Footsteps to Zion

“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 ...

Have you ever wondered what your purpose is in life? Have you ever asked God why you are where you are right now? First John 3:20 tells us that our God is omniscient. He knows exactly what He is doing. He knows the very reason why we are where we are right now. There is a divine purpose for the family we are raised in, the neighborhood we live in, the job and office we work in, the country we are based in, and even the generation we are born in. Nothing is ever an accident with Him. He has ordained everything for a purpose. The testimony of minister Ken Gaub tells us of how God used him to minister to a woman he talked with in a phone booth in Dayton, Ohio. He was just passing by a road when a phone in a nearby phone booth kept ringing which he felt so compelled to answer. When he picked it up, the operator on the line said it was a long-distance call for Ken Gaub which is exactly who he is. The woman on the line confessed that she was on the verge of committing suicide and...

God desires His people to be strengthened, established, and stable in their personal walk with Him. His will is for His saints to know their calling in life. For some, He longs for them to be restored back to the ministry. While for others, God is teaching them to establish right relationships with others. Whatever you are going through you need to remember that your life may be the only Bible some people read. The Schemes of the Enemy In Luke 22:31 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat.” Sifting means to examine and separate something from other things, particularly those that need to be discarded. Satan wants to separate unto himself those who are unfaithful and hypocrites. He wants us to doubt that we are doing the will of God. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. The main target of the enemy is our faith in God. If Satan can destroy our faith in God then he can destroy everything in our walk. We need to bear in mind that...