Devotion: What You Say Is What You Get

Words are so powerful, more powerful than many realize.  We so often say things without really given any thought to what we are actually saying and giving even less thought to the effect of those spoken words in our lives.  The Bible tells us “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.

Many are not aware that God has built a system that works based on what a person says, which is an interesting thought in itself.  Scripture tells us, “that the worlds were framed by the word of God” (Hebrews 11:3) and “by the word of God the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth” (Psalm 33:6).  Basically, “he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast” (Psalm 33:9).  However, more interesting is the power that our spoken word or our tongue (James 3) has in this system that is activated by words.  Scripture tells us “you have been trapped by what you said, ensnared by the words of your mouth” (Proverbs 6:2 NIV).  In simpler terms, we have been trapped by what we say, by the words that we speak.  And you still think what you say is not important?  So, give care to the words that you speak, they do more than you think.  Amen.

We pray that this message will bless you, inform you, and that you will be the better for having read it.  If blessed by this message please share so that others may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: I Don't Agree With Other Preachers

In this age of information, we who seek the truth have no reason not to be able to find it, provided we do not limit ourselves to the walls of traditionalism or denominationalism.  God tells us “that his people are destroyed because they lack knowledge” (Hosea 4:6).  Interestingly, this lack of knowledge has not come from a shortage of knowledge but from our rejection of knowledge.  That’s right, there is no shortage of knowledge that is destroying us, but it is our own rejection of knowledge that is doing it.  Because we are quick to dismiss all, including those preachers, teachers, and evangelists who do not align themselves with our beliefs, we limit the amount of knowledge available to us.

If the amount of knowledge is as vast as the oceans, it would be like dipping a cup into the ocean and using what is in the cup as your only source of information.  Everything that you could possible know would be confined to the limits of that cup.  And just as the ocean has things that can be harmful to us, it also contains things that can be beneficial to us.  Knowledge works the same way; there are things harmful as well as things beneficial.  It is through “studying God’s word” (II Timothy 2:15), using every available resource that we gain the wisdom and understanding “to rightly divide the word of truth” and pick the harmful item out of the ocean of knowledge.

We should learn 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.  Limited knowledge leads to a limited life.  A closed mind can only grow within the limits of its enclosure; an open mind grows with endless possibilities.  There is an ocean of knowledge available to each of us, do not limit yourself to the boundaries of one cup of knowledge.  Explore the endless possibilities contained within the entire ocean.

Today’s message is short, but we wanted to share some thoughts on the limits we impose on ourselves when it comes to gaining knowledge, especially when it comes to the things of God.  We pray that the message will be an inspiration to you as well as a blessing.  Please share this message so that others may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings. - KW

Devotion: Do You Know God?

“Do you really know God?”  We all have relied on traditional teachings to provide us with spiritual knowledge, the kind of knowledge that brought us closer to God.  We have put our faith and our trust in these teachings because that was and always has been the accepted practice.  We have been taught to never question the things of God or anything that we did not understand.  Over the years, man has either forgotten or just plain ignored the words of God.  Man has even forgotten or misinterpreted the teachings and sayings of Jesus Christ about God.  And to beat it all, man does not truly seek to know God much anymore, forgetting how to walk and to talk with God.  Man has become totally dependent upon the church leaders, television, books, the Internet, and other various mediums to teach them the truth about God and his word.  We currently have a belief system full of contrary beliefs, misguided values, unethical practices, and overstated theologies.  This belief system has made it hard for many to take hold of the truth, especially when one does not recognize it.  The truth has become so distorted that it is easy to see why man has a hard time identifying with the things of God and even God himself.  However, the bottom line is, “Do you really know God?”

Everyone has an opinion or interpretation as to whom they believe God to be.  But none of that matters; it only maters what God says about himself.  And if you want to know him, if you truly what to know who God is, then you will have to search the scriptures yourself to find him.  According to scripture, Azariah gave us these instructions; “If you seek him, he will be found by you” (II Chronicles 15:2).  We found the prophet Jeremiah agreeing with Azariah’s instructions, but offered one clarifying fact, “God will be found by those who search for him with all their heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).  Then we found in the book of Hebrews, where the author agreed with both Azariah and Jeremiah, saying, “God will reward those that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).  If you diligently seek the one true God with all of your heart and all of your soul, you will find him.  As you draw near to God, he will reveal himself to you.  God does not hide himself from those who truly seek him with all of their being.  And while the devil and his entourage of naysayers may adamantly denounce this principle, do not be deceived; they only come against the truth and never bother with the lies.

As with all that we publish, we ask that you check out the information for yourself, verifying that what is presented, regardless of the source (including us), 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.  Know this, “A closed mind can only grow within the limits of its enclosure; an open mind grows with endless possibilities.”  God tells us, “knowing the truth will make us free” (John 8:32) and hopefully today’s message will help do just that.  We pray that this message will bless you, inform you, and that you will be the better for having read it.  If blessed by this message, please share so that others may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

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