Devotion: You Are Part Of Christ's Body On Earth

“There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (Ephesians 4:4-6).

Scripture tells us there is one body and one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, and one baptism.  Should there be any variations when we are told through scripture that there is only one?  Should there be variations amongst the members in the one body, “the so-called body of Christ?”  Believers are taught that each of us have different assignments, but does this mean that the members of the one body have different objectives?

Here is an interesting statistic, discovered a few years back while doing some research:  there are more than 103.5 million members in more than seventy-five different church bodies that make up “the so-called one body,” the body of Christ.  But if there be one body, shouldn’t these members of this body at least have the same objective, the same vision, and the same mission before them?  What about their knowledge of Christ, shouldn’t that be similar amongst the members?  If not, does this mean that the members are permitted to have varied beliefs as to who Christ is, what he is and where he comes from?  If there be only one Lord, shouldn’t the more than 103.5 million members in the more than seventy-five different church bodies that make up his “so-called one body” be in agreement about him?  One would surely think so, unfortunately, this be not the case.

“But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion (opportunity) from them which desire occasion (opportunity) that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we.  For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed (transforms himself) into an angel of light.  Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works” (II Corinthians 11:12-15).

The problem is that Satan has infiltrated the body of Christ and divided the kingdom.  He has entered the organization and has become part of it so much so that he is hard to recognize.  That one we believe to be him in disguise is usually not him but that one we believe to be a member of the body is actually him in disguise.  We have allowed him to get close to us and close to our hearts.  We have allowed him to come into our family and become a part of it.  We have allowed him into our house and have set a place at our table for him.  We have allowed him to influence whom we talk to, what we think of, what we say, what we believe in, and much more.

“And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.  And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.  And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end.  No man can enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil (plunder) his house” (Mark 3:24-27).

Christ has one body, which is the church (Romans 12:4-5; I Corinthians 10:16-17; I Corinthians 12:12-27; Ephesians 4:1-6).  The misunderstood teachings, misguided theologies, and misinterpreted doctrines that have been introduced by Satan have blinded the mind of man to the truth pertaining to the body of Christ.  Because man did not control and maintain these truths contained in the wonderful gospel, Satan has divided the body of Christ (the church) into the many different factions that exist today.  Imagine the power the body of Christ (the church) would have if it could unite as one and agree as to what the Bible says about God, Jesus the Christ, salvation, and many other things.  This is what Satan does not want to happen, unity among the people and agreement on the gospel of Christ.  Since Satan has divided man, the gospel of the glory of Christ is now hid from man.

The truth of the matter is that there be only “one body of Christ” and every member, those more than 103.5 million members in the more than seventy-five different church bodies that make up the body of Christ needs to have the same objective, the same vision, and the same mission.  Every member should have the same knowledge of Christ and hold the same beliefs, without variation.  Scripture tells us, “he who ascended up on high, leading captivity captive, gave gifts to men” (Ephesians 4:8).  Scripture also tells us he who ascended up on high gave these gifts to men for three specific reasons.  One of the reasons for the gifts was “for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12).  The other reasons were “for the perfecting or equipping of the saints and for the work of the ministry” (Ephesians 4:12).  But it is the purpose for these gifts that we are most drawn to.  The purpose for these gifts is to bring us “into unity or in agreement about the faith and about our knowledge of the son of God” (Ephesians 4:13).

We pray that today’s inspirational message will give you a new perspective on “being part of the body of Christ.”  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: Prayer Guidelines

Recently, we discussed how understanding the benefits of prayer would help us to understand why we should pray.  We discussed the same model that Jesus showed to his disciples when they asked him to teach them to pray as John taught his disciples to pray.  The very first thing Jesus did was to tell them to revere the name of the Father and to honor him for his holiness.  Jesus said, when we pray, we should say, “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.”

We now know that when we come before God, we are to enter into his gates with great thanksgiving and enter into his courts with praise (Psalm 100:4).  We know that when we pray, we need to give praise to him, to speak of his glories and of his grace, to boast of his kindness, to give thanks and to bless his holy name, and to exalt his holy name.  When we pray, we need to pray primarily for these reasons, but these are not the only reasons we need to pray.  Praying is a process and for effectual prayer, we need to follow the guidelines that Jesus showed his disciples.

“And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.  And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.  Thy kingdom come.  Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth (Luke 11:1-2).

Next, Jesus told his disciples to pray that God’s kingdom would come and that his will would be done here “in or on the earth as it is done in heaven.”  Remember, we are to “pray without ceasing,” constantly “giving thanks to God in every situation” because “this is the will of God for us” (I Thessalonians 5:17-18).

“For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.  Amen” (Matthew 6:13).

Jesus ends his prayer lesson to the disciples with more reverence and honor for the Father using words similar to those King David once spoke when he blessed the Lord.

“Wherefore David blessed the Lord before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be thou, Lord God of Israel our father, for ever and ever.  Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all.  Both riches and honor come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.  Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name” (I Chronicles 29:10-13).

While in the presence of his entire congregation, David expressed his praise for the Lord.  David acknowledges God’s kingdom, his power, and his glory, thanking him and praising his holy name.  It would appear that we should follow the same process, that we should follow these same guidelines.  This is a far cry from the way many believers have been taught to pray.  Instead of using prayer as an opportunity to inform God of all of your terrible problems or your impossible situations, you should use prayer to reverence and honor the Lord God.  God, who is all-knowing, truly knows your problems and your situations better than you know them.  God knows what you have need of before you even ask (Matthew 6:8).

This is not to say that we do not need to tell God about our problems or our situations.  Nor are we saying that we do not need to ask God to help us in our time of need.  We are just saying that we need to follow the instructions that Jesus gave his disciple, the instructions we believe John the Baptist gave his disciples, and the example that we see from King David.  Somewhere in between the reverence and honor that we give the Lord God when we enter into his gates and the reverence and honor that we give him when we exit his gates is where we need to let our problems, our situations, and our needs be known to God.  When we follow these guidelines for prayer, we will not become overwhelmed and discouraged by any situation or problem we face because the process of thanking and praising God will keep our faith built up in the awesomeness of God.

We pray that today’s inspirational message will give you a new perspective on “the process of praying.”  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: Why Pray?

Understanding the benefits of prayer will help us to understand why we should pray.  Most people, believers and non-believers alike, only pray in a time of need, when things are out of their control.  The problem is that prayer should be the first thing you, as a believer, do every morning and the last thing you, as a believer, do before you go to sleep.  This is not to say that these are the only times that you should pray because the scripture say that we should pray always, without ceasing.

“Pray without ceasing.  In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (I Thessalonians 5:17-18).

We are told to pray without ceasing, but did you notice what else we are to do when praying?  Scripture tells us that we should give “thanks in everything.”  According to this passage, prayer is not just something we do in our hour of need, but something that we should constantly do, constantly giving thanks to God in every situation, because “this is the will of God for us.”

“And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.  And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.  Thy kingdom come.  Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth (Luke 11:1-2).

When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray as John taught his disciples to pray, the first thing Jesus did was to teach them to give honor and praise to God.  Jesus said, when we pray, we should say, “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.”  Jesus basically told them to revere the name of the Father and to honor him for his holiness.

“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name” (Psalm 100:4).

When we come before God, we are to enter into his gates with great thanksgiving and as we enter into his courts, we enter with praise.  Yes, when we come before God, we need to first thank God, we need to first praise God, we need to first worship God, and we need to first glorify God.  Then on top of all of that, we need to be thankful to God.  And last but not least, we need to bless his holy name.

“I will praise the Lord no matter what happens.  I will constantly speak of his glories and grace.  I will boast of all his kindness to me.  Let all who are discouraged take heart.  Let us praise the Lord together and exalt his name” (Psalm 34:1-3 TLB).  “But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel” (Psalm 22:3).

We know that this is somewhat different from the way you have been taught to pray, but this is how Jesus told his disciples to pray and what he told them to do.  When we pray, we need to give praise to the Lord God.  When we pray, we need to speak of his glories and of his grace.  When we pray, we need to boast of his kindness.  When we pray, we need to give thanks and to bless his holy name.  When we pray, we need to exalt his holy name.  When we pray, we need to pray for these reasons.  Notice that we did not say that these were the only reasons we need to pray, but they do be the primary reasons.  Prayer is a process and there is more to come in the near future.

Here is one other thing that we found most interesting in all of this; the fact that the disciples had asked Jesus to teach them to pray as John the Baptist had taught his disciples to pray.  There is not much mentioned in scripture as to what or how John the Baptist taught his disciples about prayer, but we do know that John was the forerunner of Jesus Christ; that he prepared the way for Jesus; and that John and Jesus had many similarities between their ministries.  With that being said, we can conclude that he must have taught his disciples the same if not a very similar way to pray as Jesus did, saying, “When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.  Thy kingdom come.  Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.”

We pray that today’s inspirational message will give you a new perspective on “prayer and why we pray.”  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: You Must Control The Devil

We have previously talked about this battle that we are in, where we wrestle against the evil rulers of this unseen world, which includes the mighty satanic beings, the great evil princes of darkness, and a huge number of wicked spirits (Ephesians 6:12).  This battle takes place in the arena of our mind and is unavoidable, knowing no bounds, no gender, no age, no race, and no religion.  It attacks everyone.  As we see the daily struggles of those who succumb to poverty, sickness, and death, we know this war to control our soul involves tactics such as depression, fear, discouragement, low self-esteem, worry, anxiety, confusion, and doubt.  What many do not know is that we actually have the power to control these evil rulers of the unseen world.

“For though we walk (live) in the flesh (in this body), we do not war (fight) after (according to) the flesh (human standards)” (II Corinthians 10:3).  “(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) casting down (destroying) imaginations (false arguments) and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (II Corinthians 10:4-5).

We now know that our enemy comes from the spirit realm, therefore, the weaponry of our warfare cannot be that of conventional human weapons.  No, we must use spiritual weaponry, weapons provided to us by God.  These mighty weapons are designed to knock down and overthrow the enemy’s strongholds.  When used properly, these mighty weapons can cast down every proud argument against God, can pull down every high thing that promotes itself against the knowledge of God, can bring into captivity every thought, every idea, and every suggestion that comes into our mind, and can bring into compliance our mind with the mind of Christ.

We are warned to be sober and watchful because we have an adversary.  This adversary, the devil, “walks about like a roaring lion looking for those whom he can devour” (I Peter 5:8).  His tactics have not changed since the first temptation in the garden and there are really no secrets to his approach.  He tries to control us through our minds, with thoughts, ideas, and suggestions.  These thoughts, ideas, and suggestions are usually tied to our five senses.  Our sense of taste, touch, smell, hearing, and seeing offers him an avenue into our mind and are the areas he tempts in order to gain control of our thought-life.  When we give in to “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (I John 2:16), we become “carnally minded, which is enmity against God” (Romans 8:7) and forgo all that is spiritual, meaning the spiritual weaponry God has provided for us has no effect.

“Neither give place to the devil” (Ephesians 4:27).  “Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:27).

We are warn to be sober-minded, to be self-controlled, to be careful, and to be vigilant, curbing every passion because we have an adversary seeking to devour us.  We know that he comes “to steal, kill, and destroy” (John 10:10) and it is through our thought-life that Satan gains access to steal our peace of mind; to steal our self-esteem; to destroy our relationships with our spouse, children, parents, and others; and to basically attempt to take us out; all of which causes us to have an out-of-control mind.  Now some of you believe that you are protected by God or have some hedge that God has around you, and all of that might be true, but when you read your Bible and see such phrases as “be sober, be vigilant, resist the devil, and neither give place,” do you get the sense that you have been given the authority to one up or control the one who has come to kill, steal, and destroy?  Everything hinges on your mind and you controlling your thought-life.  When you learn to control your thought-life, you can learn to control the devil.  Remember, your thoughts will always precede your actions and you always want to make sure that your actions be in line with the word of God.

As always, we pray that today’s inspirational 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.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: God’s Word Is A Seed

Most of you are familiar with “The Parable Of The Sower.”  Jesus explains the parable to his disciples this way.

“And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be?  And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.  Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.  Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.  They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.  And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.  But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience” (Luke 8:9-15).

The disciples asked Jesus why he spoke to everyone in parables.  He replied with, God has arranged for you to know the meaning of the parable because it tells about the mysteries of the kingdom of God.  He was telling them that anyone that hath ears to hear would hear the parable and understand.  Everyone else who received the parable would see and yet not see, and would hear and yet not understand.  Jesus went on to explain the meaning of the parable.  The seed represents God’s message to men, which falls on all types of ground.  The ground is a representation of the hearts of man.  Some seeds fell on the roadside, which represents those with hard hearts who hear the words, but then the devil comes and steels the message away, which prevents them from believing and being saved.  Some seeds fell on the stony ground, which represents those who enjoy listening to sermons, but somehow the message never really gets through to them.  Even though they know the message to be truth and they believe for a short period, the message never takes root and grows.  Their enthusiasm fades as the winds of persecution blow because of their beliefs and they lose interest as the temptations come.

Some seeds fell among the thorns, which represents those who listen and believe God’s words but the message is choked out by the cares of the world and their quest for money.  Their faith dies because they allow anxiety and worry, wealth and riches, the responsibilities and pleasures of life, and the gaieties of time to reign in their lives instead of the word of God.  They are never able to help anyone else to believe the Good News because they are never in a position to be a living testimony for the kingdom of God thus yielding no return and bringing forth no fruit.  Some seeds fell on good ground, which represents those who are honest and good-hearted people that have ears to hear.

And it was those who are honest and good-hearted people that have ears to hear that listens to God’s message with open minds and in the right spirit.  They hold tightly to the message and steadily spread the Good News to others because they are always in a position to be a living testimony for the kingdom of God thus yielding a great return and bringing forth much fruit.  They are the spiritually and morally mature believers that understand the terms used by the Holy Spirit to reveal those mysteries of God to them.  They understand the wisdom that has come down from God, telling them of his plans for man which have been hidden throughout the ages but are now reveal by the Spirit.  The others do not have the understanding and they do not recognize the truth because their wisdom is that which the world uses or the kind of wisdom that the rulers of this world use.  Their wisdom comes from the earth realm and is the kind that appeals to the great men of this world.

“The word of God is a seed” and it gets planted in the hearts of man.  Depending on the heart of the man, depending on the type of soil available, the seed will grow differently in each heart.  Many believe themselves to be that honest and good-hearted people, who have ears to hear God’s message with open minds and in the right spirit, however the truth of the matter is that they are those, who actually hear the words of God without understanding.  They have the wisdom that comes from the world, not the wisdom that comes from God.  Know this about the word of God.  The word of God is a single seed that produces a single crop; it is not a seed that produces a variety of crops.  The word of God does not and cannot produce a variety of truths; it produces only one truth, which is “the gospel truth.”  If you be among them who have an ear to hear, then hear this revelation, understand and let it produce a crop.

As always, we pray that today’s inspirational 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.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: Your Hairs Are Numbered

How awesome is God?  God is totally awesome!  How awesome are we?  We are totally awesome as well!  But why are we totally awesome?  It is not because we said so.  It is not because we may have thought so.  No, it is because God has said so.  Listen to the words of King David as he speaks of God’s glory and man’s honor.

“O Lord our God, the majesty and glory of your name fills all the earth and overflows the heavens.  You have taught the little children to praise you perfectly.  May their example shame and silence your enemies!  When I look up into the night skies and see the work of your fingers—the moon and the stars you have made—I cannot understand how you can bother with mere puny man, to pay any attention to him!  And yet you have made him only a little lower than the angels and placed a crown of glory and honor upon his head.  You have put him in charge of everything you made; everything is put under his authority: all sheep and oxen, and wild animals too, the birds and fish, and all the life in the sea.  O Jehovah, our Lord, the majesty and glory of your name fills the earth” (Psalm 8:1-9 TLB).

God thought so much of us that, according to King David, he “placed a crown of glory and honor upon our head.”  God thought so much of us that he “put us in charge of everything he made and put everything under our authority.”  God thought so much of us that he is actually mindful of us, he pays attention to us, and he visits with us.  How awesome is that?

“Look at the birds!  They don’t worry about what to eat—they don’t need to sow or reap or store up food—for your heavenly Father feeds them.  And you are far more valuable to him than they are” (Matthew 6:26 TLB).  “What is the price of five sparrows?  A couple of pennies?  Not much more than that.  Yet God does not forget a single one of them.  And he knows the number of hairs on your head!  Never fear, you are far more valuable to him than a whole flock of sparrows” (Luke 12:6-7 TLB).

Jesus gives us a comparison of just how much God cares for us.  Jesus tells us to look at the birds, who do not “sow, reap, or store up food and have very little value, yet God cares for, feeds, and does not forget a single one of them.  Jesus tells us “we are far more valuable to him than they are.”  We are so valuable to him that “He knows the number of hairs on your head.”  How awesome is that?  God knows the smallest of details about us, about our life, about what we are going through.  Just keep that in mind when you feel lost and 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” (Deuteronomy 31:6).  “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness” (Isaiah 41:10).

You are never alone because God knows exactly where you are and he has promised to never leave you.  He will neither fail you nor forsake you.  So be strong and of good courage and fear not.  He promises to strengthen you, to help you and to uphold you.  Remember, “He knows the number of hairs on your head” and how awesome is that!

As always, we give thanks and glory to God for his wisdom and understanding.  We are so blessed to be able to share with you, those things that God has placed in our hearts.  We continue to pray that our inspirational messages will forever be a blessing to each of you and that you will be the better for having read them.  If you are blessed by what has been provided, please feel free to share so that others may be blessed as well; for as freely as our Father has given this to us, we freely give so that others may share in the love and be blessed.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: The Deceitfulness of Riches

Scripture upon scripture has revealed that God wants his children to prosper and he enjoys helping us to prosper.  Misinterpretations have caused many to reject the prosperity message, seeing it in a negative light.  Since “no man can serve two masters, because he will either love the one and hate the other or he will keep or hold on to one and have not respect for the other” (Matthew 6:24), prosperity has been taken off the table.  However, the Bible makes it clear that there is a right way or a godly way to prosperity and that there is a wrong way or an ungodly way to prosperity.

“Then someone called from the crowd, ‘Sir, please tell my brother to divide my father’s estate with me.’  But Jesus replied, ‘Man, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that?  Beware!  Don’t always be wishing for what you don’t have.  For real life and real living are not related to how rich we are.’  Then he gave an illustration: ‘A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops.  In fact, his barns were full to overflowing—he couldn’t get everything in.  He thought about his problem, and finally exclaimed, ‘I know—I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones!  Then I’ll have room enough.  And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “Friend, you have enough stored away for years to come.  Now take it easy!  Wine, women, and song for you!”’  But God said to him, ‘Fool!  Tonight you die.  Then who will get it all?’  Yes, every man is a fool who gets rich on earth but not in heaven” (Luke 12:13-21 TLB).

Although this rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops, his only concern or problem was that, “his barns were full to overflowing and he couldn’t get everything in.”  His biggest problem was that he did not have enough room to store all that he had amassed.  He thought he was the source of his prosperity, which is why he had the conversation with himself about what he had done and what he was going to do.  But God revealed to him “the deceitfulness of his riches,” eventually saying “every man is a fool who gets rich on earth but not in heaven.”

Before you throw this message under the bus, like other prosperity messages, keep in mind that we stated, “there is a right way or a godly way to prosperity and that there is a wrong way or an ungodly way to prosperity.”  Most people use the world’s roadmap to obtain their riches and/or to measure their wealth.  When we are the source of our financial prosperity and not God, we worry about everything and we tend to take credit for everything that we have amassed.  However, when God is the source of our prosperity, we do not have to worry about anything.  God’s roadmap is different from the world’s roadmap.  This is what God is talking about when he says, “every man is a fool who gets rich on earth but not in heaven.”  If we used the world’s roadmap to get rich and to measure our worth, then “we are fools.”

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth where they can erode away or may be stolen.  Store them in heaven where they will never lose their value and are safe from thieves.  If your profits are in heaven, your heart will be there too” (Matthew 6:19-21).

This rich man tried to store all of his wealth on earth, in barns no less.  None of his profits were stored in heaven and his heart was not on the things of God.  Scripture tells us that “The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it” (Proverbs 10:22).  According to this passage, it is “the blessing of the Lord” that makes a person rich.  When our prosperity comes this way, there is no sorrow added with it.  It appears that having “the blessing or favor of the Lord” is the key to receiving true prosperity God’s way.  With “the blessing or favor of the Lord,” we do not have the burden or the weight of producing and/or maintaining our own riches.  “The blessing or favor of the Lord” will bless all that we do and make us prosperous with no sorry or bad success added, for the sole purpose of enabling us to be a blessing to others.

To strive or chase after money as our main purpose or goal in life is the lure or “the deceitfulness of riches.”  It is this love of money, when money holds first place in your heart, that scripture says, “is the root of all evil” (I Timothy 6:6-10).  It is this love of money that leads many down that dark path where they will do all kinds of wrong things to get it.  It has the same properties as being addicted to something, where a person will do anything to satisfy that desire, that itch, or that need for more.  This is completely different from having money and knowing God’s purpose for having the money.  When correctly understood, prosperity is not for us, where we amass as much wealth as we can for ourselves.  This is “the deceitfulness of riches,” because “real life and real living are not related to how rich we are.”  The primary goal for the prosperity is for us to be a channel for money to flow through so that God can use us, “that he may establish his covenant” and that we may be a blessing to others.  Our personal wealth is a by-product of having “the blessing or favor of the Lord” in our life and is not the primary goal for the prosperity.  Do not allow yourself to be “deceived by the riches.”

As always, we pray that our inspirational 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.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW