TEXT: ‘Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper’ – 2 Chronicles 20:20 THOUGHT: Although unintentional, it is interesting that Today’s Teaching, the first of the New Year, is based on 2 Chronicles 20:20. Many kings of Judah and Israel were ungodly and created real problems for the people they ruled over. Jehoshaphat was someone who feared the Lord having inherited the throne from his father Asa, (also a godly king although he went off the rails spiritually towards the end of his reign). Jehoshaphat stayed true to his faith to the end. ‘The people of Moab with the people of Ammon, and others with them besides the Ammonites,came to battle against Jehoshaphat. Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against you”’ – 20:1-2. 2 Chronicles chapters 19 & 20 are the record of a key crisis Jehoshaphat and the nation faced and the events prior to it. It is something we can all learn from. Rebuke – ‘Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord?’ – 2 Chronicles 19:2 How do you respond when you are told off, whether at...
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TEXT: ‘That the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus’ – Philemon 1:6. THOUGHT: The Goal for 2020 is to share our faith more effectively. However godless our nation has become it does not have to stay that way or plummet even further into degradation. Nations can be changed by a move of the Spirit in response to the prayers and witness of God’s people. Our text reveals three things to keep in mind that will help us to effectively witness. Godward – ‘acknowledgment of every good thing’ ‘Whatever is good and perfect comes to us from God’ – James 1:17 TLB. This is why I say grace before a meal. It’s acknowledging I am blessed with food and thankful not only eating it but also for those who prepared and served it. It’s good to able to tell people because I am a Christian all things are working together for good, even the bad things life throws at me. It’s not bad luck but there’s a God who is able to turn what is against me into something that is for me. Joseph told his brothers, ‘You meant evil against me but God meant...
Learn MoreTEXT: ‘One day Elisha went to the town of Shunem. A wealthy woman lived there, and she urged him to come to her home for a meal. After that, whenever he passed that way, he would stop there for something to eat’ – 2 Kings 4:8 NLT. THOUGHT: The essence of Christmas is giving although for many it’s more about receiving. God gave Jesus so that anyone, anywhere through faith could find forgiveness and a better future. Today’s Teaching is about the Shunnamite lady whose actions unknowingly changed her future. Read 2 Kings 4:8-37 and 8:1-6 to discover the whole story. Her Generosity Not only did she manage to persuade Elisha to stop for a meal whenever he was passing but she got her husband to agree to spend some money. Wives have a knack of doing that! ‘Let’s make a little room for him on the roof; we can put in a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp, and he will have a place to stay whenever he comes by’ – v10 TLB. She gave wanting nothing in return, ‘Generous people plan to do what is generous, and they stand firm in their generosity’ – Isaiah 32:8 NLT. God’s Promise Two promises stand out in the...
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TEXT: ‘We are sure of this that he will listen to us whenever we ask him for anything in line with his will. And if we really know he is listening when we talk to him and make our requests, then we can be sure that he will answer us’ – 1 John 5:14-15 TLB THOUGHT: I did not intend to send out another teaching on this subject but the day before I flew to Rwanda I was reading about Hannah (1 Samuel Chapter 1). Years of waiting ended when she changed how she was praying and this is the theme of Today’s Teaching. I pray that it will help someone to get a similar breakthrough. The Problem – ‘Hannah had no children’ – 1 Samuel 1:2 Hannah was loved and well-treated by her husband Elkanah, although her barrenness appears to have caused him to take a second wife, Peninnah. She did have children and constantly provoked Hannah about her barrenness. Getting older also became another barrier to conception. Every year the family went to the house of the Lord in Shiloh to worship but such occasions only intensified her misery. Overcome by grief, she could not even eat with the others, but found a place to pour out her...
Learn MoreTEXT: ‘We are sure of this that he will listen to us whenever we ask him for anything in line with his will. And if we really know he is listening when we talk to him and make our requests, then we can be sure that he will answer us’ – 1 John 5:14-15 TLB THOUGHT: Answered prayer is one of the most thrilling experiences for a Christian. That the God of the universe takes time to intervene on earth is truly amazing. Not just concentrating on nations and their leaders, but ordinary people. Isaiah 40:15 describes the nations as a drop in the bucket, so how much smaller and insignificant a human being, yet Jesus said, ‘The very hairs on your head are all numbered’ – Luke 12:7. The Bible encourages us to pray to the God who is listening. What can help us to pray prayers that God can answer? WHAT TO AVOID WHEN PRAYING Asking God to do what He has told US to do Many Christians ask God to send in the lost, but we are commanded to go out to reach them. Also churches pray for God to send in the money, while Christians are sitting there unwilling to give their tithes and offerings. We...
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TEXT: ‘Many godly Jews were in Jerusalem that day for the religious celebrations, having arrived from many nations’ – Acts 2:5 TLB THOUGHT: Acts Chapter 2 records the historic Day of Pentecost when God filled the disciples with the Holy Spirit and they ran out into the streets of Jerusalem speaking in other languages the praises of God. The crowd that quickly gathered were amazed at what happened. The Bible heading for these verses is, “The Crowd’s Response”. Today’s Teaching highlights four responses and reactions that happened on that day which are still being repeated throughout the world. They were confused – ‘And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language’ – Acts 2:6 True Christianity does confuse people. It does not concentrate on rules and religious practices but a Person, the Lord Jesus Christ. Nor does it promote doing the best one can in order to please God, for it labels everyone a sinner but teaches that everyone can be saved. No more uncertainty of faith because Christians know their sins are forgiven and they have eternal life! For religious people like the Jews, the fact that works are not enough is confusing as is God...
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