Category: Bible Studies

Forgiveness. This word represents a cure for so many ailments in our lives. Jesus knew and He taught it. He embodied and continues to embody FORGIVENESS today. He forgave us of all sin that has already been committed, and all sin that we will ever commit in this life.

I love Peter and his questions.

Matthew 18:21-22
Parable of the Unforgiving Debtor

How many times do figure Jesus forgives you for your sins? How many of those sins do you wake up thinking that you have to “DO” something to have the forgiveness applied to you? Brothers and Sisters…YOU ARE FORGIVEN. 70 times 7 you are forgiven. Whatever it is, once you believe that Jesus died for you on the cross for your sins, was placed in a tomb where He stayed for three days, He rose from death in resurrection, and He is now seated at the right hand of the Father, then you are forgiven. Period.

Now. Who can you forgive today? Who can you stop hating today? Who can you love, even if they hate you, today? You want to be free. Truly free. Then forgive them all. No matter what they have done, or will do to you. God is with you.

God. Teach us to forgive. Help us to move beyond our anger and frustration and forgive those that have sinned against us. Lord, we know that when we forgive, that you will move inside of us and our soul will rejoice. Heavenly Father, thank you for the forgiveness of all sin. Thank you Jesus, for redeeming us and saving us. We love you. You are holy. Amen.

Shalom.
DK

To tell a brother or sister that what they are doing is not right, is something that we have been doing for many years. Correcting inappropriate or bad behavior is commonplace in my own house, as we raise four children. But what about brothers or sisters, or other children in Christ? What about fellow human beings? Where should it stop? Where should the line be drawn? Jesus tells us…

Matthew 18:15-18 — Correcting Another Believer

In the last two verses, Jesus has plainly told us that we must correct each other in this world. We need each other. Sin being such a part of who we are, it is necessary that we are lighthouses on a rocky shore for our fellow man.

Lately, as in the last two or three years, my eyes have been opened to what is being presented to us through mainstream media. News is not news, it is just a series of horrible images designed to appeal to our internal need to stop and stare at terrible events. TV shows glorify violence, drugs, foul language, and inappropriate sexual relationships. I find myself turning the TV off more and more. The radio is off or tuned to KVMV 96.9. Music and TV can be used for good and bad. Make sure you know what is what. Move!

So the question is, who is to correct this behavior? As Christians, WE are. How to do it is explained in the verse also. Still need some help? Pray for that person. Call your fellow Christians. Don’t know who to call, call me. I will pray with you and even go with you. I am your brother in Christ, and behind me and all around us is the Army of Christ Jesus. He is with all who accept Him. Be blessed.

Amen.
Shalom.
DK

Take the challenge and be faithful. Do not let that one get away. How many times have we felt content to revel in the success of others around us that are like us. Think upon the times that you have not stopped to help someone on the side of the road because we don’t want to be late for an appointment or meeting. How many times have we been content with sticking with the masses and not helping those that truly need help. I am sure that many of us have the stories that we can tell that make us feel like we have done good for others, and granted we have. But what should stick out more are the times that we have not helped someone out, rather the ones that we have. Jesus spoke on just that in this verse…

Matthew 18: 12-14

Parable of the Lost Sheep

Picture this: You are in church, feeling uplifted and filled with the Holy Spirit. Suddenly you notice that there is a person having a hard time and leaves church quickly. You know there must be something wrong. Should you leave the comfort and wonderful feeling of your current worship to help that one person, or stay with the other 99 that are deep in worship? Yes, you leave and go after that one.

Apply this now to any situation in your life. Stop what you are doing. Get out of your comfort zone and help somebody out. You know who it is. You can see them now. Go get them. That is what Jesus is telling us today. It is not what He said. It is what He is saying. Do it now.

God, we thank you. For life, hope, grace, love, patience, and you sacrifice, we thank you. Help us to see that one person that we need to go get and help us to have the strength to go and get them. Lord, help us to lead that person back to you. In your have we pray. Amen.

Shalom.

DK

Speaking with my wife and my sister-in-law Carol, the topic turned to how we as children hang on to this world’s so called treasures. We agreed that it is the want of these “items” that creates our sorrow. An anecdote to this poison is cutting the chains that tie us to this world. How? Give it away. As we give our “stuff” away, we find happiness. The most amazing thing about this fact is that the more you give, the more you receive. It becomes a part of the process called Sanctification.

This verse provides a glimpse into what is in store for us when we get to Heaven. The question is posed to Jesus with child-like innocence. You can feel the curiosity in the questions from the disciples…

Matthew 18:1-4
1 About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?”
2 Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. 3 Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. 4 So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.

We must become like little children. With the curiosity and innocence that children possess. Have you ever watched a child as they learn something new? The way that their eyes look, their expressions, body language, and how they are so eager to figure it all out? Then the questions come, with wide open eyes. That is what Jesus is referring to. The greatest in the kingdom of Heaven will be not resemble the most powerful here on Earth. On the contrary. The greatest in Heaven will be the “meek” of this Earth.

Lord, help us to be more like you and less like us. Help us to possess the innocence and humility of a child. Heavenly Father, we ask that you give us the ability to see the value in the Kingdom of Heaven, and see that this world is only temporary. Whether we are wealthy or poor, help us to place you first in our lives and know that Heaven is coming soon. We thank you for your gift of forgiveness and love. Through your death and resurrection we have been saved and delivered. Amen.

Shalom.
DK

A man approaches Jesus, asking him to heal his son who is demon-possessed. The man explains that the disciples are unable to heal the boy. Jesus then tells the disciples this:

Matthew 17:17–20

The bottom line…FAITH. We have to have faith in Jesus in order to be able to do what He has allowed us to be able to do. What causes issues in our lives are the distractions of this world. Jesus is so right on when He says we are unbelieving and perverse. We are.

But here is the kicker. He builds us right back up. He reminds us of the gifts that He has given us. The ability to move a mountain if we have the faith to. No, this is not a figure of speech. Jesus means exactly what He says. You can move mountains with your faith.

No more victim words, people. We are victors. We are winners. We are saved. Let the world have what it wants. Give it away and watch what comes flooding right back to you. Try it. Have FAITH! Jesus WILL provide.

Amen.

Shalom.

DK

I read the following verse and I just praised Jesus. There is not much else to do. Standing in the presence of Jesus as he changes and transfigures and shows us who He is…The Son of Man, what an awesome sight.

In my visions I see Jesus giving His life for us on the cross, while at the same time being risen and glowing white. The holes in His hands and feet are clearly visible, but He is so bright and so in awe of His creations. You and I.

Back and forth the visions go, and I must honor Him for what He did. To have such power and grace, yet be so humble is beyond my understanding.

Matthew 17:1–3 — The Transfiguration

Lord, help us all to see you. Help everyone to know that what you did for us removed our chains and freed us from sin. Father, we ask that you continue to bring blessings to our lives. We thank you. We love you. In your precious and Holy name we pray. Amen.

Shalom.
DK

“This world possesses a series of distractions, designed to pull us away from growing closer to God and to serving and glorifying Him,” was a statement I made to my dad the other day.

So many events that occur in our lives can attribute to us being pulled away from growing closer to God, unless we cry out to God on a daily basis.

Let’s take the loss of a loved one, be it by passing on or just by the ones we care about simply leaving us. Either way, it can be counted in the loss column. Then come the questions: Why does this happen? Why me? What did I do wrong? Why have You forsaken me, God?

Ever been there before?

Matthew 16:24–27

Jesus is not just referring to death; He is referring to all things that we cling to in this world. Loss of life can also mean that you will give up the longing for something of this world that made you feel a certain way. Good or bad.

Forgiveness seems to be at the core of many of us and our inability to let go of the past.

For years I was angry at God.

I did not know why He took my mother. Why she suffered for so many years, only to die. The questions came. I felt the pain of loss.

Then reality hit like a ton of bricks.

God is with us. God is with me. He always was.

This verse found me:

Proverbs 3:5–6

There is the answer. The question has been answered.

TRUST. HAVE FAITH. LOVE.

Thank You, Jesus.

You are the Messiah, the Deliverer, the Redeemer, the Living God.

Amen.

Shalom.
DK

Jesus asks Peter the question, “Who do you think I am?”

Can you imagine that? Jesus, face to face with you and asking you that question. To prepare yourself, you must believe and have amazing faith. Peter was a strong man and follower of Jesus, and for this he was rewarded.

Matthew 16:16–20

As Jesus speaks to Peter, I get the overwhelming feeling that we are just like Peter. We are all rocks that a church can be built on, a place for God’s kingdom to grow.

I pray for you all tonight that you would ask for and hear God’s calling on your lives. He has a plan for you. You were born for a reason. Lord, help us to learn to be strong in faith and belief in You.

Do me a favor. A young boy named Peter that I met in Africa is having surgery on his leg. He is a beautiful soul. Pray for his healing right now.

I will pray for all of you, whether you want me to or not.

Amen.

Shalom.
DK

Wouldn’t it be awesome if we had enough true faith in God that we could not only heal ourselves, but we could even heal those that are unable to come close to God? Guess what? We can. We have the ability to move mountains with our faith. This is done through our belief and faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Just how humble was Jesus? What kind of a teacher was He? In so many instances throughout Matthew, it is obvious that Jesus was always listening and always prepared with an answer. This particular verse is an awesome read. There is an interesting twist to this one…

Matthew 15:21–28 — The Faith of a Canaanite Woman

Jesus is moved by us as His children. He loves us. He wants us to move not only on our behalf and request what we want and need, but He is shown in many instances to truly appreciate those of us that recognize that we have been created in the likeness of God. That we possess extraordinary power if we believe with strong faith.

This Canaanite woman responded to Jesus with love and FAITH. What she basically said was that the power of Jesus is so strong that even if a little bit of it (a crumb) was to fall to her daughter, that it would be powerful enough to heal her of this possession. This immediately reminded me of the woman that reached and grabbed Jesus’ robe and was immediately healed.

I can imagine the feeling that Jesus had at this moment. Here was the manifestation of true and blind faith from a woman who loved her daughter and loved Jesus. It is because of that faith that Jesus immediately healed her daughter. Jesus truly “sees” us. All of the time.

Lord, I pray that powerful faith, such as this, finds my heart ready. It is not an accident that we learn of how Jesus responds to our questions and comments with mercy and love, provided they come from the source of faith and purity and love. Lord, we know that You have promised us all of the treasures that we want and need if we place our faith in You and ask. Tonight, we do that, Lord. We place our hearts, our souls, our minds, our thoughts, and our lives in Your hands. Do with them as You please. We pray that You would use our lives to benefit Your kingdom. We ask that You pour Your blessings into our lives and bless all who are around us. We love You. You are Holy. You are Good. Your love will last forever.

Amen.

Shalom.
DK

Don’t worry if you don’t think you have “it” all together. Pressing into God creates some fear in many people at first. That’s not you; it’s the devil. Don’t listen, just have Faith. It’s much like exercise, in that the more you do, the easier it gets.

If you find yourself doing things because you’re stuck on tradition, rethink what Jesus says about what truly affects a man…

Matthew 15:16–20

I pray that God brings clarity of His law to you. Jesus does that for us in the Bible. Read and meditate on His Word by yourself. You must guard your heart through a connection with God and by His Word. So much can be taken out of context and manipulated by man or the devil, much the way the Pharisees did.

Jesus does not want sacrifice. He asks us for mercy, love, and humility.

Lord, we need Your help. We need You to step into our lives and show us how to carry the yoke of life with ease. We love You. Thank You for the many, many blessings that You have given us this day. Heavenly Father, we ask You now what You want us to do tomorrow for You. In Jesus Christ’s name we pray.

Amen.

Shalom.
DK