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Ezekiel 2:6-8 And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you dwell among scorpions; do not be afraid of their words or dismayed by their looks, though they are a rebellious house. You shall speak My words to them, whether they hear or whether they refuse, for they are rebellious. 

There are some people in our lives that need to hear the truth through the Word of God. They need to know that Jesus is the only way, they need to hear that their behavior doesn’t honor God, they need to hear that there’s a better path than the one they’re taking. 

Unfortunately, everyone is not going to respond to this truth with gladness and most of us know this. The idea of possibly offending someone or no longer being accepted by them after speaking the truth causes us to shrink. We see the pathway some people are headed on and we do nothing because of fear. 

As the Spirit of God leads us, we can’t be worried about or held back by people’s responses. If God (and only God) gives us a Word to tell to someone, with boldness, we need to speak the truth. It doesn’t matter if they’re our elders or our 4 month old children. It doesn’t matter if we’ve known them all of our lives or for 2 minutes. God’s Word must be shared. Shake off the fear of people’s reactions. The only person we should desire to please is God. 

Jude 1:24 Now unto Him who is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,

When we were younger, do you recall making something for your parents in art class? We took our time and did our best on that art piece. When we finished, we would be so excited to show what we made to our parents. If we had good parents, our parents would encourage us, tell us what a good job we did, and proudly display our art on the refrigerator or on the shelf.

Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus sacrificed His time, His status, and His life to clean up and save our lives. Because of His sacrifice for us, with exceeding joy, Jesus presents us faultless before His Father. Not only does He present us faultless, He continues to keep us from falling. God, being a good Father, proudly displays the names of everyone who believes in the sacrifice of Jesus in the Lamb’s book of life (Revelation 21:27).

Thank God for the presentation of Jesus. It’s through Jesus and ONLY through Him that we can be presented faultless before a holy and perfect God. Without Him, all of our notable efforts to please God would be as filth in the sight of God (Isaiah 64:6). Praise God for Jesus. He is our Redeemer. 

Ecclesiastes 10:19 A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes merry: but money answers all things.

God’s Word tells us that money answers all things. Not some things, but all things. Since this is known, people will go to extreme measures and do something God hasn’t called them to do to obtain money. People will prostitute themselves, sell addictive poison to people in their communities, and work multiple jobs for long hours all to obtain money.

Since money answers all things, it’s God’s biggest competition for our hearts (Matt. 6:24) Money can be the determining factor in our decisions instead of God. If it pays us a lot of money, we’ll do it without consulting God.

There’s nothing wrong with money, but money shouldn’t govern our lives. Give that responsibility to God. Instead of chasing money, run towards The Source of all provision. Run towards God. Seek God on how to obtain money. It may not seem logical or popular, but if God is backing our decision, it’s blessed and the blessing of the Lord brings wealth and adds no sorrow (Prov. 10:22).

Romans 8:37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

1 Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 2:14 Now thanks be unto God, who always causes us to triumph in Christ, and makes manifest the fragrance of his knowledge by us in every place.

We get so excited after reading scriptures similar to the ones above. We’re happy to know that we have the victory over every situation. But in order to be victorious, we have to have something to overcome. We can’t be more than conquerors if we don’t have any trials to conquer.

Jesus lets us know we’ll have trials (John 16:33). There are several reasons we have trials. One of the reasons for trials is it forces us to trust God. Trials are something we can’t overcome in our own strength. It is our reliance on God who always causes us to triumph.

Secondly, trials develop patience (James 1:3). Philippians 4:6 tells us to not be anxious for anything. This includes trials. During our trials, patience must be applied. Patience applied to trials builds character and hope; and hope never disappoints (Romans 5:4-5).

Finally, our trials will benefit someone else. How can we relate to someone going through if we’ve never gone through ourselves? We can encourage and give someone else advice on overcoming their trials based on how we’ve overcome our trials. We can let them know to totally rely on God.

We will face trials. Don’t allow trials to make you miserable. Seek God to see how our trials can benefit the Kingdom of God, ourselves, and someone else.

John 16:33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

Inspired by Joyce Meyer

In sports, a game changer is when a specific play changes the momentum of the game for one team, or when a person’s talent forces the other team to change their game plan.

In our lives, The Game Changer is God. God’s Word changes the situation up entirely for anyone who is willing to believe.

A woman may be 45 years old without any children. Science says she’s too old to have children, however, believing in The Game Changer, she can have children at any age. A man recently got out of prison and is looking for a career. Popular opinion says he will work at a minimum wage job for the rest of his life, however, if he’s willing to believe in the Word of The Game Changer, he can have a successful career at a company or possibly be a CEO of his own company.

Science, popular opinion, and historical facts can change by believing in God, The Game Changer. The question is, are you willing to believe?

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

Every promise in the Word of God can be followed by, “because God loves me/us.”

Everything God did, He did it because of His love for us. When we’re at our wits’ end and we don’t know what to do, we must remind ourselves of God’s love for us. This keeps us from going insane or being overly anxious when things don’t appear to be working in our favor.

With His stripes we’re healed…because God loves us (Isaiah 53:5).
God always causes us to triumph…because God loves us (2 Corinthians 2:14).
All things work together for our good…because God loves us (Romans 8:28).
In the midst of trying times, make it personal by saying, “because God loves me.”

Once we have it settled in our minds that He loves us, there is nothing the devil can say that will make us doubt God’s promise coming to pass in our lives. Even in the worse situation, we can be confident of the victory we have over that situation because God loves us.

Daily Reminder: God loves me therefore I have__________ (pick your promise).

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!

Satan is the king of guilt. He attempts to make us feel guilty about everything we do. One of the areas that Satan attempts to make us feel guilty in is prioritizing God.

If we haven’t prioritized God like we should (prayed, read the Bible, gone to church), he’ll try to make us feel guilty. If we’ve made an effort to prioritize God, Satan will try to make us feel guilty because we haven’t done more. This type of guilt could make someone have a nervous breakdown and give up. He’s attempting to use our desire to please God against us.

When it comes to prioritizing God, there needs to be balance. We should want to spend time with God, but we don’t need to feel bad if we didn’t do as much as we could. If we get the unction to do more, carve a little more time out of our day to spend with God. If we feel bad or guilty because we haven’t spent as much time with God as we could have, rebuke the devil, and know God is pleased with us.

The amount of time we spend with God doesn’t determine if He’s pleased with us or not. If it’s 1 minute or 1 hour, God loves and is pleased with us. He’s pleased not because of our efforts, but because of the efforts of Jesus Christ. Since we’re in Christ, all of His efforts have made us as righteous as we’re ever going to be.

Colossians 1:19-20 For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.

Matthew 28:20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

We’re never alone, God is there. We’re never by ourselves, God is there. He is there during rough times, happy times, sad times, uneasy times, and confusing times.

When we’ve made our biggest mistake, God is there. When we’ve made our 700^th mistake in the same area, God is there. In the midst of our shortcomings, God is there.

When we’ve left God, God is there. When we’ve said no to His will, He is there. When we’ve cursed God, He’s there.

When we don’t feel like He’s there, He’s there. When we can’t sense His presence, He’s there. When nothing seems like it’s working, He’s there.

No matter what the situation is, no matter how far we’ve strayed, and no matter how we feel, God has vowed to ALWAYS be there for us.

Ezekiel 33:31 So they come to you as people do, they sit before you as My people, and they hear your words, but they do not do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their hearts pursue their own gain.

There are some believers who go to church week after week, hear the Word of God, but don’t obey. There are other believers who hear the word of God, but pick and choose the things they want to obey. God knows who’s being obedient to His Word and who is not.

It’s important for us to obey the Word of God in its entirety. Our obedience leads to our success (Joshua 1:8). Our obedience shouldn’t be limited to the written Word of God and what comes from the preacher’s sermon. Everything, we know in our hearts that God is telling us to do, we should do. That may include, apologizing to someone even though we may not feel like we’ve done anything wrong, work on a business proposition, or applying for a job we’re not qualified for.

Our obedience doesn’t benefit God. He’ll still be God even if no one obeys. Our obedience benefits us. If we want to reap the maximum benefits of God’s blessings, we must obey. Obey God in word and in action.

2 Corinthians 9:10 For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.

When we tithe and given an offering, God obligates Himself to enhance the quality of our lives. Not only does He obligate Himself to bless our lives, we prove to Him and to ourselves that we can be trusted to sow a financial seed, which causes Him to give more seed to the sower.

This additional seed allows us to enjoy more of life and more importantly, it gives us additional seed to sow. This additional seed shouldn’t only be limited to our local church. This seed can be used for improving the schools in the inner city, building shelters for battered women, or cleaning the streets in gang infested areas. How awesome would it be to have the additional resources to single-handedly improve the housing in lower-income areas? That’s why God wants to put additional resources into our hands. But, we must first prove that we can be trusted in the least by giving our tithes and offering in order to be trusted with greater additional resources.

Luke 16:10 “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.

Revelation 12:10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.

PROSECUTION: Your Honor, I’m accusing Johnny of adultery. Last year, he cheated on his wife.
DEFENSE: Objection! Your Honor, let the record show that Johnny’s act of adultery was paid for by Me.

PROSECUTION: Your Honor, last Saturday Tiffany got drunk, became angry, and used foul language.
DEFENSE: Objection! Your Honor, Tiffany’s transgressions were also paid for by Me.

PROSECUTION: Your Honor, Michael is living with his girlfriend, having sex with his girlfriend, and I’m pretty sure he’s going to have sex again.
DEFENSE: Objection! Any past, present, and future forms of fornication have been paid by Me.

JUDGE: Sustained! In the case of Johnny, Tiffany, Michael and every person in the world, you’re free to go.

Jesus paid for our past, present, and future sins (1 Peter 3:18). Satan constantly accuses us of the marks we’ve missed. His goal is to make us feel guilty, ashamed, and unworthy of God’s love. During the time of accusation, we must remind ourselves that Jesus paid an awesome price for all of our sins. Through that price, we receive God’s forgiveness and He’s not charging our mistakes to our account. Praise God for Jesus. He’s our everlasting advocate.

1 John 2:1 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father–Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.

Luke 19:37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: 38 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” 40 “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

Recently in the body of Christ, people have highlighted grace, faith, and being more Christ like. This is excellent teaching because we all need a better understanding in these areas, but before we continue to go forward let’s take a moment to simply tell God THANK YOU.

Giving thanks is something we tend to do in November for Thanksgiving and maybe at the beginning of the year. Giving thanks is something we should do at least once a month. God has been so very good to us. He’s done more for us than we can imagine. Each time our hearts beat is an opportunity to tell God thank you. He’s kept us, continues to love us, and continues to bless us, made us righteous…. The list goes on and on.

So before we move on with new teachings and deeper revelations, let’s take time out to reflect, come back to the basics, and tell God THANK YOU.

THANK YOU LORD!!!

Daniel 2:22 “It is He who reveals the profound and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness, And the light dwells with Him.

If someone told us we had a sticker on the back of our shirt, most of us would thank the person and remove the sticker. We wouldn’t see the unwanted sticker and leave it on our shirt. We’ll do whatever is necessary to remove the sticker.

God’s methodology of revelation is similar to a person who points out a sticker on our shirt. Instead of a sticker, God highlights areas where we can improve. He’ll reveal things about ourselves in the hopes that we’ll seek Him on improving ourselves. For instance, He may reveal that we’re prideful in a certain area or we were selfish the other day at work. After the area of growth has been revealed, God expects us to ask for assistance in that area and change. We shouldn’t maintain the excuse of “I can’t help how I am.” If God reveals it, He’s given us the ability, with His assistance, to change.

We all have areas of improvements. Work with God and make the adjustments to become a better person. Once God reveals a certain thing to us, allow Him to uproot that thing from your life.

Matthew 15:13 He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots.

1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, since you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

In the Kingdom of God, there is no retirement. We should always give ourselves fully to the work of the Lord. Whether we’re 19 or 91, the work of the Lord needs to be accomplished. The work of the Lord is key to getting God’s agenda implemented in the earth.

Unfortunately, some of us are not even employed in the Kingdom of God. Some of us go to church, sit and listen, then go home. Some don’t serve in any capacity at the church (children’s ministry, greeters, etc.). They come to be served instead of serving. If we’re being blessed by our church, we should keep the momentum going by getting involved in some area of ministry.

The work of the Lord is not limited to the church. There are homeless shelters that need people to serve/minister, local food banks that need donations, or a friend who needs an encouraging word. The work of the Lord is whatever God prompts us to do.

Don’t be selfish. Get out in the world and do something. If no one is willing to work, God’s will can’t be fulfilled. The work of the Lord is waiting on us. Get employed. 

John 8:44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Everything the devil tells us is a lie. During adversity, it’s important for us to remember that. The devil will tell us to partially obey God when the task seems difficult; he’ll tell us we always get sick around this time of year, or he’ll tell us our relationship will never be as good as it once was with our spouse or children after a certain incident. These are lies. The devil appeals to our emotions and if we’re not aware of his tricks, he will sound logical, comforting, and truthful, but he’s a liar.

The truth is in God’s Word. God’s Word says, if we’re obedient, we shall prosper (Job 36:11), we are healed (Isaiah 53:5), and our families are blessed (Gen. 12:3). Don’t believe the lie. Whatever we face, discover and believe the truth in God’s Word.

Psalms 16:11 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Have you ever felt like you were missing something in life? Everything seems to be going well, but you feel like something is missing. That void in our lives is God’s presence.

The reason why our joy appears to be waning is because we haven’t spent time in His presence. In His presence there is a fullness of joy. That void between where we are and fullness can be filled by spending time in His presence. It doesn’t seem like His presence can fill that void, but if His presence won’t fill it, what else will? We can’t expect to think a new career, debt freedom, or entertainment in general will fill that void. Only being in His presence can fill our void.

On top of the joy that only God can fulfill, at His right hand there are endless pleasures. God wants to give us stuff. Whatever our hearts desire, that aligns with godliness, God wants to give it to us.

The commonality between fullness of joy and endless pleasures is being in the presence of God. We can try, but we’ll never be truly satisfied without His presence. At a certain time of the day, remove all distractions and let’s quiet ourselves to spend time in His presence. In His presence, there is an abundance of joy and endless pleasures.

Ezekiel 33:11 Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live.

God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. The scripture doesn’t say God takes no pleasure in killing the wicked. It says He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. God desires that all men be saved and have eternal life (1 Tim. 2:4). The wicked die based on the consequence of their actions.

If God doesn’t kill the wicked and He takes no pleasure in their death, how can we, as believers, say He takes the righteous? When people die, believers have the tendency to say “God took that person home.” Because everyone handles death differently, that saying gives some people a sense of peace, but for others, it leads to them blaming God. That blame can ultimately lead people to having a grudge against God or worse, unbelief.

God is not in the habit of killing people. Don’t blame God for death. He’s not an assassin. God promises us 120 protected years on this earth. Releasing our faith for those 120 years, His protection, along with our obedience to the Holy Spirit regarding how we should live, will allow us to have long abundant life, just as He promised (Psalm 91:16).

Matthew 26:39 (NLT) He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

Jesus had a point in His life where He almost choked. He knew His assignment was to separate Himself from His Father, take on sin, suffer and die for mankind, but His flesh didn’t want to comply. Jesus begged His Father to have mankind be redeemed in another way, but He forced His flesh to comply with the will of the Father.

Some of us know God has called us to do or say something, but because of fear or rebellion, we choke. Don’t choke. If God has called us to do something, He’s given us the grace or ability to complete the task (2 Corinthians 12:9). We may not feel like we’re qualified or have the resources to complete the task, but God sees victory at the end of every God-given assignment if we don’t choke.

From tithing, to starting a business, to sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, God will be with us and see us through if we don’t choke.

Inspired by Bishop I.V. Hilliard

You go to the store to pick up some groceries for the week. While you’re at the store, you see an old friend you haven’t seen in a long time. It would be odd if you would close your eyes, bow your head, and put your hands together when having a conversation that friend. You simply would have a conversation.

People have made prayer an event when in actuality, it’s just a conversation between us and God. The same way we would speak to someone in the natural is the same way we can speak to God. Nowhere in the Bible does God require some of the things people consider to be prayer. Our face doesn’t have to literally be on the ground, we don’t have to bend our knees, and we don’t have to sound sophisticated when we pray. Some may say it’s a sign of humility to God when doing those things. That may be true, but it’s not a requirement. God simply wants casual communication with His creation.

If we want to hear God more clearly, it would be in our best interests to be in a quiet place, but if we’re intentional and know the voice of God, we can hear God in any setting. People of God, seek God through prayer and don’t make it so complicated. He only wants to hear from you.

John 10:27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

Job 36:5 “God is mighty, but despises no one; he is mighty, and firm in his purpose.

If you lied, engaged in homosexuality, fornicated, committed adultery, got divorced, an ex-con, a non-believer, or more, this scripture is for you. Contrary to religious beliefs, God DOES NOT despise or hate you.

God is so in love with EVERYONE until He sent His Son to redeem us from the pit of hell (John 3:16). It doesn’t matter what occurred in your past, what’s happing in your present, or what you plan to do, God loves and He’s forgiven you.

Don’t allow some religious fanatic to tell you God hates, is upset with, or is punishing you because of some sin you’ve committed. God loves us unconditionally.

Let’s be clear, God hates the sin itself, but He loves us. God hates sin because sin is the very antithesis of His nature. The majority of us have labeled a person based on their actions. If we stole something, we’re a thief. If we lied, we’re a liar. God does not label us based on our actions. God sees us as His beloved. That act does not define us. For those who’ve accepted Jesus Christ, we are forgiven and are labeled as children of God and nothing more.

Know that regardless of what you do, God does not despise you.

Unchecked moods and emotions have cost people their lives, cost people their jobs, ended close relationships, and simply ruined people’s lives.

We were never meant to be dominated by our moods and emotions. Our moods and emotions were given to us to enjoy more of life. Contrary to popular opinion, we have control over our moods and emotions. We see this in scripture. John 14:1 says, Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. The key word in this scripture is “let.” We have the ability to allow or not allow our hearts to be troubled. It’s up to us.

We were designed to be led by the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God should overrule every emotion (good or bad) we have. If we’re extra excited about doing something, we need to consult the Spirit to see if it’s the right thing for us. If we’re angry about something, we need to allow the Spirit to help us get our emotions under control. If we’re sad about something, we need to receive joy in the midst of our sadness.

Our emotions can be inconsistent. With the help of the Holy Spirit, let’s get in control of our moods and emotions to be more stable people and create a more stable environment.

Romans 8:14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.

Genesis 24:1 Abraham was now very old, and the LORD had blessed him in every way.

Society attempts to convince us that we’re too old to have children, too old to go back to school, too old to start a new career, or too old to do things a younger person would do. That’s simply a lie.

God lets us know, through Abraham, that in spite of our age, He is willing and able to bless us in every way. Abraham was 100 and his wife was 90 years old when they had their first child. Their age didn’t stop God’s promise from coming to pass. Not only was Abraham blessed with a child, he was blessed financially, in his health, and was a blessing to others. God is not a respecter of people (Acts 10:34). If He will do it for Abraham, He will do it for us.

Our age won’t hinder God’s promises toward us. If you have a dream, that aligns with God’s will for your life, don’t give up on that dream based on your age. Rely on God and He will allow that dream to come pass.