Monthly Archive

2 Thessalonians 1:12 Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be honored along with him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ.

Jesus, be glorified . . . in everything that I do, in every part of me, let me exemplify you.  

As we go through each day, we choose to think before we speak and act, and we consider, is Jesus being glorified in this decision? Then we make choices that glorify Him.

When we’re led by the Spirit of God, there are no tough decisions only big ones. People led by the Spirit of God allow the Holy Spirit to direct and guide them where they need to go. All decisions can be made by the Holy Spirit and all the decisions made by the Holy Spirit will align itself up to God’s will. Whether to apply for this job or not, turn right or left, go here or there, date him or her. One of the biggest decisions we can make as believers is whether or not we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us or not.

Be led by the Holy Spirit.

…those who are led by the Spirit of God are son of God.
—Rom 8:14

Deuteronomy 30:19 I call heaven and earth to witness this day against you that I have set before you life and death, the blessings and the curses; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live

Proverbs 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.

God has given us free will. He’s given us the choice to do the right thing or the wrong thing. When thoughts enter our mind, it will either be righteous or unrighteous. Righteous thoughts are aligned with God’s Word and unrighteous thoughts are contrary to the Word of God.

We also receive thoughts that may appear to be righteous however; it is not God’s plan for our lives. When those particular thoughts enter our mind, let the peace of God be the deciding factor (Colossians 3:15). A thought may seem good, righteous, and noble but, if you don’t have peace about it, it’s not God’s will for you.

That’s why it’s so important to be led by the Holy Spirit. He will guide you and give you peace or conviction about certain thoughts or actions.

Choose Life!

Tom and Bill are about to install a window into a house. Tom believes the window is 6 feet tall but Bill believes the window is 5 feet tall. In order to settle the disagreement, Tom and Bill use a measuring device to measure the window. After measuring the window, the window turned out to be 5 feet tall. That settles the debate, Bill was correct.

When it comes to life, Tom believes it’s okay to have sex outside of marriage but Bill believes it’s wrong. In order to settle the disagreement, Tom and Bill use the Word of God (a measuring device) to see how they should live. 1 Corinthians 6:18 says to “flee fornication” which means Bill is correct.

However, Tom wants to give excuses of “I can’t help it, God forgives,” “everyone’s doing it,” and “how can you have a relationship without sex?” The argument is not settled.

Isn’t it funny how some people place more value and trust in a ruler than the Word of God? They have no additional comments when the truth of a ruler comes into place but, when the truth of the Word of God comes in they want to argue and rationalize.

Use the Word of God as your ruler. Whatever God’s Word says is right, you say is right. Whatever God Word says is wrong you say is wrong.

Leviticus 11:44 “I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy.”

Inspired by Apostle Price

John 17:16 They do not belong to this world any more than I do.

We cannot allow ourselves to internalize the pain of this world. Some of the people who we expect more from, can be the source of hurt and pain.  We see situations happen and sometimes we take on the weight of others.  It’s time to purge, and understand this world is not us.  We do not belong here and our time here is limited.  So, be encouraged, cast your cares on God, and keep your focus on God.

Isaiah 59:¹² For our transgressions are multiplied before You [O Lord], and our sins testify against us; for our transgressions are with us, and as for our iniquities, we know and recognize them [as]:

God is the Judge who will judge all of us according to our works (righteous or unrighteous lifestyle) on the earth.

On the Day of Judgment, all our sins we’ve committed will testify against us, informing God of all the wicked and evil things we’ve done on earth.

But to those who have made Jesus Lord and Savior and have asked God for forgiveness we have an Advocate testifying on our behalf. We have an Advocate Who shed His blood and paid the price for all the sins we’ve done.

Thank You Jesus for paying the price for our sins. Now we are made righteous and fit to dwell in the Kingdom of God.

John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have [it] more abundantly.

When bad things happen, it’s not God’s fault. We live in a world that Satan has free reign over (Ephesians 2:2).

BUT, God sent His Son that we can have life (and quality of life) more abundantly. *He is the source of every good and perfect thing in our lives and He wants to give us more.* We only have to keep Him the center of our focus.

*Psalm 35:27 Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the LORD be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.*

Isaiah 59:¹ BEHOLD, THE Lord’s hand is not shortened at all, that it cannot save, nor His ear dull with deafness, that it cannot hear.

² But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.

God hears our prayers and hears our cry for help. What God doesn’t want to hear is another excuse or rationalization for our sins.

The truth of the matter is we are consciously aware of what we do before we do it. Most of us don’t do something then wonder how we got outside the will of God. There’s no action without thought.

An unrighteous lifestyle is what can separate us from our breakthrough, our promotion, our healing, and our deliverance.

Do yourselves a favor, live a life that’s pleasing to God. Please God not only to reap the benefits of His promises but, because you love Him and grateful for all the things He’s done for you.

Be Blessed!

Hebrews 12:¹⁴Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:

So many people are quick to say when I die I’m going to go to heaven. Well let’s examine the requirements to go to heaven according to the Word of God.

1. Make Jesus our Lord and Savior-(Romans 10:9).

2. The second requirement is that our lifestyle is pleasing to God. We can’t do anything we want to do and expect to go to heaven.

Question yourselves.

Will our daily actions on the earth be permitted in heaven? If the answer is NO, we probably should quit engaging in those actions. I’m not referring to those who occasionally lose the battle of temptation and sin.

I’m referring to those who practice sin.

I’m referring to those who make excuses for their sin.

I’m referring to those who rationalize and reason with their sin.

Check yourselves to make sure you are holy because without holiness you will never see the Lord.

1 Peter 1:8Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,

Sometimes we get wrapped up in the task lists and do’s and do not’s of Christianity that we minimize the core of it all: Love.  We LOVE God!  When you are in love with someone, sometimes you sit and daydream about how great they are and you revel in the pleasant thoughts of them. Choose to daydream about God. Some of the greatest love songs could be sung to God. Maybe spend time listening to a love song, and dwelling on being so in love with such an awesome, kind, loving Father, Savior, King!

1 Timothy 2:¹ I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—

³ This is good, and pleases God our Savior, ⁴ who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

If you were a deceiver like Satan (Rev 12:9), what would be more of a deception?

For someone to believe God doesn’t need a sacrifice (Jesus) for the sins of the world. A person can make it to heaven without accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior as long as they’re kind and do good works.

Or

For someone to believe Jesus is the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6).

ANSWER: The best deception would be to make people think they can make it to heaven own their own without Jesus.

So many people are deceived to believe a person can make it to heaven without Jesus. Wouldn’t it be better for someone to believe in the complete package (God + Jesus as Savior) instead of one or none at all?

Pray for people you know who are deceived in the world. Pray that their eyes be open to believe and receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Pray that the hands of Satan our removed from their minds. Pray that their minds are renewed with the Word of God.

James 1:¹⁴ Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. ¹⁵ These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.

Some sins feel very natural to us, and we feel as though we were born with that sin (Psalm 51:5).  But, when we face temptation to dishonor God, we must realize that our flesh, while it feels natural, is temporary.  So, we do not give in to our flesh, and we do not get frustrated by temptation (temptation is not the sin).  Instead, we choose to fight against giving in to sin, and we embrace life!

Psalm 27: ¹⁰Although my father and my mother have forsaken me, yet the Lord will take me up [adopt me as His child].

We are in the middle of Mother’s and Father’s Day where parents are celebrated for the hard work and dedication of raising children. To those who experienced the absence or abuse of a parent(s), this message is for you.

First, forgive your parents. If you were abused by your parent(s) or your parents were not apart of your life the way you felt they should; forgive them. As Christians, we have no right to hold on to the sin another man/woman has done to us (even if they were parents). So forgive. (Mark 11:25)

Secondly, allow the blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse your conscience of all the pain or dead works that the absence or abuse of your parents has brought you. Only the blood of Jesus will make you free from all the hurt, pain, and loneliness of the absence or abuse of a parent. (Hebrews 9:14)

Finally allow God to be everything that you need. If you need a mother or father, let Him be your mother or father. If you need a comforter, let Him be your comforter. If you need a friend, let Him be your friend. God can be everything you need but, you must let Him in. (Revelation 3:20)

If this message was not for you, be a blessing by sending this message to someone who may be dealing with the pain of an abusive or absent parent.

James 1:¹³ And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else.

God does not test us through temptation.  He doesn’t throw things in our face to attempt to mess us up.

There are situations in this life that help grow us, and we continue to show our faithfulness to God no matter the circumstance (James 1:2,3)!

Scripture of the Day: Believe and Speak

Matthew 8:8 But the officer said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed.

Matthew 8:13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! It will be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that very hour.

After you have done all you can do naturally, there are two things we must do to get results in our lives.

Believe and Speak

When we believe without doubt, we don’t have to wait to see the manifestation to speak it. For example, if a good friend says they are coming to your house tomorrow, most of us would believe them without doubting. Not only would we believe them, but we would tell others about it. We wouldn’t wait until the friend actually arrives to tell others, we would tell others immediately.

The same concept applies to God.

If you feel sick, believe God’s Word on healing and tell others you’re healed.

If you feel tired, believe God’s Word on strength and tell others you’re strong.

If you feel depressed, believe God’s Word on joy and tell others you’re joyful.

Believe God’s Word and Speak It!

Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

There is a quote that says “If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans.”

This quote is not necessarily Biblical.

If we have the mind of Christ, our plans will be agreeable to God’s will. Our dreams, desires, aspirations, and goals are painted on our imagination by God. So the plans that we declare or desire ultimately come from God.

Another scripture that supports this revelation is Psalm 37:4

Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Why would God give us the desires/plans of our heart if we are not supposed to make plans in the first place?

Remember to test all things and see if they line up with the Word of God. If they don’t we must cast it out!

Be Blessed!

NIV Revelation 1: (3)Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near. (5b)To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, (6a)and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father

Blessed is beyond being happy; it is an assurance of a favorable outcome from God. We are freed from our sins; we are no longer powerless against those incessant temptations. We can resist temptation and live righteously.

So, we are blessed for hearing God’s word and living by it, and we are free from our past failures (sins) to serve God and enjoy an abundant life. Praise God  that we are continually blessed and free and bless others as well . . .

Helpful Hints
For those who want to live and do right but feel like sin is controlling your life, these are helpful tips you can use to overcome sin.

All sin comes from thought.

There is no action without thought.
Sin is an action
If we control our thoughts we can control our actions.
When we control our actions, we control sin.

When the thought of sin enters our mind, we must cast it away. Don’t dwell on the thought or else your actions will follow your thoughts.

“The life span of a thought is determined by how much attention is given to it. It can only live as long as you give it attention. A thought cannot exist without your attention. Thoughts increase or decrease depends on how much attention we give it.”
~ Apostle Price

This will help.
Be Blessed!

Revelation 1: (17b) I am the First and the Last. 18I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.

John 6: 35Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 37However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them.

When we come to Christ, we are always accepted. We show through our faith our commitment to Him, and He keeps us (even when we stray from that commitment). He conquered death (the seemingly impossible) and is now a living nourishment for us.  He is the First, Last, and everything that we need (our bread & water).

Praise God that He provides for us, that He will not let us go, and we have power through Him to conquer all!

It’s important we learn how to apply the Word of God in every area our life. For those who don’t know how to apply the Word of God in your life, here’s an example of applying the Word of God in obtaining a career.

Step 1, Ask:

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you (Luke 11:6).

Ask- God I ask for a career in _______ (fill in the blank).

Step 2, Seek:

In all your ways acknowledge him (God), and he will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:6).

God where do you want me to apply? (We acknowledge God by including Him in our decisions.)

Step 3, Knock: Once we find a desired career, we ask the Holy Spirit who is our Helper, Leader, and Comforter when or if we should apply to that position (John 14:16; Romans 8:14).

Let the peace which Christ gives settle all questionings in your hearts, to which peace indeed you were called as belonging to His one Body; and be thankful (Colossians 3:15).

*If you have an unsettling feeling (no peace) don’t apply.

Step 4, Believe & Thanksgiving: Believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer” (Matthew 21:22). Now it’s time to believe. Believe (without doubt) God will answer our prayers.

Since we know our prayers are heard and answered, we thank God it’s already done.

Step 5, Faith Fight: If we didn’t receive that position, we start from step 2. For those who do what’s right, we know God will not withhold good things from us (Psalm 84:11). Since this position was withheld from us, we know that specific position at that company was not God’s plan or best for our lives.

*Don’t get discouraged continue to have faith that your career will manifest.

If you need assistance in applying the Word of God in other areas of your life, please send me a message in my inbox.

Thanks, Be Prosperous!

Psalm 50:10 For all the animals of the forest are mine, and I own the cattle on a thousand hills.

As we live righteously, we are positioned to receive favor (Psalm 5:12) and what we desire is granted (Proverbs 10:24). We have no reason to fear or worry, because God gives us plenty (Matthew 6:33). Our God owns it all and so, we praise God and rejoice in Him because He supplies all our needs!!

When a puppy is first born into this world, they live on instinct. They have no knowledge of right and wrong. They only know what comes natural to them. The puppy must get knowledge and understanding from its master of what’s right and wrong.

When we’re born into the earth we’re a lot like a puppy. Spiritually, we have no knowledge of what’s right and wrong because of our nature. The nature we take on is our “sin nature.” Our “sin nature” was given to all of us from the fall of Adam.

When we get born again, we have the same nature that God has in Him. Now, we have to learn (from our Master) how to walk in that nature. We learn how to walk in this “God like” nature by spending time in His Word, listening to the Word, and getting an understanding of His Word. Our “God like” development depends on the amount of effort put into it.

Ephesians 4: 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Psalm 8:4 what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? 5 Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor. 6 You gave them charge of everything you made, putting all things under their authority—

Humility is understanding Who our Creator is and that everything good in our lives can be attributed to Him (James 1:17).  But, with that humility comes confidence and authority.  We are children of the King, handcrafted to bring honor to His Name.  So, we live this life not allowing negative circumstances or battles with our flesh to overcome us.  We speak God’s Word and stand in faith that we are over-comers!

John 11:35 Jesus wept.

The reason why Jesus wept was not because of sadness of losing a friend. The Bible tells us that Jesus already made plans in His mind to glorify God by raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11:4, 15). Why would Jesus weep of sadness of losing Lazarus if He already knew He was going to raise him up again?

Jesus wept because of unbelief. Jesus healed diseases and worked miracles in the lives of others but, no one in the family of Lazarus had faith to believe Jesus could raise Lazarus from the dead. Therefore Jesus wept.

Some of us still sadden the heart of God because of unbelief. God has all power to do all things and we must trust Him and His Word in every situation in our lives.

Starve your doubt and unbelief and feed your faith!

1 Corinthians 8: ⁹ But you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble. ¹⁰ For if others see you—with your “superior knowledge”—eating in the temple of an idol, won’t they be encouraged to violate their conscience by eating food that has been offered to an idol? ¹¹ So because of your superior knowledge, a weak believer, for whom Christ died, will be destroyed. ¹² And when you sin against other believers by encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong, you are sinning against Christ.

This life we live is not just about us.  We are called to be living witnesses (1 Peter 2:12). ‘So if what I do causes another believer to sin, I will never do that thing again as long as I live—for I don’t want to cause another believer to stumble’ (1 Cor 8:13)!

When a person believes, works or actions must follow. It does a person no good to only believe but, have no following actions.

Let’s look at an example of sitting in a chair.

A person can believe they can sit in a chair but, if they don’t make an attempt or test their belief by actually sitting in the chair, what good is it to them?

This same concept applies when believing the Word of God. If we only believe the Word of God but never test our belief with actions following, what good is it to the building of our faith?

Q: How do we test our belief concerning the Word of God?

A: With radical (Spirit led) faith.

If a person desires a house, a person with radical faith not only believes God for the house, they start packing and going into model homes.

If a person desires a new car, a person with radical faith not only believes God for the car, they go to the dealership and test drive a car even if they don’t have the money.

If a person desires a new career, a person with radical faith not only believes God for the new career, they work on their resignation letter to their previous employer.

Belief is only the first step in having radical faith. We must put our actions and works in line with our faith.

James 2:17 So also faith, if it does not have works (deeds and actions of obedience to back it up), by itself is destitute of power (inoperative, dead).

Isaiah 55:10“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;  11So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. 12“For you will go out with joy And be led forth with peace; The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, And all the trees of the field will clap their hands.

Declare God’s Word (the Bible) in your life. It will go forth and destroy the barriers that are attempting to hold you from your abundant life. Speak!

Life’s Questions:

How are you going to pay your bills?

Do you know where your next meal is coming from?

Will you ever get a husband/wife?

When is my career going to get to me?

Will I ever graduate?

All the things that concern us, God will perfect or accomplish. Not only will God perfect what concerns us but, how He perfects it will work for our good (Romans 8:28).

Psalms 138:8 The LORD will perfect that which concerns me: your mercy, O LORD, endures for ever: forsake not the works of your own hands.

Stand on this word…

Whatever concerns us, God will perfect but, we must trust Him, His Word, and His plan.

Be Blessed!

Psalm 84:11“No good thing will God withhold to those who walk upright.”

Whatever is good for us, God WILL NOT withhold.

God can see the big picture and if something is withheld from us, there is one of three reasons.

Reasons:

1. Timing.

We may desire something from God however; it’s not the right time.

Example: We may asked God for a new job however, if we get that job immediately, we may be at risk of being fired within the next year due to the economy.

2. Immaturity.

God may withhold a “good thing” because of immaturity. Example: If we asked God for a million dollars (a “good thing”), He may not give it to us immediately because we may spend it on things He didn’t authorize.

Another thing that falls under the category for immaturity is asking God for a “good thing” for the wrong reasons. James 4:3 tells us we will not receive our desires if we have the wrong intentions.

3. Greater Purpose.

God may have a greater purpose. A purpose that not only meets your needs or desire but, the needs and the desires of someone else. God may be using you to minister, bless, or help someone in your surrounding area.

Wherever you are in life, know that God has a purpose for you. God may need you to speak the gospel to someone.

Whatever the reason is, just know it’s for our good (Romans 8:28).

Whatever you desire just know, delay does not mean denial.

Keep the faith!