[Simple Thoughts On Promises- 9 For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory. (Deuteronomy 20:4)]

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 9

For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory. (Deuteronomy 20:4)
In your battle against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms, you are not alone. The Lord is with you to fight against the evil forces of darkness and will give you victory. Trust in him.

[Praise Devotionals- 16Then he said: "Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, who with his own hand has fulfilled what he promised with his own mouth to my father David. (1 Kings 8:15)]

Praise Devotionals- 16

Then he said: "Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, who with his own hand has fulfilled what he promised with his own mouth to my father David. (1 Kings 8:15)

The project that Solomon set out to complete i.e. building a temple for the Lord, was a mammoth one and in the process he realized that it was not his hands that had worked out the whole thing but the hand of God. Thus he praised the Lord for the same and also proclaimed that God had fulfilled his promise to his father, David.

Sometimes people think it is their education or skill or talent that has made them what they are; as some say, “He’s a self made man” meaning, “worked it out all on his own.” Yet, we must never forget that it’s all the grace of God that has made us what we are.

God reminded the Israelites of this before they entered Canaan. He said, “You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me." But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today. (Deuteronomy 8:17, 18)

God also advised them saying, “Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. He led you through the vast and dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. He gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and to test you so that in the end it might go well with you. (Deuteronomy 8:11-16)

Never forget the beginnings dear friend. Always give the glory to God for all things achieved, for without him, we are nothing. Always be bold and humble enough to say, “It’s all the grace of God.”

[Simple Thoughts On Promises- 8 He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers. He will bless the fruit of your womb, the crops of your land, your grain, new wine and oil, the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land that he swore to your forefathers to give you. (Deuteronomy 7:13)]

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 8

He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers. He will bless the fruit of your womb, the crops of your land, your grain, new wine and oil, the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land that he swore to your forefathers to give you. (Deuteronomy 7:13)

How wonderful it is to know that the Lord God who created the world and all that is there in it, desired to love his people whom he called out of Egyptian bondage and wanted to bless them in every way possible. He hasn't changed and his love is still the same for them who have put their trust in Jesus.

[Miracles Of Jesus In The Gospels- Bible Study- 4 Narrated In 1 Gospel Gospel Of Mark Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged him to place his hand on the man. After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man's ears. Then he spit and touched the man's tongue. He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!" (which means, "Be opened!"). At this, the man's ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly. Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. People were overwhelmed with amazement. "He has done everything well," they said. "He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” (Mark 7:31-37)]

Miracles Of Jesus In The Gospels- Bible Study- 4

Narrated In 1 Gospel

Gospel Of Mark

Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged him to place his hand on the man. After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man's ears. Then he spit and touched the man's tongue. He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!" (which means, "Be opened!"). At this, the man's ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly. Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. People were overwhelmed with amazement. "He has done everything well," they said. "He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” (Mark 7:31-37)
Travelling on foot, by boat and whatever transportation available in that era, Jesus was always where the heavenly Father wanted him to be. Interestingly, in this passage, we see that God does not and need not perform things according to how we would want it to be but chooses to do things his own perfect way. The results however would be as we would have desired.

People brought to Jesus, a man who was deaf and dumb and wanted him to place his hand on him and heal him. But Jesus chose to act differently. He did not place his hand on the man; instead he took him aside, away from the crowd. Why, away from the crowd? Because he was going to do something unusual; things not many would have appreciated. Another thing we observe here is that Jesus was willing to do as the Father showed him because his desire was always to do his Father’s will and glorify him. Jesus said,
“The world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me.” (John 14:31)

Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears; not something that the ENT specialist would approve, then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. Then came the most important part of the whole miracle- The Command! Ephphatha, said Jesus, which meant “Be opened” and it was done!
The command of God has been effective since the 1st chapter of the Bible where he said, “Let there be light and there was light.” No questions asked, no arguments entertained.

His command is perfect and so is the end result. Here the deaf and dumb man heard and spoke immediately. The Bible says, “his tongue was loosened”; something was binding his tongue, something physical or spiritual, but all the bondages were broken at the single command- Ephphatha.

As usual, to avoid unnecessary publicity to his ministry (unusual, when we see what many preachers do now) Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the effect was just the opposite. The more he did so, the more they kept talking about it.

People were amazed. They just couldn’t believe what they had witnessed. They concluded by proclaiming,” He has done everything well,” "He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

Amazing! Just Amazing! This miracle working Savior from Nazareth.

[Simple Thoughts On Promises- 7 If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the Lord your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your forefathers. (Deuteronomy 7:12)]

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 7

If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the Lord your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your forefathers. (Deuteronomy 7:12)

We are no longer asked to keep the laws given through Moses but God expects us to pay attention to his Word and live as the Spirit of Truth leads us. How honored we are because God has established his covenant of love with us because of what Jesus did on the cross for us and our believing in his perfect sacrifice.

[Praise Devotionals- 15And the king bowed in worship on his bed and said, `Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who has allowed my eyes to see a successor on my throne today.” (1 Kings 1:48)]

Praise Devotionals- 15

And the king bowed in worship on his bed and said, `Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who has allowed my eyes to see a successor on my throne today.” (1 Kings 1:48)

David here praises the Lord when Solomon, his son from Bathsheba is enthroned as King of Israel. David was old and one of his other son’s Adonijah desired to be the next king. So he got chariots and horses ready, with fifty men to run ahead of him. He conferred with Joab son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, and they gave him their support. But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei and Rei and David's special guard did not join Adonijah. Adonijah then sacrificed sheep, cattle and fattened calves at the Stone of Zoheleth near En Rogel. He invited all his brothers, the king's sons, and all the men of Judah who were royal officials, but he did not invite Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the special guard or his brother Solomon.

Then Nathan the prophet asked Bathsheba, Solomon's mother, "Have you not heard that Adonijah, the son of Haggith, has become king without our lord David's knowing it? Now then, let me advise you how you can save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. Go in to King David and say to him, `My lord the king, did you not swear to me your servant: "Surely Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne"? Why then has Adonijah become king?' While you are still there talking to the king, I will come in and confirm what you have said."(1 Kings 1:11-14)

So Bathsheba went to see the aged king and reminded him of his oath to her and while she was speaking, Nathan, the prophet gave his confirmation of the same. The king then took an oath: "As surely as the Lord lives, who has delivered me out of every trouble, I will surely carry out today what I swore to you by the Lord, the God of Israel: Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne in my place." King David called Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet and Benaiah son of Jehoiada and said to them: "Take your lord's servants with you and set Solomon my son on my own mule and take him down to Gihon. There have Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him king over Israel. Blow the trumpet and shout, `Long live King Solomon!' Then you are to go up with him, and he is to come and sit on my throne and reign in my place. I have appointed him ruler over Israel and Judah."

Adonijah feared for his life when this happened and he caught hold of the horns of the altar to escape death. Solomon had him brought done from the altar and sent him home.

Everything was done as David desired and he was happy and praised the Lord for setting Solomon on the throne.
The Bible says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. (Proverbs 13:12)
How very true.

[Miracles Of Jesus In The Gospels- Bible Study- 3 Narrated In 1 Gospel Gospel Of Mathew After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax came to Peter and asked, "Doesn't your teacher pay the temple tax?" "Yes, he does," he replied. When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. "What do you think, Simon?" he asked. "From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes--from their own sons or from others?" "From others," Peter answered. "Then the sons are exempt," Jesus said to him. "But so that we may not offend them, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours." (Matthew 17:24-27)]

Miracles Of Jesus In The Gospels- Bible Study- 3

Narrated In 1 Gospel

Gospel Of Mathew

After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax came to Peter and asked, "Doesn't your teacher pay the temple tax?" "Yes, he does," he replied. When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. "What do you think, Simon?" he asked. "From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes--from their own sons or from others?" "From others," Peter answered. "Then the sons are exempt," Jesus said to him. "But so that we may not offend them, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours." (Matthew 17:24-27)

Peter, once a fisherman, now a catcher of men- in training, is asked by Jesus to do a task so unusual that his jaw must have dropped when he witnessed the miracle happening when he obeyed the master’s words.

This was an unusual way to find money for paying the 2 drachma tax. Well, actually 4 drachmas, 2 for Jesus and 2 for Peter. The knowledge and experience that Peter had acquired by being a fisherman for long may have questioned the validity of his teacher’s proclamation of finding a 4 drachma coin in the mouth of a fish, but nevertheless he must have been obedient to his teacher.

Imagine Peter carrying the fishing line and a few live worms to get this task done. He must have been thrilled of going back to the waters to catch fish. Actually it was a habit he found hard to give up in the initial part of his ministry, for we read in the gospel of John that when Jesus died and was buried and then resurrected, the disciples decided to go fishing again. Perhaps they missed the constant presence of Jesus and were getting impatient, so they decided to go fishing.

Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. "I'm going out to fish," Simon Peter told them, and they said, "We'll go with you." So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. (John 21:2, 3)

Coming back to imagining Peter walking towards the lake, line in hand, humming a few praises to God. People seeing him must have commented, “Good old Peter, back to fishing, seems like old times.”Yet he was here on a different mission, known only to him and his master.

There could have been a lot of “what if’s” going through the mind of Peter, yet he had reason to believe; he had seen enough miracles done by his master. And so he must have cast the line with confidence; confidence not in his prowess as a fisherman or the quality of the fishing line, but confidence in the words of his Lord and Master. That’s when the miracle must have happened, for we do not have verses which say that he found the 4 drachma coin in the fish’s mouth and paid the tax, but that is understood as far as those of us who believe in the mighty miracle working power of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ are concerned.

[Simple Thoughts On Promises- 6 Walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess. (Deuteronomy 5:33)]

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 6

Walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess. (Deuteronomy 5:33)

God always has a desire to bless those who are willing to submit to him and he exhorts us do that through his Holy Spirit as we meditate on his Word day by day.

Dear Pastor Roger,
I do not preach the "health & wealth" gospel, but I believe that God is my father who is able to take care of all my needs since I have put my trust in Jesus.

[Miracles Of Jesus In The Gospels- A Bible Study- 2 Narrated in one gospel only In the Gospel of Matthew: While they were going out, a man who was demon-possessed and could not talk was brought to Jesus. And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.” But the Pharisees said, “It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons.” (Matthew 9:32-34)]

Miracles Of Jesus In The Gospels- A Bible Study- 2

Narrated in one gospel only

In the Gospel of Matthew:

While they were going out, a man who was demon-possessed and could not talk was brought to Jesus. And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.” But the Pharisees said, “It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons.” (Matthew 9:32-34)

This is another miracle recorded by Matthew and not read in the other 3 gospels. Here is a case of demon-possession. The demon’s main affliction here is making the man mute. Demons can afflict any part of the body and in this man’s case, his speech was obstructed. Perhaps the demon had his tongue bound and hence the man could not speak. Or the origin, transmission and production were all obstructed by the demon.

Sickness can be healed, but demons have to be driven out. And that is just what Jesus did. Secondly, here the man was not in a position to express his faith and Jesus did not expect it either. So in cases of demon-possession, it is the faith of the one praying for the person that is important. One should not tell a person who is demon-possessed that if he has more faith, then he can be delivered. Demon-possession cannot be cured by medicines. Demons have to be rebuked and driven out in Jesus’ Name.

Well, not all get excited when great things happen and we see the Pharisees giving their own explanation of the miracle. They are here condemning Jesus and accusing Him of using demon power to perform the miracle.They were “blind” as Jesus called them.

[Simple Thoughts On Promises- 5 I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. (Exodus 33:19)]

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 5

I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. (Exodus 33:19)
This was the promise given to Moses when he wanted to see the Lord's glory. Remember, we serve a merciful and compassionate God and he is able to guide us and lead us all through our earthly lives, right until the time we join him in eternity. He is faithful to those who have put their trust in him.

[Miracles of Jesus in the Gospels- Bible Study- 1 Narrated in one gospel only In the Gospel of Matthew: 1) As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they replied. Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith will it be done to you”; and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this.” But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region. (Matthew 9:27-31)]

Miracles of Jesus in the Gospels- Bible Study- 1

Narrated in one gospel only

In the Gospel of Matthew:

1) As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they replied. Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith will it be done to you”; and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this.” But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region. (Matthew 9:27-31)

This healing was wrought by the Lord because of the express faith of the two blind men. They did not flinch when asked by the Lord whether they believed that He was able to heal them. They only had hearsay evidence for knowing that Jesus was able to heal the sick and the infirm. They had not yet seen any of the miracles that Jesus had done, but had put their faith in Him from what they had learned from others regarding His healing powers. And how wonderfully the Lord rewarded them for their faith. How true then the words of Jesus when He said, “Blessed are they who have not seen, yet believed.” (John 20:29b)

This is also another example of how the Lord Jesus healed people by touching them. Matthew writes, “He touched their eyes.” There are other instances in the Word where the Lord Jesus healed the blind without touching them, but here He chose to touch their eyes while healing them.

Matthew also states that Jesus forbid them from letting anyone know about the healing that He had wrought for them. One may wonder why? Perhaps Jesus didn’t want too much publicity so early in His ministry and bring about premature interference from the enemy.

Whatever it be, the once blind and now seeing men couldn’t keep their mouths shut because they considered their healing to be of major value and they went out and spread the news of their healing all over that region.
Come to think of it, they may have initially kept quiet obeying their healer, but many may have asked them,
“Can you see now?” “How did you receive your healing?” and they couldn’t keep their healing a secret for long. And Matthew ends the story by writing that they went out and spread the news about him all over that region.

[Miracles Of Jesus In The Gospels- A Bible Study- Introduction]

Miracles Of Jesus In The Gospels- A Bible Study- Introduction

This is a Bible Study regarding the Miracles Of Jesus In The Gospels. There are miracles that are mentioned in 1 Gospel only- Matthew/Mark/Luke/John. There are miracles that are mentioned in 2 Gospels, there are miracles that are mentioned in 3 Gospels and finally there is one miracle that is described in all 4 Gospels.

I’ll be doing a brief study of these. Hope it will be beneficial to all of us. God Bless.

[Simple Thoughts On Promises- 4My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest. (Exodus 33:14)]

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 4

My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest. (Exodus 33:14)

A wonderful promise given by God to Moses while he was leading the Israelites in the wilderness. This promise really brought peace and rest to Moses who was often stressed by the erratic behavior of the Israelites. May the Lord's presence go with you and your family and give you rest always.

[Simple Thoughts On Promises- 3Worship the Lord your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you. (Exodus 23:25)]

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 3

Worship the Lord your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you. (Exodus 23:25)

What a great promise to Moses and the Israelites when they were in the wilderness. May the Lord bless our food and water too and let him take away our sicknesses and heal us by his stripes.