You are currently browsing the monthly archive for October 2024.
Hebrews 2:8 NLT You gave them authority over all things.” Now when it says “all things,” it means nothing is left out. But we have not yet seen all things put under their authority.
God has given us authority over all things. Nothing is left out. We have authority over sickness, disease, death, division, hate, anxiety, depression, fear, worry, and any other negative things.
If God’s word says we have authority over all these things, why is it that so many believers are being dominated by fear, depression, and worry? Why are believers being dominated by sin, sickness, and commitment issues?
It’s because we’re not using all the authority given to us. Some of us have been deceived into thinking we can’t help what’s going on around us. We’ve been taught to cope with life’s problems instead of overcoming them.
To truly maximize on the authority that’s been given to us by God, we must establish and develop a relationship with God. Secondly, we must get into His word to understand how to operate in our authority. Finally, we must receive sound biblical teaching on how to accurately apply our authority in our lives.
When we understand our authority and operate in it, nothing will dominate us. Nothing can stop us, and nothing can hold us back. Use the authority God has given you to live a victorious life.
#strength #life #power #authority #through #Jesus #Christ #Spirit #love #new #goodness #grow #scripture #Word #devotional #devo #growth
Galatians 5:6 NKJV For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.
So many of us have applied our faith to certain desires. We’re believing God for a new house, a new job, a better marriage, or health in our bodies. It’s great that we’re believing God for these things, but our faith won’t work unless we put “batteries” in it. The battery to faith is love.
If we’re in faith for certain things, but we’re not loving people properly, our faith won’t produce anything. Proper love can be found in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 where it says, “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”
We can’t be in faith for a new house, but we still hate our ex-spouse for what they’ve done to us. Our faith to be healed of that chronic pain won’t work if we’re rude to waiters at restaurants. The faith we’re applying to get that new job will be ineffective if we’re boastful of our talents.
The battery to faith is love. If we get our love together, we’re guaranteed to receive everything God provided, through Christ, by faith.
Inspired by David Winston
#faith #works #by #Love #trust #faithful #God #keeps #promises #strength #live #keepgoing #believe #through #Jesus #Christ #Spirit #hope #goodness #grow #scripture #Word #devotional #devo #growth
How do we change our ways? How do we behave better? How do we stop sinning? These are the questions people ask who actually want more for their lives.
The answer can be found in Colossians 3:10.
Colossians 3:10 NLT Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like Him.
By putting on our new nature, in Christ, and renewing our minds as we learn more about God, we can make the changes we desire to see in ourselves.
How do we learn more about God?
By spending time in His word. Developing a consistent prayer life. Talk to Him throughout the day. And let Him be the decision maker.
All of this can be summed up by consistently building an ever-growing relationship with God. The more we know about Him, the more we’ll learn about ourselves.
Stop using willpower to change. Grow in Him, renew your mind, and change will take place.
#real #change #transform #grow #permission #to #evolve #mature #progress #mind #renewal #God #is #good #faithful #love #peace #prosper #life #Jesus #Christ #Spirit #repent #new #goodness #scripture #Word #devotional #devo #growth
2 Timothy 3:16-17 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. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.
God is NOT using sickness, car crashes, or divorce to teach us something. He’s NOT using layoffs, ailments, or frustrations to correct us. The Word does all of that for us.
Anything God wants to teach us or correct in our lives can be done through His Word. He doesn’t need to partner with Satan to show us anything.
God definitely can work these negative situations out for our good, but He’s not using these things to teach or correct us (Rom. 8:28). All teaching and corrections can be done through His word.
#Word #of #God #causes #us #to transform #grow #evolve #change #mature #progress #have #peace #prosper #life #Jesus #live #in #Christ #Spirit #repent #new #goodness #scripture #Word #devotional #devo #growth
A church or a group of believers emphasizes evangelism based on Matthew 28:19-20. They focus more on sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ across the nation and the world.
Another church reads, “for without faith it’s impossible to please God” and “the just shall live by faith” (Heb. 11:6; Rom. 1:17). That group of believers emphasizes faith.
Another group of believers emphasizes grace. They see where Paul said in Ephesians 2:8, for it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.
These churches may do other things, but they emphasize either evangelism, faith, or grace.
There’s nothing wrong with placing an emphasis on certain things in scripture. The problem comes when one group of believers thinks their emphasis is more important than another. One group thinks evangelism is more important than grace. Another group thinks grace is more important than faith.
We must realize all of these topics are important. One topic is not more important than another because they’re all based in scripture.
This kind of thinking is a tool of division, sent by Satan, to make the church ineffective. Jesus said in Matthew 12:25, “a household divided against itself will not stand.”
Stop being a vessel for division based on your opinion. I can respect what you choose to emphasize and you should respect what I choose to emphasize. It’s all necessary and important to expand the Kingdom of God.
1 Corinthians 1:10 NLT I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.
#grace #faith #salvation #unity #in #Jesus #Christ #God #first #peace #joy #effective #hope #Spirit #devo #grow #growth #scripture #everydaygodswill
Hebrews 3:12-13 NLT Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God.
When we see our brother or sister in Christ sinning or developing an unbelieving heart, warn them. Don’t just let them get further and further away from God. Warn them to change and encourage them to believe again.
God doesn’t go anywhere when we sin or we’re in unbelief, but sin and unbelief hardens our hearts towards God. It’s difficult for people to change or listen to wise counsel when people practice sin and are in unbelief. They want to do whatever their flesh desires and make it with whatever natural skills they have. They don’t want to depend on God and they’re deceived into thinking their lifestyle is just fine.
If we love someone, say something. They may not change the first, second, or fourteenth time, but warn them, in love, from the word of God.
#share #tellit #Word #of #God #is #Truth #good #trust #believe #Jesus #Christ #Spirit #repent #new #goodness #scripture #peace #devotional #devo #growth
Hebrews 10:17-18 NIV Then he adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.
Because of Jesus, a sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary. Some may limit that statement to animal sacrifices, but it’s more than that.
When people sin, they create their own version of a sacrifice as a form of punishment. They sacrifice their sleep by staying up late praying and reading their bibles all night. They deny themselves meals, fellowship, and entertainment. Some people do all the above.
As the scripture says, these sacrifices are no longer necessary. Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice for our past, present, and future sins. Trying to create our own sacrifice is an insult to His sacrifice because we’re telling Jesus that His sacrifice wasn’t enough.
If or when we sin, receive God’s forgiveness through Jesus Christ and thank Jesus for sacrificing Himself for sin. Don’t try to punish yourself. It’s pointless and not necessary. If God forgave you, you should forgive yourself.
#freedom #no #condemnation #Jesus #paid #all #forgiven #just #believe #trust #God #receive #Christ #walk #free #from #sin #cure #freedom #growth #scripture #devo
Romans 1:8 NLT Let me say first that I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith in Him is being talked about all over the world.
Is your faith being talked about in your home, family, or community? Or, is your faith hidden where people don’t even know you’re saved?
Our faith should be evident. We should be telling our friends, family members, and coworkers what God has done for us and what He can do for them. We shouldn’t be ashamed to talk about our faith in Christ, and we shouldn’t bow down to this man-made rule of not talking about religion. Actually, we’re not talking about religion. We’re talking about our relationship with God through Jesus Christ and the benefits that come with it. The least we can do is buy a Jesus t-shirt.
Be bold as you talk about your faith in Him. Let people be uncomfortable around you because they don’t have that same relationship with God as you do. Finally, let them know they can have that same relationship with God by leading them to Christ.
#faith #share #Jesus #righteousness #right #with #God #Loved #abundant #life #peace #found #in #Christ #Son #of #God #Spirit #new #goodness #grow #scripture #Word #devotional #devo
Isaiah 26:3 NLT You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!
Philippians 4:8 NLT And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
People’s depression, fear, anxiety, sadness, and other negative thoughts can be resolved by keeping our mind on the Lord. When we allow our minds to wander and we meditate on what we don’t have, what the news is saying, and what experts are saying about the economy, we forfeit our peace. However, if we fix our thoughts on God and His word we’ll maintain our peace.
Some people will say, “I can’t control what enters my mind.” That’s true. We can’t control what enters our mind, but we can control what stays in our mind and what we give our attention to. If we actively resist negative thoughts, we’ll maintain our peace.
It’s a chore to keep our minds on God and His word. There are a lot of things attempting to get our mind’s attention. If we want to maintain this peace that God promised, we must use the Holy Spirit’s help to discipline ourselves to keep our mind on the Lord.
#listen #meditate #God’s #Word #life #strength #fix #mind #thoughts #Jesus #Christ #Spirit #love #new #goodness #grow #scripture #Word #devotional #devo #growth
When situations arise, some may say, “I have faith this will happen” or “I have faith things will work out.” That sounds nice, but in order for faith to be effective, it must be grounded in God’s word. If not, it’s just hoping and wishing for favorable outcomes.
Faith comes by hearing the word of God (Rom. 10:17). Whatever we’re desiring in faith must be backed by the word of God.
If we’re desiring a better marriage, job, house, or car we can be in faith based on Mark 11:24, which says, “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” If we’re in faith for our bodies to be healed, we can focus on 1 Peter 2:24, which says by His stripes we are healed. If we’re in faith for our children to be productive in life, we can stand on Psalm 112:2 which says, “Their children will be successful everywhere; an entire generation of godly people will be blessed.”
Whatever we’re in faith for must have a scripture attached. When what we desire is backed by scripture, it must come to pass because God obligated Himself to bring it pass (Isaiah 55:11).
Hebrews 11:1 NLT Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.
#faith #waiting #hope #trust #faithful #God #keeps #promises #strength #live #keepgoing #believe #through #Jesus #Christ #Spirit #love #new #goodness #grow #scripture #Word #devotional #devo #growth
Psalms 138:2 NKJV I will worship toward Your holy temple, And praise Your name For Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.
As great as God’s name is, He’s magnified His word above His name. What does that mean to us? It means His word holds everything together (Heb. 1:3). His word has to come to pass in our lives. His word gives us hope. His word cannot fail.
There are hundreds of promises in God’s word. If just one those promises didn’t come to pass, everything would crumble and He couldn’t call Himself a faithful God.
It’s important to know God’s word to understand who He is to us, what He’s planned for us, and who we are in Christ. The word is everything.
#Word #of #God #changes #empowers #restores #gives #hope #study #Jesus #Christ #Way #Truth #Life #Spirit #devo #grow #scripture #everyday #devotional
Isaiah 54:9 NLT “Just as I swore in the time of Noah that I would never again let a flood cover the earth, so now I swear that I will never again be angry and punish you.
We all experience difficulties in this life. None of these difficulties is a punishment from God. Every punishment we deserve was put on Jesus (Isaiah 53; Gal. 3:13).
So, the punishment for lying, committing adultery, murder, abuse, drug addiction, and so much more was put on Jesus. Any sin you can think of was put on Jesus and He was punished for that sin. NONE of the punishment is put on us today as believers.
With that being said, there are still natural consequences for sin. If a person lies at work, they could be fired. Or, if a person murders someone, they can go to jail; but that’s not a punishment from God. These are just natural consequences.
Don’t let anyone tell you that God is punishing you for this sin or that sin. God no longer punishes mankind. The penalty of sin has been paid for by Jesus.
#Jesus #paid #all #forgiven #just #believe #trust #God #receive #Christ #walk #free #from #sin #cure #freedom #growth #scripture #devo
Matthew 24:4 NLT Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you,
Jesus tells us not to let anyone mislead us. To be misled means to cause someone to have a wrong idea or impression about someone or something.
Today, we have false doctrines, a great deception, false teachers, and sin being minimized. These are all the things Jesus was referring to regarding being misled (Matt. 24:4-14).
When we agree with what’s being told to us, even if it contradicts the Word, we’re being misled. When we come to the conclusion that we don’t have to be legally married to be with someone, we’re being misled. When we accept that we don’t need the church that Christ built to find God, we’re being misled. Any idea or thought that we accept that doesn’t line up with God’s word is a tool for being misled.
Stay with God’s word, and you’ll never be misled.
#transform #grow #Word #of #God #is #Truth #good #faithful #love #peace #prosper #life #Jesus #Christ #Spirit #repent #new #goodness #scripture #Word #devotional #devo #growth
When people think of idolatry, they usually think of worshiping statues, objects, or animals, which is true. Idolatry also includes putting anything before God such as, money, social media, work, or family. If we’re putting these things before God or making them more important than God, that’s idolatry.
Here’s another perspective on idolatry. When people make statements like, “I wouldn’t serve a god who didn’t accept me as I am” or “my god doesn’t allow people to go to hell”, that’s idolatry. They’re creating a god and telling themselves they would only serve him if he fits in their little happy box. Instead, they need to accept the God of the bible and recognize God is love, and everything He’s done is out of love.
If people would truly read the bible, in context, and recognize how loving and good God is, they wouldn’t need to create a god in their mind. He’s already better than we can imagine. The only time people want to create a god is to justify their unholy behavior. But, if they understood that the unholy behavior they want to engage in is detrimental to their lives, they could see a loving God who wants to protect them.
Accept God the way He is and don’t make an idol.
1 John 5:21 NIV Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.
#loving #good #faithful #kind #true #God #first #Holy #Spirit #love #peace #prosper #progress #abundant #life #Jesus #Christ #repent #new #goodness #grow #scripture #Word #devotional #devo #growth
1 Peter 3:1-2 NLT In the same way, you wives must accept the authority of your husbands. Then, even if some refuse to obey the Good News, your godly lives will speak to them without any words. They will be won over by observing your pure and reverent lives.
Whether we know it or not, people are watching us. They’re watching how we carry ourselves, how we handle conflicts, and how we treat others.
What we do could motivate or divert someone from accepting Christ as Lord. If they see us lying, being disrespectful to our spouse, and acting like the world, what motivation do they have to repent and submit to God? However, if they see us respect people who have disrespected us, give to those in need, and work unto the Lord, they’ll see a difference in us and want to know our God.
People are watching. They may not enter a church or listen to a sermon online, but they’re looking for authentic believers who operate in love. Give them something good to observe.
#represent #reflect #Christ #livingexample #receive #share #Jesus #righteousness #life #peace #found #in #Son #of #God #Spirit #new #goodness #grow #scripture #Word #devotional #devo #growth
Luke 4:13 NLT When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came.
Satan will tempt us the same way he did Jesus. With thoughts, ideas, and suggestions, Satan will tempt us to walk in the flesh. He’ll tempt us to be depressed, be sad, feel inadequate, engage in sexual immorality, look at pornography, etc. We all have something he can tempt us with.
Like Jesus, we must resist Satan by declaring what’s written in the word of God. If it’s depression, we must say “the joy of the Lord is my strength (Neh. 8:10)”. If it’s sexual immorality, we must declare “I walk in the Spirit and do not fulfill the lust of the flesh (Gal. 5:16)”. If it’s a bad attitude, we must declare that we have the fruit of the spirit of self-control (Gal.5:23).
Satan’s temptation could last for a couple of hours or a couple of weeks. As long as we resist him and submit to God, we’ll get the victory (James 4:7).
One thing to remember is he’s coming back. He may tempt us with the same thing or something else. It’s our responsibility to be ready for his attacks by equipping ourselves with the word of God. Don’t wait until the attacks happen to arm yourself. When everything is good, stay in God’s word. We’re arming ourselves for another battle.
As long as we’re alive, we’ll face these temptations. Don’t get frustrated or overwhelmed. Use the tools in God’s word to overcome the temptations.
#overcomer #in #Christ #depend #relyon #trust #God #Jesus #Savior #helper #redeemer #restoration #confidence #Spirit #scripture #devotional
Proverbs 1:5 NKJV A wise man will hear and increase learning, And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel,
Wise counsel is greatly undervalued because of pride. People take pride in accomplishing something by themselves with little to no help. But if things don’t turn out like they hoped, they have to dig themselves out of a hole and overcome the temptation of being embarrassed. A lot of unwise choices could’ve been avoided by attaining wise counsel.
The first wise counsel should be from God. The Holy Spirit is our counselor and He will show you things to come (John 16:13; John 14:26). He’s not the only counsel we should seek, but He’s the first. He may give us the guidance we need to be successful or instruct us to attain additional wise counsel from others.
When we seek wise counsel from others, be transparent with your plans, be mature enough to accept constructive criticism, and be humble enough to make adjustments.
Let’s minimize the unwise choices we make by seeking wise counsel.
#learn #grow #seek #God #help #wisdom #counsel #be #wise #teachable #Jesus #Christ #Savior #King #Friend #Holy #Spirit #Counselor #Guide #lean #rely #trust #stand #on #Word #devotional #scripture
Acts of the Apostles 4:11-12 NLT For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, ‘The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’ There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”
There are people who like to include all religions when it comes to God. They’ll say, “There are many pathways to God, Jesus is just one of those pathways.” That’s a lie. As peaceful as they make Buddha seem and as disciplined as the Muslim seems, their pathway doesn’t lead to the true and living God. There’s only one way to God, and that’s through Jesus Christ.
Jesus was born from a virgin by the incorruptible seed of God. He lived a perfect life and fulfilled the law of Moses. He died a death meant for every sinner. And our belief in His sacrifice for us gives us a direct pathway to God.
As loving as it seems to include everyone when it comes to God, if they haven’t made Jesus Christ Lord over their lives, they don’t know God. Encourage those around you to make Jesus Christ, Lord, so that they can have a real relationship with God.
#receive #share #Jesus #righteousness #right #with #God #Loved #abundance #life #peace #found #in #Christ #Son #of #God #Spirit #new #goodness #grow #scripture #Word #devotional #devo #growth
God is not solely interested in behavior modification. God is interested in a relationship with us through Jesus Christ. As we develop our relationship with Him and become more intimate with Him, our behavior will modify itself.
A lot of Christians stay stuck on behavior modification as the only way of pleasing God. In their minds, the more they can do right, the more God is pleased. The problem with this mindset is in our flesh, behavior modification has no end, and it can be exploited by Satan.
If someone starts on a journey of behavior modification, they’ll start with the obvious things such as no drinking, smoking, cursing, or sexual immorality. Then, they’ll move on to modifying what they watch and listen to. If they get past that, they’ll need to work on being critical, judgemental, or negative. Another layer is being kind and being a blessing. The list goes on and on.
A lot of people try to modify their behavior using only will power. Where is God when will power is used? Now, we’re back to keeping the law, which was only designed to show us how sinful we are and our need for a Savior (Rom. 3:20).
At the same time, Satan will point out our faults and attempt to make us feel condemned or guilty. For some, this guilt and condemnation is too much, and they find themselves giving up on pleasing God altogether. Or, they’ll pick and choose what they can do in their own strength.
Behavior modification is good as long as it coincides with a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. When we internalize what He’s done for us, we don’t want to dishonor Him. As we get closer to Him, He’ll tell us what areas to work on without guilt or condemnation, and He’ll empower us to do what pleases Him (Rom. 8:1; Phil. 2:13). He’ll remind us of our forgiveness through Jesus Christ if we miss the mark (Heb. 8:12). And He’ll let us know how much we’re loved (Eph. 5:2).
Let’s not get so focused on behavior modification without developing a relationship with God. Continously develop your relationship with God, and your behavior will change.
Philippians 2:13 NLT For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him.
#real #change #transform #grow #permission #to #evolve #mature #progress #God #is #good #faithful #love #peace #prosper #life #Jesus #Christ #Spirit #repent #new #goodness #scripture #Word #devotional #devo #growth
2 Corinthians 2:14 NLT But thank God! He has made us His captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now He uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume.
As born-again believers, our responsibility is to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere. In order for us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, we must know the knowledge of Christ. The knowledge of Christ is in God’s word.
Some believers like to spread what they heard from church or what a family member told them. They may or may not be true. Get in God’s word and personally obtain the knowledge of Christ.
Once the knowledge of Christ is obtained, we can accurately spread it with boldness everywhere. We can spread it at the store, the airport, or at school. Wherever the Holy Spirit is leading you, spread the knowledge of Christ like sweet perfume. Be a fragrance spreader for the Kingdom of God.
#share #Jesus #God #Holy #Spirit #be #kind #show #love #speak #life #Christ #repent #new #goodness #grow #scripture #Word #devotional #devo #growth
1 John 4:16 NLT We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in His love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.
Trust in God’s love. Trust that everything He does for us is because He loves us. Trust that every immediate blessing or delayed blessing is because of His love for us.
It’s easy to trust in His love when we receive blessings immediately, but it can be a little more difficult to trust in His love when we experience delays. When delayed manifestations happen, it’s not because God is mad at us or because we don’t have enough faith. It’s often related to optimal timing where getting that blessing any sooner would hurt us or hurt those around us. So, when we trust in His love, we’ll realize every delay is for our good.
It’s beneficial to trust in God and trust in His love. Trusting in His love means we trust everything He does in our lives.
#faith #waiting #hope #trust #faithful #God #keeps #promises #strength #live #keepgoing #believe #through #Jesus #Christ #Spirit #love #new #goodness #grow #scripture #Word #devotional #devo #growth
Hebrews 2:1 NLT So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it.
There are things that are vying for our attention. Everything vying for our attention is not necessarily a bad thing, but it could distract us from listening to the truth.
There’s social media, shows on Netflix, sports, and gaming. If we spend most of our time with these things, we have no anchor. If we have no anchor, we can find ourselves drifting away from the things of God.
Be sure these things are not pulling you away from spending time with God. If we don’t listen to God’s word, we can’t apply it to our lives. If we can’t apply it, we can’t reap the benefits from it. These things keep us firm in faith, established in love, and resilient.
Spend time with God and don’t drift away.
#time #priorities #Holy #Spirit #good #kind #faithful #love #peace #prosper #progress #abundant #life #Jesus #Christ #God #repent #new #goodness #grow #scripture #Word #devotional #devo #growth
Graced To Do God's Will 