“every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.” John 15:2   Pruning is the most crucial thing that happens in a vineyard. Healthy grapes cannot grow without it. In fact, a lack of sufficient pruning can cause a vineyard to fail completely. The pruning process is no[...]

“My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.” John 15:8   What God expects of us, as believers, boils down to two words—bear fruit. In the life of a Christian, fruit is how we outwardly express what God is doing inwardly. The more[...]

“Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.” Psalm 37:7   Our culture is gripped with anxiety. And it’s no wonder with all that’s going on in the world. Even many believers are dealing[...]

“Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, ‘You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.’” James 2:17–18   Faith is believing and acting[...]

“Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He himself has said, ‘I will never forsake you,’ so that we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?’”[...]

“Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:7   When the Bible addresses generosity, it starts with what we have in our hearts, not what we have in the bank. In fact,[...]

“’Yet even now,’ declares the Lord, ‘Return to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, weeping and mourning; and rend your heart and not your garments.’ Now return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness and relenting of evil.”[...]

“How long, O Lord, will I call for help, And You will not hear? I cry out to You, ‘Violence!’ Yet You do not save.” Habakkuk 1:2   It can be disheartening when God seems to be silent about the problems surrounding us. It’s hard to know what we should[...]

“You who rejoice in Lodebar, and say, ‘Have we not by our own strength taken Karnaim for ourselves?’” Amos 6:13   It’s a red flag to our spiritual condition when we celebrate victories that do not require faith. That’s exactly what happened to Israel in today’s passage. Lodebar and Karnaim[...]