Graced To Do God's Will

John 14:13 Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

Philippians 2:10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

Here we see two scriptures regarding the name of Jesus. In one scripture, we can receive our desires by using His name, and in the other we see everything bowing at the name of Jesus.

God’s Word has given believers authority to use the name of Jesus whenever we desire. The name of Jesus is not limited to church or when things are at their worse. It’s there for everyday use.

We can use the name of Jesus to lower gas prices, to get to our destination safely, to heal “incurable” diseases, or to make impossible things possible. Nothing is off-limits.

We can’t hope and wish things might change when we call on the name of Jesus. We have to be convinced everything must change when we call the name of Jesus.

Once we have this confidence in using Jesus’ name and see the benefits of using His name, we’ll be like super heroes changing everything around us for God’s glory.

Proverbs 15:23 A person finds joy in giving an apt reply– and how good is a timely word!

There’s enough negativity in the world. We, as believers, don’t need to spread anymore negativity. In fact, we should be the positive light for people in every situation.

When someone tells us about their problems, we should respond with an optimistic outcome. When someone tells us about their goals, we should encourage them and provide additional wisdom when prompted by the Holy Spirit. When people are complaining about performing certain tasks, we can point out the benefits. We can compliment a person just because.

Being an optimist requires us to push past our own personal feelings and it forces us to trust God in spite of how things appear.

Although some may not recognize or thank us for our optimistic energy, our light can change the atmosphere, change a person’s perspective, and ultimately change the person entirely.

Be kind everyone. We’re spreading joy in the world.

James 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

As believers, we see something we want such as a new car, a new job, the manifestation of healing, or an increase in finances. The practical application to receive that thing is to release our faith. So we believe. A month goes by and it hadn’t materialized. Another month and still nothing. After a year or so, some of us give up and say something “spiritual” like, “it wasn’t God’s will for me to have that.” Others say, their faith wasn’t strong enough.

In reality, we weren’t patient enough. Faith requires patience. Abraham and Joseph waited years before receiving what God had promised and we may have to wait too. Regardless of the time it takes and what we experience, don’t stop believing God.

If He (not our emotions) said it, He will bring it to pass.

Deuteronomy 31:8 “The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

When you didn’t get that promotion, God was there.
When you lost your child, God was there.
When you were diagnosed with that disease, God was there.
When you got a divorce, God was there.
When you became addicted to drugs, alcohol, or pornography, God was there.

God doesn’t cause problems, but He’s with us during problems. He’s there to comfort us during times of tribulation. He’s there to provide us with joy in spite of the situation. He’s there to show us how to navigate through these situations. He’s there to show us how to use our authority to overcome these situations.

We’re never alone. God is there. Right now, God is there. Rely on His presence during times of trouble and allow Him to turn your troubles into triumphs.

Deuteronomy 32.35 Vengeance is Mine, and recompense; Their foot shall slip in due time; For the day of their calamity is at hand, And the things to come hasten upon them.’

The people we know as enemies not only talk behind our backs, but they post negative things about us on social media and speak failure over our lives. But, praise God no weapon formed against us shall prosper (Isaiah 54:17).

Our first response may be to return fire with fire. We may want to air their problems to the world or give them a piece of our minds, but that’s not our role. As long as we resist the urge to retaliate and continue to honor God with our lives, our enemies will live long enough to see us blessed. David told us God will prepare a table in the presence of our enemies (Psalm 23:5).

We’re not hoping that they die or experience failure in their lives. They’ll reap what they sow. But, we have an assurance that the blessing over our lives will override any negative thing they throw our way.

Let’s hold our peace and let God fight our battles.

1 Corinthians 2:5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

You need to come up with $20,000 in a week. It seems like you need a miracle. Human wisdom says, get a loan, ask family members, or work as much overtime as you can. However, the Word of God tells us to depend on the power of God.

Now, depending on God doesn’t mean we sit at home and wait on someone to knock on our door with a $20,000 check. That means we believe that miracle has already been made available through Jesus Christ, seek God, and wait on His solution for that miracle. He may have us talk to a specific person about our situation. That person may be prompted by the Holy Spirit to write us a check. He may have us go to a specific bank that will lend us the money. A relative, who recently passed, could have left us some money in their will. The point is, it’s God’s solution and not our own. He will guide us to the location of our answer. To hear His voice, we need to quiet ourselves and quiet our surroundings.

In every situation and for every solution, great or small, depend on the power of God.

Psalm 119:98 You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies; For they are ever with me.

As we meditate in God’s Word, the scriptures should come alive to us. Situations we’re dealing with should get resolved and peace should enter our lives. Because it’s God’s Word, and He is wiser than us all, we should also receive wisdom to handle every situation.

This wisdom is not for us to gloat and rub the victory in the face of our enemies. This wisdom from the Word allows us to outsmart those who maliciously try to hurt us and has us perform certain tasks to make our enemies be at peace with us, all while staying in the love of God. This wisdom has the power to make our enemies our friends.

Whether you’re at work or at home, begin getting in God’s Word to receive this supernatural wisdom that will provide additional peace in your life.

Psalm 37: 7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.

Have you ever seen movies that glorified the financial success of drug lords such as Pablo Escobar? Or, have you seen rappers (who talk about everything else except the name of Jesus) living lavishly, and wonder how we, the righteousness of God, seem to live an average life?

Don’t be envious by the “success” of those individuals. Those people are prospering, but they’re prospering in their own way. If we read Psalm 37, we see their “success” is temporary. However, if we wait patiently and activate the principles of faith for our desires, we too can live a prosperous life. But unlike those who chose to dishonor God, our riches last forever and we get to glorify God (Psalm 112:3).

When God prospers us, there is no one that can stop our success, but us. Don’t try to prosper in your own way. Prosper God’s way.

Genesis 3:12 The man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Since the beginning, accountability has been a problem for mankind. Adam blamed Eve for sinning against God and Eve blamed the serpent. They never owned up to their shortcoming because it was easier to blame someone else.

Still today, there are some who blame others for why they act a certain way, what they have or don’t have, or where they are in life. Blaming others won’t fix anything. It’s a cop-out. It temporarily takes the spotlight off of us and puts in on someone else.

The good news about applying our faith to God is He puts all of us on a level playing field. We may not have had a father growing up but with God, we can still be a success and a great parent to our children. We may not have had higher education but with God, we can be a CEO of our own company. We may not have a family yet but with God, we can still have joy and a purpose in life.

It’s time to stop blaming others for our shortcomings. Wherever you are today, begin to look to God for assistance, and He will bring you to prosperous places.

1 John 4:1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

It’s great to know the Bible covers all the issues we could ever face in life.

One of the biggest things some people like to say is, “all pastors are crooks” and “the bigger the church the bigger the scam”. They let us know these pastors are using the Word of God to get money out of people.

Unfortunately, some pastors do try to scam their members out of their money. But, that’s why 1 John 1:4 was implemented. It was to deal with these false prophets.

God’s Word lets us know to test every spirit to determine if they’re from God. We test the spirit through the Holy Spirit (John 16:13). That way, if a man of God is asking for us to give half of our paycheck to receive a miracle, we can allow the Holy Spirit to tell us whether or not to participate. No need to label every man/woman of God a crook because of some false prophets.

That’s why it’s sooo important to be led by the Holy Spirit. Praise God for the Holy Spirit Who leads us and guides us and protects us from false prophets.

Philippians 4:9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

How bold is this statement? Paul is telling the church in Philippi to do the things they’ve learned and seen in him. First of all, Paul is not the Christ and he’s not a prophet speaking on God’s behalf. Secondly, he’s not speaking to a bunch of children. He’s just a regular person, who chose to honor God with his life, speaking to adults.

Let’s evaluate ourselves. Are we living in a manner where we can tell someone else to do as we do? Do we have enough revelation in the Word of God to teach someone else? Can people see Christ in us? If not, then we need to begin making adjustments to reflect the image of Christ in today’s world. That will include loving others unconditionally, forgiving people, being a blessing to others, and more.

We don’t have to be perfect, but we should be constantly growing in Christ to the point that we are an example to others.

Joel 3:10 Beat your plowshares into swords And your pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’”

Obviously, there’s a correlation between our speech and our lives or else, God wouldn’t tell us to say the opposite of how things appear.

We may feel weak, but we are to declare we’re strong. It may seem like we’re having financial difficulties, but we should say we’re rich (2 Cor. 8:9). The symptoms make us appear sick, but we’re healed (Isaiah 53:5). Situations in our lives may appear problematic, but we’re free from all our troubles (Psalm 34:9).

Some may say we’re lying or not being “real”, but if God’s Word says we’re strong, rich, healed, and whole, we’re calling God a liar if we say anything different.

Let’s monitor our speech and be sure we’re saying what God says about our lives and nothing else.

Isaiah 54:15 (AMP) “If anyone fiercely attacks you it will not be from Me. Whoever attacks you will fall because of you.

When bad things happen such as, a car accident, a hurricane, or a premature death, there’s been this ongoing debate whether God caused it, God allowed, the devil did it, or if we (mankind) caused it.

One thing’s for sure, we know it’s not God. This is one of the clearest statements made by God in the Bible. We don’t have to know Hebrew or check to see if it’s a parable. It’s clear. God is not responsible for the negative things that happen in our lives.

If it’s not God, then who is it? There are multiple answers. If we had bad eating habits and then a doctor tells us we have diabetes, it’s us. It’s a consequence to our actions. If we’re having continuous thoughts of sadness, we can blame it on the devil with his influential lies. If it’s an “unnatural disaster” (hurricane, tornado, etc.), then it’s a product of the curse being in the earth (Rom. 8:20). If it’s an early death, there are a number of factors. We have to know the true desire of the person who died. Did the person truly want to continue fighting for their healing or did they simply want to be with the Lord? Does the person truly believe God has healed them or are they uncertain? Did the people operate in their full God-given authority over sickness or harm?

Regardless of the negative situation, we can stop blaming God because it’s not Him. But in every negative situation, He will help us get through it (Psalm 34:19).

At some point, we’ve placed our expectations, hope, and trust in people to keep their promises. It could have been a parent, a boyfriend/girlfriend, a sibling, or someone else. Somewhere in our lives, a lot of us were let down by those people for not keeping their promises. As we get older, we learn not to trust people.

The unfortunate part about this thought process is we sometimes take our distrust and low to no expectations of people and bring it to God. The disappointments of our past dealing with people may have corrupted our expectations of God.

God is a promise keeper. Whatever He says He will do in His Word, that’s what’s going to be done. It may seem like it’s taking too long, but hold on, keep your faith in Him and He’ll bring it to pass.

Let’s get our eyes and expectations off of people, government systems, and the economy and let’s give it all to God.

Joshua 21:45 “Not a word failed of any good thing which the LORD had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.”

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Romans 10:9 That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved.

Salvation requires a belief that Jesus is Lord in our hearts and a confession with our mouths. If we look closely, Romans 10:9 establishes a pattern to receive the additional promises of God. The other promises require the same steps: a belief in our hearts and a confession with our mouths.

You want a new car? Believe that God has made it available to you and confess that it’s yours.
You want financial stability? Believe that God has made it available to you and confess that it’s yours.
You want peace? Believe that God has made it available to you and confess that it’s yours.

Whatever we need or want from God can be obtained with the belief that God has made it available to us and a confession from our mouths. Receive all the promises of God using the pattern.

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

Psalm 4:8 I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

This is David speaking to God. How is David so confident in God’s protection? What makes him so sure his enemies won’t attack him in the middle of the night? It was His experiences with God in the past. David’s faith alone assures Him of God’s protection.

God protected David from a lion, a bear, and Goliath when He was younger; therefore, God had a proven track record of His protection. What has God done in your life? He’s provided for us. He’s protected us. He came through when we couldn’t see our way. Based on God’s track record in our lives, we too can have the same confidence as David.

We can confidently say God protects us from all hurt, harm, and danger. We can confidently say God is our Provider. We can say, whatever we desire will come to pass.

Have faith in God. If He’s done it before, He can do it again.

Deuteronomy 30:4 If any of you are driven out to the farthest parts under heaven, from there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you.

To those who feel unworthy to step into a church, to those who feel they’ve sinned too much, and to those who feel they’ve strayed too far to experience the blessings of God, here is good news…

God Loves You.

Satan plays tricks on our minds to make us think that God doesn’t loves us based on some of the things we’ve done. Religious believers in the church can make us feel the same way. That’s a lie. He loves us and He always will. Wherever we are, God desires a relationship with us. From the prostitute, to the drug dealer, to the gang member, God desires to find us in that place, and restore right relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. However, we have to take that initial step and surrender to Him.

No one’s perfect. Take it one step at a time in releasing those things that hinder a full relationship with God, and run to a loving God Who is waiting to receive us with open arms.

Romans 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwells no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.

Operating in the flesh means doing anything outside the will of God. The will of God is the Word of God. Operating in the flesh includes, having a bad attitude, being emotionally unstable, sex outside of marriage, being intoxicated, and more.

Nothing good happens when we operate in the flesh. We can’t honor God operating in the flesh and it doesn’t benefit us in the end. It may feel good for the time being, but it’s not beneficial.

If we continue to operate in the flesh, our hearts become callus to the Word of God. We see no benefit in complying with God’s Word because we don’t have immediate gratification. Eventually, we’ll experience the consequences of operating in the flesh which could be sickness and disease, poverty, unnecessary difficulties, and an early death.

Let God show you the areas where you’re operating in the flesh and let Him guide you into overcoming those areas.

Deuteronomy 6:6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.

As parents, we teach our children so many things including: the alphabet, numbers, shapes, reading, and even the latest dances. Along with that, and more importantly, we should teach our children God’s Word.

The Word of God is the most important thing to a believer. It keeps us in faith, it empowers us, it keeps us in peace, it destroys the assignment of Satan, and so much more. If it does all of these great things, why would we keep it from our children or wait until they become “older” to teach it to them?

When they’re babies, start reading a verse a day to them. Have them read a verse or more as they learn how to read. Have them memorize the location of certain scriptures. Have them contextually explain a passage of scripture. All of this will benefit them as they become young adults.

Let’s do a service to our children and obey the commandment of God and teach them the Word of God.

Philippians 3:9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;

I obey the Ten Commandments, I pray every night, I attend church every week, I read my Bible, I don’t eat pork, I fast every month therefore, I’m righteous. Wrong!!! This is self-righteousness and it’s filth in the eyes of God (Isaiah 64:6).

The righteousness of faith says, “I know I don’t have it all together and I know I’ve sinned but, through the blood of Jesus, He has made me righteous.” This is the righteousness that is God-approved. This is righteousness we should live by.

Does this mean we can do whatever we want to do and claim we’re righteous? Of course not. What this means is we make a valiant effort to honor God with our lives because He’s been so good to us but, at the end of the day, we know it’s ONLY His (Jesus’) blood that makes us righteous.

We should never look at our actions as a point of righteousness or to point out someone else’s unrighteousness. Realize we all need and have grace available to us and that’s how we’re righteous.

Matthew 9:23 When Jesus entered the ruler’s house, He saw the flute players and the noisy crowd. 24 “Go away, He told them. “The girl is not dead, but asleep.” And they laughed at Him.

Satan attacks us in our thoughts. If he can get us to doubt God’s ability or God’s willingness to help us in our current situation, he can stop our promises from coming to pass.

That’s why it’s so important to do certain things that will keep us in faith. Those things usually appear foolish to the world or even to some believers, but it’s important to stay in faith. Some of those things consist of confessing what we desire to see instead of talking about what we’re actually facing. With our nose stopped up and as we’re coughing, we declare we’re healed. We can periodically confess the Word of God over our situation under our breath throughout the day. Read our Bibles during lunch instead of watching TV. Visibly praise God in our cars for the things we want to come to pass.

Anyone of these things may get us strange looks or laughed at by some but, we’ll get the last laugh when what we’ve confessed and praised God about manifests in our lives.

Luke 12:15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

The devil is good at highlighting the things we don’t have in the effort to make us feel bad about our lives. We can have all that we actually need, but he can make us feel unfulfilled because we don’t have a certain thing.

Fulfilment doesn’t come through the abundance of things. There will always be things we want and if we keep chasing the things, we’ll never be fulfilled. Fulfillment is found in God. Whatever God tells us to do, that’s what’s going to fulfill us.

One of the first things He commanded all of us to do, through Abraham, was to be a blessing (Gen. 12:2). When we’re spreading the love of God towards everyone, giving of ourselves, and being a blessing, we will be fulfilled.

2 Corinthians 2:14 Now thanks be unto God, who always causes us to triumph in Christ, and makes manifest the fragrance of his knowledge by us in every place.

Praise God He always causes us to triumph but in order to triumph, there has to be opposition. Many new and mature believers have a misconception that when we become sold out for God, we’re exempt from problems. That may happen in heaven but because of sin; problems will continue to exist here on this current earth.

Don’t be discouraged, problems are a part of life. Once again, we have a God-guarantee that we will triumph over every situation we face. Disease, divorce, layoffs, and wayward children are all things we have the ability to overcome. We simply have to believe that through the blood of Jesus Christ, we have the victory. No matter how it looks or feels, we must stare that problem in the face and declare victory.

Praise God for our triumph but as we continue to live life, be prepared to fight.

1 Corinthians 12:24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

Somehow, some believers have convinced themselves that being the pastor or one of the ministers at the church is more significant than anyone else in the body of Christ. All areas are important in the body of Christ because in the body of Christ we’re all equally important.

Being a pastor is no better than the person who’s assigned to clean the church bathrooms. The only difference is the pastor has a different calling than the janitor and they are seen by all. In God’s eyes, both responsibilities are just as important.

We may have been called to work behind the stage in the body of Christ. Even though we’re not receiving applause or shaking hands with the congregation for the work that we do doesn’t mean the role God has called us to is unimportant.

Whatever role God has called you to in the body of Christ, do it unto the Lord and expect a reward openly.

1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time:

To humble means we’ve released our authority, plans, and ideas and followed the plan of God. A lot of us have humbled ourselves to God. We’ve changed our behavior and we’ve stopped doing certain things. Sure, we need to grow in other areas, but dying to the flesh is a lifelong process.

Because we’ve humbled ourselves, it’s time to collect. We can expect God to fulfill His end of the bargain and exalt us. Be in expectation to be promoted or to receive a financial increase. Expect to be surrounded by influential people who can provide us with wisdom. Expect to make a bigger impact on individuals surrounding us.

It’s exaltation time. This is not exaltation that we can do ourselves. This is a God kind of exalting, so we know it’s going to be spectacular. Let’s continue to humble ourselves to experience more and more exaltation.

Genesis 12:1 Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you.

Abram was in a comfortable place. Everything he knew and needed was in that place. God had great things for Abram, but it was outside of that comfortable place. Once Abram obeyed God, he was rewarded with the promises of God.

What place has you so comfortable until you don’t want to step out on faith? Is it your job? Is it that relationship you know won’t work, but you stay anyway? Is it that beat up car you keep trying to fix instead of stepping out and releasing your faith for a new car?

We don’t want to leave our comfort zone because we don’t want to be disappointed, we don’t want to leave the known, or we don’t want to put in the work to be elevated. However, when we obey God and get out, we too will experience the promises of God.

Let’s evaluate our lives to see if we’re in an area where God is pushing us to leave. It’s time to step out on faith and get out.

James 3:16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

Every evil work, which consists of every negative thing a person can experience, has a portion of envy and strife. A person is more susceptible to be sick if they have strife in their lives. A person is more likely to commit a criminal act that lands them in jail if they have envy and strife in their lives. A person is more likely to cheat on their spouse if they have strife in their lives. A person is more likely to experience poverty if they have envy and strife in their lives. Every evil work is associated with envy and strife.

Got bad things going in your life? Check your heart to see if you have envy and/or strife in an area of your life. Ask God to help you overcome that envy and/or strife, that way you can minimize the trials you face.

Exodus 3:11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

Some of us discredit ourselves to be used for Kingdom purposes as if God doesn’t know our background. We’ll say we don’t have the money, experience, or a clean background to do what God has called us to do. Here’s good news: God did His homework and still approved us to do great and mighty things for His glory.

Being used for the Kingdom is not limited to preaching or singing in the choir. Being used in the Kingdom is accomplishing whatever God has called us to accomplish for His glory. Some have been called to cosmetology. If that person steps out on faith and becomes a cosmetologist, God will honor that and elevate their lives in ways they can’t even imagine. Some of us have been called to be in construction. If that person fulfills their assignment by being in construction, God can exalt that construction worker to the point where they own a construction company.

When we get to the top of our God-called profession, we’ll have a platform to stand on where we can give God the glory. Don’t count yourself out for one reason or another. Leave yourself open to be used by God.

Inspired by Barbara Calloway

Proverbs 10:17 Whoever heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.

Proverbs 15:32 Those who disregard discipline despise themselves, but the one who heeds correction gains understanding.

When someone tries to correct an area in our lives, some of us view the correction from the lens of criticism. We think they’re trying to “rain on our parade” or exalt their intelligence. The frame to those criticism lenses is pride. At the end of the day, we don’t want to be told what to do.

Don’t be prideful. When someone approaches us with corrections, don’t take it personal. View the correction as advice. We may be receiving correction from someone who doesn’t seem to have it altogether themselves but, it still doesn’t mean their advice is not useful. Some stuff we’ll use and other stuff we’ll toss but, be open to advice.

Their advice may save us time, money, and energy but most importantly, their advice may be heaven sent. So control your flesh, open your ears and maturely receive constructive criticism, correction, and advice from all who are willing to give it.

Nehemiah 9:21 For forty years you sustained them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing, their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen.

These were the children of Israel who had to wander in the wilderness for forty years because of their disobedience, unfaithfulness, and sin. Their behavior should have immediately cost them their lives and yet, God in His abundance of grace and mercy sustained them.

We are under a better covenant. We have the sacrifice of Jesus. We have God living inside of us but, some of us are so concerned with how we’re going to make it. If God chose to sustain and meet the needs of a disobedient bunch of people for years, why would we think He would pass us over?

God is loving and kind and is willing to bless anyone who believes that He’s able. Let’s not try to make it on our own. Let’s look to and rely on God to meet every one of our needs.

Numbers 14:11 The Lord said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the signs I have performed among them?

The difference between receiving God’s promises and not receiving His promises is belief.
After all God had done for the children of Israel, (freeing them from bondage, parting the Red Sea, and destroying the Egyptians), they still didn’t believe He was able to help them possess the Promised Land. They looked at their situation, saw the giants in the land, and

For their unbelief, they all died in the wilderness and didn’t experience the Promised Land. Only their children and the two who did believe in God’s ability (Joshua and Caleb) were able to enter the land.

We may shake our heads at the children of Israel but, after all God has done for us, some of us still doubt God’s ability when faced with challenges. We may think His ability limited, the task is too big, or we try to conquer the situation on our own.

Never get overwhelmed by the (great or small) obstacle in front of us. Always remember to turn to the God Who is able to do exceeding, abundantly above all we could ever ask or think (Ephesians 3:20).

Luke 8:11 Now this is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God.

Anytime we plant a seed in the ground, we expect something to grow.

The Word of God is a seed. When we plant the Word in different areas of our lives, we should expect something to grow. We plant the Word with our mouths. When we confess His Word over our lives and believe, we’re sowing supernatural seed in our lives.

For instance, if we have symptoms of sickness in our bodies, when we plant the Word of “with His stripes, we are healed” into our lives, we should expect the harvest of divine health. If we have a financial shortage, we can plant the Word of “my God shall supply our needs” in our lives and expect just that.

No matter how big or small the situation we’re facing is, we can plant God’s Word in our lives and expect that situation to change for the better.

When we’re in church or studying the Bible, we’ll boldly confess the Word of God because we know the benefits to our confession. We’ll declare we’re healed, we’re successful, and we’re victorious in every area of our lives, but when someone asks how we’re doing, our responses may be different from our confession.

We may respond by saying “it’s rough right now” or “I don’t know how I’m going to make it.” We think we’re being honest in our responses but, we’re actually contradicting our confession. We’ll confess one thing but, we’ll respond with what we truly believe.

Our confession and responses in conversations need to line up. It may seem weird or over the top to some to speak with positive bold authority over our situation but it’s either appearing weird or delaying the progress of our breakthrough.

Let’s confess the Word of God privately and promote our confession publicly through our responses.

Luke 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart[a] brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Inspired by I.V. Hilliard

Numbers 14:19 Pardon the iniquity of this people, I pray, according to the greatness of Your mercy, just as You have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.” 20 Then the Lord said: “I have pardoned, according to your word; 21 but truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord—

When Moses prayed that God would spare His people, God heard his request and spared them based on Moses’ request alone. God doesn’t show partiality (Rom. 2:11). If He did it for Moses, He has to do it for us too.

We may have a child, a family member, or a close friend who’s made bad decisions in their lives and we know they deserve severe consequences. Instead of being troubled by the type of consequences they’ll receive, we can activate our faith and request His mercy be poured out of them.

Moses’ prayer may have spared the children of Israel from death but, because of their actions, God still didn’t let them experience the promised land. Consequences will happen based on people’s choices, however, the severity of those consequences can be lightened based on our prayer.

So, think about that person who has done something wrong (even if it’s ourselves) and pray that God’s mercy be activated and let’s praise God that His mercy endures forever (Psalm 136).

Philippians 2:13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

Some of us work so hard, in our own strength, to do everything right in the sight of God. We make sure we pray as much as we can, be kind to everyone, don’t miss a church event, and we try not to make a mistake. The bad part about using self-effort is the minute we miss the mark, we’re discouraged and we have an overwhelming sense of guilt.

Using will power to please God is futile. The children of Israel attempted to use will power to keep the Law and they failed miserably. As born-again believers, God’s in us showing us what to do to please Him. It’s still our choice but, it’s not forced using our own strength. He’ll tell us when to apologize, when to help someone out, or if we should attend a church event. And if we miss the mark, God’s grace abounds (Rom. 5:20).

Let’s not use self-effort to force a holy life. Let God work in you to do what pleases Him.

1 Timothy 1:12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry.

We all have something in our history that’s not squeaky clean. Some of us were promiscuous, some of us had addictions, some of us were liars, and some of us were self-righteous. Based on our history, some of us have disqualified ourselves from ministry in the Kingdom of God.

We’ve magnified what man said about us above what God said. God said we’re righteous, holy, and complete through Jesus Christ (Rom. 3:22; Heb. 10:10; Col. 2:10). With that understanding, there’s a ministry for everyone in the Kingdom of God.

You may have thought because you’re a single mom, you can’t be used but, God can use you to minister to other single moms. You may have thought prison time ruined your chances at being successful but now that you’re a success, you can empower others to be successful who have gone through the same situation.

Regardless of what you’ve been through; don’t allow the past or the statements of man stop you from fulfilling your ministry assignment for the Kingdom of God. God counts us faithful and that’s all that matters.

Genesis 39:2 The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.

5 So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had in the house and in the field.

As a born-again believer, God is within us. With that understanding, like Joseph, wherever we go and whatever we do, God will prosper us and that place because of us.

We could be working for a company that may be suffering financially, but because God’s presence is within us, that company can miraculously start increasing in profit. We could be in a line of work that could be seen as dangerous, but because of God’s presence we and the people around us are protected. We may be learning something that’s typically hard for people to understand, but because of God’s presence within us, we grasp the concepts quickly. It’s not a coincidence. It’s the presence of God.

Don’t fear or fret in any environment. Recognize the presence of God within us and expect to prosper wherever you are and wherever you go.

Isaiah 6:3 And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory.”

Have you ever wondered why part of the earth experiences daylight while the other half of the earth experiences the night instead of everyone experiencing day and night at the same time?

The late great Dr. Myles Munroe believes the reason why God fashioned the earth this way is so that God is being glorified by an alert someone somewhere 24 hours a day. It’s unknown if Dr. Munroe’s theory is true, but this theory could contribute to the earth being filled with God’s glory.

God doesn’t need our glory to be God, but He provides us the opportunity to give Him glory. We glorify God through our actions. When we admire His creation, express love to others, or honor God with our lifestyle, we’re continuously filling the earth with His glory.

So, while we’re at work, at the house, at church, or driving from one place to another, let’s take the opportunity to admire His glory and give God glory for Who He is and for the things He’s done.

Psalm 121:4 Behold, He who keeps Israel Will neither slumber nor sleep.

Some of us wait until Sunday to have an experience with God, not realizing we can have an experience with God any time we desire.

God never sleeps nor slumbers. At any point in the day or night, we can directly access God. It doesn’t matter if we’re in the car, at our jobs, or in the gym, He’ll be there to listen and provide solutions to every problem we face.

We don’t need a minister, music, or oil to usher in the presence of God. If we’re a born-again believer, He’s always with us and accessible to us.

Contact God any time to not only help in the time of need but, so that we can continuously have open lines of communication with the Father.

Suppose you received some news that your grandmother has or had left you $1,000,000. Most of us would be ecstatic. We would praise God and appreciate our grandmother. It would be foolish to receive that news and decline the $1,000,000.

Unfortunately, like the foolish people who would decline $1,000,000, there are some who see the offer of salvation on the table and reject it. Most reject salvation, through Jesus Christ, because people find it too difficult to keep the Law and the traditions of men. They may have heard they would have to stop doing this, they can’t go there, or they have to do this in order for God to accept them.

First of all, all the laws that we supposedly have to keep have been fulfilled by Jesus and our belief that He’s fulfilled those laws has removed the mandatory requirement for us to keep the law. Secondly, the traditions of men such as, you must go to church weekly, pray daily, and fast monthly are not requirements for us to be accepted by God. They’re beneficial, but not mandatory.

The only requirement we have is to believe that Jesus is the Son of God and His sacrifice has made us righteous enough to be accepted by God. If we died today believing that, we would wake up in the presence of the Lord. Don’t reject this beautiful offer. Receive Jesus.

Acts 16:31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household.”