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Showing posts from November, 2020

It All Can Change in a Day!

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  Elisha replied,  “The Lord says that by this time tomorrow two gallons of flour or four gallons of barley grain will be sold in the markets of Samaria for a dollar!” (2 Kings 7:1) It All Can Change in a Day An army had surrounded the city of Samaria, cut off the Israelites’ food supply, and clogged up their waterways so they couldn’t get any water. The people were starving and beyond desperate. When Elisha spoke today’s Scripture, the people thought he’d lost his mind. One leader said, “That couldn’t happen even if the Lord opened the windows of heaven.” Yet if you continue reading the story, it did happen just as Elisha said, miraculously, and there was a sudden abundance of food. For some of the things that seem impossible that they could turn around or happen, you’re going to be amazed. You’re looking in the natural, but we serve a supernatural God. Get in agreement with God. Believe that things are going to fall into place, opportunity is going to come to you, people will go out

The ‘Converterlator’ Concept!

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  The ‘Converterlator’ Concept Scripture: Luke 16:9 “ I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. ”  We had better listen carefully to any words Jesus Christ uttered. They are just as applicable today as they were when he walked the earth. We have seen how he brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. He also brought to light the perishable and the imperishable. Everything we can see and touch is perishing: “ For this world in its present form is passing away. ” (1 Corinthians 7:31b) Paul said, “ And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. ” (1 Corinthians 9:25) The Kingdom of God practitioner is incentivized by the imperishable values held dearly by almighty God. Jesus tells us to use worldly wealth to gain friends for eternity, so that when worldly wealth is gone we will be welcom

PRAY!

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  Almighty God, I place my trust in you and in your never-ending love and care. You are a loving shepherd, and I seek to follow you. Keep me close to you, and guide me in the way of your truth. Amen.

The Spirit Factor!

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  The Spirit Factor Scripture: 1 Corinthians 2:9–11 “ However, as it is written: ‘What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived’—the things God has prepared for those who love him—these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. ”  If we hope to be effective in practicing the principles in Kingdom of God, we must experience a continuing and growing relationship with the person of Jesus Christ. This can only happen when the Spirit of God performs his functions within the heart of the believer. In the above passage, concentrate on the words “prepared,” “revealed,” “searches,” and “knows.” These are all functions performed by the Spirit of God for the people who love God. God has prepared things for those who love him. “ For we are God’s ha

PRAY!

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  I praise you, Lord God, because you are good; I sing praises to your name because you are kind. Today I praise you for  my Salvation. Amen.

Seals, Reveals, and Deals!

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  Seals, Reveals, and Deals Scripture: Ephesians 1:13–14 “ And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. ”  Previously, we learned about the Spirit’s functions of  preparing, revealing, searching , and  knowing . Other functions of the Spirit of God include his  sealing  us at the moment we believe and trust in the gospel of Jesus Christ for our salvation. This is the guarantee of our inheritance in heaven that is being kept for us imperishable, incorruptible, and unfading. This assurance of salvation sets us free to be of service to the King in the time we have remaining in this temporary world. This gives us time to invest our time, talent, and treasure in the imperishable values of the world to come instead of just spen

Power Up!

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  Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. (Ephesians 6:11) Power Up When you get out of bed in the morning, the first thing you should do is power up. Get your mind going in the right direction. Remind yourself: “I’m ready for this day. I am equipped. I am empowered. I have my armor on. I have my shoes of peace. I’m not going to get upset. I’m not going to let people steal my joy. I’m not going to fight battles that aren’t between me and my destiny. I have my helmet of salvation. I know I am forgiven. I am redeemed. I am approved by Almighty God. I’ve been handpicked by the Creator of the universe. I have my shield of faith. I’m expecting great things. I have my sword of the Spirit; I’m speaking God’s Word. I know every enemy is under my feet. I’ve been armed with strength for this battle.” What are you doing? Powering up, getting prepared for a blessed, victorious, faith-filled day. A Prayer for Today “Father, thank You for Your promi

Kingdom View of Money!

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  Kingdom View of Money Scripture: Psalm 19:9–11 “ The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. ”  The Bible warns us about the deceitfulness of riches. I have come to the conclusion that money is like a rattlesnake. It has to be handled carefully. It is paramount we understand and take to heart what the Scripture says about money. If we are not careful, it can become the god of our life. In fact, we are counseled to desire God and his Word more than riches. Here are some passages that tell us the same thing. In Proverbs we learn, “ Choose my instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than choice gold. ” (Proverbs 8:10) Job tells us, “… and assign your nuggets to the dust, your gold of Ophir to the rocks in the ravines, then t

Enter with Thanksgiving!

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  Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. (Psalm 100:4) Enter with Thanksgiving What an amazing privilege we have to serve a personal God who desires a relationship with us. But notice that today’s Scripture tells us that we shouldn’t come empty-handed to the King of kings and the Lord of lords. What do we have to give that’s worthy of Almighty God? Our praise. Our thanksgiving. Our worship. We should always enter His gates with an offering of thanksgiving from our hearts. Praise isn’t just about singing songs in church. Praise is the expression of gratefulness to God for Who He is and all that He has done. Praise gets God’s attention. Praise is a powerful tool in our life because God inhabits the praises of His people! When we enter His presence the right way, He enters our circumstances; and when God shows up, the enemy must flee! Today, enter into His gates with thanksgiving and open the door for Him to move on your behal

A Comforting Truth!

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  A Comforting Truth Scripture: Isaiah 43:1 Now this is what the Lord says. He created you, people of Jacob; he formed you, people of Israel. He says, ‘Don’t be afraid, because I have saved you. I have called you by name, and you are mine. How comforting to realize that God knows us by name. He has created us, formed us, and even fashioned our hearts individually. “ He fashions their hearts individually; He considers all their works. ” (Psalm 33:15) Each of us is unique and special, created for fulfilling a specific purpose. Our priority must be to discover what we have been designed for, so we can find God’s purpose for us. Then we can be busy doing the works he has prepared for us. “ For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. ” (Ephesians 2:10) When we are used for our designed purpose, we can live the abundant life. We must listen for the voice of the Shepherd, “ The one who guards the door opens it

What Makes You Different!

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  “But on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where my people live; no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know that I, the LORD, am in this land. I will make a distinction between my people and your people.” (Exodus 8:22–23) What Makes You Different When God sent plague after plague on Pharaoh and his people in order to free the Israelites from slavery, what’s interesting is that the Israelites lived right next door, but the plagues never touched them. Whether it was swarms of flies, hordes of frogs, or their livestock, the Israeli side was untouched. God put a distinction of favor and blessing upon His people. God has also put a distinct favor on you that causes you to be different from those who don’t honor God. The Scripture talks about how you’ve been called out, set apart as God’s people. It says that His face shines down on you and causes you to stand out. There’s a marked difference. You have an advantage. You’re not doing life by yourself. It’

The Breath of Life!

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  The Breath of Life Scripture: Genesis 2:7 “ Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. ”  We live in a world filled with people who have no fear of God reflected in the way they live. As we can see from the above verse, our very life—every breath and every heartbeat—are sourced in God. “ In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind. ” (Job 12:10,) “ The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life. ” (Job 33:4) “ And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. ” (Acts 17:25) We are talking about the power of life that belongs to God. It makes sense that created people should pay deference to their Creator. There is a general saying that one should not bite the hand that feeds you. It does not make sense to offend the one who can literally shut our br

One More Time!

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  Then Samson prayed to the LORD, “Sovereign LORD, remember me again. O God, please strengthen me just one more time. With one blow let me pay back the Philistines for the loss of my two eyes.” (Judges 16:28) One More Time Samson was given supernatural strength to deliver God’s people from their enemies and couldn’t be defeated, but he let his moral guard down and ended up losing his strength, was blinded, and made a slave. It was his fault, but God never gives up on us. One day while Samson was being ridiculed by his captors, he prayed for strength “just one more time,” and God gave Samson the strength to push the middle pillars of the temple, collapsing the building, and killing more enemies in his death than he had during his lifetime. You may have made mistakes, but that is not how your story ends. You have not seen your greatest victories. You have not sung your best song. You have not written your best book. You have not played your best play. If you shake off the guilt, God has

Knowing God!

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  Knowing God Scripture: Hosea 6:3 and Hebrews 11:6 “ Oh, that we might know the Lord! Let us press on to know him. He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring.”  (Hosea 6:3) “ But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. ” (Hebrews 11:6) These verses contain the keys to enjoying a life now, and a life that will echo into eternity. We have seen how he holds our breath in his hand, and that every heartbeat is sourced in God. We have seen how he has designed each of us for a specific purpose, having fashioned each heart individually. He created us, formed us, and knows us by name. Therefore, it is critical to press on to know him to the extent he will reveal himself to us. Kingdom of God thinkers want to know God at all costs, and will press on to know him. As surely as we know that the sun will rise tomorrow, we know that God

Live Joyfully

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  A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. (Proverbs 17:22) Live Joyfully Everyone deals with stress and challenges, but don’t let that deceive you into going through life solemn and grumpy. All work and no play are out of balance. You have to give yourself permission to enjoy your life. You have serious responsibilities, but you can still have a joyful heart. Start taking your medicine every single day. One of the greatest stress relievers God has given us is laughter. Laughing makes us feel better and releases healing throughout our systems. When was the last time you had a good hearty laugh? If it’s been awhile, maybe your laugher is rusted and needs to be overhauled! You don’t know how much better you would feel and the energy you’d pick up if you’d just learn to laugh more often. Developing a sense of humor and looking for opportunities to laugh can make a big difference in the quality of your life. Find something funny that makes you laugh out lou