Category: Prayers

“You come against me with sword and spear and scimitar, but I come against you in the name of the Lord.” —1 Samuel 17:45 The giant Goliath came against David with spear, sword, and scimitar. However, the youth David came against Goliath with something infinitely more powerful: the name of the Lord. The battle belonged to the Lord (1 Sm 17:47), and God’s name was victorious. Many giants today likewise attempt to dominate us who serve the Lord. These present-day giants might say something like “I come against you with funding, a powerful legal team, and public opinion,” or “I...

“Does the Lord so delight in holocausts and sacrifices as in obedience to the command of the Lord?” —1 Samuel 15:22 Saul greatly displeased the Lord because of his disobedience. The first sin was disobedience. Sin is always disobedience. Human nature became fallen and wounded because of the disobedience of Adam (see Rm 5:19). We are saved by Jesus’ obedience even to death on the cross (Phil 2:8). Obedience and disobedience are of the utmost importance. Therefore, it is important for us to know why we disobey. This can help us accept God’s grace to obey. Samuel implied that Saul...

You “have been consecrated in Christ Jesus and called to be a holy people.” —1 Corinthians 1:2 We are “called to be holy.” God the Father wants His children to be, act, work, think, talk, love, and live as He does. This is the meaning of holiness: to be like God “in every aspect” of our conduct (1 Pt 1:15). Holiness is a gift from the all-holy God. Only by His grace can we become holy. Holiness comes through the Holy Spirit, that is, the Spirit Who makes us holy. However, we must choose to accept the Spirit’s gift of...

“As He moved on, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus at his tax collector’s post, and said to him, ‘Follow Me.’ Levi got up and became His follower.” —Mark 2:14 Levi, also called Matthew, was one of the apostles, an evangelist who compiled the first book of the New Testament, a missionary, and a martyr. Matthew was also a great sinner. Jesus implied that Matthew was spiritually sick (Mk 2:17). Even after Jesus had transformed Matthew’s life, Matthew abandoned Jesus on the cross. Yet Matthew repented, received the Holy Spirit at the first Christian Pentecost (Acts 2:4), and became...