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Showing posts from October, 2021

Pray!

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PRAY Lord God, you listen to the longings of those who suffer; you hear their cries for help and offer them hope. Whenever I feel as though I am away from your presence and surrounded by injustice, draw me close to you and remind me of your steadfast love and care. Amen.

The Path to Personal Peace!

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  The Path to Personal Peace! “ Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. ” (Philippians 4:9) What an example to follow! How many people could make that statement about themselves? Just put into practice what you have seen and heard from Jesus, and you will experience peace. Peace is a rare commodity. People spend billions to find peace through drugs, alcohol, pleasure, and other experiences. Paul shows us the only way to true peace. Peace is sourced in the person of Jesus Christ. Peace comes from God: “ Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. ” (John 14:27) Paul, who experienced much tribulation, shows us how to tap into the source of this peace. Only people who have a personal relationship with Christ can experience what he is telling us. So what can we learn, receive, and see in the life of...

The Path to Personal Peace!

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  The Path to Personal Peace “ For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. ” (2 Corinthians 10:3–5) It is necessary to have the Spirit of God working in us because we are fighting principalities, authorities, powers, cosmic forces, and spiritual wickedness that seek to destroy us. A battle rages for the control of our mind. We know that whoever or whatever controls our mind controls us. Paul and other Bible greats give us the answer so we can begin to experience “ …triumph in Christ… and the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. ” (2 Corinthians 2:14, NKJV) It takes mental discipline and practice to experience inner peace. First , we need to ask the Holy Spirit to control our mind to focus it properly:...

Pray!

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PRAY Almighty God, when I see the forces of evil at work, I, too, feel hopeless. Remind me, O God, that you are in control. O Lord God, there is no other god like you. You are faithful, merciful, and forgiving, and you show constant love to your people. Amen.

Make The Switch

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A vast crowd brought to him people who were lame, blind, crippled, those who couldn’t speak, and many others. They laid them before Jesus, and he healed them all. (Matthew 15:30, NLT) Make the Switch All through the Scripture you can see it is God’s will to heal the sick. Fourteen times in the Scripture it says that Jesus healed “all” who were sick. I can’t find one instance where Jesus turned someone away and wouldn’t heal them. He didn’t always heal the same way, but He healed them all. Isaiah 53:4 says, “Jesus carried our sickness and took our infirmities.” He already paid the price. You have to have the boldness to say, “God, I know it is Your will.” That Scripture goes on to say, “By His stripes you were healed.” Past tense. Jesus took those stripes before He was crucified. He didn’t leave anything out. He’s already done it. You have to make the switch from “God, if You want to heal me” to “God, I know You want to heal me.” Our attitude should be, “Lord, I receive Your healing. By...

Be a Converterlator!

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  Be a Converterlator “ Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your earthly possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home. ” (Luke 16:9) In Kingdom of God one of the things we have emphasized is that we are engaged in leveraging the perishable into the imperishable. We are agents of change—transformers who are experiencing an earthly life now that will also echo into eternity. We have developed a “new word” with its various renditions to describe what we are doing: CONVERTERLATORS. We are CONVERTERLATORS, people who are converting the perishable into the imperishable. If you are a CONVERTERLATOR, you are an agent engaged in “CONVERTERLATING” for bringing about change. The Apostle Paul, who was a CONVERTERLATOR, is a great example for us to follow in using any and all means available for advancing the kingdom of God. Luke 16:9 is a CONVERTERLATOR verse. It is an example of God instructing us to be wise in the use...
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The LORD will work out his plans for my life—for your faithful love, O LORD, endures forever. (Psalm 138:8, NLT) You Don’t Have to Know When Moses led the two million Israelites out of slavery into the desert and toward the Promised Land, I can imagine them asking him, “What route are we going to take? Where are we going to get food and water? How will we protect ourselves?” Moses answered, “I don’t know.” Just because you don’t know how something is going to work out doesn’t mean God doesn’t have a plan. Moses had such a trust in God that he was comfortable not knowing. He took it one step of faith at a time. When we’re trying to figure everything out and manipulate a solution, we’re being God. It’s very freeing when you learn this principle that it’s okay to say as Moses did, “I don’t know how it’s going to work out, but I’m at peace.” You’re taking yourself off the throne and putting God on the throne. Take the pressure off. You don’t have to know; God knows. He will work out His pl...

Do Not Be a Consumerlator!

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  Do Not Be a Consumerlator “ Demas has deserted me because he loves the things of this life and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus has gone to Dalmatia. ” (2 Timothy 4:10) Demas deserted Paul because loved the temporary perishing things of this life more than the eternal aspects of life promoted by the gospel. Being actively involved as a  CONVERTERLATOR  is one of the best protections against falling into the plight of Demas. This brings another new word to be aware of as we navigate our way through this world: CONSUMERLATOR. A CONSUMERLATOR is an agent or modality that is engaged in stealing, killing, and destroying our opportunities to CONVERTERLATE our perishable time, talents, and treasures into the imperishable values that will last for eternity. Demas was a CONSUMERLATOR because he was apparently unwilling to defer experiencing some temporary pleasures of this world in order to accumulate treasure in heaven. We are facing eternity. A...

No One Word Have Fail

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“Praise the LORD who has given rest to his people Israel, just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the wonderful promises he gave through his servant Moses.” (1 Kings 8:56, NLT) Not One Word Has Failed We all face situations that look like they’ll never change. We have bigger things in our spirit, and we know what God promised, but it seems like we’ve reached our limit in our career. Our bank account says we’re stuck. When we look at the medical report or at a broken relationship, there’s no sign of it improving. But the Scripture says, “The things we see now will soon be gone” (2 Cor. 4:18). What we see is subject to change according to what God promises in His Word. You can’t be moved by what you see; you have to be moved by what you know He says. Are you believing what you’re seeing, or are you believing what you’re reading in God’s Word? What you see may be lack and struggle, but what God is speaking to you is abundance, healing, breakthroughs, and new levels. Don’t redu...

The Battle: Converterlator vs. Consumerlator!

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  The Battle: Converterlator vs. Consumerlator “ There were two hundred leaders from Issachar. They knew what Israel should do, and they knew the right time to do it. ” (1 Chronicles 12:32) “ Listen, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. So be as clever as snakes and as innocent as doves. ” (Matthew 10:16) We find ourselves in a world filled with all kinds of conflict. Conflict rages in both the seen and unseen realms. Secular forces battle spiritual forces all the time, but we often are only able to see the partial results of the battle. Individually, we all face battles of various kinds, including physical, material, spiritual, emotional, and mental stresses. Human casualties are abundant. But the Word of God gives us the hope, power, guidance, and instruments needed to fight these secular and spiritual battles. “ The Lord says, ‘I will make you wise and show you where to go. I will guide you and watch over you.’  ” (Psalm 32:8) God tells us how he will make us like ...

Don't loose The Awe

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When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God… (Deuteronomy 8:10–11, NIV) Don’t Lose the Awe In Deuteronomy 8, after promising the Israelites that He was bringing them into the Promised Land, a land filled with abundance, favor, and blessing, God gave them a warning that they not forget He was the source. God was saying, “When you get that promotion, when your health turns around, when you have that house you asked Me for, don’t ever forget that it was My goodness. Always take time to thank Me for what I’ve done.” In some area of our life, we’re all in the Promised Land. God has done something amazing. We know we have His favor. The problem with forgetting that it came from Him is that God won’t share His glory. If you don’t stay grateful, if you don’t recognize His goodness, the same God who opened the door can close the door. A lack of gratitude is what causes blessin...

The Compass of Life!

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  The Compass of Life “ He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but whoever walks wisely will be delivered. ” (Proverbs 28:26) “ In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes. ” (Judges 21:25) Our point of reference is critical in becoming a  CONVERTERLATOR . The above verses summarize what is wrong in our world: People refuse to acknowledge God and instead trust in their own hearts. To do so is to make oneself a fool. People do whatever they think is right in their own eyes. They think that no one, including God, is going to tell them what to do. We see the evidence of this foolishness on the evening news. Many Christians drift away from their mission. They fail to do what the Psalmist did:  “ I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. ” (Psalm 16:8) Many have fallen into the trap of the  CONSUMERLATOR  and follow the world and its wisdom. “ However, we speak wisdom among...

What are you Wearing

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Today's Scripture So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. (Colossians 3:12, MSG) What Are You Wearing? As a parent, sometimes you pick out clothes for your children to wear. Our heavenly Father has picked out something for us to wear—kindness, compassion, humbleness, being disciplined. When you’re kind, people are drawn to you. When you’re good-natured, friendly, and humble, opportunities will come your way. People want to do business with people they like. When we’re hiring someone, a person’s résumé tells us what their skills are and what they’ve done, but we always meet with them to see what their attitude is. Are they positive, friendly, kind, and considerate? They can be extremely talented and have incredible potential, but a bad attitude will keep them from rising higher. Studies show that your attitude will have a greater impact on your success than your IQ. Your at...

Going, Going, Gone!

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  Going, Going, Gone! “ Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. ” (Mark 13:31) This is an incredible statement! Everything is ultimately going to pass away. Our time, talents, and treasures will expire when we do. They will do us no good in eternity. We must use them while we are on this side of eternity. We are like the shopper who has won a contest and is allowed to buy as many groceries as she can within a short period of time. When the time expires, the shopping spree ends. However, according to the Bible, we know that the Word of God will never pass away and that the soul of each person is going to exist forever in either heaven or hell. The soul going to heaven will spend eternity based on how his time, talents, and treasures were spent on earth. This is why Kingdom of God is concerned with the brevity of life. The Bible comments extensively on life and how short it is. “ He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return...

Pray!

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PRAY Lord God, from your heavenly temple you see everything we do. You know my faults and shortcomings. Order my steps this day so that what I do is pleasing in your sight. In your holy name, I pray. Amen.

Pray

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PRAY Righteous and loving God, I thank and praise you for your steadfast love and faithfulness. Teach me to listen for your voice and help me to do your will. Amen.

Hammer, Saw, or Screwdriver?

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  Hammer, Saw, or Screwdriver? “ God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us to do good works, which God planned in advance for us to live our lives doing. ” (Ephesians 2:10) To be effective  CONVERTERLATORS , we need to know how we have been individually designed and the purpose for which we have been designed. There are all kinds of tools for building a house, including hammers, saws, and screwdrivers, just to name a few. Each one of these has been designed for a specific purpose. It is not effective to try to use a saw as a hammer or a screwdriver as a saw. First, we must realize that we are God’s workmanship. He has made us. “ Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. ” (Isaiah 64:8) “ He fashions their hearts individually; He considers all their works. ” (Psalm 33:15) Our purpose for this world is to do good works—specific works that God planned for us a long time ago! Second, we discover just what ...

Out of deep Water!

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Today's Scripture “He drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me.” (2 Samuel 22:17–18, NIV) Out of Deep Waters We all face things that are too powerful for us to stop or overcome, but they’re not too powerful for our God. You may not be able to escape the accident, beat the cancer, or overcome the bad break on your own, but you’re not on your own; the Most High God is with you. The enemy is not in control of your life. He can’t stop your purpose. God has the final say. He’s going to draw you out of deep waters. He’s going to rescue you from powerful enemies. The enemy may tell you, “You’re stuck in the addiction. Just accept it. Those people who talk against you in the office are too powerful. They’ll keep you back. Don’t get your hopes up.” God is saying, “It’s no match for me. I’m about to turn things in your favor. I’m about draw you out of the waters and rescue you.” Instead of dwelling on how big your enemies are,...

Shine For Jesus!

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                   Shine for Jesus “Awake O sleeper! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” —Ephesians 5:14 “In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they can see your good deeds and give honor to your Father in heaven.” —Matthew 5:16 When we are consumed by the Word of God, Jesus Christ shines upon us and through us. Focusing on Jesus gives clarity and meaning to our lives. For this reason, we must get to know him better every day. He is the one who gives direction on how best to use our time, talent, and treasure in his world. He is the one who gives us lasting purpose for our lives. Great things happen when God’s favor shines on us. If we believe in God, and that he is the rewarder of those who diligently seek him, then we will be spending time in his Word, listening to his voice. This allows us to become partakers in the service of Jesus Christ! And as we serve, his light shines on and through us...

You Can't Pay God Back

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Today's Scripture Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus… (Romans 8:1, NIV) You Can’t Pay God Back Sometimes we think we have to pay God back for our mistakes and sins, and we try to do it by staying down and discouraged to show Him that we’re sorry, that we’re remorseful. Granted, there should be conviction and genuine remorse when we do something wrong. I’m not saying to just do whatever you want and never feel badly about it. My point is that once you ask God for forgiveness, you don’t have to pay Him back. The price has already been paid on the cross. But when you live feeling guilty, you’re saying, in effect, the sacrifice Christ made wasn’t enough. You’re saying, “Let me add something to it. Let me do my part by paying some kind of penalty for the wrongs I’ve done.” Living under guilt and condemnation doesn’t bring any honor to God. After all Christ did to pay the price, if you want to honor God, get rid of the guilt. There is no condemnatio...

Converterlator Weaponry!

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  Converterlator Weaponry “ For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. ” (Hebrews 4:12) “ And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe. ” (1 Thessalonians 2:13) “ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ” (Ephesians 6:17) A Christian cannot be an effective CONVERTERLATOR without the Word of God. Along with the Holy Spirit, the Word is a modality for bringing the necessary transformation in our hearts, attitudes, and mindsets. It is the means for nourishing and fueling the very roots of our being. The Word also is usually the major means we learn about the will of God and how to implement the strategies he reveals to ...

Be of Good Courage

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Today's Scripture “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33, NKJV) Fill This Prescription Jesus acknowledged that we’re going to have challenges in this life, and everything is not going to be perfect. Nevertheless, He added, “Be of good cheer.” He didn’t say to be discouraged, to be upset, to be sad, or to be offended. In the tough times, you need to be full of joy-because the joy of the Lord is what gives you strength. If the enemy can deceive you into living weighed down, discouraged, and somber, he’ll be able to defeat you at every turn. Don’t fall into that trap. Your circumstances may not change, but you can change. Quit letting everything burden you down. Make the choice that right in the midst of difficulties you’re going to be of good cheer. I have a prescription for you from our Creator. He says stay cheerful, be good-natured, laugh every day, find the humor in life, and keep a joyful atmosphere in your home. If...