In John 14:1, While the disciples genuinely believed in Jesus, their faith was already beginning to waver. Jesus began by telling them to stop allowing their hearts to be troubled by the news of his impending departure, the reason for that command is based upon their belief in the plan of God. He closes this powerful verse by reminding them that as they believe in the plan of God, to believe in the Jesus’ design to fulfill that plan. He wanted them to understand that he did not need to be visibly present for them to receive comfort and strength from Him. In face in John 20:29, Jesus would tell Thomas, and the rest of the disciples, “because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Jesus would go on in John 14 to share with the disciples the ministry of comfort that the Spirit would provide because of His departure. The presence of Christ is enough to calm the believing heart in whatever perplexing troubling situation it finds itself. The Puritan John Wene noted, “A sense of God’s presence in love is sufficient to rebuke all anxiety and fears; … READ MORE

As we approach a new year, allow me to share with you some Scriptural principles to work on every day in the coming year. Philippians 3:13-14 reminds us that we must forget about the victories and defeats of yesterday; at the same time according to Philippians 4:6-7 we must not worry about Tomorrow. We must remember that according to Philippians 4:19, “God will supply all our needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” God will provide the strength we need day to day, so we we need to remember that Psalm 118:24 says “This is the day which the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” This is a reminder that we need to make each day count as we are afforded a new day. We must focus on that new day. With that in mind allow me to suggest 4 scriptural principles to consider:1. Galatians 6:10 encourages us to “do good unto all men” in other words as we approach each day, we need to help every person we can. We need to make life about others nor ourselves. Jesus reminds us in John 13:35, “By this shall all men know that … READ MORE

Happy New Year! We are reminded in Philippians 3:13-14 that one scriptural principle to work on in the coming year is we must not allow our yesterdays to define our todays, and we should “press on for the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus”Another scriptural principle can be seen in Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Here we are commanded not to worry about tomorrow. I sometimes wonder how much time we spend mentally worrying about what tomorrow will bring. The problem is that we can never change what will happen tomorrow by worrying about how things will play out today. We have no control over the future, only God knows the reality of that future.Charles G. Trumbell once said, “We will never know victory over worry and anxiety until we begin to treat it as sin. For such it is. It is deep seated distrust of the Father, who assures us again and again that even the … READ MORE