“Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.” 1 John 4:1 NLT
Our news feed has on-going stories about the corruption in the world. Corruption, defined as “evil, depraved, taking bribes, extortion, racketeering, etc.” is making the headlines revealing those involved in the corruption and those who are pursuing to end it. Corruption can be found in all walks of life, in business and industry, in governments, in professional sports, in colleges and universities, in medical institutions, in personal relationships, and yes even in the church.
The church in Thyatira is an example of some churches in our day. Jesus’ letter to this church can very well be written today to those who are following the same path as the Thyatira church. False teaching, as in Pergamum, the compromising church, is again being accepted. But unlike the Pergamum church where the faithful were still the majority, the faithful in Thyatira were small in number. Jesus says, “But I have this complaint against you. You are permitting that woman—that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet—to lead my servants astray. She teaches them to commit sexual sin and to eat food offered to idols.” (Rev.2:20 nlt)
Jezebel, probably not her real name, but a Jezebel type as in the Old Testament, was used by Satan to corrupt the church. A false prophetess, who was permitted to teach by spreading the lies of Satan, was corrupting the church of God. Many were led into sin buying into this persuasive and attractive teaching. Many members of churches today are also buying into and following teaching that is contrary to the Word of God, corrupting Christ’s church.
Wherever we attend church, let us follow the apostle John’s teaching to “not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.” (1Jn.4:1 nlt)
“Then he said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer.’” Daniel 10:12 NLT
Have you even doubted if God hears your prayers? Do you get the feeling your prayers are only reaching the ceiling? Has it been days, weeks, or months, and you still haven’t gotten an answer? You begin to say to yourself, ‘did God even hear me?’ You can rest assured He has, and we have a story in the Old Testament book of Daniel that proves it.
The prophet Daniel was desperately waiting for an answer to his prayer concerning the vision he had just witnessed. He was in mourning and confused by what he saw and was seeking an answer. Daniel knew that it involved his people, the children of Israel, and it was a future event. He sought an answer, but it did not come. Daniel did not eat or drink for three weeks. Then one day as he was standing on the bank of the Tigris River, Daniel got his answer and was told why it was delayed.
The Lord sent his messenger to Daniel with the first words being, “Daniel, you are very precious to God.” (Dan.10:11 nlt) The Lord God did not forget Daniel but assured him how much he was loved by God. Sometimes we all need to be reminded that God loves us and hasn’t forgotten us. He does care for us and desires that close relationship with us. It is God’s desire to answer our prayers in what He knows is best for us.
The messenger then told Daniel his prayer was heard on the first day he petitioned God in prayer. What an encouragement for us who doubt at times if God has ever heard us. He has. Not only did the messenger assure Daniel that his prayer was heard, but that it was answered the same day. As we seek God, know for sure He hears our prayers and will answer us according to His will as we seek Him.
Over the past several days champions were crowned in various sports in the United States. Two had the opportunity to share that honor on the same day. The Oklahoma Thunder won the NBA championship over the Indiana Pacers in a seven-game series. The Baseball College World Series had their 2025 champion, LSU, celebrating their victory over Coastal Carolina in a series sweep. Five days earlier the Florida Panthers won their second Stanley Cup in a row beating the Edmonton Oilers in six games. And if you’re a diehard football fan the UFL spring league held its championship game two weeks ago with the D.C. Defenders outscoring the Michigan Panthers 58-34. All these teams will cherish and savor the victory for years to come. They will remember the struggles, the teamwork, the individual achievements, but most of all they will know the championship is theirs through their victory.
The apostle Paul tells us about another victory we can all have with no effort of our own. In fact, this victory requires no work at all. No heavy lifting, training, running sprints, or studying a playbook is involved. Paul states we can have victory over our sin and death through Jesus Christ. None of us can atone for our sin. There is nothing we can do to eradicate our guilt no matter how many good deeds we do, how many stars we get, or how much money we give to charities or the church. It is only through what Christ has done for us on the cross of Calvary by paying the penalty for sins through His death. We are guaranteed eternal life through His resurrection from the grave three days later. Victory! Yes, but it is only by faith in Jesus Christ, confessing and repenting of our sins, and trusting Him for salvation that He gives us the victory.
Don’t feel you need to play a part in achieving this victory. There’s nothing you can do; Jesus did it all. Consider you’re a bench player who never plays for a minute all year, or you’re on the sidelines due to injury. You still got that championship ring. There was nothing you could do. Championships are nice, but victory over sin and death is much better. Make sure you get your ring.
“Oh, that I had wings like a dove; then I would fly away and rest! I would fly far away to the quiet of the wilderness. How quickly I would escape—far from this wild storm of hatred.” Psalm 55:6-8 NLT
In Psalm 55, David expresses his anguish of hatred being directed towards him to the point where his life was in danger. What made it worse was this hatred came from a close companion, or should we say former close companion. There are falling outs today in our lives as well, perhaps not as extreme as David’s, or maybe you have experienced such trauma. The world today is full of hatred. David called his experience ‘this wild storm of hatred.’ As distressed as David was, he found a solution to his problem; he would call upon the Lord.
David speaks of his heart pounding in his chest. He is overwhelmed with fear and trembling and cannot stop shaking with the thought of being killed by his close friend. But David had a closer friend on his side, the Lord God. David laments how good it would be if he had wings like a dove. He would then fly away to the quietness of the wilderness. Perhaps as David dwelt on that thought is when he called on the Lord to help him, “But I will call on God, and the LORD will rescue me. Morning, noon, and night I cry out in my distress, and the LORD hears my voice.” (Ps.55:16 nlt)
We too can paint a picture of flying away from our problems, but wouldn’t it be better to call on God and pray. David called on God in his distress, morning, noon, and night. Sure, he had someone trying to kill him, but passionate, repetitive prayer is most effective whatever our circumstances. This wild storm of hatred is all around us in 2025, its time to have passionate, continual prayer to the Lord God.
“Give your burdens to the LORD, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.” (Ps.55:22 nlt)
Being honest and trustworthy is harder for some people than you may think. It comes naturally for some, but just as naturally for others who are not honest and trustworthy. There is a story in the Old Testament book of 2 Kings that depicts both sides of being honest and trustworthy. Joash, the king of Judah, set out to have the Temple of God restored. It had been 124 years since its completion, and it had fallen into disrepair due to age. Joash’s plan was to allocate a portion of the Temple offerings to fund the necessary repairs. The priests were put in charge to oversee the operation. Sounds like a plan, but it did not succeed.
“But by the twenty-third year of Joash’s reign, the priests still had not repaired the Temple.” (2Kg.12:6 nlt) The priests did what so many of us do. They sat on it. To be fair, perhaps the offerings were small and not adequate for their own needs. This was possible due to mistrust from previous years of idolatry. Joash told them they were to receive no more money and what they had was to be used in repairing the Temple. The priests’ response is not one we would expect of God’s servants in the Temple. They agreed but also would take no part in the restoration project including paying for it. They passed it off. I would not say the priests were dishonest, but they were not trustworthy in doing all they could even with minimum funds to start the process of making repairs. They were also disobedient to the king.
King Joash came up with another plan to secure financing and it worked. The people responded and dropped their money in the chest the king provided at the entrance of the Temple under guard. As the money was collected it was given to the construction supervisors who paid for the carpenters, builders, masons, and stonecutters, along with purchasing materials. And “No accounting of this money was required from the construction supervisors, because they were honest and trustworthy men.” (2Kg.12:15 nlt) Something we would all like to be noted for, ‘honest and trustworthy.’ It shouldn’t be too difficult for us to find work and our integrity will never be in question. The priests can be given the benefit of the doubt, but they will always be the subject of conversation. May we not get sidetracked with our concerns that we lose the passion for what God has called us to do and become untrustworthy.
Occasionally, in our lives we come across the opportunity of a lifetime. Whether it’s a dream job, an exotic vacation, meeting a celebrity or favorite sports figure, a scholarship to a major university or being appointed to a high-level government position, we look at it as a golden opportunity, one that is too good to pass up. Opportunities may come about by chance with no effort on our part without the hard work of blood, sweat, and tears. Whatever the case, we are grateful for the opportunity and do not take it for granted.
The biblical figure ‘Job’ is often referenced in describing those who are suffering or have suffered due to some personal tragedy in their lives. Job is the perfect example in these circumstances as it is said in comparison, ‘no one has suffered more next to Job.’ Job had lost his entire family, save his wife, all his livestock, and his servants in one day by Satan’s hand as he accused Job’s integrity before God. God then permitted Satan to afflict Job with painful sores over his entire body, knowing the He could trust Job to remain faithful. The Lord did permit the attacks on Job proving to Satan Job’s faithfulness that he would not curse God, but also to give Job a golden opportunity.
On the surface, Job’s suffering does not look like a golden opportunity. Job himself, throughout the book of Job questions why the suffering, but is convinced he did nothing wrong. Job relays to his three friends that God knows of his conduct and is testing him, not to refine him by purifying him of his sins, but to prove his innocence and he will come forth as gold. (Job 23:10)
Does God test His children today? Yes, I’m afraid He does. But He puts us to the test to draw ourselves closer to Him, to increase our faith in Him, to trust His plan for us, and to show ourselves as a true follower of Jesus to others in need. It may be hard at the time, but may we thank the Lord for each golden opportunity.
In the sports world, ‘who is the Greatest” is debated over social media and between sports commentators and pundits. Each sport has its own debate as ‘who is the Greatest in their sport and the conversation expands to who is the greatest sport athlete of all time. We refer to that individual as the G.O.A.T. (the Greatest of All Time) Although each sport will also have its own G.O.A.T.. The world has its own categories of ‘who is the Greatest’ among presidents, political leaders, war heroes, entrepreneurs, risks takers, inventors, musicians, entertainers, the list goes on. The world debates ‘who is the Greatest and many in the world desire to be the greatest in their field of expertise. Jesus has some thoughts on who is the Greatest in this week’s look into the gospel of Mark in our Biblical Insights.
Jesus is leaving the Caesarea Philippi region for the last time and heading to Jerusalem where in a few months He will suffer and be put to death on a cross. Traveling with His disciples, His ministry in the Galilean region is now over. Jesus makes a planned stop in Carpernaum His home base during His three years of ministry, also for the last time. The ministry to the people may be completed, but Jesus’ ministry in teaching His disciples is continuing and with greater emphasis for His time is short. Jesus wanted to prepare the disciples for the soon-to-be events, but so far they couldn’t understand what Jesus was referring to when He spoke of His death and resurrection. “(Jesus) wanted to spend more time with his disciples and teach them. He said to them, ‘The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies. He will be killed, but three days later he will rise from the dead.’ They didn’t understand what he was saying, however, and they were afraid to ask him what he meant.” (Mk.9:31-32 nlt)
When Jesus and His disciples arrived in Capernaum scripture says they settled into a house. Most likely this was Peter’s and Andrew’s home where Jesus stayed most often. The first thing Jesus did, probably after the door was close, was to asked them a question. “Jesus asked his disciples, ‘What were you discussing out on the road?’” (Mk.9:33 nlt) Jesus didn’t need to ask them, He knew, but it required an answer which they failed to give. The verb ‘asked’ is in the perfect tense suggesting a repeating. It probably wasn’t the first time Jesus asked them, but asked continually on the road, but they stifled their conversation and did not answer. Now they’re alone with Jesus, the door closed and still no response. Why didn’t they answer, “because they had been arguing about which of them was the greatest.” (Mk.9:34 nlt) They were embarrassed being concerned about their own status in Jesus’ kingdom than trying to understand what He was teaching them.
FreeBibleimages.org
Before we jump on the disciples with criticism, let’s think this through. While we’re thinking of this let’s think about ourselves and the world we live in. Someone’s rank and status in the Jewish culture of the disciples’ day were important roles to achieve. Rank and status in our culture is just as important to those seeking that high position as it was for the disciples. Whatever we may be seeking if it doesn’t line up with Jesus’ mission for us is a selfish reason for wanting to achieve it. Jesus is about to revolutionize our concept of leadership and greatness through teaching the disciples, which they need as well.
The Bible says Jesus sat down and called His disciples to Himself. Whenever Scripture notes that Jesus ‘sat down’ to teach, it is to stress an official time of teaching. Pay attention and listen, the Rabbi, the teacher, is about to speak, and speak Jesus did. “Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else.” (Mk.9:35 nlt) This goes against the grain in our day and I’m sure the disciples questioned this statement. Jesus is not condemning leadership but showing how it is to be exercised. Leaders are always needed in any culture. The disciples had the desire to be first, to be on top. Jesus was reversing that line of thinking. In reality, the disciples’ position in leadership was secure and recognized by Jesus when He called them together. Now they needed to know how to act like leaders.
For that Jesus put a little child in front of them. Since this was Peter’s home, it could very well have been Peter’s child, “Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, ‘Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not only me but also my Father who sent me.” (Mk.9:36-37 nlt) The willingness to humble oneself and serve a little child by putting them in your arms is the mark of true Greatest. When we act in this way, we are serving Christ and God the Father. This is also an example of all Christians who have come to know the Lord by simple faith and humbling themselves like a trusting little child.
Who is the Greatest among us? Those who humble themselves at the feet of Jesus accepting Him as their personal savior through faith as a child for forgiveness of sin and assurance of salvation and eternal life. It doesn’t end there, then we follow Jesus’ example when He said, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others.” (Mk.10:45 nlt) Who is the Greatest, it is those who serve. It could be you!
According to ‘The Council of State Governments Justice Center’ website, “Failing to arrest people who commit violent crime undermines justice, safety, and trust in government. More accountability, instead of arbitrary punishment, is urgently needed.Failing to solve violent crime means less justice for victims and their families, less trust in the justice system’s ability to protect and respond, and a greater risk of retaliatory violence” (1) King Solomon put it this way, “When a crime is not punished quickly, people feel it is safe to do wrong.” (Ec.8:11 nlt) The same Justice Center reports, “Unsolved violent crime is a national issue facing nearly every state. In 2022, more than 50 percent of violent crimes reported to law enforcement went unsolved in 38 states. And in 6 states, over two-thirds of all violent crime went unsolved.” (1)
There is definitely a problem in America punishing violent crime or any non-violent crime. What exasperates the problem is the failure not to convict those guilty of a crime but to release them without any consequences back into society. We should all agree that Solomon is right when he says, people then feel it is OK and safe to do wrong. “After all, it looks like I got away with it. I got off.” But every parent knows if you let your little ones get away with the small things, bigger ones are not far behind. The criminal justice system does have its challenges, but it must be more forceful in punishing the small offenders not sending them out with a ‘get out of jail free card’ to use against the innocent.
It is never safe to do wrong even if our district attorneys fail to prosecute and our court judges release the guilty. There is one greater who will enact perfect justice. Solomon also wrote, “The wicked will not prosper, for they do not fear God. Their days will never grow long like the evening shadows.” (Ec.8:13 nlt) We can rest comfortably their day will come. “It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Heb.10:31 nlt) In the meantime we should all be praying for safety and justice in the streets of America and around the world.
“And He said to them, ‘O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?’” Luke 24:25-26 NASB
Interest in the return of Christ has peaked again over the last few weeks for many Christians around the world. Tensions in the Middle East between Israel and Iran have escalated on top of the current crisis with the terror group Hamas. We are living in uncertain times for sure, but only the Lord God knows for sure when the end will come for this world and Christ begins to reign in His kingdom.
Christians can know for certain, and even non-Christians can know that these events will indeed happen. The Bible is filled with all sorts of prophecy concerning what we call ‘the end times.’ A thorough look through the Old Testament gives us a preview of the expected Messiah who was to come and is to come. All the prophecies concerning the birth of Christ has come true. All the prophecies of His death and resurrection have come true. So, there is no doubt the prophecies of the end times ending with Jesus’ reign on earth will also come true.
The New Testament book of Revelation is where most people go to read about those future events. Revelation is a book of prophecy as any in the Old Testament, John himself writes, “And I solemnly declare to everyone who hears the words of prophecy written in this book:” (Rev.22:18 nlt) In one of Daniel’s visions in the Old Testament is a prophecy of Jesus’ death, “After this period of sixty-two sets of seven, the Anointed One will be killed, appearing to have accomplished nothing,” (Dan.9:26 nlt) And in the same vision, we have a peak into the much further future of the tribulation, “The ruler will make a treaty with the people for a period of one set of seven, but after half this time, he will put an end to the sacrifices and offerings. And as a climax to all his terrible deeds, he will set up a sacrilegious object that causes desecration, until the fate decreed for this defiler is finally poured out on him.” (Dan.9:27 nlt) This is a prophecy of the antichrist. We can trust the prophets, for they have spoken. It will certainly come to pass.
“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NLT
The apostle Paul began his second letter to the church in Corinth by declaring God is merciful and the source of all comfort. As much as we try to comfort others, we will never succeed as God does. God is the source of all comfort, meaning comfort (to soothe in distress or sorrow) is given best by comforter Himself, God. Sometimes God will use an agent like us to comfort others. Discernment is key in knowing when and how to approach one in need of comfort. For that, it is essential we are walking in step with God and in prayer for His guidance.
One of the essential tools the Lord will have us use is our own experience in being comforted by God when we were in distress. It wasn’t pleasant at the time, and not pleasant now as we think back on it, but it can be used to bring comfort to one suffering at the moment. God has comforted us so we can in turn comfort others. When God shows His mercy and grace upon us through our bad times it’s hard for others not to notice. But there will always be some who do not notice or may have no knowledge of your past troubles, as they deal with their own anguish. That is why you need to share with the one who is suffering just as you were. They need the comfort you received as you tell your story and point them to the source of all comfort, the Lord God.
Understandably, there are things you would rather not share. I get it. That is why a close relationship with the God of all comfort is vital to know what to share, how to share, and when to share how God comforted you during those days. He is the source of all comfort, and you already experienced that. Trust Him to guide you in providing comfort to others.
Word for the Soul 