In Genesis Chapters 10 & 11, we have the breakdown of Noah's three sons and where they migrated and settled to. Before the scattering occurred, the people were trying to settle together in one spot. They all spoke the same language and were trying to build a tall tower up to the heavens instead of scattering like God had instructed. God intervenes and stops the madness and scatters them. He changed their languages so they wouldn't be able to understand each other. They were working hard to b...
Oct 17, 2022•12 min
In Genesis 8 & 9, the floodwaters recede and God defines the terms of His covenant with Noah. A covenant is the terms with which God forms relationship with His people. God's covenants continue to build on each other through the Bible. Today, we have a covenant with God through our Faith in Jesus. It's a mutual commitment of love, a promise God forged for us through the Blood of His Son, Jesus. God's eternal covenant with us is sealed with the Holy Spirit. God's signature and seal to the cov...
Oct 15, 2022•13 min
In Genesis 6 & 7, we find our first Bible hero. In a world full of wicked corruption, Noah remains righteous by walking in close fellowship with God. Noah was able to stay righteous because he had an intimate relationship with God who was his mentor and friend. God is grieved by the level of sin He sees among humanity and the judgment that is going to have to come forth as a result of their choices. God loves us so much, he patiently gives people time to repent and desperately wants to forgi...
Oct 14, 2022•14 min
In Genesis 4, Adam and Eve experience the full effect of knowing evil - which is death - when their son Cain kills their other son Abel. God gives Cain a 2nd chance but Cain does not heed God and ends up a cursed wanderer. Sin demonstrates a lack of faith in God and a small view of God. Cain is forced to face the consequences of his choice to sin. Evil multiplies through Cain's descendants and we see a 2nd murder. In Chapter 5, we see the descendants of Adam. We are reminded that humans were mad...
Oct 13, 2022•15 min
In Genesis chapter 3, sin enters the world by a very bad choice by both Adam and Eve to disobey God and eat the fruit He specifically said not to eat. The enemy comes in using the same tactics he uses today - he creates doubt. The heart of temptation is selfishness and pride. Satan uses the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and pride repeatedly to try to get us to disobey God and His Word. In Luke 4, Jesus shows us how to resist all three of these temptation tactics by using the power fou...
Oct 12, 2022•14 min
In Genesis 1 & 2, God creates the universe and all things within it. He creates a whole world out of nothingness. Only God has the power to take on nothingness. He created us with purpose and intention to rule His world under His authority alongside Him. God didn't want us to worship Him simply because we are ordered to do so. He wants us to worship and have a relationship with Him because we choose Him. He gives us a choice to choose and trust what He says is good or to choose to experience...
Oct 11, 2022•15 min
In 2 Kings Chapter 25, Babylon rises up and takes over Jerusalem as they are forced into exile. What caused the downfall of Israel? Politically, the other countries were on a mission to rule the world. Theologically, Israel persisted in covenant disobedience and God used the other countries to bring forth the promises of the covenant that were warned of time and time again. Their disobedience led to their exile. God is a God of His Word. 1st and 2nd Kings document the crumbling and downfall of I...
Oct 08, 2022•9 min
In 2 Kings Chapters 23 & 24, King Josiah cleans up the messes the other kings left behind and shows true and full repentance. Repentance is turning around and going completely the other way. Josiah declared a complete war on idolatry and wins. He destroys all the remnants of any and all idols and false god worship. He turned the kingdom back over to God with all his heart, soul and strength. The people would still have to face the consequences of their previous choices, but for now, there wa...
Oct 06, 2022•14 min
In 2 Kings Chapters 21 & 22, we are now left with the southern tribes which include Judah and Benjamin and some Levites that work in the Temples. The 10 tribes to the north have been wiped out by Assyria. Manasseh takes over rule of Judah and ends up getting the prize for the most evil king yet. Eventually Josiah takes over and we once again have a good king in our midst. They found the Book of the Law in the Temple while they were cleaning it! King Josiah is so distressed when he reads the ...
Oct 05, 2022•12 min
In 2 Kings 19 & 20, in response to the fear imposed by the Assyrians, King Hezekiah cries out to God. No matter where Israel is, when they cry out to God, He responds. God knows every detail and is in control of the situation. He sends an angel to take out 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. Hezekiah is humbled by God through sickness but God not only grants him another 15 years, He provides a miracle that goes against the normal laws of nature as a sign that He means what He says. Some Babylonians c...
Oct 04, 2022•13 min
In 2 Kings Chapter 18, King Hezekiah rules over the southern tribe of Judah. He is a good king and follows God. Hezekiah's name means God will strengthen. He's doing well until he lets the fear of the Assyrians overtake him after they successfully took over the northern tribes. He chickens out and tries to pay off the Assyrians. Wars with the Egyptians, Philistines, and Canaanites were more about the power of their gods than the power or strength of their armies. King Hezekiah let fear take over...
Oct 03, 2022•10 min
In 2 Kings Chapter 17, Assyria takes over Israel and scatters the people. From Genesis 1 to now, God's covenant people are suffering the full extent of the cursing at Sinai. The problem lies in their hearts. God gives patience, mercy, grace and plenty of warnings time and time again. They refuse to listen and heed God's warnings and instead choose to worship false gods and idols. As a consequence of their choices, they are scattered among strangers in a foreign land away from friends and family....
Oct 01, 2022•12 min
In 2 Kings Chapters 15, we find a summary of 7 different kings - 2 rule in Judah and 5 in Israel. As you read, you see a continual spiral downward and their worst enemies were within their very own kingdoms. In Chapter 16, Ahaz rules in Judah and behaves pretty much like a pagan northern king. If these kings were to shoot at the right target, they'd aim straight for God. Instead, they continually follow their own plans, leave the trader gate open by not getting rid of all the pagan shrines, and ...
Sep 30, 2022•13 min
In 2 Kings Chapters 13 & 14, God repeatedly gives Israel an opportunity to repent but Israel continually refuses. God is fulfilling the curses of the covenant and shrinking Israel since they refuse to turn to God. God performs one more miracle through Elisha, even though Elisha was dead, by bringing a dead man to life simply by having the dead man touch Elisha's bones. The prophet of God may be dead, but God and His Word is alive. The promises made through Elisha will come to pass because th...
Sep 29, 2022•16 min
In 2 Kings Chapters 11 & 12, King Ahaziah's mother decides she wants to rule over Judah after her son's death and starts killing off the rest of the royal family to secure her place on the throne. Ahaziah's sister steals away his infant son, Joash, and hides him in safety so he doesn't end up murdered. After 7 years, the priest fashions a coronation secretly and the crazy mom who stole the throne for the last 7 years is killed. So a 7 year old is now ruling over Judah, but not without the he...
Sep 28, 2022•13 min
In 2 Kings Chapter 10, Jehu "cleans house" according to God's direction but also takes on a wee bit of his own agenda in the process. He is able to destroy every trace of Baal worship but doesn't remove the golden calves. He did some good stuff, but didn't obey God with all his heart. God is after our hearts, not our actions.
Sep 27, 2022•10 min
In 2 Kings Chapter 9, Elisha sends a member of the group of prophets on a secret-ty type mission to anoint Jehu as king. He even tells him to "run for your life" once the mission is completed. Jehu starts out by following God's heart, but will he make it to the end remaining obedient to God?
Sep 26, 2022•10 min
In 2 Kings Chapter 8, the woman whose son was brought back to life leaves for 7 years to avoid the famine and her home and land are all restored to her when she returns. God provides. The king of Aram is sick and dies, but not because of the sickness. Elisha is brought to tears when he is shown what will be coming for the people of Israel. Our actions, how we think and act, affect us as well as those around us. Judah has become infected by the sins of the north. Regardless, God reminds us of His...
Sep 23, 2022•9 min
In 2 Kings Chapters 6 & 7, Elisha helps a fallen ax head float to the top of the river. Elisha bamboozles the Aramean army, with God's help the whole way through of course. Famine strikes Samaria and even though the king of Israel was blaming God and wanted to kill Elisha, God had mercy on them and brought forth food. God is both just and merciful and the only thing we'll get to take to Heaven with us is someone else. We are each just 1 beggar commissioned to show another beggar where to get...
Sep 22, 2022•15 min
In 2 Kings Chapter 5, King Aram had this commander he super duper liked because he helped gain so much victory. He had leprosy so the king sent him to Israel to be healed. The king of Israel thinks it's a sham but Elisha steps in and God heals the man after some pride is knocked out of the guy. He is healed and humbled so it's really a double healing. Elisha's servant gets lies and gets greedy and ends up cursed with that very same leprosy.
Sep 21, 2022•9 min
In 2 Kings Chapter 4, we see 4 miracles that take place. A poor widow is provided with an abundance of oil, her son is raised from the dead, poison was cleansed from stew, and 100 people are fed with what should not have been nearly enough food. All the miracles are directly related to serving people which shows the heart of God. Miracles are God's heart working in the present world. In each situation, tenderness and grace is shown and hope is given like never before. God's provision is directly...
Sep 20, 2022•10 min
In 2 Kings Chapter 3, a war breaks out between Israel and Moab. Three armies combined, sought the Lord's advice through Elisha, and ultimately won the battle after much bloodshed. The kings throughout these books are continually compared to Jeroboam because he instituted idol worship turning people away from God. A part of this chapter I really love is that before providing the much needed advice the 3 armies needed to win their battle, Elisha spent some time with music playing while listening t...
Sep 19, 2022•10 min
In 2 Kings Chapters 1 & 2, Elijah confronts King Ahaziah about looking to false gods for answers rather than God Himself. Elijah passes the mantel to Elisha and is taken to Heaven in a whirlwind and a chariot of fire. Elijah gets a double portion of the Holy Spirit's power and starts doing miracles right away. A bunch of bullies harass him but God's got his back.
Sep 18, 2022•16 min
Today's episode is a trail nugget God is working on in me. I was attacked by a feral cat because I cannot say "no" properly. God doesn't want us attacked by feral cats and we need to know when to use our "no's". Pray, seek God's Word and will in all things. It's okay and even vital to say "no" when appropriate; it will lead to other "yes's" that God intends you to have in life.
Sep 13, 2022•13 min
In 1 Kings Chapter 22, Jehoshaphat and Ahab enter war together. Jehoshaphat is a good, God-fearing king but Ahab is not. God sends a prophet who honestly tells them what is about to happen in war but they do not heed the warning and instead listen to the other prophets who were filled with a lying spirit. God's truth reigns and exactly what was proclaimed by God happens.
Sep 12, 2022•10 min
In 1 Kings Chapters 20 & 21, there's some battling going on. God goes ahead into the battles and brings victory for His chosen people. Israel's King does not follow God's direction, goes down a path of dishonesty, murder, and burglary and ends up bringing death and destruction into his dynasty.
Sep 09, 2022•14 min
In 1 Kings Chapter 19, Elijah listens to the words of the enemy instead of God's Word and finds himself full of fear. He flees to Mount Sinai. God meets him there and calls out to him - "What are you doing here?" - God leads him back to the mission and reminds him that he is not alone, God is with him.
Sep 08, 2022•8 min
In 1 Kings Chapter 18, Elijah declares rain is coming. God spoke to him and when he declares what is true and correct from God and His Word, the miracles come forth. Our words matter and it's important to guard our hearts and minds and ensure we are declaring what is right and true from God and His Word. Elijah sent a servant to check for the coming rain SEVEN times before the miracle came forth. Not only do we need to declare the truth found in God in all the words we speak, but we need to obed...
Sep 07, 2022•15 min
In 1 Kings Chapter 17, a drought has entered the lands and God ensures His prophet Elijah is fed through the hard times. He miraculously multiplies a widow's supplies to ensure there is food through the drought and even brings her son back to life!
Sep 05, 2022•9 min
In 1 Kings Chapters 15 & 16 we stumble across one good king who actually did what was good and pleasing to God. The rest of the kings during this period seem to be competing as to who could be the worst. There's conflict, war, disruption and a lot of worshiping of false idols which angers God. Prophets weave in and out bringing forth God's words and warnings but no one seems to pay attention or heed their words.
Sep 03, 2022•13 min
