Graced To Do God's Will

Psalm 4:3 (AMP) But know that the Lord has set apart for Himself [and given distinction to] him who is godly [the man of loving-kindness]. The Lord listens and heeds when I call to Him.

One of the great benefits of being God’s children with preferential treatment is God hearing us when we call. How awesome is it to know that the God of everything hears AND answers us when we call to Him?

Nothing is off limits. We can ask Him anything from wisdom in a situation to understanding why a situation went the way it did, to asking for a parking space.

Don’t be confused about life and don’t live in lack. Call to your Father and He’ll answer you.

Romans 8:15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery that returns you to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 And if we are children, then we are heirs: heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with Him, so that we may also be glorified with Him.

For born-again believers, we have preferential treatment because we’re in the family of God. Like any good father, God wants His children to have more than enough. Our more than enough is through Christ. By placing our faith in what Christ has done for us, we’ll always have all our needs met, we’ll have protection, we’ll have favor, and wisdom. It doesn’t mean we’re exempt from problems, but our problems won’t take us out. God will always give us a way to escape (1 Cor. 10:13).

Every person is not a child of God. We all were created by God, but God is not everyone’s Father. In John 8:44, it tells us the unbeliever’s father is the devil. They can’t expect to receive anything from God. They’ll just experience God’s goodness every now and again in the hopes that one of those moments will lead them to repentance (Rom. 2:4).

Know who you are in Christ. Believers are sons and daughters of the Most High God. Expect to receive preferential treatment.

Proverbs 17:9 He who covers and forgives an offense seeks love, but he who repeats or harps on a matter separates even close friends.

Forgiveness is something believers are required to do. It’s best for ourselves, for the other person, and for the situation. Unfortunately, some people have a bad habit of reliving the incident and bringing it back up to the person who wronged them.

True forgiveness requires us to let it go. Yes, they betrayed our trust or said some harsh things to us, but we must forgive them and let it go.

If we want to cause division between our spouse, our friends, or family member, keep bring up what they’ve done wrong. Things will never get better. From husbands and wives to parents and children, it’s in our best interest to forgive them, let it go, and never bring it up again.

Proverbs 17:15 (AMP) He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both an abomination [exceedingly disgusting and hateful] to the Lord.

There are a lot of “high and mighty” Christians out here who make it their life’s goal to condemn people. They want to tell others how shameful they should be for dressing a certain way, acting a certain way, or being around certain people. Some may think they’re being helpful by being honest, but they’re condemning people. Condemnation is making other people feel bad about what they’re doing. And according to this scripture, condemning the righteous (2 Cor. 5:21) is an abomination to God. They want to tell others about this sin or that sin being an abomination to God, but their own actions of condemnation are an abomination.

If we see someone doing something outside the will of God, with all sincerity, let’s pray for their deliverance. If, and only if, the Holy Spirit tells us to say something to that person, He’ll lead us to say something in a non-condemning way. He’ll have us speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15).

Don’t be an abomination to God by condemning others. There is no condemnation in Christ (Rom. 8:1). Be a disciple of Christ by displaying the love of God.

Proverbs 24:14 Know also that wisdom is like honey for you: If you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.

If we want to get revelation about our next steps, financial wisdom, parenting tips, ways to be more efficient at work, or beneficial tools, we must seek God. This information is available to us, but we must actively seek Him.

We can’t expect to get all this wisdom if we’re only giving Him 10 minutes of our day. We can get some, but not as much as we may desire. Let’s seek God by reading His Word, spending time with Him through prayer, and consulting Him in all our decisions. Obtaining God’s wisdom is like getting answers to a test.

Go get that wisdom in every area of life. He’s not hiding it from us. We just have to prioritize Him.

Romans 12:21 “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”

When we see people on social media or people in our circle appearing to live an enjoyable prosperous life, that’s when Satan attempts to plant seeds of jealousy. He’ll show us people who have nicer houses than we do, have the family we desire to have, or show us people who appear to be having so much fun.

When that spirit of jealousy enters our thoughts, that’s when we must recognize Satan’s attack and reject it. Reject that thought of jealousy and turn it around on him. Genuinely praise God for that person’s blessing he’s showing us and tell him if God can prosper them, He can prosper us too.

From major to minor things, don’t allow jealousy to enter our hearts. Reject it and praise God for your blessing.

One places the devil likes to apply his attack is in our emotions. Anger, sadness, and just moodiness in general are things we must recognize as demonic influences. The devil does a good job highlighting situations in our lives to make us feel justified in our emotions. He’ll have us recall what someone said to make us feel disrespected which will lead to anger. He’ll magnify what we don’t have to make us feel sad.

It’s during these times where we must recognize Satan’s presence. Instead of wallowing in these emotions and allowing them to control our attitudes, let’s counter these emotions with the Word of God.

The Word tells us we have the fruit of the Spirit which is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23). As we see, we have self-control, therefore, we can’t use the excuse of “I can’t help how I feel.” We can help how we feel by replacing a negative emotion with a positive emotion. It may take some time and some positive confessions, but we have that ability.

Don’t be depressed and live in self-pity any longer. Fight back by controlling those emotions.

Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Praising God is what we do. We open our mouths, lift our hands, and express how awesome God is to us. It can be as short or as long as we want it to be. It can be loud or a whisper. There are no rules on how we’re to praise God. The important thing is to consistently praise Him.

Don’t get tunnel vision looking at negative circumstances. Those negative circumstances will have us ungrateful and holding God’s praise hostage. Choose to look on the brighter side. We may not have all the money we want, but God supplies our needs. We may not have the employment we desire, but we’re employed. We may not have a house yet, but we have shelter.

Just think for a second. There are a million reasons to praise God. Choose a handful of reasons a day and keep the praise going.

Revelation 19:5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying: “Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both great and small!”

Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

If we took this verse seriously, we’d have nothing to fear. We can go out at night, go to the grocery store during a pandemic, or get on an airplane without worrying about getting sick or dying.

We can have this freedom if we build a solid relationship with our Father. We can spend time in His Word, commune with Him in prayer, and get to know His nature. Based on this foundation, we would have an assurance that He’s with us and He’s not going to allow anything to happen to us.

It takes courage to stare in the face of fear and still choose to trust God. This is a great time to reconnect and reestablish your relationship with God. We’ll either live freely by trusting Him or live fearful by avoiding Him.

When we first got saved, we were all in. Every day and every night were all about God. As time went on, our zeal may have left, and we started engaging in behavior we haven’t done in years. Some of us haven’t gone to church in years and our bible is just for decoration. We may have backslid to the point where it seems like we can’t hear God and we don’t know if God is listening to us.

Here’s good news. No matter how far we’ve strayed from God and righteousness, God is still available. If we turn to Him, He’ll hear our prayers and act on our behalf. He’s not hearing and answering our prayers based on how good we’ve behaved. He’s acting on our behalf because of His love towards us through Jesus. Jesus sacrificed Himself for mankind and because of His sacrifice, we’ve been reconciled with God.

Never think you’ve gone too far, and God is not listening. At any point in our lives, we can turn to Him and God will hear and answer our call.

Isaiah 44:21 Remember these things, O Jacob, for you are My servant, O Israel. I have made you; you are My servant; O Israel, I will never forget you. 22 I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud, and your sins like a mist. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.

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

With this coronavirus, the government has instructed us to wash our hands, use hand sanitizer, and stay in our homes. A lot of us heeded this advice without a second thought. Most of us haven’t experienced or seen the effects of the virus, but we’ve taken the necessary preventative measures. When we believe and act on something we hadn’t experienced yet, we’re acting in faith.

If we follow God’s advice as easily as we did the government’s advice, think of where we could be. We could have been delivered from pornography, received that promotion, or been married by now.

The difference between obeying man’s instruction about this virus and obeying God is consequences. People quickly obeyed the government because they’re afraid of getting sick. God’s not using fear and consequences so, there’s no sense of urgency. There’s also a trust issue. Some of us trust the government more than God.

Take this opportunity to evaluate your life. Are you trusting man more than God? There’s nothing wrong with heeding wise counsel from our leaders, but let’s heed God’s instructions about our lives and watch our lives elevate to another level.

When events like the coronavirus take place, one of the first things people want to do is attribute it to God. Some call it an act of God and others say it’s the wrath of God. Neither are correct. God’s not involved.

Long ago Adam, who represented mankind, gave his authority in the earth to Satan after obeying him in the Garden of Eden. Since the fall of mankind, Satan has ruled the earth. The bible calls him the prince of this world (John 12:31). Looking at the characteristics of Satan, we see he wants to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). Based on this, God’s not involved with anything associated with death, disease, or destruction in the earth. People want to blame God, but, it’s Satan.

Jesus’ sacrifice took the power out of Satan’s hands and gave it to us. As believers, we have the privilege to get God involved in our affairs and the affairs of the world. If we see something that’s not lining up with God’s Word, we can use our God-given authority to change that situation. We have power over Satan, power in our words, and victory through Jesus in any situation.

Instead of allowing God to take the blame, let people know God’s not involved, but it’s Satanic forces that need to be removed by born-again believers.

Ezekiel 18:32 For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord GOD; so turn, and live.”

1 John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have before Him: If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we already possess what we have asked of Him.

If we truly believe these verses, the next thing we can do is get things ready. Whatever you’re believing God for, prepare yourself to receive it.

If you’re believing God for a new car, clean out and make space for the car in the garage. If you’re believing God for a new house, start packing non-essential items. If you’re believing God for a spouse, start preparing yourself to share your time, space, and resources. If you’re believing God for a child, start shopping for baby things. We don’t need to wait until we’re in the process to get things ready. If God said we’ll have our request, it’s time to get things ready.

It may be another year or so before the manifestation of our request, but we’re responding to what we’re in faith for. Allow the Spirit of God to lead you on how to get things ready. We want to be in faith, not acting foolishly.

Mark 4:35 On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” 36 Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling.

Jesus instructs His disciples to go to the other side. One would think since Jesus proclaims to be the Son of God, that things would be smooth. That’s not the case. As they obeyed, they experienced hurricane-like conditions and thought they were about to die.

There may be times where God leads us to uncertain situations. For instance, we hear God telling us to move to a different city. As we obey, we may think we’ll experience instantaneous breakthrough in some part of our lives however, we go into a situation worse off than where we left. Or, God told us to start a business. We hope to get profits within a year, but we go into serious debt.

Initially, everything may not work as smoothly as we thought. But as we put our pride, logic, and ego aside and remain consistent with obeying God, He can turn any situation around for our good. Just remain in faith that something good will come because of your obedience. Looking back at the disciples, although they were hit by the storm hard, it didn’t kill them. They went to Jesus, He stopped the storm, and they gained a better appreciation for Him (Mark 4:38-41). As we go to God with our concerns about what He’s called us to do, He’ll eventually turn our situation around, and we too will have a better appreciation for Him.

Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.

Proverbs 21:23 He who guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from distress.

Certain stressors don’t just happen by chance. They were created and designed by our mouths.

Everything from drama in our marriage, to sickness in our bodies, to trials at work, to financial issues can all be created with our words.  We can’t keep saying, “I’m broke” and expect to have wealth and we can’t keep saying, “work is stressing me out” and expect to have a peaceful work place. God forbid we double up on our issues by saying, “my husband/wife is making me sick.” That’s marital and health problems being confessed in one sentence.

If you like stress in your life, then keep talking foolishly. But, if you want to have a more peaceful life, then be slow to speak and control what you say.

2 Kings 5:10 Then Elisha sent him a messenger, who said, “Go and wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored, and you will be clean.”

Joshua 6:14 So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days. 15 Then on the seventh day, they got up at dawn and marched around the city seven times in the same manner. That was the only day they circled the city seven times. 16 After the seventh time around, the priests blew the horns, and Joshua commanded the people, “Shout! For the LORD has given you the city!

Throughout scripture, God tells His people to do some strange things. In one case, God tells a leper, through Elisha, to get clean by washing himself in dirty water. In another case, God gave Joshua the war plan of walking around a city once a day for seven days.

Some of the things God instructs us to do go against our logic, our education, and understanding. But, to experience the best results in our lives, we must be obedient to God’s requests.

After obeying God’s instructions, we may not see immediate results from our obedience. Just know, the success is not in the outcome, but in the obedience. Whether it be the next day or the next month, believe God will reward us for our obedience.

Let’s not go on thinking our logic is smarter than God’s plan. Even if God’s instructions are strange, let’s push past our logic and believe His way is more beneficial than anything we could ever come up with.

When we first get saved and/or receive the filling of the Holy Spirit, we may have an inexplicable feeling. We get goose bumps, we’re super excited, and we can hardly contain ourselves. That feeling makes us cry when we worship and experience God in an intense way.

Over time, that feeling may go away. Some say, “they don’t feel God like they used to.” With that feeling gone, some question if God left us or if we did something wrong. The answer to both questions is no.

Just because we don’t “feel” God doesn’t change the truth in God’s Word that He’s ever-present and listening. Just because we don’t cry when we worship doesn’t mean our worship is not sincere.

The bible says, we are to live by faith (Rom. 1:17). Appropriate applied faith is believing God despite our senses and how we feel. (Heb. 11:1). It’s the devil’s job to make us feel like God left us. If he makes us feel like God’s not there, we’ll eventually stop praying, worshiping, and seeking Him.

Feelings are fickle, but God’s Word is unchanging. If it’s in His Word, it’s true no matter how we feel.

And God’s Word says…
Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

1 John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have before Him: If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we already possess what we have asked of Him.

Exodus 4:10 But Moses pleaded with the LORD, “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.”

I don’t have enough money.
I’m too shy.
I don’t have a degree.
I’m too old.
I have too much going on in my life right now.

Like Moses, some of us have excuses as to why we can’t do what God called us to do. At the end of the day, any excuse is a form of fear by way of pride. Pride comes based on the thought of being embarrassed or looking foolish.

God knows our physical limitations and He knows our previous experiences. But, God is not asking us to do anything independently from Him. He plans to be with us every step of the way.

Knowing God is with us and will help us should ignite confidence and courage. With God by our sides, we can’t fail. Even the appearance of failure is not failure with God. We have all that we need and if there are any concerns along the way, we know He’ll perfect them (Ps. 138:8).

It’s God doing the work in us (Phil. 2:13). He simply needs a vessel to work through. Be bold as a lion, eliminate all excuses, and do what God called you to do.

Proverbs 28:1(b) …but the righteous are as bold as a lion.

Matthew 18:18 “I tell you the truth, whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.

Mark 11:24 I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.

Matthew 12:37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

The common theme in these verses is our control. Whatever happens in our lives is not left up to someone else, the devil, or even God. It’s left up to us.

Whatever we forbid or permit on earth, will be forbidden or permitted in heaven. Whatever we pray for, in faith, will come to pass. If we don’t pray, we can’t expect to receive anything from God. Whatever we say (positive or negative), will manifest itself in our lives. This puts us in total control of our own destiny.

God created this world and put mankind in control (Gen. 1:26-28). Of course, God wants to be involved in our lives, but He’s not going to force us to do or receive anything. It’s on us if we let Him get involved in our lives or not.

So, evaluate your life. Are you satisfied with where you currently are in life? If not, don’t just accept it. Take control by getting God involved and using your God-given authority to declare what you want and don’t want in your life.

Exodus 32:11 Then Moses pleaded with the Lord his God, and said: “Lord, why does Your wrath burn hot against Your people whom You have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians speak, and say, ‘He brought them out to harm them, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your fierce wrath, and relent from this harm to Your people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven; and all this land that I have spoken of I give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’ ” 14 So the Lord relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people.

Knowing that God was angry with the Israelites and was about to destroy them, Moses reminded God of His covenant He had with Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. Moses’ reminder of God’s promise caused God to stop His plan of destroying the Israelites. It wasn’t like God forgot His covenant. The covenant just needed someone to activate it.

It’s the same way with God’s promises. If no one activates God’s promises in His Word, those promises will never manifest in the earth. It’s like an ATM card. We can have $1,000,000 in the bank, but if we never activate the card, we can never access the money.

Remind God of what He said. When lack shows up say, “You said, You’re my Shepherd and I shall not want.” When sickness attempts to creep in say, “You said, by His stripes I’m healed.” When chaos is all around us say, “You said, You’re my Protector.” We’re putting pressure on that Word. After reminding God and ourselves of what He said, we can immediately thank Him. We thank Him because we know it’s already done.

John 6:8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, 9 “Here is a boy with five barley loaves and two small fish. But what difference will these make among so many?”

Jesus tells His disciples to feed over 5000 people. Naturally, they looked at the situation and saw they didn’t have enough food. Now, here’s Andrew bringing a boy’s lunch knowing it wasn’t going to feed 5000 people. Logically, one would question why Andrew would bring something so insignificant to Jesus.

Q: What can we learn from this?
A: Even though things seem insignificant, when God’s involved, He can make them magnificent.

God may instruct us to do things that appear insignificant. As we obey His instructions, He can turn those seemingly insignificant things into something beneficial.

Reading a daily verse seems insignificant, but those daily verses can provide us with the faith we need to overcome an upcoming temptation or trial. God may have us research how to better do our jobs. It seems insignificant since our jobs are not in jeopardy, but our research may have us stand out to the point where we’re first on our supervisor’s list for a promotion. Giving an additional $1.00 in church seems insignificant, but that $1.00 we consistently give can turn into an unexpected $500 bonus at the end of the year.

Don’t miss out on the magnificent by not doing something that seems insignificant.

Zechariah 7:8 Then the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying, 9 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Execute true justice, Show mercy and compassion Everyone to his brother.

Compassion requires us to look outside of ourselves and focus on others. It forces us to look past our hopes, dreams, and desires and see the needs and desires of others.

As we focus our attention on others, God will instruct us to do compassionate things. He may tell us to pray for their well-being, befriend them, encourage them, or give to them.

Even if they look like they have it altogether, it’s important that we’re compassionate. We never know what a person is going through, and we may never know how our compassion benefits someone else.

Since God has been so compassionate towards us, it’s only right to be compassionate towards others.

Romans 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”

Fear brings bondage. We are enslaved to what we fear. If we’re afraid we’ll get sick, we’ll be a slave to that disease. If we’re afraid we’ll be rejected by someone, we’ll be a slave to a person’s opinion. If we’re afraid we won’t have enough, we’ll be a slave to lack.

What we must do is focus on our adopted Father (God). As we believe and focus on God, we’ll realize God is bigger than our fears. Understanding Who God is in our lives, we can face our fears knowing NOTHING will happen to us. We won’t get sick, we won’t die, we are loved, and we’ll always have enough.

Fear will knock on our doors, it’s up to us if we let it in. Keep fear out and focus on God.

1 Samuel 17:37 David added, “The LORD, who delivered me from the claws of the lion and the bear, will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” “Go,” said Saul, “and may the LORD be with you.”

People often say, “believe in yourself.” That sounds nice, but if we’re honest, that’s short sided. We know our limits and we know what we can and can’t do. We can only believe in ourselves to the point of our limits. However, when we rely on God, we become limitless.

If the task in front of us is great, when we rely on God, He’ll show us what to do. He’ll give us step by step instructions to accomplish the task. When everyone else is racking their (limited) brains trying to figure it out, we’re tapping into the supernatural to get answers with ease. David knew that, which is why he was fearless in taking on something that everyone else was afraid of (the giant).

The more appropriate thing to say is, “believe the God in yourself.” We, on our own, can only do so much. But with God, we’re unstoppable.

1 Samuel 17:32 And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail on account of this Philistine. Your servant will go and fight him!” 33 But Saul replied, “You cannot go out against this Philistine to fight him. You are just a boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth.”

Saul underestimated David’s chances of winning. They looked at his size and compared him to the giant on the other side and didn’t believe he would win. Although people doubted David, David never doubted God. He had confidence in God being with Him and he knew God wouldn’t let him fall.

Since God is in us, there’s nothing we can’t do. People may underestimate us based on what they see, but what they can’t see (God) is greater than anything that stands in our way.

Rely on God and get promotions, inventions, business ideas, favor, and scholarships for school. Believe that anything is possible with God.

Isaiah 1:19 If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land;

Job 36:11 If they obey and serve Him, They shall spend their days in prosperity, And their years in pleasures.

Looking at these verses can cause someone to expect immediate results after obeying God. If they obeyed God when He told them to give a $200 offering, they want their harvest within the next couple of months. Or, if they quit their job to accept a lesser paying job than what they currently have, they want some type of promotion within a year.

God can give us immediate results after obeying Him, but that’s not always the case. The promise in these scriptures is future tense. You shall eat the good of the land and they will spend their days in prosperity. Our reward after obedience can be the next day or within the next ten years. It’s up to God. We may not know when the rewards for our obedience will manifest, but we have a guarantee that they will come to pass.

Philippians 4:6, tells us not to be anxious for anything. This includes when God will reward us for our obedience. In our lives, God will give us numerous instructions. Some are minor, and some are major. As we obey them all, we position ourselves to consistently receive rewards from Him. Let’s not concern ourselves on when those promises will come. Let’s be satisfied in knowing that in God’s perfect timing, they will come.

Proverbs 3:6 (MSG) Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. 7 Don’t assume that you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil! 8 Your body will glow with health, your very bones will vibrate with life! 

Track coaches are there to help runners perform to their highest potential. If athletes have been with a coach for a long time, at anytime during the race, they can hear their coach. They can hear them telling them drive, move your arms, or pick up your knees. If the athletes trust the coach, they’ll make the corrections and hopefully have a great race.

The Spirit of God is no different. The Spirit of God is there to help us live to our highest potential. If we spend time with God, at any point in our lives, we can hear His voice. We can hear Him telling us to not watch that show, don’t eat that, turn right, or let them go. If we trust the Spirit of God, we’ll make the necessary corrections. The corrections we’ve made will maintain good health, bring stability to our minds, provide peace in our lives, and improve our marriages.

If people can trust earthly coaches for improvement, we should be able to trust the Spirit of our heavenly Father for improvement in life.

Just trust Him.

Proverbs 4:20 My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings.

There are a lot of things fighting for our attention. There’s politics, diseases, family cares, finances, and more. We can choose to focus our attention on these cares or we can attend to God’s Word.

When we focus on God’s Word, we’ll minimize the cares of the world. The facts of potential doom and gloom will be in front of us, but we’ll realize God’s Word will override the facts we’re facing.

So, no need to worry about finances because God supplies our needs (Phil. 4:19). No need to concern ourselves with sicknesses because God redeemed us from sickness (Gal. 3:13). No need to care about anything because God will perfect everything that concerns us (Ps. 138:8).

Let’s prioritize God’s Word and make it the final say in our lives.

Society has done a fantastic job focusing our attention on the coronavirus. The media covers cases of coronavirus throughout the day, our jobs send us health precaution emails, and we see what people on social media are saying about it. The more we hear about it, the more it dominates our thinking. It’s okay to have basic knowledge of it but hearing about the coronavirus in such high volume brings fear.

Some of us focus on the coronavirus so much until we forget about Christ. Galatians 3:13 says, Christ has redeemed or rescued us from the curse of the law. One of the curses we’ve been rescued from is the curse of sickness (Deut. 28:61). Since we’ve been rescued from every type of sickness, the coronavirus, Ebola, bird flu, or whatever else has no right to invade our bodies. In the words of Isaiah, no weapon formed against us shall prosper (Isa. 54:17).

Whatever we focus our attention on will control our lives. By putting our faith in God and what Christ has redeemed us from, we can live a freeing fearless life. What will you focus on?

Deuteronomy 28:61 Also every sickness and every plague, which is not written in this Book of the Law, will the LORD bring upon you until you are destroyed.

Galatians 3:13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”),

Confessions: Now, if you have a particular sickness, say, “This (name the sickness) is part of the curse of the law. But Galatians 3:13 says that Christ has redeemed me from the curse of the law. Therefore, I have been redeemed from (name the sickness)!” Believe and confess that every day, and as surely as Jesus took every curse of sickness, your healing will break forth!

Psalm 77:11 I will remember the works of the LORD; yes, I will remember Your wonders of old. 12 I will reflect on all You have done and ponder Your mighty deeds.

If we want to know if a product is good or not, some of us look at the reviews. If there’s enough positive reviews on the product and the price is right, we’ll consider buying the product. When we see someone going through a difficult time and they don’t know what to do, we can give them our reviews on the ultimate product known as God.

With God, it’s important to keep record of all the wonderful things He’s done. We can tell others how He handled this situation and that situation for us. We can let them know He’s free of charge and available 24 hours a day. Hopefully those positive reviews will encourage that person to rely on God.

So we won’t forget, write down all the things God has done (minor and major) in your phone or computer. Don’t be ashamed to share those positive reviews with others because it could be the difference maker whether someone is uplifted or discouraged.

John 14:1 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.

The fact that Jesus uses the word let in this verse shows us we have options. We can either let our hearts be troubled or not let our hearts be troubled. It’s up to us.

Trials, circumstances, and situations will come. When those situations arise, what will we do?

Our hearts being troubled means we’re focused on negative “what ifs.” What if it doesn’t work out, what if I end up sick, or what if I don’t have enough?

Jesus gave us the answer to not letting our hearts be troubled. He tells us to believe in God and believe in Him. It’s not just believing in their existence but believing and trusting in what they’ve made available to us. Focusing our attention on the finished works of Jesus, won’t allow our hearts to be troubled during trials.

When it doesn’t seem like we have enough, we focus on God supplying all our needs (Phil. 4:19). When we’re tempted to worry about getting sick, we can focus on our redemption from the curse of sickness (Gal. 3:13). Whatever the situation is, don’t let your heart be troubled. Believe, focus, and trust God’s Word to stay in a constant state of peace.

1 John 5:9-10 (MSG) If we take human testimony at face value, how much more should we be reassured when God gives testimony as He does here, testifying concerning His Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God inwardly confirms God’s testimony. Whoever refuses to believe in effect calls God a liar, refusing to believe God’s own testimony regarding His Son.

We’re living in a time where everything is seemingly acceptable. Whatever a person feels, thinks, and believes should be okay. As believers, who should be loving people, there’s one thing we shouldn’t give up on. That’s encouraging people to believe Jesus is the Son of God Who died for our sins (Rom. 10:9). We can’t make anyone believe, but we definitely should encourage them to believe.

Unbelief in that area has so many consequences. There’s living in lack, unfulfillment, no internal guide, no protection, no hope, and ultimately eternal damnation. If we truly love a person or people in general, we shouldn’t want them to experience those consequences. On top of all of those consequences, an unbeliever insults their Creator by calling Him a liar.

If we know a person who doesn’t believe, or if one comes across our path, let’s be bold enough to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a loving, non-condemning way.

When a tragic event happens, and someone suddenly dies, one of the first things people like to say or post is “life is short.” That statement totally opposes the Word of God.

Psalm 91:16 With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”

As we can see, God Himself promises us long (not short) life. When we say, “life is short,” we think we’re being philosophical, but we’re actually canceling God’s promise of a long life. Long life is something we must stand in faith for. Despite what we’re dealing with and the circumstances surrounding us, we must believe God’s Word of long life.

So, what’s long life? Some may think 80 years, and some may think 90. Looking at Genesis 6:3, God said our lifespan should be 120 years.

Genesis 6:3 So the LORD said, “My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days shall be 120 years.”

We can continue to speak death over our lives by saying “life is short” or, we can agree with God’s Word and declare 120 satisfying years of life. It’s up to you.

2 Timothy 3:1 You must understand this: In the last days there will be violent periods of time. 2 People will be selfish and love money. They will brag, be arrogant, and use abusive language. They will curse their parents, show no gratitude, have no respect for what is holy,

There’s a temptation to think only of ourselves. We’re ecstatic when WE got our needs and when WE get our desires. If WE and our immediate family are happy, we’re happy. But, what about others?

There are people out there who are truly hurting. They need an encouraging word, they need some money, they need understanding, they need prayer. By only thinking of ourselves, we become callus to the issues of others.

So, lift your head up and look outside of yourself and be the blessing that God has called you to be.

Acts 28:3 But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat, and fastened on his hand. 4 So when the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he has escaped the sea, yet justice does not allow to live.” 5 But he shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm.

Ouch! Paul was bitten by a snake. I’m sure the fangs of the snake going through his skin hurt, but by God’s grace and mercy, it didn’t kill him.

We’re going to experience things in life that will physically and emotionally hurt. These things were sent by the devil to steal, kill, or destroy something in our lives. It could be sickness, divorce, death of a loved one, or a loss of a job. Although these things hurt, when we rely on God’s grace and mercy, they won’t kill us. That’s encouraging news.

Certain things in life will hurt, but as we rely on God to see us through these difficult times, it will hurt, but it won’t kill.

Isaiah 43:7 Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him.”

The reason we’re here is not some deep complicated thing. We were created to give God glory.

Don’t let religion confuse you about glory. It simply means to honor and give Him credit through praise and worship.

When we praise and worship God for all the wonderful things He’s done, God is glorified. A form of praise and worship is giving. Yes, giving. When we give an offering (financially), we’re tangibly giving God glory (1 Chron. 16:29).

We glorify God through our obedience. Jesus says in John 17:4, “I have glorified You on earth by accomplishing the work You gave Me to do.” By fulfilling our God-given assignments (small or great), God is glorified. Some of our God-given assignments are to believe in the finished works of Jesus, love, be blessings, etc.

Glorifying God is not optional. It’s something God is due according to 1 Chronicles 16:29. So, in every situation (pleasant and unpleasant), give God glory.

1 John 5:12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

Every person who believes that Jesus is the Son of God and He died for our sins is spiritually alive. Every person who does not believe that Jesus is the Son of God and He died for our sins is spiritually dead. It’s that simple.

When people believe, they become spiritually alive, but until then, they’re the walking dead. It doesn’t matter how nice or sweet a person is or how many good acts they do. Without belief, they’re spiritually dead. They may be millionaires and have the appearance of being blessed, but they’re dead to God.

Unfortunately, based on their decision to not believe, the spiritually dead’s final destination is hell. God doesn’t send people to hell; people’s unbelief sends them there. Don’t walk around spiritually dead just to end up in hell and don’t let people walk around spiritually dead. Make Jesus Lord and let’s encourage others to make Him Lord so we all can be alive forevermore.

1 Timothy 6:17 As for the rich in this present world, instruct them not to be conceited and arrogant, nor to set their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly and ceaselessly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

For so many years, a lot of Christians were the image of “no fun.” They didn’t smile, they had hundreds of rules, and they couldn’t do anything without it being called a sin. What outsider would want to be associated with people like that? Why would any person want to give up fun for that type of Christianity?

Christianity is not meant to be some somber experience where everyone is serious and in deep thought all the time. God’s design is that we enjoy ourselves in every aspect of life. We can enjoy ourselves at church, reading God’s Word, and in prayer. We can have fun with our children and relatives. We can watch a movie, play games, go on vacations, or just lounge around the house.

Let’s change the perception of Christianity by enjoying ourselves as we follow Jesus.

Ecclesiastes 2:24 (NLT) So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God.

Ephesians 6:11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;

24 hours a day, 7 days a week, Satan is on the attack. He’s attempting to steal, kill, or destroy something in our lives (John 10:10). He takes no days off.

Understanding that Satan’s attack will never end, it’s important that we put on the whole armor of God. It didn’t say put on part of the armor of God, but the entire armor. We put on the armor of God to protect ourselves from Satan’s onslaught.

God’s armor consists of truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation, and the Word of God. To sum it up, the armor of God is knowledge and application of the Word of God. When we properly apply the Word of God, we effectively combat Satan’s attacks.

When the armor of God is in full effect, we’ll no longer be influenced to do the wrong thing, we won’t overthink ourselves into depression, and we won’t react based on how we feel.

If it hasn’t been done already, be sure to put on the armor of God and never take it off.

Proverbs 19:11 A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.

Offense is optional. It’s our choice to be offended or not. One way to not be offended is to never take it.

It’s up to us to be offended if our boss belittles us in front of coworkers. It’s up to us to be offended by the looks of others. It’s up to us to be offended by the comments of others.

Part of not taking offense is knowing who we are in Christ. If we know that we’re wonderfully made, intelligent, successful, and righteous, we’ll never be in bondage to someone’s approval of us. Therefore, we’ll never be offended.

The option to be offended will always be present. We can either pick it up or leave it there. It’s in our best interest to leave it there. Don’t take it!