Devotion: The Joy Of The Lord Is Your Strength

Rejoice in the Lord.  The Lord is your strength and your defense.  I delight greatly in the Lord for my soul rejoices in him.  I will be joyful in God my Savior.  I will be happy in the God of my salvation.

“Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior” (Habakkuk 3:17-18).

“Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.  Let your moderation be known unto all men.  The Lord is at hand.  Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:4-7).

“The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.  He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him” (Exodus 15:2 NIV).

“I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God.  For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.  For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations” (Isaiah 61:10-11 NIV).

“Even though the fig trees are all destroyed, and there is neither blossom left nor fruit; though the olive crops all fail, and the fields lie barren; even if the flocks die in the fields and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will be happy in the God of my salvation.  The Lord God is my strength; he will give me the speed of a deer and bring me safely over the mountains” (Habakkuk 3:17-18 TLB).

“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me” (John 14:1).

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace.  In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27).

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13 NIV).

We will rejoice in the Lord and we will not let our heart be troubled for he is our strength and our defense.  We will rejoice in the Lord and we will be joyful in God our Savior.

We always give thanks to God for the ability to share this inspirational message with you.  We constantly pray that you will be blessed as well as informed by this message and that you will be the better for having read it.  If you are blessed by this message, please share so that others may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: Walk In Love

Louise Hay once said, “The act of forgiveness takes place in our mind.  It really has nothing to do with the other person.”  When you forgive someone who hurts you, you have decided to live with the pain that someone else has inflicted upon you.  Please understand that we are in no way saying that your forgiveness excuses someone else’s behavior, but that forgiveness will prevent someone else’s behavior from destroying your heart.  Forgiveness is the key to being forgiven.

“If ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14-15).

“And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.  But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses” (Mark 11:25-26).

“Forgive and you will be forgiven” (Luke 6:37).

“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.  Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:31-32 NIV).

“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any if you has a grievance against someone.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you” (Colossians 3:13).

“And be ye be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32).

“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.  And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.  And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body.  And be thankful.  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.  And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:12-17 ESV).

“Stop being mean, bad-tempered, and angry.  Quarreling, harsh words, and dislike of others should have no place in your lives.  Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God has forgiven you because you belong to Christ” (Ephesians 4:31-32 TLB).

“Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against a fellow Israelite, but love your neighbor as yourself.  I am the Lord” (Leviticus 19:18 NLT).

Forgiveness is the key to being forgiven and it will prevent someone else’s behavior from destroying your heart.  As always, we pray that our commentary will abundantly bless you, greatly inform you, and that you will be the better for having read it.  If blessed by this message, please share so that others may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: God Can Be Trusted

Getting back to this “wanting to know who this God that we had pledged our life to, that we had chose to follow, to obey, and to serve was” thing, we mentioned the fact that God says, “I am the Lord, I change not” (Malachi 3:6).  We went on to mention that what God is today is what he had to be in the days past, and even had to be in the beginning.  Could it be true that we have somewhere along the way, gotten a few things wrong about the God that we have pledged our lives to and who we have chose to follow, to obey, and to serve was?

Many have stated that as you read through the events of the Bible and the relationships God had with people, God is progressively revealing himself to man.  That appears to be great for man today, but what about all those back in the beginning.  Did he leave them short in their understanding of who he was?  Did he not impress upon them how he operates?  If this be the case, then God himself has given us an advantage over those who came before us.  And more importantly, God has shortchanged those who were back in the beginning by not giving them the same opportunity as us.

In order for the man to understand who God is and what he wants of him, God has to reveal himself to man.  In saying that, God had to reveal himself to the first man and then to all men following the first.  This is important because once we know who God is, from the beginning, then we will forever know who God is.  Remember, it was God who said, “I change not.”  If God changes one thing, even in the slightest, that he did from the very beginning, then he lied because he did in fact “change.”  According to scripture God “cannot lie” (Titus 1:2), for “it is impossible for God to lie” (Hebrews 6:18).  We also find in scripture that “there is no iniquity with the Lord our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts” (II Chronicles 19:7).

First of all, we see that God cannot lie.  Then we see that “there is absolutely no injustice, immorality, unrighteousness, or wrong doings with God.”  Next, we see that “there is no respect of persons with God.”  This means that there is no partiality or any unfair preferences for one person or group over another with God.  And finally, we see that God cannot be bribed with gifts, promises, or the like, “for there is no taking of gifts with God.”

“In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe” (Hebrews 1:1 NIV).  “These men of faith I have mentioned died without ever receiving all that God had promised them; but they saw it all awaiting them on ahead and were glad, for they agreed that this earth was not their real home but that they were just strangers visiting down here.  And quite obviously when they talked like that, they were looking forward to their real home in heaven” (Hebrews 11:13-14 TLB).

And though it may not appear to be so, we now see that God did in fact reveal himself to those before us in similar or like fashion.  We know that we can trust God, because he changes not, because he cannot lie, and because there is absolutely no injustice, immorality, unrighteousness, or wrong doings with God, nor is there any respect of persons or taking of gifts.  God is faithful in all that he does and his word is forever right and true (Psalm 33:4).  And just a closing note for those of you who have been following our commentaries, the reasons we know we can trust God are the fundamental building blocks used to support our entire belief system.  May they be used to strengthen your belief system and elevate you to the next level as well.

Once again, we give thanks and glory to God for his wisdom and understanding.  We are so blessed to be able to share with you the reasons we know we can trust God and the fundamental building blocks used to support our entire belief system.  We continue to pray that this inspirational messages will be a blessing to each of you and that you will be the better for having read them.  If you are blessed by what has been provided, please feel free to share so that others may be blessed as well; for as freely as our Father has given this to us, we freely give so that others may share in the love and be blessed.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: What Is God Like?

For us, “We wanted to know who this God that we had pledged our life to, that we had chose to follow, to obey, and to serve, was?”  We believed in God, but there were so many conflicting descriptions that we were totally confused as to what kind of God we were serving and/or what we should be doing to please him.  One of the most confusing things for us was the idea that the God of the Old Testament was somehow different from the God of the New Testament.  We have been taught that the God of the Old Testament was “a God of wrath,” which is in stark contrast to the portrayal of the God of the New Testament as “a God of love.”  We will concede that there are many events in the Old Testament that appear to portray God as this “God of wrath,” but was this an accurate portrayal?

The Old Testament events have been used to show that God is this “angry tyrant,” who was always mad and full of wrath.  He is portrayed by these events as a God who sits around waiting for mankind to sin so that he can pass judgment on him, punish him, and then condemn him to hell.  According to some traditional teachings, committing any one sin was no different than committing any other sin, they were all treated the same regardless of how hard we tried to classify them based on severity.  You see, under this rule, lying was the same as committing murder and the punishment was the same, condemnation.  Because of this, many Christians believe that God demands that we live holy and do things righteous in order for us to receive anything from God or even to get God to move in our lives.  But again, is this an accurate portrayal?

“But we are children of God; that is why only those who have walked and talked with God will listen to us.  Others won’t.  That is another way to know whether a message is really from God; for if it is, the world won’t listen to it.  Dear friends, let us practice loving each other, for love comes from God and those who are loving and kind show that they are the children of God, and that they are getting to know him better.  But if a person isn’t loving and kind, it shows that he doesn’t know God—for God is love” (I John 4:6-8 TLB).

According to this New Testament passage, “love is of God, for God is love.”  It goes on to say that those who are loving and kind show that they are children of God and that they are getting to know God better because “love comes from God.”  Is this “God is love” portrayal a more accurate one?

“God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.  This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.  Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.  No one has ever seen God.  But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.  And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us” (I John 4:9-13 NLT).

The New Testament points out the fact that God loved us, the same people who earlier had earned his so-called wrath, so much that he sent his son, Jesus Christ into the world, so that we, the same people who earlier had earned his so-called wrath, could have eternal life through Jesus Christ.  This New Testament portrait of a loving God certainly contradicts the Old Testament God of wrath.  But which one is the accurate one?

We know from a previous discussion that God says, “I am the Lord, I change not” (Malachi 3:6) and we summed up this passage to mean God has not changed since the beginning nor will he ever change in the future, which we know to be contrary to many popular beliefs.  If our portrait of God portrays him as “a God of wrath,” then we need to ask, “When did he change?”  We can ask the same “when did he change question” about the portrait that portrays him as “a God of love.”  It would be more difficult to prove the Old Testament portrait of “a God of wrath” than the latter portrait, especially since we know that God ends up being this “God of love” and we know that God says, “he changes not.”  What God is today is what he had to be in the days past, and even had to be in the beginning.  This means that somewhere along the way, we got a few things wrong about the God that we have pledged our lives to and who we have chose to follow, to obey, and to serve was.  We hope that this commentary will help you with your portrait of God.  We do however wonder though, “Could there be more that we have gotten wrong along the way?”  This does make one ponder the possibilities.

We pray that this commentary will abundantly bless you, greatly inform you, and that you will be the better for having read it.  If blessed by this message, please share so that others may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: Hindered By Limited Truth

Previously, we shared a tidbit of information about God that we thought was interesting and one we felt would take some to another level of understanding.  In that discussion, we focused our attention of the fact that God says, “I am the Lord, I change not” (Malachi 3:6) and summed up this passage to mean he has not changed since the beginning nor will he ever change in the future, which we know to be contrary to many popular beliefs.  That tidbit of information about God has become one of three fundamental building blocks that supports our entire belief system.  Like building a house, we wanted to make sure that our foundation was built on the biblical information that we had proven to be solid, sound, and without fault.  We know that one weak spot in our foundation could cause our whole house to crumble, so to speak.  It would have “a domino effect,” where as our foundation failed, so would go the integrity of the structure, or in this case, “our entire belief system.”

Most everyone has built their belief system on those fundamental truths that they learned when they first believed.  Whether limited or absolute, those truths formed the building blocks to your current belief system.  The same “domino effect” occurs to the integrity of your belief system when those fundamental building blocks fail due “to misinformation or misinterpretation.”  We know that many of you have experienced such failures, especially with the discovery of a biblical truth that has proven to be contrary to what you have accepted as a fundamental truth and one that you have built your belief system upon.  The new revelation wreaks havoc upon your entire belief system, leaving this sense of confusion and misunderstanding.  This is why you have to make sure your foundation is solid, that your beliefs are well grounded in the truth contained in the word of God and not based on something you just accepted as truth because it sounded like it could be godly, biblical, traditional, or even denominational.  This is something that you have to do; no one else can do this for you.  This is something that will require you to open up the Bible and check things out for yourself (Proverbs 4:20-22), no matter the source, including this source.

Words can be manipulated to say many things, make sure the ones that you accept are in line with the rightly divided word (II Timothy 2:15).  Make sure the information you accept is proven true and not contrary to existing information that you yourself have proven to be true.  Once accepted, use it to measure or compare other related and relative information or scriptures against.  While, there be plenty of bad information or misinformation pertaining to the word of God, you will never know the true word of God unless you immerse yourself in the scriptures, for “they will tell you what to believe (for doctrine), what is wrong (for reproof), how to correct wrong (for correction), how to live (for instruction in righteousness), including everything needed to grow in maturity, to be perfect (meaning proficient or capable), and to do what God wants” (II Timothy 3:16-17).

In today’s society, truth is limited, open to or having more than one possible meaning or interpretation.  Limited truth causes uncertainty or confusion and is often used in an attempt to mislead somebody.  It is difficult to interpret, respond to, and understand, but its acceptance comes from a lack of knowledge, a lack of understanding, and a lack of revelation from God (Hosea 4:6).  By definition, the truth is absolute.  The truth corresponds to fact and reality; is generally believed to be unconditional; is unequivocally complete, not capable of being viewed as partial or relative; and is not dependent by or qualified by anything else.  The truth is absolute and comes directly from God, who grants knowledge, understanding, and revelation (Proverbs 2:6; James 1:5).

“Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law” (Psalm 119:18).  “Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day” (Psalm 25:5).

God can open your eyes to see the wonderful things in his word.  Illumination by the Holy Spirit is the means by which God reveals to mature Christians the truths he has hid within the scriptures.  The Spirit reveals to you the secrets of God (I Corinthians 2:10).  It allows you to see and hear the word of God with understanding.  The psalmist asked God to open his eyes because he recognized the need for supernatural aid in understanding the scriptures.  The psalmist also asked God to be his guide and his teacher, guiding him in the true way, revealing to him his truth.  Since spiritual man, inspired by God, wrote the Bible it should be spiritually discerned, illumined by the Holy Spirit for only those who have the Spirit within them can understand what God has revealed through the scriptures.  And believe it or not, there is only one truth (Ephesians 4:3-16), so seek to find it.  Use this truth as the building blocks to your belief system and you will know that your foundation is built on what you have proven to be solid, sound, and without fault.  By the way, we will share the other two fundamental building blocks used to support our entire belief system in a future commentary, so stay tuned.

May today’s inspirational message abundantly bless you and greatly inform you.  We pray that you will be the better for having read them both.  If blessed by today’s message, please share so that others may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Devotion: The Lord Changes Not

Here is a tidbit of information about God that you may find interesting, one that may take you to another level of understanding.  We hear quite often that God is doing a new thing this year or in this season.  We realize that many of you have experienced something new in your life and we understand how you believe that God is doing something new or has done a new thing in your life.  And while we cannot disagree with the fact that something new maybe going on in your life, this new thing that you are experiencing does not automatically translate to mean that God himself is doing something new or has changed.  God says

“For I am the Lord, I change not” (Malachi 3:6).

God has said that “he change not” and he has not changed since the beginning nor will he ever change in the future.  God has not changed his mind nor changed those things that he put into place since the beginning, contrary to popular beliefs.  Many of the changes we see today are because man has changed what God says, it is not God changing what God says.  Man has changed many things and used God’s name to do so.  But here is a revelation for those of you who have a hard time accepting this truth and think God is doing something new or has changed in some way.  God can be doing the same thing that he has always done, but what he has always done can be something new for you, a never before experienced blessing, a never before experienced healing, or a never before experience revelation, all being something new in your life but not something new for God.  Keep this thought in mind, it was you who accepted the Lord Jesus Christ and caused the change in your life.  It was you who chose to draw nearer to God and by doing so, caused this new experience that you are now going through.  It was you who changed and not God.

Man, Adam to be more specific, not God, changed the original creation, the original nature of mankind in the garden when he ate of the fruit.  However, it has been God’s plan, hidden since the beginning of time, to reconcile mankind back to him.  And it was God who reconciled his creation back to its original state, not a new state.  For if a man be in Christ, he be a new creature, redeemed for his old sinful nature, created by Adam, to a new nature for him, the nature of the original man, before the fall, created by Jesus Christ.

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.  And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; to wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation” (II Corinthians 5:17-19).

This be the ministry of reconciliation, the renewing of that relationship that existed with the original man before his fall from God’s grace.  So, God has not changed his mind nor changed those things that he put into place since the beginning.  An all-knowing God cannot have a change of heart or a change of mind because if he changes anything that he has already done or said, then that change, that variation, or that deviation would suggest that he did not know everything from the beginning and we all know that this is not true, for “God is omniscient or all-knowing.”

“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.  Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.  God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ.  This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure” (Ephesians 1:3-5 NLT).

Even before he created anything, God had a plan for mankind, a plan to save mankind, a plan to reconcile man back unto himself.  While he knew, in advance what man, Adam would do to mankind, he also knew what Jesus Christ would do for mankind (Romans 5:19).  God has loved mankind from the beginning, before he created the first thing and this love for his creation has never changed.  It is this love for mankind that caused God to devise a plan from the very beginning that would bring or reconcile mankind back to a state where God would not see our faults anymore, to a state where we could be a part of his family once again, to a state that he wanted us to be in and one that gave him great pleasure.  This has been God’s plan for mankind from the very beginning and this plan has not changed nor is it something new.

We trust that you can see that if there were any variation or deviation in God or the slightest suggestion of change, that he would have been untrue to himself at some point in time.  We trust that you can also see that he would also have lied at some point as well.  This is why there can be no change in God.  This is why he cannot be doing a new thing.  This is not to say that what is going on in your life is not something new or some type of new experience for you, but that does not automatically translate to mean that God himself is doing something new or has changed, because God says, “I am the Lord, I change not.”  If we cannot take God at his word, then whose word are we to take?  Whose word do you take?

As always, we pray that today’s inspirational message will abundantly bless you, greatly inform you, and that you will be the better for having read it.  If blessed by this message, please share so that others may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: God's Covenant of Words

Recently we talked about the most powerful system in the world, and we said that we had been given “the power” to control and “the authority” to command this very system.  We mentioned how important the words were that we spoke and how they do control the things that happen to us.  We found that we choose between life and death, blessing and cursing based on what we say because we discovered that “death and life rest in the power of the tongue” (Proverbs 18:21).  We found where Jesus told the disciples that if they believed the things that they spoke would come to pass and not have any doubt in their hearts, that whatsoever they spoke would come to pass (Mark 11:23-24).  We even found where salvation required us to speak with our mouth and to believe with our heart (Romans 10:9-10).  We know that some of you are not convinced that there be a system that hinges on what we say, be it saying something good or saying something bad, much less that you have been given “the power” to control and “the authority” to command such a system.

“You brood of snakes.  How could evil men like you speak what is good and right?  For a man's heart determines his speech.  A good man's speech reveals the rich treasures within him.  An evil-hearted man is filled with venom, and his speech reveals it.  And I tell you this, that you must give account on Judgment Day for every idle word you speak.  Your words now reflect your fate then:  either you will be justified by them or you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:34-37 The Living Bible).

Jesus says that whatever is in our heart will come out through our mouth.  Both blessings and curses come out of the same mouth, but this all depends on what is in the heart.  Therefore, if the mouth “ain’t” speaking then there must be nothing in the heart.  Our tongue, our mouth, our words have the power to choose life or to choose death, to bring blessings or to bring curses into your life.  Did you know that the law of the Spirit of life in Christ and law of sin and death are subject to our mouth (Romans 8:2)?  This means that with our mouth, we can turn on either the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus or the law of sin and death.  Did you know that our mouth gives us authority “on earth, in heaven, and in hell?”  With our mouth, we can “command” the forces of heaven, we can “change” the situations of earth, and we can “bind” the forces of hell.

“Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 18:18).

According to this passage, we have the authority to bind and loose things on earth, which in turns will bind and loose things in heaven as well.  Nevertheless, we need to take hold of this authority to bind and loose things on earth and in heaven.  We have God’s spirit dwelling inside of us and the angels of God surrounding us.  They are there with us in the midst of all of our needs, in the midst of our wants, in the midst of our desires, and in the midst of our darkest problems.  However, God’s spirit cannot do anything, neither can the angels do anything until we open our mouth and “say” what we need to “say” to employ the forces of heaven.

“Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation.  There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.  For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.  They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.  Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet” (Psalm 91:9-13).

“Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word” (Psalm 103:20).

“Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation” (Hebrews 1:14)?

We see from these passages, God has ordered his angels to protect us wherever we may go.  They will protect us in all of our ways and keep us wherever we go.  These angels will steady us with their hands so that we will not dash our foot against any rocks.  They will hold us up in their hands to keep us from stumbling.  The angels will even protect us so that no evil will happen or come to us.  These same angels will protect us so that no disease or plague will come near our dwelling or house, which is our body.  These angels are there to protect us because God has given them charge over us to protect and to keep us in all our ways.  These mighty angels carry out his orders and do all of his commands because they are not only spirit-messengers but are also ministering spirits sent out to minister to those who have received salvation.  But so few know what is needed to enable these angels to come forth.  And so few know what to say that will get these angels to act.  Do you still think or believe that your words are not important?

We again give thanks to God for this avenue that he has given us to share his word through our inspirational messages.  We continually pray that God’s grace will be upon you and that these devotionals will be a blessing to you.  If you are blessed by them, please share so that others may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: Fellowship With God

It is amazing how many so-called Christians do not actually know God.  We all have relied on traditional teachings to provide us with spiritual knowledge, the kind of knowledge that supposedly brings us closer to God.  We have put our faith and our trust in these teachings because that was and always has been the accepted practice.  We have been taught to never question the things of God or anything that we did not understand.  Over the years, we have either forgotten or just plain ignored the laws of God.  Man has even forgotten or misinterpreted the teachings and sayings of Jesus Christ.  And to beat it all, man does not truly seek to know God much anymore, forgetting how to walk and to talk with God.  Man has become totally dependent upon the church leaders, television, books, the Internet, and other various mediums to teach them the truth about God, Jesus Christ, salvation, and the word of God.  We currently have a belief system full of contrary beliefs, misguided values, unethical practices, and overstated theologies.  This belief system has made it hard for many to take hold of the truth, especially when one does not recognize the truth.  The truth has become so distorted that it is easy to see why man has a hard time identifying with the things of God and even God himself.

But, is going to church on Sunday good enough to make it through this life?  Is that truly all the religion we need?  Will this give us all the spiritual nourishment we need?  Should we feel comfortable, have contentment, and be completely satisfied with only getting our “feel-good on” in church on Sunday?  What about the rest of the time from one Sunday’s “feel-good” experience to next Sunday’s “feel-good” experience?”  Is this all there is?  Shouldn’t we desire more, want more, or even seek more?  Shouldn’t we simply demand more?  Are we to just seek the easy way out of our bad situations and expect quick fixes to all our problems?  Is our relationship with God such that we expect God to instantly fix whatever problems we have?  Do we expect God to do whatever we want, whenever we want?

Even though we claim to be a society of church going, Bible toting, praying Christians, how many of us really know God?  Even with our current belief system, many strive to find that one on one relationship they have heard about most of their lives although it appears to elude them.  Is God behind or at the bottom of this elusive act?  Or, is there something else that is responsible for our inability to connect with God on a personal basis?  How many of us spend time alone with God?  How many of us spend time truly studying the word of God?  How many of us spend time praying or talking to God?  How many of us spend time being in fellowship or walking with God?

Here is a thought for you.  Scripture tells us that for us to worship God, we “must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24), but if our truth is distorted by contrary beliefs, misguided values, unethical practices, and overstated theologies, then which god are we actually worshipping?  If we do not really know God, then how can we spend time doing any of these things with God?  Is it possible that whom we spend our time with is someone other than God, since we might not know who God really is?  These are just a few things for you to think about.

God desires to have fellowship with us.  God wants to have a relationship with us.  The problem does not lie with God, but with us.  We have constantly misrepresented God and because of this misrepresentation, our relationship with God has been adversely affected, “to our detriment” (Hosea 4:6), to say the least.  It is not possible to have a personal relationship when the person you are trying to have a relationship with is foreign or unknown to you.  It is completely impossible to please someone when you have no idea what his or her likes and dislikes are or much less knowing what pleases and makes that person happy.  Contrary to popular thought, it works the same way in our relationship with God.  You cannot please God if you truly have no idea who God is or what he is truly like.  It is time for us to find “the true nature of God” so that we can have “a true relationship with God” and start truly “worshipping him in spirit and in truth.”

As always, we give thanks and glory to God for his wisdom and understanding.  We are so blessed to be able to share with you, those things that God has placed in our hearts.  We continue to pray that our inspirational message will be a blessing to each of you and that you will be the better for having read this.  If you are blessed by what has been provided, please feel free to share so that others may be blessed as well; for as freely as our Father has given this to us, we freely give so that others may share in the love and be blessed.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: Words Are Spiritual Weapons

Can you imagine the most powerful system in the world?  What did you imagine it to be?  Was your first thought a governmental type system?  Or, was that first thought a military type system?  Perhaps your first thought was some type of financial system.  Regardless of the system that first came to mind, there is one system more powerful than all of them combined.

Now imagine that you have been given “the power” to control just such a system.  Yes, that’s right!  Imagine that you have been given “the authority” to command this system.  What would you do with such a system?  How would you use such a system?  Do you think you could be trusted with such power, with such authority?  Would you want to be in control of such a system?  Well, there is a system in existence that has been ordered not to do anything until something is said.  This same system has been ordered not to do anything until some type of announcement is made.  And here is the beauty of it all; you have been given “the power” to control and “the authority” to command this very system.

The Bible tells us that death and life are in “the power of the tongue,” which suggests that with one’s mouth, an individual can speak death into his or her life or the same individual can speak life into his or her life.  Imagine the words that you speak being like the seeds that the farmer sows into his fields.  And like the farmer, the words that you speak will produce a crop much like the one that is produced from the seeds that he plants in his fields.  Whatever a person plants will be what that person reaps (Galatians 6:7).  If you plant death, then death is what you will reap, in its full measure.  And if you plant life, then life will be what you reap, in its full measure.  The words that you speak are like seeds that are planted in the ground.  And from those seeds, you will reap that for which you have sown, be it good or be it bad.

The words that you speak are so important; they really do control the things that happen to you.  Many have died because they have said the wrong things.  God has set before us life and death, blessing and cursing and has told us to choose life, but few know how the choices are made.  We make the choices with the words that we speak, for “death and life rest in the power of the tongue” (Proverbs 18:22).

“For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.  Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them” (Mark 11:23-24 KJV).

Jesus tells the disciples, if they believe the things that they speak will come to pass and not doubt in their hearts, which is an absolute truth, then it can be said to the mountain, rise up and be removed, and that command will be obeyed.  Therefore, according to this passage, whatsoever we “say,” “believing” that those things which we “say” will come to pass and not doubting it in our heart, then we will have whatsoever we “say.”  Even salvation requires us to “speak” with our mouth.

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10 KJV).

According to this passage, if we “confess (speak)” with our mouth and “believe” in our heart, then we will be saved, for it is by believing in our heart that we become right with God and it is by “speaking” with our mouth that we tell others of our faith, thereby confirming our salvation (confession is made unto salvation).  Imagine that, the most powerful system in the entire world and you have been given “the power” to control and “the authority” to command this very system with the words that you speak.  How awesome is that.  But know this, with everything in this life, there are certain rules, certain conditions, and certain regulations that apply to this “power” and “authority” that we have been given.  To be continued…

We always give thanks to God for the ability to share this inspirational message with you.  We constantly pray that you will be blessed as well as informed by them and that you will be the better for having read them.  If you are blessed by them, please share so that others may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: By Faith We Receive From God

Not long ago, we defined what faith was.  The biblical definition of faith says that “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).  Faith is the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen; it is the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us even though we cannot see it up ahead.  Faith has been around since the beginning of time.  Faith is trust in somebody or something, especially without logical proof.  It is having trust in somebody that you consider worthwhile and truthful.  It is also accepting that something exists when there is no physical proof of its existence or of its reality.  But now that we know what faith is, let us look to see just how that faith looks on you.  That’s right; we can look to see just how your faith looks on you.  Actually, what we are talking about is “taking a snapshot” of you and your faith.  In this snapshot, we want to see where you are in accordance with your faith.  This is not a snapshot of where you want to be with your faith but one that reveals where you are and where your faith currently stands.  You see, you need to determine where you truly are with your faith so that you can know what you need to do and where you need to go to maximize your faith.  Once you determine where you are, you can determine the course that you need to take to get you where you want to be with your faith.  And then you will be able to determine when you reach your goal.  So let us get started.

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8).

Did you know that you are saved through faith?  According to this passage, it is by faith that you have been saved.  This tells you that there must be faith available to us in order for any of us to be able to go through it to get to salvation.

“For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith” (Romans 12:3).

Here, you are first warned to be honest in your estimate of yourself, measuring your value based on how much faith God has given you.  You will also find your main focal point when dealing with this faith thing.  According to the scripture, “God has dealt to every man the measure of faith.”  There are some translations that say, “God has dealt to every man a measure of faith.”

When using the word “the,” which is a definite article that is used before a noun to express specificity to its reference, you get the sense that “God has dealt to everyone the same amount of faith.”  No one has been given more faith than anyone else has; we all have been given the same amount.  On the other hand, when using the word “a” or “an,” which are indefinite articles that are used before a noun to express non-specificity to its reference, you get the sense that “God has dealt to everyone a random or varied amount of faith.”

We know that this will sound like a play on words, but we assure you that it is not.  It is important that you understand the difference between the two translations because the difference will help you to honestly measure your value based on the correct amount of faith that has been given.  So, how can you be sure that you have been dealt “the measure of faith” and not some random amount?  How can you be sure that you have been dealt enough faith or that you have been given your fair share?

“For there is no respect of persons with God” (Romans 2:11).

Now apparently, there is no respect of persons with God, which means that in the sight of God, no one individual person is more important than any other individual person; he truly treats everyone the same.  With that being said, we can safely say that God has given us all “the same amount of faith” and not some random amount.  God did not shortchange anyone when it came to faith, for we all have been given “the measure of faith.”

It appears that faith is a measurable quantity, measured by amount, by degree, or by condition.  It has been given to us by measure, which leads us to believe that you cannot get more than the measure that has been dealt by God.  We see this measure of faith as something that you are born with like your muscles.  You cannot get more muscles than those that you are born with.  However, you can build up those muscles, which is the only way to increase your muscles.  You do not get more muscles; you just develop the ones that you have.  Faith works the same way; you can only increase yours through exercise.  You do not get more faith; you sort of develop your faith by building it up.  The only way to increase your faith is through the knowledge gathered through the word of God.  More on this “snapshot of your faith” to come in the near future, so stay tuned.

We forever pray that our inspirational message will abundantly bless you and greatly inform you.  We also pray that you will be the better for having read them both.  If blessed by today’s message, please share so that others may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: The Greater One Is In You

Recently we discovered that we are not the image that we see when we look in the mirror.  We are actually spirit beings, “created in the image and after the likeness of Almighty God,” who is himself “a Spirit.”  Yes, we are a spirit being, that have a soul, all of which lives in a body or a house made from the dust of the earth.  It was Paul who put all of this into perspective for us when he spoke to those at Thessalonica, when he appears to give us a picture of the components that form the whole man.

“And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (I Thessalonians 5:23).

After Paul gave those at Thessalonica instructions, he offered them this prayer.  First, he asked that the God of peace bless them in every respect.  Then he asked that their entire spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless until the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.  However, here is something for you to ponder.  Who do you believe is responsible for keeping your spirit, soul, and body blameless until the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ?  Ultimately, you are responsible for your spirit, soul, and body.  They, your spirit, soul, and body are not the responsibility of God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit.

Not long ago, we talked about “walking according to or after the spirit” (Romans 8:1), where we said that this be your spirit; the spirit man inside of you that you walk according to or after.  We know that many will not agree with this answer and that is fine, because it is and will always be your choice, as to what you accept as a part of your belief system.  All we ask is that you always open up your Bible and check things out yourself to make sure what you accept is the word of truth, because words can be manipulated to say many things.  Just make sure what you accept is something that is in line with the word of truth.  But here is the thing about God that makes him so the wiser; God will only deal with your spirit; he will never deal with your flesh or your soul.  One of the reasons God only deals with your spirit has to do with accountability.  As we stated, you are responsible for your spirit, soul, and body because if God was responsible, then on judgment day, you could legally blame him and hold him accountable for everything.  You would not have to accept any responsibility for your actions.  Oh, but let the truth be told and reveal just how awesome our God is.

“And so each of us shall give an account of himself [give an answer in reference to judgment] to God” (Romans 14:12 AMP).

According to scripture, every one of us will give an account of his or her own actions to God.  The only way you can give an account for your actions is if you be responsible for them.  This is why you are responsible for your spirit, soul, and body and why God has given you total control over them.  God has removed himself from all accountability, all responsibility, and any and all liability.  Again, we know that some will not agree with this but know this, God is known as “the God of the spirits of all flesh” (Numbers 16:22, 27:16).  He is not known as “the God of the flesh.”

“Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence (respect): shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live” (Hebrews 12:9)?

Your mind and body wants to live in sin, but your spirit, that greater one that is inside of you, wants to do those things which are pleasing to God.  This is why God only deals with your spirit and not your soul or body.  He is the Father of Spirits, not the father of your soul or your body.

We forever pray that today’s inspirational message will abundantly bless you as well as greatly inform you.  If blessed by this message, please share so that others may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings. - KW