Donna is a wife, mother, grandmother, writer, and Biblical counselor. She has been blogging through the Bible each year since 2012. She loves God's Word and sharing how freeing and practical it is. She is certified through the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors.
Do you struggle with what seems like unanswered prayer? Maybe you’ve been deeply hurt, possibly by someone close to you. Or maybe it’s a financial trial, a serious illness or a loss. Whatever it is, you feel like you’ve been crying out to God for help with no relief in sight. The psalmist in today’s reading expressed the same feelings. How can understanding his prayer help you and me?
Also, read about Joseph and how he is a “type of Christ.” A type is a picture (like the old “tintype,” pictures taken during the 1800s). In this case, a picture of Christ, a glimpse into God’s heart and the character of our Savior. What exactly does that mean and how should his example inspire us today?
I’ve been betrayed and there’s a good chance you have, too. Perhaps by a spouse or a close friend. A parent or guardian. A co-worker or employer. Or someone else somewhere along the way. How does God want us to respond to betrayal? What do we need to understand if we’re going to come out the other side with God’s peace, even joy? Find out in today’s post.
We’ll also look at the importance of not adding to or taking away from the Word of God and the result of doing so.
Have you ever wondered, in the midst of some difficulty, “Is God testing me?” Does God, actually, test His people, and, if so, is testing punishment or something else? And what does God do when we fail a test?
As we continue the Genesis story, Joseph will be faced with a test. How would he respond to the brothers who thought about killing him and, eventually, sold him into slavery? And his brothers will face some testing of their own, including the fear that God was punishing them for what they did to Joseph and how Joseph might retaliate.
Today we’ll look at how all that played out and see how it might help us with the tests we face.
Do you ever feel like evil is triumphing all around you? Do you wonder why ungodly, even openly evil people, are allowed to succeed? Where is God when evil seems to get the upper hand? Is He still in control? If so, why would He allow it to happen? How do we maintain hope and trust that He will deal with evil and the people behind it? How do we trust what He’s up to in our lives when our prayers seem unanswered and life is hard and confusing?
Joseph had been betrayed by his brothers and sold into slavery. He was far from home and from the eyes of everyone who knew him. But God was with him and allowed him to be promoted to steward in the house of his master, a man named Potiphar. That must have been heady stuff for a young man. But Joseph was not just smart, he was also handsome. And his master’s wife had taken notice. The next thing he knew he was faced with a moment of temptation. With Potiphar away on business and the house empty, Potiphar’s wife made an all-out attempt to seduce him.
Remember, Joseph was a man in his prime, single, abandoned by his family, and alone. Who would know? Why not do what everyone else does and simply give in to the temptation?
How many of us have been faced with that kind of temptation? Given the attention of an important person? Told we can have what our heart or our flesh craves? Away on business so who will know? What happens in Vegas … and all that? Do we give in?
Can God redeem your past? What things in your family or your past do you wish weren’t part of your personal history? Can God really use them for good? Do they disqualify you from serving God or ever being used in a meaningful way? Check out today’s reading in Genesis, especially the story of Judah and Tamar.
Our New Testament reading today is about the heart. What kind of heart do you have? Is it hard, stony, full of thorns, or is it the good ground?
“Is there an “unpardonable sin”? and “Could I have committed it?” Many people have wondered about and struggled with those questions. Maybe you have heard someone say, “I just don’t think God could forgive me for what I have done.” Maybe you’ve said it yourself. Jesus did address a sin that would not be forgiven. What was it?
Besides talking about the unpardonable sin, we’ll look at what it means when Jesus said that a house is swept and empty and why that is so dangerous. And we’ll look at one important requirement if we’re to trust God when life is hard. So, be sure to keep reading.
How many, seemingly, small compromises and decisions turn out to reap deadly consequences in our marriages, our parenting, or our thinking? What small things can turn our lives in directions we never intended?
Have you ever felt like you are wrestling with God? In Genesis 32, Jacob did just that. What was it all about? Did Jacob “win” a wrestling match with God? And why did he go away with a permanent limp?
Also, why would Jacob’s wife Rachel, after seeing all that God had done for her family, steal pagan idols from her father? And how did she use the fact that it was “that time of the month” to cover her sin? Is it possible we ladies do much the same thing?
