The first qualification in Daniel 11:32 is the need to know God. Know Him, not just know of Him. “-the people that do know their God” is the premier necessity. Knowing God in John 10 is the statement of Jesus about “His sheep hearing His voice.” Above the din and deception of this present age, can we recognize or distinguish the voice of Jesus?                The best way to know God is to know His Word. His revealed truth is the way to become skilled at discerning the tricks

End-times believers, and specifically those alive during the second half of the tribulation, will have the opportunity to make a significant difference for God, good, and Kingdom. Daniel says this, “-but the people that do know their God shall be strong and do exploits.” (Daniel 11:32)                “Do exploits” is also translated take action. Despite the darkness of the end of the church age and early tribulation period, followers of Jesus will have a chance to overcome ev

The Apostle Paul penned the best advice for a fresh start, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God IN Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14)                How can a New Year’s blog not refer to this famous verse by Paul? Inspired by God, through the Spirit, Paul speaks of not looking backwards to failures and regrets but rather truly looking forward to all the potential adventures of the new year.                Let’s press on, press forward, forge our w

The angel goes on to gift humanity with something special, “-on earth, peace, goodwill toward man.” (Luke 2:14b) Goodwill? Hasn’t God always had the best in mind for His creation? The best goals for humanity have always been in His heart. So, in reality, the birth of Jesus was not God’s first goodwill offering, but rather the apex of His demonstration of His love.                By giving Jesus, God gave His Best goodwill Gift. The sacrifice of a Beloved Son speaks volumes of

In Luke 2:14, the angel further proclaims, “Glory to God in the highest.” God? He gets all the glory! God offered us His beloved Son for the reclamation of humanity. And not only does Jesus offer peace, He IS Peace, the Prince of Peace, and the Propitiation that satisfied the wrath of a holy God against a wayward and sinful population.                Peace WITH God, through Jesus. Peace OF God, through Jesus. All glory to God!

In Luke 2:10, an angel, announcing the birth of Jesus says, “I bring you good tidings of great joy…to all people.” Christmas time? It helps us to refocus on the goals of God in offering His Son as an infant. Why? So that humanity would have a qualified Redeemer. One related to us as mortal and yet transcending humanity to offer us the opportunity to be eternal.                Truly, at Christmas, we are proclaiming good tidings, which would lead to great, everlasting joy. Thi

“-Jesus Christ. Whom having not seen, you love” (1 Peter 1:7,8) He went away…a long time ago. I’ve never seen Him with my physical eyes. But, I do love Him! When I was a lonely, latch-key kid, He became my Friend, my Security, my Savior. Jesus? He’s my EVERYTHING. And so, although I’ve never seen Jesus, I do love Him. Do you?

Even evil ones can change. Isaiah 55:7 offers this insight, “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” Hope is offered even to the wicked one.                That unrighteous person can turn around, turn away from their evil, and turn towards God and His mercy, and find a fresh, clean start, able to walk differently. Are you this perso

Proverbs 2:22 makes both a promise and a prediction, “But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.” Every soul, touched by God’s righteousness, has a deep craving for justice, the hope of seeing evil thwarted and punished, and uprightness vindicated and rewarded.                In a deceptive and evil era, let’s find hope in the ultimate justice that will be meted out by a Just and Justifying Judge, God. Evil will end. The m

Jesus gives a practical warning, “Beware false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. You shall know them by their fruits.” (Mt. 7:15,16) Ravening can be defined as ferocious or hungry. This clarifies who those false prophets are.                False prophets have an insatiable hunger to harm their followers for their own benefit. They think nothing of fleecing the flock to improve their bottom line. Let’s utilize discernment

Wisdom makes an incredible claim: “By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth.” (Proverbs 8:15-16) Personified, Wisdom speaks in the first person in Proverbs eight, a powerful literary device to make a point.                Wisdom, if she has the freedom to influence, actually rules through earthly authorities. She gets to make an impact on our daily lives, through laws and practices offering safety and prom

Isaiah 59:19b says, “When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.” Strangely, this brash enemy thought nothing about risking an attack on the people God loves and who love Him back. God’s response? Stopping the enemy with a declared command.                Like controlling His enemies with the sword of His mouth or declaring “be still” to halt global conflict this standard has the power to forcibly stop the onslaught

Jesus makes beautiful, hope-filled promises to His followers in His famous Sermon on the Mount. One? “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5) This offer hints at the promises and principles of Jesus’ upside-down Kingdom.                The way UP the ladder of success in Jesus’ reign is not through proudly and thoughtlessly scrambling past others, trampling their dreams to achieve our own. But rather through humble, selfless service. Let’s learn

Zephaniah 2:3 offers meekness as a security strategy in seasons of judgment: “Seek the LORD, all you meek of the earth, which have wrought His judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be you shall be hid in the day of the LORD’s anger.” This powerful promise is tucked simply in the seemingly small prophecy of Zephaniah. The book was left as a warning against the proud and straying people of Israel.                But judgment can be universal. Even today’s populati

Jesus, in this passage, is answering His critics. These religious naysayers were disputing His authority to minister, contrary to the...

In Proverbs 8:14, Wisdom claims, “Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding, I have strength.” Wisdom, as personified in...

“He has showed His strength with His arm,” (Luke 1:51) In the Congo, we learned to call the right hand, ‘the hand of the man’ and the...

51  He hath showed strength with His arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. 52  He has put down the mighty...

Tucked in a unique passage is an even more unusual statement. Isaiah 30:21 claims, “And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying,...

Sometimes, loving God means hating other things, things that God despises. Proverbs 8:13 confirms, “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil:...