Chosen For Affliction

Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.    Isaiah 48:10 All of us have a deep desire to be chosen. We want to be set apart, special. We want to be the one “picked”.  If we are true disciples of Christ, we desire to […]

You Were There

  It happened one night In the middle of day. On a hill they call Calvary. They stripped me Beat me And hung me on a tree Those were the least things they did, You see, they hung me there Not only in pain, But also in shame and disgrace. My Father couldn’t even look. […]

He Calls You By Name

That’s my grandson, Channing. He loves the beach and swimming and all of the creatures that live in the “fish water” as he calls it. We were recently talking to him about his soon coming baby brother or sister and asked him what he wanted to name the baby. Without hesitation he announced, “Starfish!” Of […]

Weapons of His Kingdom

We live in this world, but we don’t fight our battles in the same way the world does. 2 Corinthians 10:3 it’s is well established in scripture that we are, in fact, in a spiritual battle. Once we get past avoidance and denial and decide to step up to the task at hand, it’s probably […]

The Body of Christ

The true Body of Christ really is one Body. We do not experience life apart from one another, at least not in reality. Sometimes, especially in our modern culture we manufacture independence. I say it this way because God’s word says, “But now [as things really are] there are many parts [different limbs and organs], […]

The Ministry of Identification

Knowing who we are in Christ, understanding our true identity, is vital. It is from this firm foundation that we gain the confidence of a son or daughter and the intimacy of a friend of God. Without the understanding of our true identity we are left vulnerable to the lies and accusations of the enemy. […]

Acquainted With Grief

A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief..Isaiah 53:3 The word sorrow in the verse can be translated as physical and mental anguish. The word grief can mean anxiety, sickness or grief. This man in Isaiah 53:3 is not some poor, desperate man. He is not a lost soul, friendless and lacking knowledge of God. […]

Be Prepared

Suffering is a part of life. It’s the illness of our planet. We do what we can to avoid suffering when possible. We eat right so we don’t get sick. We pray hedges of protection around our loved ones in hopes that nothing bad will happen to them. We fight against oppression spiritually, emotionally and […]