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Jeremiah 17:7 NLT “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.
Ephesians 1:3 NLT All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.
Galatians 3:14 NLT Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith.
In our prayers, we have a habit of saying bless this person or bless that person. That’s nice because we truly want the best for that person, however if that person has made Jesus Christ their Lord and Savior, they’re already blessed.
Before the cross, we see a lot of people in the bible speaking a blessing over someone else. To my knowledge, after the cross, no one is speaking a blessing over anyone. That’s because through Jesus, we’ve been blessed.
We can still speak a blessing over a person’s finances, health, or ministry, but a saved person has already been blessed through the sacrifice of Jesus.
Once again, Jesus’ sacrifice did something that we couldn’t do ourselves. Jesus’ sacrifice blessed us and this blessing is for everyone who believes and it will last forever. Thank God that we are blessed!
#blessed
Psalms 20:3 NKJV May He remember all your offerings, And accept your burnt sacrifice. Selah
We no longer burn sacrifices unto God, however we still give offerings and make personal sacrifices for the Kingdom of God.
Any financial contribution we give to the church or a minister is an offering. When we’re led by God to give to someone in need, that’s an offering. If we give over and above what we normally give, that’s a sacrifice. When we’re truly inconvenienced to be a blessing to a ministry or to someone else, that’s a sacrifice.
God remembers all our offerings and sacrifices. We may have forgotten about them, but God remembers them all. And please believe, God is not in the habit of owing us anything. We’ll receive a harvest from every offering we gave and every sacrifice we made.
When we give our time, talent, or money as an offering or a sacrifice for the Kingdom of God, God remembers them and will honor our offerings and sacrifices.
#time #talent #money #give #be #a #blessing
Psalms 96:3 NLT Publish His glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does.
This the greatest time to publish something about our amazing Father and the gospel of Jesus Christ. We don’t need to own a newspaper or magazine company. We have a free platform in social media to share the gospel.
We can post a scripture, share a snippet of a sermon, share a testimony, or post a picture of the abundant life Jesus provided through His sacrifice. In every post, we have an opportunity to give God glory.
Sports are cool and sharing our opinion about trending topics is fine, but God is better. If all of us can publish at least one thing a day about the love, grace, or goodness of God, we can be a light for everyone to see.
#be #a #light #up #the #world #share #Jesus #grace #goodness #peace #joy #love #Word
Philippians 4:19 NLT And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from His glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.
A lot of believers love to quote this scripture. We automatically believe God will supply all our needs just because we’re saved. That’s not the case.
Reading this scripture in context, Paul is writing to the church at Philippi, thanking them for their financial help as he preached the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul states because of their giving, their reward is God supplying all of their needs.
All of our needs being met by God, doesn’t come without financial support towards the Kingdom of God.
To ensure a carefree life, knowing all your needs being met, regardless of the circumstances, the economy, or the political party in power, start consistently giving to the Kingdom of God.
Philippians 4:15-19 NLT As you know, you Philippians were the only ones who gave me financial help when I first brought you the Good News and then traveled on from Macedonia. No other church did this. Even when I was in Thessalonica you sent help more than once. I don’t say this because I want a gift from you. Rather, I want you to receive a reward for your kindness. At the moment I have all I need—and more! I am generously supplied with the gifts you sent me with Epaphroditus. They are a sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God. And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.
Cross Reference: 2 Corinthians 9:6-8
#supplied #provision #covering #Kingdom #wealth #promise #giving
2 Timothy 2:24 NLT A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people.
People automatically accept that arguments are a part of marriage. Who told you that? Where is that in the bible?
We usually don’t argue if we have a disagreement at work. We handle those disagreements with dignity. But when it comes to marriage, some of us can’t imagine marriage without arguing. They normalize yelling, cursing, or breaking things. This lets me know that arguing is a choice.
There will always be disagreements, but disagreements don’t have turn into arguments. Collectively, bring the disagreement to God in prayer. After praying, as we go throughout the day, be sensitive to the Holy Spirit regarding a solution. He may change your mind to agree with your spouse. He may change your spouse’s mind to agree with you. Or, He may provide an entire new solution that both of you can agree on.
The point is, we don’t have to argue. We are instructed not to quarrel and to be kind to everyone. This includes our spouses.
#love #and #marriage #works #dont #argue #nofuss #no #fighting #peaceful #joyful #relationships
Matthew 19:16-17 NLT Someone came to Jesus with this question: “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” “Why ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. But to answer your question—if you want to receive eternal life, keep the commandments.”
Some believers read this and think in order to have eternal life, they must “keep the commandments.”
That can be confusing because in 1 John 5:13 it says, “I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life.”
So which one gives us eternal life? Keeping the commandments or believing in the name of Jesus?
Most Christians choose both. They’ll believe in Jesus and attempt to keep all the commandments. That seems noble, but what most believers don’t know is there are actually 613 commandments given. That’s way more than the famous ten most of us are familiar with. And if we break one commandment, we’re guilty of breaking them all (James 2:10). There’s no “A” for effort. It’s either we keep them all or we’re guilty.
So, what should we do?
We should always remember any instructions Jesus gives before His death, are instructions given under the Old Covenant.
Under the Old Covenant, keeping the commandments was required as the way to have good standing with God. Under the New Covenant, good standing with God is a gift which comes with believing on Jesus Christ (Romans 5:17-18, 2 Corinthians 5:21).
Eternal life is not gained under the New Covenant by “keeping commandments” but as a gift. This is why Jesus came, to bring in a New Covenant established on better promises.
To be saved and have eternal life, believe that Jesus died for our sins and He kept all 613 commandments for us.
1 John 5:13 NLT I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life.
#old #new #covenant #Jesus #paid #it #all
1 Chronicles 16:15 CEV We must never forget His agreement and His promises, not in thousands of years.
“Never Forget” has been associated with negative events such as, Pearl Harbor or 9/11. Here we see God saying, “never forget” in a positive light regarding His covenant or agreement and promises.
God has made an awesome covenant with us. This covenant is full of promises such as, past and future sins forgiven, being made right with God by faith alone, being healed by the stripes of Jesus, and being filled with the Holy Spirit.
If God told people under the old covenant to not forget His agreement, how much more should we remember this new and better covenant we’re under according to Hebrews 8:6?
If you’re a believer, read and understand your new covenant rights that you have with God through Jesus and never forget it.
***Note: The new covenant is any promises made by God after the death of Jesus Christ.
#new #covenant #promises #through #Jesus #faithful #God
2 Samuel 2:1 NLT After this, David asked the Lord, “Should I move back to one of the towns of Judah?” “Yes,” the Lord replied. Then David asked, “Which town should I go to?” “To Hebron,” the Lord answered.
Some of us want to move to a different city because of money, employment opportunity, or just to have a different setting. But how many of us actually seek the Lord’s guidance on when and where to move?
It’s important to allow Him, and not anything else, to lead us on where we should go. If money is our motivation, money becomes our master. If advancement in our career is our motivation, our career becomes our master. Whatever’s the driving force in our decisions becomes our master.
If there’s a desire to move for any reason (career, finances, family, etc.), ask God if that move is right for you. If He says it’s okay, go ahead and move. If He says no, trust there’s a great reason why He wants you to stay. You could be a better witness for the Kingdom of God where you are. You could avoid being in a dangerous situation. God could bring the spouse that you desire where you are. There’s a number of reasons why He wants us to stay where we are. Trust Him.
Trust that His plan is perfect for us.
#perfect #plans #peace #in #Christ #God
Isaiah 40:29 NLT He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.
Fatigue is real. We have work, managing a family, cleaning and maintaining a home, extracurricular activities for our children, serving at church, and if possible, socializing. It seems we have more responsibilities than hours in a day.
When we become tired and it seems like our strength is gone, we need to receive the power God has provided through His word. Say, “God, I receive the power and strength you’ve made available for me to get through this day.” Once you’ve made your declaration, begin to thank Him for His strength and power. Now, it’s time to get up and continue to handle your responsibilities with an expectation to receive the strength and power to do what needs to be done.
Let’s not give up, have anxiety attacks, or become depressed because of our many responsibilities. By faith, receive the strength and power God made available through His word to get through the day.
#anxious #overwhelmed #stressed #depressed
#by #faith #receive #strength #power
Deuteronomy 7:17 NLT Perhaps you will think to yourselves, ‘How can we ever conquer these nations that are so much more powerful than we are?’
Have you ever asked yourself how God is going to do something in your life? You’re believing for it, but you still wonder how He’s going to bring it to pass.
To overcome asking yourself how and never getting an answer, do what the children of Israel did. Begin to remember God’s goodness.
Deuteronomy 7:18-19 NLT But don’t be afraid of them! Just remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all the land of Egypt. Remember the great terrors the Lord your God sent against them. You saw it all with your own eyes! And remember the miraculous signs and wonders, and the strong hand and powerful arm with which he brought you out of Egypt. The Lord your God will use this same power against all the people you fear.
When we remember how God opened doors, saved our lives, or blessed us in the past, we can get excited about Him bringing to pass what we currently desire. We don’t have to freak out just because we can’t see how He’s going to do it.
If we could just think of a time where we didn’t know how He was going to do it, but somehow He did, we’ll be confident in knowing He’ll do it again. We still won’t know how He’s going to do it now, but if He did it once, He can do it again. GOD has a million ways to bring whatever we need or desire to pass. All we need is enough faith to manifest one.
#just #believe #have #faith #trust #God
“God will use sickness to teach you something.”
Then what do we need a devil for?
God DOES NOT use sickness, car accidents, or poverty to teach us a lesson. His Word and His Spirit are the teachers.
2 Timothy 3:16 NLT All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.
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.
It’s the enemy’s job to deceive us into thinking negative circumstances are God’s way of teaching us something. We can learn something from anything, but it doesn’t mean God authored the negative events to teach us a lesson.
We can learn everything we need to know through His word and His Spirit. As we follow their instructions, we won’t need to have everything taken from us in order to learn gratefulness. God’s word will tell us to be grateful and His Spirit will show us areas where we can be more appreciative. As we listen to our teachers, we won’t have to accept sickness this time of year, every year. We can be taught in Exodus 23:25 NLT how God protects us from illness. The Holy Spirit will guide us on what foods we need to eat or not eat and where we need to go or not go in order to maintain that protection.
God has not nor will He temporarily employ Satan to teach us a lesson. He’s already got that covered. His word and His Spirit are the teachers.
#teachers #lessons #HolySpirit #Word #Bible #God #loves #us
Isaiah 12:1 NLT In that day you will sing: “I will praise You, O Lord! You were angry with me, but not anymore. Now You comfort me.
This is a prophesy from Isaiah about a day in the future. That day is today. God’s not angry with us.
God, being a just Judge, had every right to be angry with us before the cross. We were separated from God because of sin and we all were unrighteous.
Jesus fulfilled the law, led a sinless life, and died an innocent death. He did all of this for mankind. Our belief in what Jesus did for us, puts us in right standing with God. Therefore, God is no longer angry with us.
If anyone attempts to guilt you into believing God is angry with you because unfortunate events have taken place or a promise hasn’t came to pass yet, tell them they’re a liar. God hasn’t been mad at us since before the cross and He’ll never be mad at us again.
Thank you Jesus for removing God’s anger from us!
#Jesus #paid #it #all
#debtfree #nocondemnation #righteous #brandnew
Deuteronomy 6:25 NLT For we will be counted as righteous when we obey all the commands the Lord our God has given us.’
Romans 5:17 NLT For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and His gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.
In Deuteronomy, righteousness is earned when we obey all of God’s commands. In Romans, righteousness is freely given as a gift to everyone who believes in Jesus.
At first glance, it looks like a contradiction, but it’s not. In Deuteronomy, God gave flawed mankind the impossible task of keeping all of His commands in order to be righteous. He knew it was impossible which is why He sent Jesus.
Because Jesus’ seed was not corrupted with sin, He was able to live a perfect sinless life and He was able to keep the entire law of Moses. Since He was sinless, He was innocent. However, that innocent sinless man was sentenced to death. The death of an innocent man who fulfilled the law was THE payment for sin.
Our belief in Jesus fulfilling the law for us and innocently dying for our sin awarded us a free gift. That gift was righteousness (right standing with God).
Nothing we could ever do could make us righteous. Only our belief in Jesus makes us righteous.
Inspired by Creflo Dollar
#righteous #through #Christ #right #with #God #righteousness
Ecclesiastes 5:19 NLT And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God.
So many believers take issue with other believers having wealth. They think it leads people to being materialistic or worldly. Somehow, they think believers should have just enough finances to cover a “moderate” lifestyle. Anything after that is excessive and could lead us astray.
This scripture debunks that mindset. God’s word says it’s a good thing to receive wealth from God. The two important words in that statement are “from God.” Getting wealth through deceptive schemes or hustling could lead someone astray, but getting wealth from God is a good thing.
If God gives us wealth, that means we can be trusted with it. We’re not hoarding all of it for ourselves and only for our desires. We’re being a blessing with it. We’re giving it to missions, we’re helping the poor, and we’re expanding the Kingdom of God. We’re doing all of this as well as enjoying life.
As we can see, there’s nothing wrong with having God-given wealth. Just be sure you have the right mindset when you get it and you’re being led by the Spirit on what to do with it.
#finances #wealth #kingdom #mindset #God #first
Proverbs 3:24 NLT You can go to bed without fear; you will lie down and sleep soundly.
As we can see, God promises us sweet sound peaceful sleep. So if we unexpectedly wake up, way before our alarm, that usually means one of two reasons. Either God wants to communicate with us and/or give us some instructions or Satan is attempting to steal our sleep.
We’ll know the difference as soon as we wake up. If we wake up with thoughts tempting us to worry, be afraid, feel guilty, or feel sad, that’s Satan.
Instead of silently taking his attacks in the middle of the night, fight back. With every thought that contradicts the word of God, whisper (if others are asleep) the truth of the word of God. If he says we’re coming down with a cold, declare God protects us from illness (Exodus 23:25). If he attempts to make us believe a promise won’t come to pass, declare what God says about that promise.
Also, we should give our cares, concerns, and worries to God (1 Peter 5:7). Satan wants us to be stressed and fatigued in the morning because we were thinking about what might happen. Give all that junk to God.
Finally, we can build our faith by reading and listening to the word God. Put in some headphones and listen to God’s word. Our faith is built on listening to the word of God (Romans 10:17).
If Satan is going to wake us up, don’t just take it. Make him pay.
#sweetsleep #nofear #castcares #meditate #on #God #Word
Matthew 13:20-21 NLT The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word.
Some of us hear the word and are quickly inspired. With boldness, we declare we’re healed, we’re set free, we’re wealthy, or we’re not afraid. Around our spiritual friends, we say “I’m too blessed to be stressed” and “I’m the head and not the tail.”
But when everyone’s gone and we’re by ourselves, we’re worried after seeing our bank account, we’re stressed about the economy, or we cry because we don’t know what to do. That’s phony faith. We say one thing in public, but privately, we’re not convinced that the word will work.
Don’t try to say one thing in public to make yourself seem more spiritual. If you’re struggling with doubt and unbelief, let a fellow believer know. Hopefully, that believer will pray with you, encourage you, and help you build legitimate faith. If you don’t know anyone who could help, continue to hear the word so that faith can come (Rom. 10:17). Eventually, your faith will be 100% legitimate and you will see what God said.
Inspired by Jerry Savelle
#grow #your #faith #believe #trust #God
John 3:18 NLT “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son.
God’s judgment is not because we didn’t go to church, it’s not because we didn’t dress a certain way, and it’s not because we didn’t behave flawlessly. The only way to experience God’s judgment is through unbelief of His Son Jesus.
When we choose to not believe in the existence of Jesus or the price He paid for us, we are under God’s judgment.
The beginning and ending of salvation is our belief in the sacrifice of Jesus. It’s important to live right and do good things, but our salvation is not being judged by how we behave. Our salvation is being judged by our belief.
Don’t overcomplicate things. Believe in Jesus and believe that He sacrificed Himself for our sins. Through our belief, we are saved and won’t experience God’s judgment.
#just #believe #God
Romans 8:34 NLT Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and He is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.
Do you see how many times “for us” is written in this verse? Everything Jesus did and is currently doing, is for us.
The only benefit God had in sending and sacrificing Jesus is a relationship with us. God sent Jesus through all this torture, separation, and suffering just so that we can have a right relationship with Him.
Don’t ever question the love that God has for you. He sent Jesus and established a plan for God to fix it all. We don’t have to do anything, except believe.
Praise God for a loving God who sent His only Son to die, be raised, and to plead for us.
#reallove #God #loves #us
James 4:7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
If we were walking down the street and a stranger grabbed our arm and tried to take us to a place we didn’t want to go, we would resist them with all our might. We wouldn’t accept what they were doing or where they were trying to take us. We would fight.
If we know how to resist in the natural, we should know how to resist spiritually. When the devil is attacking us with negative thoughts, sickness, lack, or problems, resist him. Fight back. Don’t just stand there and let him ruin your life.
First, we submit our lives, our thoughts, and our actions to God. Secondly, we fight back with the word of God. If we’re experiencing pain, we resist that pain by believing and declaring we’re healed. If he’s attacking us with sad or depressing thoughts, fight back by saying, “I think on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. I think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise” (Phil. 4:8). We may have to say this 1,000 times, but that’s how we resist Satan.
Like the natural stranger, don’t just accept what Satan’s doing. Whatever he’s attacking in our lives, find a scripture to combat his attacks. If we have a scripture, we have the word of God, and if we have the word of God, we have God because God is the word.
#fight #back #clingtoGod
2 Kings 7:1-2 NLT Elisha replied, “Listen to this message from the Lord! This is what the Lord says: By this time tomorrow in the markets of Samaria, six quarts of choice flour will cost only one piece of silver, and twelve quarts of barley grain will cost only one piece of silver.” The officer assisting the king said to the man of God, “That couldn’t happen even if the Lord opened the windows of heaven!” But Elisha replied, “You will see it happen with your own eyes, but you won’t be able to eat any of it!”
A byproduct of unbelief is seeing a promise happen in someone else’s life, but not experiencing it in our own lives.
Belief in God’s word is required to receive His promises. Unbelief and doubt will cause us to miss out on what’s rightfully ours through Christ. It’s not God withholding anything from us. Our unbelief is what’s limiting God.
When things seem impossible and doubt turns into unbelief, we’ll almost never see the miraculous. For the officer in 2 Kings 7, he couldn’t believe God could change the destruction of a famine in a day. For us, it’s difficult to believe the following:
-A person completely recovering from stage 4 cancer.
-Having a baby over 50 years old.
-Obtaining $1,000,000 in a month.
-Starting a business during a “recession.”
-Complete deliverance from a drug addiction in a day.
Regardless of how it looks or how impossible it seems, if God said all things are possible with Him, that should be THE only thing we should believe. Even if you’ve never heard it or seen it before, believe God’s word. With God, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).
#all #things #are #possible #with #God
Psalms 112:7 NLT They (those who fear the Lord and delight in obeying His commands) do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them.
How is your response when bad news comes? Is it panic, fear, or frustration?
Our response to unfortunate news and circumstances will determine the level of our trust and reliance we have in God.
If we freak out or panic because we don’t know what to do, our trust level is low or nonexistent. If we initially fear, but eventually gain our composure, our trust level is present, but it can use some improvement. The ultimate goal is to hear bad news, not be moved by what you’ve heard, and give Him praise because you know He’s already worked it out.
Develop an immovable faith in God and His word. Know that He will take care of you. And whatever bad news we hear or experience, believe He will turn it around for our good.
#immovable #faith #in #God
Matthew 9:23-25 NLT When Jesus arrived at the official’s home, He saw the noisy crowd and heard the funeral music. “Get out!” He told them. “The girl isn’t dead; she’s only asleep.” But the crowd laughed at Him. After the crowd was put outside, however, Jesus went in and took the girl by the hand, and she stood up!
When people didn’t believe Jesus due to their unbelief, He kicked them out. Once all the unbelief was out of the house, He then was able to raise the girl up.
This year, you may have big desires and dreams you want to see manifest. It’s difficult to maintain your faith in God’s word when you’re surrounded by unbelief. If people say it can’t be done, it’s impossible, or don’t get your hopes up, figuratively or literally, kick them out. It could be your mom, a friend, a child, or a spouse. Kick them out. Kick them out of your mind by minimizing contact with them or don’t mention your dreams to them. If they’ve got unbelief, kick them out.
It may seem harsh, but in order to maintain your faith and keep doubt and unbelief away, kick them out.
#keepthefaith #trustGod #no #unbelief
Graced To Do God's Will 