Devotion: Pray To Be Enlightened

Some of you have commented on the fact that we do not exclusively use the King James Version when we reference or quote scripture in our commentaries.  While we cannot comment or speak for the author(s) of any other resources that we share, we believe that using the many different translations that we have available at our disposal, actually helps in our understanding and better helps us to spread the true Gospel.  We know that the King James Version can be somewhat difficult to understand at times, mainly because of the way some of the sentences are constructed, and the choice of the words used in the interpretation of the original manuscripts.  We also know that there is the belief that the King James Version is “the only true and authorized translation” of God’s word in existence.  Our intent is not to offend those who share in this belief, but to state why we do not exclusively use the King James Version when we reference or quote scripture.

Scripture tells us that all scripture is given by inspiration of God so that the man of God may be complete and may be perfectly equipped for every good work (II Timothy 3:16-17), but it does not point us to any particular translation of the scriptures.  Scripture also tells us, “the word of our God shall stand for ever” (Isaiah 40:8) and that his “words shall never pass away” (Matthew 24:35).  We will be the first to admit that there are some translations in print that appear to miss the mark on some passages, but we are told, through scripture, to study to show ourselves approved unto God so that we can rightly divide the word of truth (II Timothy 2:15), as well as to help us recognize and understand all that God has for us to know.  This is why we have chosen to reference or quote scriptures from other translations as well as the King James Version: they help us in our understanding and we pray that they help our readers.  However, if the message is better delivered to you by using your favorite King James translation, then please substitute in those passages in place of any that we have provided.  It is far more important that the message be received, than it is to debate over which translations provided the message.  As for us, we use them all.

Hopefully, today’s inspirational message will enlighten you so that your eyes will be opened and that you get the understanding of all that God has for you to know.  As always, we pray that you will be blessed and informed by what you have read.  If you are blessed by this message, please share so that others may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings. - KW

Devotion: Mankind's Dominion

David wrote a psalm about “man having dominion over the works of God’s hand,” which has been translated in the King James Version to say; “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” (Psalm 8:4-6).  In this version, we see the translation says God has made man “a little lower than the angels,” even though man, who is created in the image and after the likeness of God, is given dominion over the works of God’s hand and has all things put under his feet.  When we think of man being “a little lower” than something, we think more in terms of rank, status, position, stature, importance and/or order.

“But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God” (I Corinthians 11:3 KJV).

According to this passage, in terms of rank, status, position, etc., there is first, God, then Jesus, then man, and then woman, but nowhere are there the mention of angels.  Now, if man is created “a little lower than the angels” as the original text has been translated, then one would think that the angels would have been mentioned somewhere in the order of things in this passage.  Again, we remind you that man was originally created in the image and after the likeness of God, given dominion over the works of God’s hand, and has all things put under his feet “(Genesis 1:27).”

Here is what the scriptures tell us about the angels, “But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?  Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation” (Hebrews 1:13-14 KJV)?  According to this passage, all angels are ministering spirits that have been sent forth to minister, to serve, and to care for those who will be the heirs or inheritors of salvation.

Several versions have translated David’s words to say man was made “a little lower than God,” which appears to be more in line with the order we find in I Corinthians 11:3.  We point out this little difference, because we believe that knowing where man stands in relationship to God and his creation will help in your understanding of “mankind’s dominion” as you truly consider what David was trying to say in his psalm.

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

Enjoy your blessings. - KW

Devotion: Believe You Receive When You Pray

Do you believe in the power of prayer?  Most believers would answer this question with a big “YES.”  However, the problem for most believers who pray is that they do not know how to pray.  Did you know that God intends for you to always pray and for you to get all your prayers answered?  Contrary to popular beliefs and some teachings, if God did not want to answer all of your prayers, he would not have told you to “pray without ceasing” (I Thessalonians 5:17) and more importantly, he would not have told you how to pray (Luke 11:1).  When you pray, you should expect to have your prayers answered (I John 5:14-15).  But to get the answers that you seek you must be aware of the many types of prayer.  Then you must know the right type of prayer to use for your situation and the proper procedure for using that prayer.

We know that many believers are not familiar with the different types of prayer that God has made available and this is the reason many of their prayers go unanswered.  In order to have your prayers answered, you must be aware of the many types of prayer, you must know the right type of prayer to use for your situation, and you must know the procedure for using that prayer.  Because we lack the needed knowledge about prayer and its purpose, there are more prayers that go unanswered than are answered.  “Praying always with all prayer and supplication” (Ephesians 6:18), implies that there are different kinds or methods of prayer.  On the surface, these prayers seem to be identical to each other, sharing many similarities, which would account for the confusion by so many, but a more thorough examination yields the different attributes of each type.

The primary prayer that the average believer will pray, most of the time is “The Prayer Of Faith or The Petition Prayer.”  When you pray this prayer, you are praying for you and no one else.  This prayer is just between the heavenly Father and you.  It does not involve anyone else.  Here, you are relaying on your faith, which “is the substance of things hope for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1) and standing on the promises of God (Hebrews 8:6-13), where you are fully convinced that he is able to do all that he has promised (Romans 4:21).  When you pray this prayer, you believe that those things which you say will come to pass and you will have whatever you say, provided that there is no doubt in your heart.

“Truly I say to you, Whoever says to this mountain, Be taken up and be put into the sea; and has no doubt in his heart, but has faith that what he says will come about, he will have his desire.  For this reason I say to you, Whatever you make a request for in prayer, have faith that it has been given to you, and you will have it” (Mark 11:23-24 BBE).  “And all things, whatsoever you shall request for in prayer, having faith and believing, you will get” (Matthew 21:22).

Simply put, if you do not believe that you already have it, then you will not be getting it.  Believe in the power of prayer, “if you can believe, then anything is possible to him that has faith” (Mark 9:23).

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

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: The Future Begins Today

Scripture tells us “those who come to God must believe that he is or that he exists” (Hebrews 11:6).  That all sounds good, because those who come to God, most of the time, do believe that he does exists.  We are also told that those who come must believe that “he is a rewarder of them who diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).  If we come already believing that God exists, then why do we have to “diligently seek” him?  What exactly are we to look for?

Not only are we to seek him but we are to diligently seek him.  “Diligently” means “to carefully, attentively, thoroughly, conscientiously, and very meticulously search for something.”  But if we come to God already believing that he is and that he exists, then why do we have to seek him?  You would think that if we come to him, believing that he exists, then we would have sought him before coming to him.  Apparently, this be not the case because we are told to “diligently seek” him.  In diligently seeking God, what exactly are we to look for?  Some believe that we are to seek his presence, while others believe that we are to seek his face.  Some say seeking his hand is the thing to do, while others mention seeking his rest as the ultimate thing to seek.  Most believe that we are to seek his righteousness, while others believe that his grace is sufficient.  The thought is that those who “diligently seek” God will not be disappointed, but will instead, be rewarded.  But if we do not know exactly what we are looking for, then how would we know when we have found it?  So the question remains, what exactly are we to look for?

We are looking for “ANY AND EVERYTHING AS IT PERTAINS TO GOD.”  God wants us to find everything we can find about him.  God wants us to “diligently seek” his heart, his face, and his holy presence.  God wants us to “diligently seek” his fellowship, his love, and his rest.  God wants us to involve him in every aspect of our life.  If you have not involved God and his word in every aspect of your life, then now is the time to start.  We guarantee it will change your future.  Now is the time to seriously consider starting your future, especially if you have not do so before.

As always, we pray that today’s inspirational 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: Serve The Lord With Gladness

It is amazing how many so-called Christians do not actually know God.  We all have relied on traditional teachings to provide us with spiritual knowledge, the kind of knowledge that supposedly 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 laws of God.  Man has even forgotten or misinterpreted the teachings and sayings of Jesus Christ.  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, Jesus Christ, salvation, and the word of God.  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.

Even with our current belief system, many strive to find that one on one relationship they have heard about most of their lives although it appears to elude them.  Is God behind or at the bottom of this elusive act?  Or, is there something else that is responsible for our inability to connect with God?  We believe that going to church on Sunday is good enough to make it through life and that is all the religion we need or want.  We are just comfortable with the feel-good feelings we get on Sunday and have no desire to expand our knowledge.  Even though we claim to be a society of church going, Bible toting, praying Christians, how many of us really know God?  How many of us spend time alone with God?  How many of us spend time truly studying the word of God?  How many of us spend time praying or talking to God?  How many of us spend time being in fellowship or walking with God?  Scripture tells us that for us to worship God, we “must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24), but if our truth is distorted by contrary beliefs, misguided values, unethical practices, and overstated theologies, then which god are we actually serving?

Scripture tells us to “Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing (Psalm 100:2), which is something that many so-called Christians desire to do.  However, to truly serve or worship God, we have to know God; we have to have that personal relationship with God; and we have to know the truth, which according to scripture “will make you free” (John 8:32). 

We pray that this 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: Have A Word Harvest

Recently, we talked about attending to and listening carefully to the words of God.  We learned that God’s words were full of abundant life for all who hunted for, looked for, or sought after his words (Proverbs 4:20-22).  We also talked about knowing that we have faith because “God has dealt to every man the measure of faith” (Romans 12:3), which we found that each of us was given “the same amount of faith.”  We mentioned how “faith comes by hearing (listening) and hearing (listening) by the word of God” (Romans 10:17) and we know what happens when we attend to and listening carefully to the words of God.

We mentioned another benefit to attending to and listening carefully to the words of God was that in our time of need, we would automatically speak those words because they were abundantly stored in our heart.  And we know from scripture that whatever we have stored in abundance in our heart will eventually come out through our mouth (Luke 6:45).  Then we learned that when we speak the words of God, we actually return his words to him, and according to God, they do not return to him void but will accomplish what they were intended to accomplish, which is to produce fruit in the earth realm for his children (Isaiah 55:10-11).

We learned from previous devotional messages that “death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Proverbs 18:21) and that the words we speak are like seeds that are planted in the ground and from those seeds, we reap those things for which you have sown or in this case spoken (Galatians 6:7 TLB).  With this information in your arsenal, you should be well equipped to “have a word harvest.” Again, we pray that today’s inspirational message will bless you, inform you, and that you will be the better for having read it.  If blessed by this message please share so that others may be blessed as well.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: Take What God Has Given You

Let’s talk about the story of the children of Israel and the promise land.  In this story, God promises to give a particular land to the children that were led out of Egypt as part of an inheritance, but with one condition.  And though the land was possessed by others, including giants, all the children of Israel had do was basically go in and take possession of the land (Deuteronomy 11:22-25).  But with all of the promises and assurances of God, it was their unbelief that delayed them from getting what God had given to or promised them (Numbers 14:20-25).

Today, you have been given the privilege to become a child of God (John 1:12-13), so that you can share in the blessings of Abraham and receive the promise of the Spirit through faith (Galatians 3:14).  Once you become a child of God, you then have the right to the inheritance of the new covenant, a better covenant, built with better promises (Hebrews 8:6-13), a divine inheritance to the best in life, deserving all the Father has to offer (Romans 8:14-17), which includes the right to good health, wealth, and total life prosperity (I John 1:2), but there is one condition.  Yes that’s right, you have to take possession of it.  You have to take inventory of the rights, privileges, and inheritance that are part of the promise and lay claim to them.  Do not allow your unbelief to stop or delay you from going and getting what God has given you as it did the children of Israel.

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

Enjoy your blessings - KW