Category Archive

Matthew 6:27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

“Worrying is like sitting in a rocking chair. We’re doing a lot of moving, but we’re not going anywhere.” ~Joyce Meyer

It’s not the will of God for us to worry. Worrying lets God know we don’t believe what He says and we will handle the situation without any outside help. The problem with worrying is we to try to figure out solutions with a positive outcome without success.

To not have our lives consumed with worry, we must give the situation to God. We inform God we need His help and we can’t do it by ourselves. Secondly, we must believe God’s Word. We must believe He will take care of us (Psalms 55:22), all of our needs are met by God (Phil. 4:19), and God will protect us (Psalms 121:7).

The elimination of worry may be an ongoing process, but the results are a peaceful stress-free life.

Luke 8:41 Then a man named Jairus, a synagogue leader, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house 42 because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying. As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. 43 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. 44 She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. 45“Who touched me?” Jesus asked.

As we mature in our relationship with God, we need to get to the point of being a blessing (Genesis 12:2). We need to lend a helping hand, lift someone up, or say an encouraging word. That helping hand or encouraging word may not always be convenient with our schedules. As we can see, Jesus was inconvenienced by the woman with the issue of blood.

We may have a friend who asks for a ride going northbound when we’re going southbound. We may have a family member who calls at 11:00pm with a problem when we have to be at work by 7:00am. There may be a stranger stuck on the side of the road and we simply don’t feel like stopping.

Although the time may be inconvenient for us, the help we provide may be the strand that keeps a person trusting in God. We may be the answer to someone’s prayers. We may have an opportunity to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Let’s not allow our temporary inconvenience to stop us from doing what God has called us to do.

We read and a get a good feeling from the following scriptures:

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Psalms 121:7 The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life;

Mark 11:24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

However, after reading any encouraging scripture, some of us forget to apply these scriptures in our daily lives. We tend to forget the most when life seems difficult.

Some of us tend to think or say “I hope I don’t get robbed” when walking in the dark by ourselves. We need to be saying, “praise God for keeping me from all harm.” Some of us begin to panic when we have an unmet need instead of being at peace because we know God supplies all our needs (Phil. 4:19).

In order to maximize on the promises God has given to us, we must apply these truths to our lives. We apply these truths by reading and believing what God’s Word says. These scriptures should be more than a good feeling. These are promises from God and our faith allows these promises to manifest themselves in the earth.

James 1:22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

Genesis 19:6 Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him 7 and said, “No, my friends. Don’t do this wicked thing.

Lot protected two angels of the Lord from being raped by the evil and perverted men of Sodom and Gomorrah. As a result of Lot’s efforts to protect them, Lot received forewarning of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (v. 13), Lot’s request was granted (v. 21), and Lot and his family were saved from destruction (v. 23).

We never know how much helping an individual may benefit our lives. God may bring us someone or put someone on our hearts that is in need of help. God may have us babysit a couple’s child so that they can go on a romantic date, He may have us give a $20 tip on a $10 meal or, He may have us send an encouraging text message.

When we do whatever God places on our hearts, just know God has obligated Himself to bless us in return (Ephesians 6:8). Always remember, when we help someone, we’re showing the love of Christ, being lights of the world, and there is a benefit attached to our obedience.

James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

If submission to God causes the devil to flee, then the lack of submission to God keeps the devil present.

Any conflict within any type of relationship (marriage, parent/children, work) is due to a lack of submission to God by one or both individuals. Submission to God means committing to doing things His way.

Conflict in each situation varies. In a marriage, a man may not love his wife the way Christ loves the church and/or a woman may not be respecting her husband (Ephesians 5:25, 33). In a parent/child relationship, children may not be honoring or obeying their parents and/or parents may be provoking their children to anger (Ephesians 6:1-4). In a work relationship, an employee and a supervisor may not be respecting each other (Ephesians 6:5-9).

A solution to any conflict in any relationship is all individuals submitting to God. We cannot force an individual to submit to God, but we do possess power over the devil who influences a person to do things contrary to the will of God (Luke 10:19). So, if we’re in conflict with anyone, let’s submit ourselves to God, bind and rebuke the devil from influencing the mind of the person we’re in conflict with, and believe all conflict in any area of our lives must die.

1 Thessalonians 5:16 Rejoice at all times.

The definition of rejoice is to be glad or take delight. It’s easy to rejoice when everything is going well and we’re not facing issues. It’s a little more difficult to rejoice in trying times. In whatever situation we face and no matter what we go through, rejoice.

We’re not rejoicing because of the situation. We rejoice because we know the outcome of the situation. We’re rejoicing because all things are working for our good (Romans 8:28). We’re rejoicing because God always causes us to triumph (2 Corinthians 2:14). We’re rejoicing because in every test or trial, God provides a way to escape (1 Corinthians 10:13). We rejoice because in every situation, we win (1 Corinthians 15:57).

Wherever you are in life, rejoice!

John 16:23 “In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. 24 “Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.

God wants us to ask Him for whatever we desire so that our joy can be made full. Would our joy be made full if we asked God for a red 2015 BMW 535i, but we received a 2005 Ford Escape? Would our joy be made full if we asked God for a $60,000 managerial career, but received a $30,000 entry-level job? The answer is no. We would feel bamboozled or duped.

Religious thinking will tell us we should just be happy with what God gave us, but that type of thinking makes God seem like He won’t fulfill His promise. The promise says anything we ask in His name, it shall be given to us. If we’re not specific, God is not obligated to give us exactly what we desire.

So, for those who are standing in faith for something, be specific, let God know exactly what you desire, so that your joy may be full.

~Inspired by the teachings of Apostle Price

Mark 11:24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

1 John 5:14 This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.

Since we have our requests once we’ve prayed, it may be beneficial to write down what we have requested and the date of our requests. This is not a law or a rule to receive the manifestation of our requests, but writing down the date and what we’ve requested may keep some of us in faith. We can remind ourselves of when we received our requests. It strengthens our thanksgiving and our boldness to God.

For example: Father God, on September 16, 2015 I asked for employment that will fulfill my purpose in the earth. Since I asked, I know that You heard me and have fulfilled my request. I believe that I received my employment.

If we didn’t write down the date of our requests, we may forget when we received our desires. This may help some of us stay in faith. So, write down date of your requests to keep your desires organized.

Mark 11:24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

1 John 5:14 This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.

After reading these scriptures, God is showing us, once we’ve made our requests to Him, it’s settled. By faith, we have whatever we requested because God heard us. It’s just a matter of time before what we’ve asked for manifests itself in the earth.

While we wait on that manifestation, we continue to believe that we’ve received it. We don’t continue to ask for the same thing. When we continually ask for the same thing, it displays our doubt. It lets God know we don’t believe He heard us or fulfilled our requests (1 John 5:14-15). If we’re in doubt, we can’t expect to receive anything from God (James 1:6-7).

Let’s stay in faith by knowing God heard us and fulfilled our requests the first time we prayed.

Titus 3:4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,

We can pray 5 times a day, go to church 4 days a week, fast 3 days a week, read the Word of God 2 hours each day and that still won’t get us to heaven or in right standing with God.

It’s ONLY by the grace and mercy of our God through Jesus Christ we are saved.

Does this mean we live like a hellion because we’re saved by grace? Of course not.

Our good behavior and works of righteousness are expressions of our gratitude towards the One who saved us. Think of it this way, if the richest person in the world paid all our bills, bought us a new house, bought us two cars, and gave us $5 million out of the kindness of their heart, would we disrespect them, make up excuses as to why we can’t spend time with them, make other plans when they say they need our help? Most of us would not. We would take every opportunity to show that we’re appreciative for all they’ve done.

Well, through Jesus we have the opportunity to obtain all the worldly possessions mentioned above, but He also saved us from eternal destruction. So, praise God for Jesus who alone saved us and blessed us with all blessings (Eph. 1:3).

Mark 10:45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Jesus is our example of how we should live this life and He came to serve. If Jesus served, what make us think we’re too good to serve?

Throughout our day, there are so many areas where we can serve others. It doesn’t have to be a big, grand gesture like feeding the poor. We can serve in areas that may seem minor.

For example, by opening the door for someone when walking into a building, we’re serving someone else. We serve the janitors by picking up pieces of trash from the ground. By praying for a person with a disability, we’re serving someone else. By turning off lights when at a hotel or business, we’re serving the company by saving them money.

Don’t think our good deeds are going unnoticed. According to Ephesians 6:20 whatever good we do, the same shall we receive from the Lord. So, continue in the ways of Christ and serve.

There are individuals who spend countless hours shopping for the finest clothes. Their hair, car, and house are always pristine. They spend so much time and money on their appearance because their identity is based on their image and how people see them.

There are individuals who have a wealth of earthly knowledge. These are the people with two or three doctorates. They’re constantly studying and creating research projects for themselves. They spend a lot of their time studying because their identity is based on their education and the amount of knowledge they can acquire.

As believers, our identity needs to be Christ centered. There’s nothing wrong with having nice clothes and a great education, but our sole focus needs to be in Christ. People are lost and hurting, but an image conscience person is worrying about their clothes or car getting dirty. People need to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ, but an education conscience person doesn’t have time because they’re consumed with their studies.

Let’s examine our lives to see what we’re focused on. Is our identity focused on ourselves or is it focused on fulfilling the will of God like our example Jesus?

Philippians 2:3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. 5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

Psalms 127:3 “Children are a blessing and a gift from the Lord.”‭‭

Proverbs 10:22 The blessing of the LORD, it makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.

Disgruntled or tired parents may give others the “kids ain’t nothing but trouble” speech. Their intentions are to make us think twice before having or raising children. They want to let us know how tiresome and troubling raising children can be. This may be a fact for some, however, the Word of God declares children are a blessing from the Lord. The Word of God also declares the blessing of the Lord makes one rich and adds no sorrow. 

We don’t have to accept what certain parents have to say about parenting. It’s a choice to receive the negativity behind raising children. We can either accept the negativity of disgruntled parents or accept the truth from the Parent of us all.

If God says children are a blessing and His blessings are without sorrow, I choose to believe Him. Who do you believe? 

Psalms 8:2 Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.

When we go through difficult times in our lives, the enemy is always standing by, whispering negative thoughts of doubt, unbelief, and disparity. He lets us know we won’t get through this situation, we’ve failed in that area, and we’ve missed our blessing.

When those negative thoughts arise, begin to praise God. We may not feel like praising God during trying times, but our praise is very beneficial.

1. Our praise establishes a stronghold against the plans of the enemy. The traps that have been set by the enemy are dismantled when we praise.
2. Our praise silences the enemy. Those negative thoughts that enter our minds are silenced as we praise.

So, give God praise. Let Him know how wonderful He is. Get excited about His promises for our lives and don’t allow the enemy to win.

We all know individuals who are unsaved, not living a life pleasing to God, lost, or confused. We’ll pray or even talk to those individuals, however, if we don’t see immediate results, another trick of the enemy is to have us worry about those people. Our mind will be consumed with how we can fix it or what we can do to make it better.

Just like every other care or concern in the world, we have to give our cares or concerns to God. What will happen if we don’t is, we’ll spend our time, thought life, and energy worrying about another person’s life meanwhile, we’re delaying or even forsaking what God has called us to do. By worrying about another person’s life, the enemy kills two birds with one stone. The enemy stops the will of God from being manifested in the lost or confused person’s life and he stops the will of God from being manifested in the worrier’s life.

Let’s have faith, knowing our prayers for the lost will come to pass. Let’s fulfill the will of God by giving ALL cares and concerns to God and keeping them there.

Psalm 68:19 Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.

Matthew 16:16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

The rock Jesus was referring to was the rock of revelation about Him being the Christ. On the rock of Christ, Jesus will build His church and the gates of hell will not prevail against the church.

If the rock of Christ is what Jesus stood on for His church, how much more will the rock of Christ be beneficial in other areas of our lives?

By choosing to have Christ as the foundation in every area of our lives, the Word of God guarantees hell will not prevail against those areas. If we have Christ as the foundation of our marriage, hell won’t prevail against it. If we have Christ as the foundation of our children, hell won’t prevail against them. If we have Christ as the foundation of our attitude, speech, or in our daily operations, hell won’t prevail against them.

Let’s not live life using our own power or abilities. In whatever we do, let’s do it through Christ so that God is pleased, we are blessed, and hell can’t prevail against it.

Psalms 112:7 They (the righteous) will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.

Whenever we receive bad news, there are two ways to handle the news. We can handle the news the world’s way or God’s way.

The world’s way tells us to stress, complain, worry, or become irritated about the news. The majority of people handle bad news the world’s way and it never amounts to anything. Worrying and stressing is like rocking in a rocking chair. We’re doing a lot of moving, but we’re never going anywhere.

God’s way tells us to fear not and trust Him. It may take time to remove ourselves from worry, stress, and fear, but that’s God’s best for our lives. We were never meant to carry cares and concerns with us as we live this life. That’s why God’s Word instructs us to cast our cares on the Lord (1 Pet. 5:7).

Anytime we find ourselves trying to fix the problem in our own strength, we’re letting God know we don’t trust Him. Let’s start and maintain our trust in God, knowing that all things work for our good (Rom. 8:28).

The greatest truth to know is God loves us. Everything hinges off of believing God loves us. If we have an ounce of doubt in our hearts about God’s love for us, doubt will be embedded in every promise of God.

For instance, if we doubt God’s love for us, how can we be sure God loved us enough to send His on Son for our salvation? How do we know He loved us enough to heal our bodies? We’ll question if we can receive our heart’s desires.  

This doubt attempting to creep into our beliefs is from Satan. The enemy will use our past and our present circumstances to attempt to implant doubt into our minds. Just remember this, regardless of what we’ve done, God loves us. God knows everything that we’ve done and everything we will do and He is still committed to loving us. 

Receive His Love.

1 John 4:16 We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

Psalms 75:6 For promotion comes neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. 7 But God is the judge: he puts down one, and sets up another.

There are some believers who are content with having the minimal. They only want what they need to survive for that day. They’re okay if they work at an entry level job for the next 25 years. They think that anything more than the bare essentials would be vanity. That’s fine if people choose to live in that manner, but that’s not God’s best.

God desires promotion for His people. Can you imagine if devout believers were head doctors and nurses at major hospitals? Imagine if the entire school board was made up of God’s children. Think about if believers owned car dealerships, properties, or refineries. What a difference it will make in the world if believers would aspire to their God-given potential. It’s not always about the amount of money one makes, but it’s about divine positioning. 

Contrary to religious belief, we can be successful and be spiritually grounded at the same time. So, be the person God called you to be, advance to the position where God called you to be, and receive the promises God desires for you to have. 

Leukemia, cancer, high blood pressure, arthritis, liver disease, a cold, diarrhea, back pain, muscle spasms, multiple sclerosis, migraines, Ebola, tumors, blood clots, strokes, paralysis, acne, mental disorders, cavities, and more.

Some may say, “I don’t have any of the sicknesses or pain on the list.” That’s because, through the stripes of Jesus Christ, we have been healed from everything on this list above and more.

Every now and then, we need to go into a mode of praise and thanksgiving, thanking God for healing us of things we’ve never experienced. Thank God, through the stripes of Jesus, we’ve been healed from stomach ulcers. Praise God, through the stripes of Jesus, we’ve been healed from pneumonia. Give glory to God, through the stripes of Jesus, for healing us of sleep apnea.

We’re not speaking these sicknesses into existence; we’re praising God, through Jesus, we’ve been healed from every sickness or disease that’s known and not known to mankind. Praise God!

Inspired by Pastor Kenneth Copeland

Psalms 107:20 He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions. 21 Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness, And for His wonders to the sons of men!

Everything God created was good, including you.

We’re living in a time where people don’t feel like they’re good enough because they don’t have this or that. People are comparing themselves with others and when they don’t “measure up” with others, they think less of themselves. At the same time, insecurities are developed regarding their appearance. These insecurities have the potential to create low self-esteem and depression. All of this is because some of us don’t believe in the goodness God created.

All of us were created in the image of God. When we call ourselves ugly or no good, we call God ugly or no good. Some of us praise or give more attention to celebrities, sunsets, or even cars than we do ourselves.

At the end of the day, we’re as good as the next person, we’re as beautiful or handsome as the next person, and we have the potential to be as successful as the next person because we were all created with goodness by the same God.

Consider yourself to be a good thing.

Genesis 1:31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,

First of all, it’s a choice to let or allow the mind of Christ to be in us. The mind of Christ is not going to automatically download into our minds. For those who choose to have the mind of Christ, let’s look at the requirements.

Philippians 2:6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
Breakdown: V. 6 Jesus was equal with God. V. 7 Jesus wasn’t here to bring glory to Himself, but to God. V. 8 Jesus humbled Himself and was obedient to God.

To have the mind of Christ, these same requirements should be in us. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). Jesus and the Father are one (John 10:30). Since we’re in Christ and Christ and the Father are one, we become equal with God. Although in Christ, we’re equal with God, our mentality should be to bring glory to God, humble ourselves, and maintain our obedience to God.

Having the mind of Christ will bring us closer to God and bring more glory to God. Walk in it.

Psalms 107:35 “He turns a wilderness into pools of water, And dry land into watersprings.”

Dry places are like deserts. This is where nothing flourishes, grows, or springs forth. This is where dreams go to die, ideas fade away, and faith diminishes. Have you ever had a time where you felt like your life was in a dry place? It seems like nothing is working, promotions are not being offered, and promises are not coming to pass. 

This “dry place” is a mirage set by the enemy. It’s an illusion in our minds. As we continue to maintain our faith in God, these same dry places can be turned into water springs where we bear fruit (v. 37). These dry places can yield great results. What we thought was a dead end can turn out to be a prosperous place. 

Let’s not be moved by the circumstances surrounding us. Those things can change as quickly as tomorrow. But, we have to keep our faith. 

There are some who say, God has given us common sense to handle situations on our own, and we don’t need to bother Him for every little thing. That can’t be true because God’s Word says, acknowledge Him in all our ways (Prov. 3:6).

God wants us to rely on Him for every little situation. Not just the major situations. It may seem like we’ve made the correct decision using our own wisdom, skills, and efforts at the time, but relying on ourselves only leads to failure (Prov. 16:25).

Reliance on God, displays our trust in God. If our reliance is elsewhere, we have to ask ourselves, do we really trust God?

2 Chronicles 14:11 Then Asa called to the LORD his God and said, “LORD, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. LORD, you are our God; do not let mere mortals prevail against you.”

There are numerous promises in the Word of God, but some of us are not seeing the manifestation of those promises yet. When the delay of those promises arise, we may think we have to do more praying or behave more Christ-like to receive those promises. Some of us disqualified ourselves in receiving God’s promises based on our lifestyle in the past.

These are all deceptions from the enemy. God’s promises are irrevocable, they are yes and amen, and they are sitting in heavily places waiting on our faith to obtain them (Romans 11:29; 2 Corinthians 1:20; Ephesians 1:3).
To activate or maintain our faith in receiving the manifestation of those promises, it’s beneficial to personalize God’s promises for us. For instance, state your name when reading or confessing the promises of God.
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward Sarah, says the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give Sarah an expected end.

1 Peter 2:24 “He himself bore Marvin’s sins” in his body on the cross, so that Marvin might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds Marvin has been healed.”

Personalizing God’s promises doesn’t make the promise come to pass. Jesus released all the promises of God through His sacrifice. Personalizing the promise internalizes the wonderful things God has for us.

Inspired by: Explore God

Jesus is our Wisdom. 1 Cor. 1:30

Jesus is our Righteousness. 1 Cor. 1:30

Jesus is our sanctification. 1 Cor. 1:30

Jesus is our completion. Col. 2:10

Jesus is our Healer. 1 Peter 2:24

Jesus is our Lord. Rom. 10:9

Jesus is our Savior. 1 John 4:14

Jesus is our Counselor. Isaiah 9:6

Jesus is our Peace. Isaiah 9:6

Jesus is the source of our faith. Heb. 12:2

Jesus is our Intercessor. Rom. 8:34

Jesus is our Holiness. 1 Cor. 1:30

Jesus removed our sins. 1 John 3:5

Jesus is the Word of God. John 1:14

Jesus redeemed us from the curse of the Law. Gal. 3:13

Jesus allowed us to be blessed. Gal. 3:14

Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit. John 14:16-17

Jesus reconciled us back to Father God. 2 Cor. 5:18

Jesus made us rich. 2 Cor. 8:9

Jesus died for us. Rom. 5:8

This is a list of at least 20 things Jesus did for us. Religion will tell us we have to obtain certain things on this list, using our own will power and devotion, however, the Word of God tells us Jesus did all of these things and more for us. We don’t have to work for it and we don’t have to earn it. If we simply believe that Jesus has done all of these things, they will automatically be added into our lives.

John 6:29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

Luke 1:38 “Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.”‭‭

When the angel of the Lord told Mary she would conceive a child by way of the Holy Spirit and give birth to the Son of God, she said, “Be it unto me according to your word.”

A word from God is given to us on a daily basis. We can pray and receive a word from God, we can read the Bible and receive a word from God, or we can receive a word from God through the man or woman of God. The question is, are we listening? 

We may be going through a situation and a word from God can come through one of those avenues mentioned above, however, if we’re so focused on solving the problem using our own intelligence, we can’t position ourselves to receive that word. Worry, anxiety, and fear will never solve a problem like a word from God.

Go to the Answer, Who is our God, and receive a word that will solve any problem. 

There are three ways to live in this life. We can exist, live, or live for God.

There are people in life who simply exist. This group consists of mainly unsaved individuals, however, there are a few saved people who are existing. These are people who don’t have any dreams, desires, or goals. Their motivation is gone and their faith is limited or non-existent. They are working a job they hate, only to survive. They have a pessimistic perspective on life due to negative experiences. Finally, they contaminate others with their view on life.

The next group of people are living. These people are a step above existing. These people desire to see the world, make a difference, and be successful. They have dreams and goals, but their motivations are different. Their motivations are for selfish, boastful gains. They are the people who want to be millionaires for the sake of being millionaires. They want to be successful simply to have and live more. There’s nothing wrong with being successful, but our motivations should be different.

Finally, we have the people who live for God. Their motivation is to please God and advance His Kingdom. Every thought and idea these people have involves God. Their dreams and goals are God-inspired. They want to be successful to bring more glory to God, according to Matthew 5:16. They may want to have children so that additional people can advance the Kingdom of God. They want to be more financially successful to be more of a blessing, according to Genesis 12:2. They realize because they’re Kingdom-minded (having a mind to please God and advance His Kingdom), all of their personal needs and desires will be given to them according to Matthew 6:33.

How are you living? In what ways can you improve? Let’s all get inspired to live for God.

Romans 14:8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

1 Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Boxers, such as, Mike Tyson, Muhammad Ali, and Floyd Mayweather, have all been champions of the world in boxing. As soon as they were crowned champions, they immediately started fighting from victory. Challengers would attempt to take their titles, however, many of them would be defeated.

Jesus Christ has made us victorious. Through His death and resurrection, He has crowned us champions. Situations will arise in our lives that will challenge us to think we’re defeated or things won’t work out, however, if we keep our faith, believing what Jesus accomplished for us, those situations will suffer defeat.

It’s the same way with sickness. Jesus allowed us to experience divine health and wholeness. Sickness or disease will attempt to challenge our health. By believing we’re healed by the stripes of Jesus and having no doubt, all sickness or disease must bow in defeat.

Unlike the boxer who has a chance of losing a title, for those who continue to believe, we are guaranteed victory (2 Corinthians 2:14).

Psalms 107:6 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, And He delivered them out of their distresses.

In Psalms 107, there are four verses (verses 6, 13, 19, & 28) that say, “Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, And He delivered them out of their distresses.”

Could it be God is trying to give us a hint? Do you think He’s trying to tell us something?

The context in each cry is different. The first cry in verse 6 was due to the fact that the Israelites were hungry and thirsty. As soon as they cried, God delivered them from their distress.
The second cry in verse 13 was due to the fact some of the Israelites were suffering because they rebelled against God. As soon as they cried, God delivered them from their distress.
The third cry in verse 19 was because some of the Israelites were suffering because they transgressed against the ways of God. As soon as they cried, God delivered them from their distress.
The final cry in verse 28 was because some of the Israelites were in a life-threatening situation. As soon as they cried, God delivered them from their distress.

What God is showing us is no matter what situation we’re in (need of provision, ease from suffering, or protection), if we call on Him, He will deliver us from all our distresses. Just call.

Nehemiah 8:8 They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read. 9 Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, “This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.

The Law of Moses was over 600 rules and regulations, ordered by God, that people had to keep. If the people kept ALL the Law, they were blessed. If they disobeyed in one area of the Law, they were cursed and suffered the wrath of God (Deut. 28).

As soon as these people heard the Law, they wept. Why? Because they knew they were not in compliance with the Law and they didn’t want suffer the wrath of God.

We are under grace, but some of us are still choosing to live by the Law. We still think our behavior and performance will get God’s attention to receive a blessing. As soon as we don’t perform well or miss the mark, we feel condemned and think we’re not worthy of a blessing.

Ultimately, we see the Law was designed to show people no matter how hard they tried, they could never keep all the Law in their own efforts. The Law showed people we need a Savior (Gal. 3:23-25).

Jesus fulfilled the Law, therefore, He was made righteous. To those in Christ, we too were made righteous. All of our righteousness is because of Jesus. There is nothing we can do to be more righteous than we are now (1 Cor. 1:30).

Stop living in the ways of the Law and receive what grace has made available. Grace, through Jesus Christ, has made us righteous.

Psalms 106 gives us a great summary of some of the unholy things the Israelites did against God.

Psalms 106:19 They made a calf in Horeb, And worshiped the molded image. 24 Then they despised the pleasant land; They did not believe His word, 25 But complained in their tents, And did not heed the voice of the Lord. 36 They served their idols, Which became a snare to them. 37 They even sacrificed their sons And their daughters to demons,

And still after all of this, God showed them love, kindness, and mercy whenever they called.

Psalms 106:44 Nevertheless He regarded their affliction, When He heard their cry; 45 And for their sake He remembered His covenant, And relented according to the multitude of His mercies.

This mercy was shown under the law where every blessing or curse the Israelites received was based on their performance and behavior. If God could forgive and show mercy under the law, how much more forgiveness and mercy can we receive under grace?

We are under grace. In grace, Jesus took away the curse and only left us with the blessing (Gal. 3:13). In grace, Jesus sacrificed Himself for our past, present, and future sins (Heb. 9:26). In grace, God is not holding our sins against us (2 Cor. 5:19).

Regardless of what we’ve done or how far we’ve strayed, God’s forgiveness is available through Jesus Christ. Don’t allow anyone to tell you you’re not forgiven. Believe and receive what Jesus has done for you and know you are forgiven.

Psalms 105:1-2 “Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works!”

There are believers, who choose to keep the goodness and wonderful works of God to themselves. In their minds, it’s a form of pride to speak on all the wonderful things God has done in their lives. Therefore, they think they’re “humbling” themselves by not speaking about the goodness of the Lord. 

As we can see in scripture, that way of thinking is contrary to the Word of God. We are to make known the deeds of God and talk about all (not some) of His wondrous works. 

How else will people know what God can do for them if someone is not spreading the wonderful works of God to others? How can people have faith if they’re ignorant of the promises of God? How else will God get glory and credit if people are silent? 

Let our voices be heard. Talk about all the wonderful things He has done and never feel ashamed about the blessings God has given to you. 

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

As we can see, in the beginning, there was God. Secondly, God created. 

There may be some of us who didn’t start their beginning with God. In fact, all of us didn’t start our beginning with God because we were all born into sin (Psalms 51:5; Romans 5:8). As we grew older, some of us accepted Jesus Christ at an early age and some of us accepted Him later in life. Regardless of when we accepted Him or what we’ve done, we have a promise from God. Our promise is in Joel 2:25.

Joel 2:25 And I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the crawling locust, and the consuming locust, and the cutting locust, my great army which I sent among you.

Our promise is restoration. Regardless of where we are in life (age, economic status, criminal history, etc.), we can begin again with God. Not only can we begin again with God, we can follow the pathway He’s created for us. God knew we would miss the mark, make mistakes, or even wait until we’re 59 to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, but if we’re willing to believe, we can begin again with God, do things His way, and receive the blessings He has for us. 

Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

It was prophetically spoken by Isaiah that Jesus would be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The everlasting Father, and The Prince of Peace. Is Jesus all this and more to us today? He should be.

Everything we have today is because of Jesus. Jesus is…

Wonderful: He took all of our sins away, reconciled us to the Father, and allowed us to receive the promises of God;

Counselor: He encourages us to believe in Him, reminds us to sin no more, and continuously intercedes on our behalf to the Father;

Mighty God: He defeated the power of the enemy;

everlasting Father: We can approach Him at any time, with our most intimate details;

Prince of Peace: Jesus said in John 14:27, peace I leave with you. In times of trouble, chaos, or turmoil we can thank Jesus for providing us with peace to keep our sanity.

The world may look to other things and call them wonderful, mighty God, or peaceful, but we should always look to Jesus.

Colossians 1:9-10 “For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;”

Daily, we come across people who need prayer. It’s easy to pray for people who are in our little circle (spouse, children, parents, and maybe some close friends), but what about everyone else?

The more challenging part is genuinely praying for people who we deal with on a daily basis, but we’re not necessarily close to. It can be a challenge to think of and pray for our supervisors, co-workers, the CEO of the company, customers we deal with, our children’s teachers and coaches. Some of those people make major decisions and they need to be filled with the knowledge of God’s will, wisdom, and spiritual understanding as well.

Instead of only going down our list of needs and desires for ourselves and for those close to us, allow the Holy Spirit to place people in our minds, and pray for them too.

“I’ll pray for you, you pray for me, and watch God change things.”

Proverbs 11:25 (MSG) The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed; those who help others are helped.

As we mature in our relationship with God, we have to be mindful not to only think about ourselves when receiving a blessing from God. We should desire that the promises God gives to us not only benefit our lives, but benefit the lives of others.

Our blessings should cause a chain reaction in the world and in the spirit. For instance, John believes God for a car. John receives that car. Three months later, John’s friend Sam asks John for a ride to a job interview. Sam is blessed with the job. Now, Sam has more money to sow in tithes and offering at his church. Sam’s church offers opportunities for people to give to poor countries across the world. Sam gives; a family is blessed with food, and that family gives glory to God for supplying their needs. This chain reaction blessing started with John believing for a car.

Consider how your desires can be a blessing to someone else, and someone else, and someone else.

Some people choose not to believe in the existence of God due to the current world conditions. They think because they see crime, poverty, and hate, God doesn’t exist.

These same people fail to realize that God gave us free will (Deuteronomy 30:19). God’s not going to force His will on our lives or in our society. What we see in the world is a product of mankind’s choices. Of course, God wants everyone to live peacefully and to do His will; however, we must realize there’s an adversary who influences the minds of people everywhere. Just like in the Garden with Adam and Eve, this adversary influences people to do things outside of the will of God thereby causing chaos in the world.

Another thing these people fail to realize is if God was not present in the hearts of so many, the world would be worse-off than it is today. Every day would be civil unrest. There would be no peace for anyone. The world would be a war zone. Any evil, negative, or perverted thing someone thought of would be committed because God’s promised grace would be removed from the equation.

Remove all doubt. GOD IS REAL. If God wasn’t here, we would know it.

Hebrews 3:4 For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything.

Luke 23:46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.

To achieve His goal, Jesus had to voluntarily commit or entrust His spirit into the hands of the Father. Jesus had a choice. He could have left the earth without fulfilling the will of the Father or achieving His goal, but He decided to trust the plan of God and lay down His life for us.

We all have dreams, goals, and a purpose for our lives created by the Father. In order to fulfill the will of the Father and achieve our goals, at some point, we must entrust our plans into the hands of Father.

It’s totally voluntary. We can spend our entire lives attempting to achieve our goals on our own using our own strength, or we can give our dreams, desires, and goals to God. Looking to Jesus as our example, it appears it’s more beneficial if we entrust everything we have to God.

What’s your decision?

Joshua 10:13 So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, Until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies. Is it not written in the book of Jashar? And the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day. 14 There was no day like that before it or after it, when the LORD listened to the voice of a man; for the LORD fought for Israel.

Have you ever heard the quote, “Time stands still for no man”? Well, as we can see, that’s not necessarily true. Time stood still for Joshua. God is not a respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). What He does for one, He can do for another. Although this was referring to real-time standing still, if a person is willing to believe, any type of time can stand still.

Single women don’t need to rush and get married or have a baby out-of-wedlock for the sake of having a child before a certain age. If they are willing to believe, time can stand still in their bodies and they can have a baby at any age.

As we age, we don’t have to worry about becoming immobile or decrepit. If we’re willing to believe, time can stand still, and our bodies can maintain the mobility of our youth (Psalms 103:5).

We all have a purpose in life. We may become discouraged if our purpose is not fulfilled by a certain age. Regardless of our age, our purpose can still be fulfilled. If we’re willing to believe, time will stand still, and we can do whatever we need to do to fulfill our purpose and enjoy the fruits of that purpose being fulfilled.

Never be afraid of the “time you have left.” God made us rulers over time. Psalm 8:6 says God made us rulers over all the works of His hands. Time is a work of God’s hands, therefore, we are rulers over time.

Be a master of time and let time work for you.