1 Corinthians 13:7–8 (ESV) declares: “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.” Love is eternal in nature and is also an essential attribute of God. Scripture reminds us in 1 John 4:8 (ESV): “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” If we are truly followers of Jesus Christ, then love m

Matthew 5:43–48 (ESV) “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your broth

I John 3:16 states, “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” God’s love for us is revealed through sacrifice. He was determined to rescue humanity from the devastation of sin, and He demonstrated that love by giving His Son. This is not a passive love it is active, intentional, and costly. Because God loved us this way, we who belong to Christ are called to love the same way: sacrificially

We must be careful to examine ourselves through the lens of the Word of God. When we do, we come to understand that God is love, and those who are in Christ are commanded to love in the same sacrificial manner demonstrated by Jesus Christ. Through the Holy Spirit, we learn not only what love is but also what love is not. This spiritual discernment helps us avoid behaviors that are contrary to God’s nature. In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul clearly defines the character of love while

1 John 5:4 “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” During the darkest days of the Civil Rights Movement, African Americans lifted their voices in the song We Shall Overcome, written by Charles Albert Tindley. That song gave courage to march, strength to boycott, and hope to persevere. History shows that African Americans overcame slavery, Jim Crow, discrimination, racism, and abuse. But Scriptur

Acts 16:20-26 states, “[20] And brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city, [21] And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans. [22] And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them. [23] And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: [24] W

( Based on Second Epistle of Peter 3:9–10 KJV) “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” In context, this verse teaches us that God’s patience is intentional but it is not eternal. Peter reminds us that God is longsuffering. The Greek word makrothumeō means patient endurance. God is willing to wait. He delays judgment, not because He

In Exodus 3:13 (ESV), Moses asks God a profound question: “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” Moses understood something important: names matter. A name reveals identity, authority, and character. So Moses asks, “Who are You?” God responds by revealing Himself in a way unlike any other: “I AM WHO I AM.” “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sen

Faced With a Challenge Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego were confronted with a defining challenge: obey King Nebuchadnezzar or obey the King of Kings, God. This moment demanded more than belief; it required conviction, courage, and action. These young men understood the cost of disobedience to the king and yet chose faithfulness to God. Nebuchadnezzar decreed that anyone who refused to worship the golden image would be thrown into a blazing furnace. This was not an idle threa

We are facing what appears to be state-sponsored persecution by ICE, something the United States of America has not experienced in this way for a very long time. Recent actions by federal immigration enforcement in cities such as St. Paul and Minneapolis have drawn national attention and widespread public reaction. When we turn to Scripture, we find that the members of the first-century Church faced similar state-sponsored and religious persecution in Jerusalem. Stephen, a

In the previous verse the Apostles ask Jesus to increase their faith. Jesus responds to His disciples’ request to increase their faith by stating: “And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.” (Luke 17:6, KJV) Jesus teaches that faith is not primarily about size, but about quality and authenticity. Even a very small amount of genui

In Luke 17, after hearing Jesus’ teaching on forgiveness, the disciples became keenly aware of their own spiritual limitation. Just like us they wanted to be empowered and endowed with the spiritual power which Jesus possessed. Recognizing this weakness, they turned to Jesus and made a simple but powerful request: “And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.” (Luke 17:5, KJV) This request reflects spiritual maturity. The disciples were honest about what they la

Love is a key requirement if one is to make sacrifice on behalf of someone else. There must be a high level of love for a person to willingly give up something valuable especially their own life. Jesus teaches this plainly in John 15:12–13: “[12] This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. [13] Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” This statement follows Jesus’ teaching on the vine and the branches, wher

Acts 5:29: "Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men." There is a common misconception about Christians and their adherence to, or compliance with, the laws of government. It is often assumed that Christians must comply with government laws regardless of the righteousness or moral validity of those laws. This is a misunderstanding. Throughout the New Testament, we see quite the opposite. We see faithful believers at times defyi

In our culture, people often claim to have many “friends.” In reality, many of those relationships would be more accurately described as associates or acquaintances. A true friend is more than someone we casually know or connect with online. A friend is someone we deeply care for, value, and enjoy spending time with. Friendship involves emotional connection, trust, mutual respect, loyalty, and personal investment. This kind of relationship goes far beyond the idea of social m

2 Timothy 3:14-17 states, “[14] But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; [15] And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. [16] All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: [17] That the man of God m

If we as Christians expect to become better Christians and grow in our faith, we must abide in Christ. Jesus teaches this clearly in John 15:3–8 (KJV): “[3] Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.[4] Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. [5] I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for w

God will work it. He will turn all of our problems around for our benefit and our good. Romans 8:28 declares: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” This text illustrates that there is nothing God will not do to support His people in overcoming the obstacles, hardships, and difficulties of life. Paul states that “all things work together for good to them that love God.” The phrase “all t

We previously discussed the characteristics of those who live according to the flesh and those who live according to the Spirit. The next question Paul answers in Romans 8 is: What actually makes a person one or the other? Thus ultimately what makes one More Than A Conqueror! Paul gives clarity in Romans 8:7–10: “[7] Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. [8] So then they that are in the flesh cannot ple

Based on Romans 8:5-6, Galatians 5:19-25 and John 3:5-8 If you desire to be more than a conqueror, your mindset must be changed to align with the mind of God. The mindset and lifestyle of those who are more than conquerors are distinctly different from the world. According to the Apostle Paul, there are two types of people who possess two distinctly different mindsets, each producing a different outlook on life: After the flesh leads to death After the Spirit leads to life Pa