The Insights

God's Favourite House Devotional October 30th, 2016 A farmer went out to plant some seed.  As he scattered it across his field, some seed fell on a footpath, where it was stepped on, and the birds came and ate it” Luke 8:5 [emphasis added] Jesus explained our Scripture reference today to mean, “The hard path where some seed fell represents the hard hearts of those who hear the words of God, but then the devil comes and steals the words away and prevents people from believing and being saved” Lu.8:12 [LB, emphasis added]. To understand the footpath, you have to look at it from a farmer’s perspective. The footpath is the trail the farmer takes when he is sowing seed or irrigating his farm. So it is usually narrow and hardened because the soil there has been compacted by the farmer’s feet. Sometimes when he is scattering seed, some fall on that pathway. But because it is narrow and particularly hardened, the seed does not go into the soil. So it does not germinate and birds ...

Today's Word with Joel & Victoria October 30th, 2016 “[In His love] He chose us [actually picked us out for Himself as His own] in Christ, before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy...” Ephesians 1:4 (AMP) Before you were ever born, before the very foundation of the earth, God knew you, planned for you and chose you! He approved you and called you His own. You may have been overlooked by people in your life; maybe you were passed up for a job or overlooked by someone whose opinion you valued. But remember, God won’t ever overlook you! In fact, He handpicked you. He chose you to be holy, or set apart, for Himself. Meditate on this truth today: You are God’s most valued possession. You are special. You are the apple of His eye. He knows everything about you; He even knows the number of hairs you have on your head. He has given you the gifts and abilities that you have for a purpose. You carry great value and significance. Don’t ever lose sight of the tr...

Our Daily Bread Devotional October 30th, 2016 Read: 1 Samuel 3:1-10 Bible in a Year: Jeremiah 20-21; 2 Timothy 4 Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” 1 Samuel 3:10 I felt like I was underwater, sounds muffled and muted by a cold and allergies. For weeks I struggled to hear clearly. My condition made me realize how much I take my hearing for granted. Young Samuel in the temple must have wondered what he was hearing as he struggled out of sleep at the summons of his name (1 Sam. 3:4). Three times he presented himself before Eli, the high priest. Only the third time did Eli realize it was the Lord speaking to Samuel. The word of the Lord had been rare at that time (v. 1), and the people were not in tune with His voice. But Eli instructed Samuel how to respond (v. 9). The Lord speaks much more now than in the days of Samuel. The letter to the Hebrews tells us, “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets . . . but in these last days he has spok...

From Faith To Faith Daily Devotion al October 30th, 2016 And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw [Jesus],he fell at his feet, And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live. And Jesus went with him. Mark 5:22-24 I wonder when God is going to do something about this problem! Have you ever asked that question? If so, you may be surprised to find out that the answer depends 100 percent on you. There's an incident in Mark 5 that will show you what I mean. Jesus had just gotten out of a boat and people were pressing all around Him, "thronging Him," it says. They had Him shoved up against the shoreline when suddenly there came a man moving through that crowd to get to Jesus. Throwing himself at Jesus' feet, Mark records, he prays and beseeches Him greatly, saying, "My little daughter ...