Speak His Word Only

Zechariah 7:12 is a strong warning about what happens when people repeatedly resist the Word of God. The progression is especially important: they refused to listen, turned away, stopped their ears, and finally hardened their hearts . Zechariah 7:12 KJV “Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts.” Opening Summary Zechariah 7:12 reveals the danger of deliberately hardening the heart against God's Word . The people did not suffer from a lack of revelation. God had given them His law and had repeatedly spoken through His prophets. Their problem was that they refused to hear and obey . The verse describes a frightening progression: God's Word was spoken, but the people hardened themselves against it. Their hearts became like an adamant stone —hard, resistant, and unwilling to receive correction. The warning ...

  Jeremiah 24:7 KJV “And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.” Opening Summary Jeremiah 24:7 is a beautiful promise of spiritual restoration and inward transformation . God does not merely promise to change the circumstances of His people. He promises something deeper: “I will give them an heart to know me.” The greatest restoration is not merely returning to a place, recovering possessions, or escaping difficulty. It is having the heart restored to a right relationship with God. The verse contains four powerful promises: A heart to know God. A people belonging to God. God dwelling in covenant relationship with His people. A wholehearted return to Him. The Context of Jeremiah 24 Jeremiah 24 contains the vision of two baskets of figs . One basket contained very good figs. The other contained very bad figs. The good figs represented those from Judah who ha...

John 4:13–14 Introduction Jesus' conversation with the woman of Samaria began with ordinary water but quickly moved to a spiritual truth. The woman came to Jacob's well carrying a waterpot because she needed natural water. Jesus used that everyday necessity to teach her about something far greater—the life that only He could give. Natural water satisfies the body temporarily. The water Christ gives reaches the inward person and is described as “a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” Scripture — John 4:13–14 KJV “Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” “Whosoever Drinketh of This Water Shall Thirst Again” Jesus first pointed to the limitation of the natural water in Jacob's well. The woman could drink from it, but eventually she woul...

Women of the Bible Key Scriptures: Esther 2–8 “And who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” — Esther 4:14 KJV Introduction Esther's story is one of courage, providence, wisdom, restraint, and willingness to act when the lives of others were in danger. She began as a young Jewish woman living among the exiles of the Persian Empire. She had lost both her father and mother and was raised by Mordecai, her older relative. Yet this orphaned young woman eventually entered the palace, became queen, and found herself positioned at the center of a crisis threatening the Jewish people. Esther did not initially know why her circumstances had placed her in the palace. But when the crisis came, her position became an opportunity for responsibility. Her story teaches women that position is not merely about privilege. Sometimes God allows us to occupy a particular place because there will come a moment when courage, wisdom, and faithfulness are required of us. Her...

Prophets and Teachers in the Church  “Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.” — Acts 13:1 KJV Acts 13:1 gives us a remarkable picture of the early church at Antioch . This was not simply a congregation gathering for worship; it was a Spirit-active church containing recognized prophets and teachers . From this community, the Holy Ghost would soon separate Barnabas and Saul for the missionary work to which He had called them. Acts 13 therefore becomes an important turning point in the book of Acts. The gospel, already spreading beyond Jerusalem, is about to move outward through an intentional missionary work that will carry the message of Jesus Christ farther into the Gentile world. “Now There Were in the Church” Luke begins: “Now there were in the church that was at Antioch…” These gifts operated withi...

“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,” Ephesians 3:20 KJV The words “God is able” remind us that God's ability is never limited by our circumstances. What appears impossible to us is not beyond His power. Paul declares that God is able to do not merely what we ask, but “exceeding abundantly above” what we can even imagine. He Is Able to Do Our faith rests not in our own strength, resources, knowledge, or ability, but in God's ability . Abraham understood this principle. Concerning God's promise, Paul wrote that Abraham was: “fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.” — Romans 4:21 KJV Faith recognizes that if God has promised something, He possesses the power to accomplish what He has spoken. Exceeding Abundantly Above Paul deliberately uses expansive language: “exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.” Our prayers may be limited by what we...

“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:” — John 1:12 KJV John 1:12 reveals the wonderful privilege given to those who receive Jesus Christ and believe on His name . The verse follows the sad statement of John 1:11: “He came unto his own, and his own received him not.” Yet rejection was not the end of the story. There were those who did receive Him, and to them Christ gave the right to become the children of God . “But as Many as Received Him” The words “as many as” open the invitation beyond one particular social or ethnic group. The emphasis falls upon receiving Christ. To receive Him is more than merely knowing that Jesus existed. John explains what receiving Him means at the end of the verse: “even to them that believe on his name.” Receiving Christ and believing on Christ are closely connected. We are not simply receiving a religious teaching. We are receiving the Person whom John has already identifie...

“And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.” — Malachi 3:3 KJV Malachi 3:3 presents a powerful picture of purification . In context, Malachi announces the coming of the Lord to His temple and asks, “But who may abide the day of his coming?” (Malachi 3:2). His coming exposes impurity, but His purpose includes purification: like a refiner working with precious metal, He removes what corrupts so that His people may serve Him in righteousness. “He Shall Sit as a Refiner” The image of a refiner comes from the purification of precious metals. Silver and gold were heated so that impurities could be separated from the valuable metal. Malachi uses this process to illustrate God's purifying work. Notice that the verse says: “he shall sit…” The picture is deliberate and controlled. The refiner is not carelessly destroying the silver. He is at...

   “It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:   If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.” — 2 Timothy 2:11–13 KJV Second Timothy 2:11–13 contains both encouragement and warning . Paul reminds Timothy that following Christ involves identification with Christ—in His death, in endurance through suffering, and ultimately in sharing His life and kingdom. But Paul also warns against denying Christ and concludes with the unchanging truth that Christ remains faithful because His character never changes . “It Is a Faithful Saying” Paul begins: “It is a faithful saying…” This means what follows is trustworthy and worthy of confidence . The passage has a memorable, almost confessional pattern: Die with Him — live with Him. Suffer with Him — reign with Him. Deny Him — He will deny us. We may be faithless — He remains faithful. Paul was w...

A Woman Who Laboured in the Gospel “I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord.” — Philippians 4:2 KJV Euodias, commonly rendered Euodia, was a Christian woman in the church at Philippi. Scripture gives us only a few words about her, but those words reveal something significant: she was not merely present in the congregation—she had actively laboured in the gospel alongside Paul. Paul writes: “And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life.” — Philippians 4:3 KJV Euodias and Syntyche had apparently reached a point of disagreement, so Paul appealed to them to become “of the same mind in the Lord.” Yet Paul did not allow their disagreement to erase the good

 God Rules Over the Nations Key Scripture — Psalm 22:28 KJV “For the kingdom is the LORD'S: and he is the governor among the nations.” Introduction The Kingdom belongs to God. Psalm 22:28 makes a declaration that reaches beyond one nation, one generation, or one period of history: “The kingdom is the LORD'S.” God does not receive His authority from mankind. He does not rule because nations give Him permission to rule. His throne was not established by human government, and His authority is not dependent upon human recognition. He is King because He is God. The LORD created the heavens and the earth, and therefore everything ultimately belongs to Him. Psalm 24:1 declares: “The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.” God possesses the Kingdom, exercises sovereign authority, and governs according to His own righteous will. “For the Kingdom Is the LORD'S” The word kingdom speaks of more than territory. A kingdom includes the r...