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SINKING IN THE MIRE Jeremiah 38:6a  Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech, that was in the court of the prison: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. The prophet Jeremiah’s enemies gathered together against him, seeking to put him to death. As a result, he was cast into the dungeon, where he began to sink in the mire. Jeremiah 38:6b  And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire: so Jeremiah sunk in the mire. Adversities and afflictions will often seem to rise against us, much like Jeremiah’s enemies rose against him. Left with no firm footing, you may find yourself sinking in the mire of despair, overwhelmed and oppressed. In the midst of discouragement, your eyes fail you of tears, your voice chokes up and your cry to the gates of Heaven seems to come to no avail, and it becomes harder to look up to the Lord in hope. Psalms 69:1-3  Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul. I sink in deep mire, where the...

Poems Presented In Church In 2021 to 2022, for about 10 months in the two main Sunday services, I presented poems in church as a ministry. Usually I shared an introduction to the poem (perhaps the story behind it if it was one of mine or if I knew of the events surrounding it), then I presented the verses behind it and a Biblical exhortation to draw closer to the Lord.  While we were recording the sermons preached each service, we did not think to actually record the poem presentations until about the last four months. The poems were a blessing to share and God's hand was definitely upon that ministry, as the poems and challenges I read often went with the theme of the sermons preached, the songs chosen, and many times both - yet the hymns chosen each day and the Pastor's themes or passages were not announced to me in advance. It was a ministry wholly dependent upon the Lord's guiding, and His hand was very evident for all those months. For various reasons, the Lord guided ...

I wanted to try something new, so I created two new blogs. One new blog, called The Substance Of Things Hoped For (Faith-based Stories and Illustration) , was created for a place for me to be able to quickly repost all the stories and illustrations that Angela Trenholm (my webpartner) had on her family site (Trenholms Of Kelowna). EarnestlyContending.com  (our domain and the central hub for all our personal sites) got repeatedly hacked a little over two years ago and we lost all the content and had to rebuild from scratch. It is a lot of work trying to repost articles, stories, songs, etc. that were posted from approximately 21 years ago onwards, but I am making a valiant effort. Doing it in a blog format also gives me the opportunity to easily add new content. The second blog is for posting Daily Devotionals once again - devotionals and poems. I had done that for several years back in 2004 onwards, but eventually it became too much work to keep doing that project and work full tim...

I thought it might be beneficial to list all studies/devotionals that I have put in this blog, for those who want to be able to quickly find one again, or for those who may be perusing this blog and are wondering what is in it. I have put an * beside the studies that were a tremendous blessing or encouragement to me when studying them out. Any messages that I preached at the Gospel Mission have @ beside them.  All links below will open in a separate window. If you read only one article on this website, please let this be it: God's Simple Plan of Salvation It concerns the most important decision you will ever make in your life! Don't let this opportunity to be saved pass you by. Note: My original Bible study site is  Eagle's Wings Ministries  (this link takes you to the Table Of Contents for it). In light of the repeated hacks on our main domain (ie. Earnestlycontending.com and the loss of all previous content, I am duplicating the studies here so as to avoid having to r...

The Disobedience Of Saul Have you ever thought what happens when we don’t obey the Lord? Sometimes the consequences are much greater than we might have originally thought. All of the Bible is given for us to learn from - from its good examples and bad, its promises and warnings. Romans 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. 1 Corinthians 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.  I love how one preacher broke down the following passage: 2 Timothy 3:16-17 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. Doctrine - what is right. Reproof - what is not right (or, showing what is wrong). Correction - how to ...

  The Furnace Of Affliction  - Part Two Come Forth As Gold Isaiah 48:10  Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction. 1) Man's Outward Trials.  A) Mankind In General:   It is obvious, from the overall testimony of Scripture, from beginning to ending, man’s lot on this earth is full of trials, troubles, afflictions, sufferings. Ever since Adam and Eve’s fall in the Garden of Eden, the curse of sin has affected all of our lives. The furnace of affliction has affected all of us.  Psalms 90:3, 5-10  Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men. Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which groweth up. In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth. For we are consumed by Thine anger, and by Thy wrath are we troubled. Thou hast set our iniquities before Thee, our secret sins in...

The Furnace Of Affliction  - Part One As Silver Is Tried Isaiah 48:10  Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction. Do you feel like you are going through fiery trials? Feel like waves are crashing against your soul? Feel like the storm clouds on the horizon are just getting darker and fiercer?  There is a reason for all that the Lord allows into your life, including the troubles and afflictions. If you are a child of God (through personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ), then all that happens in your life - whether good or ill - is for the purpose of making you more Christ-like according to Romans 8:28-29,  And we know that  all  things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. If we understand the general...