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Showing posts from January, 2021

PRAY!

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  Holy Jesus, you are the way, the truth, and the life. I trust in all your promises, knowing that one day I will dwell with you in the place you have prepared for me. Amen.

Give Cheerfully!

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  Give Cheerfully “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”  (2 Corinthians 9:7) When giving is done with the right attitude, it can be a gateway for God to move in significant ways in our lives. It is important to remember that it is not the amount we give that matters so much as it is the attitude that characterizes our giving. God loves it when we give out of a cheerful and grateful heart. God’s loving of a cheerful giver results in God taking action in our lives. Scripture states unequivocally that God will make all spiritual and earthly blessing abound to us so we can multiply our efforts for the kingdom. This is why I believe giving provides a major gateway for God to work in our lives, we can expect God to visit us. Jesus will fellowship with the cheerful giver, and the Holy Spirit will impart life to out mortal bodies. When we weave a pattern of giving into our lives, we c...

PRAY!

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  Lord Jesus, I believe and trust in you, and you reveal God’s glory. As I walk with you each day, strengthen my faith and help me to grow in knowledge of you. Amen.

Obey God in Giving!

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  Obey God in Giving “All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the voice of the L ORD  your God.”  (Deuteronomy 28:2) “The L ORD  will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The L ORD  your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.”  (Deuteronomy 28:8) According to these passages, obedience to God results in blessing. It appears that blessing will chase us and even overtake us when we obey him. Since God’s principles are eternal, they never change. Passages like these are “button pushers” God uses as incentives for us. When I read these passages, they make me want to test them, to see if they will be operative in my own life. God wants us to try them in faith, believing that he will fulfill his promises in response to our obedience. Our giving is always an act of obedience. We respond to the Holy Spirit’s direction. There is a world of opportunity for giving to the various interests of God. W...

Abundant Rain

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  You gave abundant showers, O God; you refreshed your weary inheritance. (Psalm 68:9) Abundant Rain It’s easy to lose our passion for life. At one time we loved to laugh, looked forward to the day, were believing for our dreams, but when things didn’t work out as we thought, we came into a dry place and life lost its flavor. You smile, but there’s no joy behind it. Sometimes we’re dry because we’re tired, the challenges have taken longer than we thought, and it seems we’ll never overcome them. We can be dry because somebody did us wrong, and instead of letting it go, we’ve become bitter.  You may feel the blahs, but this is when you have to take control of your thought life. That’s where the battle is taking place. God sees what you’re going through, and He’s about to give you an abundance of strength, joy, health, and resources. You’re coming out of that dry place into more than enough. Get your hopes up. Start expecting the abundant rain. That’s the way our God is. A Prayer...

Depend on the Power of the Cross!

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  Depend on the Power of the Cross   “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”  (1 Corinthians 1:18) Understanding the power of the cross is instrumental in understanding the concepts of  Kingdom of God . It is by the cross that we are crucified to the world and have new life in Jesus Christ. Paul boasted about the cross in his own life with regard to his relationship to the world and the passions of the flesh. He was dead to them by the power of the cross. The same can be said of us when we apply the power of the cross to our own lives. God’s power overcame Jesus’ death on the cross! And it is the power of the cross that gives us new hope and new perspective for living. Through the power of the cross, we are able to overcome the giants of consumerism and greed. They relentlessly pursue us to keep us from giving to the work of God. It is the power of the cross that enables us to ove...

Awesome Power!

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  “Before all your people I will do wonders never before done in any nation in all the world. The people you live among will see how awesome is the work that I, the LORD, will do for you.” (Exodus 34:10) Awesome Power When you believe that God wants to show out in your life, you have the boldness to ask Him to display His awesome power through you. It’s good to read about His power, to talk about it, to remember it, but God wants you to experience it. God says He is about to display awesome power through you. “Awesome” means it’s not going to be ordinary or natural, but supernatural. He’s going to do something unprecedented, something that makes you stand out, something where there’s no explanation for it but God’s power. God will make you an example of His goodness to show those around you that He is God. People are going to see His favor—the healing, the protection, the promotion, the abundance. Not only are you going to be amazed, but they’re going to be amazed. God is not going...

Beware of Greed!

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  Beware of Greed “Then he said to them, ‘Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.’”  (Luke 12:15) The giants of consumerism and greed can eat us alive. These giants can also keep us from investing in projects and endeavors that will produce eternal rewards. The influence that we have while we interact with one another is important, for each person will live eternally in either heaven or hell. This truth takes on much greater implication when we consider that, in the Word of God, we are told all our worldly endeavors will pass away. But the reward of being used by God to influence others to put their trust in him will last into eternity. Jesus counsels us to be wise stewards of our time, talent, and treasure, which he has blessed us with. He also instructs us to use the unrighteous “mammon” of this world, or our worldly resources, to win friends for eternity. The giants of consumerism and greed can eat us ali...

Get Up!

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  There was a certain man there who had suffered with a deep-seated and lingering disorder for thirty-eight years. (John 5:5) Get Up The man in John 5 is described as having a “lingering disorder.” It’s not just a physical condition; it’s when we dwell on the negative things of the past and make excuses to settle where we are. When Jesus asked this crippled man, “Do you want to get well?” the man responded with one excuse after another for why he hadn’t been healed. Those excuses had become a crutch. Jesus responded in effect, “If you’re serious about getting well, get up!” How many of us would get out of defeat, mediocrity, and bad habits if we quit making excuses, quit feeling sorry for ourselves, and start pressing forward. We’ve all had unfair things happen that we can allow to become lingering disorders. But God is saying to you, “If you’re serious about getting well, you have to get up in your spirit, in your attitude, and in how you talk.” God’s waiting on you. When you get ...

Guard Your Heart!

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  Guard Your Heart “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”  (Proverbs 4:23) Truly, our behavior springs from our hearts! That is why it is critical that we daily spend time immersed in God’s Word. God’s Word will protect our hearts from being consumed with the things of this world. This is the only way we can obtain a perspective which properly balances temporal and eternal concerns in life. This perspective will impact what we do and do not do in this world. We must soak our hearts in the Word of God! And that takes time. I like to call it “heart time.” The ways in which we invest in God’s kingdom are truly a reflection of heart time. It determines where we spend our time, talent, and treasure. The more time we spend in God’s Word, the more we realize that the matter of kingdom investing needs to have a high priority in our lives. Heart time influences our desires. Are our minds preoccupied with the desires of the Flesh or with the desires of ...

The Refiner’s Fire!

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  These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. (1 Peter 1:7) The Refiner’s Fire The heroes of faith all went through times of difficulty when the Refiner’s fire proved the genuineness of their faith and separated them from the things that were holding them back. Peter was hot- tempered and used rough language. He told Jesus, “I’ll never deny you.” But when he was put in the fire of the trial of Christ, he denied that he knew Him. When you’re under pressure, you find out what’s really in you. That’s when impurities in your character come to light. If you let God refine you, you’ll come out better. That’s what happened to Peter. On the day of Pentecost, Peter preached and three thousand people came to Christ, the most in one meeting recorded in the Scripture.  That difficulty is not going to leave you broken, defeated, and sc...

Submit Your Thought Life to the Spirit!

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  Submit Your Thought Life to the Spirit “The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.”  (Romans 8:6) The battle for control of our lives is won or lost in our head. Whoever controls our mind ultimately controls us and our behavior. The Apostle John tells us that the whole world is under the sway of the evil one. Therefore, it is all-important that we make sure the Holy Spirit is in control of our thinking and attitudes. Think for a moment of your mind as a compass needle. It can point in four main directions: CHRIST, being north; WORLD, being west; SELF, being south; and MAN, being east. We always want our needle pointing north! We must make a decision to keep moving in that direction. It will require discipline to focus on the “things above” and to keep our lives hidden in Christ. If we allow our compass to point to the WORLD, SELF, or MAN, we will get lost and fail to carry out the work God has for us. We are told that ...

Taken Higher!

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  From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. (Psalm 61:2) Taken Higher Many people get frustrated and soured on life because of their unanswered whys. Not everything along your life’s way is going to make sense. You may never understand why something happened the way it did, but God knows what He’s doing. He wouldn’t allow it if it weren’t going to somehow work for your good. This is where faith comes in. Nothing that’s happened to you can keep you from your destiny. The only thing that can stop you is you. If you get negative and bitter and lose your passion, that’s going to keep you from God’s best. You may have had unfair things happen to you, but I’ve learned that the depth of our pain is an indication of the height of our future. The taller the building, the deeper the foundation. When you go through difficulties and unfair situations, God is getting you prepared to be taken higher than you ever imagined...

Commit Your Way!

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  Commit Your Way “Commit your way to the L ORD ; trust in him, and he will act.”  (Psalm 37:5) This is an incredible statement of fact and promise. When you get up in the morning, do you commit your day, your way, and even your life to the Lord? The Bible tells us this is the thing to do! Let’s take hold of this promise and see it work out in our lives. This verse assures us that if we commit our endeavors to God, trusting in him by an act of faith, he will act. A sense of expectation for seeing the hand of God working in our lives will begin to permeate our days, bringing an excitement to all that we pursue  is an incredible statement of fact and promise. When you get up in the morning, do you commit your day, your way, and even your life to the Lord? The Bible tells us this is the thing to do! When we experience times when God feels distant, it is on our side of the equation. The problem is not with God, but with us. We need to keep moving in his direction until our li...

PRAY!

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  Dear Jesus, you came to break down walls that divide us. Unite us in heart and mind to follow you and give glory to God. In faith, I pray in your holy name. Amen.

Embrace Your Citizenship!

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  Embrace Your Citizenship “For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.”  (Hebrews 13:14) “For our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.”  (Philippians 3:20) If you feel unsettled at times and wonder where you fit into this world, this may be God’s way of telling you not to become too comfortable down here. This unsettledness comes because we know that this world, in its present form, is passing away! We also know that those who do the will of God will live forever. The brevity of this life sends us a message:  Don’t fall in love with this world because we are just passing through. I love the fact that our citizenship is in heaven! Our hearts should be set on pilgrimage. We are strangers in an alien world. We do not have an enduring city. The more we see of this dysfunctional world, the more we need to seek the world to come. Our citizenship may be in heaven, but in th...