Devotion: Is Money Your God?

Most of us have heard the phrase, “Money is the root of all evil.”  Stated this way, this phrase leads us to believe that “money” itself is “the root or cause of all evil.”

“For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (I Timothy 6:10).

According to scripture, it “the love of money” that is “the root or cause of all evil.”  The actual wording brings to light a slightly different interpretation where “the love of money” is the root cause of all kinds of evil and not money itself.  It is this “love of money,” this desire in people to be rich that is the first step of a downward spiral that causes all kinds of wrongdoings just to acquire this money.  Those who covet after money, fall into temptation, and do all kinds of unwise, destructive, and malicious things that eventually hurts them, all to satisfy this desire to gain access to money.  Because of their “love of money,” these same people have turned away from God, have been led astray from the faith, and have inflicted themselves with countless sorrows that eventually lead to their ruin and destruction.

Devotion: God Gave Us Dominion

One of the most misunderstood gifts that God has ever given to mankind was “the original dominion” he gave to the first man.  When man was created, God gave man authority or “dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth” (Genesis 1:26-28).  God told man to subdue the earth and have dominion over everything.  He was to reign over God’s creation.

“When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; what is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?  For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honor.  Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:  all sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; the fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas” (Psalm 8:3-8).

Devotion: Train Your Children

Scripture tells us “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).  We kind of like the way “The Living Bible”translates this verse.

“Teach a child to choose the right path, and when he is older, he will remain upon it” (Proverbs 22:6 TLB).

We see here that not only are we to train up a child in the way he or she should go, but we are to teach a child to choose the right path and when the child is older, the child will not depart from that right path but will remain or stay on that path.  “The Amplified Bible” translates the passage this way:

“Train up a child in the way he should go [teaching him to seek God’s wisdom and will for his abilities and talents], even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6 AMP).

Devotion: God Is Rich In Mercy

Most of us have heard of God’s grace and of his mercy, but did you know that God is rich in his mercy?

“But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us (made us alive) together with Christ, (by grace ye are (have been) saved); and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:  that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.  For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves:  it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:4-9).

Because of his great love for us, God showed his mercy towards us.  When we were still sinners, dead through our own offences, God showed great compassion for us by giving us our lives back when he raised Christ from the dead.  Because of his grace, his unearned, unmerited favor, we have been saved, raised up together with Christ from the grave and into glory, where we sit with him in the heavenly places because of all that Jesus did.  Now with all that he has done for us through Christ, God can forever point to us as examples of just how rich his mercy truly is.  It is by God’s grace that we have been saved through our faith in what Christ has done, which was not something that we were able to do for ourselves.  Our salvation is not our reward for the good works we have done or for us being good.  No, our salvation is truly a gift from God, given to us by the grace of God.  It is not something that we were able to earn; therefore, none of us can take any credit for it.

Devotion: Great Things Happen When You Believe – Part II

In part one of our “Great Things Happen When You Believe” series, we talked about faith and the three elements of faith, which were:

• belief, which is accepting that something can be true or that something is real when it has not been seen,
• confidence or conviction, which is believing or trusting that something is, especially when there is no logical proof that it exists,
• and action, which is doing something in order to reach a goal, to obtain a result, or to get that thing which you hoped for.

We found that faith is confidently acting upon what you believe, what appears to be impossible and expecting results.  Scripture tells us that “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes” (Mark 9:23).  And while your faith plays a key role in causing those great things to happen, in making all things possible, there be a few other things we need to consider, things that are equally as important and equally as strong but can cause those great things not to happen.  The sad part is that most people are not aware of them.

Devotion: The Wages Of Sin

Recently we talked about how deadly sin was.  We found in scripture that, “…the wages of sin is death …” (Romans 6:23).  In that discussion we mentioned that just as we expect to receive “compensation or a wage” for working in any job, be it full-time or part-time, we should expect to receive “compensation or a wage” for working or living in sin, be it full-time or part-time.  Although the “compensation or wage” for employment is usually some type of monetary benefit, the compensation or wage for sin is “death.”  We noted that this passage was really telling us “the wages, the salary, the pay, the income, the take-home pay” of sin, no matter the amount of sin, is “death.”  Working in sin, playing in sin, living in sin, or just existing in sin pays a benefit, which according to scripture is death.

Devotion: Whatever You Allow

Are you one who believes that the things that happen in your life are ordained by God or that it is part of God’s will for your life?  If this is what you believe, then this message may be for you, provided you have an ear to hear.  Because the Church has redefined “the sovereignty of God” to mean, “God is in total control and that nothing happens but that which the will of God allows to happen,” many believers and non-believers as well, have been led to believe that God is somehow responsible for everything that happens in our lives.  But the truth of the matter is that “the sovereign God of the universe” is limited as to what he can and cannot do.  Now that we have your attention, let us explain exactly what we mean that God is limited.

Devotion: When You Hurt, You Are Not Alone

For one reason or another, most of the world is hurting.  There appears to be this never-ending story of one crisis after another after another after another happening throughout the world.  There does not appear to be an end to the suffering that we see in the world.  As we “wrestle daily against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12), there are times when it feels that we are fighting these battles alone.  Even though people are fighting many of the same battles, we feel that no one else can relate to the hurt, to the pain, to the suffering, or to the loneliness that we are going through in our battles.  There are times when we hurt and we feel that we hurt alone.

“Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.  And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed” (Deuteronomy 31:6; 8).

Devotion: God Has Already Forgiven You

Recently we talked about how all of mankind was made a sinner because of the actions of one man.  Because of Adam’s disobedience, “many were made sinners” (Romans 5:19).  When Adam fell, the entire human race was “constituted or formally established as sinners.”  We went on to say that even though all of this seemed to be a little unfair, there is more to the story.  We have learned that when it comes to the things of God, things are seldom what they appear to be.  We went on to mention that all of mankind has been given the opportunity to be made righteous because of the actions of another man.  Because of Jesus’ obedience, “many shall be made righteous” (Romans 5:19).  When Jesus died on the cross, the entire human race was given the opportunity to be “constituted or formally established as the righteousness of God in him” (II Corinthians 5:21).  And all that we have to do to receive this “abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness” (Romans 5:17) is to make Jesus Christ our Lord and savior.  When we make Jesus our Lord and savior, we get all of these free gifts that God has to offer.  When we make Jesus our Lord and savior, we get God’s gift of grace, God’s gift of righteousness, and God’s gift of forgiveness.  But what you really need to understand is that before God arranged all of this, he had already forgiven us.

“To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him” (Daniel 9:9).  “Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage?  he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.  He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.  Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old” (Micah 7:18-20).  “Come now, and let us have an argument together, says the Lord: how may your sins which are red like blood be white as snow?  how may their dark purple seem like wool” (Isaiah 1:18)?  “I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins” (Isaiah 43:25).

Scripture tells that God is merciful and forgiving even though we have rebelled against him.  This same God is the one who has compassion on us, who loves to be merciful, and who pardons our sins.  This same God is the one who loves to be merciful towards us.  He takes our sins and puts them beneath his feet, then throws them into the depths of the sea.  No matter the complexity our sins, God will make us as clean as freshly fallen snow.  And though our sins may be blood red, God will make them as white as wool.  Because God cannot stay angry with us, he has set his love upon us.  God is the one who takes away our sins for his own sake and no longer remembers them.

“The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.  He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever.  He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.  For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.  As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.  Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.  For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.  As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.  For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.  But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children; to such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them” (Psalm 103:8-18).

God is merciful and gracious towards us.  God is full of kindness, love, and pity.  God is slow to anger and does not hold a grudge because his anger does not last forever.  God is like a father who has pity on his children.  He is tender and sympathetic to us who respect, obey, and praise him.  With all that mankind has accused God of, which includes plenty mischaracterizations, God has never given us the punishment that our sins deserve nor rewarded us according to our wrongdoings, but instead has forgiven us.  God’s mercy towards us, those who reverence, honor, and worship him, is as great as the heavens are above the earth.  God has removed our sins as far away from us as the east is from the west.  The mercy of the Lord and his loving-kindness is eternal, from everlasting to everlasting for those who love him.

We pray that today’s devotional will help you to understand that God has done his part and has already forgiven you.  Now, you need to do your part and just receive the free gift of forgiveness.  We also pray that this message will bless you, 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: The Gift of Righteousness

Not long ago, we spoke about sin and its definition.  In that discussion, we gave a definition for the word “sin” as it applied to the passage “For all have sinned, and come (fall) short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) and we mentioned that we believed the phrase; “All have sinned” referred to a point in time when everyone sinned.  We found that the only time this could have be referring to, had to be back in the beginning, in the beginning of God’s creation.  The phrase actually points to the very moment when all were in one man, Adam.  You see, when Adam fell, the entire human race was “constituted or formally established as sinners.”

“…by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners” (Romans 5:19).

Because of Adam’s disobedience, many were made sinners.  So you see, the thing that made us “a sinner” was not something that we have done nor is it something that we are doing, but it was something that Adam did.  It was Adam’s sin that caused everyone born into this world to be made a sinner.  We want to restate this fact one more time.  We are “a sinner” because of something Adam did and not because of something that we did or do.  Us being “a sinner” was inherited from Adam and the reason we go out and sin is because we were born with a sin nature.  It is our nature to sin.  Now we know that all of this may seem unfair to many of you, but there is more to the story.

“…so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous” (Romans 5:19).

Because of the obedience of Jesus Christ, many can be made righteous.  Just as the disobedience of one man, many were made sinners, the obedience of one man, many will be made righteous.  Now we want to restate this fact again.  We can become righteous because of something Jesus did and not because of something we have done or something that we do.  In the same way we received or inherited our sin nature from Adam, you can receive or inherit our righteous nature from 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” (II Corinthians 5:17).

Scripture tells us that if we be in Christ, then we be a new creature or a new creation.  The passage goes on to say that the old things that are, which be our old sinful nature, be passed away and that all things that are left, which is includes our spirit, becomes new.

“For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:17).

Because of what Adam did, his sin brought death to all.  In the same token, because of what Jesus Christ did, his obedience brought forgiveness to many through God’s mercy.  The sin of Adam cause death to be king over all mankind, but the obedience of Jesus Christ gives every man the opportunity to receive God’s gift of grace, God’s gift of forgiveness and God’s gift of righteousness.  Adam’s sin brought with it death and punishment, but Jesus’ obedience brings with it righteousness and acceptability with God.

“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (II Corinthians 5:21).

We know that this may be a hard concept for many to accept, especially since many of you have been taught that we have to do something to earn our righteousness or our right standing with God.  But here is the thing, if you can accept the fact that you were born with a sin nature, inherited from Adam, then based on scripture, you should be able to accept the fact that when you are born again or born from above, you are born with a new nature, a righteous nature passed on from Jesus.  Adam’s disobedience caused many to become sinners, but it was Jesus’ obedience that causes many to be made acceptable to God.  It was God who made Jesus sin for us, so that through him, we might become “the righteousness of God.”  All we have to do to receive this “abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness” (Romans 5:17) is to make Jesus Christ our Lord and savior.  Now how awesome is that.

As you read today’s inspirational message, we pray that it will be a blessing to you and that you will share it with others that they may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: Remember Me

Most believers are very familiar with what is called “The Last Supper” or “The Lord’s Supper.”  The Lord’s Supper is supposedly the very last meal that Jesus shared with his apostles before his betrayal and crucifixion.

“And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you:  this do in remembrance of me.  Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you” (Luke 22:19-20).

According to scripture, Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave the pieces to his disciples, saying that it was a symbol of his body that was being given for us.  Then he took wine and shared with his disciples as a symbol of his blood that was being shed for us as well.  From this meal, came what is now known as “The Holy Communion.”  The Holy Communion is the religious practice in which bread and wine or grape juice are consecrated and shared among those who claim to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, as a symbol of cleansing, consecration, and communion, all done in remembrance of him.

“For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:  and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat:  this is my body, which is broken for you:  this do in remembrance of me.  After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood:  this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.  For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come.  Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.  But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.  For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.  For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.  For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.  But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.  Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another.  And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation.  And the rest will I set in order when I come” (I Corinthians 11:23-34).

While many partake of “The Lord’s Supper,” few are aware of the instructions Paul received then from the Lord, pertaining to our participation in this event.  Paul would go on to say that those who participated in the taking of the bread and cup “in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.”  When we participate, we are representing, signifying, proclaiming, and giving witness to the Lord’s death until he returns.  Therefore, we need to carefully examine ourselves to make sure we are not “eating and drinking God’s judgment upon ourselves” because we have participated in an unworthy manner.  According to Paul, this unworthy and careless participation is why many so-called believers are weak, why many so-called believers are sickly, and why some so-called believers have even died.  If we were more discerning with regard to our worthiness or our unworthiness as it pertains to us being born again or born from above, then we would not come under such judgment.

We know that many of you have never heard of these instructions from Paul concerning “The Lord’s Supper” or “The Holy Communion.”  However, every time we eat of the bread that symbolizes his body, which was broken for our sake and we drink of the cup that symbolizes his blood, which was shed for our sake, we are retelling the message of the Lord’s death that he has died for us.  If you be unworthy and participate in this practice, then you are guilty of telling a lie and you will come under judgment because you are not in communion with and are not a part of the body of born-again believers.  This is why it is so important for you to carefully examine yourself, to make sure that you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and savior.  So, every time we eat of the bread and we drink of the cup, we do so in remembrance of him, our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ.

As you read to today’s inspirational message, we pray that this message will bless you, 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.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: Life Can Be Tough Too

Life can be tough, tougher than most people realize.  Life can be brutal at times, extremely brutal.  That is what happens when one is in a war.  Yes, we are in a war and very few people even know that there is war going on.  And since few know about this war, then they have no idea who or what is involved in this war.  By nature, we are fighters, survivors, able to persevere many obstacles, provided we know who or what we are fighting.  But when we do not know our opponents, fighting becomes somewhat difficult and winning nearly impossible.

“Our fight is not with people.  It is against the leaders and the powers and the spirits of darkness in this world.  It is against the demon world that works in the heavens” (Ephesians 6:12 NLV).

We are not fighting against people, against persons made of flesh and blood.  No, we are fighting against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places, against the principalities, the powers, and the world rulers of this present darkness, against the mighty satanic beings and great evil princes of darkness who rule this world, and against huge numbers of wicked spirits in the spirit world.  We are fighting against “persons without bodies.”  Interesting to note that this scripture tells us our fight is not with people, yet we spend the majority of our time fighting against the very thing we are not supposed to be fighting against, each other.  Once again, people are not our enemies nor are they our opponents in this war.

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (I Peter 5:8).

We are given this warning, told to “be sober and to be vigilant,” which is the same as saying, “be careful and keep a watchful eye out” because “our adversary, our opponent, our great enemy, the devil,” goes around as if he is a hungry, roaring lion, “making due use of every opportunity,” to seek those that he may devour or tear apart.  The fact that he is seeking those he may devour or tear apart implies that he as to search for “his prey or his victims.”  The warning is for us to be careful, be watchful, and watch out for the attacks from our great enemy whose only purpose is “to steal, kill, and destroy” (John 10:10), his prey.

“I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).  “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).  “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.  Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God” (I John 5:4)?  “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world” (I John 4:4).  “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.  Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Ephesians 6:10-11).

Jesus tells us that we can have life and have it more abundantly because of him.  Jesus tells us, that though we may face trials and tribulations, we are to be of good cheer because he has overcome the world.  Because of our faith in Jesus Christ, we have been born again or born of God and we too, can overcome this world.  Because of our faith in Jesus Christ, we know and have the confidence that we can fight and will win this battle.  Because of our faith in Jesus Christ and because we belong to God, we know we have already won our fight because there is someone in our hearts who is stronger and greater than any evil in this world.  We just need to be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might and putting on God’s armor so that we can stand against the wiles or the tricks of the devil.

Praise God that he has made available to his children the tool things needed to overcome the difficulties in this life.  Life can be tough, especially when one has no idea that they are in engaged in a war against an enemy that is not made of flesh and blood.  While we focused on one of the enemies we listed from the beginning, all of these “persons without bodies” are equal-opportunist, seeking to devour the believer as well as the non-believer.  We are so thankful that we have the weaponry available to win this war.  Life can be tough, but as you can see, it does not have to be.

We again give thanks to God for this avenue that he has given us to share his word through this inspirational message.  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: Sin Is Deadly

“For the wages of sin is death …” (Romans 6:23).

Most believers are very familiar with this passage of scripture, but few have given any deep thought to what this passage is actually telling us.  Just as you expect to receive “compensation or a wage” for working in any job, be it full-time or part-time, you should expect to receive “compensation or a wage” for working or living in sin, be it full-time or part-time.  While the “compensation or wage” for employment is usually some type of monetary benefit, the compensation or wage for sin is “death.”  Therefore, this passage is really saying to us that “the wages, the salary, the pay, the income, the take-home pay” of sin, no matter that amount of sin, is “death.”  Imagine that, working in sin, playing in sin, living in sin, or just existing in sin pays a benefit, which according to scripture is death.

Now, there are some so-called believers who still have pieces of their old sinful nature still living within them.  While they have been able to put to death many aspects of their old sinful natures, many choose to keep souvenirs, keepsakes, and mementos, in an attempt to cling to particular portions of their old sinful life.  And while there are varying amounts being kept, these tokens only serve as reminders of a life gone by, a life that was completely ruled by a sinful nature.  The problem with keeping these souvenirs, these tokens alive, it gives opportunity for temptation to do its thing.

“But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.  Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death” (James 1:14-15).

For every man is tempted, but he is tempted by his own passions and by his own desires.  His own lust serves as the bait for the temptation.  Once the trap is baited, it is man’s lower nature, his fleshly desires that draws him away and entices him.  Then once the temptation goes from the confines of man’s mind and he acts upon it, he then gives birth to sin.  Once sin is born, it grows up, matures, and then brings with it “the wages,” which we now know is “death.”

Traditionally, sin has been defined as “a violation of divine law.”  When we think of sin, we usually think of it as “personal sin.”  Typically, “personal sin” is defined in one of two ways.  There is “the sin of commission,” where an individual does something that is prohibited.  Then there is “the sin of omission,” where an individual fails to do what is required of him or her.  The problem with engaging in sin is that sin will take you where you don't what to go, will keep you longer than you want to stay, and will cost you more than you want to pay.  Nevertheless, know this, you may have the ability to choose the sin, the one thing that you do not get to do and cannot do is to choose is the consequences of sin.  Though a sinful act does not end in death each and every time, death is one of the possible outcomes each and every time a sinful act is committed.  Sin is deadly, so keep in mind that “the wages, the salary, the pay, the income, the take-home pay” for working or living in sin, be it full-time or be it part-time, is “death.”

We pray that this inspirational message will give you a new perspective on what “the wages of sin” actually refers to.  We also pray that this message will bless you, 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 Cares

If it is true that God cares, then why doesn’t he do something to show us he cares?  If it is true that God cares, then why doesn’t he do something about all the wrong that is in the world?  If it is true that God cares, then why does he sit silently by and allow bad things to happen?  Is this what a caring God does?  The truth of the matter is that God really does care and has done all that he can do to take care of the problems that so many face.  When God first created man, he created man to have dominion over all of his creation (Genesis 1:26-28).

“What is man, that thou art mindful of him?  and the son of man, that thou visitest (pay attention to or care for) him?  For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honor.  Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:  all sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; the fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas” (Psalm 8:4-8).

If God does not care, then why is he so mindful of man?  If God does not care, then why does he bother with us puny humans?  God does care and that is why he pays so much attention to or care for us so.  God does care and that is why God continues to visit with us.  God created us a little lower than himself, “in his image and after his likeness” (Genesis 1:26), and placed a crown of glory and honor upon our head.  God created us to have dominion and charge over everything he created and he has placed all things under our feet.  Does any of this sound as if or like God doesn’t care?  So many struggle with poverty, sickness, and death because they lack the knowledge.  So many battle depression, fear, discouragement, low self-esteem, worry, anxiety, confusion, and doubt because they lack the knowledge.  So many are praying and waiting on some divine intervention to resolve their problems for them.  They do not know that we have already been given power or authority over all of these things.

“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Matthew 28:18).  “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you” (Luke 10:19).  “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover” (Mark 16:17-18).

Jesus came “to seek and save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10) and part of what Jesus saved was the authority or dominion over God’s creation (Matthew 28:18) that the first man had lost (Luke 4:6), in the garden when he ate of the fruit (Genesis 3:6-7).  In getting back this authority or dominion, Jesus also gave mankind the ability to cast out devils and to lay hands on and heal the sick, along with several other things.  People do not know that we must take that power or authority and resolve our problems ourselves.  This is something that each one of us has to do for ourselves.  God has given us everything that we need to do this.  God is not going to do this for us; we have to do it.

This is what God was telling Paul, when Paul asked that the thorn in his flesh, which he said was “a messenger from Satan to hurt and bother me and prick my pride” (II Corinthians 12:7 TLB), be removed.  Paul had the favor or support of God.  If anyone was deserving of God’s protection or having a hedge around him that would have been Paul.  So, why did God not do as Paul had requested and remove the thorn that he had been given?  God responded to Paul’s prayer request saying, “My grace is sufficient for thee:  for my strength is made perfect in weakness” (II Corinthians 12:9).  Many see this as the actions of a God who doesn’t care, but this is so far from the truth and is not the case with Paul’s thorn in the flesh.  When Paul asked God three times for help, God basically told him that his grace, what he, God had already done, was sufficient.  Paul, like all of us had already been given the power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, so there was nothing else God could do for him and that why his grace, his favor was sufficient.  God has done all that he can do and made every provision for us to deal with any problem that we could face.  It is now up to us to do our part.  We pray that you can see that God really does care for us.

We pray that today’s 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 you are blessed by today’s message, please share so that others may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW 

Devotion: Be Quick To Listen

It is sad but true, “Most people do not listen with the intent to understand, they listen with the intent to reply” (Stephen R. Covey).  The biggest problem with our ability to communicate with each other is the fact that most of us do not listen to understand what someone else is trying to say, we listen for the sole purpose of having a response.

“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” (James 1:19 NIV).

Scripture tells us that we all should listen more and talk less.  The reason we should listen more and talk less is that when we are talking we are not listening.  By not listening, we tend to miss many revelations, those important little things that could take our understanding to another level.  You see all things are important when it comes to the things of God, no matter how trivial they may appear to be.  There is so much information to tell, so much information to share, and still so much more information to find.  So much so that unless you get all the information at one time, a lot of it gets lost long before we can get to the next session.  But we do not listen to hear, we listen with the intent to reply.  Have you seen the evidence?

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (II Timothy 4:3-4).

In this present day, it is evident that the time has come where people do not listen to the truth.  Because the price is too high and the sacrifice too great, people have little to no patience for getting the wisdom, knowledge, and understanding that comes from God.  They are not be moved by true teachings but are moved by their own desires.  They go around looking for teachers who will tell them what they want to hear.  They have found a multitude of teachers to satisfy their own fancies.  They do not listen to what the Bible says but will, without fear and reverence follow their own misguided ideas, obscured perceptions, distorted consciences, incomprehensible doctrines, and perplexing theories.  They have turned away from listening to the truth and they follow foolish stories perpetrating as “revealed truth.”  God tells us “that his people are destroyed because they lack knowledge” (Hosea 4:6).  This lack of knowledge has not come from a shortage of knowledge but from our rejection of knowledge.  Have you seen the evidence?

People often get upset when you teach them what is in the Bible rather than what they presume is in the Bible.  However, the better we know the Bible, the better we can rely on it in times of stress.  Sometimes we need to look at life from a different perspective.  And in order to do that, we have to listen to others without reply.  Sometime you just have to listen to everyone and learn from everyone because nobody knows everything but everyone knows something.  None of us are perfect nor do we have a perfect understanding of all of the scriptures.  So many of us are at different levels of understanding in our walk to discover the truth about the things of God that we should not discount anyone’s ability to help propel us to the next level or to give us a different perspective on things.  But in order to do that, we have to learn to listen.

As we have said numerous times, words can be manipulated to say many things, so check out everything to make sure it is in line with the word of God.  “Knowledge is power and misinformation will lead to your destruction,” but the truth will set you free (John 8:32).  Remember God is our only source for revelation knowledge; all others are guides, leading us to some destination.  We just need to make sure that the final destination is where we want to go.  Explore the endless possibilities contained within your ability to listen and be quick to listen and slow to reply.  “A person's most useful asset is not the head full of knowledge, but a heart full of love, an ear ready to listen and a hand willing to help” (Unknown).

Today’s inspirational message talks about “listening without reply.”  As always, we pray that this commentary will bless you, 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: Faith Is Released Through Words

Not long ago, we talked about the most powerful system in the world and we mentioned that we had been given “the power” to control and “the authority” to command this very system.  We even mentioned how important the words that we spoke were to this powerful system because they are the keys that control this system.  We mentioned that we have the ability to choose between life and death through the words that we speak.  In this system, we find that our blessings and cursings are completely based on and controlled by what we say.

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof” (Proverbs 18:21).

We found that our very salvation hinges upon words that we speak or confess not to forgo the required believing on one’s heart.

“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).

We found that Jesus told his disciples that if they believed that those things they spoke would come to pass and not doubt in their hearts, then whatsoever they spoke would actually come to pass.

“And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.  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 11:22-24).

Before Jesus spoke of being able to say to a mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea, he had, the day before spoke to a fig tree, saying, “Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever” (Matthew 21: 19).  And when the disciple saw this tree dried up the next day, they inquired of the tree.

“Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.  And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive” (Matthew 21:21-22).

In both of the above accounts of the fig tree story, we see Jesus talking about faith.  In “Mark 11,” we see Jesus telling the disciples to “Have faith in God.”  In “Matthew 21,” Jesus tells the disciples, “Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree.”  Jesus is telling them that if they have faith and do not doubt, then they would be able to speak to a fig tree and not only get the same results, but they could speak to a mountain and tell the mountain to “Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.

God has created a system that is controlled by the very words that we speak.  Put this thought together with the fact that God has place our eternal salvation in the control of the very words that we speak as well.  And God has made it possible that we can control the life of a fig tree or control the placement of a mountain through the very words that we speak is incredible.  And all we need is just a little faith.

“…for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you” (Matthew 17:20).

Words are important.  Words combined with faith as a grain of mustard seed, “nothing shall be impossible unto you.”  We again give thanks to God for this avenue that he has given us to share his word through today’s inspirational message.  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: You Must Control The Devil

We have previously talked about this battle that we are in, where we wrestle against the evil rulers of this unseen world, which includes the mighty satanic beings, the great evil princes of darkness, and a huge number of wicked spirits (Ephesians 6:12).  This battle takes place in the arena of our mind and is unavoidable, knowing no bounds, no gender, no age, no race, and no religion.  It attacks everyone.  As we see the daily struggles of those who succumb to poverty, sickness, and death, we know this war to control our soul involves tactics such as depression, fear, discouragement, low self-esteem, worry, anxiety, confusion, and doubt.  What many do not know is that we actually have the power to control these evil rulers of the unseen world.

“For though we walk (live) in the flesh (in this body), we do not war (fight) after (according to) the flesh (human standards)” (II Corinthians 10:3).  “(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) casting down (destroying) imaginations (false arguments) and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (II Corinthians 10:4-5).

We now know that our enemy comes from the spirit realm, therefore, the weaponry of our warfare cannot be that of conventional human weapons.  No, we must use spiritual weaponry, weapons provided to us by God.  These mighty weapons are designed to knock down and overthrow the enemy’s strongholds.  When used properly, these mighty weapons can cast down every proud argument against God, can pull down every high thing that promotes itself against the knowledge of God, can bring into captivity every thought, every idea, and every suggestion that comes into our mind, and can bring into compliance our mind with the mind of Christ.

We are warned to be sober and watchful because we have an adversary.  This adversary, the devil, “walks about like a roaring lion looking for those whom he can devour” (I Peter 5:8).  His tactics have not changed since the first temptation in the garden and there are really no secrets to his approach.  He tries to control us through our minds, with thoughts, ideas, and suggestions.  These thoughts, ideas, and suggestions are usually tied to our five senses.  Our sense of taste, touch, smell, hearing, and seeing offers him an avenue into our mind and are the areas he tempts in order to gain control of our thought-life.  When we give in to “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (I John 2:16), we become “carnally minded, which is enmity against God” (Romans 8:7) and forgo all that is spiritual, meaning the spiritual weaponry God has provided for us has no effect.

“Neither give place to the devil” (Ephesians 4:27).  “Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:27).

We are warn to be sober-minded, to be self-controlled, to be careful, and to be vigilant, curbing every passion because we have an adversary seeking to devour us.  We know that he comes “to steal, kill, and destroy” (John 10:10) and it is through our thought-life that Satan gains access to steal our peace of mind; to steal our self-esteem; to destroy our relationships with our spouse, children, parents, and others; and to basically attempt to take us out; all of which causes us to have an out-of-control mind.  Now some of you believe that you are protected by God or have some hedge that God has around you, and all of that might be true, but when you read your Bible and see such phrases as “be sober, be vigilant, resist the devil, and neither give place,” do you get the sense that you have been given the authority to one up or control the one who has come to kill, steal, and destroy?  Everything hinges on your mind and you controlling your thought-life.  When you learn to control your thought-life, you can learn to control the devil.  Remember, your thoughts will always precede your actions and you always want to make sure that your actions be in line with the word of God.

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 Word Is A Seed

Most of you are familiar with “The Parable Of The Sower.”  Jesus explains the parable to his disciples this way.

“And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be?  And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.  Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.  Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.  They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.  And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.  But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience” (Luke 8:9-15).

The disciples asked Jesus why he spoke to everyone in parables.  He replied with, God has arranged for you to know the meaning of the parable because it tells about the mysteries of the kingdom of God.  He was telling them that anyone that hath ears to hear would hear the parable and understand.  Everyone else who received the parable would see and yet not see, and would hear and yet not understand.  Jesus went on to explain the meaning of the parable.  The seed represents God’s message to men, which falls on all types of ground.  The ground is a representation of the hearts of man.  Some seeds fell on the roadside, which represents those with hard hearts who hear the words, but then the devil comes and steels the message away, which prevents them from believing and being saved.  Some seeds fell on the stony ground, which represents those who enjoy listening to sermons, but somehow the message never really gets through to them.  Even though they know the message to be truth and they believe for a short period, the message never takes root and grows.  Their enthusiasm fades as the winds of persecution blow because of their beliefs and they lose interest as the temptations come.

Some seeds fell among the thorns, which represents those who listen and believe God’s words but the message is choked out by the cares of the world and their quest for money.  Their faith dies because they allow anxiety and worry, wealth and riches, the responsibilities and pleasures of life, and the gaieties of time to reign in their lives instead of the word of God.  They are never able to help anyone else to believe the Good News because they are never in a position to be a living testimony for the kingdom of God thus yielding no return and bringing forth no fruit.  Some seeds fell on good ground, which represents those who are honest and good-hearted people that have ears to hear.

And it was those who are honest and good-hearted people that have ears to hear that listens to God’s message with open minds and in the right spirit.  They hold tightly to the message and steadily spread the Good News to others because they are always in a position to be a living testimony for the kingdom of God thus yielding a great return and bringing forth much fruit.  They are the spiritually and morally mature believers that understand the terms used by the Holy Spirit to reveal those mysteries of God to them.  They understand the wisdom that has come down from God, telling them of his plans for man which have been hidden throughout the ages but are now reveal by the Spirit.  The others do not have the understanding and they do not recognize the truth because their wisdom is that which the world uses or the kind of wisdom that the rulers of this world use.  Their wisdom comes from the earth realm and is the kind that appeals to the great men of this world.

“The word of God is a seed” and it gets planted in the hearts of man.  Depending on the heart of the man, depending on the type of soil available, the seed will grow differently in each heart.  Many believe themselves to be that honest and good-hearted people, who have ears to hear God’s message with open minds and in the right spirit, however the truth of the matter is that they are those, who actually hear the words of God without understanding.  They have the wisdom that comes from the world, not the wisdom that comes from God.  Know this about the word of God.  The word of God is a single seed that produces a single crop; it is not a seed that produces a variety of crops.  The word of God does not and cannot produce a variety of truths; it produces only one truth, which is “the gospel truth.”  If you be among them who have an ear to hear, then hear this revelation, understand and let it produce a crop.

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: You Can Cast Out Demons

Previously, we talked about what “the last Adam” (I Corinthians 15:45) ability “to seek and to save that which was lost,” which was the authority or dominion that “the first Adam” had lost in the garden when he ate of the fruit.  Though many believe the son of man’s main purpose for coming was to save individual lost souls, we know that saving lost souls was “the by-product” of what he actually did.  In getting back this “authority (dominion),” Jesus gave us “the power or authority over all of the power of the enemy,” which we know is the devil.  He also gave us the “authority” to use “his name, the name of Jesus, to cast out demons (Mark 16:17 NKJV).”

“Yet it was because of this that God raised him up to the heights of heaven and gave him a name which is above every other name, that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11 TLB).

“The name of Jesus” has incredible power.  For at the very “name of Jesus,” every knee shall bow in heaven, on the earth, and under the earth and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord.  All of this power in a name because God gave him a name that is above every other name.

“When the seventy disciples returned, they joyfully reported to him, ‘Even the demons obey us when we use your name’” (Luke 10:17 TLB).

Jesus chose seventy other disciples and sent them out in pairs to all the towns and villages that he had planned to visit.  He gave them specific instructions as to what to do while they journeyed from place to place.  However, when the seventy disciples returned, they reported to Jesus that even the demons obeyed when they used “his name, the name of Jesus.”

“Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to cast out evil spirits and to heal every kind of sickness and disease” (Matthew 10:1).  “Jesus sent them out with these instructions: ‘Don’t go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans, but only to the people of Israel—God’s lost sheep.  Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near.  Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure the lepers, and cast out demons.  Give as freely as you have received’” (Matthew 10:5-8 TLB)!

Again, we see Jesus giving authority to cast out demons.  We know that many believers have been taught that these demons are spirit beings without physical form, who go around looking for bodies, be they human or animal bodies, to inhabit.  These demons have been describes as being evil spirits that are opposed to God and anything pertaining to God.  They have even been associated with Satan and thought to be part of his entourage fallen angels.  There are some glitches with the notion that they are somehow part of the same coalition, the same evil group, much less the same entourage.

Most of you are very familiar with the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness by the devil.  While in the wilderness, we are told of three separate temptations that Jesus had to endure.  In two of the three temptations, the devil wove in a conditional statement that had Jesus responded to the temptation would have proved who he was beyond any doubt.  The devil’s “If you are the son of God” (Luke 4:3; 4:9) statement gives that appearance that he was unsure as to who Jesus really was.  Scripture goes on to say, “had the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing, known of the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (I Corinthians 2:6-8 NKJV).  However, the demons have a different story.

“When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them.  And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of God!’  And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ” (Luke 4: 40-41 NKJV).

The demons immediately recognized who Jesus was as they came out of the people.  And here is the interesting thing about this incident.  Jesus did not allow the demons to say what they knew, “for they knew he was the Christ.”  If the demons are associated with or are a part of the devil’s entourage, then why do the demons know who Jesus is, and the devil appears to question his identity.  We know for some, this revelation is contrary to all you hold dear, but for those of you who have an ear to hear, hear what the Lord God is saying.  You have been given permission, the “authority” to use “the name of Jesus to cast out devils (demons).”  You also have been given “the power or authority over all of the power of the enemy.”  We trust that you can see the difference in the two and that you use your two “authorities” appropriately.

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

Enjoy your blessings - KW