Graced To Do God's Will

Colossians 3:2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

If we look in today’s society, the majority of people are chasing money. Once they obtain money, they irresponsibly spend it on cars, clothes, and questionable things.

There is nothing wrong with having money and nice things but, God advises us to set our mind on higher things. If our ultimate goal is to only be rich, our mind is set on things that are beneath God’s standards.

What are those higher things? Those higher things are to establish and develop a personal relationship with God. Once that relationship is developed, we should consult God on His plan for our lives. Once that plan is revealed, we should fearlessly walk out our purpose. Along the way of fulfilling our purpose, we should encourage others to establish and develop a relationship with God.

Remember, those higher things revolve around the Kingdom of God. Set your mind on those higher things and make an impact today.

Psalms 21:1 The king rejoices in your strength, Lord. How great is his joy in the victories you give!
2 You have granted him his heart’s desire and have not withheld the request of his lips.
3 You came to greet him with rich blessings and placed a crown of pure gold on his head.
4 He asked you for life, and you gave it to him—length of days, for ever and ever.
5 Through the victories you gave, his glory is great; you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty.
6 Surely you have granted him unending blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence.

Why does this king get to receive joy and victories? Why does this king get to receive his heart’s desire? Why does this king get to receive rich unending blessings and life extension?
The answer is in verse seven.

7 For the king trusts in the Lord; through the unfailing love of the Most High he will not be shaken.

The king trusts in the Lord and he has internalized God’s love for him. This trust and understanding of God’s love has this king abundantly blessed and unshaken. News flash…this can be us today. When we totally trust God and embrace His love, we are unstoppable.

Trust God with everything and receive His love desperately.

Be blessed!

I John 5:4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

Do we really believe this? When people mistreat us or our family, do we believe that through our faith in God, we overcome? Whether we are unfairly treated, or our children ostracized, God can use even those situations to bring us out on top. That doesn’t mean that God causes those negative things to occur, but that He’s so great at being our loving Father that He can mold, shape, and grow us so that we come through those situations victorious and better than we were. So, release revenge, worry, and doubt and embrace the promises of God for victory, abundance, and joy for us, for our children, and for others.

Romans 4:21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.

John 11:43 When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.” 44 The man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth.

Here, we see Jesus calling the dead back to life. John 14:12 says, whatever Jesus did, we can do also. This means, we also have the authority to bring the dead back to life. This principle works with revitalizing people, circumstances, and things.

For instance, we have the authority to call love, joy, and peace in a seemingly “lifeless marriage.” Our authority has the ability to restore life back into “dead” families, friendships, and church congregations.

Another way we can use our authority is in our finances. We can call life back into our finances. Many of us see our accounts dwindle as time goes on but, we have the authority to restore life back into our bank accounts in order to be the blessing God has called us to be and to enjoy our abundant life.

Exercise this authority and bring the dead back to life.

Every time we look at the blessing of The Lord, the blessing is always associated with increase.

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

Genesis 24:35 The LORD has blessed my master abundantly, and he has become wealthy. He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys.

Genesis 26:12 Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the LORD blessed him.

The blessing has not gone away. The blessing is still in operation today. For everyone who is born-again, the blessing of The Lord is on our lives (Galatians 3:14). However, we cannot receive its benefits without faith. Through our faith, we have the ability to increase in our finances so that we can be debt free in a month, impactful to the world, and an advancer of the Kingdom of God through our giving. The increase is available but, we have to receive it by faith.

Let’s set our mind on the truth that we are blessed and let’s receive the increase of the blessing by faith.

Psalm 3:8 Salvation belongs to the LORD. Your blessing is upon Your people. Selah

In the old covenant, only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place. No man could stand before God with sin. So, when the priest entered the Most Holy Place, he had to have the blood of calves and goats for his sins and the sins of his people.

In the new covenant, when we get born-again, our bodies become the Most Holy Place because we are temples of the Holy Spirit according to 1 Corinthians 6:19. To this day, no man can stand before God with sin. There is something that allows God’s presence to continually dwell in us. That something is the blood of Jesus Christ.

For the born-again believer, we have constant access to the most holy place. Contrary to religious belief, the Holy Spirit doesn’t leave us when we sin. The Holy Spirit is ever-present due to the fact the blood of Jesus Christ continuously flows on the mercy-seat of God. We are forever sealed with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30).

Thank you Jesus for our constant access to God.

Hebrews 9:12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

Isaiah 61:8 For I, the LORD, love justice, I hate robbery in the burnt offering; And I will faithfully give them their recompense And make an everlasting covenant with them. 9 Then their offspring will be known among the nations, And their descendants in the midst of the peoples. All who see them will recognize them Because they are the offspring whom the LORD has blessed.

Any unjust thing that has ever been done to us, we have a promise of recompense. Recompense is compensation or reward given for loss or harm suffered or effort made. Some of us had things unlawfully stolen from us and others were in situations where people physically or emotionally hurt us terribly. Whatever the situation may be, we have a promise of recompense.

There is no need to try to get even with the person who wronged us or become bitter at the world. We are guaranteed recompense. It’s like the situation never happened.

Receive your recompense by faith.

Psalm 138:8 The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.

God has a purpose that He desires each of us to fulfill. This purpose will not be fulfilled automatically. It takes our participation and our willingness to fulfill the purpose on our lives. When we don’t submit ourselves to God and fulfill the purpose He has for us, we will continue to go through the motions of life searching for fulfillment. It’s like having an itch that won’t go away.

Some of us have a purpose to teach in schools and others are purposed to be Chief Executive Officers (CEO) of major companies. To the world, the CEOs appear to have a better purpose on their lives but to God, everyone’s purpose is on the same level.

Spend time with God and find out your purpose. Once that purpose is known, overcome your fears and participate in God’s plan for your life.

John 16:33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

A component of living here on earth is that problems, challenges, and difficulties arise. But, as we face those various trials, we can keep our peace and maintain our joy, because as believers we have a guarantee of victory.

“The truth is, we’ll have problems if we’re believers; we’ll have problems if we’re nonbelievers. But as believers, we’ll also have victories.” ~Joyce Meyer

I John 5:4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

John 16:13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

Whenever we get to a place where we are consistently hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth. This means, everything He says will be true because He speaks on the behalf of the Father.

So, when the Holy Spirit reminds us that by His stripes, we are healed, we have to believe this is true. We can’t doubt or second guess the Holy Spirit’s statements based on how we currently feel. When the Holy Spirit gives us a time frame on how long we will be at a particular job, we must trust Him because He speaks the truth.

Let’s not try to logically figure out the statements of the Holy Spirit. We must accept His truth by faith in order to fulfill the will of God.

God loves us with an unconditional love. Contrary to religious belief, we don’t have to behave a certain way or do a certain thing for God to love us. If we mess up, He loves us. If we repeat the same unholy behavior over and over again, He loves us. If we’re upset with Him, He loves us. God has no terms or conditions when it comes to His love. He simply loves us.

Take the time to internalize His love for you and love Him back.

Romans 8:37-39 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I John 3:16 By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

The ultimate sacrifice for anyone is death. Here, we see in God’s Word that He instructs us to lay down our lives for our fellow brothers and sisters. If God encourages us to pay the ultimate sacrifice for our brothers and sisters, wouldn’t it be reasonable to think that we ought to lay down or do away with less severe things such as pride, resentment, or fear?

We may see a person in need but, we turn the other way because we had issues with them in the past. Throw away that pride. Or, we may feel led to pray for a random stranger but, we’re afraid to walk in obedience because we’re concerned about what they may think or do. Cast that fear into the pit of hell.

As children of God, we have something people need however, if we’re not willing to be obedient and walk in love, we are no different than the world. Once again, if God encourages us to make the ultimate sacrifice for our brothers and sisters, surely we ought to make minor sacrifices for them as well.

I John 3:17 But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?

Matthew 16:¹⁵ “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” ¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” ¹⁷ Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. ¹⁸ And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

Simon Peter received revelation from God. Jesus responded by saying “on this rock I shall build My church.” Some people may think Peter is the rock of the church but, that would be incorrect. Some people may think Jesus is referring to the actual building for the church but, that would be incorrect. The rock that Jesus will build His church on is the rock of revelation and the church is the body of believers.

There are some things that we (the believers) will not be able to get from books and schools. There are certain things that will only come from the Father by way of the Holy Ghost. These things are known as the rocks of revelation. These rocks are not only dealing in spiritual matters but, natural matters as well. These rocks can be ideas and concepts that no one has thought of. For instance, God can reveal the cure for cancer or the next Facebook.

But, how can we receive revelation if we don’t spend time in His presence? Simon Peter received revelation by continually being in the presence of the Son of God. Make time for God’s presence and receive rocks of revelation that will change the world and advance the church.

How many people do you know who specifically pray for their boss or for those in authority at their employment? Not too many. There are a lot of people willing to complain, criticize, or speak negatively towards those in authority but, they don’t pray for change.

We can’t go around the workplace complaining about the administration and expect change. Complaints don’t create change. Prayer causes change. We need to get in the habit of praying for those in authority. If we don’t like something, we need to pray that those in authority receive and operate in the wisdom of God and make Spirit-led decisions.

Bless those who are in authority and expect a positive change for your good.

1 Timothy 2:1 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Psalms 68:35 O God, You are more awesome than Your holy places. The God of Israel is He who gives strength and power to His people. Blessed be God!

John 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

Have something mighty that needs to be accomplished? Whether it’s breaking an addiction or manifesting a miracle, God provides strength and power to us; apart from Him we can do nothing. So, it’s time to rely on God, seek God, and prioritize God in our lives. Let’s listen to sound biblical teaching more than once a week. Let’s study, rather than just read, the Word. And, most importantly, let’s have conversations with, rather than hurriedly list a set of pleas to, God. It’s time to acknowledge and access the source of our strength, power, and success.

2 Corinthians 10:15 Neither do we go beyond our limits by boasting of work done by others. Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our sphere of activity among you will greatly expand,

As long as we live on this earth, our faith should continue to grow. God’s ability is limitless, therefore, our faith should be limitless.

For every born again believer, our faith starts with believing that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and He died for our sins. After this first step of faith, it’s up to us how much we want to grow in our faith. God desires for us to go from one level of faith to another level of faith but, He is not going to force His will on our lives (Romans 1:17).

The level of our faith is up to us. We can stay on the first level of faith and leave the remainder of life to chance or, we can continue to grow in faith, take control of life, and experience ALL of the promises God desires for us to have. It’s up to us.

I encourage everyone to grow in faith and experience God’s best.

For you are a holy and set-apart people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a special people to Himself out of all the peoples on the face of the earth. (Deuteronomy 7:6 AMP)

For every born-again child of God, we are different. God never intended us to be ordinary and we were never meant to blend in. This difference may cause us to be mocked and this difference may cause us to lose some “friends” but, that’s okay. We were hand chosen by God and we have a purpose.

Our purpose is to be lights of the world, attracting everyone out of darkness (Matthew 5:16), to be the salt of the earth, making the Word of God more appealing (Matthew 5:13), and to be witnesses unto Jesus Christ to all nations (Acts 1:8).

Recognize who you are and Whose you are and realize it’s okay to be different.

1 Peter 2:15 (AMP) For it is God’s will and intention that by doing right [your good and honest lives] should silence (muzzle, gag) the ignorant charges and ill-informed criticisms of foolish persons.

People are going to talk, haters are going to hate, and gossipers will gossip but, keep doing right. Our righteous lifestyle is promised to shut up the critics and naysayers of this world. Every lie that is told about us will dissipate.

We don’t have to say anything, argue with anyone, or get even. All we have to do is, do right. Follow the ways of God and allow His righteousness to be expressed in your daily living.

Keep Calm and Do right.

1 Kings 17:12But she said, “As the LORD your God lives, I have no bread, only a handful of flour in the bowl and a little oil in the jar; and behold, I am gathering a few sticks that I may go in and prepare for me and my son, that we may eat it and die.” 13Then Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go, do as you have said, but make me a little bread cake from it first and bring it out to me, and afterward you may make one for yourself and for your son.

Note: When we yield ourselves to the little things, God can entrust us with great things.

Some of us want great revelations, ideas, and insight from God but, we won’t yield ourselves to smaller things. For instance, when God tells us to apologize to someone, we want to make excuses for ourselves, blame the other person, or just become stubborn and not do it. How can we receive great things without doing the seemingly minor things?

Every time we overcome our flesh and do the things God asks of us, we become more intimate with God. We kill another portion of our flesh, we increase our sensitivity with God, and we become more available to God.

Start working on the little things and watch God download great and mighty things into your spirits.

1 Kings 17:15 So she went and did according to the word of Elijah, and she and he and her household ate for many days. 16The bowl of flour was not exhausted nor did the jar of oil become empty, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke through Elijah.

And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. And God blessed (spoke good of) the seventh day, set it apart as His own, and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all His work which He had created and done. (Genesis 2:2, 3 AMP)

We are made in the image and likeness of God. This means, we can use our faith and call those things that be not as though they were, bind and loose things on earth, and based on this scripture, we can bless our days. A basic definition for blessed means empowered to prosper.

We have the ability to prosper our days before they even start. We don’t have to settle with whatever the day presents. We can take control, release our faith, and call our days blessed.

So, this day, we call you blessed in Jesus name, Amen.

Start speaking to your days.

John 20:17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’ ”

Notice how Jesus makes the distinction that He will be ascending to both His God and His Father. When we become born again, we have to see God as more than the Creator and Ruler of the universe. We have to see God as our Father.

By labeling God as our Father, we establish a more intimate relationship with Him. We let ourselves know how committed He is to us. We solidify His love for us. We are encouraged daily and confident always because we know Who our Father is.

Our Father will never leave us or force us out as we mature. Our Father will always be our Provider, our Protector, and our Advisor for eternity.

Establish a relationship with God and make Him your Father today.

Happy Father’s Day God

And Hobab said to him, I will not go; I will depart to my own land and to my family. And Moses said, Do not leave us, I pray you; for you know how we are to encamp in the wilderness, and you will serve as eyes for us. And if you will go with us, it shall be that whatever good the Lord does to us, the same we will do to you. (Numbers 10:30-32 AMP)

It’s always good to be attached to people being led by the Spirit of God. By associating ourselves with Spirit-led people, we reap the benefits from God’s anointing on their lives. For instance, in Genesis 13, Lot reaped the benefit of Abraham’s blessing.

This reaping could happen to us. We may be attached to someone who received a revelation from God on how to cure cancer. By being attached to that person, we may be internally fulfilled and financially rewarded. We may be attached to someone who has revelation knowledge on marriage and relationships. That revelation knowledge has the potential to keep our marriage together. We may be attached to a person with extensive knowledge on operating a business. That knowledge from that person can positively impact our businesses.

Let’s not take it to the point where we befriend people based on what they can do for us. But, let’s be mindful that God raises up somebody, somewhere to use their power, ability, and influence to help us. Don’t miss out on the favor of God through attachment.

Genesis 12:2 states we are blessed to be a blessing. From this scripture, we can see that God had more than us in mind when He blessed us. Unfortunately, this is also true with Satan’s plan for our lives.

When we experience hurt and pain, Satan will attempt to use this hurt and pain to hurt someone else. For instance, if we were rejected by our earthly mother or father, Satan will attempt to use this rejection to hurt someone else in our future. The hurt from the rejection may be carried into our marriages. Now, our spouse experiences a sense of rejection because we’re too afraid to give them our all. If it’s not handled properly, our spouse may end up hurting someone else. Or, we were verbally abused by someone in our past. The hurt from this abuse may linger in our lives. Now, we’re a professional verbal abuser and we’re quick to verbally abuse someone else before they abuse us.

This contamination, inspired by fear, is poisoning everyone we come into contact with. In order to release the hurt, we have to…

1. Trust God with our past, present, and future hurts and pains (Proverbs 3:5)
2. Give our cares, hurts, and concerns to the Lord and leave them there (1 Peter 5:7).
3. Forgive our offenders (2 Corinthians 2:3-11).
4. Allow the blood of Jesus to remove the sting of the previous pain (Hebrews 9:14).
5. Remove the spirit of fear and give others the love that is owed to them (2 Timothy 1:7; Romans 13:8).

The devil will only succeed with using our pain to hurt someone else if we let him. Otherwise, it’s only an attempt.

2 Corinthians 2:11 (ESV) so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.

Inspired by Pastor D @ thencfc.com & Joyce Meyer

John 15:11 “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.

Joy is something that can only be given by God. Positive situations can make us momentarily happy, but God is the only source for a lifetime supply of joy. Joy is something we experience in spite of situations, circumstances, and issues. Like everything else we receive from God, joy has to be received by faith.

It takes faith to receive God’s joy after recently experiencing a death in the family. It takes faith to receive joy when we cannot naturally see how God will manifest Himself. It takes faith to have joy when the doctor gives a negative report.

We exercise our faith for so many things. Let’s start exercising our faith to receive the joy of the Lord.

Psalms 1:2 But his delight and desire are in the law of the Lord, and on His law (the precepts, the instructions, the teachings of God) he habitually meditates (ponders and studies) by day and by night.

Our flesh hates studying and meditating on the Word of God. It hates turning off TV shows, getting off Facebook, and hanging up the phone with our friends. Our flesh despises the Word of God but, that is one of the most beneficial things we can do.

We can expect the following after meditating in the Word of God:
Psalm 1:3 And he shall be like a tree firmly planted [and tended] by the streams of water…
1. The Word of God keeps us anchored. We’re unshakable when we have true knowledge and confidence in the Word of God. No situation, circumstance, or troubling experience will make us lose hope in the Word of God.

2. …ready to bring forth its fruit in its season;…
The Word of God will position us to be in the right environment to be fruitful and productive. No longer will we have to rely on our worldly education and experience. The Word of God will cause us to be fruitful.

3. …its leaf also shall not fade or wither;…
The Word of God will keep us rejuvenated. When everyone else is drained due to certain circumstances, we will be energized, inspired, and empowered.

4. …and everything he does shall prosper [and come to maturity].
The Word of God will cause us to prosper in everything we do. There will be no more try and fail. We have a guaranteed promise of prosperity. And when that prosperity manifests itself, the Word of God will keep us mature to handle it properly.

Let’s spend time in the Word of God and reap the benefits of meditation.

What if I don’t ever get married? What if I can’t have children? What if I don’t have enough money? What if he doesn’t come back? What if she is cheating on me? What if they don’t like me? What if they don’t give me the loan? What if…?

These “what ifs” and more are brought to you by Satan. One of Satan’s goals is to have the believer question the validity of God’s Word. With every goal we try to obtain, these “what ifs” will enter our mind. We succeed when we don’t allow these “what ifs” to enter our hearts. So, instead of meditating on the negative “what ifs,” start meditating on the positive “what ifs.” What if I do get married? What if they do like me? What if they will return?

From there, we can transition to casting down every negative thought and accepting God’s Word as a fact. When we accept God’s Word as a fact, we eliminate “what ifs” altogether. I will get married. I am prosperous. My spouse is faithful.

Accept God’s Word and eliminate the “what ifs.”

2 Corinthians 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Isaiah 40:29 He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength.

So many believers wait until they’re at the end of their strength and then they say, “Well, I guess all I can do is pray.” That’s our greatest weapon! We are called believers because we believe that God loves us and that He is all powerful. With those two truths, and through prayer and faith, we can manifest the impossible. So, let’s choose to surrender our situations to God now, and not wait until we’ve unnecessarily frustrated ourselves trying to do things in our own strength. Trust God, have faith, believe, and with perseverance, patiently await the manifestation of the desired outcome.

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.

Galatians 5:18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

The Spirit of God was given to govern and direct our lives. The Spirit of God is there to fill in the grey areas of our life. The Bible can be truly clear about certain things but, in other situations, it may seem a little grey. One of the main grey areas in our lives is within marriage. We all are different. We have different likes, dislikes, and personalities. The Spirit of God is there to instruct each of us on how to love our spouse.

Men, the Bible doesn’t say how many times a day we need to hug or compliment our wives but, the Spirit knows. The Spirit knows what is too much and what is not enough.
Women, the Bible doesn’t say how often you should compliment or encourage your husbands but, the Spirit knows. The Spirit knows the exact number of compliments for that specific day.

People of God, listen to the Spirit. Invite Him in your home, in your marriage, and in your family. Let Him guide you to authentic holy matrimony.

Ephesians 5:33 (AMP) However, let each man of you [without exception] love his wife as [being in a sense] his very own self; and let the wife see that she respects and reverences her husband [that she notices him, regards him, honors him, prefers him, venerates, and esteems him; and that she defers to him, praises him, and loves and admires him exceedingly].

Men may appear super masculine as if they don’t need the emotional sentimental affection from a woman but, that’s not true. God created the man and He knows exactly what they need. In marriage, a husband has his responsibilities and a wife has her responsibilities. Man has been called to love his wife but, women are called to do a lot more.

Notice/Esteem him: Women, tell your husband how attractive he is. Let him know you see the little things he does to make your life easier. Compliment his good works.

Regard/Admire him: Keep your husbands on your mind. Don’t look at someone else’s situation and admire that. Focus on the good thing God gave you.

Honor/Respect him: As the head of the household, the husband is to be respected. Respect is NOT earned. Respect should be given simply because God said so.

Women, these are the things God commanded you to do in a marriage. At times, it may be difficult and you may not feel like it but, what else is new? Obey God, and reap the reward of a blessed marriage.

Genesis 2:15 And the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend and guard and keep it.

Men: God gave man the Garden of Eden. The very first instructions God gave to man were to tend, guard, and keep the Garden of Eden. These instructions are based off a principle which means, it will work with anything we possess, including our wives. Men, with this information, we can conclude that God desires for us to be attentive to our wives, guard our wives, and keep our wives. This is our God-given purpose.

Have you ever asked yourself, where was Adam when Eve was being led astray by the serpent? By not following the instructions from God, our wives can be led astray after hearing untrue information, left unprotected, and unkempt because they were not kept (Genesis 3:1-4).

Husbands, in order for us to make hell mad with successful marriages, we have to do our part and be the obedient Spirit-led man of the house.

Genesis 6:14 “Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make the ark with rooms, and shall cover it inside and out with pitch.

Luke 17:12 As He entered a village, ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him; 13 and they raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 When He saw them, He said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they were going, they were cleansed.

God told Noah to build an ark and prepare for a great flood before a single drop of rain had fallen out of the sky. For some, this would have seemed illogical, far fetched, and tedious but, Noah obeyed. Jesus told the lepers to show themselves to priests before a single sore or infection was healed. For some, this would have seemed like a suicide mission knowing that they could be stoned if they were seen in a public place with leprosy but, they obeyed.

Noah and the lepers experienced the supernatural when they obeyed God. What far fetched idea has God told you to do? When we believe and act on the Word of God, we set ourselves up to experience a supernatural breakthrough in our life.

Logic, rationalization, uncertainty, and worry are all based in fear. If you know with all certainty that you heard from God, it’s time for you to act.

Act now and see God do wonderful things in your life.

John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

As we face challenges in our life, we have to realize that our posture, attitude, and behavior must reflect victory. If we allow our challenges to negatively affect us, we show a lack of trust in God and we give strength to our challenges.

Acting out our frustrations, by walking around being unkind to people or isolating ourselves, doesn’t bring glory to God. However, if we stand tall and continue to show the love of God to others in spite of our challenges, we let everyone know, including our enemy, that we will not be moved by our challenges.

Walk in victory and know that with every challenge, we win.

2 Timothy 1:3 I thank God Whom I worship with a pure conscience, in the spirit of my fathers, when without ceasing I remember you night and day in my prayers.

Paul writes to Timothy and expresses that he can worship God with a pure conscience. Paul’s background was far from being clean. Paul was Christianity’s biggest enemy by literally killing those who proclaimed the name of Jesus. Paul was a murderer and yet, he states, he worships God with a pure conscience. How can this be? Paul understood that the blood of Jesus allowed him to be forgiven from everything and it cleansed his conscience from all dead works (Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 9:14).

If Paul, with his background, can understand this forgiveness, so can we. The enemy will attempt to make us feel guilty or shameful about our past. That guilt, causes us to partially worship God or in some cases, not worship God at all. That shame, will have us stay home from church because we don’t want to appear “hypocritical.” When those thoughts arise, we have to rebuke them and receive our forgiveness. This is a spiritual fight, so we may have to receive our forgiveness several times a day.

Continue to receive the forgiveness of God and worship God with a pure conscience.

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

The word “men” in this verse includes ourselves and others.

Often in work, people will dictate how they perform based on what they see others do. For instance, if someone observes another person doing the bare minimum, they will do the bare minimum. On the other hand, if someone observes the majority working 16 hours a day, when they don’t have to, that person may feel compelled to work 16 hours a day.

We are held to a different standard because we are led by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:14). If the Holy Spirit instructs us to do a little bit more, we should do more. If the Holy Spirit instructs us to stop on time and go home, we should do just that. Our performance is unto the Lord, not to please or impress men.

As previously stated, the word “men” includes ourselves. Some of us put pressure on ourselves to get the job done. Some of us will sacrifice our sleep, spending time with our families, or going to church just to get the job done. We are called to obey the instructions from God and not our flesh.

Don’t allow peer or internal pressure to push you to perform outside the will of God. Seek God in all that you do and work unto Him.

Colossians 2:10 we are complete in Him.

Through Jesus Christ, we are complete in Him. This means, we lack nothing because we are complete in Him.

We are not lacking in money, confidence, or faith because we are complete in Him.
We are not lacking in friends, in our health, or spiritual maturity because we are complete in Him.
We are not lacking in talents, wisdom, or endurance because we are complete in Him.

Everything we think we need to have a successful life is available to us because we are complete in Him.

Praise God for our completion!

Genesis 3:3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.'” 4 The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! 5 “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

The devil is a deceiver and a liar. Since the beginning, he has deceived and lied to mankind. Satan first convinced Eve that God’s Word was not true and to this day, he has deceived millions of people.

The influence of Satan is high. People have created blogs, billboards, and books denying the existence of God and salvation through Jesus the Christ. Some of these ideas seem logical and convincing. As born again believers, we have to be the voice opposing Satan. We have to convince others that God is real. We have to be the voice in the world telling others about Jesus Christ. We have to be the ones opposing the world’s view regarding our God.

Be that voice for God and don’t let another soul be deceived by Satan’s lies.

Mark 16:15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.

Matthew 19:21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 22 But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.

As we can see, this man’s possessions had him so bound until he chose not to follow Jesus.

After reading these verses, we should ask ourselves the following questions: What has us bound? What thing makes us feel like we can’t be sold out for God?

Is it money? Do we feel like a continuous free-will offering can go to better use than the House of God?
Is it fear? Are we afraid that we would have to give up our “fun,” “friends,” and lifestyle for the sake of Jesus Christ?
Is it shame? Are we worried about being labeled a Christian, hypocrite, or a “holy roller?”
Is it time? Do we feel like we don’t have enough time to pray, read our bibles, or make it to church?

Whatever is holding us back has become our god. The Word of God says nothing shall come before Him (Exodus 20:3). Sold out for God doesn’t mean we’re perfect but, it does mean we are committed to the things of God.

It’s time to reevaluate our priorities and allow God to be first in our lives.

Exodus 20:3 You shall have no other gods before me.

John 11:42 And I knew that you hear me always: but because of the people who stand by I said it, that they may believe that you have sent me.

Last time we looked at this verse, we discovered when we acknowledge that God hears us, we combat the thoughts of the enemy with the power of our tongue and the shield of faith (Proverbs 18:21; Ephesians 6:16).

The second part that should be magnified is the truth that God hears us ALWAYS. Many times when we miss the mark, the enemy will attempt to make us think that God is not listening because of what we have done or are doing. This is a lie. It doesn’t matter how far we strayed from His holy path, God always hears us. When Adam sinned in the garden, when Cain killed Abel, and when the Israelites murmured and complained, God always kept His lines of communication open (Genesis 3; Genesis 4; Exodus 16).

Don’t allow the enemy, religion, or people to make you believe that God is not hearing your prayers. He’s always listening.