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Mike Tyson has a quote that says, “everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” Spiritually, for most believers, we can say, “everyone has faith until they’re faced with difficulties.”

Unfortunate events have a tendency to reveal what we’re really made of. We can see if a person truly believes God’s word or if they’re simply quoting it with the rest of the congregation.

Self Evaluation:
How do you respond when difficulties knock at your door? Do you panic, stress, worry, or entertain the “it’s not going to get better” lies of Satan?
Or, do you combat stress and Satan’s lies by confessing the word of God that’s already deposited in your heart while truly expecting things to change?

It’s important to study, believe, and confess God’s word until we’re totally convinced that God’s word has to come to pass in our lives. Don’t get rocked when difficulties come. Use your faith in the word of God to align that situation with God’s will.

Matthew 13:22 (CEV) The seeds that fell among the thornbushes are also people who hear the message. But they start worrying about the needs of this life and are fooled by the desire to get rich. So the message gets choked out, and they never produce anything.

Psalm 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.

One of the biggest luxuries we have as believers is being in the presence of God. He’s always with us, and at any moment, we can turn our attention towards Him and be in His presence.

There are several benefits of being in the presence of God. Being in His presence provides revelation. God will reveal or show us what’s ahead. Being in His presence awards us joy. It’s hard to be down and depressed when we get in His presence and think of His goodness. We have access to things that bring us pleasure. What’s pleasurable for you may be different from what’s pleasurable for me. It may please you to be close to your family while I may be pleased by traveling the world.

The point is, we have access to all these things when we get in the presence of God. Don’t allow distractions, cares, work, or other issues in life to prevent you from being in the presence of God.

Deuteronomy 8:10 When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you.

When we’ve received what we desired from God, don’t forget to be thankful and bless the Lord.

It should be more than a quick “thank you God” after receiving what God has promised. When that prayer gets answered or that promise manifests, take a moment to truly focus on God and bless Him. Think about how you were feeling the first time you asked Him for that desire. Think about how God encouraged you to keep the faith for that desire when you wanted to quit. Think about how miraculous God answered that prayer. When we think about all those things, we should lift our hands, open our mouths, and bless the Lord.

Romans 4:19 And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.

When we don’t consider our own abilities and shortcomings and focus on the abilities of God, all things become possible.

We no longer need to consider how much education or lack of education when applying for that job.We no longer need to consider our criminal history. We don’t need to consider our credit score when we’re in the process of buying a house. We no longer need to consider the diseases in our family tree as we get older.

Instead, we need to focus on God and His process to receive our promises. When we believe the promises of God, meditate on the promises of God, and speak the promises of God, they must come to pass. How it happens is irrelevant.

God may have someone give us a chance at a job in spite of our education or criminal history. God may allow us to get approved for a loan in spite of our credit score. God may wipe every trace of that disease that runs in our family from our bodies.

If we only consider ourselves and what we can do and see in the natural, we’ll always be limited. But if we believe in God, Who specializes in the impossible, then His Word will manifest in our lives.

Romans 8:5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.

Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind, for you to prove what is the good and well-pleasing and perfect will of God.

1 Peter 1:13 Therefore prepare your minds for action. Be sober-minded. Set your hope fully on the grace to be given you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Between these scriptures, we can see the mind plays a major role in our lives. What we allow to settle in our minds starts a chain reaction. What settles in our minds is what we begin to meditate on. What we meditate on is what we’ll believe or justify. What we believe is what we speak. And because our words have the power to create, what we speak is what will come to pass.

It doesn’t matter if the thought is holy and spiritual or full of sin. What settles in our minds will come to pass.

That’s why it’s so important to perform daily maintenance on our minds. We must ask ourselves, what have we allowed to settle in our minds? Is it something we “okayed” knowing it goes against the word of God? Have we settled for less than God’s best in one or more areas of our lives? Is it fear?

If the things that are settled in our minds don’t agree with the word of God, they must go. They can leave the same way they came. We find out what God’s word says about those thoughts. We meditate on His word. We choose to believe His word. And we speak His Word.

We can’t stop a thought from coming, but we can avoid allowing it to settle in our minds. Take some time and do some maintenance on your mind.

Google’s definition of inventory is a complete list of items such as property, goods in stock, or the contents of a building. As believers, every so often, we should take inventory of all the things God has done for us.

God blessed us with His Son Jesus, He allowed for us to see another day, He allowed us to have a sound mind, He got us through school, He blessed some of us with a spouse and children, we have shelter, most of us have employment, we’ve received promotions, He supplies everything we need. The list can go on and on.

The purpose of taking inventory is to reflect on the goodness of God. The devil will always make our current desires seem like they won’t come to pass. Our inventory will remind us of how much God has already done. As we look back on the goodness of God and see all that He’s done, we’ll be inspired to have faith for our current desires. We can boldly say, “If He did it before, He can do it again. Same God right now, same God back then.”

Psalm 31:19 Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind!

Proverbs 15:5 Only a fool despises a parent’s discipline; whoever learns from correction is wise.

Proverbs 20:3 Avoiding a fight is a mark of honor; only fools insist on quarreling.

Proverbs 18:2 Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions.

So, despising discipline, desiring to fight or quarrel, and rejecting understanding are just a few biblical definitions of a fool.

Let’s be honest with ourselves. Have we been foolish in one or more of these areas? Have we disregarded what our parents were trying to tell us for one reason or another? Are some of us always ready to pick a fight with our spouse, a coworker, or a sibling because we haven’t dealt with some internal issues in our past? Are some of us not listening to another person’s point of view because we feel our beliefs and ways are the only correct ways?

If we’ve answered yes to any of those questions, we must renew our minds (Romans 12:2). We need to allow our thoughts to align with God’s word. It may take time, but the more we do the work to renew our minds, the further we get away from foolishness. Don’t be a fool.

Ecclesiastes 10:3 You can identify fools just by the way they walk down the street!

And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.
Luke 15:21‭-‬22 NKJV

If we return to God, after doing things we know were wrong, God doesn’t even acknowledge our wrongdoing. Because of the sacrifice of Jesus, He simply welcomes us back.

He’s not going to make us pay a penance and He doesn’t require us to read a list, out loud, of everything we’ve done wrong. He loves us, accepts us, and looks for ways to bless us.

Don’t let guilt hold you back from establishing a relationship with God or rededicating your life back to God. He’s waiting on you and there’s no guilt, shame, or condemnation to those in Christ (Romans 8:1).

Don’t leave me Lord.
Come by here my Lord.
Don’t take Your Spirit from me.
Don’t take Your presence from us.
God, fill the atmosphere.

These are just a few statements and lyrics believers have made throughout the years. The problem is they’re unscriptual. These statements all have God coming and going. The scripture says, I will never leave you nor forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:8). Jesus lets us know He will be with us always (Matt. 28:20).

God’s not coming or going based on what we do or don’t do. He’ll always be with us because that’s His promise to us.

It doesn’t matter how much wrong we’ve done or how far we’ve strayed, God promised to be with us forever. As you’re reading this, God is with you right now. Recognize His presence and know He’s never going to leave you.

Deuteronomy 31:8 And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”

Isaiah 55:11 It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.

“The devil’s main goal is to get you to believe that God’s word won’t come to pass.”-Creflo Dollar

The devil continuously tells us it won’t work, you’ll never be married, children are not in God’s plan for you, etc. He doesn’t tell us these things when everything is working. He tells us during times of crisis, delay, or pain.

The devil is a liar!!! -(John 8:44)

As we can see, anything in God’s word must come to pass. It’s not a maybe or a possibly. It’s a guarantee. If we can find it in God’s word or if we know that God told us through our spirits, it has to happen. The only thing that stops it from happening is our unbelief. But if we’re willing to look past the circumstances, the delays, and the symptoms and believe God’s word, nothing can stop God’s word from coming to pass.

Study the word, find a promise, and believe (without doubt) that promise will manifest in your life.

Matthew 4:3 And the tempter came and said to Him, If You are God’s Son, command these stones to be made loaves of bread. 4 But He replied, It has been written, Man shall not live and be upheld and sustained by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.

Jesus was being tempted by the devil. Every time the devil had something to say, Jesus responded with the truth of God’s word.

The devil is still testing us today. How will you respond? Will you agree with him and his lies or agree with and respond with God’s word?

He’ll tell us, it (whatever it is) won’t happen. You’ll have this issue for the rest of your life. Or, no one really cares. We can believe his lies or replace his lies with the truth. The truth is God’s word will come to pass (Isaiah 55:11), we are healed (1 Pet. 2:23), and God cares for us (1 Pet. 5:7).

The devil is always talking. Let’s respond by opening our mouths and speaking the truth in God’s word. 

Romans 10:4 (NIV) For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in Him are made right with God.

In the Old Covenant, the law was over 600 rules that mankind had to keep in order to be accepted by God. If a person messed up in one area, they were guilty of breaking them all (James 2:10).

By God’s design, no one could or can keep the law. So, God implemented a plan to send Jesus. Jesus kept the law and became the ultimate sacrifice for all sin for mankind.

Our belief in Him keeping the law and being the sacrifice for us makes us righteous. We no longer have to keep the law and it’s not a combination of keeping the law and believing in the sacrifice of Jesus. We are righteous when we believe Jesus fulfilled the law and was the sacrifice for all sin.

To be saved, what if I told you all you have to do is believe and confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and He died for all your sins?

Romans 10:9 -10 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

What if I told you that you can still drink alcohol and be saved? What if I told you that you can still watch R-rated movies and be saved? What if I told you that you can still curse and be saved? What if I told you that you can smoke and be saved?

This is unpopular in religious circles. Some people think certain behaviors will affect our salvation. They don’t. Now, they definitely 100% will impact the quality of our lives and God may not want us to behave a certain way, but they won’t hinder our salvation. (Read Ephesians 2:8-9).

This flawless mindset from religious folks hinders so many people from coming to Christ. People think they have to change their entire lives around to become a Christian and that’s too difficult for some. More importantly, that’s not a requirement. Our requirement is to totally rely on what Jesus accomplished (Rom. 10:4).

As we develop our relationship with God and discover His goodness, we may not want drink, curse, or smoke, but even if we do, God still loves and accepts us as His own.

Wherever you are and whatever you’re doing, accept Jesus as Lord and come into the family of God.

God desires that we live the abundant life. He desires that we remain healed in our bodies, our families are prosperous, and we get the desires of our hearts.

At the same time, God also wants the unsaved to be saved. Since He’s not preaching sermons Himself in the earth, He needs willing participants to lead the unsaved to Christ.

It may not always be a sermon we preach to them. It may be us sharing our testimony. It may be us being a kind non-judgmental friend. It may be us being a blessing to them in their time of need. It may be us prioritizing praying for the lost.

Although God wants the best for us, let’s remember, He also wants the lost to be found.

1 Timothy 2:3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

Every year we have a birthday. Some of us look forward to our birthdays while others could care less. Regardless of how we feel about our birthday, we expect to have a birthday.

The same way we believe and expect to have a birthday every year is the same way we should believe and expect to receive a promise from God. It doesn’t matter if it’s healing in our bodies, deliverance for our children, or a new job, we should expect our desires to come to pass. We may not know when, but we should expect to receive them.

Don’t hope and wish God’s promises will come to pass. Believe and expect them to manifest soon.

Acts 3:5 And he began to give heed to them, expecting to receive something from them.

Matthew 17:20 He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

To get things done without toil or exhaustion, it takes faith. There are different levels of faith (small, great, etc.), but if we have a small portion of unshakable faith, we can do great and mighty things. We can do great things in our homes, for the Kingdom of God, and for people.

Not only can we do great things with our faith, but we can do things that are considered impossible in the world’s eyes. We can come up with the next big revolutionary idea, we can become a millionaire with only a high school education, and although we came from a dysfunctional family, we can have a successful prosperous family without any baggage.

Talk with God and find out your deepest desires. Next, study God’s word to see what it says about those desires. Finally, release your faith for those desires by believing what God’s word says and confessing it daily.

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.

Being a blessing sounds honorable and noble, but it’s not always easy.

We may have had a hard week and all we want to do is relax on the weekend, but on Friday, a friend asks if we can help them move. It sounds like a nice thing to do, but that can be difficult to our flesh. Or, we may have set aside some money to go shopping and go out to eat, but a relative asked if they can borrow some money to pay their bills. Here’s an opportunity to be a blessing, but it can be hard to think beyond our desires and think of someone else’s need.  

Although it’s not always easy, let’s not allow our feelings to dictate what we do for someone else. Consult God and if He tells us to be a blessing, let’s be a blessing. Remember, when we’re a blessing to others, God vows to bless us.

Ephesians 6:8 (NIV) because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.

At McDonald’s, there are around three managers at each store. They’re responsible for the supplies, ordering food, hiring employees, repairs, and updates to the facility. If a customer has a problem, the manager is contacted to settle the dispute. The owner of McDonald’s corporation is never responsible for what occurs at one store.

We understand this concept with businesses, but when it comes to the world, a lot of people want to blame the Owner (God).

Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Psalm 115:16 Heaven belongs to the Lord, but he gave the earth to people.

Looking at these two scriptures, the earth is under direct management of people. We are responsible for what occurs on the earth (good or bad). God is the Owner, but we are the managers. So, if you don’t like what you see, use your God-given authority to change it.

Unlike McDonald’s managers, we have direct access to the Owner of the earth. We can get Him involved to change what we see. We change our world through prayer, declarations, and faith. We see the best in God’s word and align our faith and our speech to change any situation.

This is our world and it’s up to us (not God) to change negative situations into positive outcomes.

Isaiah 48:17 with this message: People of Israel, I am the holy Lord God, the one who rescues you. For your own good, I teach you, and I lead you along the right path. 18 How I wish that you had obeyed my commands! Your success and good fortune would then have overflowed like a flooding river.

In most push start cars, we must place our foot on the brake to start the car. There’s usually a sign that instructs us to place our foot on the brake. If we disregard those instructions, the car won’t start. We can press the start button a million times, but if we don’t press the brake, the car won’t start, and we won’t get to our destination.

It’s the same way with God. God has instructions in His word and through the Holy Spirit. His word tells us to love, forgive, ask in faith, and don’t doubt. If we disregard those instructions, how can we expect to receive God’s promises? It’s not God withholding things from us or the devil stopping our blessings from coming. It could be our disobedience. Our disobedience (under grace) could be the thing stopping God from performing miraculous wonders in our lives.

Let’s be sure we’re doing what God instructs us to do so that we can experience success and good fortune overflowing like a river.

You should only declare a specific time for manifestation as the Holy Spirit leads you. Spend time with God. If the Holy Spirit said 7 days, 2 months, or 2 hours for a thing to come to pass, that’s what you decree. If He doesn’t give you a specific date/time, just believe in the manifestation of your promise at the God-appointed time.

The devil will tempt you to back off of your belief and confession about the time God gave you. He’ll let you know how unlikely it will manifest in that short period of time. But if you believe God said it, declare it regardless of how it looks.

The Holy Spirit knows the level of your faith. He knows if you need 6 weeks, 7 months, or 2 years to believe for the manifestation of a certain promise. Don’t try to think you’re at another level when you’re not. Don’t think you’re at a 2 week manifestation level when He’s told you you’re at a 2 year level. That only leads to self-inflicted disappointment.

The Holy Spirit knows the level of your faith.
He knows what you need so that He can help you decree things that are within the framework of what God can do for you because of where you are in your belief.

Spend time with God about a certain promise. If He gives you a time when that thing will manifest,  declare it, but if He doesn’t, continue to believe that you’ve received it until it manifests.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.