Devotion: God Does Not Play Favorites

According to the scriptures, we see that “God is not a respecter of person” (Romans 2:11), which means that God treats everyone the same, that he gives the same opportunities to everyone, and that he does not value one more than another.  And no, nothing has changed, because God says “For I am the Lord, I change not” (Malachi 3:6), which means that whatever God did in the beginning, he is still doing today.  But traditional teachings have taught us differently.  Some have been and are still being taught that God has favorites.  These traditional teachings show that God favors some more than he favors others.

Traditional teachings have brought us to where we currently are, blindly following traditions without question.  This is not to say that all traditional teachings are in error, nor is it to say that following traditions are bad.  Blindly following anything, be it tradition, traditional teachings, or God without question is not something we are told to do (I John 4:1).  Traditional teachings have always attempted to convince us that we can never understand God.  We have been taught “God’s ways are higher than our ways and his thoughts are higher than our thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9).  The misinterpretation and the misapplication of this scripture and others alike have contributed to our “destruction” (Hosea 4:6).  We have been held in “captivity” because we “lack true knowledge” (Isaiah 5:13).  When we lack knowledge, we lack understanding as well.

Therefore, instead of blindly following traditional teachings, question them in an effort “to get wisdom as well as getting understanding” (Proverbs 4:5-7).  Question those traditional teachings that contradict scripture.  We know that there can be none, no contradictions, because “God is not the author of confusion” (I Corinthians 14:33), man is.  Yes, it is highly possible that man has gotten a few things wrong over the years.

God clearly says, “he is no respecter of person,” yet some of our interpretations show just the opposite.  They claim to show that God is a respecter of person.  However, with scriptures like “For God so loved the world” (John 3:16) and “The Lord is . . . not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (II Peter 3:9) properly interpreted, it is time that we realize that “God does not play favorites.”  Scripture tells us, “the word of our Lord will stand forever” (Isaiah 40:8).  Maybe it is time to re-evaluate those interpretations that claim to show that God does play favorites to make sure that they are truly “the word from God.”

If this message is a blessing to you, please share it so that others may be blessed by it as well.  Blessings.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: If God Loves Me...?

Most of you have heard of the story of Job and the troubles that befell him.  And while many believe that God played a role in his sufferings, this is not really the case.  We saw in our previous discussion that the words we speak actually controls what happens to us (Proverbs 18:21).  It was mentioned how we actually give the devil place or opportunity to do what he does best, which is to kill, steel, and destroy (John 10:10).  In other words, we give the devil “permission” to kill our good health, steal our wealth, and to destroy our total life’s prosperity through the words that we speak.  We spoke of a system that is completely activated by what an individual says and is “permission” based.  We used salvation as our example of a system that is controlled by what we speak.  We mentioned how salvation is obtained just by the words we speak or in this case confess – “And with your mouth, you make the confession and obtain salvation” (Romans 10:10).

Then we asked, “If it be possible for you to be saved by a confession of your mouth (not to forgo the believing in the heart part), then do you think it would be possible for you to be condemn by a confession of your mouth as well, provided the belief in the heart is there?”  But what does any of this have to do with Job?  Well, many believe that God gave Satan permission to do the things that were done to Job after Satan issued a challenge to God concerning Job’s faith in God.  This is not exactly the truth, even though this is how the story has traditionally been portrayed.  In the story, we find this statement from Job, “For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me” (Job 3:25).  We know that as fears and doubts increase, faith decreases proportionately.  So we have to ask, “What was the thing or things that Job greatly feared and what was he so afraid of that caused his faith to wane?”  This confession of fear from Job’s mouth gave Satan the “permission” he needed to do what he does best, which is to kill, steel, and destroy.

We find that Job continually tried to make his sons righteous (sanctified) by getting up early during the days of their feasting to offer burnt offerings for each of them, because he feared that they may have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.  This was just part of what Job greatly feared because he tried to sanctify them continually (Job 1:5).  Because Job confessed this fear, he unknowingly gave Satan the “permission” that he needed.  But didn’t Job say, “The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21)?  So, it was really God who gave Satan the permission for all of this to happen, right?  Not exactly.  Yes, it was Job who made that statement and that is the problem.  Job made that statement, not God.  Scripture tells us, “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance” (Romans 11:29).  If this be true and God does not take back anything that he has given us, then this infamous statement that Job made is not exactly true, God does not take away what he has given.”  Imagine that, a statement from Job that has been traditionally accredited to God as something that God actually does.  We find that somewhat interesting, if not totally intriguing.

We know that this may be viewed as contrary to traditional religious teachings about this story.  We also know that this very condensed version could not possibly answer all of the questions one may have.  So we invite you to read more about this system that hinges on what a person says and more about the story of Job in our blog series titled, Death and Life Rest In..., which will fully explain all of those things that we have mentioned here.  Before you dismiss or judge this message to be blasphemous or sacrilegious, a total heresy, we only ask that you read the entire message; it truly may surprise you.  It just might help you fill in the blank in the proverbial question, “If God loves me...?”  As always, we remind you to check out the information for yourself, verifying that what is presented, regardless of the source, is not contrary to the word of God.  Never accept anyone’s interpretation for something that you have not investigated yourself.  Words can be manipulated to say many things, just make sure the ones that you accept are those of God and not those of man.  Amen.

If this message is a blessing to you, please share it so that others may be blessed by it as well.  Blessings.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: God Allows What You Allow

As a child of God, you have a right to good health, wealth, and total life prosperity, which was the plan of God from the beginning.  You have a divine inheritance to the best in life, deserving all the Father has to offer.  And while you may have the right to good health, wealth, and total life prosperity there be a thief, an adversary if you will, that is come to kill your good health, steal your wealth, and to destroy your total life prosperity (John 10:10).  He walks about like a roaring lion, seeking those that he may devour (I Peter 5:8).  The Bible tells us not to give place or opportunity to the devil (Ephesians 4:27).  Part of the reason for this is because he is seeking, looking to devour anyone who gives him that place or opportunity.  This means that he does not have the right to devour anyone unless they give him place or opportunity.  We really like the word “permission” a whole lot better.  Believe it or not, the devil wanders back and forth about the earth walking up and down it (Job 1:7) looking for those who give him “permission” to do what he does best, which is to kill, steel, and destroy.  And as crazy as this sounds, we actually do give the devil “permission” all the time and the sad part is that we do not even realize that we do this.  Please note that this permission comes from you and not from God.  God allows it because you allow it.

There be in existence a system that is completely activated by what an individual says and is “permission” based.  Now, we know some of you think we are out of touch with how things are, but before you judge, listen to our message.  It might just surprise you.  And as crazy as this sounds, we actually do give the devil permission to devour us without us ever knowing that we have done it.  The Bible tells us that “death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Proverbs 18:21), which suggests that with one’s mouth an individual can speak death into his or her life or the same individual can speak life into his or her life.  Here is one example of how you can speak life into your life.

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

This passage in Romans is a perfect example of what we are talking about.  This passage says that if you confess with your mouth, which involves words that you speak, and believe in your heart, which is accepting as truth, the words that you speak, then you will be saved.  We think the last part of the passage sums it up best – “And with your mouth, you make the confession and obtain salvation.”  It sure looks like the words you speak controls what happens to you.  Salvation is obtained just by the words you speak or in this case confess, well almost.  You must also believe in what you say.  Life is in the power of your tongue.  Basically, your salvation is in the power of your tongue, in the confession of your mouth.

But surely there is not a whole system that hinges on what a person says, is there?  Now that is an interesting thought.  But ponder this, if it be possible for you to be saved by a confession of your mouth (not to forgo the believing in the heart part), then do you think it would be possible for you to be condemn by a confession of your mouth as well, provided the belief in the heart is there?  And if that be the case, then death and life are activated by the words one speaks.  Imagine an entire system that is “permission” based and is activated by the words that are spoken; whether that be something good or something bad; activated by the power of a person’s tongue.  However, we do caution you to use it, that being your tongue, wisely; it controls and allows more than you ever could have imagined.  Amen.

If this message is a blessing to you, please share it so that others may be blessed by it as well.  Blessings.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: Mustard Seed Faith

The King James Bible defines faith this way, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1 KJV).  The Weymouth New Testament Translation defines faith this way, “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.”  James Moffitt defines faith this way, “Now faith means that we a confident of what we hope for, convinced of what we do not see.”  Any way you slice it, faith is the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen and it is the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us even though we cannot see it up ahead.  There are many who fail to understand the power of faith and how it works.  Explaining faith to those who doubt the existence of faith can be summed up similar to this, which surprising 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.

Whenever there is faith, there is also some type of action involved.  Everywhere you see faith expressed in the Bible, there is some type of action associated with that faith.  Faith is acting, which is the action, upon what you believe.  In our story, the man’s faith is tied to the belief, the well-ground assurance that he will be paid when he is supposed to be paid.  The evidence of his conviction is tied to him going to work every day, even though he cannot see the reality of the thing he hopes to get, which is the pay.  Once the man gets 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.  So, how is your faith?  Is it possible that your faith be just a little stronger than you first thought?  Now that you know a little more about faith, having that “mustard seed faith” might not be so farfetched.

“And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you” (Matthew 17:5-6).

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

As always, we remind you to check out the information for yourself, verifying that what is presented, regardless of the source, is not contrary to the word of God.  Never accept anyone’s interpretation, including ours, for something that you have not investigated yourself.  Words can be manipulated to say many things, just make sure the ones that you accept are those of God and not those of man.  Amen.

If this message is a blessing to you, please share it so that others may be blessed by it as well.  Blessings.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: What Is Bible Meditation?

Do you realize that the Bible is our source of knowledge about the things of God?  Scripture tells us “the whole Bible was given to us by inspiration from God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives; it straightens us out and helps us do what is right.  It is God’s way of making us well prepared at every point, fully equipped to do good to everyone” (II Timothy 3:16-17).  We know that some of the interpretations appear to “split hairs or be trivial” to most but if we do not seek full disclosure, are we doing God a disservice?  Jesus says, “they that worship him (God) must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24).  While it is important to know that God created the world; Jesus was born, crucified, died, and resurrected, have you ever wondered why these events were recorded in the way that they were?  If trivial things, those minor misinterpretations of the Scripture, those “lies,” that most believe warrant no attention can prevent one from worshiping God in spirit and “in truth, could they be more important than one might have thought?  After all these years, have we truly been worshiping God according to his instructions or have we been deceived?  Have you ever wondered what God’s plan for mankind is?  Or should we not ask such questions?  If this whole process is so simple, why do you have to “study to show thyself approved unto God, rightly dividing the word of truth” (II Timothy 2:15)?  The Bible is a mystery book until you find the keys that will unlock it and then it becomes a message.

“For the Lord grants wisdom.  His every word is a treasure of knowledge and understanding.  He grants good sense to the godly, his saints.  He is their shield, protecting them and guarding their pathway.  He shows how to distinguish right from wrong, how to find the right decisions every time.  For wisdom and truth will enter the very center of your being, filling your life with joy.  You will be given the sense to stay away from evil men who want you to be their partners in crime, men who turn away from God’s ways to walk down dark and evil paths” (Proverbs 2:6-12 TLB).

All things are important, no matter how trivial they 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 can get all the information out at one time, a lot of it gets lost in the interim.  As we said, the Bible is a mystery book with many secrets, hidden in plain sight just waiting to be found.  The Bible also holds a double meaning, one by which his children can find the true will of God for their life and one that just confuses the naysayers.  There are answers for everyone in the Bible, but many take the Bible at face value, meaning they have some knowledge of the word of God but will accept only those things, which fit into their belief system.  They have not taken the time to truly seek God, to truly find out what he is trying to tell his children, or to truly find the meaning of the scriptures that they read.

God tells us “to attend to his words,” which holds little meaning for many because just carrying a Bible around with them somehow fulfills the commandment.  When we attend to his words, we learn that “they are life unto those that find them” (Proverbs 4:20-22), meaning, “God’s words are full, abundant life unto those that hunt for, look for, or seek those words.”  God wants us to know that there is more to knowing him, knowing about his plan for mankind, and knowing about the things of God then just opening the Bible, reading a verse or two, and coming out with an opinion or an answer about such things.  God wants us to immerse ourselves in his word; he wants us to hunt for, look for, and seek the answers that he has provided us through his instruction manual.  Once we follow these instructions, scripture tells us, “Then we will no longer be like children, forever changing our minds about what we believe because someone has told us something different, or has cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound like the truth” (Ephesians 4:14).

God wants us to meditate on his word.  God wants us to fill our minds with his word.  He wants us to fill our mouths with his word.  God wants his word to fill our very being.  Meditation will help with that, and it will also help us to see things the way God sees them.  Meditation will cause us to focus on God’s thoughts until his thoughts become our thoughts.  As you consider meditating on God’s word, remember to open your mind, open your heart, and to seek the wisdom of God that you may see the truth; the truth that he has been trying to reveal to mankind for many years.  Amen.

If this message is a blessing to you, please share it so that others may be blessed by it as well.  Blessings.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: The Rich Man's Problem

The word of God tells us, “God, who is rich in mercy, loves us” (Ephesians 2:4).  Yes, it is true, “God loves you.”  The word of God also tells us, “we are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our might,” (Deuteronomy 6:5).  But how do we show God that “we love him?”  Is just saying, “I love you God” good enough to show God that we love him?  Or, is there something else that we need to do to show God our love for him?  Notice that we did not say, “show the world” that we love God.  This appears to be what some so-called Christians try to do; they try to “show the world” that they love God.  You see, it appears to be more important to them to gain accolades from their peers and the world than it is to gain approval from God, as if this type of recognition will score “brownie points” (Matthew 7:21-22).  And while this is not intended to speak negatively of anyone, it is intended to strike a spiritual chord with anyone who has an ear to hear the revelation of just how we should show God our love for him.

Scripture tells us, “to continually seek the face of God” (I Chronicles 16:11), where “the face of God” has been generally defined as “the presence of God,” regulating our continued seeking to simply seeking his presence.  So, with this definition in mind, we have to ask, “How does one seek the presence of or seek to be in the presence of a God, who is omnipresent, all-pervading, and ever-present” (Jeremiah 23:23-24).  It sounds a little contradictory, given we are told “to continually seek the face” of a God who has also told us “I will never leave you, nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6; Hebrews 13:5).  Does the question as to how one is to “seek the Lord and his strength” (I Chronicles 16:11; Psalm 105:4), when the ever-present Lord never leaves us nor forsakes us create a paradox?  We are told through scripture, “those who seek the Lord God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, will find him” (Deuteronomy 4:29).  We are also told, “they that seek the Lord will not want for anything” (Psalm 34:10).  And we are told, “they that seek the Lord understand all things” (Proverbs 28:5).  Maybe there is more to seeking God than just seeking “the presence” of an omnipresent, all-pervading, and ever-present God.

The fact that we are to seek God with all our heart and with all our soul should alert us to the fact that there must be more to our seeking then just “seeking the presence of God.”  In the story of Azariah, the son of Oded, we find that he went out to meet Asa and to give all of the people of Judah and Benjamin a warning (II Chronicles 15:2-4).  Asa told them that as long as they sought after God, God would be very near to them.  But should they abandon God, then God would abandon them.  He basically told them “If you seek him, he will be found by you.”  We even found that in their troubled times, as they turned to God and sought after him, they were still able to find him.  We are told when “we draw near or close to God, God will draw near or close to us” and reveal himself to us (James 4:8).  We understand through scripture that “God will reward those who truly seek after him” (Hebrews 11:6).  As we seek after him, God will allow us to find him and as we draw near to him, God will make himself known to us (Jeremiah 29:12-13).  God does not hide himself from those who truly seek after him with all of their heart and all of their soul.

So, instead of seeking his face or his presence, just maybe we need to put a little more into our seeking efforts.  We find it very interesting that we are to seek him with all our heart and all our soul, which be the same that we are to love him with.  Scripture tells us that “the Lord looks down from heaven upon us to see if there are any that be wise, that understand, that want to please him, by searching for and seeking after him” (Psalm 14:2).  Maybe this is why “the rich man’s problem” made so much sense.

There was a rich man who wanted to know whether people loved him as a person, or whether they only pretended to love him in order to receive the benefits he could provide for them.  The rich man had a huge problem.  How could he know that someone loved him instead of his money?  How can he be certain that he was not just being used for what he can provide because of his wealth and power?  God faces a very similar problem as the rich man.  This is why we are told to “Seek the Lord while you can find him and call upon him while he is near” (Isaiah 55:6).  When we “truly seek the Lord God with all our heart and with all our soul, we will find him,” then he “will reward those who truly seek after him.”  Amen.

If this message is a blessing to you, please share it so that others may be blessed by it as well.  Blessings.

Enjoy your blessings. - KW

Devotion: Jesus Is The Resurrection

Scripture tells us “Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.”  And scripture tells us “no man comes to the Father except by him” (John 14:6).  Scripture also warns us that “there will rise up false Christs and false prophets, who will show great signs and wonders that are so convincing that if it were possible, they would deceive the very elect” (Matthew 24:24; Mark 13:22).  And deceive us they do and they do it in fine fashion.  The many false prophets and the spirit of the antichrist have become very proficient with their deceptions, especially the devil.  Just look at what he was able to accomplish in his first encounter with mankind.  This group has had many, many years to perfect their skills and we have . . . . , yeah about that many to perfect ours.  Even if we started when we first enter into this world, it still pales in comparison to the length of time they have been perfecting their skills and what they are capable of doing.

Now we know that many of you have been taught or believe that you are the “elect of God” and we are in no way questioning your beliefs.  However, we would be remiss in our obligations as seekers of truth if we did not at least mention this possible deception.  The scriptures warn us of these false Christs and false prophets, who will rise up and show great signs and do wonderful miracles so realistic, that if it were possible, they, these signs and miracles “would deceive, trick, or even seduce the very elect.”  This means that whatever these great signs and wonderful miracles be, “they be good enough to fool the very elect,” if that was possible.  And since that is not possible, then what is possible is for these great signs and wonderful miracles “to deceive, trick, or even seduce everyone who is not one of the very elect.”

While we are not claiming to know whether someone be the elect or not, we do know that there are many false prophets and a spirit of the antichrist that are already come into the world.  And there is our enemy, the devil, who we know is also in the world.  But here is the thing; these guys are not walking around in “red suits with pitchforks.”  Nor are they walking around with “with a big red cape and the letters ‘FP’ (False Prophets) on their chest” like some Superman character.  The scriptures tell us that these guys can transform themselves into “apostles of Christ” and “ministers of righteousness.”  The scriptures even tell us that even Satan can transform himself into “an angel of light” (II Corinthians 11:13-15).  These guys are counterfeits, but not your run-of-the-mill counterfeits; they are high quality counterfeits.

Think about a counterfeit $20 bill.  It is designed to like exactly like the real deal, so much so, that it is nearly impossible to tell the difference.  But all counterfeits are flawed and if you know what you are looking for, you can find that flaw.  Those flaws can usually be found in the details of the counterfeits.  This is how it is with the deceptions of those out to deceive the world.  Their messages sound so close to the real deal that it is nearly impossible to detect them.  Think about it, if their message was a bad copy, it would be easily identified and would fool absolutely no one.  Therefore, it has to be really, really good in order to deceive the masses.  So, all of those people that have been fooled and those that are still being fooled, are being fooled by some really good counterfeits.  The only way to counter the counterfeit is to learn all we can about the real deal.  That way, when the counterfeit messages come, and they will, we will be able to detect the flaws and not be deceived.

We wish we had more room to fully cover this topic, but space is limited.  Yes, “Jesus is the resurrection;” he be the way, the truth, and the life and no man comes to the Father except by him; we just need to make sure that the one we follow be the real deal and not a high quality counterfeit capable of showing great signs and doing wonderful miracles.  We need to learn all that we possibly can about the real deal so that when the counterfeit comes, we can recognize them as well.  Keep in mind that “The voice of God will never, never,” and we say again with emphasis, “NEVER contradict the word of God.”  If the voice that speaks to you contradicts the word of God, then “IT BE NOT THE VOICE OF GOD.”  Amen.

If this message is a blessing to you, please share it so that others may be blessed by it as well.  Blessings.

Enjoy your blessings. - KW