You are currently browsing the category archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ category.
Psalms 26:12 NLT Now I stand on solid ground, and I will publicly praise the Lord.
God has done some amazing things for us. The least we can do is praise Him without being ashamed.
Most of us have no problem praising God in the privacy of our home. We’ll sing loud (even if we’re off key), cry, lift up our hands, and bow down. But in public, some of us have shame. Feelings of embarrassment and concern about what others think enter our minds, and we give Him a quiet half-raised hands praise.
Who could be responsible for those thoughts? ….Of course it’s Satan!
We should push past those demonic thoughts and publicly praise God. The same passion we have praising God in privacy is the same passion we should have praising God publicly.
Outside the church, public praise can be part of reaching the lost. When people see us publicly praise God for that sale we completed at work, being cured from that disease, or being promoted, they may inquire about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and we can tell them.
In private, praise God. In public, praise God. Praise God continuously.
#praise #God
Psalms 25:3 NLT No one who trusts in You will ever be disgraced, but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive others.
Our trust in God is tied to us never being disgraced. Alternate words for disgraced are defeated, humiliated, disappointed, or put to shame.
In some situations, it may look unfavorable but continue to trust. Ultimately, our trust in the Lord and in what He promised will turn those unfavorable situations around for our benefit.
Trusting God doesn’t mean we’ll get exactly what we want when we want it. Trusting God means we’ll get more than what we want, during His timing that benefits us and others.
Although some situations may look bad, don’t quit on God. Continue to trust Him and He’ll turn everything out for our good.
#trust #God
Psalms 24:1 NLT The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to Him.
Every little thing on the earth belongs to the Lord. It’s not some things belong to us, and some things belong to Him. Everything on the earth belongs to Him.
Whatever we “own” here on earth technically belongs to God. We’re just stewards of His possessions. That house we live in belongs to Him, the money in the bank belongs to Him, and our time belongs to Him.
So, when He asks us to give something away like money, clothes, or a car, give it away knowing it doesn’t belong to us anyway.
Having this mentality of being a steward of God’s possessions will help us from being selfish, possessive, and materialistic.
Always realize everything we have and everything we’ll acquire belong to Him. Steward it wisely.
#steward #well #God #loves #us
Psalms 23:1 NLT The Lord is my Shepherd; I have all that I need.
By allowing the Lord to be our Shepherd, our leader, and our guide, we position ourselves to have all our needs met.
Some of us go to work daily, hoping our needs will be met. We hope we have enough money for the rent, for food, and for clean clothes. We don’t have to worry or wonder. God guarantees that if we make Him our Shepherd, the necessities of life will be met.
By allowing Him to be our Shepherd, we give Him control over our lives. As we give Him control and communicate with Him, He’ll show us how to earn more money, He’ll show us how to better manage our finances, He’ll show us where our favor will come from. He’ll do all of this so that our needs and more can be met.
Praise God for all our needs being met.
#nolack #in #Christ
Below are some of the things prophetically spoken by David that Jesus experienced for us.
Psalms 22:12-16 NLT My enemies surround me like a herd of bulls; fierce bulls of Bashan have hemmed me in! Like lions they open their jaws against me, roaring and tearing into their prey. My life is poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax, melting within me. My strength has dried up like sunbaked clay. My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You have laid me in the dust and left me for dead. My enemies surround me like a pack of dogs; an evil gang closes in on me. They have pierced my hands and feet.
Jesus suffered greatly just for us. His flesh was torn to pieces, His blood was drained from His body, He was dehydrated, and obviously, His hands and feet were pierced.
This was supposed to be us, but Jesus took our punishment. Jesus took the charges meant for mankind. Jesus was made sin and accepted God’s wrath on our behalf. Jesus endured all these things and more just for us.
Even though His story and His sufferings are often told to us (believers), don’t lose your appreciation for what He’s done. And even though we may hear of His sufferings often, there are some who have never heard it before. Value and internalize His experiences and share it with someone else.
#share #Jesus #God #so #greatly #loved #us
Psalms 21:7 NLT For the king trusts in the Lord. The unfailing love of the Most High will keep him from stumbling.
We are royalty (Revelation 5:10). As royalty, we are to trust in the Lord. How do we completely trust in the Lord? By trusting in His unfailing love.
When we trust in the unfailing love of God, that minimizes the marks we miss. We’ll understand that the parameters He set up for us are based on His love.
He didn’t tell us not to be drunk with wine in Ephesians 5:18 because He wanted to ruin our “fun.” His love placed those limits in our lives because He doesn’t want us to kill ourselves, say something that will ruin a relationship, or do something we’ll regret. The same goes for fornication in 1 Corinthians 6:18. He didn’t tell us not to fornicate because He wanted to control us. He knows, and scientists have proven, the physical, emotional, and psychological issues sex before marriage can cause, and He wants to save us from having to deal with these issues.
It’s no different than the parameters we set for our children. We don’t tell them not to touch the pretty flames on the stove because we want to flex our parental muscles. No, we have that rule because we love our children and don’t want to see them hurt. God is our Heavenly Father, and we are His children. Every rule He set up in the New Covenant (in context) benefits us.
When we truly trust in His love, we trust the structure He set up for us. Our trust in His love keeps us from damaging our ourselves, our lives, and the lives of those around us.
#trust #God #He #cares #for #you
Psalms 20:7-8 NLT Some nations boast of their chariots and horses, but we boast in the name of the Lord our God. Those nations will fall down and collapse, but we will rise up and stand firm.
Some boast in their diet and exercise. Some boast in the amount of money they make. Some boast in the houses they live in and the cars they drive. Some boast in the success of their children. There’s nothing wrong with being healthy or wealthy, but that shouldn’t be the foundation of our boasting. We, as believers, should boast in the name of the Lord.
What does boasting in the name of the Lord look like? We take everything that appears successful and subpar and put it under the name of the Lord.
If there are things that are deemed successful, we intentionally put that success under the name of the Lord. We tell ourselves and everyone else that none of this success would happen if it wasn’t for Jesus.
If there are things that are deemed subpar, we put that under the name of the Lord by releasing our faith in what Jesus has made available for us. If our health or finances are lacking, we declare our health and finances improve based on what Jesus accomplished on the cross.
Any and everything should be put under the name of the Lord.
#boast #in #God #alone
Psalms 19:1-3 NLT The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make Him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard.
Every now and then, we should slow down from our busy lives, take a step back, and look at God’s creation. Look at the sunrise and sunsets. Look at the mountains and the oceans. Look at the stars. Look at the detail He put in His creations. When we see the beauty in all of this, we can’t help but realize how awesome He is.
This is the time we can look at His creations and give Him glory. Give Him glory because He created all these things with us in mind. He wanted us to get a small glimpse of His glory.
With everything He created, He still cares about us. If He can still make this earth appear beautiful after all that mankind has done to it, He can beautify all the parts of our lives regardless of what we’ve done to it.
Praise God for being the ultimate creator and the one who makes all things beautiful.
#He #makes #all #things #beautiful #restoration #through #Christ
Psalms 18:47 NLT He is the God who pays back those who harm me; He subdues the nations under me
God is a God of love. He wants everyone saved, and He wants everyone to benefit from His love. At the same time, God is a God of justice. If people refuse to honor Him and they harm His people (us), He vows for vengeance.
Vengeance has nothing to do with hate. Vengeance comes from a love of justice. In multiple areas, God promotes vengeance for His people (Prov. 20:22, Rom. 12:19, Heb. 10:30). He wants us to be comforted in knowing that the wrong that is done to us will be handled by Him. He doesn’t want us to seek our own justice. He wants that to be His responsibility.
If someone has hurt you or has done you wrong, don’t attempt to seek vengeance on your own. Give it to God and trust that He’ll handle the situation. Don’t pray for the worst scenario for their punishment. Pray for their deliverance from evil and repentance towards God. Let Him handle it.
#Let God #be #God
Psalms 17:15 NLT Because I am righteous, I will see you. When I awake, I will see you face to face and be satisfied.
How bold is David to say, “Because I am righteous, I will see you” (God)? In some Christian circles, he would have been ostracized for calling Himself righteous. But he said it anyway and wasn’t rebuked by God.
In the New Covenant, with even more boldness, we can say we are righteous. We’re not righteous because of what we’ve done or how good we’ve behaved. Romans 5:1 says we’ve been made righteous because of what Jesus has done for us. And because of His righteousness, we will eventually see God, our Creator, face to face.
So, don’t let Satan, people, or church members tell you that you’re not righteous. Everyone who puts their faith in Jesus Christ has been made righteous.
#made #right #through #Jesus #Christ #righteous
Psalms 16:2 NLT I said to the Lord, “You are my Master! Every good thing I have comes from you.”
“Everything that happened to me that was good, God did it.” -Evelyn Turrentine-Agee
These are lyrics to a song, but they are based on scripture.
Any and everything good in our lives comes from God. Loving parents come from God. A wonderful spouse comes from God. Being able to walk without pain comes from God. Our children come from God. And salvation through Jesus Christ comes from God.
Satan will use the cares of life, negativity in the news, and toxic people to minimize the good in our lives. Don’t focus on it. We give strength to whatever we focus on. However, if we focus on the goodness of God, we’ll maintain a mindset of gratitude.
There has and will always be more good in our lives than bad. Think about the good and thank God for them.
#every #good #and #perfect #gift #is #from #God
Psalms 15:3 NLT Those who refuse to gossip or harm their neighbors or speak evil of their friends.
Prior to Jesus, we couldn’t enter the presence of God if we gossiped. Praise God for His sacrifice because although we’re all guilty of gossiping, that sin has been paid for, and we can boldly enter the presence of God.
Although our sins have been forgiven, gossiping isn’t good. We must recognize the damage that it causes. It causes us to be critical or judgmental of another person’s decisions. The reputation of a person can be destroyed through gossip. Relationships can be ruined, and that person can be socially rejected.
If we should hear gossip, we should pray for the gossiper and the person they’re gossiping about. If we’re led, we should approach that person and offer help for their situation. And at the very least, we shouldn’t spread the gossip.
Gossiping doesn’t benefit us or the person we’re talking about. It’s a coward’s way of communication.
#speakLIFE
Psalms 14:2 NLT The Lord looks down from heaven on the entire human race; He looks to see if anyone is truly wise, if anyone seeks God.
Wisdom isn’t determined by age. It isn’t determined by how many books we’ve read or degrees we have. A wise person seeks the Lord.
Proverbs 3:6 says to acknowledge Him in all our ways. Proverbs 9:10 says the fear, or our reverence, of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
Wise people understand they don’t know it all or have it altogether, so they seek God on what to do in every situation. Wise people realize there’s Someone smarter than them Who has their best interests at heart, so they follow His ways.
Don’t be stubborn and intentionally oppose God. Don’t be weak and let your flesh have its way. Be wise and seek the Lord by spending time in His word, spending time with Him in prayer, and being led by the Holy Spirit in all your ways. Let’s be wise and seek Him.
#seek #God #acknowledge #the #Lord #in #everything
Psalms 13:6 NLT I will sing to the Lord because He is good to me.
Before we can sing a song to the Lord, we must first recognize His goodness. Satan will use the difficulties of life to deceive us into thinking that God is good to everyone else, but us. We’ll see this family looking happy or see someone celebrating 15 years of marriage and compare our lives with that and minimize God’s goodness.
We must understand that God is and will always be good to us. It may not always be applauded by the world or our peers, but that doesn’t mean He isn’t good.
Each breath we take is evidence of His goodness. The fact that our needs are being met, we’ll always have His love, and we continually benefit from Christ’s sacrifice are all signs of His goodness.
When we magnify His goodness, we’ll experience joy. From this joy, we’ll have a song of praise in our hearts that we can share with Him.
#the #goodness #of #God
Psalms 12:6 NLT The Lord’s promises are pure, like silver refined in a furnace, purified seven times over.
We may have had people lie to us. It could’ve been our parents, our teachers, or our supervisors. They say one thing but end up doing another. This can leave us with a lot of distrust. Eventually, we’re told to trust God, but because we’ve been lied to so many times, we read God’s word with skepticism.
God is not like man. What God said will come to pass. His promises are pure. It’s not a might or a maybe. It has to come to pass. The only thing that stops His promises from coming to pass is our unbelief. If we have doubt, unbelief, and distrust in our hearts, it limits or stops what God can do.
Let’s change our mentality when it comes to God’s word. Without doubt or hesitation, believe it and trust that at the appointed time it will come to pass.
#trust #God #fully
Psalm 11:7 AMPC For the Lord is [rigidly] righteous, He loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold His face, or He beholds the upright.
The righteous do righteous deeds. Not because it makes them righteous. They do righteous deeds because of their righteousness.
By putting our faith in Jesus, Jesus made us as righteous as we would ever be (Rom. 5:1). Once we understand that we’re righteous, out of our appreciation for Him, we do righteous deeds. This includes helping the poor, praying for the sick, introducing people to the gospel of Jesus Christ, and meeting the needs of someone else.
Once again, these deeds don’t make us righteous. These deeds are done because we’re righteous.
Make the world a better place and act selflessly by performing righteous deeds.
#made #right #through #Christ
Psalms 10:13 NLT Why do the wicked get away with despising God? They think, “God will never call us to account.”
At some point, we’ve all had this thought of wondering why it seems the wicked prosper and go unpunished in life. Meanwhile, it seems the godly, who are trying to do right, get mistreated and the bare minimum.
If we focus on this too much, we could find ourselves envying the wicked. We may find ourselves living how the wicked live because of the appearance of prosperity and the lack of consequences. Don’t fall for this trap. Later on in Psalm 37:1-2, we see that the wicked will eventually fade away.
Continue to honor the Lord. Not just to prosper but out of appreciation of the sacrifice of Jesus. Let your light shine so that people can see your good works and glorify the Father (Matt. 5:16). If we don’t lead them to Christ, who will?
#light #shine #bright
Psalms 9:9 NLT The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.
For political figures in hostile territories or important witnesses that they want to keep safe, they sometimes put them in a safe house. It’s a place that’s highly secured and unknown to their enemy.
God promised to be our refuge or a safe-house in times of trouble. Life can seem difficult at times. We may have challenges at work, problems at home, health issues, and financial struggles. When the enemy is throwing these difficulties in our face, we can find a safe place where we can turn. We can turn to God.
We can get in His presence and allow His peace to take over. We can get in His word and allow our faith to be built up. We can build ourselves up by praying in the Holy Spirit. We can allow Him to speak to us and let us know everything will be alright.
Our difficulties won’t disappear after being in His shelter, but our perspective of those difficulties will change. Because we’ve focused on God, the issues that seemed so big before will seem minor. We’ll have an assurance that everything will work out in our favor.
#God #is #our #shelter #He #will #work #it #out
Psalms 8:4-6 NLT what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor. You gave them charge of everything you made, putting all things under their authority—
“I’m only human.” This is spoken by a person who doesn’t know their authority.
God, Himself, made us a little lower than Him. Not, a little lower than angels as some translations say. A little lower than Him.
We have authority over everything. This includes, but is not limited to, authority over sickness, pain, drug habits, mindsets, the weather, lack, and time.
To operate in this authority, we must have faith (Romans 4:16). We must sincerely believe that God gave us this authority, regardless of what it looks like or how we feel. Once we believe, we act on our belief by consistently confessing what we believe (2 Corinthians 4:13).
Believe that God gave us this authority without limits and operate in this authority always.
#use #your #God #given #authority
Psalms 7:17 NKJV I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness, And will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.
Our praise is always necessary. It keeps our hearts grateful to God. Looking at certain situations in life can have us feeling like life’s not fair because we don’t have this or that. Our praise helps us maintain our gratitude for what He’s already provided.
In this case, we can praise God according to His righteousness. This means we can praise Him because He is just or makes things right. We don’t have to react or respond to the wrong that was done to us. We don’t have to prove our innocence. We can rely on God who makes things right. Because He made it His responsibility to make things right for us, we can give Him praise.
There are so many reasons to give God praise. Add making things right to that list and give Him the praise.
#give #God #praise #practice #gratitude
Psalms 6:9 NLT The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord will answer my prayer.
With every prayer, we must believe that God heard us. When we’re convinced that God heard us, we know we have whatever we requested (1 John 5:15).
After praying, we don’t have to beg, worry, or do any additional works to make our prayers come to pass. All we have to do is believe.
In Psalm 6, before the cross, David was confident that he was heard and the Lord would answer his prayer. We, in the new covenant, must approach God with even more confidence that God heard and will answer our prayers. It doesn’t matter how good we’ve been or if our conversations with Him have been infrequent. When we pray to God, we must believe He heard and will answer every prayer.
Praise God for hearing and answering our prayers.
#God #answers #our #prayers
Psalms 5:8 NLT Lead me in the right path, O Lord, or my enemies will conquer me. Make your way plain for me to follow.
What most of us are fighting on a daily basis is our will against the will of the Father. We may want to stay in that relationship, but we know God is instructing us to end that relationship. We may want to let loose and get a couple of drinks on Friday, but God is telling us to go home.
The basis of our fight between God’s will and ours is trust. A lot of us don’t trust that God’s way is better than ours. We must trust that the benefits of doing things God’s way outweigh the temporary satisfaction of our flesh.
Just let go and surrender it all. Once we stop fighting our will against His, God’s word guarantees a blessed, prosperous, peaceful life. It doesn’t mean it will be perfect, but it will be far better than the life we create on our own.
#trust #God #follow #Jesus
Psalms 4:4 NLT Don’t sin by letting anger control you. Think about it overnight and remain silent. Interlude
Anger has been detrimental to our world since the beginning. Cane was jealous of Abel’s accepted sacrifice, and his anger caused him to kill his brother.
If we’re not mindful, our anger can control us. It can cause some to get a divorce, abuse their spouses, destroy valuable property, or get arrested because of road rage. All of these things start with anger, which can lead to sin destroying some, if not all, of their lives.
It didn’t say we shouldn’t be angry. It says we shouldn’t allow anger to control us. When you’re feeling angry, give that care to God and receive His peace, which He made available to every believer (John 14:27; 1 Peter 5:7).
#manage #your #emotions #anger #peace
Psalms 3:3 NLT But you, O Lord, are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high.
God is our protector. It’s His privilege to protect us. He never intended for us to protect ourselves. Protecting ourselves comes from a place of fear and distrust. When we attempt to protect ourselves, we’re essentially saying having enough guns, security cameras, and staying alert will protect us better than He can.
Even emotionally, God wants to protect us. He never intended for us to be guarded, with our walls up, and not letting anyone in. There’s freedom in vulnerability.
All of this is self-preservation. When we go into self-preservation mode, God will allow it. He’ll allow us to stress ourselves out trying to protect our lives and emotions. Is that His will? No, but He’ll allow it.
Enjoy this life being free from worry. Step back and allow God to be your protector.
#trust #God #our #protector
Psalms 2:10 NLT Now then, you kings, act wisely! Be warned, you rulers of the earth!
For us, in the New Covenant, when we make Jesus our Lord and Savior, we become kings and priests (Rev. 1:6).
As kings, we’re instructed to act wisely. How do we act wisely? Proverbs 9:10 says reverential fear is the beginning of wisdom. When we honor, respect, and trust God, we’re operating in wisdom. This wisdom helps us make wise decisions in our finances, in our marriages, in our parenting, and in our careers. We’ll receive supernatural wisdom in areas where we don’t have formal education.
There will always be temptations for us to act unwise, but the fear of the Lord keeps our wisdom sound.
#act #wisely #trust #God
Psalms 1:6 NLT For the Lord watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.
Prior to Jesus, the godly were people who reverenced, respected, and honored God. To the best of their ability, they tried to keep the law, but they relied on annual animal sacrifices from the priest to be cleansed of their sin.
Because of Jesus and our belief in His ultimate sacrifice for sin, we are righteous (Romans 3:22). It’s no longer our obedience to the law that makes us righteous. It’s our belief in Him. Our righteousness ultimately makes us godly and as we can see, God watches over the path of the godly.
We have an assurance that God watches over our path. Through the Holy Spirit, He’ll warn us not to go into business with that person, not to marry that person, not to take that route, or to start eating more of this vegetable.
Don’t think that’s He’s trying to limit or restrict us. Trust that He sees our future and knows what’s best for us.
Praise God our Father watches over us and our path.
#God #watches #over #us #HolySpirit #directs our #paths
Colossians 2:6-7 NLT And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow Him. Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.
Once we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, it’s not over. In fact, it’s just the beginning. Now, we must let our roots grow in Him.
How do we do that? Spend time in the presence of God communicating with Him. Spend time in His word, learning what Christ has done for us. Allowing Him to be a part of every decision we make. Denying our flesh pleasure to do what pleases Him.
As we grow in Him, our lives will overflow with thankfulness. We’ll also experience God’s supernatural power, favor, and blessings flow in our lives.
Just know that salvation is not the end. It’s just the beginning. Spend the rest of your life growing in Him.
#grow #in #wisdom #understanding #love #God #Jesus #thankfulness
Proverbs 14:31 NLT Those who oppress the poor insult their Maker, but helping the poor honors Him.
Everyone on the street asking for food or money is not lazy, a drug addict, or an alcoholic. For various reasons, some people genuinely have a hard time getting employment. Maybe at one time, they had a problem with drugs or alcohol, but now they’re delivered, and they’re ready to work. But, a lot of employers won’t hire a person without an address, reliable transportation, or a clean appearance. These setbacks force them to stay on the street begging for money.
We can be the bridge for them. If we allow ourselves to be compassionate and let the Holy Spirit lead us, He will put someone on our mind who genuinely needs help. It may be that same person we see on our way to work. We can befriend them and see if we can help in any way. We can give them some food, extra clothes, or listen up for a job that can help them.
Fear will tell us we’re throwing our hard earned money away to a lazy faker who will use it on drugs and alcohol. But if we trust God’s word and we’re led by the Spirit, we’ll gladly give it away, happy to be a blessing and believing God will honor His word by allowing us to receive a harvest on every seed we sow.
Be a blessing because everyone could use help.
Psalms 48:9 NLT O God, we meditate on your unfailing love as we worship in your Temple.
Life be lifing. Life can deceive us into thinking no one cares about us, God’s not hearing our prayers, and life isn’t going to get any better.
When these negative thoughts come, we need to meditate on God’s love. Start with salvation. Think about how God loved us enough to send His Son to take our place. Think about how Jesus saved us from hell and ultimate separation from the Father. Meditate on Jesus making us righteous, holy, and getting whipped to make us healed.
Meditate on personal victories God loved us enough to have. Think about all the many blessings He loved us enough to give us. Meditate on the love He shows us through our family and friends.
Instead of sinking down into depression, concentrate on His love and continue to meditate on it forever.
#meditate #onthis #God #loves #me #I #am #exceptionally #loved #Jesuslovesme #this #I #know
John 7:39 NLT (When He said “living water,” He was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in Him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into His glory.)
Before Jesus died, He let us know that the Holy Spirit would be given to everyone who believes in Him.
Notice that we don’t have to beg for the Holy Spirit. We don’t have to tarry, and we don’t have to say Jesus Jesus Jesus fifty times to receive Him. All we have to do is believe in Jesus, and we’ll automatically receive the Holy Spirit. We may not be filled with the Holy Spirit, but He’s there (Eph. 5:18). If you’ve received Jesus as Lord and Savior, you have the Holy Spirit.
Here are just a few reasons for the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is our helper forever (John 14:16-17). The Holy Spirit teaches us (John 14:26). The Holy Spirit is our leader and guide (Rom. 8:14-17). The Holy Spirit empowers us to accomplish God’s will (Acts 1:8).
Recognize the Holy Spirit that’s inside of you. Use Him in every situation. Don’t trust yourself or your own logic. Learn to hear His voice and do what He says.
#power #comes #through #HolySpirit
1 Corinthians 13:1-3 NLT If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
All these spiritual gifts are nothing without love. We can shout and cry all night, but it means nothing without love. We can fast until we’ve lost half of our body weight, but it means nothing without love. Any religious duty we do, if not motivated by love, means nothing.
Love is a demonstration we can exercise every day. When we see a homeless person, we can give from a place of love. When we see our friend go through a difficult time, we can spend time with them out of love. When we know our supervisor is lashing out at people, we can pray for them in love. It’s not always going to be easy to love, but the opportunity to love will always be there.
Whatever you do, wherever you are, do everything from the motivation of love.
#God #is #Love #others #share #Jesus #with #all
John 7:6 NLT Jesus replied, “Now is not the right time for me to go, but you can go anytime.
A festival was happening in a place where Jewish leaders were trying to kill Him. His brothers were encouraging Him to come out from hiding and publicly display His skills and talents. Jesus chose not to go when they went.
Jesus understood timing. Because maybe an hour or a day later, He privately went to the festival and taught in the temple (v.10). He knew if He would have gone with His brothers, He or His brothers would have been arrested or killed.
There’s a right time for us. There’s a right time to marry, a right time to retire, a right time to minister to a friend or a loved one, and a right time to move.
The One who lets us know the right time is the Holy Spirit. When we trust the Holy Spirit and we’re sensitive to His voice, He’ll let us know the most favorable time to do everything. His timing may not be logical, but overall, it’s for our good. We also must trust that His “not yet” is for our good.
Don’t be in a rush or be anxious with God. Trust that His timing is beneficial for His Kingdom, for us, and for those around us.
#confident #in #God
Psalms 78:4-6 NLT We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about his power and his mighty wonders. For he issued his laws to Jacob; he gave his instructions to Israel. He commanded our ancestors to teach them to their children, so the next generation might know them— even the children not yet born— and they in turn will teach their own children.
As parents, grandparents, and guardians, it’s our responsibility to teach our children about the word of God. It’s not the responsibility of the pastor, the youth pastor, or bible apps to teach our children. It’s ours.
It’s our responsibility to teach them to prioritize the things of God above everything else. Some of us have our children in 2 or 3 sports, but they can’t recite a bible verse. Some of our children can speak multiple languages, but they can’t overcome fear. This shouldn’t be. Everything must take a backseat to the word and the things of God.
So, read devotions with them. Read a verse a day and explain what it means. Show them how God was involved in them getting a new phone or ice cream. Allow them to see God’s protection when they only got a small scratch instead of a huge gash after tripping.
Let’s prioritize God ourselves so that they can prioritize God. Let’s teach them.
#teach #them #children #about #Jesus #goodness #of #God
Titus 3:8 NKJV This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.
We are saved by grace alone and not by our good works (Ephesians 2:8-9). Although good works don’t save us, it doesn’t mean they’re not beneficial.
If we call ourselves believers, we should be participating in good works. Good works consist of honoring God by obeying His word (in context), being led by the Holy Spirit and not our flesh, giving to the Kingdom of God and to the poor, being a blessing, etc. Anything God instructs us to do in the new covenant is considered good works.
Once again, we don’t perform these good works in order to maintain our salvation or to keep God from being mad at us. We do these good works based on our appreciation for what He’s done for us and to genuinely be lights for others.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven (Matthew 5:16).
#do #good
@everydaygodswill
Psalms 3:8 NLT Victory comes from You, O Lord. May You bless your people. Interlude
All our victories come from God and God alone. It’s not our intellect, our hustle, our connections, or our family. Every victory we have comes from God.
When we encouraged that brother or sister, that victory came from God, who allowed us to speak and gave us the words to say. That promotion came from God. God put us on the supervisor’s mind to receive the promotion. Even a close parking space came from God. The favor of God orchestrated us to be at the right time and the right place to get a good parking spot.
Never get it misunderstood. It’s not you. Every victory belongs to God.
#victory #belongs #to #Jesus
Matthew 17:15-18 NKJV “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.” Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.” And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.
There are a lot of people, believers included, who accept mental disorders and psychological phenomenons for themselves. They’ll accept that they have depression, anxiety, imposter syndrome, trauma issues, or some other psychological label. It may be a fact that a person displays symptoms of mental disorders, but facts can change. They don’t have to be permanently bound by that label.
When people accept mental disorders for themselves, they limit the power of God in their lives. Because they believe the diagnosis that they read online or was given to them and confess the diagnosis by telling others, they have more faith in the disorder than they do in the healing power of God’s word.
If our mental health is being negativly impacted, don’t accept the label. That’s not who God says you are. Because of Jesus Christ, we are healed and we have God-given ability of self-control (1 Pet. 2:24; 2 Tim. 1:7). Accept what God says about you and nothing else.
#healed #redeemed #restored #whole #complete #in #Christ
Daniel 9:9 NLT But the Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against Him.
Our rebellion doesn’t stop God from being Himself. He’s not like man, where He removes His benefits based on our behavior. Regardless of what we do, He still loves us, cares for us, protects us, and provides for us.
Our rebellion may put us out of position to receive from God. Our rebellion may distract us from hearing His voice, and it has natural consequences. But despite our behavior, we’ve all experienced His grace and mercy where we received a blessing that we don’t deserve. These undeserved blessings are meant for our repentance (Romans 2:4).
Why continue to rebel against someone who’s so good to us? Receive His love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness and live to honor Him.
#righteous #through #Jesus #Christ #made #right
John 8:31 NLT Jesus said to the people who believed in Him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings.
As we can see, Jesus is speaking to people who already believe in Him. He tells them they’re truly His disciples if they remain faithful to His teachings. This lets us know there’s a difference between a believer and a disciple.
A believer is someone who believes God sent Jesus as His Son to die for the sins of the world (Rom. 10:9-10). A disciple is a believer who remains faithful or consistently obedient to the word of God.
A believer can still be a believer but satisfy their flesh on nights and weekends. A disciple makes the effort to remain faithful, knowing if they miss the mark, God’s grace is available.
A believer can live a life filled with fears. A disciple doesn’t allow fear to reign. They trust what God says in His word and rely on the Holy Spirit to overcome all fears.
A believer develops their own plan and hopes God blesses it. A disciple submits all their plans to God, and ultimately, they want to fulfill His will in the earth.
It’s great that a lot of us are believers, but let’s graduate to become disciples.
#graduation #time #be #a #Christ #disciple #receive #follow #Jesus #obey #God
Judges 20:18-21 NLT Before the battle the Israelites went to Bethel and asked God, “Which tribe should go first to attack the people of Benjamin?” The Lord answered, “Judah is to go first.” So the Israelites left early the next morning and camped near Gibeah. Then they advanced toward Gibeah to attack the men of Benjamin. But Benjamin’s warriors, who were defending the town, came out and killed 22,000 Israelites on the battlefield that day.
The Israelites asked God for a battle plan. The Lord gave them an answer, but they still lost the battle. They consulted God again and went to fight, but still lost (Judges 20:23-24).
One would think that asking God would guarantee a victory for them, but it didn’t. We must remember that too.
When we get direction from God, we may not immediately get the results we want. After seeking God for a business strategy, we may think our profits should immediately increase, but it may take several months. God may show us how to be a better spouse. We implement those changes and think that our marriage should immediately become peaceful. It may not.
It may seem like we’re losing the battle, but like the Israelites, continue to seek Him. Don’t give up on His plans. Because after the Israelites’ third consultation with God in Judges 20:28, they got the ultimate victory.
Seek God, be patient, and trust His process.
#seek #God #again #patience #trust #the #Lord #victory
Judges 14:4 NLT His father and mother didn’t realize the Lord was at work in this, creating an opportunity to work against the Philistines, who ruled over Israel at that time.
How often do we not realize what the Lord is doing and the opportunities He’s making based on our decisions and experiences?
We may think the decision(s) we made ruined our lives, our relationships, or our careers, but God already accounted for that and He’s orchestrated a plan for this to work out in our favor. Even in our children’s lives, like Samson, they may not make the wise choice, but we don’t need to stress. God has already taken their decisions and worked it out for a favorable outcome.
Praise God He takes our decisions and the decisions of those we love and works it out for good.
#the #goodness #grace #and #favor #of #God
Graced To Do God's Will 