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James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
Many of us can categorize our life, maybe work, school, home, church, family, and friends. No matter what phase of life we are in, most of us have things that need to be prioritized. While God should always be our top priority, many of our schedules would not support that claim. So, it is up to us to choose to structure our lives in a manner that pleases God.
First, we must seek Him and make Him a part of our day. Maybe we commit to wake-up five minutes earlier so that we can begin our day with a conversation with God. Then, set aside additional time throughout the day to read and hear God’s Word.
Next, we should take all of the ‘categories’ in our lives and ask God, what would You have me do? Be willing to claim or relinquish responsibility where God tells you to. Know that if He called you to it, He will provide what you need to accomplish it; and if He instructed you to let it go, then trust that it will be alright without your input. Remember to seek God and trust His wisdom.
Hebrews 11: 6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
1 John 3: 7Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. 8He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. 9No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.
Being born again (accepting that Jesus Christ is God’s Son, died for us and rose again so that we can live forever with God), does not eliminate the desire to sin. But, when we are born again, our hearts change and we have a desire to please God. And, Jesus came to destroy sin, giving us the power to overcome sin.
The continuous plight of being Christ-like involves dying to our flesh (sin), and honoring God (Romans 7:14-25). It does not mean that we never fall, but that we are no longer content living in sin. We keep trying to get closer to God, and honor Him by making godly choices. Don’t give up fighting temptation, and don’t allow yourself to be content in sin. As a child of God, choose to honor Him.
Deuteronomy 8:11 “But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the LORD your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today. 12 For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, 13 and when your flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, be careful! 14 Do not become proud at that time and forget the LORD your God, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt.
17 He did all this so you would never say to yourself, ‘I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.’ 18 Remember the LORD your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath.
Before we get blessed, we do all we know to do to attain that blessing. We fast, pray, seek God continuously, go to church regularly, etc. But, as soon as we receive that blessing our commitment to God slowly starts to unravel. For example, when someone is blessed with a better career opportunity, they may feel the need to sleep in on Sundays. Or, if God blesses someone with a new car, they may feel like it’s too much of an inconvenience to take another person to church or the grocery store.
We usually don’t continue our commitment to the ways of God until we desire something else from Him. It seems our blessings have taken priority over our commitment to the ways of God.
We should never allow our blessings to get in the way of our commitment to God. If we pray, fast, tithe, regularly attend church, etc. before the blessing, we should do the same, if not more, after the blessing. We should ask ourselves who do we serve? Do we serve the blessing or the One who provides the blessing (God)?
To attain the things we strongly desire we have to use our faith because, all the promises of God are received by faith (Romans 4:16). Romans 10:17 says, faith comes by hearing the word of God. This means we have to hear, believe, and receive the word of God to attain these promises. We can’t have faith for something we don’t know.
When we are in a faith fight for something we strongly desire (healing, deliverance, promotion, etc.) we have to be mindful of what we listen to. If all we listen to is Lady Gaga, Lil Wayne, or Marvin Gaye, how can we expect to overcome the attacks of the enemy? How would we survive if Satan is telling us to “Give up” or “kill yourself” and all we can quote is the lyrics to “Let’s Get It On?” When the devil attacks our mind with thoughts of doubt, fear, or worry, we need to be able to counterattack with the word of God. We need to be able to stand boldly in the face of the devil and declare “I will live and not die, and declare the works of the Lord!” The word of God is what Jesus used to resist the devil during His trying time in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11). If Jesus used the word of God to counterattack the enemy, we should too.
We should spend time reading and listening to the word of God and saturating ourselves in God’s presence knowing, our labor is not in vain.
Mark 4:24 “Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you–and even more.
Mark 16:15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.
Mark 16:20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.
Why don’t we see these signs, miracles, and wonders in church every Sunday when the gospel is being preached? Once again, these signs and wonders are for the unbeliever to believe (John 4:48). What good would it do for a believer, who knows God is a healer, provider, protector, etc. to see signs and wonders weekly? It would only continue to confirm what he already knows about God, while the unbeliever is outside of the church hoping for a sign that God exists.
Also, we, the believer, were not instructed to live life by miracles. We’re instructed to live by faith (Romans 1:17). Everything that the believer needs or desires can and should be obtained by faith. I’m not saying miracles from God won’t ever happen but, we shouldn’t live by the miracle, we should live by faith. We should live knowing our faith will bring whatever we, the godly, desire to pass.
Be Blessed!
Have you ever wondered why the signs and miraculous things seem to stop after the Bible days? It seems all the miracles and wonders Jesus, Paul, and a few others did suddenly stopped. If you do hear about these miracles they are so few and far between or they’re considered to be a hoax.
The reason why there seems to be a lack of authentic signs and wonders today is because the gospel of Jesus Christ has not been preached. We (that means you too) have been instructed by Jesus Christ Himself to preach the gospel to everyone. What does the gospel have to do with signs and miracles? The prerequisite of signs and wonders is the gospel being preached. If there is no gospel preached, there are no signs and wonders to follow. God’s miracles and wonders are not magic tricks for the viewer. They are for the unbeliever to believe and be saved (John 4:48). Miraculous signs and wonders are an outward display of God’s ability to heal the sick, raise the dead, break strongholds, and so much more. It’s a chance for unbelievers to know God does exist.
When Jesus is preached to all, signs and wonders follow.
Mark 16:15He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.
Mark 16:20Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.
Inspired by Pastor Creflo Dollar
Some people have this misconception that at a certain age we become weak, senile, and feeble. However, we don’t have to accept or receive that in our lives. In fact, being weak, senile and feeble goes against the will of God.
God promised us with long life He will satisfy His people (Psalm 91:16). In other words, we are to have a satisfied long life. What sane person is satisfied being weak and feeble? God also promised that our youth is renewed like an eagle (Psalm 103:5). Finally, God does not show favoritism (Acts 10:34). If He did it for one, He has to do it for another. Moses, in his old age, was not weak in his body and his eye sight was not failing. If God can sustain Moses’ health and strength, He can do it for us.
Declare strength in your mind and strength in your body and expect nothing less.
Deuteronomy 34:7 Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone.
Matthew 9: 9And as Jesus passed forth from there, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.
Matthew obeyed without question, hesitation, or doubt. When he heard God’s direction, he responded immediately with obedience. God speaks to us through His Holy Spirit (John 16:13) and sometimes His people (Matthew 10:41). The next time we hear God, our response should not be how?, why me?, are you sure God?, just immediate obedience.
Romans 4: 18Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 19Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. 20Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.
He was not dissuaded by the laws of the Earth that said it was impossible for him and his elderly wife to conceive, bear, and have energy to raise a child. But, as the years passed, looking destitute, his faith remained in God. I imagine thoughts of doubt tried to anchor in his head. But, he chose not to dwell on those thoughts and instead remained absolutely convinced that God’s Word would manifest.
Let’s live out Abraham’s example of faith!
Proverbs 29:25 A person’s fear sets a trap [for him], but one who trusts the LORD is safe
When fear enters our life, it sets a trap for us. We may think a little fear is okay or a little fear is healthy but, the Bible clearly states that fear sets a trap for us.
Fear set up a trap in Job’s life. Yes, Job was an upright man but, Job prayed and fasted out of fear. Job prayed hoping and wishing nothing bad would happen to him or his family. He didn’t pray with a confidence knowing God was his protector and provider. That’s why he said in Job 3:25 What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me. Job admitted his fear. Fear literally gave the devil access to ruin and destroy every good thing God provided in Job’s life..
Don’t allow fear to enter and set up a trap in your life.
Be faithful not, fearful!
Psalm 103:2: Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits– 3: who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
Matthew 9:35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.
Every now and then, we will hear a person say it must be God’s will for me to be sick or, it’s God’s will for so and so to die from ____. Well, if that was God’s will for that person to be sick or die, that would make every healing scripture null and void. That statement would also make God a liar and a respecter of persons.
Isaiah 53:4 says Jesus was sent in the earth to heal every sickness, disease, or pain in or on our bodies through His stripes. This was done over two thousand years ago. This means, our healing has been made available to us now. Every sickness or disease, even the “incurable” diseases, have been healed. From colds, to flus, to viruses; we are healed. From cancer to AIDS; we are healed. From emotional pain to psychological disorders; we are healed. Nothing is too hard for God and He is able to heal anyone from anything.
Place your faith in God’s ability to heal and watch the manifestation take place.
Be Healed!
Ephesians 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
What does it mean to be strong in the Lord? Being strong in the Lord means to place our entire trust and reliance on God’s ability to produce results in our lives. The only strength we use is holding on to our faith during troubling times. Daily, Satan is attempting to rip our faith away by making our problems seem bigger than God’s Word. But, when we choose not to be moved by what we see and only be moved by the word of God; we win.
God is not asking us to be strong in our own might and produce our own results but, be strong in His might. Have the confidence in knowing no matter what it looks like His Word will come to pass.
Be strong saints of God.
Mark 1:13 And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.
Jesus is referring to the Holy Spirit when He promised us another Comforter. The phrase “another Comforter” means there is already one type of Comforter in place for us.
Who is this initial Comforter?
I would venture to say the initial comforter or comforters are angels of God. After Jesus was tempted by Satan in Mark 1:13, angels of God came and ministered to Jesus. They were not there to preach a sermon to Jesus but, to rebuild His faith, confidence, and strength that He used to resist the temptations of the devil.
Likewise, when we’re in a faith fight or fighting temptations we have the right not only to call on the Holy Spirit for help but, to call on angelic messengers to minister to us through these difficult times. God did not intend on us to make it on our own. He has given us help beyond measure to go through life.
We are not in this world alone. We should always remember to use our God given resources.
Be Blessed
Hebrews 9: 10 God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. 12We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.
Sometimes it seems as though we sit in difficult situations for longer than we think we should. We pray more, fast more, give more, confess more, worship God more, and honor God. We may ponder, why hasn’t breakthrough manifested in the earthly realm yet?
The answer? Keep doing what you are doing. Would you be praying, fasting, giving, confessing, worshipping as much if you weren’t in this situation? Appreciate this as a time to grow closer to God and not become lazy, and continue in your faith.
Joseph waited 13 years after his God-given dream before he became second only to Pharoah in his position. Abraham waited 25 years before Isaac was born. So, we imitate those faithful ones (Hebrews 11) and we patiently await what has been promised.
James 5:15And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. 16Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
Healing, restoration, forgiveness, and more come by prayer. Prayer works, but only if done by a righteous person with persistent faith.
So, for our prayer to work, we accept that we are made righteous through Jesus according to Romans 5:19, and we choose to walk in righteousness. Then, we believe for results with unmovable faith as Jesus instructed us to do in Luke 17:6. And while we pray for our situation, we remember to intercede for others as in 1 Timothy 2:1.
In society, majority rules. This is not so in the Kingdom of God. God only needs one person to represent a group of people.
We can see this in the Old and New Testament. In Numbers 14:1-20 one man by the name of Moses intercedes on the behalf of a rebellious people. In Romans 8:34 one man by the name of Jesus Christ intercedes on the behalf of the entire Christian body.
The power of one still holds true today. God only needs one person that can make a difference in the lives of others. He only needs one employee to pray and intercede on the behalf of a struggling company who is thinking about laying people off. He only needs one family member to pray for a marriage that is on the rocks. He only needs one parent to pray for their children’s school from being overpopulated. All it takes is one.
Whatever situation you or someone else may be facing, be that one.
(Moses speaking to God)
Numbers 14:19 In accordance with your great love, forgive the sin of these people, just as you have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now.” 20 The Lord replied, “I have forgiven them, as you asked.
Psalm 29:2 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
When we first get born again, we love and praise God because of the benefits and blessings. We love God for what He has done and what He can do in our lives. He can bless us with all our needs and desires and keep us from burning in hell. Initially, these are great reasons to praise and love God. But, eventually we need to graduate to a place where we serve God simply because of who He is. We need to get to a place where we seek His face not His hand. Praise Him because He is God. Worship Him because He is King of the world. Love Him because He loves us. The benefits and blessings are still there but, our focus is on pleasing God.
Have a blessed day.
Acts 11:12 The Spirit told me to have no hesitation about going with them. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man’s house.
When we get in touch with the Spirit of God (The Holy Spirit), the Spirit of God will speak to us. The Holy Spirit will tell us where to go, when to go, and how to go. But, we must be submitted to God.
How do we get in touch with the Spirit? First, we must receive the Holy Spirit. There are many people who are saved but, have not received the Holy Spirit (reference Acts 19:2). Simply say, “God I receive Your Spirit into my life.” Secondly, we get in touch with the Spirit through prayer, praise, worship, and acts of obedience. Prayer, praise, worship, and acts of obedience enhance our ability to hear the voice of God.
Honestly, the Spirit may tell someone to do something that doesn’t make logical sense. That’s why it’s so important to be totally submitted to God’s Spirit. Submission is an act of trust when things don’t make sense. Everything God tells us to do won’t make sense but, His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8).
So, be submitted and let the Spirit speak.
Colossians 3:2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
We need to stop focusing on what we don’t have and focus on God. So many people in the world are focusing on the rise and fall of the economy not realizing, God is in control. Throughout history, God has done some extreme things to get people’s attention. He has parted seas, multiplied fish and bread, and sent His Son Jesus to reunite Himself with mankind. God does extreme things so that people would remember His awesome unduplicated power. So, the next time a trial or circumstance comes we can remind ourselves if God can do it once, He can do it again.
Focus on God and what He’s done for you. Keep loving and praising God for His promises. Keep your trust, belief, and reliance in and only on God.
Mark 12:30: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31: The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
Jesus sets an order for the commands we are to follow. First, we are to love God. Secondly, we are to love our neighbor. Finally, we are to love ourselves. Most people miss the part about loving ourselves because it doesn’t directly state that in the verse. However, we can’t love our neighbor as ourselves if we don’t initially love ourselves.
You might think everyone loves themselves but, that’s not always the case. Satan attempts to use our sin (omission or commission) to condemn us. God is so good to us until Satan will even attempt to use God’s goodness to condemn us. Satan will say, “You should be ashamed for doing…” and “You know, God’s love is taken away after you sin.” Little by little the devil chops at our spirit making us feel bad, sad, and depressed until we eventually don’t love ourselves.
BUT…….
Thanks be to God Who sent His Son Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins (1 John 1:19).
Thanks be to God Who did not send His Son to condemn us but, to save us (John 3:17).
Thanks be to God Who sent His Son to make us new through Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).
So, love yourself because God loves you, forgive yourself because when we ask for forgiveness God forgives, and walk in your new nature in Christ.
John 1: 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning. 3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4In him was life, and that life was the light of men.
God’s Word is powerful. It was so powerful that God manifested His Word by wrapping Him in flesh, naming Him Jesus, and granting the option of salvation for mankind.
While Jesus, now sits at the right hand of God, God is so awesome that He left us the seed. We have His Word with us, but we have to choose to study, audibly declare, and stand in faith for manifestation of God’s Word in our lives.
Inspired by Dr. Creflo Dollar
1 Corinthians 5: 9When I wrote to you before, I told you not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin. 10But I wasn’t talking about unbelievers who indulge in sexual sin, or are greedy, or cheat people, or worship idols. You would have to leave this world to avoid people like that.
11 I meant that you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people. Don’t even eat with such people.
12It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning. 13God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, “You must remove the evil person from among you.” (Deut 17:7)
Jesus hung around people who had a heart for Him (the saved and Christ-like) and people who knew nothing about Him (the lost – so that He could save them). But, those who claim to be Christians, yet still intentionally sin we are not to socialize with. Why, so harsh? Because if we, by association, show that those things are acceptable, we have just become a stumbling block for the weak and unsaved (2 Corinthians 6: 3 and 1 Corinthians 8:9). Rather, we choose to be Christians (Christ-like) and make a continuous effort to do God’s will.
Mark 3:35 For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.
This is what David said to his son, Solomon, before he died.
1 Kings 2: 2 “I am about to go the way of all the earth,” he said. “So be strong, show yourself a man, 3 and observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in his ways, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and requirements, as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go,
David gave Solomon the keys to a prosperous life. At the end of the day, it was up to Solomon to heed David’s advice or not. Solomon could have disobeyed God and dishonored his father by doing whatever he desired.
Let’s see what Solomon decided to do…
1 Kings 3:3 Solomon showed his love for the LORD by walking according to the statutes of his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places
God wants all His children to be prosperous in every area of their life (finances, health, marriage, relationships, employment, etc) but, it’s up to us to heed God’s instruction. God’s not trying to control our lives. He only wants us to make a conscious decision to live for Him so that in return, He can prosper our lives.
Let’s see how God prospered Solomon’s life…
1 Kings 2:23 King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth. 24 The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart.
If you obey God, God will reward you.
Be Blessed!
Luke 18:7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
If we continue to seek God, He will come through. But, we have to have enough faith to trust that His promises will manifest in our lives even when the circumstances don’t look promising. He is true to His Word. Now we must do our part and continue in faith, always speaking life over our situation and being unmoved by what we see.
2 Corinthians 5:7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
John 9:31 We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will.
As it states, God does not listen to sinners but, He listens to the people who do His will. For those who don’t know, there is a difference between people who sin and sinners. Sinners are those who habitually and intentionally sin to satisfy their flesh. People who sin are people who make an effort to do God’s will but, randomly fall into temptation and sin.
For sinners, yes, the sin feels good to our flesh but, it’s not God’s will. Sin feels so good at times until excuses such as, “it’s natural” or “God made me this way” are made to dull our conviction. Sin is a natural tendency due to the fall of Adam but, we must submit ourselves to God and resist the temptations from the devil.
For those who want their prayers heard and answered, we must do our part and stop sinning.
Genesis 2:7 the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
God gave all of mankind life by breathing breath into Adam. What better way to show our gratitude to God than giving that same breath back to Him with a sacrifice of praise. God has done some marvelous things in our lives. In fact, I would not be able to write these scriptures and you would not be able to read these scriptures if it were not for God. He blessed us tremendously. We could have been dead, feeble, disease stricken, or lost in our mind but, God’s grace would not allow it. To those who are feeble, disease stricken, or lost in their mind they have a right to praise God also because, God is a Healer and He can heal every disease. God can raise the dead too. Praise God for life, health, and strength. Praise God for food, water, and shelter. Praise God for joy, peace, and salvation.
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD (Psalm 150:6).
James 5:16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
In order for our prayers to be heard we must be righteous. There are no efforts we can physically do to be righteous because even in our best state we are nothing but filthy rags in the sight of the Lord (Isaiah 64:6). The only way we can become righteous is through Jesus Christ. It’s by His blood we are made righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Praise God for the Lamb of God Who shed His blood so that we can effectively communicate with our Father.
Be Blessed!
John 1: 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God — 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
We are given the right to be God’s children. Out of all the privileges, this is one we have the right to receive. When we receive and believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross and rose again (Romans 10:9), we can become children of God. As children, we have now become heirs of all of the promises God made to His people, Israel. Every promise in the Word is ours. So, we trust, believe, and worship God and expect the promises of God to manifest in us!
Ephesians 3:6 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:
Psalm 18: 28You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. 29With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall. 30As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless.
God supplies our needs, betters our circumstances (or sometimes our perception of them), overcomes our adversaries (physical and spiritual), and strengthens us to succeed in every situation.
With all of that, our role is to never doubt God and to have faith in His Word. We trust, seek, obey, and worship Him; He never fails (2 Timothy 2:13).
1 Corinthians 9:27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
The Bible informs us WE must keep our bodies and bring it (our bodies) into subjection. What this is essentially saying is, we have dominion and control over our bodies. No one is going to control it for us. The body represents every fleshly desire. God is not going to control or discipline our flesh because He left that responsibility for us.
Every addiction, disorder, or issue regarding our bodies, we control. We have dominion and control whether we stay in shape or become obese. We have dominion and control whether we give into sexual temptations. We have dominion and control whether we allow drugs or alcohol to rule our flesh.
The point is, no one can control our flesh, but us. God has given us free will and He can’t even control our flesh, or else He would violate His law.
The question now is, are we going to let our bodies (our flesh man) rule us with its lustful desires or are we (our spirit man) going to bring our bodies into subjection?
2 Timothy 1:8, 9 So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life–not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,
God’s grace is God’s blessing, protecting, and caring for us even though we have not earned it or deserved it. God still allows us to have food to eat, promotions on our job, and a drama free life even though some of us are rationalizing our sin, intentionally sinning, and encouraging others to sin. The grace of God literally holds back the punishment the enemy could inflict in our lives. We should be experiencing sickness and disease, poverty, and death but, God’s grace says “NO!”
We should recognize God’s grace by giving thanks to God for the things He’s done in spite of our ways and live a pleasing life showing Him His grace is appreciated.
Praise God for God’s grace.
There are some mean, hurtful, satanic people in the earth that really don’t like us. They do all kinds of malicious things to attack our life, our family, and our joy. Even the nicest person has someone who doesn’t like them for whatever reason. Most of these people are controlled by Satan whether they know it or not.
Some of these evil people will go so far as to place a curse or hex to harm some part of our life. Yes, those satanic things are real. One of the greatest deceptions the devil uses is, to make us believe sorcery or witchcraft does not exist. It’s real and it can harm us if we allow it. The good new is, we don’t have to allow those satanic things to enter or attack our lives.
God has given us the authority to bind and loose anything we desire on earth. We have the power and authority through the name of Jesus to bind every hex, vex, curse, witchcraft, demonic power, demonic stronghold, voodoo spell, etc. on our life, our family, and the promises of God.
Use the power God has given you and don’t allow Satan to wreak havoc in your life.
Matthew 16:19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
The Bible says we are to lend and not to borrow. It does not mean borrowing is a sin but, to be the lender, we have to have financial wisdom. Wisdom in any aspect of life comes from God and good counsel. In regards to managing our finances, we should pray, speak with financial advisors, accountants, or anyone we know who is good with managing money. We don’t have to be rich. We just have to be good stewards over our finances.
For example, if there was a person who had three bills ($10,000 bill, $5,000 bill, and $1,000 bill) which made them be $16,000 in debt, that person should use the “Snowball Method” to cancel their debt. The “Snowball Method” starts off by paying off the lowest bill first. After paying off the lowest bill ($1,000), they should use the extra money they will be saving to pay off the next lowest bill ($5,000). Finally, after paying off the next lowest bill they should use the extra money to pay off the highest bill ($10,000). This is one way a person can speed up the process of becoming and staying debt free.
To be lenders and good stewards over our finances, we should seek Spirit led financial counsel.
Praise God for debt freedom!
Deuteronomy 15:6 For the LORD your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you.
Luke 21: 14 But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. 15 For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.
Have you ever played a ‘future’ situation in your head? Then, you may find yourself worrying about what you think somebody’s going to say or do, and it hasn’t even happened. But, if we choose instead to seek, hear, and obey God, then we give Him our situations and He gives us the perfect response.
So, we go forth and minister where God tells us to, or present the seemingly illogical idea to a team, or say those words that we never thought we would say, and allow God to speak through us. We avoid worry, obey God, potentially save a life or a situation, and conquer every enemy. Praise God for the right words and wisdom!
Isaiah 58: 7Is it not to deal your bread to the hungry, and that you bring the poor that are cast out to your house? when you see the naked, that you cover him… 8Then shall your light break forth as the morning, and your health shall spring forth speedily: and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. 9Then shall you call, and the LORD shall answer; you shall cry, and he shall say, Here I am.
If you take away from the middle of you the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; 10And if you draw out your soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall your light rise in obscurity, and your darkness be as the noon day: 11And the LORD shall guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and make fat your bones: and you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
If we give to others, then we will have good health, be surrounded by God, and He will always hear our cry.
If we break away from sins that try to bind us, put away vain speech, and minister to others, then our light will break through any circumstance, and God will always guide us satisfying our physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.
We seek God’s Word for instruction, obey His Word out of our love for Him, and praise God that He will always be near!
Mark 9:17 A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. 18 Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”
20 So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.
25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the evil spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”
Notice how Jesus waits until a crowd is around Him to cast out the evil spirit. Jesus could have done this privately but, He chose to wait until there was a crowd. Jesus did the works of God publicly, in order for people to believe in Him.
When we stand in faith, our faith fight may be on public display. We may have a group of people (family, friends, co-workers) surrounding us wanting to see what God is going to do in our life. This is not the time to back down or shy away from declaring what God said about our situation. Even if the situation appears to worsen, continue to declare what God says openly until the manifestation appears. God desires faith that won’t be moved by situations, circumstances, or feelings. Once the manifestation appears, we can give God the glory and others will believe and speak about His wonder-working power.
Genesis 22: 1Some time later God tested Abraham… 2Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.”
8Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.
10Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11But the angel of the Lord called out… 12“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said… Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” 13Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”
Abraham was willing to give everything to God. While Abraham was delivering his sacrifice he still stood in faith that God would provide. Then, God did provide. And, because of Abraham’s prompt obedience to give everything to God, God went on to bless Abraham even more.
We may not always understand why, but we commit to obey and be willing to give God even the most valuable relationships, dreams, and things. And then, expect God to provide!
What if you spent at least four hours cooking a big Thanksgiving sized meal for family members who were coming in town only for a day? You went out and purchased exactly what those family members love to eat. You even sacrificed sleep in order to have the meal done at a certain time. With all your efforts, what if those family members said, they wanted to eat pizza for dinner? That probably would make you more than a little upset. For them to know you worked so hard on a meal but they insisted on pizza, will probably having you calling on the name of Jesus for peace.
I could imagine, that’s how God feels with some of our decisions in life. God has prepared this great, abundant life for His children but, some of us are not living it to the full extent. God created a life where anything we need or want can be obtained by faith (Romans 4:13). He has prepared healing where healing is needed, deliverance where deliverance is needed, joy, wealth, peace, and so much more. God prepared this great extravagant meal called, the abundant life, but some of us are settling for basic pizza. We settle for barely getting by, putting up with sickness and disease, and having the bare minimum with no room for enjoyment. God loves us and desires the best for His people. All He needs is for us to believe that He is more than able to do it for us.
We should thank and praise God that He wants us to have the best. Praise God!
Psalm 23:5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
John 16:23 In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.
God gives us the desires of our hearts for our enjoyment. We’re not supposed to hide or minimize the blessings God provides. We are to enjoy everything God provides to the full extent.
Some “deep” people believe it’s wrong to enjoy the abundant life Jesus promised. Some people feel like Christians are closer to God when they’re broke, busted, and disgusted. Somehow, they feel the blessings that God promised separates us from the true nature of God.
People of God, enjoy the abundant life and the blessings God provides. The blessed life we live will attract an unbeliever. That unbeliever will observe what God is doing in our lives and want the same thing for their life. Eventually, that unbeliever is saved and living the abundant life God promised him, only to attract even more unbelievers to Christ.
Be Blessed
Joel 2:25 And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.
God has knowledge of and sees the trials we go through. He understands the negative emotions, frustrations, and temptations that attempt to arise when we go through these trials. He sees the “disappointments” and “losses” we face but, there is good news.
The good news is restoration!
God promised us restoration. The things we thought were long gone, will be restored to us. Blessings that are long overdue, will manifest. Sicknesses in our bodies will be healed. All of God’s promises will be kept.
Now, receive the restoration of God’s promises by faith.
The things we thought were long gone, have been restored to us. Blessings that are long overdue, have manifested. Sicknesses in our bodies have been healed. All of God’s promises are here!
Praise God for restoration!
Graced To Do God's Will 