Zane Hodges Library

Over and over in the northern kingdom of Israel, men have seized the kingship, but now God is going to match the kingship with the man that God has chosen. God wants to match each believer in Jesus Christ with the kind of work that He wants that believer to do. Does God lead us by our feelings? Never once, does the Bible tell us that God leads us by our feelings. The Bible teaches us that God guid...

In this passage, we see the contrast between Gehazi and the Shunammite woman.  Gehazi's greed causes him to lose opportunities to serve God, that he will never find again. The Shunammite woman's obedience to God leads her to recover everything that she has lost.  If you lose it, will you find it again? You will find it again, if you lose it for God.  No loss in service to God or in obedience to Go...

In God's miraculous victory over the Syrians, we learn the lesson that it is always dangerous to make light of the word of God or to receive the word of God with proud unbelief. The word of God is the answer to our helplessness, despair and fear. Zane recounts his March 1998 heart attack and the comfort of God's grace by relying on His word. Other passages mentioned: Ephesians 2:8-9; Revelation 22...

Note, original recording cuts out at around 22 minutes.  It is in the crises of life, that our true nature and character are best revealed.  In this latest invasion by the King of Syria, the King of Israel has become impatient with God.  When we are going through a trying time and we are tempted to become impatient with God, it is good advice to say to ourselves, "Be calm and be patient." If we be...

In this sequel to Naaman's story of leprosy, Naaman learns that the mercy and grace of God are absolutely free.  One of the tragedies of the American church is that there are so many churches who teach and believe, that you cannot get into heaven unless you are willing to follow the Lord Jesus Christ or surrender to the lordship of Jesus Christ. People who think that way about the God of the Bible...

The famous story of the healing of Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, from the disease of leprosy, is an illustration of one of the great principles of the Bible, God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. We learn that the most important person in this story is not Naaman or even Elisha, but the unnamed slave girl from the land of Israel. God makes Himself known, not t...

The story of the sons of the prophets and the poisoned stew serves as an illustration, that man's biggest problem with God's religion is that man is always poisoning God's religion by adding to God's religion.  The antidote to poison stew in our religious experience is an extra dose of the truth of God from the word of God and an extra dose of the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ as He is revealed...

The Shunammite woman's response to the hit of the death of her son, shows us how we should respond to the hits in our life. Every time you take a hit in life, it is an opportunity to trust God, to believe in His sovereign and controlling power, and to grow in faith that God can take care of His business. The way to take the blows of life is not to worry about how our affairs will work out, but to...

The widow in this passage experienced a miracle where God provided for her and her sons in a way she never could have expected. In our dealings with our Creator and in our relationship with the living God, God often acts in ways we could never anticipate. When you bring your needs to God, you should bring them in faith and you should be prepared to do what the word of God tells you to do, and you...

The Shunammite woman's simple and unselfish hospitality towards Elisha the prophet is an example for us.  The Bible commends hospitality.  God never forgets the things we do for Him, even the small things.  If you are living a life of obedience and service to God, prepare to be surprised in how God rewards you for that obedience and service to Him whether in this life or in the life to come. Other...

In the final interaction between the prophets, Elijah and Elisha, we see one of the great examples of loyalty. If we are not loyal people, then chances are good that we need to repair our loyalty in terms of our relationship with God. Loyalty to God, translates into loyalty to His people and to His work. Like Elisha, do we have the ambition to be used significantly by Jesus Christ our Lord? Also d...

King Ahaziah starts with a flip by ignoring the word of God like his father, King Ahab, but later flops by fighting and resisting the Word of God, like his mother, Queen Jezebel.   There are three alternatives when we face the Scriptures, we ignore God's word, we resist God's word, or we love God's word by submission and obedience.  Our fruitfulness and effectiveness for the Lord will depend on th...

In this final of four messages on Baptism and Salvation in the Book of Acts, Zane examines the experience of Jews outside of the land of Israel.  Passages discussed include: Acts 13:14-39; Psalm 23:4; and Romans 7:22–24.

In this third of four messages on Baptism and Salvation in the Book of Acts, Zane looks at the experience of Jews in the land of Israel at the time of Jesus Christ on the day of Pentecost.  Passages discussed include: Acts 2:32-47 and Romans 7:4.

In this second of four messages on Baptism and Salvation in the Book of Acts, Zane examines the experience of Saul on the road to Damascus.  Passages discussed include: Acts 9:1-18, 22:6-16, 26: 12-18; John 20:31; Revelation 20:5-7, 11-15; 1 John 1:7; and Acts 10:47.

Zane discusses three ways to get us through troubling times: One, be assured that Jesus knows and is praying for us. Two, see God not superstitions. Three, listen to Him through His Word. Other passages mentioned include: Proverbs 24:10 and Job 1:21.

In the lives of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, and Ahaziah, king of Israel, we see what made Jehoshaphat, a wise son, and what made Ahaziah, a foolish son.  Jehoshaphat was a wise son in that he was focused in doing the right thing before the Lord.  Jehoshaphat was a peacemaker, a warrior and a moral person.  Jehoshaphat provided security for his people and he learned from his mistakes. Ahaziah, on t...

The death of King Ahab is a lesson for us. Although Ahab knew the prophetic word of God, Ahab never submitted himself fully to the authority of God's word. All of us have made mistakes, but we need to learn from our mistakes. The only safe course of action is obedience to the word of God and to trust God in whatever may lie ahead.  Other passages: 1 Kings 21:17-19; Galatians 6:7-8; 1 Kings 20; 1 K...

Have we ever made a decision first and then looked for support for that decision from the Bible or gone to a spiritual counselor hoping to hear confirmation of that decision?  We see from the last major story of the life of Ahab, that this is a dangerous procedure to follow.  When we make up our minds to do something without being open to the word of God, we are setting ourselves up for deception...

As King Ahab continues his conflict with Ben-Hadad, king of Syria, Ahab stands at a crossroads where he is faced with a decision that will impact his life for years to come.  Ahab has seen the power of God's prophetic word at work while at the same time permitting his wife Jezebel to promote pagan worship and persecute the prophets of God.  Will King Ahab take heed from the lessons from the prophe...

King Ahab can be a model of a Christian who is in-between good and bad. At this stage in King Ahab's career, he has the opportunity to change the direction of his life. If you believe God's word and act upon God's word, God will get the job done. There is no pathway to success except by obedience to the revealed word of God. Other passages mentioned: 1 Kings 16:31; Kings 18:19; 1 Kings 21; 1 Kings...

Fresh off his victory at Mount Carmel, the prophet Elijah replaces his faith in God with fear and depression. We learn the lesson that you cannot live today on yesterday's faith. Although we are saved once and for all by an act of faith in Jesus Christ, every day is a new battle of faith. God reserves the right to give us something better than what we ask for. When we are angry, the best thing to...

In Elijah's confrontation with the prophets of Baal, we have one of the most outstanding examples of courage and confidence in the Bible. One of the keys to successful spiritual warfare is courage and confidence in God. The secret to boldness in front of men is humility in the presence of God. Sometimes God answers prayers quickly, but other times God's answer is to wait. Part of courage and confi...

The strange behavior of Obadiah, administrator of King Ahab's house, serves as a mirror for us to examine whether we are afraid that God will not help us when we are in need.  The starting place for all true spiritual wisdom comes from a reverence and respect for the greatness and majesty of the power of God.  However, although the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, the fear of God is not the...

We see how God teaches the prophet Elijah to trust Him day by day, meal by meal and need by need, and then Elijah is able to teach this lesson to others. The secret to effective prayer is prayer based on the word of God.  Effective prayer is not thinking of something big, and praying that God will do it.  The core of effective prayer is for us to pray for the things that God has promised in His wo...