Author: Percy Parakh

Seeking Assurance – Faith And Salvation


Romans 4:1-12 New International Version

Abraham Justified by Faith

What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”[a]

Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

“Blessed are those
    whose transgressions are forgiven,
    whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the one
    whose sin the Lord will never count against them.”[b]

Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness. 10 Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! 

11 And he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. 

12 And he is then also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

God Does Not Show Favoritism


After hearing a message about correcting injustice, a church member approached the pastor weeping, asking for forgiveness and confessing that he hadn’t voted in favor of calling the black minister to be pastor of their church because of his own prejudice.

“I really need you to forgive me. I don’t want the junk of prejudice and racism spilling over into my kids’ lives. I didn’t vote for you, and I was wrong.” His tears and confession were met with the tears and forgiveness of the minister.

A week later, the entire church rejoiced upon hearing the man’s testimony of how God had worked in his heart. Even Peter, a disciple of Jesus and a chief leader in the early church, had to be corrected because of his ill-conceived notions about non-Jewish people.

Eating and drinking with gentiles (who were considered unclean), was a violation of social and religious protocol. Peter said, “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile” (Acts 10:28).

It took nothing less than the supernatural activity of God (vv. 9–23) to convince him that he “should not call anyone impure or unclean” (v. 28).Through the preaching of Scripture, the conviction of the Spirit, and life experiences, God continues to work in human hearts to correct our misguided perspectives about others. He helps us to see that “God does not show favoritism” (v. 34).

Where Sin Abounds, Grace Doth Much More Abound


…But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. — Romans 5:20

I’ll never forget the time we were being attacked on every side by the enemy. It seemed like an all-out assault had been unleashed against us. At the same time we were experiencing this attack on our ministry, the city where we lived was in political upheaval.

This chaotic situation was so terrible that a bomb was detonated just a two-minute walking distance from our apartment! We could feel our building shake as the bomb exploded. It seemed as if each day was bringing new problems to the nation and more threats to our ministry.

All of this was occurring at a time when the Spirit of God had told us to launch out and take a new step of faith. It seemed like such a wrong time to take such a step of faith. Logic said, “Pull back! Protect yourself! Stop everything until the heat is off!”

But the Spirit of God kept telling us, “Dig in deeper! Keep pressing forward! Don’t let up for one minute! This is a perfect opportunity for the Gospel message to be spread even further!”

Right in the middle of all that chaos, we watched as God poured out His grace on us. Although it was a dangerous and difficult time, it was also a glorious moment to be serving in the Kingdom of God! God began to do marvelous new things in the nation where we lived.

In that troublesome hour, people were open and hungry to know more about the things of God. They wanted answers and were willing to listen. As a result, people were saved; spiritual darkness was pushed back in people’s lives; and the Gospel was spread further than ever before!

As God moved mightily in the nation, that very dark, precarious moment became a spiritually bright time as many were led into the Kingdom of God. This simultaneous operation of darkness and grace made me think of Romans 5:20, which says, “…Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.”

The word “abounded” that Paul uses to describe this abundance of sin comes from the Greek word, pleonadzo, which simply means more. It denotes something that exists in abundance.

The Greek tense describes an abundance that is growing larger and more expansive with the passing of time. The implication is that sin is never stagnant but continually grows, increases, and expands. This means Romans 5:20 could be translated, “Where sin exists in abundance and is multiplying and constantly expanding….”

This describes the growing nature of unrestrained sin. But Paul doesn’t stop there! He goes on to say, “…Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.”

The words “much more abound” are from the Greek word huperperisseo, which describes something that is growing out of measure, beyond proportion, and out of its banks to a far-stretched extreme. It is like a giant river that is being flooded with waters from upstream.

Those waters are coming downstream so fast that the river can no longer hold the raging current in its banks. Its water rises, rises, and rises until it finally begins pouring out of its banks and begins to flood everything in sight. This is exactly the idea of the word Paul uses when he says, “…Grace did much more abound.”

This means Romans 5:20 could be interpreted: “For wherever sin exists in abundance and is multiplying and constantly expanding, that is precisely the time and place where grace is poured out in a far greater, surpassing quantity.”

Regardless of where we live and what we are facing — regardless of how bad the situation around us looks to our natural eyes — the grace of God is flowing downstream, and God is lavishly pouring it forth in abundant measure!

In fact, it is impossible for us to imagine, measure, or even dream of the amount of divine grace God is sending in our direction. No banks can hold the flood of grace He is sending our way! It isn’t just “a lot” of grace; it is more, more, more, and much more grace!

The flood of grace will always far surpass the flood of sin and darkness! Satan will try to stop you from doing the will of God, but never forget that the enemy cannot prevail against you if you will only yield to the Lord. You will find that God is supplying more than enough grace to match whatever the enemy is trying to do.

If you will surrender to that divine grace, it will rise higher and higher until it eventually floods every area in your life. Instead of seeing the destruction of the enemy, you will see the awesome outpouring of the marvelous grace of God everywhere you look!

So when a situation looks bad, as it did so many years ago when we were living amid troublesome times in our part of the world, don’t be too surprised if you hear God’s Spirit say, “Pour it on! Keep it up! Don’t stop for a minute! Keep pressing ahead!

It is in dark and difficult moments like these that I love to work the most! This is when My grace super-exceeds the darkness of the world. Wherever sin and darkness abound is where I really pour out My grace!” sparking gems from the greek My Prayer for Today Lord, I thank You for pouring out Your grace in difficult, chaotic times.

When sin abounds and darkness tries to reign, that is always when You reach out to seek and to save. Forgive me for giving way to fear and for thinking of retreating at this key moment when You are wanting to make a strategic advance. I choose to push away all my fears and to believe that You are going to do something miraculous to save the day!

Let Your grace flow, Lord — pour it on! Please shine Your light in this hour of darkness! I pray this in Jesus’ name! sparking gems from the greek My Confession for Today I confess that God’s grace is poured out mightily to drive back the forces of darkness during times of difficulty and chaos.

God uses these dark moments as opportunities to pour out His grace and to show others who He is! The world may reel in fear and uncertainty, but God is always near. I declare by faith that God will reveal His power and intervene with His grace to bring the solution for this difficult hour!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

A Gift To Strengthen You – Faith And Salvation


Romans 1:8-17 NIV

Paul’s Longing to Visit Rome

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you 10 in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you.

11 I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— 12 that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. 13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters,[a] that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.

14 I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. 15 That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last,[b] just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”[c]

Growing in God’s Grace


The English preacher Charles H. Spurgeon (1834–1892) lived life “full throttle.” He became a pastor at age nineteen—and soon was preaching to large crowds.

He personally edited all of his sermons, which eventually filled sixty-three volumes, and wrote many commentaries, books on prayer, and other works. And he typically read six books a week!

In one of his sermons, Spurgeon said, “The sin of doing nothing is about the biggest of all sins, for it involves most of the others. . . . Horrible idleness! God save us from it!” Charles Spurgeon lived with diligence, which meant he “[made] every effort” (2 Peter 1:5) to grow in God’s grace and to live for Him.

If we’re Christ’s followers, God can instill in us that same desire and capacity to grow more like Jesus, to “make every effort to add to [our] faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge . . . self-control, perseverance . . . godliness” (vv. 5–7).

We each have different motivations, abilities, and energy levels—not all of us can, or should, live at Charles Spurgeon’s pace! But when we understand all Jesus has done for us, we have the greatest motivation for diligent, faithful living.

And we find our strength through the resources God has given us to live for and serve Him. God through His Spirit can empower us in our efforts—big and small—to do so.

Delicious Goat (Mutton) Curry with Indian Flat Bread (Paratha’s)


Easy Goat (Mutton) Curry with Indian Flat Bread (Parathas)- It’s so delicious!

2 lbs. Goat Meat
4 Potatoes
1 Fresh Tomato
2 Cups Broth (goat meat)
2 Tbsps. Yogurt
2 Tbsps. Sour Cream
1 Packet Butter Chicken Masala (spice from Indian store)
1 Large Onion Diced
2 Tbsps. Ginger Garlic Paste
2 or 3 Frozen Parathas

Cook the goat meat in a Pressure Cooker. Fry the Onions till they are light brown, add the Ginger Garlic Paste. Fry for 2 mins. Add the diced tomatoes and the entire packet of Butter Chicken spice, add the broth and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the Sour cream and Yogurt to thicken the gravy.

Add the Goat Meat, thoroughly mix with the gravy, add the billed potatoes and cook on low for 4 mins. Boil the cut potatoes in water for 15 mins. or until they are fork tender. Add the potatoes in the gravy above, and cook on low heat, so all the spice is absorbed.

In a cast iron pan, put 1 Tbsp. of Olive Oil, and fry the Parathas on both sides till they are lightly browned.

Giving Thanks – Jesus Teaches About Faith!


Leviticus 13:45-46 New International Version

45 “Anyone with such a defiling disease must wear torn clothes, let their hair be unkempt,[a] cover the lower part of their face and cry out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ 46 As long as they have the disease they remain unclean. They must live alone; they must live outside the camp.

Luke 17:11-19 NIV

Jesus Heals Ten Men With Leprosy

11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy[a] met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”

14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.

15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.

17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

Freedom doesn’t give us the right to do what we please, but to do what pleases God!


Dangerous Freedom

Freedom is dangerous in the hands of those who don’t know how to use it. That’s why criminals are confined in prisons with barbed wire, steel bars, and concrete barriers.

Or consider a campfire that is allowed to spread in a dry forest. It quickly becomes a blazing inferno. “Unchecked freedom can create chaos”.

Nowhere is this more evident than in human lives. Believers are free from the law’s curse, its penalty, and its guilt-producing power. Fear, anxiety, and guilt are replaced by peace, forgiveness, and liberty.

Who could be more free than one who is free in the depths of his soul ? But here is where we often fail. “We use freedom’s luxury to live selfishly, or we claim ownership of what God has merely entrusted to us”. We slip into patterns of self-indulgent living, especially in affluent societies.

The proper use of freedom is “faith working through love” to serve one another. When we rely on the Spirit and expend our energies on loving God and helping others, the destructive works of the flesh will be restrained by God.

So let’s always use our liberty to build up, not to tear down. “Like a raging fire, freedom without limits is dangerous. But when controlled, it is a blessing to all.”

– Dennis J. DeHaan “Accept the teaching of the world if hopeless you would be;” “But trust in God’s eternal plan” if you want life that’s free”. – JDB “Freedom doesn’t give us the right to do what we please, but to do what pleases God.”
America The Beautiful

Seeking The Face Of God can Strengthen Our Faith!


His Wonderful Face

My four-year-old son is full of questions, and chatters constantly. I love talking with him, but he has developed an unfortunate habit of talking to me even when his back is turned. I often find myself saying, “I can’t hear you — please look at me when you’re talking.”

Sometimes I think God wants to say the same thing to us — not because He can’t hear us, but because we can tend to talk to Him without really “looking” at Him.

We pray, but we remain caught up in our own questions and focused on ourselves, forgetting the character of the One we’re praying to. Like my son, we ask questions without paying attention to the person we’re talking to.

“What does it mean to “seek God’s face”? It means we turn our hearts toward Him in even the most mundane moments. Sometimes our prayers are answered differently than our asking, but God is faithful come what may. Our Good Shepherd will direct our paths and keeps us in His mercy, strength, and love.

Many of our concerns are best addressed by reminding ourselves of who God is and what He has done. By simply refocusing, we find comfort in what we know of His character: that He is Loving, Forgiving, Sovereign, Graceful.

When we turn our eyes toward the beautiful face of God, we can find strength and comfort that sustain us even in the midst of unanswered questions.

Lord, let the light of Your face shine upon us.- Compiled “Seeking the face of God can strengthen our faith.”

An Amazing Feat – Jesus Teaches About Faith


Matthew 14:22-33 NIV

Jesus Walks on the Water

22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, 

24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 

26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” 29 “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 

30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

As It Was In The Days of Noah


Matthew 24:37-39 King James Version (KJV)

37 But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,

39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.


Question: “What was it like in the days of Noah?”
Answer: The biblical account of Noah begins in Genesis 6. Approximately 1,600 years had passed since the creation of Adam and Eve (Genesis 1:26–27). As the earth’s population exploded in number, it also exploded with evil.

Long forgotten was the righteous sacrifice of Abel (Genesis 4:4) as “the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5).

Verses 11 and 12 say, “Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.”

However, “Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord” Gen 6:8

When Jesus described the events that will surround His second coming, He said, “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all” (Luke 17:26–27).

Jesus was pointing out that, although the people of Noah’s day were totally depraved, they were not the least bit concerned about it. They were carrying on the events of their lives without a single thought of the judgment of God.

Noah is described as “a preacher of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:5), meaning he had spent years warning his friends and neighbors what the Holy God was about to do. No one listened.

The depravity and ungodly lifestyles of the entire world at that time were enough to cause the Lord to “regret that He had made man” (Genesis 6:6). Many scholars believe that part of the need to destroy every human being except Noah and his family was the sin mentioned in Genesis 6:1–4, when “the Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them.”

As evil reproduced and overtook the world, the most merciful act God could perform was to start over. It is interesting that God allowed Noah nearly one hundred years to complete the building of the ark. Through all that time, God patiently waited (1 Peter 3:20).

Scripture seems to imply that Noah preached to the people of that time about what was coming (Hebrews 11:7). They did not believe Noah and were content with their wickedness and idolatry. Their hearts were hard and their ears dull.

No one repented, and no one cared to seek God. Jesus said that the world will be much the same before He returns to set up His earthly kingdom (Matthew 25:31–33). He warned us to “be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

Second Timothy 3:1–4 gives us a clear picture of the state of the world before Jesus comes and most likely also describes the world in the days of Noah. That verse says, “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.”

It is becoming increasingly obvious that, to understand what the world was like in the days of Noah, we only need to watch the evening news.


What Is Idolatry in the Bible? Its Definition and Significance


Idolatry Definition

According to Easton’s Bible Dictionary, Idolatry is “image-worship or divine honour paid to any created object.” Paul describes the origin of idolatry in Romans 1:21-25: men forsook God, and sank into ignorance and moral corruption (Romans 1:28).

The forms of idolatry are,

  • Fetishism, or the worship of trees, rivers, hills, stones, etc.
  • Nature worship, the worship of the sun, moon, and stars, as the supposed powers of nature.
  • Hero worship, the worship of deceased ancestors, or of heroes.

Idolatry in the Bible

In Scripture, idolatry is regarded as of heathen origin, and as being imported among the Hebrews through contact with heathen nations. The first allusion to idolatry is in the account of Rachel stealing her father’s teraphim (Genesis 31:19), which were the relics of the worship of other gods by Laban’s progenitors “on the other side of the river in old time” (Joshua 24:2).

During their long residence in Egypt the Hebrews fell into idolatry, and it was long before they were delivered from it (Joshua 24:14Ezekiel 20:7). Many a token of God’s displeasure fell upon them because of this sin.

The first and second commandments are directed against idolatry of every form. Individuals and communities were equally amenable to the rigorous code. The individual offender was devoted to destruction (Exodus 22:20).

His nearest relatives were not only bound to denounce him and deliver him up to punishment (Deuteronomy 13:20-10), but their hands were to strike the first blow when, on the evidence of two witnesses at least, he was stoned (Deuteronomy 17:2-7).

To attempt to seduce others to false worship was a crime of equal enormity. An idolatrous nation shared the same fate. No facts are more strongly declared in the Old Testament than that the extermination of the Canaanites was the punishment of their idolatry, and that the calamities of the Israelites were due to the same cause (Jeremiah 2:17).

“A city guilty of idolatry was looked upon as cancer in the state; it was considered to be in rebellion, and treated according to the laws of war. Its inhabitants and all their cattle were put to death.”

Jehovah was the theocratic King of Israel, the civil Head of the commonwealth, and therefore to an Israelite idolatry was a state offense (1 Samuel 15:23), high treason. On taking possession of the land, the Jews were commanded to destroy all traces of every kind of the existing idolatry of the Canaanites.

The history of Israel is clearly outlined in the Bible. For generation after generation, they repeatedly fell prey to being drawn away from the Lord to serve false gods. This did not only happen to the common people, but to their kings, priests, and prophets, as well. And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables (2 Timothy 4:4).

The sin of idolatry, or worshiping other gods, is in violation of the Law of God. As a matter of fact, it breaks the first two of the Ten Commandments. It is important to remember that disobedience is the original sin and therefore encompasses all sin. 

I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth (Ex. 20:2-4).

Excerpt from Beware the Sin of Idolatry by Bible Pathway

Quotes about Idolatry

“There is nothing so abominable in the eyes of God and of men as idolatry, whereby men render to the creature that honor which is due only to the Creator” – Blaise Pascal

“The essence of idolatry is the entertainment of thoughts about God that are unworthy of Him.” – A. W. Tozer

“Verily, we know not what an evil it is to indulge ourselves, and to make an idol of our will.” – Samuel Rutherford

“You don’t have to go to heathen lands today to find false gods. America is full of them. Whatever you love more than God is your idol.” – Dwight L. Moody

“As long as you want anything very much, especially more than you want God, it is an idol.” – A. B. Simpson

Bible Verses about Idolatry

  • 1 Corinthians 10:7-14 – Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.” We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. We should not test Christ, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel. These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.
     
  • 1 John 5:21 – Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.
     
  • Colossians 3:5 – Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.
     
  • Isaiah 45:20 – “Gather together and come; assemble, you fugitives from the nations. Ignorant are those who carry about idols of wood, who pray to gods that cannot save.
     
  • Jonah 2:8 – “Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them.

All You Need Is Love!!


What Is Love?

Jesus is the reason we even know what love is. In laying down His life for us, He taught us everything we need to know about true love. Love is self-sacrificing, generous, unending, not a temporary feeling or attraction. Because of God’s love for the world, we know love is also undeserving and often unreciprocated.

Greek Definitions of Love

The ancient Greeks had anywhere between four and eight different words for love (depending on the source):

– Storge: affection

– Philia or Phileo: friendship 

– Eros: sexual, erotic

– Agape: unconditional, divine, selfless

– Ludus: flirtatious, playful, casual, uncommitted

– Pragma: committed, long-standing

– Philautia: self-love

– Mania: obsessive, possessive, addictive, dependent

Love is and always has been a complex concept. Is it an emotion, a state of being, a choice, an ability, a gift, a force, or all of the above?

English Definition of Love

The English word “love” has been used in reference to a “strong affection for another” since before the 12th century, according to the Merriam Webster dictionary. It has been said that the English language has only one word for love, but English also has other words implying love such as affection, friendship, attraction, etc. The word “love” though is a constantly evolving concept with ever-broadening definitions. Human love, therefore, cannot be simply defined, as it is being redefined all the time.

What Is Self-Love?

Love, today, instead of being merely a strong affection for another, issynonymous with acceptance, tolerance, celebration of diversity, open-mindedness, desire, and pleasure.

Another type of love we hear a lot about currently is “self-love” (philautia). This Psychology Today article defines self-love as “a state of appreciation for oneself that grows from actions that support our physical, psychological and spiritual growth.” Self-love can be a natural and healthy appreciation of self, but also has the potential to easily become excessive, narcissistic, and selfish!

What Does the Bible Say about Loving Yourself?

Scripture talks about loving yourself in two different ways:

1. As an Assumption

  • “Love your neighbor as yourself(Matthew 22:39Mark 12:31).  
  • “The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners…” (Leviticus 19:34).

We naturally love and care for ourselves. Notice that the Bible never directly tells us to love ourselves, because it’s unnecessary. (It tells us to love God and others.) We take care of our own needs. We do so to the extent of putting ourselves and our welfare, needs, desires, and ambitions first, before God and before others. It is for this reason that God’s Word says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves” (Philippians 2:3). The problem is not that we do not love ourselves, but that we love ourselves too much and others too little. Self-love can too easily morph from a natural state to a corruption of what is natural. The goal instead should be for natural love to be transformed into spiritual, or Christ-like love.

Most sins stem from love of self and a lack of love for God and others. Think about it: hate, greed, envy, murder, strife, gossip, slander, arrogance and pride all result from a love of self. When we love ourselves without regard for God or others, the result is sin. If God’s law is summed up by love for God and love for others (Matthew 22:37-40), then sin, defined in Scripture as “lawlessness,” is any thought, word, or deed void of (spiritual) love.

2. As a Corruption

“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people” (2 Timothy 3:1-5).

Do you hear the problem? There will come a day (and that day is already here) when people will be lovers of themselves without love for others, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. Self-love is natural, but it is not Christ-like or spiritual love.

What Does the Bible Say about Love? How Does God Love?

The Greek word for spiritual love is agape, which according to Dictionary.com, means:

  • The love of God or Christ for humankind.
  • The love of Christians for other persons, corresponding to the love of God for humankind.
  • Unselfish love of one person for another without sexual implications; brotherly love.

1. Spiritual love is not self-love, but rather self-sacrificing love.

“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth” (1 John 3:16-18).

According to this passage, Jesus is the reason we even know what spiritual love is! In laying down His life for us, He taught us everything we need to know about true love.

2. Spiritual love is generous, not selfish or greedy.

“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loveGod, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:9-10).

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

3. Spiritual love is unending, not a temporary feeling, emotion, or attraction. 

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).

Nothing can separate us from God’s love! “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love”(1 John 4:8). God does not just love us or teach us how to love, He is love!

We, on the other hand, love who we want, when we want, how we want, if we want, and to the extent that we want, and then claim we love like God. Far from it.

4. Spiritual love is undeserving and often unreciprocated.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:43-44).

Herein lies the gospel (good news) of Jesus Christ: For God so loved His enemies (us), that He gave His only Son, Jesus, to die for our sins. Three days after He died, Jesus rose again, conquering death. Through his death, we are reconciled to God (no longer enemies, but friends!). Because of Him, we can be saved. Whoever believes in Jesus through faith will have everlasting life!

“For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!” (Romans 5:10).

“Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel” (Colossians 1:21-23).

5. Spiritual love is lavish.

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God” (1 John 3:1).

Once we were enemies of God, but because of God’s great love for us, demonstrated in the death and life of Jesus, we can be called His children! (Notice it is because of God’s great love for us, not our great love for Him.) A song by Sovereign Grace Music put it this way: “Once Your enemy, now seated at Your table, Jesus, thank You.”    

God’s love is self-sacrificing, generous, extravagant, lavish, costly, limitless, boundless, measureless and unconditional. Why don’t we love like that?

What Is Love? God Is Love.

Humanity has always struggled to define love, and is constantly redefining it, but God’s definition is clear and will never change:

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.Love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).

“God is love” (1 John 4:8).

Kristi Walker has been a missionary in Berlin, Germany for over 15 years working with an international church as the Director of Student Ministries. She is the author of two books, Disappointment: A Subtle Path Away from Christ  and Convinced. Applying Biblical Principles to Life’s Choices.

O God, shut us in, shut us in Your Ark of Protection


Never thought about this before: I have always thought that Noah was safe inside the Ark because he built it according to God’s specifications.

I thought that perhaps it was the strength of the gopher wood and the soundness of the architecture that ensured that the waters of the flood would not come into the Ark.

But today I encountered a verse that shifted this whole paradigm. Let’s read what Gen 7:16 says ..” The animals going in were male and female of every living thing as God had commanded Noah..

THEN GOD SHUT HIM IN….Don’t miss this…. even after Noah had built the Ark, it was God Himself who shut him in, in order to shut out the waters of the flood…

In other translations this verse says “The Lord sealed them inside.” May the Almighty God seal us inside His Ark of protection through this last 7 months of 2021.

It is not the fact that you have locked your house that keeps you safe at night, it is not your good driving skills that keeps you safe on the road, neither it’s your healthy eating habits that keeps you healthy – only God can shut you in and shut out the devil that is seeking to devour you.

Father we pray that in this last 7 months of 2021 as we walk into the streets and as we drive on the roads, Oh God shut us in. Father we pray for our children that in the midst of dangers and molesters… You will shut them in, keep out the flood waters of abuse, rape, murder, accidents, diseases and untimely death…

Oh God shut us in, shut us in your Ark of protection , into your Ark of compassion.. May GOD SHUT US IN AS WE OBEY HIM AND TRUST IN HIS WORD. Amen!!

A Truck Driver Who is a Hero!!


At the Texas/Louisiana state line the rain was coming down hard and I thought I saw tail lights in the bushes. I got my rig stopped, backed 100 yards on the shoulder, and found this lady in distress.

With some work, we got her car out of the bushes, down the bluff, and back up on the road. She’s probably in Shreveport by now, but not before getting this quick selfie with a “lifesaver”.

No ma’am I’m just a truck driver who understands that I can’t confidently expect God to get me home to my family if I can’t stop to help you get home to yours safely. #truckingontomynextstop#

With God There Are No Detours!


I don’t think anyone expected last year to unfold the way it did. One minute my calendar could hardly hold everyone’s activities, and the next thing I knew, it was blank. Life came to a screeching halt. The Bible study I teach turned into a podcast, our men’s basketball NCAA party turned into a family movie night, my kitchen became a classroom, and the couch became a church pew. 

It felt like a “Road Closed” sign popped up out of nowhere and forced the world on a giant detour. At first, I thought the detour would be short-lived. I expected summer to bring with it a healthy dose of normality, which in many ways it did. We swam and played and grilled and enjoyed the outdoors but mainly kept to ourselves. We saw friends and family again but were hugs permissible? I never expected to live in a world where I needed to ask. 

As summer faded, the detour continued into the start of a new school year. My kids graced those familiar hallways with their faces covered, while others stayed at home and viewed their teachers on a screen. We went to church (a blessing not everyone had) but sat in isolated clumps reminiscent of tiny islands. While things felt almost normal, we weren’t quite there. 

Will this detour ever end? The question consumed me often. Then came cold temperatures and the fear of flu season and contact tracing became the plague my kids hoped to avoid, but we were not successful. After rearranging my schedule through various stents of virtual learning, we took a path I said I’d never take: homeschool. (So much for a quick detour.) 

I cried (a lot) the first few weeks of homeschooling. The pressure to educate my children well buried me in anxiety. Was I doing enough? Was I doing it right? Was this my life now? By God’s grace, I felt no bitterness towards my kids, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t long for the path I had once pictured: my kids in school, my house picked up, and my days spent writing. After all, that was the dream and the plan, or so I thought. 

Detours Don’t Exist with God 

Regardless of whether you consider yourself a planner or not, we all carry dreams and plans, and ideologies of how we think things should be. We assume marriage and kids and careers should all happen by a particular time. We conclude that happiness sits behind doors one, two, and three. We believe the fulfillment of specific dreams will satisfy us, so we chart our courses accordingly. 

Then when life doesn’t work out the way we hope, disappointment assaults us, confusion grips us, and we feel lost. Confident in our estimations, we treat everything leading us away from our determined path like a detour and refuse to embrace the idea that God might have a different plan. 

As a result, we wish the time away and push back against the course we’re on and perpetually seek and hope and pray for the path we really want. Please, God, please. And when it still doesn’t happen, we feel forgotten. 

Yet God declares, “I will not forget you” (Isa. 49:15). “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Heb. 13:5). “I am the Lord your God . . . who leads you in the way you should go” (Isa. 48:17). God never fails to lead us, but we do fail to follow. Christ is the good shepherd (John 10:11), and good shepherds lead their sheep. 

An unexpected path isn’t a lapse in Christ’s leading. Nothing happens apart from God allowing it. Christ knew a “Road Closed” sign sat in the dead center of your plans. The reality is He either put it there (in love) to prod you in a different direction or allowed it to remain there for your benefit, allowing us to conclude a rather earth-shattering revelation: the detour is the road. 

Unless we are in sin, making sinful choices, we are not on an accidental road. There are no detours with God—only routes always meant to be. Routes that may not be easy, but as a child of God, we can trust, we are not trekking through valleys or enduring drought-like conditions for nothing. Our God has a plan, and we are still in it. 

“The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.” –Prov. 16:9

Every Season Has a Purpose 

We may not understand this side of heaven, but every God-given road has a God-determined purpose. Seasons of suffering develop faith-filled perseverance, and seasons of waiting produce character, while seasons of joy fuel us for the day of uncertainty. Quiet seasons create space for our souls to listen, while seasons of chaos allow us to put into practice the truths we’ve come to know. 

Moses is an excellent example of unexpected, purposeful seasons. Moses knew God intended to use him to free the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, but Moses got ahead of God when he killed an Egyptian caught beating his brethren (Ex. 2:11–15). As a result, Moses fled to the desert, to the land of Midian, for a forty-year detour where he learned to love and parent and shepherd and wait, along with gaining valuable experience in the land that he would one day lead God’s people through. 

Though Moses couldn’t see it, his time in Midian oozed with purpose. His four-decade hiatus was not a detour; it was the road. A detour implies wasted time, but God does not waste time. And I don’t know about you, but I find that immensely encouraging. God doesn’t take us on meaningless detours—God takes us on purposeful paths of His choosing. 

This past year may feel like a giant detour from ordinary life, but with God still in control, we can trust, the detour is the road. We’re here because God put us here. God’s plan for me right now isn’t writing eight hours a day, except a crazy pandemic got in the way, hurling God’s plan into oblivion. God’s plan for me right now is teaching, molding, and loving my kids. 

God’s route may not be the route we desire, but we can be sure God’s route is always for the benefit of drawing us closer, revealing His character, and making us more like Christ. If I push back against His plan simply because it’s not what I wanted, then I push against God’s love for me, and in my situation, God’s love for my kids. 

I’m not saying we never take paths we shouldn’t. God pleads with those on highways of idolatry to repent and turn around, go back, and seek Him. But when circumstances outside of our control take us on an unexpected journey, we can rest assured Christ is still leading us down the road that will benefit our faith the most, lead to eternal blessing, and make us more like Him. 

So, sister, we may as well embrace the road. 

God Is Still Leading You 

You may not be where you want to be, but if you’re seeking to follow Christ with all your heart, then you can trust you’re in the right place. It might be a place of refining and chiseling of corrosive sinful tendencies. A place that may not feel very comfortable, and you never thought you would be. Nonetheless, it’s a place your loving Father chose for you. 

The sheep don’t tell the shepherd which way to go. The sheep simply follow wherever the shepherd leads, trusting in the shepherd’s care, provision, and expert knowledge. Unless you are living in persistent sin, you are not on a road of your own making. Your faithful Shepherd is leading you. 

God’s sovereignty doesn’t stop at foreign relations. He doesn’t just care about the big things. God’s sovereignty grips the tiniest details of our personal lives and weaves them into a purposeful path meant for God’s glory and our good. God didn’t accidentally lose you somewhere along the way. That “road closed” sign is not an indication of God’s love for you. 

So let’s stop trying to turn around. Let’s stop searching for a different path. Let’s stop envying the route of others. Let’s put the map down and embrace the road we’re currently walking. Let’s trust in Christ’s ability to lead us well, even when it’s not what we expected. Let’s pray and ask God what He has for us right here, right now, believing that with God, there are no detours—only roads that were always meant to be. 

A Healing Touch – Jesus Teaches About Faith


Matthew 9:18-26 NIV

Jesus Raises a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman

18 While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.” 19 Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples.

20 Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. 21 She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.”

22 Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment.

23 When Jesus entered the synagogue leader’s house and saw the noisy crowd and people playing pipes, 24 he said, “Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him. 25 After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. 26 News of this spread through all that region.

Hearing God’s Voice – Does God Still Speak To People?


This will give you the chills……..GOOD chills…(Pls. take time to read this)

A young man had been to Wednesday night Bible Study. The Pastor had shared about listening to God and obeying the Lord’s voice. The young man couldn’t help but wonder, “Does God still speak to people?”

After service he went out with some friends for coffee and pie and they discussed the message. Several different ones talked about how God had led them in different ways.

It was about ten o’clock when the young man started driving home. Sitting in his car, he just began to pray, “God…If you still speak to people speak to me. I will listen. I will do my best to obey.” As he drove down the main street of his town, he had the strangest thought to stop and buy a gallon of milk.

He shook his head and said out loud, “God is that you?” He didn’t get a reply and started on toward home. But again, the thought, buy a gallon of milk. The young man thought about Samuel and how he didn’t recognize the voice of God, and how little Samuel ran to Eli. “Okay, God, in case that is you, I will buy the milk.”

It didn’t seem like too hard a test of obedience. He could always use the milk. He stopped and purchased the gallon of milk and started off toward home. As he passed Seventh Street, he again felt the urge, “Turn Down that street.” This is crazy he thought and drove on past the intersection. Again, he felt that he should turn down Seventh Street.

At the next intersection, he turned back and headed down Seventh. Half jokingly, he said out loud, “Okay, God, I will”. He drove several blocks, when suddenly, he felt like he should stop. He pulled over to the curb and looked around. He was in semi commercial area of town. It wasn’t the best but it wasn’t the worst of neighborhoods either.

The businesses were closed and most of the houses looked dark like the people were already in bed. Again, he sensed something, “Go and give the milk to the people in the house across the street.” The young man looked at the house. It was dark and it looked like the people were either gone or they were already asleep.

He started to open the door and then sat back in the car seat. “Lord, this is insane. Those people are asleep and if I wake them up, they are going to be mad and I will look stupid.” Again, he felt like he should go and give the milk. Finally, he opened the door, “Okay God, if this is you, I will go to the door and I will give them the milk.

If you want me to look like a crazy person, okay. I want to be obedient. I guess that will count for something but if they don’t answer right away, I am out of here.” He walked across the street and rang the bell. He could hear some noise inside. A man’s voice yelled out, “Who is it? What do you want?”

Then the door opened before the young man could get away. The man was standing there in his jeans and T-shirt. He looked like he just got out of bed. He had a strange look on his face and he didn’t seem too happy to have some stranger standing on his doorstep. “What is it?”

The young man thrust out the gallon of milk, “Here, I brought this to you.” The man took the milk and rushed down a hallway. Then from down the hall came a woman carrying the milk toward the kitchen. The man was following her holding a baby. The baby was crying. The man had tears streaming down his face.

The man began speaking and half crying, “We were just praying. We had some big bills this month and we ran out of money. We didn’t have any milk for our baby. I was just praying and asking God to show me how to get some milk.”

His wife in the kitchen yelled out, “I ask him to send an Angel with some. Are you an Angel?” The young man reached into his wallet and pulled out all the money he had on him and put in the man’s hand. He turned and walked back toward his car and the tears were streaming down his face. He knew that God still answers prayers.———————————————–

This is so true. Sometimes it’s the simplest things that God asks us to do that cause us, if we are obedient to what He’s asking, to be able to hear. His voice more clear than ever. Please listen, and obey! It will bless you (and the world). Phil 4:13

What is Man? Man is Body, Soul, and Spirit


WHAT IS MAN – Man consists of BODY, SOUL, and SPIRIT

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:26-27 NASB)

According to the Bible, mankind is distinct from all the rest of creation, including the animals, in that he is made in the image of God. As God is a tripartite — Father, Son and Holy Spirit — so man is three parts — body, soul and spirit.

In the most explicit example from Scripture of these divisions, the Apostle Paul writes: Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:23 NASB).

Man is made up of physical material, the body, that can be seen and touched. But he is also made up of immaterial aspects, which are intangible — this includes the soul, spirit, intellect, will, emotions, conscience, and so forth. These immaterial characteristics exist beyond the physical lifespan of the human body and are therefore eternal.

These immaterial aspects — the spirit, soul, heart, conscience, mind and emotions — make up the whole personality. The Bible makes it clear that the soul and spirit are the primary immaterial aspects of humanity, while the body is the physical container that holds them on this earth.

The Body (Greek, “soma”)This is the entire material or physical structure of a human being — it is the physical part of a person. The Apostle Paul, writing to the Romans again connects the body, the mind (soul) and the spirit.

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:1-2 NASB).

For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body (1 Cor. 6:20).The Soul (Greek, “psyche”)Genesis 2:7 states that Man was created as a “living soul.” The soul consists of the mind (which includes the conscience), the will and the emotions. The soul and the spirit are mysteriously tied together and make up what the Scriptures call the “heart.”

The writer of Proverbs declares, ” Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.” (Prov. 4:23 NASB). We see here that the “heart” is central to our emotions and will.

But a natural (psuchikos — soulish) man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised (1 Cor. 2:14 NASB).

Paul, looking intently at the Council, said, “Brethren, I have lived my life with a perfectly good conscience before God up to this day” (Acts 23:1 NASB).The Spirit (Greek ” Pneuma”)In Numbers 16:22, Moses and Aaron, “…fell upon their faces and said, ‘O God, God of the spirits of all flesh, when one man sins, will you be angry with the entire congregation?'”

This verse names God as the God of the spirits that are possessed by all humanity. Notice also that it mentions the flesh (body) of all mankind, connecting it with the spirit. Another key verse that describes the separation between soul and spirit is Hebrews 4:12:For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Heb. 4:12 NASB).

We see in this passage of Scripture that the soul and spirit can be divided — and that it is the Word of God that pierces our heart to bring the division of soul and spirit, something that only God can do. As human beings, we live eternally as a spirit, we have a soul, and we dwell in a body. We can rejoice with the Psalmist and declare,

For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well (Ps. 139:13-14 NASB).

No Worries – Jesus Teaches About Faith


Matthew 6:25-34 New International Version

Do Not Worry

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 

26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[a]?

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 

30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 

31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 

33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.