BE REAL! “What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.” —Acts 5:4 A lie is not telling the truth. It can appear that people are telling the truth, but that is because they have veiled the lie with just enough truth as to make it look like they are telling the truth. But God sees beyond the veil into the human heart. He knows all that is going in our inner-most being. Nothing is hidden from His sight— “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him…

ENCOURAGEMENT Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement) —Acts 4:36 How can one truly be an encouragement to someone else? How can they bring comfort to someone who is in need of comforting? It can only be done if the one seeking to encourage or comfort someone else has been encouraged or comforted themselves. This sincere comfort and encouragement can only come from God. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For…

PRAISE HIM! “Stand up and praise the Lord your God, for he lives from everlasting to everlasting!” Then they prayed: “May your glorious name be praised! May it be exalted above all blessing and praise! “You alone are the Lord. You made the skies and the heavens and all the stars. You made the earth and the seas and everything in them. You preserve them all, and the angels of heaven worship you. —Nehemiah 9:5-6 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6ZTMUjkx3Q “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers…

JOY! This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. —-Nehemiah 8:10 Joy is not dependent on circumstances, happiness is. True joy is determined by relationship with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Circumstances and situations may change, but those who have a relationship with God through Jesus have a relationship that will NEVER change! Nothing or no one can change that. Nor can anything or anyone take away our joy! Jesus Others Yourself When we get the focus off of ourselves as first priority and focus on Jesus we experience joy. When we get our focus off self and…

DO HIS WORK! Meanwhile, our enemies were saying, “Before they know what’s happening, we will swoop down on them and kill them and end their work.” —Nehemiah 4:11 As followers of our Lord Jesus Christ we need to always be aware that we are in spiritual warfare. Satan and his demonic armies are destroyers. That is what they seek to do. When Nehemiah and the Jews were rebuilding the wall Satan’s dark kingdom worked through their enemies seeking to hinder them. Yes, the enemies even had a desire to kill them so the work would end. Now, fellow follower of Jesus, don’t think our enemy today is any less desirous…

KNOW…GROW…SHOW… This was because Ezra had determined to study and obey the Law of the Lord and to teach those decrees and regulations to the people of Israel. —Ezra 7:10 “Then feed my lambs” —John 21:15 “Then take care of my sheep” —John 21:16 “Then feed my sheep” —John 21:17 Is this the determination of your heart and mine? How committed are you and I to the Word of God… to know it? To obey it? To teach it? Is this the desire of my heart and yours? May it be so! Ezra wanted to know what God’s Word said. Then he wanted to obey God’s Word himself. But then…

FAITH— “is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1). “I have seen the Lord!” —John 20:18 “We have seen the Lord!” —John 20:25 “I won’t believe it unless I see…” —John 20:25 “You believe because you have seen me…” —John 20:29 “Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.” —John 20:29 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-m9sRRN9MA I have not seen Jesus with my physical eyes, but the evidence for Who He is all around us. I would have told you that it was an audible voice speaking to me when He called me to Himself. The conviction of His Holy Spirit was powerful. Jesus does…

DONE! “It is finished!” —John 19:30 Or… it has been finished. What has been finished? What was taking place? Jesus died shortly after He said this. But what was meant? Jesus “is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world” (I John 2:2). So that “that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (I John 4:10). “God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of…

REAL PURPOSE, POWER AND PEACE He may have a great army, but they are merely men. We have the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles for us!” Hezekiah’s words greatly encouraged the people. —II Chronicles 32:8 We put our hope in the LORD. He is our help and our shield. —Psalm 33:20 Our help is from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. —Psalm 124:8 Where are you looking for help? Sometimes people look in many places, to many people or to circumstances for help, but there is only One who can truly help us. May we look to Him! Where do people look for…

GOD’S HOLY SPIRIT And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me. Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more. Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged. —John 16:8-11 It is the Holy Spirit of God that brings conviction to people. Brother and sister, you know how that happened when your eyes were opened to understand who Jesus is and who you were as a sinner before Him. Do you remember that time?…