“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking” (James 1:5 NLT). It seems self-evident that the one who lacks wisdom would ask the all-knowing God for help. Yet, asking God is often the last choice, rather than the first. Prayer is
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. So do not be attracted by strange, new ideas. Your strength comes from God’s grace” (Hebrews 13:8-9 NLT). The author of Hebrews warned believers not to be led astray by strange and various teachings that might come along. They were to remember the teachings and conduct
“Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking” (Hebrews 12:25 NLT). Have you ever refused to listen to the Spirit of Christ? Has He knocked at your heart’s door and been refused entrance? Consider those in the Old Testament who refused to obey God when He spoke. What
“And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith” (Hebrews 12:1b-2a NLT). Running the race of faith, it is Jesus who sets the pace for us. So we must keep our eyes on Him,
“It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute was not destroyed with the people in her city who refused to obey God. For she had given a friendly welcome to the spies” (Hebrews 11:31 NLT). Rahab lived in the ancient city of Jericho. She was a business woman who ran a house that offered meals,
“Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see” (Hebrews 11:1 NLT). Hebrews begins its eleventh chapter with a biblical definition of faith. Chapter eleven might be called the “Faith Hall of Fame.” For following its definition, examples of people living with biblical faith are listed.
“Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise” (Hebrews 10:23 NLT). Christian hope is confident hope. For Christian hope is based on the promises of God. Since this hope is anchored to God’s promises we can be assured that our hope will not
“My heart is confident in you, O God; no wonder I can sing your praises with all my heart!” (Psalm 108:1 NLT). David declared the confidence of his heart towards God. In other words, David had set and established his heart on God. He had fixed his focus on God alone. Having made God the
“Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him” (Hebrews 9:28 NLT). Christ has already accomplished our redemption by the offering of Himself for
“Repent, and turn from your sins. Don’t let them destroy you! Put all your rebellion behind you, and find yourselves a new heart and a new spirit” (Ezekiel 18:30-31 NLT). God warned Israel through His prophet Ezekiel to repent before their sins destroyed them. For although sin may seem pleasant at first, it ultimately results