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To be saved, what if I told you all you have to do is believe and confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and He died for all your sins?

Romans 10:9 -10 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

What if I told you that you can still drink alcohol and be saved? What if I told you that you can still watch R-rated movies and be saved? What if I told you that you can still curse and be saved? What if I told you that you can smoke and be saved?

This is unpopular in religious circles. Some people think certain behaviors will affect our salvation. They don’t. Now, they definitely 100% will impact the quality of our lives and God may not want us to behave a certain way, but they won’t hinder our salvation. (Read Ephesians 2:8-9).

This flawless mindset from religious folks hinders so many people from coming to Christ. People think they have to change their entire lives around to become a Christian and that’s too difficult for some. More importantly, that’s not a requirement. Our requirement is to totally rely on what Jesus accomplished (Rom. 10:4).

As we develop our relationship with God and discover His goodness, we may not want drink, curse, or smoke, but even if we do, God still loves and accepts us as His own.

Wherever you are and whatever you’re doing, accept Jesus as Lord and come into the family of God.

God desires that we live the abundant life. He desires that we remain healed in our bodies, our families are prosperous, and we get the desires of our hearts.

At the same time, God also wants the unsaved to be saved. Since He’s not preaching sermons Himself in the earth, He needs willing participants to lead the unsaved to Christ.

It may not always be a sermon we preach to them. It may be us sharing our testimony. It may be us being a kind non-judgmental friend. It may be us being a blessing to them in their time of need. It may be us prioritizing praying for the lost.

Although God wants the best for us, let’s remember, He also wants the lost to be found.

1 Timothy 2:3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

Every year we have a birthday. Some of us look forward to our birthdays while others could care less. Regardless of how we feel about our birthday, we expect to have a birthday.

The same way we believe and expect to have a birthday every year is the same way we should believe and expect to receive a promise from God. It doesn’t matter if it’s healing in our bodies, deliverance for our children, or a new job, we should expect our desires to come to pass. We may not know when, but we should expect to receive them.

Don’t hope and wish God’s promises will come to pass. Believe and expect them to manifest soon.

Acts 3:5 And he began to give heed to them, expecting to receive something from them.

Matthew 17:20 He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

To get things done without toil or exhaustion, it takes faith. There are different levels of faith (small, great, etc.), but if we have a small portion of unshakable faith, we can do great and mighty things. We can do great things in our homes, for the Kingdom of God, and for people.

Not only can we do great things with our faith, but we can do things that are considered impossible in the world’s eyes. We can come up with the next big revolutionary idea, we can become a millionaire with only a high school education, and although we came from a dysfunctional family, we can have a successful prosperous family without any baggage.

Talk with God and find out your deepest desires. Next, study God’s word to see what it says about those desires. Finally, release your faith for those desires by believing what God’s word says and confessing it daily.

Genesis 12:2 “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.

Being a blessing sounds honorable and noble, but it’s not always easy.

We may have had a hard week and all we want to do is relax on the weekend, but on Friday, a friend asks if we can help them move. It sounds like a nice thing to do, but that can be difficult to our flesh. Or, we may have set aside some money to go shopping and go out to eat, but a relative asked if they can borrow some money to pay their bills. Here’s an opportunity to be a blessing, but it can be hard to think beyond our desires and think of someone else’s need.  

Although it’s not always easy, let’s not allow our feelings to dictate what we do for someone else. Consult God and if He tells us to be a blessing, let’s be a blessing. Remember, when we’re a blessing to others, God vows to bless us.

Ephesians 6:8 (NIV) because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.

At McDonald’s, there are around three managers at each store. They’re responsible for the supplies, ordering food, hiring employees, repairs, and updates to the facility. If a customer has a problem, the manager is contacted to settle the dispute. The owner of McDonald’s corporation is never responsible for what occurs at one store.

We understand this concept with businesses, but when it comes to the world, a lot of people want to blame the Owner (God).

Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Psalm 115:16 Heaven belongs to the Lord, but he gave the earth to people.

Looking at these two scriptures, the earth is under direct management of people. We are responsible for what occurs on the earth (good or bad). God is the Owner, but we are the managers. So, if you don’t like what you see, use your God-given authority to change it.

Unlike McDonald’s managers, we have direct access to the Owner of the earth. We can get Him involved to change what we see. We change our world through prayer, declarations, and faith. We see the best in God’s word and align our faith and our speech to change any situation.

This is our world and it’s up to us (not God) to change negative situations into positive outcomes.

Isaiah 48:17 with this message: People of Israel, I am the holy Lord God, the one who rescues you. For your own good, I teach you, and I lead you along the right path. 18 How I wish that you had obeyed my commands! Your success and good fortune would then have overflowed like a flooding river.

In most push start cars, we must place our foot on the brake to start the car. There’s usually a sign that instructs us to place our foot on the brake. If we disregard those instructions, the car won’t start. We can press the start button a million times, but if we don’t press the brake, the car won’t start, and we won’t get to our destination.

It’s the same way with God. God has instructions in His word and through the Holy Spirit. His word tells us to love, forgive, ask in faith, and don’t doubt. If we disregard those instructions, how can we expect to receive God’s promises? It’s not God withholding things from us or the devil stopping our blessings from coming. It could be our disobedience. Our disobedience (under grace) could be the thing stopping God from performing miraculous wonders in our lives.

Let’s be sure we’re doing what God instructs us to do so that we can experience success and good fortune overflowing like a river.

You should only declare a specific time for manifestation as the Holy Spirit leads you. Spend time with God. If the Holy Spirit said 7 days, 2 months, or 2 hours for a thing to come to pass, that’s what you decree. If He doesn’t give you a specific date/time, just believe in the manifestation of your promise at the God-appointed time.

The devil will tempt you to back off of your belief and confession about the time God gave you. He’ll let you know how unlikely it will manifest in that short period of time. But if you believe God said it, declare it regardless of how it looks.

The Holy Spirit knows the level of your faith. He knows if you need 6 weeks, 7 months, or 2 years to believe for the manifestation of a certain promise. Don’t try to think you’re at another level when you’re not. Don’t think you’re at a 2 week manifestation level when He’s told you you’re at a 2 year level. That only leads to self-inflicted disappointment.

The Holy Spirit knows the level of your faith.
He knows what you need so that He can help you decree things that are within the framework of what God can do for you because of where you are in your belief.

Spend time with God about a certain promise. If He gives you a time when that thing will manifest,  declare it, but if He doesn’t, continue to believe that you’ve received it until it manifests.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.

Psalm 103:1 Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name!

We are a spirit, we have a soul, and we live in a body (1 Thess. 5:23). Our soul is made up of our mind, our will, our imagination, our emotions, and our intellect.

When we say, “bless the Lord, O my soul,” we (our born-again spirits) are commanding our mind, which may be thinking of other things, to bless the Lord. We’re activating our God-given free will to bless the Lord. We’re telling our imagination to construct a form of worship to bless the Lord. We’re commanding our emotions, that may not feel like it, to bless the Lord. And we’re moving beyond our intellect, that may tell us He’s not listening, to bless the Lord.

Let’s allow our born-again spirits, which contain the Holy Spirit, to direct our soul and body to bless the Lord.

Matthew 10:8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received!

One command from Jesus is not greater than another. He tells us to love, forgive, and help, but as we can see, He tells us to heal, cure, cast out demons, and raise the dead.*

Question: In the last month, how many of us have attempted to obey one of these commands?

Not many of us outside the four walls of the church obey these commands. But… why? Are we embarrassed or ashamed? Are we prideful? Or, are we just disobedient?

Let’s put whatever issues we have aside and fulfill the purpose and command of Jesus.
*This message is for me too.

Exodus 10:1-2 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials so that I may perform these signs of mine among them that you may tell your children and grandchildren how I dealt harshly with the Egyptians and how I performed my signs among them, and that you may know that I am the Lord.”

Some people still think that mentioning what God has done is being boastful or inconsiderate of other people’s situations.

Look at the children of Israel. God specifically performed miracles and advised them to tell the generations to come. He didn’t tell them to keep it to themselves. God gets the glory when we share our story.

As far as for other people’s situations, it’s not inconsiderate. How else will they know what God can do for them if we don’t tell them what He’s done for us?

Share your story.

Hebrews 12:11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

In order to see results in our lives as we walk by faith, there needs to be discipline. Discipline is required in losing weight, running a successful company, and it’s required as we walk by faith.

Discipline is doing something when we don’t feel like it. When it comes to spiritual matters, it’s beneficial to consistently listen to the word of God when we don’t feel like it. It takes discipline to pray when we would rather play games. Discipline is necessary to say our confessions on a daily basis.

Will we still go to heaven without discipline? Absolutely, but think about the intimacy with God and promises from God we’ll miss out on because we weren’t disciplined.

Look past the immediate gratification of the flesh and magnify the long-term benefits of being disciplined.

Mark 10:14 NLT If any household or town refuses to welcome you or listen to your message, shake its dust from your feet as you leave.

As disciples, we’ve been called to go throughout all the earth preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ (Mark 16:15). One thing that stops people from completing their mission is rejection.

People get intimidated to preach the gospel because they don’t want to be rejected. Satan does a good job filling up our minds with the worst case scenario. He’ll have us thinking that they’ll laugh at us, call us uneducated, and we’ll be viewed as “holy roller”. Honestly, these things may happen, but we need to put our pride and reputation aside and do what our Savior has called us to do. What if we lead them to Christ?

Just because they reject Christ doesn’t mean they’re rejecting you. So, do as the scripture above tells us to do. If they won’t listen, don’t take on rejection. Just keep it moving.

Luke 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Under pressure, whatever we truly believe in our hearts will come out of our mouths. It doesn’t matter how long we’ve been saved or been in church. What we believe will be spoken.

Under pressure, someone who loses a job may say, “I don’t know what I’m going to do. I’m already broke.” That confession is tied to their belief. Someone experiencing sickness may say, “I’m sick as a dog.” Someone who has been alone for a long time may say, “No one wants me.”

Our belief and speech are so important because according to Proverbs 18:21, Matthew 4:4, and Mark 11:23, we shall have what we say.

To change our belief (which will change our confession, and will ultimately change our lives), we must be convinced that God’s word is the only truth (John 17:17). Secondly, we must consistently study God’s word. The more word we study, the more word we deposit in our hearts (Luke 8:15).

As we believe and build ourselves up in the word of God, the next time pressure comes, we’ll say, “God will supply all my needs.” We’ll say, “by His stripes, I am healed” if sickness attacks our bodies. We’ll say, “God wants me, and He’ll give me the desires of my heart including, a spouse” when thoughts of loneliness enter our minds. Under pressure, believe and speak the word of God.

Joshua 1:8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.

We can determine how much value we give to something based on how much time we give to it.

A true fan of a sports team values them by how much time they spend watching their games. A person values the success of their business based on how much time they invest learning successful business strategies. A person values their marriage based on how much time they spend with their spouse.  

These things are fine, but they have no redemptive value. If we can value sports, business education, or our marriages, we should value (even more) the written and audible word of God.

We can say how much we love God, but the time we spend with Him determines His value in our lives.

If you know you haven’t been valuing God like you should, allow God to help you restructure your lives to give Him the value that He deserves.     

If Warren Buffett or some other financial guru came to you and said, “If you give me $100 now, I’ll invest it and give you $1,000 in three months,” would you give it to them?
A lot of us would give them $100 because they have a proven track record of being financially savvy, the risk is minimal, and they’re billionaires.

If we would trust and give our money to a human (who can’t save, heal, or deliver), why wouldn’t we trust and give 10% of our money to an amazing, loving, all powerful God?

Look at God’s resume. God is the owner and the orchestrator of all finances (Haggai 2:7-8). God’s risks (they’re really not risks) are minimal. He only requires a dime from every dollar we receive (Malachi 3:10). Finally, God can’t lie (Heb. 6:18). If He said we’ll get a return on everything we invest in the Kingdom of God, that’s exactly what we’ll get (Luke 6:38).

Trust God with your finances. See Him as more knowledgeable and important with your finances than some of these investors.  

Genesis 14:20 And blessed be God Most High, Who has handed over your enemies to you.” And he gave him a tenth of everything.

Hebrews 6:12 This is so you won’t be lazy but follow the example of the ones who inherit the promises through faith and patience.

Have you ever felt stuck? You see everyone else making moves and receiving answers to their prayers, but nothing seems to be happening for you. You’re doing what the preacher says, but it doesn’t seem to be working. You just feel stuck.

Well, I’m here to shed some light on this “stuck” feeling. First of all, the concept of being stuck is a lie from the enemy. He wants us to think that everyone around us is doing well except us.

Secondly, just because manifestation hasn’t happened yet doesn’t mean we’re stuck. It simply means we need to exercise patience.

If we continue to believe God for what we desire (confess it daily), we’ll eventually get our desires. We won’t know how long it will take, but enjoy the journey. While we wait, we can better ourselves, help others reach their goals, and exercise maintaining joy when we don’t feel like it.

Just know, you’re never stuck. Just because you don’t know when or how it (whatever it is) will come to pass doesn’t mean you’re stuck. Continue to apply your faith and exercise patience for your desires.

John 8:44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

If you’re experiencing a negative emotion, you need to ask yourself…. What lie from Satan am I believing? If you’re irritable, frustrated, angry, or depressed, you’re believing a lie.

Daily, the devil bombards our minds with untrue things. A negative emotion is a sign that you believed one of his lies.

If you’re angry at work, you may have believed the lie that you’re unappreciated. If you’re depressed, you may have believed the lie that things will never change. If you’re anxious about wanting something to happen, you may have believed the lie that you’re going to miss out on something.

When a negative emotion arises, take a second to think about what you’re believing. If you find yourself believing the lie(s), drop the lie and believe the truth in God’s word.

Exodus 7:7 Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron was eighty-three when they made their demands to Pharaoh.

Moses didn’t get started fulfilling his purpose until he was 80 years old.

What can we learn from this?
We’re never too old to fulfill the call God has for our lives.

As we seek God and obey what He says, we’ll ultimately fulfill our purpose in life. We may not fulfill our purpose until we’re older and wiser, but that’s okay. Our purpose in life will be fulfilled.

Don’t get discouraged because you see people walking in their purpose in their 30’s, 40’s, or 50’s. Just stay the course and do what God called you to do in this season. Eventually, your purpose will be revealed and He’ll give you the steps to carry it out.
Trust God.

Tell Aaron everything I command you, and Aaron must command Pharaoh to let the people of Israel leave his country. But I will make Pharaoh’s heart stubborn so I can multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in the land of Egypt. Even then Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you. So I will bring down my fist on Egypt. Then I will rescue my forces—my people, the Israelites—from the land of Egypt with great acts of judgment. -Exodus 7:2‭-‬4 NLT

When we are in close relationship with God, He may (not always) tell us things to come. It may not always be positive, but He may provide detailed facts. When Pharaoh hardened his heart, it wasn’t a surprise to Moses because God already forewarned him.

As we spend quality time with God, He may provide details on how things will work out. He may tell us we’ll close on the current business deal, but after this deal closes, we’ll have a year without another deal. He may tell us to get more involved with our children’s homework in order for them to be successful. He may tell us why we’re going through this season where we feel like we’re stuck.

Spend time with God and open your spiritual ears and allow Him the opportunity to speak and let you know things to come.

Revelation 1:6 He has made us a Kingdom of priests for God his Father. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.

When we get born-again, we become kings and priests. Here’s something you may not have thought of. Until our children get to an age where they can hear God’s voice for themselves, we are their temporary priests.

There’s no one better than us to be our children’s priest. Before our children are born, they know our voices, they trust us, and should listen to us. For young children, since they can’t discern God’s voice, we must become God’s voice.

We become God’s voice by telling them what God said in His word. We tell them God is always with them according to Deuteronomy 31:6. We tell them don’t be afraid according to Isaiah 43:1. We tell them God is our Protector (Psalm 18:2). We show them how much God loves them (Rom. 8:31-39).

As they grow up and begin to pray for themselves, they’ll have this foundation of God’s word and the voice of God’s word in their spirits because we did our jobs as priests. So, parents and guardians, step into your priestly duties.

Matthew 21:21 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen.

Faith shouldn’t be limited to the major things in our lives. Faith can be applied to everything.

By faith, we can declare that noise in our cars to stop. We can use our faith to command the minor aches in our bodies to be healed. We can declare our babies to sleep through the night. Faith can cause us to reach certain goals in our exercises.

Nothing should be off limits when applying your faith.

1. Make a list of major and minor things you want to see changed.
2. Consistently release your faith for the change by confessing the change daily.
3. Expect for that situation to line up with your confession.

That prompting or feeling we get when we don’t feel like doing something that’s beneficial for us is a sign from the Holy Spirit. Follow these promptings. These promptings let us know that’s the path we need to be on.

The Holy Spirit will prompt us in several areas.
He’ll tell us to work out when we don’t feel like working out. During our favorite show, He’ll tell us to pray rather than watch another episode. He’ll tell us to go to church instead of sleeping in. He’ll tell us to apologize even though we don’t feel like we’re in the wrong.

Don’t ignore or disregard these signs. It’s the Holy Spirit leading us down a beneficial path. Follow His promptings and live a Spirit-led life.

Acts 20:22 (CEV) I don’t know what will happen to me in Jerusalem, but I must obey God’s Spirit and go there.

Luke 1:5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years. 8 So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division,

When people don’t get what they want from God, they usually get upset. Their anger or frustration may cause them to distance themselves from God. They stop talking to God, stop coming to church, and stop hearing the word.

But look at this passage of scripture. We have a couple continuing to serve God even though they’re childless. Their commitment to God was not based on what they can get from God. Their commitment to God was based on their love of God. They may have felt frustrated at times, but they didn’t stop their commitment to God. They continued to serve God. Their commitment eventually led them to give birth to one of the greatest prophets ever, John the Baptist (Luke 1:57).

When things get tough and it seems like your prayers aren’t getting answered, don’t run from God. Keep that relationship with God strong and keep serving His Kingdom. Our faith and commitment to God will eventually lead to a great breakthrough.   

Galatians 1:7 which is not just another account; but there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.

Although there are numerous scriptures that let us know about the gospel of Christ, there are still some people who distort the gospel of Christ.

The gospel of Christ is the gospel of grace. It’s mankind receiving redemption through our belief in the works of Christ Jesus. It’s mankind believing that Jesus fulfilled the Mosaic law and died for all of our sins.

Some distort the gospel by adding works and self effort. They think our works in addition to Christ gives us salvation. They think we have to be holy or faultless 95% of the time, for at least a year, in order to be saved. Ephesians 2:8 says, “God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.”

The gospel of Christ lets us know all we have to do is believe in what Jesus accomplished for us and receive His sacrifice as the payment for our sins. That’s it! Anything else added to that distorts the gospel.

1 John 1:5 (AMPC) Beloved, it is a fine and faithful work that you are doing when you give any service to the [Christian] brethren, and [especially when they are] strangers. 6 They have testified before the church of your love and friendship. You will do well to forward them on their journey [and you will please do so] in a way worthy of God’s [service].

It’s fine to desire things for ourselves and want to fulfill our purpose, but let’s not forget about others. The scripture says, it’s a fine and faithful work when we serve others.

Serving others includes, reaching out to people to genuinely see how they’re doing. It also includes, sending someone a just because gift, inviting a friend somewhere, and praying for a relative. As we can see, these acts are not only meant for people we know, but these acts should include strangers. In line, pay for a stranger’s meal, give them a compliment, or ask if they need prayer for anything.

Let the Spirit lead you on how you should serve someone else.  

Mark 1:30 But Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once. 31 So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. And she served them.

As soon as Simon’s mother-in-law experienced a miracle of healing in her body, she began to serve Jesus.

Most of us experienced the greatest miracle ever. The greatest miracle ever is an opportunity to be born again. Not only have we experienced the miracle of being born again, we can honestly say God healed us, delivered us from things or people attempting to destroy our lives, provided for us, and so much more.

With all that God has done, we should follow Simon’s mother-in-law’s example and serve Him. We can serve God by volunteering at our church, feed the homeless, and minister the gospel to friends, family, and strangers. We can serve Him by living a lifestyle honorable to God. Nowadays, we can serve Him by consistently acknowledging Him on social media. Starting today, begin to serve God, increase your service to God, or encourage others to serve God.

Nahum 1:7 The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him,

There are some who have a misconception of trouble. Some think because we’re Christians, we won’t face problems and difficulties. Everyone (Christians and non-Christians) will experience trouble. The big difference is, Christians have a promise of deliverance. Any problematic situation we face, God promises to deliver us from them all (Ps. 34:19).

This deliverance is not automatic because we’re Christians. Our deliverance is made possible when we place our faith in His word for deliverance. In the middle of that tough situation, we must believe for and expect deliverance based on His word. Our logical minds may not know how we’re going to get out of that situation, but our faith in God’s word will bring us out.

Every promise hinges on our faith in God’s word. Release your faith for deliverance out of any and every problem.   

Romans 8:33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.

As we grow in our relationship with God, there are some people, who we left behind, that try to make us feel bad for the things we’ve done in the past. They like to tell the “I remember when” stories to snuff out our joy of maturing and being in a real relationship with God. Ultimately, they want to keep our minds stuck in the past, so we won’t think we’re better than them.  

We may have done some dumb things in our past, but that’s the past. We are a new creation in Christ. We’ve been forgiven, God has justified us, and we shouldn’t allow anyone to condemn us. The blood of Jesus has cleansed us of every wrong thing we’ve done or will ever do.

Don’t allow anyone to hold your future hostage by digging up skeletons in your past. We’re brand new. Continue to grow in your relationship with God and if someone tries to condemn you of your past, use it as a testimony to give God glory for how far you’ve come.

Most, if not all, of church hurt comes from people trusting in, relying on, and valuing the approval of imperfect people.

You got hurt when you found out the pastor, who you looked up to, was cheating on his wife. Now you feel foolish. You got hurt when you realized some of the members, who are supposed to love unconditionally, judged you because you had an abortion. You got upset when the members seemed unappreciative of your efforts.

Once again, the church is made up of imperfect believers. They may not all get it right and some are downright mean. However, if we focus on establishing and developing a personal relationship with Jesus, church hurt will be a thing of the past.

We won’t be looking to the church for validation, love, and support because we’ll experience that through Jesus. We’ll have a better understanding of grace when we or others miss the mark. We won’t place our trust in pastors because our trust will be in God. We won’t be sad when church friends turn their backs on us because we have a friend in Jesus.

If you’ve experienced church hurt, examine your life. There’s possibly an area where you’ve trusted in people. Take that previous hurt to God and begin to establish, maintain, and develop your relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

Psalm 146:3 Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.

Ephesians 1:5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. 7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace

There are some of us who seek acceptance from outside sources, not realizing we’ve already been accepted by God through Christ. Because of negative events in our lives and because we haven’t received God’s acceptance, we’ll seek a perverted form of acceptance. We’ll join gangs, stay in toxic relationships, or intentionally have a baby just to be accepted by someone.

Once we truly get an understanding of our God-given acceptance, we’ll never need to force someone to accept us or work tirelessly to get people to like us. We’ll realize His acceptance is enough.

Meditate on these scriptures continuously until you’re convinced that God has accepted you and His acceptance is enough.

Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

We don’t listen to the word of God so that God is pleased with us and we don’t listen to the word to check some religious box. We listen to the word to build and strengthen our faith.

The more word we hear, the stronger our faith. If we listen to the word on healing, we’ll have strong faith to know we are healed. If we hear the word of God on prosperity, we’ll have faith for prosperity.

We need our faith to be strong because we have an enemy who wants to destroy us. He doesn’t want to see us saved, healthy, blessed, or at peace. Our faith can counterattack his thoughts,  ideas, and suggestions. Also, negative situations in life will come and having faith in the word of God helps us look beyond those situations and focus on God’s promises. 

If you want to live a defeated life, don’t listen to the word. However, if you want to live a victorious life, get a daily dose of word. Remember, it’s not for God. It’s for you to be equipped with the neccessary tools to win.

Jonah 2:1 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside the fish.

Jonah 2:10 Then the Lord ordered the fish to spit Jonah out onto the beach.

Whatever predicament we’ve placed ourselves in, God can hear us and help.

We may be in the bed with someone else’s spouse and God will hear us. We may have gotten ourselves deep in debt through disobedience and God will help when we cry out. We may have turned our backs on God, but He’s still available when we turn towards Him.

No matter what we’ve done or how far we’ve strayed, when we call out to God, He’ll hear us and help us.

If you were unsaved, what would draw you into Christianity? Would it be the message of the cross? Would it be eternal life? Or, would it be abundant life?

All of these are awesome reasons to give your life to the Lord, but one of these can be currently displayed. The message of the cross is awesome, but we reap the benefits of Jesus’s sacrifice after we transition. Eternal life is good, but how can that benefit us now? What can be displayed now is abundant life.

Abundant life can be displayed in multiple ways. It can be displayed in our attitude. It can be displayed in our giving. It can be displayed in our marriages. It can be displayed with luxury living. When unsaved people see this kind of living, they’ll want Jesus now. It’s hard for some to believe that Jesus saved them from hell and we’ll live forever, but they can easily see Jesus providing an abundant life.

Why would anyone want to be in God’s family full of broke grouchy people with toxic marriages? They wouldn’t. We don’t have to be perfect, but let’s understand, access, and believe for the abundant life Jesus provided so that we can display it for the unsaved world.

John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

God has some difficult commands in His word. Let’s look at a few.

Matthew 5:44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

Psalm 37:1 Don’t be angry because of those who do evil, do not be jealous because of those who commit iniquity.

Ephesians 4:32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

Depending on the circumstance, these are some difficult things to do on a consistent basis. It’s pretty hard to truly love someone who’s hurt us to the core or not be envious of someone’s success, knowing how they treated others.

We were never meant to fulfill these commands in our own strength. We were always meant to rely on the help of the Holy Spirit.

When a crooked boss looks over all our hard work and promotes someone else, we need to look to God and ask for help to love that person. When an ex-spouse is attempting to defame our character in front of our children, we need to ask God for help on being kind to them.

Nothing will successfully be done for an extended period of time without the help of the Holy Spirit. Look to God for help in difficult situations.

John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

Romans 8:25 But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.

You may not have the big paying career yet but be patient my friend.
You may not have a painless body but be patient.
You may not be married with children yet but be patient.

Every promise of God requires some type of patience. There are several things we can learn while being patient. We learn to wait with a positive attitude. If we’re waiting on a house or car, we can learn all the details on how to best manage and maintain that house or car. If we’re waiting on better employment, we can learn what we need to learn to be an outstanding employee. If we’re waiting on a spouse and children, we can learn how to better ourselves to be the best spouse and parent.

On the other side of our patience is our breakthrough. Don’t stop believing because it’s taking too long. Know that it’s available and it will manifest in our lives.

Imagine God blessing you with your greatest desire. It’s something you wanted for a long time. Imagine holding that desire in your hands or seeing it with your eyes. Imagine yourself praising God for that desire. Imagine yourself crying, raising your hands, and worshipping
God because somehow some way He made it happen. Imagine yourself telling God how good He is and how you love Him and thank Him. Just imagine.

Now… that praise and worship you just imagined yourself doing… do it now. Praise Him now. We can praise Him now with the same intensity we imagined because of 1 John 5:14-15 which says, this is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us–whatever we ask–we know that we have what we asked of him. We can and should sincerely praise Him now because we know we have whatever we asked for. It may not have materialized yet, but we have it. It’s only a matter of time and a constant belief in God’s word before what we imagine will come to pass.

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. 1 John 5:14‭-‬15 NIV

Acts 17:11 (NLT) And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth.

There are some of us who listen to ministers speak on a regular. It’s important to listen to them and search the scriptures to confirm what they’re saying is true and in context.

For instance, a minister may read Matthew 6:15 which says, if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. That minister may tell us we won’t be forgiven if we don’t forgive others. Well, that’s not true. In Matthew 6, Jesus was speaking to disciples living under the law. A minister saying something like that can bring fear and condemnation. Under the new covenant, Ephesians 4:32 says, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. It’s important to forgive, but our forgiveness from God is not dependent upon our forgiveness to others. Through Christ, we’ve been forgiven. It’s already done.

Don’t take anyone’s word for truth. Validate what they’re saying with the Word of God.

2 Corinthians 9:6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.

Sowing and reaping is a law that God established in the earth. Whatever we give (small or large), will be given back to us (Luke 6:38). It’s no different than Newton’s third law of motion that states; “what goes up must come down.” It has to happen.

That’s why it’s so important to give as God instructs us to give. He’s encouraging us to activate this law. A benefit to giving as God leads us to give is He obligates Himself on our return. God’s return is always greater than what we’ve given. In Luke 6:38 it tells us when we give, it shall be given back in an overflowing manner.

So, whether God’s prompting us to give a few dollars to a homeless person, give to a friend, or give to the church, do it and expect God to return what we’ve given in abundance.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NLT) Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

A lot of us spend a lot of time playing the “If I” game with ourselves. We make statements such as, if I had more money, I can buy nicer things for my family. If I had a better house, I wouldn’t hear the neighbors next door. If I had a better job, I could have more opportunities for promotion. These statements may be factual, but this game leads to ingratitude.

We may not have all the money we want, but at least we can pay our bills and have the necessities. We may not have the house we want, but praise God, we have a roof over our heads. We may not be working where we ultimately desire, but we’re employed.

There’s nothing wrong with having desires, but don’t let those desires minimize or belittle what God has currently provided. Be grateful.