Posts

Showing posts from September, 2021

Don’t Hold Back!

Image
  “Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.” (Isaiah 54:2) Don’t Hold Back You might have been raised in a limited environment. Perhaps your family members didn’t have a vision for a better future and settled for mediocrity. You have to leave behind the negative mindsets you were raised with. Leave a scarcity mentality. Leave the limitations that people have put on you and make room for God to increase you. Be around people who inspire you, people who stretch you, people who are making a difference, not just people who are settling for the status quo. You can be the difference maker for your family. Now, do your part and have a new mindset—an abundant mentality, a free mentality, a healthy mentality, a victorious mentality. Don’t talk yourself out of it. Don’t let circumstances discourage you. Announce to anything that’s holding you back, “It is finished. This is a new day. I’m drawing the line i...

Glory Belongs to God!

Image
  Glory Belongs to God “ For they did not gain possession of the land by their own sword, nor did their own arm save them; but it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your countenance, because You favored them. ” (Psalm 44:3) From a human perspective it is difficult for us to understand that God is the source of all life. Why? Because the world elevates many self-made individuals. Many of these people bask in the glory that is given to them by the world. The verse in Psalms shows believers that we are not self-sufficient people who can claim any of our successes as being of our own making without help from above. When the Israelites took possession of the Promised Land, the Lord made it perfectly clear that it did not come by their own doing but only through Him. The possession of the land was brought about by the right hand of the Lord, his arm, and the light of his countenance. He favored them! Therefore, all glory should go only to God. This principle is proclaimed th...

In the Waiting Room!

Image
  But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. (James 1:4) In the Waiting Room We all have things we’re waiting for—a dream to come to pass, a problem to turn around. When it’s taking longer than we thought, it’s easy to get impatient and think, “When is it ever going to happen?” Sometimes it’s not happening because we’re not prepared for what God has prepared. If you could see what God has in mind, you’d realize you can’t handle it right now. You need more time to develop, to grow, to gain experience. When you’re in God’s waiting room, you may not see anything changing, but something is happening—patience is working in you. Patience is building you, getting you prepared so you can sustain what God has coming. Your spiritual muscles are getting stronger. Don’t discount the waiting period. Don’t get discouraged because it’s not happening as fast as you like. The longer it takes, the more God has in store. When God knows you’re ready,...

Fix Your Eyes on Christ!

Image
  Fix Your Eyes on Christ “ Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ” (Hebrews 12:2) Most of us have issues to face while we are living in this world. Problems, challenges, and changing circumstances just go with the territory. One of the most difficult lessons to learn for us as believers is to fix our eyes on Jesus Christ instead of only focusing on the problems facing us. Constantly fixing our eyes on problems is debilitating. It leads to depression. In fact, we can make idols of our problems if that is all we think about. Jesus did not focus on the cross, its shame, or the humiliation from the soldiers and crowd. He focused on the joy, the forgiveness, and the eternal reward that would come from what he was doing. We have the promise, “ I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on ...

Don’t Be a Doormat!

Image
  Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts. (Colossians 3:15) Don’t Be a Doormat It’s easy to let people cause us to lose our peace and live frustrated. Too often, we think we have to keep everyone happy—our spouse and children, our neighbors, cousins, and coworkers—but we end up only trying to change things that only God can change. You can’t change people and make them do what’s right. You can pray for them and encourage them, but they have their own free will. Don’t let them steal your joy or make you feel guilty because you’re not meeting their demands. What they really want is to control you. Don’t fall into the trap of codependent relationships. Be good to others, be kind, be loving, but don’t be a doormat. Your destiny is too important to let people control you. You’re not doing them a favor by catering to them. You’re enabling their dysfunction and keeping yourself from moving forward. You have to set some boundaries and let the peace of Christ—not their demands—rule in ...

Expressing Gratitude and Praise!

Image
  Expressing Gratitude and Praise “ Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; and to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God.”  (Psalm 50:23) Do you like it when people express gratitude to you and perhaps even praise you for something you have done? It strengthens your relationship with that person. God loves for us to express our gratitude and praise to him. To praise God and express our gratitude to him embellishes our relationship with him. And our relationship with him is all that matters. If we conduct ourselves in the right manner, we place ourselves in the right position where we can experience the salvation of God, subject to his timing. Throughout all of the areas of our lives, we can work at expressing gratitude to God and praising him for allowing us to live in the beauties of his creation. Even when things may not be going our way, there is usually something we can express gratitude for in every day. “ I will praise the name of God with a song...

Love Someone Who Is Messy!

Image
  “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” (John 8:7) Love Someone Who Is Messy In John 8, the religious leaders brought a woman to Jesus who had been caught in the act of adultery. The law was clear. She was guilty. But when you’re tempted to be judgmental of someone who has fallen, Jesus teaches us to ask ourselves, “Have I ever done wrong? Am I qualified to throw the first stone?” None of us are. Jesus refused to condemn her, but rather said, “Now go and sin no more.” Grace shows up in the most unusual places. Grace for someone who’s committed adultery, grace for the friend who’s off course. Don’t be in the condemning business. Be in the loving business, the healing business. Be for people, for restoration, for second chances, for mercy. Be known as someone who sees the best in people, believes in them, and pushes them toward their destiny. Be someone who is willing to help messy people. They may be lying on the ground now, but you can be the ...

Saved to Do Good Works!

Image
  Saved to Do Good Works “ Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. ” (Titus 2:14) Among other things, we have been saved to do good works. Let’s be clear about this: good works do not save us, and we are not saved by the good works we do. “ Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. ” (Titus 3:5–7) The Lord Jesus Christ himself has done the work of salvation for us. We are justified or made acceptable to God by receiving the gift of salvation that he has provided through Christ. We now trust in him alone for our salvation. However, we are saved to do the good works he has appointed for us to do. He...

PRAY!

Image
  Lord God, I thank you for the ways in which you have blessed my life. You are the source of all good gifts. In times of joy and sorrow, you are with me. You are the source of true happiness and comfort, and I trust in your promises. In your holy name, I pray. Amen.

Adorn the Doctrine of God!

Image
  Adorn the Doctrine of God “… Not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior. ” (Titus 2:10) True faith is having a personal relationship with God through the person of Jesus Christ. Christianity is not a list of dos and don’ts or just an intellectual belief in the tenets of the Christian faith. We have been born again to a living hope, a relationship with the risen Savior who literally lives in and through the life of believers. That being the case, Scripture exhorts us to be good examples of what we proclaim: “ Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel ” (Philippians 1:27). If we are to be effective, our daily conduct cannot contradict what we say we believe in. We live in a difficult environment, and it is critical we work ...

The Tablet of Your Heart!

Image
  The Tablet of Your Heart Scripture: Proverbs 3:3–4 “ Let not mercy and truth forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart, and so find favor and high esteem In the sight of God and man. ” (Proverbs 3:3–4) Have you ever thought about what is written on the tablet of your heart? In Kingdom of God we stress the importance of soaking the heart in the Word of God. The heart is like a sponge and soaks up whatever is around it. Whatever we soak our hearts in becomes our treasure. If the water is dirty, then the treasure is dirty. If the water is pure, then the treasure of the heart will be pure. The Word confirms this: “ A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks ” (Luke 6:45). We must ask ourselves what is the abundance found in our hearts. Whatever it is, that is the treasure of our hearts and what w...

PRAY!

Image
  Sovereign God, I know that my life is in your hands. Help me to live according to your will. May my words and actions this day be pleasing in your sight. Amen.

Yesterday’s Baggage!

Image
  “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight.” (Romans 4:7) Yesterday’s Baggage We all make mistakes, and some are very painful. Maybe you need to bury mistakes you made. You’ve lived feeling guilty, condemned, and down on yourself long enough. Have a funeral and put it behind you. No more talking about it. No more letting the accuser make you feel unworthy. When the defeat, the mistake, or the hurt comes back up on the movie screen of your mind, change the channel. Have the attitude, “I’m not living in regret and rehearsing failures. I’m moving forward.” Pay attention to what you’re dwelling on all day. Listen to what you’re saying. How much time and energy are you giving to the negative things of your past—the guilt, the offenses, the blame, the discouragement? You only have so much emotional energy each day. When you spend that energy on negative things, rehearsing your failures and being down on yourself, that’s energy you should be ...

How to Experience God’s Favor!

Image
  How to Experience God’s Favor Scripture: Psalm 90:17 “ May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us—yes, establish the work of our hands. ” (Psalm 90:17) Our relationship with God through Christ means LIFE, FAVOR, and REWARD! We all want to experience a full and meaningful life to enjoy in this world. Scripture tells us we can experience the favor of God if we establish the right kind of relationship with him. The favor of God is available to us and brings us rewards. You would think the world would be pounding the path to the door of one who promises such things. For those of us who practice Kingdom of God (and who have become yield active  converterlators , converting our perishable time, talents, and treasures to imperishable values), we have discovered this great secret of the kingdom. We have found life, favor, and reward already in this world. Furthermore, we are anticipating much more in the life to come. Therefore, we pray God’...

Who’s Your Architect?

Image
      And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19) Who’s Your Architect? When an architect designs a skyscraper, he calculates all the loads, how much each floor will weigh, and how much wind stress it will face so it can withstand all the pressures it will bear. The good news is that your architect is the Most High God. He not only designed solar systems and mountain ranges, He designed you. When He laid out the plan for your life, He calculated everything you would face—all the pressure, the weight, the elements. He took into account every hurt, injustice, loss, and mistake. He designed your beams thick enough and your foundation deep enough. He put in you the strength, the fortitude, and the tenacity that no matter what comes against you, it will not be too much to bear. You’ve been designed to withstand the opposition, overcome the injustice, and endure till the dream comes to pass. When you’re tempted to t...