Free Bible Lessons: Revelation Chapters 13 and 14

These lessons include copies for both students and the teacher. You can use this free resource to teach, explain and illustrate the book of Revelation.

Download the free lessons here.

The way to peace and victory...

We do not know what we ought to pray for.(Romans 8:26)

Often it is simply the answers to our prayers that cause many of the difficulties in the Christian life. We pray for patience, and our Father sends demanding people our way who test us to the limit, "because . . . suffering produces perseverance" (Rom 5:3). We pray for a submissive spirit, and God sends suffering again, for we learn to be obedient in the same way Christ "learned obedience from what he suffered" (Heb 5:8).

We pray to be unselfish, and God gives us opportunities to sacrifice by placing other people's needs first and by laying down our lives for other believers. We pray for strength and humility, and "a messenger of Satan" (2 Cor 12:7) comes to torment us until we lie on the ground pleading for it to be withdrawn.

We pray to the Lord, as His apostles did, saying, "Increase our faith!" (Luke 17:5). Then our money seems to take wings and fly away; our children become critically ill; an employee becomes careless, slow, and wasteful; or some other new trial comes upon us, requiring more faith than we have ever before experienced.

We pray for a Christlike life that exhibits the humility of a lamb. Then we are asked to perform some lowly task, or we are unjustly accused and given no opportunity to explain, for "he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and . . . did not open his mouth" (Isa 53:7).

We pray for gentleness and quickly face a storm of temptation to be harsh and irritable. We pray for quietness, and suddenly every nerve is stressed to its limit with tremendous tension so that we may learn that when He sends His peace, no one can disturb it.

We pray for love for others, and God sends unique suffering by sending people our way who are difficult to love and who say things that get on our nerves and tear at our heart. He does this because "love is patient, love is kind. . . . It is not rude, . . . it is not easily angered. . . . It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." (1 Cor 13:4–5, 7–8).

Yes, we pray to be like Jesus, and God's answer is: "I have tested you in the furnace of affliction" (Isa 48:10); "Will your courage endure or your hands be strong?" (Ezek 22:14); "Can you drink the cup?" (Matt 20:22).

The way to peace and victory is to accept every circumstance and every trial as being straight from the hand of our loving Father; to live "with him in the heavenly realms" (Eph 2:6), above the clouds, in the very presence of His throne; and to look down from glory on our circumstances as being lovingly and divinely appointed.

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Why We Should Glory In Weaknesses...

Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12:9 Most gladly therefore will I rather glory (grateful) in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Instead of Paul being self-confident leader, he admits all of his weaknesses, faults and failures.

Why should we be glory/grateful for our weaknesses?

1. It Guarantees God's Help. When you try to serve Jesus under your own power, God will step back and watch you fail.
2. It Prevents Arrogance. Understanding you weaknesses and understanding that you cant do nothing without Jesus keeps you humble and dependent.
3. It Causes Me to Value Others. Having weaknesses in my life makes me appreciate the people that God has put in my life

Thank you Jesus for my flaws.

Growing in the Little Things...

Jesus specialized in the little jobs that everyone else tried to avoid: washing feet, helping children, fixing breakfast, and serving lepers. Nothing was beneath him, because he came to serve. It wasn't in spite of his greatness that he did these things, but because of it, and he expects us to follow his example. (John 13:15)

There will always be more people willing to do "great" things for God than there are people willing to do the little things.

The race to be a leader is crowded, but the field is wide open for those willing to be servants.

It is in these little jobs we grow like Christ.

Colossians 3:23

Antichrist (List)

I want to share with you a list of contrasts between the Antichrist and Jesus Christ.

1. Christ came from above. Antichrist will ascend from the pit.

2. Christ came in His Father’s name. Antichrist will come in his own name.

3. Christ humbled Himself. Antichrist will exalt himself.

4. Christ was despised. Antichrist will be admired.

5. Christ will be exalted. Antichrist will be cast down to hell.

6. Christ came to do His Father’s will. Antichrist will do satans will.

7. Christ came to save. Antichrist will come to destroy.

8. Christ is the Good Shepherd. Antichrist is the evil shepherd.

9. Christ is the “true vine”. Antichrist is the “vine of the earth”.

10. Christ is the “truth”. Antichrist is the “lie”.

11. Christ is the “Holy One”. Antichrist is the “lawless one”.

12. Christ is the “man of sorrows”. Antichrist is the “man of sin”.

13. Christ is the “Son of God”. Antichrist is the “son of perdition”.

14. Christ is “the mystery of godliness: Antichrist will be “the mystery of God… manifest in the flesh”. iniquity”, Satan manifest in the flesh.

Free Bible Lessons: Revelation Chapters 11 and 12

These lessons include copies for both students and the teacher. You can use this free resource to teach, explain and illustrate the book of Revelation.

Download the free lessons here.

Identifying a Miracle

The first thing you need to do, if you're going to ask God for a miracle, is to identify the problem.

In Mark 6, the problem is obvious. There's a large crowd. It's a remote location. There's nothing to eat. What would you do?

The point is this: Every miracle begins with a problem. If you don't have a problem, you don't need a miracle.

Do you have a problem? If you do, then have I got good news for you! You're a candidate for a miracle. The starting point is to recognize there is a problem.

Take a few minutes and write down one problem in your life where you'd like to see a miracle. Then pray and tell God about this problem.

Warren