You Are No Accident, Because God Chose You!According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.— Ephesians 1:4From time to time, someone says, “My parents didn’t plan me. I was an accident no one expected.” People use this as an excuse for not accepting more responsibility in life, claiming that they are accidents wh...  Read More

God Isn’t Looking for Aristocrats, Cultured, or High-Born PeopleFor ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise....— 1 Corinthians 1:26,27Through the ages, God has always delighted in choosing normal people to do His business. If you consider yourself...  Read More

Our Mutual Ministry Of ExhortationBut exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.— Hebrews 3:13If you want to fulfill God’s plan for your life, there’s one thing you must not do: Don’t forsake the daily fellowship and encouragement of other believers! Hebrews 3:13 tells us that we need to “...exhort one another daily....” But w...  Read More

You Are Sealed and Guaranteed by God’s Spirit!In whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise.— Ephesians 1:13I couldn’t believe what I had just heard on the telephone! A beautiful and very expensive piece of Russian porcelain that we had sent to a dear friend in the United States had arrived broken in pieces! It was so broken that it couldn’t be put back toget...  Read More

Are You Tired of Waiting For Your Fruit-Producing Season?Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. — Colossians 2:7Have you ever been so frustrated at waiting for a fruitful time in your life that you said to the Lord, “When is the fruit-producing season ever going to start in my life? I’ve worked, believed, and waited, bu...  Read More

If You Pray Wrongly, You Can Be Sure Your Prayers Won’t Be Answered!...Ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss.... — James 4:2,3We’ve all encountered moments in our spiritual lives when we prayed with no results. Apparently the people to whom James was writing his epistle were having the same experience. Just as you have probably asked yourself at one time or...  Read More

Darkness Cannot Overcome the Light!And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. — John 1:5I know of no great Christian leader who hasn’t faced some kind of opposition as he or she sought to do God’s will. But the truth is that darkness does not have the power to overcome light! Every believer can overcome any attack if he or she won’t quit first!John 1:5 says, “And the ...  Read More

Two Kinds of Strongholds (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations....— 2 Corinthians 10:4,5If you want to be free from every stronghold of the enemy in your life, you have to understand that there are two kinds of strongholds: rational and irrational. The rational strongholds are the more difficult strong...  Read More

Never Forget To Look At the Children!One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity. — 1 Timothy 3:4Once while traveling on an airplane, I sat next to a lady who had taught public school for thirty-five years. I asked her, “What can you tell about a family by the way a child behaves in school?”She answered, “Everything! I can usually tell by the way a child ...  Read More

The Shield of Faith!Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.— Ephesians 6:16When Paul wrote his letter to the church of Ephesus, he gave a full description of the spiritual weaponry God has provided for every believer. In Ephesians 6:16, he referred to the shield of faith. He said, “Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewi...  Read More

How Would You Like To Receive a Fresh Anointing?...I shall be anointed with fresh oil. — Psalm 92:10How would you like to receive a fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit on your life today? If your answer is yes, why don’t you go before the Great Anointer and allow Him to give you that fresh anointing? This is precisely what David was referring to when he said, “...I shall be anointed with fresh oil”...  Read More

Don’t Hold Anything Back!So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us.— 1 Thessalonians 2:8One common failure among ministers is to teach people the Word yet neglect to model the principles so the people will know how to live it in their personal lives. But true discipleship is n...  Read More

It’s Wearisome To Work With the Dead!This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.— 1 Timothy 3:1One of the greatest frustrations I’ve experienced through the years is working with people who have great potential but are apathetic about life. It’s even more frustrating when these people grew up in Christian homes and should therefore have been taught to pu...  Read More

It’s Time for You To Become Responsible!For every man shall bear his own burden. — Galatians 6:5When Denise and I were first married and were just getting started in the ministry, our heart desire was to help people who were in need. Word of our efforts to help people soon spread throughout our city, and it seemed like there was always a long line of people approaching us to request help for all k...  Read More

When Are You Supposed To Help Bear Someone Else’s Burden?Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. — Galatians 6:2Not so long ago, a precious woman in our congregation came to church looking sad and depressed. It was unusual to see her this way, because she was normally cheerful and full of faith. She sat in her chair, dropped her head, and began to weep. I wanted to go to he...  Read More

Learning How To Be Quiet When Others Are SpeakingWherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.— James 1:19One of the biggest lessons to learn in life is to know when you need to be quiet and when you need to speak up. For instance, if someone over you in authority is trying to tell you something, that’s a time for you to be quiet and listen to what t...  Read More

The ‘Ischuos’ Power of God!Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.— Ephesians 6:10In yesterday’s Sparkling Gem, we began looking at the kinds of power that God has made available to every believer. As noted yesterday, He has provided two kinds of power for every Christian. The first is kratos power, which is a demonstrative, eruptive, manifested power. But today...  Read More

The ‘Kratos’ Power of God!Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.— Ephesians 6:10In Ephesians 6:10, the apostle Paul gives us some very important insight into the kind of power God has made available to every believer — including you! This is really important for you to understand because it describes the kind of power that God wants to operate through you, so b...  Read More

Is Jesus Testing You?When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.— John 6:5,6After ministering to multitudes for numerous days, Jesus and His disciples privately retreated to the top of a mountainside just outside Jerusalem. It was ...  Read More

Intellectual Power Alone Is Not Sufficient To Do the JobAnd I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.— 1 Corinthians 2:1,2After Paul was finished preaching to the intellectual leaders in Athens, he left the city feeling disappointe...  Read More

When You’re Discouraged And Ready To Give Up, Here’s What You Should Do!But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions. — Hebrews 10:32What should you do when you’re feeling discouraged and dangerously close to doubting God’s integrity — when you start thinking He just might not come through for you? Hebrews 10:32 tells us what...  Read More

There’s a Time for You To Be Inflexible and Unmoving!Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;).— Hebrews 10:23Maybe you’ve been muttering to yourself, “Come on! I’ve waited and waited for my dream to come to pass. God hasn’t done anything I thought He was going to do. I’ve seen others blessed; I’ve seen others healed; but I’m still sitting h...  Read More

The Most Common Word For Prayer in the New TestamentPraying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints. — Ephesians 6:18The most common Greek word translated “prayer” in the New Testament is the word proseuche. This particular word and its various forms is used approximately 127 times in the New Testament. It ...  Read More

What Are You Teaching Your Children at Home?One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity.— 1 Timothy 3:4As parents, we have a responsibility to train and prepare our children to be successful in life, and there is no better classroom for teaching them the responsibilities of life than in our own homes. God expects us to teach our children how to conduct th...  Read More