Jesus prayed for the early disciples that they would be one (Acts 17:11b). As the early church walked in unity great grace was on the believers ((Acts 4:32), the apostles preached with power (Acts 4:33) and thousands of new Christians were added to the church (Acts 2:41). The apostle Paul exhorted the early church to walk in unity with no divisions among them (1 Cor 1:10). Jesus was clear on the results of division: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand” (Matt 12:25; NKJV). God clearly hates discord and we are strongly warned not to spread discord (Prov 6:19). On the other hand, we are called to maintain the “unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Eph 4:3; NKJV). James, the Lord’s brother, wrote, “Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” (James 1:19; NKJV). Good advice!

We are to be careful not to give offence to anyone (Matt 17:27) and also to be careful not to take offence. “Sensible people control their temper, they earn respect by overlooking wrongs” (Prov 19:11; NLT). In all of this remember that we are to forgive as God forgives us. How many times should we forgive someone? Jesus told the apostle Peter to forgive 490 times (Matt 18:22); I think He meant forgiveness should have no limit. How do we avoid strife and offence? The Bible directs us to walk in Christ-like love (Eph 5:2) and focus on His word (Ps 119:165; Isa 26:3). Don’t condemn yourself, we all need to grow in the things of God!

In the Old Testament, Micah 6:8, we are told that humility is something that God requires of us. In 2 Chron 7:14, we read that if we humble ourselves and pray then God will forgive us our sins and heal our land. How we need that! The book of Proverbs is full of verses encouraging humility and we learn that if we are humble, we will experience honour (Prov 18:12; 15:33; 18:12), riches and life (Prov 22:4), God’s favour (Prov 3:34) and wisdom (Prov 11:2). Wow! that is motivation to be humble right there!

Jesus taught on humility, “For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Luke 14:11; NLT). Notice that either we humble ourselves or God will humble us. Not only did Jesus teach humility but He lived it! (Phil 2:5-9). James taught that humility is the result of wisdom (James 3:13) and Peter instructs us to “clothe ourselves with humility” and adds that God “gives grace (favour, blessing) to the humble ‘(1 Peter 5:5; AMPC). Interestingly, Paul also teaches the Colossians to clothe themselves with humility (Col 3:12). The Greek word for humility in those 2 examples means to “have a deep sense of one’s own littleness.”

If you want some practical suggestions on how to become humble, Paul says in Rom 12:3, “I warn everyone among you not to estimate and think of himself more highly than he ought (not to have an exaggerated opinion of his own importance) but to rate his ability with sober judgment….” (AMPC). God clearly blesses the Humble, Amen?

This is one of my favourite sections of scripture. In verse 1 we are exhorted to close our eyes and think of all those amazing people in the Bible who have gone before us and achieved great things in faith. Think of Moses who led the whole nation of Israel out of Egypt, parting a sea on the way (Ex 12:50-14:31). Reflect on Abraham, King David, Gideon and so many more (Gen; 1 Sam; 2 Sam; Judges 6-8). In the New Testament, we read how the apostle Paul preached about Jesus across Asia and into Europe with signs, wonders and miracles (Acts 9:20-31; 12:25-14:28; 15:36-28:31). These should fire up our faith to be able to lay aside everything that gets in the way of our relationship with Jesus. Our Christian life is a race, a life of growing to be more like Jesus and being used by Him to change the world around us.

In verse 2 we are challenged to keep focused on Jesus. He, through His life, death and resurrection gave us faith to embrace Christianity. Through the words of Jesus, our faith can grow to maturity (Rom 10:17). We need to consider the ultimate example of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! He saw with joy beyond the cross to the results of His sacrifice; He saw you and me and millions of others – saved, restored and in fellowship with God for all of eternity.

In verse 3 we are challenged that when we get weary and discouraged with the opposition we may face as Christians we should stop and consider the hostility Jesus had to face on earth. Just remember that like Jesus our final destination is with God in heaven. That should spur us all on, amen?

“What time I am afraid, I will have confidence in and put my trust and reliance in You” (Ps 56:3; AMPC). This was written by David, a brave warrior who was called a man after God’s heart (1 Sam 13:14). Even though the Bible tells us 365 times not to be afraid, David admitted to fear. If we are all honest, we would probably say the same thing, I know I would. One of the devil’s frequent tricks is to whisper lies in our ear about fear. However, we all know the devil is a liar so what does God have to say about fear? He says He has “not given us a spirit of fear” (2 Tim 1:7; NKJV) and He also says “fear not” throughout the Bible. For example, “Fear not for I am with you” (Isa 41:10; ESV), “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid” (Mark 6:50; NKJV). One of my favourites is “Fear not, believe only” (Luke 8:50; NKJV).

However, what do we do when those fearful thoughts bombard us? 2 Cor 10:5 tells us to, “take every thought captive” (CSB), in other words, cast them out of your mind and replace them with scriptures pertaining to whatever you are fearful about – whether it be health, finances, children etc. Also speak peace over your mind; remind yourself that you have “the peace of God which surpasses all understanding” (Phil 4:7; NKJV) and God “will keep you in perfect peace” (Isa 26:3; NKJV). You may have to keep doing this over and over but keep doing it because it is a step of faith; the more you speak it, the more you believe it and the more you will experience it. “I sought the Lord and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears” (Ps 34:4; NKJV).

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and fortress; my God, in Him will I trust” (Ps 91; 1-2; NKJV). If we walk in an intimate, ongoing relationship with Him, we can find refuge under God’s protective shadow, His fortress. That should make us all feel secure and confident in life. King David wrote, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me” (Ps 23:4; NKJV). How often when a young child is bullied, he will stick his chest out and say “my dad will deal with you if you try to push me around.” Our heavenly dad is the Father of all Fathers!

There are so many Bible verses dealing with God’s protection of us (1 John 5:18, for example). God guards us from all the works of the devil (2 Thess 3:3), He is our Rock (2 Sam 22:3; Ps 62:2), our Shield (2 Sam 22:3; Ps 3:3), our Strong Tower (Prov 18:10) and He delivers us from all our afflictions (Ps 34:19). Jesus gave us God’s authority and victory over all the works of the devil, so that nothing can hurt us (Luke 10:19). It’s great to know that God never sleeps (Ps 121:4), He will never leave us or forsake us (Deut 31:6) and no one can ever snatch us out of His hand (John 10:28). God has given us armour to use to use to resist and overcome all the assaults of the enemy (Eph 6:13-18). Read and meditate on all the verses given above and build up your faith to dwell under God’s protective shadow, in His fortress!