Get ready to start a journey…a journey through the pages of the Bible and the pages of your life.
God’s knowledge is universal. God knows everything there is to know about everything there is to know. God’s knowledge of all things is complete. He doesn’t need to study; there is nothing for him to learn. He knows what will happen tomorrow and 100 years from tomorrow.
Maybe you have lost a loved one. Maybe you have lost your health. Maybe you have relocated and left good friends behind. Maybe the love of your life has left you behind. Grief is our response to the many different forms of loss. While it feels foreign, it is normal and expected. Moving through mourning is a process that can only progress when our eyes are on the Lord.
When we walk with God, failure is not possible. We can fail, but God never fails us. Since he is with us, he will give us his success and turn our missteps into learning experiences.
When the prophet Elijah learned that the people had abandoned God’s instruction and were following other gods, he called a meeting at Mount Carmel. Elijah went before the people and said, “How much longer will you waver, hobbling between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!” Elijah called together the prophets of Baal and challenged them to a duel.
Perpetua was a 26-year-old mother with a nursing baby when she was imprisoned for refusing to bow before idols. Despite her father appearing with the infant in his arms and pleading for her to sacrifice to idols, she refused. “Are you a Christian?” the judge asked. “I am a Christian,” was her answer. Perpetua was ordered to be killed by wild beasts.
When we place our trust and confidence in people, sooner or later, we will be left alone and disillusioned. When we seek satisfaction in material things, our hearts will be unfulfilled. When we worship money, we run after a god who only provides fleeting happiness. False gods always leave us abandoned and empty.
God never makes a mistake, never needs a mulligan, and never asks for a do-over. His instruction is perfect, and his plans for you are flawless. Our confidence comes from knowing God shields us; he is our refuge.
The giant was nine feet tall! His name was Goliath. Day after day, he challenged the Israelite army to a one-on-one battle, winner-takes-all. After forty days, no one had stepped forward. The soldiers were overtaken with fear.
King Saul was in trouble. He was outnumbered by the Philistine army, who held the high ground, so he froze. He and his men took their position under a pomegranate tree. There he waited … and waited … and waited … but his son, Jonathan, couldn’t wait any longer.
Since his youth, Joshua had followed the great leader, Moses. Scripture says that no one has ever demonstrated the “mighty power or performed the awesome deeds” that Moses did (Deuteronomy 34:12 NIV). However, Moses was dead. Now, the assignment of leading Israel into the promised land was on Joshua’s shoulders. The weight was heavy!
God’s righteousness means that he always acts in accordance with what is right and just. And he is the final standard of what is right and just. God is perfect, and all his actions are perfect. He is just in all he does. God can never think, desire, or do evil. He does no wrong. Here’s the way Deuteronomy 32 says it.
Fear is real and unrelenting. When you feel like you’ve conquered one fear, the thrill of victory is soon replaced by the agony of defeat from another fear. While anxiety visits us all, it is a permanent houseguest for some. The question is not “Will anxiety come?” The question is, “What will I do with the fear when it arrives?”