronger. But if we rely on our own wisdom, we will make wrong choices. If we try to follow the Spirit by our own human effort, we will fail. Our only way to freedom from our evil desires is through the empowering of the Holy Spirit 

“Flesh lusts against the Spirit”: The life that is directed by the Spirit is opposed to the life that has been given over to fulfill the carnal desires of the flesh. Because of this, individuals must always choose between the Will of God and their own will. Those who do not exercise self-discipline will eventually give themselves over to the work of the flesh.  

We all have evil desires, and we can’t ignore them. In order for us to follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance, we must deal with them decisively (crucify them). These desires include obvious sins, such as sexual immorality and demonic activities. They also include less obvious sins, such as hostility, jealousy, and selfish ambition. Those who ignore such sins or refuse to deal with them reveal that they have not received the gift of the Spirit that leads to a transformed life.

The Christian life is within the realm of the Spirit’s direction through the Word of God. When we live according to the direction of God’s Word, we are living in the Spirit. In order to be within the realm of the Spirit one must behave after the Spirit-inspired Word of God, that is, “Walk in the Spirit.” The emphasis is on walking in a spiritual life after the spirit-inspired word as opposed to following the carnal desires of the flesh, or walking after a legal performance of law and works. Living after a spiritual manner is living after the direction of the Holy Spirit which He gives through the Word of God (Hebrews 4 vs 12). 

Christians would not know how to behave themselves in a godly manner if they were not directed by the inspired instructions of the Bible. Therefore, credit for the spiritual life that is according to the Word of God must go to the Spirit’s work of inspiration through the Word of God. When one follows the inspired word, he or she truly walks in the Spirit. 

“Works of the flesh”: The apostle Paul gives a general list of those behavioral patterns of life that are considered desires of the carnal nature of man. These actions or works are in contrast to the fruit of the Spirit, that is, the product that comes forth from the one who is dependent on God. In the flesh is no good thing (Romans 7 vs 18). The flesh produces dead works (Hebrews 9 vs 14). Those who are living after the flesh are not pleasing God (Romans 8 vs 8). Therefore, we should not feed the flesh with that which it desires (Romans 13 vs 14). 

“Led by the Spirit”: Those who seek a spiritual relationship with God will seek God’s direction through the inspired Word of God. Those who are led by the Spirit depend on God. They depend on God for salvation because they realize that they cannot keep law perfectly. Walking after the flesh brings condemnation because no man can behave in a manner to be justified before God through works of law. The system of justification by perfect law-keeping and meritorious deeds brings condemnation because it is a denial of the sufficiency of the grace of God. However, grace and faith bring life because God’s grace saves. Grace motivates obedience to law, and thus, law is established in the life of the obedient. 

Have you ever worried about whether or not you are really a Christian? A Christian is anyone who has the Spirit of God living in him or her. If you have sincerely trusted Christ for your salvation and acknowledged Him as Lord, then the Holy Spirit lives within you and you are a Christian. You can be assured that you have the Holy Spirit because Jesus promised that He would send Him. Since you now believe that Jesus Christ is God’s Son and that eternal life comes through Him, you will begin to act as Christ directs. You will find help in your daily problems and in your praying; you will be empowered to serve God and do His Will.

Prayer: Abba Father, by Your mercy and grace You have saved us and adopted us as Your children. O Lord, the privilege of sonship I will never take for granted. My utmost heart desire is to serve You acceptably; being a vessel of honor in Your hand so as to accomplish all You have purposed for me here on earth with the spirit of obedience to Your Will, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Satan’s Candy Store

 Satan’s Candy Store

Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin. (1 Peter 4:1)

First it puzzles. Did Christ have to cease from sin? No! “He committed no sin” (1 Peter 2:22). 

Then it clicks. When we arm ourselves with the thought that Christ suffered for us, we realize that we died with him. “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness” (1 Peter 2:24). When we die with him, we cease to sin.

It’s just like Romans 6. “We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. . . . So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:6–7, 11).

Peter says, “Arm yourselves with this thought!”

Paul says, “Consider yourselves dead!”

The weapon for our warfare against sin is this thought — this consideration.

When the temptations of Satan come — to lust, to steal, to lie, to covet, to envy, to retaliate, to put down, to fear — arm yourself with this thought: When my Lord suffered and died to free me from sin, I died to sin!

When Satan says to you, Why deny yourself the pleasure of lust? Why deal with this mess, which you could avoid by lying? Why not go ahead and get that harmless luxury you covet? Why not seek justice by returning the same hurt you just received?

Answer him: The Son of God suffered (really suffered!) to deliver me from sinning. I cannot believe he suffered to make me miserable. Therefore, what he died to purchase must be more wonderful than the pleasures of sin. Since I trust him, my susceptibility to your allurements has shriveled up and died. 

Satan, be gone! My mouth doesn’t drool any more when I walk by your candy store.

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY MARCH 21, 2026.

SUBJECT : THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT!

Memory verse: "(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness and truth)." (Ephesians 5 vs 9.) 

READ: Galatians 5 vs 22 - 25:

5:22: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 

5:23: gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

5:24: And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its affections and desires.

5:25: If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

INTIMATION

The fruit of the Spirit is generated in the life of the one who lives after the principle of loving God with all his heart, soul, mind and strength, and his neighbor as himself. Those who have turned from depending on themselves, have turned to depend on the direction of God. Thus, the fruit of the Spirit is brought forth in the lives of those who seek direction from God for moral attitudes and behavior. This is a manifestation of those whose lives are motivated by thanksgiving. The fruit of the Spirit is the result of one’s recognition of God’s grace in his or her life. It is the result of recognizing God’s mercy and therefore, presenting oneself a living sacrifice (Romans 12 vs 1 - 2). 

The fruit of the Spirit is the spontaneous work of the Holy Spirit in us. The Spirit produces these character traits that are found in the nature of Christ. They are the by-products of Christ’s control, and we can’t obtain them by trying to get them without His help. If we want the fruit of the Spirit to grow in us, we must join our lives to His: We must know Him, love Him, remember Him, and imitate Him. As a result, we will fulfill the intended purpose of the law—to love God and our neighbors.

As we study through the fruit of the Spirit, it is significant to note that love is the foundation upon which all the qualities of the fruit are built. If one loves his neighbor as himself, then he will bring forth in his life these characteristics of godly behavior. One fruit leads to another. We begin with love. The result of love is joy, then peace with our neighbor, and then longsuffering. 

God reached out to humanity with agape (love), that is, His grace that was unconditional. We did not earn it. When one recognizes this degree of love, he will in turn express such to others. Love then becomes the foundation upon which we establish relationships with others. Love produces joy, for in giving unconditional love to others, the serendipity, or result, is joy in one’s own heart. The natural result of joy is peace in one’s heart, and also peace with others. 

The natural result of peace with God, because of His mercy and grace, is our own longsuffering and mercy toward others. This is the capacity to patiently endure with the faults of others. Then kindness is the inner gentle nature of the individual that is produced as a result of dependence on the grace of God. When one loves his neighbor he will seek to be kind in attitude toward his neighbor in order to guard the peace that exists between himself and his neighbor. 

Kindness then leads to doing good to our neighbor. The outward expression of inner kindness is doing good toward others. Since God was faithful in saving us by grace, recognition of such will produce faithfulness toward our fellow man. We become committed to our neighbor because we have developed a relationship that is based on love for one another. 

The spiritual nature of the saved person is characterized by a meek or gentle attitude toward others. The meek is courteous and considerate of their neighbors. Gentleness refers to one’s ability to control outbursts of emotion in order to guard the relationship of peace that we have with our neighbor. The gentle person is in control of his being. Therefore, the natural result of the gentle person is self-control and self-discipline when it comes to maintaining the loving relationship we have established with others.

Law does not work against the preceding qualities, or those who possess them. In fact, the one who behaves after the fruit of the Spirit does not need law to tell him how he should behave in relation to his neighbor. Love motivates him to be considerate in all things in his relationship with others. The foundation upon which law stands is love. Law governs our interaction with one another. Love of our neighbor motivates us to act in a lawful manner in our relationship with one another as the organic body in society.  

Because the God who sent the law also sent the Spirit, the by-products of the Spirit-filled life are in perfect harmony with the intent of God’s law. A person who exhibits the fruit of the Spirit fulfills the law better than a person who observes the rituals but has little love in his or her heart. 

If your desire is to have the qualities listed in 5 vs 22 - 23, then you know that the Holy Spirit is leading you. At the same time, be careful not to confuse your subjective feelings with the Spirit’s leading. Being led by the Spirit involves the desire to hear, the readiness to obey God’s Word, and the sensitivity to discern between your feelings and His promptings. Live each day controlled and guided by the Holy Spirit. Then the words of Christ will be in your mind, the love of Christ will be behind your actions, and the power of Christ will help you control your selfish desires.

Prayer: Abba Father, by Your faithfulness and mercy You gave us an Helper in the Person of the Holy Spirit. My utmost heart desire is to be continually led by the Holy Spirit, and that I will have the qualities listed in the fruit of the Spirit manifested in my relationship with others, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

God’s Best Promise

 God’s Best Promise

He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:32)

The most far-reaching promise of God’s future grace is found in Romans 8:32. This is the most precious verse in the Bible to me. Part of the reason is that the promise in it is so all-encompassing that it stands ready to help me at virtually every turn in my life and ministry. There never has been, and never will be, a circumstance in my life where this promise is irrelevant. 

By itself that all-encompassing promise would probably not make the verse most precious. There are other such sweeping promises such as Psalm 84:11: “No good thing does [God] withhold from those who walk uprightly.” And 1 Corinthians 3:21–23: “All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future — all are yours, and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.” It is difficult to overstate the spectacular sweep and scope of these promises. 

But what puts Romans 8:32 in a class by itself is the logic that gives rise to the promise and makes it as solid and unshakable as God’s love for his infinitely admirable Son. 

Romans 8:32 contains a foundation and guarantee that is so strong and so solid and so secure that there is absolutely no possibility that the promise could ever be broken. This is what makes it an ever-present strength in times of great turmoil. Whatever else gives way, whatever else disappoints, whatever else fails, this all-encompassing promise of future grace can never fail.

“He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all . . . ” That’s the foundation. If this is true, says the logic of heaven, then God will, with absolute certainty, give all things to those for whom he gave his Son!

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY MARCH 20, 2026.

SUBJECT: TRUE FAITH THAT PLEASES GOD!

Memory verse: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11 vs 1.) 

READ: Hebrews 11 vs 1 - 6:

11:1: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

11:2: For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.

11:3: By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

11:4: By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts, and through it he being dead still speaks.

11:5: By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death; “and was not found, because God had taken him”, for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

11:6: But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

11:7: By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

INTIMATION:

True faith combines assurance and anticipation. It is the confidence based on past experience that God’s new and fresh surprises will surely be ours. The beginning point of faith is believing in God’s promises. He will do what He says. When we believe that God will fulfill His promises even though we don’t see those promises materializing yet, we demonstrate true faith—believing that ‘He who promised is faithful and will do it’ (Hebrews 10 vs 23).

True faith is pleasing to God, and such faith moves the one who possesses it into action and confidence in the promises of God. It is a faith that does not give up hope in what God has promised as a reward for the believer. It is not a simple confession with one’s mouth that he believes in God. It is a life commitment to the work of God who is working to bring about the final end and purpose of all things. Believing that God exists is only the beginning, even the demons believe that much (James 2 vs 19 - 20). God will not settle for mere acknowledgement of His existence. He wants your faith that leads to a personal, dynamic relationship. 

Biblical faith is based on evidence. The apostle John, in his gospel, recorded the evidence of the miraculous works of Jesus in order that we believe (John 20 vs 30 - 31). God has never expected us to believe without evidence. Consequently, in the 1st Century, He confirmed His messengers and message by miraculous manifestations. Belief without evidence is only superstition. The faith of the Christian, however, is not superstition. Our faith today is based on the record of the testimonies of the patriarchs of old who gave their testimony to the work and faithfulness of God—those who actually experienced the confirming work of God. 

Christians have hope in those things that they have not experienced because God has given miraculous evidence to the truth of the message they believe. They grow in faith in the promises of God as they study the testimony of those who personally experienced the confirming miracles that are recorded in the Bible. Though they are dead, the account of their active faith still teaches us lessons of obedient faith that is pleasing to God.

The faith of Christians is not in the meritorious performance of religious ceremonies. It is in the performance of Jesus on the cross who offered an atoning sacrifice for our sins once and for all time. If one’s faith does not move him or her into depending on the atoning sacrifice of Jesus, it is a faith that does not please God. Faith must act in faithful obedience to LORD Will of God. Without this obedient faith, one has deceived himself into believing that a simple belief in the existence of God is sufficient for salvation.

If one claims to have faith in God, and yet does not manifest such in the behavior of his or her life, then such faith is of no profit toward salvation. Faith without benevolent actions is self-deception on the part of the one who seeks to please God on his own conditions. One’s faith must be manifested by the benevolent actions toward others. The love of God cannot be seen without obedience to the commandments of God. The faith in God can be seen with benevolent actions toward one’s fellow man. 

Prayer: Abba Father, You are the same yesterday, today, and remains the same forever. You have manifested Your greatness in Your wondrous works from the beginning and has continued till this day, and will forever do the same. My absolute trust is in You and Your unchanging nature. Endue me with the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, that I may speak as I believed, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Jesus Died for This Moment

 Jesus Died for This Moment

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

When the alarm went off at 4:59 this morning, I had a split-second thought of the utter realness of dying and standing before an utterly holy God with nothing to commend me but my own life. 

The horror of it was only surpassed by the flash of reality: Jesus Christ died for this very moment. 

Then it was gone.

My immediate sense was: This is the essence of what happens whenever someone is converted. This is how Jesus Christ is discovered to be real. This is how a person comes to cherish the love of Christ. Suddenly, for the first time, they see and feel, with the eyes of their heart, the undeniable reality of having to meet God with a guilty conscience.

The impact of that vision is devastating. It causes us to know that our only hope is a Mediator. Standing alone, with nothing to commend us but our own sinful life, we are utterly lost. If there is any hope for eternity in the presence of this God, we will need a Redeemer, a Substitute, a Savior.

At this point of terrible crisis, nothing shines like the gospel of Jesus Christ — “who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). In the split second before he was there, I was granted to see the all-engulfing darkness and horror of the judgment — not a theological inference, not a merely rational conclusion, not a mere thought, but a glimpse with the inward eye full of knowing and feeling and certainty.

Our God is a consuming fire. He will not look upon evil. We are utterly lost. My guilt was so huge, so real, so unquestioned in that split second, that there is not even the remotest possibility of making excuses. It was sudden and all-enveloping and infinitely hopeless.

In this instant Jesus is all that matters. O Christ! O Christ! Can my heart contain the wave of gratitude?! O Gift of God, my desperate and only Need!

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY MARCH 19, 2026.

SUBJECT: WHEN YOU PRAY FOR OTHERS!

Memory verse: "So I sought for a man among them, who should make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.” (Ezekiel 22 vs 30.)

READ: Psalm 106 vs 23:

Therefore He said that He would destroy them, had not Moses his chosen stood before Him in the breach, to turn away His wrath, lest He destroy them. 

INTIMATION: 

Intercessory prayer (praying for another) is a never-ending opportunity to join God in His work, while at the same time, you have a chance to be transformed both in heart and circumstance. Not just a few are called to pray for others; we are all called to pray unceasingly for all of God's people. Are you wondering if praying for others makes a difference? Here are eight amazing things that happen when you pray for others: 

1. When we pray, we participate in God's work.

There are many people in our lives who need prayer. At times their needs are clear. Other times we may not know what to pray. Either way, when we pray for others, we join God in His work in their lives. 

If you are not sure what to pray, follow the exhortation of Apostle Paul to Timothy in First Timothy 2 vs 1 - 4: “Therefore I exhort first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercession and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” Being obedient in praying for others clears the way for God's work and Will to be done.

2. When we pray for others we emulate Jesus.

In the book of Luke, we find Jesus praying often. He goes to His Father in prayer as His ministry began. As we can see in Scripture, Jesus prayed for His disciples, and about everything. By bringing petitions of prayer on behalf of others, we imitate our Savior. Jesus said to Peter, “And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail, and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” (Luke 22 vs 31 - 32.)

3. When we pray for others, we share in their burdens. In Philippians 2 vs 3 - 4, the apostle Paul reminds us to put others above self, and to consider the needs of others more important than our own. Our nature is to do the opposite. Our first thought is to pray that our burdens be lifted or erased altogether. It is humility that allows us to pray for others earnestly. And by offering prayers for the relief of others and sharing their burdens, our burdens seem lighter. 

4. By praying for others, we join the ministry of reconciliation. The apostle Paul said that God reconciled the believers with Himself through Jesus Christ, and has gives them the ministry of reconciliation, or working to help others know Jesus, embrace salvation, and God's love. (First Corinthians 5 vs 18). Our first tool is prayer. Praying for others puts us in the middle of God's work to bring everyone to Himself. By praying for others, we are ministers in the work of salvation, opening the gospel to those in our prayers. God wants everyone to be saved, and we are invited to be part of the work. (First Timothy 2 vs 3 - 4.)

5. When we pray for others, we learn to trust God. If we depend on our strength and abilities, we cannot accomplish God's Will. Only through surrendering to God is He able to work through us to accomplish His desires in our prayers for others. When we offer intercessory prayers, pleading with God on behalf of loved ones and friends, we are trusting in His ability to answer, and He does. We are giving up our capabilities to answer and depending on God to keep His promise to answer our prayers.

6. When we pray for others, we are also changed. Prayer is not a matter of changing things externally, but one of working miracles in a person's inner nature. While we pray for others, we plead with God to intercede in their lives, perhaps to bring healing or strength in difficult times. But we are also opening our hearts for change. When we pray for others, we connect to the One who has the power to transform the hearts of others and bring change to their circumstances. At the same time, it amends our hearts.

7. Praying for others glorifies God. When we practice intercessory prayer, we glorify the only One who can answer prayers. Our prayers display trust in God, our belief in Christ, and when prayers are answered, we praise Him for his faithfulness. Our prayers glorify God. Praying is not just a conversation. Prayer is praise for the work God will do through our prayers.

8. God answers when we pray for others.

As Christians, our prayers do not bounce off the ceiling or dissipate like fog. God hears when we pray for others, and He answers. The answer may not come quickly, nor may the reply be what we expected. God is gracious, we may receive much more than we asked. Either way, God answers our prayers when we pray for others. Our prayers are powerful, and our loving God wants us to know through His answer to our plea that He has the power and authority to answer whatever we ask in accordance with His Will.

Prayer should not be regarded as a duty which must be performed, but rather as a privilege to be enjoyed, a rare delight that is always revealing some new beauty.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the excellent spirit of prayer and supplication with thanksgiving in all things, and giving myself to praying for others, knowing that bearing another's burden fulfills Your law, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!