 1 Peter 5:10-11 “Now the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ Jesus will personally restore, establish, strengthen, and support you after you have suffered a little. The dominion belongs to Him forever. Amen” ~HCSB
Often you will hear a prayer like this one at the end of a church service. It would be prayed at the church’s ‘benediction’. The term benediction is merely an utterance of good wishes. And a good wishing from someone with God included is a blessing. For me, it is a way of wishing all of you, (in scripture), from the bottom of my heart, everything you need to make it through all you go through every day. It is a way of reminding you who God is and His capabilities. As you read His Word you find scriptures that speak of His works. He parted the Red Sea for His people (Exodus 14:15-31). He rescued three believers from a fiery furnace (Daniel 3:16-30). And saved one of his most strong and devoted believers from being eaten by lions (Daniel 6:10-23). Now all of this power was used by God to also create you. Which means He has given you everything you need to make it through any situation that may come. It is my prayer in the text above, that God restores you: from all the enemy tried to take from you. He establishes you: No matter what the enemy tries to tell you that ‘you are not’; God tells you that, ‘You Are’! Strengthens you: where you are weak. My prayer is that His power, love and peace will lift you back up! And that He continues to, “...support you after you have suffered a little…”: It doesn’t matter what this world has done to you. God’s got your back! He will take all that mess, and make it your message. But it is up to you to make that message about Him in your life. God will do this because He can, and because He said He would in His promises to us. But all this will only work in accordance with our ‘spiritual strength’, belief and strong relationship with Him. We have to know Him and know that He can. May God bless and keep you as you journey in Jesus name. Amen
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 Psalm 94:19 “When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.” NLT
When I was a young father, I did not have the best jobs. My bills were high and the needs of my family were always larger than my paycheck. Fortunately when I needed something back in those days, my mother and grandmother were always there to help me out. No matter what was going on in their lives. It got to the point where I depended on them for my livelihood. When I needed them, they came through for me. I didn’t want to depend on them because I was supposed to be able to take care of my family. When I couldn’t find a decent job I joined the military. I did this because the military provided the home and food for my family while I served my country. Today I have another perspective when I look back on that time. God saw that I was willing to work hard. He saw in my heart that I was willing to serve and because of that He took care of me and my family. After the military God guided me in ways that, from then on, I have been able to support my family through His provisions in my life. This is why today I depend solely on God. Whatever I face today, He is there to see me through. The world attempts to distract us from these spiritual provisions. Most of the situations we go through are covered in Psalm Chapter 94. Look at what’s going on around us. Wickedness and Evildoers plotting their next moves. Psalm 94:16 says God will protect us from them both. And whenever we may feel like we are ‘slipping’ in life, it is God who is always there to support us. When we experience these hardships, we should embrace the memories of what He has already done for us in our lives. This will allow our strong spirits to take over and make us confident that God will provide, save and pull us through. This way when the clouds of doubt and fear try to enter our hearts and minds, we can have comfort in God’s peace as He gives us, “...renewed hope and cheer.” May God bless and allow you His protection, wisdom and courage as you journey in Jesus’ name. Amen John 1:3 “All things were created through Him, and apart from Him not one thing was created that has been created.” ~CSB
It seems like the cars today have so many different features in them. I just saw a commercial the other day about a car that can turn all four wheels in order to move sideways. This is an object built by, (created by), man. This is a great example of the above text in reference to, "...apart from Him..." The car was ‘created’, but it was created ‘apart’ from God. Now this car is an object. Let’s look at what else has been created, that was created apart from God. How about our fleshly desires that are against the spirit. These lead to actions that are not from God? These emotions were created by the world’s dark influences:
When we become aware of what was created apart from God, we need to be equally aware of what was created by God. Created in you to become the best in your purpose for the kingdom. The best so that you may receive the blessings from heaven. It is in these blessings God will use you to take dominion back in this world. The fruits of the spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23 and the definition of Love found in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 are both directions, guidelines and tools God created inside all His children to give them everything they need to endure the trials and sufferings of this world. Sit down today and become aware of which direction you have been taking in your life. Has it been in the direction of ‘everything that was created by God’ and given to you? Or have you been following what was created ‘apart’ from God? It is this awareness that will make you a better:
If you are looking to make this year better; if you are constantly asking God, “How long do I have to endure this trial Lord?” It is time to claim your blessings from God, the blessings He has just for you. Claim them by getting rid of all that is in you from the world, and receive, embrace and become what was created inside you by our Father in Heaven! Claim the ‘created goodness’, given to you only by the Father! May He continue to cover you with His love, protection and healing as you journey in Jesus name. Amen  Romans 8:25 “But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.” ~NLT
The year is 1975. It’s a Saturday morning. At approximately 3:50 AM I hear my grandfather’s voice whisper to me, “It’s time to go.” I get up and put on the clothes that my grandmother laid out the night before. We get into my grandfather’s beige Toyota station wagon, loaded with fishing gear and bait and we head to our favorite fishing hole. I loved fishing with my grandfather but I didn’t learn until years later that it would teach me a skill I would need that would promote my faith in God’s work in me. That skill is patience. It taught me, as the scripture says above, to look forward to something I can not see. But have the confidence that it will come true. In life we pray for healing, better finances and stronger relationships. Sometimes we are so far in debt on all three that we give up hope. But God loves us too much to allow us to stay in the places we are in. We must show Him that we believe in Him and His intent to bless us out of our misery and pain. We cast our prayers like fishermen cast their line in the water. And just like they watch the bobber floating in the water to see if a fish has taken the bait, we must stay in the Word of God to see the signs of His coming blessings. A fisherman is confident in their skills to catch fish. We should be just as confident when we pray to the Lord. It takes patience to sit by the water, being still and quiet. Waiting for the catch of the day to swim by and take the bait. As Christians we must also be patient and wait on the Lord as He blesses us during our trials. These blessings not only come in the form of healing, they also come in the form of wisdom. We learn as we endure. We develop the wisdom, courage and determination needed to receive and maintain God’s gift of blessing to us. Patience brings us our peace. The more we practice patience, the easier it is to be patient. In our patience, we will begin to see our situations get better. We will begin to see our children’s situation get better. And our relationships with family, friends and strangers will also get better. Without question, the blessing from God will be more than what we have prayed for when we, “...wait patiently and confidently…” May God continue to bless and keep you under His umbrella of peace, healing and love as you journey in Jesus’ name. Amen  James 4:7-8 “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you…” ~CSB
A man decides to get a puppy. He names the puppy and continues to call this name so that he and the puppy can begin to ‘communicate’ with each other. This is how this relationship begins. In time the man and his puppy build on that relationship. They develop an understanding in communication with each other. When the puppy matures he is able to let the man know, by mannerisms, gestures or simply by barking, when it needs something. If he’s hungry, has to go outside to relieve himself or just needs some love, the two are able to communicate this to each other. It is sad to say that man is better at building a relationship with a dog than he is with building one with God. This is important to point out because we need to embrace and become aware of what that means. And how do we go about building a relationship with God? First of all, building a relationship with God is easy. We see that in how we start and build relationships with strangers, future friends and yes, dogs. No, the hard part about having a relationship with God is in our obedience. You see, we worry about the wrong things when it comes to having a relationship with God. We think we have the responsibility for how the Holy Spirit works in us. We think we are responsible for learning how to ‘hear’ from God when He guides us. This can not be done under our own power. This is actually God’s part in action when it comes to the relationship we have with Him. Our part is to work on disregarding our fleshly desires. We must walk by the Spirit of the Lord, (Galatians 5:16). We must practice, practice, practice, following God’s rules and regulations. We must not ‘...carry out the desires of the flesh.” It is the job of the flesh to defy the direction of the Spirit. We must, as the text says above, “Submit ourselves to God.” Resist the temptation of the flesh. And as we allow ourselves to be trained by God, He will begin to supplement our Spirits with His power. His power of direction, healing and strength. We must train ourselves in living obedient lifestyles because God has so many plans for us. But He can only share His visions with those of us who are ready to take on His power of victory. Those of us who practice obedience. May God continue to bless and keep you in His protection as you journey in Jesus’ name. Amen  John 15:2 “Every branch in me that does not produce fruit He removes, and He prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit.” ~CSB
Yolanda and I moved into our home in 2006. It was a brand-new home and with it came new vegetation to enhance the beauty of the home. Now in this beginning stage, the bushes and the tree planted in the front yard, were new and the fullness of their appearance had not yet fully developed. Each season I would trim the hedges of the branches that were growing faster than the other branches. This pruning made room for other branches to grow and fill in the spaces. Eventually, the bushes and the tree became full and rich in appearance. Our home benefited from this beauty. Blessings that are our inherited gifts from God work in that same way. In order to receive the blessings God has for us, there are traits within ourselves that need to be ‘pruned’. This is why we have trials and challenges in our lives. These challenges, if we see them through and endure, will allow us to become stronger and wiser. God will take what has troubled you and transform it into the blueprint of what is needed to receive, maintain and distribute your ‘custom made’ blessing. Unlike those times when you were not in the word of God and you wondered why your blessings come and go; now you will have the wisdom to hold on to these blessings because what kept you from holding on to those blessings has now been ‘pruned’ through those sufferings you’ve endured. In addition to maintaining these blessings, you now have the strength and wisdom to receive more blessings as God wants you to live abundantly. 2 Corinthians 9:8, “And God is able to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, always having everything you need, you may excel in every good work.” ~CSB Every good work! Live your life in the direction God created you to go and the blessings will continue to come. Consider the trials of this world an opportunity to ‘prune’ your spiritual ‘hedge’ so that you will be complete and lacking nothing when you receive the blessings God has just for you. May God keep you in His strength and wisdom as you journey on your path in the name of His one and only Son Jesus Christ. Amen 2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” ~CSB
There were times in my life when I remember taking too much. It was a time where the world taught me, ‘Don’t let anybody talk down to you!’ The world instilled in me that if there was an audience around, and someone insulted me, I’d better snap back as fast as I could with the first thing that came to my mind. I remember doing that one day when I was young. Another kid tried to insult me. I snapped back. Verbally I hit him hard and made him look really bad. I had won that battle but I didn’t stop. I kept on and the other young man was really hurt and embarrassed. I remember saying some things about his home life, his mother; just things that hit below the belt. And those words I can never take back. In my spiritual state today, seeking forgiveness is in my heart for things like that because I was wrong. I was taught wrong. Now it is time to unlearn what the world has taught us. How do we do that? How do we learn how to position ourselves for our transformation, so that we can move on as godly Christians? By immersing ourselves in God’s Word. We must first surround ourselves with godly people who can help us become familiar with God’s Word. So that we may apply His Word to our lives. The text says in 2nd Timothy that, “All Scripture is inspired by God…” If we need to unlearn what the world has taught us, we must allow the Word of God to “...Teach…” us new ways; “...Rebuke…” our dark spirits, attitudes and actions; and “...Correct…” our perspectives and way of thinking. This will be our, (as the text continues), “...training in righteousness, so that…” we, “...may be complete, and equipped for every good work.” May God bless and keep you in His teachings as you continue your journey in Jesus’ name. Amen  Proverbs 4:20-22 “My son, pay attention to my words; listen closely to my sayings. 21 Don’t lose sight of them; keep them within your heart. 22 For they are life to those who find them, and health to one's whole body.” ~CSB
Have you ever witnessed a situation or an action made by someone, and your mind immediately takes you back to a scene in a movie? Or maybe you remember a quote from a book you’ve read? You didn’t memorize the quote or the movie scene, but all of a sudden, that quote or scene comes back to you. For you to remember it so vividly, the scene must have been funny, sad or heartfelt. This particular scene or quote stayed in your heart, so when the similar situation in real life presented itself, what you had in your heart from that movie or book, reappeared in your memory. This is the way God’s Word is. When you read scripture, and the Word touches you, meaning: you receive what God is giving you, and you allow those seeds to plant in your heart, you will find that you don’t have to memorize it. When the situation comes, when the opportunity for a miracle presents itself, the key to unlocking your blessing will be the Holy Spirit bringing out the Word of God in you at the right time. That Word that’s already seeded in you from what you have read and received. His Word of instruction, His Word of comfort and healing, His Word of prosperity, grace, and peace, will overflow from your heart and bring to mind His desire for you at that moment. This is how God’s Word works. We cannot be the Christians we need to be and were created to be, without it. The Word has done His job, we need to do ours in order to become aware of our instructions. God says, “...pay attention to my words…” Listen to what God is telling you, not what you ‘think’ He is saying. When He says in His Word, “For they are life to those who find them…” This is where the Holy Spirit takes what you have read and received, then brings it out at the right times in your life. In a great relationship with God, you will be able to receive the information He provides to be the best Christian He created you to be. Don’t worry about remembering. When you receive His Word as a gift from Him, and "...keep them within your heart…”, that Word will bring you life and will be forever in you. And it will be ready for the Holy Spirit to use in you, at the right time. May God bless and keep you as you journey in Jesus’ name. Amen  Hebrews 4:9-11 “Therefore, a Sabbath rest remains for God’s people. 10 For the person who has entered his rest has rested from his own works, just as God did from His. 11 Let us, then, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall into the same pattern of disobedience.” ~CSB
Ever worked so hard, or worked long hours, days and weeks, where you not only feel tired, but also frustrated? On days like that you are liable to say something to someone close to you that you can’t take back. How about a ‘work’ situation? You may ‘pop’ off and say something to a co-worker or supervisor that may get you in some trouble. It may even cost you your job. All because you are tired. I know we have to do what we have to do sometimes and fatigue comes with it. But as Christians we need to understand that the devil knows about our levels of frustration and he will use those levels anyway he can. He prowls and waits for you to get to that point. Then he will command your flesh to say or do something you will regret. This is why God will allow days for you to rest. Be careful, on these days of rest, because the enemy can make a hard working person think they are being lazy. But actually God has taken everything ‘doable’ away so that you have no choice but to rest. God does this because things are about to happen for you and He needs you at your strongest. Mentally and physically. The more you are aware of God’s gift of rest, the more you should embrace it. The text says, “Make every effort to enter that rest…” Take a nap, read a book, listen to that soft ‘Jazz’. Whatever you need to do to relax your Spiritual heart. Then you will be prepared for God’s work. Preparedness and awareness will be strengthened in you so that you do not fall for the tricks of the devil. The text continues, “...so that no one will fall into the same pattern of disobedience.” May God allow you the rest you need to continue your journey in good health, in Jesus’ name. Amen Deuteronomy 8:17-18 “You may say to yourself, ‘My power and my own ability have gained this wealth for me,’ 18 but remember that the Lord your God gives you the power to gain wealth…” ~CSB
I hear all the time, “I made all this!” “Nobody gave me nothin’!” And yeah, I see successful people doing things I pray to do someday. But I always remember that God has plans for me. Other people’s blessings are theirs, and mine are waiting for me to be strong enough to carry them. But the one thing I will not forget is that whatever comes my way, I did not get it on my own. First God tells us in Jeremiah 29:11 that He has, “...plans for us…” He goes on to say that those plans are not for disaster. They are plans for our, “...well being…to give us a future and a hope…” Again these are His plans for us. But we often get in the way of His plans by doing what we think we want, or need, or desire. But God knows what’s best for us and His plans will carry us and cover us in everything. Our plans, however, will only take us so far. For example, we may achieve wealth beyond imagination, on our own. But oftentimes we will lack joy. This wealth cannot buy us health, nor add years to our lives. But with God, we will experience a whole different type of wealth beyond our imagination. This wealth will come in all aspects of our lives, our health, our families, our futures, and our financial status. They will all be covered by the blood of Jesus Christ because God has already made plans for our ‘...well being…’ We must remember that when our children grow to be great men and women. When our legacies have strong roots that bloom into great flowers. When our lives have been lived full, it is because of God and His plans for us. Those plans for us to be prosperous in the lives He created for us to live. It is because of Him we have what we have. And it is because of the Son, we are saved! May God bless and keep you safe, healed, guided and protected as you walk your journey in Jesus’ name. Amen |
Authors Billy & YolandaThis is the place where we share our heart through God's Word in faith that will inspire and empower you to live in peace. Archives
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