Baptist City Blog

Ezra 8:21

"Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance."

In my teenage years, I had a great desire to know God's will for my life. At thirteen years of age, I surrendered to be a preacher of the Gospel, and for the next several years I wondered in what area He would have me preach. It wasn't until I was nineteen years of age that I knew God wanted me to be an evangelist. From thirteen years of age to nineteen years of age, I sought God's will daily because I truly wanted to be in the center of God's will for my entire life.

Read more »

2 Chronicles 32:25

"But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him; for his heart was lifted up: therefore there was wrath upon him, and upon Judah and Jerusalem."

The effects of leadership's sin upon a follower is seen in the verse above. One must never underestimate the influence sin will have upon those you lead. Hezekiah lifted up his heart in pride, and in the next verse we see the people followed with pride of heart. Many times followers will follow the lead of their leader. If their leader commits sin, the follower oftentimes feels justified with doing the same. Likewise, if the leader lives righteously, then the follower will do the same. Oh the power of leadership!

Read more »

2 Chronicle 9:7

"Happy are thy men, and happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and hear thy wisdom."

Happiness is the pursuit of most people. Happiness is such a desire that the forefathers of the United States put the phrase in the Declaration of Independence, "...the pursuit of happiness." Mankind has been in the pursuit of happiness since the beginning.

Read more »

1 Chronicles 29:28

"And he died in a good old age, full of days, riches, and honour: and Solomon his son reigned in his stead."

Most people do not enjoy talking about age when they get to a certain age. A common joke is that you never ask a lady her age, and the reason is because most women as well as men don't like to think they are getting old. Old age does come whether we like it or not, and your goal should be to live to old age in a Christian manner.

Read more »

1 Chronicles 13:9

"And when they came unto the threshingfloor of Chidon, Uzza put forth his hand to hold the ark; for the oxen stumbled."

The story from the verse above is about the attempt to move the ark of the covenant to the city of David. David desired the ark of the covenant to be where he lived because he wanted God's presence and blessings upon him. There was certainly nothing wrong with David's desire. I believe that God was pleased with his desire.

Read more »

2 Kings 19:6

"And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say to your master, Thus saith the LORD, Be not afraid of the words which thou hast heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me."

Several times in the Scriptures God commands us, "Be not afraid." This was said when Hezekiah faced the impending invasion of the King of Assyria. Hezekiah had a reason to be afraid if he looked through fleshly eyes, but when he looked through spiritual eyes he could plainly see that there was no reason to be afraid. There are five reasons the Scriptures show us why we should not be afraid.

Read more »

1 Kings 17:24

"And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth."

The story from the verse above is truly a heartwarming story. Elijah was sent to a widow woman during a time of famine so that he could be fed. This widow woman had one son who was most likely her whole life. One day this boy got sick, and eventually the sickness took his life. The widow lady took her son and laid him in a bed in the loft, and afterwards went to Elijah to give her complaint to him. The prophet came to where the son was lain and God used him to raise the child from the dead.

Read more »

1 Kings 9:13

"And he said, What cities are these which thou hast given me, my brother? And he called them the land of Cabul unto this day."

When Solomon built the temple, he contracted workers from Hiram, king of Tyre. These men were used to cut down trees and carry them to Solomon to be used in the building of the temple. When the temple was done, Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities that were about five miles from Tyre.

Read more »

1 Kings 3:6

"And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day."

Assuming a leadership position oftentimes reveals the true person inside. Good people have assumed leadership roles only to become someone others never thought they would be. The reason this happens is because when a person is in leadership, and they seemingly have no one to answer to, the accessibility of power reveals the weaknesses of that person's heart.

Read more »

2 Samuel 3:18

"Now then do it: for the LORD hath spoken of David, saying, By the hand of my servant David I will save my people Israel out of the hand of the Philistines, and out of the hand of all their enemies."

One of the troubling stories in the Scriptures is found after King Saul was killed. There was a faction of people who anointed David king of Judah, but the rest of Israel fought a needless battle for Saul's name to continue. According to the verse above, Israel knew that David was to be king, but because they were more interested in fighting for a man lives were lost and the kingdom was weakened. If Israel had kept their eyes on God, they would not have fought this needless battle.

Read more »