Biblical Teachings

The Outcome of Discouragement

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Turn to the Lord when you’re discouraged, or you may end up with a distorted view of God and yourself. PSALM 40:1-3 1 I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me and heard my cry. 2 He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. 3 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; Many will see and fear And will trust in the LORD. Discouragement is a common problem. As we …

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“And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.”— Exodus 20:25

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God’s altar was to be built of unhewn stones, that no trace of human skill or labour might be seen upon it. Human wisdom delights to trim and arrange the doctrines of the cross into a system more artificial and more congenial with the depraved tastes of fallen nature; instead, however, of improving the gospel carnal wisdom pollutes it, until it becomes another gospel, and not the truth of God at all. All alterations and amendments of the Lord’s own Word are defilements and pollutions. The proud heart of man is very anxious to have a hand in the justification …

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“As it began to dawn, came Magdalene, to see the sepulchre.” Matthew 28:1

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Let us learn from Mary Magdalene how to obtain fellowship with the Lord Jesus. Notice how she sought. She sought the Saviour very early in the morning. If thou canst wait for Christ, and be patient in the hope of having fellowship with him at some distant season, thou wilt never have fellowship at all; for the heart that is fitted for communion is a hungering and a thirsting heart. She sought him also with very great boldness. Other disciples fled from the sepulchre, for they trembled and were amazed; but Mary, it is said, “stood” at the sepulchre. If …

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Into the Shadows

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1 Kings 17:2-6 2 And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, 3 Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. 4 And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. 5 So he went and did according unto the word of the Lord: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. 6 And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; …

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Psalm 57

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57 Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast. 2 I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me. 3 He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth. 4 My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of …

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Beloved

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“Who am I? Sometimes you forget. You get rejected and deeply wounded. You stumble. You lose your way. You fall into trouble. You sit in isolation- invisible-you wonder if you matter. You feel trapped with no hope. You get confused. You wonder if you are enough and become a slave to the approval of others. Have you forgotten whose you are? No matter how far you’ve run. No matter what you’ve done. No matter how lost or confused your journey has become. No matter how dark it seems right now. No matter where you’ve been. You are God’s beloved. Over …

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The Non-Canonical Jewish writings Spoke of a Mother of Messiah and His Suffering

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What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit [is there] of circumcision? Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.        Romans 3:1-2; Paul of Tarsus Cir. A.D. 57 God chose to bring His message to the world through the Jews. As the apostle Paul so aptly stated, “to them God entrusted His oracles.” These oracles are God’s infallible authority and guide for life and revelation of His program for all of creation.    Even though God gave it to them they took it for granted and turned aside from the Holy One who had chosen them …

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Implicit Trust

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“For I will surely deliver thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee: because thou hast put thy trust in Me, saith the LORD” (Jeremiah 39:18). Behold the protecting power of trust in God. The great men of Jerusalem fell by the sword, but poor Ebed-melech was secure, for his confidence was in Jehovah. Where else should a man trust but in his Maker? We are foolish when we prefer the creature to the Creator. Oh, that we could in all things live by faith, then should we be delivered …

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When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.” Psalm 56:9

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It is impossible for any human speech to express the full meaning of this delightful phrase, “God is for me.” He was “for us” before the worlds were made; he was “for us,” or he would not have given his well-beloved son; he was “for us” when he smote the Only-begotten, and laid the full weight of his wrath upon him –he was “for us,” though he was against him; he was “for us,” when we were ruined in the fall–he loved us notwithstanding all; he was “for us,” when we were rebels against him, and with a high hand …

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Reflecting on God’s Faithfulness

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Sometimes the best way to strengthen trust in God is remembering times He’s been faithful in the past. Lamentations 3:22-23 22 It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. Our heavenly Father is always faithful to keep His promises. We can be certain of this because He made them based upon His unchanging character and His Son Jesus Christ. (See Heb. 6:13-14.) Many times over the years, I have been the beneficiary of God’s faithfulness to His Word. For example, Romans 10:13 …

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From Hurt to Usefulness

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1 Kings 17:2-6 2 Then the Lord said to Elijah, 3 “Go to the east and hide by Kerith Brook, near where it enters the Jordan River. 4 Drink from the brook and eat what the ravens bring you, for I have commanded them to bring you food.” 5 So Elijah did as the Lord told him and camped beside Kerith Brook, east of the Jordan. 6 The ravens brought him bread and meat each morning and evening, and he drank from the brook. As we read those words and try to imagine the original setting, we begin to see …

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Crowder – Come As You Are (Music Video)

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“Hey you, the one wondering if you’re enough, if you’d be loved if anyone really knew you?   Turn your heart this way for a moment, then lean in and listen close: Acceptance? You’ve got it. You don’t have to look any further than the hands of the One who made you, the heart of the One who loves you. You’re welcomed, held, cherished just as you are and encouraged to grow into all you’ll become. So hold your heart and head high; look the world in the eyes and say ‘I’m His. I am loved. I’m already accepted today.’” …

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False Shepherds In Israel and The Church

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The Role of The shepherd In chapter 34 of the book of Ezekiel God is using a familiar illustration of the “shepherd” and his “sheep” to describe the leaders and the people of the Nation Israel. The Bible frequently uses this terminology to refer to the spiritual leaders with responsibility over a group of people (Psalm 78:70-72; Isaiah 44:28; 63:11; Jeremiah 23:1-4; 25:34-38). Their primary role was to guard the nation like a shepherd would guard his flock. Every society needs a recognized and well-ordered leadership for its own safeguard and prosperity. God chose elders, priests, kings and prophets to …

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Cut Down to Size

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Cut Down to Size 1 Kings 17:2-6 2 And the word of the Lord came to him: 3 “Depart from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. 4 You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” 5 So he went and did according to the word of the Lord. He went and lived by the brook Cherith that is east of the Jordan. 6 And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, …

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