What Do Angels Do? The Greek word in the New Testament is angelos, defined as a messenger, an envoy, or one who is sent. In the Old Testament, angel comes from mal'āḵ, again meaning messenger or representative, one dispatched as a deputy. Angels are servants sent out by God to proclaim a message or perform a work for Him. Several scriptures indicat

As Nimrod began his reign, he and his followers had one overriding goal for their new territory; they wanted to ensure the security of their community by building a prestigious landmark to make a name for themselves. “Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourse

Prayer to Satisfy My Hunger for You Year-Round“…for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things” (Psalm 107:9).Father,Help me use this year’s Lent invitation to stoke a hunger for you all year. Help me realize I’m not “too busy” or “too important” to not seek your voice, your security, your deliverance.As you search me, cleanse m

What Does the Bible Say about Debt? The Bible has much to say about both the practical and the spiritual. While debt may seem like it is only a practical subject, the Word of God talks about financial and spiritual debt. When it comes to owing other people money, the Bible does not condone it, and often warns people about going into debt.During the

When we believe in Jesus, because of his mercy God does NOT give us what we deserve:His wrath, eternal punishment in hellAnd when we believe in Jesus, because of His grace, God gives us what we don’t deserve. He…Gives us eternal lifeAdopts us as his childrenMakes us joint-heirs with Christ, gives us infinite riches in ChristGives us his Holy Spirit

All in all, we can't say. We do trust Josephus as a historical source, but we don't know if we can corroborate everything he says. Perhaps Moses married two women, perhaps he just married Zipporah, and Aaron and Miriam referred to her as a Cushite. But we can learn a few lessons from both Zipporah and Tharbis.What Lessons Can We Learn from Zipporah

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Colossians 3:12).God is truly worthy of the title “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” But He will never force us to honor Him that way. If we are willing to lay down our own desire to control, we will see evidenc

Why Is There a Hierarchy of Angels?The precise reasons why God has a hierarchy of angels aren’t known to us. However, part of the answer is that God is all-knowing and all-powerful, and as such he is a God of order, not chaos. The extent to which we understand that order is limited because we are mortal and do not know all things. However, God does

To have heard that Jesus was the Messiah would have been incredibly shocking to the Jews. Jesus had been prophesied about for generations and generations, and now someone was claiming that he had appeared, in their lifetime! A fulfillment of the most epic promise God made to his people–and it happened right near them. And this Messiah was very diff

Many people begin their faith walk with fervor, but lose it over time. Some can seem excited about being a follower of Jesus during a church service, but let that passion fade as they navigate their daily life through the week. Others decide they will only read certain parts of the Bible, or resist going where God wants to lead them.What Should We

Finding Yourself in a Discouraging Place Before David was king, he found himself in such a place. Believing that his days were numbered as it pertained to king Saul chasing him, he made a terrible decision. We read about it here:“And David said in his heart, ‘Now I shall perish someday by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I

1. You Are Unique We are encouraged to celebrate uniqueness. We teach children that they are special by acknowledging and respecting who they are—their talents and traits. As adults, we are urged to see differences as strengths, and to challenge what we consider to be normal. In these ways, we are made to feel valued. Yet, by looking at creation a

Practically speaking, studying the Bible leads to knowledge that is applied to life situations. A person will know how to respond Christ-like in a scenario because of that time with the Lord. Or a person who knows their identity is a child of God will live out that title confidently regardless of what others say or do. If a person has experienced t

It would also take some humiliation. The priest would have to stand with the sinners outside the Eastern Gate for purification rituals. He would have to become one of the regular people! And then there is the issue of... what if he really needs help, that’s an inconvenience, that’s an interruption in the schedule, that’s going to cost a lot of mon

Paul tells Euodia and Syntyche to stop arguing because their disagreement was causing a rift, not just in their own relationship, but in the whole fabric of the Church (1 Corinthians 12:25-26). When he instructs them to be of “one mind,” the Apostle is not suggesting that the women should settle the matter by determining who was right and wrong in

What Does Selah Mean? Because of the context, most biblical scholars agree that selah is some type of musical notation. Out of the thirty-nine psalms which are headlined “for the choir director,” selah appears in thirty-one of them, indicating it has some connection to how the psalm is sung or performed.My research found similar thoughts among Bibl

The psalmist reflects on this in Psalm 102, praising the Lord: “In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands,” he writes. “They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded. But you remain the same, and your yea

A young Jewish woman, Esther, outshined all the rest. “So he [the king] set a royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti” (Esther 2:17).Soon after Esther was crowned, an upheaval in the kingdom began. Haman, the king’s right-hand man, hated the Jewish people. No one knew Esther was Jewish. She had concealed her identity at the adv

“That times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord...” Acts 3:20a.Ushers us into freedom:“For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” 2 Corinthians 3:17.Renews our hearts and minds:“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” Psalm 51:10.“‘Who can know the Lord’s tho

Is Everything That Happens to Us because of God’s Will?God does indeed have a plan for the world. He has a purpose and a will. And on one hand, God Almighty, who is all-knowing and all-encompassing, is indeed sovereign over everything. But not everything that happens is God’s will. For instance, God does not want us to sin, yet we do. In the case o