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Religion is a set of beliefs, ideas, and values mainly taken out of context based solely around the Law of Moses, norms and customs in the biblical era, and other created obligations used or acted upon in the effort to please and make ourselves acceptable in the sight of God.

A healthy list of religious ideas include the following: No makeup, long dresses, or braided hair for women (1 Tim. 2:9/1 Pet. 3:3); not eating “unclean” animals (Lev. 11); sinning our salvation away, obligation to tithe or a curse will come upon us (Mal. 3:8-10); God teaching/punishing us through sickness; premature death being the will of God; a lack of money to qualify us as holy (1 Tim. 6:10); receiving guilt and condemnation after missing the mark; must come to God through a priest; etc.

These scriptures or ideas were either taken out of context or simply made up by man. Following religious rules in an effort to please God is futile because all our righteousness is like filthy rags in the sight of God (Isa. 64:6). If we can please God by following a set of rules, there would be no need for Jesus. In fact, the Law of Moses was given to increase sin and lead us to Christ (Rom. 5:20; Gal. 3:24).

Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the law so that we won’t have to. Through His sacrifice we’ve been freed from the bondage of the law.

Don’t have a mental breakdown trying to keep all the requirements of religion.  Every religious idea has been fulfilled by Jesus and our belief in what He has fulfilled has made us righteous and acceptable to God (2 Cor. 5:21).

Romans 7:6 But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.

2 Corinthians 12:9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

Boasting in weakness? Who would boast about their weaknesses? A person who understands the magnitude of grace.

We all have weaknesses in our lives. Some of our weaknesses are sexual, drug or alcohol related, a judgmental or critical spirit, or just plain fear. Those who understand the all-encompassing embodiment of grace realize, wherever we’re weak or have missed the mark, grace is there to right our wrongs.

A religious person would tell us to be ashamed of our weakness, however, having an understanding of grace makes a person appreciate the sacrifice of Jesus. It is His sacrifice that allows us to stay in right relationship with God even when we miss the mark.

Some of us missed the mark in our past and some of us will miss the mark in our future. Whenever the mark is missed, instead of feeling like you let God down, know that through the sacrifice of Jesus, His blood keeps you up.

Ephesians 2:4 But because of His great love for us, God,who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ, even when we were dead in our trespasses. It is by grace you have been saved!

When people see a happy couple, a friend of the couple may say you two deserve each other. If that couple buys their first house, another person may say congratulations, you two deserve to be happy. What people are really trying to say is, I’ve seen what you’ve gone through and I’ve seen your commitment to God and because you’ve been a loving friend, you deserve something special.

The truth is, we don’t deserve anything remotely good. If it hadn’t been for the grace of God that came through Jesus Christ, we would be walking this earth sick, poor, and on our way to hell. We would be condemned in our thoughts, bound by sin, and suffering the wrath of God every single day. That’s what we deserve.

Anytime something good happens in our lives, let’s not reflect on the good we’ve done or our works of righteousness. Let’s praise God for Jesus. Let’s give glory to Jesus for making these great things available to us. Although people have good intentions, the next time someone says you deserve something, it would be a good time to remind them of the grace of God.

Galatians 6:9 Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due time we will reap a harvest, if we do not give up. 

1 Timothy 6:18 Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, and to be generous and ready to share,

There are times we may wonder, what’s the point? Why keep doing good? The story of Ruth demonstrates the benefits of continuing to honor God and doing good. 

Ruth unselfishly chose to give to another, and in doing the good that God led her to do, she allowed God to position her to receive more than what she even asked for. She flourished in her work, in her relationships, and in her life. So, don’t be discouraged. Continue to press on and do good. God has you covered.

Ruth‬ ‭2:12‬ “The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!””

Hebrews 4:9 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. 

On the cross, a great transaction was made. Jesus took condemnation, disease, the curse, and death and gave us righteousness, eternal life, divine health, prosperity, freedom from sin, and dominion. After the exchange took place, Jesus said “It is finished.” There is nothing left to do. Jesus did it all.

So what do we do now? We rest. We remain in a continuous state of rest. Like God rested on the seventh day because He was finished, we rest because Jesus is finished. This may be difficult to our flesh because our flesh always wants to get involved to make something happen. Our flesh may want to pray and read the Bible two hours a day to get God to move on our behalf, or our flesh may want to work three jobs to be financially stable.

Under grace, we don’t have to earn or toil for our blessings from God. Our responsibility is to rest and believe on the finished works of Jesus Christ and know that He’s made everything we need or desire available to us. If we would only rest and believe.

The Assyrian army was strong and they conquered nations. The Assyrian messenger attempted to persuade Hezekiah and his people to bow to the Assyrian king and forsake God. Regardless of how strong the Assyrian army was, Hezekiah decided to place his trust in God.

Isaiah 36:14 “Thus says the king, ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you; 15 nor let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, “The LORD will surely deliver us, this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” 16 ‘Do not listen to Hezekiah,’ for thus says the king of Assyria, ‘Make your peace with me and come out to me, and eat each of his vine and each of his fig tree and drink each of the waters of his own cistern,

When we decide to place our faith and trust in God, the enemy is always waiting around the corner, speaking through someone attempting to limit or totally remove our faith in God. The enemy uses logic or reasoning to deceive the people of God. In the case of Hezekiah, it seemed reasonable to bow to a king who was wealthier and more powerful than he was, but Hezekiah maintained his trust in God.

We may want to step out on faith to buy a house, but our friends/family may tell us to stay in an apartment for 3 more years to save money. We may want to trust God for new employment, but we may have the thought to stay where we are because it’s “safer.” The thoughts and ideas seem logical, but if God created a burning desire to trust Him, then do so.

Don’t get bullied out of your stance. Stand firm and trust in God against all odds.

By the way, since Hezekiah didn’t bow to the enemy, choosing instead to trust in God, God sent an angel to defeat the entire Assyrian army (Isaiah 37:36). If God can do it for Hezekiah, He can do it for you.

Since we were young children, most of our parents or teachers told us the importance of sharing. They told us not to be selfish and it was frowned upon if we didn’t share our toys with our friends or family.

As adults, most of us understand the concept of sharing physical things such as clothes, money, or food, but somewhere along the way, we didn’t make the connection to share spiritual things.

God has been really good to all of us. We’ve stepped out on faith and trusted in God and He’s answered our prayers, healed our bodies, and gave us more than we could ever dream. Meanwhile, we see our brother or sister struggling. They’re literally having mental breakdowns trying to figure it out on their own, they’re bogged down with guilt and shame, and/or they’re on their way to hell.

Let’s help out our neighbor and share the gospel of Jesus Christ. Let them know the gospel is not only Jesus died for our sins. The gospel combines Jesus dying for our sins with, Jesus healing our bodies, God supplying all our needs, God giving us the desires of our hearts, and more. Let them know if they trust God, everything will work out for their good.
Remember the days of your youth and share the gospel.

Mark 16:15 “And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.’”

1 Corinthians 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. ² I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; ³ for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?

God has so much for the body of Christ, but as long as there’s division between us, we limit what God can do through and for us. In the body of Christ alone, we’re divided in our views towards sin and forgiveness, the law and grace, and our biggest division is denominations. It’s not just a difference of opinion. These are divisions where friendships are ruined, people choose to not visit another person’s church, and videos are posted slandering individuals with different views than their own.

What would the world look like if we, as the body of Christ, would be on one accord? How many more people would be saved if we simply preach Jesus?

In Matthew 16:18 Jesus lets us know the gates of hell cannot prevail against the church or the body of Christ. With that understanding, the body of Christ should be dominating the entertainment industry, education, the legal system, and more. What’s stopping the church from dominating even one industry? The division within ourselves. Mark 3:25 says, if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. The limited impact we make is because of our division.

Let’s go back to basics of the gospel and preach Jesus loves, Jesus healed, and Jesus saves. Yes there’s more, but if the world can know that, this world could be a better place.

Basketball analyst will tell you that great players make other players better around them. If the star on the team is playing at a high level, diving for the ball, and hustling down the court, it motivates the team to do the same.

If a basketball star can make other players better around them, shouldn’t we, being children of God, be able to make other people great around us? We all have a circle of people around us. We have our friends, family, and co-workers. If our circle sees us operating in the ways of God, it should motivate the people around us to do the same.

If our circle sees us believing God for a desire and sees that desire manifest, it should motivate some in our circle to believe God for their desires. If the people within our circle see us giving glory to God when something good happens, our circle should do the same. If people see us maintain our confidence and trust in God during difficult situations, it could encourage others around us to do the same.

Be the star on your team and allow the ways of God to be on public display for others to imitate. Our response to life will make our team better.

1 Corinthians 4:16 Therefore I urge you to imitate me.

John 8:36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

It’s been said, if an animal is in a cage too long, after a while, a person can open the door to the cage, but the animal won’t come out. The technical name for this is cage-bound. Someone could be attempting to free the animal, but the animal won’t go. Psychologically, the cage is the animal’s entire world and there’s no need for anything else.

Some believers have been cage-bound in their souls (mind, will, imagination, emotions, and intellect). Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. Jesus freed us from sin, sickness, the curse, death, guilt, shame, condemnation, and all the works of the devil.

A cage-bound Christian is a person willing to accept or go back to anything Jesus freed us from. For instance, if a person receives guilt after they’ve missed the mark, they’re still cage-bound. The appropriate response after missing the mark is acknowledging that we’ve missed the mark and receive the forgiveness of God. Or, if a person receives sickness thinking it’s the Lord’s will to be sick, they’re a cage-bound Christian.

People of God, we’ve been freed. Now it’s up to us to walk out our freedom. Don’t allow sin, sickness, condemnation, or the rest of the devil’s devices to reside in your world. We’ve been freed from these things now, remain free indeed!

Ephesians 1:4 For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love 5 He predestined us for adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will,

11 In Him we were also chosen as God’s own, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything by the counsel of His will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, would be for the praise of His glory.

Before we took our first breath and before we committed our first sinful act, God already appointed and predestined us for greatness. We were preprogrammed for a God-ordained assignment in the earth. Some of us were preprogrammed to be Pastors and others were preprogrammed to be entertainers. We all have an assignment.

What we’ve done in our past doesn’t disqualify us from fulfilling the plan and purpose God has for us. People may have disqualified us and we may have disqualified ourselves, but God has not. Our assignment is still waiting on us. God already knew what we would or wouldn’t do and He knew how far we would stray from the path of righteousness. But, picture this: what we’ve done (right or wrong) better prepared us for fulfilling our God-ordained assignment because He worked out everything for our good.

Remove the guilt and shame from your past. Seek God for your purpose in the earth and start fulfilling your God-ordained assignment today.

Matthew 7:7 Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.

If someone has a deep cut, doctors may instruct that person to bandage the wound and continue to apply pressure to the wound. Although the bandage controls the blood flow, the applied pressure stops the bleeding.

Applied pressure works spiritually as well. For believers, if we have a need or desire, we apply pressure for that promise. We properly ask God in faith and continue to believe that we’ve received our need or desire until it comes to pass. We may find a scripture related to our need or desire and confess it daily. We may even go on a fast to receive clarity on how to receive that need or desire.

As soon as that desire manifests itself, some of us pull back on our applied pressure. We may thank God for what we’ve prayed for, but some stop praying as much and some stop making their confessions. No! Continue to apply pressure on that promise. We may stop applying pressure, but the devil, who steals, kills, and destroys, continues to apply pressure on his end.

Yes, we may be married now, but the devil is attempting to destroy that marriage. Continue to apply pressure. Yes, we have our career, but the devil is attempting to steal that career. Continue to apply pressure. Yes, we’ve been healed of that disease, but the devil is attempting to resurrect that disease in our bodies. Continue to apply pressure. Whatever we did to get our need or desire, the same should be done to keep it.

1 Peter 1:16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

For most of us, we understand if we want to lose weight, get toned, or gain muscle we have to workout and have a good diet. People don’t workout and eat correctly because it’s fun. They discipline their bodies because they want to see the results.

The same concept applies with the blessed life. Everyone wants the blessings, prosperity, and the goodness of God, but not everyone is willing to discipline their flesh to reap the reward. Living an unholy life is like a person eating whatever they want and not working out and expecting a healthy toned body. 

To maximize our abundant life, we must honor God by living holy. This means we say no to that one night stand, no to that shot of alcohol, or no to that piece of cake when we’re full. We say no to whatever doesn’t honor God. Let’s honor God, discipline ourselves, and live holy. 

Matthew 22:39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

It’s easy to love people outside of ourselves. We’ll love God and Jesus and all they’ve done for us. When a relationship is established or if our child is born, we’ll love them too. But, do we take the time to love ourselves? How can we love God and love another if we don’t properly love ourselves?

What does it mean to love ourselves? Loving ourselves means: receiving God’s forgiveness for ourselves after we’ve done something foolish, instead of having a time period of guilt, shame, and condemnation. Loving ourselves means: maintaining our confidence even though we may not have the career the world says is successful or the appearance the world says is attractive. Loving ourselves means: treating ourselves to something enjoyable from time to time instead of waiting on the perfect setting to enjoy life. Loving ourselves means: applying the things that Jesus shed His blood for to our lives (forgiveness, abundant living, prosperity in all things, etc.).

If people would love themselves, they wouldn’t be so quick to quarrel with someone because they feel disrespected. The love that they have for themselves would eliminate the need to be respected by someone else. If people would love themselves, they wouldn’t be so quick to attach themselves to the first person who says they like them. They would love themselves enough to wait on a healthy relationship.

Let’s learn to love ourselves. It’s not egotistical. It’s biblical.

III John‬ ‭1:2‬ ‭“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.”
Regardless of the circumstances around us, we prosper in all things as our souls prosper. The story of Joseph demonstrates this truth (Read Genesis 37, 39-41).  

1. Joseph’s father favored him and his jealous brothers left him in a pit to die. 

2. He was then rescued from the pit into slavery. 

3. While enslaved he was promoted to the head of Potiphar’s house where Potiphar’s wife got so mad that Joseph wouldn’t sleep with her that she accused him of attempted rape and he was imprisoned. 

4. While in prison he was promoted to being in charge of all of the prisoners. 

5. After being locked up for ten years, he was given an opportunity to use his spiritual gifts, and ended up becoming the wealthiest and most powerful man in Egypt, second only to Pharaoh 

In all of his trials, what remained consistent for Joseph was that he continued to commune with God and keep him first. The bible doesn’t say that he cursed God and spent his days worrying. Rather, he kept his relationship with God constant, remained in perfect peace, and allowed God to cause all things to work together for his good. So, keep drawing closer to God, keeping that relationship at the forefront. Then, even as circumstances arise, you will prosper as your soul prospers. And, there will be that day where you look back in awe at the bad times and realize how He not only prospered you then, but used those times to elevate you into even greater prosperity.

Start feeding your soul: pray, worship, listen to God, read the Word, listen to Word-based sermons…

Genesis‬ ‭41:39-40‬ “Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you.

Habakkuk 2:2-3 “Then the LORD answered me and said: “Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry.”‭‭

God has given everyone an assignment. Our assignment may be simple like, feed the hungry or our assignment may be more complex like, restructuring the legal system. No assignment is greater than another. In man’s eyes one may think of an assignment to be more important than another but in God’s eyes, we’re all fulfilling His will on the earth.

Regardless of our assignment, it’s important to write our assignment down somewhere. Whatever God has for us to do and whatever vision He’s given to us, write it down. Don’t just write the end result, but write down the steps He’s given you to get to your destination. We may not know how or when we’ll fulfill our assignment, but write it down anyway.

Writing the vision keeps purpose on our minds. It reminds us of what God told us to do. So when distractions in the form of notoriety, prestige, or higher pay come, we can keep ourselves level-headed and do what God has called us to do.
Write down the vision and keep it in your minds, your speech, and in your hearts.

When some people tell their friends about their problems or the problems of another, the advice that’s often given is prayer. However, the advice is given in a way that makes prayer seem minor or non-effective. They may say, “All you can do is pray about it.”

The reason why prayer is presented as minor is because some of us don’t have a real grasp on our authority, dominion, and power. Our words have authority in heaven and in earth (Matthew 18:18 Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.) We’ve been given authority over EVERYTHING in the earth (Gen. 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth).  Also, what we properly ask for will, not possibly, come to pass. (Matthew 21:22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.)

Prayer is not all we can do, but the best thing we can do. Let’s use our authority, dominion, and power to change our world for the better, undue the works of the devil, and bring heaven to earth.

James 5:16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

Isaiah 31:1 “Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, And rely on horses, Who trust in chariots because they are many, And in horsemen because they are very strong, But who do not look to the Holy One of Israel, Nor seek the LORD!”‭‭

We have the tendency to trust in things we can measure with our senses. We’ll trust our employment because we can see the amount of money we make on a monthly basis. We’ll trust in the economy in our country based on the pattern that’s projected by so-called experts. We’ll trust in our education based on statistical success we see in society.

As faithful as some of these things have been, they still may be unreliable one day. The only source of consistency we can fully rely on is God. Everything else may change, but God will never change. God is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore.

Evaluate your life. Are you placing more faith or trust in the things of this world or are you totally relying in God?

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

Suicide is a real problem in our society. People are taking their lives for next to nothing. One main reason people are taking their lives is because of the stresses caused by the trials in life. If people had a different perspective of trials, we can reduce, if not, eliminate suicide altogether. 1 Corinthians 10:13 gives us that different perspective.

1 Corinthians 10:13 Breakdown Part 1: No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. The devil loves to isolate people, making them think they’re the only ones going through trials. If he can isolate people, he’ll deceive them into thinking no one understands or no one can relate to what they’re facing. God’s Word lets us know the problems we face are not uncommon to mankind. The trials of life are simply recycled.

Part 2: And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. This is key. Because God is faithful, He will not allow us to go through anything we can’t handle. The very fact that we’re going through trials is proof we can handle the trials. It doesn’t matter if it’s a divorce, a layoff or, if our actions caused us to be in the trial; we have the God-given ability to handle it.

Part 3: But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. God’s Word says, not only can we handle the trial, but He will provide a way of escape. The stress comes in when WE think WE have to find a solution to the problem. God said He will provide a way out. It’s not up to us, but He will provide a way out for us. We just have to trust Him.

When we have an understanding that whatever problem or difficulty we’re facing, God has given us the ability to endure and overcome it, we’ll never consider suicide again.

*Send this message to those who need it.

Proverbs 10:22 The blessing of the LORD brings wealth, without painful toil for it.

The hunger for wealth is more apparent now than ever before. People are working multiple jobs, numerous lottery tickets are being purchased, and people are being scammed on “get rich quick schemes” just to get ahead financially. 

As we can see, through the blessing, we are not to pursue wealth, but wealth is to pursue us. What is the blessing? In short, the blessing is an empowerment to prosper. We first see the promise of the blessing in Genesis 12:2-3 when God promised the blessing on Abraham. As a result of the blessing, Abraham was extremely wealthy (Gen. 13:2). The promise of the blessing was not just to Abraham, but to his seed. The seed God was referring to was Jesus Christ (Gal. 3:16). If we belong to Christ, then we are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise (Gal.3:29).

Through Christ, the blessing is on our lives. With the blessing, we don’t have to stress or strain to get wealth. Without toil, wealth is promised to come to us. Does that mean we sit at home and expect a check in the mail? No. As we’re doing what God called us to do, the blessing causes us to receive unexpected promotions, ideas for inventions, and ways to save money. Receive the blessing and stop chasing money and let money chase you. 

Ephesians 3:19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

God loves us with an unconditional love with no strings attached. We don’t have to work for it or earn it. God loves us because we’re His creation. Even when we’ve missed the mark and people say we don’t deserve His love, He still loves us. God’s love is better than a good parent’s love towards a newborn child.

Knowing He loves us this much, we can boldly proclaim His Word over our lives. We can say, He loves us, therefore, all things work together for our good (Romans 8:28). He loves us, therefore, all of our needs are met (Philippians 4:19). He loves us, therefore, He gives us victory in every situation (2 Corinthians 2:14).

God’s love is far from the love mankind developed. His love is unconditional with no limitations or requirements. Stop trying to earn His love and freely receive it. Wherever you are, whatever you’ve done, God’s love is available to you. Receive it.

Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.”‭‭

When we keep our focus on God, instead of the distractions of the world, God promised to keep us in perfect peace. We see this acted out in Matthew 14:28-30 when Peter walked on water. As long as Peter was focused on Jesus, he was at peace, doing the impossible, in the midst of a troubling situation. As soon as Peter took his mind and focus off of Jesus, he began to look at the trouble surrounding him, forfeiting his peace, and slowly started sinking.

If we keep our mind focused on the dangers of the world, the financial crises, and provision instead of Him, we too will forfeit our peace and sink. As tempting as it is to focus on the things outside of God, let’s maintain our peace and focus on the finished works of Jesus.

Matthew 14:28 Peter replied to Him, “Lord, if it is [really] You, command me to come to You on the water.” 29 He said, “Come!” So Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw [the effects of] the wind, he was frightened, and he began to sink, and he cried out, “Lord, save me!”