Monthly Archive

Psalm 44:1 We have heard with our ears, O God, Our fathers have told us, The deeds You did in their days, In days of old:

3: For they did not gain possession of the land by their own sword, Nor did their own arm save them; But it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your countenance, Because You favored them.

8: In God we boast all day long, And praise Your name forever. Selah

The only way people, including our children, will know about the goodness of God is if we tell them. It does the body of Christ no good when God blesses us and positively impacts our life and no one knows about it. For an outsider (non-believer), what will be the drawing tool for them to submit themselves to Christ if they never hear about the good deeds of our Lord?

People of God…it’s time to be bold and vocal about the great things God has done in our lives. It’s not conceited or arrogant to talk about the wonderful things God has done for us. We know that it’s not about us but, we’re putting the spotlight on God as we bring Him glory for the marvelous things He’s done.

Open up your mouth and express your gratitude for ALL the Lord has done in your life.
Be Bold.

Psalms‬ ‭42‬:‭5 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance.

In this scripture, God provides the cure for depression. This cure is not automatic. There are some things we must do to overcome depression.
Step 1: When things appear troubling, we should question ourselves as to why we’re feeling this way. After identifying the reason(s), we must choose to hope or believe in God for a positive outcome.

Step 2: We must believe that things are (not will be) better. We must believe that God already knew about this troubling experience and He’s already planned a way for us to escape. We must choose to believe that every experience (good or not so good) will work out for our good.

Step 3: Because our hope is in God, and we choose to magnify the promises in His Word above the troubling experience, we must praise. We praise God for His help during this seemingly difficult time. We praise God that everything He said will manifest itself in our lives. We praise God that He is with us every step of the way. We may not feel like praising God but, when we force our flesh to praise, our soul is lifted.

This process may have to be done several times a day until the storm passes. Continue to hope in God and receive deliverance from depression.

John‬ ‭17‬:‭22-23‬ And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

Have you ever heard someone say, “I’m not perfect.” That may be true for world, but for the believer, that’s a lie.

Because we are one with the Father, we have been made perfect. Perfection has nothing to do with our behavior or conduct. Perfection has to do with our placement. Because God is perfect and we are in Him, we are perfect.

Let’s renew our minds to this truth that we are perfect. Receive this perfection that Jesus bled and died for.

Psalm 40:9-10 I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness In the great assembly; Indeed, I do not restrain my lips, O LORD, You Yourself know. I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart; I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation; I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth From the great assembly.

How many of us can honestly say that we consistently and continually proclaim the good news of righteousness? We ALL should be improving in this area. God has been too good to us to keep His goodness to ourselves. God has been too good to us for us to be ashamed to thank Him openly in a setting outside of church.

Every time we think about the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made just for us, we should publicly thank God. Every time we tell a story about something good happening in our lives, the credit should go to God. Every time we recall the covering and protection of God, we should thank God Himself and not use replacement words such as luckily, gratefully, thankfully.

This is not a condemnation message. This message is to encourage the believer to be proud of this loving God Who spared nothing to get us back in right relationship with Him.

Acts 16:17 Following after Paul and us, she kept crying out, saying, “These men are bond-servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation.” 18 She continued doing this for many days. But Paul was greatly annoyed, and turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” And it came out at that very moment.

Although Paul was annoyed by the woman, he did not deal with the woman. Paul recognized and dealt with the wicked spirit within the woman.

There may be people who attempt to purposefully annoy, irritate, or cause drama in our lives. The ex-girlfriend who attempts to irritate the new girlfriend or the boss who overworks and is overly critical of his employees. Instead of attacking the person who is causing the drama, attack the spirit within that person. In Luke 10:19, Jesus gave us dominion over all the power of the enemy. Like Paul, we have the ability to cast any wicked, negative, or hateful spirit out of a person.

As born-again believers, use this Christ-given authority to conquer any wicked spirit that may be troubling your life.

In the following verses, Jesus prays for His disciples:
John 17:11 Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.
13: But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.
15: I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.
17: Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.

When we make Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, we too become disciples of Christ. In this prayer, Jesus prays that His disciples be one with the Father, have their joy fulfilled, be protected from the evil one, and sanctified by God’s truth. If there is anyone who can get their prayers answered by God, it’s Jesus the Christ.

If we would be willing to believe and receive, we can be assured that we are one with the Father. There should be no questions about our salvation. We can be assured that in whatever circumstance we face, there is an opportunity to have joy. We can be assured that we are protected from the evil one and anything associated with the evil one (robberies, shootings, or assaults). And we can be assured that it’s okay to be different because we are sanctified or set apart for the Kingdom of God.

Jesus prayed this prayer for His disciples, those who are willing to follow the ways of Christ. Will you be His disciple and receive the benefits from the prayer of Jesus? It’s up to you.

Psalm 30:5 For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning.

Proverbs 3:3 Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 So you will find favor and good repute In the sight of God and man.

As we can see, we not only have favor with God but, we have favor with man. Favor means to give special regard to; to treat with goodwill; to show exceptional kindness to someone. Sometimes, it means to show extra kindness in comparison to the treatment of others; that is, preferential treatment. Like anything we receive from God, we need faith to receive favor. Grace, through Jesus Christ, has made favor available. Our faith allows us to possess and expect this favor.

Since we have this favor, it’s time to recognize when we receive this favor. Favor is operating in our lives when someone pays for our meal or groceries. Favor is operating in our lives when we receive a close parking space at our destination. Favor is operating in our lives when a friend or family member thinks of us after being asked if they know anyone who is looking for a job. Favor is operating in our lives when a certain process (hiring process, healing process, debt freedom process) takes a certain amount of time but for us, the duration of the process is significantly shorter.

Recognize and expect the favor of God and man in your life. When you experience the favor, give God a shout of praise and thanks.

Numbers 22:21 Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the Moabite officials. 22 But God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him.

28 Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth, and it said to Balaam, “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?”

God allowed a donkey to speak to Balaam. That conversation with the donkey eventually led Balaam to repentance. If God allowed a donkey to speak to have a man repent, how much more should we be attentive to hearing the voice of God through the people surrounding us?

God has placed people around us. Some of those people seem “qualified” to give spiritual advice and some of them don’t. Regardless of who the person is, we should tune our spiritual ears to hear the voice of God. God can speak to us through our children, our parents, our teachers, our co-workers, or through a random person we’ve recently met.

Don’t discredit the voice of God coming from the person based on the person’s age, history, or status in life. Be attentive and hear the voice of God and do what He says.

2 Corinthians 9:8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

We live in a world full of limitations. Our car can only go so long until it needs gas. Our cellphones can only go so long until the battery needs to be recharged. We can only go so long until we need to reenergize ourselves with sleep.

If we’re not mindful, we will place these worldly limitations on God. We’ll think if God blessed us with one thing this month, He won’t be able to bless us with another thing. God is limitless. He is never short on blessings, power, deliverance, or healing. If we would take the limits off of God and believe, we can receive a new car, new employment, and a new house in the same month. All things are possible with God.

Take the limits off the ability of God. If He did it before, He can do it again and again and again.

Inspired by Pastor Benny Perez

Introduction: Naaman had leprosy.

2 Kings 5:10 Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean.
11 But Naaman was angry and went away and said, Behold, I thought he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and heal the leper.

14 Then he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, as the man of God had said, and his flesh was restored like that of a little child, and he was clean.

There are several things we can learn from this passage of scripture.

The first thing we can learn from Naaman’s life is, what we’re believing God for, may not come in the form we expected. For instance, we may think God is going to financially impact our lives by having someone send a random check in the mail. God may impact our finances by allowing us to receive overtime at our employment. Naaman expected Elisha to perform this great miracle over him to be healed. Elisha simply gave Naaman instructions.

Secondly, we learn that every promise is not going to be handed to us. James 2:20 says faith without works is dead. Like Naaman, we may have to follow the promptings of our man of God or the Holy Spirit to receive our promise. The bible instructs us to be doers of the word and not just hearers (James 1:22).

Finally, we must believe. Naaman could have consulted with his logic and tried to make sense of a man being clean by washing himself in a public pool. In spite of the weirdness of our instructions, we have to believe that when we follow God’s instructions, our desires will manifest themselves.

Consider the life of Naaman the next time you are waiting on the manifestation of your desires.

2 Chronicles 30:18-20 For a multitude of the people, many from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the good LORD provide atonement for everyone who prepares his heart to seek God, the LORD God of his fathers, though he is not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary.” And the LORD listened to Hezekiah and healed the people.

To cleanse oneself before eating the Passover was a part of the Law of Moses. The Law of Moses could not be changed or conformed. The Law had to be fulfilled. But even in the midst of the Law, there was something that attracted the mercy of God. That something was sincere prayer. Although the people ate the Passover without cleansing themselves, because of Hezekiah’s prayer, God allowed mercy and healed the people.

We are no longer under the Law. We are under grace. If prayer attracted mercy in the midst of the Law, how much more will it attract today? If mercy was granted through an unchangeable Law, how much more will He grant through grace? Through prayer, we can receive anything we desire (no limits).

Continue to pray to reap the benefits of the blessing for your life, continue to pray to see the benefit of the blessing impacting the lives of others, and continue to pray to see the will of God being implemented in this earth.
Let us pray.

2 Chronicles 29:27-29 Hezekiah commanded to offer the burnt offering upon the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song of the Lord began also with the trumpets and with the instruments ordained by King David of Israel. And all the congregation worshiped, the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded; all this continued until the burnt offering was finished. When they had stopped offering, the king and all present with him bowed themselves and worshiped.

We are instructed to give however, our giving is not based on the Law (Luke 6:38). Our giving is based on our love, admiration, and thanksgiving to God (Matthew 6:19-24). The more God has done for us, the more we should be willing to give.

For those who participate in giving, it’s more than a “box checked” on Sunday. Giving is an opportunity for us to praise and worship this awesome God who allowed us to have an abundant life through His Son Jesus. Giving is an opportunity for us to thank God for everything He has made available through His Son. Giving also allows us to participate in God’s plan to bless our lives. Although we are not under the Law, the overflowing blessing found in Malachi 3 is still available to the giver.

So, when we give, let’s worship, praise, and thank God for all He has done for us. Keep this in mind the next time you participate in this great adventure called giving.

1 John 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us.

Since we are made righteous through Jesus and not our works, what changes for us? As we have the revelation of God’s flawless love for us, we decide to love Him back (1 John 4:19). Loving God back is making Him Lord. When we love Someone, we prioritize Him, we seek His presence and consistently spend time with Him; we do things that please Him, and, when we’re all in, we commit our lives to Him (1 John 5:3).

Psalm 107:20 He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.
Us. Let go of past mistakes, choosing instead to seek God and be patient with ourselves as He develops us. Let’s no longer live under guilt and condemnation knowing that when we surrender ourselves to Him, God grants us full redemption and restoration (Jeremiah 33:6-9).

Them. Let’s Love people, and not judge them. We each have a different trajectory in our relationship with God. So encourage people, pray for them, be honest with them about what honors God, and do good for them even when we feel they don’t deserve it (John 13:35). Why? Because He loves us beyond our comprehension (1 John 4:7-10).

Refer also to: 2 Corinthians 5:15-21, Romans 3:21-29, 5 and 6, Deuteronomy 30:1-6

Romans 3:21But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. 22We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.

God loves us as we are. How do I know? John 3:16 says that God loved the world so much that He gave His Best (Jesus) for us; His Love is not based on our actions.

God sees all believers as righteous (Romans 5:19). Once we accept Jesus as our Savior (accept that Jesus is God’s Son and He died & rose again for us), we are made righteous. I was righteous even when I was fornicating, when I murdered, when I was deceitful, when I was gluttonous, when I was judgmental, when I was selfish, and in the midst of every other action I did after I was saved ~ L.S.

Unsure about that righteous standing? Think about this: what did you do to deserve to be saved? Nothing, but accept what Jesus had already done (Ephesians 2:8-9). So, if all we had to do was accept Him, then why would we assume our works would now alter that status? For where sin abounds, grace does that much more abound (Romans 5:20-21). God’s goodness is not an excuse to continue in unholy activities, but rather to bring us to the epiphany of how much God loves us as we are, flaws and all.

Refer also to: 2 Corinthians 5:15-21, Romans 3:21-29, 5 and 6

2 Corinthians 12:9 And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

There are some things that we cannot accomplish just by using our natural strength or will power. For instance, some have unsuccessfully tried to stop smoking for years, or have tried to deliver themselves from pornography or gluttony.

When we get to the end of our own strength, some of us continue to force our will power onto the situation to accomplish the goal or we’ll give up, count it as a loss, and feel like we won’t ever accomplish our goal. But, to those who receive this humbling experience and trust in the Lord, the strength of Christ becomes evident in their lives. When we say to ourselves and to our Father that we cannot accomplish a goal on our own and we need His strength to overcome, the power of Christ begins to operate in our lives.

Whatever goal you’re attempting to accomplish (big or small), don’t do it in your own strength. Humble yourselves and rely on the power of God to see you through.

Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself also in the LORD; and he shall give you the desires of your heart.
Stage 1: Desire
First, God grants us the desires of our hearts. Most of us look at that scripture and see only one interpretation: that God gives us what we want. In addition to that interpretation, consider another: God places specific desires in our hearts. Any desires that contradict the Word of God are not God-given desires. So, search the Word to determine all that we have access to such as love, healing, children, peace, joy, financial wealth, and more. And if wanting to know your purposes (there may be multiple), ask God to reveal and make them clear to you.

Psalm 20:4 May he grant your heart’s desires and make all your plans succeed.
Stage 2: Plans
Once determining our purposes and desires and confirming them in the Word, we should make plans. Prior to, during, and following making those plans, we should be seeking God. We should give God full access to our plans.

Proverbs‬ ‭16‬:‭24 A man’s heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.
Stage 3: Steps
Next, we seek God for the steps to fulfill those plans. Seeking Him to make our plans is important, and seeking His guidance to fulfill those plans is imperative as well.

Luke 12:31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
Stage Overview
Throughout it all, continue to seek first the kingdom of God. Never allow the fulfillment of desires to be prioritized over God. Seek relationship with God in addition to His counsel. Be obedient as He grows us preparing us for the fulfillment of our purposes and the manifestations of our desires.

Psalms 32:8-9 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. Do not be like the horse or like the mule, Which have no understanding, Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, Else they will not come near you.

Have you ever seen or met that child that won’t do anything unless there is a reward in it for them? The Word of God compares this type of mindset to the mindset of a horse or a mule. Some believers seem to only obey God’s instructions when it benefits them. What about obeying God just because He’s God? What about heeding His instructions because He is our Lord?

Far too often, we only obey God when we can see a benefit. If we don’t see a benefit, we sometimes proudly walk in disobedience. For instance, God instructs us to love and pray for our enemies. He also tells us to forgive one another. On the surface, most people can’t see the benefit of following these instructions, therefore, they walk around filled with bitterness, hatred, and are unwilling to forgive.

What type of witness of Jesus Christ would we be walking out while being full of hate? How can we be unforgiving and yet say that we’re walking in love? There is a benefit attached to our obedience, however, the benefits are greater than us.

Let’s be obedient just because our Father wants us to.

Psalms 30:5 For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.

The anger or wrath of God was poured out on Jesus Christ. Every negative thing we should have experienced, Jesus received on our behalf. That anger was only for a moment. Because Jesus fulfilled the will of God, God is no longer angry with Jesus and He is no longer angry with us. Jesus paid the penalty of sin so that we can experience the blessing.

As we can see, included in the blessing is a lifetime of favor from God. Favor is God raising up someone somewhere to use their power, ability, influence, or finances to help us. As born-again believers, if we believe, we can expect to experience a lifetime of God’s favor.

Secondly, we can experience a lifetime supply of joy. Yes, we will experience trouble, however, we can rejoice because Jesus has overcome the world (John 16:33). And because we are joint heirs with Christ, we too have overcome every troubling experience we’ll ever face. So, be joyful because of God’s favor. Be joyful because we overcome. Be joyful because of the wonderful blessed life we get to experience because of Jesus Christ.

Psalm 9:10 And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.

When we partially trust God, we allow Him to take control over certain areas of our lives while we feel the need to control the other areas of our lives. Partial trust promotes arrogance. Partial trust literally tells God we can do a better job at taking care of ourselves than He can.

Partial trust also promotes self-effort. We begin to do things we feel are necessary to protect or do for ourselves. We start carrying guns everywhere we go for physical protection. We withhold our feelings from a potential spouse in order to protect our emotions. We work an extra 15 hours a week to provide for our families. All these things are done because of our lack of trust.

Completely trusting God forces us to take a step of faith. It takes faith to release everything into God’s hands. It takes faith to let go of past hurts, mistakes, and failures and allow God to lead and guide our lives. We can go on living our lives partially trusting God and God will allow us to live this way. However, when we partially trust God and attempt to control a large portion of our lives, we allow unnecessary stress, drama, and/or disease to invade our lives.

Let go of everything and completely trust God.

Psalm 91:11 for He will command His angels to protect you in all your ways.

In 2 Kings 19:35, one angel destroyed 185,000 men. The Word of the Lord says God will have His angels (plural) to protect us. That means we have at LEAST two angels protecting us who are capable of taking out at least 370,000 men, therefore, there is no need to worry about someone hurting or harming us. If we believe this promise, we can expect God’s protection through His angels.

Psalm 103:20 Bless the LORD, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word!

Angels obey the voice of God’s Word. When we get born-again, the Spirit of the Lord dwells in us (1 Cor. 3:16). When we, the believers, speak the Word of Lord over our lives, we can expect God’s Word to be fulfilled. If we believe this promise, we can speak and expect to receive every promise found in the Word of God.

Hebrews 1:14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

Throughout the Word of God, angels delivered messages to God’s people. As heirs of salvation, we become God’s people and are now able to receive messages from God through His angels. If we believe this, we can expect to experience direct messages from God.

Never underestimate God’s angels. Through the angels of the Lord, we can receive God’s protection, the fulfillment of God’s promises, and a direct message from God. Believe and receive this truth for your lives.

Matthew 22:36 Teacher, which kind of commandment is great and important (the principal kind) in the Law? 37 And He replied to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (intellect). 38 This is the great (most important, principal) and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as [you do] yourself.

As we begin 2015, let’s start it off by obeying the second greatest commandment; love. Love one another enough to forgive your brother and sister. Love your brother or sister in spite of the pain they have caused you in the past. Continue to love the person in front of you even though they are not displaying the love of Christ.

As we continue to display the love of Christ, we mature as believers by focusing on God’s purpose for our lives instead of what someone else has done to us. We also compel others to mature and learn more about this love we display through Christ.

Love. It seems so simple but, it’s one of the most powerful forces on this planet. Love, and take your Christian journey to a new level.

Be blessed and love.

Luke18:12 ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ 13 “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ 14 “I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Throughout the Word of God, it instructs us to pray, fast, and meditate in the Word of God (1 Thessalonians 5:17; Matthew 6:16; Joshua 1:8).

Some believers have a tendency to magnify the amount of time they spend praying, fasting, or meditating in the Word of God. It’s as if they feel holier or more spiritual due to the amount of time they’ve spent in prayer or in the Word of God. This feeling of holiness because of the amount of time we spend in prayer, fasting, or in meditation positions us to boast in ourselves, boast among others, or become self-righteous. A person who spent 2 hours in prayer is not holier than a person who spent 2 minutes in prayer.

Jesus made us holy and righteous and there is no amount of time we can spend to equal what He’s done. If we’re led by the Spirit of God, which we should be, we should pray, fast, and meditate in the Word of God until He instructs us to stop. One day it may be 20 minutes the next day it may be an hour.

God knows our schedules and He knows what we need. Be led by the Spirit of God in the amount of time you pray, in the amount of time you choose to spend in the Word of God, and in the amount of days you choose to fast.

It’s not about the time, it’s about our heart towards God.