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Matthew 3:17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.”

God told the people present at the baptism of Jesus that Jesus was His Son in whom He is well pleased. Prior to this public statement, Jesus hadn’t healed the sick, performed a miracle, or even preached a sermon, but God said He was loved and well pleased with His Son.

A lot of us have this longing desire to please God. That’s good and all, but we’re attempting to accomplish something that already exists. 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us when we’re born again, we’re new creations in Christ. Seeing that we’re in Christ and God is well pleased with Him, God is well pleased with us. Like Jesus, we don’t have to perform certain tasks in order for God to be well pleased with us. He is pleased because we’re in Christ.

Some of us associate our actions (good or bad) with pleasing or displeasing God. God may not be pleased with certain actions we commit, but through Christ, He separates us from our actions. This separation leaves us in a well pleased state with God.

Praise God for Jesus. It’s because of Him that God is and forever will be well pleased with us.

A part of 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, God will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear. When most of us read this verse, we usually think of temptations such as, lustful temptations or temptations to abuse drugs or alcohol. But, these temptations also include subtle temptations such as wealth.

As we see from the millions of people playing the lottery around the world, a lot of us desire to be wealthy. We would love to make a $100 million and retire at 40. But God, Who is so rich in love and knows us better than we know ourselves, will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear. We may think we’ll give a few million to the church and a million to help out those in need, but God knows our inner workings. He knows we’ll be tempted to invest in an illegal trade to make more money. He knows we’ll have a boastful spirit that will turn people away from Him. He knows we’ll stop coming to church because we think we have all we need.

Let’s be clear. There’s nothing wrong with wealth. We simply need to make sure we’re spiritually mature enough to handle the responsibilities of wealth. If we desire wealth, we need to ask God to show us what we need to work on to make ourselves ready to receive wealth. Part of our spiritual maturity is to put God first and be led by the Spirit with every dollar we have now. If we’re faithful with little, He’ll make us rulers over much (Matthew 25:23).

Galatians 4:1 Think of it this way. If a father dies and leaves an inheritance for his young children, those children are not much better off than slaves until they grow up, even though they actually own everything their father had.

Genesis 2:19 Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name.

“God’s original intent for mankind’s mouths was for creation and not communication.” –Pastor B. Winston

God gave Adam the responsibility of naming all the animals. Whatever Adam called them, that was its name. He called this winged creature an eagle and a mooing creature a cow. Whatever Adam called it, that’s what is was going to be.

Adam is our prototype. This same design was built in us. Whatever we call the things in our lives, that’s what it’s going to be. If we call our marriage problematic, that’s what it’s going to be. If we call our children dumb or bad, that’s what they’re going to be. If we proclaim we hate our jobs, that will be our experiences. Proverbs 18:21 says, death and life are in the power of the tongue.

If we want to change our lives, we have to renew our minds (Rom. 12:2). The renewing of our minds will change our confession and our confession will change our lives. Let’s create the life we want by calling whatever we desire into existence.

Romans 4:20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,

To obtain anything from God, it has to be received by faith (Mark 11:22-24). Hebrews 6:12 tells us faith requires patience. Patience lets us know waiting is involved before acquiring the promise. We may have to wait an hour or 10 years. Romans 4:20 provides a blueprint on what to do while waiting.

Waiting is not sitting back allowing time to go by. Waiting requires our participation. Romans 4:20 tells us Abraham did not waver in unbelief while waiting on the promise of a son. He was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God.

From the time we prayed, to the time we received the promise, worship needs to take place. We worship and give glory to God for Who He is, what He’s done, and what He promised. We may not have the promise in our lives, but we worship Him as if we do. The enemy will attempt to discourage us by magnifying the waiting period and attempt to convince us the promise won’t come to pass. That’s the perfect time to worship. Worship counters the attacks of the devil and it keeps us focused on God, the Source of our promise.

The key components to receive the promises of God are unwavering faith, patience, and worship.

To get anything from God, it has to be received by faith. If we want a new house, a new car, or a spouse it all has to be received by faith.

Faith can also be used to obtain intangible things from God such as positive emotions. God promised us love, joy, and peace. Those promises don’t come automatically. They too have to be received by faith. These promises must be received by faith especially when these emotions are threatened by life’s issues and we don’t feel loved, joyous, or at peace.

When we get laid off from our jobs and we don’t know where the money is coming from, by faith, we have to receive joy. When our marriage seems rocky and our children are acting up, by faith, we have to receive peace. When we’re without a spouse and we have family issues, by faith, we have to receive that we’re loved.

It doesn’t matter how we feel, by faith, we can obtain and maintain these positive emotions even in the roughest of times. Exercise that faith and receive everything from God.

Hebrews 11:17 “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,”

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Romans 15:13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Joy and peace are available to us. It’s available to everyone who believes in the finished works of Jesus. The joy and peace that God provides is not partially given. Joy and peace are given in excess.

Like anything that God provides, we can choose to accept or reject this offer. We can allow the issues of life to steal our joy and peace or we can recognize that regardless of what’s going on in our lives, we can hold on to the joy and peace God provided. It’s up to us.

Joy and peace allow us to abound in hope. Hope in what? Everything we desire from God. Hebrews 11:1 says, Now faith is the substance of things hoped for. Without joy and peace, it’s difficult to gather up the energy to hope in something. It’s difficult to go boldly before God with our desires or exercise our faith while depressed or worried. That’s why maintaining our joy and peace is so important. They are key pieces in receiving our desires.

Receive this joy and peace and don’t let it go.

You take a good friend to a fairly expensive restaurant. You allow them to order whatever they desire with no limit on cost. They order an appetizer, main entrée, and a dessert. Their portion alone cost $130.00. While you’re eating, you realize your friend only ate a few bites of the appetizer, entrée, and dessert. There’s still a lot of food left on their plate. They’re not full and they genuinely like the taste of their meal. When the waitress asks if they want to take it to-go, they decline. Most of us would be puzzled and possibly upset with our friend for leaving all of this expensive food on the table.

This is just a little taste of how Jesus may feel with some of us. Jesus paid an awesome price for us to have a prosperous abundant life. Meanwhile, some of us desire the bare minimum or we glorify poverty as if it’s a badge of humility. We leave so much on the table until it has Jesus shaking His head.

Sure, we have a house, a car, and we’re able to live comfortably, but there’s more still on the table. Wouldn’t it be great to go on more than one vacation a year without going into our savings? Wouldn’t it be nice to have enough money to pay someone else’s bills? Wouldn’t be great if we can give one of our cars away to a family in need? If we can dream it for ourselves or for someone else, Jesus paid for it.

Jesus paid too great of a price for us to be living below Kingdom standards. Live the life God wants us to have by maximizing on the benefits that God provided through Jesus. Enjoy!

Ephesians 3:20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,

If we look at the events that occur during the end of days in the Bible, they’re all coming to pass right before our eyes. There are wars, division, people are lovers of money, and abusive. Seeing that all of this must come to pass before the return of Jesus, one may question the purpose of praying for the world or praying for people who seem to be “too far gone.” One may ask, “What’s the point?”

Well, the reason we continue to pray for a positive outcome in the world and intercede on the behalf of lost people, even though terrible times are inevitable, is compassion. If Jesus would have had this “what’s the point” attitude at Calvary, knowing everyone won’t take advantage of His sacrifice, we all would be lost. Jesus was able to carry out His mission, knowing all of us wouldn’t accept Him, because He had compassion on the few that would. 

That same compassion should overflow in our lives. It should overflow on the affairs in the world and the people we view as lost. Although we know everything is not going to turn out well for this world and everyone in it, we continue to intercede because of our compassion for the few. 

Our prayers are not in vain. That one prayer can change a person’s life, positively impact a community, and possibly save one soul. Every bit counts. So, don’t give up on compassion. It’s the fuel that helps us continue to do the will of God. 

Ephesians 4:32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

We get it, you sinned. You had a baby out-of-wedlock. You currently watch pornography. You have a problem with lying. You gossip. You cheated on your spouse.

Regardless of the sins we’ve committed, that doesn’t disqualify us from receiving the promises of God. We can still live a blessed, prosperous life without settling. Our sins will have some consequences that may make our lives a bit more challenging, but all of God’s promises are still available to the believer.

Jesus came so that we can have an abundant life (John 10:10). Not, an abundant life unless we sin. His blood has allowed us to receive forgiveness and God’s not remembering our sins (Eph. 1:7; Heb. 8:12).

Let’s not disqualify ourselves or disqualify another just because the mark was missed several times. We can still live in a big beautiful home, have our desired career, and have enough finances to be a blessing to others.

Allow the Holy Spirit to help you get out of your current situation, allow Him to guide you into not sinning, receive the forgiveness of sins, and receive the promises of God by faith.

Romans 4:16 So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the Law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe.

John 8:10 Then Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are your accusers? Has no one condemned you?” 11“No one, Lord.” she answered. “Neither do I condemn you.” Jesus declared. “Now go and sin no more.”

This woman was caught in the act of sin (adultery) by the Pharisees. She was brought to Jesus by the Pharisees so that they could confirm whether or not He was a doer of the Law, which commanded them to stone her for this act. However, Jesus knew the entire Law and made his famous statement, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone.” They all dropped their rocks and left with conviction in their hearts.

Jesus was the only One who had a justifiable right to stone her, but He didn’t. He didn’t condemn her and He graciously spared her life.

*If Jesus didn’t condemn and end the natural life of a woman caught in the act of sin, why do some Christians believe God will condemn and end our eternal lives because of sin?

For a long time, there has been a big misconception in the body of Christ. Some people still believe that people go to hell because of sin. That’s not true. People go to hell because they rejected the payment of sin. People go to hell because they reject Jesus. All of our past, present, and future sins have been paid for by the blood of Jesus. There is no sin(s) (quantity or quality) that has not been covered.

When we say yes to Jesus, sin has been eliminated from our lives. There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ and sins are not charged to our accounts (Rom. 8:1; 2 Cor. 5:19). We’ve been freed.

Receive the full payment of what Jesus has done (sin removal) and solidify the fact that we have eternal life in Christ.

Exodus 8:23 I will make a difference between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall be.

There should be a vast distinction between the people in the world and the people of God.

While there’s chaos, bickering, and fighting in the world, there should be love, joy, and peace with the people of God. While there’s financial uncertainty with people in the world, there should be financial prosperity with the people of God. While divorces are increasing with people in the world, there should be successful marriages with the people of God.

If an unbeliever can’t tell the difference between our lives and the lives that are in the world, there’s a problem. Why would an unbeliever want to be “Christian” when some Christian’s lives are just as messed up as people in the world?

This blessed life is not going to come automatically. The blessed life requires unwavering faith in God and obedience to His Word. Faith allows us to obtain God’s will for our lives in spite of what we see in the natural and obedience positions us to receive God’s best.

Distinction is necessary to attract the lost and to fulfill the will of God in the earth so, let’s allow ourselves to be separated by the goodness of God.

Exodus 7:1 So the Lord said to Moses: “See, I have made you as God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet.

God made Moses a god to Pharaoh. Pharaoh represents opposition that stands in our way from receiving the promises of God. Since God made Moses a god to Pharaoh and He’s doesn’t show partiality, God has made us a god over our opposition.

There is no external force that can stop us from receiving the promises of God. The only person that can stop us from receiving God’s blessings is us. God has already given us all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ (Eph. 1:3). Our faith releases those blessings from heavenly places into the earth (Mark 11:22-24). However, if we have doubt and unbelief, we can’t expect to receive anything from the Lord (James 1:7).

You don’t have a college degree? So, what! Be a god over the lack of education and receive that desired career. You still don’t have children? It doesn’t matter! Be a god over infertility and declare your children into this earth. Cancer has attacked your body? Who cares! Be a god over cancer and command your healing.

Whatever opposition we’re facing, understand that we are gods over it.

Isaiah 54:17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their righteousness is from Me,” Says the Lord.

When most people read this scripture, a lot of people think about physical weapons such as guns and knives or the weapons of our enemies such as, slander and lies. However, this scripture also includes mental weapons from Satan himself.

Satan uses different weapons to mentally attack us out of God’s promises. For instance, one weapon is intimidation. Satan will attempt to intimidate us out of our promise. He’ll tell us we’re unqualified or unworthy to receive God’s blessings. Another weapon is delay. While we’re waiting on our promise, the devil will attempt to make us think delay means denial. Another weapon is pride. He’ll make us think we’re too good to humble ourselves before God or submit to our spouses. All of these weapons are designed to withhold God’s best from our lives.

Regardless of the weapon, it won’t prosper. The great thing about Satan’s weapons is we’re in control. If we can identify them when he strikes, we can use our faith to destroy them. We don’t have to wait until the situation changes. We can do it now. Every weapon formed against us, including Satan’s, won’t prosper.

2 Corinthians 2:11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

Exodus 4:12 Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.”

Entrepreneurs, visionaries, ministers, students, and athletes it’s time to go. It’s time to go and do what God has called us to do. It’s time to accomplish those dreams, put in for that promotion, apply to that school, and try out for that team. We’ve been procrastinating for far too long. Like God was with Moses, God will be with us. There’s no reason to fear.

Like Moses, we’ve been making too many excuses and attempting to wait until the time is right. If we think about it long enough, the time will never be right. We just have to step out on faith, trust God, and go.

God’s plan will never be implemented in the earth and our purpose will never be fulfilled unless we act. We were never meant to work at a job beneath our purpose for 30 years, pay bills, and die. We were created to make a difference in this world, help somebody, and to establish the Kingdom of God here on earth.

Let’s remove all hesitation and fear and go.

Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

A lot of us heard this scripture at some point in our lives, but have we really internalized it? Have we accepted this scripture to be absolute truth?

Most of us have not. Why? Because there are still dreams on the table and goals not yet finished. We haven’t obtained those dreams and goals because of fear. We fear what might happen and the loss we may experience. The fear of “what if” is the shadow of death.

If God told us to do something, He will be with us. Not only will He be with us, He will comfort us all the way through it. This is the truth.

So, what are you waiting for? Boldly act on what God has said. He will be with you every step of the way.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

As parents, we set rules for our small children so that they can prosper and stay safe. We set these rules because we know more than our children. We know what’s beneficial and what can be dangerous, therefore, we don’t allow them to play with electric outlets, matches, and small things they can put in their mouths. Although our children may cry when we take that power cable away, we know we’re doing it for their good.

God, the Father of us all, is a good parent. The rules He set for our lives are so that we can prosper and stay safe. He’s not trying to be mean or limit the fun we have. He simply knows what’s beneficial and what can be dangerous for our lives. So, when He tells us not to have premarital sex, not to get drunk, or to love our enemies, He’s not trying be this harsh dictator. He simply knows what’s best for us.

God’s plan is to always prosper us so, the New Covenant commands He has for our lives, are to prosper and not harm us.

Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Ecclesiastes 10:19 says, “money answers all things.” Because money answers all things, everyone seems to value it. Some will go against their morals to get it and hold onto it. People like to be around it. People will do something they hate to get more of it. As much as money can do, at the end of the day, money is a tool. Money is like a tool that can fix anything.

Although money can do everything, it should not be regarded above God. A joke was told that if you were on the phone with a person who could guarantee a $50 million deal but, God called while you were on the phone, would you pick up? Unfortunately, most people said they wouldn’t answer the phone. Why? Because they value money over God.

God is our Source. Money is not a problem but, the love of money is the problem. When we seek God, focus our attention on Him, and do His will He’ll give us the power to get wealth. If money was the problem, God wouldn’t give it to us.

Love God and let money be the tool to build His Kingdom here on the earth.

“Jesus paid it all, and all to Him I owe.”    ….Or, do we?

We hear sermons and songs telling us how much we owe to Jesus based on what He’s done for us. Jesus saved our lives by sacrificing His life; He freed us from the curse of death, disease, and poverty. He’s delivered us from all our sins, and so much more. The idea is we pay Jesus back by giving our time, talent, and money to Him, living a holy life, and we do the will of the Father.

Owing Jesus is logically understandable, but it’s not biblical. Nowhere in the Bible does it say or even suggest we owe Jesus anything. The Bible lets us know everything Jesus did was a free gift from God. We didn’t earn or deserve it, but He was freely given to the world. Most people don’t make it a habit of repaying someone with their services after receiving a gift on their birthday or Christmas. Why? Because we know it was a gift given by love. God’s gift was given in the same way.

Does this mean we can live like a hellion? Of course not. I repeat, of course not. But, what we do for God is out of appreciation, not repayment. There’s a difference. If we live unto God based on repayment, there’s a possibility of guilt entering our lives when we don’t live up to the perfect standards of God. Guilt can hinder our prayers, have us feel unworthy, and not operate in our authority. However, if we live based on appreciation, we have the freedom to do the perfect will of God and even when we fall, we can appreciate God’s forgiveness through Jesus Christ. We live a holy life, give financially, and walk in love based on our appreciation for what He’s done.

Jesus paid our debts so that we can be free. Receive this gift of freedom.

Ephesians 2:8 (AMP) For it is by grace [God’s remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God;

Genesis 15:6 And Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD counted him as righteous because of his faith.

After attempting to force a blessing by having Ishmael, God clearly told Abram that he and his wife were going have a child (Gen. 17:16). Abram was 100 years old and Sarai was 90 years old. Sarai was not present when God made this promise to the now Abraham, but she obviously was informed by Abraham on what God said because she accepted her new name of Sarah. In Genesis 18:10, a messenger of God confirmed God’s promise by telling Abraham that he and Sarah were going to have a child the following year. This time, Sarah was present, but she laughed in unbelief. Not only did she laugh, but she lied about laughing to Abraham and God.

Obviously, Sarah had a lot of doubt in her heart and it’s logically understandable. This woman has been attempting to have a child for at least 75 years and she has never heard of a woman giving birth in her 90’s. Sarah may have had doubt, but Abraham didn’t. From the beginning, Abraham believed God.

God set a hierarchy for the family. The husband is head of the wife (Eph. 5:23). Abraham, being the head of his household, believed God and although Sarah had doubt in her heart, his belief set in motion the promise of God manifesting in their lives. By Abraham’s faith, the Lord fulfilled His promise and blessed Abraham and Sarah with Isaac.

HUSBANDS, it’s important to get in the Word of God and build up your faith. The faith you have or don’t have will help or hurt your families. WIVES, it’s important that you properly submit to a man whose faith is fully in God and God alone.

Genesis 21:1 Now the Lord was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised.

Genesis 16:9 Then the angel of the Lord told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.”

Abram’s wife Sarai was unable to have children. Through the suggestion of Sarai, Hagar, a slave, was forced to have a baby by Abram. During the time of Hagar’s pregnancy, Sarai was jealous and despised her. Sarai mistreated Hagar and possibly abused her, so much so until Hagar fled from the mistreatment of Sarai. While Hagar was away, God told her to go back to Sarai and submit to her.

Why would a loving God tell Hagar to return and submit to seemingly horrible conditions? She was forced to get pregnant, despised, and abused. Could it be that God had more for her?

Looking at verse 10, God promised Hagar that her descendants will increase if she returned. Without any evidence of this increase, taking God at His Word, Hagar obeyed God and returned. Eventually we see God honoring His Word to Hagar. God was with Hagar’s son, Hagar’s son was married, and God made Hagar’s son into a great nation (Gen. 21:17-21).

What would have happened if Hagar disobeyed God and magnified her negative experiences over God’s promise? Look at what she and her son could have missed out on.

We all face negative situations in life. One of our first instincts is to leave that negative circumstance. In a turbulent marriage, some immediately want to get a divorce. At an unfulfilling job, some want to quit. Unhappy at our church, some want to leave. However, if God tells us to face that situation, we must realize He has more for us than we can currently comprehend.

We may feel like we can’t take it and the situations is worsening, butif God tells us to stay and submit, He has given us the grace handle it and our reward will be greater than the trials we face. Stick with it and see the promise of God.

Hebrews 6:15 And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.

For over 70 years, Abram and his wife, Sarai desired a child, but they could not have one. At the age of 76, God promised Abram and his wife, Sarai a son (Gen. 15:4). After 10 years of waiting, they became impatient, and agreed to force a blessing by having Abram have a child with Sarai’s slave Hagar.

This was not God’s best so after 13 years, after Hagar had her child, God told Abram a second time that he will have a child by Sarai (Gen. 17:16). Eventually, at the age of 100, Abraham and Sarah gave birth to Isaac. At his and his wife’s age, Abraham nor Sarah didn’t know how birthing a child was going to happen, but he was convinced and believed what God had promised.

One of the biggest enemies of faith is delay. There are going to be times of delay in our lives where it seems as if God’s promise is not going to come to pass. Don’t doubt or make the mistake of Abram and attempt to force a blessing. Patiently wait on what God had promised.

For those who are waiting on a husband or wife, don’t settle with someone you know is not the one. Wait patiently for the person God has for you. For those who are looking for a better career, don’t accept any old job just because it’s something different. Wait patiently on the career God has for you. Don’t allow delay to make you settle for less than God’s best. From healing in our bodies to a child, if God promised it in His Word, it will come to pass.

Matthew 8:26 He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

Jesus told the disciples they were going to the other side. While traveling, they were in a severe storm, however, Jesus was asleep. The disciples were afraid and decided to awaken Jesus and question His care for them. Prior to rebuking the storm, Jesus made a point to question their fear and belittle their faith.

The disciples were questioned and their faith was belittled because, although He was with them, the disciples did not truly believe in the Word of Jesus and His concern for their well-being.

Many of us face little faith moments in our lives as well. When we’re in problematic moments, some of us tend to panic, become fearful, and question God’s love for us although He assured us He’s always with us (Matt. 28:20). The presence of God in our lives accompanied by the finished works of Jesus is all the confidence we need to overcome any situation.

Transform your little faith into great faith by realizing God is always with us, He loves and cares for us, and His Word will come to pass in our lives.

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.”