God’s Will For You

Ephesians 5:17

Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

God wants us to walk as wise men and women, and not as fools. (Ephesians 5:15) Now, He will not tell us to walk in wisdom without showing us how. That is why His Word goes on to say, “Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” So what is the will of God? The next two verses tell us how to identify it: “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord”. (Ephesians 5:18-19)

As you allow yourself to be filled with the Spirit by lifting songs of praise to the Lord, singing or speaking (God knows some of us can’t sing!) psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, and making melody in your heart to the Lord, God promises that you will know what His will is for your situation. You will then have the wisdom to decide wisely what to do next.

Whenever you face a difficult situation, realize that the more you think about it, the more confused you will seem to get. The more you try to come up with a smart solution, the further the answer seems to get. But when you turn away from my problem and turn to God, singing in the Spirit and praising Him, you will get a clearer perspective of the problem when you come back to it later. You will also find an inner prompting to make certain decisions which in the end, turn out to be better than anything you could have come up with on your own.

So lift up songs of praise to the Lord, whether times are good or bad. For when you fill your mouth with praises to God, He will lead you and guide you in all the affairs of your life. Even if you are stuck with a problem, He will show you the way to go or make a way out for you. Either way, you will get the wisdom and help that you need!

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

The Lord Is Your Defense

Psalm 94:22

But the Lord has been my defense, and my God the rock of my refuge.

Imagine being a poor widow, a stranger in the land and holding one of the lowliest jobs in society. That was Ruth’s situation, so it would have been easy for her to feel vulnerable and defenseless. But because she trusted the Lord (Ruth 1:16), He placed her under Boaz’s protection.

Boaz, the owner of the field she worked in, commanded his young men saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her.” (Ruth 2:15) What he was saying to his men was this: “She might be a gleaner, but because I care for her, treat her with respect and make sure she is not put to shame.” Boaz is a picture of our Lord Jesus. If you are feeling vulnerable and defenseless right now, imagine Jesus commanding His angels, “Watch over this one who belongs to Me. Make sure he/she is treated with respect and not put to shame because he/she is someone I love and someone whom I died for.”

God’s Word tells us that if God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31) No one who has set himself against us can prevail because when God is for us, His protection is upon us. When you defend yourself, you have only your two hands and your own human resources. But when you let Jesus take up your defense, He defends you with His nail-pierced hands and His legions of angels! The results will be amazing.

The Lord is your defense and refuge. Trust Him to defend and protect you!

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

Sticks & Stones

James 3:10

And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right.

Most of us have experience the impact of negative words on our lives. Even a person that seems to brush it off on the surface, feels the impact deep down inside. On the other hand, we also know how good it feels when someone complements us and says something positive or uplifting.

So if we know how it feels to be the recipient of negative words, they why do we say negative things to, or about others? Words are powerful! God spoke the Universe and even the earth into existence with words. Jesus spoke to a fig tree and cursed it, and it never produce fruit again. (Mark 11:13-14) Be careful about what you speak out of your mouth, even about yourself!

“The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” (Proverbs 18:21)

So what do you do when someone speaks a negative word to you? You have two choices. You can lash back and allow the hurt to embed deep inside and take away all of your joy and peace, or you can forgive. Forgiveness will bring you a total release from the pain. Forgiveness allows you to move forward casting that pain out of your life. Dwelling on those words will stir up anger which can cause you to lash out seeking revenge. But more importantly, it will cause you more pain and hurt.

If we understand the influences that cause people to be who they are, it will become easier to forgive them. People today are influenced by what they watch on TV, social media, call phones, text messages, the news, just to mention a few. When people get influenced by all of these things it will cause them to act the way they do. Having a clear understanding that you are dealing with something that is out of your control allows you to give it to God through forgiveness and let Him deal with it.

Forgiveness is the key to enjoying your life when situations like this occur. Prayer is powerful, and praying for your enemies is a sign of maturity. Never underestimate the power of prayer. Prayer causes God to take action. I believe that God answers every prayer. I also believe that when you don’t get what you are praying for, God’s answer was no. So pray for those who offend you, and lift up yourself and others with positive words of encouragement. God will take care of the rest.

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

Forgiven

Philippians 3:14-15

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Are you living a life of regrets thinking, “If only…”? “If only I had that college education…If only I had married the right person…If only I had taken up the other job…If only I had not made that stupid mistake…”

If your past robbing you of the joy of today? Then forget your past!

Consider Paul. If the devil had anything to bring against Paul, it would be reminders of how he had persecuted the early church and caused the deaths of many, including Stephen, the first Christian martyr. Paul had done horrendous things that were hard for him to forget. But he had such a revelation of God’s awesome forgiveness that he could say, “forgetting those things which are behind…I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus”.

God has forgiven you of all your sins. He has completely forgiven you and declared, “Your sins and lawless deeds, I will remember no more.” (Hebrews 10:17) Like Paul, you can forget your past, the wrongs you have done and the hurts you have caused others or been through yourself. God can take the tears of yesterday and transform them into the miracles of tomorrow. He can restore to you in all abundance what you have lost. He can cause all things, even the painful events of your past, to work together for your good. (Romans 8:28)

God’s Word says, “The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.” (Isaiah 58:8) His glory will cover your past. Wherever you go, His glory covers your past. It is no longer the same past that you know of because His glory has descended on it. Your past is past. It has been wiped out. It is gone! So don’t let your past rob you of today’s joy any longer!

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

Perfect In God’s Eyes

Hebrews 10:12, 14

But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God… For by one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.

God sees you with no flaw, spot or imperfection, so honor His Word and the finished work of His Son by saying, “Amen!” Don’t doubt your perfection in Christ. To see yourself as far from being perfect is not modesty, but a failure to understand the perfect sacrifice that Jesus has made for you.

The Bible tells us, “For by one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified”. Did you get that? You have not only been sanctified, that is, made holy, but by the same offering of His body, you have been perfected. You are both holy and perfect in God’s eyes! Your sins have been purged perfectly. Today, Jesus is seated at His Father’s right hand not because He is the Son of God (although that is true), but because His work of purging your sins is completely finished and perfect!

So instead of being conscious of your sins, which is to have an evil conscience (Hebrews 10:22), you can have a perfect conscience, a conscience that is free from the guilt and condemnation of sins. When you find yourself conscious of your sins, just say, “Thank You, Lord Jesus, for Your wonderful work at the cross. It is a perfect work that has removed all my sins completely, or “Holy Spirit, thank You for convicting me of righteousness, not my own, but God’s righteousness given to me as a gift. Keep on convicting me in the days to come, reminding me especially when I fail that I am still the righteousness of God in Christ.”

God sees you perfect without any spot of sin. He sees you covered in the beautiful white robes of His own righteousness. He treats you like a righteous man because that is what He has made you. So expect good things to happen to you because blessings are on the head of the righteous! (Proverbs 10:6)

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

Who Are You?

Romans 8:16

The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

Everything produces after its own kind. Dogs give birth to puppies, cats give birth to kittens and horses give birth to horses. In the same manner, when you are born again, you are born of God. You are a child of the Most High God. He is your Father and He doesn’t see you in the flesh. He sees you in the Spirit. And His Spirit bears witness with your spirit that you are His child.

So when the devil comes to you and says, “Your father died of cancer, his father died of cancer and you are going to die of cancer too, just like your father,” just know in your heart that you are like your Father – your Father in heaven! Declare, “I am a child of the Most High God. He doesn’t have cancer, so neither do I!”

When you are born of God, you are born to win. Because your Daddy God is a winner, you are one too! When you wake up in the morning, say, “I am a winner because God is a winner!”

When you say that you cannot afford to buy something that you need, you have forgotten which family you now belong to. You have been born again into a very rich family – your Father owns every beast in the forest and the cattle on a thousand hills! (Psalm 50:10) You have a Daddy God in heaven who is well able to supply all your needs. (Philippians 4:19) Even if there are areas of lack in your life now, don’t worry. Just ask God for the supply because your heavenly Father loves you and wants to supply all your needs. When someone talks to you about a problem and asks, “What are we going to do about it?” you should say, “Don’t worry. Let’s talk to Father God about it. It is not a problem for Him, so it will not be a problem for us.”

Even when all around you is going under, your Father God is still the same heavenly Father who kept Noah’s world afloat, his loved ones safe and sound, and his possessions intact. Your world will never go under because you are God’s beloved child!

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

Where To Sow

Genesis 26:12

Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him.

If you sow apple seeds, you get apples. If you sow seeds of friendship, you get friends. If in the natural, you receive in the area in which you sow, how much more will you receive in the supernatural when God blesses you! The Bible tells us that when Isaac sowed in the land, he reaped a hundredfold even though there was a famine in that land. (Genesis 26:1) The reason was that “the Lord blessed him”.

So if you are believing God for a breakthrough in a particular area, sow in that area and watch as God, “is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think”. (Ephesians 3:20) Whatever money or time you give to the Lord, He will multiply it back to you. For example, in a 24 hour day the Lord can make your day very fruitful. And even after doing all that needs to be done, you will find that you still have time left to rest. Even if you have nothing to give but prayers, your prayers will not return to you void. God can answer them exceedingly above what you have asked. When Job lost everything that he possessed, he prayed for his friends, and the Lord not only restored his losses, but He also “gave Job twice as much as he had before”. (Job 42:10)

So start sowing seeds in the area that you are believing God for, and know that before long, you will be reaping your harvest!

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

Thanking God

Philippians 4:6

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;

God doesn’t want you to be fearful, fretful or anxious. Instead, He wants you to “be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God”. So when you have a care or worry, straightaway, turn that care or worry into prayer. That is supplication. And when you are troubled by a care or worry that you don’t know how to pray for, pray in the Spirit or tongues. And in the midst of that prayer, thank God that He is already your healing, provision, good success and victory. That, my friend, is thanksgiving.

So how long should you pray in the Spirit? Keep on praying in the Spirit until the worry lifts or dissipates, “and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus”. (Philippians 4:7)

We would all worry a lot less and enjoy our lives a lot more if only we realized this truth: Our Abba Father is so strong that there is nothing He cannot do, and He is so loving that there is nothing He will not do for us!

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

Kept By God In All Your Ways

Psalm 91:11-12

For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.

You are about to step onto the road when something pulls you back just in time to avoid being hit by a speeding car. You are shocked. When you come to your senses, you ask yourself, “Could it be that an angel just saved me from a fatal accident?”

I believe that angels walk with us. The verse tells us that God has given His angels charge over us to keep us in all our ways. And in their hands they will bear us up, so that not even a stone will trip us up. But we may not know it when we encounter an angel. (Hebrews 13:2)

God tells us that we have an innumerable company of angels. (Hebrews 12:22) And He has given them charge over us to protect us from accidents, natural disasters, terrorist bombings and other dangers. So don’t fear these things and lock yourself at home. Go for that holiday! Go for that lunch appointment! Believe that God loves you, and thank Him for His angels who walk with you and watch over you!

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

Harvey & Irma

James 1:17

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Some are saying that these storms are part of God’s wrath, or because of the sin that people do. I have even heard that these storms are caused by Trump becoming president, how ridiculous is that. Nothing is further from the truth. The world fell, as part of Adam’s fall, when he disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden. Because of this fall we see storms, earthquakes, famines, violence, hatred, among other things in the world.

God does not cause these things to happen, but He will take these events and turn the for the good of those who love Him. (Romans 8:28) “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose”. The Bible often compares goodness with light and evil with darkness. Obviously these storms are evil in nature. We can therefore know that all bad things are of this world and evil, and all good things are from God.

If we look into the Bible we will see that all these events are signs of the end times. (Matthew 24:7-8) Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All of these are the beginning of birth pains. Notice that Jesus compared the end times to birth pains. When a woman has birth pains we know that a baby is coming. In the same way as we see these various storms, nations rising against nations (Korea, Russia, The Middle East) we are experiencing these birth pains of His return.

No one knows the exact time that Jesus will return, not even Jesus Himself. Only the Father knows. But I wouldn’t wait on accepting Jesus since it could be tomorrow that He comes back. Or in God’s mercy it could be another day, which is like a thousand years. (2 Peter 3:8) But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. Jesus is coming soon!

I pray that everyone is safe through this latest storm Irma. I am in South Carolina and we have no evacuation warning yet. But we are supposed to get some strong winds and rain tomorrow. And there is always the possibility of losing power. So if I lose power there will be no blackboard on Tuesday. God bless…

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail