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Proverbs 14:34 NLT Godliness makes a nation great, but sin is a disgrace to any people.
If godliness makes a nation great, surely godliness can make a career great, a marriage great, and a family great. If you want to experience greatness in something, do things God’s way.
There will always be a temptation to do things our way or in our own strength, but when we resist those temptations and do what God says, we’ll experience greatness.
We can find how God wants things done in His word. In His word, there are instructions on how to be a husband or a wife, how to be good parents, how to be a good employee, and how to be an humble person. For everything else not specifically mentioned in His word, we have the Holy Spirit who teaches us all things (John 14:26).
Let’s be on a path to greatness and do things God’s way.
#God #is #good #kind #faithful #love #peace #prosper #progress #abundant #life #Jesus #Christ #Spirit #repent #new #goodness #grow #scripture #Word #devotional #devo #growth
Psalms 145:9 NLT The Lord is good to everyone. He showers compassion on all his creation.
It didn’t say the Lord is only good to those who honor and serve Him. It said the Lord is good to everyone and He’s compassionate to all His creation. This includes, liars, homosexuals, murderers, and thieves. No wonder the wicked and the “undeserving” seem to prosper. Since He created them, He’s decided to be good to them.
Now, before some of you go off on a “that’s not fair” tangent, at one point we experienced God’s goodness when we didn’t “deserve” it. In fact, none of us deserve anything. Everything was given to us by His grace. We all experienced promotions, protection, or blessings when we weren’t thinking about God.
So, what’s the point of His goodness? God’s purpose for His goodness is repentance. Romans 2:4 says, do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
God’s goal is for everyone to look at the good in their lives and realize it was Him keeping them all along. He desires that His goodness will lead to repentance and eventually a relationship with Him.
Praise God for His goodness, grace and mercy!
#God #is #good #kind #faithful #love #peace #prosper #progress #abundant #life #Jesus #Christ #Spirit #repent #new #goodness #grow #scripture #Word #devotional #devo #growth
1 Timothy 3:16 AMPC And great and important and weighty, we confess, is the hidden truth (the mystic secret) of godliness. He [God] was made visible in human flesh, justified and vindicated in the [Holy] Spirit, was seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, [and] taken up in glory.
Some people believe Jesus was only a prophet, Jesus was only a holy man, or Jesus was only the created son of God.
The scriptures tell us Jesus was God. He was 100% God who came in the form of a man. Matthew 1:23 says, the virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’ This man is the Christ who died for our sins. Our belief in who He is and what He’s done gives us access to the Father and heaven (John 14:6).
Don’t be deceived by other religions who minimize who Jesus was while He was on the earth. Jesus is God, Savior, and Lord.
#Jesus #is #God #Savior #Lord #Christ #Life #salvation #freedom #Spirit #love #new #goodness #grow #scripture #Word #devotional #devo #growth
Habakkuk 2:2-3 MSG And then God answered: “Write this. Write what you see. Write it out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run. This vision-message is a witness pointing to what’s coming. It aches for the coming—it can hardly wait! And it doesn’t lie. If it seems slow in coming, wait. It’s on its way. It will come right on time.
Whatever God has put into your heart, write it down. Write down what the desire is and the date He put it into your heart.
Believe for that God-given desire to come to pass. It could be a home, a business, a ministry, or a child. To assist in your belief, find and focus on scriptures pertaining to that desire. That way, any time you’re tempted to be discouraged, you get to read what God has promised in His Word.
Speaking of being discouraged, the biggest discouragement is delay. We don’t know when these desires will come to pass. Only God knows. When the devil lies to us and says it’s not possible or it’s not going to happen based on how long it’s taking, we can respond with what is written in Habakkuk. We can say, God promised it’s on its way and the timing will be perfect.
Believe and remain in faith for these God-given desires to come to pass and don’t let delay ruin your day.
#wait #expect #trust #faithful #God #keeps #promises #strength #life #Jesus #Christ #Spirit #love #new #goodness #grow #scripture #Word #devotional #devo #growth
Psalms 68:34 NLT Tell everyone about God’s power. His majesty shines down on Israel; His strength is mighty in the heavens.
When God does something good for you, tell someone about it. Don’t be ashamed. Tell someone.
Satan wants us to think that our testimony would be considered prideful or too insignificant to share. He’s a liar. Anything God has done, is worth sharing. You never know what that testimony can do for someone else. They could have been on the verge of giving up on their dreams or giving up on life altogether, but our testimony on the greatness of God could be the encouragement for them to trust God a little bit more.
Tell others about the greatness of God so that God can be trusted and praised.
#share #tellit #trust #faithful #God #keeps #promises #prosper #progress #abundant #life #Jesus #Christ #Spirit #love #new #goodness #grow #scripture #Word #devotional #devo #growth
Matthew 6:23 PEV But if you always want to look at bad things, then you will think about bad things, and you will be spiritually blind, and you will not live God’s way. It will be like you are living in the dark. And if you are spiritually blind, with no light from God, it will be really bad for you.”
When we focus on bad things or have a negative perspective on things and don’t consider the good things in God’s Word, we’re spiritually blind.
For example, if we look at the problems we may have in our health and think this is what we’ll have to face for the rest of our lives, we’re spiritually blind to the truth that by the stripes of Jesus we’re healed. If we look at our finances and come to the conclusion we don’t have enough and not consider the riches that have been made available through Christ Jesus, we’re spiritually blind. If we accept any negative thing in this three-dimensional world as a fact, we’re spiritually blind.
To remove the blindness, we must get in God’s Word and understand all the things God has made available to us through Jesus. We must study who we are and what we have in Christ until God’s Word becomes more real than what we see, feel, hear, or experience. Magnify God’s Word above anything else and never be spiritually blind ever again.
#magnify #hopein #trust #believe #God #Spirit #Jesus #Christ #fulfill #purpose #manifest #miraculous #miracles #grow #scripture #Word #devotional #devo #growth
Proverbs 29:25 GNBUK It is dangerous to be concerned with what others think of you, but if you trust the LORD, you are safe.
When we’re concerned about what people think about us, we’re limited to what we can do or be. We become a slave to people’s opinions.
A lot of us have ideas, inventions, and concepts we’re not implementing because we’re concerned about what people will think of us. We can hear them saying how unwise it was or how risky it is to do this or that. However, if we trust in the Lord and choose not to be concerned about what people think of us, we can change the world.
Philippians 2:7 says, Jesus made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Himself the form of a servant, and changed the world. If He can do it, we can too (John 14:12).
Don’t worry about what other people think about you. Allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide you to be yourself and to do the things God has called you to do.
#befree #from #people #trust #follow #God #Spirit #Jesus #Christ #fulfill #purpose #new #goodness #grow #scripture #Word #devotional #devo #growth
Galatians 6:1 NLT Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.
When we see someone getting off track and missing the mark, we shouldn’t just watch them go down the wrong path and not say anything. How unkind is it to see someone drowning in their sin and not help them?
On the other hand, when we see someone missing the mark, we shouldn’t condemn them and make them feel worthless or unloved by God.
So what should we do?
The bible uses the word “gently.” When we see someone missing the mark, our responsibility is to gently help that person back on track. We can gently and kindly show them the error of their ways.
After attempting to get them back on track by speaking the truth in love, they may get offended, not speak to us, or call us judgmental. We can’t be worried about that. We gently gave them the truth to help them and how they respond is none of our concern. On the flip side, they could thank us for loving them enough to tell them the truth.
Be bold enough to tell people the truth about their shortcomings to get them back on track. Just be sure to do it in a gentle loving kind way.
#gentle #bold #kind #helpful #God #Jesus #Christ #Spirit #love #new #goodness #grow #scripture #Word #devotional #devo #growth
In 2018, I had a comfortable life with my wife and child living in a house we built in Frisco, TX. I had job security and seniority. We had a wonderful church family, where we were living was blossoming, and we were expecting child number two.
In October 2018, God instructed me to apply for and accept a job in Houston, TX. My family lived in Houston, but the job required me to take a $6,000 pay cut, go through the process of selling my house, move my growing family in with my mom and grandma until our house sells, and learn something totally new. Despite all of that, I trusted and obeyed God.
After two months of living with my mom and grandma, our house sold and we found a house in the suburbs of Houston. The house was a new construction house that gave us everything we currently wanted in a house and neighborhood. Two years later, the favor of God caused a job I desired for fourteen years to become available in Houston. The favor of God caused people I was working with, but didn’t really know personally, to vouch for me. Those same people were tweaking my resume in order for me to be considered for the job. That job that I originally took a pay cut for allowed me to gain the knowledge and experience I needed for this new job. By the grace of God, I received that job.
Today, I make twice as much as I did when I first moved to Houston which allows me to be a blessing to the Kingdom of God, be a blessing to people, and enjoy the abundant life Jesus made available for us. What looked like a demotion was actually a setup for a promotion. Always remember, whatever God instructs you to do is never meant to harm you, but to prosper you.
Jeremiah 29:11 NIV For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
#wait #expect #trust #faithful #God #keeps #promises #prosper #progress #abundant #life #Jesus #Christ #Spirit #love #new #goodness #grow #scripture #Word #devotional #devo #growth
Lamentations 3:25-26 AMPC The Lord is good to those who wait hopefully and expectantly for Him, to those who seek Him [inquire of and for Him and require Him by right of necessity and on the authority of God’s word]. It is good that one should hope in and wait quietly for the salvation (the safety and ease) of the Lord.
28 Let him sit alone uncomplaining and keeping silent [in hope], because [God] has laid [the yoke] upon him [for his benefit].
If you’re a believer, you should be living by faith (Rom. 1:17). If you’re operating in faith, you should be expecting something from God. It could be a house, a spouse, a closer relationship with your children, a deeper walk with God, debt freedom, or the manifestation of healing in your body. Regardless of what it is, from the time you prayed, you’re going to have to wait. It could be a day, a week, a month, a year, or years. No matter the time, we’ll have to wait.
There are three kinds of waiters.
- The one who waits, but quits on God when it gets too difficult to wait.
- The one who waits, but waits with a bad attitude. They complain about how long it’s taking and they compare themselves with other people who are getting “blessed.”
- The one who confidently waits, knowing with a rock solid expectation that what they prayed for will come to pass.
Obviously, we should be like the 3rd waiter, but it takes some spiritual maturity to get to this level for everything we’re believing God for.
To gain this maturity, it’s best to find, read, and meditate on scriptures that will encourage you to not give up on God. Scriptures such as, Mark 9:23 “Anything is possible if a person believes” and Mark 11:24 which says, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.
Another way we can grow spiritually is feeding our faith. Romans 10:17 says, so faith comes from hearing the word of God. Find a few good ministers who accurately teach the word of God, so your faith can come and remain.
Finally, get some like-minded believers who can agree with you on your promise (Matt. 18:19).
When we understand who we are and what we have in Christ, we can be like the 3rd waiter. We can wait patiently, without complaining, expecting God to fulfill His word.
#wait #expect #trust #faithful #God #keeps #promises #strength #life #Jesus #Christ #Spirit #love #new #goodness #grow #scripture #Word #devotional #devo #growth
Psalms 68:35 NLT God is awesome in His sanctuary. The God of Israel gives power and strength to His people. Praise be to God!
Fatigue, weariness, and exhaustion are real things. When those times come, ask God for power and strength to continue on. If His word says He’ll give it, we would be foolish not to take it.
Like anything else we desire of God, simply ask for power and strength in prayer and, by faith, expect to receive it. We may not feel it immediately, but as we go throughout our day, we’ll realize we’re making it with little to no rest.
So, whether you’re managing a newborn, working lots of hours, or having trouble sleeping, request power and strength from God and believe that it will get you through the day.
#God #gives #power #strength #energy #Jesus #Christ #Spirit #love #others #new #goodness #grow #scripture #Word #devotional #devo #growth
Mark 9:25 NLT When Jesus saw that the crowd of onlookers was growing, He rebuked the evil spirit. “Listen, you spirit that makes this boy unable to hear and speak,” he said. “I command you to come out of this child and never enter him again!”
Jesus didn’t just heal the boy because He loved Him. He healed the boy to show us what we’re capable of. Remember, in Luke 10:19 He gave us authority over all the power of the enemy and nothing will harm us.
A lot of us read and have head knowledge of this authority, but it’s rarely being applied. Let’s be honest, a lot of us would be frightened if we saw a boy being possessed by a demon. We wouldn’t know what to do. Some of us wouldn’t have known it was a demon. Some of us are so intellectual and not sensitive to the Holy Spirit until we would intellectually deduce the situation as a mental illness. Meanwhile, the boy’s life would be ruined by being sedated and sent off to a mental facility.
When we see strange unusual things out of people, consult with the Holy Spirit on what you should do. He may have you speak to that evil spirit from afar. He may have you walk up to that person and cast that spirit out of them. He may have you remove that spirit by laying hands on that person. Whatever He instructs you to do, do it with boldness and without fear knowing you have the authority over every evil spirit. Don’t just wait for a pastor to deliver them. This authority has been given to every born-again believer. Now, use it.
#God #equips #power #authority #through #Jesus #Christ #stay #ready #peace #equipped #grow #scripture #Word #devotional #devo #growth
The bible lets us know we’ll experience difficult circumstances. We may have to experience a loved one passing. We may have difficulties in our marriage or with our children. We may have health or financial challenges.
When these times come, it would be in our best interest to already be spiritually equipped to handle these difficulties. It makes life a little more difficult if we’re trying to get spiritually equipped while facing life’s challenges.
It’s not the best time to wait until the battle starts to become spiritually equipped. That should have been done when life was going good. That way, when it’s challenge time, we’re ready to rebuke the devil, boldly speak to our circumstances, and stay in faith.
If life’s challenges start you on a journey to become spiritually equipped, so be it. But don’t stop when the challenge is over. Continue to spiritually equip yourself for the next battle. Stay ready, so you don’t have to get ready.
John 16:33 NLT I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
#God #equips #power #authority #through #Jesus #Christ #stay #ready #peace #equipped #grow #scripture #Word #devotional #devo #growth
Acts 3:6 NLT But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!”
Peter gave the lame man what he had. What did he have? The power of Christ. What do we have? The power of Christ. When we make Jesus Lord over our lives, we not only receive salvation, but we receive the power of Christ.
Why don’t we see more of these miraculous events? Because a lot of us can’t truly comprehend inside of every born-again believer is the power of Christ.
Jesus said in John 14:12, very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. Peter believed this which is why he was able to heal this man and we should too.
We have been conditioned to think these types of miraculous events won’t happen, will only happen through elite Christians, or happens randomly. If we truly believe Christ’s power flows through us, we’ll unashamedly use it and see miracles.
Meditation on scriptures about Christ’s power flowing through us is necessary to remove all doubt and unbelief from our souls. Let’s do what Jesus called us to do and heal the sick, raise the dead, and cast out demons (Matt. 10:8).
#God #gives #power #authority #through #Jesus #Christ #love #others #new #goodness #grow #scripture #Word #devotional #devo #growth
Proverbs 17:15 AMPC He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both an abomination [exceedingly disgusting and hateful] to the Lord.
There are some believers who make it their life’s mission to point out the flaws in other believers, especially if they’re public figures. They’ll get together and condemn ministers, a person’s clothing, songs, a person’s parenting, a person’s shortcomings, and mistakes. Some of them have social media platforms where they have thousands of like-minded followers listening to and agreeing with the condemnation of others.
What they fail to realize is their condemnation of the righteous is an abomination to God. The same abomination they like to use for homosexuals in Leviticus 18:22, is used for anyone condemning the righteous.
When we make Jesus Christ Lord, we become the righteousness of God (Rom. 5:1). If we choose to condemn other believers for their shortcomings we’re disrespecting the sacrifice which made those believers righteous, and we’re making ourselves appear perfect as if we don’t need grace for our mistakes.
Some may say they’re protecting the body of Christ from the people they’re condemning, but if their condemnation isn’t helping the people they’re condemning, they’re being self-righteous and need to repent themselves.
Pray for anyone who is missing the mark or talk to them in love if you can, but never ever condemn.
#uplift #encourage #pray #God #Jesus #Christ #love #others #brandnew #new #goodness #grow #scripture #Word #devotional #devo #growth
John 4:28-29 NLT The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?”
In the past, we did some things we’re not proud of and some of our testimonies could be considered embarrassing. We’ve lied, cheated, gotten divorced multiple times, had abortions, used or sold drugs, etc. Our pride wants to move on and keep these things in the past, but what if our past could assist in leading someone to Christ? What if our story resonates with someone who’s lost? Would you still keep it to yourself? I’d hope not.
Christ needs to be bigger than our pride. We may not like what we’ve done, but if it can help someone to get to know Christ, what does it matter? We’re not defined by our past anyway.
As a result of the Samaritan woman telling her testimony, many people believed in Jesus. As a result of our testimony, many more people will believe in Jesus.
John 4:39 NLT Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, “He told me everything I ever did!”
#share #testimony #God #Jesus #Christ #love #others #brandnew #new #goodness #grow #scripture #Word #devotional #devo #growth
Genesis 26:1 NLT A severe famine now struck the land, as had happened before in Abraham’s time. So Isaac moved to Gerar, where Abimelech, king of the Philistines, lived.
Genesis 26:12-13 NLT When Isaac planted his crops that year, he harvested a hundred times more grain than he planted, for the Lord blessed him. He became a very rich man, and his wealth continued to grow.
Logically speaking, Isaac planted his crops at the worst time. He planted his crops during a famine. Isaac wasn’t living by logic. He trusted God and was operating under the blessing (Gen. 25:11).
Although there was a famine, God supernaturally blessed his seed. Isaac not only reaped a harvest during a famine, but he reaped a hundred times more than he planted.
When we’re instructed by the Holy Spirit to sow a financial seed, the timing may not be the best. We may have to pay for daycare, electricity bills, doctor’s visits, or we may want to rebuild our savings. Regardless of the situation, like Isaac, we should trust God and trust the blessing on our lives (Gal. 3:14). As we sow, we should expect a significant harvest. If you’re bold enough, you can be in faith to receive a hundred times more than what you’ve sown.
Don’t let the conditions determine if you sow or how much you sow. Trust that God wants to bless you and will provide a harvest far bigger than the seed you sow.
#confidence #receive #God #Jesus #Christ #love #seed #harvest #manifest #goodness #trust #blessed #blessing #supernatural #manifestations #grow #scripture #Word #devotional #devo
Ecclesiastes 12:1 NLT Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and say, “Life is not pleasant anymore.”
Some of us feel like we have time to get right with God. We choose to wait to honor Him because we have all this energy and we see honoring God as settling down.
With this mentality, we do whatever our flesh desires to do. After 10 or more years of living in the flesh, there’s some promises we may have overlooked. There’s some things God wanted to do in our 20’s that we’re just now thinking about in our 40’s. If we would honor God from an early age, we wouldn’t have a life filled with regrets.
Praise God His promises are still available when we choose to honor Him, but think of how much further we would be if we would have just honored Him from an early age. If you’re still living in the flesh now, let go of that lifestyle and choose to honor God.
#blessed #life #honor #receive #God #Jesus #Christ #love #goodlife #joy #peace #blessings #grow #scripture #Word #devotional #devo
Lamentations 3:23 NLT Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.
Mercy is where we’re not punished for missing the mark. It’s great to know God’s mercies are new every morning, but there are times where we don’t want to wait until the morning to receive mercy after messing up 2 or 3 times. We want to cleanse our conscience of guilt now.
Through Christ, we don’t have to wait on His mercy. We can receive His mercy anytime we need it. When we know who we are in Christ, we can boldly approach God and receive mercy.
We don’t have to go through life scared something bad is going to happen after missing the mark. Believers are children of God and we’re able to obtain His mercy at any time.
Hebrews 4:16 NLT So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
#confidence #receive #God #Jesus #Christ #love #mercy #joy #peace #goodness #grow #scripture #Word #devotional #devo
John 4:50 AMPC Jesus answered him, Go in peace; your son will live! And the man put his trust in what Jesus said and started home.
Can you imagine what kind of negative thoughts were bombarding this man’s mind as he’s walking home? Thoughts such as, What if your son doesn’t live?….Are you sure His word is good?…. Does He have enough power to heal my son?….He only said my son will live, I wonder does He need to touch him?….Have I been good enough for Jesus to heal my son?
The man had to ignore all these thoughts and trust in the word of Jesus. In verse 51 it says, while the man was on his way, some of his servants met him with the news that his son was alive and well. The man’s trust in Jesus’s word healed his son.
When negative situations come, Satan will flood our minds with negative thoughts. We must ignore these thoughts, continue on with life, having confidence in God’s word. If they said they’re about to lay you off, we must ignore the “how will you make it” thoughts and trust in God’s word that He’ll supply all our needs (Phil. 4:19). If the doctor said we have a certain disease, instead of worrying about how it will impact your life or your family, we must believe by His stripes we are healed (1 Peter 2:24).
Regardless of the situation, having confidence in God’s word is the key. As long as we remain in faith, God’s word will prevail.
#confidence #receive #God #Jesus #Christ #love #life #joy #peace #goodness #grow #scripture #Word #devotional #devo
1 Peter 2:10 NLT “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.”
Through our faith in Jesus Christ, we’ve become God’s people. We were people of Satan. Now, we’re God’s people.
We weren’t Satan’s people because of the terrible things we’ve done. We could have loved and been nice to everyone we’d met, and still been Satan’s people. We were Satan’s people because of our sin nature we obtained through Adam (Rom. 5:19).
If you haven’t accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and allowed His sacrifice to be the payment for your sinful nature, you still belong to Satan. But for everyone else, we’re God’s people and there’s nothing anyone can do about it.
#God #people #accept #Jesus #Christ #Savior #receive #salvation #befree #scripture #Word #devo
1 Thessalonians 5:15 NLT See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.
In our flesh, the natural response to someone mistreating us is to respond the same way or take it to another level. If they lied on us, our flesh wants lie on them or confront them verbally or physically. If a spouse cheats on us, our flesh wants to show them how it feels to be cheated on. If someone cuts us off driving, we want to cut them off which leads to road rage incidents.
God’s word instructs us not to pay back evil for evil. Our response to evil should be good. The Holy Spirit is the only one who can help us accomplish this goal. When we want to react to their evil, we need to say, “God help me.” The Holy Spirit will go to work and provide ideas on how to respond. It WILL NOT make our flesh happy, but it will satisfy the will of God.
The Holy Spirit may have us pray for them, He may have us buy them a meal, or He may have us remain silent. The Spirit may have us listen to more messages on forgiveness or say out loud “I forgive them.” Once again, our flesh won’t like it. It wants them to feel our wrath so they’ll never mistreat us again, but that’s not what God desires. His will is for them to experience His love through us in order for them to turn from their wicked ways (Rom. 2:4).
When people do us wrong, let’s respond in love and do good. It’s not fun to our flesh, but it’s beneficial overall.
#do #good #love #people #God #helps #us #be #kind #Jesus #Christ #loves #scripture #devo #Bible #growth
Ephesians 1:6 NKJV to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
So many people look for acceptance in other things and in other people. They find jobs where they can be accepted. They join gangs or do things they know are wrong to be accepted by their peers. Some people are dead or in jail in their attempts to be accepted.
Through Christ, we are accepted by God the Father. He has accepted us as His own. We are accepted as His children. There’s nothing we can do to be rejected by God. God’s acceptance is all we need. Anything or anyone else’s acceptance is irrelevant. God’s acceptance is all that matters.
Let’s not compromise our morals or integrity to be accepted. Let’s not be in professions we hate just to be accepted. Let’s receive and be grateful for God’s acceptance through Jesus Christ.
#receivelove #receive #God #Jesus #Christ #love #life #joy #peace #goodness #grow #scripture #Word #devotional #devo
Genesis 5:23-24 NLT Enoch lived 365 years, walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him.
2 Kings 2:11 NLT As they were walking along and talking, suddenly a chariot of fire appeared, drawn by horses of fire. It drove between the two men, separating them, and Elijah was carried by a whirlwind into heaven.
There are people who believe God took a loved one when they die prematurely. As we can see, anytime God took someone, they were alive.
Death is certain for everyone, unless you’re here when Jesus returns, however God is not taking anyone. He’s not using cancer, a car crash, a heart attack, or any other disease to take someone. Most of these things are an attack from Satan or a byproduct of sin in the earth. God taught us how to use our authority over these things, so it wouldn’t make sense for Him to override our authority to take us.
Learn to use your authority in the earth to overcome these obstacles and stop blaming God when people die.
2 Corinthians 5:8 NKJV We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.
#authority #to #overcome #through #Jesus #Christ #faith #God
2 Peter 3:4 They will say, “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.”
Progressively, things seem to be getting worse in the world. A lot of us see what’s going on and ask, what’s taking so long for Jesus’s return?
Verse 15 gives us the answer.
15 And remember, our Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved. This is what our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him.
God is being patient with mankind giving us time to be saved. We (believers) may want Jesus to come now, but that’s selfish. We’re only considering ourselves and maybe a few of our family members. What about the rest of the world? They may have rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ a few times and because of our lack of love and/or patience with people, we’ll say, “their loss, we tried.”
God’s not like some of us. His love is infinite and His patience runs deep. What if those same people who rejected the gospel finally got it on the fourth time? Those are the people God is waiting on. He’s waiting on the skeptic, the atheist, the Buddhist, and the Muslim to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. If we would be honest, we’re glad He waited on us.
So, instead of being impatient for Jesus’s return, let’s do our part by leading people to Christ. If He can be patient with people, so can we.
#love #God #Jesus #Christ #Word #scripture #devo #saved #salvation #mercy #grace #eternal #life
1 Samuel 17:34-37 NLT But David persisted. “I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats,” he said. “When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!” Saul finally consented. “All right, go ahead,” he said. “And may the Lord be with you!”
What gave David the confidence to face Goliath despite the odds? He remembered previous victories.
When we’re in the middle of a difficult situation and the devil is telling us how bad it is, remember previous victories where your faith in God caused you to prevail.
Recall how God healed your body of cancer. Remember how “unlikely” it was for you to have children, now you have two. Remind yourself how unqualified you were to get the job, but you got the job and you’ve been with the company for years.
When we remind ourselves of all the things God brought us through, it makes our current situation seem possible to overcome. Remember, with God all things are possible, including your current situation.
Inspired by Jerry Savelle
#impossible #is #possible #with #God #Jesus #Christ #Word #scripture #devo
1 Samuel 15:23 NLT Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols. So because you have rejected the command of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.”
When people think of witchcraft, they think of an evil demonic practice totally opposing God. As we can see, in God’s eyes, rebellion is just as evil and demonic as witchcraft.
So, anytime we don’t apologize, forgive, or give after God instructed us to, we’re being rebellious.
God has done so much for us. The little things He tells us to do shouldn’t be met with rebellion. Let’s honor Him with our obedience.
#honor #obey #God #Jesus #Christ #Word #scripture #devo
Jonah 3:1-2 NLT Then the Lord spoke to Jonah a second time: “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh, and deliver the message I have given you.”
We’ll miss the mark from time to time. We may have received instructions from God, but for whatever reason, we chose to not follow them.
It’s great to know we have a loving Father who doesn’t disown us or throw us away when we miss it. Because His mercy exceeds anything we can comprehend, He’s gracious enough to give us a second, third, and even a fourth chance. He’s loving enough to continue to tap on our conscious and give us the same instructions we didn’t follow the first time.
Praise God we have a God who’s so rich in mercy. This abundant mercy has been made available through Jesus Christ.
#mercy #real #love #God #Jesus #Christ #Word #scripture #devo
John 13:8 NLT “No,” Peter protested, “you will never ever wash my feet!” Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.”
Jesus wanted to express His love to Peter by washing his feet. Peter immediately denied the way Jesus wanted to express His love.
Like Jesus did with Peter, God wants to further express His love towards us. We know He expressed His love by sending His Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins, but He wants to do more. He may want us to get a massage for ourselves, buy a nice outfit, or treat ourselves to a fancy dinner.
For whatever reason (unworthiness, pride, etc.), we deny the way He wants to express His love. We talk ourselves out of what God wants to do for us. We may say, “it’s not worth the money” or “I can use that time to serve someone else.” If God told you to buy it for yourself, surely He wants you to enjoy it and He’s provided the resources to cover it.
Some of us also deny His love coming from other people. If someone tries to do something for us or give us something, some of us immediately say “no.”
Denying God’s expressions of love doesn’t make us holy or closer with Him. It actually causes the relationship to stagnate. However it comes, learn to receive God’s expressions of love.
Inspired by the teachings of Joseph Prince
#receivelove #receive #God #Jesus #Christ #love #life #joy #peace #goodness #scripture #devotional
Not to diminish what people go through, but there are a lot of Christians begging God to change their situation. They cry saying, “God fix this or please help me with that.” Some even bargain with God saying, “If you fix this for me, I promise I’ll go to church every Sunday.”
It’s not their fault for begging. They may not have been taught. They’re attempting to appeal to God’s emotions to get things from God. In the New Covenant, begging has never gotten God’s attention, but boldness will.
When we boldly come to God with our issues, we’ll receive help. Part of our boldness comes from knowing what we have through Christ. When we know what His word says about our finances, our health, and our families, we can have boldness to remind Him and our situation about His word. The other part of our boldness is knowing His love for us. When we realize how much He loves us, we’ll understand no negative situation can remain in our lives. It has to go.
There’s nothing wrong with asking God for help, but it’s the way we approach Him. Stop begging for change and boldly approach Him to help you overcome it.
Hebrews 4:16 NLT So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
#bold #ask #believe #stand #receive #Christ #God #Jesus #scripture #devotional #growth #Bible #word #meditate #manifest
Genesis 26:4-5 I will cause your descendants to become as numerous as the stars of the sky, and I will give them all these lands. And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed. I will do this because Abraham listened to me and obeyed all my requirements, commands, decrees, and instructions.”
Because Abraham obeyed God, Isaac and his children were prosperous.
As parents, our obedience to God now can positively impact our children’s and grandchildren’s future. As we honor God, trust Him, and do what He says, He promised to bless and prosper our lives (Job 36:11). The blessing can continue on until our ceiling becomes our children’s floor.
When a decision needs to be made and you have a choice to obey God or follow your flesh, think about the possibility of your descendants benefiting from your obedience. Let’s honor God so that our legacy can benefit from our relationship with God.
#honor #God #trust #obey #follow #Jesus #Holy #Spirit #the #blessing #descendants #blessed #scripture #devo #Word #grow
2 Kings 6:15-17 NLT When the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning and went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. “Oh, sir, what will we do now?” the young man cried to Elisha. “Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!” Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.
Elisha asked God to open his servant’s spiritual eyes to see that there were more angelic forces for them than there were natural enemies against them.
We may not have an army against us, but there are natural things that try to make us afraid. When fear comes, we need to recognize there’s more in the spiritual realm for us than what we see in the natural.
Naturally, we may only see a few hundred dollars in the bank, but if we open our spiritual eyes, we’ll see we have more than enough money to get the job done. In the natural, we may be experiencing all kinds of sickness, but by opening our spiritual eyes we’ll see we have an abundance of health made available for us. The natural may show us no children, but the spiritual world shows us we have as many children as we desire.
By reading God’s word, we’ll see what God has made available to us believers in the spiritual world. If we meditate on God’s word, we’ll understand these things belong to us. Finally, using our faith for these things will take them out of the spiritual world into the natural world.
Trust and believe that with God, there’s always more.
#more #than #enough #in #Christ #God #Jesus #scripture #devotional #growth #Bible #word #meditate #manifest
John 17:19 AMPC And so for their sake and on their behalf I sanctify (dedicate, consecrate) Myself, that they also may be sanctified (dedicated, consecrated, made holy) in the Truth.
You got to be holy! You got to be holy!!
This is what some believers are shouting from the mountain top.
Holiness is not through will power alone. Holiness comes from an understanding of who we are in Christ. Through Jesus’s sacrifice, we’ve been made holy (Hebrews 10:10).
If we truly have a revelation of being made holy in Christ, we won’t have to use self-effort to abstain from this or that. We can rely on the holiness we have in Christ to do His will.
Now, we ALL will still make some unholy choices, but those choices won’t undo the holiness we have in Christ.
Understand that you are holy and there’s no sin that will supercede the holiness we have in Christ.
#made #right #holy #in #Christ #Jesus #walk #with #God #follow #peace #scripture #devotional #grow #Word #Jesus #Christ
Philemon 1:6 NLT And I am praying that you will put into action the generosity that comes from your faith as you understand and experience all the good things we have in Christ.
To accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, it takes faith. To get the promises of God, it takes faith. Nothing can be accomplished in the Kingdom of God without faith.
As we develop our faith, our faith should produce generosity. We shouldn’t want to keep all these wonderful things that faith can obtain to ourselves. We should want to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with others. We should want to tell others how to apply their faith to be healed or delivered.
When we receive the manifestation of what we stood in faith for, we should be generous with others on how we obtained it. If possible, let them experience what you obtained by faith. Give them a piece of what you prayed for. Let’s give them the step-by-step instructions we’ve received from the Holy Spirit. Let’s give them scriptures to meditate on while they wait for their breakthrough.
Faith births generosity. Be generous by giving people natural help and spiritual help.
#have #faith #believe #trust #God #Holy #Spirit #generosity #generous #give #share #peace #scripture #devotional #grow #Word #Jesus #Christ
John 14:16 AMPC And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby), that He may remain with you forever–
When we make Jesus Lord over our lives, we’re gifted with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14). As we can see from John 14:16, the Holy Spirit remains with us (believers) forever.
There is teaching out there that says we can lose the Holy Spirit through sin. They say when we live right, He’s with us, but if we sin, He leaves. My question to them is how much sin does a person have to commit before the Holy Spirit departs from us?
When Jesus said forever, that means forever. The Holy Spirit is not coming and going based on our behavior. He’s remaining based on the word and the promise of Jesus. Who else is tapping us on our shoulder informing us to be kinder to the waitress, more patient with our children, or to discipline our flesh? It has and it will always be the Holy Spirit.
He’s not leaving us. Not now, not ever.
#Holy #Spirit #God #with #us #Helper #Counselor #Guide #neveralone #promise #scripture #Bible #Word #grow #devo
Psalms 4:5 NLT Offer sacrifices in the right spirit, and trust the Lord.
God’s word instructed the people under the law to make sacrifices in the right spirit. If there’s a right spirit to offer sacrifices, there’s a wrong spirit. The wrong spirit to offer sacrifices would be to offer sacrifices out of fear.
Under grace, we’re not offering animal sacrifices, but we still offer God something. It could be praise, service, or a financial offering. When you give, be sure that you’re offering it as an expression of your love and appreciation for Him and what He’s done. Don’t do it because you think you’re going to miss a blessing. Don’t do it because you think He’s going to be mad if you don’t. Do it from a grateful heart.
Once again, the right spirit to offer God anything is the spirit of love and gratitude. Anything else is fear based and unnecessary.
#sacrifice #give #love #nofear #offer #praise
John 4:34 NLT Then Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work.
Jesus was nourished, fulfilled, and satisfied from doing the will of God. So much so until His natural body was refueled.
When we do the will of God, we can experience the same thing. When we do what God has called us to do, we can feel accomplished, fulfilled, and satisfied. We won’t wonder if we’re wasting the “best years of our lives.” We’ll know we’re doing the right thing at the right time.
How do we know if we’re doing the will of God? The Holy Spirit will tell us. Consulting the Holy Spirit on a daily basis will confirm we’re in the will of God. Literally ask Him if whatever we plan to do is God’s will. If He says, “yes,” continue on. If He says, “no,” stop immediately. If you’re unsure, don’t do anything until you get clarity.
Whether He tells you to start a business, move to another state, stop working altogether to be a stay-at-home parent, or start a ministry, trust His plan and believe His will will provide fulfillment.
#have #faith #believe #trust #God #Holy #Spirit #Counselor #Helper #Guide #follow #peace #scripture #devotional #grow #Word #Jesus #Christ
When it comes to God’s promises coming to pass, the main questions are…
When is it going to happen?
How much longer is it going to be?
Did I pray correctly?
Did I forget to say in Jesus name?
Do I have enough faith?
These are all anxious questions built around doubt. These demonically designed questions enter our minds to make us think we’ve done something wrong to not receive God’s promise.
Don’t allow these doubtful questions to remain in your mind. Like any other trash, throw it away. Verbally say, “I call these doubtful thoughts gone, in the name of Jesus.” You may have to do this multiple times a day, but the alternative is to allow these thoughts to remain and corrupt your faith.
When we’ve prayed in faith for something, give the timing to God. While you wait, exercise patience, learn what you need to learn, remain in faith by hearing the word of God, and praising Him in advance for the manifestation of your prayers.
Don’t worry about a thing, give your concerns to God, and be at peace until your prayers come to pass.
1 Peter 5:7 Amplified Bible (AMP) casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully].
#cast #cares #trust #God #choose #peace #scripture #devotional #grow #Word #Jesus #Christ
Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
At times, sadness creeps in unexpectedly. We can be happy one moment, then sad another moment. Sadness isn’t sent from God, therefore we must fight it.
Sadness comes from the devil when he highlights what we don’t have or what we didn’t get. It could be thinking about a close relative who died, a previous relationship we wanted to be successful, a job, house, or car we want, but don’t have yet. The list can go on and on. When these thoughts come and we start to feel sad, instead of embracing the sadness and letting it ruin your whole mood or day, fight it off with the word of God.
First, use the authority God has given you with your words and confess, “I have joy, I have peace, I am happy.” The power in our words truly can change our situation (Prov. 18:21). Secondly, listen to sermons and read scriptures about joy. The power of God’s word can truly change our emotions. Finally, give God praise for what you do have. When we think about all that God has done for us, sadness can’t stay (Psalm 30:11-12).
Because sadness likes to force itself into our lives, this may need to be repeated multiple times a day. But if you don’t give in, joy will stay and sadness won’t win.
#joy #peace #happiness #fight #sadness #choose #light #grow #listen #God #Word #scripture #life #devotional
2 Chronicles 15:7 GNT But you must be strong and not be discouraged. The work that you do will be rewarded.”
This is not the time to quit, throw in the towel, or give up. You’ve trusted in God for this long, so why stop now? Hold on to the promises of God.
Giving up is easy. Holding on takes a bit of effort. Especially, when you’re not seeing any signs of change and you’ve been waiting for years. But, we’re called to walk by faith in His word, not by the signs we can naturally see (2 Cor. 5:7).
So, continue to stand on God’s word. He cannot lie (Num. 23:19). God will fulfill His word and you’ll be grateful that you held on.
#justbelieve #trust #lean #rely #on #Christ #Word #Jesus #breakthrough #manifest #promises #be #encouraged #convinced #God #is #good #faithful
Graced To Do God's Will 