Footsteps to Zion

The fear of the dark is one of the common fears faced by children. However, this fear of darkness is in adults too – but it’s just a different kind of darkness. Darkness for adults may represent failures, doubts, and worries for their future. Today, this darkness is so apparent all over the world - financial instability, sicknesses with no cures, rising terrorism, and earthquakes to name a few. It’s causing great fear among families, leaders, companies, and countries. So as Christians, how then do we bring light to this increasingly dark world filled with fear? The antidote to fear is courage . First Thessalonians 5:14 tells us, “ And we urge you brethren… encourage the fainthearted… ” To encourage is to literally “ add courage .” It means to give support, confidence, or hope to someone. One way to encourage is through the words we speak because our words can have powerful effects.  What we say counts. Proverbs 18:21 tells us, “Death and life are in the power of the ...

“Now we exhort you, brethren…” (1 Thessalonians 5:14) In the dictionary, the word “exhort” is simply defined as “to encourage.” It originated from the Latin words: “ ex ” (thoroughly) and “ hortari ” (urge). We often see this word in the gospels when the author is trying to warn and strengthen his fellow believers in Christ. Those who exhort the brethren are the ones who can uphold the weak in the body of Christ. The Apostle Paul was one such exhorter. He lived up to being his “ brother’s keeper ” for the church in Thessalonica. Apostle Paul preached in the city of Thessalonica for three Sabbaths but soon after, they experienced great persecution, forcing Apostle Paul to leave. This left the Thessalonians who just received Christ barely knowing the gospel. Thus, Apostle Paul wrote this Book of Thessalonians to encourage them in their faith and to teach them more about God. Whether we are just starting to walk with God like the Thessalonians or we have already known God for ...

The Lord is the Maker of the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1). But God is not only a Maker, He is also a Restorer. After God created everything, He assessed them and saw that they were good. However, when sin entered the world through man, the perfect world God created was corrupted. But the good news is that God can restore. His power to restore extends to our lives. No matter how badly we have ruined our own lives, God can repair that which is broken. While we may not always think that our lives can ever be put back together again, the Lord knows how to perfectly restore it. In God, we have hope . Isaiah 49:8-9 is a prophecy speaking of the coming of the Lord Jesus and the purpose that God had sent Him for. He is to be a Savior and Restorer of the earth and of people living in darkness. When He was here on earth, He did not only teach the Word of God but He also transformed the people He encountered along the way. Jesus Came to Restore Life, Relationships, Future, and...