Monthly Archive

Romans 15:1‭-‬2 NLT We who are strong must be considerate of those who are sensitive about things like this. We must not just please ourselves. We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord.

As we mature in our understanding of who Christ is, what He’s done, knowing our authority in Him, and being led by the Spirit of God, it’s important not to forget others who may not have gotten to that point.

It’s important to encourage new or immature believers to grow in the things of God. Let them know to pray about every situation, give them understanding of what it means to be led by the Spirit, and encourage them to totally depend on God.

Leave no believer behind. As they mature, they can be a blessing to new believers and be a blessing to those who taught them. In Christ, we all can benefit from one another.

Matthew 4:4 NLT But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”

We should be living by every word that comes out of the mouth of God. If God said it, that’s what we should be living by. Not by what we see, hear, or feel, but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God.

Just to name a few, God said we’re righteous, holy, forgiven, healed, wealthy, protected, and prosperous. That’s the word we should be living by.

Don’t let the circumstances dictate how you should be living. Only live your life based on what God said.

John 17:21 NLT I pray that they will all be one, just as you and —as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.

Jesus prayed for His followers to be one. Although Jesus prayed for us to be one, this prayer is not going to automatically happen because it involves our will.

It’s our decision, as believers, to be one. God can’t make it happen and Jesus can’t pray for it to happen. We must choose to set aside trivial differences and be one. The unification is centered around Jesus. Jesus is Lord, He loves us, and He has made salvation available to everyone. If we can all agree on that and spread that message, we can be one. It’s okay to have a difference of opinion about certain scriptures, but we shouldn’t let that difference divide us.

Let’s fulfill Jesus’ prayer by being one. If that’s His desire, we should make it happen.

#beone

John 14:26 NLT But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.

Romans 15:4 NLT Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.

Contrary to some religious circles, God doesn’t use sickness, tragic circumstances, and loss to teach us something. God doesn’t need to hire Satan to teach us anything. Based on scripture, God teaches us through His word and His Spirit.

The word provides instructions on how to treat each other, how to have a successful marriage, how to parent our children, etc. The Holy Spirit provides specific details tailored to our situation. For one child, the Spirit can tell us to give them tough love. For another child, the Spirit can tell us to take a more gentle approach.

We can learn from any circumstance, but God is not causing negative circumstances to teach us anything. He will use His word and His Spirit.

Philippians 4:11 NLT Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.

Contentment wasn’t something that came automatically to Paul after accepting Jesus Christ as Lord. Paul had to learn how to be content.

As believers, we too must learn to be content. Daily, we’ll see something we don’t have. It may be a job, a car, a house, a spouse, or a pet. The devil will attempt to use these things to have us discontent in life. We may see a couple of those desires we don’t have yet, get upset, and forget about everything else God blessed us with.

There’s nothing wrong with desiring things, but don’t get to a place where you’re not content. Whenever we find ourselves feeling anxious, sad, or discontent, we must force ourselves to think about all the other things God has blessed us with and give Him praise.

1 Thessalonians 5:16 NLT Always be joyful.

This is a simple, yet powerful verse. It’s commanding us to always be joyful. This means we should have joy when things are going well and when we face challenges. Anyone can have joy when at peace and prospering. The real test is to maintain joy during the trials of life.

Joy doesn’t come from what we have. It comes from what we know. When we truly know we’re children of God who have authority over everything in this earth, we’ll have and maintain joy. We’ll have joy when we understand our faith in what God said in His Word will change any circumstance.

If facing sickness, maintain your joy by believing by the stripes of Jesus Christ we’re healed (Isaiah 53:5). If your marriage is chaotic, have peace knowing God promises restoration (Psalm 51:12). If suffering lack, know that God is the supplier of our needs (Phil. 4:19).

Use what God has said as the tool to always be joyful.

2 Corinthians 12:9 CEV But He replied, “My gift of undeserved grace is all you need. My power is strongest when you are weak.” So if Christ keeps giving me His power, I will gladly brag about how weak I am.

Losing our keys and we can’t get into our house, getting a flat tire and not having the money to get a new tire, getting a divorce, or the transition of a loved one. These are all things that can potentially have us feeling weak or helpless. Instead of staying in the place of helplessness, that’s when we need to rely on God’s grace.

Grace, through Jesus Christ, has been made available for every believer. God’s grace has made everything we’ll ever need available to us when we need it. If we need comfort, God’s grace has made comfort available to us. If it’s finances, the grace of God has made finances available for us. If there’s a problem that we can’t fix, God’s grace has made unimagined solutions available to us. Whatever our weakness is, grace has been made available to supplement our weakness.

Praise God for the grace we have through Jesus Christ. His grace helps us overcome every negative situation in our lives.

Faith is constant belief in God’s word. It’s believing God will do what He said He will do. Some of us threw away our faith and passed on our promise based on circumstances and what we saw in the natural. Here’s good news…you can get it back.

At any time, you can reignite your faith and go after what God has promised. It’s not too late, you’re not too old, you don’t have too many responsibilities, or too much debt. It’s just a decision to believe God’s word for what He promised.

We see where it says nothing is too hard for God and with God all things are possible multiple times in scripture, but will we believe it? Just because you passed on God’s promise 10 years ago doesn’t make it harder for Him to bring to pass now. It may seem more impossible to us, but not with God. It’s all the same with Him. All we have to do is believe HIS word that He’ll use HIS power to bring HIS promises to pass.

You may have let your faith for something go. Make a decision to believe God’s word and get it back.

Mark 9:23 “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.”

Psalm 34:19 NLT The righteous person faces many troubles, but the LORD comes to the rescue each time.

2 Peter 2:9 NLT So you see, the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials, even while keeping the wicked under punishment until the day of final judgment.

No matter how many trials we face, the Lord will rescue us from them all. It doesn’t matter if these trials are self-inflicted or not, God promises to rescue us from every trial.

Another thing to point out is God is not the author of these trials. Some believe God creates trials to teach us something. Why would God rescue us from a trial that He intentionally created to teach us something? That doesn’t make sense. God teaches us through His word and His Spirit (John 14:26). We can learn from any situation, but God didn’t create the trial to teach us.

Look to God when going through trials. Be encouraged to know that through any trial we face, God promises to rescue us.

Mark 3:33-35 NLT Jesus replied, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” Then he looked at those around him and said, “Look, these are my mother and brothers. Anyone who does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

The written word of God is the will of God, but the will of God may not always be written in the word of God.

For instance, it’s the will of God for husbands to love their wives like Christ loves the church according to Ephesians 5:25. An expression of that love will vary. It’s the will of God for me personally to love my wife by giving her massages. Even though giving my wife massages is not written in the word of God, it’s still the will of God because I’m being directed to by the Holy Spirit. If He doesn’t direct me to give her massages that particular day, I’m outside the will of God.

The job we choose, the church we attend, who we marry, or where we live cannot be found in the scriptures. But, if we obey the leading and guiding of the Holy Spirit, we can be in the perfect will of God.

Just know, it’s still God’s will even if you can’t find what He’s telling you to do in scripture. Whatever He tells us to do will be an extension of His written word. Obey His voice and be in the perfect will of God.

Genesis 8:22 NKJV “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.”

God established a universal law of seedtime and harvest. When we give to a person, a ministry, a charity, or a family, we can expect a harvest.

If we financially give to a charity, we can expect a financial harvest in the future. Most of us think of a harvest being received in the form of a promotion, a bonus, someone giving money to us, or unexpectedly receiving a check in the mail. Our harvest can come that way, but God can also produce a harvest by downloading wisdom in us that can save us money over time. For instance, He can have us restructure our budget which will save us $200 a month. God can also provide a harvest through unexpected savings. We may have thought our electricity bill was going to be $300 this month, but it turned out to be $200.

Don’t limit the ways God can produce a harvest in our lives. When we give, be in expectation to receive a harvest through various ways.

Luke 6:38 NKJV Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

1 Timothy 2:1 NLT I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.

It’s important to pray for people. Some people don’t know how to pray for themselves. They don’t know what to say, how to say it, and some feel ashamed to pray. They’re headed towards a dead end and they don’t know how to stop.

That’s where we come in and pray. We pray that they establish a relationship with God through Jesus. We pray they are led by the Holy Spirit. We pray for their careers, their marriages, their minds, their health, and their families. If they mention anything to us of concern, pray for that situation. Finally, we can pray that they learn how to properly pray for themselves.

We don’t have to have long intense prayers when we pray for others. Just a little faith, believing God heard you regarding their situation.

#pray

Mark 6:46 NLT After telling everyone good-bye, he went up into the hills by himself to pray.

On earth, Jesus had everything at His disposal. He knew and operated in His authority, He had access to thousands of angels to handle His problems, and He wanted for nothing. Jesus had everything, but He still spent quality time with His Father.

How many of us are like Jesus in that area? How many of us go into prayer just to spend quality time with the Father? We’re not asking for anything, we’re not asking for forgiveness, or help. We simply want to spend time with God just because.

There’s nothing wrong with making requests, but instead of only talking to God when you need something or only talking to Him to get out of trouble, talk to Him just to spend quality time with Him.

We see the benefits of spending quality time with our parents, our spouses, and our children. So obviously, there will be benefits to spending some just because quality time with our heavenly Father. Let’s spend some just because time with God. He’s waiting on you.

1 Corinthians 9:19‭-‬21 NLT Even though I am a free man with no master, I have become a slave to all people to bring many to Christ. When I was with the Jews, I lived like a Jew to bring the Jews to Christ. When I was with those who follow the Jewish law, I too lived under that law. Even though I am not subject to the law, I did this so I could bring to Christ those who are under the law. When I am with the Gentiles who do not follow the Jewish law, I too live apart from that law so I can bring them to Christ. But I do not ignore the law of God; I obey the law of Christ.

When people in business are trying to close a deal, they do what they have to do to close that deal. They may not have ever played golf, but they’ll learn how to play golf to get the other person’s business. They may not like baseball, but they’ll go to a baseball game to close the deal.

Paul did the same thing to introduce as many people as he could to Christ. If he was with Jews, he followed Jewish customs to introduce them to Christ. If he was with Gentiles, he didn’t force them to live by a law they weren’t under, but he tailored his approach with them to win them to Christ.

As the Holy Spirit leads us, we should have the same approach as Paul. We should become every sort of servant there is in the attempt to lead those we meet to Christ. We may not like sports, but we should temporarily become sports fans to lead our unsaved cousin to Christ. We may not be interested in going to a museum, but if going to a museum will give us an opportunity to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with coworkers, go. We may be morning people, but if we have to stay up late in order to introduce someone to Christ, do what is necessary.

As the Holy Spirit leads, let’s do what we must to introduce people to Christ. Let’s do what is necessary to close the deal.

Exodus 7:16 Then say to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say to you: Let my people go, so that they may worship me in the wilderness. But until now you have not listened.

God’s plan for the Israelites was to worship in the wilderness. He could have took them out of Egypt and suggested they go directly to the promised land, but he detoured them to worship.

When we’re leaving one situation and waiting on what’s been promised, it’s important to worship. Worship reminds us who we’re depending on. It let’s us know who our Source is. And it allows us to spend time with the Creator.

Use the time between the end of your prayer and manifestation to worship.

We usually end our prayers with “in Jesus name, amen.” We make our requests and we say “in Jesus name.” Some of us say it so quickly until it becomes an afterthought.

The name of Jesus is the heart of our authority. None of this works without the name of Jesus. He gave us authority to use His name to get what we need, what we want, to cast out demons and devils, to remove sicknesses from our bodies, and to bring peace to our minds.

Here’s a suggestion (not a law). Start with in the name of Jesus sometimes. This reminds us and whatever we’re talking to where our authority comes from. We’re not speaking from ourselves. We’re speaking as if Jesus was standing there commanding that sicknesses to go or that promise to manifest.

Don’t let what you desire overshadow the name of Jesus. All of the authority we have on this earth is through the name of Jesus. Believe it and speak it.

John 16:23 NIV In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.

Acts 16:18 She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.

Acts 3:6 Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”

Galatians 5:25 NLT Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.

It’s important to follow the Holy Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. That includes, what we wear, where we go, who we befriend, who we date, what we eat, how much we sleep, and how we respond.

Some may think we’re going too far when we allow the Holy Spirit to weigh in on what we wear or what we eat. Well, every part of our lives means every decision we make. Besides, these seemingly minor consultations with the Holy Spirit will better prepare us to hear His voice when major things are at stake.

Start and continue to be led by the Holy Spirit. It will minimize the trials we face and we’ll be in God’s perfect will.

2 Timothy 2:23‭-‬25 NLT Again I say, don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth.

There are believers who love to debate scripture. They want to let people know their interpretation of scripture is the correct interpretation. Some like to make people feel small and they boast about their knowledge of scripture.

Don’t be baited into an argument or debate about the scriptures. Most of the debates have nothing to do with salvation and the universal understanding that Jesus Christ is Lord. These debates are distractions from Satan to divide us and get us off our assignment of preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We have an entire world full of people going to hell, but in chat rooms and on social media, believers are debating if speaking in tongues is biblical or not. We’re debating if miracles are still for today or if it’s acceptable for a minister to call themselves an Apostle. What’s the point? They are insignificant compared to Christ.

We may have different interpretations of scripture and that’s okay. There’s no reason to fight or lose friendships over it. Don’t get distracted. As long as Christ is preached and He’s greater than our differences, that’s all that matters.