16. Cursed Earth, The 2nd Of 5 Earths In Scripture

“Then God said to the man, ‘You listened to what your wife said, and you ate fruit from the tree from which I commanded you not to eat. So I will put a curse on the ground.’ ” Genesis 3:17a NCV

Sin caused God to put a curse on the planet, changing everything good into something cursed.

God cursed the ground when man disobeyed in Eden.

Adam broke his covenant with God by disobeying, causing paradise to be cursed.

Satan’s leading man to sin lead to a curse on the earth itself.

The curse on earth was a direct result of man’s disobedience to God’s only command.

Heaven on earth and direct fellowship with God ended when the curse was pronounced.

God has the right to put a curse on the creation He made.

Disobedience in Eden literally caused a curse to be put on the planet itself.

Lord, I honor You as the One with the power to create or destroy, and I worship You as King and Lord of all creation forever. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Steve is author of a book featuring an in-depth study of heaven called, "My search for the Real Heaven." It's available @ Amazon.com and on His www.PrayerThoughts.com web site.

10. God Made The World In Six Days

“For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; then he rested on the seventh day. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.” Exodus 20:11 NLT

The very best commentary on scripture is other scripture. Just as He said in Exodus 31:16-17, God reveals the truth here about how long creation took. God invented language, so we can probably count on Him using the right words to teach us the truth. Note the context compares and equates the six-day work-week with the six-day creation week. The idea of millions or billions or years doesn’t come from anywhere in scripture. It’s a man-made idea. Do you really believe in millions of years and “From Goo to you by way of the zoo?”

God says the 7th day is to holy because of the 6-day creation week.

Satan wants you to doubt the truth revealed by God in the Bible.

God created the 7th day of rest as a weekly reminder that creation took 6 days.

Heaven and earth were both created during the six-day creation week.

God created heaven and earth in six days.

God literally made everything in six days and rested on the seventh.

Lord, give me faith to believe everything You’ve revealed in Your word. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Steve is author of a book featuring an in-depth study of heaven called, "My search for the Real Heaven." It's available @ Amazon.com and on His www.PrayerThoughts.com web site.

9. God Made The World In Six Days

“Israel must keep the Sabbath day forever. It is a permanent sign of my covenant with them. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, but he rested on the seventh day and was refreshed.” Exodus 31:16-17 NLT

The very best commentary on scripture is other scripture. Just as He said in Exodus 20:11, God reveals the truth here about how long creation took. God invented language, so we can probably count on Him using the right words to teach us the truth. Note the context compares and equates the six-day work-week with the six-day creation week. The idea of millions or billions or years doesn’t come from anywhere in scripture. It’s a man-made idea. Do you really believe in millions of years and “From Goo to you by way of the zoo?”

God reveals that the 7th day is to rest--just as He rested from creation on the 7th day.

The Sabbath day was created as a sign of God’s covenant with Israel.

Satan wants you to doubt the truth revealed by God in the Bible.

God created the 7th day of rest as a weekly reminder that creation took 6 days.

Heaven and earth were both created during the six-day creation week.

God created heaven and earth in six days.

God literally made everything in six days and rested on the seventh.

Lord, forgive me for doubting Your Holy Word. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Steve is author of a book featuring an in-depth study of heaven called, "My search for the Real Heaven." It's available @ Amazon.com and on His www.PrayerThoughts.com web site.

5. Pray When You’re Afraid & God Will Help

“I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me, freeing me from all my fears.” Psalm 34:4 NLT

Fears paralyze us. Prayer frees us. Participate in the latter.

God answers our prayers and frees us from all our fears.

Satan and his forces work to paralyze us through a variety of fears.

Fear can enslave you, but God can deliver you from it.

Prayer to God can literally free you from any fear that enslaves you.

Lord, I confess that fear often paralyzes me. Help me overcome. Give me the peace I seek and help me to rest in the assurance that You are greater than anything I could possibly fear. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Steve is author of a book featuring an in-depth study of heaven called, "My search for the Real Heaven." It's available @ Amazon.com and on His www.PrayerThoughts.com web site.

4. Look To God For Help And Freedom

“Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near.” Isaiah 55:6 NLT

God is close by, but don’t wait. Seek Him out and you will find Him.

God is near and easily found by those who seek Him; for now.

Satan wants you to neglect seeking the Lord until it’s eternally too late.

God is nearby, but unless you seek Him, that won’t always be the case.

Heaven is God’s abode, but it’s apparently not a far-away place.

God is literally nearby, close to each of us.

Lord, I seek You now, while You’re near and findable. Reveal Yourself to me. Give me eyes to see Your presence right here around me. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Steve is author of a book featuring an in-depth study of heaven called, "My search for the Real Heaven." It's available @ Amazon.com and on His www.PrayerThoughts.com web site.

Welcome

Welcome to the Prayer Thoughts blog, by Steve Hemphill.

This site is dedicated to the study and thoughtful consideration of and meditation on the Bible, God’s Holy word.

I believe the Bible is the literal, inerrant word of God. I believe Jesus is the only way to heaven. I believe in baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

I am focused on the evaluation of scripture in light the major themes in scripture: What does the verse or passage teach about God, spiritual warfare, prophecy, heaven, creation vs. evolution, the literal nature of scripture, and about our covenant with God. If we can’t trust God to reveal truth in Genesis 1, when can we trust Him? For easy reference, throughout the exploration of each Bible passage, I will use the following colors to discuss insights in these important, specific categories:

Insights about God will be in black.

Insights about baptism will be in purple.

Insights about our covenant with God in brown.

Insights about spiritual warfare & sin will be in red.

Insights about prophecy will be in green.

Insights about heaven will be in blue.

Insights about creation & evolution will be in orange.

Insights about women in scripture will be in grey.

Insights about the literal nature of scripture in burgundy.

Thanks for visiting. Keep praying, keep studying, and keep reading God’s word. The benefits are enormous. In fact, they’re eternal. Your Servant, Steve.