Read 2 Chronicles 20:1-30. As Jehoshaphat discovered, praise is a powerful weapon. After receiving the report that a “vast army” was coming against him, Jehoshaphat did not immediately jump to military action, but “resolved to inquire of the LORD” (2 Chronicles 20:3, NIV). As the people of Judah came to Jerusalem for a fast, Jehoshaphat admitted the … Continue reading –>
Key Thought: Praise is faith in action. When we practice praise, it has the power both to convert and to conquer. August 27, 2022 1. Have a volunteer read Philippians 4:4-7. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point is in this passage. What does it mean to let … Continue reading –>
In the book of Acts, praise had an astonishing effect on those who heard it. Read Acts 16:16-34. Having been stripped and beaten hard, Paul and Silas were thrown into prison. No one was there to put ointment on their badly cut and bruised backs. In great physical pain and with their feet in stocks, they … Continue reading –>
Praising the Lord might not be natural to us, even in good circumstances. Thus, how much more difficult to do it in bad ones? Yet, that is what we are called to do. Praise is something that we must practice until it changes from being an activity done at a particular time to an atmosphere … Continue reading –>
There’s an expression in English: “to be painted into a corner.” Imagine painting the floor of a room but then realizing that you have wound up in a corner and cannot get out — except by walking over the fresh paint. You have to stay there until it dries! Sometimes our faith seems to paint … Continue reading –>
The great Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky had been sentenced to death, only to have the sentence commuted at the last moment. He spent years in prison instead. Talking about his prison experience, he wrote: “Believe to the end, even if all men go astray and you are left the only one faithful; bring your offering … Continue reading –>
Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study: Philippians 4:4-7, Joshua 5:13-6:20, Psalm 145:1-21, Acts 16:16-34, 2 Chronicles 20:1-30. Memory Text: “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4, NKJV). It’s always easy to shout with joy to the Lord when we feel joy. It’s not so easy, however, when things are bad, when we are in the … Continue reading –>
Part 8: Married to Christ By Andrew McChesney A week after giving his heart to Jesus, Father started to clear out the temple in Manaus, Brazil. He gathered the images and the stone altars where he had sacrificed animals and bowed to evil spirits. At the spirits’ request, Father shipped the temple paraphernalia to two … Continue reading –>
Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “In the Days of Queen Esther,” Pages 598-606, in Prophets and Kings. “Has not God said He would give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him? And is not this Spirit a real, true actual guide? Some men seem afraid to take God at His word, as though it … Continue reading –>
To think that no one cares about what is happening to us is very unpleasant. But to think that God does not know or care about us can be most distressing. To the Judeans exiled in Babylon, God did not seem to care much about their situation. They were still exiled, still feeling abandoned by God because … Continue reading –>
