Footsteps to Zion

God desires for us to be fruitful. In John 15, Jesus revealed an aspect of who He is. He said He is the Vine. One characteristic of plants is that they bear fruit. He then went on to describe our relationship with Him. As believers we are branches and as His branches He desires for us to bear fruit. Because our fruitfulness is His fruitfulness. What kind of fruits is He looking for? He is seeking out for the fruit of the Spirit in us as well as the fruit of souls. John 15:8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. Matthew 21:18-19 Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” Immediately the fig tree withered away. How important is this to the Lord? The Great Commission, which is Jesus sending His disciples forth to make disciples all over the world, was part of His parting w...

Three consecutive sections of Luke 8 focus on the theme of hearing the Word of God. Jesus offered two major categories of people in Luke 8 based on hearing the Word of God. © CreationSwap/ Natanis Davidsen 2010 Luke 8:4-15 And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable: “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold.” When He had said these things He cried, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” Then His disciples asked Him, saying, “What does this parable mean?” And He said, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is give...

While we may all be physically walking free today, there may be those who are spiritually going through a prison experience.   Copyright © 2016 Faithlife / Logos Bible Software Prisoners are captives. There is a restriction imposed upon prisoners. They cannot go out. But not all prisoners are the same. Prisoners in the natural differ in why they were taken to prison and the same is true in the spiritual. There are spiritual prisoners who are captives to sin but there are also those who are prisoners of the Lord as the Apostle Paul was. Prisoner of Sin It is quite interesting how often people who commit sin think they are free. They feel that righteous living is a trap that constricts their movement and decisions while they interpret unholy living as a manifestation of freedom. And this is precisely what the enemy wants us to think. Righteousness and holiness equal to prison while unholy and unrighteous living is freedom. It harps on the idea that true freedom means th...

Proverbs 4:7 Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding. © CreationSwap/Megan Watson 2012 The Bible tells us that wisdom is the principal thing and we are commanded to get it! According to Dr. Brian Bailey: Wisdom is defined as the ability to live life in a manner that manifests the nature and purpose of God (14). It is the capacity to make right choices both in the little and big decisions in life. It is also manifested in good conduct. James 3 tells us that wisdom is manifested in good conduct. Therefore, wisdom is more than just intellectual capacity. It is behavior. James 3:13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. Wisdom determines whether we are saved and whether we reach the fullness of God’s purposes for our lives or not. I remember a preacher once said that fools go to hell but it is the wise who go to heaven. Thus, wisdom determines...

I had a dream where I was seeing a person putting something that looked like fertilizer on some potted plants. The plants were still very young. They were new growth. But as the fertilizer was put into the pots, the plants just instantly grew. In a matter of seconds, what was just an inch or two in height suddenly became as tall as 20 inches. They also became very fleshy. They were three inches in diameter. They also started to have faces and arms. However, there seemed to be a maximum point of growth that the plant reached. It was then that it quickly shriveled and transformed back to a small plant. Not only did the plant become small again but it also looked very weak. Then a commentator began to speak. He said that the Bible has spoken of this all along and warned against boosters or instant growth. © CreationSwap/Cody Davenport 2012 Since having this dream, I have contemplated on its message and have taken this as a sober warning on how we ought to progress as a body of bel...

Ruth is one of the most beautiful women in the Scripture. She is one of the few people in the Bible to whom the Bible did not attribute any fault or weakness. She was a Gentile coming from the people of Moab. Despite her background, she became part of the lineage of our Lord Jesus Christ, being the great grandmother of King David. © CreationSwap/Jason Rutel 2014 Her life speaks to us of the promise of God that His salvation will not only be to the Jews but to all who will believe in Him. Furthermore, she is a pattern for us in how we ought to move with God. She was one who flowed with the Lord through different seasons, yielding to Him ever so beautifully. Our journey with God is a walk of faith. God’s path is not something we can navigate with human wisdom and effort. Thus, if we want to be in step with God, following after Him, we need to learn from the life of Ruth. Finally, having had a spotless recorded life in the Scripture as well as the privilege of being part o...

Waiting in the Wilderness For people who are waiting for the promises of God and know that it is soon coming, the message of Deuteronomy 11 is of great significance. It is a message that gives the keys on how to enter in to the promises of God and how to keep them. It also gives us timeless warnings and reminders on the pitfalls we must avoid. Deuteronomy 11 also brings us back to the heart of the matter. First and foremost we need to understand the context of Deuteronomy 11. This is a chapter in Scripture that Moses wrote to the Israelites as they waited to enter in the Promise Land. They heard this message on their 40th year in the wilderness. Finally, after four decades, God was going to cause them to enter into their destiny. Often, God causes His people to wait for His promise in a wilderness experience. They are difficult, faith-stretching, and confusing times. However, challenging as the wilderness is, it is the very place where we are being positioned to receive God’s good Word...