�The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.�
This verse, as it is, can set everyone free of every bondage they have ever had or ever will. There are a few steps in understanding this verse. First, you have to know who the god of this age is. If you look at the verse, you will find out very quickly that he is Satan. How, well the verse states that he blinds the minds of unbelievers from seeing the gospel. If the god of this age wants people not to see the gospel and God does, it is obvious that the god of this age is Satan. Next you must realize that unbelievers do not have to be non-Christians, they could also be a Christian who doesn't believe in what the bible says. After you realize this, you must remember that God has given you power over the devil. Since you have power over the devil you are able to bind his works, to stop him from blinding the minds of unbelievers. Once you do this the devil has no power in your life and all you have to do is to run to God and give him all of your problems and He will fix them.
Extra time in the Word, 2 Corinthians 4
http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?2+Corinthians+4
This is written by Heidi 18 of Iowa. E-mail me if you want to!
[email protected]
Romans 8:38-39
" for I am convinced that neither death, nor life, no angles, nor principalities, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, not height nor depth nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the Love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
When you are struggling, sad, having a bad day or a test didn't go as well as you think or wanted, you should always think of this verse. It's neat and amazing to me to read this because it tells me that nothing in this world, nothing big or small can separate me from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. He loves us that much. He loves us that much that in John 3:16 it says God sent his only begotten son to die. That's love. That's also incredible. We should pray everyday and thank God that nothing can separate us from the Love that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. It's neat to think that we are in such a wonderful country that can have the freedom to worship. Other countries pick that religion and that's what they follow. Next time you want to make sure how much God loves us read this verse and you'll get a sense of his love for us.
Extra time in the Word, Romans 8
http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?Romans+8
This Bible study is written by Tina Kane
Jeremiah 33:3
"Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not".<KJV>
"Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable thing you do not know."<NIV>
Isn't that Awesome! Here it says that if you call upon the Lord that He will not only answer me but will also show me those things that John, Elisha, and Isaiah saw. Not only that but even greater things. Well, what does call mean? In the Hebrew language Call meant to cry to or to speak to. To cry to would mean to earnestly seek him. The NIV version states that when you call upon him that he will tell, or show, you unsearchable thing. What's an unsearchable thing?It is something that you can't find on this earth. It is something that you can see only through God giving it to you. But don't think that if God has to give it to you that you don't have to do anything. This verse says to call to him, to earnestly seek him another verse, Matthew 6:33, says to seek first his kingdom and all these things will follow. In other words, you have to put him first in everything that you do and say. You have to call to him and expect him to move in your life. Then you have to be willing to do what he tells you to do and then you will see those great and unsearchable things that he has given to you. Why do you have to be willing to do what he tells you to do? Because if you're not willing to change your lifestyle, you are not earnestly seeking him. Let him move in your life.
Extra time in the Bible: Jeremiah 33
http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?Jeremiah+33
This is by Amanda F
E-mail me at [email protected]
Matthew 1:19
"Come, follow me," Jesus said , "and I will make you fishers of men."
Most of us know the little Christian symbol of the fish it kind of looks like this <><. When I read this verse it just screamed at me. It took a few times to read it and realize what it means. It means that the people that need Jesus are the fish and we are the fishers. So, if we follow Jesus we need to be witnesses to EVERYONE. I would not be here if it was not for someone witnessing to me. So, let's all witness to people, its the only way that they will hear about Jesus. If we are going to change this world we all need to be bold and make a statement about our faith. Come on, let's go catch some fish!
Extra time in the Bible: Matthew 1
http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?Matthew+1
Written by Tim, 15 from Tacoma, WA
[email protected]
Hebrews 13:8
�Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever.�
A lot of people are concerned about this Y2K thing. But in this verse it says that Jesus will remain the same in the year 2000 as he was 2000 years ago when he was born. In fact, it also says that Jesus will still be the same another 2000 years from now. Malachi 3:6a says For I, the Lord, do not change; So even though the year, decade, century, and yes, millennium will change, the Lord never will. And while this Y2K thing is really just a bunch of speculation, God is not mere speculation. He really does exist and He really will return one day. Maybe in the year 2000, maybe not. But in any case, God will still be with us wherever and whenever we are. So when you celebrate the coming millennium remember that God remains the same and there's nothing to be afraid of.
Extra time in the Word, Hebrews 13
http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?Hebrews+13
(A great Bible study dealing with music)
This was written by Sara Denhart
I'm a fairly new Christian for almost a year (woohoo! :)), I can personally say that music DOES effect your life. Can anyone really tell me that they just listen to the instruments, rather than the lyrics too? I do not believe that anyone can just listen to the instruments because they eventually end up singing or humming the tune, which may or may not contain immoral ideas and logic. I can contest to this personally because I was a hardcore fan of the local modern alternative rock scene. I loved bands like Korn, Deftones, and Limp Bizkit (the harder side) to even mello tones of Third Eye Blind, Matchbox 20, or some oldies like the Mommas and the Papas. To this day I sometimes find myself singing these tunes mindlessly and out of habit, but thanks to God for all his help all the time. You find yourself using more profane words, if you listen to music with profanity in every other word of the song. By listening to the music, you either support it by buying it or making it popular by listening to it (like becoming a fan). Therefore, I think that you should not listen to music that does not agree with your own morals because eventually, maybe not now or in a year, you will eventually adapt to the music and make it your own morals of the artist. My stubborness took me from April to just in October to rid myself, by means of a consuming fire, of $800 of CD's, tapes, and records from the secular world of music. These passages (there are quite a few so please bare with me) made me think, so maybe they'll help you, if you are in a dilemma like I was once in. If you have time read the whole chapter of Ephesians 4, but for now, in
Ephesians 4:19-20,
"Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Colossians 3:2-10,
"Set your minds on thing above, no on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator."
2 Timothy 2:16,19,
"Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. Nevertheless, God's solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: 'The Lord knows those who are his,' and 'Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.'"
So I leave you all with this to consider next time you pop that new CD from some band singing about how pointless our lives are and that money is everything.
Extra time in the Word, Ephesians 4
http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?Ephesians+4
Written by Dana Trauth, 17.....New Orleans, LA
I Cor. 1:3-4
� I've also learned that knowing God's truth is not enough. We have to take the knowledge that we have in our heads place it in our hearts and show it to the world.�
Have you ever felt like you were doing something wrong? No matter what you did nothing went right. Well, recently I felt like that with God. It seemed like no matter what I did or what I said just wasn't enough. Questions frequently clouded my thoughts. Was I showing a good e xample to my friends at school? Am I truly abiding in Christ? Wow! The last question really puzzled me. I wasn't seeing any fruit in my life and I felt I was doing something wrong. I prayed often and I thought I was a failure. Then something happened that I would have never expected. My friend at school wrote a note to me pouring out her heart. She wrote about how she had admired me and my faith. She told me that she thought I was the best person to talk to and that I would listen with an open heart. My friend was really hurting. I would have never expected this girl to tell me about her problems. God works in mysterious ways doesn't He? I then realized that even though a person looks happy on the outside doesn't mean they are happy on the inside. This really showed me that being a friend to the friendless is really important. We must learn to show compassion. "What a wonderful God we have- He is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the source of every mercy, and the one who so wonderfully comforts and strengthens us in our hardships and trials. And why does He do this? So that when others are troubled, needing our sympathy and encouragement, we can pass on to them this same help and comfort God has given us. Note to the reader: When my youth pastor first asked me to write adevotional I was so excited. I didn't realize how hard it was. I didn't know the first thing about writing a devotional. Before I wrote it I sat down in my room and prayed that God would speak through me. And that's what He did. There is no way I could have written this by myself. I want to give the credit to God.
Extra time in the Bible: I Corinthians 1
http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?I+Corinthians+1
Matt 25:40
"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'(NIV)
Christmas is a time that we should want to give more then to receive. Now it's ok to want gifts but you should be looking for opportunities to bless others during the Holiday season and all year round. Last night my wife, son, a few friends and myself went caroling. We know this isn't done much but thought it just might bless folks and to help them focus on the Lord during this season. We were having a blast, I was shouting from the back of the group, "Please enjoy the Christmas carols but don't throw anything if we get out of tune." After we finished singing to an elderly lady, she looked at us with tears in her eyes and said, "I'm having a very difficult Christmas this year, my mother passed away." We had the chance to bless her with Christmas cheer, God's love and even prayed with her on the porch. I am going to challenge you on this Christmas day to find someone who needs to be blessed and then to bless their socks off! That might mean shoveling snow, spending some Christmas money to buy someone a much needed gift or perhaps to sit with an elderly person and share part of your Christmas day with them. Read our verse for today again see what you can do to bless God today!
Merry Christmas,
Extra time in the Bible: Matthew 25
http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?Matthew+25
Written by a teenager
1 John 4:7
" Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God."
Just this week, all my friends and I were sitting in the cafeteria enjoying our lunches in the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season. For some reason, we started talking about religion and a huge, massive discussion broke out. It was me and a Catholic friend of mine trying to defend the purpose of religion against a couple of other friends. We're all really good friends, so no one's feelings were hurt (thank goodness). It was later that evening, during my nighttime prayer that I realized what I had done. Sure, arguing and debating can be fun and intellectually stimulating, but did my actions get me any closer to God. More importantly, did our conversation during those 45 minutes bring my non-Christian friends any closer to God. Obviously not. If we want to show the world what it's like to be Christian, then we should start acting more like Christians, ie. like Christ. The most important thing that Jesus taught us was 1) to love God and 2) to love one another. It's so important that we let this love shine through. How else can we bring people to God than to show them that God is love, merciful and forgiving. If people think that Jesus is a heated, debate-loving, detail-observing God, then we've done something wrong, that could easily be corrected. I would like to challenge everyone this Christmas season to open our hearts not only to our family and friends, but to those who would least expect "love" from us. Just like that song by Sierra says "If we walk in the light, the lost will you (God) better".
Have a Merry Christmas everyone!
Extra time in the Bible: 1 John 4
http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?1+John+4
Written by Kate Siscoe from Illinois <<[email protected]>>
Matthew 19:14
"Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder
then, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these."
1 Corinthians 1:4
"I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ
Jesus."
Last Saturday, our church had an Adopt-A-Child party. A group of kids from a local mission came, and each family had a child. We gave them gifts, had a meal and sang Happy Birthday to Jesus. I figured I would go to the party, play with the kid, and give him a hug and say good bye. Ha! Think again!! Our family's child was Tony Maxwell. He's 7 years old and African American. I sat down beside him and while we were coloring our nativity scenes, I was asking him basic questions like "What do you want for Christmas?" "How many brothers and sisters do you have?" After we had finished the pictures, a clown came in to give the kids balloons. Me and Tony went to stand in line, and he held my hand. Then when we sat down with some of his friends, he sat in my lap and wrapped his arms around my neck. I soon realized that I had fallen in love -- and with a little boy half my age! Tony told me that he hoped he got a Nintendo for Christmas. I prayed at that moment that Tony would like his present (a remote control airplane I had picked out). When he opened his present, you should have seen his eyes light up!! He was so proud of that airplane, even though it wasn't what he had hoped for. Tony received the ultimate gift that evening when he asked Jesus into his heart. I was so overjoyed, I cried!! When it was time for the kids to leave, he would walk toward the group of kids, and then turn back for another hug. When Gayle (one of the escorts) told him it was time to go, he wrapped his arms around me again, and said "I love you." The tears started coming, and I told him that I loved him too. Tony said, "Buddies forever, right?" I said "Right." I went home praying to God that he would take care of Tony and thinking, "Wow, that must have been how Jesus feels toward little children." And you know what? The good news is available to us all, and when we unwrap God's free gift of salvation, He calls us His children. What a privilege! Oh, and when you get that knit sweater from your great-grandma for Christmas, don't groan. Instead be thankful, and remember Tony's story.
Extra time in the Bible: Matthew 19
http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?Matthew+19
This bible study is written by Tina Kane.
Psalm 91: 14- 16
"Because he loves me," says the Lord, "I will rescue him; I will protect him
for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I
will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long
life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation."
Philippians 4:19
�And my God will meet ALL your needs according to his glorious riches in
Christ Jesus, our Lord.�
Ephesians 6:14-18
�Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.�
Many times when Christians are face with trouble, they forget the promises of God and run to the world and do whatever the world tells them to do. They forget that they are no longer of this world, John 15:19, and that they are to fight with the with the weapons that God has given them, 2 Cor. 10:3. Those weapons are found in Ephesians 6:14-18, which is stated above. They forget that God has promised to rescue us in times of trouble and deliver us, Psalm 91: 14-16 also stated above. When we hear rumors of destruction we are not supposed to fear, 2 Tim 1:7, but we are to trust in the Lord to supply all of our needs, Philippians 4:19 stated above, and to allow God to move in our lives and protect us. When we run to the world we turn from God's protection and allow the devil to get a foot hold in our lives. God can no longer protect us in that area because we chose to run to the devil instead of to our Father. I pray that those who read this will see the importance of this because it holds the truth that many Christians need to see in a world that is fussing over possible failures come New Years Day and the Christians should be relying upon God in everything that they do not on what the world says to do.
Extra time in the Bible: Psalm 91
http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?Psalm+91