James 5:16 AMPC "Confess to one another therefore your faults (your slips, your false steps, your offenses, your sins) and pray [also] for one another, that you may be healed and restored [to a spiritual tone of mind and heart]. The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working]."... Continue Reading →
I want to boldly say that a Christian should not struggle with daily Bible reading. I know that may seem like cold water to some, but a heart transformed by the grace of God is a heart that loves the Word; just read the Psalms of David. So why do we sometimes find it hard... Continue Reading →
The last of the Fall Feasts is Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles, or the Feast of Booths. The Feast is a remembrance of the dwelling in temporary shelters in the wilderness after the exodus. During this time, Moses was given the commandments, the pattern of the Tabernacle, and when God dwelt with Israel in the... Continue Reading →
Paul wrote in His letter to the Corinthians, "For some of Chloe's people have made it known to me, my brothers, that there are quarrels among you. 12 I say this because one of you says, "I follow Sha'ul"; another says, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Kefa"; while still another says, "I follow the... Continue Reading →
One of my favorite stories in the Bible is Jonah and the Whale; technically, I should say Jonah and the Big Fish. Jonah was told to go to a significant Gentile power and preach repentance, something Jonah didn't want to do. The story of Jonah, or Yonah, in Hebrew, shows us God's great compassion and... Continue Reading →
Tishrei is the month of the Fall Feasts; it's the most wonderful time of year! It begins with the sounding of the shofar at Yom Teruah (Trumpets) and Rosh Hashana (The Head of the Year). It leads into the Day of Atonement, the Feast of Tabernacles, and the beginning again of the yearly Torah reading... Continue Reading →
We got some light rain yesterday and a little more steady rain for a little bit this morning after many dry months. It's nice to see rain, especially as we enter the New Year on God's calendar tonight. A couple of weeks ago, I started recording my Friday night teaching, so if you want a... Continue Reading →
Ezekiel 14:1-11 CJB "Then certain of Isra’el’s leaders came to me; and while they were sitting with me, 2 the word of Adonai came to me: 3 “Human being, these men have taken their idols into their hearts, thus setting in front of themselves the stumblingblock that leads to sin. Should I let them consult me at... Continue Reading →
We have entered the month of Elul on God's calendar, which proceeds the High Holy Days. Every day during Elul and the Ten Days of Awe is noted by the blowing of the shofar to awaken people from spiritual slumber. How can the shofar (rams horn trumpet) awaken people spiritually? Jeremiah 6:15-18 tells us that... Continue Reading →
Two hours sounds like a long documentary, but The Essential Church could have been much longer, considering everything it covered, and honestly, I wish it was much longer. From the fight of Grace Community Church against government restriction, two jailed pastors in Canada, and a crash course in Scottish Covenanter history, the film left me... Continue Reading →
The Ninth of Av is the saddest day on the Jewish calendar; it marks the day of the ten spies' negative report, the destruction of the First and Second Temples in 586 BCE and 70 CE, and many other adverse events in Jewish history. Do you remember when Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492?... Continue Reading →
Hebrews 3:7-4:2 NASB "Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, "Today if you hear His voice, 8 Do not harden your hearts as when they provoked Me, As in the day of trial in the wilderness, 9 Where your fathers tried Me by testing Me, And saw My works for forty years. 10 "Therefore I was angry with... Continue Reading →
Tammuz is the fourth month on the biblical calendar. It's a month in which we want to see ourselves progressing, but there are snares to be avoided. When the children of Israel got tired of waiting on Moses, they built a golden calf (Exodus 32). Even after witnessing the plagues against Pharoh and the parting... Continue Reading →
Exodus 12:1-2 CJB "Adonai spoke to Moshe and Aharon in the land of Egypt; he said, 2 “You are to begin your calendar with this month; it will be the first month of the year for you." God began His calendar with salvation and deliverance. In the second month, God introduced Himself to His people as... Continue Reading →
Many of us know that God's thoughts are not our thoughts, nor are His ways our ways. But have you ever thought about what that means on a practical level? One of the clearest examples is the Biblical Calendar which begins in Nissan, corresponding to March and April on our calendar. To be in God's... Continue Reading →
Casey D. Bell 