Devotion: We Be A Kingdom Worker

Once, we were asked why we chose to do what we do.  We wanted to share, just in case someone else had the same question.

“After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and (by) two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come (was about to go).  Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth laborers into his harvest.  Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves.  Carry neither purse, nor scrip (bag), nor shoes (sandals): and salute (greet) no man by the way (along the road).  And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house.  And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it: if not, it shall turn to you again.  And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the laborer is worthy of his hire (wages).  Go not from house to house.  And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you:  and heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto (near to) you.  But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say, even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on (clings to) us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto (has come near) you” (Luke 10:1-11).

Devotion: Is Money Your God?

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

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

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

Devotion: God Gave Us Dominion

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

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

Devotion: 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: God Sees Ahead

Throughout the scriptures, we see where God has always provided for man.  Nowhere is this more evident than in the beginning, when God first created the heavens and the earth.

“And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.  And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.  And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night.  And the evening and the morning were the first day” (Genesis 1:3-5).  “And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:  and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.  And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.  And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness:  and God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:14-18).

Devotion: Don't Be Afraid To Die

It is amazing to find people who claim to be believers, who are afraid to die.  This is not meant to be a criticism of anyone.  We are merely pointing out an observation that these same people who claim to be believers actually do believe in life after death, but still have this fear of death.  The unknown has always produced some amount of fear in all of mankind and death is one of those unknown things that we all will have to go through.  Not knowing, being unsure of, and having no control over the future tends to bring out a little anxiety in even the best of us.  Please do not get us wrong, we are not so naive to suggest that every believer shares in this fear of death for the same reasons.  Some are just selfish.  They love themselves and the things of this world more then they love God and the things of God.  They are not interested in pleasing God but solely interested in pleasing self.  They fear death because it would cause them to lose the things that they have come to cherish most in this life: their money, their status, their popularity, and themselves.  Even though they claimed to be believers, they have no hope for the future because they be not in Christ.

“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.  For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?  or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul” (Matthew 16:24-26)?

Devotion: Always Be Thankful

We know that this world will eventually fade away and everything in it, everything on it, and everything around it will fade away as well.  The things that people have placed so much importance on, those things that so many crave, all those evil forbidden things that people seem to be drawn to, each and every one of them will also fade away as the world fades.  But those who are pleasing God and doing the will of God will live forever.  Therefore, for this reason, we should be thankful.  God is working things out for us, even when we don’t see it or feel it.  We just need to keep our faith in God and be thankful for all that he has given us.  There is always something to be thankful for, if we would just look.

It has been said that the more thankful we are, the more we attract things to be thankful for.  Those who take life day by day, complain very little, and are thankful for the things in life, for they are 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 in life are happy.

Devotion: God Has Already Given

Most believers do not understand what the statement, “God has already given” actually means.  Some believers have accepted religion’s definition of “the sovereignty of God” and believe that nothing happens without “the approval of God.”  They make God responsible for any and every thing that happens, whether it be good or bad, and completely removes our responsibility as to what happens in our life.  Other believers have accepted the other side of the coin, where the belief is that we control what happens to us.  They believe that we can motivate, convince, or even persuade God to move on our behalf through our persistent prayer, by our obedience to God’s laws, and even because of the good works that we do.  They make us responsibility for any and everything that happens, whether good or bad, and make God’s response subjected to our performance.

“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: whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (II Peter 1:1-4).

Devotion: You Are Not A Loser

There are a lot of so-called Christians walking around defeated.  By defeated, we mean that they have not yet fully experienced all that God has made available to them through the new covenant, “a better covenant, which was established upon better promises” (Hebrews 8:6).  By defeated, we mean that they have not yet experienced that “more abundant life” that Jesus spoke of in John 10:10.  The really sad part is that they do not even realize that they are defeated, living a defeated life.  They claim the blood of Jesus over their lives but it is of no effect or at best, it has a partial effect on their lives.  The biggest culprit is not the devil or any other outside forces, but it is an internal force known as “self,” what we will refer to as “an image problem.”

“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: …” (Proverbs 23:7).

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: Enjoy The Lord

With all that mankind has accused God of, which includes plenty mischaracterizations, many believe that it is not possible for anyone to “enjoy the Lord.”  Most of us are aware that God has never given us the punishment that our sins deserve nor rewarded us according to our wrongdoings, but instead has forgiven us.  Scripture tells us that God is merciful and gracious towards us.  The truth is, God’s mercy towards us, those who reverence, honor, and worship him, is as great as the heavens are above the earth.  He is full of kindness, love, and pity.  He is tender and sympathetic to us who respect, obey, and praise him.  He is slow to anger and does not hold a grudge because his anger does not last forever.  God is like a father who has pity on his children.  For the most part, we enjoy our earthy fathers or those we know to be and call father, but we do not share that same enjoyment with God.

“Submit yourselves therefore to God.  …Draw nigh (near) to God, and he will draw nigh (near) to you” (James 4:7-8).  “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5).  “Trust in the Lord, and do good...  Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.  Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.  ...Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him…” (Psalm 37:3-7).

Devotion: When You Hurt, You Are Not Alone

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

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

Devotion: You Are Born To Win

Did you know that you were born to win?  We guess the correct thing to ask would be “Did you know that you were born-again to win?”  In order to win, you first have to be born-again, what the scriptures refer to as “being in Christ.”  Therefore, if you be in Christ, then you are born to win.

“Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.  For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:37-39).

According to this passage, we are not just “conquers,” who are simply able to “overcome all these things.”  No, we are “more than conquers.”  We are “more than victors.”  We are “more than overcomers.”  Paul goes on to say that he is convinced, “fully persuaded” that nothing can separate us from the love of God, which is “in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  There be neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities or rules, nor the things in this present time, nor the things to come in the future, nor the forces of nature, nor the things on high above the earth, nor the things under the earth, nor any other creatures that could separate us from the love of God, which now rest upon us because of what Christ Jesus our Lord did.

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: God Has Already Forgiven You

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

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

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

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

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

We pray that today’s devotional will help you to understand that God has done his part and has already forgiven you.  Now, you need to do your part and just receive the free gift of forgiveness.  We also pray that this message will bless you, inform you, and that you will be the better for having read it.  If blessed by this message, please share so that others may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: The Gift of Righteousness

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

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

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

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

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

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (II Corinthians 5:17).

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

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

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

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

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

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

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: 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: God Encourages

In our discussion about “The Characteristics of God, his nature, his character, and his personality,” we mentioned “there is no iniquity with the Lord our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts” (II Chronicles 19:7), “God changes not” (Malachi 3:6), and “it is impossible for God to lie” (Hebrews 6:18) as three traits that God had chosen to be part of “his nature, his character, and his personality.”  As part of our discussion, we mentioned that we were able to sum up God as “a god of integrity.”  We also mentioned that the reason God chose to be “the One of integrity” was so that his children would recognize him over all others.  However, today we want to add yet one more thing to our list of things that makes our God “a god of integrity.”  Did you know that God is “a source of encouragement” to his children?

“Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations” (Deuteronomy 7:9 ESV).  “It is the Lord who goes before you.  He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you.  Do not fear or be dismayed” (Deuteronomy 31:8 ESV).  “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1 NIV).  “The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.  And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you” (Psalm 9:9-10 ESV).

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you” (Psalm 32:8 ESV).  “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10 NIV).  “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall” (Psalm 55:22 NIV).  “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (I Peter 5:7 NIV).  “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you” (Isaiah 26:3 NIV).

“The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation” (Psalm 118:14 NIV)!  “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid” (Psalm 27:1 NKJV)?  “I call on the Lord in my distress, and he answers me” (Psalm 120:1 NIV).  “I have set the Lord always before me.  Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken” (Psalm 16:8 NIV).  “You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word.  Away from me, you evildoers, that I may keep the commands of my God” (Psalm 119:114-115 NIV)!

God is faithful.  God keeps his promises and loves steadfast with those who love him, keeps his commandments, and seeks him.  God is forever with us, keeping his eye on us.  God is our refuge, our strength, our shield, and an ever-present help for us.  God is our stronghold in our time of need and in our time of trouble.  God is our light, our song, and our salvation.  As we cast our cares upon him, he will sustain us.  God will give council and instruction as he teaches us in the way that we should go.  God is always with us and he will keep us in perfect peace if we keep on minds stayed on him.  God will never let his righteous fall but will uphold us with his righteous right hand.  God will never forsake us.  When we call on God in our times of distress, he will answer.  If we set God before us always, we will not be shaken, because he will be at our right hand.  We need to put our hope in the word of God and keep his commands, because God truly does care for us and he is “our source of encouragement.”

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

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: Life Can Be Tough Too

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

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

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

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

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

“I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).  “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace.  In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).  “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.  Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God” (I John 5:4)?  “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world” (I John 4:4).  “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.  Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Ephesians 6:10-11).

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

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

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

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: Thank You!

Dear God,

I praise you!  I worship you!  I thank you!

I woke up today and I am healthy.  I have a roof above me and a floor beneath me.  I have food on my table and a great place to sleep.  I have shoes on my feet and clothes on my back.  You have granted me another beautiful day to see and hear the goodness you have left here for us.  Thank you.

I have family and friends who love me.  I have people around me who make life more meaningful.  You continually cover my family and me with your blessings.  Each day, you give me courage, strength, clarity and you remove all my fears.  I know you are bigger than all of my problems.  Thank you.

I know that I am not perfect.  I forget to praise you, to worship you, the give you thanks.  There have even been times when I have questioned my faith but your love never fails.  You are continually working things out for me, even when I don’t feel it.  You love me unconditionally and you bless me with that same unconditionalness.  Thank you.

You have forgiven me and cleansed me.  You have granted me grace, mercy, and forgiveness.  You have arranged for all of my debts to be paid through the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross for my sins.  You give me the strength and power to extend that same grace, that same mercy, and that same forgiveness to those in my life who have hurt me.  Thank you.

Scripture tells us that everything that has breath is to praise you Lord.  I am thankful for you Lord God, for there is always something to give praise to you.  I praise you!  I worship you!  I thank you!

In Jesus name, we lift this prayer of thanksgiving to you,
Amen and Amen.

If this prayer has blessed you, please share so that others may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW