Monthly Archive

2 Timothy 1:3 I thank God Whom I worship with a pure conscience, in the spirit of my fathers, when without ceasing I remember you night and day in my prayers.

Paul writes to Timothy and expresses that he can worship God with a pure conscience. Paul’s background was far from being clean. Paul was Christianity’s biggest enemy by literally killing those who proclaimed the name of Jesus. Paul was a murderer and yet, he states, he worships God with a pure conscience. How can this be? Paul understood that the blood of Jesus allowed him to be forgiven from everything and it cleansed his conscience from all dead works (Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 9:14).

If Paul, with his background, can understand this forgiveness, so can we. The enemy will attempt to make us feel guilty or shameful about our past. That guilt, causes us to partially worship God or in some cases, not worship God at all. That shame, will have us stay home from church because we don’t want to appear “hypocritical.” When those thoughts arise, we have to rebuke them and receive our forgiveness. This is a spiritual fight, so we may have to receive our forgiveness several times a day.

Continue to receive the forgiveness of God and worship God with a pure conscience.

Colossians 3:23 And whatsoever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

The word “men” in this verse includes ourselves and others.

Often in work, people will dictate how they perform based on what they see others do. For instance, if someone observes another person doing the bare minimum, they will do the bare minimum. On the other hand, if someone observes the majority working 16 hours a day, when they don’t have to, that person may feel compelled to work 16 hours a day.

We are held to a different standard because we are led by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:14). If the Holy Spirit instructs us to do a little bit more, we should do more. If the Holy Spirit instructs us to stop on time and go home, we should do just that. Our performance is unto the Lord, not to please or impress men.

As previously stated, the word “men” includes ourselves. Some of us put pressure on ourselves to get the job done. Some of us will sacrifice our sleep, spending time with our families, or going to church just to get the job done. We are called to obey the instructions from God and not our flesh.

Don’t allow peer or internal pressure to push you to perform outside the will of God. Seek God in all that you do and work unto Him.

Colossians 2:10 we are complete in Him.

Through Jesus Christ, we are complete in Him. This means, we lack nothing because we are complete in Him.

We are not lacking in money, confidence, or faith because we are complete in Him.
We are not lacking in friends, in our health, or spiritual maturity because we are complete in Him.
We are not lacking in talents, wisdom, or endurance because we are complete in Him.

Everything we think we need to have a successful life is available to us because we are complete in Him.

Praise God for our completion!

Genesis 3:3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.'” 4 The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! 5 “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

The devil is a deceiver and a liar. Since the beginning, he has deceived and lied to mankind. Satan first convinced Eve that God’s Word was not true and to this day, he has deceived millions of people.

The influence of Satan is high. People have created blogs, billboards, and books denying the existence of God and salvation through Jesus the Christ. Some of these ideas seem logical and convincing. As born again believers, we have to be the voice opposing Satan. We have to convince others that God is real. We have to be the voice in the world telling others about Jesus Christ. We have to be the ones opposing the world’s view regarding our God.

Be that voice for God and don’t let another soul be deceived by Satan’s lies.

Mark 16:15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.

Matthew 19:21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 22 But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.

As we can see, this man’s possessions had him so bound until he chose not to follow Jesus.

After reading these verses, we should ask ourselves the following questions: What has us bound? What thing makes us feel like we can’t be sold out for God?

Is it money? Do we feel like a continuous free-will offering can go to better use than the House of God?
Is it fear? Are we afraid that we would have to give up our “fun,” “friends,” and lifestyle for the sake of Jesus Christ?
Is it shame? Are we worried about being labeled a Christian, hypocrite, or a “holy roller?”
Is it time? Do we feel like we don’t have enough time to pray, read our bibles, or make it to church?

Whatever is holding us back has become our god. The Word of God says nothing shall come before Him (Exodus 20:3). Sold out for God doesn’t mean we’re perfect but, it does mean we are committed to the things of God.

It’s time to reevaluate our priorities and allow God to be first in our lives.

Exodus 20:3 You shall have no other gods before me.

John 11:42 And I knew that you hear me always: but because of the people who stand by I said it, that they may believe that you have sent me.

Last time we looked at this verse, we discovered when we acknowledge that God hears us, we combat the thoughts of the enemy with the power of our tongue and the shield of faith (Proverbs 18:21; Ephesians 6:16).

The second part that should be magnified is the truth that God hears us ALWAYS. Many times when we miss the mark, the enemy will attempt to make us think that God is not listening because of what we have done or are doing. This is a lie. It doesn’t matter how far we strayed from His holy path, God always hears us. When Adam sinned in the garden, when Cain killed Abel, and when the Israelites murmured and complained, God always kept His lines of communication open (Genesis 3; Genesis 4; Exodus 16).

Don’t allow the enemy, religion, or people to make you believe that God is not hearing your prayers. He’s always listening.

So many times people, even believers, tend to receive the the world’s standards instead of the standards of God.

For instance, before some get married, they might receive and accept that the first year of marriage will be the toughest year of marriage. We don’t have to receive that into our lives. Just because it was tough for a few people we know doesn’t mean it has to happen to us. Or, some will receive and accept that their sleep will be minimal because of their new born baby. If that’s not what we desire, why are we receiving those things into our lives?

The Word of God says, if you shall ask anything in My name, I will do it (John 14:14). There is nothing left out of anything. If there is something we don’t desire, we shouldn’t accept it as the truth. God made it where we can experience the life we desire.

So, receive all of the desires that you want and don’t settle for what others have to say about your life.

John 14:14 If you shall ask anything in my name, I will do it.

John 20:31 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.

Prior to believing, we’re spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1-10). We’re literally dead men and dead women walking and our unbelief separated us from God.

Our life doesn’t start until we believe that Jesus is the Christ. It doesn’t matter if we’re 30, 40, or 80, life does not begin until we believe and receive Jesus Christ. Through Christ, God not only awarded us life but, He gave us an abundant life where we always win (John 10:10; 2 Corinthians 2:14). It doesn’t mean we won’t have challenges, but at the end of our challenges, we win.

In this life, we have purpose. This purpose was created by God. Seek God to receive your purpose and start fulfilling that purpose today.
Live life.

John 11:42 And I knew that you hear me always: but because of the people who stand by I said it, that they may believe that you have sent me.

Every so often when we pray, we need to stop and say, “I know You hear me always.” This allows our spirit and soul to have an assurance that God hears our prayers.

As we pray, the enemy will throw darts of doubt into our mind; making us think our prayers are not being heard or answered. This a lie. By acknowledging that our prayers are heard, we combat the darts of doubt with the power of the tongue and the shield of faith (Proverbs 18:21; Ephesians 6:16).

Whether it’s a twenty second prayer or a two hour prayer, thank God that our prayers are heard.

John 17:15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.

Mark 16:15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.

As Christians, we can’t spend all of our time in those four walls we call a church. We have been chosen to go into and impact the world. How would we impact the world and advance the Kingdom of God if we only uplift, encourage, and give to other believers? We should be encouraging and uplifting believers as well as sinners.

Jesus, our example, showed us how to impact the world and yet still remain holy when He ate with and spoke to tax collectors and sinners (Mark 2:13-17; John 4:17,18; Luke 7:37).

So, instead of criticizing the sinner for not being “Christian like,” let’s do our part and reach out to them in order to impact the world.

How many of us really understand that God loves us as we are in this moment? And guess what, He loves those other people too, not just the ones who are ‘living right.’ Don’t misunderstand, sin is sin, and God has not changed His original design to make sin acceptable, but He has made a way for us to be reunited with Him and experience His love. God gave us His Son so that by believing that Jesus, God’s Son, died and rose for us, we can be qualified as righteous (Romans 5:19, 2 Corinthians 5:21).

It’s time for us to no longer assess others by their sin, but to show them the love of God. That doesn’t mean we mislead them into thinking that God approves of their sin, but we lead them to salvation, and to developing a close, personal relationship with God and we allow God to help them have victory over their sins.

Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.

From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. (Matthew 16:21)
*Jesus informs His disciples that He will be raised to life on the third day. A reasonable person would think at least one of His disciples would be expecting Him on the third day. Unfortunately, His disciples did not believe.

Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. (John 20:19, 20 NKJV)
*After three days when Jesus returned, the disciples did not become glad until they saw physical proof that the Man was actually Jesus. The disciples were walking by sight, not by faith.

How many times has this happened to us? We heard or read the Word of God regarding a certain promise we desire, however, we don’t become excited until we physically see the promise. We have to believe the Word of God (audible and written). If He said it, we should expect and be excited to receive our promise before it ever manifests. As long as we prayed according to His will, we can expect to physically receive our promises.

It’s time to believe God.

Inspired by Pastor Bill Winston

In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, (Colossians 2:11 NKJV)

Circumcision is where flesh is cut from the body. By receiving Jesus Christ, we have been spiritually circumcised. We have been permanently separated from the sins of our flesh. This means, no matter what we’ve done, we are eternally forgiven and always viewed as righteous.

Everyday, there are multiple battles we have with our flesh. Our flesh desires to do something outside the order of God. With every battle, we must take a stance against our flesh and walk by the Spirit of God. However, if we should miss the mark, we have already been forgiven. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ has separated us from sin.

Praise God for Jesus the Christ Who allows us to be literally free from sin.

Lately, it seems people have been focusing on the wrong thing. We have been focusing on who is dating whom, who divorced whom, and who verbally or physically attacked whom. These are all distractions from the enemy.

While we’re focusing on pointless matters, people are dying and going to hell. People are dehydrating and starving because they lack food and water. People are going deeper and deeper into sin and don’t know how to get out.

Some may say it’s not my responsibility to be involved in other’s people’s lives. Let’s see what the Word of God has to say about our responsibilities.

Mark 16:15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Isaiah 58:10 Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon. Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

For the believer, God has made it our responsibility to impact the world and help everyone. Let’s focus on God’s agenda and act on our responsibilities today.

And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled (Colossians 1:21 KJV)

At one point in time, we all were enemies of God. Our reconciliation with God came through the acceptance of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

We have a world full of people who desire to be reconciled with God but, they don’t know how. Some feel like they need to have their lives totally straightened out before receiving Jesus and some feel like their sinful ways have angered God. Both are lies from the enemy.

There was nothing special we did to be reconciled with God. We simply believed and received Jesus Christ. Now, it’s time to tell the world about our loving Savior. It’s time to let people know no matter what they have done, God’s not angry. It’s time to let people know God loves them and He cares.

Share the love of God to those who are hurting, confused, and are in desperate need of help. Direct others to reconciliation.

Inspired by Pastor Tony Evans

When terrible things happen in the world, people often say, how could God let this happen? What they should be saying is, how could we let this happen? There are a lot of situations where God could have intervened in the earth. God could have stopped Adam and Eve from eating the fruit that allowed sin in the world. God could have stopped Cain from killing Abel. God could have prevented Jesus from being tortured and abused by man. But, what some don’t realize is God literally gave dominion and authority in the earth to mankind (Genesis 1:26). This means, God cannot intervene in the earth unless it’s done through a person.

Look at the greats in history (Moses, David, and Paul). All of God’s miraculous works were done through a person. Jesus Himself, had to come in the form of a man in order to save mankind. To this day, mankind still has authority in the earth; and through Jesus, we have more authority than ever before. We have the authority to overcome all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19).

So when terrible situations occur, don’t wait on God because He is waiting on us to do something. Through our faith and authority, we can release the power of God in the earth to change any situation for the better.

Luke 10:19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.

Psalm 46
1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
2a Therefore we will not fear,
5 God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.
7 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
9a He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth.
10a He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;

God is not our last resort; He is everything we need and more. I encourage you to read all of Psalm 46. It describes that through our dependence on God, we can overcome fear, and press past tough situations to enjoy the victory that God has promised us. God is on our side; He is always with us. But, God does not force Himself on us. He waits for us to allow Him to be God in our lives. It’s time for us to make Him our first and only choice giving Him the opportunity to be Who He is, GOD.

Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power, after the Holy Spirit has come upon you: and you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

The Holy Spirit gave the believer power. Power for what? To be witnesses of Jesus Christ all over the earth. What is the purpose of this power?

The power of the Holy Spirit allows us to overcome all of the potential shame and embarrassment we may have in being a witness for Jesus. The power of the Holy Spirit allows us to witness regardless of the critics and naysayers of Jesus Christ. The power of the Holy Spirit allows our voices to be heard over the doubters. The power of the Holy Spirit allows the Word of God coming from our mouths to penetrate every dark demonic force in the earth.

This is the purpose of the Holy Spirit’s power. Use it wisely.

John 6:5-7 Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do. Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.”

Jesus tested Phillip to see what he would do. What was the test? Jesus wanted to see if Philip would totally rely on Him or self-effort.

Unfortunately, Phillip failed the test by relying on self-effort by trying to gather enough money to feed the people. Fortunately for us, Philip’s failure taught us a lesson. When we attempt to do anything out of self-effort, we will always come up short. Our responsibility is to believe in the finished works of Jesus. Jesus didn’t leave anything undone and He doesn’t need our help. Through Jesus, God has made provision for our needs and desires. All we need to do is believe.

Remove self-effort from your life and only believe in the finished works of Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:13 (NLT) If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit. Either way, Christ’s love controls us. 14 Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. 15 He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.  17 (NKJV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

It’s a choice to receive Christ’s new life (v. 15). Accepting Jesus as Savior, makes us believers. When we choose to receive the new life He made available for us, we become Christians (Christ-emulators), meaning that we activate the Holy Spirit, and allow Christ’s love to direct us.

We choose not to be merely ritualistic nor religious, but instead we choose to experience a relationship with God, through Christ, allowing the Spirit to govern our actions. So, even if it seems a bit crazy to some, we live by faith, basking in the gift and freedom of the new life that we’ve received by faith through Christ.

Jeremiah 29:7 And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace.

In every city in the world there is turmoil based on the fact that sin entered the world. But, be of good cheer because our faith can change any fact. When we make the decision to pray for peace in our cities and in cities across the world, our prayers can make a positive difference.

Prayer is not something we do because we are a Christian. Prayer allows the power of God to intervene in the earth. Be obedient and use this authority to pray for peace.

And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.” (John 4:39 NKJV)

At times, we may want to limit our testimonies we share with others because we don’t want to appear boastful or braggadocios. However, our testimony can cause others to accept or recommit their life to Jesus Christ. When someone hears about the goodness of God and observes the proof in our life, that has the potential to cause a person to change.

Testify, and tell the world what the Lord has done.

Psalm 6:8-10 Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity; For the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping. The Lord has heard my supplication; The Lord will receive my prayer. Let all my enemies be ashamed and greatly troubled; Let them turn back and be ashamed suddenly.

When we pray, there should be a confidence attached to our prayer. We shouldn’t be wondering or hoping God heard our prayer. We should know, without a doubt, that God heard our prayer. How do we know He heard us? Because we prayed according to His will. Get to know God’s will and maintain confidence in your prayer.

1 John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us:

Hebrews 4:16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Another way of saying this scripture is, let us confidently get to the throne of unmerited or undeserved favor so that we may receive mercy and find unmerited or undeserved favor to help us in our time of need. This is awesome. God sits on and freely gives out unmerited favor to His children.

Favor is an undeserved gift, preferential treatment, and an unexplained goodness from God. What did we do to receive this gift of unmerited favor? Absolutely nothing. We didn’t work for it and we didn’t earn it. It was freely given to all those who received Jesus Christ. The fact that we don’t deserve it is the reason why we’re getting it.

So, don’t be surprised if you receive a blessing in spite of your imperfect ways. God’s goodness is not based on our performance. God’s goodness is based on the righteousness we received through Jesus Christ.

Praise God for grace.

We don’t have to walk around introducing ourselves by the mistakes of our past. Instead we choose to receive the forgiveness, grace, and new life that we have in Christ. What that means is that we are not who we were when we committed those acts. It doesn’t mean we lie about our former selves, but we no longer have to be defined by it. And even now, we continue to grow and reflect Christ more and more, and choose not to be burdened by our mistakes, but renew our minds to walking out the freedom we have received through Christ,

1 Timothy 1: 15Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. 17Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.