Graced To Do God's Will

1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

Do you know who you are? You are heir to the King of every other king that ever did or will exist.

Do your actions reflect who you are? As royalty belonging to the One identified as Love (1 John 4:8,16), we should operate in reflecting the God-love with our actions. We should do things that draw positive attention to our Father to bring glory to Him and attract others to want to be in His presence.

Do you utilize your authority? With expectation of abundance, peace, joy, healing, and love, we should study God’s Word so that we can use His Word (Luke 10:19).

Fulfill your destiny; be who God designed you to be!

Revelation 12:11
“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.”

What does it mean when people say, “I plead the blood of Jesus?” Pleading the blood of Jesus allows our logical mind to wrap itself around the fact that the blood of Jesus has already overcome every situation.
When we plead the blood of Jesus over our finances, what we really are saying is, the blood of Jesus has overcome any lack or shortage in my finances.
When we plead the blood of Jesus over our children, what we really are saying is, the blood of Jesus has given our children the protection that’s needed to stay safe in the world.
Pleading the blood of Jesus does not do anything extra spiritually and it does not make God move quicker. We are simply acknowledging the fact that the blood of Jesus has conquered all.

Revelation 3:8 I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.

What do we have to fear or be anxious about? No man, including us, can close a door that God opens. So, there is no such thing as a lost opportunity for the believer, the man that trusts God. Our role, is to continue to stand strong in faith seeking God (read and declare His Word, pray and praise). Then, expect the manifestation of all that God has promised (Ephesians 3:20, Matthew 6:33, Jeremiah 29:11, Matthew 7:7).

John 15:7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.

Have you ever had someone ask you what you want for Christmas or your birthday and after you give them a response they respond by saying, that’s all you want? They ask this question because they expected for us to say more.

Guess what? God is the same way. When we pray and make our request made known to God, some of us are asking for the most minimalistic thing we can fathom. We lower our needs/desires because…

1. We want to lower our standards so that God can meet our expectations.
-The lower our standards are, the easier God can meet our expectation and if God doesn’t meet our expectation, we’re not too disappointed. This is a lack of faith.
2. We have minimalistic thinking.
-Some of us have been raised not to ask God for anything and if we ask God for something, we shouldn’t be greedy. This is minimalistic thinking. God promises us prosperity beyond our wildest imagination.

We should read the Word of God, know what God has promised, and expect God to manifest what He has promised.

Be Blessed!

During this time of year in America, we often criticize each other for their political views. It seems that politics splits a country apart more than anything else. So many people focus on politics while souls are lost to eternal damnation. Remember, it is God Who brings one down, and exalts another. We may vote on a particular candidate but, our source(s) does not come from the government. Our source is in God.
So, no matter who is in office at anytime, remember, our reliance is in God and since we rely on God, no man nor government can affect our prosperity, wealth, or health.

Psalm 75:7 But it is God who judges: He brings one down, he exalts another.

Be Blessed!

Inspired by: Christine Brown

Romans 8:25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.

Hope is continuous, unwavering expectation. We may grow tired and weary, but our hope does not fail. Continue to seek God purposefully, praise God intentionally, and declare the manifestation of His Word actively.

Proverbs 27:10 Do not forsake your friend and the friend of your father, and do not go to your brother’s house when disaster strikes you–better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.

Previously, we mentioned the traits of being a true friend. We mentioned how a true friend will speak the truth in love, support and encourage one another, and lift each other up in prayer.

It’s great to encourage and lift each other however, we SHOULD NOT do this without the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit, we are acting out of our flesh and no man can please God through his flesh. The Holy Spirit knows exactly what to say, when, and how to say it. If we just randomly attempt to encourage our friend in love on our own accord, they may not be ready or mature enough to receive it yet. That friend may view our encouragement for criticism or “judgement.”

When we’re speaking to a friend or in any arena in life, we should allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us every step of the way.

Be blessed and be a true friend.

Job 3:1 After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth.

Job was at the point of a mental breakdown due to the fact he lost his family, servants, land, and his health. In all of verse three, Job cursed the day of his birth and in my opinion, Job was borderline suicidal. What stopped Job from completely destroying himself was the supporting, yet honest words from Eliphaz, his friend.

Job 4:5 But now trouble comes to you, and you are discouraged; it strikes you, and you are dismayed. 6 Should not your piety be your confidence and your blameless ways your hope?

Many times, we think that being a good friend is talking on the phone daily or regularly attending birthday celebrations. A true friend will speak the truth in love. A true friend will support and encourage one another when the other is down and out. A true friend will sincerely lift their friend up in prayer. When we see our friends destroying themselves verbally, physically, or through sin, and do nothing, we are doing a disservice to that person. If we allow those self destructive things to continue, we should ask ourselves, are we truly their friend?

Be a true friend and be blessed.

Hebrews 12:28 Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe;

It’s interesting how most of the world is quick to complain about a certain thing. It’s very rare to have a person be genuinely grateful. For instance, if people are in an office building, they may complain about the temperature being too hot or too cold. They may call maintenance to work on the temperature to get it exactly how they want it. Once the temperature is just right, some people may be grateful but, a large majority will never say anything.

This is the same attitude some Christians have towards God. When things are not the way we want them to be, we’re quick to complain but, slow to praise and worship. We should praise God in spite of our situation. Our problems and issues should never outweigh our attitude towards God. Some of us don’t even say thank you. We should be grateful for the things that God has blessed us with. Some of our blessings may be ten years old but, God still blessed us with it.

Look over your life and be grateful for all the spiritual and physical blessings God has blessed you with and don’t forget to say thank you.

Be Blessed!

Luke 18:1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.

Psalm 119:148 My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises.

A lot of people have the misconception that when we pray and spend time in the Word of God, God will reward us with blessings. They think the more you “do” the more He will bless. That’s not true. We are blessed because we are the righteousness of God. We are the righteousness of God because of Jesus. Because we are the righteousness of God, we are entitled to every spiritual blessing in heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3).

When we spend time in prayer and meditating on God’s Word, we are doing this for our benefit and the glory of God. Prayer and meditation puts our spirit in a position to hear God clearer. Prayer and meditation strengthens our faith to believe in God overriding the impossible. Prayer and meditation allows us to assist others in their growth and development with God.

Grow is God and receive the best.

Be Blessed!

Job 1:20 At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship 21 and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” 22 In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

Job lost his family, his wealth, his possessions and partially his mind. Job went through so much but, never wavered or quit on God. As soon as we get rejected for a career we desire, we want to quit on God and lose faith in Him. We need to go to the next level in our commitment, trust, and dedication to God. There is only one man who had a more difficult time than Job and that was Jesus Christ. With all the difficulty Jesus faced, Jesus allowed His joy to override the pain of death and separation from the Father.

Our problems and issues may seem big as we go through but, if we think about all that Job went through and all the suffering Jesus endured, our problems seem minimalistic.

Keep the faith and stay strong and trust and keep trusting God in every situation.

Be Blessed!

Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Righteousness is only achieved one way; through Jesus Christ. Those who desire to receive this righteousness will be filled or satisfied.

Have you ever felt like something was missing in your life? Well, that void space was created by God and can only be fulfilled by God. A relationship won’t be able fulfill that void; a great career won’t fulfill that void, and money won’t fulfill that void. God, through Jesus Christ, is the creator and fulfiller of that void. Accept Jesus Christ and be completely satisfied.

Be Blessed!

By grace we are saved; through the sacrifice of One we are made righteous (Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 5:19). Those things are true and not contingent on anything we do.

But, to experience the totality of what God has to offer, we must:
A.) Meditate on the Word, by reading, hearing, and declaring It.
B.) Bear fruit, by expecting the manifestation of the impossible, and giving glory to God as others witness it unfold.
C.) Abide in God-love, by keeping the new commandments, love one another with God-love, deny self, carry our cross, and follow Jesus (John 13:34, Matthew 16:24).

We will then experience relationship with God, possess full joy no matter the situation, receive all of our requested desires, overcome the world, and help attract others to God.

John 15: 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. 9 As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Fathers commandments and abide in His love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.

Habakkuk 3: 18Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. 19The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like deer’s feet, and he will make me walk upon my high places.

Psalm 71: 8 Let my mouth be filled with your praise and with your honor all the day.

We always have the option to praise. Regardless of the situation, we find our joy, strength, and peace in God. But first, we choose to praise!

1 Chronicles 16:34 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

Have you ever heard the term too good to be true? Many times people make that statement based on a negative experience they had or a negative experience they heard about.

Unfortunately, people subconsciously put God in that same category. Some people think it’s too good to be true that God forgives ALL our past, present, and future sins once we accept Jesus Christ as Lord (Colossians 2:13). They feel like you have to do more to be forgiven. Some think it’s too good to be true that we are made righteous based on our belief alone and not works (Rom 3:22). Some people and other religions believe our righteousness is based on our good works. The biggest and the saddest one of all is that some think it’s too good to be true that no matter how far we’ve strayed from God and His ways, He still loves us unconditionally (Rom 8:38-39).

Yes, God is that good. Put your thoughts, ideas, misconceptions and unbelief away and believe God and His Word.

Many times, people miss some of God’s greatest creations because of fear. Some people don’t take the opportunity to see foreign lands because they’re afraid to fly. Some people miss some of the most beautiful beaches because they’re afraid to be on a cruise ship. Some people miss some of the greatest adventures and thrills because of fear.

My question is, why???

In my opinion, the fear is not in the action of flying or cruising. At the end of the day, the fear is death. Some people magnify the fear of death over the Word of God. God instructed us to not be afraid (Isaiah 43:5). Psalm 28:7 says God is our shield or protection. Luke 10:19 says nothing by any means shall harm us. Jesus died on the cross and took the power of death away from Satan. This means, for the believer, death has no power over us. With all these scriptures regarding no fear and God’s protection, we should not have any reason to be afraid.

So, enjoy life and experience new things. Be a part of what God created and remove yourselves from the Spirit of fear.

Romans 8:15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”

Romans 5:17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

 Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–

We were destined for hell but, the grace of God saved us through His Son Jesus, made us righteous (in right standing with God), and allows us to have every promise of God.

 Today’s focus is how grace made us righteous.

Once we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior (Romans 10:9) we are made righteous. We were destined to be judged and punished but, the grace of God allowed us to be in right standing with God. It seems, the longer some Christians walk with God, the more they rely on their merits and efforts to be righteous instead of God’s grace. We can’t read the Bible enough, pray long enough, or go to church enough to make us more righteous than we already are. A lot of times, people forget that it was grace that saved them and not their works. Interestingly enough, the more righteous works they do, the more they criticize someone else who is not “doing” as much as they are. Don’t get me wrong, righteous people are supposed to do righteous works but, righteous works do not give us the title of righteous.

 Remember, we should rely on the grace of God and make our righteous works a personal way to grow in the Lord.

1 Timothy 1:2 To Timothy my true son in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

2 Timothy 1:2 To Timothy, my dear son: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

2 John 1:3 Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love.

It’s interesting to see grace, mercy, and peace be at the beginning of these letters. Could it be that the early Christian magnified something we often minimize?

*Grace. Grace is the God given ability to do something we cannot do on our own. For example, it is by the grace of God we are saved, it is by grace we are made righteous, it is by the grace of God we receive the promises of God.
*Mercy. Mercy is the reason why we’re not all dead, ill, and hell bound. It was Jesus Who died for us and placed His blood on the mercy seat of God. Through the blood of Jesus, we can now receive God’s mercy. Anytime we miss the mark, God looks at the blood of Jesus on the mercy seat and grants us mercy. His mercy is endless.
*Peace. When we know we have God’s ability on top of our human ability (grace) and we receive God’s mercy for every deliberate or unintentional sin we commit, we can live in peace. In any situation we can count on God’s ability to get the job done and receive mercy along the way therefore, we have peace.

Receive and walk in this grace, mercy, and peace that is freely available to all believers.

Accept Christ

Mark 9: 23 Jesus said unto him, If you can believe, all things are possible to him that believes.

Why would Jesus say, ‘if?’ Belief seems easy. We can believe a chair will support our weight. So, if we say we believe that Jesus is God’s Son, who died on the cross for our sins so that we can spend eternity with our Creator (John 3:16), then why would it be hard to believe the rest of God’s Word? Our belief must be tied to our faith, not our sight. Just like we sit in chairs often without reservation, we must choose to remain in faith for the manifestation of our beliefs. Faith is fact; believe without doubt.

Matthew 17:20 He replied, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Psalm 145:17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works
Romans 5:19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

God is righteous. When Adam sinned, he tainted our appearance, so that we could not experience the original design of our relationship with God. The law was then created to make us aware of how sinful and imperfect we were and so that we could try to be righteous and enter back in to that relationship with God. But, the law was impossible for most to follow. So, God sent the ultimate sacrifice, and the moment we accepted Jesus as Savior, we were forever deemed righteous. If you believe in the power of that sacrifice, then believe that just as we did nothing other than believe to become righteous, we also can do nothing to lose that right standing before God, other than to not believe. Fully accept God’s gift, choose to honor Him with your life for it, and declare and receive every promise of God for the righteous (Promises of God: http://www.seekgod.org/bible/righteous.html ).

Matthew 9:29 says, Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith will it be done to you”;

Notice, it says according to our faith, not according to God.
There is an old religious mindset that says whatever happens in our life is the will of God. Whatever God allows us to have, is the will of God. That’s not true. The will of God is in the Word of God and the Word of God promises us an abundance of things including our personal desires.

God desires what we desire. If He didn’t, He would not have said it in Psalms 37:4 “I (God) will give you the desires of your heart.” If we want a three bedroom house, God desires a three bedroom house for us. If we want a Mercedes-Benz, God desires a Mercedes-Benz for us. Anything that pertains to life and godliness, God is willing to provide those things to enhance the quality of our life.

Once again, it’s according to our faith. Everyone’s faith is going to be different. Someone may desire and have the faith for great wealth and great possessions while another may have the desire and faith to just have enough money to pay their bills. It’s not wrong or materialistic for the first person to desire a surplus of things because it’s according to their (individualistic) faith. We shouldn’t look down at the person for wanting great possessions. Personally, I believe if God said it, I should expect it.

Whatever you desire from God will be possessed by your faith.

Acts 23:11 The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.”

God has done some amazing things in our lives. We know it was not our education, our efforts, our morals, or intellect that got us this far. The blessings we received start and end with God and God alone.

Testimonies are not strictly for church settings. What good does it do to tell your story to a believer who knows about the goodness of God and is experiencing blessings themselves? We should be telling our story to the man who has not been to church in years and may be depressed. We should be sharing the goodness of God to the single mother with three children who needs government assistance. We should be telling our story to anyone who is willing to listen.

Sharing the goodness of God will ignite people’s faith. It will give them the hope, courage, and stamina to continue moving forward. It will allow people to focus and place their total trust in God. Whether in the work place or in a casual conversation, never be ashamed or too proud to express how good God has been.

You never know, your testimony may save someone’s life.

Express it!

Knowledge is important in every arena of our lives. Without knowledge, we are sure to reap destruction. The most important kind of knowledge is spiritual knowledge because without spiritual knowledge, we are destined to be destroyed by the work of the enemy.

However, there are other areas of knowledge we should obtain or else, we’ll reap destruction.

If we don’t have knowledge regarding money, our finances will suffer.
If we don’t have knowledge of a healthy relationship, our marriage will suffer.
If we don’t have knowledge of networking, our careers and businesses will suffer.

It’s important to seek:
1. The knowledge of God and His Word.
2. The knowledge of whatever else we desire out of life.

Get Knowledge!

Hosea 4:6 my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. “Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children.

Jude 1:21 Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.

The Bible says, WE must keep ourselves in God’s love. This is our responsibility.

Everyday there will be tests and trials that attempt to get us out the love of God. Someone may cut us off while driving, a supervisor may micromanage our work, and out of nowhere, we may even get cursed out. These are all tricks of the enemy to get us out of love. The enemy knows that faith works by love (Gal 5:6). If he can get you out of love, our faith won’t work. If our faith doesn’t work, we can’t receive the promises of God.

Love your brother and your sister. Be kind and courteous to your neighbor. Pray for your enemies and all who persecute you. And, keep yourselves in the love of God.

Are we willing to declare what God told us even when it doesn’t make logical sense? Many people set faith levels based on what they can make happen. Maybe they are afraid that God will look bad. Many people consider themselves ‘realists’ and their expectations align with what they deem logical. And if something extraordinary occurs, they say praise God for that miracle, but they don’t reposition their faith levels to believe and declare the impossible again. They move through life being pleasantly surprised every so often.

As believers, we are directed to have faith. Faith goes beyond what we can manifest with our own ability. Faith trusts God completely and declares what God says even if it is deemed unrealistic by world standards. Activate and remain in faith, and expect manifestation.

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Emotions can sometimes lie to us. Our emotions arise from our souls, and our souls are the middle-ground between our flesh and our spirit (as believers our spirit posses the Holy Spirit, or God’s thoughts, 1 Corinthians 2:11-12).

Some emotions start from the flesh which, contrary to appearance, is the impermanent part of us. We can feel alone, but God said He would never leave us (Joshua 1:5). We can feel unattractive, but we were masterfully created (Psalm 139:14). We can feel unhappy, but joy is a un-fleeting gift from God (John 15:11). So, when our emotions attempt to convince us of inaccurate truths, we audibly and repeatedly replace those thoughts with the truth of God’s Word.

John 8: 31Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If you continue in my word, then are you my disciples indeed; 32And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Genesis 15:13 Then the LORD said to him, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years.

Most of the time, when God speaks, people want to hear something positive and uplifting. We want to hear we will be debt free in 6 months or we will receive a blessing in the mail. However, there will be times where God will make us aware of certain things that will occur in our future. This is not to frighten or stress us out but, it’s informative. God speaks to us so that we won’t be blindsided with the issues in life.

Receive everything God says and allow His voice to guide your life.

In the law enforcement world, detectives usually need to have concrete evidence or a confession to file a case and convict a person of a crime. Once in front of the judge, if there’s not enough evidence to convict the person of a crime, the charges are dropped and the case is dismissed.

In Revelation 12:10, Satan is known as the accuser of the brethren. Satan, the prosecutor, is in the court room of heaven informing The Judge (God) of every sin we commit. However, over 2000 years ago Jesus, our Defense, sacrificed Himself by taking the judgment, punishment, and paid the price for all sin. With Jesus taking the punishment for all sin, Satan doesn’t have any evidence to support his accusations therefore, the charges are dropped.

Praise God for Jesus.

Because of Jesus, Satan has nothing on us. Never allow Satan’s guilt trip to make you feel guilty of any sin. We are free because Jesus paid it all.

Case Dismissed!

Romans 3:24 Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.

God knew no one in the earth could fulfill the law with their own human abilities therefore; the curse remained in the earth. In order for the curse to not affect people’s lives, the people had to sacrifice approved animals yearly. It was a temporary fix for a permanent problem.

The ultimate solution was Jesus Christ. God sent His Son Jesus the Christ here in the earth as a man to permanently fix the problem for a select group of people. Anyone who believes and receives Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior is apart of that select group. We (Christians) are no longer under the curse of the law.

Therefore we received the following:

Forgiveness

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Health

1 Peter 2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.

Reconciliation

2 Corinthians 5:18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:

Promises of God

2 Corinthians 1:20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.

Victory

2 Corinthians 2:14 Now thanks be unto God, who always causes us to triumph in Christ, and makes manifest the fragrance of his knowledge by us in every place.

Eternal Life

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.

And so much more.

Once again, thank God for Jesus.

When God provides a plan of action, do you follow it, or do you carry out a plan that you believe is more better suited to the way you feel or how you think it would affect someone else?

Do you prioritize time with God consistently, or do you wait until you are feeling overwhelmed and stressed to cry out for help?

Faith is built up daily and consistently. When tough situations arise, if we have already built up our faith (by spending time speaking with God, listening to the Word and reading the Word), then our faith will keep us reminded that we have already attained victory and our faith will see us through the manifestation of that victory.

Hebrews 11: 1Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 6But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

The more Word we receive, the more faith we can use. Faith is not a tool we pick up only when we need something from God. Romans 1:17 says, the just shall live by faith. This means, faith is a lifestyle. It should be a part of our everyday life.

We should be using faith in every area of our lives.
For those of us who may be feeling guilty about the past, we need faith to know we are forgiven from ALL of our sins and we are new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).
For those who may be experiencing financial difficulty now, we need faith to know that God supplies ALL of our needs and we have a promise to be financially prosperous (Philippians 4:19; 3 John 1:2).
For those who may be stressed or worried about their children, we need to have faith to receive our peace and know that the seed of the righteous shall be delivered (John 14:27; Proverbs 11:21).

We can’t have faith for something we don’t know. Turn off the TV, get off the phone, read and receive the Word of God, and live by faith.

Romans 1:17 For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

Everybody is busy. We all have plans and schedules we must follow throughout the day. Some have business meetings scheduled while others have lessons to plan. We have to study, practice, rehearse, and socialize. We haven’t even included our spouse and children yet. The point is, we all are busy.

But, what about God?

Are we so busy until we can’t take at least ten minutes to pray to God? Are we so busy until, we can’t go to church because we need “me time?” Is our schedule so packed until we can’t open our Bibles and read? If it were not for God, we wouldn’t even have that busy schedule. It was God who blessed us with that job with all those meetings. It was God who blessed us with a talent and we need to practice. It was God who blessed us with those children we have to make time for.
Never forget the Source of all your fruits. Give God His due.

Deuteronomy 8:10 When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. 11 Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day.

Inspired by: Pastor D. Golden

1 Corinthians 10:13 There has no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above that you are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it.

Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

But God is faithful – However inconsistent we may be, God remains the same. God is always the solution. If we are giving our all, or feeling overwhelmed, stressed, or as if we keep failing, we should re-direct our focus from us, our situation, and other people, to God. If everything is ideal, and life couldn’t be better, we should direct our focus to God. As God is faithful, we should strive to be faithfully consistent in our pursuit of Him. When our relationship with God is our priority, we hear from Him clearly, obey Him promptly, and walk in our victory.

In Genesis 1:26, God gave dominion over the earth to man. If anything would be done in the earth, it would be done through a man. That’s why God elected not to intervene when man first sinned in the Garden. If God would have intervened, He would have violated His Word. God placed His Word higher than anything else (Ps 138:2).

Satan knew this about God and for a while, he used this for his advantage. However, God had a trick up His sleeve. God took a piece of Himself, wrapped it in flesh, and named Him Jesus. When Jesus operated in the earth, He operated in the form of a man, not God. Jesus came to fulfill the law and not sin (Matt 5:17). Jesus was an innocent man.

When Jesus died on the cross, His innocent blood was shed for the remission of sin for all mankind. This destroyed Satan’s empire in the earth. Dominion was returned to man. We now have the opportunity to live blessed and free because of Jesus the Christ.

Thank God for Jesus.

Once again people of God we must be mindful of what we say. Our words do have power. A lot of times we hear people say “life is too short for…” When we make that statement, we literally shorten the days our life. God promised us a long prosperous life and he fully intends for us to live it out.

Matthew 12:37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Speak Life

It’s important for the believer to have and be filled with the Holy Spirit. We also need to be sensitive to hear and obey the voice of the Holy Spirit in every area of our lives. The Holy Spirit will prompt us to do or not do certain things for our good.

For example, the Holy Spirit may prompt us not to take a certain path home or prompt us to invest our money in a certain financial opportunity instead of another. The Holy Spirit may give us an immediate reason why or He may allow the reason to be revealed in the future. Whether the reason was given or revealed, we should have an assurance to know that His promptings are for our good.

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

You may say, what was good about The Holy Spirit leading Jesus to be tempted? The good thing about Jesus being tempted was it shows the believer how to defend the thoughts, ideas, and suggestions of the enemy. The Holy Spirit may lead us down a path to help another.

BE PROMPTED

Galatians 1:6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! 9As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!

The further we get from the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the more skepticism we have in the earth. From Scientology, to agnosticism, to atheist, a lot of people question the validity of Christianity.

To respond to those skeptics and critics, there are a few things we should remember.

1. Christianity may be classified as a religion but, it really is a relationship. It’s a relationship with God Almighty knowing His Son, Jesus, has died for our sins and is alive sitting at the right hand of the Father.
2. It’s a choice. God loves everyone and He wants everyone to be saved but, He (and neither should we) will not force anyone to be saved.
3. Don’t argue. There are a lot of unexplained things in the earth that we can only attribute to God. If others want to accept it to be a mystery or science, so be it. Wasting time and energy debating the existence of God and His Son Jesus does not bring glory to God at all.

We should continue to pray that the demonic forces blinding their eyes be removed, in Jesus name, Amen.

2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you–unless, of course, you fail the test?

This is an examination.

Many of us claim to have faith in God’s Word. We have promises we say we’re standing on and we say we’re living in expectation.

But, if we are stressed in any kind of way, we’re not truly in faith. If we’re worried about our future, we’re really not in faith. If we’re fearful regarding anything in our lives, we’re really not in faith.

Faith and doubt don’t work together. Examine yourselves to see where you are in faith.

This ends our examination.

Work on it.

Psalm 8:9 O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!

When we were in grade school, the teacher would put one of three things on our report cards. The teacher will put a “N” for needs improvement, a “S” for satisfactory, or an “E” for excellent. Being excellent is one of, if not the highest praises a person can give to someone. Many kings would be addressed as, “you’re excellent.”

If people can award other people the title of excellent, how much more so shall we declare our GOD to be excellent? Everything God does is excellent. God embodies the term excellence. There is nothing in God that needs improvement and there is nothing that is merely satisfactory. God is excellent and we should let the world know.

Be Blessed.

If only we could be totally Spirit-led, how much better would the quality of our lives be? If only we allowed the Spirit to tell us what to spend and when, we would be debt free with an increasing savings account. If we allowed the Spirit to tell us what to eat and when, we would have no weight issues. If only we allowed the Spirit to tell us how much to invest in people and who to invest in, we would have healthy, stress free relationships.

We can be totally Spirit-led. We choose to be willing to ask, listen, obey, and keep seeking God as we continue to grow in this Spirit-led walk.

Acts 15: 8 God knows people’s hearts, and he confirmed that he accepts Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us

1 Corinthians 2: 11No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. 12And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.