The Four “All’s” of Prayer Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints (Eph. 6:18). Prayer is given more attention than any one piece of armor because it’s foundational to the effectiveness of the entire armor. The…
The Confidence We Have Before Him This is the confidence we have before him: If we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears whatever we ask, we know that we have what we have asked of him (1 John 5:14-15). Verses 13-14 are tied together; John…
Draw Near Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Heb. 4:16). When we read this verse, we often focus on the second part of the verse—and for good reason—but in doing so we miss what the…
And just as it is appointed for people to die once—and after this, judgment— so also Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him (Heb. 9:27-28). In the first part of verses…
All Have Sinned For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). God and man measure righteousness by a vastly different standard. Man measures his righteousness by comparing his goodness to that of others instead of asking himself a most critical question, “what righteousness does God require?” Jesus told the disciples, For…
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek (Rom. 1:16). Unashamed Paul concludes his introduction by setting out the main theme of the epistle—the gospel. Although the message is one of glad tidings, it reminds us…
Fishers of People Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19 NKJV). The great hymn “Where He Leads Me I Will Follow” says: I can hear my Savior calling, I can hear my Savior calling, I can hear my Savior calling, “Take Thy cross and follow follow…
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new (2 Cor. 5:17 NKJV). This is the biography of every Christian. In this verse, Paul sets forth five important truths: First, the redeemed individual is in Christ, in other words, he or she is joined to Him in…
And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works, not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching (Hebrews 10:24-25). Here is a summons to a life of loving community. It mandates that…
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4-7)….