Devotion: Lack Of Knowledge

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children” (Hosea 4:6).

According to the scriptures, God says that his people are destroyed because they lack knowledge.  This lack of knowledge that God speaks of is not due to the knowledge being hidden or it not being available.  No, this lack of knowledge is due to his people rejecting the knowledge.  The biggest problem is that so many of us are completely satisfied, feeling totally secure in the knowledge that we have.  As long as we believe in Jesus and believe that we are saved, we see no need to deal with the irrelevant or trivial things.  We feel that since it has no bearing on our salvation, then none of those irrelevant or trivial things are important.  Is it possible that those things that have been dismissed as irrelevant or trivial are important to our survival?

“Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst” (Isaiah 5:13).

The scriptures tell us a different story, saying that we have gone into captivity because we have no knowledge.  Our greatest enemy and the largest contributor to our destruction has been our rejection of those irrelevant or trivial things.  Why do we pay less attention to or forgo the small details contained in the scriptures?  Why have they become not so important?  Somewhere along the way, we have been convinced that the small details are not important.  Somewhere along the way, we have been convinced that the small details have no bearing on anything.  Somewhere along the way, we started rejecting the small details, dismissing them as irrelevant or trivial things.  This dismissal of irrelevant or trivial things has become a tremendous problem for us today.  But is it possible that those things that have been dismissed as irrelevant or trivial are important to our survival?  Yes, it is very possible that those things are important to our survival, more important than we may have thought.

“Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom” (Song of Songs 2:15 NIV).

Scripture tells us to pay attention to those little foxes, for those little foxes will ruin the vineyards.  They gnaw and break the little branches and leaves as well as dig holes in the vineyards thus spoiling the roots.  But what or who are these little foxes?  These little foxes are those things that creep in, mostly unnoticed and spoil the vine.  These little foxes are the collective perpetrators of the misinformation, Satan and his band of false teachers, if you will, that teach Churchianity and denominationalism coupled with a little traditionalism.  Somewhere along the way, we allowed them to infiltrate the one body and divide it.  The scriptures tell us that these guys can transform themselves into “apostles of Christ” and “ministers of righteousness.”  The scriptures even tell us that Satan can transform himself into “an angel of light (II Corinthians 11:13-15).”  And their sole purpose for existence is to deceive as many people as possible or spoil the vineyard.  They spoil the vine and take away its fruit.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance…” (Galatians 5:22-23).

Could this be the fruit, the fruit of the Spirit, that those little foxes are out to spoil and take away from us?  We are commanded to catch the foxes, to restrain them from doing harm to our vineyard and taking away our fruit.  And while the fruit spoken of in this passage appears to have little to do with our salvation, the fact that God mentions these little foxes that spoil the vineyards and takes away the fruit should be cause for us to red flag these passages as being very important.  If this is the fruit that is taken away by the little foxes, by Satan and his false teachers, then it is our walk with God that is affected.

“If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25).

What is it that God wants us to get out of these passages?  Most will again dismiss this as being irrelevant or trivial to their survival and to their salvation.  As we read the scriptures, we must keep in mind that God does not arbitrarily do anything that he does.  God has a reason for doing all that he does, even though the reason may not immediately be apparent.  If those little foxes that creep in unnoticed and spoil the vine affect the things we think, the things we say, and the things we do, then we need to pay attention to those irrelevant or trivial things that we think are not important.  Combine this fact with our lack of knowledge, then there should be no surprise why so many of us are being destroyed and held in captivity.  Scripture tells us that if we are living in the Spirit, living by the fruit of the Spirit, then let us follow the Spirit, let us be led by the Spirit in every part of our lives, and let us walk in that very same Spirit.  Do not allow the lack of knowledge, the rejection of the irrelevant or trivial things, lead to your destruction.

As always, we pray that our 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 by it as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

More About KWM

Kingdom Worker Ministries offers a series of products and resources to those desiring to dig deeper into the Word of God and break traditionalism to gain full truth of God’s words and principles.  Our products are designed to increase your awareness, improve your understanding, deepen your knowledge and inspire you to walk in truth.

Our desire is to impart knowledge that will enable you to discern the truths hidden in God’s word (Ezekiel 44:23) and to provide validation to those who have an ear to hear his word (Ephesians 4:29).

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Devotion: Is All The Bible True?

When asked where “the word of God” can be found, the most popular answer is “the Bible.”  Many believe the Bible to be the inerrant and infallible word of God, but is this belief the truth?  Is the Bible actually the inerrant and infallible word of God?  First, let us define a few important words.  The first word “inerrant,” simply means “free from errors or untruths.”  The next word “infallible,” means “incapable of making mistakes or being wrong” or simply “incapable of error.”  Another definition says that “infallible” also means “absolutely trustworthy or sure.”  When combined, we see why the Bible is said to be “absolutely trustworthy or sure” because of its association with the word of God.  This has led many to consider the Bible of being “incapable of error, of making mistakes, or being wrong.”  But does all of this mean that the entire Bible is true?  That is a question that has been pondered throughout the ages.

The Project: "The Truth Tree"

 

THE TRUTH TREE

The Truth Tree:  ...finding truth amidst the distractions.  ...establishing strong roots based on undeniable truths.

Would you like to establish a better relationship with God?  Would you like to enhance your Christian walk?  Would you like to understand the truth about the scriptures that God has given you?  Would you like to comprehend the truth of the scriptures that comes from a higher level of perception, a higher level of discernment, and a higher level of understanding?

This book was written to help you answer these questions and many, many more.  This book will help open your mind that you might understand, help open your spiritual eyes that you might see, and help open your spiritual ears, that you might hear (Matthew 13:9-16).  “The Truth Tree” will help you do that.

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Devotion: Bad News

Every day is a battle.  No, we are not talking about a physical battle of sorts, but a mental battle, where we are constantly bombarded with information.  Known as “news” to many, this information, produced by “news outlets,” can be good, positive, or productive in its nature or it can be bad, negative, and counter-productive depending on the source.  We know most of you see the availability of this information, this “so-called news” as a positive thing because it allows you to stay informed as to the important things that are happening in the world.  Now we have devices that enables us to be connected to the news sources every second, of every minute, of every hour, of every day, in every corner of the world through what is called “news feeds.”  We can even tailor these “news feeds” so that we can constantly have an ear tuned in to the things that we are most interested in and eliminate or skip over those things that do not interest us.  However, the truth of the matter is that all of this kind of information, this “so-called news” from these “news feeds” is actually bad, negative, and counter-productive.  They actually take away more than they give.  Why do we call the “so-called news” from these “news feeds” bad, negative, and counter-productive?

The “news outlets” specifically cater the information they send over their “news feeds” with one purpose in mind.  They want to keep us engaged in their programing so that we keep coming back.  What an interesting word “programing.”  The word “program” means “to set, regulate, or modify so as to produce a specific response or reaction.”  It also means “to cause to absorb or incorporate automatic responses, attitudes, or the like; to condition.”  The “news outlets” set, regulate, modify, and design this “so-called news” so that it, the information itself, will produce a specific response or reaction in us and from us.  Again, the intent of the “news feeds” is to keep our mind engaged in the “news outlets” programing.

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2).

When we follow the behavior of the world, we become like others in the world.  Our thoughts are like the thoughts of the world.  Our actions and reactions are like the actions and reactions of the world.  This is why the scriptures tell us not to be conformed to the patterns of this world and not to copy the behavior and customs of this world.  We are instead to be transformed from all of these things by the renewing of our minds.  When we renew our mind, we change the way we think.  We change the way we think through the word of God.

“My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.  Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.  For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh” (Proverbs 4:20:21).

God tells us to pay attention to what he says and to not let his words depart from our eyes.  He tells us to listen carefully to his words and to keep them in the midst of our heart.  This is not something that a person who is being programed by the “news outlets” tends to do.  Since the “news feeds” seldom carry anything that pertains to the goodness of God, the mercy of God, or the grace of God, much less the word of God, then it is impossible to attend to God’s word or to his sayings.  Without attending to God’s word, then we do not change our way of thinking.  Without changing our thinking, we are never transformed; instead, we conform by the programing of the “news outlets.”  This programing will never allow us to learn and know God’s will for us.  It will never allow us to, by experience, have knowledge of the good, pleasing, and complete purpose and/or will of God.  This programming will cause us to lose sight of the word of God and it will never allow God’s word to penetrate deep into our heart.

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee” (Isaiah 26:3).

God will keep them in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on him and whose thoughts turn often to him.  The “news outlets,” on the other hand have specifically program the “so-called news” that is piped through these “news feeds” to keep our mind engaged in their programing and not engaged in the things of God.  Therefore, transform yourself by the renewing of your mind that you may, by experience, have knowledge of the God’s good news and not the bad, negative, and counter-productive news of the world.  Now that you know the truth, which “news feeds” will you choose to listen to?

We forever pray that our 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: Right Standing With God Is A Gift

Not long ago, we discovered that God had already forgiven us of our sins.  For any of us to receive this “abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness” (Romans 5:17) we have to make Jesus Christ our Lord and savior.  When we do this, make Jesus our Lord and savior, we get all of these free gifts that God has to offer; God’s gift of grace, God’s gift of righteousness, and God’s gift of forgiveness.  We know that this is not the message that is being preached in many churches.  They still feel the need to use the law to try to control their congregations by continually making them feel guilty and condemned, but scripture tells us of another way that has no guilt, no condemnation, and is made as available as “a free gift.”

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus” (Romans 3:23-26).

Scripture tells us that we were all guilty of sinning and falling short of God’s glory, yet God, through his mercy and grace, “freely declared us as righteous.”  When Jesus was presented as the sacrifice for our sin, we were made right with God, declared “not guilty” of offending him, as long as we trusted in Jesus Christ.  Because God wanted to demonstrate his righteousness, his fairness, and his justness, he declared sinners to be right in his sight as long as we placed our faith in Jesus Christ and made him our Lord and savior.  God basically gave us right standing with him in exchange for our faith and belief in Jesus Christ.  But what about the law, wasn’t it given to make us right with God, if we followed it?

“Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.  Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:19-20).  “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all’ (James 2:10).

According to this passage, the law applies to those who are still under the law, those who still try to follow the law, those who try to earn their way into heaven through their own self-righteousness.  However, the purpose of the laws was to keep everyone from having excuses for doing all of the evil things they were doing and to show that the entire world was guilty before God.  There were none that were made right with God, no matter how many righteous things they had done or how many laws they were able to follow.  The law served only to give us knowledge of sin and to show us just how sinful we were.  The more we knew of God’s law, the clearer it became that we were not obeying them at all and the guiltier we became.  The law was unkind and condemning, without understanding and without compassion.  People tried to follow the law, but the problem was that if “they broke one point in the law” and it did not matter which point that was, they were “guilty of breaking the entire law.”  The law simply made it impossible for anyone to be in right standing with God through their own efforts or their own performance.  No one could earn righteousness and the law was quick to point this fact out.  The law did two things, made us guilty before God and showed that we needed a savior.

“But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference” (Romans 3:21-22).  “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified” (Galatians 2:16).

According to this passage, God has shown us another way to be made righteous and have right standing with him, that did not include the law.  No longer do we have to keep the standards of the law because “the righteousness of God has been manifested” and has revealed a different way to heaven.  This new way to heaven has nothing to do with us being good or self-righteous and trying to keep the laws, but is an alternative way that was foretold in the law and by the prophets.  No longer do we have to do good deeds according to the law and try to earn our way into God’s good graces and be right with him, because according to scripture “no one will ever be justified by obeying the law.”  Nonetheless, God says, “he will accept and acquit us, declaring us not guilty” if we will just put our trust and our faith in Jesus and in his righteousness as then means to take away our sins.  We can be made right with him and have right standing with him simply by trusting and putting faith in Jesus Christ.  God has made this “gift of right standing with God” available to all and it is the same for everyone who will accept it.

We pray that this inspirational message will be a blessing to you as well as informative.  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: Grow Up!

Did you know that God wants us to grow up?  Yes, that right, God expects us to grow up but not in the sense that we are to become upstanding citizens and productive members of society.  No, God wants us to grow up in our understanding, grow up in our understanding of all things God.

“Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men” (I Corinthians 14:20).

We are told not to be like children or immature in our understanding, but in our understanding to be men or mature instead.  God has given us certain things, that when we fully use them, we can become mature or complete in our thinking, in our reasoning, and in our discerning.

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (II Timothy 3:16-17).

God has given us the word of truth to tell us what to believe (for doctrine), what is wrong (for reproof), how to correct wrong (for correction), how to live (for instruction in righteousness).  We are to rely on this word of truth because it includes everything needed for us to be perfect or to grow in maturity, to grow in understanding, to grow in wisdom, so that we can be proficient and extremely capable of doing what God wants.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9).

Traditional teachings have always attempted to convince us that we can never understand God.  You see, we have been led to believe or taught that “the clay cannot understand the potter.”  We have been taught that “God’s ways are higher than our ways and his thoughts are higher than our thoughts.”  With that said, it has been concluded that “it is not possible for a finite being, us, to understand an infinite being, God.”  And the biggest one of all, “if it be God’s will,” suggesting that it is impossible for us to know God’s will.  All of these phrases have been used to make us cast doubt on the fact that we can know God intimately.  Over the years, these phrases and the like have been used to control us both mentally and emotionally.  They have kept many of us in bondage, unaware of the truth that we can know God and know his will.

It is possible for us to recognize, to know, and to understand God.  Yes, contrary to popular beliefs, it is possible for us to know God intimately, without question or doubt.  We are told, “to get wisdom because wisdom is the principal thing.”  And we are told, “with all of our getting to also get understanding (Proverbs 4:5-7).  Ask yourself this question, “For what purpose or for what reason does God instruct us to get wisdom, the principal thing, and then in all of that getting, to get understanding?”  God wants us to do more than just exist.

“…but we are to hold to the truth with love in our hearts.  We are to grow up and be more like Christ” (Ephesians 4:15 NLV).  “But, strange as it seems, we Christians actually do have within us a portion of the very thoughts and mind of Christ” (I Corinthians 2:16 TLB).

God wants us to grow up to become more and more like Christ.  And as odd as it may sound, we actually have inside of us a portion of the very thoughts and mind of Christ.  God has given us everything that we need to grow up in our understanding and to grow up in our understanding of all things God.

“According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue” (II Peter 1:3).

God wants us to know.  God wants us to understand.  God wants us to reason.  God wants us to think.  God wants us to “grow up.”

We pray that this inspirational message will be a blessing to you as well as informative.  If blessed by this message, please share so that others may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: Make Room For Jesus

Do you make room for Jesus in your life?  Be honest, because we do not ask for our knowledge, but for yours.  You see, as believers, we claim to love Jesus and we claim to have a relationship with Jesus.  But if we have to truthfully describe that relationship, the one word that comes to mind is “complicated.”  By “complicated,” we are saying that our relationship with Jesus is “a little hard to explain and understand.”  Most relationships involving Jesus are “one-sided.”

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.  You are my friends if you do what I command” (John 15:13-14 NIV).

Most believers know that Jesus gave his life for us because he loved us.  Yes, Jesus laid down his life for us because he considered us “to be his friends.”  And in return for this friendship, he only ask that we do what he has commanded of us.  But this is where things get a little “complicated” and a little “one-sided.”  Our relationship with Jesus has become “a little hard to explain and a little hard to understand” because we have allowed the cares of this world to affect and define our relationship with Jesus.  We allow the demands from our family, the demands from our jobs, the demands from our friends, and the demands of just trying to survive this life to dictate the kind of relationship that we have with Jesus.  Because of these demands, demands that we have prioritized, we have no time nor do we make room for Jesus.  So, when we ask if you make room for Jesus, it is truly for your knowledge only.

Most believers have placed Jesus in a position, that if they get a moment, a spare moment mind you, at the end of the day, they try to dedicated that time to Jesus.  The problem with this thought process is that they tend to run out of time before they get to Jesus or are so tired that they just to have anything left and tend to fall asleep.  However, in their time of need, in their time of crisis, when they feel there are no other options, they suddenly make room for Jesus.  When they need him, their priorities change and suddenly they find themselves making time for Jesus.  When they find themselves in such a situation, at the end of their rope, his name is the first name they call out.  “Help me Jesus,” “Save me Jesus,” and “Have mercy on me Jesus,” are just a few of those calls for help that come to mind.  Yes, we have a “one-sided complicated” relationship with the one who gave his life for us.  But it does not have to be that way.

“Look!  I have been standing at the door, and I am constantly knocking.  If anyone hears me calling him and opens the door, I will come in and fellowship with him and he with me” (Revelation 3:20 TLB).  “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” (John 15:9-17 NIV).

Jesus is standing at the door, knocking, wanting to come in and fellowship with us.  All we have to do is open the door and make a little room for him, make a little more time for him.  Jesus laid down his life for us, because he considered us to be his friends.  In return, he asked that we do what he has commanded.  In doing this, we will find that his joy will be in us and our joy will be made complete and overflowing.  Make time for Jesus in your life and change the description of your relationship with him.  No longer see the relationship with the one you claim to love as “one-sided and complicated.”  Make room for Jesus in your life.

We again give thanks to God for this avenue that he has given us to share his word through our commentary.  We also thank God for the accompanying inspirational message that he also provided.  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: Destroyed For Lack Of Knowledge

Because we have not followed God’s instructions, we have had to put our faith and our trust in man’s interpretation of who God is, what God is, what God does, and what God says, just to scratch the surface.  This is not to say anything negative about the man and women of God who are amongst us spreading God’s true gospel, but is directed towards those who are spreading a gospel of some other kind.  Because we repeatedly fail to follow God’s instructions, we find ourselves deeper and deeper in this abyss that we continually dig for ourselves, with no recognizable way to exit.  God has instructed us “not to believe every spirit but to test each one to see if they be of God or not, because there be many false prophets that are in the world” (I John 4:1).  God has warned us “to beware of these false prophets that come to us in sheep’s clothing because inwardly they are but greedy voracious predators” (Matthew 7:15).  But we have gotten things so mixed up that we listen to and believe, without question, the wolves in sheep’s clothing, and try our best to discredit the true men and women of God, that is not believe or not accept, as truth, the gospel that they speak.  And the really sad part is that we continue to do the same thing, while expecting God to do something about our problems and our situations.  Well, we have some bad news for all who are expecting God to move in your life; “It ain’t gonna happen,”  We guess the correct thing to say is that it is not going to happen until we do our part.  Until we do what we are supposed to do.

“Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (II Timothy 2:15).

God has instructed us “to study his word to show ourselves approved unto him.”  This means that God wants us “to investigate his word, he wants us analyze his word, and he wants us to question his word.”  He wants us to find out all that we can find out about his word.  Only by doing this first will we be able to follow the second part of his instructions, which is, “to rightly divide the word of truth.”  Since we do not study, then we are unable show ourselves approved to God.  Since we do not study, then we “typically wrongly divide the word of truth.”  Because we have wrongly divided the word of truth, we do not have the proper knowledge we need to test the every spirit as God has told us to do.  And because we do not test every spirit to see if they be of God, then we lack the needed knowledge to recognize the wolves in sheep’s clothing.  Think about it this way, usually the person giving the test is the same person who already knows the answer to all the test questions.  But because we do not have answers, we do not know the right questions to ask and by not asking, we accept anything and anyone that sounds as if it may have come from God.

But only if we would follow the instructions of God and study his word.  Because if we studied, we would be able “to rightly divide the word of truth” and by rightly dividing the word of truth, “we would gain the needed knowledge to test every spirit to see if it be of God.”  We are being destroyed because we lack knowledge (Hosea 4:6).  And because we have no knowledge, we are being held captives (Isaiah 5:13), imprisoned in a world of deceit.  But the really sad part about all of this is that we do not even see any of this is happening to us.  Because we have failed to recognize that there “are false apostles and deceitful workers, who can transform themselves into the apostles of Christ” (II Corinthians 11:13), we have freely place our faith and trust in their interpretation of who God is, what God is, what God does, and what God says, amongst other things.  God has instructed us not to believe every spirit but to test each one, because “Satan is one who can transform himself into an angel of light and his servant can transform themselves into ministers of righteousness” (II Corinthians 11:14-15).  In order “to do the test,” you must “have the knowledge” and the only way “to get the knowledge is to study.”  And by studying you learn “to rightly divide the word of truth” and once you learn “to rightly divide the word of truth, the revelation knowledge will come.”

As always, we pray that our 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: Jesus Is The Only Way

For the most part, believers and non-believers are familiar with the passage of scripture where Jesus says,

“I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one can come to the Father except through me (John 14:6 NLT).

Now according to scripture (Acts 4:12), there is no other name under all heaven for men to call whereby they can be saved, for salvation can be found through no one else but Jesus.  The problem is that no one knows exactly who Jesus is.  We are so confused, so influenced by Satan and this world, that we have accepted the Jesus that they preach.  Just as he in the Garden of Eden deceived Eve, he continues to deceive us today in much the same way.  Why would he change his methods since they worked so well for him in the beginning?  Satan has infiltrated the body of Christ, becoming an intricate component in the church so much so that we find it hard to recognize him.

Because of Satan’s influence, we have some who describe Jesus as God himself; others as part of the three-in-one trilogy called the Trinity.  Some believe him to be some combination of God and man, both one-hundred percent God and one-hundred percent man; or fifty percent God and fifty percent man; or some in between combination.  Some say he has no beginning because he always existed.  Others say he has always existed because he created the universe and all that we see while some say he helped the Father with creation.  Some say he has a beginning but he was, at some point created before the universe.  Still some say he had a beginning but not until he was brought forth, created in the womb of Mary.  Others say he existed from the beginning, asked God the Father to create him a body so he could come to earth, while some say he created himself a body so he could come to earth.  Some say he was the king of the Jews, while other say he was no king at all.  Some say he was poor while others say he was rich.  Some say he was white, some say he was black, while others claim some other variation.  Some say he performed all kinds of miracles and healed many people.  Some say he walked on the water, others claim he did not.  Some say he raised the dead.  Some say he raised himself from the dead.  Some say he died on the cross.  Some say he did not die on the cross.  Some say that he survived the cross to father many children.

With so much controversy surrounding the person named Jesus, how do you know that the one you are following is “the way, the truth and the life?”  Many follow the name of Jesus as if he was some type of rock star.  Others do all within their power to avoid mentioning his name.  Many try to prove his existence by any means necessary while others do everything in their power to refute him.  There are books after books written about Jesus.  There are movies and documentaries made about Jesus.  There are websites created to support Jesus and sites created to invalidate him.  So much information that it is hard to decipher it to get to the truth about Jesus.  Imagine believing yourself to be a believer only to find out what you believed you were you were not; all based on untruths.  Imagine believing yourself to be a follower of Jesus only to find out that the one whom you claimed to follow was not the one that you needed to follow; all based on deception.  Imagine believing yourself to be saved because you believed you joined the family only to find out that the family you joined was not the right one; all based on a lie.  Imagine believing yourself to be free from condemnation only to find out you have been held in captivity because you have rejected the knowledge needed to make yourself free; all based on fiction.  Imagine believing in a truth that has been manufactured by the great deceivers for the sole purpose of taking you out of the kingdom of heaven.  Imagine not even being aware of any of this until it was too late.  Come out of the darkness and get to know the real Jesus.  Jesus says,

“Look!  I have been standing at the door, and I am constantly knocking.  If anyone hears me calling him and opens the door, I will come in and fellowship with him and he with me (Revelation 3:20 TLB).  “My sheep recognize my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27 TLB).

There is but “one” who is “the way, the truth, and the life and no one will come to the Father except they come by “the one.”  The true Jesus is standing at the door, constantly knocking, waiting on those who hear his voice to answer his call and open the door so that he can come and fellowship with them and them with him.  Before it is too late, you need to learn to recognize his voice and get to know him intimately because there is only “the one.”

We again give thanks to God for this avenue that he has given us to share his word through our commentary.  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: God’s Word Is Settled

So many people, both believers and non-believers alike, try their best to discredit “the word of God.”  By discredit, we mean “to injure the credit or reputation of; to show to be undeserving of trust or belief; destroy confidence in; to give no credence to; to disbelieve; and/or to disrepute” this word.  When asked where “the word of God” can be found, the most popular answer was what is commonly known as “the Bible.”  Scripture tells us “The whole Bible, all scripture, was given to us by inspiration from God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives; it straightens us out and helps us do what is right.  It is God’s way of making us well prepared at every point, fully equipped to do good to everyone” (II Timothy 3:16-17 TLB).  It is our instruction manual and our source for all things God.

Some believe that since “the Bible” was written by men, it is somehow flawed, containing many untruths or unproven things about God, the things of God, and about his instructions.  Others believe “the Bible” to be the infallible word of God, perfect in every sense of the word.  The truth is that “the Bible” contains “the words of God” along with the words of Adam and Eve, Cain, Noah, Enoch, Abraham and Sara, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses and Pharaoh, David, Rahab, Samuel, Job, numerous prophets, the disciples, Mary and Mary, Paul, Jesus, and even Satan, himself.  We think you get the idea.  “The Bible” contains the words from an array of people in addition to containing “the word of God.”

God tells us to “study to show thyself approved” so that we can “rightly dividing the word of truth” (II Timothy 2:15), which is “the Bible.”  We are also told to “attend to his words and to incline our ears to his sayings” because “they are life unto those that find them” (Proverbs 4:20-22).  Therefore, when we study, we learn to rightly divide the word of truth and from this division, we find the “actual word of God,”  which are full, abundant life unto all who hunt for, look for, or seek those words.  Scripture tells us, “it is impossible for God to lie” (Titus 1:2), which means that he must always keep his word.  And because we know that he must always keep his word, then we know that “the word of God” is forever true.  And since we know that it is forever true, then we know that it can be forever trusted.

“…let God be true, but every man a liar” (Romans 3:4).  “The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times” (Psalm 12:6).  “As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is tried (proven): he is a buckler (shield) to all them that trust in him” (II Samuel 22:31).  “The words of the Lord are pure words; as silver tried in a furnace on the earth, refined seven times.  You, O Lord, will keep them; you will preserve him from this generation forever” (Psalm 12:6-7 NASB).  “Every word of God is pure (tried, found pure): he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him” (Proverbs 30:5).  “Thy word is very pure (refined or tired): therefore thy servant loveth it” (Psalm 119:140).

However, there is one thing that we want to really pay attention to more than anything else that is said about “the actual word of God.”  “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (Luke 21:33 NASB).  God tells us that heaven and earth will pass away, but his word will not pass away.  To “pass away” means “to die, to come to an end, to go out of existence, or to cease to exist.”  This means that no matter what, “God’s word will not pass.”  So don’t fret, for “the grass withers, the flowers fade, but the word of our God shall stand forever” (Isaiah 40:8 TLB).  “But the word (spoken word) of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you” (I Peter 1:25).  “For the word of the Lord is right; and all his works are done in truth” (Psalm 33:4).  By this we know that “God’s word is forever settled.”

We again give thanks to God for this avenue that he has given us to share his word through our commentary.  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: Repentance

Many believe that in order for someone “to repent” meant for them “to turn from his or her sinful ways.”  This is not exactly what “to repent” means.  According to the Strong’s Concordance, “to repent” actually means, “to change one’s mind.”  It was John the Baptist who was in the wilderness preaching “the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins” (Mark 1:4).  He was in the wilderness “calling for people to be baptized to show that they were changing their hearts and lives and wanted God to forgive their sins” (CEB).

“And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15).

John the Baptist was telling everyone that the kingdom of God was at hand; that it was near or soon to come, but now was the time for them to change their hearts, now was the time for them to change their minds.  He was telling them that now was the time for them to change their thinking and to believe in this gospel, the good news that he was preaching.  He was calling for them to change their minds about what they thought of God and turn back to him.

Paul, formally known as Saul, was explaining to King Agrippa, the son of King Herod, what had happened on his last mission.  On his way to Damascus, armed with the full authority and commission of the chief priests, to round up those who believed in Jesus Christ, Paul was blinded by a very bright light from heaven.  He heard the voice of the Lord, who told him that he had been appointed as the Lord’s servant and as a witness of what he had seen and what the Lord would later show him.  He was told that he was being sent to the very people he would be delivered from, his own people and the Gentiles, for one purpose.

“To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.  Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:  but showed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance” (Acts 26:18-20).

Paul was being sent out to open the eyes of the people and to open their minds.  He was to change their way of thinking so that they would turn from the darkness and the power of Satan to the light and to the power of God.  He was to change their thinking about God.  As Paul explained his actions to King Agrippa, he said, “I wasn’t disobedient to that heavenly vision.  Instead, I proclaimed first to those in Damascus and Jerusalem, then to the whole region of Judea and to the Gentiles.  My message was that they should change their hearts and lives and turn to God, and that they should demonstrate this change in their behavior” (Acts 26:19-20 CEB).

We see that John the Baptist and Paul preached the same message of repentance.  Both were telling people to change their mind, to change their thinking about God and to turn back to God.  And while many will continue to believe that true repentance means “to turn from one’s sinful ways,” you now know the truth.  Repent means “to change one’s heart and one’s mind; to change the way one thinks.”  It is the actual act “of turning back to God” that actually causes people to change their sinful ways.  Think about it this way, if it was possible for us to change or turn from our sinful ways, there would be no need for us to turn back to God for his help.  It is because of God, through the sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ, that we have available to us the power to break from the darkness, to break from the power of sin, and to break from the power of Satan.  But first, we must change our heart towards God and change our thinking towards God.  True repentance will result in a change of actions, but it is “the change in our heart, the change in our thinking” that results in a change in our actions.

As a footnote to Paul’s story, when he was testifying before King Agrippa, we see the King making this statement to Paul; “You almost persuade me to become a Christian” (Acts 26:28 NKJV).  Paul had almost changed the thinking of this King.  So, if you have not changed your heart toward God, changed your thinking towards God, and changed your thoughts toward the light, then you need to “repent” now, for the kingdom of God is near and at hand.  Turn to God and free yourself from the darkness, free yourself for the power of sin, and free yourself from the power of Satan.

We pray that today’s inspirational message will give you a new perspective on what it means “to repent and turn to God.”  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: Delay Is Not Denial

There has always been some question in the minds of most believers as to how God answers our prayers.  We have been taught that God is always faithful to answer our prayers, but we have been told that God answers some prayers with a “Yes,” some prayers with a “No” or so it seems sometimes, and other prayers with a “Wait.”  Is this really how God answers our prayers?  Does he really tell us “No” or to “to wait” or is this something that has been created by man to console ourselves when we do not get that immediate, desired answer from God?

For the answer to these questions, let us turn to a prayer by Daniel, who was seeking wisdom on a prophesy that Jeremiah had given to the children of Israel that said they would be held in captivity for seventy years (Jeremiah 25:11-12; 29:10).  The time had passed and it looked like the prophesy was not going to come true so Daniel prayed seeking revelation from God.

“And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God; yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation.  And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding.  At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to show thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision” (Daniel 9:20-23).

We see from this passage that while Daniel was still praying, the answer to his prayer was so immediate that it interrupted his prayer.  God had sent forth the angel Gabriel to deliver the answer to Daniel’s prayer.  Besides giving Daniel the answer to his prayer, we also note that Gabriel explained to Daniel that when he first began to pray, the commandment came forth for Gabriel to come forth and show him the answer to his request.  We see from the onset of Daniel’s prayer, God immediately answered his prayer and within a matter of minutes, the answer manifested itself in the form of the angel Gabriel.  By the way, the answer was seventy weeks of years or seven times seventy years (490 years in all) (Daniel 9:24).  But Daniel had a second prayer, but with this prayer, Daniel prayed and fasted for three full weeks (Daniel 10:1-2).  Why was such a delay in God answering this prayer?  Had he somehow told Daniel to “wait?”

“And, behold, an hand touched me, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands.  And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent.  And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling.  Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.  But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.  Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days” (Daniel 10:10-14).

We see from this passage that while Daniel prayed this time for three full weeks, the angel told him that from the first day that he had set his heart to understand, God heard his prayer and the commandment came forth for this angel to come forth and show him the answer to his request.  We see from the onset of Daniel’s prayer, God immediately answered his prayer, but for some reason this answer took three weeks to manifest.  Why was there a delay of three weeks for this prayer and manifestation for the previous prayer received immediately?  According to the angel, it the prince of the kingdom of Persia or a demonic entity that delayed him one and twenty days or three weeks and it was not until the angel Gabriel came to help him that he was able to get free and come to make Daniel understand what would befall the children of Israel.  From this, we see from this prayer that the delay was not of God but of a demonic force.

“And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: and if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him” (I John 5:14-15).  “For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us” (II Corinthians 1:20).

Scripture tells us that we can now have this confidence in knowing that if we ask any thing according to his will, he hears us and knowing that he hears any request that is according to his will, whatever the request, we have the petitions that we have asked of him.  But here is the icing on the cake, all of the promises of God and any thing based on the word of God are “Yes” and “Amen.”  God simply does not answer “No” to our prayers, however, he just doesn’t answer, honor, or listen to any request that is not in his will.  As for the delays being or not being denials, we see that had Daniel not stood on his faith and on the promise of God for three weeks, waiting for the manifestation, “the delay” may have been seen as “a denial.”  But now that you know the truth, knowing that God answers all prayers that are according to his will, immediately, how will this knowledge change the way you view prayer?  Will you now preserve one and twenty days or one and twenty years?

We pray that this inspirational message will be a blessing to you as well as informative.  If blessed by this message, please share so that others may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: If You Don’t Know What To Believe

Each day we struggle with what to believe, questioning whether what we hear is of God or of the devil.  While there appears to be some ambiguity in the minds of many about God, we wanted to know who this God is that so many claim to serve.  Since we were tired of being tossed back and forth, going this way and that, turned about by every wind of doctrine and teaching of man (Ephesians 4:14), we decided to search the scriptures for ourselves to see what God has said about himself.  We found that the God we are supposed to serve tells us to put our trust in him.

“Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord.  For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.  Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.  For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit” (Jeremiah 17:5-8).

Because we do not know who God is, then our faith and our trust ends up being misplaced.  We place more trust in mortal man, who can turn our hearts away from God than we place in trusting the actual word of God.  God tells us to “study to show thyself approved” so that we can “rightly dividing the word of truth” (II Timothy 2:15).  Scripture tells us that this “word of truth is given to 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).  You are to rely on the word of truth because it includes everything needed to grow in maturity, to be perfect (meaning proficient or capable), and to do what God wants” (II Timothy 3:16-17).

What must we do if we don’t know what to believe?  If you don’t know what to believe, then we suggest that you find out the truth for yourself.  Search the scriptures for yourself because the word of truth contains all you need, so that you will know what to believe and what not to believe.  We pray that today’s inspirational message will bless you and that you will share it so that others may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW