Praise and worship are acts of the will. We should worship God, because of Who He is, not because of how we feel or because of our circumstances. Jesus is risen! That is the true source of all our joy and hope. Please open your Bible to Psalm thirty, and listen as...

Do you find yourself complaining about the weather? When David watched a storm sweep down over Israel, it inspired him to praise instead of murmuring. He then called upon the heavenly host to worship the Lord in recognition of His glory as revealed in the storm. But...

David prayed that the wicked people that sought to do him harm would get what they deserved. However, as recipients of God’s grace and mercy, Christians should follow Jesus’ command to pray that our enemies would repent so that they could also escape the eternal...

In times of trouble, we can always cry out to the Lord for help. Even if God is silent for a season, one can rest assured that He is listening to your cries. The Rock of our salvation is compassionate and merciful. He will provide deliverence from the wicked if we...

Knowing about God is not the same as knowing God. David had a deep and intimate relationship with the Lord. Personal intimacy with God scares Satan, and he will do anything that he can to prevent that from happening. Therefore, intimacy with God doesn’t just happen....

David was a man that had almost as many enemies as he had friends. These enemies falsely accused him of many things. David, who lived a life that was separated unto God, pled his case before the Lord. Nowhere did he claim to be sinless, but he did plead not guilty to...

David rejoiced in the strength of the Lord, Who had responded to his faith with an overwhelming victory. He also was encouraged by the prayerful intercession of the faithful who anticipated future victory by the power of God. Are you antcipating a great victory in...

In the Psalms, strong confidence is often expressed by the past tense, as if something had already happened. Shouting for joy was in anticipation of the victory. No matter how you feel or what you are dealing with right now, the message of the cross is that God’s...

Psalms twenty and twenty-one are two of seven royal psalms in Scripture. The royal psalms all point to Christ, the ideal King. Every king in David’s royal line was anointed to serve in anticipation of the coming of this perfect King. Contrary to what actually...

God’s word is a greater revelation than creation, because it tells us much more about Him. It reveals Him as the covenant God of love. Someone who knows God and His word intimately rejoices in this. Please open your Bible to Psalm nineteen, verse seven, and listen as...

Our sun is a wonderful example of how the heavens declare God’s glory. As it crosses the sky between its rising and setting, nothing can hide from its heat. Similarly, Jesus, Whom Malachi called the Sun of Righteousness, is the brightness of God’s glory. Jesus gives...

The God who created the universe is glorious, and His creation provides evidence of His glory. Like God, His creation is big, beautiful, and He gave mankind the ability to see it, to appreciate its wonder, and to study its mysteries. Perhaps the greatest mystery is...

Our Creator did not design us for selfishness or wickedness. He designed us for servanthood and holiness as modeled by Jesus Christ. It is only by God’s word and His Spirit that we are able to stay on the path that leads to eternal life where we will find ultimate...

Have you ever felt like the whole world is unfairly aligned against you? Are you being harassed by people that don’t like you? David had his share of such experiences. Some of his enemies even tried to kill him! David responded to the charges against him by asking the...

David asked, “Who can abide in God’s presence? Who can dwell in His holy hill?” The Master of the house always determines the terms of hospitality. To whom will The Lord extend the hospitality of His house? To those who come to Him for salvation by grace, through...

Psalms eight and fourteen are like bookends that describe the mysterious nature of humanity. We are at once glorious and yet fallen. We carry both the honor of bearing God’s image and the shame of our sin. Thus, all men stand in need of the forgiveness and pardon of...

David saw many people who said all the right things, but he didn’t see many people whose lives matched their words. It’s the same today; there is nothing new under the sun. You can be orthodox in your theology while your lifestyle is unorthodox and far from God. God...

There are going to be times in our lives as followers of Jesus Christ when we must choose between fear and godly trust. Fear is a human feeling that is the product of what we see or hear. Trust in the Lord requires us to walk by faith in what we cannot see or hear and...

From nursing babies to heavenly bodies, all of God’s creation declares His glory. David marvelled at what he saw, and it made him feel insignificant. However, a greater mystery awed him: The magnitude of God’s love for that which He had created. A love so great that...

It is sobering to realize that God is angry with the wicked every day. We are living on a planet that is largely in rebellion against God every hour of every day. Though God is merciful, He is also just, and His Spirit will not always strive with man. God measures...

Few things are more painful and frustrating than being accused of something that you did not do. This happened to David when Saul was still king. Similarly, Christians are often misrepresented and slandered in this world. Thankfully, we, like David, can always turn to...

Have you ever been pressed to the limit, when it seems like everything that can go wrong does? To make things worse, it seems that there is no hope that things will ever get better. David was in such a situation. He was being chastened by God, taunted by his enemies,...

One of God’s most defining characteristics is His holiness. As such, Scripture says that He hates those that work iniquity. That is, He hates those that arrogently make a practice of sinful behaviors and that have no place for repentance. Fortunately, as Christians,...

David was an anointed king of Israel, yet he recognized that he was a man under God’s authority. When David prayed, he acknowledged that the Lord was both his God and his King. David’s authority stopped at the boundaries of his kingdom, but God’s authority knows no...

Psalm three was a morning prayer. Fittingly, Psalm four is called an evening prayer. Some believe that both psalms concern the time in which David had to flee from Absalom. Once again, David cried out to God, and, as God searched his heart, David felt a sense of being...

David’s enemies told him that there was no help for him in God when Absalom tried to usurp his throne. However, David knew that God was his shield and his glory. That is, David knew that, even if he could not feel it at the moment, he knew without a doubt that God’s...

When Absalom rose up against his father and his king, David had to flee for his life. As he fled, some from his kingdom cursed him vigorously. Yet, as we will see in today’s passage, David still had a song in his heart and faith that the Lord had heard his cry for...

There is only one King and Jesus is His name. One day the Heavenly Father will have Jesus sit on His throne on Mount Zion as undisputed Ruler of all the earth. Some men will still try to cast off His authority, but Jesus will deal swiftly with such insubordination....

People that war against Christ and His Gospel have been blinded by Satan. Moreover, they love darkness more than they desire the light, because their deeds are evil. However, through prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit, such rebellious people can be brought to a...

We are living on a planet and in a culture that is in rebellion against the living God. This rebellion will reach its peak near the end of the Great Tribulation. At that time, a federation of world leaders, led by the Antichrist, will unite in a futile attempt to...

Though Jesus has saved us, we are in a race, not in competition with one another, but to become the most fruitful and Christ-like people that we can. To do this we must set aside those things that might hinder us from reaching our goal, which is to finish well. This...

The first Psalm contrasts the ways of the godly and the ungodly. It sets before us only two paths: one of life and the other of death. The first is a fruitful life and the other is withered. We pray that you would choose to take the way which leads to a truly blessed...

Today we begin a new series of messages based upon the Bible’s longest book: Psalms. Unlike other books of the Bible, Psalms had many authors, including David, Asaph, Moses, and others. The Psalms express a wide range of emotions ranging from deep despair and anger to...

Last time, we saw how James called us to pray in every circumstance—whether in suffering, joy, or illness—and to trust in God’s healing power. Today, we will focus on the strength of fervent prayer and the call to restore wandering believers. Moreover, will we see...

Are you facing trials, sickness, or moments of weakness? In today’s passage, James reminds us that prayer is the believer’s lifeline. God wants us to pray in every circumstance—whether in suffering, joy, or illness—and to trust in God’s healing power. Please open your...

Today’s passage turns our attention to the call for steadfastness in the face of trials. God’s Word encourages us to be patient, to strengthen our hearts, and to endure with faith until Jesus returns. We are reminded that the Judge is at the door, and that our lives...

Today’s passage delivers a sobering warning to the wealthy who misuse their riches—reminding us that hoarded treasure and unjust gain will testify against us on the day of judgment. We are called to examine our hearts, live with integrity, and pursue righteousness...

Yesterday we learned that hearing and putting into practice the truth of God’s word is the highest form of worship. Today’s passage reminds us that those who are born again live with a new purpose—serving God in the light of His wisdom, not the world’s or our own....

According to Jesus and his half-brother James, hearing and putting into practice the truth of God’s word is the highest form of worship. Today’s passage emphasizes not speaking evil of others, recognizing that our lives are short, and that all our plans should be...

God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. That’s not just a proverb—it’s a spiritual law. Today’s passage calls us to submit to God, resist the devil, and draw near to the Lord. As we align ourselves vertically with God and His priorities, we will find...

Have you ever had a fight with someone you love—or with someone with whom you work or serve alongside? Of course you have. But why? James answered this lovingly but bluntly: These conflicts arise from our own selfish desires. Yet there is hope. If we humble ourselves...

In today’s passage, James did not mince words. He confronted believers that were harboring bitter envy and selfish ambition, which was essentially lying against the truth that they claimed to know. They should have known better . . . and so should we. Please open your...

According to James’ inspired words, there are two kinds of wisdom: heavenly and worldly. What kind of wisdom shapes your life? Is it humble, peaceable, and pure—or fueled by envy and strife? From the pulpit to the workplace, from family life to ministry, this passage...

The uncontrolled tongue is a fire—a world of iniquity. Without the Spirit’s temperance, our speech can defile, divide, and destroy. Though no human can tame the tongue, Scripture calls us to yield our words to the wisdom from above. Bitter and sweet, blessing and...

Words matter. According to James, they can either build up—or burn down. The tongue, though small, can steer the course of a life. From bridles and rudders to sparks and fires, Scripture paints vivid pictures of how powerful—and dangerous—our speech can be, especially...

In his general epistle, James made it clear: Faith comes to life through action. Drawing from the Old Testament, he highlighted Abraham offering up Isaac, and Rahab risking everything to protect God’s people as two powerful examples of faith that were validated by...

In today’s passage, faith and action collide. Is belief alone enough? What does living faith look like in the life of a true believer? In a world full of empty words and promises, James calls us to a faith that moves, serves, and obeys. Please open your Bible to James...

James wrote, “If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well.” The word royal refers to something that belongs to a king. For those who have embraced Jesus Christ as Lord, this royal law is not only His—it is...

In today’s passage, we are confronted with a sobering truth: favoritism has no place in the life of a believer. Whether it is based on popularity, wealth, race, or social standing, showing partiality contradicts the heart of the Gospel. Sadly, this struggle has...

What does God call pure religion? It is more than words—it is a life marked by compassion and holiness, especially to the vulnerable like the unborn, young without parents, or the aged without spouses. We should also seek to keep ourselves unspotted from the world....

Every good and perfect gift is from above. With these words, James reminded us that, in a world full of shifting shadows and broken promises, we can trust in our heavenly Father’s unchanging generosity. Therefore, we should receive God’s Word with humility and...

James reminded believers that those who endure hardship for righteousness’ sake will receive the crown of life. We must also diligently resist temptations to sin. Such spiritual resilience is possible only through the Spirit-inspired power of the crucified Christ and...

In a world full of trials and temptations, today’s passage offers a sobering reminder that deception and death wait for those drawn away by desire, but rewards and eternal life come to those who patiently endure for righteousness’ sake. Fortunately, when a person is...

In the opening of James’ general epistle, we learn that trials are an unavoidable part of a believer’s life. However, through prayer, we can gain the necessary heavenly wisdom and guidance to prevail. When our world view is heavenly—rather than worldly—we can truly...

The opening verses of James’ epistle to the dispersed Jews call them—and us—to count it all joy when the Lord tests our faith in the crucible of trials. We are urged to prayerfully seek wisdom from above and anchor our hearts in God’s unchanging character. Whether...

Paul ended his epistle to the Romans with a wonderful benediction and doxolgy. God alone is the source and display of pure wisdom. All glory belongs to Him and to Jesus Christ our Mediator forever. Please open your Bible to Romans chapter sixteen, verse nineteen, and...

Paul closed his epistle with a warning about ungodly teachers that might try to worm their way into the Church. Such people try to create a following of their own, and they teach that which is contrary to sound doctrine. Such people and their false doctrines should be...

It is a joy to serve the Lord, but that does not mean that serving Him is easy. Multiple passages of Scripture describe ministry as labor using the same word that expresses what a woman does when she brings forth a child. One way or another, people will find a way to...

Priscilla and Aquila had the gift of helps, and Paul heartily acknowledged their service to him and the Lord. A church even met in their home. They were willing to risk their lives for the cause of Christ. Are you willing to lay your life down for the cause of Christ?...

At first glance, today’s passage might seem like an uninteresting catalog of names that have little or no meaning for us today. However, upon closer examination, this often-overlooked passage yields many important lessons for Christians today. Please open your Bible...

The fruit of believing in Jesus and obeying His commandments is joy and hope. If we do not obey God’s word, then we will not experience His promised rest. Studying and knowing God’s word is empty unless we apply what we learn to our lives. Please open your Bible to...

To resolve differences in within the Body of Christ, Paul admonished his readers to bear the infirmities of the weak. In so doing, we edify others, pleasing our neighbors instead of ourselves. Christ exemplified this in many ways, but especially when He died on the...

Today’s passage teaches us the importance of walking in the light and honesty before one another. If something that a brother or sister does really grieves you, and causes you to get tripped up in your walk with Christ, you owe it to them to tell them in a loving,...

Because of God’s grace, Christians have a great deal of liberty. However, if we stubbornly insist on our right to do what a weaker believer regards as sinful, our so-called good will be seen as being evil. What does this kind of behavior or attitude say about our...

Though, through Christ, we live under grace, this does give us a right to neglect God’s moral laws presented in the Old Testament. Lying, stealing, and adultery are just a few examples of actions that are always sinful. In short, Christian liberty does not include the...

We do not live out our Christian experience in a bubble; we are a family. Therefore, we must realize that a very important aspect of our Christian witness takes into consideration the impact that our personal convictions have others, both saved and unsaved. We want to...

Within the body of Christ, believers can have very different convictions about some things, and both sides can even use Scripture to defend their position! The sin about which Paul wrote in today’s passage is not about where you stand on any given issue, but about...

Paul cited four of the Ten Commandments when he discussed human relations. He tied them to the overarching command to love our neighbor as ourselves. No man will commit adultery, murder, or theft if the love of Christ motivates his heart. No man will cause ill to his...

Today’s passage concerns a Christian’s responsibility towards their government, and it is one of the more hotly debated passages of Scripture. Please open your Bible to Romans chapter thirteen, and listen as Pastor Ray Viola shares with us some practical applications...

Loving one’s enemies is one of the most challenging things that Jesus told His followers to do. When we repay evil with evil, we are losing the battle to evil. Only with the help of God’s Spirit can we prevent the world from pulling us down to its level. We must...

Scripture describes the Church as the Body of Christ. Just as a body has different parts with special functions, Christ has designed His Body to work in the same way. Everyone in the Body of Christ needs each other, and we must all work together to accomplish what God...

The world system tries to conform us to its ever-changing fashions and whims. It also tries to make people self-focused. However, Christ wants us to be conformed to His image. If we think like Jesus, then we will deny ourselves and meet the needs of others, all for...

After eleven chapters of theology, Paul begins the application portion of his epistle to the Christians at Rome. Theology must be put into action in order for it to be meaningful. Gratitude for God’s grace should motivate us to give Christ the very best of our...

God broke off the nation of Israel from the divine olive tree because of their unbelief, and then He grafted Gentiles into that tree so that the nation of Israel would become jealous and repent. One day, after the fulness of the Gentiles has come in, God will once...

Rejecting the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is dangerous. Each time a person (Jew or Gentile) rejects Christ’s free gift of salvation, their heart becomes increasingly calloused towards the truth. The harder that one’s heart gets, the greater the chances that...

Some people think that, because the Jewish people rejected Jesus as their Messiah, God’s promises to Israel are somehow null and void. This is the basis for what is called Replacement Theology, which claims that the Church inherited the blessings rejected by Israel....

After his discussion of God’s sovereignty, predestination, and election in Romans chapter nine, Romans ten emphasizes the phrase: Whosever will. God’s election of His saints and man’s free will are not mutually exclusive nor contradictory ideas in Scripture. They are...

Faith, not works, saves a person from their sins. Briefly stated, if you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, then you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness;...

In today’s passage, Paul will lay the responsibility for the lack of righteousness squarely on the shoulders of the individual. God is not responsible for an unbeliever’s lost condition. It is futile to try to hide behind divine sovereignty and the doctrine of...

What Christians call the New Testament is really just an explanation of the Old Testament. God’s plan of salvation has been in place since the beginning, even before He created the universe, and salvation has always been available by faith in Christ, not through the...

God is longsuffering toward us, and He is not willing that any should perish. Sadly, many people resist God’s will, and it results in their own destruction. This is not God’s fault! Scripture does not teach that God predestines people for hell. Please open your Bible...

Predestination and election according to God’s sovereign will cause some to question God’s fairness. To fully understand God, we would have to be intellectually equal to the God that made us, which is impossible. Scripture assures us that God is faithful and just, and...

God’s sovereign purposes and grace, not people’s works or character, are the basis for all of His elections. For example, God chose Jacob over his twin brother Esau to be the recipient of the patriarchal blessing before they were even born. Every action of God arises...

When evangelizing, Christians have the duty to speak the truth about Christ in love. If we have a genuine love for the lost, then we should say, as did Paul, “Woe is me if I preach not the Gospel.” As we do our part, God, according to His divine sovereignty and...

God is sovereign. He reveals Himself to whomever He chooses, and He shows mercy to whomever He wills. However, we still have the responsibility to preach the Gospel to everyone, and to pray for lost souls. Paul had a heavy burden for the lost Jewish people, his...

Apart from those who are alive when the Lord returns, all other Christians will experience physical death. However, even physical death itself will not separate us from the love of Christ: It will be the very means of ushering us into His holy presence! Please open...

God’s foreknowledge and the fact that He has predestinated His called or elect saints to be justified and glorified are not just links in a chain of debate fodder for theologians. Paul intended these Gospel truths to assure all Christians that if God is for us, then...

Adversity is an undesirable, but necessary part of walking with Christ. It has been said that God draws men into deep waters, not to drown them, but to cleanse them. Therefore, whatever God allows into a person’s life, it is for their ultimate benefit and for the good...

Who are God’s children? If you by grace, through faith, belong to Jesus Christ, you are a son or daughter of God, and you have His Spirit dwelling within you. As adopted children, our pre-adoption lives (including all debts) have been erased, and we can now walk in...

The Bible likens the Christian life to being at war, wrestling, or fighting the good fight of faith. Not only are we living in the enemy’s territory until the Lord returns, we are also walking civil wars in which we have to mortify fleshly deeds in our own bodies....

Only that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. This happens when a person is born again. The flesh can never be converted into spirit. Water baptism, communion, nor any other religious ritual can turn a son of Adam into a son of God. Thus, Scripture divides all of...

Because of sin, every person on earth was born on death row. However, according to what we will see in today’s passage, everyone that has faith in Christ Jesus not only gets a pardon from their death sentence, God actually pronounces them Not Guilty! Please open your...

In our flesh, a Christian is no more holy or sinless than he was before salvation. Sin deceives into thinking that there is some good within us, but the Bible tells us something altogether different. Our flesh is an ever-present enemy, and we should not make any...

When a person is born again, they are freed from The Mosiac Law and united with Christ. This does not leave us in a moral vacuum, however. This union with the living Christ is akin to being married to Him, and the purpose of this marriage is to bear fruit for God....

Jesus said that we can tell a tree by its fruit. Our lifestyle reveals whether we are serving God or serving sin. A profession of faith that lacks evidence of righteousness and living for God’s kingdom is a false profession. Walking according to God’s moral laws and...

People are either ruled by sin or righteousness. By the power of the Holy Spirit and God’s grace, Christians can defeat sin’s rule by refusing to yield our bodies to its commands and fleshly lusts. We are to yield every part of our body to the service of the Lord as...

Santification is an on-going process. When God’s grace brings a person to salvation or justification, they will start living differently. Things that once gave them pleasure will lose their appeal, though they will occasionally find themselves slipping back into their...

In the first five chapters of Romans, the Apostle Paul described in great detail what God has accomplished for us through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, namely justification. Paul then proceeds to describe what God can accomplish in us through the Gospel, if we yield...

Because God is holy, He could not accept sinful man by simply disregarding or ignoring his sins. To satisfy God’s justice, those sins had to be dealt with. When Jesus shed His blood on the cross, He accepted the punishment for our sins, thereby satisfying God’s...

Sin separates people from God; however, after we are born again, our standing before God changes. Through Jesus Christ, God imputes righteousness to us, and we become justified by God’s grace. To be born again, a person must repent of their sin, trust that Jesus has...