"It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do [...]
There are no direct scriptures about proper or improper fasting foods nor about the duration of a fast. In the Bible, fasting was most often associated with three attitudes of heart. Most prominently, people fasted as part their repentance from sin. When Jonah told [...]
Matthew 6:19-21: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in [...]
“Without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Hebrews 11:6 It is important to develop our faith to be pleasing to God. [...]
Scriptures are taken from the NIV Bible unless otherwise noted. This scripture may seem to contradict the angels’ proclamation at the time of Jesus’s birth: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” (Luke 2:14, KJV) The result of [...]
No. The true footstep followers of the Lord Jesus are called to a "heavenly calling" (Hebrews 3:1), to the "high calling of God" (Philippians 3:13). Male and female Christians are running for the office of joint-heirship with Christ Jesus in His Kingdom. The Apostle Paul was [...]
There are likely as many proofs of spirit begettal or of God’s anointing as there are people experiencing it. To some, the Lord may show His approval through answered prayer. Others may experience peculiar incidents that demonstrate clearly that God is now dealing with them [...]
An exploit is to take advantage of or to act meanly or unjustly for one’s own advantage. Did Christ teach His followers to scheme to get ahead? No! Galatians 6:7, 8 states, “Do not be deceived. . . whatever a man sows, this he will [...]
The church in Corinth had this same problem. Some of the believers were saying they should not eat meat offered to idols. Others said an idol is nothing, just rock, so it really doesn’t hurt the food. We can eat that meat. This is [...]
In the United States, Ponzi schemes are illegal. Methods to "get rich quick" usually don't work. The perpetrator of these methods is trying to make money for himself. The poor investor will typically lose most or all of his capital. The Federal Trade Commission [...]
We can be positive, thankful, and rejoicing only if our positiveness is based on God's word. "God cannot lie…" Titus 1:2. Therefore, let us look into God's word, the Bible, and base our positiveness on God's promises. First, God loves us and sent Jesus [...]
Probably Satan’s greatest weapon against us relates to the sin that dwells within us. Satan uses it to try to discourage us into giving up. We need to look at the scriptures and realize that the very thing that Satan is trying to use [...]
Yes, the defense does change in different cultures and locations. Consider the Apostle Paul’s example as recorded in Acts 17:1-12 (NIV): “When Paul and his companions…came to Thessalonica…Paul went into the synagogue, and …he reasoned with them from the Scriptures…Some believed… and joined Paul [...]
In the context of this verse, Jesus had just told the rich, young ruler to sell all he possessed, give it to the poor, and follow him. Jesus was able to read the heart of this man, and saw that although he was trying [...]
1 Corinthians 10:13, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, [...]
At the time that Jesus made this statement (Luke 18:25) the city of Jerusalem had many gates, all of which were closed at sundown. It is said that one small gate was accessible to late-arriving merchants. (While there is no archeological evidence that such a gate [...]
James 1:27 “religion pure and undefiled with the God and Father is this, to look after orphans and widows in their tribulation.” To “look after” could mean helping in a variety of ways besides adoption. God originally instructed Adam and Eve to “be fruitful [...]
Tattling or reporting a wrong is a serious issue. We are all sinners and are thankful no one is reporting all of our errors to others. If a sin is very serious, however, then you need to weigh the matter in your mind and [...]
