Graced To Do God's Will

John 9:41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.

The Word of God is always giving birth to new revelation. Once we know the truth and have received its revelation, we’re now liable to act on what we know. We can no longer say we didn’t know or we didn’t understand. It’s our responsibility to act on what we know.

For instance, everyone who has heard the gospel of Jesus Christ, being the One Who came from the Father, sacrificed Himself on our behalf, and is the only pathway to God, is now liable to act on that truth and receive Jesus as Lord. A person who dies and hasn’t received Jesus Christ as Lord is held accountable for their inaction. They can’t tell God they didn’t know. They knew, but they rejected or didn’t act on the truth.

We’re liable for many topics throughout the Word of God. We’re liable to live by grace instead of the Law, receive and be led by the Holy Spirit, give tithes and offering, and much more. It doesn’t matter how we feel about the topic, if it’s in the Word of God and the message is given in the correct context, we’re now liable to act on the truth.

Don’t be stubborn. Change your mindset and act upon the Word of God once it’s known and received.

God has promises available to everyone who is willing to believe. Not everyone knows or is willing to research His Word for those promises. We can’t release our faith for a promise if it’s not known. Here is a small list of promises available to every born-again believer. 

We are blessed (Galatians 3:14). 

We are healed of all sickness, disease, and pain in our bodies (Isaiah 53:5).

We are forgiven of all our past, present, and future sins (Hebrews 10:1-18).

We are righteous, in spite of our behavior (2 Corinthians 5:21).

We are protected (Psalm 91:11).

We are loved by God in spite of what we do (Romans 8:35-39).

We can prosper in any area of our lives (relationally, educationally, etc.) (3 John 1:2).

 We can be wealthy (Psalm 112:1-3). 

We can have children (Psalm 127:3).

We can have sweet sleep (Proverbs 3:24). 

We can have a long satisfying life up to 120 years (Psalm 91:16; Genesis 6:3).

There are more promises but, if we’re willing to believe, we can have at least every promise mentioned above. It doesn’t matter how old we are, how many sins we’ve committed, or where we are in life, we’ve been given a “yes, let it be done unto them” to receive all of God’s promises. 

2 Corinthians 1:20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.

Ephesians 1:6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

Teenagers endure violence to be accepted into gangs, college students endure hazing to be accepted into fraternities or sororities, and people do things outside of their character to be accepted into a certain group. With God, He accepts us just the way we are. We don’t have to put on airs, act like fools, or be tortured to be accepted by God.

We often value the opinion of others and some of us are willing to do whatever needs to be done to gain their acceptance. If a certain person or group rejects us, that rejection has the potential to negatively impact the way we view ourselves. It hurts to the core if a parent rejects us. We feel bad because we put our best foot forward and they still reject us. When everyone else has rejected us, our confidence should be in knowing that God has accepted us.

We’re humans living in a sin contaminated body and we’ll miss the mark from time to time. Satan will attempt to make us feel like God has rejected us based on our sin. Lies!!! The blood of Jesus has forgiven all of our sins (past, present, and future) and although we’ve missed the mark, with flaws and all, God accepts us (Hebrews 9:26).

Receive this acceptance. Know that you are God’s beloved child. No matter how many people reject us, through Jesus Christ, God has accepted us and vowed to never let us go.

Ephesians 1:5 (NLT) God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.

There’s a difference between the parents of biological and adopted children. Parents tend to accept biological children a little bit more due to the fact they see a little bit of themselves in that child. It doesn’t matter if they have tantrums, misbehave, or have a bad attitude; most parents are willing to endure their children’s issues and raise them.

Parents of adopted children can be a little bit different. There’s a reason why everyone is not rushing out to adopt a child. It takes a special person to truly love and embrace a child who is not their own and who looks nothing like them. If adopted children have too many issues, some parents are quick to put them back into the system.

Parents of biological children tend to intensely love their children by default, while good parents of adopted children make the decision to love.

With flaws and all, God chose and decided to love us. Not only did He love us, He sent Jesus to save us from eternal damnation. He could have stopped there, but He loved us enough to adopt us into His family and give us an inheritance we didn’t deserve. This is our Father. He decided to love us and not allow anything to separate us from His love.

Romans 8:39 (NLT) No power in the sky above or in the earth below–indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Psalms 119:165 Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them. 

We’re living in a time where it seems like everything offends everyone. What people say, how people act, and what people stand for all have an opportunity to offend us. It’s a choice to be offended, and as believers, we shouldn’t be so easily offended.

What keeps us from being offended is the Word of God. The Word of God keeps us in a state of great peace. We’re at peace because we value the promises in the Word of God over what someone else may say or do. 

If someone says something harsh or negative towards us, our first response should not be to react with anger because of offense. Our response should be love and blessings based on Matthew 5:44. When we respond with love, we’ll reap what we sow (Gal. 6:7), we’ll receive good from God (Eph. 6:8), and God is glorified because we let our light shine (Matt. 5:16). 

If we think about it long enough, we can be offended by anything, but what good will that do in our lives or in the world? Throughout our lives, we’ll have an opportunity to practice not being offended. Sow that Word in your hearts and don’t take offense. 

Ezekiel 2:6-8 And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you dwell among scorpions; do not be afraid of their words or dismayed by their looks, though they are a rebellious house. You shall speak My words to them, whether they hear or whether they refuse, for they are rebellious. 

There are some people in our lives that need to hear the truth through the Word of God. They need to know that Jesus is the only way, they need to hear that their behavior doesn’t honor God, they need to hear that there’s a better path than the one they’re taking. 

Unfortunately, everyone is not going to respond to this truth with gladness and most of us know this. The idea of possibly offending someone or no longer being accepted by them after speaking the truth causes us to shrink. We see the pathway some people are headed on and we do nothing because of fear. 

As the Spirit of God leads us, we can’t be worried about or held back by people’s responses. If God (and only God) gives us a Word to tell to someone, with boldness, we need to speak the truth. It doesn’t matter if they’re our elders or our 4 month old children. It doesn’t matter if we’ve known them all of our lives or for 2 minutes. God’s Word must be shared. Shake off the fear of people’s reactions. The only person we should desire to please is God. 

Jude 1:24 Now unto Him who is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,

When we were younger, do you recall making something for your parents in art class? We took our time and did our best on that art piece. When we finished, we would be so excited to show what we made to our parents. If we had good parents, our parents would encourage us, tell us what a good job we did, and proudly display our art on the refrigerator or on the shelf.

Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus sacrificed His time, His status, and His life to clean up and save our lives. Because of His sacrifice for us, with exceeding joy, Jesus presents us faultless before His Father. Not only does He present us faultless, He continues to keep us from falling. God, being a good Father, proudly displays the names of everyone who believes in the sacrifice of Jesus in the Lamb’s book of life (Revelation 21:27).

Thank God for the presentation of Jesus. It’s through Jesus and ONLY through Him that we can be presented faultless before a holy and perfect God. Without Him, all of our notable efforts to please God would be as filth in the sight of God (Isaiah 64:6). Praise God for Jesus. He is our Redeemer. 

Ecclesiastes 10:19 A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes merry: but money answers all things.

God’s Word tells us that money answers all things. Not some things, but all things. Since this is known, people will go to extreme measures and do something God hasn’t called them to do to obtain money. People will prostitute themselves, sell addictive poison to people in their communities, and work multiple jobs for long hours all to obtain money.

Since money answers all things, it’s God’s biggest competition for our hearts (Matt. 6:24) Money can be the determining factor in our decisions instead of God. If it pays us a lot of money, we’ll do it without consulting God.

There’s nothing wrong with money, but money shouldn’t govern our lives. Give that responsibility to God. Instead of chasing money, run towards The Source of all provision. Run towards God. Seek God on how to obtain money. It may not seem logical or popular, but if God is backing our decision, it’s blessed and the blessing of the Lord brings wealth and adds no sorrow (Prov. 10:22).

Romans 8:37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

1 Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

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.

We get so excited after reading scriptures similar to the ones above. We’re happy to know that we have the victory over every situation. But in order to be victorious, we have to have something to overcome. We can’t be more than conquerors if we don’t have any trials to conquer.

Jesus lets us know we’ll have trials (John 16:33). There are several reasons we have trials. One of the reasons for trials is it forces us to trust God. Trials are something we can’t overcome in our own strength. It is our reliance on God who always causes us to triumph.

Secondly, trials develop patience (James 1:3). Philippians 4:6 tells us to not be anxious for anything. This includes trials. During our trials, patience must be applied. Patience applied to trials builds character and hope; and hope never disappoints (Romans 5:4-5).

Finally, our trials will benefit someone else. How can we relate to someone going through if we’ve never gone through ourselves? We can encourage and give someone else advice on overcoming their trials based on how we’ve overcome our trials. We can let them know to totally rely on God.

We will face trials. Don’t allow trials to make you miserable. Seek God to see how our trials can benefit the Kingdom of God, ourselves, and someone else.

John 16:33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

Inspired by Joyce Meyer

In sports, a game changer is when a specific play changes the momentum of the game for one team, or when a person’s talent forces the other team to change their game plan.

In our lives, The Game Changer is God. God’s Word changes the situation up entirely for anyone who is willing to believe.

A woman may be 45 years old without any children. Science says she’s too old to have children, however, believing in The Game Changer, she can have children at any age. A man recently got out of prison and is looking for a career. Popular opinion says he will work at a minimum wage job for the rest of his life, however, if he’s willing to believe in the Word of The Game Changer, he can have a successful career at a company or possibly be a CEO of his own company.

Science, popular opinion, and historical facts can change by believing in God, The Game Changer. The question is, are you willing to believe?

Mark 9:23 “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”

Every promise in the Word of God can be followed by, “because God loves me/us.”

Everything God did, He did it because of His love for us. When we’re at our wits’ end and we don’t know what to do, we must remind ourselves of God’s love for us. This keeps us from going insane or being overly anxious when things don’t appear to be working in our favor.

With His stripes we’re healed…because God loves us (Isaiah 53:5).
God always causes us to triumph…because God loves us (2 Corinthians 2:14).
All things work together for our good…because God loves us (Romans 8:28).
In the midst of trying times, make it personal by saying, “because God loves me.”

Once we have it settled in our minds that He loves us, there is nothing the devil can say that will make us doubt God’s promise coming to pass in our lives. Even in the worse situation, we can be confident of the victory we have over that situation because God loves us.

Daily Reminder: God loves me therefore I have__________ (pick your promise).

Ephesians 2:4 But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ, even when we were dead in our trespasses. It is by grace you have been saved!

Satan is the king of guilt. He attempts to make us feel guilty about everything we do. One of the areas that Satan attempts to make us feel guilty in is prioritizing God.

If we haven’t prioritized God like we should (prayed, read the Bible, gone to church), he’ll try to make us feel guilty. If we’ve made an effort to prioritize God, Satan will try to make us feel guilty because we haven’t done more. This type of guilt could make someone have a nervous breakdown and give up. He’s attempting to use our desire to please God against us.

When it comes to prioritizing God, there needs to be balance. We should want to spend time with God, but we don’t need to feel bad if we didn’t do as much as we could. If we get the unction to do more, carve a little more time out of our day to spend with God. If we feel bad or guilty because we haven’t spent as much time with God as we could have, rebuke the devil, and know God is pleased with us.

The amount of time we spend with God doesn’t determine if He’s pleased with us or not. If it’s 1 minute or 1 hour, God loves and is pleased with us. He’s pleased not because of our efforts, but because of the efforts of Jesus Christ. Since we’re in Christ, all of His efforts have made us as righteous as we’re ever going to be.

Colossians 1:19-20 For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.

Matthew 28:20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

We’re never alone, God is there. We’re never by ourselves, God is there. He is there during rough times, happy times, sad times, uneasy times, and confusing times.

When we’ve made our biggest mistake, God is there. When we’ve made our 700^th mistake in the same area, God is there. In the midst of our shortcomings, God is there.

When we’ve left God, God is there. When we’ve said no to His will, He is there. When we’ve cursed God, He’s there.

When we don’t feel like He’s there, He’s there. When we can’t sense His presence, He’s there. When nothing seems like it’s working, He’s there.

No matter what the situation is, no matter how far we’ve strayed, and no matter how we feel, God has vowed to ALWAYS be there for us.

Ezekiel 33:31 So they come to you as people do, they sit before you as My people, and they hear your words, but they do not do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their hearts pursue their own gain.

There are some believers who go to church week after week, hear the Word of God, but don’t obey. There are other believers who hear the word of God, but pick and choose the things they want to obey. God knows who’s being obedient to His Word and who is not.

It’s important for us to obey the Word of God in its entirety. Our obedience leads to our success (Joshua 1:8). Our obedience shouldn’t be limited to the written Word of God and what comes from the preacher’s sermon. Everything, we know in our hearts that God is telling us to do, we should do. That may include, apologizing to someone even though we may not feel like we’ve done anything wrong, work on a business proposition, or applying for a job we’re not qualified for.

Our obedience doesn’t benefit God. He’ll still be God even if no one obeys. Our obedience benefits us. If we want to reap the maximum benefits of God’s blessings, we must obey. Obey God in word and in action.

2 Corinthians 9:10 For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.

When we tithe and given an offering, God obligates Himself to enhance the quality of our lives. Not only does He obligate Himself to bless our lives, we prove to Him and to ourselves that we can be trusted to sow a financial seed, which causes Him to give more seed to the sower.

This additional seed allows us to enjoy more of life and more importantly, it gives us additional seed to sow. This additional seed shouldn’t only be limited to our local church. This seed can be used for improving the schools in the inner city, building shelters for battered women, or cleaning the streets in gang infested areas. How awesome would it be to have the additional resources to single-handedly improve the housing in lower-income areas? That’s why God wants to put additional resources into our hands. But, we must first prove that we can be trusted in the least by giving our tithes and offering in order to be trusted with greater additional resources.

Luke 16:10 “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.

Revelation 12:10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.

PROSECUTION: Your Honor, I’m accusing Johnny of adultery. Last year, he cheated on his wife.
DEFENSE: Objection! Your Honor, let the record show that Johnny’s act of adultery was paid for by Me.

PROSECUTION: Your Honor, last Saturday Tiffany got drunk, became angry, and used foul language.
DEFENSE: Objection! Your Honor, Tiffany’s transgressions were also paid for by Me.

PROSECUTION: Your Honor, Michael is living with his girlfriend, having sex with his girlfriend, and I’m pretty sure he’s going to have sex again.
DEFENSE: Objection! Any past, present, and future forms of fornication have been paid by Me.

JUDGE: Sustained! In the case of Johnny, Tiffany, Michael and every person in the world, you’re free to go.

Jesus paid for our past, present, and future sins (1 Peter 3:18). Satan constantly accuses us of the marks we’ve missed. His goal is to make us feel guilty, ashamed, and unworthy of God’s love. During the time of accusation, we must remind ourselves that Jesus paid an awesome price for all of our sins. Through that price, we receive God’s forgiveness and He’s not charging our mistakes to our account. Praise God for Jesus. He’s our everlasting advocate.

1 John 2:1 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father–Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.

Luke 19:37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: 38 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” 40 “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

Recently in the body of Christ, people have highlighted grace, faith, and being more Christ like. This is excellent teaching because we all need a better understanding in these areas, but before we continue to go forward let’s take a moment to simply tell God THANK YOU.

Giving thanks is something we tend to do in November for Thanksgiving and maybe at the beginning of the year. Giving thanks is something we should do at least once a month. God has been so very good to us. He’s done more for us than we can imagine. Each time our hearts beat is an opportunity to tell God thank you. He’s kept us, continues to love us, and continues to bless us, made us righteous…. The list goes on and on.

So before we move on with new teachings and deeper revelations, let’s take time out to reflect, come back to the basics, and tell God THANK YOU.

THANK YOU LORD!!!

Daniel 2:22 “It is He who reveals the profound and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness, And the light dwells with Him.

If someone told us we had a sticker on the back of our shirt, most of us would thank the person and remove the sticker. We wouldn’t see the unwanted sticker and leave it on our shirt. We’ll do whatever is necessary to remove the sticker.

God’s methodology of revelation is similar to a person who points out a sticker on our shirt. Instead of a sticker, God highlights areas where we can improve. He’ll reveal things about ourselves in the hopes that we’ll seek Him on improving ourselves. For instance, He may reveal that we’re prideful in a certain area or we were selfish the other day at work. After the area of growth has been revealed, God expects us to ask for assistance in that area and change. We shouldn’t maintain the excuse of “I can’t help how I am.” If God reveals it, He’s given us the ability, with His assistance, to change.

We all have areas of improvements. Work with God and make the adjustments to become a better person. Once God reveals a certain thing to us, allow Him to uproot that thing from your life.

Matthew 15:13 He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots.

1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, since you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

In the Kingdom of God, there is no retirement. We should always give ourselves fully to the work of the Lord. Whether we’re 19 or 91, the work of the Lord needs to be accomplished. The work of the Lord is key to getting God’s agenda implemented in the earth.

Unfortunately, some of us are not even employed in the Kingdom of God. Some of us go to church, sit and listen, then go home. Some don’t serve in any capacity at the church (children’s ministry, greeters, etc.). They come to be served instead of serving. If we’re being blessed by our church, we should keep the momentum going by getting involved in some area of ministry.

The work of the Lord is not limited to the church. There are homeless shelters that need people to serve/minister, local food banks that need donations, or a friend who needs an encouraging word. The work of the Lord is whatever God prompts us to do.

Don’t be selfish. Get out in the world and do something. If no one is willing to work, God’s will can’t be fulfilled. The work of the Lord is waiting on us. Get employed. 

John 8:44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Everything the devil tells us is a lie. During adversity, it’s important for us to remember that. The devil will tell us to partially obey God when the task seems difficult; he’ll tell us we always get sick around this time of year, or he’ll tell us our relationship will never be as good as it once was with our spouse or children after a certain incident. These are lies. The devil appeals to our emotions and if we’re not aware of his tricks, he will sound logical, comforting, and truthful, but he’s a liar.

The truth is in God’s Word. God’s Word says, if we’re obedient, we shall prosper (Job 36:11), we are healed (Isaiah 53:5), and our families are blessed (Gen. 12:3). Don’t believe the lie. Whatever we face, discover and believe the truth in God’s Word.

Psalms 16:11 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Have you ever felt like you were missing something in life? Everything seems to be going well, but you feel like something is missing. That void in our lives is God’s presence.

The reason why our joy appears to be waning is because we haven’t spent time in His presence. In His presence there is a fullness of joy. That void between where we are and fullness can be filled by spending time in His presence. It doesn’t seem like His presence can fill that void, but if His presence won’t fill it, what else will? We can’t expect to think a new career, debt freedom, or entertainment in general will fill that void. Only being in His presence can fill our void.

On top of the joy that only God can fulfill, at His right hand there are endless pleasures. God wants to give us stuff. Whatever our hearts desire, that aligns with godliness, God wants to give it to us.

The commonality between fullness of joy and endless pleasures is being in the presence of God. We can try, but we’ll never be truly satisfied without His presence. At a certain time of the day, remove all distractions and let’s quiet ourselves to spend time in His presence. In His presence, there is an abundance of joy and endless pleasures.

Ezekiel 33:11 Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live.

God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. The scripture doesn’t say God takes no pleasure in killing the wicked. It says He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. God desires that all men be saved and have eternal life (1 Tim. 2:4). The wicked die based on the consequence of their actions.

If God doesn’t kill the wicked and He takes no pleasure in their death, how can we, as believers, say He takes the righteous? When people die, believers have the tendency to say “God took that person home.” Because everyone handles death differently, that saying gives some people a sense of peace, but for others, it leads to them blaming God. That blame can ultimately lead people to having a grudge against God or worse, unbelief.

God is not in the habit of killing people. Don’t blame God for death. He’s not an assassin. God promises us 120 protected years on this earth. Releasing our faith for those 120 years, His protection, along with our obedience to the Holy Spirit regarding how we should live, will allow us to have long abundant life, just as He promised (Psalm 91:16).

Matthew 26:39 (NLT) He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

Jesus had a point in His life where He almost choked. He knew His assignment was to separate Himself from His Father, take on sin, suffer and die for mankind, but His flesh didn’t want to comply. Jesus begged His Father to have mankind be redeemed in another way, but He forced His flesh to comply with the will of the Father.

Some of us know God has called us to do or say something, but because of fear or rebellion, we choke. Don’t choke. If God has called us to do something, He’s given us the grace or ability to complete the task (2 Corinthians 12:9). We may not feel like we’re qualified or have the resources to complete the task, but God sees victory at the end of every God-given assignment if we don’t choke.

From tithing, to starting a business, to sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, God will be with us and see us through if we don’t choke.

Inspired by Bishop I.V. Hilliard

You go to the store to pick up some groceries for the week. While you’re at the store, you see an old friend you haven’t seen in a long time. It would be odd if you would close your eyes, bow your head, and put your hands together when having a conversation that friend. You simply would have a conversation.

People have made prayer an event when in actuality, it’s just a conversation between us and God. The same way we would speak to someone in the natural is the same way we can speak to God. Nowhere in the Bible does God require some of the things people consider to be prayer. Our face doesn’t have to literally be on the ground, we don’t have to bend our knees, and we don’t have to sound sophisticated when we pray. Some may say it’s a sign of humility to God when doing those things. That may be true, but it’s not a requirement. God simply wants casual communication with His creation.

If we want to hear God more clearly, it would be in our best interests to be in a quiet place, but if we’re intentional and know the voice of God, we can hear God in any setting. People of God, seek God through prayer and don’t make it so complicated. He only wants to hear from you.

John 10:27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

Job 36:5 “God is mighty, but despises no one; he is mighty, and firm in his purpose.

If you lied, engaged in homosexuality, fornicated, committed adultery, got divorced, an ex-con, a non-believer, or more, this scripture is for you. Contrary to religious beliefs, God DOES NOT despise or hate you.

God is so in love with EVERYONE until He sent His Son to redeem us from the pit of hell (John 3:16). It doesn’t matter what occurred in your past, what’s happing in your present, or what you plan to do, God loves and He’s forgiven you.

Don’t allow some religious fanatic to tell you God hates, is upset with, or is punishing you because of some sin you’ve committed. God loves us unconditionally.

Let’s be clear, God hates the sin itself, but He loves us. God hates sin because sin is the very antithesis of His nature. The majority of us have labeled a person based on their actions. If we stole something, we’re a thief. If we lied, we’re a liar. God does not label us based on our actions. God sees us as His beloved. That act does not define us. For those who’ve accepted Jesus Christ, we are forgiven and are labeled as children of God and nothing more.

Know that regardless of what you do, God does not despise you.

Unchecked moods and emotions have cost people their lives, cost people their jobs, ended close relationships, and simply ruined people’s lives.

We were never meant to be dominated by our moods and emotions. Our moods and emotions were given to us to enjoy more of life. Contrary to popular opinion, we have control over our moods and emotions. We see this in scripture. John 14:1 says, Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. The key word in this scripture is “let.” We have the ability to allow or not allow our hearts to be troubled. It’s up to us.

We were designed to be led by the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God should overrule every emotion (good or bad) we have. If we’re extra excited about doing something, we need to consult the Spirit to see if it’s the right thing for us. If we’re angry about something, we need to allow the Spirit to help us get our emotions under control. If we’re sad about something, we need to receive joy in the midst of our sadness.

Our emotions can be inconsistent. With the help of the Holy Spirit, let’s get in control of our moods and emotions to be more stable people and create a more stable environment.

Romans 8:14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.

Genesis 24:1 Abraham was now very old, and the LORD had blessed him in every way.

Society attempts to convince us that we’re too old to have children, too old to go back to school, too old to start a new career, or too old to do things a younger person would do. That’s simply a lie.

God lets us know, through Abraham, that in spite of our age, He is willing and able to bless us in every way. Abraham was 100 and his wife was 90 years old when they had their first child. Their age didn’t stop God’s promise from coming to pass. Not only was Abraham blessed with a child, he was blessed financially, in his health, and was a blessing to others. God is not a respecter of people (Acts 10:34). If He will do it for Abraham, He will do it for us.

Our age won’t hinder God’s promises toward us. If you have a dream, that aligns with God’s will for your life, don’t give up on that dream based on your age. Rely on God and He will allow that dream to come pass.

Colossians 2:6-7 Therefore; as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

Just because we’ve accepted Christ, doesn’t mean we’re automatically sold out for Him. We have to make the decision and put forth the effort to live a life where our foundation and our future are in Christ.

This scripture says, as we received Christ, we should walk in Him, be rooted and built up in Him, and established in our belief in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. How did we receive Christ? By faith. So, by faith (belief in what Jesus accomplished for us) we should walk in Him, be rooted and built up in Him, and be established in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

God gave us free will and it’s our choice to apply our faith in this area. If our faith is not applied, we cannot, in our own strength, walk in Him, be rooted and built up in Him, and be established in the Gospel of Jesus Christ; making life a bit more challenging. If our faith is applied to anything else, outside of Jesus, our faith in that thing is destined to crumble.

Jesus is a firm foundation. Isaiah 26:4 calls Him the rock of ages. Let’s place and keep our faith in Jesus to live a victorious life, operating in our authority, and fully convinced in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

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

After learning about grace, there are some who have a misconception that obedience is not important. They have a deceived thought that all their sins are forgiven, therefore, they don’t have to obey the audible and written Word of God. There are benefits to obedience.

Obedience to God’s Word, promises us prosperity and pleasure. God wants all of us to experience His prosperity and pleasure, but we must obey. If obedience promises us prosperity and pleasure, disobedience brings us hardship and displeasure. It’s foolish to think we can blatantly disobey God’s Word and expect prosperity. Yes, grace has forgiven us of all of our sins, but disobedience still has consequences.

If we assemble a newly purchased table, the prosperity and fulfillment of that table comes when we follow the instructions in the manual. If we can understand the benefit of following the assembly instructions for a table, surely we can understand the benefit of following God’s instructions for our lives.

Our responsibility is to honor God with our lives by obeying His Word. Grace is made available so that if we miss the mark, we have an advocate in Jesus, Who has paid the price so that we can be forgiven of our past, present, and future sins. Enhance the quality of life through obedience.

1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he cares for you.

One of the hardest things for some of us to do is cast our cares and concerns on the Lord. A lot of us believe we can handle our problems using our own strength and logic. It’s as if we don’t trust God to handle our issues correctly. For those who do cast their cares on the Lord, one may ask, “Now what?” We give it to God, but the problem is still staring us in the face.

Once we give our cares to God, God promises to perfect the cares and concerns we’ve given to Him.

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

When we give our care of lack to God, He can perfect our lack into abundance. When we give our concern for our children’s future to God, He can perfect our children’s future into success. When we give our care of a recurring disease to God, He can perfect that disease into divine health.

If we don’t ever give our cares to the Lord, we don’t give Him a chance to perfect the things that cause us concern. Have faith to know when we give our cares to God, He will perfect those cares into successes.
#trustGod

There are times where our desires are so strong for something until it becomes deafening. We’re not listening to God, wise counsel, or even sound logic. We want our desire and we want it now.

We have to be in control of our flesh when these desires come because some of our desires can be harmful to us. The desire could be more expensive than we thought, it could require more maintenance, or it could be so distracting until it prevents progress in our lives.

Instead of making a quick decision, seek God numerous times to determine if He wants us to have the desire (James 1:5). The first couple of times we seek God, we may hear “get it” because our flesh is louder than the voice of God. Eventually, we will get a consistent answer from God. After seeking God, it would be beneficial to seek wise counsel from responsible people (Prov. 15:22). Wise counsel provides a right now audible answer that should align with God’s answer. Finally, there should be peace in our hearts regarding all our decisions (Col. 3:15).

Don’t allow flesh and feelings to overpower the voice of God and wise counsel. Quiet the flesh, receive the wisdom of God, and make wise decisions in every area of life.

Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

-I should have prayed for that guy.

-I should have asked if she knew Jesus as her Lord and Savior.

-I should have told them there’s a better way through Christ.

These are the things we really desire to do, but the fear of man prevents us from completing our God-given tasks. What is it about the fear of man? Are we so concerned with our reputation or what people think about us until we don’t fulfill our God-inspired assignments?

Our reputation for a day is not worth the eternal destruction of someone’s soul. We may be the only genuine representatives of Christ someone encounters. They know the religion of Christianity, but they have not been introduced to Christ. We can be that vessel. So many people are lost, hurting, and sick and we have the solution through Jesus, but if Christ is not demonstrated, it’s just a fairytale in the Bible.

Breakthrough that fear of man and let’s make no reputation of ourselves. The world is getting darker and we are the light, love, and hope people from all backgrounds can consistently experience. 

Psalm 56:11 In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?

There are a lot of methods people use to look and feel young again. They exercise, use creams, and diet in a particular way to remove harmful toxins from their system. A lot of these methods are debatable, but the Word of God has a sure method to maintaining our youth. 

Psalms 103:2-5 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. 

1. Who forgives all. Condemnation, guilt, and shame have been proven to produce harmful toxins in the body causing the body to rapidly deteriorate. As believers, we don’t have to stress over our sins because God has forgiven us of our past, present, and future sins through the sacrifice of Jesus.

2. Who heals all. We are healed. Knowing we are healed of all our diseases, in spite of how we feel, allows our bodies to function, even in old age, the way God intended for our bodies to function.

3. Who redeems. There’s no need to fear about the next life. Through Jesus, God has redeemed us from our original punishment, the pit of hell. Therefore, we have joy knowing our final destination is with the Lord.

4. Who Crowns With Love and Mercy. There’s something about knowing God loves with an everlasting love and is merciful towards us that brings us a sense of peace. No matter what we’ve done or who else loves us, God loves us and He is not holding anything against us.  

The freedom of no condemnation because we’re forgiven, the divine health through the stripes of Jesus, the stress-free feeling of redemption, and the knowledge that we are loved renews our youth. Stay healthy and continue to look and feel young by receiving this Word from God.  

The term “illegal immigrant” has become very popular in politics in the United States. The President has vowed to stop non-United States residence from unlawfully entering the country and he has vowed to remove illegal immigrants from this country.

As passionate as he and other people are about illegal immigrants entering the U.S., from a spiritual perspective, illegal immigrants have been tolerated for the past 2000 years. Devils, imps, and demons are the spiritual illegal immigrants. For the believer, and for the believer alone, they don’t belong in our lives. They have no right in our homes, in our families, at our jobs, or in our marriages.

Jesus sacrificed His life, stripped Satan of His power, and gave us dominion over all the power of the enemy. If there’s trouble in any area of our lives (marital, financial, health, etc.), that’s Satan and his demonic forces attempting to illegally infiltrate and wreak havoc in our lives.

Research God’s Word. Find out what belongs to you. If you don’t have it, use your authority, in the name of Jesus, to remove those illegal immigrants and receive every blessing from God.

Hebrews 2:14 Because God’s children are human beings–made of flesh and blood–the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

God has a plan to prosper us, but a plan without execution is just a dream. Some of us know God has called us to a certain career, ministry, or assignment, but, for various reasons, we haven’t executed the plan of God. God is not going to force His plan on our lives. He simply waits until we’re ready to submit our will to His will.

God’s plan is linked to pure prosperity. Sure, we can go the opposite direction from God’s plan and potentially experience the world’s definition of prosperity, but with God’s plan, there’s always more, better, and we’re able to be a blessing to others.

The only way to know God’s plan for our lives is to seek Him, remove every preconceived notion of prosperity, and allow God to place His plan for our lives in our hearts. It’s time to execute God’s plan to reach maximum prosperity.

Romans 12:1 (NCV) So brothers and sisters, since God has shown us great mercy, I beg you to offer your lives as a living sacrifice to him. Your offering must be only for God and pleasing to him, which is the spiritual way for you to worship.

After we get saved or rededicate ourselves back to the Lord, at some point, we have a desire to give God our all. We think of His goodness and His mercy and all He’s done for us and we become so overwhelmed until we make statements like, “God, You can have all of me.”

Giving God our all is good until it becomes inconvenient. God may want us to serve in a certain area of ministry at our church, but that area requires us to stay 2 hours after church on Sunday which impedes on our time to relax. God may prompt us to give an additional $200 of offering we weren’t planning on spending. Did we really mean all or was that all predicated on our convenience? Being inconvenienced, some of us exchange the word “all” to “some.”

Here’s how to continue giving God all. Giving God our all will require some sacrifice. We don’t want our all to become legalistic where we feel guilty or condemned if we didn’t do a certain thing, but some sacrifice is necessary. The freedom of giving God our all resides in being led by the Holy Spirit. If the Holy Spirit prompts to do a certain thing or give a certain amount, do it. But, if a similar circumstance occurs again, consult the Holy Spirit again because He may lead you to relax or not give.

When we align our will to the will of God, being led by the Spirit of God, we are conveniently giving God our all.

People in the world and some believers become upset when they hear ministers or people voice their disapproval of homosexuality or transgender individuals. They feel like the people who voice their disapproval are being judgmental and are quick to label them homophobic.

First of all, phobia has to do with an extreme fear of something. Just because a person disagrees with something, doesn’t mean they have a phobia. Here’s the second issue. When people are labeled homophobic, a hater of love, or archaic because they don’t agree with the popular idea, they’re actually being judged by the world. Just because the believer disagrees with something, doesn’t make them judgmental. It lets the world know that they have an opinion and their opinion is based in the Word of God.

Should people of the world be condemned, Bible beaten, or shamed because of their lifestyle choice? Of course not, but it doesn’t mean it has to be embraced.

People of God, we don’t have to compromise on our beliefs or become silent because an idea is popular in the eyes of many. With LOVE and GRACE, we can express our beliefs, encourage someone else, and let them know the true Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Romans 14:13 Therefore let us stop judging one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way.

Would you believe, God Almighty, the Creator of all things has competition? God’s only competition for our hearts is money.

Matthew 19:16 Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?”

21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

When Jesus told the rich young ruler what he needed to do to inherit eternal life, the rich young ruler chose money over God. Whether we realize it or not, when it comes to money, some of us do the same thing.

We’ll spend our money on possessions we desire, but when it comes to giving to the Kingdom of God, we may give $5 or $20.

Where our treasure is, that’s where our heart is (Matthew 6:21).

When it comes to money, we want more of it; we’ll do whatever we have to do to get it, and we’ll do whatever we have to do to keep it. Wait a minute…the way some of us view money is the same way God wants to be viewed. We should want more of God; we’ll do whatever is necessary to get Him, and we’ll do whatever is necessary to keep Him.

Give God your heart by giving God at least a tenth of your treasure.

Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

2 Corinthians 9:10 Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness,

Everyone wants increase in their lives. People want more money, a better career, and better outcomes in their lives. God wants to give us the increase we desire, but He can’t give it all to us unless a financial seed is sown to His Kingdom.

Would it seem logical for farmers of apples to tell themselves they will plant an apple seed as soon as the ground first produces an apple tree? Of course not. Or, how wise would it be for a person working a normal corporate job to tell their employer they want a month’s salary before they put the time in and worked? Not wise at all. A seed sown comes before the harvest. God cannot give us more, until we first sow the seed we have now into the ground.

The great thing about this promise is we control our harvest. If we sow sparingly, we’ll reap sparingly, but if we sow bountifully, we’ll reap bountifully (2 Corinthians 9:6).

Begin to sow a financial seed in the Kingdom of God and expect to receive increase from that seed.

There is a 20 mile route I take to work and usually, the lights are all timed and for the most part, I get 20 smooth miles of green lights with minimal traffic. About two weeks ago, I noticed in my commute, there was severe traffic in this particular area. Initially, I thought it was an accident, but the next couple of days it continued.

My co-worker, who takes the same route as I, contacted the traffic department concerning the traffic in that one area. The traffic department heard his request and informed him that other people requested something be done about the timing of the lights. After a week of taking an alternate route, my co-worker told me he took the usual route to work and the green lights were correctly timed and the route is back to being smooth.

God revealed to me that if one man can exercise his authority and make a difference in the flow of traffic, how much more can we, as believers, exercise our authority to make a difference in our lives and in the world? Just like my co-worker, contacted the traffic department and made his request, we can contact God to make our requests. There was no guarantee that the traffic department was going to fulfill his request, but with God, we have a guarantee that our prayers will be answered (1 John 5:14-15).

Not only do we have a guarantee with God regarding our lives, but God’s Word tells us we have dominion over the enemy and we can collectively change a situation (Luke 10:19; Matt 18:19). So, anything we see that doesn’t align with God’s Word, we have the authority to change that situation. If there’s a neighborhood filled with violence or marriage filled with strife, we have the authority to remove every demonic influence from that situation.

If we don’t make our requests known to God and use our authority over the enemy, nothing will change.

James 5:16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.