Can We Pray for Happiness? When studying the Bible, there is a distinction that emerges between joy and happiness. A review of different translations of the Bible in English makes that evident.The following is a list of translations and the number of times the word “joy” appears:- English Standard Version: 203- King James Version: 187- Christian St

The prayer requests next for God to supply us with our daily needs, primarily food, water, shelter, community, etc.The following stanza is one many notice but can be glossed over in what Jesus is asking: “And forgive our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” Here Jesus is reminding believers that if we want God to forgive us for the sins we have done,

Today, many Jews use the symbol like Christians use the ichthys or cross, wearing it as jewelry or even getting it tattooed on their skin as a permanent mark of their faith, a constant and enduring symbolic covenant with the Lord.Is the Star of David Found in Scripture?The star of David, however, is not found in the Bible nor in the Talmud, the set

Saturday was the Sabbath, Day Two.John 20:1 NIV says, “Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw the stone had been removed from the entrance.”Along with Mary Magdalene, there was also Mary the mother of James, and Salome (the mother of James and John, wife of Zebedee).The first day of the

When Christians Talk about Revival, What Do We Mean? As we look into revival, we must remember it is the Lord God who is the initiator. Although the word revival is not written in the New Testament, three key New Testament passages direct our focus to the gist of what Christians usually mean when we speak of revival: Ephesians 2:1, 5, and Colossian

Running to Dangerous Places God wanted Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh and preach a message of repentance to the inhabitants, so they He could save them. But Jonah’s human offense at the Ninevites blocked his ability to see them as God sees them. And in fact, they were vile people. Jonah didn’t want to be part of their salvation, only their judg

“And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders” (2 Thessalonians 2:8-9).This all refers to the Antichrist, who will in essence, “go down in

Who Were the New Testament authors?The New Testament authors were a mix of unparalleled scholars (e.g., St. Paul) and businessmen (St. Peter, a fisherman), medical doctors (St. Luke), and clergy (St. John). Eight men, some Apostles (those with a direct commission from Jesus Christ to minister in His name and to lead the mission of the Early Church)

What Kind of Other Miracles Did Jesus Do?Turning water into wine stands out as unique among Jesus’ other miracles. There was no specific Old Testament prophecy that it fulfilled. Most of His miracles not only fixed a problem that was beyond the help of anyone other than God, but it had been foretold by the prophets. He also performed these kinds of

Sacrifice – Husbands are to love their wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. This cannot happen without sacrifice.Presenting her in her best light – Just as Christ aims to present the church to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, husbands are to do the same for their wives. This m

“The apple of my eye” is a Hebrew idiom. I found this explanation both beautiful and powerful. “The apple of my eye has been translated from ba vat ey no’." It’s explained here by the Jerusalem Prayer Team:“‘ba•vat ey•no,’ expresses the most precious and the dearest thing one has – the apple of his eye. When relating to another person or entity wit

Wise counsel is imperative for life. Irony surrounds Rehoboam because his father was the wisest man (apart from Jesus) ever to walk the earth, yet he heeded the foolish counsel of his friends and plunged his life into ruin. The author of 1 Kings wants us to learn from Rehoboam’s example when he writes, “The king answered the people harshly, for he

Do Church Elders Have as Much Authority as Pastors?“The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.” (1 Timothy 5:17 NIV) Elders do not make decisions without consulting their pastors. The pastor often opens the meeting at a “session” meeting in the Presbyterian

Paul later tells Timothy, “Moreover, he [church elder] must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil” (1 Timothy 3:7). Paul also told the young preacher, Timothy, “Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress” (1 Timothy 4:15).The world is watching and, a

- Celebrating our successes- Grieving our losses- Gently correcting us- Accepting correctionThe list is long, and more can be added, but this is a good starting point. Jesus added weight to our understanding of what a true friend is when He said, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Isn’t

- Am I able to read outside literature?Some of the above questions can help you to assess whether or not your group has moved away from healthy religious belief into manipulative/cultish territory.Does the Bible Have Anything to Say about Cults?In order to consider what the Bible has to say about cults we must first come to a common understanding o

Revelation 20:6 states, “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with him a thousand years.” These saints did not worship the beast, nor did they receive his mark. They were martyred for their faith. They will be resurrec

He praised the Lord and refused to sin. But then, Satan struck Job a second time. This righteous man broke out in sores from head to toe. As he sat in tremendous pain, his wife encouraged him to curse God. Job wisely refused, denying sin its power. He endured the suffering, clinging to God. As the life storm continued, friends came to Job’s side. T

Can or Should We Pray to Angels?If prayer is a way to speak with angels, should we pray to them? Since they are messengers of God, shouldn’t we send them our prayers to lay at God’s feet?The late, great evangelist Billy Graham shared his thoughts on praying to angels, stating that though angels are heavenly beings, praying to them wouldn’t be wise.

“Now the chief priests, the elders, and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but found none. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none. But at last two false witnesses came forward and said, ‘This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.’ And the hig