BibleVersity

"Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared for your sake.” - (Gen 12:13, ESV) It seemed like a good plan. They were married, but they also were related. Technically speaking, Abraham and Sarai were siblings, half-siblings, so pretending that they were not married as they settled in Egypt just might work. If Pharaoh were to take a liking to Sarai, then Abraham would not be killed. Perfect! Well, not really. Abraham encountered an age-old problem that we still struggle with today. We trust God to a certain point. Once that point is reached we take matters into our own hands. The LORD told Abraham to "Go...to a land I will show you..."(v.1) , and  "I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse...”(v.3). A braham trusted God enough to guide Him, but not enough (yet) to protect him. He allowed his fear to override his faith. Eventually Abraham's plan was found out, but onl...

   "So the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turn of events from God that the LORD might establish His word, which He spoke through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat." - (2 Chronicles 10:15, NASB)    "Thus says the LORD, 'You shall not go up or fight against your relatives; return every man to his house, for this thing is from Me.' So they listened to the words of the LORD and returned from going against Jeroboam." - (2 Chronicles 11:4, NASB)     Two verses of Scripture today that point to the same general idea. Solomon was the wisest man to ever live, according to Scripture. However, in his humanity, he acted foolishly by erecting and worshiping idols and "other gods", As a result his kingdom was going to suffer. After he died, his son Rehoboam became king. And, due to foolishness of his own, the kingdom of Israel split into two groups of people: the kingdom of Judah, with Rehoboam as ruler, and the ki...

"…we were afflicted on every side: conflicts without, fears within." - (2 Cor 7:5, NASB)    I love it when I am studying the Bible and happen to discover some spiritual gem that I managed to miss in previous studies. Paul is writing to the Corinthian church and shares some deeply personal revelations from his own heart. Among these are the trials that he, and those with him, have faced. Jesus told Ananias, before he went and prayed, that Paul that he must suffer many things (Acts 9:16) . Paul, who previously persecuted the church, now has been and is suffering for the One whom he persecuted. In the verse above, Paul is speaking of events that took place in Macedonia. Although he does not elaborate on the specifics, he does tell us that their "flesh had no rest, but we were afflicted on every side…" As a result of this constant toll, fear developed in the heart of Paul. Paul was afraid!    The term "fear" is found over three hundred times in the NASB ...