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: Be Thankful

It has been said that the more thankful you are, the more you attract things to be thankful for.  It has also been said that those who take life day by day, those who complain very little, and those who are thankful for the things in life, tend to be happy.  Scripture tells us to “always give thanks for everything to our God and Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20 TLB).  Maybe this is why those who are thankful for the things they have in life are happy truly.

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.  If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever” (I John 2:15-17).

Devotion: What Is Faith?

Explaining faith to those who doubt the existence of faith can be summed up similar to this, which surprisingly supports the existence of faith that can be found in everyone.

A man (woman) agrees to take a job with a company.  The company tells the man that he will be paid every two weeks.  The man agrees to the terms and accepts the job.  The man reports to work the first day, works eight hours, and afterwards, he goes home.  The next day the man repeats what he did the first day.  The man does the exact same thing for one week straight.  This is a classic example of faith in action.  The man has placed his faith in the company, believing that he will be paid when he gets to the end of the pay period, which is supported by him going to work every day and not getting any form of compensation during the period.  Payday comes and the company gives the man his first paycheck.  Now that the man has his paycheck, he does not need faith anymore because the thing that he had hope for, the thing that he believed he was getting from the company is now a reality.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1 KJV).”

“Now faith is a well-grounded assurance of that for which we hope, and a conviction of the reality of things which we do not see (Hebrews 11:1 Weymouth New Testament Translation).”

“Now faith means that we are confident of what we hope for, convinced of what we do not see (James Moffitt).”

Devotion: How Many Sons Does God Have?

Many of us are familiar with the verse John 3:16, which focuses on God and his son.  Depending on the Bible version you have, the passage will read something like, For God so loved the world that he gave his “only begotten Son” (King James Version), that he gave his “only Son (the unique Son of God) (The Living Bible), that he gave his “one and only Son” (Basic English Bible), or that he gave his “only Son” (Weymouth New Testament Translation).  As we have discussed in previous devotionals, there are varied beliefs about the son of God, so much so, that we wonder if the varied translations of this particular verse are all saying the same thing about the son of God.  From these varied translations, we see that Jesus is labeled as God’s “only begotten Son,” his “only Son (the unique Son of God),” his “one and only Son,” or his “only Son.”  In short, each of the Bible translations listed above and many others not listed, cite Jesus as being “the only son of God.”  So, is Jesus the only son of God?  To many believers and some non-believers, the traditional answer would be “yes.”  The interesting thing is that according to the Bible, Jesus was not God’s only son.  According to scripture, God had another son.

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.

Devotion: Magnify God

The Bible says, “The just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17), but most believers do not live there, that is to say that they do not “live by faith.”  What we do instead is, we visit there from time to time.  Yes, we live by faith on occasion, but we never dwell there, nor do we take up residency there.  And though we see things that causes us to believe that anything is possible with God many times over, we fail to constantly maintain that belief, that level of faith that the scriptures say, “we should live by.”  Because we fail to live there, to take residency, we tend to be “carnally minded,” which the scripture says is “death” (Romans 8:6).  Carnally mindedness is being focused on the things of this world from a human emotional standpoint.  Carnally minded people fail to focus on God, fail to focus on his word, and fail to focus on the things of God.

“Because when they knew and recognized Him as God, they did not honor and glorify Him as God or give Him thanks.  But instead they became futile and godless in their thinking [with vain imaginings, foolish reasoning, and stupid speculations] and their senseless minds were darkened” (Romans 1:21 AMPC).

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: Prosperity God’s Way

Here we go once again, talking about prosperity and how it is God’s will for his children to prosper.  In the past, we have shared several passages of scripture that show it is God’s will for his children to prosper.

“But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day” (Deuteronomy 8:18).

We have continually used Deuteronomy 8:18 as the anchor to our message to make clear the specific purpose for this wealth, which is “that he may establish his covenant,” a covenant “which he sware unto thy fathers.”  God gives us the power to get wealth to fulfill his promise, that agreement he made with our ancestors.

“Let the Lord be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant” (Psalm 35:27)

Devotion: Jesus Never Fails

Most people, both believers and non-believers know the story of how Adam’s disobedience allowed sin to enter into the world and come upon the human race.  When sinned entered, death caught a ride and spread throughout the world causing everything to grow old and to die.

“For this one man, Adam, brought death to many through his sin.  But this one man, Jesus Christ, brought forgiveness to many through God’s mercy.  Adam’s one sin brought the penalty of death to many, while Christ freely takes away many sins and gives glorious life instead.  The sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to be king over all, but all who will take God’s gift of forgiveness and acquittal are kings of life (reign in life ) because of this one man, Jesus Christ.  Yes, Adam’s sin brought punishment to all, but Christ’s righteousness makes men right with God, so that they can live.  Adam caused many to be sinners because he disobeyed God, and Christ caused many to be made acceptable to God because he obeyed” (Romans 5:15-19 TLB).

Devotion: Great Things Happen When You Believe

Great things happen when you believe.  But for great things to happen, you need faith.  Faith is an interesting word, that has been defined in many ways.  Understanding faith is important to making it work for you.  So, what exactly is faith?

According to Hebrews 11:1,

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (KJV).

Faith is the evidence of a thing hoped for, the evidence that the thing exists but it is not the thing itself.  Faith is the substance or tangibility of hope.  While hope cannot change circumstances, it can change attitudes about circumstances and how things are perceived or seen.  Hope is the goal setter and faith be the way to achieve the goal.  Faith is one of the most powerful things that God has given man, “as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith” (Romans 12:3).  When used to its full measure, faith can cause great things to happen.

Devotion: Deception

We have spoken several times about “an untruth, a deception, a lie” that has been going on for so long that the lines between them and “the truth” have become so blurred that one crosses between the two without the realization of either.  Without the knowledge as to the source of the problem, the deception continues.  We know that man continues to be played like puppets in a production for an audience of principalities, powers, and rulers of the darkness of this world, while the puppet master continues to lurk in the shadows, hidden from the world.  Because the devil is “the father of lies” (John 8:44), he has blinded many to “the truth” to the point that they believe just about anything that sounds “god-like.”  Throughout the scriptures, we are “warned not to be deceived, not to err, not to be misled, and even not to go astray” for there will come “false prophets” that will deceive many.

“And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many” (Matthew 24:11).  “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction” (II Peter 2:1).  “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves” (Matthew 7:15).

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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: 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: Don’t Give Up!

Have you ever felt like giving up?  Well, do not feel like this is a feeling that is exclusively yours.  It is not.  We have all felt like giving up, giving in, and/or giving way.  But know that this “feeling of giving up” is not of God; it is of the devil.

“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).  “Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (Ephesians 6:13).  Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked (Ephesians 6:16).

God does not want us to give up.  God wants us to be strong in him and in the strength of his mighty power.  God wants us to put on the whole armor that he has been provided for us so that we will be able to stand firm against all of the wiles or strategies of the devil.  God wants us to put on his full armor so that we, having done all to stand, will be able to stand in our times of evil.  Among the articles of armor listed, God says above all, “take or hold up the shield of faith” so that we will be able “to quench or stop the fiery darts of the wicked.”

“Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses” (I Timothy 6:12).

We are told “to fight the good faith of faith.”  Did you notice that there is nothing in this passage that says God will fight this fight for us?  No, we are told to fight this fight, this “good fight of faith.”  This is something that God has to us to do which means that this is something we are not only supposed to do, but something that we can do.  Armor is for fighting and God has provided us with “the armor of God” to fight.  He has provided us with “the shield of faith” that we may “fight the good fight of faith”

Most people have no idea just how powerful pure faith is.  Scripture tells us, “if we have faith as a grain of mustard seed, we can move a mountain” (Matthew 17:20).  We are told that with faith the size of a mustard seed, there is nothing that we cannot do, “for nothing shall be impossible.”  In fighting this “good fight of faith,” we must also be aware that it is very possible for us to “fight the bad or incomplete fight of faith.”  This happens when we allow doubt, unbelief, or even fear to nullify or cancel out our faith, which we believe can be “as a mustard seed” as well.  Therefore, let us rid ourselves of all doubt, unbelief, and fear so that we do not have that “feeling of giving up.”  We need to let our faith be bigger than our fear, our doubt, and our unbelief.  We need to learn to “fight the good fight of faith,” so that we can overcome that “feeling of giving up” and continue to lay hold to the eternal life that God has provided for each of us.

“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns” (Philippians 1:6 NLT).  “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good.  At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up” (Galatians 6:9 NLT).  “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all” (Isaiah 7:9 NIV).

Therefore, remember to stay the course, assured that God, who have begun good work in you will continue that good work in you until the end.  Keep the faith, by being strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.  Put on all of God’s instruments of war so that you will be able to stand and “not give up” in the time of evil.  Always, always, fight the good fight for the true faith, holding tightly to the promise of eternal life, to which God has provided.  And never, never give up, give in, or give way, but stand strong in your faith for at the right time you will reap a harvest of blessings.

As always, we pray that today’s 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: 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: God’s Word In Your Mouth

One of man’s biggest problems is his ability to misinterpret the things God has said in his word.  We sometimes want to add to his word and other times, we want to take away from his word.  We see evidence of someone adding to his word, when Eve said what God supposedly said about the fruit of the tree, which is in the midst of the garden,

“Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die” (Genesis 3:3).

You see, God never mentioned anything about touching the tree, but Eve added that to original word.  But more interesting than anything else is the catch phrase, “God hath said” that Eve used to validate what she told the serpent.  The problem is this is not what God said.  It may be close but when it comes to God’s word, close does not count for anything.  God has said that “his word will not return to him void” (Isaiah 55:11).  When we repeat God’s words, then we need to make sure that we do just that and not add to what he has already stated in his word because once altered, they be not his word anymore.

“As the rain and snow come down from heaven and stay upon the ground to water the earth, and cause the grain to grow and to produce seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry, so also is my word.  I send it out, and it always produces fruit.  It shall accomplish all I want it to and prosper everywhere I send it” (Isaiah 55:10-11 TLB).

God says that his word will not return to him void.  God says that his word will always produce fruit.  God says that his word will accomplish all that he wants it to accomplish.  And God says that his word will prosper everywhere he has sent it.  Since God has sent us his word, then we need to repeat what God has already said.  By repeating what God has already said, we return his word back to him.  By returning God’s word back to him, we know that it does not return to him void, but accomplishes, prospers, and always produces fruit.  When we repeat God’s word, then we need to make sure that we do just that, repeat his word and not add to what he has already stated because once altered, they be not his word anymore.  God’s word has the power to create, if you could only believe.  As for us, we choose to believe, we choose to believe in the power of his word, and we choose to place our faith in God, “for with God nothing shall be impossible.”

We pray that today’s inspirational message will give you a new perspective on what it means to “have God’s word in your mouth.”  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.

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