Solomon answered, “You were extravagantly generous with David my father, and now you have made me king in his place. Establish, God, the words you spoke to my father, for you’ve given me a staggering task, ruling this mob of people. Yes, give me wisdom and knowledge as I come and go among this people—for…

Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don’t act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who…

As in water face reflects face, so a man’s heart reveals the man. Proverbs 27:19 (NKJV) The heart is considered a reflection of the core of a person. It drives the direction of our life and how we interact with the world around us. If you want to perform a check up on your heart,…

You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. John 15:14-15 (NIV) A friend is defined as a person…

Life has a habit of going in a different direction than we expected. We think we have found the perfect job, relationship, or our life just seems perfect…then something happens. At times, it is because of decisions we made recently or in the past. At other times, it is because of choices and consequences inflicted…

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. Romans 8:1-2 (NLT) Winter in Michigan brings a season of grey clouds. The sun rarely shines. Plants and…

Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. Psalm 32:5 (NLT) Many of us have suffered from guilt in the past. A statement was made that hurt…

Many of the people viewed as being “heroes of faith” (found in Hebrews 11) made mistakes. Jacob cheated his brother out of the family blessing (Genesis 25:19-34). Moses was a murderer (Exodus 2:11-15). Rahab was a prostitute (Joshua 2). Samson broke his vows to God (Judges 13-16). David was an adulterer (2 Samuel 11). But…

Mark well that God doesn’t miss a move you make; he’s aware of every step you take… Proverbs 5:21 (MSG) We tend to think we can hide our mistakes from God. We think that no one knows about our secret sins, but God does. He knows every step you take. He knows your thoughts and…

All have sinned and fall short of God’s glory. Romans 3:23 (CEB) Everyone has made mistakes. Some are obvious for others to see such as lying and stealing. Others are not as easy for others to know about such as greed and pride. To God, all sin is the same no matter how big or small…

We have all seen a toddler learning to walk. They are shaky on their feet as they take their first few steps then stumble and fall. As they are learning, they are encouraged by those around them to keep trying. As they continue to get back up, their walking continues to improve. Although they may…

Then Samson prayed to the Lord, “Sovereign Lord, remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more… Judges 16:28 (NIV) As we see from the life of Samson, he made many mistakes. He made a vow to be set apart to God and missed out on following each of the basic instructions he was given.…

After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’ Acts 13:22 (NIV) The Bible calls David a man after God’s own heart. It was not because he was perfect, but…

So then let’s also run the race that is laid out in front of us, since we have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us. Let’s throw off any extra baggage, get rid of the sin that trips us up. Hebrews 12:1 (CEB) We are in a race to accomplish all that God has called…

If you drop a frog into a pot of boiling water, it will of course frantically try to climb out. But if you place it gently into a pot of lukewarm water and turn the heat on low, it will float there quite peacefully. As the water gradually heats up, the frog will sink into…

Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NLT) This verse makes a very powerful statement. It says, “My power works best in weakness.” Think about that for a moment. God’s power works best when you are weak, lost, confused, worried, and can’t see…