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Exodus 17:8-16 The Christian's war with the flesh is seen in the Israelites' desert experiences as outlined in the Old Testament. This age-old battle is seen in Amalek's attempt to keep Israel out of the land of promise. The simple statement is made in Exodus 17:8 : "Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim." This historical battle furnishes us with a good illustration of the internal warfare every believer in Christ experiences. Amalek is a type of the flesh. He

Revelation 2:18-29 There were some good people in the Church of Thyatira. The Lord knew their works, all the hard work they were doing and the love that was the basis for it and their faithfulness to Him. He saw all they did even to their giving of a cup of cold water. Some people are quick to spread a great banquet, but they are slow to give just a cup of cold water. The smallest deed of kindness done in our Lord's name will not go unrewarded. There is too much today of the

Romans 8:6-17 It is not a sin to be tempted, but it is sinful to allow oneself to be drawn away and to yield to the temptation. So at the time when temptation arises is the moment to apply Romans 8:13 --to mortify the deeds of the body through the Holy Spirit. And notice that it is only through the Holy Spirit that we can effectively do this. This calls for a new attitude. We must recognize that we are personally responsible. We cannot escape our responsibility by saying, "We

Galatians 5:1-7 The law of Christ is a law of liberty, a law of freedom made operative through the Spirit of God within us. Nothing in our sin nature could produce a godly life. Indeed, it is opposed to righteousness. It is void of all power to do what pleases God. Though we may know what the right standard of righteousness is because we have God's Law, we do not have in ourselves the ability to meet the Law's righteous demands. All the Law can do under such circumstances is

Romans 12:1-5 Christ wants to live His life through us. He wants to use our eyes to behold the world situation as it is today. He wants to use our ears to hear the cry of the unsaved and the cry of those who are in need. He wants to use our lips to tell others the Gospel. He wants to use our hearts to express compassion and love to everyone. He wants to use our minds to think through situations and to have something to say to the people involved. He wants to use our hands to

1 John 3:11-24 The word for love in 1 John 3:11 does not refer to a sentimental love but is a strong word that describes God. It is the kind of love that recognizes a need and responds to that need. An illustration of this contrast is seen in the case of Cain, who was of the Wicked One and killed his brother (v. 12). He killed Abel because his own works were evil and his brother's were righteous. Cain did not have love in his heart because he was not a child of God. He had h

Genesis 16:6-16 After Hagar fled from Sarah's presence, before Ishmael was born, the angel of the Lord said to her, "Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction. And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren" ( Gen. 16:11 , 12 ). The Arabs are the descendants of Ishmael, and this prophecy

Ephesians 5:25-33 No believer lives a spiritually isolated life. Together, we are members of Christ's Body ( Eph. 5:30 ) and have responsibilities to each other. Ephesians 4:25 says, "We are members one of another." Therefore, Spirit-filled believers treat fellow Christians as they would treat themselves. We are not to be domineering, but recognizing that Christ is the Lord of all, we are to have a submissive spirit. As we mutually desire to do the will of God, the Holy Spir

James 4:4-7 Consider the accusation of James concerning the illicit love affair with the world as stated in the following paraphrase: "You [are like] unfaithful wives [having illicit love affairs with the world and breaking your marriage vow to God]! Do you not know that being the world's friend is being God's enemy? So whoever chooses to be a friend of the world takes his stand as an enemy of God."( James 4:4 , Amplified Bible). Being a friend of the world indicates that the

James 5:7-12 To "grudge not" is to "complain not." We are not to groan or grumble against each other. In this life, where there is the tendency to be partial to others who have more than we do, James reminded us not to be grumbling and complaining about others. We are not to develop an attitude of thinking the other person always has it better than we do. We must remember that the Lord can come back at any time to judge us for such attitudes. James said, "The judge standeth b

Ephesians 4:17-27 It is apparent that we should be angry with sin and come to hate that which would separate us from God or cause loss of fellowship. This means there will be times when we will hate what others do because it goes contrary to the Word of God. Such anger may be referred to as "righteous indignation." However, when self becomes projected into the matter, it is possible for a believer to sin, at least in his attitude toward others. In Ephesians 4:26 Paul was war

Ephesians 1:4 ; 1 Peter 1: 13-21 There is much talk today about "working for Christ" but little about "being like Christ." Being like Christ means more than just following Him as a good teacher or example; it refers to the believer's being molded into the image of Jesus Christ. This is accomplished only as the believer yields to the work of the indwelling Christ. The term "without blame" in Ephesians 1:4 means "without blemish"; that is, "free from faultiness." The believer

Colossians 4:12 , 13 We often pray out of a sense of duty, paying a sort of lip service to what we believe. The average prayer meeting today is a sad event for this very reason. Sometimes we who are there scold those who are absent, and we look down on them. Sometimes those who attend the prayer meeting feel themselves to be better than those who do not. This attitude hinders real prayer. We are inclined to say the same things over and over again without really ever getting d

Ephesians 5:7-17 Because of the subtle works of darkness and the importance of being a witness for the Lord, Paul said, "See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise" ( Eph. 5:15 ). The word translated "see" means "to look, to consider, to take heed." It was as if Paul was waving a sign before them that said, "Stop, look and listen." Paul wanted believers to make a thorough check of the way they were living to be sure they were walking as they should be. Pau

John 15:17-27 Through the power of the Holy Spirit we are able to bear witness of the Saviour. This promise was made by our Lord to His disciples before His ascension: "And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high" ( Luke 24:47-49 ).

Romans 12:14-21 It is not our business to repay people for what they do to us. Vengeance belongs to the Lord, even as it is indicated in Deuteronomy 32:35 . Since vengeance belongs to the Lord, we would be presuming to take the Father's business out of His hands if we tried to repay evil with evil. He takes into full account every injustice done to us, and He Himself will settle the account. We are to keep on loving with the love with which God has loved us. That love is shed

Genesis 17:1 , 2 In Genesis 17:1 we are told, "And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect." Thirteen years had gone by since Abraham had hearkened unto Sarah, and during this time there was no mention of God's appearing to Abraham. In the Scriptures these 13 years are passed over as a period of spiritual barrenness. For Abraham it was what is known spiritually as a t

Galatians 2:1-10 Four marks of a Christian are set forth in the Book of Galatians. First, a Christian is one who has the living Christ living in him. "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me" ( Gal. 2:20 ). Second, a Christian is one who has the Holy Spirit within him, for in Galatians 4:6 we see, "And because

Philippians 3:1-11 Paul said about himself, "Concerning zeal, persecuting the church" ( Phil. 3:6 ). This reveals the pride of personal devotion to his religious choices. In a sense, it was Paul's pride of reputation. He was more devoted than any of his contemporaries. He was not only a Pharisee, but he was also a very zealous one. He was a conscientious and relentless persecutor of all who were considered heretics outside of his pharisaic Judaism. In Paul's unsaved state in

Ephesians 3:14-21 By the time of the 17th chapter of Genesis, it had been 24 years since God's first promise to Abraham that he would have a seed and that the land would be given to his seed. When God now appears to Abraham, He appears to him as "the Almighty God" (v. 1). The Hebrew name for God here is actually El Shaddai. El means "God" or "the Strong One." Shaddai means "nourisher" or " strength-giver." As El Shaddai, God is "the all-sufficient One." Thus, when Abraham

Hebrews 11:8-18 Have you ever thought about the fact that you and I have the Gospel today because Abraham and others who were chosen of God were faithful? God has chosen to work through men; therefore, the future of God's work rests on what He is able to motivate men to do. In Old Testament times the work of God depended on men such as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In New Testament times Jesus Christ made His future program dependent on the apostles. He spent time with these men

James 1:22-25 Whereas James 1:22-24 view the person who does not act upon the basis of the Word, verse 25 looks at the person who does act on the basis of the Word of God. He is like one who does something about what he sees in the mirror. His positive attitude is beautiful, as was David's when he said, "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" ( Ps. 139:23 , 24 ). Davi

James 1:16-18 James left no doubt about the fact that God is the giver of all that is good. James cautioned, "Do not err" ( James 1:16 ). The Greek word translated "err" means "to go astray" or "to go off course." It was used to describe a ship that had been driven from its course and was in severe danger. So James was not referring to making a minor mistake but to making a serious error in judgment that could have awesome and terrible results. Notice that James did not say "

Ephesians 1:7-15 An inheritance is something that a person comes into possession of because of his relationship with another. It is not something that is earned; it is a gift. The believer's inheritance includes life itself. By receiving Christ as Saviour, the believer inherits eternal life. Jesus said, "He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life" ( John 5:24 ). Th