Posts by Matthew Shorack (Page 2)

Who or what are our enemies? The world, the flesh and the Devil. The world (Sociological Opposition) Many Christians are losing more battles than they would like to admit. We can experience more victory in our lives if we learn to fight Biblically. 1 John 2:15-17 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the…

Ephesians 4:1-3 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. What causes us to isolate ourselves from others? Focusing on ourselves in a negative way can…

Hebrews 12:1-2a Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith. What do you do, when God directs you to go to a place or to a ministry, that you don’t want to go to? Confirm the calling and…

Jeremiah was an Israelite priest and prophet who served in Jerusalem for decades during the end of Southern Judah. God had him warn Israel that there would be severe consequences for breaking their covenant with God through idolatry and misusing their power and authority. Babylon would be used to bring judgement on Israel. Jerusalem would be destroyed, and the people would be forced into exile. Jeremiah was called to stand his post and witness all these prophecies taking place as…

One of the greatest gifts of prayer is being dependent on God more than we are on ourselves. God doesn’t need me to remind Him of anything, but committed prayer reminds me of my dependence on Him. When I’m aware of my dependence on God, I turn to Him as a deer keeps returning to the fresh stream. God’s wants us to focus on the Blesser, not the blessing. Psalm 42:1-5 1 As the deer pants for streams of water,…

Ephesians 4:26-27 26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. Are there any negative emotions that regularly leave you exposed to Satan’s attacks? There is a TV show called Leverage. It’s about a team of thieves who come together with a cop to help people who are being used and mistreated by someone in power. They bring justice by finding…

Does the thought of being asked to compromise your values trouble you? Why or why not? Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. At some point, most of us will have an authority figure ask us to do something that compromises our values and beliefs. Would you be willing to make a respectful appeal to them, to change…

Revelation 2:14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality. Most of us only know Balaam as the man whose donkey had some challenging words for him (Numbers 22:1-41). He brought about a lot of pain and destruction for the Israelites. Balak, the king of Moab hired…

What is it that hardens a person’s heart? The Pharisees thought they were better than everyone else. What could you accuse a pharisee of? They would fast twice a week. They always read from the Old Testament. They prayed regularly. They were highly esteemed by the people around them, but Jesus accused them of being hard-hearted. Mark 3:3-6 Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. 2 Some of them were looking…

Psalm 100:4-5 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. 5 For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation. Just recently I committed to eating vegan only for three months when my youngest daughter, who was worried about my health, asked me to give it a try. After just two weeks the pain in my knees from arthritis was…

Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. How can we possibly experience peace of mind when someone that is so important to us is suffering and isolating themselves. Wouldn’t it be great if we could heal the minds and hearts of the people we love the most? The problem is, we can’t. But if…

Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. We all struggle with feeling anxious when we can’t change our situation or how our loved ones are struggling through difficult times. Is this verse just unreasonable in real life? When it says, don’t “BE” anxious about…

Galatians 5:13-15 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out, or you will be destroyed by each other. In today’s world the growth of society is judged by the speed of communication, instead of…

1 Corinthians 12:4-11 4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. 7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another…

Ephesians 6:10-12 10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Satan is at work behind the scenes to…

A while ago I was complaining in my mind as I sat at a stop light. It had gone through the cycle twice already, but my turn lane never turned green. You see an ambulance had passed through the intersection and caused me to have to wait. I felt the frustration building when a firetruck went through the intersection. Great, now I had to wait for another two cycles before my light turned green. I didn’t stop and consider who…