country: reserved

[The LORD said,] "For I will pour out water to quench your thirst and to irrigate your parched fields. And I will pour out my Spirit on your descendants, and my blessing on your children." —Isaiah 44:3 NLT Key Thought Jesus spoke of his being the water of life, a spring of water welling up to...

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall...

It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God. He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit...

Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. —Psalm 37:3 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... Having a place of permanence in the middle of life's uncertainties and having the assurance of God's provision are based on two very clear principles...

Clearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you. This "letter" is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts. —2 Corinthians 3:3 NLT Key Thought Imagine how differently we...

Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. —Psalm 37:1-2 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... Frustration and envy... hmmm, isn't that our reaction to those who are...

[Elihu said,] "The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life." —Job 33:4 NIV Key Thought While those words were spoken by one of Job's critics, they echo the truth of Scripture. God makes us intentionally, purposely, and personally (Psalm 139:13-16). God puts his...

Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee. —Psalm 143:8 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... In nearly every disciple's life, there comes a time of loneliness and doubt. It seems as...

[Peter said,] "Then Jesus arrived from Nazareth, anointed by God with the Holy Spirit, ready for action. He went through the country helping people and healing everyone who was beaten down by the Devil. He was able to do all this because God was with him." —Acts 10:38 MESSAGE Key Thought The...

Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. —1 John 4:4 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... The world can often be a hostile place for believers. God wants his spiritual children to know, however, that they are not...

I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. As for you, the anointing you received from [the Holy One] remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit —...

For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. —Isaiah 41:13 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... Life crashes in and we wish we could be children again. Then, maybe, we would have someone to take care of us and protect us from our uncertainties...

Here's how you test for the genuine Spirit of God. Everyone who confesses openly his faith in Jesus Christ — the Son of God, who came as an actual flesh-and-blood person — comes from God and belongs to God. And everyone who refuses to confess faith in Jesus has nothing in common with God. This...

The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. —Numbers 6:24-26 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... How would you like to place the mighty name of the LORD on people you...

Remember how you were when you didn't know God, led from one phony god to another, never knowing what you were doing, just doing it because everybody else did it? It's different in this life. God wants us to use our intelligence, to seek to understand as well as we can. For instance, by using...

The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands. —Psalm 138:8 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... First there is conviction: the LORD will finish his work in us! (cf. Phili. 1:6). Second, there is declaration: the...

Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy." —Exodus 15:6 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... One of the great images of the Old Testament is that of God stretching out his right hand with power and doing mighty things for his...

But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you...

Instead of getting frustrated and pushing the assignment, I sat down with him at his desk in his superhero bedroom. I've lost a year with my kids battling over school, and I'm done. My seven year old and I were in the midst of our usual asynchronous day battle. I had his writing homework...

Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. —1 John 4:1 NLT Key Thought Occasionally, we hear someone say something, preach something, or teach...