Who you gonna call? I am a child of the 80’s, so my immediate answer is … “GHOSTBUSTERS!!” Not today though…today we are reminded in Psalm 18 that we are to call upon the Lord! He is the one that can save you from your enemies. He is the one that is mighty, powerful, and has the authority to rule over things on Earth, as He does in heaven.  Read More

Spiritual thirst, worship, trust in God’s faithfulness, and the joy of a personal relationship, are the themes in Psalm 63 during David's time in the wilderness. David yearns intensively for God’s presence. His commitment to worship God wholehearted even in the midst of difficult times.  Read More

This stage of David’s life is a very chaotic period. Samuel has anointed him as a king, but he is on the run because King Saul is trying to kill him. YES! Saul is basically hunting David, and in the previous chapter, we see a picture of David sparing Saul for the first time.  Read More

We can learn a lot by reading the Psalms that David wrote. His examples of prayer, praise, and thanksgiving are what made him a man after God’s own heart. He sought the Lord about everything. David told Him the good, the bad, and the ugly. He entreated the Lord. He asked questions. He begged for help. But, he also kept the perspective that God is holy, and worthy of praise, no matter what was going on in his life.  Read More

PSALM 7REAL:  What truth or principles are found?David is calling for God’s action against a foe. He’s requesting the Lord’s help and for Him to meet out judgment against his enemy.RELEVANT:  How can this be applied?Pray. Talk to the Lord. Ask. Tell HIM what’s on your heart.READY:  What will your next action steps be?Verse 17, “I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness, and wil...  Read More

1 Samuel 21 is a raw unsettling chapter in David's journey. Fresh from his monumental victory over Goliath, the young shepherd-turned-hero finds himself a fugitive, fleeing the paranoid rage of King Saul. This chapter reveals a vulnerable side of David, forcing him to make desperate choices that stand in stark contrast to the courageous faith he displayed on the battlefield.  Read More

These chapters offer lessons about loyalty, friendship, and the dangers of jealousy and pride. Totally applicable to our lives.  Read More

Our children know better than we do.   They don’t need to listen to us.  We give them instructions, guidance, and direction, but at a young age, they suddenly know more than us, the parents.  Growing up, some had a wise Father or Mother, that would mentor and offer wise counsel for life.  I didn’t have that great fortune.  They say necessity is the cause for invention.  I saw this around me and un...  Read More

We see in the beginning of first Samuel 13, that Saul had been King for about 2 years and was already at war with the Philistines. The Hebrews were afraid and hiding in caves and even leaving the promised land on the other side of the Jordan River.  Read More

1 Samuel 9: Saul searches for his father’s missing donkeys and happens to meet Samuel. Samuel prepares a feast and tells Saul that he is destined for greatness. 1 Samuel 10: Samuel anoints Saul as king. He predicts many events that subsequently take place. When Saul returns home, Samuel assembles the people at Mizpah and publicly declares him as the first king of Israel. 1 Samuel 11: The Ammonites threaten to torture the people of Jabesh Gilead. Saul musters 330,000 troops and defeats the enemy with ease. The people celebrate Saul’s kingship at Gilgal. 1 Samuel 12: Samuel delivers a harsh speech in his old age. He criticizes the people for requesting a king, brings a miraculous rainstorm to scare them, and warns them to follow the will of Yahweh.   Read More

One of my favorite lines in the 2007 sitcom 'The Office' is from Michael Scott, district regional manager of Dunder Mifflin Paper Company, where he is quoted saying, "I am not superstitious, just a little-stitious."  One of the best lines ever.  I remember falling off the couch laughing at this almost 20 years ago.  There is so much to unpack in these 5 chapters, so I will focus on these few key p...  Read More

Real Life Principles:The Power of Persistent Prayer: Hannah's desperate and consistent prayer demonstrates the importance of bringing our heartfelt desires and burdens before God and persevering in prayer even when answers are delayed.God Hears and Responds: Despite her barrenness and the taunting of Peninnah, God heard Hannah's prayer and eventually granted her request for a son. This highlights ...  Read More

Our Redeemer Lives!  This book is full of Love! Real: Life Principles*Love Drove Ruth to Stay with NaomiIn Chapter One, it tells us that an Israelite family moved from the promised land to Moab where Israel's enemy lived because of a famine. Naomi loses her husband in Moab and her two sons marry Moabite women (remember the instructions from Moses not to intermarry?) and then she loses her two sons...  Read More

The last few chapters of the book of Judges I believe, are the darkest and most troubling in the Bible. They provide a glimpse into the social and moral decay that characterized Israel during the period of the Judges. This study unpacks the lessons and insights from these chapters.  Read More

Judges 16 recounts Samson's downfall, focusing on his relationship with Delilah, a Philistine woman who, under pressure from the Philistines, tricks him into revealing the secret of his strength, leading to his capture, blinding, and eventual death. This chapter, detailing Samson's tragic downfall and final act of strength, is important because it illustrates the consequences of straying from God's path and the dangers of personal weaknesses, even for those with divine calling, while also highlighting God's ability to work through flawed individuals to achieve His purposes.  Read More

One of my favorite Bible stories begins here! Samson, a chosen one, a flawed one, but a very useful and impactful one! Isn’t it amazing how God uses the broken for some of His grandest plans. That should give us comfort as believers that no matter what we’ve done, once we accept the free gift of Grace and begin living for God, amazing things can happen for His plans and purposes.  Read More

As the Israelites moved into the season of being led by Judges, they enjoyed peace, prosperity and security under the leadership of the Judges Tola and Jair. This would lead us to believe these Judges were faithful men of God.   Read More

Gideon has led the people of Israel out of idolatry. He has defeated the Midianites with just 300 men. A great story of a man fulfilling his God given calling. Gideon’s faithfulness and pursuit of God’s direction has been one for the history books. Now he crosses the Jordan River. As he crosses the river, Gideon seems to cross over from a man seeking the will of God to a man seeking his own will. His men are exhausted, he has defeated Midian, now he wants the trophies of their Kings. In verse 5 we see Gideon stating, “I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna…” When asking for bread for his men, the officials of Succoth and Penuel turn him down thinking that he would fail. His response to these officials is littered with the reference of “I” will do this and this. Gideon has seemed to cross over from serving God to serving self. When he is successful the downward spiral continues. While he has the where with all to not become their King, he does take the spoils of war and creates a rival to Aarons golden calf that becomes a snare to himself and his family.  Read More

Judges 6 presents a powerful narrative centered around Gideon, an unlikely man called to be used by God to deliver Israel from the oppressive Midianites.  Read More

I find it profound that Judges 3:2 reveals God's purpose in testing the Israelites: "he did this only to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had previous battle experience." This shows how God may allow us to face battles specifically to strengthen us. By the conclusion of this section in Judges 6:31, we read the powerful declaration: "So may all your enemies perish, O LORD But may they who love you be like the sun when it rises in its strength." Between these verses unfolds a recurring cycle: the Israelites falling into sin, experiencing the consequences of their disobedience, crying out to God, receiving divine deliverance, and enjoying periods of peace—typically lasting 40 or 80 years—until they once again turned from God and repeated the pattern.  Read More

The Book of Judges is known for being one of the darkest periods for the people of Israel. Chapter 1 starts with the people of Israel continuing their conquest after Joshua’s death. They were still faithful and obedient to God’s commands to go and take their land. But, as we keep reading in chapter 1, the people of Israel started to fail in the conquest. Starting with verse 27, we see that the Israelites were not driving out all the people for the land. Instead, they left them on the land and had them do forced labor. Someone might say that was a nice thing from the Israelites; these people will still have somewhere to live, but that was not God’s orders. Chapter 2 clears this up for us, in verse 2 the Angel of the Lord tells them “you shall not make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall break their altars. But you have not obeyed my voice.”   Read More

Real Life Principles:  Importance of Obedience: The chapter highlights the value of obedience to God's commands, as demonstrated by the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. Unity and Communication:It is important to keep unity among God's people, even when they are geographically separated. The potential conflict that arises over the altar reveals the crucial role of clear communic...  Read More

These are some of those parts of the Bible we can get complacent in…you know, those spots with tons of names, locations, lists of things. That stated, we can’t lose sight of the fact that if it’s in the Bible, it is there for a reason!  Read More

As the lands are divided among the 12 tribes of Israel, we see that Joseph’s sons are granted land instead of himself. Ephraim and Manasseh’s allotments are designated in chapters 16-17. An interesting thing happens in verses 14-18 of Chapter 17. Evidentially the “people of Joseph”, mainly Manasseh’s people, complained that their land wasn’t big enough and that the Canaanites still occupied a portion of it. Joshua didn’t back down from his decision but instead challenged them to “finish the job.” God had commanded the Israelites to drive out the Canaanites from the land when he gave them the promised land. (Deut. 7) They had instead, left them to dwell in the land and forced many of them to labor. (Joshua 17:13)   Read More