The Davidic Kind of Prayer  – Psalm 5

Generally speaking, we can’t go wrong if we make David one of our Biblical examples.  Of course, the man was a sinner, and especially while standing in God’s spotlight, we see his flaws and sins.  But twice in God’s Word we are told that he was a man after the Lord’s...

Uplifted Eyes  –  Psalm 123

We are told in the inscription of this Psalm that this is one of the “Songs of Degrees.”  The meaning of that phrase is a mystery, but there are several possibilities.  One opinion is that with each of these fifteen special psalms there is a slight rise in spiritual...

The City at the Top of the Hill – Psalm 48:1-14

I have been using this particular Bible for decades. I may have had it even before I moved here in 1990. As I’ve told you before it is a Thompson Chain edition of our old King James. I don’t know anything about Mr. Thompson, but I would guess that he was a fundamental...

Selah – Psalm 46:1-11

Three times in this Psalm, God’s penman uses the word “selah.” That word is found 77 times in the Bible, with all of them in the Psalms except for twice in Habakkuk. Only once is it ever used other than at the end of a verse, and most of the time it marks the end of a...

Heavenly Rewards – Philippians 3:12-14

  I mentioned a couple weeks ago that the Judgment Seat of Christ has come up twice in my personal reading. Since then, I have been thinking quite a bit about the Lord’s judgment of the Christian. For example, things I have taught and other books and lessons on...

Sanctified by Faith – Acts 26:13-18

When Paul stood before Festus and Agrippa, he shared with them his testimony of salvation and his commission to minister the gospel of Christ. Keeping in mind a message Austin preached recently, while you notice that Jesus said he was calling Paul, ”To open people’s...

Trusting Faith – Proverbs 3:5-8

We have a tool at our house that my wife and I call our “grabber.” This three foot long instrument has two rubber-coated claws on one end. On the other end there is a handle with a triggering mechanism to close those claws around various objects. We use it to grab...

The Revival of Faith – II Chronicles 7:12-16

Israel’s King Solomon took the materials prepared by his father, David, and built a magnificent temple in which to worship and serve God. When it was completed, he also had a temporary ten foot high pulpit set up in the temple courtyard. II Chronicles 6:13 says, that...

Added by Faith – Genesis 39:1-6

Picture a vast swath of land – about the size of the Oregon, Washington and Idaho. For two years there hasn’t been any rain and relatively little snow over the entire area. Crops have failed. Wild fires have swept through the region. Homes have been destroyed;...

Faith at Home and Abroad – I Samuel 1:18

In this series of lessons I am trying to provide examples of practical faith in the Lord. And if we are talking about real life then at some point we have to include our lives at home. At the very least, we begin our day and end our day at home, and for many of us 95...

Triad of Faith – II Kings 5:1-14

Let’s start with a silly question: Where on the map of God is your faith? If it was required that you pinpoint its exact location on a spiritual map, where would your faith be? I don’t know if it is true in real life, but in fiction, when the authorities want to find...

Carmelite Faith – I Kings 18:1-2; 17-21

I am calling this message: “Carmelite Faith.” That word may accurately encapsulate our subject, but it might mislead a few people who know one of the special meanings of the word “Carmelite.” There is as a Roman Catholic religious order of nuns and monks who use that...

Faith of the Stolen Spear – I Samuel 24:1-7

Generally speaking, all of our lessons thus far have been positive. Noah needed faith to trust the Lord’s revelation and to build the ark. By faith he completed the Lord’s will. Moses and Joshua needed faith to move forward, trusting God to across uncharted waters....

A Friend of Faith – I Samuel 14:6-14

There are adrenalin junkies who climb sheer cliffs and rock walls for the thrill of accomplishment. And there are more rational people who do it because it has to be done. Sometimes the beaches of Normandy have to be assaulted, because there is no other way to...

The Road Less Traveled – Exodus 14:13-16

How difficult was it for the children of Israel to face the Red Sea while feeling the rumbling of Pharaoh’s chariots growing stronger and stronger behind them? Moses tells them they are going to see God’s salvation, but it was difficult to look past the circumstances....