Tommy Mann

This time of year people have a desire to be scared. They will dress up in scary costumes, go to haunted houses, and watch movies that keep them on the edge of their seat. While I have never had much of an appetite for such things, many enjoyed being afraid.       The Bible tells us a little fear can be a good thing.  The author of Hebrews wrote in 4:1, “Therefore, while the promise of entering His rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it.”   The rest he spoke of referred to their ancestors resting in the Promised Land. Unfortunately for that first generation, they failed to enter that rest when they turned on God (and Moses); when they weren’t complaining, they were doubting. They finally decided they didn’t want to go into the Promised Land because they didn’t believe God would give them victory.    They failed to enter their rest, but the author warned of missing another, and better, kind of rest—eternity with God. The offer was still on

  On the night of the Tenth Plague in Egypt God told Moses He was going to pass through the land and strike down all the firstborn, but He would spare each household where the blood of a spotless lamb was applied to the outside of the door.   Exodus 12:23 says, “For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you.”   God was clear. He was going to pass through, but for some He would pass over.    That is not just an old story, but serves as a model of what is going to happen in the future. God has promised to return, and when the Lord comes again He will come in judgment. John the Baptist said His winnowing fork will be in His hand (Luke 3:17). Jesus said He would separate the wheat from the chaff (Matthew 13:24-30); in another passage He said He would divide the sheep from the goats (Matthew 25:31-46). The wheat and

Many Christians say they don’t pray or read their Bible because they don’t have the time. Maybe there is something else they know they should do—like volunteering—that they can’t find the time for.    Wouldn’t it be great if we could find more time? Time isn’t a needle hiding in a haystack though; it is staring us right in the face every time we look at a clock. Like most people, I wish there were more hours in a day, but we have to learn to work with the 24 hours we have been given.   In the 1979 book  The Mighty Micro,  a prediction was made that by the year 2000, people would enjoy a 20-hour work week, and retire by age 50. Thanks to advances in technology there just wouldn’t be that much actual work to do. We are almost a quarter of a century past the year 2000, and people seem busier than ever.    There are so many things vying for our time, fighting to get their hands on some of our 24 hours, that if we do not prioritize, we will find our time has been stolen away by things that

  The devil is no fan of God’s Word, and he doesn’t want you to be one either. I believe he knows Scripture. He has been around for a long time, and he has probably read it from cover to cover. There is no way he is ignorant of the Bible. I believe he knows what it says, and he hates it.     He also knows that the more you read it and understand it, the better off you will be. Since the devil hates God yet can’t beat Him, he wants to hurt God by leading people to reject God. He does that by attacking the Bible.    Think about it: he was the first to question the Bible when he said to Eve, “Did God  really  say…?” (Genesis 3:1) He was the first to deny the Bible when he told her, “You will not surely die.” (Genesis 3:4)  And he was the first to take the Bible out of context when he told Jesus, “Throw yourself down, for He will command His angels concerning you, ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” (Matthew 4:6)   The devil cannot get rid of

People need to communicate. Whether verbally or nonverbally, humans are in constant communication with one another, so if we are bad at it, we can ruin relationships. Some people are poor communicators for a variety of reasons, but if that is you, fear not. Dr. Gary Collins, in his book   Christian Counseling,   wrote, “Communication is a learned interaction. That which is not good can be made better.”     I want to share a few quick communication killers, things we might do that turn people off and hurt our relationship. Dishonesty is a big one. Colossians 3:9 says, “Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices.” The unsaved person may lie, but those of us who are in Christ should not.    Interrupting someone who is talking is another communication killer. Interruption says, “What I want to say is more important than what you are saying. In fact, I’m more important than you.” Respect someone enough to listen intently when they are talking.  

  Angels are mentioned throughout Scripture, and they are described in a variety of ways. Some are mentioned by name (Michael and Gabriel), and some are referred to in groups (living creatures, sons of God). But there are two specific types of angels mentioned in the Bible, cherubim and seraphim.     Cherubim are found far more frequently. In fact, the word seraphim is only found once. Isaiah 6:1-3 contains this vision from the prophet:   In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”    “Seraphim” in Hebrew means “burning (or fiery) ones.” Many people have taken this to mean the angels themselves have a burning or glowing appearance, which may be tru