Acts 27:33-38

Believe God. 

Believe in His power to guide you, protect you and keep you safe. Trust in the news about the Coronavirus and listen to the guidelines that are established…Pray for those in control to be directly guided by Him for our benefit. Celebrate communion in your home daily. In the manner that you believe…you receive. He cares for you. Remember to give Him thanks for His covering on you.

This is a teaching moment from Holy Spirit listen carefully!

Be as wise as the serpent BUT as gentle as the dove.

While the soldiers did not listen to Paul before, now they follow his advice. Paul sets an example by thanking God for providing both food and safety. The ship continues its voyage against Paul’s advice, and he is soon proven correct. The ship’s crew gives up hope, but Paul receives a vision that nobody will die. God has ordained that Paul will testify in Rome and shows favor to all aboard the ship because of Paul. Faithlife Bible.

Paul had been given absolute assurance by the all-powerful and all-knowing God that no one would be lost on the ship. Yet Paul warned that if the sailors were successful in escaping from the ship, the Roman soldiers would lose their lives. Because of Paul’s comments, the soldiers stopped the sailors from leaving the ship and everyone made it ashore alive. God fulfilled His purpose and promise through the warnings of Paul and the choices of the soldiers. NKJ Bible.

Acts 27:33-38

33 And as day was about to dawn, Paul implored them all to take food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day you have waited and continued without food, and eaten nothing. 34 Therefore I urge you to take nourishment, for this is for your survival, since not a hair will fall from the head of any of you.” 35 And when he had said these things, he took bread and gave thanks to God in the presence of them all; and when he had broken it he began to eat. 36 Then they were all encouraged, and also took food themselves. 37 And in all we were two hundred and seventy-six persons on the ship. 38 So when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship and threw out the wheat into the sea.

The Book of Micah

Micah 6:8 has held a special significance for me the last 20 years. It is one of the first Bible Scriptures that Holy Spirit brought to life to me. It is inscribed on my iPad and when I moved to Virginia it was written on a note sent to me by the Youth group at the new Church I attended there as an encouragement. When my brother was working on our genealogy he found a connection with the Tribe of Judah. There are no coincidences in God’s world!

Micah 6:8 

He has shown you, O man, what is good;

And what does the Lord require of you

But to do justly,

To love mercy,

And to walk humbly with your God?

Micah has been called a “miniature Isaiah” because of its similarities to that book. Both prophets spoke to the same audience from the same city during roughly the same historical period: Jerusalem in the eighth century bc. During Micah’s ministry, the northern kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrian Empire (722 bc), and the southern kingdom of Judah came close to the same fate in 701 bc.. According to Micah, who prophesied to both kingdoms, the reason for these attacks was the abuse of prosperity by God’s people. He gives both warnings and oracles of hope—looking forward to a day of judgment leading to peace. 

Micah was from Judah and prophesied during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah (740–700 bc). Jeremiah also mentions the prophet Micah. About 100 years after Micah, Jeremiah records that Micah of Moresheth prophesied during Hezekiah’s time. It seems that Micah’s hometown, also called Moresheth-Gath, was located about 25 miles southwest of Jerusalem—an area through which Assyrian forces often traveled. Therefore, Micah may have been an eyewitness to Assyria’s invasion of Judah.

The biblical account of Assyria’s siege of Jerusalem states that Yahweh killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers while they slept just outside the city. Consequently, the Assyrian king Sennacherib and his army were forced to retreat. An inscription found in Sennacherib’s palace admits the defeat, saying that Hezekiah “did not submit to my yoke.” By the end of Hezekiah’s reign, Assyria’s successor—the Babylonian Empire—was gaining power. Micah views Assyria and Babylon as instruments of divine judgment for the unfaithfulness of God’s people. He focuses his prophecies on his own people, condemning their idolatry, oppression of the poor, and greed

Although Micah predicts the fall of Samaria (the capital of Israel at the time) at the beginning of the book and the Babylonian captivity near the end, most of the material is not arranged chronologically. Instead, the book is organized around three major prophetic oracles, each opening with a call to listen for (or hear) the word of Yahweh. The first oracle announces Yahweh’s judgment on Israel and Judah—particularly on their selfish leaders.The second oracle contrasts the ungodly leaders in Jerusalem and the future Messiah. Micah offers hope that Yahweh will bring about a time of peace and prosperity. The third oracle begins with an accusation and a lament. Judah is accused of acting in an ungodly way, like Israel, the northern kingdom. The book concludes with a promise of forgiveness and future restoration.

• Judgment is coming (Mic 1:1–2:13)

• Restoration follows judgment (Mic 3:1–5:15)

• •Charge against Israel and promise of salvation (Mic 6:1–7:20)

The two main themes of Micah are God’s judgment against idolatry and injustice, and hope that God’s people will return to Him and be restored. Micah warns the people of Judah that if they behave as the northern kingdom of Israel did, they will face the same kind of divine judgment that befell Israel. But Micah speaks of forgiveness and hope. Micah proclaims that this salvation will emerge through a ruler from Bethlehem; Micah boldly claims this ruler will shepherd the people of Israel and judge between people and nations.This prophecy ultimately points to Jesus. 

The book of Micah is a call to repent and authentically worship Yahweh. Worship is not an activity that can be tacked on a life of self-absorption; it is a total reorienting of our lives around God. Instead of acting like Israel’s selfish leaders, we should model what He truly desires: justice, mercy, and humility. Although people continue to walk in the name of their own gods, Micah tells us that we should live differently: We must walk in the name of our God, Yahweh.

Ezekiel 42:1-14

We, as believers in Jesus Christ, are priests and no longer slaves to sin. We have the right to call upon God in the name of Jesus to overcome sin and the destruction that comes with it. Narrow is the way that leads to salvation. We are a special people set aside for the good works of the Godhead. We must always keep in our hearts that He wants no one to die without knowing Him. Trust God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, to accomplish God’s will in your life. 

We share the gifts of Holy Spirit with those that He places in our life.

To the north and south of the courtyard separating the temple and the western building is a building for the priests 175 feet long and 87.5 feet wide, with three stories and a door along the length facing the outer courtyard. The entrance has a walk 17.5 by 1.75 feet. Mainly the northern building is described, but apparently the southern building is the same or very similar. Parallel to the eastern wall (the width) and its door is a wall 87.5 feet long. These are places for certain priests to eat and change clothes, indicating that the rooms also provide storage facilities for the holy food offerings and priestly garments. NKJ Bible.

The purpose of the chambers is made clear in Ezekiel 42:13–14. They functioned as vestries or sacristies where the priests could change from their inner-court garments into their outer-court garments. The angelic guide explains that the rooms Ezekiel has seen are holy chambers for the priests’ use. The sacrifices and the holy garments must remain in these chambers and not be taken into the outer court. Faithlife Bible.

Ezekiel 42:1-14

42 Then he brought me out into the outer court, by the way toward the north; and he brought me into the chamber which was opposite the separating courtyard, and which was opposite the building toward the north. 2 Facing the length, which was one hundred cubits (the width was fifty cubits), was the north door. 3 Opposite the inner court of twenty cubits, and opposite the pavement of the outer court, was gallery against gallery in three stories. 4 In front of the chambers, toward the inside, was a walk ten cubits wide, at a distance of one cubit; and their doors faced north. 5 Now the upper chambers were shorter, because the galleries took away space from them more than from the lower and middle stories of the building. 6 For they were in three stories and did not have pillars like the pillars of the courts; therefore the upper level was shortened more than the lower and middle levels from the ground up. 7 And a wall which was outside ran parallel to the chambers, at the front of the chambers, toward the outer court; its length was fifty cubits. 8 The length of the chambers toward the outer court was fifty cubits, whereas that facing the temple was one hundred cubits. 9 At the lower chambers was the entrance on the east side, as one goes into them from the outer court.

10 Also there were chambers in the thickness of the wall of the court toward the east, opposite the separating courtyard and opposite the building. 11 There was a walk in front of them also, and their appearance was like the chambers which were toward the north; they were as long and as wide as the others, and all their exits and entrances were according to plan. 12 And corresponding to the doors of the chambers that were facing south, as one enters them, there was a door in front of the walk, the way directly in front of the wall toward the east.

13 Then he said to me, “The north chambers and the south chambers, which are opposite the separating courtyard, are the holy chambers where the priests who approach the Lord shall eat the most holy offerings. There they shall lay the most holy offerings—the grain offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering—for the place is holy. 14 When the priests enter them, they shall not go out of the holy chamber into the outer court; but there they shall leave their garments in which they minister, for they are holy. They shall put on other garments; then they may approach that which is for the people.”

Leviticus 2:10 | And what is left of the grain offering shall be Aaron’s and his sons’. It is most holy of the offerings to the LORD made by fire.

Leviticus 6:14 | ‘This is the law of the grain offering: The sons of Aaron shall offer it on the altar before the LORD.

Leviticus 6:16 | And the remainder of it Aaron and his sons shall eat; with unleavened bread it shall be eaten in a holy place; in the court of the tabernacle of meeting they shall eat it.

Numbers 18:9 | This shall be yours of the most holy things reserved from the fire: every offering of theirs, every grain offering and every sin offering and every trespass offering which they render to Me, shall be most holy for you and your sons.

Luke 8:48-50

Faith alone pleases God. If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, the tiniest of seeds, you can call on God and He will move obstacles out of your way. He enables us to do wonderful works. The bigger your faith is the more He can accomplish in you.

Believe in His power to do what we cannot!

The  miracles in the woman with the issue of blood and Jairus’s daughter highlight not only the authority of Jesus, but also the response of faith that God honors. NKJ Bible.

Luke 8:48-50
48 And He said to her, “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace.

49 While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, “Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the Teacher.” 50 But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, “Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well.”

Mark 5:34 | And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”

Luke 7:50 | Then He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

John 8:11 | She said, “No one, Lord.”And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

Mark 11:22 | So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God.

Mark 11:23 | For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.

Mark 11:24 | Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

Ezekiel 7:19

Has the world allowed money, the root of all evil, to become the deciding factor on the worth of a human life.

Those left alive would hide in the hills and be characterized by four things: (1) mourning (2) weakness; (3) horror; and (4) disgust and disillusionment over wealth. NKJ Bible.

When disaster comes, the desire to survive overcomes that of keeping valuable possessions, especially heavy precious metals. In Isaiah’s description of the Day of Yahweh, the people throw away their idols of silver and gold. Faithlife Bible.

Ezekiel 7:19

19 ‘They will throw their silver into the streets,

And their gold will be like refuse;

Their silver and their gold will not be able to deliver them

In the day of the wrath of the Lord;

They will not satisfy their souls,

Nor fill their stomachs,

Because it became their stumbling block of iniquity.

Proverbs 11:4 | Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, But righteousness delivers from death.

Jeremiah 15:13 | Your wealth and your treasures I will give as plunder without price, Because of all your sins,Throughout your territories.

Zephaniah 1:18 | Neither their silver nor their gold Shall be able to deliver them In the day of the LORD’s wrath; But the whole land shall be devoured By the fire of His jealousy, For He will make speedy riddance Of all those who dwell in the land.

Ephesians 4:25-32

Peacemakers were made for times like these. Now is the time to put aside our differences and unite as one body in Christ. We are here to protect the weak and vulnerable. To make sure that the poor, the children and the elderly alike are given the care they need to weather this storm. No monetary gain is worth the life of an individual. We cannot make money our  idol.

United in the Body of Christ we stand…a house divided cannot.

Paul calls for believers to speak the truth to each other, because all believers are united in Christ. The Proverbs identify a lying tongue as one of the six things God abhors. Not all wrath is sinful. However, anger should not be allowed to fester or continue for long. Christians may respond in controlled anger to injustice and sin, but they should never be consumed by this anger. Instead they should seek opportunities to express Christ’s love to everyone. This is not merely a call to stop stealing or being greedy. Rather, this is a call to be generous, to have a true change of attitude. 

The Holy Spirit of God should never be pushed away, ignored, or rejected. If we would remember that the One who lives in us is God’s own Spirit, we would be much more selective about what we think, read, watch, say, and do. Note that Paul acknowledges that evil thoughts and actions are temptations even for those who are sealed by the Holy Spirit. NKJ Bible.

Paul seems to be indicating that poor treatment of others can constrain the work of the Spirit—essentially denying or resisting God’s indwelling presence. Faithlife Bible.

Ephesians 4:25–32

25 Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. 26 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil. 28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. 29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

Luke 3:11 | He answered and said to them, “He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.”

Romans 12:5 | so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.

Colossians 3:8 | But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.

Colossians 3:12 | Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;

Colossians 3:13 | bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.

Ezekiel 7:14-18

When you hear of war and rumors of war, earthquakes and pestilence…know that the end is nearer than it was yesterday. God will not always overlook the sins of man. He protects those who He placed in His Kingdom. Spread the Good News. The time is now!

The world as we know it has definitely changed.

The judgment Ezekiel prophesied culminates in a rhythmic, almost poetic declaration that the promised end is near. The prophets describe this judgment as the “Day of Yahweh” because the focus is on Yahweh’s climactic intervention in Israel’s daily life. He comes to punish iniquity after He patiently waited for repentance. “Day of Yahweh” and related phrases such as “that day” occur some 200 times in prophetic literature. Even survivors experience loss of physical strength and loss of resolve or courage. Faithlife Bible.

No one goes to battle for Judah because the nation and land would be so devastated by death and diseases brought on by warfare and famine. Those left alive would hide in the hills and be characterized by four things: (1) mourning—moaning like doves in shame, displaying their humiliation over sin by wearing sackcloth and shaving their heads 2) weakness; (3) horror; and (4) disgust and disillusionment over wealth. NKJ Bible.

Ezekiel 7:14-18

14 ‘They have blown the trumpet and made everyone ready,

But no one goes to battle;

For My wrath is on all their multitude.

15 The sword is outside,

And the pestilence and famine within.

Whoever is in the field

Will die by the sword;

And whoever is in the city,

Famine and pestilence will devour him.

16 ‘Those who survive will escape and be on the mountains

Like doves of the valleys,

All of them mourning,

Each for his iniquity.

17 Every hand will be feeble,

And every knee will be as weak as water.

18 They will also be girded with sackcloth;

Horror will cover them;

Shame will be on every face,

Baldness on all their heads.

Deuteronomy 32:25 | The sword shall destroy outside; There shall be terror within For the young man and virgin, The nursing child with the man of gray hairs.

Ezra 9:15 | O LORD God of Israel, You are righteous, for we are left as a remnant, as it is this day. Here we are before You, in our guilt, though no one can stand before You because of this!”

Isaiah 3:24 | And so it shall be:Instead of a sweet smell there will be a stench; Instead of a sash, a rope; Instead of well-set hair, baldness;Instead of a rich robe, a girding of sackcloth; And branding instead of beauty.

Isaiah 13:7 | Therefore all hands will be limp, Every man’s heart will melt,

Jeremiah 14:18 | If I go out to the field,Then behold, those slain with the sword! And if I enter the city, Then behold, those sick from famine! Yes, both prophet and priest go about in a land they do not know.’ ”

Acts 22:22-29

Our citizenship matters. Above all is our citizenship in the Kingdom of God. Our salvation and adoption into the lineage of Christ brings divine benefits. it is our strength on earth and in heaven.

Joy in our salvation is our strength.

Paul’s audience reacts violently to his speech, and the Roman commander seeks to learn why the Jewish people are so upset with Paul by using torture. Paul escapes flogging by calling attention to his Roman citizenship. Paul appeals to his Roman citizenship and his judicial standing. Roman law forbade the punishment of a citizen without a trial. Paul’s citizenship is by birth, due to him being from Tarsus—a municipality of the Roman Empire that automatically granted citizenship. Faithlife Bible.

The Jews did not hate all Gentiles. In fact, they permitted God-fearing Gentiles to worship in the Court of the Gentiles. A Gentile could even become a proselyte, recognized as a Jew, by being circumcised and obeying the laws of Moses. Thus the Jews in this passage were not upset about allowing Gentiles to worship God, but at the idea that Gentiles could be on an equal footing with them before God without being proselytes. The fact that the Gentiles could come to God directly by faith in Jesus Christ was offensive to them. 

The Roman law was that no Roman citizen could be chained, scourged, or killed without a proper trial. Failure to obey this law resulted in severe punishment for the one who commanded the illegal punishment. Paul had been chained and was about to be scourged without any formal charges having been made. Paul was born a Roman. Ultimately God used Paul’s Roman citizenship to spread the gospel to Rome. NKJ Bible.

Acts 22:22-29

22 And they listened to him until this word, and then they raised their voices and said, “Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he is not fit to live!” 23 Then, as they cried out and tore off their clothes and threw dust into the air, 24 the commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks, and said that he should be examined under scourging, so that he might know why they shouted so against him. 25 And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who stood by, “Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and uncondemned?”

26 When the centurion heard that, he went and told the commander, saying, “Take care what you do, for this man is a Roman.”

27 Then the commander came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman?”

He said, “Yes.”

28 The commander answered, “With a large sum I obtained this citizenship.”

And Paul said, “But I was born a citizen.”

29 Then immediately those who were about to examine him withdrew from him; and the commander was also afraid after he found out that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.

Acts 16:37 | But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us openly, uncondemned Romans, and have thrown us into prison. And now do they put us out secretly? No indeed! Let them come themselves and get us out.”

1 Thessalonians 2:16 | forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved, so as always to fill up the measure of their sins; but wrath has come upon them to the uttermost.

Ezekiel 1:26-28

God’s priceless gift to mankind…Jesus Christ the King.

Is His return near?

This is precious lapis lazuli, a deep blue stone with golden specks. The same stone appears in Revelation 21:19. The enthroned figure with the appearance of a man is the culmination of this vision. Fire like burning metal and rainbow-like brightness surrounded the One on the throne. Human likeness here may reflect the personal nature of God’s revelation of Himself. Further, it points forward to the plan of a more personal revelation of God coming as the Messiah. The glory indicates the wonder, majesty, and worthiness of the living God. Amid the wheels, the creatures, the colors, and the dazzling light was a figure who appeared like a man. Compare the vision of Daniel who saw One “like the Son of Man”. The prophet’s response was to fall down in worship and submission. All believers should recognize God’s great glory and fall down in humble submission before Him. NKJ Bible.

Ezekiel is careful to liken what he sees to something recognizable. The descriptive Hebrew word used here, sappir, indicates sapphire stone or lapis lazuli, a bright blue semiprecious stone that was highly prized in the ancient world. Compare the sapphire pavement under God’s feet in Exodus 24:10. Ezekiel acknowledges that he’s been describing a vision of Yahweh in His glory. He acts out of reverence and fear, a typical response in human encounters with the divine. Faithlife Bible.

Ezekiel 1:26-28

26 And above the firmament over their heads was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like a sapphire stone; on the likeness of the throne was a likeness with the appearance of a man high above it. 27 Also from the appearance of His waist and upward I saw, as it were, the color of amber with the appearance of fire all around within it; and from the appearance of His waist and downward I saw, as it were, the appearance of fire with brightness all around. 28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord.

Genesis 9:13 | I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.

Ezekiel 3:23 | So I arose and went out into the plain, and behold, the glory of the LORD stood there, like the glory which I saw by the River Chebar; and I fell on my face.

Ezekiel 8:2 | Then I looked, and there was a likeness, like the appearance of fire—from the appearance of His waist and downward, fire; and from His waist and upward, like the appearance of brightness, like the color of amber.

Ezekiel 8:4 | And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, like the vision that I saw in the plain.

Revelation 4:3 | And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald.

Philemon 1-7

So very thankful for those spiritual warriors that Christ places in our lives. 

True love is expressed in action and not just in words. Working faith is a sharing faith; it is the acknowledgment of what Christ has done in the believer’s life. That kind of faith will also result in the sharing of possessions with other believers. A Christian’s joy in trying circumstances is a testimony to God’s peace. Philemon’s love brought joy and encouragement to Paul. Paul had heard that the hearts of the saints were also being refreshed by Philemon’s love. NKJ Bible.

Although Paul is imprisoned at this time, he does not regard himself as a prisoner of the state; rather, he is a prisoner of Christ, confined due to his efforts to spread the gospel. Yet even in prison Paul continues his mission. The Greek word used here, hagioi, refers to those who have been set apart as God’s people. Paul commended the churches in Ephesus and Colossae for their love for all the saints. Faithlife Bible.

Philemon

4 I thank my God, making mention of you always in my prayers, 5 hearing of your love and faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints, 6 that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. 7 For we have great joy and consolation in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you, brother.

Ephesians 1:15 | Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints,

Ephesians 1:16 | do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers:

Philippians 1:9 | And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment,

Colossians 4:17 | And say to Archippus, “Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.”

Ezekiel 21:1-7

The time is coming, it may be now, that all eyes will look up and see Jesus. Then all creation will know that God is sovereign. In the unity of the Godhead all-power, all-glory, all- honor belong.

Seek Jesus while He may be found!

This pairing shows that God was going to allow the dreadful temporal consequences of sin to affect everyone in the land, both faithful and unfaithful. NKJ Bible.

The Hebrew word for the sanctuaries used here, miqdash, is usually singular and refers to the Jerusalem temple; however, in this verse it is plural in most Hebrew manuscripts. If the plural was intended, Ezekiel likely is pronouncing judgment on the many local shrines used for idol worship in the area. Faithlife Bible.

Ezekiel 21:1-7

21 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem, preach against the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel; 3 and say to the land of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Behold, I am against you, and I will draw My sword out of its sheath and cut off both righteous and wicked from you. 4 Because I will cut off both righteous and wicked from you, therefore My sword shall go out of its sheath against all flesh from south to north, 5 that all flesh may know that I, the Lord, have drawn My sword out of its sheath; it shall not return anymore.” ’ 6 Sigh therefore, son of man, with a breaking heart, and sigh with bitterness before their eyes. 7 And it shall be when they say to you, ‘Why are you sighing?’ that you shall answer, ‘Because of the news; when it comes, every heart will melt, all hands will be feeble, every spirit will faint, and all knees will be weak as water. Behold, it is coming and shall be brought to pass,’ says the Lord God.”

Isaiah 45:23 | I have sworn by Myself; The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, And shall not return,That to Me every knee shall bow, Every tongue shall take an oath.

Isaiah 55:11 | So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

Jeremiah 4:19 | O my soul, my soul! I am pained in my very heart! My heart makes a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace,Because you have heard, O my soul, The sound of the trumpet, The alarm of war.

Luke 11:33-36

Help me Father to reflect Your light to a frightened world in need of truth. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit and teach me Your ways. help me to Concentrate on what is good, what is noble and true…and let the rest go!

We are enlightened to light the way  for others.

Jesus’ remarks here highlight the importance of sincere obedience over religious pretense. Faithlife Bible.

It has been said that “you are what you eat.” But even more accurately, you are what you see. This is why David said, “I will set nothing wicked before my eyes”. A person who concentrates on what is good (God’s teaching) is healthy. But a person who focuses on what is bad (the false teaching of the world) is full of darkness. A person can become like light, a living picture of what God’s Word teaches, by concentrating on the light of the truth. NKJ Bible.

Luke 11:33-36

33 “No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light. 34 The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. 35 Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. 36 If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.”

Matthew 5:15 | Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.

Matthew 6:22 | “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.

Matthew 6:23 | But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

Mark 4:21 | Also He said to them, “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand?

Luke 8:16 | “No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light.

1 Corinthians 2:9-11

Rest assured that Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead is alive and well in you. He will guide and protect you all the days of your life!  

There is no weapon formed against you that will stand in His presence. 

Christ within, Holy Spirit. is the answer to every emergency in your life!

Only the Holy Spirit could reveal the truths of God. The first verb refers to innate knowledge; the second refers to experiential knowledge. We could never have discovered the mysteries of God or the benefits of Christ’s death by ourselves. But we can know them by experience because they have been freely given to us by God. NKJ Bible.

Paul uses Isaiah to assert that people cannot understand the things of God through human faculties they must rely on the Spirit graciously given to believers by God. God grants insight regarding His work to those who follow Him and do His will. Paul argues that people desiring to know more or have greater wisdom should seek to walk more closely with Christ, as God reveals His eternal work to people this way. This is Christ’s method for revealing His work to people and granting them spiritual gifts of wisdom and knowledge. Just as people know their own minds, so the Spirit (pneuma in Greek) knows the things of God. Faithlife Bible.

1 Corinthians 2:9-11

9 But as it is written:

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,

Nor have entered into the heart of man

The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

Job 32:8 | But there is a spirit in man, And the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding.

Proverbs 20:27 | The spirit of a man is the lamp of the LORD, Searching all the inner depths of his heart.

Ecclesiastes 12:7 | Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, And the spirit will return to God who gave it.

Isaiah 64:4 | For since the beginning of the world Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, Nor has the eye seen any God besides You, Who acts for the one who waits for Him.

Isaiah 65:17 | “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.