Category Archive

Mark 14:3 While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head. 4 Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? 5 It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly. 6 “Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me.

Isn’t it funny how people want to tell us what to do with our money? They’ve read a couple of books or experienced certain situations that now qualify them as “financial experts.”

Here we have this woman, who chose to spend a year’s worth of wages on Jesus. Immediately, she was criticized for this action, but Jesus compliments her and tells everyone she’s done a beautiful thing.

There will be times where God prompts us to sacrifice our finances and go above and beyond our 10% tithe. It will be an inward prompting of the Holy Spirit to give above and beyond our normal amount of giving. It’s during those times fear, human logic, and criticism will come. Those are all designed to stop us from giving to the Kingdom.

Although it’s not mentioned, it’s certain this woman received a harvest on the seed she sowed. Ephesians 6:8 says, God’s Word tells us whatever good we do, the same shall we receive of the Lord. God’s not in the habit of being in debt to anyone so, we can expect to receive a harvest from the good things we’ve sown to Him.

Praise God we can give to the Kingdom of God and praise God for our harvest!

1 John 2:1 (ERV) My dear children, I write this letter to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone sins, we have Jesus Christ to help us. He always did what was right, so He is able to defend us before God the Father. 2 Jesus is the way our sins are taken away. And He is the way all people can have their sins taken away too.

Before the world was created, God implemented a plan to send His Son Jesus to take away all the sins of the world.

After Jesus sacrificed Himself for us, all our sins that we’ll ever commit were forgiven. When people reject Jesus, they reject the payment for their sins; therefore, they die in their unpaid sins and can never be in the presence of a pure Holy God.

It’s not people’s sinful behavior that keeps them from going to heaven, because all sin has been dealt with through Jesus. It’s the rejection of the payment for our sins that keeps people out.

Don’t be left out. Receive Jesus and receive the payment of our sins.

Inspired by Pastor C. Dollar

Mark 5:39 When He came in, He said to them, “Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping.” 40 And they ridiculed Him. But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying.

It requires faith to obtain our needs and desires from God. Faith is a fight because in spite of what we see and what we’ve experienced, we have to maintain our belief that God has made our desires available through Jesus Christ (1 Tim. 6:12). The devil is already in our heads saying it won’t work. We don’t need anyone else laughing and ridiculing us based on what we are believing God for.

Some of us believe God for big and seemingly impossible desires that everyone won’t understand. It’s during those times we may have to separate ourselves from those who don’t believe and can’t be in agreement with us. This separation may be temporary, but it could also be permanent.

We need to be surrounded by people who genuinely want the best for us and people who can stand in agreement with us. It’s nothing personal to those who can’t believe. We simply need to be surrounded by faith.

1 Kings 17:5 So he went and did according to the word of the Lord, for he went and stayed by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. 6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook.

1 Kings 17:15 So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days.

God has instructed each and every one of us to do something. He’s told some of us to start a business, let some habits go, let some people go, serve in an area at church, reconcile a relationship with our parents, and He’s told some of us to be still.

In both of these cases, the person obeyed the word or the prophet of the Lord. As a result of their obedience, God performed an awesome miracle in their lives. In our case, God has given us instructions. In order for us to reap the maximum potential blessing, we have to do our part and obey God.

The miracle didn’t happen until they went and did. Whatever God has called you to do, go and do it and watch God bless your life.

Philippians 2:8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place, and gave Him the name above all names, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.

The name of Jesus has all power. When we believe in the power of that name and give voice to that name, every negative thing in our lives has to change. We may not see it change immediately but, by maintaining our belief in the power of the name of Jesus, that situation has to change.

The name of Jesus has the power to heal our bodies, rekindle strained relationships, deliver us from addictions, and so much more. There’s nothing that name can’t do.

Some of us loosely use that name as a reaction to an unexpected situation…”Jesus Christ”. When we loosely use the name, we diminish its value. Some of us say it so often until we lose the true revelation of its potential.

Build and let’s keep a revelation of the name of Jesus. It has the power to change anything. Use it in your life, over your family’s lives, and for this world and expect to see a change.

1 John 5:10 (NLT) All who believe in the Son of God know in their hearts that this testimony is true. Those who don’t believe this are actually calling God a liar because they don’t believe what God has testified about his Son.

How many of us would walk up to God and tell Him He’s a liar? Not many of us if any at all. We would have to be stupid or crazy to call God a liar but, millions of people do.

Simply put, when we don’t believe that Jesus is the Son of God, we’re saying God is a liar. 2 Timothy 3:16 says, all scripture is inspired by God therefore, if we don’t believe the scriptures that tell us Jesus is the Son God (1 John 4:15), we’re saying God is a liar.

In fact, if we don’t believe certain promises will come to pass in our lives, we’re saying God is a liar. When we don’t believe God’s Word we tell God, “I don’t believe or trust You, You liar.” It’s harsh but, it’s true.

Do yourself a favor, don’t call God a liar. Believe His Word, believe in His Son Jesus, and believe in His promises.

*Pass this message on to those who don’t believe that Jesus is the Son of God.

Before Paul became an Apostle of Christ, Paul (who was Saul) was a zealous intelligent man who spoke multiple languages and was well-trained in the law. His passion for following the law gave him the justification to murder followers of Christ while believing he was acting on God’s behalf.

God used Saul’s discipline, passion, intelligence, understanding, and language skills as the experience Saul needed to become Paul. Paul performed awesome miracles and led millions to experience salvation through Jesus Christ.

What does this mean for us? God can take whatever we’ve learned, been through, and experienced and use it for His glory. It may not all be pretty, but God can make miracles out of mess ups. When we apply to a certain job, they provide a list of the experience that’s required. If we have the experience they’re looking for, we most likely will get the job. God does the same thing except, everything we’ve experienced can be used by Him.

Don’t discredit what you’ve learned or been through. Surrender it to God so that He can use it for His glory and so that we can be a blessing to others.

Philippians 3:4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless. 7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.

Acts 16:25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose.

Paul and Silas were in a terrible circumstance. They were beaten, shackled, and jailed for doing the will of God. When one would think they were at their lowest point, they began to sing praises unto God. At that very moment, there was an earthquake and their shackles were released and the jail doors were opened.

Externally, everything changed for the worse in Paul and Silas’ lives, but they maintained their positive attitudes. They still were grateful for what God had done and they were looking forward to spending eternity with their Savior. Based on their joy, they began to sing praises unto God. They didn’t sing hoping to be freed. They sang because they were grateful. Because of their grateful positive attitude, God performed a miracle they didn’t request.

How many miracles have we missed out on because of our negative ungrateful attitude? How many things could we have experienced if we maintained our joy during difficult times? Probably a lot. Just remember to focus on God during tough times. When nothing makes sense and everything seems like it’s getting worse, start giving God the praise for breakthrough and believe God is working out this situation for our good.

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

Peace is a prized possession. However, peace can’t be bought, it can’t be earned, and it can’t be inherited. Genuine peace can only be received through Jesus Christ.

We can be a billionaire on a private island by ourselves and still be in turmoil. We can have accomplished all our goals and still have no peace. All our friends and family can be around on Christmas day and still be without peace.

Like any other promise from God, peace has to be received by faith. Regardless of how we feel and what we’re going through, we have to believe peace has been made available to us. There’s no need to pray for it because it’s been left with us. We have it. We simply have to pick it up by faith and apply it to our lives.

When we apply this peace though our belief, confession, and demonstration, no matter what’s going on in our lives (good or bad), we can have peace.

Ephesians 4:23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,

Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

It’s transformation time! However, transformation isn’t automatic. Transformation only takes place by the renewing of the mind.

To appropriately renew our minds, we must study and align our thoughts with the Word of God. We may think it’s okay to behave a certain way, but if God’s Word tells us that behavior is inappropriate, we need to change. It doesn’t matter how we feel about it or how many other people say it’s okay, we need to change.

When we renew our minds with the Word of God, we expedite our spiritual and natural maturity. We don’t have to bump our heads nearly as much or go through years of difficulty. We don’t take things so personally and we can genuinely enjoy our lives.

Don’t get stuck with a mind that’s not renewed. Transform your life by renewing your minds with the Word of God.

Ephesians 4:25 Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another.

Some of us think we’re doing someone else a favor by not telling them the truth. We’re not. We’re only deceiving someone else because we’re afraid of their response or reaction. People lie to children about Santa Claus, people lie to their boss saying they like something they really hate, and people lie to their spouses about their appearance or behavior.

John 8:44 says Satan is the father of lies. So, if we choose to lie about something, we’re operating under demonic influences. It’s not helping them. It’s hurting them. On the other hand, if we speak the truth in love according to Ephesians 4:15, God Who is truth, is in the midst of our conversation and there’s enough grace on that truth for it to be well received.

Regardless of how kind we are, there will be some who get upset because they didn’t get the answer they wanted, but that’s on them. As believers, speaking the truth in love is what we should ALWAYS do. Don’t be afraid. Be honest.

What are we doing here? Are we existing or living?

A person who’s existing goes to work day in and day out for 25 or more years. They’re not really excited about going to an unfulfilling job. They simply work because it gives them a paycheck to survive. They rarely make new friends and they don’t look for ways to be a blessing. Every now and then, that person does something fulfilling, but for the most part it’s a daily routine.

A person who’s living has a purpose fulfilling career. They may not be excited about going to work every day, but they find fulfillment in what they do. A person who’s living receives fulfillment by being a blessing. They like to make people smile, they lend a helping hand, they keep a positive attitude, and their positive actions make people remember their name or face.

Jesus died so that we can have abundant life. However, how abundant our life will be, is up to us. It’s our mindset. Wherever we are, we can make the choice to begin living. We can have a positive attitude, be a blessing, do something different, experience something new, make new friends, or simply be kind.

Make an impact on this world and honor the sacrifice of Jesus by living an abundant life.

John 10:10 (NLT) The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

Titus 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

We always like to say there’s nothing God can’t do. Well, here’s something He can’t do. God cannot lie (Numbers 23:19; 1 Samuel 15:29).

This one thing God cannot do benefits us in so many ways. If God could lie, it would make His Word and faithfulness questionable. How could we put our complete trust in a Being Who could lie at any moment? If God lied, the world would cease to exist (Heb. 1:3).

Knowing that lying is not even an option for God allows us to anchor our trust, faith, and confidence in Him. If God said it in His written Word or He told us through our spirit, it will come to pass. It’s not a possibility and we don’t have to wonder. It has to come to pass. No matter how long it takes, it will come to pass. From that new job, to healing in our bodies, to a peaceful life, if God said it, it will come to pass.

“If God lied, you would be the first person He lied to and you’re not worth His reputation”-Vincent Campbell

Isaiah 55:11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

Psalm 91:11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;

1 Peter 5:7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

Between our angels watching over us externally and God caring about the intricate details of our lives, we have 24 hour care all the time.

We don’t have to be worried or concerned that someone is going to hurt or harm us in some kind of way. Besides our angels protecting us, there are other scriptures where God guarantees our external protection (Psalm 12:5; Psalm 138:7; 2 Thes. 3:3). We can maximize the peace in our lives knowing God protects us.

As we know, all our problems are not external. With every care or concern we have, God has vowed to perfect those cares if we give them to Him (Psalm 138:8). This doesn’t work if we try to keep our cares, worry about the problem, figure it out on our own, or handle it ourselves.

We can live a care-free life by allowing God to handle our external and internal problems. This is the freedom God wants us to have.

When we first get saved or get to a point where we truly dedicate our lives to God, we get excited about the “littlest” things God does in our lives. We sincerely praise God for a good parking space, tell someone about how God blessed us with a raise, or worship God while on the vacation He blessed us with.

At some point, we prioritize and want God to fulfill our biggest desires while minimizing the other things God is doing in our lives. We may want a house, but we downplay or disregard the $200 raise we received at our jobs. We truly desire a spouse, but we devalue the fact that we saved as much as we did in our bank account.

Don’t minimize or get used to God’s blessings. Every day in some way, God is blessing us. It may not be at the top of our wish list, but it’s still a blessing from God and we should be grateful.

Psalm 126:3 The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.

God’s Word says death or life is in the power of the tongue, our tongue is the pen of a ready writer, and we speak to and move mountains (Prov. 18:21; Psalm 45:1; Mark 11:23). In so many ways, God lets us know we have authority in our speech.

When we get a full revelation of this concept, we’ll react differently when the devil puts negative thoughts in our heads such as: it will never happen, you don’t have enough money, or it will never get better. Instead of being sad or accepting those thoughts as the truth, allow those thoughts to provoke us to declare what’s really true: God’s Word.

When sickness attacks one person in our household, instead of worrying about everyone in the house getting sick, we can declare everyone in our household walks in divine health. Whenever we see a shortage in our finances, instead of wondering how we’re going to make it, we should declare all our needs are met.

Let’s use Satan’s negative thoughts as motivation to confess what we desire to see.

Matthew 15:11 What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”

1 Corinthians 2:16 for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

Every born-again believer has the mind of Christ. We may not be consistently operating in the mind of Christ, but it’s there. With that understanding, let’s look at the mindset of Jesus the Christ.

Jesus was compassionate, confident, content, and complete (Luke 7:13; Luke 4:1-13). He was a servant leader who made no reputation of Himself (Phil. 2:7). He loved everyone (John 15:9). He submitted Himself to God and His will (Luke 22:42).

It’s important to understand the mind of Christ and put these characteristics in our spirits by reading the Bible because these same characteristics reside in us. They simply have to be applied.

In every situation, we have a choice. We can respond Christ-like or respond in our flesh. Our response determines who’s in control (the Holy Spirit or our flesh), how we’re perceived by others, and the good or bad seeds we sow for ourselves (Rom. 8:13; John 13:35; Gal. 6:8).

Let’s study and apply the mind of Christ in every situation so that God is glorified, people are blessed, and we reap a harvest on the good seeds that we sow.

One of the hardest things for us to comprehend is the magnitude of God’s grace. It’s difficult for us to comprehend God’s grace because mankind’s grace usually has limits. From our children, to our close friends, to relatives; there’s only so many chances we’ll give people.

For a person who’s killed 17 people, mankind says lock him up forever or execute him. However, the grace of God says I still love him and he still has a chance to have a right relationship with Me. That’s hard for us to conceive.

God’s grace is infinite. We can go against His ways 100 times a day and His grace tells us He still loves us, we’re forgiven, and He still accepts us as His beloved. If we got what we deserved based on God’s standards, we would be in hell tonight.

The point of this message is to elevate our grace. The same grace that’s extended towards us from God is the same grace we should extend towards someone else. As much as it makes logical sense to sever our relationship with a person after they’ve wronged us or someone else, we should love them, forgive them, and as the Spirit leads, be a blessing to them.

Ephesians 4:7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

Mark 9:23 Jesus said unto him, If you can believe, all things are possible to him that believes.

“Only believe. Only believe. All things are possible if you only believe.”-Smith Wigglesworth

God has placed some big dreams inside of us. Some of us want to have our own business, start a church, own a 5000 square foot home, have a non-profit outreach ministry, or have a top of the line luxury car. If we have the correct motives according to James 4:3, there’s nothing wrong with having these desires.

A lot of us squash our own dreams because we can’t begin to imagine how to start and/or pay for these things. God didn’t ask us to pay for it and He didn’t tell us to figure it out on our own. He told us to believe. Believe what? Believe our dreams were paid for by the blood of Jesus and those desires exist, for us, in heavenly places in Christ (Eph. 1:3).

How it will happen and when those dreams will manifest is totally up to God. Stop trying to figure it out. Just believe. Be patient. Be strong in faith. Just believe. Don’t doubt, just believe. Believe, believe, believe.

Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.

God’s Word is a light to our pathway of life. That means, without the Word of God, we’re essentially walking in darkness. Have you ever tried to walk in the woods or an unfamiliar area in total darkness? It can be done, but it’s a lot more difficult.

First of all, we’ll get to our destination a lot slower than we would if we had a flashlight (if we get there at all). We’ll bump into things, possibly fall, or come across things that could be hazardous to our health. Wouldn’t it be easier if we had a light to guide us? Well, that’s what the Word is. A light to God’s perfect pathway for our lives.

Don’t go through life hoping and wishing we’re walking along the correct pathway to our purpose, not realizing we’re going the wrong way. Let’s read, meditate, and listen to God’s Word daily to brighten up our surroundings to make this life as easy and abundant as possible.

Psalm 40:5 Many, Lord my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare.

God has done some wonderful things in our lives. Guess what? He’s not done yet. The things that He’s planned for us, we can’t even imagine (1 Cor. 2:9). Wherever we are in life, His plan is to prosper us to a better state. Even if we’re millionaires, with a great family, and healthy, there’s still more.

This prosperous state is for the selfless. It’s not to boast about how much we have and what we can do. This prosperous state is to establish His covenant and be a blessing (Deut. 8:18; Gen. 12:2).

The sad part is a lot of us won’t experience half of what He has for us and what He wants to do for us because we won’t believe or believe BIG.

Let’s get our hearts, minds, and spirits to a place where we can receive the wonders God has prepared just for us.

Murderers, thieves, homosexuals, liars, abusers, Satanists, molesters, gossipers, haters, fornicators, and more. Contrary to religious belief, God loves everyone. Wherever we are in life and whatever we’re doing (good or bad) He loves us. He loved us enough to send His Son to pay the price for our past, present, and future sins (John 3:16).

Don’t be mistaken, God hates some of our choices, but He understands our choices don’t define us. He can look past our actions and love us. Our parents could have rejected us, but God loves us. Our friends may have deserted us, but God loves us. Some churches could have closed their doors on us, but God loves us and He is and will always be there.

Let’s settle this concept in our hearts. God loves us and there is nothing we can do about it.

Psalm 86:15 But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.

Proverbs 15:6 In the house of the righteous is much treasure: but in the revenues of the wicked is trouble.

The righteous, are people who are in right standing with God. We obtain right standing with God when we believe Jesus is Lord and Savior (Rom. 3:22). When we’re in right standing with God, there are all sorts of benefits. As we can see, one of the benefits is treasure in our household.

When we’re righteous, God causes continuous revenue to flow through our household. Business ideas, job stability, and gifts are all consistent with this treasure. We don’t have to work ourselves to death to obtain this treasure. It’s a part of the righteous package.

This treasure is not limited to finances. This treasure also includes a joyful marriage and saved children. The Bible says the offspring of the righteous are delivered and blessed (Prov. 11:21; Psalm 112:2). Proverbs 12:4 also says an excellent wife is her husband’s crown. Sounds like treasure to me.

If it doesn’t seem like treasure is in your household, place a demand on the Word, release your faith, tell the atmosphere in your household to line up with the Word of God, and watch treasure start pouring into your house.

Exodus 3:9 “Now, behold, the cry of the sons of Israel has come to Me; furthermore, I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 “Therefore, come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.”

From abusive relationships, to gender and racial discrimination, to belittling bosses, people are being oppressed all across this world. The systems of the world don’t have the answers for this and they’re guessing on solutions hoping they’ll work.

We, the believers, are called and have been given the authority to loose oppression wherever we see it. We’ve been given the authority to bind strongholds, speak good things into existence, and destroy the power of evil (2 Cor. 10:4; Mark 11:23; Luke 10:19).

So, the next time we hear a news story about someone being abused, someone being racially discriminated against, or hear a person tell us how a boss is treating them, use the power of God within us to set them free.

Acts 4:16 “What are we going to do with these men?” they asked. “Everyone living in Jerusalem knows they have performed a notable sign, and we cannot deny it.

Miraculous events can and should be performed in and through our lives. God’s Word says we have the ability to heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons, move mountains, and we have whatever we say (Matt. 10:8; Matt. 17:20; Mark 11:24). These events should be so evident until no one can deny the power of God working in and through our lives. But, it has to be for His glory and not our fame.

We don’t have to look far to see someone hurting or in an unfortunate predicament. As the Holy Spirit leads, we should take a bold step of faith to publicly pray for that person and expect positive results. How else will they know it’s the power of God and not a coincidence or a matter of time if we don’t approach them?

In our own lives, we should boldly declare what we want to see and expect results. So much so until people should look at our lives and realize God’s hand is definitely on our lives.

Through faith and promptings of the Holy Spirit, let’s show the world something they can’t deny.

Acts 4:12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

We’re living in a time where everyone wants to believe that everyone will have a happily ever afterlife. Unfortunately, everyone won’t experience that.

A happily ever afterlife is solely dependent upon our belief in Jesus as Lord. No matter how much we like our friends or family members and no matter what new religion or theories are birthed, if people don’t believe that Jesus is the Son of God and He died for our sins, their afterlife will be a nightmare.

God’s not asking us to keep all 600 laws and He’s not asking us to be perfect. He simply wants us to believe in His Son because He desires that all will be saved (1 Tim. 2:4).

Let’s secure and help others secure a happily ever afterlife by spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Lamentations 3:22 It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

Some of us have been deceived into living a life not honoring God. Initially, we may knowingly sin but because our lives are not significantly impacted and nothing bad happened to us, some of us think it’s okay to continue what we’re doing. It’s not. We’re being deceived.

There are consequences to sin. Some consequences are immediate but, a lot of them are delayed. Sin leads to death (Rom. 6:23). If we don’t change, we’ll end up living a shorter unproductive life full of sickness and disease and broken relationships. It’s not God putting this on us but, our actions that cause these consequences.

The goodness we still experience after we knowingly sin is God’s way to lead us to repentance (Rom. 2:4). Would we knowingly wrong or go against a person who’s been so good to us? No. Then, why would we do that to our God?

Today we have a choice. We can continue living a life doing what we want to do and not honoring God or we can change our behavior and honor Him with our lifestyle. The pros and cons are set. You choose.

Deuteronomy 8:18 But you shall remember the LORD your God: for it is he that gives you power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he swore unto your fathers, as it is this day.

Some of us are so obsessed with “getting money.” We spend the vast majority of our day thinking about what money can do for us. With our dreams and goals in mind, a lot of us try to fulfill those dreams by working extra hours, extra jobs, and risky investments. Some of us even resort to get rich quick schemes, illegal activity, and the luck of lottery for riches because we see no other way.

What a lot of us don’t realize is it is God Who gives us the ability to get wealth. When we focus on God and His plan for our lives and our community, the wealth we’re seeking will find us. It still requires some effort from us, but the wealth will be attached to our purpose. This wealth is not for selfish reasons but, for Kingdom use. When we’re truly sold out for God and seeking Him, we’ll be more excited by what this wealth can do for His Kingdom over what the wealth can do for our desires.

Stop looking at other avenues trying to get rich quick. Let’s turn our attention to God because it’s His power that gets us wealth.

Romans 13:7 Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

*We get a $200 raise on our job. We go home and tell our spouse we got a raise, but it was “only” $200. We just belittled God’s blessing.
*We don’t have a car. We prayed and asked God for a new car. We can only afford a used car at this time. We get the used car, but we’re not happy. By tolerating the car instead of being happy with the car, we belittle God’s blessing.
*We go to a crowded mall on a Saturday. There’s a parking spot in the front. We get the parking spot and say, “I got lucky.” Don’t belittle God’s blessings with luck.

Here are three examples of how we can belittle God’s blessings. From things that seem great or small, let’s genuinely acknowledge God’s work in our lives.

Luke 8:11 “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.

Whenever we release the Word of God in any area of our lives, we release a seed. We water that seed through faith and patience (Heb. 6:12). Once we released and watered the Word, we can expect and God guarantees it to grow.

For instance, if we desire better employment, we obtain seed specifically related to something we desire. Mark 11:24 says, whatever things you desire, when you pray, believe that you will receive them, and you shall have them. Once we’ve prayed and asked God for better employment, using patience, we continuously believe that we have received better employment until that seed grows in our lives. For a prosperous marriage, we obtain the seed of Jeremiah 29:11 which says, God’s plan is to prosper us in every area including, our marriage. In the face of a marriage that’s in turmoil, we declare prosperity in our marriage. With time, faith, and God’s guidance, we can expect a prosperous marriage to grow.

Never neglect the Word of God. It is the seed to have God’s will and our desires manifest in our lives.

Matthew 8:14 When Jesus arrived at Peter’s house, He saw Peter’s mother-in-law sick in bed with a fever. 15 He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she got up and began to serve them. 

God has done some spectacular things in our lives. He saved us, He delivered us from that horrible habit, He blessed us with newer and nicer things, He prospered us. The list goes on and on.

Like this woman, who was instantly healed by Jesus, our first response after all of the good things He’s done for us should be to serve Him. We don’t serve out of obligation. We serve out of gratitude and appreciation for all that He’s done. This service is not limited to the four walls in a church. We serve Him by intentionally living a holy lifestyle. We serve Him by sharing the good things He’s done for us with others. We serve Him gladly by walking in love.

Let’s reflect on the good things God has done for us and elevate our service towards Him.

Matthew 7:3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

It’s a lot more appealing to tell someone else about themselves and not deal with what going on in our own lives. It’s easy to say, “she has low self-esteem” or “he has pride issues” meanwhile, we may be dealing with both and don’t know it. And if someone tries to tell us self-improvement methods, we get defensive.

As the Holy Spirit lead us, it can be very beneficial to help someone else with his or her issues but let’s not be so concerned with others until we neglect our own growth and development.

Realize we’re all continuously maturing and we all need grace extended towards us.

2 Corinthians 10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds;)

As much as we’d like it if things changed automatically, they don’t. For things to change for the better in our lives requires the correct response to God’s Word. God’s Word says we’re blessed, healed, and prosperous, but everyday the enemy attacks and attempts to steal every promise from God.

A stronghold is an attack from the enemy on the things that rightfully belong to us. The pulling down of strongholds is our responsibility to retain what God’s Word says we already have. So, the responsibility we have when the enemy attacks our bodies with sickness is an unwavering belief that we’re healed and a confession saying the same (James 1:6-7; 2 Cor. 4:13). A correct response to a stronghold in our marriage is the belief that our marriage is prosperous (in spite of what we see) and a confession saying the same.

Don’t believe or speak what you’re seeing if there’s a stronghold in your life. Pull down that stronghold by continuously believing and confessing God’s Word over everything else.

Psalm 54:4 Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.

If the answer is unknown and the problem is big, let God be your help.

If no one is there and no one seems to care, let God be your help.
If you’ve done all you can but your best in not good enough, let God be your help.

Initially, we’ll turn to God whenever we’ve run out of resources and connections. Those are some of the times we make our “God promises.” God if you get me out of this situation, I promise to__________. The good thing about God is He’ll help us even though we didn’t put Him first. God’s help will make our other resources and connections look like a waste of time.

Eventually, we should get to a place where we initially go to God and wait on His response. We’ll wait because we know His help is far better than anything we’ll get from someone else or anything we could come up with ourselves.

Get a certainty about God’s help and make Him your only Source.

God is a tripartite being. Between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, God can literally be our everything.

God is our Father (Galatians 4:6). God is our Comforter (John 14:16). God is our Counselor (Isa. 9:6). God is our Friend (John 15:15). God is our Healer (Ex. 15:26). God prospers us (Jer. 29:11). God is our Deliverer (Ps. 18:2). God is our Protector (Ps. 91:1). God is our help (Ps. 54:4).

Anything we could ever want or need in this life can be found in God. God is our everything. The reason why some people are not experiencing the full manifestation of God in their lives is because they choose to look to other places for fulfillment and assistance.

God longs to be our everything. Allow Him to be just that in your life. Trust His ways, His plans, and His methods and He promised our lives will be far more abundant than they are now.

Meditate on these scriptures above and allow God to be all that you need and more.

Isaiah 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

God’s Word says, by His stripes, we are healed. We’re not going to be healed. We’re healed right now. Sickness, disease, and pain attempt to invade our bodies to remove that healing. During those attacks, there’s a temptation to give in. If we’re in pain, there’s a temptation to sit down and feel sorry for ourselves. If we experiencing the symptoms of sickness and disease, there’s a temptation to be unconcerned with our appearance and tell people how bad it is.

When those attacks come, this is our opportunity to rebel. It’s an opportunity to go against how we feel. Every time we feel that pain, smile and declare to ourselves we are healed. After coughing the night before, put on some nice clothes and praise God that Jesus healed us. Once again, we won’t feel like rebelling against the symptoms, but our rebellion puts our faith on display.

*Disclaimer: In all things, we should be led by the Holy Spirit. If God tells us to rest or take medication, that’s what we should do. This is not the time to foolishly show God how much faith we have by overriding His Spirit with carnal rebellion.

Rebel against the symptoms of sickness and pain and proclaim the truth…We Are Healed!

When we first attempt to hear God’s voice, it’s kind of confusing. We hear or we think we hear God in certain situations, we’ll hear the desires of our flesh, and we’ll hear the voice of Satan. There’s an elimination process we can do to truly know we’re hearing God.

If it’s Satan’s voice, it will totally oppose God’s Word. For instance, if we hear a voice telling us to rob a bank, that’s not God because His Word tells us not to steal (Exod. 20:15). The desires of our flesh oppose God’s Word too, but it’s a little more subtle (Rom. 8:7). The flesh will tell us have that second helping of dessert even though we know we’re full. The flesh will tell us to “get high” because there’s no scripture that says we can’t. The flesh tag teams with Satan to provide logical reasons as to why we should do something a particular way.

When we hear God’s voice, there’s an inner peace (Col 3:15). We may be tempted to worry about the process or the outcome, but that’s something we know we should be doing. Our flesh and Satan will scream reasons as to why God’s way is stupid or illogical, but the more we resist Satan and follow-through with hearing God’s voice, the better we’ll become. Eventually, we’ll easily hear God’s voice for every decision we’ll make in life.

John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

There are wars in the world. There are multiple mass shootings within a year. Husbands and wives are killing each other. Parents are killing their own children. Racism still exists. People are conceited and only concerned with themselves.

Let’s face it. We’re literally seeing the end time signs.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 says, there will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power.

As we see all of this unfold, what is a believer to do? The same thing Jesus told us to do over 2000 years ago.
1. Preach the gospel (Mark 16:15).
2. Use our authority over the enemy (Luke 10:19).
3. Love one another (John 13:34).

We may not be able to stop these signs from happening, but if we can love people to the point to pray for them during these trying times, share the gospel with them so that they can receive salvation prior to Jesus’ return, and stop Satan’s power from running rampant, we can truly operate in our role as God’s vessels. Let’s do our parts and be willing participants for the Kingdom of God during these last days.

Throughout our day, we should obtain status checks from God. We should stop everything we’re doing to ask God how we’re doing so far. Is there anything He wants us to work on? Is there anything He wants us to do next?

When get status checks from God, we’re intentionally keeping open lines of communication with God, we’re allowing His Spirit to lead us, and we’re allowing Him to direct our steps (Psalm 37:23). The benefit of status checks with God is we’re displaying our trust to God in allowing Him to lead our lives and we know wherever He leads us is designed to prosper us (Jer. 29:11).

Let’s begin and/or continue checking in with God throughout our day to gain guidance in our lives.

Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.  

Mark 11:23 “Truly I tell you that if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and has no doubt in his heart but believes that it will happen, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Situations, conversations, and previous experiences have the ability to make us doubt God’s Word. A lot of us have settled for a less than life. Some of us have accepted sickness, poverty, and problems. We experience these negative things and say…“that’s life.”

With the power God has given us, we should be dominating every negative circumstance that gets in our way. Whatever mountain that’s in our way, we’ve been given the ability to speak over it, tell it to move and it will obey.

A problem we tend to have is we don’t believe we have the ability to cause our mountain to move with the power of our words alone. If we do take that step of faith, we have the ability to doubt or quit if we don’t see something happening immediately.

Through Jesus Christ, we have power and ability over any obstacles that come across our paths. Get back to the basics and exercise your faith.