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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.

There are some who believe that the more people they ask to pray for a certain problem, the better their chances are in getting their prayers answered. There is nothing wrong with asking for people to stand in agreement with us because where two of us agree here on earth concerning anything we ask, the Father in heaven will do it for us (Matthew 18:19). However, if the motivation to ask people to pray is like raffle tickets, where we feel like the more people we ask to pray for us will better our chances in getting our prayers answered, we’re actually asking in doubt.

It’s doubt because those people don’t believe their prayer or faith is enough to change the situation. If we doubt, we can’t expect to receive anything from the Lord (James 1:6-7).

Our belief in the death and resurrection of Jesus has made us righteous. God made it where the prayer (singular) of a righteous person is effective (James 5:16). It’s great to have people in agreement with us, but it’s not a necessity.

All it takes is one person to pray one prayer in faith and that prayer will change any situation. Just believe.

Jesus paid the price for you and I. He separated Himself from the Father, took on the sins of the world, was physically beaten until death so that we could be free. One would think more believers would be appreciative for all that He’s done, but some have minimized the sacrifice.

The sacrifice is an old repeated story, therefore, it’s easy to not place any value in the One Who sacrificed His life for us. Where there is no value, there is no honor.

That’s why there can be people who call themselves believers living no differently than the world.

If we can constantly remind ourselves of the sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf, we can consciously make an effort to live a holy life honoring the One Who paid it all.

We have that reminder through communion. When we take communion, we remind ourselves of what Jesus has done. That reminder should keep us focused on why we live a life differently than the world and why we make choices that force our flesh to comply with God’s will. It’s because of the price He paid.

Never forget or minimize the sacrifice of Jesus. It’s THE only reason we’re allowed to live such a blessed life today.

1 Corinthians 11:23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: that the Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.””  25 In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”  

The entertainment industry (movies, books, and TV shows) have made Satan and his demonic creatures out to be powerful beings capable of terrorizing people at will. Seeing satanic forces on the screen as a real threat for so many years has invoked real fear in individuals. It’s been so effective until, some people are afraid to walk past graveyards, drive by a certain house, or even be in the dark by themselves.

Entertainment has made Satan out to be a real threat, but let’s see what the Bible has to say about Satan.

Isaiah 14:16 Those who see you stare at you, they ponder your fate: “Is this the man who shook the earth and made kingdoms tremble, 17 the man who made the world a wilderness, who overthrew its cities and would not let his captives go home?”

Colossians 2:15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

In Isaiah, people are unimpressed when they see Satan and in Colossians, Jesus stripped him of all his power.

Satan is a powerless reject. We have nothing to fear when it comes to Satan. He can’t move objects, take us to another dimension, or hurt us. Without our consent, he can’t even do the famous possession of our bodies. All he can do is influence people to do his will.

Stop feeding your fear with the Hollywood images of Satan and start feeding your faith by reading about the power we have over Satan (Luke 10:19).

Matthew 16:23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

When Jesus discerned that Satan was attempting to stop the will of God from coming to pass through Peter, Jesus commanded Satan to get behind Him. In other words, Jesus commanded Satan to leave the conversation and situation.

We can conclude, anytime someone or something is attempting to stop the will of God from manifesting in our lives, Satan is behind it and we have the authority to remove him from the situation.

The will of God for our lives is in His Word. The will of God is for us to have abundance (Ephesians 3:20). If there is lack in our lives, we can command the demonic influences behind lack to leave. The will of God for our lives is clarity (1 Corinthians 14:33). If we’re confused and don’t know what to do, we can tell the demonic influences of confusion to get behind us.  The will of God is to receive whatever we ask for in prayer (Mark 11:24). If there’s a significant delay (not from God) to our answered prayer, we can tell Satan to remove his demonic hold over answered prayers.

We have authority over Satan, but we must discern when his influences are at work. Jesus showed us how to remove Satan from our situations so, let’s stop his influences from manifesting in the earth.

Isaiah 60:17 “Instead of bronze I will bring gold, Instead of iron I will bring silver, Instead of wood, bronze, And instead of stones, iron. I will also make your officers peace, And your magistrates righteousness.”

The theme in this verse is upgrades. Whatever we have and wherever we are in life, God desires to upgrade us.

This upgrade is not automatic. It’s according to our faith to receive this upgrade. If we’re satisfied with having the bare minimum, God will honor our desire, and provide just that. But if we want the best God has to offer us and if we desire to be upgraded from where we currently are, our job is to believe for that upgrade and believe God is true to His Word.

We may not see how this upgrade is going to occur based on where we currently are in life, but our job is not to figure it out, but to believe for the manifestation in due time.

Jesus Christ has made upgrade possible for all of us. If we can believe it, we can receive it. Amen.

Just like we didn’t earn our salvation, we don’t earn our right standing before God – Jesus did that for us (2 Corinthians 5:21). But, to have a better, Joy filled, prosperous life, then we do it God’s way. If we don’t, we position ourselves to invite an endless cycle of unnecessary difficulties into our lives. Just remember God doesn’t do that to us; He wants only the best for us, but He does give us the freedom to choose His way or our own. And, whenever we’re ready to live our lives surrendered to Him, He’s already set us up to reap all of the benefits of living a God-life. Choose Life. The benefits are abundantly beyond what we can, ask, think, or even imagine (Ephesians 3:20).

Deuteronomy‬ ‭30:6, 9, 19-20‬ “And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.

The Lord your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your cattle and in the fruit of your ground. For the Lord will again take delight in prospering you, as he took delight in your fathers…

I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.””

Genesis 37:5 Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. 6 He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: 7 We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.”

We were made in the image and likeness of God, therefore, each of us has the creative abilities of God. Before anything is created, it must first be imagined. God allows our imagination to be enticed through a vision or a dream. 

Usually, a God-given dream is too big to obtain in our own efforts. We will either exhaust ourselves trying to do it on our own or give up trying to fulfill such a big project. Knowing the dream is too big to be fulfilled in our own efforts, God requires faith for every God-inspired dream to come to pass. 

Mark 9:23 “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.

For those who are bold enough to stand in faith for a God-inspired dream that seems too difficult for any person to fulfill, there must be patience accompanied with faith. There are going to be times we feel like giving up, taking the easier road, or be content with partially receiving our promise, but we must stand strong and hold onto the confession of our faith. 

Hebrews 6:12 We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

People may laugh and our friends may try to talk us out of our God-inspired dream, but we must hold onto the promises of God. 

Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

To receive any God-given promise is to receive the dream, have faith, and be patient until the promise is received. 

Psalms 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.

Of course, everyone wants to receive the desires of their hearts, however, we first must delight ourselves in the Lord. But, what does delighting ourselves mean? Does it mean we pray 3 hours a day, go to church every Sunday, or read our Bibles whenever we can?

Let’s see how the Word of God defines delighting ourselves in the Lord. 

Isaiah 58:13-14 “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, From doing your pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight, The holy day of the LORD honorable, And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure, Nor speaking your own words, Then you shall delight yourself in the LORD; And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

Does this mean we have to do everything on this list to delight ourselves in the Lord? Of course not, because we’re not under the law. However, the underlying tone in Isaiah 58 is submission. When we submit our thoughts, actions, and words to the Lord, we’re delighting ourselves in the Lord. 

As a result of our delight or submission to God, we position ourselves to receive the desires of our hearts, live the “high life,” and enjoy the best. 
Now it’s time for you to be such a delight. 

Genesis 11:4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”

In the early days, The Tower of Babel was built by ungodly people practicing selfishness. How were they ungodly and selfish? Because they wanted to make themselves great, doing their own will, without the intervention of God.

We see this mentality somewhere else in scripture. Lucifer did the same thing prior to being kicked out of heaven. Lucifer wanted to make his name great and place his will above the will of God.

Isaiah 14:13 You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. 14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”

When we act selfishly by placing our will above the will of God and we attempt to make ourselves successful without the assistance of God, our thought processes are being influenced by Satan. It doesn’t matter if it’s something major like committing adultery, or minor like turning right when we know the Holy Spirit told us to turn left. God wants to be a part of our lives and He wants to be the only One responsible for our success. When we submit ourselves to God and partner our will with the will of the Father, we can have the promise of Abraham:

Genesis 12:2 “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

Let’s remove selfishness and be submitted to God.

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.

If someone were to read this verse only, it may cause some confusion because, “the way” in this scripture, is subjective. One person’s “way” of raising children may be different from another person’s “way.” As we should do with everything, let’s see what the Bible has to say regarding “the way” we should raise our children.

The common theme in all the child raising scriptures boils down to these three topics:
1. Teach the Word of God to our children (Genesis 18:19; Deuteronomy 11:17-18).

2. Testify to our children about the goodness of God (Exodus 10:2; Deuteronomy 4:9).

3. Discipline our children (Proverbs 13:24; Ephesians 6:4).

To raise our children the way God instructs us to raise our children requires us to elevate our relationship with God and His Word.

We have to know and spend time in the Word of God in order to correctly teach our children the Word of God. We have to be bold and outspoken regarding the goodness of God so that our children can learn to trust in God. We have to remove fear or feelings of sadness, and discipline our children. Our flesh and the flesh of our children desires to behave contrary to the Word of God. In order to keep them on track, with love discipline is required.

When we train up children in this way, we have a promise from God that they will not depart from “the way.” Trust the parenting methods of God.

Yesterday we detailed how we have access to supernatural healing, protection, covering, peace, a pain-free life, and more.  But, it is all according to our faith (Matthew 9:29); and our faith is built up based on whether we inundate ourselves with God’s Word or the with words, and reports of others.

It is also important to have a relationship with God so that we can be led by His Spirit.  Our protection from some things may come from His directing us to take a different path home, or call a specific person, or wait rather than make an impulse decision.  Allow God to lead you by His Spirit, and trust His leading and His Word that what negatively impacts others doesn’t have to be your story. You can be the witness of having faith in God and His Word.

John 14: 15If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. 16And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever— 17the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides with you and He will be in you.

This is what the Word offers:

2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind. 

Mark 16: 17And these signs will accompany those who believe: In My name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18they will pick up snakes with their hands, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not harm them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will be made well.”

Luke 10:19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

Isaiah 53:5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.

We have access to supernatural healing, protection, covering, peace, a pain-free life, and more.  But, it is all according to our faith (Matthew 9:29), and faith comes by hearing or exposure (Romans 10:17). If our faith is built up in media reports, other people’s experiences, or some other 3rd party informant, then that is what will take root in our hearts, our belief systems, and our lives.  But, if our faith is built up in the Word, then we can live the abundant, stress-free, promise-filled life that God has made available to us.

Too many times we, the believers, have reactionary prayers. We pray after an unfortunate circumstance occurs. When someone gets sick, we pray they be healed. When someone has financial lack, we pray for provision. When someone has backslid, we pray for deliverance. We need to start praying preventative prayers.

Through the blood of Jesus, God has given us dominion and authority over everything (Gen. 1:26; Luke 10:19). We have the power to prohibit and permit things on the earth (Matt. 18:18). We have the authority to use the name of Jesus and at the name of Jesus every knee (physical and spiritual) shall bow (John 16:23; Phil. 2:10).

With the faith that can move mountains and all this power we have at our disposal, there’s no way a virus, strife, and/or disasters should enter our world. On a bright and sunny day, declare no weather related disasters occur in your city. With a clean bill of health, declare you’re healed from all cancers, viruses, or diseases. In the time of peace, cancel all demonic plans for terrorist’s attacks in the world. We have the power.

Let’s get on the other side of the curve and use our authority to prevent all thoughts, plans, and spiritual attacks of the enemy.

Matthew 18:18 “I tell you the truth, whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.

Because we live in a body contaminated by sin due to the fall of Adam, our flesh desires to do things contrary to the will and Word of God. When God says left, we want to go right. When God says don’t, we want to do. With this understanding, it requires strength to obey.

Jesus was even pressured to go against the will of God and He required strength to obey. Luke 22:42 “Father, if it is your will, take this cup [of suffering] away from me. However, your will must be done, not mine.” 43 Then an angel from heaven appeared to him and gave him strength.

If Jesus required strength to obey, we too need strength to do the will of the Father. So, how do we gain this strength? We let go of our desires and agenda and allow the Spirit of God to lead us. Philippians 2:13 says, for it is God who works in you to will and to act on behalf of His good pleasure.

Once we let go, the Spirit of God can give us step by step instructions of what we should do. The hardest part is letting go. Our desires seem so exciting or logical to our flesh, but they may not be what’s best overall. As we obey, our obedience positions us to operate at our maximum potential AND positions us to receive God’s best, giving us strength to obey again.

Galatians 5:13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

Life would be so much better if people were willing to serve one another, but unfortunately, everyone will not participate as servants. Since everyone is not going to participate as servants, believers or followers of Jesus Christ are the next best option.

Jesus came to serve (Matt. 20:48). If we’re to follow His example, one of our goals should be to serve others. Serving doesn’t have two polarizing ends. It’s not just serving the homeless or needy and it’s not just serving our friends. Serving includes everyone at all times as the Holy Spirit leads us.

So, if the Holy Spirit tells us to buy our boss, who just criticized our work performance a gift card, do so to operate as a servant. If the Holy Spirit directs us to cook our spouse’s favorite meal after an intense disagreement, do so and operate in the role of a servant.

It’s going to require that we relinquish our pride, but think of the love we can show to others who are not expecting a positive return from us. Through our love and servanthood, we may eventually encourage others to be servants. Operate in the role as a servant.

Psalms 91:1 He that dwells in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

There are a few lessons we can learn from this scripture.

1. If there’s a shadow available for us, someone or something must be present. In this case, the Someone is God the Father. No matter how intense the heat or pressures of life get around us, we can be assured that God will always be with us and He will provide a shadow for us.
2. As we know, throughout the day, the position of the sun changes. It rises from the east and sets on the west. If we’re hiding under the shadow of God, that means wherever the sun is, God positions Himself to block us from the brunt heat. In other words, although the pressures of life get intense, God’s grace and mercy prevents us from getting the severe impact of life’s challenges.
3. God leaves it up to us. It’s our choice if we want to dwell in the secret place of the most High or choose another option. When we trust, lean, and rely on God, He lets us know that He will be our faithful provider and protector. However, if we rely on other things, those faulty foundations will leave us with a false sense of security.

Receive this lesson and receive the maximum benefit of God.

God wants us to live an enjoyable life. That life is not always going to be handed to us automatically. At times, we’ll have to do things that make some of us uncomfortable. One uncomfortable thing involves confrontation.

Confrontation is not necessarily a bad thing. To maintain our joy in every area of our lives, confrontation can be a useful tool. However, it requires us to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.

For instance, if our spouse is doing something that irks us, instead of suffering through it, trying not to rock the boat or complaining about it to our friends, behind our spouses’ backs, kindly request they stop that behavior. People can’t read our minds. If we want change in our lives, we have to be bold enough to ask for it. This simple tactic can be applied with our co-workers, friends, or bosses.

That uncomfortable feeling we have with confrontation is fear. We can’t be afraid of their response or how it might make us look. If we want a change for the better in our lives, we have to ask for it. Although the context in James 4:2 involves asking God for our desires, the principle can be applied to people. If God requires us to ask for our desires, why would we not expect to ask people as well?

James 4:2 You lust, and have not: you kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: you fight and war, yet you have not, because you ask not.

John 17:17 Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth.

The Word of God is the truth. Everything else is a lie.

Facts, contrary to the Word of God, will show up in our lives. Sickness may be in our bodies, our marriage may be on the rocks, and we may be unemployed, however, when we align our faith with God’s Word, those contrary facts will change into the truth.

Sickness may be in our bodies, but the Word of God says, we’re healed (Isaiah 53:4). Our marriage may seem rocky, but the Word of God says we have peace (John 14:27). We may be unemployed, but God supplies all of our needs and He gives us the employment of our desires (Phil 4:19; Ps. 37:4).

Contrary facts can change due to the limitless power in the Word. The Word is the written form of God (John 1:1). Therefore, anytime we speak the Word of God over contrary facts, the limitless power of God changes those facts into the truth.

Don’t allow what you see or your experiences to discourage your faith. Apply the Word to every contrary fact.

Isaiah 43:2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

The waters and fires in this verse represent difficult times in our lives. The scripture says when we pass through the waters and when we walk through the fire. It doesn’t say if we go through the water and fire; it says when we go through the water and fire.

The Word of God lets us know it’s guaranteed we’ll face difficult times. No matter how many good works we do and no matter how holy we are we, the believer is not exempt from difficult times.

But, there’s hope. Although we face difficult times, God is with us. Although we face trials and tribulations, those tribulations will not overtake us. It may feel like we won’t make it and it may seem like there’s no hope, but with our reliance on God, we will make it through.

In the midst of our difficult time, we have a choice. We can focus on the problems surrounding us or focus on the One Who promised to see us through. If we want to get through, we must look to, lean on, and rely on God.

Isaiah 55:6 (AMP) Seek the Lord while He may be found; Call on Him [for salvation] while He is near.

Seek the Lord while He may be found. The “while He may be found” portion of this scripture implies there will be a time when the Lord cannot be located. Many will call on the Lord for deliverance, protection, or help, but the Lord will not be able to be found.

The signs of the times reveal we’re living in the last days (Matthew 24). Jesus could return tomorrow or Jesus could return 100 years from now. But, do you want to take that risk of calling on the Lord when it’s too late? Do you want to call on the Lord when He’s not able to be found?

For those who have not accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, I urge you to call on the name of the Lord, believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and He died for all of our sins.

*As witnesses of Jesus Christ, I urge you to share this message with everyone you know to ensure people are saved and their name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Romans 3:22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile,

A man and a woman make a baby. Because of unresolved issues, the man leaves the woman while she’s pregnant. The man doesn’t show up for the child’s birth, he doesn’t send any money, he doesn’t show up for the child’s events, and he doesn’t send the child gifts. Regardless of the man’s poor, selfish behavior, the man is still the child’s biological father. He’s still the father and no one can take that away from him. 

Likewise with our righteousness (right standing with God). When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we have been made righteous. Our belief in Him makes us righteous. Our behavior may not reflect our right standing with God, but nevertheless, we are righteous. And like the father in the example above, no one can judge, criticize, or take our righteousness away. 

Don’t be misunderstood, God abhors our behavior contrary to His Word, but in spite of our behavior, He still loves us, desires to bless us, and views us as righteous. Don’t let your heart be condemned. Know that God loves you and know that you are righteous. 

Inspired by Apostle F. Price 

John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

The abundant life was given by Jesus, but every day we have an enemy who attempts to destroy the abundant life Jesus provided. The enemy attempts to destroy our abundant life by magnifying the negative events around us and putting them on constant display in our minds. We have to be cognizant of his scheme to destroy our abundant life (2 Corinthians 2:11).

Although Jesus provided abundant life, it takes faith to maintain our abundant life. Throughout the day, there are several faith fights we must have to maintain what Jesus provided. When we experience feelings of stress, sadness, fear, discouragement, sickness, envy, or hate, that’s the enemy attempting to take our abundant life. Our counter attack is to recognize the ungodly feeling, boldly declare what the Word says about the situation, and declare it continuously until the negative feeling goes away.

If we’re feeling sad, boldly declare that the joy of the Lord is my strength (Nehemiah 8:10). If we’re feeling insecure, declare I’m fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). We may have to do this repeatedly for hours, days, or even weeks; but, it allows us to maintain our abundant life instead of spiraling down a path full of negative emotions and expecting someone or something to fill the void.

Operate in faith to maintain everything Jesus provided.