Mothers of Nations, we all know that conflicts are simply a normal part of our life’s journey. Let’s take some time to discuss this topic and see what God’s Word teaches us about conflicts and how we should manage them as followers of Christ.

First of all, what does the word “conflict” mean?

• To contend in warfare
• To show antagonism
• To disagree
• To experience emotional tension due to incapacity, war, collision, discord, disagreement, disharmony

Conflicts have taken place all throughout human history. We have experienced ourselves conflicts in our families and our businesses. We know there are conflicts between nations and rulers of nations. And of course we have experienced conflicts in our relationships with others.

The Bible is full of stories about conflict. All of us can quickly identify examples of some of the conflicts mentioned above both from God’s Word and from the world we live in.

• Adam and Eve – husband and wife
• Cain and Abel – brothers (sons of Adam and Eve)
• G
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Today we will conclude our four-part discussion of the topic FEAR NOT! I encourage you to read the previous three blog entries if you have not done so yet. This topic is certainly applicable to all of us as we press on to our destinies in Christ Jesus!

Let’s begin today looking at two more examples from God’s Word of types of fear that can come against us.

Fear of war:  

In Psalm 27: 3-4 we read, “Though an army encamps against me, my heart shall not fear, though war rises against me, in this will I be confident. One thing I desired of the Lord and that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.”  These words of assurance are certainly important in the days in which we live today where we see wars and rumors of wars all over the world.

Fear of wealth:

I have actually known people who have become fearful when someone they know gains wealth. Yet, Luke 12:13-15 tells us one’s life does not consist in the abundance of things he possesses. Worl...

As we continue our discussion of FEAR NOT! let me first share one of my own firsthand experiences with fear and how it affected my life. For years I was uncomfortable putting my hand over the edge of my bed. This fear developed from an experience where my roommate in college hid under the bed one night, and when I dropped my hand, she grabbed it. I jumped out of the bed extremely scared and confused. She laughed, but I lived with the memory of that fearful experience for many years later.

Children can be bitten by a dog and become fearful of animals. Some teachers are so harsh that children can live with a fear of displeasing their leaders or a fear of making a mistake for years to come. So many opportunities come our way as we walk through life where fear attempts to grip our heart.

Psychologists label some fears as phobias. There is an endless list of phobias, all traced back to the fear of death. Some of these include:

Acrophobia – fear of high places

Agoraphobia –fear of market...

Today we continue our discussion of the topic FEAR NOT! If you did not read last week’s entry where we introduced our theme, I would encourage you to do that first before moving on to today’s blog discussion.

Luke 21:25-26 reveals that a great season of fear will come to the earth. ²⁵ “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; ²⁶ men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” 

Fear will increase as sorrows and tribulations increase. False Christ’s and false prophets will arise giving people false hope.

We all realize that television, movies, radio, the internet, social media, and technology have increased the communication and transference of fear to our society. Trying to compete for ratings, these formats look for sensational news stories of human dilemma such as kidnapp...

Fear is a terrible thing when it consumes your life. It can paralyze your walk with God and separate you from His blessings. The spirit of fear can enter someone whenever they have experienced danger or feel their security is challenged. Some people go to scary movies and think it is funny, yet they leave with fear in their spirit. Halloween haunted houses put fear in children and for some, certain memories of the haunted house remain for a lifetime because fear entered. 

Fear is like a magnet that attracts more problems. Once it enters our heart, it begins to bring anxiety, anger, rage, rejection, and all kinds of other emotions. It is a thief that erodes our faith, steals our joy, and wearies us.

Mothers of Nations, progress in our walk with God can be stunted because of fear. Often people refuse to press forward in the things of the Lord for fear of rejection or fear of making mistakes. Take for example these verses from Exodus 14: 1-19 where we see that the Israelites were afraid...

Mothers of Nations, I pray that you have both enjoyed and been challenged by our current discussion of “Doors of Opportunity.” This will be our final entry on this subject so please go back and read the first three entries if you have missed any of them.

As we finish our discussion, have you realized that opportunities can actually change our lives? In the book of Genesis we read about the life of Joseph, one of the twelve sons of Jacob. He had a God-given dream that actually led to an incredible door of opportunity and yet he went through many difficult situations to see the fullness of that opportunity become a reality.

• He was sold to a party of Ishmaelites / Midianites.
• At 17 years of age he became a slave.
• He ended up in Egypt for thirteen years.
• He served Potiphar and then was put in prison.
• Finally at age 30 he was released from prison and became an overseer of the land of Egypt.

As Joseph pursued his dream (and his God-given opportunity) he faced:

• The betrayal of h
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Last week we began talking about missed opportunities that have come our way. We saw how Esau squandered the opportunity that was given to him and the loss that came to him because of this. Let’s now look at what Jesus had to say about missed opportunities in Matthew 25: 14-30 (NKJV) when he taught about the parable of the talents.

¹⁴ For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. ¹⁵ And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. ¹⁶ Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. ¹⁷ And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. ¹⁸ But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. ¹⁹ After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.

²⁰ So he who had received five talents came and ...

Last week we started a series of blog entries concerning the theme “Doors of Opportunity.”  If you did not read through last week’s entry, I would encourage you to do that first before moving on with today’s comments.

Mothers of Nations, I pray that all of us would endeavor to make the most of every God-given opportunity that comes our way. Sometimes opportunities come that enhance our life and Scripture tells us why and how these doors of opportunity open to us.

Ephesians 5: 15-16 (AMP)  ¹⁵ Therefore see that you walk carefully [living life with honor, purpose, and courage; shunning those who tolerate and enable evil], not as the unwise, but as wise [sensible, intelligent, discerning people], ¹⁶ making the very most of your time [on earth, recognizing and taking advantage of each opportunity and using it with wisdom and diligence], because the days are [filled with] evil.

We see here that we are to:

•  Walk carefully.
•  Live purposely.
•  Live worthily.
•  Live accurately.
•  Live wi...

For the next four weeks we are going to be talking about "Doors of Opportunity."  We all know what an opportunity is, but have we realized that many opportunities that come our way are actually God-given?  I invite you to take this journey with me now and let's see what "open doors" might present themselves before us!

First of all, what is an opportunity?  Most simply it could be described as man’s set of circumstances that make things possible. Synonyms for the word opportunity include words such as chance, moment, or occasion.

Opportunities are times or moments offered to us where we can:

• Make the world a better place.
• Improve our skills and abilities.
• Do good for others.
• Share the gospel message. 

Acts 10:28 tells us that Jesus went about doing good. He had opportunities and He took advantage of them.

What types of opportunities does the Bible describe? We find in 1 Corinthians that Paul talks about “a wide door” of opportunity. Some translations say a “great door of opp...

As we conclude our study of the topic of forgiveness, we can find in God’s Word many examples of the power of forgiveness, as well as examples of the trouble that comes if forgiveness is not given to others. Last week we talked about examples from the lives of Moses and the brothers Cain and Abel. Today we will look at one of my favorite Bible characters, Joseph, and see how he was challenged in the area of forgiveness.

Let’s start by reading this passage from Genesis 37: 1-10 (NKJV).

Now Jacob dwelt in the land where his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan. ² This is the history of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. And the lad was with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to his father.

³ Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors. ⁴ But when his brothers saw that their fat...