Category: Bible Studies

True FAITH…

Mark 5:21-34
21 When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. 22 Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. 23 He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” 24 So Jesus went with him.

A large crowd followed and pressed around him. 25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.

30 At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”

31 “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ”

32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

It is faith, pure faith, that drove this woman to seek Jesus. Even with thousands clamoring to see Jesus, she has the will and need to merely touch His cloak. If she could only touch it, she would be healed.

Jesus felt her faith when she did that. So strong that even with so many pressing and pushing against Him, He felt her faith. Through the madness, He knew she was near. It was her faith in Him that changed her circumstances. That is the way it is for us. However, we do not need to touch His cloak to be healed and saved. We just need to submit to His plan for our lives. HIS plan, not ours.

If we trust Jesus and His will upon our lives, then our faith will catch His attention, and He will feel our presence. His spark will ignite a fire in our lives that will begin to grow into world-changing belief in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. #JesusSaves

Amen.
DK

In our eyes it was a big price to pay. In His eyes…

Mark 5:9-20
9 Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

“My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” 10 And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.

11 A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. 12 The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” 13 He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.

14 Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. 15 When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 16 Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. 17 Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.

18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. 19 Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis[b] how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.

A man possessed with a legion of demons. Wow! Enough demons to possess 1000 pigs. What is so amazing about this is that all of the demons know Jesus and are afraid of Him. They beg and plead for Jesus not to destroy them. What a scene it must’ve been.

How about the once-chained and now-free man? Once possessed by a legion, yes, an entire legion of demons. The demons are now gone, and he is in his right mind, yet that did not impress the villagers. They wanted Jesus gone. Again, they could not see the truth behind what Jesus had done. He had done what needed to be done. No more. No less. Just the right moves at the right time.

The man? He was instructed to stay and spread the word of how he was healed. He was to be the witness for all. Did you see that? Who did Jesus choose? Yes. He chose a naked, chained, filthy, demon-possessed man to spread His word. He chose us also. Let’s go. #JesusSaves

Amen.
DK

Every knee will bow at the sound of His name…

Mark 5:1-8
1 They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. 2 When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. 3 This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. 4 For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.

6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. 7 He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” 8 For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!”

This demon-possessed man from across the sea knew His name! Not only knew His name but was afraid of Him. How?

The enemy cringes at the mere thought of Jesus, and as you say His name, fear and anger overtake the devil, and he lashes out at us. The enemy does this by attacking the weakest areas of our lives.

The way to guard yourself and fight is to turn and run. Sounds manly, huh? It is the only way. You cannot beat the enemy alone. Turn and run to Jesus. He is waiting, arms open wide, to protect you. Don’t be ashamed. He made you. Even with all of your weaknesses, He made you. If given to Him, He will make your weaknesses your strengths.

When you wake in the morning, let the first word you say be, “Jesus!” #JesusSaves

Amen.
DK

The storm is coming. Whether it deals with the weather at all is beside the point. The storm is coming…

Mark 4:35-41
35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

To be able to truly understand what happened is not hard once you know that it is the Creator Himself who is with you. I imagine myself in that boat with Jesus, rocking in the waves and getting seasick and being afraid. At this point, you see, Jesus had performed miracles and was a great teacher. But to still the wind and waves, wow! This is more than they could fathom.

The last question is awesome, “Who is this?” Could it be rhetorical, or did they not quite know yet that this was the Messiah? Otherwise, they were just that panicked and awed in a situation that amazed them.

Whatever the case, these verses remind us to have faith in Jesus, God on Earth in human form walking with us. Which, in case you did not know, walks with us still to this very day. And He will be waiting for you when you get up. #JesusSaves

Amen.
DK

Jesus knew us well and knew exactly who He was speaking to…

³⁰ Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? ³¹ It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. ³² Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”

³³ With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. ³⁴ He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.

Stories, or parables, are how Jesus teaches. He does this so we can understand. He could have easily blown us away with the full truth, but He knew what we needed. And He knew what we could handle.

He was speaking to the people who had not known how to read. He spoke to the poor, the tired, the humble, the poor in spirit, and you and I. He came to save us. He did not come to judge or condemn us.

Now…read. Start with the New Testament. Read every day. It’s a promise that you will grow and succeed in God’s plan for your life and the life of your family. #JesusSaves

Please let me know if you want to talk about Jesus. I would love to tell you about Him.

Amen
DK

So what does it take from us to be a Christian?

Mark 4:26-29

²⁶ He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. ²⁷ Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. ²⁸ All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. ²⁹ As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”

Nowhere in the verse did Jesus say that it required anything. In the greatest book ever written, God Himself is telling us that we do not have to know how what we plant for the glory of God grows. We just plant. We sow seed. He will take care of the rest.

In other words, once you have received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, He will take it the rest of the way. It is His responsibility, not ours. He has us right where He wants us, and He will not fail. Then it’s harvest time, with workers needed. #JesusSaves

Amen.

DK

Jesus is the perfect teacher. IS…

Mark 4:21-25

²¹ He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand? ²² For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. ²³ If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.”

²⁴ “Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. ²⁵ Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”

This verse spoken by Jesus is incredible. He is able to help us to understand just what it means to believe and have faith. It means that we are to allow our light to shine everywhere we walk. As we grow closer to Jesus, His light becomes our light. His love becomes our love. His will becomes ours. And as this happens, we should let our light shine. It is through this shining of the light that darkness will be defeated time and time again.

Stay strong if you feel you are in the darkness and say these words: “Jesus, I love you and I want to thank you for what you have given me. I want to thank you for your love and salvation. You are my Lord and I want to surrender all to you right now.” Jesus will then take position in your life to help you battle those things that hinder you. Prepare yourself as you begin this momentous and lifelong battle with the Holy Spirit. As you do, you will be a light for all to see. #JesusSaves

Amen.

DK

Jesus taught us the way that all teachers should teach. He is still the Messiah to this day. Worship and praise HIM.  HALLEJUAH!

9 Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

10 When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. 11 He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 12 so that,“‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding, otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’[a]”
13 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 14 The farmer sows the word. 15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”

How the word is heard is the clearest word given to me in reading this verse. It is also what stage you are in growth, with no certain station being “better” than the other. Rather, it is recognizing what season you are in and recognizing that we are under attack daily. Attacked by the devil to do us harm.

Jesus tells us that it is about what the word is used for in our lives. This is a product of faith and belief, with time being irrelevant. So, regardless of what you have been duped into doing through temptation, it is time to start fresh. Slate wiped clean by the blood of the lamb. Then the roots will take hold, and through us God will produce fruit. Abundantly! #JesusSaves

Amen. Maranatha.
DK

Our calling…To throw it. Throw the seed…

Mark 4:1-8
4 Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. 2 He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: 3 “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”

Does this parable call us to concern ourselves with where the seed falls? Or does it merely tell us where it falls is not our responsibility? Good questions…

Jesus is teaching us about how each seed has potential. The potential to grow and produce fruit. However, wherever your roots decide to dig in, there you will grow. If your roots are grounded in the Holy Spirit, you can rest assured that the plant that bears fruit will bear much fruit for the kingdom.

As believers, we must be grounded in the solid ground and foundation of the Holy Spirit. It is through this pure and righteous growth that we will find our success and, moreover, our significance. We were made to flourish and prosper, not wither and die. Be strong and steadfast in the fact that your seed has fallen on good soil and prepare to glorify the Lord. #JesusSaves

Amen. Maranatha.
DK

It is incredible to think that some thought Jesus was out of His mind…

Mark 3:20-35
20 Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. 21 When his family[b] heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”

22 And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.”

23 So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. 27 In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man’s house. 28 Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.”

30 He said this because they were saying, “He has an impure spirit.”

31 Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.”

33 “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked.

34 Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

A house divided against itself makes no sense. That is what Jesus was teaching. Why would He cast out demons if the demons were actually with Him? He says that would make no sense. Yet, they didn’t believe Him, and they would continually persecute Him.

Jesus goes on to teach them that to blaspheme the Holy Spirit is unforgivable. It is a very obvious warning for all. The warning was against the Pharisees who said that Jesus has an “impure spirit” and that He was possessed by a demon. Wow!

Jesus is speaking directly to His Pharisee accusers when He shows them truth and salvation. Truth be told, it’s hard for the Pharisees to see Jesus, mostly for fear. Yet all they needed to do was submit to Him, and the questions would be answered. As they are for us today when we read God’s word.

The last few verses speak on the idea that if we are to accept God’s true gift, then we are all members of the same family of God and should be loved as we would love our family members.

Amen. Maranatha.
DK