Devotion: On Earth As It Is In Heaven

Because we have had so many questions about “the will of God,” we now attribute everything that happens to it being “God’s will” as to the reason things happen the way that they do.  If there is a tragedy, a disaster, or a catastrophic event we are quick to say that, “it was God’s will” that these events happened, but are these true statements.  The sovereignty of God is one of the most misrepresented concepts in religious teachings and it has greatly contributed to our misinterpretation, misunderstanding, and confusion about “the will of God.”  While it is true, that God is sovereign, with supreme authority and supreme power, able to operate totally independent of any part of his creation, everything that happens does not happen because it is “God’s will” that such things should happen.

For example, most Christians believe, know, understand, or have concluded that hell is the future home to the wicked.

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (II Peter 3:9).

According to this passage, it is not God's will that any should perish.  However, it is God’s will that all should come to repentance and avoid going to hell.

“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10 NIV).

We pray for God’s will to be done here on earth as it is done in heaven.  In heaven there is nothing bad; no bad things to overcome; none of the things that trouble us here on earth.  So, we need to pray that the will of God be done here in the earth as it is done in heaven because even though God is sovereign, his will is not an automatic thing.  If God’s will be an automatic thing, then no one would go to hell, since it is not his will that any should perish.  But we know that people will be in hell, not because God did not want them, but because they did not want God.

Hopefully, today’s message will definitely offer you a different viewpoint on “the will of God.”  As always, we pray that this message will bless you, as well as inform you.  Please share this message if you are blessed by it so that others may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: God Is Not A Liar

Not long ago, we did a study on “The Characteristics of God, his nature, his character, and his personality.”  Among the many things that we discovered, the one thing that we discovered that completely summed up God in a nutshell was that he was “a god of integrity.”  Integrity is defined as “the quality of possessing and steadfastly adhering to high moral principles or professional standards; uncompromising adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty; or the state of being complete or undivided.”  But here is the most important thing that we found about this integrity thing; it has absolutely nothing to do with God’s abilities.

For example, we find in scripture that “there is no iniquity with the Lord our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts” (II Chronicles 19:7), that “God changes not” (Malachi 3:6), and that “it is impossible for God to lie” (Hebrews 6:18).  We must understand that none of these passages speaks to or has anything to do with the capabilities of God.  Surely, those who are believers cannot question the sovereignty of God.  The same can be said about the abilities of the one who created all things that are.  Normally we do not make it a habit of speaking for God because God’s words speak for themselves however; there are times when the significance of those words gets lost in translation.  God has the ability to be unfair, immoral, unrighteous, and to do evil and bad things.  God also has the ability to change anything that he chooses to change, especially his mind, if he chooses to change it, as well as the ability to lie, if he wants or chooses to.  God is fully capable of doing anything he so chooses, but the God that we serve, the sovereign God of all creation has chosen not to do any of the abovementioned things because of integrity.  That’s right, we said because of integrity, for our God is “a god of integrity.”

Can you imagine serving a god who was unfair, immoral, unrighteous, and did evil and bad things?  Can you imagine serving a god who had respect of person or whose favor could be brought for a price?  Can you imagine serving a god who constantly changes his mind or one whose mind could be changed at all?  No, it would be very difficult to serve a god who did any of these things, because you would not know what to do from day to day.  Yet, there are some who have attributed these very traits to the God they claim to serve.  Then there are those who use these very traits as reasons for standing in opposition to God.

Know this, what God has said at the beginning and what he said in past times still holds true today and will continue in the future (Ezekiel 24:14).  What he gave at the beginning, he is still giving today and he will continue to give in the future (James 1:17).  Regardless of his abilities, God has chosen not to do certain things that would bring into question his integrity.  Many of the changes you see today are because man changed what God has said, not God changing what God has said.  Man has changed many things and then used God’s name to do so.  Man has done this so much throughout the years; he is now not able to distinguish the truth from the fiction.  God has not changed his mind about any one thing that he stated in the beginning or changed any one of those things that he put into place in the beginning.  This is why our God has chosen to be “the One of integrity;” that way, his children would recognize him over all others.

Today’s inspirational message speaks briefly about three of God’s characteristics.  We pray that our message will bless you, inform you, and that you will be the better for having read it.  Please share this message if you are blessed by it so that others may be blessed as well.nbsp Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: How To Change

There are times when you read a passage of scripture and think that you have the correct interpretation only to find that as you continue your study of God’s word, your initial interpretation was incorrect.  Each of us has had similar experiences, but understanding why this happens is the key to eliminating future occurrences.  Most of us have built our belief system on those so-called fundamental truths we learned when we first believed.  Be they right or be they wrong, those truths were the building blocks to our current belief system, whatever that system may be.  However, there are times when our spiritual foundation fails due to misinformation or misinterpretations and the integrity of our entire belief system is adversely affected.

Our ability to seek and find the truth is limited directly to our ability to think or reason, especially the ability to think outside of the walls of Churchianity, denominationalism, or traditionalism.  Controlled by contrary beliefs, misguided values, unethical practices, or overstated theologies, we hear certain things that trigger predictable responses that automatically closes our minds to new revelations because we see it as a threat to our very basic religious foundation.  Words can be manipulated to say many things, but there are times when our mind manipulates the things we hear or read to suit our belief system, like a self-preservation mechanism that only allows us to process information that does not threaten our core belief system.  Instead of seeking and accepting truth, we seek and accept things that fit into our perception of truth, thus making us easy prey for all the false teachings, doctrines, edicts, and theologies.  We accept them without question and recite things that make us sound intelligent to others, but we lack full revelation and the ability to fully understand them, much less, explain them when questioned (I Peter 3:15).

We are told of a time when man will no longer tolerate wholesome instruction but rather search for “a multitude of teachers who will tickle their ears” in order that they, man, may then satisfy his own lust.  We are told that man will turn his ears away from listening to the truth and instead listen to fables (II Timothy 4:3-4).  We are also told that in the later times, some will fall away from the faith, giving heed to the deceiving spirits and the teachings of demons (I Timothy 4:1).  But the question that we need to ask is how is this possible?  We are being destroyed because we have limited God and limited ourselves.  We have failed to follow the instructions that God has set forth for us in his word.  He has provided for us everything we need in order for us to fully know him (II Timothy 3:16-17) and to worship him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24).  We have failed to open our minds to him, choosing to limit ourselves to that which we think sounds more like something that God would tell us.

But how do we change?  We pray that today’s inspirational message has given you a new perspective “on those things that need to change.”  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: How Many Times Should I Ask God For Something?

Not long ago in a devotional titled, “Believe You Receive When You Pray,” we discussed believing in the power of prayer and how most believers who prayed did not know how to pray.  We mentioned that God intends for us to always pray and for us to get answers to our prayers, because if this were not the case, he would have not told us to “pray without ceasing” (I Thessalonians 5:17) and more importantly, he would have not told us how to pray (Luke 11:1).

We mentioned there being different types of prayer, but our primary focus at that moment was on what we called “The Prayer Of Faith or The Petition Prayer,” which is the primary prayer that the average believer will pray.  We went on to say that when you pray this prayer, you believe that those things which you say will come to pass and that you will have whatever you say, provided that there is no doubt in your heart (Matthew 21:22; Mark 11:23-24).  Simply put, if you do not believe that you already have it when you speak it, then you will not be getting it.

Now, we know there are those who do not believe in the “speak it, believe it, and receive it” concept and have many reasons why believers should not blindly accept or follow after this concept.  But what they fail to realize is that their prayers are already defeated even before they utter the first word because of their unbelief.  The fact that the scripture says, “whatsoever things you desire when you pray,” poses a problem for many because they find it hard to accept that a child of God can ask for anything whatsoever and that he or she expects to receive it from God.  And while they will try to impose restrictions on “the whatsoever things you desire,” they fail to understand that those who are truly born-againand understand this concept know what “those whatsoever things” are and will not ask for anything outside of the will of God, which is why they can ask with confidence and know that God will answer their prayers (I John 5:14-15).  And since they know that God answers those prayers that are not outside of his will, then those who are truly born-againand understand this concept know they need ask but one time.  A second, third, fourth or fifth request for the same “whatsoever things” would mean that they did not believe that they already received those “whatsoever things they desired when they first  prayed.”  What they should be doing over and over again is praising and thanking God, through prayer, for answering their request until they see the manifestation or the reality of what they prayed for, come to pass.  This is not some hocus-pocus-genie-in-a-bottle type of stuff, but a truism that will help any believer get their prayers answered.

We pray that you will receive this as it will help you with understanding how to pray and how to receive answers to your prayers.  And we pray that you will be abundantly blessed by today’s message, that you will be richly informed, 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: Plead The Blood

There is power in the blood, power in the blood of Jesus.

“But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building (creation); neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place (Most Holy Place), having obtained eternal redemption for us.  For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth (set apart) to the purifying of the flesh: how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot (blemish) to God, purge (cleanse) your conscience from dead works to serve the living God” (Hebrew 9:11-14)?

“And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the (do not practice the) truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (I John 1:4-7).

“Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:19-23 TLB).

How much more, has the blood of Christ cleansed our consciences from lifeless acts that lead to death that we may serve the ever-living God?  “There is power in the blood, true power in the blood of Jesus.”  We forever pray that you are abundantly blessed by today’s inspirational message 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 Will Provide

Recently, we spoke of God’s promise “to supply all your needs from his riches in glory because of what Christ Jesus has done for us” (Philippians 4:19 TLB).  We discovered that this is the promise from our heavenly Father to provide for us, like a “guaranteed provision” with nothing lacking (Luke 12:22-32).  However, as we look at the world today, we see what appears to be many lacking that “guaranteed provision” that we find in the word of God.  But why is this so?

We live in a very negative society where the culture focuses on what’s wrong or what’s missing.  The devil is constantly bombarding our mind with ungodly negative thoughts, ideas, and suggestions.  He is very cunning as he slowly infiltrates our mind.  Sure, we see the daily struggles of those who succumb to poverty, sickness, and death, but he specializes in fear and failure tactics, which creates depression, fear, discouragement, low self-esteem, worry, anxiety, confusion, doubt, and unbelief.  Fear is a force like faith, where fear can actually bring things to pass just as faith can bring things to pass.  The devil tries to distract our attention away from God.  He wants to keep us so busy trying to figure out our mess that we just give up.

Therefore, don’t be moved by the circumstances of a situation and don’t deny that the situation exists, but have faith that you will be blessed in the spiritual to resolve the situation.  Don’t allow your “sense knowledge; knowledge that is gained through or by your five senses,” to dictate what you should do; how you should act or react; and the direction that your faith should head.  As long as you look at the circumstances of life, as long as you look at what happens to others, doubt can enter and cause your faith to leave.  So many times in life, you will allow what you see to affect your faith and your belief.  You will allow what you see happen to others to cloud your vision and cause you to doubt the word of God.  Many times, you allow others and circumstances to influence or discourage your faith because you base your faith on feelings or emotions instead of the word of God.  Human reasoning has been and will continue to be a great hindrance to faith.

Your faith must be great, strong, true, and unfailing.  It should never be weak, little, or wavering.  Faith is a product of the heart, not a product of the head.  The devil will make you question your faith and belief by getting into your mind, through your head and not your heart.  You must have faith and you must also believe; these are two separate things.  Belief alone will not work without some action of faith.  Faith will not function without belief.  “Faith” is the acting on what you “believe,” acting on the word of God.  The soul contains your desire, your will, your intellect, and your mind.  You must be in control of all of these things.  Do not be bound by the circumstances and never be bound by your emotions either.  You must renew your mind and your soul daily.  You must get “the word of God” inside of you so that it will shine during the times when you are tested.  “Your actions mirror your faith.”  Faith is always now, present tense.  Faith is never about tomorrow or about yesterday.

God has promised to take care of us, promised to provide, promised to supply all our need, but we have to take God at his word, believe that he is fully capable to do all that he has promised, and we must put action to our faith.  Today’s inspirational message will help you to see how to put action to your faith.  We forever pray that our message will abundantly bless you, greatly inform you, and that you will be the better for having read it.  If blessed by this message please share so that others may be blessed as well.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: You Have Guaranteed Provisions

God has made a promise to take care of you, a promise...

“. . . to supply all your needs from his riches in glory because of what Christ Jesus has done for us” (Philippians 4:19 TLB).

Because of Jesus, we now have the opportunity to “become a child of God” (John 1:12-13) and as a child of God, we have “a divine inheritance to the best in life, deserving all the Father has to offer” (Romans 8:14-17).  This is the promise from our heavenly Father to provide for us, like a “guaranteed provision” with nothing lacking (Luke 12:22-32).

Today’s inspirational message offers a glimpse into something we like to call “our guaranteed provisions.”  We pray that this message will bless you and that you will share so that others may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW