Have you ever experienced a profound sense of regret? Have you ever had a dream go sour?
Israel was embarking on a dream. For four hundred and thirty years they were slaves longing for freedom. Now under God’s man, Moses, they were walking in freedom.
Read More fear, deliverance, regretImagine what it must have been like. Some people think there were as many as two million people who made a camp in the desert within sight of the eastern shores of the Reed Sea (Red Sea).
Each successive generation of slaves had heard the stories of the Promised Land. They knew they were connected by birth back to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel)
Read More deliverance, warrior, victoryMany years after these words were written the apostle Paul asked the rhetorical question, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Paul then went on to emphatically assert, “no one!” (see Romans 8:31-34) This should not come as a surprise given all that God has done for his people down through the years. In the New Testament the greatest evidence of God’s power is the redemption he accomplished in his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Read More idolatry, protection, deliverance
This event in the life of Jesus is often referred to as the Triumphal Entry. A quick reading of the passage seems to confirm the appropriateness of that title. Nevertheless, such an interpretation raises some difficult questions. How can Jesus be received so positively at the beginning of the week, when at the end of the week the crowds will call for his blood? This festival took place every year, with the same songs, the shouts of “Hosanna,” and the waving of palm branches.
Read More kingdom, Messiah, deliverance, HosannaThe instructions were to march around the city once a day for six days, in silence, behind the Ark of the Covenant. On the seventh day, they were to march around the city seven times with the priests blowing trumpets and at the end of the seventh march they were to shout. The time of silence is a time of humiliation, to walk and not taunt. They were not to sneer, nor take the opportunity to network with a neighbor. The Ark of the Covenant was a sign of the presence of God, of his promises, deliverance and forgiveness.
Read More deliverance, victory
Singing, laughter, celebration, deliverance! God’s people liberated at last. This is the background to Psalm 126.
Have you ever wondered if what was happening to you was a dream? Such was the case with Peter. Shackled by chains and guarded by four squads of four soldiers each, there was no way he could escape from prison.
Read More singing, deliverance, weepingWhen I lived in Africa my dogs were big, fierce, and attack trained. Day and night, they would have free reign of the yard. Woe betide anyone who might try to break in.
King Saul had a pack of “dogs” – hit men who were constantly on the prowl.
Read More hope, deliverance, dangerRead Reflect Not too long ago we were visiting some friends near our home to see their newborn baby. After only being in their home a few minutes we heard the baby begin to cry. Cry…and CRY! This poor little creature was bawling so loud and hard that her little face turned red and she […]
Read More protection, deliverance, help, cries
Read Reflect Have you ever gotten news that was so alarming that it cut you to the core? News that so overwhelmed you to the point that you didn’t know what to do? Undoubtedly, each of us has received news that left us utterly upset and distressed to the point that our world felt as […]
Read More trust, deliverance, bad newsRead Reflect I had just walked into the living room of this new friend who still seemed to be a stranger to me. His wife had us sit down in a place where they had laid out blankets on the floor. She then proceeded to serve us hot tea as he shared their recent tragedy. […]
Read More trouble, enemies, deliverance, God’s goodness