Category Archive

Deuteronomy 8:10 When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you.

When we’ve received what we desired from God, don’t forget to be thankful and bless the Lord.

It should be more than a quick “thank you God” after receiving what God has promised. When that prayer gets answered or that promise manifests, take a moment to truly focus on God and bless Him. Think about how you were feeling the first time you asked Him for that desire. Think about how God encouraged you to keep the faith for that desire when you wanted to quit. Think about how miraculous God answered that prayer. When we think about all those things, we should lift our hands, open our mouths, and bless the Lord.

Romans 4:19 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.

When we don’t consider our own abilities and shortcomings and focus on the abilities of God, all things become possible.

We no longer need to consider how much education or lack of education when applying for that job.We no longer need to consider our criminal history. We don’t need to consider our credit score when we’re in the process of buying a house. We no longer need to consider the diseases in our family tree as we get older.

Instead, we need to focus on God and His process to receive our promises. When we believe the promises of God, meditate on the promises of God, and speak the promises of God, they must come to pass. How it happens is irrelevant.

God may have someone give us a chance at a job in spite of our education or criminal history. God may allow us to get approved for a loan in spite of our credit score. God may wipe every trace of that disease that runs in our family from our bodies.

If we only consider ourselves and what we can do and see in the natural, we’ll always be limited. But if we believe in God, Who specializes in the impossible, then His Word will manifest in our lives.

Romans 8:5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.

Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind, for you to prove what is the good and well-pleasing and perfect will of God.

1 Peter 1:13 Therefore prepare your minds for action. Be sober-minded. Set your hope fully on the grace to be given you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Between these scriptures, we can see the mind plays a major role in our lives. What we allow to settle in our minds starts a chain reaction. What settles in our minds is what we begin to meditate on. What we meditate on is what we’ll believe or justify. What we believe is what we speak. And because our words have the power to create, what we speak is what will come to pass.

It doesn’t matter if the thought is holy and spiritual or full of sin. What settles in our minds will come to pass.

That’s why it’s so important to perform daily maintenance on our minds. We must ask ourselves, what have we allowed to settle in our minds? Is it something we “okayed” knowing it goes against the word of God? Have we settled for less than God’s best in one or more areas of our lives? Is it fear?

If the things that are settled in our minds don’t agree with the word of God, they must go. They can leave the same way they came. We find out what God’s word says about those thoughts. We meditate on His word. We choose to believe His word. And we speak His Word.

We can’t stop a thought from coming, but we can avoid allowing it to settle in our minds. Take some time and do some maintenance on your mind.

Google’s definition of inventory is a complete list of items such as property, goods in stock, or the contents of a building. As believers, every so often, we should take inventory of all the things God has done for us.

God blessed us with His Son Jesus, He allowed for us to see another day, He allowed us to have a sound mind, He got us through school, He blessed some of us with a spouse and children, we have shelter, most of us have employment, we’ve received promotions, He supplies everything we need. The list can go on and on.

The purpose of taking inventory is to reflect on the goodness of God. The devil will always make our current desires seem like they won’t come to pass. Our inventory will remind us of how much God has already done. As we look back on the goodness of God and see all that He’s done, we’ll be inspired to have faith for our current desires. We can boldly say, “If He did it before, He can do it again. Same God right now, same God back then.”

Psalm 31:19 Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind!

Proverbs 15:5 Only a fool despises a parent’s discipline; whoever learns from correction is wise.

Proverbs 20:3 Avoiding a fight is a mark of honor; only fools insist on quarreling.

Proverbs 18:2 Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions.

So, despising discipline, desiring to fight or quarrel, and rejecting understanding are just a few biblical definitions of a fool.

Let’s be honest with ourselves. Have we been foolish in one or more of these areas? Have we disregarded what our parents were trying to tell us for one reason or another? Are some of us always ready to pick a fight with our spouse, a coworker, or a sibling because we haven’t dealt with some internal issues in our past? Are some of us not listening to another person’s point of view because we feel our beliefs and ways are the only correct ways?

If we’ve answered yes to any of those questions, we must renew our minds (Romans 12:2). We need to allow our thoughts to align with God’s word. It may take time, but the more we do the work to renew our minds, the further we get away from foolishness. Don’t be a fool.

Ecclesiastes 10:3 You can identify fools just by the way they walk down the street!

And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.
Luke 15:21‭-‬22 NKJV

If we return to God, after doing things we know were wrong, God doesn’t even acknowledge our wrongdoing. Because of the sacrifice of Jesus, He simply welcomes us back.

He’s not going to make us pay a penance and He doesn’t require us to read a list, out loud, of everything we’ve done wrong. He loves us, accepts us, and looks for ways to bless us.

Don’t let guilt hold you back from establishing a relationship with God or rededicating your life back to God. He’s waiting on you and there’s no guilt, shame, or condemnation to those in Christ (Romans 8:1).

Don’t leave me Lord.
Come by here my Lord.
Don’t take Your Spirit from me.
Don’t take Your presence from us.
God, fill the atmosphere.

These are just a few statements and lyrics believers have made throughout the years. The problem is they’re unscriptual. These statements all have God coming and going. The scripture says, I will never leave you nor forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:8). Jesus lets us know He will be with us always (Matt. 28:20).

God’s not coming or going based on what we do or don’t do. He’ll always be with us because that’s His promise to us.

It doesn’t matter how much wrong we’ve done or how far we’ve strayed, God promised to be with us forever. As you’re reading this, God is with you right now. Recognize His presence and know He’s never going to leave you.

Deuteronomy 31:8 And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”

Isaiah 55:11 It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.

“The devil’s main goal is to get you to believe that God’s word won’t come to pass.”-Creflo Dollar

The devil continuously tells us it won’t work, you’ll never be married, children are not in God’s plan for you, etc. He doesn’t tell us these things when everything is working. He tells us during times of crisis, delay, or pain.

The devil is a liar!!! -(John 8:44)

As we can see, anything in God’s word must come to pass. It’s not a maybe or a possibly. It’s a guarantee. If we can find it in God’s word or if we know that God told us through our spirits, it has to happen. The only thing that stops it from happening is our unbelief. But if we’re willing to look past the circumstances, the delays, and the symptoms and believe God’s word, nothing can stop God’s word from coming to pass.

Study the word, find a promise, and believe (without doubt) that promise will manifest in your life.

Matthew 4:3 And the tempter came and said to Him, If You are God’s Son, command these stones to be made loaves of bread. 4 But He replied, It has been written, Man shall not live and be upheld and sustained by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.

Jesus was being tempted by the devil. Every time the devil had something to say, Jesus responded with the truth of God’s word.

The devil is still testing us today. How will you respond? Will you agree with him and his lies or agree with and respond with God’s word?

He’ll tell us, it (whatever it is) won’t happen. You’ll have this issue for the rest of your life. Or, no one really cares. We can believe his lies or replace his lies with the truth. The truth is God’s word will come to pass (Isaiah 55:11), we are healed (1 Pet. 2:23), and God cares for us (1 Pet. 5:7).

The devil is always talking. Let’s respond by opening our mouths and speaking the truth in God’s word. 

Romans 10:4 (NIV) For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in Him are made right with God.

In the Old Covenant, the law was over 600 rules that mankind had to keep in order to be accepted by God. If a person messed up in one area, they were guilty of breaking them all (James 2:10).

By God’s design, no one could or can keep the law. So, God implemented a plan to send Jesus. Jesus kept the law and became the ultimate sacrifice for all sin for mankind.

Our belief in Him keeping the law and being the sacrifice for us makes us righteous. We no longer have to keep the law and it’s not a combination of keeping the law and believing in the sacrifice of Jesus. We are righteous when we believe Jesus fulfilled the law and was the sacrifice for all sin.

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.