Graced To Do God's Will

Colossians 3:23 And whatsoever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

There are two ways we can approach this scripture. The first way is with our flesh. Our flesh uses human effort to get the job done. The second way is working unto the Lord by the leading of the Holy Spirit.

People working unto the Lord using their flesh feel justified when they work 16 hours in one day on a project they could have completed in three days. They feel like they’re doing the Lord a service when they work in the hot sun without taking breaks or drinking water. They feel like if they work long and hard, God will be pleased. Once again, this is working unto the Lord using our flesh, but according to Romans 8:8, we cannot please God in our flesh.

God is not pleased because we’re not acknowledging Him as we work. God gave us His Spirit to be led in everything we do (Romans 8:14). He may have us work a couple of hours on a project then take a break and socialize with our co-workers. Even though we have a lot more that needs to be done, He may have us stop working on a project for the day and continue it the next day. God may have us work 16 hours in one day, but the only difference is He led us to work the 16 hours and not ourselves.

If the Holy Spirit is leading us, we’re working unto the Lord. Our long and hard hours don’t always confirm working unto the Lord. This week, let’s be led by the Spirit as we’re working unto the Lord.

1 Corinthians 15:44 It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.‭

As we can see, we have a natural body and a spiritual body. We’re more familiar with the natural body. Our natural body requires food, sleep, and it’s beneficial for it to have exercise. If we choose to neglect some of the requirements of our natural bodies, our health can deteriorate. 

Just like the natural body has some requirements to stay healthy, our spiritual bodies have some requirements as well. A healthy spiritual body needs food. Food for the spiritual body comes in the form of the Word of God. When we feed ourselves the Word of God, we starve doubt, unbelief, and fear. 

Secondly, our spiritual bodies need constant communication with God. John 4:24 tells us God is a spirit. Who better to tell us how to develop our spiritual bodies besides God? God will tell us when to fast, pray, or study the Word. 

As we feed ourselves the Word and communicate with God, God uproots everything He did not plant (Matthew 15:13). Anger, bitterness, and hatred can’t be seen, therefore, if it’s displayed in our lives, it must be associated with the spirit. As we continue to develop our spiritual bodies, God promised to uproot anything He did not plant from our lives. 

In this time where exercising seems to be popular, let’s not forsake nurturing our spiritual bodies.

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Most of us know or have heard the “all have sinned” scripture. We tend to magnify and tell everyone that all have sinned, but not too many people know the next verse. The next verse is contextually connected to verse 23.

Verse 24 says, and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

We all have sinned, but through Jesus Christ, we all are freely justified by His grace.

Telling people we’ve all sinned without telling people we’ve all been justified by grace leaves people sin conscience. It has people feeling like they’re just an old sinner hoping to make it to heaven. Knowing we’ve been freely justified through Christ leaves people liberated and free from the bondage of sin.

Regardless of the sin, through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we’ve been justified or made righteous in the eyes of God. Praise God for Jesus who freely justified us by His grace.

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Inspired by Joseph Prince

Psalms 118:17 I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done.

God’s Word promised we would live and not die. With this promise, we don’t have to worry or live in fear of terrorist attacks, airplane crashes, or dying in a foreign country. We can enjoy ourselves and live.

We’re not living so that we can satisfy our flesh or reap worldly desires. We’re living to proclaim what the Lord has done.  We are to proclaim that Jesus is Lord and the Savior of the world. We are to proclaim that Jesus has healed us. We are to proclaim that regardless of what we’ve done, God’s love is everlasting.

When we have a need or desire, we are to boldly proclaim that God will meet that need or desire. When that need or desire is met, we are to boldly proclaim that God answered our prayer. Everything we have and everything we do should bring glory to God.

Praise God He promised us life, but the reason why we’re living is to proclaim the works of the Lord.

Isaiah 3:10 Say to the righteous that it shall be well with them, For they shall eat the fruit of their doings. 

Extremists are attempting to destroy villages and terrorize cities; new viruses and diseases seem to be discovered every month, and racism is very obvious.

Regardless of what’s going on in the world, it shall be well with the righteous. Righteousness is not something we work for. Righteousness is freely given to everyone who believes in the works of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 5:21). Through our belief, we are made righteous. 

Since we’re righteous, we have a promise of wellness. We have a promise of wellness at our jobs, in our homes, and in our daily lives. God is faithful and He will never go back on His promise. If we go through something that is attacking our wellness, we can be encouraged by reminding ourselves of this promise. 

Regardless of how it appears, all is well. 

When someone in the world observes a person praying or hears them mentioning the Word of God, they’re quick to label them as religious. As believers, we should quickly correct them from using the term “religious.”

In Christianity, religious actions are mainly done out of habit. These actions have little to no meaning. The motivation for these actions are usually incorrect and are based in condemnation. For instance, a religious idea says, “I’m going to read the Bible so that God can bless me.” For those who may adopt this idea, what we’re really saying is, our efforts are going to earn favor with God so that He can be bless us. There’s only one problem with this idea along with other religious ideas. It eliminates Jesus. 

If we can earn a blessing by reading the Bible and going to church, who needs Jesus? Someone may reply we needed Jesus to take away our sins. This is true, but through His sacrifice, we also needed Jesus to allow the blessing to come on us (Gal. 3:13-14). 
Because of all that God has done for us, we should be developing a relationship with God.

We don’t fast, pray, etc. because a preacher told us to. We do it because we desire to commune with our loving Heavenly Father. Let’s remove religion and develop relationship. 

Philippians 3:10 That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,

OPTION 1:

-I have to go to Sunday service and weekly bible study so that God is pleased with me.

-I have to pray two hours a day so that God can bless me. 

-I have to read the Word of God two hours a night so that I can be healed.

OPTION 2:

-I get to go to Sunday service and weekly bible study to fellowship with like-minded believers and worship a risen Savior.

-Through Jesus Christ, God has blessed me, therefore, I get to pray to stay in constant communication with my God and the time I spend praying is inconsequential. 

-The stripes of Jesus Christ have already healed me, therefore, I enjoy spending time in God’s Word to fully comprehend the promises of God.

Option 1 is a religious mindset many Christians had in the past. God never intended for us to follow rules for the sake of following rules. God desires a relationship with us. He wants us to enjoy spending time with Him in prayer and in His Word. He doesn’t want it to be a chore or out of necessity. God sent Jesus to flawlessly complete all of the requirements to regain our right standing with Him so that we won’t have to. 

If we don’t make it to church, God still loves us. If we don’t read as much as we intended to read, we’re still blessed. If we haven’t fasted, we’re still healed. Once we get know God and have a true revelation of how good He’s been to us, our desire to do all those things will become automatic. Seek a relationship with God and not religious rules. 

1 John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal 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.

Proverbs 12:25 Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, But a good word makes it glad.

There are desires in each and every one of us. If we’re not mindful, anxiety can enter our lives and cause depression if we reached our delay limit.

We may feel like we should have been married by now, had children by now, or gotten a higher paying position by now. If we continue to rehearse the delay in our minds, we’ll experience anxiety and if we rehearse it too much, we may experience anxiety attacks.

However, if we place our trust in God, He knows when the appointed time should be to receive our desires. Another thing we have to be mindful of is that our desires are not only designed to bless our lives; our desires can be a blessing to people we haven’t met yet.

We may feel like it’s taking too long to receive a promotion at our current job, but God has other plans. God may have us apply to another job that pays a higher salary and at that job, we meet our future spouse who will assist in having future children. That’s how God works everything out for our good (Romans 8:28).

When you can’t figure it out, trust the plan and timing of God.

Matthew 6:27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

In the movie, Bridge of Spies, Tom Hanks plays a lawyer representing a Russian spy who was arrested in America. Throughout the movie Tom Hanks’ character would ask the Russian spy if he was worried or nervous about what was going to happen to him. The Russian spy always responded by saying, “Would it help?”

The Word of God has been teaching us this concept for years. It wouldn’t help one bit if we worried about anything. It won’t change the outcome to anything in our lives and worrying will only cause detriment to our health.

Spiritually, worrying is a lack of trust in God. It’s letting God know we don’t trust Him or His plan, therefore, we need to negatively meditate on the next best solution we can comprehend.

Release all cares, worries, and anxieties to God and trust His plan.

When a problem arises, some of us ask people to pray for our situation. There’s nothing wrong with asking for prayer as long as our motivation is only for agreement. Any additional reason is a lack of faith.

There are some people who use prayer like tickets at an amusement park. They feel like the more prayers they have going towards a certain subject, the better their chances are to get their prayers answered.

The Word of God says, God hears our prayers and our prayers are effective. It doesn’t matter if 100 people are praying for us or if it’s just our prayer. If we believe our prayers are heard and are effective, our prayers will come to pass.

It’s great to have people in agreement with our prayers, but we don’t need people to have our prayers answered. Praise God for giving us the power to have our prayers answered.

1 John 5:14 This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.

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.

We all were raised in a different environment. Some of us had a great childhood with great loving parents and others experienced great difficulty growing up. Some of us were abused, raised without one or both parents, or lived in poverty. How we were raised has a great impact on how we view life and the decisions we’ll make. 

If someone grew up without a father and they never had the needed attention from a mother, when they’re an adult, that person may desire to overload their children with the love and attention they never had or they’ll repeat the patterns of their parents.

Regardless of how we were raised or what we went through, we (the believers) have a common denominator. The common denominator is the Word of God. The Word of God promises us an abundant life (John 10:10) and God’s plans are to prosper us (Jeremiah 29:11). It doesn’t matter if we were raised like royalty or if our parents were addicted to drugs, we all can have the same promises. 

Knowing we all can have a prosperous abundant life, we don’t have to allow our past to affect our future. We can rely on the Word of God to guide us to the prosperous life God already planned for us.

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.

On part 1 of “It’s Not Their Fault” we mentioned how the actual people are not our problem, but demonic influences within a person (Ephesians 6:12). With that being known, we are not permitted to get even with the person who wronged us (Proverbs 24:29). Our responsibility is to continue to walk in love, cast out the demonic influences within the person, and allow God to seek vengeance for us (Luke 10:19). 

Although we are to remain loving to the one(s) who wronged us, God’s Word provides instructions on how to separate ourselves from the people who caused us pain. Romans 16:17 tells us to avoid those who offended us. 

We can still be the nice loving Christians without being close to the people who were influenced by our enemy. I submit that we should continue to pray for them and do whatever God says regarding their lives, but to keep ourselves from being hurt again and to keep us in the right frame of mind, let’s do ourselves a favor and avoid them. 

Romans 16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them who cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which you have learned; and avoid them.

Proverbs 24:29 “Do not say, “I will do to him just as he has done to me; I will render to the man according to his work.”

When someone does us wrong, our flesh wants to get them back. We don’t care how, but we want vengeance for the hurt they caused us. If we’re a Christian, our flesh desires God to get them back quickly so that we say, “You shouldn’t have messed with God’s child.”

The Bible clearly tells us not to seek our own vengeance against that person. In fact, it’s not their fault. Ephesians 6:12 says, for we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. This means, our enemy is not the person, but the unseen demonic influences within the person. Even if the act appears deliberate and intentional, it’s still not their fault.

Let’s use our God-given authority found in Luke 10:19 to cast out the demonic influences within that person and know what the devil meant for evil, God will turn it around for our good (Gen. 50:20; Rom. 8:28). 

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.

After a couple gets married, a next big step is children. When the couple makes the decision to get pregnant, after marital relations, the woman may get a pregnancy test. If the pregnancy test is positive, she’ll get excited, tell her husband, and look forward to telling everyone else.

In the natural, nothing has changed. The wife doesn’t have a big belly and she’s not giving birth that night. The only thing that let her know a baby was on the way was her seeing a positive pregnancy test.

Faith is the same way. The only indication we know a promise from God will come to pass in our lives is reading the Word of God. When we see promises such as, healing, deliverance, wealth, or wholeness are for us, right then, we should get excited. We shouldn’t wait until we physically see the promise to be excited. Be excited now. Although we don’t see anything changing in the natural, we should be excited because we know our God is faithful to fulfill His Word.

Get excited because your faith due date is approaching.

Proverbs 22:13 “The lazy man says, “There is a lion outside! I shall be slain in the streets!”

The following is another way to view this verse: The lazy man says, “There is a lion outside! I guess I’ll die soon!”

The concept of this verse is action. The person is considered to be lazy because they don’t take action when trouble arises. As believers, we need to take action when trouble arises or we’re no different than the lazy man. 
Let’s modernize the trouble. 

The lazy man says, “The poor are starving outside! I guess they will have to suffer.” The lazy man says, “Women and children are being verbally and physically abused! I guess they will have to be tortured.” The lazy man says, “Marriages are crumbling. I guess they will have to get over their emotional pain.”

When negative news comes to our attention, the first thing we must do is pray. We need to pray the demonic influences from those situations be removed and we need to release the blessing of The Lord into those situations. While we’re praying, we need to ask God if there’s anything He wants us to do. He may have us donate to a homeless shelter, mentor a single mother, or volunteer with the youth. 

In these last days, we can’t be lazy. If believers don’t act, who will? 

It’s time to take action.

Proverbs 19:11 “The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger, And his glory is to overlook a transgression.”‭‭

It would be wise for us to pick and choose our battles. There are certain things we should stand up against and there are things we should let go. Everything doesn’t have to be a fight. The discretion we have, if used wisely, will save us a lot of figurative headaches. 

If we challenged everyone who we felt disrespected or wronged us, the results would be numerous failed relationships, failed friendships, and unsteady employment. The scripture says it’s glory to overlook transgressions. The root of these battles is fear. Some of us are afraid of being taken advantage of. But, can we really be taken advantage of when we’re doing it God’s way and allowing God to fight our battles? Of course not. 

So, let’s drop our rocks and let’s stop looking for a fight. In every situation, use discretion and consult the Spirit of God to see if something is worth fighting over.

After 20 years of living her life in the streets and going in and out of jail, Amanda submitted her life to the Lord. Amanda made Jesus the Lord over her life and she received the forgiveness of her sins. Amanda submitted her life to Christ, but how many of us know submission is a continuous act?

We are multifaceted beings. Regarding submission, we may have submitted ourselves to God in one area, but we haven’t submitted ourselves to God in another area. For instance, we can submit our lives to God, through Christ, but we may not have submitted our finances to God. We may still think the preacher is trying to take our money. Or, we may have chosen to live a celibate lifestyle for God while we’re single, but we may not have chosen to submit our attitudes to God.

Submission to God is simply saying, ‘God’s way is right.’ Whatever area God is instructing you submit to, do it to honor God, position yourselves to reap the promises of God, and keep Satan off your back.

Acts 9:6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.

Proverbs 18:16 “A man’s gift makes room for him, And brings him before great men.”‭‭

God has placed gifts and talents in all of us. Some of us are good with computers and some of us are good relationally with people. It doesn’t matter if our gifts are popular or not, God has given us these gifts to make room for us in the earth.

These gifts inside us are so anointed until we can literally occupy a certain area. We can be the best barber on the north side of this city. We can be the best marriage counselor, saving marriages, in this state. We can be the best comedian in the Kingdom of God. Our gifts being used at their maximum potential is the blossom of the abundant life Jesus provided.

The only person stopping us from using our gifts is us. It may not seem like the right time or it may not seem like we have enough money, but if we can push these demonic excuses aside and by faith use our gifts and talents for the glory of God, we can maximize on this abundant life.

Use the Gift

Colossians 2:15 When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.

When Adam sinned, he gave all of mankind’s power and authority to Satan. Jesus restored everything that was lost back to mankind. Jesus stripped Satan of all his power. Satan can’t harm us, take anything from us, or destroy our lives, but did you know power can be returned to Satan through our actions? 

There are a couple of ways we can provide Satan with power. The easiest way we give Satan power is through our words. Death and life are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21). When we say things contrary to the Word of God, even jokingly, we give Satan power to activate what we say into our lives. That’s why it’s important not to make statements like, “I’m broke” or “You’re killing me.” 

Another way we give Satan power is through disobedience. God may tell us to do a certain thing that seems scary on the surface. If Satan can influence us, through fear, worry, or anxiety, not to do that thing, we gave Satan the power to govern and direct our lives. This allows Satan’s will to be done on earth instead of God’s will. Also, that fear, worry, or anxiety that we received from Satan, negatively impacts our minds and bodies leaving us with high blood pressure, panic attacks, or mental breakdowns. 

Jesus suffered too much for us to return our power back to Satan. Walk and talk in the ways of righteousness to keep the devil powerless. 

Revelations 22:13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

God, through Jesus Christ, is the beginning of everything. He’s the beginning of our new life in Christ, He’s the beginning of our faith, and He’s the beginning of everything we desire. God, through Jesus Christ, is not only the beginning of everything, but He is the Omega, the End, the Last and He has the final say. 

New found discoveries in science will tell us there’s no cure, but God has the final say. Our lack of advanced education may have some people think we’ve limited our chances to be promoted, but God has the final say. The amount of money we make may have some people believe we can’t live in a certain neighborhood, but God has the final say. Whatever we need or desire, God has the final say. 

Don’t allow deceptions of the enemy, working through people, to make you feel inferior. Trust, lean, and rely on God and His Word to stay encouraged. 

Revelations 22:13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

In general, God is the Alpha, the First, and the Beginning, however, when we submit ourselves to God, God shows Himself to be our personal Alpha, First, and Beginning.

God shows Himself to be our beginning in multiple ways. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! Through Jesus, our past is gone away. God gives us a new beginning. God allows everything in our lives, including us, to be made new.

Secondly, with the acceptance of Christ, Jesus becomes the Author or beginning of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). The beginning of where our faith lies is found in Jesus. In order to have the faith to be saved, healed, or have the desires of our hearts, our faith must begin and end with Jesus.

Finally, we can have confidence in God, through Christ, to be the beginning of everything we desire. We don’t have to know how certain things in our lives are going to develop because we’re relying on Him to start our business, start our families, and give us ideas to begin anything He’s placed in our hearts.

Let’s stop relying on ourselves and seek God first and allow Him to be the beginning of everything in our lives.

John 19:30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Everything the believer desires from God is already done. It doesn’t matter if it’s healing, provision, or deliverance from a bad habit, it’s already done. God’s not cooking up an order as soon as we ask Him in prayer. Whatever we desire, is already done.

It was done, by Jesus, on the cross at Calvary. When Jesus said, “It is finished,” He meant that literally. Jesus went through pain, suffering, and torture to get us back in right relationship with God and to allow us to reap the benefits of that right relationship with God. A great benefit of our relationship with God is that anything we need or desire has already been made available to us through the sacrifice of Jesus.

With this knowledge, it would be incorrect to say, God I thank you that you will (future tense) bless me with a job. Our job is already available for the taking. Just because we can’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not there. The correct thing is to believe that you’ve received whatever promise you desire. Our faith, in the finished works of Jesus, obtains the promises of God. Receive it and know it’s already done.

Mark 11:24 Therefore I tell you, all the things you pray and ask for–believe that you have received them, and you will have them.

Imagine a four-year old, without a weapon, demanding everything we have. He wants our house, our cars, our money, our health, and he wants to take over our families. He wants everything. We would look at people who surrendered to a four-year old as if they were idiots, because a four-year old is no threat to us and has no authority over us.

In a way, this is what Adam did to mankind. He gave all of his/our possessions to someone beneath him. That someone was Satan. God made us (mankind) a little lower than Himself and He’s created angels to be our servants.

Psalm 8:4 says What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him? 5 Yet You have made him a little lower than God, And You crown him with glory and majesty!   

Hebrews 1:14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

Lucifer was a fallen angel and he was to serve us. After Adam submitted to Satan and sinned, Adam gave everything over to Satan. This submission came as a result of deception created by Satan. Satan told Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit so they would be like God not knowing they were already like God.

Praise God He implemented a plan, through Jesus, to bring us back to our rightful place and restore everything that was taken, however, some of us are still being deceived regarding who we are in Christ.

Through Christ, we have authority and dominion over everything that crosses our paths. It doesn’t matter if it’s sickness, poverty, fear, or lack we have authority over everything. Operate in your God-given authority and don’t allow the deceptions of the enemy to make you feel less than who you are.

Jonah 1:1 The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” 3 But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish… 

Jonah was given specific instructions, by God, to preach to the wicked people of Nineveh. It’s been said that Jonah preaching to these individuals would be like a Jewish person preaching to devout Nazis. Due to fear and this task being out of Jonah’s comfort zone, Jonah decided to disobey God and go the other way. The instructions Jonah was given were clear. Jonah over analyzed these instructions and made things cloudy.

Some of us have used fear, logic, and reasoning to cloud the instructions of God. God may have instructed some of us to move to a different city, but we cloud His instructions by wondering how we’re going to sell our house or wondering about the school system for our children. If God told us to do something, the provision has already been made available. It doesn’t have to be something big. God may have clearly told some of us to apologize to a person. Instead of worrying about how it makes us look, apologize, and know the good we do will be rewarded by God (Ephesians 6:8).

There are clear instructions in God’s Word regarding how we should live our lives and there are clear instructions pertaining to our purpose. Don’t cloud up these instructions to make it fit your preferences.

Inspired by Bishop Rosie O’neal

Romans 8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The motivation for everything God has done in our lives is love. God sent His only Son because He loves us. Jesus sacrificed His life because He loves us. Through the sacrifice of Jesus, the blessing is on our lives because God loves us. However, if we feel like we’re too messed up for love, we can never fully embrace the benefits of God’s love.

The enemy has done a great job making people think they’re not holy enough or too messed up to receive God’s love. One thing we have to remember is God is all-knowing. He knows every intentional decision we’ll make that goes against His Word, the amount of times we’ll walk away from His plan, and how long we’ve been away from doing His will. In spite of knowing these things, God still chose to love us and He vowed to not allow ANYTHING to separate us from His love.

If we have a tiny hint of feeling or thought that God doesn’t love us, that’s condemnation and a LIE from the enemy. Regardless of what we’ve done or what we’ll do, God vows to love us. Without questioning or even having a full understanding, receive His love today and for the rest of your life.

Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

The promise of sowing and reaping can be applied to many areas in life. Most churches use this promise to encourage giving, however, this promise can be applied to marriages as well.

The world’s system tells us to love and serve our spouse as long as they’re loving and serving us. This is totally contrary to the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God promotes serving in love and loving unconditionally (Galatians 5:13).

When we make an intentional decision to love and serve our spouse in spite of how they treat us, how we feel, and in spite of what we’re going through, we have a promise from God, to reap what we sow. This idea should encourage the believer knowing that our efforts within our marriage are not in vain.

What gets in the way is our flesh. Our flesh doesn’t want to serve and unconditionally love our spouse especially when the marriage is going through a difficult time. Another thing that agitates our flesh is delay. If we do decide to make the effort to love and serve unconditionally, we want to see a turnaround within our marriage in a month. The longer it takes, the more we want to give up and allow fate to control our marriage.

If we’re willing to do things God’s way, we have a promise to reap what we sow.

Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.

Marriages have ended, relationships have failed, and individuals have been terminated from their employment because of pride. Some of us act like we don’t care, but a lot of destruction could have been avoided if pride was out of the picture.

What are we holding on to? What benefit do we obtain by not giving in? There is none. In fact, we’ve been deceived into thinking there is some gain by feeding our pride (Obadiah 1:3). The father of deception is Satan (Revelation 12:9). By displaying and holding onto pride, in a sense, we glorify the father of deception.

The opposite of pride is humility. If pride brings destruction, humility should bring construction. A promise of humility is exaltation (Luke 14:11). If we could humble ourselves, apologize to those we’ve offended or even think we’ve offended, and accept constructive criticism, the literal and our personal world would be a better place.

Let go of pride and experience exaltation in every area of life.

Obadiah 1:3 The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights, you who say to yourself, ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?

Proverbs 16:1 The preparations of the heart belong to man, But the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.

Life’s complexities force us to answer difficult questions and make difficult decisions. With the amount of education we have and the amount of answers we have access to, God, being the Answer to life’s problems, is slowly being pushed towards the back. Not only that, but some of us have highly valued the opinions of celebrities, politicians, and so-called “experts.” Meanwhile, God waits in line to answer our problems.

It’s not until the education, experts, and our own logic and reasoning have failed that we go to God. God doesn’t want to be our last source; He wants to be our first and only Source. The Word of God clearly states that He is the answer.

Whether the question or decision is easy or difficult, our answer is found in God.

Psalms 20:7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

Trust is such a small word, but it covers a multitude of areas dealing with God. We can say we trust God, but it’s important to evaluate our lives to see if we truly trust God. 

For instance, some may say they trust God to protect them, meanwhile, they’re living in fear and looking over their shoulders every chance they get. Is this really trust? Someone else may say they trust that the blood of Jesus has made everything available, meanwhile, they’re reading their bibles and fasting in the efforts to get God to do something. Are we trusting in the finished works of Jesus or our own performance and abilities? 

We should take inventory to see if we’re trusting God in EVERY area of our lives. 

Are we trusting God in the areas of protection, provision, health, finances, relationships, etc.? If we’re not, let’s not condemn ourselves or give up. Let’s be led by the Holy Spirit into trusting God in that particular area. 

Trust God 

An innocent person, we know as Jesus, sacrificed Himself on our behalf. Everything He went through was for us. Jesus was mocked, beat, and spat on. The flesh on His body was literally ripped away. A crown of thorns was pressed down on His head and spikes were hammered into his hands and feet. He was hung on a cross for hours until His death. 

It’s one thing to read someone else’s account of what happened, but Psalms 22 gives us a glimpse of what Jesus was actually going through.

Psalms 22:14-18 “My strength is gone, like water poured out on the ground. My bones have separated. My courage is gone. My mouth is as dry as a piece of baked pottery. My tongue is sticking to the roof of my mouth. You have left me dying in the dust. The “dogs” are all around me— a pack of evil people has trapped me. They have pierced my hands and feet. I can see each one of my bones. My enemies are looking at me; they just keep staring. They divide my clothes among themselves, and they throw lots for what I am wearing.”

‭There was nothing He did to deserve such punishment. He suffered so that we can be saved. He suffered so that we won’t have to experience the wrath of God. He suffered so that we can reconnect with the Father. 

Praise God for Jesus and all He’s done for us. 

Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

We read this scripture, but what does it actually mean? The context of this scripture is worry. Prior to verse 33, Jesus lets us know not to worry about what we shall eat, drink, or wear. Based on the context, we can extend this list to add worrying about how we’re going to pay the mortgage/rent, when we’re going to get married, or when we’re going to have children.

Jesus is telling us to get our minds off of worry and focus on the Kingdom of God. How is this done? As the Spirit leads us, we get involved at our local church to do our part to advance the Kingdom of God. We participate in giving our finances to further spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. We submit ourselves to God. We focus our attention on Jesus and what He’s done for our lives instead of worry.

Don’t allow the pressure of worry to suck the enjoyment out of life. We have been promised that our needs will be given to us, therefore, rest in that promise; but, in the meantime, focus on the Kingdom of God.

Galatians 5:6 For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision avails anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which works by love.

1 Corinthians 13:2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

We all have dreams, desires, and goals we want to see accomplished in this lifetime. As believers, we’ve been taught to exercise our faith to obtain these dreams and goals. We’ve been taught to ask the Father in the name of Jesus, believe that we’ve received it when we prayed, and it will be ours (John 16:23; Mark 11:24). However, as we can see, if we don’t have love, our faith is short-circuited.

This is not only love for the Father or love for our closest friends and family members. This is love for everyone. This is love for our enemies, love for people we don’t know, and love for our “so-called” friends.

That means we should have genuine love, with no ill-will, towards our ex-spouse who was extremely hurtful to us. We are to love that boss who belittles us in public. We should love our parents who may not have shown love to us.

If we want our dreams, desires, and goals to come to pass, we must have love. Faith cannot work without love.

Matthew 4:1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

As we submit ourselves to God, we are to be led by the Holy Spirit in every area of our lives. The Holy Spirit may not always lead us down the shortest easiest path. Look at Jesus. Jesus, the Son of God, was led by the Holy Spirit to the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. Someone may ask, why would a loving God lead us down a seemingly rough pathway? Answer: For Spiritual Exercise.

How would we know how strong our faith is if it’s never tested? How would we know if we’re patient if we’ve never experienced delay? James 1:3 says, the testing of our faith produces patience and 1 Peter 1:7 mentions how our faith needs to be proven. It’s not being tested or proven to God because He already knows where our faith is. Our faith is tested so that we can know how strong or not so strong our faith is.

That’s why the Holy Spirit may lead us to certain banks for a loan, only to be denied by the bank. Or, that’s why the Holy Spirit may lead us to apply for a certain job, only to be turned down for the position. This seemingly negative leading is for the spiritual development of our faith and patience and our faith and patience will reveal what God has promised to us.

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.

Most of the time, we thank God for protecting us from things that are known to us. We thank God for protecting us from that car accident or the layoffs at our job, but have you ever thought about the unknown? Have you ever thought about and thanked God for protecting us from things that are unknown to us?

It literally is an endless list we can go through regarding the things God keeps us from.  First of all, we can look through all the diseases known to man and thank God He protects us from 99% of those diseases (Ebola, Alzheimer’s disease, Polio, etc.). Secondly, we can look at all the crimes that can be committed and thank God we don’t experience them on a daily basis (robbery, assault, murder, etc.). We can also thank God for protecting us from the many hazards we could experience in our daily commute (accidents, tornadoes, flat tires, etc.).

For those who are looking for a reason to praise and thank God, start thinking about the unknown. It should magnify our appreciation for our Savior (Jesus) and all He has done.

2 Thessalonians 3:3 But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.

After a tragic event such as, a car collision, a negative report from the doctor, or even a layoff at our job occurs, the first thing we must do is be mindful of our speech. Death and life are in the power of our tongues and what we say (good or bad) will come to pass in our lives (Proverbs 18:21).

Along with our speech, the second thing we need to be mindful of is our belief. Who do we believe? Doctors, “experts”, or family members will have something to say after we experienced a tragic event. Some things we hear are facts, some things are true, and some things are lies. 

We have to align the things that people say with the Word of God and what God promised us. If what others say doesn’t line up with the Word of God, we must replace their words and believe the truth. 

If a doctor says, you or your wife are prone to miscarriages, we have to replace what they said and believe the truth that you or your wife will not miscarry based on God’s promise found in Exodus 23:26 – and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span. 

If someone says, without employment they are going to foreclose on our house. We, in return, must replace what they said with God perfects everything concerning us including a mortgage payment (Psalms 138:8).

Whatever we hear during a tragic event, it’s our choice to believe and receive that word. If it doesn’t align with the Word of God, throw it out and believe the truth. 

Mark 11:23 (NLT) I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart.

A person is involved in a head-on car collision with a drunk driver. The person suffers from a broken leg, broken ribs, and concussion like symptoms. One of the broken ribs has punctured a vital organ. The doctors have them sedated to limit their movement and to prevent further injury.

When a tragic event occurs in our lives or in another person’s life, the first thing we must do is be mindful of our confession. Proverbs 18:21 says, death and life are in the power of the tongue. A lot of people may ask questions about the incident. We don’t want to go around speaking death into the situation or talking about what could happen. As long as we’re speaking death into the situation, that’s what it’s going to be.

Prior to the accident, the Word of God says, we are healed, we are in good health, and we shall live and shall not die (Isaiah 53:5; 3 John 1:2; Psalms 118:17). Although the situation changed, the Word of God doesn’t change. We or that person are still healed and we will remain alive. Mark 11:23 also says, we shall have what we say. If we want to see the manifestation of divine health, we need to speak it into existence.

This is not an opportunity to argue with the doctors. The doctors are simply stating facts. What we must remember is the truth, in the Word of God, can override facts. Hear the facts, but override them with the Truth.

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

Genesis 3:7 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life.

Adam sinned therefore, the ground was cursed and mankind has to painfully toil for everything he consumes.

In today’s time, due to the cursed nature of the ground, mankind has invented some of the craziest ways to mass produce our food. We have toxic pesticides to kill the bugs and weeds from the crops, hormones injected into some of our meats, and now we’re cloning animals to eat.

With all that’s going on with our food, it gives us a good reason to pray. In Luke 9:16, Jesus gave us an example of blessing our food when he blessed the bread at the Lord’s Supper. Jesus also told us whatever we bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever we loose on earth will be loosed in heaven (Matthew 18:18).

With the authority we have granted to us by Jesus, let’s be sure to bless our food that was created by this cursed ground.

Proverbs 3:4 So you will find favor and good repute In the sight of God and man.

Prior to the resurrection of Jesus, under the law, people had to earn the favor of God and mankind by keeping all the commandments and with good behavior. Since the resurrection of Jesus, under grace, the favor of God is freely available to everyone who believes. The favor of God and grace can be used interchangeably. They both are unearned, unmerited, and freely given.

The favor of God is great, but God also promises favor with mankind. People have free wills. They can do whatever they desire to do. Favor with man is God inspiring somebody, somewhere, to use their power, ability, and influence to help us. Favor with man allows us to receive employment when we’re not 100% qualified for the job simply because there’s “something” about us. Favor with man allows us to receive the employee discount on an item, even though we don’t work there, simply because the cashier “likes” us. Favor with man inspires someone to let us know they’re leaving so we can have a front row parking spot in a crowded parking lot.

The favor of God and man are available to everyone who believes. Receive this favor, expect this favor, and enjoy the benefits from this favor.

Love, God

Numbers 13:31 But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. 32 And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature.

Twelve people went to spy on the occupied land that the Lord promised the Israelites. Ten of the twelve spies returned with an evil or negative report by explaining the land was filled with giants and they were too small to overtake them. Based on their negative report, those ten individuals caused millions of Israelites to grumble and complain.

We see that in certain settings today. If a group of individuals dislike a certain supervisor at work, that negativity can cause other people, who haven’t even dealt with that supervisor, to dislike that supervisor. Another example is if a person didn’t like how the Pastor did a certain thing at church, that person may have the tendency to tell the story of what the Pastor did with a negative twist.

What we can learn from the Israelites is spreading negativity is considered evil in the eyes of God. Their negativity caused the majority of the Israelites not to enter the promised land. We can’t expect to receive the promises of God and be negative or spread negativity at the same time.

Let’s speak life, find the positive, and if we don’t have anything good to say, keep silent.

VICTIM’S MENTALITY: Numbers 13:31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” 

We’ve all gone through difficult times in our lives. Some of us have faced some unimaginable situations such as, neglect, molestation, sexual assault, verbal/physical abuse, and torment. Our response to these difficult times determines if we’ll develop a victim’s mentality. 

A victim’s mentality has two reactions. One reaction, has the person to put up figurative walls around themselves to avoid being hurt again. That person doesn’t get close to anyone, they avoid intimacy, and it’s difficult for them to receive love. The other reaction leaves a person to have negative expectations. A person expects to be hurt, expects to be cheated on in a relationship, and expects things to go wrong. 

Let’s look at the life of Joseph. He had every right to have a victim’s mentality. His biological brothers sold him into slavery; he was lied on and imprisoned, and passed up on a promotion (Genesis 37, 39, 40). However, having a victim’s mentality didn’t get him to the top. What got Joseph to the top was trusting God and keeping his God-given vision in front of him. 

God gave a vision to all of us. Some see themselves to be doctors, CEO’s, or inventors. Regardless of what we’ve faced, trusting in God and believing in the vision He gave to us will eventually bring us to our destiny. “Protecting” one’s self based on fear and having a negative outlook on life will only hinder all that God has for us. Let’s be mindful not to develop a victim’s mentality by trusting in God and focusing on the vision He gave to us. 

VICTOR’S MENTALITY: Numbers 13:30 Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”