There is no real change in the life of the believer without meditation in the Word. Meditation means speaking the Word aloud slowly or revolving it around in the mind over and over again. The Word will not affect you until it gets from your head to your underlying thought patterns, called the spirit of your mind in Ephesians 4:23. Notice Psalm 1:1-3: Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the

So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls (James 1:21-NLT) The Word has the power to produce deep and lasting change in the believer. The implanted word saves the soul or renews the mind. When it comes to us changing, we will not change until our belief system changes. Let me explain. We have basically two kinds of thoughts; conscious thoughts, and underlying thought p

A man came and fought with Jacob until just before daybreak. When the man saw that he could not win, he struck Jacob on the hip and threw it out of joint. They kept on wrestling until the man said, “Let go of me! It’s almost daylight.” “You can’t go until you bless me,” Jacob replied. Then the man asked, “What is your name?” “Jacob,” he answered. The man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob. You have wrestled with God and with men, and you have won. That’s why your name w

Always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh (2 Corinthians 4:10-11). As I mentioned yesterday, Zoe is the Greek word for the life of God manifested in the believer in the new birth. It is the nature of God placed within the believer. If it is given opportunity, this life w

Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, till He comes and rains righteousness on you (Hosea 10:12). Fallow ground is unproductive, untilled ground. When I was young my dad bought some land far away from city life and built a house there. There were fields with various kinds of produce surrounding my house. One field sat unplowed for a long time. The government land bank program paid the farmer to allow it

When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes (Matthew 24:37-39-NLT). We’ve all been challenged by the Covid 19 issues and the business, school, church, and life disruptions it h

Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord (Acts 3:19). Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. 20 Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and he will again send you Jesus, your appointed Messiah (Acts 3:19-20 – NLT). Repentance plays an important role in a fresh move of the Holy Spirit in individual lives, in a church,

I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart (Psalm 40:8) The Bible is filled with creative power. It has the power to change your desires, to move you to change your behavior and life focus. David went from being an adulterous murderer to a person who delighted in God and in doing His will. What made the drastic change? The Word! The Bible contains in it the very power of God! Jesus said the words that I speak are spirit and life. Paul was preaching i

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). Meditation drops the Word of God from your head to your spirit. Taking time to meditate every day will keep your spirit fine-tuned. M

But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall be that those whom you let remain shall be irritants in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall harass you in the land where you dwell (Numbers 33:55). Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come (1 Corinthians 10:11). God’s dealings with Israel in the Old Testament are filled with truths th

It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life (John 6:63). And we also especially thank God continually for this, that when you received the message of God which you hear from us, you welcomed it not as the word of mere men, but as it truly is, the Word of God, which is effectually at work in you who believe – exercising its superhuman power in those who adhere to and trust in and rely on it (1 Thessalo

That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love (Ephesians 3:17). Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong (Ephesians 3:17-NLT). The word dwell in the above verse is from the Greek word katoikeo, a compound word from the Greek word kata which means down, and from oikeo which means to occupy a house. Katoikeo means to settle down and live perm

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). In Him was life, and the life was the light of men (John 1:4). The Greek word for life in the above verses is Zoe, and is pronounced Zoa. It means life in the absolute sense; life as God has it; the life of God. It’s an astounding thought that in the new birth God actually places into our spirits His own life and nature! In the N

But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire And like launderers’ soap (Malachi 3:2). God is Holy; set apart from all of creation; perfect from flaw and blemish; total purity. He revealed Himself in a burning bush to Moses. Then again on top of Mount Sinai He revealed Himself in lightning and thunder. Ezekiel saw the Lord and He appeared as a Being of fire. Yes, our God is a consuming fire! Fire speaks of purity.

…forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead (Philippians 3:13).  Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2). The Father wants each of us to look away from our past successes and failures and keep our focus on Him and His ability that is available to us! This word

That you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:22-24). Putting off and putting on are terms Paul used to describe the change in a believers life after salvation because of mind renewal. Before salvation, we’ve trained our bodies to yield to certain app

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns (Phil 1:6 – NLT). This verse has been a great encouragement to me over the years. Discouragement and disappoint affect us all at times. At one point in my life, it seemed as though all that the Lord had done in my life was for nothing. The enemy attacked me with discouragement as I looked back at where I had been and then look

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you…( James 4:8) Our desires are created by our focus.  I learned this truth during a time of personal struggle way back in 1982. The previous year I had taken a volunteer position as an associate pastor in a small church. I had taken this position after just graduating from one of the Bible schools I attended. I later realized that I had missed God’s best. The experience left me empty and disappointed. I didn’t want to read my Bible,

I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart (Psalm 40:8) The Word is filled with creative power. It has the power to change your desires, to move you to change your behavior and life focus. David went from being an adulterous murderer to a person who delighted in God and in doing His will. What made the drastic change? The Word! The word contains in it the very power of God! Jesus said the words that I speak are spirit and life. Paul was preaching in

But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth (Acts 1:8). The baptism with the Holy Spirit changes you. Let me explain why it should. The Greek word for baptize is baptizo. And this word simply means to immerse into something. When a person is baptized into water, the substance that they are baptized in or immersed in is water. The person’s relationsh