God is the supreme judge in the Court of Heaven. We often think of God as a benevolent helper, but He is also the sovereign ruler of His Kingdom and the supreme judge in the court of heaven. “God presides over heaven’s court; He pronounces judgment on the heavenly beings” (Psalm 82:1 NLT). Daniel received …
Prayer flows naturally when you genuinely care for the person or object of your prayer. But for many who live in America, there are barriers to a flow of genuine prayer for the country. Like bittersweet delicacies, America has served good and bad experiences for many of her constituents. So, they have to overcome memories …
Who was this woman, Deborah? Miriam, a female prophet had come on the scene. But no one like Deborah had been recorded–a female ruler of all Israel. A deliverer. A warrior. A pioneer. A prophet. A judge who gave a man courage to go to war for his country, and didn’t just cheer for him from the sidelines. She went with him. A woman who restored village life, got people back on the streets, and an economy moving again.
Before Jesus performed any miracle, sign, or wonder, the Father announced His approval, saying from heaven, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). His identity—”beloved son”—was not in works but relationship. Jesus echoes the same sentiment to us in Scripture, “to those who receive Him, He gives the power …
For many, the end of the year is a time of mixed emotions. Regrets and sorrow for things lost play a tug of war with hopes for better times ahead. The temptation to reflect on things that have gone wrong is strong, enhanced by the reality that precious time has gone by. And if we yield to the temptation to focus on what’s gone wrong, we join the ranks of Lot’s wife, who turned to a pillar of salt for looking back (Genesis 19:26).
I have a heart for ministry leaders. In addition to being one, I see their struggles and their often thankless efforts in service to others. At the same time, when leaders get better, their followers also get better, and I want to improve and see other ministry leaders do the same. In my prayers, counsel, and observation of leaders in recent years, I have become concerned about how we measure success and how the body of Christ is influencing this situation.
Sometimes life requires hard conversations but the result is better spiritual, emotional, and physical health. This article, published by Our Daily Bread, and written by our own Pastor Lenita Reeves, is entitled, “Abuse, Trauma, Triggers, and the Church: The Hard Conversations. You can be empowered to have the hard conversations. Read more at https://buff.ly/3rfpW15
“Our pasts are no excuse to not excel in our future, and painful circumstances don’t negate favor. The key is walking with God through the pain before you reach ‘the palace.’” — Lenita Reeves
Joseph, the governor of a nation, survived an attempted murder by his brothers. He was human trafficked into slavery in a foreign country, sexually assaulted by a married woman, and wrongfully convicted and thrown into prison. But that’s now how his journey began.
In Daniel 9, Daniel read Jeremiah’s prophetic words and discovered that there was a set time for the captivity of his people to come to an end. But he needed the angel of the Lord to help him understand what he was reading and what actually needed to happen for the Jews to experience true liberation—in practice. Jeremiah had pronounced it, but it had not come to pass.
Similarly, the United States had lawfully pronounced the freedom of slaves in the 1862 Emancipation Proclamation. Still, it did not happen in practice—it was not fully enforced until two and a half years later, on June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas.
Two weeks ago, we celebrated Pentecost. Most believers commemorated the coming of the Holy Spirit and the launch of the New Testament church—and they were right to associate Pentecost with those things. But it was also the beginning of the Feast of Weeks or the Feast of Harvest, which is the Jewish celebration of the beginning of the wheat harvest. That’s why the Jews were in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost anyway.
