Posts

SIFTING THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL

“For surely I will command, And will sift the house of Israel among all nations, As grain is sifted in a sieve; Yet not the smallest grain shall fall to the ground.” (Amos 9:9 NKJV).    Speaking through His holy prophet Amos, God indicated His intention to sift His people, Israel, among all nations where they were scattered.  Much like grain is passed through a sieve in order to separate and remove the fine stones and other debris from the kernels, God intended for His people to be sifted by adversity to separate all of the impurities and uncleanness from them and present them as a holy and righteous nation among the nations of the world.    Sifting is but one of the four-part processes used in preparing grain for human consumption.  Threshing, winnowing, sifting and milling must all be applied before the fine flour can be baked into breads and cakes of various types.  The goal is to have a loaf that is free from any foreign object: a pure, he...
Post a Comment
Read more

THE ROD OF GOD

“AND MOSES ANSWERED and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee.  And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand?  And he said, A rod .”  (Exodus 4:1,2).   Success in life should not be measured so much by what we achieve compared to others, but what we achieve with the gifts that have been given us by God.   Many fail to obtain this success, though, because they don’t recognize and believe that God can use them regardless of how insignificant or unprepared they may feel.   Too many folks are crippled from being spiritually effective by their own fears, doubts, and feelings of inadequacy.   They look at what they have in comparison to others who they consider “gifted,” and “talented,” and they feel that they themselves have nothing to offer.   They consider themselves weak, and foolish, and feel they are unable to contribute anything significant. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

THAT THINE EYES MAY BE OPEN TOWARD THIS HOUSE NIGHT AND DAY

The prayer of King Jehoshaphat that is recorded in the 20 th chapter of the second book of Chronicles in the Bible is extraordinary in its directness, honesty, simplicity, and power.  In his prayer Jehoshaphat references another powerful prayer that was offered by an earlier king of the Israelites; and that prayer, in turn, represents an important provision that God has made that affects all of our prayers from that time till this, and even till the end of this world.   Jehoshaphat was a good king whose heart was after God.   He wasn’t a perfect king, but he was open to the Lord’s correction, and therefore God was able to direct him and bless him in marvelous and miraculous ways.   Jehoshaphat had reigned in Jerusalem for about 16 years when a report came to him that the Moabites and the Ammonites were coming against him to war with a great multitude of armed men.   Scripture reveals to us what Jehoshaphat’s reaction was to this news: “And Jehoshaphat f...
Post a Comment
Read more