Graced To Do God's Will

Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

It was prophetically spoken by Isaiah that Jesus would be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The everlasting Father, and The Prince of Peace. Is Jesus all this and more to us today? He should be.

Everything we have today is because of Jesus. Jesus is…

Wonderful: He took all of our sins away, reconciled us to the Father, and allowed us to receive the promises of God;

Counselor: He encourages us to believe in Him, reminds us to sin no more, and continuously intercedes on our behalf to the Father;

Mighty God: He defeated the power of the enemy;

everlasting Father: We can approach Him at any time, with our most intimate details;

Prince of Peace: Jesus said in John 14:27, peace I leave with you. In times of trouble, chaos, or turmoil we can thank Jesus for providing us with peace to keep our sanity.

The world may look to other things and call them wonderful, mighty God, or peaceful, but we should always look to Jesus.

Colossians 1:9-10 “For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;”

Daily, we come across people who need prayer. It’s easy to pray for people who are in our little circle (spouse, children, parents, and maybe some close friends), but what about everyone else?

The more challenging part is genuinely praying for people who we deal with on a daily basis, but we’re not necessarily close to. It can be a challenge to think of and pray for our supervisors, co-workers, the CEO of the company, customers we deal with, our children’s teachers and coaches. Some of those people make major decisions and they need to be filled with the knowledge of God’s will, wisdom, and spiritual understanding as well.

Instead of only going down our list of needs and desires for ourselves and for those close to us, allow the Holy Spirit to place people in our minds, and pray for them too.

“I’ll pray for you, you pray for me, and watch God change things.”

Proverbs 11:25 (MSG) The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed; those who help others are helped.

As we mature in our relationship with God, we have to be mindful not to only think about ourselves when receiving a blessing from God. We should desire that the promises God gives to us not only benefit our lives, but benefit the lives of others.

Our blessings should cause a chain reaction in the world and in the spirit. For instance, John believes God for a car. John receives that car. Three months later, John’s friend Sam asks John for a ride to a job interview. Sam is blessed with the job. Now, Sam has more money to sow in tithes and offering at his church. Sam’s church offers opportunities for people to give to poor countries across the world. Sam gives; a family is blessed with food, and that family gives glory to God for supplying their needs. This chain reaction blessing started with John believing for a car.

Consider how your desires can be a blessing to someone else, and someone else, and someone else.

Some people choose not to believe in the existence of God due to the current world conditions. They think because they see crime, poverty, and hate, God doesn’t exist.

These same people fail to realize that God gave us free will (Deuteronomy 30:19). God’s not going to force His will on our lives or in our society. What we see in the world is a product of mankind’s choices. Of course, God wants everyone to live peacefully and to do His will; however, we must realize there’s an adversary who influences the minds of people everywhere. Just like in the Garden with Adam and Eve, this adversary influences people to do things outside of the will of God thereby causing chaos in the world.

Another thing these people fail to realize is if God was not present in the hearts of so many, the world would be worse-off than it is today. Every day would be civil unrest. There would be no peace for anyone. The world would be a war zone. Any evil, negative, or perverted thing someone thought of would be committed because God’s promised grace would be removed from the equation.

Remove all doubt. GOD IS REAL. If God wasn’t here, we would know it.

Hebrews 3:4 For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything.

Luke 23:46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.

To achieve His goal, Jesus had to voluntarily commit or entrust His spirit into the hands of the Father. Jesus had a choice. He could have left the earth without fulfilling the will of the Father or achieving His goal, but He decided to trust the plan of God and lay down His life for us.

We all have dreams, goals, and a purpose for our lives created by the Father. In order to fulfill the will of the Father and achieve our goals, at some point, we must entrust our plans into the hands of Father.

It’s totally voluntary. We can spend our entire lives attempting to achieve our goals on our own using our own strength, or we can give our dreams, desires, and goals to God. Looking to Jesus as our example, it appears it’s more beneficial if we entrust everything we have to God.

What’s your decision?

Joshua 10:13 So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, Until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies. Is it not written in the book of Jashar? And the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day. 14 There was no day like that before it or after it, when the LORD listened to the voice of a man; for the LORD fought for Israel.

Have you ever heard the quote, “Time stands still for no man”? Well, as we can see, that’s not necessarily true. Time stood still for Joshua. God is not a respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). What He does for one, He can do for another. Although this was referring to real-time standing still, if a person is willing to believe, any type of time can stand still.

Single women don’t need to rush and get married or have a baby out-of-wedlock for the sake of having a child before a certain age. If they are willing to believe, time can stand still in their bodies and they can have a baby at any age.

As we age, we don’t have to worry about becoming immobile or decrepit. If we’re willing to believe, time can stand still, and our bodies can maintain the mobility of our youth (Psalms 103:5).

We all have a purpose in life. We may become discouraged if our purpose is not fulfilled by a certain age. Regardless of our age, our purpose can still be fulfilled. If we’re willing to believe, time will stand still, and we can do whatever we need to do to fulfill our purpose and enjoy the fruits of that purpose being fulfilled.

Never be afraid of the “time you have left.” God made us rulers over time. Psalm 8:6 says God made us rulers over all the works of His hands. Time is a work of God’s hands, therefore, we are rulers over time.

Be a master of time and let time work for you.

Psalms 150:6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.

There is a difference between praise and worship. We must be mindful to give God both praise and worship.

Praise is an outward expression of gratitude towards someone. God has done some marvelous things in our lives, therefore, we should praise Him. We praise God because He woke us up this morning, provided all of our needs, and sent His Son Jesus just for us to be saved. Once again, praise is an expression of gratitude, therefore, it can be done with anyone who we deem fit to receive praise. We see this in Proverbs 31:28 where a virtuous woman’s husband praises her.

It’s easy for a lot of to praise, but it may be difficult for some of us to worship. Unlike praise, worship is ONLY designated for God (Revelations 19:10). Worship is an intimate moment between us and God where we humble ourselves, knowing we need Him, knowing we can’t make it without Him, and knowing He means everything to us.

Worship may be difficult for some because it makes us vulnerable, often in a public place like church. It forces us to not care about what’s going on around us, who sees us, or what’s going on in our lives.

Be joyous and glad and praise our God for all the wonderful things He’s done, but at the same time, find a moment to worship Him for Who He is in your life.

John 4:23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.

Psalms 100:2 “Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing.”
There are two things we can learn from this scripture.

The first thing is, we should position ourselves to serve the Lord. How many of us are simply going to church or watching the service online without giving or being a part of any ministries? How are we serving the Lord if we’re not giving our time, our talents, and our treasure? Become part of a ministry by singing in the choir, working with the youth, being a greeter, or serving in another capacity.

Secondly, once we’ve crossed the line to serve the Lord, we should serve the Lord with gladness. Has anyone ever seen that usher or greeter that looks mean or is short-tempered and there is no gladness about them? That’s not what God desires. When we serve, we should serve with a spirit of gladness. We should smile, be patient, and be willing to go out of our comfort zone for the Kingdom of God.

After all that God has done for us, serving the Lord is an opportunity to give back. Start serving today.

Philippians 4:9 The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

How many of us can honestly tell another person what Paul told the church? How many of us can confidently tell a person to imitate our lives for their own good?

For starters, we have to live a life worth imitating. That doesn’t mean we have to be perfect in every area of our lives, but our daily effort of pleasing God should be apparent.

Secondly, we need to be in position to have someone follow us. We have to ask ourselves, who are we mentoring? Who are we pouring into? Or, are we perfectly content with obtaining all the wisdom, knowledge, and revelation and keeping it to ourselves? Let’s position ourselves to sow into the life of another.

Finally, we must consistently hear the audible voice of God and read the written Word of God. God and His Word will lead and direct our lives. We can’t teach something we don’t know. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. To build our faith and the faith in another person, we need to hear the Word of God.

Be the example for another.

If someone were to come up to you and ask if you’re going to heaven, your only response should be a confident, “absolutely.” As believers, we should not be in limbo if we’re going to heaven or not. That’s a form of doubt. The prerequisites of eternal life are clear.

-Romans 10:9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

-John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

-John 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.

The only thing we need to do to receive eternal life is to believe in Jesus. Jesus allowed us to receive the forgiveness of all our sins; Jesus allowed us to be reconciled back to God, and Jesus is the ticket to eternal life. Our behavior doesn’t determine our salvation; the number of times we go to church doesn’t determine our salvation, and the amount of money we give doesn’t determine our salvation. Only the belief in Jesus gives us the confidence to say, “I’m saved.”

By responding with, “I hope” or “we’ll see,” reveals doubts we have about what Jesus accomplished for us. Remove every doubt and believe in the finished works of Jesus.

Matthew 14:31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

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

Every believer has some level of faith. Some have great faith and some have little faith. To obtain the desires of our hearts, the Word of God states, we must have the tiniest level of faith (Matthew 17:20).

Along with faith, some believers have hatred in their hearts towards people. Some people still have hatred in their hearts towards a person based on how that person treated them in high school. Some people’s hatred stems a little deeper. Some people have hatred towards a person who abused or neglected them in their past. Some have hatred towards groups of individuals such as, police officers, other races, and people with sexual preferences that go against the ways of God.

As a believer, this can’t be. We can have all the faith in the world, but if hate is in our hearts, our faith won’t produce anything. By having hate in our hearts, we miss out on two major things.

1. We don’t get to experience all the promises of God. The promises of God are received by faith (Rom. 4:16). Since faith works by love, if hate is in our hearts, hate short-circuits our faith.

2. We can’t honestly display our affiliation with Jesus Christ. John 13:35 says, by this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” With hate in our hearts, we can’t honestly say we’re disciples of Jesus Christ.

With the assistance of the Holy Spirit, remove the hate, and maintain the love.

Matthew 7:24 So everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts upon them [obeying them] will be like a sensible (prudent, practical, wise) man who built his house upon the rock. 25 And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.

In order to have this firm foundation, where we’re not destroyed by the issues of life, we must hear and be obedient to the words of Jesus. Let’s discover some of the words of Jesus.

John 14:1 says, “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.

Matthew 22:37 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
-Jesus lets us know we must believe in Him and love.

When we completely believe in Him and all He’s accomplished for us, we’re not stressed or worried about whatever life brings. We know that through Him we’ve been reconciled with God, through Him we’ve been forgiven, and through Him all of our needs and desires have been met. Our faith is in What Jesus has accomplished.

But, we can’t stop there. In order for our faith to work, we must love (Galatians 5:6). We can’t be filled with malice or hate towards God or another person and expect to receive the blessings from God. In spite of what was done to us or how we feel, we must love.

Build a foundation on solid rock by obeying the words of Jesus.

James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

We are not righteous because of works or good behavior. We are righteous because of the sacrifice made by Jesus the Christ (Romans 3:22). It’s because of this righteousness our prayers are not only effective, but very much effective. 

Our prayers are so effective until everything we pray for, that aligns itself with God’s will, comes to pass (1 John 5:15). Healing is in God’s will. Prosperity is in God’s will. Healthy relationships are in God’s will. Stability is in God’s will. Every positive thing found in the Word of God belongs to us. 

Our prayers are not only effective for ourselves, but, if others are willing to believe and receive, our prayers are effective for them. We can pray healing over someone’s body and it will come to pass. We can pray deliverance over someone and it will come to pass. We can pray financial restoration in a person’s life and it will come to pass. 

Let’s take it a step further. Our prayers can also positively effect the world around us. We can pray racism away. We can pray drugs and drug trafficking away. We can pray peace in the earth.  

Using our righteous status, our prayers not only make a difference in our lives, but also in the lives of others and in the world we live in. 

Psalm 99:8 “You answered them, O LORD our God; You were to them God-Who-Forgives, Though You took vengeance on their deeds.”‭‭

God always categorized Himself as a forgiving God. Even during the days of the law, God created opportunities to receive forgiveness through animal sacrifices. He never desires to punish His children, but being a just God, the wages of sin had a consequence. 

God’s desire for forgiveness was so evident until He sent the ultimate sacrifice in His Son Jesus. Through Jesus, we receive the forgiveness of past, present, and future sins, reconciliation to God, and a ticket to everlasting life. 

Never think God is counting up our sins and holding them against us. He always has and always will be a loving, forgiving God. 

Receive His forgiveness. 

1 Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

We all have desires we want now or in our future. Some of us desire a new house, a car, a spouse, cured of a sickness, or debt freedom. Whatever your desire is, think of that desire right now.

As soon as we have a desire in mind, the enemy will begin his attack. He will bombard us with thoughts about why we can’t have that desire, why we don’t deserve that desire, and/or how it’s impossible to receive that desire. If we want to receive that desire, we must combat his attacks with the Word of God. If he tells us we don’t deserve our desire because of what we’ve done in our past, we have to let the enemy know our past doesn’t define who we are because we’re the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21). If he tells us it’s impossible to receive our desire, we must let him know with God all things are possible to those who believe (Mark 9:23).

The enemy is fine if we go through life, simply existing, and not believing God for anything. However, if we have desires and big dreams we want to see fulfilled in our lifetime, we’re essentially creating a battle. When we stay in faith, believing God for those desires, we’re destined to win every battle.

“Fight the good fight of faith. It’s a good fight because we win.” ~Pastor Bill Winston

Psalm 119:16 I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.

Proverbs 4:20-21 My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart.

When was the last time you memorized a verse? We have children do it, but for some reason, when we become adults, we stop. Having the scripture in our hearts is more important now, as an adult, than it was when we were children.

We all have faced difficult times in our lives. The only thing that successfully gets us through those times is our faith in God’s Word. If we’re going through a divorce, we need to be able to recall a scripture that will comfort us. If we’re facing a sickness, we should be able to recall a scripture that speaks on healing. The battleground between what we’re facing and our victory is in our minds. Thoughts will enter our minds attempting to make us think we can’t get through the situations. We won’t always have access to a Bible to find a scripture to stand on. As soon as a thought of defeat enters our minds, like Jesus when He was tempted in Matthew 4, we need to be able to counter that thought with the Word of God.

Whether we’re in difficult times or not, it’s important to memorize God’s Word. It could literally be the difference between death and life.

Philippians 2:14 Do everything without complaining and arguing,

There are a couple of reasons why people complain.

The first reason is a lack of contentment. When people are not content with what they have, they are more likely to complain about what they don’t have. For instance, if a person has a seven-year old car and they are not content, they are more likely to complain about their car when they see the 2016 version of their car. By learning to be content with what we have, we can eliminate complaints from our speech.

Secondly, people complain because of fear based on a lack of trust in God. If our boss has us doing something illogical or an assignment that’s unrelated to our responsibilities, we’ll have the tendency to complain. We complain because we’re afraid our time is being wasted or we’re being taken advantage of by our superior. When we complete the task without complaining, we’re humbling ourselves. For those who trust God, we know that anytime we humble ourselves, we receive more grace and we set ourselves up to be exalted (1 Peter 5:5 & Matthew 23:12).

As believers, we must continue to separate ourselves from the world. The world is full of complaints, but because we are content and we trust God, we do everything without complaining. 

Mark 4:38 Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”

When Jesus was asked by His disciples if He cared about them, Jesus chose not to respond to their question. Instead, Jesus rebuked the storm and questioned His disciples about their faith. It appears the troubling situation shook their faith. 

We all face difficult times in our lives and in those times, we may want to know if God cares about what we’re going through. The answer is yes. It doesn’t matter if the troubling experience is self-inflicted or a product of being in this world. God cares. 

The issues in life will attempt to shake our faith. Some issues can be so difficult until it can have a person second guessing the existence of God. In these times, our faith should surround itself with the following verse: 1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he cares for you. When we know that God cares for us, we have the assurance to know that everything is alright.

Matthew 25:25 ‘And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’ 26 “But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed.

The main idea in this parable is to use what God has given to us.

We all have gifts and talents that have been given to us by God. Some of us are using our gifts and talents and some of us are not. If we’re not using our gifts and talents, we’re operating in a manner that is contrary to the will of God. As we can see above, the Bible refers to this behavior as wicked.

Also, there are people who actually use their gifts and talents, but they’re using them for the wrong purpose. People are using their talents to only better their lives. People are using their talents for major companies who don’t even care about them. People are using their talents to promote sinful behavior. If every believer would direct their gifts and talents for the advancement of God’s Kingdom, the Kingdom of God would be the biggest attraction in the world.

We would have the best singers, dancers, businessmen, lawyers, and engineers all working for the Kingdom. When our mindset is to please God with our gifts and talents, God obligates Himself, in His Word, to make sure all of our needs are met (Matthew 6:33). Let’s use our talents to advance the Kingdom of God.

Romans 2:4 “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?”‭‭

There are some believers who think we need to make a person feel guilty or ashamed in order to get them to repent. They feel like if they expose a person’s sins and tell them they should be ashamed of themselves for doing this or that, that guilt will force them to repent. 

The guilt and shame people attempt to force on others is known as condemnation. Jesus was crucified to remove condemnation from our lives (Romans 8:1). 

God desires His goodness, kindness, and mercy to lead people to repentance. He wants to treat people so well until they feel compelled to turn back to Him. Even if people are not behaving very holy, God still desires to bless them. 

So, let’s not become upset when we see people, who we know are living unholy, get raises on their jobs, new houses, and healed of their sicknesses. That’s God attempting to get their attention through His goodness. Let’s continue to tell others God loves them and He’s not angry with them. As God continues to show His goodness and as we continue to inform people about His love, eventually, people will turn to God and say, “What can I do for You?”

1 Kings‬ ‭17:1 “And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “ As the LORD God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.” 7 And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.” 

Mark 4:39 And he (Jesus) arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 

Here we see two different people at two different times controlling the weather. They are not the only individuals who can control the weather. Through the authority that’s been given back to us by Jesus, we too have the ability to control the weather (John 14:12). So, if we need it to rain, we can call for the rain and if we need it to stay dry, we can stop the rain (1 Kings 17-18). All things are possible if we only believe.

Not only do we have the ability to control the physical weather, but we have the ability to control the spiritual weather occurring in our lives. Some of us are going through a spiritual storm right now. Through our faith in what Jesus has accomplished and using the power we have in our speech, God gave us the ability to call peace to that storm. We don’t have to wait for the storm to pass. We can stop the storm immediately. It doesn’t matter if it’s sickness, stress, or depression, we can stop any spiritual storm.

Let’s start operating in our physical and spiritual authority. It was given to us through the sacrificed blood of the Lamb. Don’t let it go to waste.

Revelation 5:10 And have made us to our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

Through the death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ, we have been made to be kings (you too ladies). It’s the 21^st century and many of us don’t know what it’s like to behave like a king.

A king understands their dominion. In Genesis 1:26, God has given us dominion over all the earth. We have dominion over the economy, animals, crime, the weather, and even time.

Secondly, a king understands their authority in their decree. Job 22:27-28 says, you shall make your prayer unto him, and he shall hear you, and you shall pay your vows. You shall also decree a thing, and it shall be established for you: and the light shall shine upon your ways. When kings decree a thing, they don’t question or hope it’s done. They know it’s done because they’re the king. Jesus has paid our vow with His life. Through His blood, we can decree whatever we desire in His name (John 16:23).

Finally, a king does not debate with anyone. After making a decision, a king does not debate about the decision they’ve made. When we’re standing in faith, especially for something big, we don’t need to debate with anyone about what we believe. We don’t need to reduce our faith to the level of common folk.

Now that we have some understanding of our kingly role, let’s behave like kings.

Psalms 96:9 O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.

Have you ever seen a young child truly worship our God? It’s a beautiful thing. They have their little hands raised singing the songs with a smile on their face. There are no hidden agendas and there are no antics. They are innocently worshipping God. 

Some of us worship because we desire God to move in a certain area in our lives. Some worship because it’s our last desperate attempt to keep our sanity. This type of worship is fine because we’re worshipping God with a purpose. However, if we can find our way back to worshipping God simply because He’s God and He’s good, I believe our worship will be at its purest form. 

The older we get, the purer our worship should be. The more we should be able to reflect on how good God has been in our lives. The deeper our relationship gets with God, the more we can understand His love towards us. 

When worshipping, be optimistic, and think about all God has done in your life. Let go of pride, agendas, and egos and truly worship the King. We’re alive, at this moment, to worship. 

Galatians 5:22 produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Patience is important when it comes to physically obtaining the promises of God. Impatience can lead to a number of things outside the will of God such as, anxiety, disobedience, and doubt.

When the promise is taking too long to arrive, we tend to become anxious and start thinking about ways WE can speed up the process. That was the case in Abraham’s life. Abraham’s promise of a son was taking too long, therefore, he thought he would speed up the process by having a son with his maid (Genesis 16). Some of us get spiritual and think spiritual self-effort is the way to speed up the process, not realizing the promises of God are received by faith (Romans 4:16). We’ll pray or fast two extra hours thinking we’re impressing God to attain the promise.

Our assurance the promise will come to pass is found in the Word of God. The time it takes to physically receive that promise is for our good. How do we know this? Because no good thing does He withhold from the righteous (Psalms 84:11). When God blesses us, He has more in mind than us. That promise we’ve been waiting for will not only positively impact our lives, but it can impact people we haven’t even met yet to bring greater glory to God.

Be patient, continue to trust the timing of God, and know you have the promise.

1 Corinthians 14:2 For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit.

Did you know the signal between a remote control handset and the device it controls consists of pulses of infrared light, which is invisible to the human eye, but can be seen through a digital camera, video camera or a phone camera? Did you also know microwave ovens are so quick and efficient because they channel heat energy directly to the molecules (tiny particles) inside food and microwaves heat food like the sun heats your face—by radiation? Most of us don’t.

We may not know how certain things work, but we still use them. If we can use remotes, microwaves, and other technological items without knowing how they work, we can pray in the Spirit. Just like the remote and microwave, we don’t need to know how praying in the Spirit works, we should just be satisfied with the results.

The results of praying in the Holy Ghost, praying in the Spirit, or speaking in tongues (they’re all the same) are as follows:

1. We edify or improve ourselves (1 Corinthians 14:1-4).
2. We obtain hidden wisdom from God (1 Corinthians 2:1-12).
3. Mysteries are revealed (1 Corinthians 2:10).
4. We build ourselves up on most holy faith (Jude 1:20).
5. We keep ourselves in the love of God (Jude 1:21).

So, begin to make up words as you speak to God. Yes, you may feel foolish. The enemy wants us to feel foolish so we will stop. However, if we press past that temporary distraction, praying in the Spirit will benefit our lives in ways we couldn’t imagine.

Malachi 3:10a “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse…

11 “And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,” Says the LORD of hosts;”

Did you know not only are the windows of heaven opened when we tithe, but God Himself rebukes the devourer just for us?

So many times we’ll rebuke Satan for this or that when in actuality, we don’t need to if we tithe. There is no place in scripture where we are instructed to rebuke the devil. Why? Because God is expected to rebuke the devourer since He expects us to tithe.

When God rebukes the devourer, God is stopping the enemy from devouring anything we desire to prosper. God stops us from being passed up on a scholarship and a promotion. God stops the enemy from devouring the happiness in our marriage. God stops the demonic influences from influencing that bank employee who is attempting to stop us from getting our house. God stops the influences of the enemy from entering the minds of our children.

This is a promise from God. When we tithe, we can place a demand on this promise and expect it to manifest in our lives.

Inspired by the teachings of Jesse Duplantis

Have you ever thought about what we do when we plan? When we plan, we logically strategize something based on the information we know, using the tools at our disposal, and tweak it based on our previous experiences or the experiences of others. The problem with our plans is we often forget about God. 

Sometimes when we plan, we may be setting up a defense against anything God wants to do in our lives. We’ve rationalized how everything is going to work in our heads and we make it difficult for new ideas to come into the equation. Even if it’s a God idea, because we’ve worked the plan out, it takes a forceful effort to deviate from the course.

That’s why it’s so important to consult God from the beginning. Consulting God from the beginning allows God to intervene whenever He desires, it puts us on an earlier pathway to perfection, and it saves us from headaches caused by going down the wrong path. 
Although God gives us free will to plan, His ultimate desire is to have Him guide us every step of the way. 

Proverbs 19:21 Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.

We can’t fully enjoy the promises of God unless we fully trust the Giver of those promises.

God can bless us with a great spouse, but because we don’t fully trust the Giver, we’ll think the spouse God provided is not enough. Therefore, we’ll look for someone “better” or we’ll continue to criticize our spouse in the hopes that they will change to suit our version of “better.” God can bless us with a million dollars, but because we don’t trust the Giver to provide all of our needs, we’ll think that million dollars is not enough. Therefore, we’ll hoard the money thinking God can’t bless us with more or we’ll try one thing after the next attempting to obtain more money in our own power. Even in getting a new car, because a person doesn’t trust the Giver, it’s hard to be satisfied with that new car.

When we trust the Giver, we know that He richly provides us with all things to enjoy (1 Tim. 6:17). When we trust the giver, we know that God is not withholding good things from our lives (Ps. 84:11).When we trust the Giver, we are satisfied with what we have because we know He is our source and He can provide more (Eph. 3:20).

1 Timothy 6:17 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

1 Corinthians 14:40 But all things must be done properly and in an orderly manner.

Just in case you forgot or didn’t know, there is a godly order when it comes to family. For years, we’ve been bombarded with media coverage and TV shows that display and glorify ungodly order. We’ve seen girlfriends living with boyfriends, unmarried couples having children, and single women choosing to have a child based on their age. Some of us have seen so much ungodly order until we’ve accepted it as the new norm.

God’s original design for family can be found in the book of Genesis.
-God made Adam (male) (Genesis 2:7).
-God made Eve (female) and made her Adam’s wife (Genesis 2:22-24).
-Adam and Eve had children (Genesis 4:1).

God is the Creator of our lives and the Creator of family. The order He created is for our best interest. If we choose to trust His plan for our lives, we can experience God’s best in our marriage and for our children. We sometimes go out of order because WE think there is a better way based on our current situation, but as the Bible says, there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. Anytime we go out of order, we let God know we don’t trust Him or His plan.

Now, for those who have already gone out of order, it’s okay. Through the blood of Jesus, God has forgiven you and He can bless you wherever you are. Trust the order of God and know that it works out for our good.

James 2:13 For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Unfortunately, in this day in time, there are still some Christians who are quicker to find fault with someone and tell them they’re going to hell than that God loves them and Jesus died for their sins.

This scripture is a major blow in their overly critical thinking. God’s mercy, which came through Jesus Christ, triumphs over His judgement. We can see this in the fact that God desires for all mankind to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4).

Yes, there are some people who need to get it together, but the same mercy we experienced is the same mercy we should be sharing with others.

Have mercy on your brothers and sisters and allow them to experience the love and mercy of God through you. The mercy and love that we exhibit will be the catapult for people to change.

James 2:1 My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality.

The context of this scripture is about showing partiality towards a rich person versus a poor person, however, let’s look right in the middle of this verse.

“Do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ.” In today’s world, there are so many avenues to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There is the classic word of mouth. We can use our God-given voice to spread the Gospel. There is social media. Daily, we can write encouraging quotes and scriptures pointing to our Lord. We can send a mass text message to everyone we know encouraging them to establish and develop their relationship with God.

The main point is, don’t hold on to the Gospel. The good news of Jesus Christ has benefited us in so many ways. It’s time to give back and show others what He has done for us.

Think of the most outrageous spiritual thing you can do at this point in time. Think of something you’ve read about in the Word of God or heard someone else do. With their consent, think about laying hands on a complete stranger and praying for them publicly at the grocery store. Think about standing in a high foot traffic area and boldly sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Think about calling an acquaintance and telling them God loves them and you do too. 

Everyone’s outrageous spiritual thing is going to be different, but by being obedient to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, we can shock the world. 

The world wouldn’t know what to do if the people of God are constantly expressing the love of God with everyone. The people of God have no problem being radical for God inside the four walls of the church, but it seems like we shrink when we’re standing toe to toe with the world. Some of us feel too embarrassed to share the Gospel, some people are afraid of what people may think about them, and some people are not interested in being radical for Christ. 

Once again, think about the most outrageous spiritual thing God has revealed to you. Have you thought of it? 

Now do it! Be that blessing God has called you to be. Be that vessel for the Kingdom of God. Be the voice of hope in these last days.

What are you waiting for? Shock the world. 

Zachariah 8:13 ‘It will come about that just as you were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you that you may become a blessing. Do not fear; let your hands be strong.’ 

Romans 7:6 But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit.

We’re no longer under or bound by the law. There are benefits by no longer being bound by the law. The main and most obvious benefit is freedom.

One of the things we’ve been freed from is the sense of disappointing God. Under the law, if we sinned, God would be disappointed or even angry with us and He would require a sacrifice for sin(s). That’s not the case under grace. Under grace, Jesus has paid the price for all sin (Ephesians 1:7). Since we are “in Christ,” God sees a new person in us who has never sinned and has been redeemed by the blood of the lamb (2 Corinthians 5:17). Therefore, He’s not angry.

The second thing we’ve been freed from by no longer being bound by the law is the feeling of guilt and shame. Under the law, when we missed the mark, some of us experienced guilt and shame. We felt dirty and unusable to God. Since Jesus paid the price for us and freed us from the law, we can be free from guilt and shame (1 Peter 2:6).

A third thing we’ve been freed from is the worry of our salvation. When people sin, especially if it’s over an extended period of time, they wondered if it impacted their salvation. Because we’re no longer bound by the law, we don’t have to worry about if it affects our salvation. Our salvation begins and ends with believing that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior and He died for every past, present, and future sin. Through Christ, all of our sins have been forgiven, therefore, we are saved and heaven bound.

Praise God for Jesus, Who allows us to experience freedom and not bondage!

A chair is made for a person to sit in. When a person uses a chair as a step stool, they have perverted its use. The chair may accomplish that person’s goal to reach to a higher place, but its use was still perverted. Likewise, a baseball bat is made to hit a baseball. When a person uses a bat as a weapon, they have perverted its use. The baseball bat may be effective as a weapon, but that was not its intended purpose.

Anytime an item is being used outside its original purpose that item is being perverted.

Ephesians 2:10 says, for we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. We were created to do the will of the Father. The Father’s will is in His Word. Anytime we do anything outside of God’s will, our use is being perverted because we’re doing something God didn’t originally design us to do.

Most of us know what’s outside the will of God, but for example anytime we’re fearful, involved in homosexual activity or fornication, we’re living a perverted lifestyle. Anytime we’re gluttonous, hateful, or not consulting God in our decisions, we’re not living in our purpose.

We may live a long and seemingly happy life having some fears or involved in fornication, but we would not be operating in God’s best. When we’re not operating in God’s best, we’re prone to have more challenges in our lives. Also, by walking in disobedience, we forfeit some of the things God has for us.

So, begin or continue operating in the designed plan of God to please God and experience God’s best.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Matthew 12:29 For who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man like Satan and plunder his goods? Only someone even stronger–someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house.

When Adam sinned, Adam gave his power, dominion, and all the promises God had for us to Satan. Satan became the ruler of this world. Through the sacrifice of Jesus, Jesus returned our authority, dominion, and all of God’s promises back to us (Colossians 2:15). For those in Christ, we now have our authority in this earth and we have the ability to bring heaven to earth. 

Although we’ve received our authority, there are still a few areas that have the appearance of being under the control of the enemy. Jesus shows us how to handle the areas where Satan seems to be dominate. Using our greatest weapon, our mouths, we have the ability to bind Satan’s appearance of dominance. Things that look dark, dismal, and disgusting, we have the ability to shine the light of God in that particular area and obtain what He promised for us.

For instance, if a person’s marriage seems to be filled with arguments, chaos, and anger that person has the ability to bind Satan’s activities within that marriage and cause the glory of God to shine bright. They can declare their marriage has peace, joy, and tranquility. Because we have our authority through Jesus, peace, joy, and tranquility has to take place within that person’s marriage. 

Whatever is not looking heavenly in your life, bind the strong man, and declare the perfect will of God in that area. 

Over 2000 years ago, God performed a difficult and seemingly impossible task. He reconciled us back to Himself through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

If God completed such a difficult task back then, why not allow Him to perform minor tasks now. Why not allow God to manage our finances, raise our children, and be our marriage counselor?

There are various reasons why some choose not to give God complete control over their lives. Some of us feel like God won’t handle the situation appropriately or in a timely manner. Some feel like they need that sense of control to handle their own affairs. If they’re not in control, the situation is not being handled. Some think since God gave us a brain and common sense, He wants us to handle the situation and He doesn’t want to be bothered with minor affairs. These are all deceptions of the enemy. The enemy knows if we submit everything to God, everything God is involved in will prosper.

Give God a chance. Allow Him to shine in every area. God created us and He knows what’s best for our lives. Trust Him.

Psalm 62:8 Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.

If you ever asked the question will or can He do whatever you’re believing for, you’re questioning the faithfulness of God.

We all have had thoughts of doubt. The thought of doubt does not make a person faithless. The belief in the doubting thought makes a person faithless.

What we need to do is counter thoughts of doubt with the Word of God. For instance, if a person has a doubting thought of not receiving a promotion, they should counter that thought with Psalms 75:6-7 which states, for promotion comes neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the Judge; He puts down one and exalts another; and Psalms 84:11 which says, for the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.

This requires us to be mindful of our thoughts. If we’re not mindful of our thoughts, thoughts of doubt will settle in our soul, which ultimately leads us to faithlessness.

Take some time to think about what you’ve been thinking about. Compare those thoughts with the Word of God. If those thoughts are contrary to the Word of God, counter those thoughts, and declare what God’s Word says.

1 Thessalonians 5:24 God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful.

Joshua 21:35 Not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.

 Isaiah 55:11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

If we choose to believe, everything God’s Word says about our life will come to pass. Whatever we can think of, that pertains to life and godliness, has the potential to come to pass in our lives.

The following are just a few things that can come to pass in our lives:
-Deliverance from a 10 year drug addiction.
-Freedom from guilt and shame from mistakes we’ve made in the past.
-Debt cancellation.

Our faith gives us access to all of God’s promises. Faith is not complicated. Faith simply believes what God’s Word says. If we believe it, it will come to pass. Partner with God’s plan for your life. Through Christ, God has made all His promises available to us. Implement your faith to receive the promises God swore to give you.

It’s our decision if we’re going to have a good day or not. Are we going to let the present circumstances affect our attitude throughout the day? Are we going to allow what may happen in our future make us anxious? Are we going to be continuously bothered by what occurred 10 years ago? 

Regardless of the situation, we have control over our own emotions. If we allow any situation to negatively affect our mood, attitude, or behavior, we gave that situation or the person in that situation too much power. Contrary to popular belief, God gave us authority over our emotions. It’s a cop out to say, “I can’t help how I feel.” 

By having God-given authority, strength through Jesus, and power through the Holy Spirit we can overcome anything, including our emotions. 

God has given us dominion over everything He’s created (Psalms 8:6). Since He’s created our emotions, we have dominion over our emotions. Today and from now on, let’s take control over our emotions and enjoy our lives. 

Psalms 8:6 You have given him dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet,

John 8:24 Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.

Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees. The Pharisees were individuals who, through their own efforts, attempted to keep the Law. The more law they kept, the more righteous they thought they were. Regardless of how well they kept the Law, Jesus states if they don’t believe in Him, they will die in their sins. 

This is still true today. It doesn’t matter how many acts of kindness we do or how many laws we’ve kept, if we don’t believe that Jesus is the Son of God and He died for our sins, every good thing we’ve done will be for nothing and we will die in our sins. 

“If I’m wrong about Jesus then I’ve wasted my life. If you’re wrong about Jesus, you’ve wasted your eternity.” -Lecrae 
The risk of rejecting Jesus is not worth it. Accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior today. 

*If you know anyone who is unsaved or you’re unsure of their salvation, I encourage you to share this message with them.