List: Benefits of Being In Christ (Romans 8 edition)
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Monthly Archives: February 2026
How to Combat Spiritual Attacks While Walking in Your Calling
Friday Prayer Guide
Adoration
How great You are, O Sovereign Lord! There is no one like You, and there is no God besides You, according to all that I have heard with my ears. (2 Samuel 7:22; 1 Chronicles 17:20)
O Lord, the God of our fathers, are You not the God who is in heaven? Are You not the ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand, and no one is able to withstand You. (2 Chronicles 20:6)
For with You is the fountain of life;
In Your light we see light. (Psalm 36:9)
O come, let us sing to the Lord;
Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;
Let us shout for joy to Him with psalms.
The Lord is the great God,
The great King above all gods.
O come, let us worship and bow down,
Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
He is our God and we are the people of His pasture
And the sheep under His care. (Psalm 95:1–3, 6–7)
I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
May my meditation be pleasing to Him;
I will be glad in the Lord. (Psalm 104:33–34)
Pause to express your thoughts of praise and worship.
Confession
Out of the depths I have called to You, O Lord.
O Lord, hear my voice,
And let Your ears be attentive
To the voice of my supplications.
If You, Lord, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
But there is forgiveness with You,
That You may be feared. (Psalm 130:1–4)
You have been just in all that has happened to me; You have acted faithfully, while I did wrong. (Nehemiah 9:33)
I return to the Lord my God,
For I have stumbled because of my iniquity.
I take words with me and return to the Lord,
Saying, “Take away all iniquity and receive me graciously,
That I may offer the fruit of my lips.” (Hosea 14:1–2)
Ask the Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the Lord and thank Him for His forgiveness.
The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
Slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness.
God will not always strive with us,
Nor will He harbor His anger forever;
He does not treat us as our sins deserve
Or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
So great is His love for those who fear Him;
As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on His children,
So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.
You know how I am formed;
You remember that I am dust. (Psalm 103:8–14)
Renewal
Lord, renew me by Your Spirit as I offer these prayers to You:
Who is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master finds so doing when he comes. (Matthew 24:45–46)
May I watch and pray so that I will not fall into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. (Matthew 26:41)
May I abide in Christ, so that when He appears, I will have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. (1 John 2:28)
May I be ready, for the Son of Man will come at an hour when I do not expect Him. (Matthew 24:44; Luke 12:40)
Pause to add your own prayers for personal renewal.
Petition
Father, using Your word as a guide, I offer You my prayers concerning my need for wisdom.
May God grant me, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in my inner being, so that Christ may dwell in my heart through faith. And may I, being rooted and grounded in love, be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth of the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that I may be filled to all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:16–19)
If I have found grace in Your sight, teach me Your ways, so I may know You and continue to find favor with You. (Exodus 33:13)
Whatever I do, may I do all to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31)
May I not let Your word depart from my mouth, but meditate on it day and night, so that I may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then I will make my way prosperous, and I will act wisely. (Joshua 1:8)
May I meditate on Your precepts
And consider Your ways.
May I delight in Your statutes,
And not forget Your word.
Deal bountifully with Your servant,
That I may live and keep Your word.
Open my eyes that I may see
Wonderful things from Your law. (Psalm 119:15–18)
Let me be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger, for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. (James 1:19–20)
May I guard my heart with all diligence,
For out of it flow the issues of life.
May I put away perversity from my mouth
And keep corrupt talk far from my lips.
May I let my eyes look straight ahead,
And fix my gaze straight before me.
May I ponder the path of my feet
So that all my ways will be established.
May I not turn to the right or to the left
But keep my foot from evil. (Proverbs 4:23–27)
Let my light shine before men, that they may see my good deeds and praise my Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:13–16)
May I do all things without complaining or arguing, so that I may become blameless and pure, a child of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom I shine as a light in the world, holding fast the word of life. (Philippians 2:14–16)
May I clothe myself with humility toward others, for God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. May I humble myself under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt me in due time, casting all my anxiety upon Him, because He cares for me. (1 Peter 5:5–7)
Pause here to express any additional personal requests, especially concerning family and ministry:Family Ministry Sharing Christ with others Helping others grow in Him Career
My activities for this day
Special concerns
Intercession
Lord, I now prepare my heart for intercessory prayer for missions.
Finally, brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it is with you, and that we may be delivered from perverse and evil men, for not all have faith. (2 Thessalonians 3:1–2)
The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore, I will pray that the Lord of the harvest will send out workers into His harvest. (Matthew 9:37–38; Luke 10:2)
In the spirit of these passages, I pray for:Local missions National missions World missions The fulfillment of the Great Commission Special concerns
Affirmation
Feed my mind and heart, O Lord, as I affirm these truths from Your word concerning my hope as a follower of Christ:
I do not lose heart; even though my outward man is perishing, yet my inner man is being renewed day by day. For this light affliction which is momentary is working for me a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while I do not look at the things which are seen but at the things which are unseen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are unseen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16–18)
Peace You leave with me; Your peace You give to me. Not as the world gives, do You give to me. I will not let my heart be troubled nor let it be fearful. (John 14:27)
Those who wait for the Lord
Will renew their strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles;
They will run and not grow weary;
They will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40:31)
I am always of good courage and know that as long as I am at home in the body, I am away from the Lord. For I live by faith, not by sight. I am of good courage and would prefer to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:6–8)
Since I am a child of God, I am an heir of God and a joint heir with Christ, if indeed I share in His sufferings in order that I may also share in His glory. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed to me. (Romans 8:17–18)
Pause to reflect upon these biblical affirmations.
Thanksgiving
For who You are and for what You have done, accept my thanks, O Lord:
I will praise You, O Lord, with all my heart;
I will tell of all Your wonders.
I will be glad and rejoice in You;
I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High. (Psalm 9:1–2)
We give thanks to You, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign. (Revelation 11:17)
I will sing of Your strength,
Yes, I will sing of Your mercy in the morning,
For You have been my stronghold,
My refuge in times of trouble.
To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises,
For God is my fortress, my loving God. (Psalm 59:16–17)
Pause to offer your own expressions of thanksgiving.
Closing Prayer
Teach me to number my days,
That I may gain a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:12)
Better is one day in Your courts than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
Than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
The Lord will give grace and glory;
No good thing does He withhold
From those who walk in integrity.
O Lord of hosts,
Blessed is the man who trusts in You! (Psalm 84:10–12)
To the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. (1 Timothy 1:17)
Boa, K. (1993). Handbook to prayer: praying scripture back to God. Atlanta: Trinity House.
Mark Henry: Brainwashing Battle Over Hearts & Minds
Pastor Mark Henry and David tackle demonic brainwashing, calling evil good, and the spiritual aspect of the culture battle; plus 4 key Scriptures to combat the emotional fatigue.
40 Powerful Lent Bible Verses for Reflection and Renewal
We’ve compiled Lent Bible verses to prepare your hearts for the reflection and celebration that often accompanies these 40 days. As we anticipate Christ’s return, we celebrate what he has accomplished.
Source: 40 Powerful Lent Bible Verses for Reflection and Renewal
What To Do While You’re Young — The Power of His Presence
Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment.
Ecclesiastes 11:9
I am always amazed at the energy of young people. We have three grandsons living with us. When I come home, weary and tired, although they have been tearing around all day, they still want to wrestle with me. Sometimes I heave a sigh of relief when they finally give up and go to bed. George Bernard Shaw said, Youth is such a wonderful thing it is a shame to waste it on young people.
God gives the gift of youth, so rejoice in it. Young people, for the most part, always believe that everything is going to turn out all right, so they energetically pursue things. This verse encourages that.
Youth is the time to plan, to try new things, to explore new opportunities, new adventures. In my twenties I had the opportunity, following the outbreak of World War II, to go to the Hawaiian Islands and work in industry there. Youth is the time to seize opportunities and to follow our desires.
But–there is always a but,
isn’t there? Remember that ultimately there must be an accounting. This book will close with that reminder again: For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil
(Ecclesiastes 12:14). That is not a threat. It is simply a reminder to youth that though there are great, open doors of opportunity set before you that you will not have later in life, nevertheless, enter them with the realization that you must make wise choices. You must deny yourself the pleasures of sin; you must make choices in the light of what will ultimately be the evaluation of your life.
He goes on to specify exactly what he means. First, Remove vexation from your mind
(Ecclesiastes 11:10a RSV). Vexation is a word that combines the thoughts of anger and resentment. Young people tend to be angry and resentful when things do not go the way they like. That is what makes young people rebel. So remove vexation from your mind.
And second, cast off the troubles of your body
(Ecclesiastes 11:10). Put away dangerous things–drugs, wrongful use of your sexual powers, damaging things, smoking, drinking–stop them. That is living thoughtfully through life.
Remember, too, that youth and vigor are meaningless
(Ecclesiastes 11:10). Even that glorious experience of youth is not the reason life was given. Here again we see a challenge to the secular illusions that we are subjected to all the time. Youth is what is held up for us to emulate. But youth is in itself emptiness. It is not vitality that will satisfy, but a relationship with a living God. Life finds its fulfillment, its meaning, only as you develop a relationship with the living God daily through your life. That is why the Searcher goes on to say in the closing chapter, Remember your Creator in the days of your youth
(Ecclesiastes 12:1a).
Lord, one day I will stand before You and give an account of what I have done. Let me live now, at whatever stage I am, with this end in mind.
https://www.raystedman.org/daily-devotions/ecclesiastes/what-to-do-while-youre-young
Devotional for February 26, 2026 | Thursday: The Reaction of Jesus’ Friends
Matthew 28:11-15 In this week’s studies, we note the contrast between Jesus’ enemies and friends concerning the resurrection, and the price worth paying to be a witness to Christ.
Theme
The Reaction of Jesus’ Friends
But now I want you to look at something else. I want you to turn from thinking about those enemies of Christ, who are exemplified by the soldiers and the priests on that first Easter Sunday, and instead I want you to focus on Christ’s friends, those who learned of the resurrection and who met with Jesus Christ following His resurrection. Consider people like the women who came to the tomb, or Peter and John, who ran there because of the women’s report, or James or any of the others who saw Jesus later. Many saw the Lord Jesus Christ after He was raised from the dead. Paul, writing about it later in 1 Corinthians 15, says that Jesus “appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also…” (vv. 5-8).
Here is a case of men who actually saw Jesus and testified to it. We would say that to have people witnessing to this great event of seeing someone who had risen from the dead is good news, indeed. They would go forth to a perishing world and announce, “Death is not the end. Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead, and He promises new life to all who are united to Him in saving faith.”
Yet, as wonderful as this news of salvation was, we know how the world received these witnesses. They weren’t rewarded; they were punished for their faith. I think of Peter and John. They were the first two disciples who were present in the garden. They went into the tomb and saw the grave cloths in which Jesus had been wrapped. But the body was gone because Jesus had risen from the dead. Later on, Jesus appeared to them, and they saw Him.
They went forth and testified about that, even in Jerusalem, the very place where Jesus had been crucified. What happened to Peter and John? The authorities got disturbed by what they were saying, and arrested them in Acts 4. Peter and John spent that night in jail, and the next day they were brought out and questioned. The Sanhedrin then threated them further, but were not sure how to punish them because all the people were praising God for the healing of the beggar in the preceding chapter.
The apostles continued to heal people, which of course brought more people to faith in Jesus. In response, members of the Sanhedrin arrested the apostles and put them in jail, as recorded in Acts 5. But then we read that an angel of the Lord came and opened the prison doors. The apostles then went back into the temple courts and began to tell the people about Jesus.
The Sanhedrin asked the apostles why they had ignored the order not to teach about Jesus. The Sanhedrin then said, “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood” (v. 28). It’s ironic that they would say this because at Jesus’ trial they said, “Let his blood be upon our heads.” Then, they were willing to assume the guilt for their unjust treatment of Jesus; but now they are trying to absolve themselves of any responsibility in Jesus’ crucifixion because of the people’s glad reception of the apostles and their message.
On this occasion, Peter and the other apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men!” They then testified again that God raised Jesus from the dead and exalted Him at God’s right hand, where Jesus sits as Prince and Savior for the forgiveness of sins. The authorities were enraged after hearing this, and wanted to put them to death. But after wise counsel from Gamaliel, they instead beat them and let them go, once more telling them not to speak in the name of Jesus. But of course, once they were released they continued to bear witness to Christ.
A little further on in the book of Acts, you have the story of Stephen, who received an even harsher penalty. Stephen was one of the first deacons and, apparently, was a good preacher because a good sermon of his is recorded in Acts 7. He was placed on trial, and he used it as an occasion to testify to these men on the basis of the entire history of Israel. He said that again and again those in power had resisted the word of the Holy Spirit communicated through the prophets. The same thing was happening now in the religious leaders’ rejection of the early Christians’ testimony concerning the resurrection of Christ.
As he was rebuking them for their disobedience to God, they were growing more furious. Then God gave Stephen a vision. Looking up to heaven he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” In their rage, the Sanhedrin dragged Stephen out without even completing the trial, and they stoned him.
Study Questions
- In what ways did Peter and John suffer for their witness?
- What problems did the apostles’ testimony pose for the religious leaders?
Application
Application: In what ways does God want you to be a witness to the resurrection of Christ?
For Further Study: Download for free and listen to James Boice’s message from Ephesians 2, “Risen with Christ.” (Discount will be applied at checkout.)
https://www.thinkandactbiblically.org/thursday-the-reaction-of-jesus-friends-3/
Humbly Profess your Sorrow and Shame for Sin
Matthew Henry’s “Method For Prayer”
Confession 2.20 | ESV
We must humbly profess our sorrow and shame for sin, and humbly engage ourselves in the strength of divine grace, that we will be better and do better for the future.
Lord, I repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand, Matthew 3:2(ESV) to which you have exalted your Son, Christ Jesus, to give repentance and forgiveness of sins. Acts 5:31(ESV)
I have heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eyes see you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes; Job 42:5-6(ESV) therefore will I be like a dove of the valley, moaning over my iniquities. Ezekiel 7:16(ESV)
O that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for my transgressions, Jeremiah 9:1(ESV) and might in such a manner sow in those tears as that at last I may reap in shouts of joy; may now go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, and may in due time come home with shouts of joy, bringing in my sheaves with me. Psalm 126:5-6(ESV)
My iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me; Psalm 38:4(ESV) but weary and heavy laden under this burden, I come to Christ, who has promised that in him I shall find rest for my soul. Matthew 11:28(ESV)
O knowing the affliction of my own heart, 1 Kings 8:38(ESV) may I look on him whom I have pierced, and may I mourn and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn. Zechariah 12:10(ESV) That I may grieve after a godly sort, with that grief which produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret; 2 Corinthians 7:10(ESV) and that I may remember and be confounded, and never open my mouth again because of my shame, when you have atoned for me for all that I have done. Ezekiel 16:63(ESV)
And, O that I may bear fruit in keeping with repentance! Matthew 3:8(ESV) and may never again turn back to folly; Psalm 85:8(ESV) for what have I to do anymore with idols? Hosea 14:8(ESV) For sin will have no dominion over me, since I am not under law but under grace. Romans 6:14(ESV)
I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant, for I do not forget your commandments. Psalm 119:176(ESV)
Germanus of Auxerre Against the Pelagian Heresy | Place for Truth
Many Christians are familiar with Pelagius, the Celtic monk who challenged Augustine of Hippo’s prayer, “Give what you command, and command what you will.” According to Pelagius, this was a useless prayer, because human beings already have what is necessary to obey God’s commands. All have, he said, the free will and ability to save themselves, but only those who “by the right use of free will merit the Lord’s grace and keep His commandments” “deserve to be rewarded” and are “assisted by grace.”[1] which is something they need to merit.
Fiercely opposed by Augustine, who believed that grace is an unmerited gift of God to sinners who are unable to help themselves, Pelagius’s teachings were condemned first at the Council of Carthage (418) and then at the Council of Ephesus (431).
These teachings, however, continued to have a significant influence in his native British islands, prompting the local bishops to ask the church on the continent for help. The principal man chosen to combat this heresy was Germanus of Auxerre.
Germanus of Auxerre
Germanus was born around 389 to a prominent family of Auxerre, southeast of Paris. After studying law and rhetoric in Rome, he served as a lawyer until the emperor of the Western Roman Empire, Flavius Honorius, appointed him as provincial governor in Armorica (now Britanny), Gaul.
Germanus’s biographer, Constantius (a priest from Lyons) wrote of Germanus’s love for hunting. It was a common pastime, but when Germanus hung his hunting trophies on a tree associated with pagan rites, the bishop of Auxerre, Amador, thought he had crossed a line. Swiftly, Amador cut down the tree and burned it together with the trophies. According to some accounts, he later motivated Germanus to devote his life to Christ. Encouraged by the young man’s progress, he eyed him as a potential successor to his seat.
Amador’s hopes materialized in 418, when Germanus was chosen as bishop of Auxerre. As was the case with other bishops at that time, we read that Germanus resisted the appointment until he yielded to the insistence of the people. Once elected, he took his new vocation seriously. He gave his possessions to the poor, ate sparingly, often fasted for several days, slept on a hard bed, and wore monastic clothing.
Mission to Britain
Along with these habits, he nurtured a resolute passion for Christian orthodoxy. This is why in 429 he was chosen, either by a council of bishops or by Pope Celestine I, to travel to Britain and confront the pervasive Pelagian heresy.
This was a difficult time in the Western Roman Empire. The Roman army could hardly keep up with the frequent incursions of populations uprooted by the advance of the Huns. The sack of Rome by Alaric, king of the Visigoths, in 410, shocked a world that thought of Rome as the eternal city.
The same year marked the exit of Roman troops from Britain, which encouraged invasions by Saxons and Picts. In this fearful climate, however, the church’s main concern was for the preservation of the gospel.
Germanus was accompanied in his mission by Lupus, bishop of Troyes, who shared Germanus’s background as a lawyer and Germanus’s passion for sound doctrine. According to Constantius, these men were considered “the leading lights of religion.”[2]
Constantius, as well as the renowned British scholar Bede, tell of many miracles performed by Germanus, as well as his persistent preaching in churches and cross-roads. According to Bede, Germanus even commanded an army against combined forces of Saxons and Picts and led them to retreat by ordering his troops to shout “Alleluia” as loud as they could for three times. The noise scared the enemies who ran away, with many of them drowning in a river. Similar accounts are told of Lupus.
But, as colorful as the lives of these men may have been, their relevance resides in their successful mission to eradicate Pelagianism from Britain. According to Constantius, “this damnable heresy had been thus stamped out, its authors refuted, and the minds of all reestablished in the true faith.”[3]
“There followed sermons to the people to confute the heresy, the preachers of which were by common consent banished from the island. They were brought to the bishops to be conducted to the Continent, so that the country might be purged of them and they of their errors. The effect of all this was so salutary that even now the faith is persisting intact in those parts. And so, with everything settled, the blessed bishops made a prosperous journey back to their own country.”[4]
Unsung Heroes
Back in Gaul, Germanus and Lupus resumed their work as bishops. After discovering that the people of Armorica had been in rebellion against the emperor, Germanus traveled to the imperial court in Ravenna, Italy, to beg for pardon. The pardon was granted, but Germanus died in that city on 31 July, 450.
As for Lupus, some sources report that he saved Troyes from an attack by the Huns by personally confronting Attila. Apparently, Attila was so impressed by Lupus that he asked him to accompany him and his army to the River Rhine as a source of divine protection. Interpreted as treason by the Roman authorities, Lupus’s courteous concession placed him on a “most wanted” list, forcing him to hide for two years before he could safely return. He died in Troyes in 478.
Hardly remembered today, these men were instrumental in preserving the orthodox Christian faith in Britain.
[1] Pelagius, “Letter and Confession of Faith to Innocent I,” Early Church Texts, https://earlychurchtexts.com/public/pelagius_letter_and_confession_to_innocent.htm
[2] Constantius, Vita sancti Germani, ed. Robert Vermaat, Vortigern Studies, Chpt. 12, https://www.vortigernstudies.org.uk/artsou/constex.htm
[3] Ibid., chpt. 16.
[4] Ibid, chpt. 27
Image By Mattana – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3675106
https://placefortruth.org/germanus-of-auxerre-against-the-pelagian-heresy
Jude: Fight for Faith | Today in the Word
| Thursday, February 26 | Jude 1 On the Go? Listen Now! |
| If you live in a city, you know that road rage is real. Judging by the behavior of some drivers, that inch of space separating your car from the car in front of you was worth the price of their car and your life. To some, the penalty for not driving quickly enough is risking their lives to ride your bumper until you get the hint. When I see an instance of road rage, I wonder, Was the fight worth it?Jude, the brother of Jesus, wrote his letter to remind Christians that, indeed, some fights are worth it, especially the fight for faith. In a world that assaults our confidence in Christ and the gospel, it is important to expend energy to keep our faith strong. This type of fight is willing to say “no” to certain things. As Titus 2:12 encourages, we are to “say ‘no’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.”Jude’s readers were at risk because individuals had secretly infiltrated their community and were living contrary to the faith. Jude calls these people ungodly because by their behavior they were abusing God’s grace. They believed forgiveness meant they could live immoral lives (v. 4). By doing so they denied the authority of Christ! These people were a significant danger to the community. As Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians, “Bad company corrupts good character” (1 Cor. 15:33). Sinful conduct could spread throughout the community.What should Jude’s readers do? He calls them to fight for faith (v. 3). In this case it means saying “no” to ungodliness, protecting themselves and their community from those who would lead them astray. Now, that is a fight worth fighting! |
| Go Deeper How will you fight for the faith? Are you willing to say “no” to ungodliness in your family, your church, or your community? God is with you in this fight every step of the way. Extended Reading: Jude |
| Pray with Us Lord, we accept Jude’s challenge to fight for our faith. Sometimes the most difficult fight is within our own hearts! But we believe that You will “present [us] before his glorious presence without fault” (Jude 1:24). |
February 26 Evening Verse of the Day
A CONTENTED PERSON IS SATISFIED WITH LITTLE
Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. (4:11)
Lest the Philippians misunderstand his statement in verse 10, Paul quickly added a disclaimer. He did not mean to imply that he spoke from want when he thanked them for their gift. In fact, he had learned to be content in whatever circumstances he found himself. Though his situation was extremely difficult, Paul was not discontent. It did not matter that he was a prisoner, living in a small apartment, chained to a Roman soldier, subsisting on a sparse diet. None of that affected his contentment, because he was satisfied with what little he had. His contentment was not affected by his physical deprivations.
The Greek word translated content in verse 11 appears only here in the New Testament. In extra-biblical Greek it was used to speak of being self-sufficient, having enough, or not being dependent on others. One ancient writer used the word in reference to a country that supplied itself and had no need of imports. True contentment comes only from God, and enables believers to be satisfied and at ease in the midst of any problem.
The contented attitude of someone like Paul or the Shunammite woman, who when asked what she needed replied simply, “I live among my own people” (2 Kings 4:13), is incomprehensible to today’s society. People are not content with either little or much. In fact, it seems that those who are the wealthiest are often the most miserable and discontented. Instead, people are obsessed with delineating their needs and loudly demanding that they be met. Need has become the number one value in our culture. Starting from the humanistic premise that God does not exist and man is therefore ultimate, the goal of life for people becomes getting their needs met.
Adding to the discontent is the blurring of the distinction between needs and wants. In actual practice, virtually everything has become a “need.” Thus, men “need” better jobs, fancier cars, and bigger homes; women “need” careers outside the home, and, paradoxically, “need” children; young people “need” unending sexual encounters to liberate their repressed egos; children “need” the freedom to express themselves outside the “bondage” of parental control. Like a hamster running around and around on a wheel and going nowhere, people desperately chase the contentment that is always tantalizingly just out of reach. Even the church has begun to build its ministry around people’s “felt needs.”
But Paul knew that the chief end of man is not to have his needs met, but to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Because of that, he was satisfied with whatever God graciously granted him. As he wrote to Timothy, “If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content” (1 Tim. 6:8). Although he wrote to the Corinthians, “The Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel” (1 Cor. 9:14), Paul often chose not to exercise that right (cf. Acts 20:34; 1 Cor. 9:12, 15; 1 Thess. 2:9; 2 Thess. 3:8). He worked hard, and was content to let God control the results. When difficult times came, Paul remained content because he was satisfied with little.
A CONTENTED PERSON IS INDEPENDENT FROM CIRCUMSTANCES
I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. (4:12)
Paul expands on what he alluded to in the previous verse. The twice-repeated phrase I know how … I also know how reveals that he had learned by experience and spiritual maturity to live above his circumstances and not to let them affect his contentment. That is an important lesson for believers to learn, for it is the difficult circumstances in life that most frequently steal our contentment.
Paul’s statement I know how to get along with humble means, to be hungry, and to suffer need indicates that he had had his share of poverty. He knew what it was to get by with meager material things. He also knew how to live in prosperity, to be filled, and to have an abundance when God graciously granted him more than he needed. All six of those terms refer to the material, earthly needs of this life, not to spiritual needs.
Paul was no ivory tower theologian; he had lived and ministered in the trenches. His life was not exactly a testimonial for the prosperity gospel. The apostle’s trials began at Damascus shortly after his conversion. Enraged that Paul
kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the Christ, … the Jews plotted together to do away with him, but their plot became known to [Paul]. They were also watching the gates day and night so that they might put him to death; but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a large basket. (Acts 9:22–25)
At Lystra on his first missionary journey, hostile “Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having won over the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead” (Acts 14:19). Many of the Philippian believers no doubt remembered what happened to Paul and his fellow preacher Silas in Philippi:
The crowd rose up together against them, and the chief magistrates tore their robes off them and proceeded to order them to be beaten with rods. When they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely; and he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. (Acts 16:22–24)
Things did not get much better for the apostle in Thessalonica, where
the Jews, becoming jealous and taking along some wicked men from the market place, formed a mob and set the city in an uproar; and attacking the house of Jason, they were seeking to bring them out to the people. When they did not find them, they began dragging Jason and some brethren before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have upset the world have come here also; and Jason has welcomed them, and they all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” They stirred up the crowd and the city authorities who heard these things. And when they had received a pledge from Jason and the others, they released them. The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. (Acts 17:5–10)
Trouble, in the form of hostile, unbelieving Jews, followed Paul from Thessalonica to Berea: “But when the Jews of Thessalonica found out that the word of God had been proclaimed by Paul in Berea also, they came there as well, agitating and stirring up the crowds” (Acts 17:13). Forced to flee Berea, Paul went to Athens, where he was mocked and ridiculed by the skeptical Greek philosophers gathered on Mars Hill (Acts 17:18–34). From Athens the apostle went to Corinth where, “while Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him before the judgment seat” (Acts 18:12). After ministering for three months in Greece, “a plot [to kill Paul] was formed against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria” (Acts 20:3). When he got to Jerusalem, Paul was attacked and savagely beaten after Jews from Asia Minor recognized him in the temple (Acts 21:26–30). Rescued from certain death by the quick action of a Roman officer (Acts 21:31–35), Paul began his long stay in Roman custody. Two years later, after hearings before the Sanhedrin and the Roman governor failed to resolve the situation, Paul exercised his right as a Roman citizen to appeal to Caesar. After a harrowing sea voyage, which included a terrifying, two-week-long storm that ended in a shipwreck (Acts 27), Paul finally arrived in Rome (Acts 28). As he penned this letter to the Philippians, Paul was again a prisoner in Rome.
Summing up his arduous, difficult, painful life Paul wrote,
Are they servants of Christ?—I speak as if insane—I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern? If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, He who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. In Damascus the ethnarch under Aretas the king was guarding the city of the Damascenes in order to seize me, and I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and so escaped his hands. (2 Cor. 11:23–33)
In all Paul’s unique and constant sufferings, he had learned the secret of rising above them. In the midst of all his trials, he kept his focus on heavenly realities (cf. Col. 3:1–2). In 2 Corinthians 4:17, the apostle wrote, “For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison.” With that perspective, is it any wonder that no amount of pain, suffering, or disappointment could affect his contentment?
A CONTENTED PERSON IS STRENGTHENED BY DIVINE POWER
I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. (4:13)
No matter how difficult his struggles may have been, Paul had a spiritual undergirding, an invisible means of support. His adequacy and sufficiency came from his union with the adequate and sufficient Christ: “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me” (Gal. 2:20).
When Paul wrote I can do all things he had in mind physical, not spiritual things. Ischuō (I can do) means “to be strong,” “to have power,” or “to have resources.” It is variously translated “overpowered” (Acts 19:16), “prevailing” (Acts 19:20), and “effective” (James 5:16). The Greek text emphasizes the word translated all things (a reference to physical needs; cf. vv. 11–12) by placing it first in the sentence. Paul was strong enough to endure anything through Him who strengthen[ed] him (cf. 1 Tim. 1:12; 2 Tim. 4:17). The apostle does not, of course, mean that he could physically survive indefinitely without food, water, sleep, or shelter. What he is saying is that when he reached the limit of his resources and strength, even to the point of death, he was infused with the strength of Christ. He could overcome the most dire physical difficulties because of the inner, spiritual strength God had given him. In the words of Isaiah,
He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary. (Isa. 40:29–31)
Perhaps the clearest illustration of this truth in Paul’s life comes from 2 Corinthians 12:7–10:
Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.
Paul was tormented by a “thorn in the flesh,” most likely a demon who was behind the false teachers tearing up his beloved church in Corinth. This was the worst of all trials for him, because of his “concern for all the churches” (2 Cor. 11:28). He repeatedly begged the Lord to deliver him from the torment of that demonic attack on the church. But instead of delivering him, the Lord pointed Paul to the sufficiency of His grace. Contentment comes to believers who rely on the sustaining grace of Christ infused into believers when they have no strength of their own. In that sense, contentment is a by-product of distress.
Lest any doubt the sufficiency of Christ’s strengthening power, it is the same power Paul described in his prayer in Ephesians 3:
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man.… Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us. (Eph. 3:14–16, 20)
God’s power that indwells believers is far more than sufficient to strengthen and sustain them in any trial. Contentment belongs to those who confidently trust in that power rather than in their own resources. Jeremiah Burroughs observes,
A Christian finds satisfaction in every circumstance by getting strength from another, by going out of himself to Jesus Christ, by his faith acting upon Christ, and bringing the strength of Jesus Christ into his own soul, he is thereby enabled to bear whatever God lays on him, by the strength that he finds from Jesus Christ.… There is strength in Christ not only to sanctify and save us, but strength to support us under all our burdens and afflictions, and Christ expects that when we are under any burden, we should act our faith upon him to draw virtue and strength from him. (The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, 63)
It is important to note that only those who live lives of obedience to God’s will can count on His power to sustain them. Those whose continued sin has led them into the pit of despair cannot expect God to bring them contentment from their circumstances. In fact, He may even add to their difficulties to chasten them and bring them to repentance.
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones compares the flow of God’s power into the believer’s life to the issue of physical health:
Now I suggest that that is analogous to this whole subject of power in one’s life as a Christian. Health is something that results from right living. Health cannot be obtained directly or immediately or in and of itself. There is a sense in which I am prepared to say that a man should not think of his health as such at all. Health is the result of right living, and I say exactly the same thing about this question of power in our Christian lives.
Or let me use another illustration. Take this question of preaching. No subject is discussed more often than power in preaching. “Oh, that I might have power in preaching,” says the preacher and he goes on his knees and prays for power. I think that that may be quite wrong. It certainly is if it is the only thing that the preacher does. The way to have power is to prepare your message carefully. Study the Word of God, think it out, analyse it, put it in order, do your utmost. That is that message God is most likely to bless—the indirect approach rather than the direct. It is exactly the same in this matter of power and ability to live the Christian life. In addition to our prayer for power and ability we must obey certain primary rules and laws.
I can therefore summarise the teaching like this. The secret of power is to discover and to learn from the New Testament what is possible for us in Christ. What I have to do is to go to Christ. I must spend my time with Him. I must meditate upon Him, I must get to know Him. That was Paul’s ambition—“that I might know Him.” I must maintain my contact and communion with Christ and I must concentrate on knowing Him.
What else? I must do exactly what He tells me. I must avoid things that would hamper. If in the midst of persecution we want to feel as Paul felt, we must live as Paul lived. I must do what He tells me, both to do and not to do. I must read the Bible, I must exercise, I must practise the Christian life, I must live the Christian life in all its fullness. (Spiritual Depression: Its Causes and Cure [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1965], 298–99)
God’s power will bring contentment to those who have no strength of their own, but only if they have been living righteously. There is no quick fix, no shortcut to contentment. It comes only to those strengthened by divine power, and that divine power does not come from counselors, therapy, or self-help formulas, but only from consistent godly living.
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2001). Philippians (pp. 299–305). Moody Press.
- Paul had been exuberant in his praise. He had said, “I rejoice greatly.” Here, too, misinterpretation was possible. The question might be asked, “Is not this a weakness in Paul, to go into such raptures over merely earthly goods, as if he were a child who had just received a new toy? Or were his remarks to be taken as an expression of dire want, a kind of complaint with the implication, Please send me another gift soon?” To prevent any inferences of this nature the apostle continues, Not that I mention (this) because of want; for I have learned in whatever circumstances I am to be content. Meaning: “The satisfaction of a material need must not be construed as being either the real reason for or the measure of my joy. On the contrary, regardless of outward circumstances, I would still be satisfied. My conversion-experience, and also my subsequent trials for the sake of Christ and his gospel, have taught me a lesson. The path which I traveled led me ever closer to Christ, to his love, and to his power, yes to Christ and contentment in him. That very contentment is riches to me.”
- It is to be noted that this contentment or soul-sufficiency (see on 1 Tim. 6:6) is derived not from any resources which the soul has in itself. Paul is no vain boaster who exclaims, “I am the Captain of my soul.” He is no Stoic who, trusting in his own resources, and supposedly unmoved by either joy or grief, endeavors with all his might to submit without complaining to unavoidable necessity. The apostle is no statue. He is a man of flesh and blood. He knows both joys and sorrows, yet is content. But his contentment has its cause in One other than himself. The real Source or Fountain of Paul’s soul-sufficiency is mentioned in verse 13. And that Fountain never runs dry, no matter what may be the circumstances. With reference to the latter Paul continues, I know what it means to live in straitened circumstances, and I also know what it means to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret, both to be filled and to be hungry, both to have plenty and to be in want.
Paul has learned the secret (a verb used only here in the New Testament and related to mystery). He has been thoroughly initiated into it by the experiences of life applied to the heart by the Holy Spirit. To those who fear him God reveals this mystery (Ps. 25:14). Those who reject Christ cannot understand how it is possible for a Christian to remain calm in adversity, humble in prosperity.
The words in the present passage which require some elucidation are the following:
to live in straitened circumstances
Again and again Paul had been “brought low,” same verb as used with reference to Christ in Phil. 2:8, the Christ who humbled himself. That the apostle indeed knew what it meant to be reduced to such straitened circumstances is clear from the following passages: Acts 14:19; 16:22–25; 17:13; 18:12; 20:3; Chapters 21–27; 2 Cor. 4:11; 6:4, 5; 11:27, 33. He knew what was meant by hunger, thirst, fasting, cold, nakedness, physical suffering, mental torture, persecution, etc.
to be hungry
Hunger and thirst are often mentioned together (Rom. 12:20; 1 Cor. 4:11; 2 Cor. 11:27; and cf. for spiritual yearning, Matt. 5:6). In glory there will be neither hunger nor thirst (Rev. 7:16), and this because of Christ’s submission to these afflictions for his own children (Luke 4:2).
to be in want
The apostle had often fallen behind. He had suffered from lack of such comforts as many other people would have considered necessities. He had come short. Yet, none of these things had deprived him of his contentment.
Over against the expressions indicating poverty and affliction are those referring to riches and glory:
to have plenty
Before his conversion Paul has been a prominent Pharisee. The future looked bright and promising. Paul had had plenty, and this in more ways than one. Yet, he had lacked the greatest boon of all: Christ-centered peace of soul. But even after his conversion there had been moments of refreshment when even physically he had experienced what it meant, in a sense, to have plenty (Acts 16:15, 40; 16:33, 34; 20:11; 28:2; Phil. 4:15, 16, 18), and now no longer apart from but in connection with peace of soul. Now, to carry oneself properly in the midst of plenty is no easy matter (Prov. 30:8; Mark 10:23–25). As the adage has it, “In order to carry a full cup one must have a steady hand,” Paul, however, by the grace of the Holy Spirit had been schooled to abundance as well as to want.
to be filled
This word, though used at first with respect to the feeding and fattening of animals (of which meaning there is an echo in the clause: “all the birds gorged themselves with their flesh,” Rev. 19:21), and applied to men chiefly by the Comic poets, was gradually losing its depreciatory sense and is here simply used as a synonym for to have plenty.
- Paul, then, is saying that in every particular circumstance as well as in all circumstances generally he has learned the secret of contentment. The cause that accounts for this soul-sufficiency, that is, the Person who taught and is constantly teaching him this secret, is indicated in the words, I can do all things in him who infuses strength into me. Surely, a wonderful testimony! Whatever needs to be done Paul can do, for he is in Christ (Phil. 3:9), being by the indwelling presence of Christ’s Spirit and by Spirit-wrought faith in vital union and intimate fellowship with his Lord and Savior. Christ’s grace is sufficient for him and his power rests on him (2 Cor. 12:9). This wonderful Helper is standing by him (2 Tim. 4:17) as the great Enabler (1 Tim. 1:12). The Lord is for Paul the Fountain of Wisdom, encouragement, and energy, actually infusing strength into him for every need. It is for that reason that the apostle is even able to say. “Wherefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in insults, in distresses, in persecutions and frustrations, for when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:10).
Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953–2001). Exposition of Philippians (Vol. 5, pp. 204–206). Baker Book House.
Top 10 NAR* and Seeker-Driven Buzzwords | Michelle Lesley
Originally published November 14, 2014
I study false teachers pretty often. I watch their videos, listen to their sermons, and read their articles. And I’ve noticed that there are some common buzzwords that New Apostolic Reformation* and Seeker-Driven false teachers tend to use over and over again. Naturally, these words are just that: words. Just because you hear your pastor, Sunday School teacher, or favorite Christian celebrity utter one or more of them doesn’t necessarily mean he or she is a heretic. But if you’re constantly hearing these words and phrases, it could be a red flag that you need to vet the person you’re listening to more carefully and see whether or not his or her theology matches up to what the Bible says. So, here, in no particular order are 10 such buzzwords and some of the false teachers who are fond of them:
1. The Glory
“Sometimes as I stand in the glory my hands and feet will begin to drip with supernatural oil, representing the miracle anointing of God.” ~ Joshua Mills
2. In The Natural
“I learned that even when we are in a place of obedience, we often have no way in the natural of knowing for sure whether we are right or wrong.” ~ Joyce Meyer
3. Shaking/Shifting
“If we continue to pray and call out to God, the nation will shift.”
“There is terror in Tampa, Tallahassee and Miami – a ring of terror; but, God has a ring of fire. Shaking, shaking, shaking.” ~ Cindy Jacobs
4. Decree
“Decree and declare… THE FAMINE IS OVER!” ~ T.D. Jakes
5. Declare
“I declare that I am a ‘no lack’ person and receive every blessing You have prepared for me.” ~ Joel Osteen
6. Spirit-man
“Pray always and when you catch your mind trying to reason out a prophetic revelation, let your spirit man rise up and take control.” ~ Jennifer Leclaire
7. Holyspirit
A number of NAR personalities refer to the third Person of the Trinity as “Holyspirit” -as though that were His first name- instead of the Holy Spirit. For example, “Holyspirit said to me the other day…”
It is nearly impossible to isolate a text example of this as a) it is usually verbal and b) search engines always include the word “the” in search results.
8. In the heavenlies
“War in the heavenlies. We can battle against the enemy’s strategies through prayer and declaration of the Word. This wins the battle in the heavenlies before it hits the earth.” ~ Patricia King
9. Come into agreement/alignment
“…the Bible states that God, before time, determined your zip code—that spiritual place and geographical location; when you get into that spot, everything around you will begin to come into alignment.” ~ Cindy Trimm
10. Cast vision
“Sure, I cast vision—but it has taken every staff member and volunteer we have to pull it off.” ~ Perry Noble
Have any of these buzzwords changed since the
original publication of this article in 2014?
What are some common words and phrases
you often hear false teachers use?
Reading Leviticus and Remembering the Cross: From Unending Sacrifices to the Perfect Sacrifice | Elizabeth Prata
By Elizabeth Prata
Like many others, I read the Bible in a year through an annual Bible Reading Plan. I am currently using the John MacArthur Daily Bible. And like many others, I find Leviticus hard to get through. I become confused with all the sacrifices. I think about the burdensome level of the priestly work, the relentlessness of the People needing to know and perform the offerings…it’s a bit much. I needed to sort through these once and for all.
A friend sent me a link to a sermon she had heard at Grace Community Church in the Sundays in July series held there. It’s by Abner Chou and he preaches a survey of the difficult books of the Old Testament, including Leviticus. I found this very helpful. I’ll link to it here, it is called “The Road Less Traveled“. I summarize part of it below. These are near quotes but not total quotes.
From Abner Chou: ‘There are 5 major sacrifices presented in the book of Leviticus and 3 of them are not for sin. That means only 2 are for sin. What are the other 3 for? They are for worship. These 5 sacrifices then mix and match in different combinations for the purpose of theology. So if you understand the underlying theology of these 5 you’ve got the theology behind all of them’.
Mainly, Leviticus is about God’s holiness.
- Burnt offering. The whole offering is burned, representing our desire to wholly offer ourselves to God. It represents Dedication.
- Grain offering. Grain was commonly cultivated and represents how God took care of them and provided, so it is for thanks. It represents Thanksgiving.
- Peace offering. (Fellowship offering). Thanking God that we have a relationship with Him. This sacrifice represents Fellowship.
- Sin offering, it’s about Sin.
- Guilt offering. Different from sin offering because it includes times when restitution has to be made. It involves times when repentance deals with how you sinned against God or your neighbor in a way that has injured them, and part of repentance is making that right in an economic fashion. (In Isaiah 53:10 we read Jesus offered himself as a guilt offering, and this is because He dealt with sin AND its consequences on the cross).
“While other Old Testament sacrifices focused on specific aspects of redemption—the burnt offering on self-surrender, the sin offering on guilt removal—the guilt offering uniquely emphasized restitution and the restoration of what sin had damaged,” says Don K. Campbell, “Sacrifice,” in The Theological Wordbook, ed. Charles R. Swindoll and Roy B. Zuck (Nashville, TN: Word Publishing, Inc., 2000), 311–312.
Back to Chou from his sermon: ‘The sacrifices show “the way we become holy must be holy”. We can’t just do the sacrifices any which way we want; we can’t go about salvation any which way I want, it has to be done God’s way and it has to satisfy HIM. And He has a standard. The example is Nadab and Abihu killed for offering strange fire. What is strange fire? It’s fire that deviates in any fashion from what God prescribes. They were supposed to mix the incense and ingredients in a certain way through certain steps. Any one that is off or different makes it strange. If you don’t offer the right sacrifice, you become the sacrifice.”‘
I also used my Logos Software to look up the offerings. Here is a short summary and the addresses for each of the 5 main offerings mentioned above:
Burnt: Lev. 9:2. Its purpose was to make an atonement for sin, Lev. 1:4; 7. Ordinances concerning, Ex. 29:15–18; Lev. 1; 5:7–10; 6:9–13; 17:8, 9; 23:18, 26–37; Num. 15:24, 25; 19:9; 28:26–31; 29. Accompanied by other offerings, Num. 15:3–16. Skins of, belonged to priests, Lev. 7:8. Offered daily, morning and evening, Gen. 15:17; Ex. 29:38–42; Lev. 6:20; Num. 28; 29:6; 1 Chr. 16:40; 2 Chr. 2:4; 13:11; Ezra 3:3; Ezek. 46:13–15. Music with, Num. 10:10.
Grain: The grain offering in ancient Israel functioned primarily as an act of worship and dedication rather than atonement. Unlike sacrifices that addressed sin, the grain offering’s purpose centered on worship, allowing Israelites to express their relationship with God through voluntary giving.
Peace: Laws concerning, Ex. 29:19–22, 31; Lev. 7:11–15, 18; 9:3, 4, 15–21; 23:19; Num. 6:14; 10:10.
Sin: Ordinances concerning, Ex. 29:10–14 with Heb. 13:11–13; Lev. 4; 5; 6:1–7, 26–30; 9:1–21; 12:6–8; 14:19, 22, 31; 15:30; 23:19; Num. 6:10, 11, 14, 16; 8:8, 12; 15:27; 28:15, 22–24, 30; 29:5, 6, 11, 16–38. Temporary, Dan. 11:31; Heb. 9, 10.
Trespass: (AKA in certain translations the Guilt Offering). Ordinances concerning, Lev. 5; 6:1–7; 7:1–7; 14:10–22; 15:15, 29, 30; 19:21, 22; Num. 6:12; Ezra 10:19. To be eaten by the priests, Lev. 7:6, 7; 14:13; Num. 18:9, 10. Offered by idolaters, 1 Sam. 6:3, 8, 17, 18. See SIN OFFERING, above.
Here are other offerings mentioned in Leviticus-
Vow: Lev. 7:16, 17; 22:17–25; Deut. 23:21–23.
Wave: Placed in the hand of the priest and waved before the Lord. Ordinances concerning, Ex. 29:22, 26–28; Lev. 7:29–34; 8:25–29; 9:19–21; 10:14, 15; 23:10, 11, 17–20; Num. 5:25; 6:19, 20. Belonged to the priests, Ex. 29:26–28; Lev. 7:31, 34; 8:29; 9:21; 23:20; Num. 18:11, 18. To be eaten, Lev. 10:14, 15; Num. 18:11, 18, 19, 31.
Wood: Fuel for the temple, Neh. 10:34; 13:31.
Thank: Ordinances concerning, Lev. 7:11–15; 22:29; Deut. 12:11, 12.
Drink: Libations of wine offered with the sacrifices, Gen. 35:14; Ex. 29:40, 41; 30:9; Lev. 23:13, 18; Num. 6:17; 15:24; 28:5–15, 24–31; 29:6–11, 18–40; 2 Kin. 16:13; 1 Chr. 29:21; 2 Chr. 29:35; Ezra 7:17.
Free Will: Must be perfect, Lev. 22:17–25. To be eaten by priests, Lev. 7:11–18. With meal and drink offerings, Num. 15:1–16. Obligatory when signified in a vow, Deut. 16:10; 23:23.
Heave: Given to the priests’ families as part of their emoluments, Lev. 10:14; Num. 5:9; 18:10–19, 24. Consecrated by being elevated by the priest, Ex. 29:27. Consisted of the right thigh or hind quarter, Ex. 29:27, 28; Lev. 7:12–14, 32, 34; 10:15; spoils, including captives and other articles of war, Num. 31:29, 41. When offered, Lev. 7:12–14; Num. 6:20; 15:19–21. In certain instances this offering was brought to the tabernacle, or temple, Deut. 12:6, 11, 17, 18. To be offered on taking possession of the land of Canaan, Num. 15:18–21.
Meal (or Meat): Ordinances concerning, Ex. 29:40, 41; 30:9; 40:29; Lev. 2; 5:11, 12; 6:14–23; 7:9–13, 37; 9:17; 23:13, 16, 17; Num. 4:16; 5:15, 18, 25, 26; 8:8; 15:1–16, 24; 18:9; 28:5, 9, 12, 13, 20, 21, 26–31; 29:3, 4, 14. To be eaten in the holy place, Lev. 10:13; Num. 18:9, 10. Offered with the sacrifices, Num. 15:3–16. Not mixed with leaven, Lev. 2:4, 11; 6:14–18; 10:12, 13; Num. 6:15, 17. Storerooms for, in the temple reconstructed by Ezra, Neh. 12:44; 13:5, 6; provided for in the vision of Ezekiel, Ezek. 42:13.
Special Sacrifices: In consecration of the altar, see ALTAR; of priests, see PRIESTS; of the temple, see TEMPLE, DEDICATION OF; for leprosy, see LEPROSY; for defilement, see DEFILEMENT.
Animal Sacrifices: A type of Christ, Psa. 40:6–8, with Heb. 10:1–14; Isa. 53:11, 12, with Lev. 16:21; John 1:29; 1 Cor. 5:7; 2 Cor. 5:21; Eph. 5:2; Heb. 9:19–28; 10:1, 11, 12; 13:11–13; Rev. 5:6.
Jesus warned that any sacrifice whether Old Testament or New testament is worthless if unaccompanied by repentance. Rote offerings without the heart involved are rejected:
Unavailing When not Accompanied by Piety: 1 Sam. 15:22; Psa. 40:6; Psa. 50:8–14; Psa. 51:16, 17; Prov. 21:3, 27; Isa. 1:11–14; Isa. 40:16; Isa. 66:3; Jer. 6:20; Jer. 7:21–23; Jer. 14:12; Hos. 6:6; Hos. 8:13; Amos 5:21–24; Mic. 6:6–8; Mark 12:33
Swanson, J., & Nave, O. (1994). New Nave’s Topical Bible. Logos Research Systems.
My overwhelming thoughts as I read through Leviticus are several: Blood-blood-blood. It definitely makes us remember the verse in Hebrews 9:22, “And almost all things are cleansed with blood, according to the Law, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”
Holy-holy-holy- as we read through this book we should have a solid understanding about how holy God is- and how UNholy we are.
It makes me think of how burdensome it was to attempt to atone for sins through endless sacrifices, which of course makes us value and understand the necessity of Jesus to make a once-for-all sacrifice (of Himself!) for our sins AND to declare us righteous through His imputed righteousness. If you watch a lot of cops videos or court TV we understand the recidivism rate is high. We may be declared innocent, or not guilty in court, but then how many people turn right around and go sin/break the law again?
As Chou mentioned there was a once-a-year reset on the Day of Atonement, but if you sinned the next day, what then?
Leviticus makes me grateful. The Lord saw fit to knit me in my mother’s womb in 1960 AD and not 960 BC when I would be under the Law in Solomon’s time.
As HA Ironside wrote in his 1929 book “Lectures on the Levitical Offerings, “He had been so continually misrepresented by the first man to whom He had committed lordship over the earth, and by all his descendants, that it was necessary that some man should be found who would live in this scene wholly to His glory. God’s character must be vindicated; and the Lord Jesus Christ, the Second Man, the Lord from heaven, was the only one who could do that.“
Praise God he sent His Son to atone for us and impute His righteousness unto us! Jesus FULLY glorified God. Our blessing is that if we repent and submit to Him, we will be saved.
5 Things That Lead to an Active and Effective Prayer Life | What Christians Want To Know
What five things can you do to activate your prayer life?
Fellowship with God
One thing about an active prayer life is that you stay in fellowship with God. For those who have repented and put their trust in Christ, they already have a relationship as His child (1 John 3:10; Gal 3:26). When we abide in daily prayer with God, we connect with Him in an intimate way that is closer than that of best friends. There is joy in knowing that God hears our prayers and that He is interested in having an intimate relationship with us, so the first thing you can do, is make every day, a day for prayer. Anytime is a good time to pray.
Cleansed by God
In 1st John 1:9 it says “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness,” so when we confess our sins to God we have the assurance that He will cleanse us from all of our sins and we will remain in a right standing before God and our relationship will be close. To confess means that we agree with God about our sins. Since God already knows about our sins anyway, why not confess them and have a clean conscience? There’s something refreshing in knowing that when we’re forgiven, we’re made whiter than snow in the sight of God (Psalm 51:7; 2 Cor 5:21), the second thing you must do is confess all known (and even unknown) sins.
Effectual Prayer
The third thing we can do comes from James who writes, “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” (James 5:16b), and I have seen direct results to my prayers and have heard dozens and dozens of testimonies of answered prayers that changed lives. What’s the common factor? They were living righteously before God. They had confessed their sins (step two). No, we’re not perfect, as that’s not possible, but living a holy life as much as humanly possible, and then with God’s own strength through our weakness, walking in the Spirit, then our prayers have more power. Why not tap into the very power of God and pray earnestly for what is on your heart; a lost family member, a grieving widow, etc. Life changes when we pray to God and it is not that we change God’s mind but that God’s mind changes us. He uses our prayers as a means to reach His ends.
Godly Wisdom
The fourth thing we can do again comes from James. This time James tells us that we ought to pray for godly wisdom and we all need it. James writes “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him” (James 1:5). Solomon prayed for wisdom “And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you” (1 Kings 3:11-12). Why would God refuse your prayer to have more of His wisdom…the wisdom that comes from above, not below (James 3:17).
Laborers for the Harvest
The final and fifth thing you can do is to understand that we are told to pray. I know and you know that prayer works. Jesus said “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (Matt 9:37-38). Clearly God would answer that prayer and I’ve seen that answered before my eyes. It seems there are few if any laborers in the church of today, but that didn’t keep me from praying. I prayed for other laborers to enter into the harvest and witness to those I’ve already shared Christ with. There are few laborers but there is such a great harvest, so pray for God to send forth more laborers and He will.
Next [below], there are three ways to see more power in your prayer life and results. How can I say that? Because when we pray according to God’s will, He’s for that and He’s more likely to answer that prayer.
3 Ways to Tap the Power of Prayer
According to His Will
When you find God’s will, you will find exactly what you need to pray for. It’s not rocket science. God’s will is found in His Word, the Bible. When you read the Bible, you can know at least some of God’s will, like it’s His desire that others be saved. The Apostle Paul wrote that God “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:4), so if you are praying for this too, then you are praying according to God’s will (Matt 6:10). That’s good. He’s more than willing to answer that prayer, so when you pray for God to save someone, you can tap God’s potent power knowing that it’s God’s will and God will hear and answer those prayers. That doesn’t mean everyone who we pray for will be saved, but we know God desires us to witness to those who are lost so that they might be saved. If you pray according to God’s will, you can unleash God’s power and God can answer your prayers by means of you praying them!
Praying in Faith
Any reading of the Bible proves that men and women in ancient times had great faith and God was well pleased with them (Heb 11:6). For them, God’s power was unleashed in response to their faith because they knew of His ability to answer it. This is not a “name it and claim it” faith where we ourselves command things to be done, but this is a prayer that trusts God and His answer, even if it’s no and even if it’s a different answer from what we prayed for. Have faith in God answering our prayers for what is for our ultimate best (Rom 8:28).
For His Glory
Jesus told us to pray in His name so that His name would be glorified. The Father is always seeking to glorify Jesus Christ’s name, so when we pray, pray in Jesus’ name and that His name will be glorified. There is one important point though; we must be abiding in Christ because, as Jesus says, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you” (John 15:7). Our prayers are affected by our abiding or not abiding in Him (and His Word, the Bible). Of course, praying in Jesus’ name, so that His name will be glorified, must be according to the will of God. It must also be a prayer that was prayed in faith, but either way, Jesus’ name will be glorified because it was in His name that we prayed.
Conclusion
There are other ways that we can tap God’s power through prayer and also other ways to improve our prayer life. At least we now know that our prayers should be in alignment with God’s will; we should be praying with believing faith; and we must be seeking to glorify Jesus’ name in our prayers, because nothing else matters but the glory of God (Psalm 115:1). God is willing to hear our prayers and wants to answer them to not only change our lives but to change the lives of those around us…only if we would ask (James 4:2). God wants to change our lives and have us see the results of an active prayer life. It is up to us, but are we willing to seek Him daily in prayer and in His Word?
Here is some related reading for you: Bible Verses About Prayer: 20 Important Scripture Quotes
Resource – Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), Crossway Bibles. (2007). ESV: Study Bible: English standard version. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Bibles. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Source: 5 Things That Lead to an Active and Effective Prayer Life
Obedience and Legalism: Ultimately with R.C. Sproul
Is it legalistic for Christians to seek earnestly to keep the moral law of God? Today, R.C. Sproul clears up common misunderstandings about legalism and helps us understand the place of obedience in the Christian life.
Study Reformed theology with a free resource bundle from Ligonier Ministries: https://grow.ligonier.org/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=get-started
Hear more from Ultimately with R.C. Sproul: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL30acyfm60fWxph9skWjvcCF41XqShypw
February 26 Afternoon Verse of the Day
THE EFFECTS OF MONEY LOVE
But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. (6:9)
The sin of loving money is dangerous not only because of its nature, but also because of its effects.
LOVING MONEY RESULTS IN SINFUL ENTRAPMENT
But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare (6:9a)
People who want to get rich are tempted strongly and often caught in painful, debilitating sin like an animal in a snare. Boulomai (want) refers to a settled desire, one born of reason, not emotion, and describes clearly those guilty of the sin of greed. The present tense of the verb empiptō (fall) indicates a continual falling into temptation and traps. Greedy people are continually entrapped by their consuming drive for more. Their pursuit of what they want is their passion. Their sinful behavior becomes compulsive and controls their lives.
The Bible cautions against becoming entrapped by material things. In Deuteronomy 7:25 Moses warned the Israelites, “The graven images of their gods you are to burn with fire; you shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them, nor take it for yourselves, lest you be snared by it, for it is an abomination to the Lord your God.” Love of money is a trap that needs to be carefully avoided.
LOVING MONEY RESULTS IN SUCCUMBING TO HARMFUL DESIRES
and many foolish and harmful desires (6:9b)
Loving money leads to the trap of crippling sin, which results in one being controlled by foolish and harmful desires. Epithumia (desires) usually speaks of evil desires. They are foolish because they are irrational, senseless, illogical. Those controlled by them thrash around like an animal in a trap, victims of their own evil lusts. When their desires are thwarted, they may even resort to violence (James 4:1–2). Their sinful desires are thus harmful to them. Those desires lead to the opposite of true happiness, because they have nothing whatsoever to do with the spiritual realm or the service of God. That alone is the source of true joy.
LOVING MONEY RESULTS IN ETERNAL JUDGMENT
which plunge men into ruin and destruction. (6:9c)
The wholehearted pursuit of material wealth ultimately ruins one’s spiritual life. Plunge is from buthizō, which means “to sink,” “submerge,” or “drag to the bottom.” The pursuit of riches ultimately drowns men. Olethros (ruin) is often used of the body, though it can have a more general meaning (cf. 1 Thess. 5:3). Apōleia (destruction) usually refers to the eternal ruin of the soul (cf. Rom. 9:22; 2 Thess. 2:3; Heb. 10:39; Rev. 17:8). The three terms together paint a picture of the total devastation of both body and soul. Love of money destroys people.
The Scriptures contain many tragic examples of those destroyed by money love. Achan’s love for money brought defeat to Israel, and death to himself and his family (Josh. 7:1–26). Judas betrayed the Lord Jesus Christ for a paltry sum of money (Matt. 27:3–5). In Acts 8:20–23, Peter sternly rebuked Simon, who sought to buy the Spirit’s power:
But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity.”
James condemned in no uncertain terms those who love money:
Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. (James 5:1–5)
“Neither their silver nor their gold,” sums up Zephaniah 1:18, “will be able to deliver them on the day of the Lord’s wrath.”
THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF MONEY LOVE
For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang. (6:10)
The phrase the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, is the theme of this section. Everything else is an exposition of the significance of that statement. Love of money translates philarguria, a compound word that literally means “affection for silver.” As already noted, money is not intrinsically evil. Paul condemns the love of money, not money itself. That love becomes the root from which develops all sorts of evil. It is hard to imagine a sin that has not been committed for love of money. Such love causes people to indulge themselves, show off, distort justice, take advantage of the poor, lie, cheat, steal, and murder.
Paul closes this passage by illustrating the danger of loving money. Some by longing for it, he warns, had wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang. Paul does not name names, but he would shortly have an example from his inner circle. Demas was perhaps even then turning aside to pursue the things of this world (cf. 2 Tim. 4:10). He, and others like him, have wandered away from the faith. Here, as in Jude 3, the faith refers to the body of Christian truth. For these apostates, gold replaced God.
Not only have they become apostates, but they have also pierced themselves with many a pang. Like an animal placed on a spit, they have skewered their own souls and brought themselves consuming grief. A condemning conscience, unfulfilled desires, dissatisfaction, and disillusionment are their lot. As Psalm 32:10 says, “Many are the sorrows of the wicked.” The ultimate pang they will suffer may well be eternal torment in hell.
Believers must pursue God, not money. Like David, they should be able to say, “As for me, I shall behold Thy face in righteousness; I will be satisfied with Thy likeness when I awake” (Ps. 17:15).
C. T. Studd was one of nineteenth-century England’s greatest cricket stars. After his conversion to Christ, he decided upon a missionary career. Before leaving for the mission field, he decided to give away his inheritance. His biographer picks up the story:
So far as he could judge, his inheritance was £29,000. But in order to leave a margin for error, he decided to start by giving £25,000. One memorable day, Jan. 13, 1887, he sent off four cheques of £5,000 each, and five of £1,000.… This was no fool’s plunge on his part. It was his public testimony before God and man that he believed God’s Word to be the surest thing on earth, and that the hundredfold interest which God has promised in this life, not to speak of the next, is an actual reality for those who believe it and act on it.
He sent £5,000 to Mr. [D. L.] Moody, expressing the hope that he would be able to start some Gospel Work at Tirhoot in North India, where his father had made his fortune. Moody hoped to carry this out, but was unable to, and instead used the money to start the famous Moody Bible Institute in Chicago …
£5,000 he sent to Mr. George Müller, £4,000 to be used on missionary work, and £1,000 among the orphans; £5,000 to George Holland, in Whitechapel, “to be used for the Lord among His poor in London,” … and £5,000 to Commissioner Booth Tucker for the Salvation Army in India. (Norman P. Grubb, C. T. Studd: Cricketer and Pioneer [London: Lutterworth Press, 1953], 65–66)
Various other organizations received the remainder of the £25,000. His actual inheritance turned out to be a few thousand pounds more than he originally figured. He gave some of that money to other organizations and the rest to his fiancee as a wedding present. Not to be outdone, she gave that money away. The couple then went to Africa as missionaries with nothing (Grubb, C. T. Studd, 66–67).
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1995). 1 Timothy (pp. 255–258). Moody Press.
- But those who are eager to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and numerous senseless and hurtful cravings.
Paul does not condemn “desire” as such. He is not a Stoic but a Christian. What he condemns is the desire to be rich. Such people fall into temptation. (The word in the original means either trial or temptation. Classic example illustrating first the one and then the other meaning is James 1:2, 12. In the present instance the meaning temptation is clear from the context.) As a snare (see on 1 Tim. 3:7) keeps an animal imprisoned, so the ungovernable passion for wealth fastens its clutching tentacles about “those who pant after the dust of the earth” (Am. 2:7). Cf. Ps. 39:6; Prov. 28:20; Matt. 6:19–21, 24–26; 19:24; James 5:1–6.
Moreover, Sin never walks alone. The desire to become rich causes the man who, in today’s terminology, is “an incarnation of fat dividends” to fall into numerous cravings. One kind of craving easily leads to another. The person who craves riches generally also yearns for honor, popularity, power, ease, the satisfaction of the desires of the flesh, etc. All spring from the same root, selfishness, which, being the worst possible method of really satisfying the “self,” is both senseless and hurtful (cf. Matt. 20:26–28; see N.T.C. on John 12:25, 26).
In the original the sentence is conspicuous by virtue of its beautiful alliteration. The constantly recurring letter p (π) strikes the eye and then the ear, and probably serves to fix the saying more firmly in the mind, as if we were to say:
“Those who desire to be opulent precipitate themselves into evil promptings and perilous pitfalls and into numerous precarious passions.”
These cravings, passions, or lusts of which the apostle speaks are described as such as plunge the members of the human race into ruin and destruction.
Instead of the gain which they were seeking (see verse 5), the men whose hearts are set on riches experience only loss. In the original the words ruin and destruction are both derived from a verb whose secondary meaning is to lose.
Note the progressive and climactic character of the movement which is portrayed here. First, these men are described as desiring the wrong thing, namely, material wealth. Soon they lose their footing and fall into temptation and a snare and numerous senseless and hurtful cravings. Finally, these cravings plunge them into ruin and destruction. Wretched men! They have guided their vessel to the very brink of the cataract, which, in its turn, plunges them into the awesome depths. For examples see the next verse. - The situation as described is correct, For a root of all the evils is the love of money.
The apostle does not say that the love of money is the (one and only) root of all existing evils, but that it is a root. Though it is true that a word does not always have to be preceded by the article the to be definite, it surely is not wise to apply the exception when this would bring Paul’s words into conflict with the facts of daily experience and with other passages of Scripture. There are other roots or sources of evil besides the love of money, for example, “bitterness” (Heb. 12:15; cf. also James 1:15). But avarice is, indeed, a root “of all the evils,” or “of all kinds of evil.” It caused the man with very many flocks and herds (in Nathan’s parable) to steal the poor man’s one little ewe lamb, the rich young ruler to turn away from Christ, the rich fool (of Christ’s parable) to deceive himself into thinking that all was well, the rich man (of another parable told by the Lord) to neglect poor Lazarus, Judas to betray his master and commit suicide, Ananias and Sapphira to tell lies, and the rich oppressors of James’ epistle (cf. Amos 2:6, 7) to exploit those who worked for them. None of these escaped punishment. The desire for riches, moreover, has been the cause of innumerable frauds, dollar-sign marriages, divorces, perjuries, robberies, poisonings, murders, and wars. And in the heart of man this sinful craving has led to “numerous pangs” (see below).
In the present connection Paul is thinking especially of church-members, as is also clear from what follows: and some people, reaching out after it, have wandered away from the faith, and have pierced themselves with numerous pangs.
People who thus reach out after (or “aspire after,” see on 1 Tim. 3:1) money are like the planets. They have wandered away from, literally “planeted away from” (ἀπεπλανήθησαν) the faith. The word planet means wanderer, for that is exactly what a planet is. Not in the sense that the earth or the other planets are “thrown out of their appointed orbits.” Their orbits have been fixed, so that it is possible by means of six or seven “elements of a planetary orbit” to predict exactly where in the sky each planet will be. But in relation to the “fixed” stars, the planets, revolving around the sun, seem to wander about. This accounts for their name.
Now it is from the faith, the truth as confessed by the church (for this objective sense of the term faith see p. 11), that these people have wandered away. They have gone astray in inner attitude, in outward conduct, and even in the profession of the lips, that is, in the things which they are now teaching. But in so doing they have pierced themselves (as a man pierces himself with a spear) with numerous pangs. Among these pangs are unrest, boredom, dissatisfaction, gloom, envy.—In the pocket of a rich man who had just committed suicide was found $30,000 and a letter which read in part: “I have discovered during my life that piles of money do not bring happiness. I am taking my life because I can no longer stand the solitude and boredom. When I was an ordinary workman in New York, I was happy. Now that I possess millions I am infinitely sad and prefer death” (Quoted by W. A. Maier, For Better Not For Worse, p. 223).
Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953–2001). Exposition of the Pastoral Epistles (Vol. 4, pp. 199–201). Baker Book House.
Mid-Day Digest · February 26, 2026
“From The Patriot Post (patriotpost.us)”
THE FOUNDATION
“Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net.” —John Adams (1798)
IN TODAY’S DIGEST
- Executive News Summary
- Featured Analysis: Candace Owens: The Persecutor
- More Analysis
- Reader Comments
- Best of Right Opinion
- Podcast
- Best of Videos
- Short Cuts
- Today’s Meme
EXECUTIVE NEWS SUMMARY
The Editors
- Hillary Clinton set to lie to Congress: Bill Clinton is mentioned in the “Epstein files” — really just a collection of any emails or files even vaguely related to Jeffrey Epstein, the notorious sex trafficker — tens of thousands of times. He flew on Epstein’s private jet and is pictured with various young women in skimpy swimsuits along with Epstein, but he won’t be appearing for the interview with the House Oversight Committee today; his wife will. Hillary has little to no connection to Epstein, although she does have some history with his sex-trafficking accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell. Hillary’s appearance before Congress comes only after the former first couple ignored a subpoena and were threatened with contempt-of-Congress proceedings. Today, House members will have the chance to privately question Hillary, although her answers will likely prove unhelpful.
- Larry Summers resigning, other Epstein fallout: After months of stepping back and avoiding the spotlight at Harvard, Larry Summers is giving in and resigning his professorship at the university where he was once president. After some emails from the Epstein files were released in November confirming that Summers continued his close relationship with Epstein right up until his arrest in 2019, Summers had stepped back from some roles and his teaching positions. Now, at the end of this academic year, he will leave the university entirely. Meanwhile, Bill Gates, who developed a relationship with Epstein in 2011 after the pedophile pleaded guilty to child prostitution, has issued an apology to his staff at the Gates Foundation. Gates maintains that he neither participated in nor was aware of illicit activities, but that his ex-wife, Melinda, was always skeptical of Epstein, to her credit.
- More judicial activism to protect illegals from deportation: Judge Brian Murphy has ruled against President Donald Trump several times in his efforts to deport the tsunami of illegals allowed into the country by the Democrats, and now he’s attempting to stop deportation to “third countries.” The Trump administration has been deporting illegals to willing third countries when the home country of an illegal is unwilling to accept their return, usually due to criminality. Judge Murphy argues that illegal immigrants have insufficient time to argue against their deportations in court. Holding up immigration proceedings for as long as possible seems to be the Democrats’ preferred strategy for a group they hope to turn into lifelong Democrat voters. Homeland Security points out that Murphy’s ruling would allow adversarial countries to wield veto power over deportations. The administration has 15 days to appeal.
- Kash Patel fires 10 involved in Trump docs case: Ten FBI agents and analysts who were involved in Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation of Trump’s handling of classified documents were fired on Wednesday. The reported reason was that while FBI Director Kash Patel and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles were private citizens, the FBI had secretly subpoenaed their phone records as part of Smith’s investigation. Patel said the subpoenas used “flimsy pretexts” and buried the “entire process in prohibited case files designed to evade all oversight.” The FBI Agents Association called the firings a violation of FBI employees’ due process rights, “destabilizing the workforce.” This follows last year’s Arctic Frost controversy in which the FBI had secretly subpoenaed several Republican lawmakers’ phone records. The FBI fired agents implicated in that investigation, too.
- Expanding government-run retirement plans: President Trump is not a small-government conservative. He proved that again during his State of the Union on Tuesday night, promising to give Americans without employer-sponsored retirement benefits access to government-run plans. He also promised to match up to $1,000 in annual contributions. How Trump intends to make the government-run plans available or meet his contribution-matching promise is unclear, and Congress would almost certainly need to pass legislation to support the initiative. The state of retirement planning for many Americans is certainly abysmal, with the average worker having less than $1,000 saved for retirement. The philosophy behind Trump’s promise makes some sense, as 401(k)s and similar plans are tied to the stock market, which is the best way to protect investments against inflation. The administration believes tying more average Americans to the stock market will boost the economy overall.
- VP targets Minnesota fraud: At the State of the Union, President Trump charged Vice President JD Vance with leading the “War on Fraud” across the country. On Wednesday, Vance took action, announcing that a quarter of a billion dollars in Medicaid funding for Minnesota would be withheld until the state proves that it can be a “good steward” of national funds. This funding was appropriated by Congress but is under the executive’s purview to divvy out to the states, allowing Vance to halt it for now. Vance explained that this funding was specifically a reimbursement to the state after healthcare providers had already been paid. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz explained that Minnesota has 60 days to provide a corrective action plan, after which the funds will be unfrozen.
- “Free” childcare for illegals: In a comical display of communism caught on camera, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez released an ad to New Yorkers illegal aliens, encouraging them to sign up for “free” childcare. The two comrades teamed up to take taxpayer money — not to make life better and more affordable in New York, but to hand it to noncitizens. To add insult to injury, they spoke entirely in Spanish. Apparently, the “warmth of collectivism” only applies to non-Americans. This won’t go over well with already incensed New Yorkers after Mamdani announced new property and other tax hikes to cover the city’s massive deficit. But somehow they have money to cover illegal aliens’ expenses? Something doesn’t add up. No wonder Bill Maher called Mamdani “a walking commercial for the Republican Party nationally.”
- Don Lemon sued: “Journalist” Don Lemon is in more hot water following his recent “protest” stunt that disrupted a church service in Minnesota. One of the church attendees, Ann Doucette, is suing Lemon for “severe emotional distress, fear, anxiety, and trauma” when he interfered with her First Amendment right to freely exercise her religion. Lemon caught himself on camera admitting, “It’s uncomfortable and traumatic for the people here, but … that’s what protesting is about.” Protesting is not about breaking the law. Lemon already faces charges from the DOJ of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act and the Ku Klux Klan Act. The lawsuit alleges that Lemon was a party to the “clandestine operation” called “Operation Pullup,” where he and the other conspirators “oppressed, threatened, and intimidated” the church congregants and the pastor. An “act of journalism” is not a get-out-of-jail-free card.
Headlines
- Trump admin sues UCLA for creating “antisemitic hostile work environment” (WFB)
- Ex-Air Force pilot arrested for allegedly training Chinese military pilots without authorization (Fox News)
- Kim Jong Un hands teenage daughter control of North Korea’s missile forces (Fox News)
The Executive News Summary is compiled daily by Jordan Candler, Thomas Gallatin, Sterling Henry, and Sophie Starkova. For the archive, click here.
FEATURED ANALYSIS
Candace Owens: The Persecutor
Emmy Griffin
Candace Owens, the supposedly right-wing Christian political commentator and podcaster, has been spouting off increasingly wild conspiracies of late. Drunk with the attention she received from her slanderous accusations against French First Lady Brigitte Macron, she pounced on her next opportunity to destroy someone for her own gain.
With each passing day, it becomes increasingly clear why Owens is no longer welcome at outfits like The Daily Wire.
Owens just released the first episode of a new investigative series titled “Bride of Charlie,” which is marketed — like everything else she says and produces — as “just asking questions” about TPUSA CEO Erika Kirk and her grieving after the cold-blooded murder of her husband, Charlie last September. The trailer for her series was meant to get everyone talking because it’s provocative and it’s heinous. The very title, “Bride of Charlie,” is meant to evoke the horror flicks of a similar name, “Bride of Chucky” or “Bride of Frankenstein” — films that conjure up a monster, which is the point.
Erika Kirk, by the way, was a special guest at President Donald Trump’s State of the Union Address on Tuesday. The timing of the Owens series is no accident.
While Owens may not be directly accusing Erika of her husband’s assassination, what she is doing is intentionally dragging a widow through the mud, defaming her, and slandering her. She wants her audience to be clued in to the fact that she thinks Erika is a monster, and her so-called investigative series will show that as well.
Owens is leading her millions of followers down the rabbit hole of disbelief and attacks on everything without proof. In fact, many of them are accusing her critics of being paid to say she’s “evil.” That’s some next-level chutzpah.
As Not the Bee’s Joel Abbot put it, “I know we have this intense distrust of institutions and public figures, and I know we don’t believe the ‘official narrative’ anymore, but some people have gone from ‘I don’t trust the government about that experimental vaccine for the sniffles’ to ‘Erika Kirk had her husband assassinated by aliens/Egyptians/Jews and they framed a gay guy with a trans boyfriend for it’ in just a few short years.”
It seems that Owens is in flagrant violation of the Ninth Commandment. As Exodus 20:16 says, “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” In this case, false witness includes lying about someone for personal gain. With each fresh conspiracy regarding her “investigation” into Kirk’s murder, Owens is earning millions of dollars because she’s trending and earning clicks.
Writing in The Free Press, investigative journalist Ashley Rindsberg reports:
Last month, her podcast was ranked third, behind Oprah and Joe Rogan, for downloads and views per episode. Podcast metrics platform VidIQ estimates Owens now earns between $163,000 and $489,000 per month from her YouTube channel. (On YouTube, revenue is tied to watch time, which is not publicly disclosed. But a rule of thumb is that a creator’s total watch time is a simple multiple of two variables: how many people click on the video, and the average amount of time each viewer stays.) An analysis by Fortune found that Owens’s podcast sponsorships alone could net between $2 million and $10 million annually. Then there’s her merchandise and fees for speaking engagements, for which she charges $10,000 to $100,000 each. When I sought to confirm her show’s monthly earnings and sponsorship revenue, Owens responded that “estimates are like a**holes…”
Like Tucker Carlson, Owens has discovered that conspiracy pays very well thanks to the nature of social media. I have made the deliberate decision not to link to the “Bride of Charlie” episode because I do not want to contribute to this mendacious feedback loop.
The commentary on Owens has been rather decisive. Those of us with a moral conscience recognized immediately that Owens’s attack on a widow — and by extension her children — is evil. Owens has always said that her purpose in digging into Charlie’s assassination was to find out who did it. Yet she has insinuated evil against countless innocent people and centered her bile on Erika. Why?
Well, conspiracy theories abound on that, and since Owens loves theories so much, here are some of them:
Some speculate that Owens hated Charlie and that this is her revenge.
Others believe Owens was in love with Charlie but was rejected. Ergo, these are the actions of a woman scorned.
Still others see this as an attempt to take control of the MAGA movement.
As former Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino explained on a recent podcast, churning out this type of garbage is heinous, opportunistic, and vile. Owens and Carlson, who is also hiding behind this “just asking questions” facade, are needlessly dividing the Right. They want followers and influence while cursing anyone who is just trying to live in peace. “This is not infighting,” Bongino added. “This kind of stuff is not in any movement I am a part of or want to be a part of.”
He is correct. Owens and Carlson are not on the same page as the rest of us conservatives. They have a much more profit-focused agenda, and it’s unconscionable that they are attacking innocent and vulnerable people simply because it brings in the bucks. Charlie Kirk was murdered, and it was live-streamed for the world to see, meaning his children may see that video one day. Erika is attempting to run the company her late husband started and to be a mother to her fatherless children. She did not ask to be thrust into the spotlight, but now that she has been, she’s choosing to honor Charlie’s legacy and forgive his killer.
As The Daily Wire’s Jeremy Boreing posted, “Erika met the moment of her husband’s assassination with a grace unimaginable. Candace met the moment of her so-called friend’s assassination as she meets every moment — focused on herself and her insatiable hunger for fame and aggrandizement.”
Ironically, Owens is slandering anyone she can conceive of with accusations of murder — except the actual murderer, who was caught, confessed, and is currently being tried.
Candace Owens is acting like a person who is either mentally ill, virulently evil, or both. Her conspiracy theory contagion has blighted otherwise thoughtful people into believing that anything that comes through official channels is not to be trusted. She’s living like a person who does not fear God at all, content with breaking the Ninth Commandment by persecuting a widow and her fatherless children. Whatever her reasons, none of them justify this attack. The best thing everyone can do is tune her out.
MORE ANALYSIS
- Thomas Gallatin: Leftists Can’t Handle U.S. Men’s Hockey Team — The inherently self-centered and anti-American Left struggles to express joy over America’s Olympic hockey team’s championship glory.
- Nate Jackson: Where to From Here on the Economy? — President Trump boasted a lot in his State of the Union, but he didn’t offer much in the way of plans for the way forward.
- Sophie Starkova: What Will It Take to Strike Iran? — Trump is asking for Iran’s nuclear programs to be eliminated, regional proxy forces to be disbanded, and ballistic missiles to be dismantled.
- Samantha Koch: The Divorce Wardrobe: When Ending a Marriage Becomes a Trend — Those who still see marriage as an institution meant to be honored are left asking: how did we get here?
- Gregory Lyakhov: Trump’s State of the Union Address Prioritized the Next Generation — The president’s annual address was many things, but in one sense, the theme was a message to the younger generation that the country will be okay.
- Patrick Hampton: Black History Month: Celebrating the Progress of Black Conservatives — Winning the cultural conversation is just the beginning. The next step is to develop policies that actually make a difference in our communities.
Don’t Miss Alexander’s Column
Read Can Trump Move the Needle?
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Reader Comments
Editor’s Note: Each week we receive hundreds of comments and correspondences — and we read every one of them. Click here for a few thought-provoking comments about specific articles. The views expressed therein don’t necessarily reflect those of The Patriot Post.
BEST OF RIGHT OPINION
- Ben ShapiroMamdani’s NYC Flirts With Chaos
- Victor Davis HansonThe Graveyard of Destructive Ideas
- Gary BauerTrump Owned the Leftist Haters
- Laura HollisRestoring Britain
- Larry ElderCarville Trashes Trump — Maybe Carville Should Sit This One Out
- The Babylon Bee8 Most Horribly Divisive Statements From Trump’s State of the Union
For more of today’s columns, visit Right Opinion.
PODCAST
| Latest PodcastPopCon #135: Video Games Aren’t Good For You…On today’s episode of “The Pop Culture Contrarian Podcast,” we’re here to tell you why video games aren’t good for you … they’re great for you! |
BEST OF VIDEOS
- The World May Never Know — How many guns did the U.S. government supply to the Mexican cartels?
SHORT CUTS
Demagogue
“[Tuesday] night was not America’s State of the Union. It was Donald Trump’s state of delusion.” —Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY)
Friendly Fire
“I don’t believe, as a Democrat … dancing frogs really moves the ball for us as a party.” —Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) on Virginia Democrat Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s response to the State of the Union
Dezinformatsiya
“Abigail Spanberger, as a congresswoman and now as governor, has been very much a moderate.” —CBS’s “Face the Nation” moderator Margaret Brennan
For the Record
“The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.” —President Donald Trump
“Why would anybody not want voter ID? One reason: because they want to cheat.” —Donald Trump
Upright
“Regarding the Medal of Honor awards to CAPT Royce Williams (USN) and CWO Eric Slover (USA), predictably some Trump-deranged Demos have politicized the awards by demeaning the recipients as political props. In fact, the heroic recipients of these Medals of Honor received high-profile recognition at a high-profile event by a president who has restored integrity, mission, and morale to our Armed Forces. Presenting the awards on behalf of Congress at a State of the Union was a fitting venue before a proud nation.” —Mark Alexander
Belly Laugh of the Day
“We need an immediate investigation to find out if anyone in the Democrat party has ties to the United States of America.” —Logan Hall
Re: Gavin Newsom’s Racism
“Black Americans aren’t your low bar. We’ve built empires, created movements, outworked, outhustled and outsmarted people like you. Stop using your mediocre academics as a way to patronize communities. Its ridiculous!” —Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC)
“Brother Newsom could’ve taken a humanistic approach! … But instead, when he thinks of Black people, he brings up low SAT scores.” —leftist Cornel West
Parents Matter
“Kids want to be seen. When they aren’t seen by their parents, they resort to social media and gaming, where their presence is validated and celebrated. One multi-year study found that as gaming increases, the perceived quality of family relationships tends to deteriorate — especially when parental bonds are weaker. If dad doesn’t see his kids, the algorithm will.” —Gates Garcia
The Bottom Line
“I don’t know Erika Kirk. I do know Candace Owens. Erika met the moment of her husband’s assassination with a grace unimaginable. Candace met the moment of her so-called friend’s assassination as she meets every moment — focused on herself and her insatiable hunger for fame and aggrandizement.” —Jeremy Boreing
And Last…
“I would much rather confuse this world and not make any sense to it than be a reflection of it.” —TPUSA CEO Erika Kirk
TODAY’S MEME
For more of today’s memes, visit the Memesters Union.
| ON THIS DAY in 1993, Islamofascist terrorists detonated a bomb in the garage of the World Trade Center, killing six. A few years later, more jihadis would take down both WTC towers, killing thousands. The U.S. has faced these threats for decades and must remain vigilant. |
“From The Patriot Post (patriotpost.us)”
$845 Trillion Derivative Crisis as U.S. Banks Prepare for Bail-Ins
Derivative exposure up 16% in 2025 alone.
Shadow banks now hold 50% of all global financial assets. No regulation. No oversight. No transparency.
Banks are using synthetic risk transfers to move losses off their books and onto your pension fund.
Regulators are just now raising red flags. The market has already metastasized.
The FDIC’s deposit insurance fund can’t cover more than 2-3 midsize bank failures.
Bail-in laws making depositors the backstop are already legal in the United States.
They passed them quietly after 2008. They knew this day would come.
Taylor Kenney breaks down the architecture that’s already in place, who’s really holding the risk, and why the next crisis won’t look like a bailout. It’ll look like a seizure.
About ITM Trading: ITM Trading has spent nearly 30 years helping clients prepare for monetary resets, inflation, and systemic risk using physical gold and silver. We focus on education, historical context, and strategies designed to protect wealth when trust in the system breaks down.
Experts Sound Alarm Over Chinese Biolabs on American Soil | IFA
In January, authorities discovered a Chinese-linked biolab in an unassuming American neighborhood, seizing over 1,000 suspicious biological agents. Now, experts are warning that similar covert labs could lead to biological warfare right in Americans’ backyards.
From CBN:
On January 31, SWAT teams and hazmat crews swarmed a Las Vegas home. What they found was shocking: a secret biological lab hidden in a garage, right in the middle of a neighborhood.
The lab was tied to the same Chinese national who was arrested back in 2023 for operating an illegal biolab in Reedley, California. That’s where authorities discovered deadly pathogens—Ebola, HIV, tuberculosis, malaria—and even genetically modified mice.
BlackOps Partners CEO and counterintelligence expert Casey Fleming said these two labs are just the beginning of something much more dangerous. He believes Chinese biowarfare is no longer some far-off threat.
According to Fleming, these biolabs are part of a larger CCP plan, and they are far from the only ones. He said, “You have to assume that there are more out there. The intended purpose is to kill Americans and to emanate it from U.S. soil.”
At IFA, we have covered extensively China’s unconventional warfare methods against the U.S. These biolabs are yet another way that the CCP is working undermine, oppose, and eventually defeat America. With these labs, Chinese Communists could start another pandemic, this time on American soil.
According to Fleming, the CCP is already working on “Covid-2 and Covid-3, and other very, very lethal viruses in the Wuhan lab.” Furthermore, Fleming claims these viruses are “a combination of those that have been stolen from U.S. labs.” In other words, the CCP is creating deadly diseases on American soil.
How should we respond? According to Fleming, we should “stop buying Chinese goods and services” and “stop investing in companies that are doing business in China.” More importantly, however, Fleming contends that this is a spiritual issue, stating, “If you want to boil it completely down. This is God versus Satan in all of its forms.”
Let’s ask God to expose the truth about these dangerous biolabs, and let’s pray for protection from all diseases and the CCP!
How are you praying? Share your prayers and scriptures below.
(Excerpt from CBN. Photo Credit: Alexandra Lee on Unsplash)
Source: Experts Sound Alarm Over Chinese Biolabs on American Soil
LIVE: Breaking Updates: Hillary and Bill Clinton Testify Over Epstein Files, and More – 2/26/26
Join RSBN LIVE as we cover the Latest News regarding the Clinton’s Deposition and the Trump White House. Tune in at 11:00 a.m. ET on February 26, 2026.
Source: LIVE: Breaking Updates: Hillary and Bill Clinton Testify Over Epstein Files, and More – 2/26/26
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