Category Archive

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12:28‭ NLT‬‬ Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe.

It’s always a good time to be thankful. Thank God that we have salvation through Jesus Christ. Thank God we’re forgiven of all our past and future sins. Thank God we don’t have to earn our righteousness. Thank God for life, health, and strength. Thank God for food, clothes, and a place to live. Thank God for the people we love and who love us.

As we reflect on all He’s done, let’s please God in our worship. Worship Him with our words. Worship Him by spending time with Him on a daily basis. Worship Him in our bodies. Worship Him with our finances. Worship Him by doing whatever He’s called you to do.

With all that God has done, it’s only right to be thankful and please Him with everything we have.

‭‭Mark‬ ‭4:38‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”

In Mark 4:35‬ Jesus said to His disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” As they’re crossing, due to the storm, they begin to panic and question Jesus’s care for their lives.

Somewhere in those three verses, they listened to, believed, and received what Satan said over what Jesus had said. Jesus said they’re going to the other side. Satan told the disciples they were all going to die. Based on the circumstances, they chose to believe Satan’s word over the word of the Lord.

We’re guilty of that too. We look at the circumstances, get an earful of what Satan is saying, begin to believe it over the the truth in God’s word, and start freaking out.

For instance, you only see $200 in your account. Satan says, “you’re broke.” You believe that and tell everyone else that you’re broke. Stop believing and saying what Satan is saying when God’s word says we’re abundantly supplied (Phil. 4:19). Or, you’re a certain age and you’re not married yet. Satan may tell you you’re never going to get married. However, God’s word says He’ll give us the desires of our hearts (Psalm 37:4). Who will you believe?

Ignore what Satan is saying. It will always be contrary to God’s word. Believe God’s word over anything else.

Some of us read the bible cover to cover. We know all the stories, we know about the crucifixion, and we know the points each story is making. With all this bible knowledge, there’s a temptation to devalue God’s word. We think since we know it, there’s no need to read it. That’s a lie from Satan.

Joshua 1:8 tells us to meditate on God’s word. This is more than having head knowledge of God’s word. This is reading, thinking about, and listening to God’s word over and over and over again.

The day we think we have God’s word figured out is the day we arrogantly say we have God figured out because God and His word are one (John 1:1).

Even if you’ve read a passage of scripture 1,000 times, meditate on it and God will provide more and new revelation to it.

Joshua 1:8 KJV “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”

‭‭I Timothy‬ ‭1:8‭-‬10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine,

The law is still being preached as if it’s our ticket to heaven. It’s not. Here we see that the law was not made for a righteous person.

Anyone who has made Jesus Christ their Lord and Savior has been made righteous (Rom. 5:1). Since we’re made right through Christ, the law is not made for us. The law is made for the unrighteous. The law is their guide.

So, how are we to live as New Covenant believers? By allowing the grace of God to teach us how to live coupled with the Holy Spirit’s guidance (Titus 2:11-13; Rom. 8:14) . Praise God for the freedom we have in grace.

Titus 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

There are billions of people in the world we can pray for. When a major situation comes on the news, sincerely pray for them and their families. When you know your friend is having a difficult time in life, marriage, or with children, pray for them. When you see that homeless person talking to themselves or passed out on the sidewalk, pray for them.

We don’t have to wait until we get home to pray for others. We can pray for them at that moment. They don’t have to know we’re praying for them. We can pray in passing. We don’t need to be loud and theatrical when praying. We can whisper a prayer.

Don’t forget about others. They may not know how or what to pray, but as a believer, our prayers are effective (James 5:16).

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

Isaiah‬ ‭54:10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ For the mountains shall depart And the hills be removed, But My kindness shall not depart from you, Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,” Says the Lord, who has mercy on you.

Drama, chaos, and fear is not God’s will for our lives. God is so against these things until He made a covenant (a strong promise) with us offering everlasting peace.

Like anything else God offers, we have the option to accept it or reject it. We accept this covenant of peace by obeying His written and audible word. We reject it by disobeying Him and doing what we want to do. As we align our will with His, God guarantees peace.

Peace is often overlooked. People pursue money or relationships, but neglect peace. We can have all the money in the world and someone on our arm, but if we don’t have peace, that money or relationship doesn’t mean a thing.

Get with God’s program and experience a lifetime of peace. It will minimize stress and increase joy.

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3:3‭-‬4‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation.
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We want the favor. We want God raising up someone to use their power, ability, and influence to help us. We confess favor, we think favor, and we expect favor. That’s good, but there’s a prerequisite. Loyalty and kindness are the prerequisites of favor.

We can’t expect all this favor and then turn around and be disloyal to our family members and mean to our friends. Favor won’t come when we consistently choose our friends above our family. Favor won’t come when we gossip about our friend’s love life. We can’t expect favor on our jobs when we cheat the company of time. We shouldn’t expect favor if we’re rude to the waiter.

Loyalty and kindness are what’s needed if we should expect favor to come. Let’s be loyal and kind to all.

1 Peter‬ ‭2:16‬ ‭TPT‬‬ As God’s loving servants, you should live in complete freedom, but never use your freedom as a cover-up for evil.

We are free from the law. Praise God! However, we shouldn’t use our freedom that we have in Christ to do evil.

The holidays are coming up. There’s halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve. As born-again believers, we shouldn’t use these holidays as an excuse to do evil. We shouldn’t use these holidays as an opportunity to dress scantily clad, to get drunk, to be gluttonous, or to have sex with someone we just met. This may ruin the fun for our flesh, but it’s beneficial that we honor God with our lives.

Don’t let your flesh be in control this holiday season. Continue to put God first. We can still have fun and enjoy the holidays, but let’s do it God’s way.

1 Timothy‬ ‭1:19‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked.

Life’s issues have the potential to pry our faith from God and His word. We see what’s going on in the world and in our own lives and get discouraged. As a result of getting discouraged, some minimize their communication with God and allow their flesh to have more freedom. This mindset will destroy our faith.

Recognize that this is a scheme of the enemy to pull us away from God. Instead of loosening our grip on our faith and doing what our flesh desires, we need to draw closer to Him. Listen to and read more of His word. Communicate with Him and spend time in His presence. We need to reflect on all the things He’s done.

Like a baby who doesn’t want to go to daycare clings to their mother, we need to cling to God. If you’ve strayed away from God, go back to Him and let Him work out all your problems.

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭5:7‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

The bible tells us to cast or give all our cares to God. If we give all our cares to God, we shouldn’t care about anything. Why? Because we’ve given all of them to God. Does this mean we become a cold heartless person? No. The fact that we’ve given our cares to God shows our love for the situation or the person.

There’s no benefit in keeping a single care. In fact, it’s been scientifically proven it does more harm when we hold on to cares. Some people get ulcers, immune systems decrease, and stress levels increase just by carrying cares. Why is this? Because we truly can’t do anything about the situation within our own strength.

However, when we give our cares to God, He can handle them. He not only can handle them, but in Psalm 138:8 it says, He will perfect what causes us concern.

We weren’t created to carry cares. No matter if it’s the health of a family member, financial concerns, or relationship drama, give those things to God and let Him perfect them.

Job‬ ‭7:20‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Have I sinned? What have I done to You, O watcher of men? Why have You set me as Your target, So that I am a burden to myself?

When bad things happen, some people blame God. They’ll blame God for causing the accident, they’ll blame God for the sickness, or they’ll blame God for allowing their loved ones to die. Like Job, most people don’t consider the real enemy behind all our misfortune.

In Job 1 and 2, we see that Satan was behind all the bad things in Job’s life. Initially, Job didn’t blame God (Job 1:22), but by Job 7, he began to identify God as the problem.

Unlike Job, because of Jesus, we have power over the enemy (Luke 10:19). We can take authority over every unfortunate situation and align it with God’s word. Matthew 18:18 says, whatever we ‭forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever we permit on earth will be permitted in heaven. So, if we don’t like what’s going on in our lives, we can stop it and make it better.

It’s not God behind the problems in our lives. It’s Satan. And since we have the power over him, we might as well use it for God’s glory and for our good.

Luke‬ ‭5:12‭-‬13‬ ‭NLT‬‬ In one of the villages, Jesus met a man with an advanced case of leprosy. When the man saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground, begging to be healed. “Lord,” he said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.” Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared.

It’s the will of God for all of us to be healed. It doesn’t matter if it’s a cold, cancer, sleep apnea, insomnia, depression, a headache or a broken bone. God’s will is for us to be healed.

God is not using sickness or pain to teach us anything. It’s foolish to think God is using sickness to teach us something, but is willing to heal us of that thing that should be teaching us. God teaches us through His word and through His Spirit (2 Tim. 3:16; John 14:26).

Sickness is from Satan and Jesus came to destroy all his works (1 John 3:8). Trust and believe that by His stripes you are healed (1 Pet. 2:24). No matter the issue, it’s God’s will for anyone to be healed.

‭‭Luke‬ ‭8:11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.

-Every promise in the word of God is a seed.

Luke‬ ‭8:15‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.

-We plant the seed (the word of God) in our hearts through belief. As we choose to believe God’s word, and don’t doubt, whatever God said will come to pass.

Mark‬ ‭4:26‭ ‭NKJV‬‬ And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, 27 and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how.

-We don’t know how these seeds will come to pass. That’s God’s responsibility. Our job is to be patient and believe.

Example 1: A person has an injured shoulder.
Step 1 – Find solution seeds in the word of God. In this case, 1 Peter 2:24 says by His wounds you are healed.
Step 2 – Believe and expect God’s word to come to pass regardless of any pain.
Step 3 – Do whatever the Holy Spirit instructs, which could possibly be confess healing daily, rub salt on it, or go to the doctor.
Step 4 – Between steps 1, 2, and 3, praise God as if it’s already done because in Isaiah 55:11 it says, God’s word will ‭‭not fail to do what He planned for it; it will do everything He sent it to do.

Example 2: A person doesn’t have enough money.
Step 1- Find solution seeds in the word of God. This could be Philippians 4:19 where it says my God will supply all my needs. And Psalm 115:14 which says, the Lord shall increase you more and more, you and your children.
Step 2 – Believe and expect God’s word to come to pass no matter what.
Step 3 – Do whatever the Holy Spirit instructs, which could possibly be to generously give, or invest in a certain company, or contact a specific bank or person who could provide a loan.
Step 4 – Between steps 1, 2, and 3, praise God as if it’s already done.

Whatever problem you’re facing in your life, grab some seeds in the word of God, plant them in your heart, and expect the situation to positively change.

Psalms‬ ‭84:11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly.

‭‭2 Peter‬ ‭1:3‬ ‭KJV‬‬ according as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

‭‭Mark‬ ‭11:24‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

There are extremists who believe that God is not interested in us having materialistic things. ‭‭As we can see, God is not against us having things. He is against things having us.

How do we know if things have us? If we can’t give them away whenever instructed (see Matthew 19:16-22).

To expand the Kingdom of God, to be a blessing to others, and to enjoy life, it takes things. God understands this; therefore, He implemented numerous ways to give us things.

The number one goal in life is to develop a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. As a result of our relationship with Him, He promises to give us things. Glorify God with those things.

II Samuel‬ ‭7:22‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Therefore You are great, O Lord God. For there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

There’s no one like our God. He loves us unconditionally. He gives us chance after chance to get it right. He stops bad things from happening that we deserve. He gives us good things that we didn’t earn.

He sent His Son Jesus to take our place and die on the cross for our sins. We have total forgiveness through His Son Jesus. We’re healed through Jesus. We’re blessed through Jesus. And we’re going to miss hell if we believe in the sacrifice of Jesus.

God promises to supply all our needs. He promises to give us the desires of our hearts. He promises to protect and watch over us. He promises to never leave us nor forsake us.

I can go on and on about Jehovah. But He’s a mighty God. Trust in Him. Tell others about Him. Don’t doubt what He said and honor Him with your life.

‭‭Leviticus‬ ‭19:28‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the Lord.

There are people who have a misunderstanding about tattoos. They see in Leviticus where God clearly tells the children of Israel not to get tattoos. Some believers read this today and think it’s meant for every born-again believer.

Let’s look at this scripture in context. In Leviticus, God is calling the Hebrew people to be different or set apart from the people surrounding them (Exodus 19:6). In that day, the people surrounding the children of Israel, were in a religion where tattoos and cutting themselves was a way they paid homage to their god or got their god’s attention. God didn’t want the Israelites looking like or acting like them, which is why He said no tattoos.

This command was for that time, for the children of Israel, under the law. Most of us are not children of Israel and we’re no longer under the law. Through Jesus, our outward appearance doesn’t matter. God desires that our hearts are for Him (Matthew 15:8). Looking holy and being holy are two separate things. God only wants our hearts.

Under grace, we’re to be led by the Spirit of God (Rom. 8:14). If He gives you permission to get a tattoo, get one. If He tells you to remove or cover up a tattoo, do that. Once again, our outward appearance doesn’t matter. God only wants our hearts.

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

We don’t have to beg God or pray for summer time. Summer will come every year regardless of what we do because that’s the order God set into motion from the beginning. The same applies with winter. We don’t have to fast or speak in tongues for winter to come. Winter will come based on the order of God.

In this same verse, God guarantees we’ll have an opportunity to sow a seed. This includes financial seeds, seeds of time, effort seeds, and seeds of help. With every seed we sow, God guarantees a harvest. Like winter and summer, we don’t have to pray or fast for our harvest. A harvest will automatically come from the seeds we sow.

Don’t be stingy with your time, effort, energy, or money. Make the world a better place by sowing seeds into people’s lives. As we sow, we’ll reap a harvest.

Inspired by Jerry Savelle

If you enter an elevator and press 12, you’re telling the elevator and everyone else around you that you want to go to the 12th floor.

The same concept applies to the authority we have in our words. When we declare that we have abundance and no lack, that’s like pressing the 12 on an elevator. We may not have abundance yet, but we’re calling for it. And like pressing the 12 on the elevator, we’re in expectation that our words, rooted in the word of God, will take us there.

Don’t underestimate the power of your words. Like an elevator, they’ll take you wherever you want to go.

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭45:1‬ ‭(AMPC)‬‬ My heart overflows with a goodly theme; I address my psalm to a King. My tongue is like the pen of a ready writer.

Inspired by Charles Capps

Sometimes, our deliverance is in the details. In 2 Kings 5, what if Naaman only dipped 6 times instead of 7? Do you think he would have been healed? In Mark 2, Jesus told the paralyzed man to stand up, pick up his mat, and walk. What if the paralyzed man logically wanted to crawl first, before he walked, to test Jesus’s healing abilities? Do you think his deliverance would have taken place?

In our own lives, God has given us specific instructions. Some of these instructions are illogical. But as we follow them to the letter, we’ll experience deliverance, breakthrough, and blessings.

If He tells you to eat oranges for a week to get rid of the pain in your back, follow those specific instructions. If He’s told you to not watch TV for a month to receive deliverance from a messy divorce, do it. Our breakthrough comes when we trust Him wholeheartedly. Don’t try to figure out how what He’s telling us to do is related to our current problem. Just do it and experience God’s best.

‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭4:3‭-‬6‬ ‭NLT‬‬ [3] And Elisha said, “Borrow as many empty jars as you can from your friends and neighbors. [4] Then go into your house with your sons and shut the door behind you. Pour olive oil from your flask into the jars, setting each one aside when it is filled.” [5] So she did as she was told. Her sons kept bringing jars to her, and she filled one after another. [6] Soon every container was full to the brim! “Bring me another jar,” she said to one of her sons. “There aren’t any more!” he told her. And then the olive oil stopped flowing.

Some of us had big dreams when we were younger. We wanted to start a business, have a certain career, or have a lot of money to enjoy life. Somewhere along the way, things got real. Bills needed to be paid and we had a family to manage. As life continued, some of us put that dream on the shelf, while others threw it out.

Dreams have been put up or thrown out because we’re only looking at things naturally. We’re only looking at what we can do with the amount of money, time, education, or experience we have. We’re not considering God in the equation to fulfill our dreams. We’re only thinking about what we can do with what we currently have.

If we shift our thinking to include God and all His promises towards us, we’ll have what we dreamed about 10, 20, or 30 years ago. It’s not too late. We say and read with God all things are possible, but do we truly believe that? If we do, no dreams should be thrown out. None.

If you’ve thrown a dream out, for whatever reason, get it back, keeping God in mind. With our faith, trust, and confidence in Him, He can manifest our dreams and give us desires we didn’t know we wanted. It’s not too late.

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭20:4‬ ‭NLT‬‬ May He grant your heart’s desires and make all your plans succeed.

Life has its challenges. Work and managing a family can be long, tiring, potentially stressful. We may have to deal with people who are rude and inconsiderate on a daily basis. Our bodies may be experiencing some aches and pains. These challenges may have us feeling down, sad, or depressed.

The good news is when we’re feeling down, we have a supernatural solution in praying in the Holy Spirit.

‭‭Jude‬ ‭1:20‬ ‭AMPC‬‬ But you, beloved, build yourselves up [founded] on your most holy faith [make progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher], praying in the Holy Spirit;

A lot of critics think praying in the Holy Spirit is a joke. There are believers who think praying in the Spirit is no longer for New Covenant believers. As we can see, God’s word instructs us to build ourselves up by praying in the Holy Spirit.

We won’t understand what we’re saying and it may seem foolish to do so, but praying in the Holy Spirit is a way we stay on top of life instead of life burying us.

Nothing is going to possess our bodies and make our mouths speak random sounds. We make the decision to open our mouths, focus on God, and pray in the Holy Spirit. Stay on top of life by praying in the Holy Spirit.

When we accept Jesus Christ as Lord, we’re given the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13). The Holy Spirit is given to be our guides and to teach us everything (John 16:13; John 14:26). Once we identify the Holy Spirit’s voice, He’ll tell us what to do.

Most of the time, He’s telling us little things to do. He’ll tell us to go to bed at a certain time. He’ll tell us to drive a different way to work. He’ll tell us to stop eating certain foods. Some of the things He tells us to do seem insignificant and we’ll wonder if it really was the Holy Spirit. Like anything else, when we get these simple instructions, we have a choice to make. We’ll obey His voice or ignore it.

These little adjustments could help us with major things down the line. Going to bed early could provide clarity for a presentation we have to make at work. That presentation could ultimately lead to a promotion. We could avoid a car accident if we drive a different way to work.

Anything He tells us, big or small, is for our good. Learn to listen to His voice and obey His instructions.

John 14:26 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.

Acts 20:32 MSG “Now I’m turning you over to God, our marvelous God whose gracious Word can make you into what He wants you to be and give you everything you could possibly need in this community of holy friends.

You may be struggling with your identity. You may be missing the mark frequently. You may not know what to do. Regardless of our shortcomings, our solution is found in God’s gracious word.

God’s word of grace can build us up, make us into everything He wants us to be, and give us everything we need.

As we understand more and more about God’s grace and mercy, we’ll have a better understanding about His love. God’s love can change anything. Through God’s word, we’ll know who we are in Christ. We’ll have a better success rate in hitting the mark. God’s word will provide guidance on what to do in every situation.

Stop trying to figure it out on your own. Stop doubting the power of God’s word. Get in a relationship with Him and let His word build you up and build the life Jesus died for you to have.

Ezekiel‬ ‭36:1‬ ‭NLT‬‬ “Son of man, prophesy to Israel’s mountains. Give them this message: O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord!

God had Ezekiel prophesy to Israel’s mountains. Mountains are inanimate objects, but God spoke to them through Ezekiel. He told the mountains what they were going to do and how prosperous they will be. In verse 8 God said, “‭the mountains of Israel will produce heavy crops of fruit for my people.” In verse 11, God said “‭O mountains of Israel, I will bring people to live on you once again. I will make you even more prosperous than you were before.”

In Mark 11:12-14, Jesus spoke to a tree and it obeyed Him.

As the Holy Spirit leads, start speaking to some things. Speak to your bills and tell them to be supernaturally paid off in the name of Jesus. Speak to your house and all the appliances in it and tell them to function properly. Speak to your car and tell it to be problem-free. Speak to the land you have your eyes on and declare that it’s sold to you.

It may seem foolish at first, but it’s an act of faith. We’re using our authority that we have in Christ to speak to these things with an expectation for them to obey. If God can have Ezekiel, who was under the Old Covenant, speak to inanimate objects and Jesus who is our example speak to a tree, we can speak to inanimate objects and expect them to obey too.

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

Don’t consider how much money you have.
Don’t consider how many other people tried that same thing, but failed.
Don’t consider your age to go back to school, start a business, or have children.
Don’t consider how long it has taken.
Don’t consider your marital status.
Don’t consider your education, criminal history, or experience.
Whatever the world tells us to consider, don’t consider it.

Our job is to solely focus on and believe God’s word. If He said or promised it, it will come to pass. No matter how long it has taken, remain focused on God’s word.

There are two kinds of seeds that are competing to grow in our hearts. There is the word of God seed and there are seeds contrary to the word of God. Obviously, the word of God seed comes from God’s written word. However, the seeds contrary to the word of God come from satanic thoughts solely based on our five senses.

It’s our choice what we allow to grow in the soil of our hearts. We can accept/reject the word of God seed or accept/reject the seeds contrary to the word of God. It’s up to us.

Whatever seeds we accept will grow not only in our hearts, but in our lives. Whatever we see or are experiencing in our lives are results of seeds we’ve accepted (positive or negative).

For instance, if there’s lack in our lives, that’s a seed we’ve accepted. If there’s abundance in our lives, that’s a seed we’ve accepted. Lack comes from a seed contrary to the word of God. Abundance comes from the word of God seed.

There are layers to these seeds. We can have an abundance of money which is a seed we’ve accepted from Psalms 112:3, but we could be lacking in peace which is a seed we’ve accepted from watching the news.

The good news is, with the renewing of our minds to the word of God, trees that have grown based on seeds contrary to God’s word can be uprooted and replaced. By meditating on God’s word, we can completely remove lack, sickness, insecurities, depression or any other trees contrary to God’s word from our lives. I encourage you to accept the word of God seed and reject seeds contrary to the word of God.

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭15:13‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Jesus replied, “Every plant not planted by my heavenly Father will be uprooted,

Ezekiel 34:26 NLT I will bless my people and their homes around my holy hill. And in the proper season I will send the showers they need. There will be showers of blessing.

We all want every promise of God now. We don’t want to wait or have to be patient. If we see it in God’s word, we want it immediately.

As we can see, there’s a proper season for blessings. It may not come when we want it, but God’s timing is perfect.

If we get something we’re not ready to handle, it may be detrimental to other areas of our lives. For instance, if we desire $1,000,000, but we’re not ready to handle that kind of money responsibly, that money may bring out a selfish side of us that could impact our marriage. Or, that money won’t last long due to bad investments or spending habits.

There’s nothing wrong with wanting the promises of God. Just know there’s a proper time to receive each promise.

Romans 4:20 NKJV He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God.

Romans 1:17 says, those who are declared righteous through Jesus Christ shall live by faith. Faith is a lifestyle. When we believe God’s word and don’t doubt, regardless of the circumstances, God is glorified.

Satan and sin in the earth will tempt us to give up on God’s word. They’ll make circumstances look so bad or impossible until we’d rather not believe due to fear of being disappointed. However, if we make up in our minds to believe God’s word, we’ll not only glorify God while we patiently wait, but we’ll see the manifestation of what He promised.

Praise God that our belief in God’s word brings Him glory.

We not only have the opportunity to give God glory, but through our generous giving and obedience, we’ll encourage others to give God glory.

2 Corinthians 9:12‭-‬13 NLT So two good things will result from this ministry of giving—the needs of the believers in Jerusalem will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God. As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ.

Giving not only expresses our gratitude, but it positively impacts the lives of others. When we can pay someone’s bills, give them food, or help out in whatever way we can, people will understand there’s a God in heaven who loves them and will meet their needs.

Our generosity to the less fortunate will hopefully encourage them to have a relationship with God, lead them down a righteous path, and ultimately position them to be a blessing to others. Give in order for others to glorify God.

I Corinthians 6:19‭-‬20 NKJV Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Another way we can glorify God is with our bodies. We glorify God with our bodies by resisting the urge to be sexually immoral.

God knows our flesh desires sexual sins. For single people, it’s fornication. For married people, it’s adultery. For others, it’s homosexuality. Regardless of the temptation, when we fight against the urge to be sexually immoral, we glorify God. We’re letting God, the devil, and everyone else know that God is more important than satisfying the desires of our flesh.

We resist sexually immoral urges by renewing our minds with the word of God (Rom. 12:2). Whatever God’s word says about that thought, we agree with it regardless of how our flesh feels.

Also, when an immoral thought comes, we take authority over it and tell it to leave our minds. Then replace that thought with things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, a good report, virtuous, and anything worthy of praise (Phil. 4:8).

It may be difficult at times, but honor and glorify God in your bodies. Since that’s what He told us to do, that’s the best thing for us.

John 14:13 NLT You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father.

How can we glorify God? Whatever changes that need to be corrected in the earth, if we ask in Jesus name, God is glorified.

This is slightly different from John 16:23 where it says, “whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.” John 14 says whatever we ask in Jesus’s name, Jesus will do it.

The context of John 14 has to do with works such as, healing the sick, delivering people from demonic oppression, or raising the dead. John 16 has to do with personal prayer requests such as, a job, a house, or a car.

Lets continue the works of Jesus. When we see someone who has been negatively impacted by the devil in some way (sick, depressed, suicidal, fearful, dead, etc.) and pray for their deliverance in Jesus’s name, God is glorified.

There are several ways to give God glory. One way to give God glory is with our words.

Psalms 63:3 NIV Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.

Thinking of God’s love and remembering all the wonderful things He has done, we should give God praise. Tell Him how much you love Him for sending and sacrificing His Son Jesus. Thank Him for our families, thank Him for His promises, and thank Him for His protection.

Even if things are not going as well as you want them to right now, praise Him for His power to turn our situation around. It may be a sacrifice, but give Him glory despite how you feel.

Give to God the glory that He deserves. Give Him praise.

What have you been thinking about lately? Has it been your finances, inflation, or gas prices? Has it been the increase in crime, the lack of morality, or the possibility of getting sick? Are you worried about your children or your career?

Paul lets us know in Philippians 4 that we have control over what we think.

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.

Negative or fearful thoughts will come, but we don’t have to entertain them. We can cast them out and replace them with thoughts that align with the word of God.

Some may say they can’t help being worried or focused on problematic areas. Well, the bible says otherwise.

Get control over your thoughts. Give any and all negative thoughts to God and start thinking on thoughts found in God’s word.

Colossians 3:13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.

Cutting someone off when they’ve missed the mark or offended you once is not scriptural for the believer. We must make room for each other’s faults. No one has it altogether. People mess up, they make mistakes, and they have faults.

When someone misses the mark, extend grace and forgive them. The grace we need when we mess up is the same grace they need for themselves. There’s no need to have a bashing session. They usually know when they’ve dropped the ball. But if not, in love, let them know how they’ve missed the mark or how they’ve offended you. Once you’ve expressed your feelings, forgive them and move on. Bringing it back up again helps no one.

Stop prematurely ending relationships, friendships, leaving careers, or churches because of the one-time faults of someone else. Be mature enough to understand that people make mistakes and they need grace too.

Mark 3:2‭-‬3 NLT Since it was the Sabbath, Jesus’ enemies watched him closely. If he healed the man’s hand, they planned to accuse him of working on the Sabbath. Jesus said to the man with the deformed hand, “Come and stand in front of everyone.”

Jesus’ enemies watched Him closely to see if He would (not could) heal on the Sabbath so that they could accuse Him. They weren’t concerned about the health of the man. Their goal was to accuse.

Unfortunately, this is still true today. There are ministers or people who are doing their best to minister the gospel of Jesus Christ. They’re encouraging people to have a relationship with God regardless of faults, they’re motivating people to believe God for the best, and to believe God to be healed. With all the good they’re doing, there are still saved and unsaved people trying to find fault and accuse them of deception.

They’ll highlight how the person is using the scriptures inaccurately. They’ll encourage people not to listen to or support their ministry based on how they ministered the gospel or who they associate themselves with. They don’t have anything to say themselves. They simply want to bring the public figure down.

This is expected from people in the world, but this is not the will of God for a believer. People may not have a full understanding of certain scriptures, but unless they’re speaking heresy, there’s no reason to accuse them of deception or be overly critical. If they’re leading people to Christ and encouraging believers, let’s celebrate them and not cause further division in the body of Christ.

Psalms 62:7 NLT My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.

All of our victories are from God alone. Stop giving credit to other things or people (including ourselves) for the victories in our lives. Every success is because of God.

It’s not vitamins that keep us healthy; it’s God.
It’s not our hard work that allowed us to get a promotion; it’s God.
It’s not the amount of money we make that makes us rich; it’s God.
God alone allowed us to get that job, not our connections.
God alone gave us the wisdom to parent successful children, not a book.
God alone gave us the help we needed to overcome negative emotions.
And it is God, not man, that teaches us to live godly.

Obviously, in all these scenarios, God can use other things and people as a tool, but the ultimate credit should go to Him.

For every success story, give God all the glory.

Ezekiel 14:19‭-‬20 NLT “Or suppose I were to pour out my fury by sending an epidemic into the land, and the disease killed people and animals alike. As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were there, they wouldn’t be able to save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved by their righteousness.

If God would have allowed deadly diseases into the land, the righteousness of Noah, Daniel, and Job would save them from death.

These three men believed and honored God and it was considered righteous, but based on Isaiah 64:6, their righteousness are as filthy rags. No matter how much good they’ve done, because of sin, their righteousness is corrupted. Although corrupted and filthy, God said their righteousness would still save them from a deadly disease.

Old Testament saints didn’t have the luxury of having Jesus Christ as their sacrifice for sin. Through our faith in Jesus Christ, we are made righteous (Rom. 3:22). This righteousness is incorruptible. This righteousness not only saves us from sickness and disease, but it also saves us from eternal death in hell.

Don’t worry about disease or eternal death. If you have His righteousness, we will be saved. Praise God for the incorruptible righteousness that we have through Jesus Christ.

Acts 20:24 NLT But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.

We can get married, have children, have the career we want, and get a lot of money and still feel unfulfilled. Why is that? Because there’s a greater purpose for all of us. Our purpose is to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.

There are different methods to sharing the gospel. Everyone is not called to be on street corners witnessing to people walking by. Some of us have been instructed to witness to people at our jobs or share the gospel with family members and friends. Some of us have been called to use the success in our businesses, careers, and marriages as an opportunity to minister the gospel of Christ. We can do something as small as share a post on social media that encourages people to have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

It’s selfish and unfulfilling to be saved and successful, knowing there are people who are lost, damaged, and broken. Be a light to Jesus Christ by allowing God to show you how to share the good news about the wonderful grace of God.

Genesis 31:12 NKJV And He said, ‘Lift your eyes now and see, all the rams which leap on the flocks are streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted; for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you.

For years, Jacob was continously being cheated by Laban. He changed Jacob’s wages which forced him to work for Laban longer than he expected. In verse 12, God lets Jacob know He’s seen all that Laban has done to him.

Some of us were cheated, abused, abandoned, misused, and overlooked. As He did with Jacob, God saw everything that was done to us; and God still gave Jacob wisdom to prosper. In spite of all that we’ve been through, God has the power to position us to prosper.

We may have had three terrible marriages or relationships, but God can make this next marriage prosper to the point where we forget about past relationships. God can use the abuse we’ve overcome as a testimony to inspire others to get out of abusive situations. Like Joyce Meyer, our story can be a platform for others to turn to Jesus and be healed and set free.

Whatever pain or misfortune we’re experiencing or have experienced, God sees it all and He’s already provided a way for us to prosper through it if we trust Him.