We humans cannot do anything with complete purity because our sinful hearts lead us into areas of vast sin, and there is only one way they can be fixed: Jesus Christ. He is the only way toward a pure heart, and He is the only One whose nature (heart) is perfect. 

The witch expected a satanic imitation, not the real Samuel. The witch’s description was enough to convince Saul it was Samuel who had been summoned. The witch of En-Dor did nothing but show up and call upon demonic powers, which always lie (John 8:44). She had no power, and God turned deception to­­­­ truth.

People may desire the power that comes with saying, “God told me such and such,” but it is misguided. The only power we trust is that of God and His Spirit working in our lives.

As Christians—first and foremost in relation to what the world sees—we are to be ambassadors for Christ. We are people called by God to represent Him to a lost and dying (secular) world, and as we become more and more like Jesus (2 Corinthians 3:18), the world will see His character in and through us.

Hope. We all long for it, although we cannot always identify what drives us to tears or worry or anger or…you get the drift. All those emotions plus depression and anxiety can enter in when we experience a lack of hope. 

A favorite Bible verse for many is 1 Corinthians 13:13, “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” Hope is included in what we can call the big three. The greatest is love, for without love how could we even have faith or hope? “God so loved the world that he gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). 

We hope in God. Why? Because God loves us and because He does what He promises to do. He never changes, He never forsakes us, He is always for us. He means all things for good for those who love Him and who are called according to His purposes (Romans 8:28). God is good, and God is holy, faithful, trustworthy – the list of our great God’s perfect character is infinite!

As such, we can come to God when our hope is weak. Focusing on Him restores hope! Your prayers can be taken from Scripture, a personalization of a Psalm or other passage, or you can make heartfelt cries to the Lord. He hears them all.

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If a man, no matter how esteemed by earthly people, treats the Scriptures as anything but the inspired word of God, he will not stand before God as a worker approved. We are to pray and immerse ourselves in the Word.

Verse length gives the reader an indication of the theme which is being laid out by the author. And, just as in common literature, long verses seek to develop an idea or truth. Our key passage’s length indicates the author wanted to make a point which is pivotal to our understanding of the events which transpired.

Glossolalia is a 19th-century term extrapolated from the Greek word, glossa, which is the word Peter used in this passage. Glossa means “tongue” (in this case it means language).

The significance of this passage in Acts outlines the actions of a man who, though an unbeliever in Jesus Christ, was used by God to further His kingdom. God used the Jewish authorities to release the apostles; what God wills will happen. He used converted and unconverted Jews to enact His Sovereign will. God can and will use anyone of His choice to grow His church.

If we love someone with a godly love, then by definition of the word, we decide to compassionately and responsibly pursue the well-being of another. God’s Word tells us in Philippians 2:3 to, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” Loving another takes self out of the picture, except to give of oneself.

Nicodemus did not understand what Jesus meant about being “born again,” for he only understood physical birth. He asked Jesus how it could be, and he listened as Jesus told him one must be “born of water and the Spirit” in order to see the kingdom of God (John 3:5). Nicodemus, at that moment, was blind to who Jesus is — the Son of God.

The kenosis theory states Christ gave up some of His divine attributes—such as omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence—during His incarnation as a man.

The key for us as believers is to be the people God created us to be! No longer are we to be conformed to the norms of the world, but we are to be transformed, living a life pleasing to Him who called us.

When we learn another language, it brings the words to life. Paraclete has a particularly powerful meaning in the Bible, which we won't fully understand until we look at the original language.