Category Archive

Proverbs 16:32 He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.

If God’s word applauds people who are slow to get angry, He must have given us the ability to control of our anger and other emotions.

We don’t always have to fight back, verbalize how we feel, or do something stupid because someone has said or done something to us. We can exercise self-control which makes us mighty.

People have died and prisons are filled with people who couldn’t control their emotions. Because of a lack of self-control, people have lost their jobs and marriages have ended. Due to anger, people have said things they wish they could take back.

Let’s do ourselves a favor. Let’s take control of our lives by controlling our emotions. Don’t give people the power to control your emotions. Maintain self-control.

Everyday we have an opportunity to prioritize God, go deeper in our relationship with God, and set up our lives for continual success. We do this by spending time with God in prayer, reading His word, speaking in tongues, and meditating on His promises.

At the same time, there are other things demanding our time and energy. There’s work, going through social media, watching TV, doing mindless activities on the internet, and socializing with our friends.

We must decide what’s more important. Is it spending hours doing randomness or developing intimacy with our Father?

I’m not saying we can’t do things, outside of God, that are enjoyable. I’m saying we need to prioritize Him. He’ll tell us when we can stop praying and watch a movie. He’ll tell us when we need to get off social media and work on our business plan. He’ll tell us when we can enjoy a night with our friends. As long as He’s included in our decisions, we’ll never go wrong.

Don’t spend all your time doing everything else but spending time with God, because you’ll miss His guidance and fellowship. At the same time, don’t spend all your time in the word, praying, and not enjoying yourself trying to please Him. We can increase our intimacy with God and enjoy this abundant life He gave us through Jesus by allowing Him to direct our lives.

So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. -1 Corinthians 10:31 NLT

JOHN 8:16 And if I did, my judgment would be correct in every respect because I am not alone. The Father who sent me is with me.

As born-again believers, we have the same rights and privileges as Jesus (1 John 4:17). Jesus had confidence in everything He did because He was not alone. Our Father was with Jesus wherever He went.

God will send us on assignments. It may be presenting to management at our current jobs, expanding our business, buying a home, or raising children. Some of those assignments may be too big for our natural minds, but there’s good news. Wherever our Father sends us and whatever assignment we have, we can be confident in knowing our Father is with us. And if He’s with us, we’ll be successful wherever He sends us.

Trust and believe you’re not alone. Wherever God sends us, we’ll have success.

And the one who sent me is with me—He has not deserted me. For I always do what pleases Him.”
John 8:29 NLT

Don’t Be a Pharisee

As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. John 8:3 NLT

How did the Pharisees know she was in the act of adultery? It’s not like she had a sign on the door saying, “Committing Adultery.” No. Someone must have watched her go into a house with someone who wasn’t her husband. Or, she was known to the Pharisees to commit adultery, but they didn’t say anything until now.

Either way, the Pharisees didn’t help her, counsel her, or confront her in love. They lived by the law and had every right to see her stoned.

We don’t live by the law (Romans 6:14). If you see your brother or sister going down the wrong path, don’t condemn them. Don’t be like the Pharisees and verbally stone them. Don’t tell them how ashamed they should be. Be like Jesus. In love, confront the person, address the sin, and provide instructions on how to keep them from sinning.

Don’t be like a harsh Pharisee. Be like gracious Jesus and address sins with love.

One day as we were going down to the place of prayer, we met a slave girl who had a spirit that enabled her to tell the future. She earned a lot of money for her masters by telling fortunes. She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved.” This went on day after day until Paul got so exasperated that he turned and said to the demon within her, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And instantly it left her.
Acts 16:16-‬18

That boss who’s being mean or unfair, that spouse who’s starting arguments for no reason, children who are misbehaving, and a friend who is living in fear. These are all examples of people who are demonically influenced. They may not know it, but we should.

Demonic influences are behaviors and attitudes in someone that don’t align with the word of God. According to Luke 10:19, we have authority over these influences.

Paul demonstrated his authority in Acts. He spoke to the spirit (not the person), confidently used the name of Jesus, and expected the spirit to leave. We can do that too. We can speak to that demonic spirit in that person, confidently use the name of Jesus, and tell it where to go.

We must believe and be confident that in the name of Jesus, that influence must obey.

Spirit-led Corresponding Actions

James 2:22 You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete.

A dream will always remain a dream unless there are Spirit-led corresponding actions associated with it.

A person can desire to move to a specific location, but if they don’t have corresponding actions associated with moving, they’ll remain where they are. Corresponding actions in this case include, believe you’ve received a home in that area (Mark 11:24), researching the area, applying for jobs in that city, continuously confess to live in that area (Mark 11:23), and drive in that area periodically.

There are corresponding actions and there are Spirit-led corresponding actions. Using the same scenario, a person can desire to move to a location one week and put their house up for sale the next week. That’s impulsive. They probably didn’t consult the Holy Spirit on what corresponding actions were appropriate. They acted from their emotions. For the first 6 months, the Holy Spirit may simply want them to confess they believe they receive a house in that area. Then again, He may want them to immediately sell their house. It’s all about letting Him lead us.

If we don’t act or if we’re too impulsive, we may regret our decisions. But if we’re led by the Holy Spirit in our actions, our desires will manifest themselves beautifully.

Thinking on What’s True

Philippians 4:8 CEV Finally, my friends, keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper. Don’t ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise.

The first thing listed on things we should think on is thinking on things that are true. Everyone’s truth is different. Let’s go to the word of God to define the truth.

In John 17:17, Jesus says God’s word is truth. So, it’s not my truth or your truth we should be thinking on. The only truth is the word of God.

As we keep our thoughts on God’s word, unwavering faith and belief will come to handle anything that comes our way. Fix and keep your mind on the word of God in order to be successful in every area of your life.

The World’s Sin

John 16:9 NLT The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in Me.

The world’s sin is not hate, unforgiveness, lust, or pride. The world’s sin is it refuses to believe in Jesus. It refuses to believe that Jesus is the Son of God, who died on the cross for our sins, and was raised from the dead so that we can be made righteous.

The sin of the world is what’s sending people to hell. It’s not sex, greed, or hate. It’s the refusal to believe in a risen Savior.

To be made righteous, God’s not asking us to feed 10,000 people or stop enjoying ourselves. He simply asks us to believe.

So, be free from and encourage others to be free from the world’s sin by believing in our Lord and Savior Jesus.

The father of godly children has cause for joy. What a pleasure to have children who are wise. So give your father and mother joy! May she who gave you birth be happy. -Proverbs 23:24‭-‬25 NLT

Cards, flowers, candy, and clothes are nice gifts for Mother’s day and Father’s day, but the greatest gift we can give our parents is joy. When we honor God with our lives, we give our parents the gift of joy.

When our parents see us prioritizing God, renewing our minds with the word of God, and teaching our children to keep God first, they can experience joy whenever they think of us. This gift keeps on giving and it’s a gift they can receive daily.

Continue to give your parents joy by establishing and deepening your relationship with God.

Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off!
Acts 16:25-26 NLT

At the beginning of a lot of church services, there’s prayer and praise and worship songs. People may view this as the intro music to the message preached. It’s not.

Prayer and praise are designed for us to connect with God and worship Him for Who He is, what He’s done, and be in expectation of what He’s about to do. It’s not meant for us to look around and find our friends. Even if it’s not our favorite song, we must be intentional about focusing our attention on praying to and praising God.

Like Paul and Silas, our prayer and praise can not only set us free, but it can set free those closest to us. We may suffer from depression, but our praise can cause the spirit of depression to go. We may be consumed with thoughts about our children, but as we pray, our children will be free from whatever they’re facing. We may be dealing with a health issue and our prayer and praise can cause us to experience deliverance. If we need wisdom or an answer in an area, prayer and praise can be the key.

If you’re at home, in the car, or at church, take the opportunity to pray and praise God. It can definitely benefit us.

You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food.
Hebrews 5:12 NLT

As believers, when it comes to the word of God, we should be teaching others or being taught. If we’re really focused, we should be learning and teaching the word of God.

At first glance, it looks like a put down for those who still need to be taught, but it’s not. If we still need to be taught the word of God in certain areas, that’s fine. That means our faith and knowledge in those areas are getting stronger.

Eventually, we should transition to teaching others. Don’t hold all of this good information to yourself. Be a vessel for God and teach others what you know. Teaching is not limited to a congregation. We can teach our best friend forgiveness, faith, or unconditional love over the phone.

If we’re being taught it’s a win. If we’re teaching others it’s a win. Let’s be sure we’re not in a position where we’re not being taught or teaching others.

Hebrews 11:1 Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.

Faith is acting on what you believe. Whatever God says about us in His word, we need to act like it’s so.

You may not have all the money for the house in the natural, but in the spirit, we’re extremely rich. Jesus became poor so that we can be rich according to 2 Corinthians 8:9, so act like you have all the money. Go talk to realtors, builders, and tour houses with the mindset of “I can buy this right now” versus the “I don’t have the money” mindset.

You may not feel well, but act like it because God says we’re healed (1 Peter 2:24). We don’t deny the pain. We ignore it. As God leads and only as God leads, do something to rebel against the pain. If you have to walk with a limp, attempt to walk without a limp while declaring “I am healed.”

If your marriage is rocky, act like it’s wonderful because God says He’ll give us the desires of our hearts (Psalm 37:4). How do we do that? Instead of telling everyone how bad it is, start declaring that it’s wonderful.

As we use our faith, obey God’s instructions in that area, and act like it’s so, things somehow will begin to position themselves so that it can be naturally obtained. Actual finances will begin to come in our lives so that we can obtain that house. Pain and symptoms will eventually leave us. Our marriage will actually become wonderful.

You won’t know how it will happen, but somehow it will. Let’s use our faith to manifest the things we desire.

Matthew 27:50 Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit. 51 At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart,

The first thing God did when Jesus fulfilled the payment for all sin was tear the veil from top to bottom. God tearing the veil of the Holy of Holies is significant in that it symbolizes that God’s presence was now open to all people and not just the High Priest. It was that important for God to reconnect with all of mankind until He prioritized tearing the veil first.

Still to this day, there are people who feel uncomfortable with talking to God for themselves. They feel like God hears a priest or a popular Christian more than them. Having this mentality is disrespectful to the sacrifice of Jesus. He went through hell so that we all can personally talk to God for ourselves.

If you have made Jesus the Lord of your life, you have just as much access to God as the Pope, Bishop T.D. Jakes, Joel Osteen, or any other pastor with a large following. Even if you’re fresh off of sinning, you still have total access to approach God and bathe in His grace and mercy and request your needs and desires. It’s not our sacrifice or righteousness He sees. It’s the sacrifice or the righteousness of Jesus.

Psalm 91:14 The LORD says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name.

When people think about God’s protection, most people have a one dimensional approach to it. They think God not allowing any negative event happening to them ever again. That sounds nice, but that’s not scriptural. There are 4 types of protection.

Protection 1
Protection from danger. God stopping things before they happen. We see this in Daniel 6:22 when God sent an angel to shut the lions’ mouths. This is the protection we like and expect from God, but that’s not His only way of protection.

Protection 2
Protection from the effects of danger. We see this in Daniel 3:26-27 where Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego went in the fire (danger), but the fire didn’t hurt them. We hear about this when a car flips over 5 times and the person comes out without a scratch.

Protection 3
Deliverance. Psalm 34:19 The righteous person may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all. Although we go through negative circumstances, God provides protection through deliverance.

Protection 4
Life-preserving protection. No weapon formed against you shall prosper…Isaiah 54:17. Negative events such as car accidents or sicknesses may come, but ultimately, they’re not going to kill us.

We must believe and have faith in all the forms of God’s protection. If we don’t understand that there are more than one type of protection from God, we’ll get mad at Him when we face difficulties and we’ll doubt His abilities. That doubt will poison our faith in God. And without faith, we cannot please God or obtain His promises.

Don’t envy sinners, but always continue to fear the Lord. -Proverbs 23:17

When we see sinners having the money, cars, houses, and family, it can be a little bit of a let down. We’re doing our part by disciplining our flesh, but it seems like the sinner has what we want.

During these times, we can’t be consumed with getting things. If our goal is to get things, it will be more of a temptation to envy and act like the world. If our goal is to have a relationship with and please God, He’ll show us how to get those things without compromising our integrity or extreme effort. He’ll show us how to enjoy life, maintain peace, and be a blessing to others.

The unrighteous may have all of this excess, but its been proven a lot of them are unhappy. Keep focused on God instead of what the next man has. He’ll show us how to obtain our desires and remain holy.

Therefore, I will always remind you about these things—even though you already know them and are standing firm in the truth you have been taught. -2 Peter 1:12 NLT

There are a lot of things we know in the bible, but we often should be reminded of certain things in order to enjoy this life Jesus died for. We also should remind someone else.

Here are some things we should be reminded of…

1. Our words have power (Proverbs 18:21). We sometimes can forget that our words have power. They have the power to create or destroy things in our life. So, speak life to create the life you want to experience.
2. Forgive (Mark 11:25). Forgiveness doesn’t benefit someone else. It helps us. It gets rid of all the clutter we have so we can focus on what God called us to do.
3. Be led by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:14). It’s not our logic, our feelings, or the opinion of another. It’s the Holy Spirit Who should be leading our lives and making the first and final decision in every aspect of our lives.

These are just a few things that can help us along the way. Continue to read God’s word to remind yourself and others on how to live an abundant life.

Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” -Genesis 22:2 NKJV

Abraham was asked to sacrifice something he loved and waited a long time to receive. We may be asked to give up something we love or truly desire. God may ask us to sow a financial offering from money we were saving for a new car. He may tell us to quit a comfortable job. He may tell us to move from everyone we know and love. The question is, do you trust Him?

And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” -Genesis 22:12

Although Abraham didn’t physically sacrifice his son, he already made up in his mind he was going to obey God and sacrifice. Whatever God requests of us, we need to move beyond our logic and feelings and mentally prepare ourselves to make that sacrifice.

and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son— blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” -Genesis 22:16‭-‬18

Because Abraham was prepared to sacrifice a precious offering to the Lord, he positioned himself to receive blessings from God. As we trust God to the point where we make a sacrifice, we position ourselves to receive His promises. When God asks us to do a hard thing, He’s not trying to take something from us. He’s trying to get something to us. When we truly understand the heart of God and that everything works for our advantage, we’ll take a deep breath and obey God. So, how much do you trust God?

“But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit. -Jeremiah 17:7‭-‬8 NLT

When we place and keep our trust, hope, and confidence in the Lord, the blessing is able to operate in our lives.

Part of that blessing operating in our lives is being like an unmovable ever-producing tree. When situations get tense, we’re not fazed. The outcome may be uncertain, but we’re not worried. And regardless of what’s going on in the world, we’re able to prosper.

Deep down in our hearts, we know God is able to better our situation. We just have to place and keep our trust, hope and confidence in the Lord.

Matthew 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Jesus gives us (every born-again believer) a command. We are to make disciples and teach them.

So many times, the church as a whole, invites people to get saved, but they don’t have anything to make these new Christians disciples. Just because a person gets saved doesn’t automatically make them disciples. As we can see, they must be taught.

Some people have a violent background, come from an abusive situation, or have been abandoned and we (Christians in general) expect them to live a holy life without being discipled. That’s unfair.

We have been called to disciple and teach our brother and sister. That means encourage them, pray with them, and teach them the bible in context. As they become disciples, eventually they’ll disciple and teach someone else.

Don’t neglect your duty to be a disciple and make disciples.

Inspired by Charles Stevenson

“When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days, the people enjoyed banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat and the flood came and destroyed them all. Yes, it will be ‘business as usual’ right up to the day when the Son of Man is revealed.
Luke 17:26‭-‬27‭, ‬30 NLT

When Jesus returns, people will be taking out the trash, brushing their teeth, getting over a hangover, or washing their clothes. When He returns, some people will be living honorably and some people will be acting foolishly.

Jesus is returning. We don’t know when, but He’s returning. Believers have been saying this for years. We’ve been saying this for so long until people are doubting His return or don’t believe in Him altogether. That’s a trick of the enemy. He’s using delay to get people to doubt.

Trust and believe He’s coming back. And when He returns, make sure you’re honoring Him with your life.

“For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭24:27‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Luke 17:14 He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy.

1. The lepers asked for help from Jesus.
2. Without any physical evidence of their healing, they were instructed to do an illogical thing and show themselves to the priests.
3. As they followed illogical instructions, they were cleansed.
   Note: Showing themselves to a priest was a sign that they were healed and it meant they could be reinstated into society. Before they followed instructions, they still had leprosy.

To get our desires, of course we must believe. As we believe, God may have us do something extremely illogical. He may have us go through the house buying process knowing we don’t have the money for it. He may have us move a body part knowing we just experienced pain in that body part. He may have us get off of social media and dating websites to obtain a spouse.

Regardless of His instructions, as we obey, things will begin to fall in place. Some how, some way God will put pieces together to manifest our desires.

Don’t tune it out just because it’s illogical. Follow His unusual instructions. He forewarned us by saying, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.”-Isaiah 55:8-9.

Their descendants will be recognized and honored among the nations. Everyone will realize that they are a people the Lord has blessed.”
Isaiah 61:9

When we come into the Kingdom of God, we become the people of the Lord or children of God. As children of God, there are special privileges we have. One of those privileges is recognition. Some people call this favor.

When we enter a room, start a new job, or meet people for the first time, there should be “something different” about us. They may not know what it is, but there should be a peace or joy surrounding us. What they can’t describe is the blessing on our lives.

We have to know and believe in this blessing ourselves. We can’t walk into a room thinking we’re ugly, unqualified, not special, or unworthy. We must know the blessing is on our lives and because of this we’ll experience recognition, preferential treatment, and opportunities we didn’t have to work for.

Let’s have a confidence about ourselves because of this blessing and expect favor in every area of our lives.

Galatians 3:14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

Through Christ Jesus, the blessing of Abraham is on our lives. We’re not blessed because we have a lot of stuff. We’re blessed because the word of God says we’re blessed.

We may not have all the money we want, but we’re blessed. We may not have a great marriage now or a marriage at all, but we’re blessed. Our health may not be at its best, but we’re blessed.

The blessing works through faith. Faith works by belief and confession. We must believe we’re blessed and confess we’re blessed. Look at those low finances, problematic marriage, or any other negative thing, and say “I’m blessed.” They may be treating you poorly at work but say, “I’m blessed.”

Through our belief and confession of the blessing operating within us, our lives will eventually line up with what we desire. Any negative thing we’re experiencing HAS TO improve. It’s a guarantee.

Believe in the blessing and tell yourself and anyone else, you’re blessed.

Proverbs 16:3 NLT Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.

Do you have big dreams and goals you want to accomplish? Well, commit your actions to the Lord and those dreams will come to fruition.

Committing our actions to the Lord simply means doing things God’s way. If He said it in His word, in the new covenant, in context, do it. If He said to love, forgive, or cheerfully give, that’s what we should do. It also means being led by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will tell us when to purchase something, where to go, and how to respond.

Don’t go through life making decisions based on how you feel or logic. Do things God’s way and EVERYTHING you desire will come to pass.

Ephesians 5:1 Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children.

The scripture tells us to imitate God. To do that, we have look through the scriptures to know the heart of God and the actions of God.

The heart of God is love (1 John 4:8). God is love. All He knows is love. As imitators of God, we are called to love. We don’t only love when we feel like it or when someone loves us back. We make the decision to love because we’re imitators of our Father.

God calls those things that be not as though they were (Rom. 4:17). Since God believes that His words have the power to change situations as it pleases Him (in Genesis) and we have power in our words, according to Proverbs 18:21, we can change our world with our words.

God forgives (1 John 2:12). God has forgiven everything we’ve done wrong because of Jesus’ sacrifice. We too can forgive our brother or sister who has wronged us. We’re not above God where we can’t forgive. If He can forgive, we can too.

These are just a few ways we can and should be imitating God. Look through the scriptures to see others ways we can imitate God.

2 Corinthians 5:7 (AMP) for we walk by faith, not by sight [living our lives in a manner consistent with our confident belief in God’s promises]—

When a loved one doesn’t feel well, don’t keep staring at them, especially if they have a look of pain or sorrow. Continuing to look at them, feeling sorry for them, is counterproductive to our faith. If both of you believe God’s word, both of you should know we’re healed (1 Pet. 2:24). If you’re going to look, look at them as if they are their healthy selves.

The same goes with our finances. If we have more bills than money, it does us no good to stare at our checking account. That’s walking by sight. Look to God’s word where it says all our needs are met (Phil. 4:19).

This also applies to our children’s behavior or grades, marriage issues, or other desires. If we focus on what’s wrong, we’ll never have the faith to obtain God’s best.

Let’s not be moved by what we see in the natural. Be moved by the word of God.

Luke 17:3‭-‬6 NKJV Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.” And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” So the Lord said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

In order for us to forgive someone who has severely hurt us, it’s going to require faith. We may not feel like we can forgive them, and that may be true in our own strength, but by faith we can forgive.

Jesus illustrates how to apply our faith to forgiveness using the mulberry tree. The tree represents unforgivness. Once we identify unforgiveness within us, using the belief in our hearts and the power in our words, we can say to unforgiveness, ‘be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. In other words, we’re telling unforgiveness to leave our souls.

In order for us to get this mustard seed sized faith to forgive, it requires hearing the word of God on forgiveness. Faith comes by hearing the word of God (Rom. 10:17). The more we hear on forgiveness, the more we’ll want to forgive and the stronger our faith becomes to forgive.

Let’s not live with bitterness and unforgiveness in our hearts. It’s only negatively impacting our lives and limiting what God can do in our lives (Mark 11:22-26). Use faith to forgive.

Inspired by Charles Capps

Psalm 86:5 “For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in loving kindness to all who call upon You.”

God is good all the time. And all the time, God is good. Since He’s always good, His goodness can become common to us. It’s something we expect. It’s like a father giving a child $100 every day. At first, they may be excited about the money, but eventually the appreciation wears off. If we’re not mindful, it can be the same with God. We can become ungrateful because we’re expecting more.

We may be a little upset that we didn’t get that job. Even though we didn’t get that job, God’s goodness is still present and should be recognized. We still have our health, food, clothes, family, and all we need. His goodness is still at work in our lives.

Don’t devalue God’s goodness because it’s not a huge gift or a major desire. Recognize the seemingly little things He’s always doing for us. This will keep us from being spoiled Christians.

Psalm 107:1 “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever.”

Mark 11:22 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God.

Have faith in God. Not in your own abilities, not in your finances, and not in anyone else. Have faith in God.

Faith in God encompasses having faith in His word, in what Jesus accomplished for us, and in what He personally says to you.

Faith is more than believing. It’s acting on our belief. He may tell us to do a specific thing to obtain a desire. Acting on what He told us is a display of our faith in Him.

If He didn’t give us specific instructions yet, we can easily act on our belief through confession. 2 Corinthians 4:13 says, we believe therefore we speak. We say what God says. We say we’re healed, protected, loved and accompanied by God. We say we believe we have received a specific desire. Whatever God says in His word, believe it and act on it.

Have and keep your faith in God. Don’t look to anything else. Have faith in God.

James 4:7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Submit means to come under a certain way. When we submit to God, it means we’re doing things God’s way.

We may submit to God in certain areas of our lives, but God desires complete submission. Don’t just submit in one or two areas. Completely submit to God. This includes in the areas of forgiveness, giving, loving our enemies, and humility.

Submission is all about trust. If you don’t trust the One to whom you’re submitting, you’ll never fully submit to His ways. Trust that whatever God is requesting us to do is not going hurt us or make us weak. It’s going to make us better people and better vessels for God.

When Adam was first created, God only gave him one command. He was not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:17). Notice, God didn’t give Adam an excessive amount of rules like He gave to Moses. More than rules, God desired a relationship with him. He wanted to walk and talk with Adam. God wanted Adam to go to Him if he had any questions. God’s original plan for man was relationship, not rules.

When sin entered the earth, God had to implement rules in order for mankind to survive. Jesus fulfilled those rules and now we have a chance to operate in relationship with God.

It’s not about religious rules. That brings bondage. Go back to the original plan. It’s about walking and talking with God throughout the day and letting Him lead us by His Spirit. It’s about knowing our sins have been paid for and we’re in Christ. Have a relationship, not rules.

And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
Genesis 2:7 NKJV

“Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” Ephesians 6:2‭-‬3 NKJV

We read these scriptures a lot to our children, but as we get older, this scripture gets less significant. Although most of us are adults, it’s still important and beneficial to honor our parents.

Honoring our parents as adults doesn’t mean we do everything they tell us. It means we respect their position as our parents. Whether they did a great or a lousy job at raising us, we still honor them because through them, they gave us life. Even if we didn’t know our parents, we still honor them for who they are. It may be difficult, but not impossible.

As we can see, honoring our parents has a promise attached. We’re promised long life. How is long life associated with honoring our parents? Who knows, but it is.

Whoever your parents are, honor them because this is right.

Then they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David; and they gave him bread and he ate, and they let him drink water. And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. So when he had eaten, his strength came back to him; for he had eaten no bread nor drunk water for three days and three nights.
I Samuel 30:11‭-‬12 NKJV

When David and his army retutned to Ziklag, they discovered the Amalekites took their wives and children while they were gone. As they pursued the Amalekites, they saw a starving Egyptian in the field. They could have just passed him by and focused on the mission of retrieving their wives and children, but David sowed a seed of kindness.

Little did David know, the Egyptian was a servant to the Amalekites and told them exactly where they were located. They were able to kill the Amalekites and retrieve their wives and children.

If David would not have sowed a seed of kindness into the Egyptian’s life, he would not have known where his wives and valuables were located.

We never know how our seed of kindness will benefit us in return. It may return in the form of help, favor, wisdom, access, notoriety, or promotion. Even if no one sees your kindness, God sees your kindness and we have a promise from Him that whatever good any person does, the same goodness they will receive from the Lord (Ephesians 6:8).

Be a vessel for God and a light in the earth by sowing a seed of kindness and expect to reap a harvest from the kindness you sow.

So David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?” And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.” -I Samuel 30:8 NKJV

David made an inquiry of the Lord regarding his battle strategy. God responded and gave him direction.

We too, should make inquiries of the Lord about direction in our own lives. Should I apply for this job? Should I marry this person? Should I buy this house? Should I invest in these stocks?

Once we make our inquiry, we wait for an answer. Let’s not be impatient and act before God responds. Once He answers, no matter how unusual it seems, act on that answer immediately.

Inquiring of the Lord will save us from bumping our heads and heartache. We may think we have it all figured out, but the Lord knows all. Let’s seek Him on all our decisions.

Proverbs 30:32 If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, or if thou hast thought evil, lay thine hand upon thy mouth.

Evil thoughts will come. We can’t help that. That’s a byproduct of this flesh body living in a cursed world because of sin. Thoughts, by themselves, have no power. They have no power until we act on them or give them power through our words (Prov 18:21). So, when an evil thought comes, don’t say it. Don’t give it power. Cover your mouth.

Evil thoughts are not limited to killing someone or robbery. Evil thoughts are anything contrary to the word of God. Your body and mind may say you’re sick, but don’t say that. Declare you’re healed (1 Pet. 2:24). Your bank account may be low. Instead of saying you’re broke or don’t have enough, say wealth and riches are in my house (Ps. 112:3). The same thing goes with what they say on the news. We don’t have to repeat it. That only makes the negative report stronger.

Any and all evil, negative, or perverted thoughts should not be spoken. Don’t give it power. Say what God says.

Jeremiah 32:17 “O Sovereign Lord! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you!

From healing a headache to healing a marriage, it’s all the same with God. If God blessed you with a good parking spot, He can bless you with a million dollars. There’s no distinction with Him. If you’ve seen Him do one thing, He can do it again.

One problem or request is not bigger than another with God. It’s all the same with Him. It may seem like a big project to us, but with God, it’s all easy. Nothing is too hard for God.

If we maintain our belief in God’s ability to manifest our desires, we’ll have whatever we requested. A lot of times, we look at the situation and think it’s impossible. If we doubt God’s word from coming to pass, it is impossible. However, if we continue to believe in spite of what we see, God’s power will bring ANY desire to pass.

Remember, nothing is too hard for God.

The godly are showered with blessings; the words of the wicked conceal violent intentions.
Proverbs 10:6 NLT

The godly are those who have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior. We don’t have to earn our godly status. We simply receive our godly status through our belief in Jesus as Lord.

Since we are the godly, we might as well take a shower. Our shower is not only with soap and water. Our shower is a blessing shower from God. This shower is a guarantee to any of the godly who are willing to believe.

A blessing shower consists of favor, increase, prosperity, great health and more. Notice, there’s no end to this shower. This shower can and should go on through our lifetime. The only thing that can stop our shower is our unbelief. But if we’re willing to believe that God will shower us with blessings, we’ll continously have all that we need and more.

The Lord will not let the godly go hungry, but he refuses to satisfy the craving of the wicked.
Proverbs 10:3 NLT

The fears of the wicked will be fulfilled; the hopes of the godly will be granted.
Proverbs 10:24 NLT

When the bible mentions the godly, it doesn’t mean a perfect person and it doesn’t mean a person always on their best behavior. The godly are people who are in right relationship with God through Jesus. If we’ve accepted Jesus as Lord, we are considered the godly.

As we can see, the godly, have a few promises. A great promise from God is no matter how bad it gets, God will make sure we have all we need. Verse 3 says, we’ll NEVER go hungry. Gas prices may be high and job stability may be unsure for some, but the godly will have all we need.

In verse 24, He ensures us hope. Any and every hope or desire will be granted. From a small desire like a good seat at church to a major desire like a new house, God ensures us that our hopes will be granted.

For the godly, our needs and desires will always be met. That’s God’s guarantee. Believe that. Receive that. And don’t let what you see stop your belief in His promises to the godly.

And because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their unbelief. Then Jesus went from village to village, teaching the people.
Mark 6:5‭-‬6 NLT

Jesus couldn’t do any miracles in His hometown because of their unbelief. It wasn’t because He lacked power. It was because they limited Him due to their unbelief.

So what did Jesus do after being astonished because of their unbelief? He went from village to village teaching the people.

The key to overcoming doubt and unbelief in God’s word is being appropriately taught the word of God. Today, through books, TV, and the internet, we have access to all these great teachers of the word of God.

WARNING Every person who calls themselves a minister or teacher is not accurately teaching the word of God. It’s important to let the Holy Spirit lead you on who to listen to.

As we consistently listen to good teaching, faith comes (Romans 10:17). And faith is what we need to obtain all the promises of God.

And because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their unbelief. Then Jesus went from village to village, teaching the people.
Mark 6:5‭-‬6

Jesus was limited in what He could do in His hometown. It wasn’t because He lacked power. He was limited because of their unbelief.

Our belief or unbelief is what opens or closes the window of heaven. It’s not God withholding something from us. It’s our belief or unbelief.

It’s simple. If we believe and maintain our belief in what God has promised in His word, despite what we see, we’ll have what we desire. If we’re doubting or in unbelief in what God has promised us, we limit what God can do in our lives.

The choice is up to us. Don’t limit God. He has all these wonderful things He wants to give and do for us. Let Him do it by maintaining belief in His word.