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An Insatiable Thirst for God’s Friendship and Favor

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  An Insatiable Thirst for God’s Friendship and Favor Scripture: Acts 13:22 “ After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’ ” (NIV) God is looking for people of character. If we could grasp the significance of how important this is to God, we could be candidates for fulfilling missions God has appointed to be done during the time we have on earth. David was such a man – a man after God’s heart. He had an insatiable thirst for relationship with God. He yearned for God’s friendship and favor. When he messed up, he confessed his sin. When He learned what God’s will was, he was prompt in seeing that it was done. By the grace of God, we can determine to be a person after God’s heart. But good intentions are not enough. Someone said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. God needs people who will execute and obey his will wholeheartedly. Elsewh...

Reverse the Insecurity!

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  But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!” Judges 6:15, NLT Reverse the Insecurity In Judges 6, an angel had just called Gideon a “mighty hero,” whom the Lord God was with, and told him to “go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites.” You can tell from Gideon’s response that for years he had been feeding on thoughts of insecurity, doubt, and fear. He gave excuses for why he couldn’t do it, that his family wasn’t qualified, he wasn’t influential or talented enough, he wasn’t a leader. Gideon was at a critical point. Was he going to keep feeding his excuses, or would he believe he was a mighty hero, that he could do what God said, that he wasn’t lacking? Gideon did what we all must do: He changed what he was feeding. Instead of feeding fear, he started feeding faith and courage. Instead of feeding insecurity, he started feeding the migh...

Be a Signpost!

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  Be a Signpost Scripture: 2 Kings 5:2–3, NKJV “ And the Syrians had gone out on raids, and had brought back captive a young girl from the land of Israel. She waited on Naaman’s wife. Then she said to her mistress, ‘If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! For he would heal him of his leprosy.’”  (2 Kings 5:2-3, NKJV) Naaman was a great general who handed many military victories to the king of Assyria. But Naaman had a problem: he had leprosy. Fortunately, a young servant girl captured from the land of Israel worked for Naaman’s wife. At an opportune time, the servant girl told Naaman’s wife that Naaman could be healed if he would see the prophet, Elisha. Ultimately, Naaman acted on the information, and he was healed from his leprosy. This “unimportant” servant girl was a signpost who pointed the way for Naaman to experience salvation from this deadly disease. We may feel insignificant and unimportant. However, as believers, we are messengers who are able to ...

Blossom in the Wilderness!

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  The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. Isaiah 35:1–2, NIV Blossom in the Wilderness At some point, we all feel stuck in a dry desert place. We’re stuck in a challenge, stuck in the past, stuck in a bad break, in a disappointment, in a hurt. It’s easy to settle there and think, “God has been good to me, but I’ve seen my best days. I’ve had some victories in the past, but it’s been one difficulty after another, struggle and lack.” But God never does His greatest work in your yesterdays; they’re always in your tomorrows. Your greatest victories, your most rewarding moments, the biggest achievements in your life are not in your past; they are still in front of you. You’re about to come into fresh momentum, a growing season, where you’re going to bloom and see new doors open and opportunities come to you. You’re going to see favor that you’ve never seen...

Do You Serve God or the Things of This World?!

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  Do You Serve God or the Things of This World? Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:10 “… for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. ” (NIV) None of us want Demas’s choice to be a part of our legacy. We do not want it said of us that we so loved this world that we abandoned opportunities to live a life that will echo into eternity. Exchanging a life of eternal value for one that is perishing is not a good exchange at all. As a companion in the service of Paul, Demas was living a life that would echo into eternity. But the allure of the world deceived him. Scripture says that friendship with the world makes us enemies of God. We are not to love the things of the world more than we love God. This does not mean we cannot be  in  the world, and serve effectively for the Lord. God’s people are spread throughout the world system, joyously doing his work. Scripture tells us that even in Caesar’s h...

A Discipline Mind!

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  Be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. Titus 1:8, NIV A Disciplined Mind Many people are disciplined when it comes to their career. They’re productive, on time, excellent. Some people are disciplined when it comes to their health. They eat right, exercise, and get the right amount of sleep. But when it comes to our thought life, sometimes we’re undisciplined and lack self-control. We let any thought in, then we let it stay and play over and over in our mind. “You never get any good breaks. Everything always goes wrong. It’s not going to change.” We end up living worried, insecure, intimidated, and troubled. If you’re going to stay in peace, full of faith, expecting God’s favor, you can’t be passive and just think whatever comes into your mind. You can’t give space to thoughts that limit you. You have to have a disciplined mind. You have to be responsible to exercise self-control. You have to keep out the doubts and lies, ...

Victim or Victor?

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  Victim or Victor? Scripture: Genesis 4:7 “ If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.”  (NIV84) Satan is in the business of stealing, killing, and destroying lives. Sin is crouching at our door, looking for the opportunity to gain control. God’s instruction to Cain still applies to us today. We must master sin. We can only do so as we are empowered by the Spirit of God. In KingdomNomics, we discuss three types of givers: the default giver, the philanthropist, and the strategic kingdom investor. Our objective is to be transformed from a default giver or philanthropist to a level-three giver, a strategic kingdom investor. The process of becoming a strategic kingdom investor is a daily battle. The power of the cross must continuously work, crucifying us to the lures of this world. We are never permanently immune to the deceitfulness of riches, cares, and th...