Seeking Refuge Among the Enemy?

Imagine being fiercely pursued by your country’s leader, along with some of his best men, and then making false statements to a priest of God to get something to eat. Next, you stretch the truth even more to acquire a sword (which you don’t need in the first place) that belonged to a person of…

No Profitable Reason to Complain

“I have a good reason to complain!” How often have we spoken these words to try to justify our feelings! Complaining is a way of expressing our grief or pain or dissatisfaction. Sometimes we complain in a formal way, but more often it is a casual statement or attitude. And we know that everyone wants…

Hope in the Cloud Overshadowing You

When Jesus was transformed on the Mount of Transfiguration, He glowed both inside and out. His apostles were filled with fear as they tried to figure out what was happening. Suddenly they heard a voice speak to them coming directly from heaven, declaring, ‘This is My beloved Son; hear Him’! But they were still afraid…

Secure Freedom From Oppression

Thousands of years ago, the children of Israel were living in the land of Egypt. Yet the longer they resided there, the worse things got for them. They had been in bondage and slavery to the Egyptians, having no hope or real future, and not a lot of faith in God. Then, at some point…

Living in the Wilderness or Just Passing Through?

Thousands of years ago, God delivered the Israelites out of the bondage of Egypt. At first this seemed wonderful to them. They were no longer subject to cruel slave drivers and taskmasters. Their time of forced labor making bricks out of almost nothing was now over. In fact, the Egyptians, after having to endure all…

Jesus Is Here — Abandon the Safety Net

Many of us have at least one item in our possession that we hold onto for security. It might be a particular article of clothing, a piece of jewelry, an official document, some kind of correspondence or a card, or it could even be just a toy, book, or stuffed animal. For some, it is…

Only Under His Cloud He’ll Protect Us

When God brought the children of Israel out of the bondage of Egypt into the wilderness, He led them in a rather unconventional way. “…the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to…

A Cloud – Breaking Journey with God

In our journey with God, we are also going to find difficult areas and places where we cannot see how we can make it through on our own. There are going to be mountains to climb, and valleys we must descend to. But we should not allow rough areas or storms to deter us from…

When Given, God’s Blessing is to Be Used Completely

In the early stage of their journey in the wilderness, the Israelites reached a point where there was no food readily available. Rather than calling out right away to God for help, they decided to murmur and complain about their situation instead. Yet God still provided for them, and in a way that they were…

Focus on Our Past — Hurt Our Future

How often do we, the children of God, focus on our past when we have a need that we cannot meet? Jesus was on His way into the city of Jericho when He came within the vicinity of a blind man. He stopped to respond to the commotion that the man was making. This blind…

If Jesus Goes First, Make the Next Move, Put Faith to Work

In every board game, such as checkers or chess, the first player makes a move and then another move always has to be made, alternating back and forth until the game ends. Whether you go first or second, your opponent will always have to move one of his pieces to another space after you make…

Look Out for Doubt – It’s Easy to Catch!

If misery loves company, then doubt and its close companion, unbelief, are like an easily caught cold. Since we are more inclined to not believe in something, it only takes one doubting person to impact a large group of people. Let’s look at an example from the Bible and see how a little unbelief spread…