Footsteps to Zion

In the Bible, we are told of stories of many kings – some good, some evil. We are told of their strengths and also their weaknesses. And though we may not recall all their names and where they came from, what we will probably remember are the lessons we learn from their battles – particularly, why some kings won and why some lost. One story worthy to note is the story of the king who was meant to win a battle and came so close to winning it, but in the end, because of a seemingly small mistake, still lost it. This king is King Joash of Israel. During his reign, a time came when he was about to be attacked by the Syrian army. He was so desperate that he came weeping before a prophet of God, Elisha. “…Then Joash the king of Israel came down to him, and wept over his face, and said, ‘O my father, my father, the chariots of Israel and their horsemen!’” (2 Kings 13:14) King Joash seemed to know the Prophet Elisha well, even calling him “father.” However, despite having close rela...

One of the names of the Lord is “ Jehovah Jireh ” which means " God sees our need and He will provide ." Truly, all of us have needs whether it be in a natural or spiritual sense. But in all of our needs, God is surely able to provide. Matthew 6:33 states that if we put first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, then all our needs will be met. And God supplies not just according to what we desire, but according to the riches of His glory (Philippians 4:19)! Elijah was a mighty prophet of God who came to know God very well as his faithful “ Jehovah Jireh .” As we take a closer look at the life of the prophet Elijah, we can witness God’s power to provide for His people: Provision through the ravens: God provides when we obey. “ Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there. ” (1 Kings 17:3-4) God spoke this pro...

A “promise” is an assurance that one will do or give something. Have you ever experienced waiting for something promised to you to be fulfilled? What if it will take 45 years for that promise to come to pass? Will you be willing to wait that long? Caleb was a man of God who was able to do exactly that. God promised to give him Mount Hebron as an inheritance but he had to wait 45 years before it finally became his. Mount Hebron was a mountain in Canaan, the land that God promised to the Israelites. But before they could possess Canaan, they needed to face enemies who were dwelling in that land. To conquer Mount Hebron itself, they needed to defeat the descendants of Anak - strong giants whom the people feared. Caleb first saw Mount Hebron when he was sent by Moses to spy out Canaan with 11 others. After spying the land, 10 of them got so afraid of the enemies they discouraged the Israelites from conquering Canaan. But Caleb was not one of the 10. He had a very different respon...

Based on the Message of Rev. Seth Baluyot Shining forth God’s Light We were taught in Science class that the light of the moon does not come from the moon itself. Its light is but a reflection of the light coming from the sun. This is also mentioned in the Bible in Isaiah 30:26 which says, “Moreover the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun…” Interestingly, this scientific fact actually conveys a spiritual truth. Jesus said in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” However, in another instance, Jesus said in Matthew 5:14, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.” In the first verse, He said He is the light while in the other verse He said that we, Christians, are the light. We know for a fact that Jesus was not confused nor contradicting Himself here. His two statements are both true! He is just like the sun while we are just like the moon. J...

How often have we thought to ourselves “ there’s a wall standing in my way” ? It is in those moments that we want to so move forward in life but we just can’t seem to do so. It’s because right before our very eyes lies something much bigger than us blocking our way. While these are not physical, visible walls, these are tougher to penetrate as they are spiritual roadblocks set by the enemy. These walls are intended by the enemy to intimidate us and keep us away from God’s promises and breakthroughs. THE WALLS OF JERICHO The Israelites knew these walls very well. At one point in their lives, God finally brought them to the Promise Land. However, when they stepped into that land, they faced a mighty wall built by their enemies – the walls of Jericho. These were the walls that stood in the way of the Israelites and their land of inheritance. As intimidating those walls may have been, God encouraged them by revealing the end of the matter – the Israelites were going to win! And...

Based on the message of Rev. Norman Holmes Each person has his own identity and personality. And the more that we understand the ways of a person, the more we know how that person will think and act in different situations. The same goes with our God and our relationship with Him. He has His own ways of thinking and acting. David prayed to the Lord in Psalm 25:4 to show him God's ways and teach him God's paths. He wanted to know God’s very heart. If we become like King David who knew God's heart , we will begin to understand His ways more.  Not only will we know what He does but we will also understand WHY He does certain things . We will then know how we can be co-laborers with Him. It is written that God made known His ways to Moses and His acts to the children of Israel (Psalm 103:7). Moses knew the heart and mind of God. He knew how God would react in different situations and why. He knew how he could work in harmony with God to lead the Israelites out o...

The Scripture says for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), and this means that no one is excused from sin. We all struggle with sin which may be rooted in failures, weaknesses, or even bondages. But the Scriptures have also given us keys on how to overcome sin in our lives. In Revelation 12:11, we are told of how Christians overcame the enemy in the last days: “ And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death .” The first key is the blood of Jesus .  The precious blood of Jesus is powerful to cleanse us from all of our sins and iniquities. Hebrews 9:22 says “ …without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins. ” It is by the blood of Jesus that people are saved. Nothing is of any effect unless the blood of Jesus is applied on us. We face struggles every day, so it is important to always pray for the blood of Jesus to cover us from the attacks of...