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If we look at the accounts of what’s happening in society and the status of the world, none of this should surprise the Christian who actually reads and believes the Word of God.

God’s Word tells us what’s going to happen. It may not tell us when, but it does tell us what’s going to happen.

Matthew 24:7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.
-Pestilences means a fatal epidemic disease. If coronavirus is not considered pestilence, I don’t know what is.

Matthew 24:10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.
-Have you seen hate lately? If you turn on the news for two seconds, you’ll see someone hating someone else.

Luke 21:25-26 “And there will be strange signs in the sun, moon, and stars. And here on earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides. People will be terrified at what they see coming upon the earth, for the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
-Natural disasters have increased. In fact, while hurricane Zeta was making landfall in Louisiana, an ice storm was impacting people next door in Texas.

People may think it’s all a coincidence, but God’s Word is clear. People want all the craziness in 2020 to calm down but honestly, this is just the beginning. This is not meant to scare the believer, but inform them. We don’t have to be afraid because when we submit to God and have faith in His Word, He promised to always protect, provide, and prosper us in any season (2 Tim. 4:18, Matt. 6:33, Ps. 1:1-3).

So, don’t be surprised or afraid about what you see. This has to happen.

1 Thessalonians 5:4-6 (NLT) But you aren’t in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won’t be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief. For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night. So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded.

Jeremiah 8:12 Are they ashamed of these disgusting actions? Not at all—they don’t even know how to blush! Therefore, they will lie among the slaughtered. They will be brought down when I punish them, says the LORD.

VS.

Romans 4:8 Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them.”

There’s a big difference between the old covenant and new covenant in how God dealt with sin. In the old covenant, a person was punished for their sin, but in the new covenant, a person’s sin was not counted against them. Why is this? One word… JESUS.

Jesus took all the punishment for every past, present, or future sins (Rom. 3:23-26). People in the old covenant didn’t have that luxury. They either had to pay for their sin through the punishment of death or a priest had to sacrifice animals to cover their sins (Rom 6:23; Lev. 17:11).

Thank God for Jesus Who took our punishment so that we can live a life free of punishment, guilt, shame, or condemnation.   

Proverbs 17:9 (CSB) Whoever conceals an offense promotes love, but whoever gossips about it separates friends.

It’s a choice to be offended by the actions or words of someone else. However, if someone does something so atrocious that we take offense, we are to go to them privately and point out the offense (Matt. 18:15).

It’s unfruitful to go to a million people and tell them what so and so did to us. It’s not helping the situation at all. In fact, it’s only shaping the way they think about the person who offended us.

If you’re offended by someone, go take your grievances to them. If they apologize, great. But if not, give it to God and move on. Don’t allow offense to keep you up at night, eating you up inside, and having you display a negative disposition.

Some people have literally allowed the horror stories of others to shape and direct their lives. They think they’re acting wisely, but they’re living in fear.

Some people are seriously not getting married because they know people who were cheated on by their spouses. How foolish is that? What does another person’s spouse have to do with them? There are people who won’t fly because they’ve heard about plane crashes. Some people are unwilling to try certain foods because they “heard” it didn’t taste good.

We can’t keep living our lives through the lenses of others. These horror stories are meant to paralyze us with fear. We have to open our minds, do what God tells us to do, and live our lives being led by the Spirit, not through the horror stories of someone else.

2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

We seem to do fine when it comes to pleasing God by putting God above, friends, coworkers, or random people we don’t know, but when it comes to mothers, spouses, or children, people have a hard time and tend to question some things.

Pleasing God means doing what He says (Heb. 13:20-21): what God says in His Word or through the Holy Spirit. So, when God’s Word says you should leave your mother and father and cleave to your spouse (Gen. 2:24), that’s not the time to ignore that verse because you feel like no one should come before mama. That also means we should put God first by spending time with Him before we spend time with our fun spouse. When God’s Word says to physically discipline our children (Prov. 23:13), that’s not the time to question the bible. It’s better to please God than temporarily hurt your child’s feelings. He’s smarter than us.

Our parents, spouses, or children should not come before God. They are people just like everyone else. Our job is to please God, not man.

Galatians 1:10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

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.

Isaiah 55:8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.

As we can see, God has plans to prosper us, but we can also see His ways are not our ways. So, whatever pathway to prosperity we think God should have for us will most likely be different. The goal of being prosperous in every area of our lives will still be the same, but how we get there will be different.

For example, we may think God should prosper us in our finances by allowing us to receive promotions every 3 to 5 years. But, God is smarter than us and He sees the big picture. God knows if we receive those promotions, we’ll have more responsibilities at work, which will take us from our families. We’ll be financially prosperous, but our family will suffer.

How we become prosperous is none of our business. That’s up to God. Once we’re convinced that God is smarter than us and He has better plans than we could imagine, the easier it becomes to accept whatever pathway He creates.

When we see a 2-hour movie, we’re seeing the final product of hundreds of hours’ worth of work. There are a lot of behind the scenes things we don’t see, that have been done over months.

There are a lot of behind the scene things people didn’t see for us to get to the place we are today. Most of our efforts are spiritually located, on the battleground of our minds. We had to continuously confess God’s Word despite what we see. We had to continue to believe even though what we’re experiencing contradicts what we believe. We had to continue to renew our minds even though thoughts contrary to God’s Word were bombarding our minds.

People see the final product (house, healthy, genuinely happy family), but they may not know the work that was put in for us to experience this abundant life Jesus provided. Let people know there’s some effort involved to experience God’s best. The devil is not just going to let us have what God has promised. We must resist him and claim what is ours (James 4:7).  

Ephesians 6:12 For we are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark age.

Psalm 143:5 I remember the days of old. I ponder all your great works and think about what you have done.

The devil is constantly attacking our minds with thoughts contrary to God’s Word. He often likes to remind us of things we don’t have yet. His goal is to make us feel unloved by God and to make us believe God’s promises won’t come to pass.

Instead of dwelling on those thoughts, capture them, and replace them with the Word of God. So, if Satan tells us we’ll never have a certain career, we audibly declare “God gives me the desires of my heart (Psalm 37:4).” After declaring God’s Word, it’s beneficial to fill our minds with thoughts of thankfulness.

We think about all the things God has done in our lives. We think about how He healed us, how He provided for us, and how He did the miraculous. When we think about His wonderful works in our lives, we create a sense of gratitude and we can’t help but be thankful.

Don’t allow the devil to win by feeling sorry for yourself about things that haven’t happened yet. Be thankful for everything God has already done in your life.

John 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.

Jesus said, His words are spirit and life. If Jesus, who operated in the earth as a man, said His words are spirit and life, then so are ours.

Our words are alive and depending on what we say, we can build up or tear down things in our lives (Prov. 18:21). If we declare we have joy, peace, and all our needs are taken care of by God, then that’s what we’ll have. On the other hand, if we say we’re stressed, worried, or broke (even jokingly), we’ll have what we say.

Some may not think our words have that much power but remember, the almighty God didn’t create the universe with only His mind. And He didn’t use His hands. He used words. If He used words, and we’re created in His likeness, our words have power too.

God wants us to enjoy this life. As we place and keep our faith in Him, He’s willing to pull off the miraculous just to see us smile. Unfortunately, we do certain things to tie up God’s hands. One of those things is allowing our logic or earthly wisdom to supersede God’s voice.

For instance, we may want another cookie for dessert. We hear God telling us “it’s okay.” However, our logic tells us we don’t need the calories and we deprive ourselves of something God has okayed. Or, we may want new clothes, but we don’t want to spend the money. God has approved us buying new clothes and He’s telling us to trust Him. We don’t buy the clothes because we feel it’s unwise to spend the money. We denied ourselves something God approved.
It’s all a lack of trust in God.

If we want something, it’s our responsibility to go to God and see what He says. If He temporarily denies it or tells us to wait, we should wait for His timing to get the item. If He approves, go get it and enjoy and trust that He knows what He’s doing. Don’t talk yourself out of something God is treating you to.

Psalm 35:27 Let them shout for joy and be glad, Who favor my righteous cause; And let them say continually, “Let the LORD be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.”

It’s a blessing to know God is not keeping track of our sins, He’s forgiven and forgotten our sins, and He’s not punishing us for our sins (Hebrews 8:11; 2 Cor. 5:19; Rom. 3:21-31). God’s not punishing us for our sins, but sin has natural consequences.

For instance, gluttony is a sin (Prov. 23:20-21). God is not punishing us for overeating, however consistently overeating can cause us to have natural consequences of high blood pressure or high cholesterol, which can lead to a heart attack. God didn’t punish us with a heart attack, but a natural consequence of overeating caused us to have a heart attack. God has forgiven and forgotten all the times we’ve stolen something, but theft can cause us to have a natural consequence of a few years in prison.

Although God is not punishing us for our sin, sin has natural consequences which is why it’s in our best interest to make the effort to live a sin-free life.

Therefore do not let sin control your mortal body so that you obey its desires. -Romans 6:12

Psalm 103:10 He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. 11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.

This statement was made under the old covenant. Even under the old covenant, God wasn’t punishing us (mankind) for all our sins. His mercy and love stopped some of the punishment from devouring us.

Now, because of the sacrifice of Jesus for our sins, we’re under a new and better covenant (Heb. 8:6-13). Under the new covenant, God is merciful to our unrighteousness and our sins He’ll remember no more (Heb. 8:11). Under the new covenant, God is not keeping a record of our sins (Rom. 8:4).

2 Corinthians 5:19 that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s trespasses against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

If God is not remembering, keeping record of, or punishing us for our sins, we should let our sins go too. Beating ourselves up about sin is not bringing God any glory and it’s not showing God how sorry we are. We’re belittling the sacrifice of Jesus by saying, we don’t believe Jesus’ punishment was enough therefore, we need to suffer some more.

Receive God’s loving mercy and don’t be condemned by the mistakes we may make.

When people say spiritual warfare, some make it spooky as if the devil is possessing people’s bodies or homes and they need to remove him. That’s not spiritual warfare. Spiritual warfare is a mental battle between the devil and us. The devil is trying to make us doubt or not believe God’s Word and it’s our job to believe God’s Word despite what we see or experience.

EXAMPLE: John receives a negative report that he has cancer.
Satan: You know you have cancer.
John: No, God’s Word says, “I am healed” (Isaiah 53:5).
Satan: You heard the doctor. You have cancer.
John: No! I believe I’m healed of cancer.
Satan: What’s your family going to do when you die of cancer?
John: I shall live and not die (Psalm 118:17) because I believe I am healed of cancer.

This back and forth between us and Satan may go on for days, months, or years. It can center around our health, our marriage, our finances, the well-being of our children, our desires, etc.

It’s our job to equip ourselves for battle by knowing and believing God’s Word, spending time in praise as we thank God for the victory, and consulting with the Holy Spirit to see if there are any practical things we can do to manifest God’s promises.

Spiritual warfare is real, and it will happen for the rest of our lives. However, if we have the weapon of the Word, we’ll win every time.

Luke 4:1 Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 where for forty days He was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He was hungry. 3 The devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” 4 But Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”

Deuteronomy 2:30 But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass through, for the LORD your God had made his spirit stubborn and his heart obstinate, that He might deliver him into your hand, as is the case this day. 31 Then the LORD said to me, “See, I have begun to deliver Sihon and his land over to you. Now begin to conquer and possess his land.” 32 So Sihon and his whole army came out for battle against us at Jahaz. 33 And the LORD our God delivered him over to us, and we defeated him and his sons and his whole army.

A lot of us think when we get saved and start doing the right things we shouldn’t face opposition. We think that God’s promises and answered prayers should come with ease. That’s not always true.

Look at Moses and the Israelites. One might think that land that was promised for God’s people should be taken with ease. But it was just the opposite. The king’s heart was defiant, and the Israelites had to fight for what God had promised.

We may not have to physically fight for what God has promised, but we will have to fight the good fight of faith (1 Tim. 6:12). When we keep getting turned down for a promotion, we have to fight to continue to believe that promotion is for us. When we’re in our 40’s and we’re still not married or haven’t had children, we have to continue to believe that a spouse and children is God’s promise to us.

Opposition is not a sign that a particular desire is not meant to be. The fact that opposition is present may be proof that God’s promise is near.

Psalm 40:2 He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps. 3 He has put a new song in my mouth—Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the Lord.

We’ll all face trouble (John 16:33). If we handle our troubles appropriately (rely on God’s Word, don’t doubt what He said, and don’t be moved by what we see), we’ll mature spiritually (James 1:3-4). Not only will we mature, but other people who see us overcoming our troubles will put their trust in God also.

Other people include: our children, relatives, co-workers, and complete strangers. If our co-workers still see us smiling and having a positive attitude after taking a pay cut, how intrigued will they be to know what keeps us sane? That’s when we can tell them about our faith in God. If our children see us being kind, loving, and not be negative after going through a messy divorce, it’s more than likely they’ll handle their problems using the same method they’ve seen in us.

Just know, our deliverance is for more than us. People are watching to see how we “Christians” will respond to trials. By trusting in God through our problems, they’ll learn to trust in Him too.

We all have big desires we want God to fulfill like a house, a new car, a good job, etc. However, if we focus too much on those big desires, we may neglect the day to day goodness of God.

For instance, we’ll minimize the fact that God woke us up, we’re healthy, or we went throughout our day without getting into a serious car crash. Those are legitimate reason to sincerely thank God. If we solely focus on the big desires, the devil can use this to make us feel like God isn’t doing anything for us because big desires may take time.   

Let’s have a heart of gratitude and be grateful for EVERYTHING God has done in our lives.

Jonah 2:9 But I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving. That which I have vowed I will pay Salvation is from the LORD.”

Psalm 22:1 To the Chief Musician. Set to “The Deer of the Dawn.” A Psalm of David. My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning?

From the death of a loved one to a layoff at work, people have their reasons for holding a grudge against God. God didn’t meet their expectations and now they’re mad.

A grudge comes from receiving and accepting the lies of Satan. He’ll say, if God really loved you, this wouldn’t have happened or if God really was a protector, He wouldn’t have let that happen. If we entertain and agree with those thoughts, it can turn into a grudge.

Satan uses these tactics to separate us from God. We’re not going to church, praying, or reading the bible anymore. He’s using all our anger and emotion to destroy our lives. Holding a grudge has us missing out on God’s favor, miracles, and blessings.

So, don’t fall into the trap of holding a grudge against God. Get down to the bottom of the situation by going to God. It’s okay to be angry but go to God with that anger and get answers. He’ll tell us why it happened and how to prevent it in the future. We may not always like the answer, but a reason was given. Receive God’s love, peace, and forgiveness and let go of the grudge.

Ephesians 4:31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.

1 Chronicles 16:11 Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face evermore!

Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Throughout the bible, we’ll see “seek the Lord.” This doesn’t mean seek Him as if He’s hiding from us and it’s our job to find Him. Seeking the Lord means communicating or consulting with Him about every decision we make.

Everything from what clothes to wear to what house to buy should all involve God. Some may think we’re going too far if we’re seeking God on seemingly minor decisions like what clothes to wear, what to order at a restaurant, or what lane to drive in, but we’re following His instructions. If we’re consulting God on minor things, we prepare ourselves to hear Him clearly on major decisions.

When we seek the Lord, there’s usually a beautiful promise attached, and we can all admit God is smarter than us. So, why wouldn’t we want to seek Him in everything?    

The world has corrupted the concept of giving. They’ve polluted people’s minds into thinking we should give without an expectation. Giving without an expectation is only partially true. When we give to a person, we shouldn’t expect a return from that person. However, when we give to a person or the Kingdom of God, we should expect something from God.

Expecting something from God is not a form of arrogance. We’re simply holding God to His Word.

Ephesians 6:8 knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free.

Luke 6:38 Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”

Proverbs 17:19 Kindness to the poor is a loan to the LORD, and He will repay the lender.

Looking at these three scriptures above, we can clearly see God’s not going to be in debt to anyone. It would be foolish of us not to expect a return from God. If He said it, we should believe it, and expect it.

Just know, anytime we give, it’s not a loss. God guarantees a return on our gift and we should expect a return.  

When a farmer plants seeds, they know exactly what their harvest is going to be. If they plant tomatoes, they can expect a harvest of tomatoes. If they plant corn, they expect a harvest of corn. Whatever they’re planting, they expect that harvest.

Giving to the Kingdom of God is compared to planting a seed. Like the farmer, when we give to the Kingdom, we should expect to receive a harvest. Not only should we expect a harvest, we should expect to receive whatever we’ve planted. For instance, prior to giving, we can declare this seed is for revelation on our business. After our declaration and seed, we can be in expectation of a harvest of revelation. We can sow for a promotion, a new house, a job, or anything else we need or desire.

When we give to the Kingdom with an expectation to receive a harvest, we open another pathway for God to bless our lives.

2 Corinthians 9:10 (NLT) 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.