Graced To Do God's Will

Based on the conditions of the world, there’s been some skepticism on the existence of God. People say, if God is real, why does He allow terrorist attacks, “incurable” diseases to kill good people, and premature death of babies.

Well, there’s a little thing called sin. When sin entered the earth, through the disobedience of Adam, who represented mankind, it destroyed the life God intended for us to have. Also, when Adam disobeyed God, Adam relinquished his earthly authority to Satan. We see this in Luke 4:6-7 where Satan was trying to tempt Jesus and told him “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. If you worship me, it will all be yours.” So the diseases and premature deaths are a direct result of sin and Satan’s reign in the earth.

For those who question why God doesn’t intervene when a person commits a heinous act against other, let’s look at it from another perspective. We haven’t been sweet perfect little angels all our lives. If we’re going to question God’s intervention of the heinous act of another, we should also question why God didn’t intervene when we were rude to this person, said hurtful things to that person, or fought that person. It’s because God has given mankind free will and authority in this earth (Gen. 1:26) and the decision mankind makes will be influenced by God or Satan.

So instead of questioning the existence of God based on the negative things we see, look at Satan and the influence mankind allows him to have in their lives.

Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

After receiving a high school diploma, some of us will go to college and get our bachelors, masters, and/or doctorate degrees. We work at a career we desired. We receive promotions, pay increases, and notoriety. We get a nice house, nice car, and have a beautiful family.

Regardless of all the good we have in our lives, it was grace that provided those good things. We can get caught up thinking it’s our skill, talent, or luck that got us to the place we are today.

It’s grace that allowed us to have the funding to go to school. It was grace that allowed us to receive our desired career. It was grace that allowed us to have a beautiful family. Every good thing in life has been provided by grace. Even if we don’t like where we are in life, it is grace that keeps us alive and provides the opportunity for change.

This grace was provided through the sacrifice of Jesus the Christ and it was freely given to all of us.

Don’t dismiss or diminish grace thinking it was your skill, talent, or connections that got you to the place where you are today. It was grace and grace alone.

1 Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them–yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.

Went to church this week, CHECK. Read a verse for the day, CHECK. Prayed for the day, CHECK. Helped someone this week, CHECK.

What makes us feel good about our day or week is filth to God (Isaiah 64:6).

God doesn’t want our relationship with Him based on religious check marks. God desires an intimate relationship with us. He wants to be a part of our day, evening, and night. He wants to be a part of minor and major decisions. He wants to be in constant communication with us throughout the day.

We can have that continuous connection to God through the Holy Spirit. By recognizing the Holy Spirit and asking Him to lead and guide us at the beginning of each day, the Holy Spirit will direct us in ways that please God.

The Holy Spirit will tell us which move to make, who to give to, and where to go. The Holy Spirit will also tell us who to pray for, what scripture to read that will be most beneficial to our lives, and how to help someone.

Stop living life by the check mark. Develop an intimate relationship with God through the Holy Spirit.

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

God made a decision to love us. It wasn’t because of anything we did or didn’t’ do. He made the choice to love us and offer a sacrifice for our salvation.

The same way God chose to love us is the same way we should love others. We shouldn’t wait on someone to do something for us before we love them. Love is not a feeling, but a decision.

Some may say, I’m not loving someone who hasn’t proven themselves to me. What we’re really saying is we’re afraid of loving someone because it makes us vulnerable to be hurt. That’s fear. 1 John 4:18 says, There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

Not loving also highlights pride. With pride, we’re saying, we’re not going to look like a fool for loving a person who hasn’t done anything deserving of our love. If God would have taken that same stance, we all would be headed for hell.

God wouldn’t command us to love EVERYONE if we were incapable of doing so. It’s a decision. As we unconditionally love others, this world will be a better place.

John 15:12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.

We can all identify areas of fear in our lives. Some of us are afraid of change, some are afraid of failure, and some are afraid of making ourselves vulnerable to someone else.

Regardless of the fear, we can see that fear is not natural because it’s not of God.

2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

The only appropriate way to face fear is with faith. We need to have faith that God’s Word will do what it says it will do. However, faith requires trust. So, if fear is present in our lives, that’s an area where we don’t trust God. If we’re afraid of flying, we don’t trust that God will be our Protector. If we’re afraid of failure, we don’t trust that God will cause everything to work out for our good. If we’re afraid of opening up to someone else, we don’t trust that God will protect our hearts.

To overcome our fears, the first thing we must do is become mentally prepared to face our fears. If we don’t have the correct mindset, we’ll always avoid the challenge to overcome our fears.

Secondly, we need to hear biblical teaching on overcoming our fears. Faith comes by hearing. When we hear the Word of God regarding overcoming our fears, the Word of God motivates us to face our fears.

Finally, we face our fears.

It may be a little challenging, but the more we face our fears, the easier it becomes. Eventually, we’ll look back and wonder why we allowed that fear to cripple us in the first place.

Deuteronomy 7:9 “Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments;

When we’re driving to an unfamiliar location, most of us use a navigation system. Prior to driving to our destination, we type in the address in our phones or GPS units and expect the navigation system to take us to our destination. There’s usually no thought, no anxiety, or no fear if the navigation system will get us to our destination. It’s because we trust the navigation system. It’s guided us to our destinations before and without any hesitation, we expect it to guide us again.

The same way we have the ability to trust in a man-made device like a navigation system, is the same way we should trust the Almighty God. God has proven to us time and time again that He’s faithful. Our initial trust in Him may have been a little scary, but after a few years of relying on Him, without hesitation, we should rely on Him again.

The devil is crafty. Every time we place our trust in God, no matter how long we’ve trusted God, Satan will throw thoughts of doubt into our minds making us wonder if God will come through. If we can just ride it out and rely on God, like we would do with a navigation system, God will take us to greater places than we could imagine.

Trust God. He is faithful. If He did it before, He can do it again.

Inspired by Enock Ddamulira

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Galatians 3:27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

As we can see, we have a double portion of Jesus Christ. We live in Christ and Christ lives in us.

With this double portion, we have certain benefits.

In Christ
In Christ, we’re now alive to God (Rom. 6:11).
In Christ, we are perfect (Col. 1:28).
In Christ, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us every day of our lives (Eph. 1:13).
In Christ, we’re not only going to be in heaven. At this very moment, we are in heaven, seated with Christ (Eph. 2:6).

Christ In Us
Christ in us allows to be overcomers in any situation (1 John 4:4).
Christ in us keeps us rooted and grounded in love (Eph. 3:17).
Christ in us allows us to have understanding of the Word of God (Col. 1:24-27).

Jesus paid an awesome price so that we can be in Him and He can be in us. All of these benefits are for everyone who accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Maximize on these benefits.

As followers of Jesus Christ, everyone should be resisting the urge to do things contrary to the Word of God. We should resist the urge to drink alcohol in excess, resist the urge to become angry, or resist the urge to hate our neighbors because they’ve treated us poorly.

Interestingly enough, society seems to accept some of the things believers encourage others to resist that align with the Word of God. For instance, society doesn’t seem to have a problem with believers telling others to resist the urge to commit adultery against their spouses and society may not have a problem with believers telling single people to resist the urge to fornicate. However, if a believer tells a person to resist the urge to be involved in a same-sex relationship, society calls the believer a spreader of hate, homophobic, or an unbeliever in love/happiness.

Yes, people can be physically attracted to the same-sex, but just like a married person should resist the urge to cheat and a single person should resist the urge to fornicate, a person who’s attracted to the same-sex should resist the urge to follow-through with that attraction.

God, our Creator, knows and wants what’s best for us. God’s Word even declares no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly (Ps. 84:11). If He’s withholding the permissiveness of adultery, fornication, homosexuality, and more from us, it’s probably because it’s not a good thing.

At the end of the day, with every temptation, a decision needs to be made. Are we going to honor God with our lives, or satisfy the cravings of our flesh? You decide.

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

Mark 9:17-18 “Then one of the crowd answered and said, “Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not.” 21 So He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood.”‭‭

A man came up to Jesus, asking Jesus to cure his son of this mute spirit. Before Jesus cured the man’s son, He asked the man how long has his son been this way. The man stated his son has been this way since he was a child. After no the time, Jesus cured the boy of the mute spirit. 

What is God saying to us? No matter how long we’ve been in a negative situation, there’s enough power in the Word of God to free us from that negative circumstance. 

You’ve been in debt for ten years? There’s enough power in the Word of God to free us from debt.
You’ve had that sickness for six months? There’s enough power in the Word of God to cure us from any sickness.

You’ve been single for a long time and you desire to get married? There’s enough power in the Word of God to bring us a spouse. 

Anything we need or desire can be obtained through the Word of God. All we have to do is believe. 

23 “Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”

Have you ever woke up and you felt sad, angry, or depressed for no apparent reason? It’s like anything or anyone can set you off at any given time. Well, those negative emotions are spirits and we have a choice to make. We can either accept those emotions and use the excuse of “I can’t help how I feel,” or intentionally resist those emotions. It’s up to us.

Those negative emotions are designed to remove the quality of life God desires for His people. How can we say we have an abundant life if we’re sad, angry, or depressed? Those negative emotions also have the ability to taint the life of someone else. How can we have a joyful relationship with someone if one minor thing sets us off? We can’t.

We must be intentional in resisting those negative emotions. Using our God-given authority through our speech and our understanding of the fruit of the spirit, we must declare what types of emotions we desire to have.

Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit the result of His presence within us is love unselfish concern for others, joy, inner peace, patience not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.

When we’re feeling down, we will tell ourselves to receive joy. When we’re angry, we’ll confess we have peace. It’s easy to give in to our flesh and display negative emotions, but like everything else with God, we must resist the flesh and walk in the Spirit.

1 Timothy 6:20 O Timothy, guard and keep the deposit entrusted to you! Turn away from the irreverent babble and godless chatter, with the vain and empty and worldly phrases, and the subtleties and the contradictions in what is falsely called knowledge and spiritual illumination.

We’re living in a society where people are constantly searching for the latest greatest newest thing or idea. Cell phones, cars, and electronics are looked down upon because they were released last year. This quest to discover something new has impacted some of our beliefs. In return, some of us are leaving our “old” Bibles behind.

When so called “new” revelation is discovered in books or historical texts, it can be enticing. For some, it’s like discovering buried treasure. If one is not grounded in the Word, that person will be tempted to study more from those historical texts than the Word of God. And if one is not grounded in the Word of God, it can negatively impact our beliefs. People will go around thinking they know the “truth” and they’re more enlightened than others when in fact, they’re simply deceived.

The Word of God tells us to turn away from godless chatter, worldly phrases, and so called spiritual illumination. That doesn’t mean we can’t gain knowledge by reading historical texts, but if those texts contradict or attempts to nullify the Word of God, it would be in our best interest to turn away from such things.

Be mindful to know that everything that’s supposed to be spiritually enlightening is not heaven sent. Some things are created to distract us, get us off our course, and ultimately uproot our belief in the Word of God. Be grounded in the Word of God.

There are times where we as believers don’t want to get our hands dirty. We’ll pray, confess, and believe that God will do something in someone else’s life that we can do ourselves.

For example, we may know that our friend has a financial need. Instead of coming out our pocket to meet that need, we’ll pray that our friend’s need is met through another means. Another is example is with salvation. We may know someone who needs to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. We’ll pray and intercede for that person but, have we done anything ourselves? Have we taken the time to speak to that person about Jesus Christ or are we waiting on someone else to do it? 

In some cases, we are our answered prayer for someone else. 

Stop waiting on God to use another person when He has equipped us to handle it ourselves. God blessed us to be a blessing. Now go…and be a blessing. 

Romans 12:13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Inspired by Joyce Meyer

Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in heavenly places.

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.

The Word of God tells us, in this life, we have a fight on our hands. There’s no way around it and no amount of good we can do to avoid it. We’re going to have to fight. Our wrestling opponent is not with an actual person, but with demonic forces in the spirit.

In this wrestling match, there may be times our opponent seems to have the upper hand. Our finances may be low, our health may be negatively affected, or our marriage may be rocky. Regardless of how the upper hand appears, we’re guaranteed to win.

What causes us to triumph is our faith. When we have faith to believe that everything the Word of God says regarding our situation will come to pass, we’re guaranteed the victory.

No matter how sick we are, if we’ll believe and confess we’re healed, the Word of God will give us the victory over sickness. No matter how confused we are, if we believe in the guidance and direction of the Lord, we’ll have victory over confusion. No matter how bad it appears, if we believe all things work out for our good, we’ll have victory over negative circumstances.

Believe the Word of God and wrestle to win.

Matthew 18:18 “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

Jesus gave us the authority to bind or stop, and loose or release anything we desire in this earth.

A lot of people have the tendency to bind a certain thing. They may bind the spirit of pride or they may bind every cancerous cell in a person’s body, but they don’t loose anything in its place.

For instance, a person may bind the spirit of anger in his/her spouse, but in addition, that person also needs to replace that anger with what he/she desires to see. Most people would replace anger with joy or peace. To complete the circuit, that person should bind the spirit of anger and loose the spirit of joy in its place. The same rule applies with our health. If we’re going to bind the spirit of cancer, we should loose divine health that Jesus provided according to 1 Peter 2:24.

Binding and loosing comes in package form. If we don’t replace what we bound with something we desire to see, we’re only partially using our authority. Benefit from everything Jesus provided by binding things contrary to the Word of God and loosing what aligns with life and godliness.

Genesis 15:1 After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”

When was the last time you had a conversation with a person you didn’t know and during that conversation, you shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ? A majority of us probably haven’t shared the Gospel and due to the climate in today’s world, most of us don’t make it a habit to have a conversation with a person we don’t know. All of this is because of fear.

We’re afraid of how people will view us if we share the Gospel. We’re afraid of being criticized because of our beliefs. We’re afraid of offending another. We’re afraid to speak to them because they’re a stranger and we don’t know what they’re capable of.

Regardless of the reason, fear is playing a role in the perishing of people. Fear is planted by Satan to hinder us from doing what God has called us to do. While we’re operating in fear, Satan is adding souls to join him in the Lake of Fire.

Our responsibility is to be bold enough to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and share how good God’s been with others. The Gospel we share has enough power to change the hearts and minds of the listener.

Let’s come out of our comfort zone of fear and be willing to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our reward is on the other side of fear.

Inspired by Pastor D @ amazingchurch.com

Genesis 6:13 So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. 14 So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out.

When rain was a foreign concept in the world, God instructed Noah to build an ark before the rain. As we know, it was designed to save his family and a pair of all the animals on the earth. It took Noah around 100 years to build that ark.

Notice something. The Bible never mentions how Noah received provision. It didn’t say he farmed part-time for food, crafted items for trade, or did anything for income. From what we know, Noah, being the man of the house and having a wife and three children, worked on the ark day in and day out for 100 years.

Based on these 100 years of Noah, what can we say about God? What it says is, when we fulfill the purpose God has for us, provision is automatic. Matthew 6:33 says it this way, Seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto us.

When it comes to God’s purpose for our lives, it doesn’t matter how out of the box it seems to others; when we fulfill His will for our lives, God guarantees all our provision will be met.

Matthew 6:31-32 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.

Matthew 24:48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 49 and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

It’s been over 2000 years since Jesus walked the earth and the apparent miracles we read about in the Word of God are few and far between. The longer Jesus stays away and the fewer miracles we see, the bolder people become to do things contrary to the Word of God.

Unless there is a major catastrophe, for some, there is no motivation to do the will of the Father. Like a teenager who has the house to themselves over the weekend, some people tend to act unruly in the world. The climate has changed. We’ve become numb to violence. We work around injustices. We’ve accepted ideals contrary to the Word of God.

Some of us figure we’re still successful and happy, so there’s no need to deny ourselves of something our flesh desires and live a holy life acceptable unto God. Some say, what’s the point?

First of all, living a holy life positions us to reap the maximum benefits of God. Secondly, we don’t know when Jesus will return. Would it be in our best interest if Jesus saw us getting high when He returned or having sex with our boy/girlfriend? I don’t think so.

Begin and/or continue to honor God with your life. It will be worth it in the end.

Mark 11:20 The next morning as they passed by the fig tree he had cursed, the disciples noticed it had withered from the roots up.

Everything we see has a spiritual root. The troubles we experience, from cancer, racism, poverty, a troubled marriage, and fear, are all based in the unseen realm. The unseen or the spiritual realm is more real than the natural realm.

So anytime we’re facing a problem or situation we can see in the natural, we need to attack it from its spiritual root. For instance, if someone is having a troubled marriage, most people want to “fix” their spouse. That person is attacking the problem from the leaves (the things we can see). Eventually, the problem will rise again. Let’s discover the unseen culprit behind a troubled marriage. John 10:10 says, the thief (Satan) comes to steal, kill, and destroy. The root of a decaying or troubled marriage is Satan. Using our authority over him, we bind and rebuke his presence from our marriage.

We have the same authority over other unseen troubles. We can speak to poverty, cancer, or fear and they must obey our faith. Begin attacking the troubles in your lives from the root and all the developments from that root will eventually disappear.

Isaiah 26:3 You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Philippians 4:7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Obviously, based on these three scriptures, drama and chaos are not God’s will for our lives. This peace, we’re meant to have, can be received by faith. The same way we exercise our faith for a new job or a car is the same way we need to exercise our faith for peace.

So, if we find ourselves in a situation where we’re surrounded by drama, we need to ask ourselves a few questions.

1. Are we truly in faith for peace? Faith and doubt can operate in the same space. We can desire peace, but if we doubt that we’ll have peace between our spouse, our supervisor, or our children based on the situation, we won’t have peace.
2. Are we participants of drama? The Holy Spirit, Who should be leading our lives, is telling us when to keep silent, when to submit, and when to pray for those who are attempting to cause drama in our lives. If we’re not heeding the voice of the Holy Spirit, we’re participating in drama.
3. Do we trust God? A lot of drama is self-inflicted. Some of us are worried about this or that and we’re not placing our trust in God. If we can cast our cares on the Lord and trust that He can handle the situation, we can live a peaceful life.

Receive the peace that Jesus’ blood provided. It’s ours and anything that’s not of peace is not the will of God.

John 5:45 “But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set.

Jesus was speaking with Jewish leaders who had not accepted Him as the Messiah and who were committed to keeping the law (Law of Moses). In verse 45, Jesus lets them know that He won’t accuse them before the Father, but Moses, whose law they follow, will accuse them before the Father. Ultimately, what Jesus is saying is anyone who attempts to keep and live by the Law of Moses, the law itself, will accuse them before the Father.

The law consists of the Ten Commandments along with 600 additional do’s and don’ts. There are rules ranging from what we should wear to what we should eat. If we break one of the laws, we’re guilty of breaking them all (James 2:10). Romans 3:20 says, for no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.

Jesus freed us from the law, but there are people who still desire to live by the law. Freedom from the law is not giving us license to live recklessly, but if we’re attempting to live by the law to gain right standing with God, we’re dishonoring what Jesus accomplished on the cross.

So we have a choice. We can be accused by the law before the Father by attempting to keep all the commandments using our self-effort, or we can receive the freedom and forgiveness that came through Jesus. Just FYI, no one was able to keep the law except Jesus. Be free.

Deuteronomy 8:18 “And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

The “F” Word is finances.

There are some who can quote scriptures, attend church every week, and are disciplined to pray daily, however, when it comes to finances, they’re lost. They may give their tithes and offering, but beyond giving, they’re lost.

For those who do give their tithes and offering, the good news is we’ll never lack. That’s a promise from God (Philippians 4:10-19). But to start gaining wealth, we have to educate ourselves on the financial opportunities available to us. These opportunities include investments, getting high interest rates in our bank accounts, and trust funds for our children.

For the longest time, mentioning finances in the church was seen as taboo. It was seen as humbling ourselves if we had less than enough financially. Meanwhile, unbelievers in the world obtained wealth. Does that seem like God’s ideal plan for the believer? I think not.

There are numerous opportunities to obtain wealth, increase our savings, and leave a legacy for our children. Along with living out our purpose, let’s seek God on the ways we can gain wealth. That wealth will not only positively impact our lives, but positively impact the Kingdom of God.

Matthew 15:8 These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 9 They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.

God is not only about rules. He’s about relationship. 

Anyone can follow rules, but following rules alone is not God’s desire for us. How much satisfaction do we think God gets because we’ve abstained from pork or required women to wear floor-length dresses? These are rules introduced by men that have been mixed with the law. 

Romans 6:14 says, we’ve been free from the law and 1 Corinthians 3:16 says, the Spirit of God lives inside of us. 

By these two verses alone, we can see God desires a personal relationship with us. He wants us to go to Him and ask what’s the best option in a particular situation. He wants us to worship Him as we think back on all He’s done for us. And yes, He wants us to hold ourselves to a higher standard of holiness because it’s a way to show appreciation for all that He’s done and it’s in our best interests. 

People of God, let’s not limit God to being a rule giver. He’s our Father and He only wants what’s best for us. What’s best for us is an intimate relationship with Him. 

Romans 4:18 (Abraham) who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” 19 And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. 20 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.

There are a few ways Abraham showed us how to keep the faith.

1. Believe the Word of God.
   Abraham believed the Word of God. If we’re going to receive anything from God, in spite of everything we see, we must believe His Word.
2. Ignore Contrary Facts.
   Abraham understood the fact that he and his wife were too old to have a child, but he chose to ignore contrary facts and stay in faith. There are going to be facts we see that make it difficult to believe God’s Word will come to pass. In the face of every contrary fact, we must ignore those facts and focus on the promise.
3. Give Glory to God.
   As we believe God’s Word, ignore the facts, and give glory to God we position ourselves to receive anything we want from God. Keep the faith.

When Abraham ignored the contrary facts and focused on the promise of God, he freed himself up to give glory to God. He gave glory to God because it wasn’t a matter of if the promise was coming; it was when it was coming. When we believe, it’s just a matter of time before we receive our promise, we don’t have to wait to see the promise to give glory to God. We can give glory to God now.

John 5:5 (AMP) There was a certain man there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus noticed him lying there helpless, knowing that he had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to get well?” 7 The invalid answered, “Sir, I have no one to put me in the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am coming to get into it myself, someone else steps down ahead of me.” 8 Jesus said to him, “Get up; pick up your pallet and walk.” 9 Immediately the man was healed and recovered his strength, and picked up his pallet and walked.

The man relied on everyone else except God. He relied on someone else to put him into the pool and he relied on himself.

NOTE: When we try to accomplish things using our own self-effort, we’ll always come up short.

God never intended for us to use our logic, strength, and limited reasoning skills to get blessed. God’s original design is for us to rely on Him for every blessing. But doesn’t God help those who help themselves? No. God helped us when we couldn’t help ourselves.

From the early days, God told us through our earthly father, Abraham, that He will bless us, He will make our name great, and He will cause us to be a blessing (Genesis 12). He never intended for us to do it ourselves.

Know that anytime we attempt to make a blessing, it has fifty-fifty chance of being successful; however, if we totally rely on the finished works of Jesus, the Word of God guarantees success. Don’t try to make a blessing because the blessing we make won’t compare to the blessing God has for us. Rely on God.

Hebrews 11:25 choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin,‭

Based on this verse, the Bible refers to sin as pleasurable. It feels good to let loose and become intoxicated. It feels great to allow lust to take over and do what you please. It’s exhilarating to lie, cheat, and get over on people to get to the top. Although, everything is permissible for us, everything is not beneficial for us (1 Cor. 10:23). At the time sin seems pleasurable, but deep inside we know it’s not the correct way to live. For those who have no problem enjoying the pleasures of sin, you’ve desensitized yourselves to the Word of God.

When God tells us not to do this or to live a certain way, He’s not saying it to take away our fun or to make our lives boring. He’s providing instructions for our good. God is the Master Architect. He knows what we need to operate at our maximum potential and He knows what we need to reap the full benefits of abundant living. Sin is not one of those things.

Although sin is pleasurable, it’s only pleasurable for a moment. The joy we experience in doing things God’s way, is far greater than any pleasure sin can offer. Live holy.

Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

John 4:49 The nobleman said to Him, “Sir, come down before my child dies!” 50 Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your son lives.” So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.

Prior to any evidence of his son being healed, the nobleman believed the word of Jesus. The man believed without seeing. It wasn’t until a day later the nobleman received confirmation of his son’s healing (v. 51-53).

Can you imagine the doubt that attempted to flood his mind? The last time he saw his son, he was at the point of death. All his faith was wrapped in the word of Jesus. The nobleman had a choice. He could believe the word of Jesus or believe the thoughts of doubt. His belief in the word of Jesus caused his son to be healed.

There are going to be times where we don’t have any sensory evidence to confirm what we’re standing in faith for; and what we’re standing in faith for may not happen instantly. All we have is our belief in the Word of God.

During our time of belief, thoughts of doubt may attempt to flood our minds, but like the nobleman, if we can continue to believe the word of God, what we believe will come to pass. Only believe.

Isaiah 46:9-10 “Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’”

God knows it all. He knows what happened in the past and He knows what will happen in the future. For Him, the past and the future exist in the now. By God knowing it all, qualifies Him to be the best counselor.

Understanding that God knows it all, it would be wise for us to sit under His counsel concerning our past and our future. So many of us want to know why certain things happened in our past. Through our time with God, He may reveal that we went through a situation because of our disobedience or fear, but that situation forced us to totally depend on Him.

Regarding the future, God knows it all. When we spend time under the counsel of God, He will reveal if the person we’re with is someone we should marry. Regarding our finances, He will tell us where we should invest our money. He will tell us where to apply for a job.

Anything that concerns our past and our future, God will reveal it to us, but we must be willing to take time out of our busy schedules and listen to His wonderful counsel (Isaiah 9:6).

John 4:31-34 “In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.” Therefore the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.”

Inside all of us is a desire to do the will of the Father. For some, that desire may be small and we may choose to ignore it, but the desire is still present.

When we push our reputation, fears, and personal will to the side and do the will of the Father, we’ll experience fulfillment like never before.

Look at Jesus. He was physically hungry, but after He fulfilled the will of the Father, He was satisfied and no longer desired food at that time.

Is there something missing in your life? Are the job, children, and materialistic things not satisfying enough? Well, choose to push everything aside and focus on the will of the Father because accomplishing the will of the Father will allow us to receive fulfillment.

There are some who view God as this distant ruler sitting high waiting to condemn mankind. But, the truth is that God wants to be intimately close to us. So much so that, in spite of His perfect nature that cannot tolerate sin, He found a flawless way to reconcile Himself back to us. He used a part of Himself, God the Son (Jesus), as the perfect sacrifice so that we can be made righteous in His sight. All because He wants a personal relationship with us.

God loves us absolutely, irrevocably, and unconditionally. And, once we accept Jesus as our Savior (believe that He is the Son of God Who died and rose again that we might spend eternity with Him), He positions us to commune with Him. He even gave us another part of Himself, the Holy Spirit, to help us live optimally here on earth. We have the ultimate counselor in Him because He instructs us with past, present, future, and all-knowing advice. We can’t go wrong with that, but even if we do miss it, God has given us grace that covers our shortcomings. Get to know this awesome, loving God today.

2 Corinthians 5: 18 “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.”

James 1:3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith works patience. 
The hardest thing about faith is the patience that is often accompanied with it. Unless God revealed the date to us by His Spirit, we know our desires will eventually come to pass, but we don’t know when.

How does a faith-filled believer exercise patience?

1. We continue to confess what we desire as if it’s so. Example: I believe that I have received my new job. That confession is heard by our ears, therefore, that confession is continuously building our faith. Faith comes by hearing (Romans 10:17).

2. We find where the promise is in the Word of God and continue to read the promise. By continuing to read our promise, it makes it easier to put our faith in the Word of God instead of what we’re experiencing in the natural.

3. We praise God for the promise. If we truly believe the promise will come to pass, we don’t need to wait to praise God for the promise. We can praise Him now.

4. Finally, leave room for the Holy Spirit to intervene. During the time of patience, the Holy Spirit may reveal a boastful attitude we need to remove prior to receiving our promise. The Holy Spirit may physically prepare us to receive a promise (clean out the garage for a new car; start packing to move into a new house, etc.). The Holy Spirit will reveal how to be a blessing with that promise we’re standing in faith for.

There’s plenty to do in patience. Know these things are for our good. Be patient.

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 are some who believe that the more people they ask to pray for a certain problem, the better their chances are in getting their prayers answered. There is nothing wrong with asking for people to stand in agreement with us because where two of us agree here on earth concerning anything we ask, the Father in heaven will do it for us (Matthew 18:19). However, if the motivation to ask people to pray is like raffle tickets, where we feel like the more people we ask to pray for us will better our chances in getting our prayers answered, we’re actually asking in doubt.

It’s doubt because those people don’t believe their prayer or faith is enough to change the situation. If we doubt, we can’t expect to receive anything from the Lord (James 1:6-7).

Our belief in the death and resurrection of Jesus has made us righteous. God made it where the prayer (singular) of a righteous person is effective (James 5:16). It’s great to have people in agreement with us, but it’s not a necessity.

All it takes is one person to pray one prayer in faith and that prayer will change any situation. Just believe.

Jesus paid the price for you and I. He separated Himself from the Father, took on the sins of the world, was physically beaten until death so that we could be free. One would think more believers would be appreciative for all that He’s done, but some have minimized the sacrifice.

The sacrifice is an old repeated story, therefore, it’s easy to not place any value in the One Who sacrificed His life for us. Where there is no value, there is no honor.

That’s why there can be people who call themselves believers living no differently than the world.

If we can constantly remind ourselves of the sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf, we can consciously make an effort to live a holy life honoring the One Who paid it all.

We have that reminder through communion. When we take communion, we remind ourselves of what Jesus has done. That reminder should keep us focused on why we live a life differently than the world and why we make choices that force our flesh to comply with God’s will. It’s because of the price He paid.

Never forget or minimize the sacrifice of Jesus. It’s THE only reason we’re allowed to live such a blessed life today.

1 Corinthians 11:23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: that the Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.””  25 In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”  

The entertainment industry (movies, books, and TV shows) have made Satan and his demonic creatures out to be powerful beings capable of terrorizing people at will. Seeing satanic forces on the screen as a real threat for so many years has invoked real fear in individuals. It’s been so effective until, some people are afraid to walk past graveyards, drive by a certain house, or even be in the dark by themselves.

Entertainment has made Satan out to be a real threat, but let’s see what the Bible has to say about Satan.

Isaiah 14:16 Those who see you stare at you, they ponder your fate: “Is this the man who shook the earth and made kingdoms tremble, 17 the man who made the world a wilderness, who overthrew its cities and would not let his captives go home?”

Colossians 2:15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

In Isaiah, people are unimpressed when they see Satan and in Colossians, Jesus stripped him of all his power.

Satan is a powerless reject. We have nothing to fear when it comes to Satan. He can’t move objects, take us to another dimension, or hurt us. Without our consent, he can’t even do the famous possession of our bodies. All he can do is influence people to do his will.

Stop feeding your fear with the Hollywood images of Satan and start feeding your faith by reading about the power we have over Satan (Luke 10:19).

Matthew 16:23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

When Jesus discerned that Satan was attempting to stop the will of God from coming to pass through Peter, Jesus commanded Satan to get behind Him. In other words, Jesus commanded Satan to leave the conversation and situation.

We can conclude, anytime someone or something is attempting to stop the will of God from manifesting in our lives, Satan is behind it and we have the authority to remove him from the situation.

The will of God for our lives is in His Word. The will of God is for us to have abundance (Ephesians 3:20). If there is lack in our lives, we can command the demonic influences behind lack to leave. The will of God for our lives is clarity (1 Corinthians 14:33). If we’re confused and don’t know what to do, we can tell the demonic influences of confusion to get behind us.  The will of God is to receive whatever we ask for in prayer (Mark 11:24). If there’s a significant delay (not from God) to our answered prayer, we can tell Satan to remove his demonic hold over answered prayers.

We have authority over Satan, but we must discern when his influences are at work. Jesus showed us how to remove Satan from our situations so, let’s stop his influences from manifesting in the earth.

Isaiah 60:17 “Instead of bronze I will bring gold, Instead of iron I will bring silver, Instead of wood, bronze, And instead of stones, iron. I will also make your officers peace, And your magistrates righteousness.”

The theme in this verse is upgrades. Whatever we have and wherever we are in life, God desires to upgrade us.

This upgrade is not automatic. It’s according to our faith to receive this upgrade. If we’re satisfied with having the bare minimum, God will honor our desire, and provide just that. But if we want the best God has to offer us and if we desire to be upgraded from where we currently are, our job is to believe for that upgrade and believe God is true to His Word.

We may not see how this upgrade is going to occur based on where we currently are in life, but our job is not to figure it out, but to believe for the manifestation in due time.

Jesus Christ has made upgrade possible for all of us. If we can believe it, we can receive it. Amen.

Just like we didn’t earn our salvation, we don’t earn our right standing before God – Jesus did that for us (2 Corinthians 5:21). But, to have a better, Joy filled, prosperous life, then we do it God’s way. If we don’t, we position ourselves to invite an endless cycle of unnecessary difficulties into our lives. Just remember God doesn’t do that to us; He wants only the best for us, but He does give us the freedom to choose His way or our own. And, whenever we’re ready to live our lives surrendered to Him, He’s already set us up to reap all of the benefits of living a God-life. Choose Life. The benefits are abundantly beyond what we can, ask, think, or even imagine (Ephesians 3:20).

Deuteronomy‬ ‭30:6, 9, 19-20‬ “And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.

The Lord your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your cattle and in the fruit of your ground. For the Lord will again take delight in prospering you, as he took delight in your fathers…

I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.””

Genesis 37:5 Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. 6 He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: 7 We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.”

We were made in the image and likeness of God, therefore, each of us has the creative abilities of God. Before anything is created, it must first be imagined. God allows our imagination to be enticed through a vision or a dream. 

Usually, a God-given dream is too big to obtain in our own efforts. We will either exhaust ourselves trying to do it on our own or give up trying to fulfill such a big project. Knowing the dream is too big to be fulfilled in our own efforts, God requires faith for every God-inspired dream to come to pass. 

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

For those who are bold enough to stand in faith for a God-inspired dream that seems too difficult for any person to fulfill, there must be patience accompanied with faith. There are going to be times we feel like giving up, taking the easier road, or be content with partially receiving our promise, but we must stand strong and hold onto the confession of our faith. 

Hebrews 6:12 We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

People may laugh and our friends may try to talk us out of our God-inspired dream, but we must hold onto the promises of God. 

Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

To receive any God-given promise is to receive the dream, have faith, and be patient until the promise is received. 

Psalms 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.

Of course, everyone wants to receive the desires of their hearts, however, we first must delight ourselves in the Lord. But, what does delighting ourselves mean? Does it mean we pray 3 hours a day, go to church every Sunday, or read our Bibles whenever we can?

Let’s see how the Word of God defines delighting ourselves in the Lord. 

Isaiah 58:13-14 “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, From doing your pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight, The holy day of the LORD honorable, And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure, Nor speaking your own words, Then you shall delight yourself in the LORD; And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

Does this mean we have to do everything on this list to delight ourselves in the Lord? Of course not, because we’re not under the law. However, the underlying tone in Isaiah 58 is submission. When we submit our thoughts, actions, and words to the Lord, we’re delighting ourselves in the Lord. 

As a result of our delight or submission to God, we position ourselves to receive the desires of our hearts, live the “high life,” and enjoy the best. 
Now it’s time for you to be such a delight. 

Genesis 11:4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”

In the early days, The Tower of Babel was built by ungodly people practicing selfishness. How were they ungodly and selfish? Because they wanted to make themselves great, doing their own will, without the intervention of God.

We see this mentality somewhere else in scripture. Lucifer did the same thing prior to being kicked out of heaven. Lucifer wanted to make his name great and place his will above the will of God.

Isaiah 14:13 You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. 14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”

When we act selfishly by placing our will above the will of God and we attempt to make ourselves successful without the assistance of God, our thought processes are being influenced by Satan. It doesn’t matter if it’s something major like committing adultery, or minor like turning right when we know the Holy Spirit told us to turn left. God wants to be a part of our lives and He wants to be the only One responsible for our success. When we submit ourselves to God and partner our will with the will of the Father, we can have the promise of Abraham:

Genesis 12:2 “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

Let’s remove selfishness and be submitted to God.

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.

If someone were to read this verse only, it may cause some confusion because, “the way” in this scripture, is subjective. One person’s “way” of raising children may be different from another person’s “way.” As we should do with everything, let’s see what the Bible has to say regarding “the way” we should raise our children.

The common theme in all the child raising scriptures boils down to these three topics:
1. Teach the Word of God to our children (Genesis 18:19; Deuteronomy 11:17-18).

2. Testify to our children about the goodness of God (Exodus 10:2; Deuteronomy 4:9).

3. Discipline our children (Proverbs 13:24; Ephesians 6:4).

To raise our children the way God instructs us to raise our children requires us to elevate our relationship with God and His Word.

We have to know and spend time in the Word of God in order to correctly teach our children the Word of God. We have to be bold and outspoken regarding the goodness of God so that our children can learn to trust in God. We have to remove fear or feelings of sadness, and discipline our children. Our flesh and the flesh of our children desires to behave contrary to the Word of God. In order to keep them on track, with love discipline is required.

When we train up children in this way, we have a promise from God that they will not depart from “the way.” Trust the parenting methods of God.