Category Archive

All throughout the world there are millions of people who join the military. They are told what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. Their only reply to the command is “Yes, sir” or “Yes, ma’am.” They may have an opinion or question the task in their minds, but that doesn’t stop them from performing the task. They understand that’s their duty.

If individuals in the military can adopt that mindset, we can too except, we can obey the commands of God. When God tells us to go here on this day and do a certain task, instead of debating or disobeying a direct command, simply say, “Yes, Sir.” We may wonder how it’s going to work in our favor, but obey anyway. Unlike man’s military, who may get it wrong at times, God has a 100% success rate.

Take a note from the military by saying, “Yes, Sir” to whatever God instructs you to do.

Acts 13:4 Then Barnabas and Saul, sent forth by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. 5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. And John was with them as their helper.

John 16:23 In that day you will no longer ask Me anything. Truly, truly, I tell you, whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you.

We all want answered prayers, but some of us are still using the same old method we heard of calling Jesus with all our problems.

***Before we go too far after looking at the title, when salvation is needed, by all means call on the name of Jesus, however, when it comes to our requests, don’t call Jesus.

As we can see, calling on Jesus is not the method we should be using. All our requests need to go to God in the name of Jesus. So, all those songs with lyrics like “Jesus is on the main line” and “Jesus will fix it” are inaccurate. God will hear and answer the prayer because it has been fixed by Jesus over 2000 years ago. Our healing, deliverance, new house, and outfit have been made available by Jesus, but our requests should go to God.

1 John 2:1 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

When we sin, some of us feel like it’s necessary to beat ourselves up about it. We feel like we can’t have any fun, we need to punish ourselves, and we need to do a bunch of religious activities for the next three days.

Just so you know, that’s not necessary. Jesus is THE Sacrifice. Every past, present, and future sin we’ll ever commit has been paid for through Jesus’ sacrifice. There’s no need to sulk or go into depression for missing the mark. We simply should acknowledge His sacrifice, thank God that our sins have been forgiven, and move on and enjoy the rest of our day.

Understand that Jesus is THE Sacrifice and there’s nothing we can do to take the place of His sacrifice.

1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.

Let’s face it. Most of us can see people. Whether we’re married or not, we can be attracted to certain people. A woman can see a tall muscular man and be attracted and a man can see a beautiful woman and be attracted. God made us that way.

The key is to briefly admire their appearance without lusting. It’s okay to be attracted to a person just as long as we’re not lusting after them. We can see the person, admire their appearance, and move on. The problem comes when we’re staring at them, allowing perverted thoughts to dwell in our minds, and thinking about them later.

If we find ourselves lusting, we can seek the Holy Spirit to give us a plan to remove lust from within us. He may give us a confession during tempting moments, He’ll give us the strength we need to turn away, or provide a distraction.

Let’s keep our minds free from lust so that our focus can be on God and our current or future spouse.

2 Corinthians 10:12 We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.

During the holidays, we see pictures of a seemingly perfect family having a great time opening gifts. We see marriage proposals, weddings, vacations, and children being born. After seeing all of this, we’re prone to compare our lives with what we’ve seen on social media. Satan uses these moments to attempt to make us feel bad about our lives. He loves to show us what we don’t have and how our lives are not as joyous as what we’ve seen.

It’s unwise to compare ourselves with others. What we’ve seen could be a lie. Things may appear joyous but in actuality, it’s tumultuous. But even if it’s legitimate joy in someone else’s lives, there’s no reason to minimize our own lives.

It’s a choice to be happy about our lives. It’s a choice to be joyous about the simple things like shelter, employment, and safety. Even if there’s something we desire within our lives, it’s a choice not to dwell on what we don’t have and to be grateful about what we do have.

Let’s maintain our joy by not comparing our lives with others and be content.

When it comes to executing the promptings of God, a lot of us are frozen in fear.

-We’ve been in a relationship a long time and we know God told us to propose but because of our past, we’re frozen in fear and continue to stay in a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship. We could potentially end up losing that person.

-We know we heard God tell us to apply for that supervisor position, but because we’re afraid of looking foolish if we’re denied, we choose to stay where we are.

We want our lives to get better and we want to experience God’s best. However, fear has robbed us from fulfilling our deepest desires.

This fear stems from not knowing or believing God will fulfill His Word. We must take a step of faith when fear is knocking at the door. We don’t know when or how God’s Word will manifest, but we believe that it will come to pass.

Don’t let fear run the show in your life. Thaw out and trust God.

Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Zodiac signs and horoscopes have been common in society for a long time. Some people swear by them. People go around telling people what their horoscope says, they establish or don’t establish relationships based on zodiac compatibility, and they take it to be the gospel truth.

As believers, we can’t fall into this trap. Just because the sign and our personality have a few things in common doesn’t mean we view it as law. Pharaoh’s magicians had commonality with Moses’ signs but, God’s sign prevailed. The truth about ourselves comes from the Word of God. God’s Word says we’re blessed, we’re victorious, and we prosper. We’re to be led by the Holy Spirit and not make decisions based on a zodiac sign. God should be our One and only.

What will you believe? A simple opinion of another person that could involve demonic forces or the Word of God?

Exodus 20:3 You shall have no other gods before Me.

1 Peter 2:1 Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, 2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

As we celebrate the greatest Gift that was ever given (Jesus), let’s honor that Gift by giving Him the gift of spiritual maturity.

Wouldn’t it be great if we could stop being hypocritical towards those who may not have it all together knowing, how we used to be? Wouldn’t it be great if we could be honest with ourselves and let go of that envious mindset we have towards our “friend”? How awesome would it be if we stop speaking evil (harsh, negative, or critical) altogether?

These are the gifts we can give to God and the gifts we can give to the world. Celebrate the Christmas season by giving your gift of spiritual maturity.

Luke 15:10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

We as a society, celebrate a lot of things. We celebrate when our child graduates school, we celebrate when our team wins a big game, and we celebrate marriage engagements.

With all these things to celebrate, a lot of us overlook the most important thing. That celebration has to do with salvation. When a person commits their lives to God, through Jesus Christ, all the angels in heaven are overjoyed. Meanwhile, on earth, we give them a 15 second hand-clap and go about our day.

The same enthusiasm we have over a team winning a game is the same enthusiasm we should have regarding salvation. Salvation is THE most important thing a person can do with their lives and it deserves more than a simple hand-clap.

Although it may not directly impact our lives, it impacts the family of God. So, pray for the lost, shake their hands when they make a commitment to God, and continue to pray for them as they journey through life. While we’re celebrating Christmas, don’t forget to celebrate salvation.

Luke 14:28 Which of you, wishing to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost to see if he has the resources to complete it? 29 Otherwise, if he lays the foundation and is unable to finish the work, everyone who sees it will ridicule him,

Although Jesus was speaking about the sacrifice of discipleship, He makes a practical point about budgeting.

In life, especially around birthdays and holidays, it’s important to have and keep a budget. If it doesn’t fit the budget, it doesn’t need to be purchased.

God desires that His children prosper in every way, including our finances, but if we’re so determined to overspend our money on “stuff,” He can’t get us to a true place of wealth. Wealth is where money works for us. Wealth is where we can give money away and we won’t miss it. Wealth is where we can truly be a financial blessing to others.

If we continue to spend, spend, spend, how can God entrust us with wealth? We’ll be enslaved to “stuff.”

Let’s continue to be led by the Holy Spirit to stay within a budget.

Look at our great Orchestrator. God caused a woman (Mary), to get pregnant by the Holy Spirit. The woman just so happened to be engaged to a man (Joseph) who is originally from Bethlehem. At the same time, she was pregnant, the Caesar just so happens to decree that everyone return to their own city for registration purposes. Seeing that Joseph was the soon to be head of his family, he and his very pregnant fiancé went back to Bethlehem. While at Bethlehem, Jesus was born. Coincidence? I think not.

Since the Pharisees didn’t do their research on where Jesus was born, they didn’t believe He was the Christ, which ultimately led to His death for the sacrifice for all our sin.

As we see how God orchestrated the life of Jesus, let’s look at our lives. If He orchestrated the life of Jesus to fulfill a prophecy spoken hundreds of years before, He can do the same for us.

God will cause what happened to us (good or bad), where we’re from, and what we experienced to work out for our good (Rom. 8:28). Don’t be concerned with where you are now. It’s just a temporary holding place in a great song. Our song is not over. If we can believe, God can cause this song, which He’s orchestrating, to become a masterpiece.

John 7:41 Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Will the Christ come out of Galilee? 42 Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?”

A lot of us think when it comes to spiritual matters, we’re “doing it for God.” That’s not the case. When we pray, read the Word, worship God, fast, etc., we’re not doing it for God. We’re doing it for ourselves. God implemented these things to better our situation. God will still be God regardless if we pray or fast.

If God prompts us to serve for Sunday service, that’s for us. God knows there’s a promise attached that says, whatever good anyone does, the same shall they receive from the Lord (Eph. 6:8). If God tells us to pray for an hour, that’s for us because God has wisdom He wants to download to us through the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 2:10). If God desires that we wake up earlier to spend time in His presence, that’s an opportunity for Him to deposit joy and pleasure in our lives (Psalm 16:11).

So, when we’re prompted to do something by God, don’t look at it like we’re sacrificing time and effort for God. View it as an opportunity for God to get something to us.

Matthew 6:3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

6 But when you pray, go into your inner room, shut your door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

John 15:11 I have told you these things so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled; do not be afraid.

Joy and peace is something God desires for all of His children. He doesn’t want us walking around in defeat, worried, carrying cares, and in fear. He personally had Jesus give us these things through His Word.

God healed our bodies (Isaiah 53:5) so that we can enjoy this life.
God provides all our needs (Phil. 4:19) so that we won’t lose our peace trying to figure out how we’re going to make it.
All of God’s promises are “Yes and Amen” (2 Cor. 1:20) so that we can have joy and peace knowing, in this lifetime, with faith, everything God said will come to pass.

Everything God did was so that we can have joy and peace. Shake off the spirit of depression, sadness, and heaviness and receive and maintain God’s joy and peace.

Romans 8:25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

The believer’s life is all about patience. The promises of God are there (healing, needs, desires) and we want them now but, we often end up waiting on God and His perfect timing.

God often forces us to exercise patience and self-control. We often make our lives harder when we try to force a blessing into existence.

We know God told us to wait another month before buying that car but, we have the money and we must have it now therefore; we buy it now. What we didn’t realize is in another month, that same car may be $5,000 less. We know God to us to wait another year before marring that person however, the invitations have been sent and the timing seems perfect therefore; we marry that person. The year God told us to wait may have exposed something in our potential spouse that we need to consider before marrying them.

Just know when we’re waiting on the manifestation of God’s promises, He’s not withholding it from us but, He has perfect timing and He knows what’s for our good.

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

As a believer in Jesus the Christ, we are blessed. We’re not blessed because of what we have, what we can do, or how talented we are. That’s just fruit of the blessing. We’re blessed because of what Jesus has done.

Long before the sacrifice of Jesus, God made a covenant with Abraham and Jesus (Gal. 3:16). That covenant can be summed by saying, we’re empowered to prosper in everything we do (Gen 12:2-3; 17:6-8). If we’re not Jewish, we’re considered Gentiles. Prior to the sacrifice of Jesus, Gentiles had no right to God’s covenant. However, with our belief in Jesus Christ and all that He’s done for us, we have a covenant right to be blessed.

So, regardless of how it looks, regardless of what our bank account says, and regardless of how our family situation may be, we’re blessed. And our belief in that blessing in our lives can turn any situation into a prosperous situation. Believe, know, and confess that you’re blessed.

Genesis 6:14 Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; make rooms in the ark and coat it with pitch inside and out.

God told Noah to build an ark to withstand a flood when rain didn’t even exist. Some scholars say he was building the ark for over 100 years. Can you imagine the years of satanic thoughts that entered his mind?
-You look dumb right now.
-What are you doing?
-This is a waste of time.

Not only did he have to resist satanic attacks in his mind, but he had to close his ears to naysayers around him.
-How’s that ark coming Noah? (sarcastically speaking)
-He’s lost his mind.
-How can you feed your family by doing this?

Year after year, Noah had to resist the urge to quit, and continue to do what God told him to do. At the end of the day, Noah had the last laugh by saving himself, his family, and all the animals on the earth.

What “out of the box” thing has God told you to do? Have satanic thoughts or the negative words of people prevented you from following through with His instructions? If so, take a lesson from Noah and push all that aside and do what God said.

Regardless how long it takes and no matter how ridiculous it makes us look, God will ensure that He gets the glory and He will allow the naysayers the privilege of seeing the promise manifesting in our lives.

1 John 4:4 You, little children, are from God and have overcome them, because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.

Our victory is based on who we belong to. When we make Jesus Christ the Lord of our lives, we belong to God. By belonging to God, we should experience victory every time over every situation. This guaranteed victory is not automatic.

If we’re walking around speaking doom and gloom over our situation, victory won’t be given because our mouth is canceling the victory. If we’re worried or fearful about our situation, victory won’t be given because our doubt is canceling the victory. But if we confidently know we belong to God and we know Christ, Who conquered all, lives inside of us, we’ll obtain victory no matter how bleak the situation looks.

Know Who you belong to and receive victory every time.

Psalm 41:1 Blessed is he who considers the poor; The Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. 2 The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive, And he will be blessed on the earth; You will not deliver him to the will of his enemies. 3 The Lord will strengthen him on his bed of illness; You will sustain him on his sickbed.

During this holiday season, a lot of us think about enjoying time with our families, eating great food, and giving gifts to loved ones. One thing we may not consider is the poor. A lot of poor individuals are alone. They have no family or they’ve lost contact with their families. It’s important for us to consider the poor.

Considering the poor doesn’t always mean volunteering at a shelter. There are several ways to consider the poor. We can provide a meal to that one homeless person we see every day on our way to work. We can go online and give to an organization that’s helping the poor. We can give canned goods to pantries. If time and money are limited, a sincere prayer for the poor will do.

It wouldn’t be God-like if benefits weren’t attached. God provided benefits based on our consideration of the poor. As we can see, there are benefits ranging from an empowerment to prosper to strength through illnesses.

Consider the poor to be a blessing to others.

God’s Word says, all things work out for the good. It doesn’t necessarily say for our good, but for the good. These things include, our mistakes, our unbelief, and our sin. God can work all of it out for the good. Let’s look at some examples.

What if Sarah and Abraham did the right thing and simply believed God for a child instead of trying to manufacture a child themselves in Genesis 15-16? We, as believers, wouldn’t know the genuine faithfulness of God. We would think once we messed up, God’s promise is canceled.

What if David never took the wife of another man then, had the man killed by putting him on the front line in a war? We wouldn’t know God will not only forgive us, but continue to prosper us (2 Samuel 12).

Even in our own lives, we’ve done some things that we can learn from. We’ve made some mistakes and learning from our mistakes is knowledge that can benefit someone else.

Let’s not use our shortcomings to wallow in guilt or take on condemnation. Let’s change our perspective and believe God can use our mistakes, unbelief, and anything else for the good.

Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Psalm 121:2 My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

All our help comes from God. Our help doesn’t come from the government, it doesn’t come from our jobs, and it doesn’t come from our closest friends and family members. It comes from God.

If we should ever face a troubling experience, we should look to no one else, but God. Let’s allow Him to direct us to our answer, our comfort, and our relief.

It is God alone Who provides our help. He may work through people to provide us the help we need, but it will always begin with Him.

John 9:15 Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” Then they said to him again, “What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?”

Jesus did something so miraculous in this blind man’s life until the Pharisees were in disbelief. They asked him multiple times how he regained his sight. The man continued to declare it was Jesus.

By putting your faith in God, through the finished works of Jesus Christ, we’ll experience unbelievable manifestations as well. People will be in disbelief after hearing our testimony. People will wonder how we got out of debt in 2 years. People will be amazed at the fact that we’re getting paid less than we once did, but we’re still able to buy the house of our dreams. People will be in awe as we’re enjoying our lives when they know we were dealing with depression. And like the man in the scriptures, we’ll give all glory to God through Jesus.

God can do some miraculous things in our lives if we let Him. Open your heart, put your trust in Him, and believe that all things are possible with God.

John 7:1 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.

There are some believers who think because God is with them, they can go anywhere and do anything without consequences. Unfortunately, believers have died thinking they can go through a pride of lions, hold poisonous animals, and intrude on tribal lands. As we can see, Jesus Himself, used caution before walking into a potential dangerous situation. John 8:28 tells us Jesus did nothing of His own initiative. He was led by the Spirit of God.

So, just because we hear stories of people witnessing in dangerous neighborhoods, ministering to prostitutes, or sharing the gospel in foreign countries doesn’t mean that’s what we need to do every time the situation presents itself. There’s nothing wrong with any of this. In some cases, we’re commanded to do these things, but be sure it’s God telling us when and where to go. Otherwise, we may end up in an unfortunate situation. It’s not living by fear. It’s applying the wisdom of God in our lives.

-Ooooo…that’s a nice car. I believe I’ve receive that car for my life, amen.
-That job makes a lot of money. I receive that job, in Jesus name.
-That’s a one of a kind outfit. I thank you Lord in advance for that outfit.

When something appeals to us, some of us immediately want to throw faith at it. We want to believe God for it, thank God for it, and declare it in our lives. That’s the correct process, but we may have missed one important thing. That’s knowing if it’s God’s will for us to have that particular thing. God’s ultimate will for our lives is in His Word. However, specific decisions we need to make such as accepting a job or not, will only be revealed through His Spirit (1 Cor. 2:10).

We may want the thing, but have we asked God if He wants this in our lives right now? He may have something better for us. He may have something that aligns more with our current budget. He may expose the faultiness of the product. He may know it will be more problematic for our lives.

Whatever we desire, simply present it to God. He’ll make it clear to us if the thing we desire aligns with His will or if it’s just an impulse feeling that won’t benefit our lives.

Proverbs 16:3 (AMPC) Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed.

Psalm 130:5 I wait for the LORD; my soul does wait, and in His word I put my hope. 6 My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning— more than watchmen waiting for the morning.

In this fast paced, “got to have it now” time we’re living in, waiting almost seems unnatural. But, for the believer, waiting on God’s promises is a part of the process. It’s not always, but for the most part, we’ll have to wait for some period of time.

There are different reasons why we may have to wait on a promise. Most of those reasons center around maturity. Would we give a car to our 5-year-old child to drive? Of course not. We love them enough to know they’re not mature enough to handle a car yet. It’s the same way with God. He’s not going to give us something until we’re mature enough to handle it.

We may desire a thing, but in the process of waiting, the downside of having that thing may be revealed to us. We may see that the desire may be more problematic than we realize. In waiting, we may discover the desire is really a waste of our money. While waiting, God may reveal a boastful attitude we need to remove before we receive that desire.

Let’s not view waiting negatively. Let’s change our perspective and see how we can grow, mature, and get stronger while we wait.

Psalm 62:5 My soul, wait you only upon God; for my expectation is from Him.

God is our help. It’s not the government, law makers, fundraisers, or even the church benevolence fund. It’s God. Our hope, expectation, and confidence should be in Him. God can use one of these avenues to bless our lives, but our reliance should be on Him.

Problems occur when we rely on a certain person or entity to provide a need only God can provide. Marriages end quickly because a person is disappointed that their spouse couldn’t provide fulfillment. People become angry with the government and politicians because they didn’t do what they promised. People even degrade churches because they didn’t provide something for them or the community. It’s not up to our spouse, the government, or a church to provide a need or desire. Our dependence should be totally on God.

Wait, hope, and totally rely on God.

Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

People say they want to put God first in everything they do, but their actions may contradict their confession.

They want to put God first, but the first thing they do when they wake up is check their email, scroll through social media, or text a friend. Some may say they’re not a morning person. That’s understandable, but some of those same people get distracted by managing a family in the evening, watching their favorite TV shows, and again, scrolling through social media. The next thing we know it’s late, we’re sleepy, and we haven’t been in the presence of God all day.

If we have to lose sleep or shut ourselves up in a room to prioritize God, that’s what we should do because the benefits of prioritizing God outweigh all of those other things.

Psalm 16:11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

Luke 5:5 When Jesus had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” 5“Master,” Simon replied, “we have worked through the night without catching anything. But because You say so, I will let down the nets.”

When Simon, a fisherman, finished fishing all night and didn’t catch anything, he obeyed Jesus. His experience told him, the more appropriate time to catch fish was at night, yet in the heat of the day, he obeyed the Master. Because of his obedience, at the most inappropriate time, Simon caught more fish than he could have imagined.

When God tells us to do something, even if it goes against our logic, obey. It could be in that inappropriate time we could experience the biggest blessing of our lives. Logic says, the best sales are on “Black Friday” in November; however, through our patience and obedience, God can cause an even better sale in the middle of March. Earthly wisdom says, the best time to sell a house is in the summer; however, God can cause a great sell in the dead of winter.

Don’t focus too much earthly logic, the appropriate time, or setting. Focus on God and He will make the most inappropriate time perfect timing for us.

Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

James 2:20 But, O vain man, dost thou desire to know that faith without works is dead?

In the New Covenant, there are two types of works. There are works by the law and works associated with faith.

Works by the law has to do with self-effort to receive salvation. This may include fasting, praying, and staying away from certain foods in order to be in God’s good graces. But as we can see from scripture, works by the law in the New Covenant is meaningless (2 Tim. 1:9; Titus 3:5). Our own righteous works is filth in God’s eyes (Isaiah 64:6). If our self-effort can save us or put us in right standing with God, there’s no need for Jesus.

On the other hand, works by faith is corresponding actions to God’s Word. For instance, if we pray for a job, the works or corresponding actions to receive that job is to allow the Holy Spirit to direct us on when and where we should apply. We can’t just pray, sit back, and wait on a job offer to knock on our doors. There’s physical actions we must take.

Don’t combine or confuse the two types of works. One has to do with self-effort and the other has to do with corresponding action. Always remember there’s nothing we can do in our own strength to please God. God is pleased when we receive the righteous works of His Son on our behalf.

When we hear “spiritual warfare,” there are a few things that may come to mind. Some may think of a priest casting the devil out of a person and some may think of rebuking the devil in problematic areas in our lives.

A more appropriate understanding of spiritual warfare is continuously replacing evil, negative, untrue thoughts with the Word of God. These thoughts come directly from Satan. If we have an ailment, instead of dwelling on the ailment and receiving the lie of it’s only going to get worse, we replace that thought with, “by Jesus’ stripes, I am healed.” If our marriage is rocky, instead of believing the lie of it’s over, we declare a prosperous marriage.

It’s during these times where we must remain consistent. The tiring part of spiritual warfare is replacing negative thoughts with the Word of God regarding the same circumstance over an extended period of time. However, it’s vital to be consistent if we want to win.

Whatever negative situation(s) we may be in, understand it’s spiritual warfare and we win with consistently replacing Satanic thoughts with the Word of God.

2 Corinthians 10:4 The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the world. Instead, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We tear down arguments, and every presumption set up against the knowledge of God; and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Joshua 1:3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses.

Joshua 1:⁶ Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. ⁷ Only be strong and very courageous…

God told Joshua He has given him land. In that same breath, God told Joshua to be strong and courageous.

In most of our minds, if a gift is given, we don’t have to work for it or earn it. It’s just received. But here, God told Joshua He’s given him the land, yet He also told him to be strong and courageous.

What does this mean for us? In the New Covenant through Jesus Christ, there are promises available for us for the taking, however there’s a process to receive those promises.

That process is faith. That process may have us fatigued at times; it may have some uncertainties along the way, or even some seemingly impossible situations to conquer. It’s during this process where we’ll have to be strong and courageous. Proverbs 24:10 says, If you faint in the day of adversity, Your strength is small.

The promise has been given and approved by God. We must allow the Holy Spirit’s guidance to navigate our way through the process to the promise.

Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.

When we truly have a heart for God and desire to please Him, we’ll want to make sure we’re doing everything correctly. We want to make sure our “t’s” are crossed and our “i’s” are dotted. Ultimately, we desire to get to a place where everything we do pleases God and every thought aligns with His will.

Unfortunately, because we’re in the flesh, we’ll constantly be under construction. We’ll never be nor should we desire to be in a position where we know it all. Because God and His ways are holy, perfect, and infinite, we’ll constantly make adjustments in our lives. We’ll constantly get revelation of God’s Word, we’ll constantly receive correction on our attitudes, and we’ll constantly be disciplined about our behavior.

Don’t beat yourselves up because we don’t have it all together or we missed it in one area or another. Understand that as long as we live in this world, we are and we’ll always be under construction.

Philippians 2:14 Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15 so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine as lights in the world.

There’s a temptation to complain about someone or something. We’ll look at the positive verses the negative. We’ll magnify what we don’t have instead of rejoicing about what we do have. In relationships, we’ll see what’s wrong with our spouse instead of all that’s right. If we’re not mindful to view the brighter side of things, we’ll end off an old negative bitter person that no one wants to be around.

When we get the urge to complain about someone or something, we need to catch ourselves, and construct a compliment. Give a compliment to God for giving us life and supplying all we need. Find something nice to say about your supervisor. Compliment your spouse for doing a good job with a certain task.

As many complaints as we can find towards someone or something, we can find the same number of compliments towards someone or something. What compliments are you going to give today?

Psalm 103:5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Before there were dietitians and before there were cosmetologists, the Word of God provided a correlation between what we ate and maintaining good youthful health.

This scripture tells us, God will satisfy our mouths with good things so that our youth is renewed. This means, God has the ability to take the desire away from us to eat poorly or overeat, and replace it with healthy eating. There are numerous stories of God taking bad desires away from individuals. In this case, it just so happens to be with food.

So, if you’re struggling to eat healthy or if you have a desire to look and feel youthful, put your faith in God to satisfy your mouth with good things.

People may have a narrative about themselves. They may say, I have trust issues, I get sick all the time, I have anger problems, or I have a lot of insecurities.  Here’s the thing. At any given moment, we can change our narrative. It’s our story. We don’t have to be stuck with the same narrative for the rest of our lives. The only person keeping that same narrative about ourselves is us.

We change our narrative by finding the truth about ourselves in God’s Word. God’s Word says we are overcomers, we’re healed, we have the peace of God, and we lack nothing in Christ (Rev. 12:11; Isaiah 53:5; Phil4:7; Col. 2:10).

Stop saying what you used to be. Change the narrative and declare what you are.

Psalm 139:13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

2 Samuel 6:10 He was not willing to take the ark of the Lord to be with him in the City of David. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. 11 The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months, and the Lord blessed him and his entire household.

When David refused to take the ark of the Lord to the city, he left it at the house of Obed-Edom. In the Old Testament, the ark of the Lord represented the presence of the Lord. The simple fact of the ark being in Obed-Edom’s house caused he and his family to be blessed.

As born-again believers today, we are under a better covenant. Unlike the presence of the Lord in the old covenant, which was there today and gone tomorrow, the presence of the Lord is ALWAYS with us everywhere we go. God is with us and He promised to never leave us.

Based on His presence alone, we should expect to be blessed. We should expect our health to be blessed, our finances to be blessed, our thought processes to be blessed, and our families to be blessed. This is the power of God’s presence operating in our lives. Use it for the glory of God.

Inspired by Bishop G.E. Patterson

There are going to be times where God tells us to do something that doesn’t make sense. He may tell us to leave a good job to go work at a place that pays less. He may tell us to leave a relationship that seems promising. He may tell us to give money away that we set aside for ourselves.

When it doesn’t make sense remember Jeremiah 29:11.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Whatever God tells us to do is to prosper us. The devil will tell us over and over again how stupid the idea is or how God is making our lives miserable but, he’s a liar. It may not make logical sense but, whatever God tells us to do ends in prosperity.

That job that pays less may be the catapult to fulfill our assignment and position us to receive double in salary. God could be saving us from a relationship where we’ll experience years of heartache. That money we gave away will bless someone else but God promises that it will come back to us with interest.

At the end of the day, in His own way, God desires to prosper us.

Matthew 19:21 Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.” 22 When the young man heard this, he went away in sorrow, because he had great wealth.

This rich young ruler boasted about keeping all of the commandments but, when he was asked to give all of his riches away and follow Christ, he sadly went away. He couldn’t do it. Money had him bound.

Recently, there was a chance for someone to win over a billion dollars in the lottery. Believers would like to think we’d give a portion of it to the church, give some to the poor, help our families, and keep the rest for ourselves.

But, what if God instructed you to give it all away? Could you do it? Could you instantly put yourself back in the same financial predicament out of obedience to God? It would be difficult for anyone, but could you do it? Check your heart.

If we can confidently give over a billion dollars away, trusting God will return even more to us according to His Word in Luke 6:38, that’s when we’d know if we’re ready for that type of money.

Instead of hoping and praying for that type of wealth, let’s ask God to help us get our hearts and minds in position to handle money appropriately. Trust God over money.

Psalm 118:8 It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.

Some of us have trust issues in relationships based on negative experiences in the past. We want to trust the other person, but it’s a hump we can’t seem to get over.

As we approach relationships or marriages, God is not requiring us to trust that person. He’s requiring us to trust Him in that person. That’s why it’s important that we get in relationships with like-minded believers. The Bible calls it equally yoked.

If we get into a relationship with a person who doesn’t know God or an immature believer, we’re taking a big risk of being hurt again. They don’t have to be flawless but, are they pursuing a deeper relationship with God? Are they making the effort to be led by the Holy Spirit? Are they renewing their minds with the Word of God?

We also need to talk to God to determine if the person is for us. If not, cut all ties. However, if God tells us to trust Him in that person, let go of all fears, and trust. We’re not trusting the person. We’re trusting God through them.

Psalm 127:2 In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat– for He grants sleep to those He loves.

Most of us have awakened in the middle of the night for no apparent reason. At times, it’s difficult to go back to sleep. We’ll think about what we have to do that day, that weekend, or our past. The next thing we know, it’s 6:00AM, we have to get up and function through the day with only 4 hours of sleep.

As we can see from Psalm 127, a lack of sleep is not the will of God. Some of us like to believe that God is trying to tell us something during the midnight hour but in actuality, it’s the devil attempting to deprive (steal) our sleep.

The best way to counter Satan’s attack is to pray, worship, and build our faith. Use that time to pray for yourself or others, worship God, or listen to a message from your favorite minister. We’ll either go back to sleep within the hour or get an opportunity to spend time with God. It’s a win win situation.

Don’t get frustrated. Get even by spending time with God and declaring sweet sleep.

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

We eat about three times a day to provide energy to our natural bodies. Like our natural bodies need food to be strong, faith within our spirit needs food for strength. The food our faith eats is the Word of God. We eat with our ears.

It’s important to feed our faith by listening to the Word of God daily. The more Word we hear, the stronger our faith becomes. With faith, we can believe God for the impossible and we can maintain our confidence in God when our situation seems uncertain. If we’re full of doubt, unbelief, and a lack of consideration for God doing the impossible, it’s because our faith is weak.

Become fat in faith by constantly listening to the Word of God.