FAITH WORKS! What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well.…

HANDLING THE TRIALS IN THIS FALLEN WORLD Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. —James 1:12             Let’s face it— none of us desires to go through hard times.  Who wants to have trials?  Who wants to suffer pain and heartache?  Surely none of this is something we desire for ourselves or for anyone.  But… we live in a fallen, sinful world and because of that trials come. Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the…

BE FAITHFUL TO HIS CALL ON YOUR LIFE! Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. —Hebrews 13:16 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. —Hebrews 13:20-21             It is God’s will that we do good and share with others.  He is the One who equips us…

I AM IN THE UNSHAKEABLE KINGDOM OF JESUS!  At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. —Hebrews 12:26-29             In the days of Moses, God shook the earth.  It was so dreadful…

BY FAITH I… And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the…

BY FAITH… Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. —Hebrews 11:1 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. —Hebrews 11:6 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. —Hebrews 11:13             Do we see ourselves as strangers and exiles on the earth?  This is not our home, nor is it the home of any follower of…

DO HIS WILL! – “YOUR WILL BE DONE” —Matthew 9:10 They cast their silver into the streets, and their gold is like an unclean thing. Their silver and gold are not able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD. They cannot satisfy their hunger or fill their stomachs with it. For it was the stumbling block of their iniquity. —Ezekiel 7:19 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. —Hebrews 19:24-25             The…

PERFECT IN JESUS! For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near.  Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. —Hebrews 10:1-4 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of…

YOU SPEAK AS OUR LORD DESIRES And whether they listen or refuse to listen—for they are a rebellious house—they will know that a prophet has been among them. But you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns surround you, and you dwell among scorpions. Do not be afraid of their words or dismayed by their presence, though they are a rebellious house. But speak My words to them, whether they listen or refuse to listen, for they are rebellious. —Ezekiel 2:5-7 And he said to me, “Son of man, listen carefully and take to heart all the…

OUR LORD’S LOVE IS UNWAVERING! But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. —Lamentations 3:21-26             Remember… recall and have hope that “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is…