As King Saul decays in character, his disobedience leads to the degradation and downward spiral of his life. We will see him deceive himself and others more and more. God's Word calls us to learn lessons even from Kings: Willful disobedience will always cause us to drift further and further away from God.

In this chapter, Paul is proclaiming that Christ's resurrection is a confirmation and fulfillment of many of the Old Testament verses. Ultimately, Paul says, this is the focus, the centrality, the essence of the Gospel: Forgiveness of sins and freedom from guilt are available through faith in Christ to all people. Please listen to the word of God today... that - includes - you!

1 Samuel 12 is a lesson in Godly leadership & spiritual influence. If you desire to have an infinite impact, look at the life of Samuel. His redemptive potential, or in other words, his ability to spiritually influence the nation & bring about positive change in the hearts of the people, had everything to do with his character. What really defines Godly leadership is character. Character is king. Capacities are important, and chemistry and rapport is important, but character is king.

The church in the New Testament had already been proclaiming the gospel to the gentiles nearby, and Paul and Barnabas were part of that. Now the spirit leads and sends the church on an even wider mission - well beyond the borders that they knew. Has God ever called you to go beyond the borders that you've known?

After four hundred years of silence between Malachi and Matthew, John the Baptist steps onto the scene as a prophet of God. What message does God deliver to His people through John? The message is an announcement of the coming of the kingdom of heaven. And John calls the people of God to repent. As Christians we find ourselves in the same position as the people of God in John's day. We are looking for the coming of the Messiah...

Vs.6 The night before Peter was to be placed on trial, he was asleep, fastened with two chains between two soldiers. Others stood guard at the prison gate....Vs.18 At dawn there was a great commotion among the soldiers about what had happened to Peter. In vs. 6 Peter is in prison waiting to die in the morning. In vs. 18 Peter is delivered and he departs to a safe place. One of my favorite names for God is “Jehovah Nickotime” because he saves me, just in the nick-of-time. Why? And were the prayers for Peter answered?

As Israel goes out to battle, 1 Sam. 11 says that the fear of the Lord fell upon the people, and they came out together as one man. Saul recognized that the triumph over the Ammonites could have only been accomplished with the help of the Lord God. He publicly attributed the victory to God. Has there ever been a situation or circumstance in your life where you felt - you knew - that it was God who was truly......

Peter is miraculously freed from prison. The prayers of these believers were answered, even as they prayed! But when the answer literally arrived at their door - they didn't believe it. God answers the prayers of those who seek His will and...

In 1 Samuel 11, Saul is still in the field with the herd. The newly anointed king of the children of Israel now has the responsibility of leading over 3 million people and he's marching through manure in the midst of a field behind a bunch of cattle?! How telling is this! It makes me wonder about my own life. Does it make you wonder about your life, and leadership and calling?