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Wherever we are in life or wherever we want to be is a product of our free will. We could choose to live however we want to live or we can choose to walk in the plan and purpose God has for us. The choice is up to us.

Whether some of us realize it or not, God has been very good to us. He loved us enough to send His Son to die for our sin so that we can have an abundant everlasting life, he healed our bodies, and he blessed us with more materialistic possessions than we can handle.

Based on all that God has done for us, what better way to express our gratitude than to choose to walk in the plan and purpose God has for us?

As we walk in the plan and purpose of God we…
1. Glorify God in our actions.
2. We become vessels for His will to be fulfilled in the earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).
3. We experience fulfillment in our lives.
4. We position ourselves to receive every promise God has for us.

Once again, it’s our decision and God is not going to force His will on our lives. I encourage everyone to walk in the plan and purpose God has for us.

1 Kings 18:21 Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people said nothing.

Joel 2:21-22 “Land, don’t be afraid. Be happy and full of joy. The Lord will do great things. Animals of the field, don’t be afraid. The desert pastures will grow grass. The trees will grow fruit. The fig trees and the vines will grow plenty of fruit.”‭‭

These were some desperate times, seeing that the Prophet Joel had to encourage the land and animals.

Joel encouraged the land and animals by faith, letting them know good times shall come again. We know he spoke to them by faith because they were in the middle of a drought and there were no signs of an end.

We too have drought-like conditions in our lives. There are times where nothing seems to be working, the delay seems to be adding pressure in our lives, and seeing others being blessed builds anxiety. It’s during these drought-like conditions we have to, by faith, encourage ourselves, encourage those around us, and speak life into the drought-like conditions.

For instance, if we’re constantly having trouble with our car, we should tell ourselves, things won’t always be this way, I drive a well-functioning vehicle that gets great gas mileage.

If we’re having difficulty in our marriage, let’s encourage ourselves by saying, things will get better and our spouse loves and respects us. Also, in the middle of that difficult situation, we should let our spouse know the marriage is prosperous.

We have to believe things will get better and everything works out for our good. We must also believe our faith-filled words are changing our surroundings. Although, it may not seem like it at the time, our belief in the Word of God, is the only evidence we have of better in our future.
Believe.

Proverbs 9:6 “Forsake foolishness and live, And go in the way of understanding.”

The Word of God instructs us to forsake foolishness. The definition of foolishness is lacking or exhibiting a lack of good sense or judgement; insignificant or trivial. Using this definition, we’re to forsake anything or anyone that causes us to a have a lack of good sense or anything that’s trivial. 

Foolishness comes in many forms. It’s our responsibility to recognize the foolishness in a situation and react appropriately. 

When someone doesn’t speak to us in passing, we have two options. We can either put them on our “do not like list” or we can forsake foolishness, continue to show the love of God, and not allow a trivial thing, such as not speaking, to bother us. 

If we’re in a dating relationship where we’re putting our best foot forward and not receiving anything in return, we have two options. We can continue to devalue ourselves and our self-worth by forcing the relationship, or we can forsake foolishness, make a wise decision to end the relationship, and find someone who can treat us well. 

If we’re disrespected in some way, we have two options. We can either get into a verbal/physical altercation with that person and possibly receive consequences, or forsake foolishness, use sound judgment, lovingly respect them in return, and allow God to deal with their disrespect. 

Let’s stop acting like fools and be the kings and queens God called us to be. 

1 John 4:16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.

God could have made Himself be anything He wanted to be. God could have made Himself power. God could have made Himself wrath. But before we knew Him, God made Himself love.

God is the embodiment of love. This love is not only to those who accept His Son Jesus. This love is for everyone. This love does not need to be earned. This love is freely given. This love cannot be taken away. This love lasts forever.

When we have a true understanding of God’s love for us, it makes us look at life differently. It eliminates condemnation, because regardless of what we do, God loves us. It allows us to maintain our faith, because we know God loves us enough to fulfill His promises. It eliminates fear from danger because God loves us enough to protect us.

Everything we have and every promise we have to look forward to is birthed out of God’s love for us. Embrace this love and don’t entertain the lies that will compel questions about His love for us.

People have a tendency to generalize a lot of things in society. We’ll make generalizations about certain topics and include the words “all” or “no one” as if it’s the gospel. We’ll assume because we experienced a thing and we know other people who experienced that same thing, it’s an automatic that someone else will go through the same thing.

There is one factor that people forget about when making generalizations. That’s the God factor. Luke 1:37 says, for with God nothing shall be impossible. We read this, but some of us dismiss Him when facing difficult situations or situations we’ve never seen before.

Generalization: You have to have good credit to get a house.
The God Factor: With God, we can get a house without good credit.

Generalization: You have to be employed here for 3 years before you can get a promotion.
The God Factor: With God, we can be promoted within 2 years.

Generalization: You’re too old to be hired by that company.
The God Factor: With God, we can be hired at any age.

Just remember, with God nothing shall be impossible, and with God, all things are possible if we believe.

Luke 1:37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.

Psalms 96:1 Sing a new song to the Lord! Let the whole earth sing to the Lord! 2 Sing to the Lord; praise his name. Each day proclaim the good news that he saves. 3 Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does.

At times, there’s a false sense of humility in the body of Christ. Some individuals believe it’s boasting or being braggadocious to share the goodness of God with someone else. This is a deception from the enemy and it’s not even biblical. The enemy knows if we close the door on what God has done in our lives, it can prevent an unbeliever from being interested in our God.

God blessed a lot of us with a spouse and children. Would it be braggadocious to introduce our spouse or our children to someone else? Of course not. So, why should we feel compelled to hide the other things God has done in our lives?

Never be ashamed of the goodness of God. Let that co-worker know how God blessed you with that raise. Inform your cousin about God blessing you with that new car. Update your status on being a new homeowner.

There is nothing wrong with giving credit, glory, and honor to God about His promises coming to pass in our lives.

Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

You kindly speak to customers at work about work-related issues and they respond back rudely for no apparent reason. It takes everything in your power not to tell them about themselves. You happily go home to speak to your spouse, however, your spouse’s mood is quiet, distant, and it seems like he/she has an attitude for no apparent reason. That attitude may compel you to start an argument or have an attitude yourself.

When these situations arise, we have to remember it’s not those actual people who are being unkind or rude. It’s an ungodly spirit within those individuals influencing their minds. That ungodly spirit makes them feel justified to have an attitude or to treat someone else poorly. In the middle of the situation, our responsibility is to check our emotions so that we won’t be influenced by the same spirit, be slow to anger, and continue to show the love of God. After the situation, we should rebuke the demonic influences from that person’s mind.

It can be difficult to separate the person from the spirit, but when we’re slow to anger, it gives us enough time to softly pray for that person, and not go off (James 1:19). Showing the love of God, in spite of their behavior, plants seeds of kindness that may heal their wounds from previous pain.

Be disciples of Jesus Christ by displaying the love of God.

John 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Ezekiel 3:10 Moreover, He said to me, “Son of man, receive into your heart all My words which I will speak to you and hear with your ears (listen closely).

People are quick to quote “Faith comes by hearing the Word of God,” but as we can see, hearing is not enough. We have to receive the Word of God into our hearts.

How do we receive the Word of God? We continuously meditate on the Word until it becomes as real as the facts we know today (Joshua 1:8). It’s a fact that if we stand on a standard ladder it will hold our weight and allow us to reach higher levels. It’s a fact that if we jump into a pool, we’ll get wet.

The same way we believe and receive natural facts, is the same way we should believe and receive spiritual truths. Eventually, we’ll confidently confess we’re healed regardless of the symptoms displayed (Isaiah 53:5). We’ll boldly state that all of our needs are met in spite of the lack we currently see (Philippians 4:19). We are quickly comforted and at peace after being recently hurt by someone because God comforts us (2 Corinthians 1:4).

We can be confident in God’s Word because we’ve heard His Word and received it into our hearts. Receive the truth in God’s Word.

Ecclesiastes 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all.‭‭

We all have dreams and goals we want to see accomplished in our lives. The average person desires a family, a debt free home, a couple of cars, and an enjoyable high salary career with great benefits.

These are great goals, but there is one problem. Where is God? How is God being glorified? At the end of the day, our ultimate goal is to glorify God. If we’re not glorifying God, everything we strive to obtain is vanity. 

As believers, we need to make sure we’re not so focused on obtaining tangible desires, meanwhile, neglecting God. If our pursuit of “things” outweighs our pursuit of God, we’ve magnified those things above God. In everything we do, we need to ask ourselves, is God glorified? 

There is nothing wrong with having desires and goals, but our priority should be God and accomplishing His will in the earth. 

1 John 2:17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

 ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭2:9‬ ‭“But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”—”

In the world, delays are hindrances to realized dreams. For believers, God given delays are blessings beyond what we can ask, think, or imagine.

Joseph received a dream as a teenager of his older brothers kneeling before him. After being betrayed by them and living as a Hebrew slave for years, when he was about 30 years old that dream manifested. In addition, Joseph became one of the richest and most powerful men during that time of delay, and saved an entire nation and bordering peoples from starvation during a famine (Genesis 37-50).

Genesis‬ ‭41:39-40‬ ‭“Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you are. You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command. Only as regards the throne will I be greater than you.””

Genesis‬ ‭50:18-20‬ ‭“His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.”

Trust God, His plans and purposes for you, and His timing. God has only the best for His people who will trust Him, and allow Him to direct their paths.

Jeremiah‬ ‭29:11‬ ‭“I know the plans that I have for you, declares the LORD. They are plans for peace and not disaster, plans to give you a future filled with hope.”

James 4: 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

When a student submits a paper to a teacher or an employee submits a proposal to management, they are giving their work product to them. In those situations, it’s almost certain corrections will need to be made. It could be spelling errors, additional research may be needed, or the entire idea may need to be changed.

If we expect changes after submitting a paper or a proposal, how much more should we expect changes after submitting our lives to God? God may have some changes for our negative attitude by constantly reminding us to be a little nicer. God may correct our definition of forgiveness by showing us how to forgive and genuinely love people at the same time. God may exercise our patience by delaying a desire.

Regardless of the situation, we can expect some changes when we submit our lives to God. Don’t get intimidated or frustrated by these changes. As long as we live, little corrections will always be suggested. These changes are only making us better people in this dark world.

Since the resurrection of Jesus, there has been a decline in the reverence, respect, and honor of God. One noticeable reason as to why the reverence of God declined is the abuse of grace. Grace is the unmerited or undeserving favor of God through Christ Jesus. We deserve a cursed life destined for eternal death, but grace intervened.

In the Old Testament, where grace was not available, those who lacked reverence and respect received public punishments. Cities were destroyed, people lost their sanity, and the curse was apparent in a person’s life. Now we’re under grace and the punishment for our sins was placed on Jesus. We no longer see the plagues and curses we read about in the Old Testament.

Due to the lack of punishment, people become bolder and feel justified to publicly question the existence of God and engage or promote behavior that opposes the Word of God.

Instead of abusing the grace of God because there’s no punishment, let’s live a life of gratitude for the sacrifice made by Jesus. Instead of agreeing with the contrary ideas of the world, let’s keep our stance and promote the Word of God. Let’s enlighten the minds of people in this darkened world to return to reverence, respect, and honor by explaining the correct picture of grace.

Hebrews 12:28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.

There are so many people who believe Christians belong in a poverty prison. They think Christians should live a modest life, not owning nice things and giving their excess to those in need.

But in the words of Pastor Carl Lentz, where does modesty begin? To one person, modesty means having a car equivalent to a Honda Accord. To another person, it means using public transportation. To one person it means having a three bedroom house. To another person, it means having just enough house for the size of a person’s family. There’s no set modesty line.

People base this on what they read in the life of Jesus. They read that Jesus was born in a barn; Jesus was homeless because He didn’t have any place to lay His head, and Jesus rode on a donkey instead of a chariot. What some people fail to read is Jesus was raised in a house (Matthew 2:11), some of his first gifts were gold and other expensive items, and He sailed in ships (Mark 4:36). They also misquote scripture saying “money is the root of all evil” when it actually says, “The love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Timothy 6:10).

The will of the Father is for us to prosper.
Psalms 35:27 Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favor my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the LORD be magnified, who has pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.
2 Corinthians 8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that you through his poverty might be rich.
3 John 1:2 Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers.
(Also see Deut. 8:18, Prov. 10:22, Prov. 13:22)

Because we have free will, God will allow us to have whatever we desire. Which will you choose? The blessed prosperous life FOUND IN SCRIPTURE or the seemingly “modest” life NOT FOUND IN SCRIPTURE, but accepted by the world?

It’s up to you. Choose life.

John 6:28 Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”…

When Jesus says, “only believe” He really means only believe. It’s not believe and let me figure it out myself. It’s not believe and let me expedite the manifestation of my desire by prayer, fasting, or reading more. It literally means, only believe.

At times, it may be difficult to sit back and only believe because our flesh feels compelled to do something. We want to help God out in answering our prayers. We don’t want delays. We want to show God we’re deserving of this blessing through our behavior. However, the word of God says only believe.

So, believe in the finished works of Jesus. Believe His sacrifice was more than enough for all of us. Believe in Jesus.

Only believe.

Every believer should be standing in faith for something. When that something doesn’t manifest within a certain time period or that something is initially denied, a lot of us back off on our expectation.

We’re disappointed, therefore, we disguise our disappointment by “giving it to God.” We’ll say, “God’s going to do whatever He wants to do” or “whatever the Lord wills.” What we’re really saying is we don’t want to get our hopes up only to be disappointed.

We must remember, God’s ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9). We must also remember no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly (Psalms 84:11). What this means is there is a reason beyond our initial understanding for the delay. This reason may be revealed to us in the not so distant future.

God may be withholding that new employment opportunity we’ve been applying for because there is an opportunity for a major promotion at our current company and we don’t have to sacrifice our seniority. There may be a delay in the arrival of our spouse due to the fact there are some things God needs to uproot so that we don’t contaminate the relationship.

Regardless of what’s going on… 

1. Keep pressure on God’s Word – ex: God Your Word says_______. 

2. Stay in faith – ex. I believe that I received my_______. 

3. Thank God for His promises – ex: Thank God, through Jesus Christ, for my______.

Psalms 42:11 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.

A person chooses to play basketball one Saturday morning. During the game, that person ends up twisting an ankle and has to come out. After the injury, that person is not questioning his faith or questioning the existence of God. He knew the potential risk of playing basketball. He also knows his ankle will get better.

The Word of God doesn’t tell us a potential risk in life, but it guarantees we will have adversities and trials in this life. When trials come, we shouldn’t be surprised and question if God is really for us. In so many ways, the Word of God tells us we will have trials. It doesn’t matter if we’re saved or not, we’ll all experience trials. Like injuries may be a part of the game of basketball, trials are a part of life.

However, for those who are saved, we have a promise of victory over those trials (1 Corinthians 15:57). We have a promise of deliverance from those trials (Psalms 34:19). We have a promise of everything working out for our good in spite of those trials (Romans 8:28). Like the injured ankle of that basketball player, we have a guarantee that things will get better (Psalms 71:20).

Be encouraged!

Psalms 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivers him out of them all.

2 Chronicles 20:12 Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”

We’ve all faced challenges so big until we didn’t know what to do. We’ve tried all we know to do and nothing seems to be working. Instead of staying up late at night worrying about the problem or living in fear, let’s put our focus on God. There is no problem too big He can’t handle.

Regardless if the problem is big or small, God wants us to rely on Him in every situation (1 Peter 5:7). By not looking to God and trying to figure it out on our own brings out the jealousy in God (Exodus 20:4-5). How? We make ourselves and our ideas bigger than God.

Finally, it’s okay if we don’t know what to do. If we don’t know what to do, we are encouraged to ask the Father for wisdom (James 1:5).

The common thread is God. The solution to our problems and wisdom we need will all flow through God. Look to God.

Genesis 14:18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, 19 and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. 20 And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

Abraham was compelled to give a tenth of his spoils to God for allowing him to defeat his enemies. Notice, Abraham knew it was God who allowed Him to defeat his enemies. It wasn’t his skills in combat, it wasn’t his strength, and it wasn’t his intelligence. Abraham solely knew it was God who allowed him to defeat his enemies therefore, out of gratitude, he gave to God.

We experience so many great things in our lives. We obtain promotions, scholarships, approved loans for a house or a car, and business ideas. Let’s not forget it was by the grace of God all these wonderful things happen to us. It wasn’t by coincidence we have what we have, our connections, or our skills. It was God and God alone.

Knowing that it’s God who blesses us, out of gratitude, we should be compelled to give our time, talents, and our treasure to Him. Never allow the ideas of the world or the deceptions of the enemy to make you minimize the grace of God. Know it was God.

Psalms 121:2 My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

John 15:2 He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.

Pruning is a process of selective removal of parts of a plant, such as branches, buds, or roots.

As believers, we are to be led by the Spirit of God (Rom. 8:14). When we’re in tune with the Spirit, the Spirit will suggest adjustments or corrections in our lives to better reflect the nature of God.

To those who are open and desiring growth, the Spirit will encourage us to do some of the following:
-Have a pleasant conversation with a stranger instead of keeping to ourselves, distrusting everyone.
-Not gossiping about a fellow co-worker knowing that our words have power.
-Speaking life and being positive instead of being negative.
-Trying something new instead of doing the same thing because we’re afraid it may not work out well.
-Spending more time with God instead of being on social media.

These suggestions won’t put us in heaven or hell. These are suggestions to help us become better believers. In a plant, when a person prunes correctly, it encourages healthy growth and allows the plant to be more fruitful. When we allow the Holy Spirit to prune certain attitudes or behaviors in our lives, it too will encourage healthy growth in the ways of God so that we can be more fruitful in the world. Be open to the suggestions made by the Spirit.

Mark 5:36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.

“Only believe, only believe. All things are possible if you’ll only believe.” ~Paul Rader

There are certain situations in life that may tempt us to do something else besides believing. Depending on the circumstance, there are situations that can tempt us to be fearful, worried, confused, or anxious. Jesus instructs us to only believe.

In our case, under the New Covenant, we are to believe in the finished works of Jesus. We are to believe, through the sacrifice of Jesus, every blessing and promise from God was made available to and for us. There is nothing that’s unfinished or has to be figured out. It’s already done.

With this understanding, we don’t have to be fearful, worried, or anxious. Our fear or worry won’t better the situation anyway. If we only believe, it’s a matter of time before things change for our good.

Only believe, only believe. All things are possible you’ll only believe.