Graced To Do God's Will

James 1:¹⁴ Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. ¹⁵ These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.

Some sins feel very natural to us, and we feel as though we were born with that sin (Psalm 51:5).  But, when we face temptation to dishonor God, we must realize that our flesh, while it feels natural, is temporary.  So, we do not give in to our flesh, and we do not get frustrated by temptation (temptation is not the sin).  Instead, we choose to fight against giving in to sin, and we embrace life!

Psalm 27: ¹⁰Although my father and my mother have forsaken me, yet the Lord will take me up [adopt me as His child].

We are in the middle of Mother’s and Father’s Day where parents are celebrated for the hard work and dedication of raising children. To those who experienced the absence or abuse of a parent(s), this message is for you.

First, forgive your parents. If you were abused by your parent(s) or your parents were not apart of your life the way you felt they should; forgive them. As Christians, we have no right to hold on to the sin another man/woman has done to us (even if they were parents). So forgive. (Mark 11:25)

Secondly, allow the blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse your conscience of all the pain or dead works that the absence or abuse of your parents has brought you. Only the blood of Jesus will make you free from all the hurt, pain, and loneliness of the absence or abuse of a parent. (Hebrews 9:14)

Finally allow God to be everything that you need. If you need a mother or father, let Him be your mother or father. If you need a comforter, let Him be your comforter. If you need a friend, let Him be your friend. God can be everything you need but, you must let Him in. (Revelation 3:20)

If this message was not for you, be a blessing by sending this message to someone who may be dealing with the pain of an abusive or absent parent.

James 1:¹³ And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else.

God does not test us through temptation.  He doesn’t throw things in our face to attempt to mess us up.

There are situations in this life that help grow us, and we continue to show our faithfulness to God no matter the circumstance (James 1:2,3)!

Scripture of the Day: Believe and Speak

Matthew 8:8 But the officer said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed.

Matthew 8:13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! It will be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that very hour.

After you have done all you can do naturally, there are two things we must do to get results in our lives.

Believe and Speak

When we believe without doubt, we don’t have to wait to see the manifestation to speak it. For example, if a good friend says they are coming to your house tomorrow, most of us would believe them without doubting. Not only would we believe them, but we would tell others about it. We wouldn’t wait until the friend actually arrives to tell others, we would tell others immediately.

The same concept applies to God.

If you feel sick, believe God’s Word on healing and tell others you’re healed.

If you feel tired, believe God’s Word on strength and tell others you’re strong.

If you feel depressed, believe God’s Word on joy and tell others you’re joyful.

Believe God’s Word and Speak It!

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

There is a quote that says “If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans.”

This quote is not necessarily Biblical.

If we have the mind of Christ, our plans will be agreeable to God’s will. Our dreams, desires, aspirations, and goals are painted on our imagination by God. So the plans that we declare or desire ultimately come from God.

Another scripture that supports this revelation is Psalm 37:4

Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Why would God give us the desires/plans of our heart if we are not supposed to make plans in the first place?

Remember to test all things and see if they line up with the Word of God. If they don’t we must cast it out!

Be Blessed!

NIV Revelation 1: (3)Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near. (5b)To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, (6a)and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father

Blessed is beyond being happy; it is an assurance of a favorable outcome from God. We are freed from our sins; we are no longer powerless against those incessant temptations. We can resist temptation and live righteously.

So, we are blessed for hearing God’s word and living by it, and we are free from our past failures (sins) to serve God and enjoy an abundant life. Praise God  that we are continually blessed and free and bless others as well . . .

Helpful Hints
For those who want to live and do right but feel like sin is controlling your life, these are helpful tips you can use to overcome sin.

All sin comes from thought.

There is no action without thought.
Sin is an action
If we control our thoughts we can control our actions.
When we control our actions, we control sin.

When the thought of sin enters our mind, we must cast it away. Don’t dwell on the thought or else your actions will follow your thoughts.

“The life span of a thought is determined by how much attention is given to it. It can only live as long as you give it attention. A thought cannot exist without your attention. Thoughts increase or decrease depends on how much attention we give it.”
~ Apostle Price

This will help.
Be Blessed!

Revelation 1: (17b) I am the First and the Last. 18I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.

John 6: 35Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 37However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them.

When we come to Christ, we are always accepted. We show through our faith our commitment to Him, and He keeps us (even when we stray from that commitment). He conquered death (the seemingly impossible) and is now a living nourishment for us.  He is the First, Last, and everything that we need (our bread & water).

Praise God that He provides for us, that He will not let us go, and we have power through Him to conquer all!

It’s important we learn how to apply the Word of God in every area our life. For those who don’t know how to apply the Word of God in your life, here’s an example of applying the Word of God in obtaining a career.

Step 1, Ask:

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you (Luke 11:6).

Ask- God I ask for a career in _______ (fill in the blank).

Step 2, Seek:

In all your ways acknowledge him (God), and he will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:6).

God where do you want me to apply? (We acknowledge God by including Him in our decisions.)

Step 3, Knock: Once we find a desired career, we ask the Holy Spirit who is our Helper, Leader, and Comforter when or if we should apply to that position (John 14:16; Romans 8:14).

Let the peace which Christ gives settle all questionings in your hearts, to which peace indeed you were called as belonging to His one Body; and be thankful (Colossians 3:15).

*If you have an unsettling feeling (no peace) don’t apply.

Step 4, Believe & Thanksgiving: Believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer” (Matthew 21:22). Now it’s time to believe. Believe (without doubt) God will answer our prayers.

Since we know our prayers are heard and answered, we thank God it’s already done.

Step 5, Faith Fight: If we didn’t receive that position, we start from step 2. For those who do what’s right, we know God will not withhold good things from us (Psalm 84:11). Since this position was withheld from us, we know that specific position at that company was not God’s plan or best for our lives.

*Don’t get discouraged continue to have faith that your career will manifest.

If you need assistance in applying the Word of God in other areas of your life, please send me a message in my inbox.

Thanks, Be Prosperous!

Psalm 50:10 For all the animals of the forest are mine, and I own the cattle on a thousand hills.

As we live righteously, we are positioned to receive favor (Psalm 5:12) and what we desire is granted (Proverbs 10:24). We have no reason to fear or worry, because God gives us plenty (Matthew 6:33). Our God owns it all and so, we praise God and rejoice in Him because He supplies all our needs!!

When a puppy is first born into this world, they live on instinct. They have no knowledge of right and wrong. They only know what comes natural to them. The puppy must get knowledge and understanding from its master of what’s right and wrong.

When we’re born into the earth we’re a lot like a puppy. Spiritually, we have no knowledge of what’s right and wrong because of our nature. The nature we take on is our “sin nature.” Our “sin nature” was given to all of us from the fall of Adam.

When we get born again, we have the same nature that God has in Him. Now, we have to learn (from our Master) how to walk in that nature. We learn how to walk in this “God like” nature by spending time in His Word, listening to the Word, and getting an understanding of His Word. Our “God like” development depends on the amount of effort put into it.

Ephesians 4: 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Psalm 8:4 what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? 5 Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor. 6 You gave them charge of everything you made, putting all things under their authority—

Humility is understanding Who our Creator is and that everything good in our lives can be attributed to Him (James 1:17).  But, with that humility comes confidence and authority.  We are children of the King, handcrafted to bring honor to His Name.  So, we live this life not allowing negative circumstances or battles with our flesh to overcome us.  We speak God’s Word and stand in faith that we are over-comers!

John 11:35 Jesus wept.

The reason why Jesus wept was not because of sadness of losing a friend. The Bible tells us that Jesus already made plans in His mind to glorify God by raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11:4, 15). Why would Jesus weep of sadness of losing Lazarus if He already knew He was going to raise him up again?

Jesus wept because of unbelief. Jesus healed diseases and worked miracles in the lives of others but, no one in the family of Lazarus had faith to believe Jesus could raise Lazarus from the dead. Therefore Jesus wept.

Some of us still sadden the heart of God because of unbelief. God has all power to do all things and we must trust Him and His Word in every situation in our lives.

Starve your doubt and unbelief and feed your faith!

1 Corinthians 8: ⁹ But you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble. ¹⁰ For if others see you—with your “superior knowledge”—eating in the temple of an idol, won’t they be encouraged to violate their conscience by eating food that has been offered to an idol? ¹¹ So because of your superior knowledge, a weak believer, for whom Christ died, will be destroyed. ¹² And when you sin against other believers by encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong, you are sinning against Christ.

This life we live is not just about us.  We are called to be living witnesses (1 Peter 2:12). ‘So if what I do causes another believer to sin, I will never do that thing again as long as I live—for I don’t want to cause another believer to stumble’ (1 Cor 8:13)!

When a person believes, works or actions must follow. It does a person no good to only believe but, have no following actions.

Let’s look at an example of sitting in a chair.

A person can believe they can sit in a chair but, if they don’t make an attempt or test their belief by actually sitting in the chair, what good is it to them?

This same concept applies when believing the Word of God. If we only believe the Word of God but never test our belief with actions following, what good is it to the building of our faith?

Q: How do we test our belief concerning the Word of God?

A: With radical (Spirit led) faith.

If a person desires a house, a person with radical faith not only believes God for the house, they start packing and going into model homes.

If a person desires a new car, a person with radical faith not only believes God for the car, they go to the dealership and test drive a car even if they don’t have the money.

If a person desires a new career, a person with radical faith not only believes God for the new career, they work on their resignation letter to their previous employer.

Belief is only the first step in having radical faith. We must put our actions and works in line with our faith.

James 2:17 So also faith, if it does not have works (deeds and actions of obedience to back it up), by itself is destitute of power (inoperative, dead).

Isaiah 55:10“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;  11So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. 12“For you will go out with joy And be led forth with peace; The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, And all the trees of the field will clap their hands.

Declare God’s Word (the Bible) in your life. It will go forth and destroy the barriers that are attempting to hold you from your abundant life. Speak!

Life’s Questions:

How are you going to pay your bills?

Do you know where your next meal is coming from?

Will you ever get a husband/wife?

When is my career going to get to me?

Will I ever graduate?

All the things that concern us, God will perfect or accomplish. Not only will God perfect what concerns us but, how He perfects it will work for our good (Romans 8:28).

Psalms 138:8 The LORD will perfect that which concerns me: your mercy, O LORD, endures for ever: forsake not the works of your own hands.

Stand on this word…

Whatever concerns us, God will perfect but, we must trust Him, His Word, and His plan.

Be Blessed!

Psalm 84:11“No good thing will God withhold to those who walk upright.”

Whatever is good for us, God WILL NOT withhold.

God can see the big picture and if something is withheld from us, there is one of three reasons.

Reasons:

1. Timing.

We may desire something from God however; it’s not the right time.

Example: We may asked God for a new job however, if we get that job immediately, we may be at risk of being fired within the next year due to the economy.

2. Immaturity.

God may withhold a “good thing” because of immaturity. Example: If we asked God for a million dollars (a “good thing”), He may not give it to us immediately because we may spend it on things He didn’t authorize.

Another thing that falls under the category for immaturity is asking God for a “good thing” for the wrong reasons. James 4:3 tells us we will not receive our desires if we have the wrong intentions.

3. Greater Purpose.

God may have a greater purpose. A purpose that not only meets your needs or desire but, the needs and the desires of someone else. God may be using you to minister, bless, or help someone in your surrounding area.

Wherever you are in life, know that God has a purpose for you. God may need you to speak the gospel to someone.

Whatever the reason is, just know it’s for our good (Romans 8:28).

Whatever you desire just know, delay does not mean denial.

Keep the faith!

Psalm 84:10 A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked.11 For the LORD God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The LORD will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.

Assurance: You make a daily effort to live for God. As you stand in faith for those desires that God has put into your heart, know that no good thing is withheld from you. When you live for God, He preserves, honors, and blesses you abundantly (Ephesians 3:20).

Motivation: You are aware that you are not continuously trying to be more like God. Well, it’s time to recognize that living for God here will produce good things in your life now. But, you also setup your eternal life with all of the righteousness you have sown here, and your forever is filled with every good thing (Galatians 6:7).

Mark 11:22 “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered.

Everyone seems to understand the concept that God is able to great and mighty things. Honestly, even Satan knows God has the power and ability to do great and mighty things for His people. The concept that most people struggle with is, WILL God do great and mighty things for ME?

The answer is yes.

Everything God said He will do in His word; He is waiting, willing, and able to do it for you.

Trust and believe in His word and disregard everything else.

Be Blessed!

Job 42:10 When Job prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes. In fact, the Lord gave him twice as much as before! 12So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses.

No matter what was taken, God restores. Praise God that you made it through and praise God that He will fulfill His promises to you and restore you (Numbers 23:19)!

Isaiah 48:¹⁸ Oh, that you had hearkened to My commandments! Then your peace and prosperity would have been like a flowing river, and your righteousness [the holiness and purity of the nation] like the [abundant] waves of the sea.

The prerequisite to peace and prosperity is to do God’s commandments. Some people look for peace and prosperity through a mate, a job, or the amount of money they make. This peace and prosperity is only temporary. The peace and prosperity God can provide is everlasting.

God is willing to give us a 2 for 1 deal. Once we obey the commandments of God, He will give us peace and prosperity.

Give God your all.

Stay blessed.

Psalm 116:1 I love the LORD because he hears my voice and my prayer for mercy. 2 Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath! 5 How kind the LORD is! How good he is! So merciful, this God of ours! 7 Let my soul be at rest again, for the LORD has been good to me.

Have you had a rough day?  Is that situation playing through your mind continuously?  Are you thinking about how it’s going to work?

Close your eyes, and allow your soul to find rest in God.  He will fill you with peace as you transition all those things to Him.  Take a moment, and rest your soul by reveling in the joy, tranquility and fullness that God provides.

John17:¹⁵ I do not ask that You will take them out of the world, but that You will keep and protect them from the evil one.

Once we get saved (make Jesus our Lord and Savior) and allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us, we must reenter the world.

Some Christians want to get saved then hide in the church until Jesus returns.

That’s not the order of God.

God wants the Christian to attend church to be spiritually fed by the pastors, ministers, etc. so they can in return minister to the world.

God wants the Christian to come out the four walls (church) and minister to the world.

What profit do we (Christians) gain if we only fellowship with believers and literally watch the rest of the world go to hell?

John 3:16 says “for God so love the WORLD” and if we are to be imitators of God as Ephesians 5:1 instructs us to do, we must love the world as well.

Christians, come out from hiding and minister to the world.

Be Blessed!

Isaiah 45:³ And I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, Who calls you by your name.

Have you ever looked at something on TV and said…… How come I didn’t think of that? You say that because you know the inventor is making billions on that invention.

Well…How many of you know God is the Creator of creation? How many of you know God is not done with making billionaires? How many of you know God desires His people to have great wealth and riches?

Well if you know this then stand on His promise. Declare “treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places” come to you in the name of Jesus. Declare that God will give you ideas and inventions that no one has came up with yet in the efforts to obtain the promise of treasures and riches.

*If God said it, He has to do it.

Be Encouraged!

1 Corinthians 16:13 Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong.

Daniel 10:19 “Don’t be afraid,” he said, “for you are very precious to God. Peace! Be encouraged! Be strong!” As he spoke these words to me, I suddenly felt stronger and said to him, “Please speak to me, my lord, for you have strengthened me.”

We have a role to play; we are encouraged to be strong.  So, when tough situations rise against us, we flex our spirit muscles and we fight back through persistent prayer and unrelenting faith.  When temptations attempt to get the best of us, we fight our flesh and force it to yield to our spirit.  When we fall into sin, we choose to be strong, repent, and get back up and fight the temptation to yield again.  So, we choose to be strong, recognizing that we can overcome anything through Christ (Philippians 4:13)!

Isaiah 45:2 I will go before you and level the mountains [to make the crooked places straight]; I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut asunder the bars of iron.

Things that you thought were impossible to accomplish, God will make it happen. Doors that you thought were shut will be open. Praise God!

God didn’t put this verse in His Word simply to tell a story or give us a burst of confidence only to see that confidence fade away as time goes on. God placed this verse as well as other verses in the Bible to build our faith. He placed these things in the Bible so that we may consistently stand on His Word and hold Him accountable to His Word. If God said it, it has to happen.

So, stand on His Word and don’t let go.

1 John 2:3 We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. 5But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: 6Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.

We can tell that we are becoming closer to God, knowing Him more personally, when our actions line up with His Word (obeying and applying His Word).

As we progress to this point in our walk with Him (where we walk like Jesus), our love of and for God is perfected. His love of/for us is already perfect, so let’s faithfully strive to perfect our love for Him by continuing to live for Him in every aspect . . . Praise God for the opportunity to love Him completely!!

Psalm 145:8 The LORD is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.

We have some nerve! We have the nerve to get impatient and upset with God because He hasn’t delivered His promises when we feel He should.

God is merciful and slow to anger which means He’s patient with us. God patiently waits for us to repent, truly turn to Him, and never look back. For some of us, it takes 10, 20, or even 30 years to truly turn to God. When we finally make that turn to God, we want our blessings in 1 year. It doesn’t work that way. We have to be patient with God just like He was patient towards us. God informed us we’ll need patience and faith in order to receive His promises (Hebrews 6:12).

*If God is patient with us… we should be patient with Him.

Galatians 1: ¹⁰For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.

We should not seek approval from any man – not even ourselves.  In everything, we want to ask, does this please God (1 Chronicles 29:17, Hebrews 11:5)?  If He were standing next to me, would He be smiling or would He bear a pained expression?  Well, He is right here with us (Deuteronomy 31:6).  Let’s focus on making God smile!

Isaiah 45:1 THUS SAYS the Lord to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held to subdue nations before him, and I will unarm and ungird the loins of kings to open doors before him, so that gates will not be shut.

When we truly turn ourselves to God, God will guide us in the right direction to conquer anything that stands in our way. The enemy is not only standing in the way of our destiny but also God’s ultimate plan. When our ways please God, we don’t have to sit up all night wondering how to get ahead in life because God is our guide.

Choose the right path in life. God has already promised a rewarded future for our faithfulness.

Be Blessed!

If we think like the world (it’s okay to be gay, unmarried people can live together, etc)

If we talk like the world (using sexually explicit conversation, using profanity, complaining, etc)

If we act like the world (becoming intoxicated, fornicating, committing adultery, engaging in homosexual activity, etc)

How will others know we’re Christians?

How will others see Jesus in us?

How will unbelievers realize Jesus is the only way?

God has called us to sanctified or set apart from the rest of the world. If our lifestyle blends in with the world, what’s to gain in Christianity? Our responsibility is to set ourselves apart from the world by aligning our thoughts, actions, and words with God’s word.

This is not the time to be politically correct. God requires sanctification and holiness from His people and it’s about time that we live up to His requirements.

Leviticus 20:7 Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be you holy: for I am the LORD your God.

2 Corinthians 4: 18So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

Revelation 21: 3I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.^a 4He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”

Everything here is temporary, our flesh, our jobs, our possessions – everything.  When our spirits go to heaven, we will live life the way it was meant to be – sin free, all of our godly desires met, the most incredible life (better than what we could have imagined for ourselves on earth).

So, we pray for an eternal mindset where we can live totally and completely submitted to God and focused on Him and fulfilling his purpose in the earth, because this is not our home.

The man who turns to alcohol, what is he seeking? What is he searching for? There is emptiness deep inside. I am trying to find something that will fill that void in my life. I am reaching out for something that will satisfy; I am looking, I am searching. Some people search in alcohol to find a peace, contentment, a relaxation or whatever. What does a person experience who is filled with the Spirit? Peace, relaxation, contentment, fulfillment.

The one man is looking in the wrong place; he is looking in a place where he will never discover it. The other man has come to the answer, being filled with the Spirit that void, spiritual void in my life is now complete and full and I am no longer searching and seeking after something to satisfy. Be satisfied with God in the Spirit rather than other worldly things.

Ephesians 5:18 “be not drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be ye continually filled with the Spirit.”

By Kenn Ndivo

Isaiah 40:8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Let’s not doubt God’s power and strength.  What He wanted in His Word is there.  We should avoid technicalities, and consult the Spirit in everything (God’s direct line – John 15:26).  God’s Word is the authority in our lives.  So, embrace the Word of God and reject any person or thing that opposes Him/It.

John 14:1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.

Another word of “let” is “allow” and the word “allow” means we have a choice. This verse is saying we have a choice to allow our hearts to be troubled or not.

Depression comes from allowing the devil to place thoughts in our minds that are contrary to the Word of God. Although we can’t stop the thoughts from coming in our minds we don’t have to entertain or dwell on those thoughts. The choice is up to us. We can dwell on thoughts that go against God’s Word and become depressed or combat those thoughts with the Word of God.

Examples:

[Devil]-Contrary Thought: You will be lonely forever.

[God’s Word]-Combat Thought: I have a husband/wife because God’s word says no good thing will He withhold to those who walk uprightly including a husband/wife (Psalm 84:11).

[Devil]-You will never be successful.

[God’s Word]- I am successful because I meditate on God’s word day and night and do everything in it therefore I am successful (Joshua 1:8).

[Devil]- You will never get over that hurt.

[God’s Word]- The blood of Jesus has cleansed me of all hurt and dead works (Hebrews 9:14).

Whatever the situation is, God’s word has the final say but, you must believe and receive it.

Be Blessed!

Revelation 21:10Then in the Spirit He conveyed me away to a vast and lofty mountain and exhibited to me the holy (hallowed, consecrated) city of Jerusalem descending out of heaven from God, 23And the city has no need of the sun nor of the moon to give light to it, for the splendor and radiance (glory) of God illuminate it, and the Lamb is its lamp.24The nations shall walk by its light and the rulers and leaders of the earth shall bring into it their glory.27But nothing that defiles or profanes or is unwashed shall ever enter it, nor anyone who commits abominations (unclean, detestable, morally repugnant things) or practices falsehood, but only those whose names are recorded in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Have you ever been somewhere and did not fit in or been somewhere else and felt as if you belonged?

When we go to Heaven, we will begin life (as it is meant to be – pleasing to God and devoid of sin).  But, in Heaven, there is nothing unclean.  In addition to the list of sins we tend to magnify, even things that seem minor – if they are profane (like profanity) – are not permitted.  So, we practice living holy here (in our temporary earthly flesh) so that we obey God, draw others to Him, and prepare ourselves for when real life begins (eternity).

Ephesians 5:¹⁸And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but ever be filled and stimulated with the [Holy] Spirit.

When a person is drunk with an alcoholic beverage, they do and say anything without guilt, fear, or remorse because they’re controlled by a spirit. They don’t care what people may say or who’s around. All they know is that beverage took the limits off their thoughts, actions, and speech.

Well if a spirit in an alcoholic beverage can do all these things to a person, how much more can the Holy Spirit do when He is filled in us? When we’re controlled by the Holy Spirit, we should do and say the things He’s instructed us to do or say without guilt, fear, or remorse. People being controlled by the Holy Spirit shouldn’t care about what people may say or who’s around. All we know is we’re being controlled by the Holy Spirit who is leading us in the right direction for our benefit and for God’s glory.

So, take the limits off and allow yourselves to be controlled by the Holy Spirit to lead you in the right direction.

Inspired by Smith Wigglesworth

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

In this verse we see God used His authority and the power of His tongue to create the heavens and the earth.

God is a creative being who made one of His creations (mankind) after His likeness. We too have this creative ability to call things into existence in our own lives (Romans 4:17). We can create our future the way we want and how we want as long as it’s in line with God’s word. Once His desires become our desires there is nothing we can’t have.

Since we’re made by God from God, use your creative genes (through faith in the name of Jesus) to create the world you desire for yourself.

Be Blessed!