Tag Archives: Encouragement

Every so often in the Bible, the curtain gets pulled back and we are given a glimpse of the magnificence of heaven.  This was the case with God’s call of the prophet Isaiah, who would serve four kings of Judah, beginning with the end of Uzziah’s reign.  Isaiah was permitted to record the wonders heContinue reading “A Glimpse of Heaven – Isaiah 6”

After King Jehoshaphat and his son, there were a series of kings in Judah that ranged from mixed-to-bad for the nation.  God’s temple and the line of David were preserved, but that is about all you can say about them – three of the kings (Ahaziah, Joash, and Amaziah) and an evil queen (Athaliah) didContinue reading “The Source of our Strength – 2 Chronicles 26”

In the New Testament Gospel of John, Jesus warned of an evil adversary we all face on our journey of life. But He also told how He, Jesus, will always be there to guide and defend us as we follow Him. 7 Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am theContinue reading “Good Shepherds – 2 Chronicles 22”

Despite being given every blessing and encouragement by the Lord to turn back to Him, the Northern Kingdom of Israel finally fell to the invading Assyrians, and its people were carried off into exile there.  Unlike Judah and Benjamin, who for similar reasons, would later go into exile themselves, the ten tribes of the NorthernContinue reading “God’s Hope for Us – 2 Kings 17”

Elijah and Elisha were two of the great prophets of the Old Testament.  Like Moses before them, they performed amazing miracles in the power of God.  Later prophets, such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Daniel, while experiencing some miraculous acts, were more focused on presenting a prophetic message about the coming kingdom of God.  They alsoContinue reading “Sending Messengers – Luke 7”

The prophet Elisha “took up the mantle” from the prophet Elijah after the latter had been taken up by God into heaven, with the former becoming the new spokesperson and representative for God, 13 He (Elisha) also took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood by the bankContinue reading “Healing Leprosy – 2 Kings 5”

Centuries after the prophet Elijah was taken up into heaven in a fiery chariot, his spirit would return in the person of John the Baptist. John would be miraculously born to aged parents, his mother Elizabeth and father, a priest named Zacharias. Elizabeth was well beyond normal child-bearing years, so when God announced this miraculousContinue reading “What Then Shall We Do? – Luke 1”

Probably a decade or so passed between when Elijah first pleaded with the Lord to take his life, a prayer offered while on the run from a death-threat by Queen Jezebel, to the day when God finally answered his prayer.  As Elijah walked with and instructed his divinely appointed mentee and replacement, the prophet Elisha,Continue reading “The Spirit of Elijah – 2 Kings 2”

Many have a deep desire to know what will happen in their future.  Some seek out mediums and fortune tellers for information and guidance about what lies ahead and what to do about it. If we belong to God, He does not take a positive view towards us doing this.  He clearly tells us throughoutContinue reading “Seeking to Know Our Future – 2 Kings 1”

What do we do when the challenges of life suddenly intensify and surround us, threatening to overcome and defeat us? Such was the case with Judah under King Jehoshaphat, a man seeking to live honorably for God with a clear conscience. King Jehoshaphat suddenly found himself and all of Judah in a great deal ofContinue reading “The Battle is God’s – 2 Chronicles 20”