Graced To Do God's Will

Psalms 18:28 NLT You light a lamp for me. The Lord, my God, lights up my darkness.

When we don’t know what to do, where to go, or where to turn, go to God and let Him light your way. He’ll tell you exactly what to do and where to go. It may not always make sense, but we’ll have the results we want.

The world is comfortable with making impulsive decisions or decisions that feel right. We can do that too, but we’ll regret making impulsive decisions if it doesn’t work in our favor knowing we had a better Source we could have gone to.

Don’t live life full of regrets just because you don’t know what to do. Go to the One who knows how we’re made and knows what’s best for us and He’ll light our paths.

Prior to making a big decision or when we’re in a serious situation, it’s beneficial to fast and pray. Fasting allows us to have clarity to hear God’s voice.

It’s not a law to fast and pray before we make a big decision or when we’re in a serious situation, but throughout scripture we see people benefiting from its use. Moses, Elijah, Daniel, Paul, and Jesus, Himself, fasted so that they might draw closer to God (Exodus 34:28; 1 Kings 19:8; Daniel 9:3; Daniel 10:2-3; 2 Corinthians 11:27; Matthew 4:2).

We should let the Holy Spirit lead us on if we should fast or not. If He instructs us to fast, don’t fight it. Understand we’ll receive great clarity and our decisions will align with the will of God.

Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die.”
Esther 4:15‭-‬16 NLT

Ephesians 3:17 NLT Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.

In order to overcome the challenges of life, we’ll need strength. Our strength is not through will power. Our strength hinges on our knowledge and belief in God’s love for us.

When we believe in God’s love for us, we know He’s not going to let the challenges of life take us out. When negative situations come, God’s love provides a way of escape (1 Cor. 10:13). When sickness attacks our bodies, we must believe that His love has made healing available for us through Jesus Christ (1 Pet. 2:24). When our marriage is under attack, we must believe that God loves us enough to have already made peace available through Christ Jesus (John 14:27).

Whatever the challenge is, God loves us enough to have already provided a way out or a way to overcome. Gain and maintain strength in knowing and believing in God’s love.

2 Chronicles 20:15 NLT He said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.

In the old covenant, God fought their physical battles. It didn’t mean they sat back while angels defeated their enemies in every battle. They had to put in effort, but they were guaranteed victory by God.

In the new covenant, because of Jesus, we have been guaranteed the victory over our spiritual battles (2 Cor. 2:14). It doesn’t mean we just sit back and everything will get handled by God. We still have to fight, however, the only fight we have left to fight is the good fight of faith (1 Tim. 6:12). The reason why it’s a good fight is because we win.

When we place all our battles into God’s hands and we believe He’ll do what His word says He’ll do, we’ll have victory every single time. The only way we’ll lose is if we attempt to fight the battle ourselves without Him. Even that loss is temporary because when we come to ourselves and go back to the Father, He’ll turn that “loss” into a win.

Whether it’s family issues, pornography addictions, low self-esteem, gambling habits, or previous hurts, give that battle to the Lord, trust Him, and do what He says, and we’ll experience victory like never before.

Mark 11:24 says whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. The faith process is…

1. Get a desire (house, car, promotion, etc.).
2. Ask God for the desire when you pray.
3. Believe you’ve received the desire when you pray.
4. God guarantees the desire will materialize.

This faith process will get us anything we desire. There’s nothing off limits, unless it doesn’t pertain to life and godliness (2 Pet. 1:3).

As we begin to strengthen our faith, desires will come from God that will stretch our faith. These desires can only be fulfilled through Him. There’s no way, humanly speaking, that we can do it ourselves. It usually costs more money than we have, more expertise than we have, and more mental and physical strength than we can exert.

When these humanly impossible desires come, don’t back down. The key is to continue to believe in spite of how unlikely it seems. If we don’t shy away from these major God-given desires, God will provide favor and strategies to bring it to pass.

It doesn’t matter if it takes 10 years and a whole lot of money, if we stretch our faith to the level where God is, He’ll get the glory, we’ll get something we couldn’t imagine having, and we’ll be more of a blessing to the Kingdom of God and to people.

Matthew 19:26 NLT Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”

John 4:24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

When we’re going through a difficult season or when God has recently done something mind-blowing, an emotional response is usually associated with our prayer, praise, and worship. Unfortunately, some believers get hooked to these feelings and think they need to recreate these emotions to worship or praise God. That’s nowhere in the bible.

We can praise God with a monotone voice. We can pray casually throughout the day instead of theatrically in the morning. We can worship God without shedding a single tear. God doesn’t care if we’re emotional while praying or worshipping Him. God simply wants our prayer, praise, and worship.

In fact, the less we try to force an emotional response, the more we can say we’re worshipping Him in spirit and in truth. The truth is, we may not feel like nor have the time to tap into all these emotions, but we’ve made a conscious decision to worship God.

Let’s stop trying to feel His presence or tap into our emotions every time we pray, praise, and worship. Just make the decision to pray, praise, and worship God because that’s what He requests of us.

Ephesians 3:18 NLT And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

The love of Christ is an extention of the love of God. We may think we have some idea of God’s love for us, but we have no idea. His love is too wide, too deep, and too great to comprehend.

Although we’ll never fully grasp the magnitude of His love for us, always attempting to understand it will keep us on the right path.

As we get more and more revelation of God’s love for us, we’ll be blown away by how amazing it is. Revelation of His love compels us to submit to His will. A person has to be pretty committed to backslide after knowing He loves us, protects us, provides for us, blesses us, and gives us an unlimited supply of forgiveness. How can we dishonor a loving Father who has done so much for us?

Make it your life’s journey to get more understanding of God’s love for you. This understanding will motivate you to tell others about His love and love Him back by living a life that pleases Him.

There are certain people with the mentality that if we help the homeless or help those in need, they’ll always ask for a handout. They feel like if we give them food, clothes, money, or shelter, there will be no incentive for them to work and pull themselves up by their own bootstraps.

This thought process may seem logical, but it opposes the word of God. Proverbs 14:31 says whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors Him. Jesus said in Matthew 25:45 “And He will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these My brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help Me.’

It’s important to consult with the Holy Spirit on who to help. The Holy Spirit will tell us who truly needs help and those who are running a gimmick.

Regardless of how we feel or what we think of the poor, it’s clear in God’s word that we should help. If Jesus is Lord, His word should outweigh any logical reason why we can’t help those in need.

“Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and He will reward them for what they have done.” – Proverbs 19:17

Colossians 1:28 NLT So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ.

Tell everyone about Christ. Tell people how Christ died for the sins of the world. Not only did He die for our sin, but He took the curse of the law (Gal. 3:13). The curse includes sickness, poverty, and spiritual death. Our belief in what Jesus has done makes us righteous in God’s sight (Rom. 3:22).

It’s important to warn people about the consequences of not accepting Christ as Lord. The wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). If people won’t accept the payment for sin through Jesus, there still will be an outstanding balance that needs to be paid. Ultimately, if people leave this earth without accepting the payment for sin through Jesus, their lives will be the payment for sin. It’s simple. Believe Jesus died for your sin and you will be saved (Rom. 10:9).

Teaching others about all that Christ has done and who they are in Christ will continuously perfect their relationship with God. God desires to do great things through and in our lives, however He’s limited on what He can do through and in us if we don’t have a revelation of who Christ is and our authority in Christ.

Let’s handle our responsibilities and tell, warn, and teach others about Christ.

Matthew 19:14‭-‬15 NLT But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.” And he placed his hands on their heads and blessed them before he left.

In John 14:12 Jesus says, whoever believes in Me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. With this understanding, believers have the ability to bless our children like Jesus blessed the children.

Bless means empowered to prosper. If we want our children to prosper educationally, emotionally, socially, and economically, we can bless them. If they have a test coming up, we can bless their minds to remember everything they’ve studied. If they have a doctor’s appointment, we can bless their bodies to function perfectly. If they’re going out with friends, we can bless their decision making abilities to make wise decisions.

We bless by saying (Gen. 48:20). So, don’t gamble with your children’s livelihood. Open your mouth and bless them on a daily basis.

1 Corinthians 12:25 so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.

The church is every born-again believer. There should be no division within the church. We all believe that Jesus is the Son of God Who died on the cross for our sins.

The church shouldn’t be divided based on interpretation of scripture. If someone interprets a passage of scripture differently than another, that’s not a reason to uproot themselves and start a church with everyone who agrees with them. We can disagree and still be one. Disagreement of scripture is not our enemy. The enemy is in the world reeking havoc, while believers are dividing themselves based on doctrine.

The church shouldn’t be divided based on biblical topics or commands. If a group of believers wants to focus on giving to the poor while another group wants to increase their faith in God’s word, that shouldn’t be two different churches. There’s room for us all. Every command is important. Believers shouldn’t criticize other believers because they feel like they’re doing something more pleasing to God. God is pleased with it all.

The only reason why there should be different bodies of believers is for proximity to our homes. When Paul was establishing churches in Corinth or Ephesus, he wasn’t giving each church a different set of instructions. Paul’s message, as well as our message, should be the same. Our message is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Occasionally, we should all (worldwide) come together as one body and worship the one true God and our Savior Jesus. Can you imagine the power in that place?

Let’s unite, not divide.

Psalms 35:27 NKJV Let them shout for joy and be glad, Who favor my righteous cause; And let them say continually, “Let the Lord be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.”

Out of all people, believers have made prosperity a bad word. They roll their eyes if someone mentions God and prosperity. If someone speaks on God, abundance, and wealth, they negatively categorize it as “the prosperity message.” But why?

All throughout the bible, God mentions or eludes to prosperity. As we can see above, it pleases God when we prosper (Ps. 35:27). In Genesis 12:2, God told Abram to be a blessing and by Genesis 13:2, Abram was financially prosperous. In 3 John 1:2 it says, beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. So, before the law Abram was prosperous, during the law it pleased God for His people to prosper, and in the new covenant God desires for us to be prosperous in all things. If God had a problem with us prospering, why would He put it throughout the bible?

Prosperity is not limited to money. As 3 John 1:2 says, God desires for us to be prosperous in all things. That includes our marriages, our health, our ministries, our relationships, our businesses, and in our money.

Don’t be deceived into thinking prosperity is not God’s will. We’re called to love, we’re called to give, and we’re called to prosper.

Luke 8:3 NLT Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s business manager; Susanna; and many others who were contributing from their own resources to support Jesus and His disciples.

People supported the ministry of Jesus with their own resources. Today, some people will see a large church, and be deceived into thinking they don’t need to support the Kingdom of God. They’ll look at all the things that ministry is doing and say within themselves, “they don’t need my help.” Simultaneously, they may not support smaller growing ministries because they don’t know or trust what they’re doing with the finances.

It is good to support the Kingdom of God. Ministry costs. They have bills and overhead costs like any other business. Money doesn’t fall out of the sky just because the business represents the Kingdom of God. God will influence the hearts of believers to support the Kingdom of God. Don’t ignore this call to support.

Our finances have 3 basic functions. Our finances are to be a blessing to the Kingdom of God, be a blessing to people, and enjoy the abundant life Jesus provided through His sacrifice. Let’s do our part to give towards the Kingdom of God to expand the Kingdom of God.

Each day that passes, we should be more and more conviced that the word works. Each trial we overcome should be evidence of God’s existence. Every time provision was made, when we couldn’t see a way, should provide assurance that God is for us. When we think about how we should have been dead, but we’re not, is a testament of God’s mercy and grace.

The longer we walk with God and live by His word, the more we’ll experience the miraculous. As we walk by faith and not by sight, we’ll see the manifestation of what we’ve believed God for.

At some point, there should be a point of no return. Situations don’t scare us like they used to because we’re convinced. Mountains don’t move us because we’re convinced. Sickness attacking our bodies or the bodies of our loved ones doesn’t freak us out because we’re convinced. We know our God-given authority and we’ve seen God work too many times in too many situations. We’re convinced that nothing can stop us as long as we trust Him.

Abraham was fully convinced that in any circumstance, God will do whatever He said. As we consistently depend, lean on, and trust in God, we too should get to a point where we’re fully convinced that what He said audibly and in His written word will come to pass.

Romans 4:21 NLT He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever He promises.

God blesses us every day. A lot of His blessings get overlooked because they’re not major in our eyes.

The following are blessings that get overlooked:

Mobility in our bodies, the functionality of our five senses, basic health, food, water, employment, healthcare, shelter, clothes, a bed, fresh air, family, friends, laughter, transportation, entertainment, His church, His protection, His presence, His forgiveness, His mercy, His grace, Jesus’ sacrifice.

God deserves sincere praise for these blessings as much as the new house, new car, or financial increase. We get used to His goodness being with us and these blessings are often overlooked.

Slow down, and look around and count the blessings God has given you and give Him praise.

Psalms 103:1 Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. 2 Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me.

Isaiah 56:1 NLT This is what the Lord says: “Be just and fair to all. Do what is right and good, for I am coming soon to rescue you and to display my righteousness among you.

In our hearts, we know what is right. We know it’s right to give glory to God when good things happen to us. We know it’s right to stay faithful to our spouse and be kind to one another. God has written His laws on our hearts and in our minds, so deep down, we know what God expects of us (Heb. 10:16).

What stops everyone from doing right is demonic influences. We’re influenced to cut someone off while driving because they cut us off. We’re influenced to scroll through pornographic sites to satisfy our flesh. We’re influenced to be kind only to those who are kind to us.

The act of kindness (opening a door, giving a compliment, not complaining) is not hard. It’s a decision we make in our minds. Situations and people can make that act more challenging to accomplish, but it’s still up to us. For the Kingdom of God and for the glory of God, let’s do right.

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

Every thought, decision, and idea needs to be given to God. This is important because every good idea is not a God idea.

We give our thoughts to God through prayer. If an idea enters our minds, we go to God and ask if this is something we should be doing. He’ll tell us yes, no, or not yet. Once we have our answer, we wait for further instructions.

Through prayer, meditation, and spending time in His word, He’ll cause our desires to become agreeable to His will. God’s specific will for us may be for us to feed the poor, start a business, or be a better spouse or parent. God will provide step-by-step instructions, through the Holy Spirit, on how to bring this God idea to pass. Eventually, our plans, which were His ideas, will succeed.

Praise God for the success on every plan we’ve allowed to become agreeable to His will.

Psalms 18:30 NLT God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to Him for protection.

God promises to be a shield for all who look to Him for protection. God’s shield protects us from all sides. Unlike a natural shield, God’s shield protects us from mental and physical attacks. We may feel safe in our homes, but the enemy is still attacking us mentally. If we look to God and His word, He’ll give us strategies to shield us from mental attacks.

The world has provided other things that give us a sense of protection. Naturally, we have guns, dogs, and alarms. For mental protection, there are psychiatrists, positive thinking books, and medicine. None of these things can guarantee 100% protection. Only God can give us 100% protection if we trust Him.

If we look to God for protection, He’s obligated Himself, through His word, to protect us. Let’s have peace of mind in this world by looking to and keeping our focus on Him.

1 Samuel 15:24 NLT Then Saul admitted to Samuel, “Yes, I have sinned. I have disobeyed your instructions and the Lord’s command, for I was afraid of the people and did what they demanded.

The reason why Saul disobeyed God was because he was afraid of the people. Fear is the number one thing that influences us to sin. Think about it. Any sin we commit is rooted in fear.

If a person steals, they’re afraid they won’t have enough. If a person commits adultery, they’re afraid they’re missing out on something better. If a person eats too much, they’re afraid they won’t be satisfied with a regular sized portion. Any form of sin has roots in fear.

Fear is not from God (2 Tim. 1:7). It comes directly from Satan. When temptations of sin enter our minds, we need to question what we are afraid of. Once we’ve identified where fear exists, let’s use our authority to rebuke the fear and obey God.

Psalms 18:30 NLT God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to Him for protection.

We may think our way is good, but God’s way is perfect. When we do things His way, we’ll have the best results. The best results may not be seen initially, but the best results will eventually be revealed.

Following God’s way requires faith. God’s ways don’t seem to be perfect. A lot of times it’s not even logical. But when we follow them, God ensures that we’ll get the best results.

From major to minor decisions, let’s do things God’s way to get the best results. Perfect ways lead to perfect results.

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

Ideas enter our minds that go against the ways of God. A lot of those ideas are appealing to our flesh. What appeals to our flesh varies from person to person. For some, it’s exciting to know we can steal a few dollars here and there to pay for a vacation. For others, they may want to satisfy their sexual cravings on anyone who’s attractive. Although our flesh wants to participate in those ideas, that doesn’t make it right.

The world says do what you feel. They think it’s a sense of freedom to let yourself go, but in actuality they’re becoming bound by sin (Rom. 6:14-23).

Stop trying to do it the way your flesh wants. It will end up destroying you (Rom. 6:23). Do it God’s way, His way is perfect (Ps. 18:30).

1 Chronicles 29:28 NLT He (King David) died at a ripe old age, having enjoyed long life, wealth, and honor. Then his son Solomon ruled in his place.

The summary of David’s life should be the summary for our own lives when it’s all over. Let’s look at this summary.

First, when we die, we should die at an old age. We shouldn’t die prematurely from diseases or accidents. Old age varies from person to person, but God’s word says we can live 120 years (Gen. 6:3). To ensure we have a long life, we can place our faith in Psalm 91:16 which says, with long life God will satisfy us.

Secondly, our summary should say we enjoyed life. When people remember us, they should remember seeing smiles on our faces, recalling the stories of God’s goodness in our lives, and fulfilling the purposes God has for us. Psalm 91:16 also says our lives will be satisfied by God. Be in faith for an enjoyable life.

Thirdly, we should have wealth. No matter where we start financially, God promises wealth in our lives (Psalm 112:3; 2 Cor. 8:9). Wealth is also tied to our giving. As we give, God promises to give back to us in excess (Luke 6:38).

Another thing we should have is honor. Honor means to be highly respected. When we live honest lives, showing everyone the love of God, and honoring God and others, we’ll receive honor in return (Gal. 6:7).

Finally, what we established for ourselves should run over on our children. It doesn’t matter if we started a business, left them rental properties, or wisdom in the word of God. What we’ve built in this life should be given to our legacy.

Summary of Numbers 11:16-32
God told Moses He was going to feed meat to all the children of Israel for a month. Moses questioned, in doubt, God’s ability to feed meat to approximately 2 million people for a month. God replied to Moses’s doubt by saying, “Has my arm lost its power?” Moses told the people that God was going to feed them meat for a month. God sent quail over 3 feet high and a day’s journey long.

We experience what Moses experienced often. Like Moses, God will give us a word that seems impossible. He may tell us audibly or through His word that He’ll manifest healing in our bodies, provide a promise too big for us to comprehend, or restoration of something that seems too far gone.

Initially, God’s word takes us by surprise and our minds can’t fathom how God’s going to do it. If we refuse to allow doubt and unbelief to enter our hearts and cause us to reject God’s word, then we’ll ultimately realize with God all things are possible (Matt. 19:26).

Look at what Moses did next. Whether Moses believed what God said with 100% certainty or not, he told the children of Israel what God said. When we get a word from the Lord, to combat thoughts of doubt, it’s our responsibility to say what God says. We must say what God says repeatedly until we belive it and we’re convinced that God will do what He said He will do.

It may have seemed far fetched at first, but ultimately as we receive His word, confess His word until we believe His word, we’ll eventally have what His word says.

Numbers 11:23 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Has my arm lost its power? Now you will see whether or not my word comes true!”

Psalms 19:8 NLT The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living.

God’s commandments are for us to obey. As we obey, we position ourselves for better living. This scripture says we’ll have joy for doing what’s right and we’ll have insight on what we’re meant to do and be.

For the record, for new covenant believers, we’re not talking about obeying the 613 laws of Moses. We’re talking about obeying the commands of Christ (Rom. 1:5).

Obeying the commands of Christ include believing in the finished works of Jesus (Rom. 16:26), loving each other (John 13:34), and forgiving one another (Mark 11:25-26). There’s more, but the point is as we obey, we become better vessels for the Kingdom of God, better people, and and fulfill the purposes God has for us.

To get the best out of life and stay away from guilt, shame, and condemnation, obey God’s new covenant commands.

Romans 5:11 NLT So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.

Through Christ, every born-again believer is a friend of God. It’s not because of our efforts or our obedience that makes us friends. It’s Christ and His sacrifice alone that makes us friends of God. Thank You Jesus.

Since we’re friends of God, there are certain perks we have that other people don’t have. One perk is no punishment. God’s not punishing us when we miss the mark. There are natural consequences, but the punishment was put on Jesus (Rom. 3:21-31).

Secondly, our friendship with God provides a closeness with God (Prov. 18:24). In any situation, God will always be close to us and will help us in our time of need. He is nor will He ever be too far from us.

Proverbs 17:17 says, a friend loves at all time. So, as a friend of God, we’re promised to be loved by Him at all times. That means He loves when we’re doing things correctly and when we’re missing the mark. He loves us forever.

We are His children, we are His chosen ones, but we’re also His friends. Praise God for Jesus who made all this happen for us.

Ephesians 1:17 NLT asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.

We push our children to have a good education in the natural. It’s more important for them to have spiritual wisdom. Where education stops is where wisdom begins. Wisdom is knowing what to do when you don’t know what to do. And since spiritual laws supercede natural laws, it’s better for them to have spiritual wisdom over natural education.

The best way to guarantee they have a good spiritual education is to pray and confess this verse over them.

Prayer: God, I ask that my children receive spiritual wisdom and insight so that they grow in the knowledge of You, in Jesus name, amen.

As our children get older, this wisdom will teach them to rely on God in every area. They’ll rely on God while studying for a test, in sports, and in choosing their friends.

Praise God we have access to this wisdom where we and our children get to grow in the knowledge of God.

Isaiah 32:18 KJV And My people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places;

God wants us to experience peace in every area of our lives, including our homes. So many people are experiencing strife, drama, and toxicity in their homes. Some married couples are arguing continuously and parents are not getting along with their children. This is not God’s desire nor His best for the family.

If you’re not experiencing peace in your home and you’re a born-again believer, you can stand on this promise. Daily, we can confess “I have peace in my home based on Your word that says, Your people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.” We can make these confessions in the morning, at night, after an argument, and when everything is going well.

If we can’t have peace in our homes, where can we have it? Declare peace in your home and don’t settle for anything less.

Satan is masterful at implementing hypothetical scenarios in our minds. His goal is to get us to fear and doubt God’s word.

Here are just a few:
-After watching the news about layoffs.
Satan: What if you lose your job and don’t have a way to pay your bills?
-When a spouse doesn’t respond to a text/call promptly.
Satan: They may be messing around with someone else.
-After taking your child to school.
Satan: What if there’s a mass shooting at the school?
-After giving money in the church.
Satan: They may use everyone’s money to buy the pastor a new car.
-Before leaving the house at night.
Satan: You heard how they’re robbing people at gun point.

Whatever scenario that enters our minds that doesn’t agree with God’s word is sent by Satan and it’s a lie. Those thoughts need to be thrown out AND replaced with the truth in the word of God.

If we’re willing to receive them, God has truths for us to think about instead of demonic hypothetical scenarios.

The Truth:
God supplies my needs (Phil. 4:19).
I give my cares about my spouse to God (1 Peter 5:7).
God perfects everything concerning me including my children’s safety (Psalm 138:8).
What they do with the money doesn’t concern me. When I give, it’s being given back to me (Luke 6:38).
I’m not afraid. The Lord will personally go ahead of me. He will be with me; He will neither fail me nor abandon me” (Deut. 31:8).

Which will you choose to dwell on? The hypothetical scenarios of Satan or the truth in God’s word?

2 Corinthians 10:5 casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Jude 1:23 NLT Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.

Some Christians have took it upon themselves to say God hates this group of people or that group of people. These are lies. God doesn’t hate people. God loves all His creation.

Nowhere in the bible does it say we’re to hate sinners. We are to hate the sin, not the sinner. We’re to hate lies, not the person who is lying. We’re to hate homosexuality, not the person engaged in homosexual relations. We’re to hate adultery, not the person committing adultery. If we find ourselves hating the person, a demonic spirit has influenced our minds.

Like God, we are called to love everyone. And since we love everyone, we should want our brother and sister rescued from the bondage of sin. It’s ultimately going to be up to them if they want to be freed, but we can do our part in assisting in their rescue.

Our part includes, removing demonic influences that are influencing their decisions (Luke 10:19), praying for godly influences to minister to them (Hebrews 1:14), encouraging them on a regular basis (Proverbs 27:17), and telling them the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15).

We shouldn’t want to see people destroying themselves with sin. Let’s be vessels for God and assist in their rescue from sin.

Jeremiah 31:3 NKJV The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.

God’s love is everlasting. It’s doesn’t stop for anyone or anything. God loves people who will never love Him back. God loves the atheist who chooses not to believe in Him. God loves the liar, the homosexual, the fornicator, and the adulterer. God loves people who say they’re going to do better, but never seem to get it right.

God loves the abuser and the abused. God loves the prostitute and the pimp. God loves the drug addict and the drug dealer. If you’ve been in church all your life or never been at all, God loves us all the same.

Love is God’s nature. It will never stop. His love produces goodness, grace, and mercy in the hopes that we will turn to Him and never turn back (Rom. 2:4). Know this, God is not angry with you. He loves you both now and forever. Receive His love.

When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.
Romans 5:6 NLT

We ALL were utterly helpless at one point in time. We didn’t know what to do, which way to turn, who to talk to, or where to go. Eventually, we humbled ourselves and realized we can’t do life without God. We realized we needed a Savior who can save us from ourselves and our situation. That’s when we received Jesus.

Thank you God for Jesus. He helped when we were utterly helpless. We were deceived into thinking we were doing right, but we were wrong. Thank You for showing us our faults and revealing that You died for our faults.

This gospel is too good not to share. If you know anyone who is utterly helpless, do them a favor by pointing them to Jesus. He can help ANY helpless situation.

2 Corinthians 2:14 NKJV Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.

Nowhere in the bible does it say that we’ll win a few and lose a few. God’s word for the new covenant believer says we ALWAYS win in Christ.

Certain situations may not be favorable, but it doesn’t mean we’ve lost. We may have lost a job, experienced the premature death of a loved one, or had financial depletion, but that’s still not considered a loss because our story is not over. God can bless us with a better job, give us peace in knowing our loved one is in a better place, and give us financial increase.

Stop saying “if I win or lose, I’ll still give Him the praise.” It sounds spiritual, but it’s not scriptural. Through Christ, we always win.

2 Corinthians 3:5 NLT It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God.

When interviewing for a job, they ask for our qualifications. We usually inform them of our education, degrees, and experience. This makes sense for a job. When it comes to sharing and ministering the gospel of Jesus Christ, people may want to know our qualifications. It should be one answer; God. It shouldn’t be answers such as, I’ve been saved for 7 years, I speak in tongues, I tithe, and I sing on the praise team. No, God is the One who qualifies us to share and minister the gospel.

We may have been saved for one week and have more revelation of God’s word than someone who has been saved for 20 years.

When sharing the message of Christ, some of us may be questioned by our friends. They’ll say, “Who are you to tell me about Christ? Didn’t we get drunk together last year?” Or, “How can you tell me to repent? I know how you used to be.” We’ll simply let them know we’ve been qualified by God.

Any born-again believer is qualified to share or minister the gospel of Jesus Christ. It’s not our good works or years of good behavior that qualifies us. It’s God alone Who qualifies us.

Psalms 139:5 NKJV You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me.

God’s word tells us that He has a hedge surrounding and protecting us. We won’t benefit from this hedge of protection unless we believe this hedge exists and it’s meant for us.

If we feel like we have to protect ourselves, that’s a lack of faith in God’s hedge of protection. If we’re in fear about going certain places, that’s a lack of faith in God’s hedge of protection. Have faith in this unseen hedge of protection.

This hedge is also available to our children. We no longer need to worry about our children in school. Until they develop their faith, we can use our faith in God’s hedge of protection surrounding them. This will keep us in peace as we drop them off at school.

God has a hedge of protection surrounding us. Believe His word and reap the benefits of this hedge.

2 Corinthians 4:13 NIV It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak,

Faith is more than believing. It’s believing God’s word and acting on our belief. How do we act on our belief? Mainly through confession. When we say the same thing God says about us in His word, we’re acting on our belief.

A person can think they believe they’re healed based on 1 Peter 2:24 which says, “By His wounds you are healed.” If we ask them how they’re feeling and they say, “I’m sick as a dog,” they don’t have faith. They’re not saying what God said. They’re saying what they truly believe (Matt. 12:34). A person in faith would say, “I believe I am healed.” They’re not denying sickness. They’re choosing to believe God’s word above the sickness. They’re ignoring the sickness and saying what God says.

The same rule applies in our finances, our marriages, or any other promise of God. If you see what God says in His word, believe it’s for you AND act on that belief through confession. Don’t let what you see and how you feel change your belief in or confession of the word of God.

Proverbs 2:6 NLT For the Lord grants wisdom! From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.

We all need wisdom for something. It could be at our jobs, in parenting, in growing a business, or in school. Regardless of the area where wisdom is needed, the Lord will provide wisdom if we ask (James 1:5).

Once we ask, we must be willing to follow His instructions even if they don’t make sense. We may need wisdom for our business, but God may instruct us to forgive our parents who mistreated us. To the logical person, they’ll wonder what forgiveness has to do with their business? If that seems too weird to follow, we’ll be stuck in ignorance or not experience God’s best in our business. Those who’ll follow God’s instructions will gain the wisdom needed for maximum success in business. For the example above, God’s word tells us to forgive. When we don’t forgive, our faith is contaminated and our prayers for wisdom are hindered (Mark 11:25).

Human wisdom is not enough to be highly successful. Only the wisdom of God can help us in every area of our lives.

Genesis 3:5 NLT “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”

Satan deceived Eve into thinking she was missing out on something by saying “your eyes will be open” and “you will be like God.” Because she didn’t want to miss out, she deliberately disobeyed God, ended up in a worse predicament, AND caused Adam to do the same.

Satan is still deceiving people into thinking they’re missing out on something. What people think they’re missing out on varies. Satan deceives people into thinking they’re missing out on another religion that predates Christianity, another way to salvation besides Jesus, or “fun.” If we think we’re missing out on something, we’ll go against the word of God and end up in a terrible situation.

God’s word is the truth. Don’t be deceived into thinking you’re missing out on anything outside of His word. Anything outside of the word of God is a lie and Satan is behind it.

2 Corinthians 5:9 NLT So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please Him.

The goal of every born-again believer is to please God. We don’t please God by keeping the law and we don’t please God by staying in a church 24 hours a day. We please God by doing what He says through His Spirit.

We please God when He tells us to work diligently at the job, but we also please Him when He tells us to stop working even though there’s more work to be done. We please God when we go and worship Him at church on Sunday and we please Him when He directs us to spend time with our family at the park on Sunday. Pleasing God is not limited to traditional things like praying, reading the bible, and going to church. Pleasing God is anything we do where His Spirit is directing us.

Let’s please God by trusting Him and doing what He says.

Luke 18:19 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “Only God is truly good.

God is always good. This is a reason to rejoice and celebrate Him. The reason we don’t celebrate His goodness as much as we should is, we minimize or fail to identify His goodness.

The fact that we’re alive is a sign of God’s goodness. Unless a traumatic event happens, most people are not shouting for joy because they’re alive. We look beyond that goodness and are demonically influenced to focus on what we don’t have. Satan will try to have us focus on not having the amount of money we want, not having a spouse, or other seemingly negative things. Satan’s goal is to steal God’s praise.

Let’s bring it back to the basics and think about the goodness of God and give Him praise. God’s goodness includes: being alive, healthy, walking, talking, food, shelter, clothes, clean water, employment, excess money, transportation, valuables, going to point A to point B without getting killed in a robbery or a car crash, experiencing God’s love through family and friends.

Some of us may not have everything seen above, but we can give Him praise for what we do have. God is good and don’t let the devil tell you otherwise.

1 John 5:21 NLT Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.

Social media, Netflix, TV, video games, socializing with friends, a relationship, and making money. These are things that could be taking God’s place.

Does this mean we can’t play video games or watch Netflix? Of course not. It’s means there should be some balance. If we binge watch 6 hours of Netflix, but only read the verse of the day in our bible app, our day was imbalanced. God should get more than a couple minutes of prayer and few seconds of reading for the day.

More importantly, like everything else, we should let God’s Spirit lead us. If He says only play video games from 10:00pm – 12:00am, video games are not taking God’s place. If He tells us not to go out with our friends for the night, when we obey, our social life is not taking God’s place. God may even approve us binge watching 6 hours of our favorite show, but since He’s leading us, Netflix is not taking God’s place.

It’s in our best interests to trust Him and not allow anything to take God’s place.