Graced To Do God's Will

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.

There’s a TV show called Ninja Warrior. The concept of the show is that people from all backgrounds attempt to complete an obstacle course that includes running, jumping, balance, etc. Very few people complete the obstacle course due to the fact the course is intentionally designed to be difficult. For those who can complete the course, a reward is given.

Thousands of years ago, the most difficult obstacle course was created by God, through Moses. Only, this obstacle course had nothing to do with physical abilities, but lifestyle choices that honored God. This course was known as The Law. Numerous people attempted to complete this obstacle course, but one by one they all failed.

Jesus was sent to the earth by God to complete this obstacle course. Jesus not only represented Himself, but because of His love for us, He represented mankind. There were over 600 obstacles or laws Jesus had to keep. In His life time, Jesus completed the course. Because Jesus completed the obstacle course and was obedient until death, God exalted Him and gave Him the name above all names (Philippians 2:9).

Since Jesus represented mankind, we don’t have to keep all 600 laws to be in right relationship with God. We simply have to believe that Jesus completed the obstacle course on our behalf. By our belief in what Jesus has accomplished for us, we have access to rewards. Our rewards are righteousness, holiness, authority in the earth, divine health, and everlasting life. We didn’t and we don’t have to do anything to earn these rewards. These rewards are freely given to those who believe that Jesus finished the obstacle course on their behalf. Only believe.

Romans 3:25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past,

Psalm 112:1 Praise the Lord. Blessed are those who fear the Lord, who find great delight in his commands…3 Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever.

2 Corinthians 8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

3 John 1:2 Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers.

As we can see, God desires that every believer financially prospers. Unfortunately, the world’s system makes it difficult for every believer to prosper financially. Some are born into money, while others are born into poverty. Those born into money have more of an advantage to become “successful” than those born into poverty. Those born into poverty, may become desperate and attempt to get ahead by breaking the law, making it even more difficult to become financially prosperous. Regardless of the world’s system, God’s promise remains the same. All should prosper.

The great equalizer amongst believers is the blessing. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, the blessing is on our lives. The blessing is an empowerment, given by God, for every believer to prosper in every area of their lives, including financially. It doesn’t matter if we’re a CEO of a major company or we work as a janitor, if we have a Ph.D. or only a High School diploma, if we lived a spotless life or we messed up and had our “come to Jesus” moment later on in life, the blessing levels the playing field and provides every believer the same opportunity to become financially prosperous.

The blessing is available for everyone who is willing to believe. If we’re willing to believe the blessing is more powerful than our past or where we currently are now, this blessing will accomplish its goal and empower us to prosper. It only takes one idea, through the blessing, that will have us financially stable. The blessing will put us in contact with people who will educate us on how to enhance the quality of our lives. The blessing will make our purpose prosperous.

Place your faith in the blessing because it has the power to prosper your life.

Proverbs 10:22 The blessing of the LORD brings wealth, without painful toil for it.

Romans 8:32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all–how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

Lately, the church has been singing and saying, they want all and more of God. God gave us the greatest gift we didn’t ask for. He gave us a piece of Himself in Jesus the Christ. Now, we are redeemed, made righteous, and have 24-hour access to God. To top that, He filled us with His Spirit. How much more of Him can He give us?

The depth of God is infinite and we control how much God we have in our lives. We spend a little time with God, we get minimal results from being in His presence. We spend a lot of time with God, we experience great results. He’s not withholding Himself back from us.

If we want more, go get Him. Spend time in prayer, reading His Word, listening to His prophets, listening to His Spirit, and experience great manifestations from God. The more of God we desire is waiting on us to take Him. God gave us His best. He gave us His all.

John 15:9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

It’s difficult to experience joy when we’re mentally and physically fatigued. Sure, we can be amused by a TV show or have fun with our friends and family but, that joy is temporary and incomplete. When the TV show turns off and there’s no one around, there is a joy we need to pull from. That joy only comes from the Lord.

Knowing Jesus loves us and loved us enough to sacrifice Himself for us, is the joy we can consistently pull from on a daily basis. The love of Jesus made us free. The love of Jesus made us righteous. The love of Jesus released the blessing on our lives. The love of Jesus caused us to be in right relationship with God. The love of Jesus allowed us to receive anything we desire from God. The love of Jesus healed our bodies. The love of Jesus gave us the victory over every situation. The love of Jesus allowed us to have authority over all the works of the enemy. This list can go on and on.

When we think about what Jesus has done for us, wherever we are in life, we can experience complete and perfect joy. Draw from the joy that Jesus provided.

John 12:35 Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going.

On a daily basis, darkness attempts to enter our minds. Darkness includes, lustful thoughts, living in fear, anger, depression, and more. Darkness will deceive us into thinking we’re enjoying ourselves or doing the right thing, but in actuality, we’re going nowhere. Every second of every day, we must resist the urge to give into the darkness.

To stay above darkness, we must fix our focus on Jesus. Jesus is associated with the light. The light includes, the fruit of Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23, holiness, and our righteousness. Fixing our minds, actions, and behavior on the finished works of Jesus keeps us associated with the light.

We can try to stay away from darkness using our own strength, but we’ll eventually be overtaken by darkness. It is Jesus that gives love, joy, and self-control in the midst of a trying time. It was Jesus that made us holy (Hebrews 10:10). It was Jesus that made us righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). Resting in Jesus keeps us in the light because it was He that overcame the darkness.

James 1:6 But he must ask in faith, without doubting, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.

When we’re standing in faith for a thing, there are forces, conditions, and circumstances that will tempt us to doubt. These thoughts of doubt are brought on by the enemy because he knows a person who doubts can’t expect to receive anything from the Lord (James 1:7).

When these thoughts of doubt come, we must resist them and remain in faith. To determine if we’re in faith or beginning to doubt, we must identify the areas of doubt.
1. Has your desire reduced? Initially, your desire was great. After a period of time and looking at the circumstances, you’ve reduced your desire to what you logically think is possible.
2. You’ve convinced yourself that you don’t want or need the desire. Usually, because of the circumstance or the magnitude of the desire, along with delay, you’ve convinced yourself that you no longer want the desire. A “deep” believer would even say, they’re content or it’s not meant for them.
3. You begin to get frustrated or worried due to the time delay of the promise.
4. You’ve been convinced that you’re not worthy to receive that desire. In actuality, the blood of Jesus has made us worthy to receive every promise of God if we’re willing to believe (2 Cor. 1:20).

Now that you know the areas of doubt, we can examine our lives to determine if we’re remaining in faith or succumbing to doubt. Remain in faith.

Matthew 11:11 Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

Jesus proclaimed there was no one greater than John the Baptist. What made John so great? John baptized the masses, encouraging them to repent, and confess their sins. Most importantly, John preached the coming of Jesus and placed Him on a pedestal (Matthew 3).

John was great, but Jesus also stated the least in the kingdom would be greater than John. Although John did great things, he lived before the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. No blood was shed for the remission of his sins, therefore, in the eyes of God, John was still a sinner, considered unrighteous, and not accepted into the kingdom of heaven at that time. The least in the kingdom is made righteous because of the sacrifice of Jesus, making them greater than John.

We live in a time where we can be greater than great. We have the opportunity to combine what John did, while still recognizing ourselves as righteous based on the sacrifice of Jesus. We can and should be preaching the gospel and placing Jesus on a pedestal, but at the same time, recognizing we’re righteous and all our past, present, and future sins are forgiven.

Preach the gospel of Jesus Christ with no condemnation and maximize your time to be greater than great.

Hebrews 4:9 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.‭‭
Rest is having so much confidence in God’s Word until we are not worried or concerned about anything. We are at rest because we know everything has been handled through the finished works of Jesus.

We have one bill after the next and it seems like we can’t keep up. The people of God are at rest because we have confidence that God will supply all our needs (Philippians 4:19).

Violence and chaos has increased around us. The people of God are at rest because we know God is our Protector (Psalms 121:7).

God placed a big dream inside of us, but we don’t have a clue on how to obtain that dream. The people of God are at rest because we have confidence that God will give us the wisdom, finances, and/or favor to obtain our dreams (James 1:5).

There remains a rest for the people of God, but our rest is dependent upon our belief and confidence in the Word of God. Believe, and rest people of God.

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God…

There’s a quick lesson we can obtain from the first verse in the Bible. Based on this verse and John 1:1, in the beginning, there was God.

If the beginning of creation began with God, surely the beginning of anything in our lives should begin with God. We should acknowledge God at the beginning of our day. We should invite God into the relationship before the beginning of marriage. We should seek God before the beginning of a business deal. It should all begin with God.

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

When we begin with God and invite Him into all our affairs, we give Him license to become creative in our lives. Things that we couldn’t make happen on our own, God’s creative abilities have the power to make happen. Ideas we couldn’t produce ourselves, God’s creative abilities can provide wisdom. Doors that seem to be locked suddenly become open.

Start the beginning of everything with God and watch God do spectacular things in your lives.

We have everything we want. We’re living the dream. We have our families, a house, dependable vehicles, a good job, and we’re financially stable. Life is good.

*It’s Sunday, but it’s raining. – We’ll go to church next week.
*This will be a good time to pray and read the Bible. – Our TV show is on, we’ll do it later.
*Don’t do that. Honor God with your life. – This won’t hurt. I’m only human.

When life is good and we’re satisfied with where we are, keeping our enthusiasm for the things of God seems burdensome. We get so content with life until we tell ourselves we don’t have to do the things above to be comfortable. God understands. We make our hard work, education, and experience the reasons for our success; meanwhile, we minimize God and the part He played. These thoughts and excuses are planted in our heads by Satan.

Every good thing we have is because of God. God gave us the intelligence to finish school. He was the One who gave us the job for experience. He was the One who gave us the body for hard work. The least we can do is maintain and eventually build on our commitment to God.

It’s not until we have a big desire or face a difficult situation that we want to get back to the things of God. And true to His nature, God willingly takes us back.

Resist the urge to forget God based on how comfortable we are in life. Maintain that enthusiasm for God and watch Him do more for you than you could have even imagined.

Romans 12:11 (NIV) Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. 12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.

Deuteronomy 15:11 There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.

The Bible tells us, through Paul, to learn to be content (Philippians 4:11). This keeps us from continuously going after “stuff” to be happy. Although the Bible tells us to be content, we shouldn’t limit ourselves to the “American Dream.” The American Dream is essentially having a family, a house, dependable vehicles, a good job, and financially comfortable to splurge from time to time. The problem with the American Dream is it only focuses on us. What about others?

God wants to work through us to be a blessing to others (Genesis 12:2). We may be comfortable in our three bedroom home, but what about people who don’t have a home? We may enjoy our family on a Saturday afternoon, but what about people’s families that are being torn apart? Just because we’re content and satisfied doesn’t mean everyone else is.

That same passion we had or have to obtain the American Dream for ourselves, should be the same passion we have to get that dream to others. Don’t limit your prayers, your finances, and your time because you’re content. Continue to seek God for more, to obtain those things for someone else.

John 13:11 For He knew who would betray Him. That is why He said, “Not all of you are clean.”

In John 13:2, the devil put it in the heart of Judas to betray Jesus. However, we also see that Jesus was not surprised by his betrayal. Jesus knew Judas would betray Him. It wasn’t like the disciples came back and told Jesus that Judas would betray Him or He had a spy within the Pharisees. Judas’ betrayal was revealed to Jesus by the Holy Spirit.

As a child of God being led by the Holy Spirit, there are certain benefits we have. One of those benefits is discernment (1 Corinthians 2:14). As we operate in the plan of God, God will reveal certain things to us on a need to know basis. This discernment will reveal the plans of the devil. Like Jesus with Judas, this discernment will reveal if our spouse is cheating on us, if our friends are really not our friends, and if our supervisor is attempting to hold us back from a promotion. This revelation is not given to start a fight or an argument. This revelation is given to mentally prepare us to face life’s challenges. It’s given to know who and what we need to pray for. It’s given to prepare us to make some changes.

Instead of being blind-sided by the demonically influenced actions of people closest to us, get into a position where God can be clearly heard to reveal some information to us about our family and friends.

John 13:2 “And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him,”

Most of us know Judas betrayed Jesus, but a lot of us overlook the fact that the devil put it in the heart of Judas to betray Jesus. If Judas could be influenced by the devil to betray the Son of God, surely people can be influenced by the devil to do horrific things we see today. 

A popular idea today says, Satan doesn’t exist and the evil actions we see are a direct result of a person’s will. That’s partially true. Satan does exist and although he can’t willingly take over a person’s mind or body without their consent, he can influence a person to a degree where they believe their evil actions are justified (Adolph Hitler, Osama bin Laden, etc.).

These senseless killings, the hoarding of resources while other people starve, and extremists groups whose tactical advantage is fear, are all a direct result of the devil entering the hearts of people. 

Don’t be so quick to judge that person based on their behavior or dismiss people when they say, “the devil made me do it” after committing an evil act. To a certain point, they’re being honest. Pray for them. Pray that the demonic influences leave their hearts and they live a holy life. 

Romans 13:14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.

Our flesh opposes God. Everything God’s Word says not to do, our flesh wants to do. From the beginning with Adam and Eve, their flesh wanted to eat of the forbidden fruit. Now, our flesh wants to do whatever it can imagine.

We are to clothe ourselves with Jesus Christ. What does that mean? It means to tame our flesh with the Word of God. Jesus overcame His flesh and He didn’t allow it to govern His life. He forced His flesh to do the will of God. Example: Jesus’ flesh didn’t want to suffer, die, and be separated from the Father.  Nevertheless, He forced His flesh to comply with the will of God (Luke 22:42).

That same overcoming power Jesus had to overcome His flesh resides inside of us. So, put down that donut, tame that lustful desire, control that temper, and stop being so moody. Don’t do it by will power. Allow the Spirit of God to help you overcome the desires of the flesh.

John 9:11 He answered and said, “A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed, and I received sight.”

Our breakthrough is on the other side of our belief and obedience. This man believed in the power working through Jesus, therefore, he obeyed His instructions. What would have happened if this man didn’t take Jesus seriously or didn’t follow His instructions? He would have been blind for the remainder of his life.

A lot of us want the blessings, but we won’t believe and/or we won’t obey. For instance, some of us have a dream so big inside of us until we can’t see how it’s going to come to pass, therefore, we won’t go after that dream because we don’t believe with God all things are possible (Matt. 19:26). Or, we want a great relationship, but we won’t believe they can exist or obey God by forgiving an ex and choose instead to harbor bitterness and unforgiveness towards that ex.

For the manifestation of God’s promises, belief and obedience go hand in hand. Like a respectful young child who is willing to believe and obey anything, believe the Word of God and do what it says.

John 6:12 When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.

Luke 15:4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?

From food to sheep, Jesus is adamant that nothing is lost. Jesus making sure that nothing is lost and everything is accounted for includes us.

Jesus sacrificed Himself so that all will be saved, therefore, He doesn’t want anyone to be lost. Unfortunately, as we know, all won’t receive salvation, but He desires as many of us that can be saved to get saved.

Jesus is now in Heaven, but He commanded us (the believers) to retrieve the lost (Matt. 28:19). If the lost were important to Jesus, the lost should be important to us. From your circle of friends, to the people you see on a daily basis, contact them and confirm that no one is lost.

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

From drugs, to pornography, to over-eating, to excessive television watching, there are so many addictions that will attempt to overtake our lives.

For those who really want to please God, we don’t want to be bound by those addictions all our lives. We want to overcome them. Part of overcoming any addiction is operating in the fruit of the spirit known as, self-control.

Self-control is exactly how it sounds. We take control of ourselves. We have to make an intentional decision to not give in to that temptation. Once we feel tempted to satisfy our flesh, we must:
1. Recognize this is an attack from the enemy to compel us to not honor God.
2. Believe with every temptation, God provides a way to escape (1 Cor. 10:13).
3. Consult the Holy Spirit on our escape route from that temptation.

As we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, we’ll avoid the traps of the enemy. But, just know, he’ll return again. Overcoming addictions begins with us. We must make the initial decision to have self-control rather than allowing outside factors to control us.

2 Chronicles 20:12 O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.”

When we become parents for the first time, we go back to school after a significant delay, or we start a business, the unknown is evident. For the most part, we don’t know what to do or how to do it. When the unknown is so apparent, that should make us seek and trust God even more.

Instead of going through trial and error, risking failure, and attempting to handle this big task on our own, we should seek God all the more. Historically, God placed people in situations where they can’t succeed in their own strength (Numbers 13; Joshua 6; 1 Samuel 17). He placed individuals in situations where they had to depend on God.

Today is no different. God intentionally places us in situations where we can’t succeed on our own. This is done so that we can trust, lean on, and rely on Him. Instead of becoming upset with God regarding how difficult circumstances are, begin to seek God on how to overcome those circumstances. And like the people in the Bible, when we seek God, we’re guaranteed victory. When we don’t know what to do, seek God.

Psalm 139:16 “Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.”

The things that occur in the days of our lives have been fashioned for us. Regardless if it appears negative, God has fashioned our days to overcome whatever comes our way.
If we get a flat tire, God has fashioned our days to overcome the inconvenience. If we have a break up in a committed relationship, God has fashioned our days to get through the break up. If a loved one passes away, God has fashioned our days to overcome grief. It doesn’t mean God causes the negative event to occur, but He’s given us the grace to overcome that negative event.

Believe that everything we go through is not a surprise to God. Because He knows everything that will occur in our lives, if we look to Him, He will give us the grace to overcome every obstacle.

Psalm 125:2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people both now and forevermore.

When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we become people of God (John 1:12). As we can see, the Lord has promised to surround His people.

What does this mean for us? It’s another form of protection. In countless places in the Bible, God promises to protect and keep us while we’re living in a dying sin filled world (Psalm 91:7 Psalm 91:11; Psalm 128:1, etc.).

From the news to social media, we’ll see devastating things happening to people and our environment. If we keep our focus on what’s happening in the world, we’ll live in fear, paranoia, and honestly, we’re really not living at all. However, if we read God’s Word regarding His presence always being with us, His protection, and His covering, this will comfort and reinforce God’s commitment to us.

Believe this promise and enjoy life in spite of what’s occurring around us. Praise God that we’re surrounded.

John 4:34 Jesus explained, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work.

After a long day, Jesus was hungry and thirsty. His disciples left him by the well to get food. There, He met a woman who had a troublesome past. After ministering to that woman, Jesus was so overjoyed in fulfilling His God-given purpose until He was no longer concerned about His hunger.

God has given every one of us an assignment. When we walk in our purpose, we’re no longer concerned about trivial things. We won’t be concerned about what this person said about us. We won’t have time to think about how we were treated by our co-worker. We won’t involve ourselves in the affairs of another person. It just won’t matter.

Our joy, fulfillment, and satisfaction in life will come from doing the will of the Father. Begin the journey of doing the will of God and experience the fulfillment factor.

Proverbs 11:28 Those who trust in their riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.

We have a promise from God to thrive. It doesn’t matter if our lives appear to be going downward or if we’re confused, God’s promise is for us to thrive.

This promise WILL NOT be received unless we BELIEVE. We can look at our lives and wonder how it’s going to prosper from where it is now or we can simply take God at His Word. For those who are believing God at His Word, we have comfort in knowing God places His Word above His name and His Word will accomplish what He purposed (Psalms 138:2; Isaiah 55:11).

You’re sick with a reoccurring disease? Don’t worry, you will thrive. You’re living from paycheck to paycheck? Don’t stress, you will thrive. You’re a successful CEO of a company? Yes, you too can thrive. Only believe.

Matthew 5:44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

How many of us sincerely love and pray for our enemies? It’s something that’s rarely mentioned. We’ll speak about prosperity, healing, and being a blessing, but we rarely mention praying for those who persecute us. The rarity of this topic is because it goes against the world’s wisdom, our logic, and everything within our flesh.

Prayer for our enemies should be out of sincerity. Although it’s technically considered a prayer, we should go beyond the “bless them Lord” prayer. The love of God within us should inspire us to pray for our enemy’s family, health, prosperity, peace, etc. Essentially, the same way we would pray for ourselves is the same way we should pray for our enemies.

Increase the love in the world and within ourselves by praying for our enemies. And for those who need motivation, think of this: If God blessed Job with double after he prayed for his friends (Job 42:10), how much more would God bless us if we prayed for our enemies? There is a blessing on the other side of prayer.

Proverbs 28:1 The wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.

Proverbs 30:30 a lion, mighty among beasts, who retreats before nothing;

When most of us think of lions, we think of big, strong, fearless creatures. The Word of God makes reference to the righteous being as bold as a lion. It also mentions that lions retreat from nothing. Seeing these two references should give us a clue that God wants us to be lion-like.

When situations come our way, we shouldn’t back down; we should confront the situation as bold as a lion. We attack the situation with our faith. We boldly declare sickness to be gone in Jesus name. We tell chaos to go in Jesus name. We declare increase in our finances in Jesus name. All the while, believing like a lion, that the situation will back down or be destroyed.

Lions also hunt in packs. We too have the ability to hunt in packs. When we face a situation, the Word of God says we can touch and agree with two or three people about the situation, in the name of Jesus, and it shall be done by God (Matthew 18:19-20).

Why in Jesus name? Because that’s where our authority lies, that’s where our strength comes from; and He is our Lion who we look up to, being the Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Revelation 5:5).

Be lion-like and back down from nothing.

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

There’s been this debate amongst believers regarding how many years God promised us on earth. Some believe God promised us 120 years according Genesis 6:3 which states, then the LORD said, “My Spirit will not contend with humans forever, for they are mortal; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.” Others believe God promised us between 70 and 80 years according to Psalm 90:10 which states, as for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, Or if due to strength, eighty years, Yet their pride is but labor and sorrow; For soon it is gone and we fly away. The remaining believers believe at any time, God can take us. 

So who’s correct? Our faith is correct. 

Jesus said in Matthew 9:29, Then He touched their eyes, saying, “It shall be done to you according to your faith.” Although He was referring to healing in this particular verse, the principle remains consistent throughout scripture. 

So if a person has faith to live 120 years and they’re following the promptings of the Holy Spirit to live a long healthy life, it shall be done unto them. Likewise, if a person has faith to live 80 years, let it be done according to their faith. For those who don’t have a specific age and they’re leaving the years of their life up to fate, that’s an area where they chose not to activate their faith.

Don’t debate or get upset because someone else desires to live a long or not long enough life. It’s there life and the longevity of their life is totally up to their faith. Whatever we consider to be long life, God promised to save and satisfy us. 

Psalm 130:5 “I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, And in His word I do hope.”

There is hope in the Word of God. If we can’t seem to find hope anywhere else, we can find hope in the Word of God. 

It’s a choice for us to receive the hope found in the Word or not. That’s why the writer says, “in His word I DO hope.” We can read “with long life He will satisfy me (Psalm 91:16)” but, have we received that or do we have it settled in our minds the lie of “you never know when your time is coming” at the age of 40. Just FYI…long life is 120 years (Genesis 6:3). Do we truly believe that our children are delivered from the hands of the enemy (Proverbs 11:21) or are we constantly worried about our children’s future? 

Throughout the Bible, there is page after page of hope (do not fear, I am always with you, you shall prosper and be in good health) but at the end of the day, we have to receive it. Receive the hope that has been so graciously given to us by God. 

Hebrews 3:15 “Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled

The Israelites refused to inherit their Promised Land because they thought it was too hard. They complained about the giants rather than trusting God to help them overcome the giants. 

What’s your promised land? Is it being a healthy size, having your degree, being debt free, or something else? Are you hesitant to conquer your Promised Land because of the difficulty and discipline it may require to attain it?

It’s time for us to surrender to God. His Spirit is available to us to lead and guide us, but we have to be willing to hear and obey. Remember that we have self-control, according to Galatians 5:22-23 (we have the Holy Spirit, therefore we have His fruits). We just have to develop it. And developing discipline, or self-control, can be uncomfortable, but the Holy Spirit will help us.

1 Corinthians 9: 24Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! 25All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. 26So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. 27I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified