Category: Spirituality

JEREMIAH 33:3

God is always attentive to the cries of our hearts when in desperation we call on Him. He wants us to call unto Him and He promised to answer us. Why are we not calling on Him when we are in trouble? Is it because we do not believe or maybe we do not preserve enough in prayer? God is always available. Are you available to spend time in His word, listening to what he wants to tell you? He has an answer to your marital, social, spiritual, family, and financial problems. God’s heart is compassionate towards His children. He wants to provide you with the solution to your problems. Not only does He want to answer your prayers, but He also wants to show you powerful things that you do not know.

God wants to speak to us about our mental health and how it is creating all the issues we have in our lives. Some of us struggle with our finances and live from paycheck to paycheck. While others have bad marriages and poor relationships with their children and other family members and this affects their relationship with God. He wants to provide us with the tools we need to solve our problems. However, we are so burdened with these cares we are not listening to His still voice. Hence, our prayer life suffers because most of our focus is on the wrong things—the problems we want to solve instead of on Him who knows the problems before they started and has the perpetual solution.

Are you disappointed with your life? Are you tired of praying without answers? I invite you to spend a prayerful hour daily with God this week, seeking, desiring, and telling Him all about your problems and listening to the voice of His Holy Spirit speaking to you and directing you toward the solutions you seek. Often it is something that you need to do to receive that remarkable miracle. Ask God to empower you to let go of those things that are hindering you so that you can move forward and possess those things God has for you! Call upon Him now and He will answer you!

Psalm 141:3-4

Gossiping and lying have destroyed more lives than drugs and alcohol. Knowing this, why do you continue to perpetuate hate through your inflammatory speech? Many of us are guilty of this in our lives. Our churches and society are in a sad state because we love evil more than good. Most times, these scorching lies are brought about by jealousy and envy of the talents, gifts, and blessings that God has bestowed on others because of their faithfulness. Do you know you heap curses upon yourself when you use your mouth to curse instead of blessing others? God hates lies and He will destroy those that tell lies and sow seeds of discord in families, homes, communities, and churches with the willful intent of maliciously destroying others.

Talking might be your gift. Why not use it to bless others? Many are incarcerated around the world. Why not start a ministry and go into the prisons and encourage them or visit the elderly in nursing homes, the broken and depressed, and those who are downtrodden and oppressed, find them and speak on their behalf? Also, some are hooked on drugs. Why not start a community effort to prevent substance use and help those who are hooked on drugs get into recovery? 

Today, ask God to guard the doors of your lips so that they will sing praise to Him and encourage and uplift others with encouraging words. Why not surrender and turn your eyes, ears, hearts, and lips to God today?

ALL-OUT WAR II

There is a war going on in the universe and it is a spiritual war.  God’s faithful soldiers who are enlisted in His army are under constant attack because the devil plans to stop the work of God in these last days. Satan has his evil angels strategically placed around the globe tormenting and harassing God’s people.  He knows that his time is short (Revelations 12:12) and he wants to destroy as many of God’s mighty warriors as possible. Hence, he ramps up the attack on our leaders and their families and almost everyone in his efforts to gain an advantage for people’s souls (1Peter 5:8), (Ephesians 6:12).

Those who are engaged at the forefront of the battlefield are being beaten down with spiritual shrapnel, bullet casings, bullets, and injuries. They are tired and weary from this incessant oppression. God is calling all His soldiers to enlist in His army and to help support our brave soldiers to engage in this warfare by providing back-up for those who are weakened by the crushing blows of this tyrant. Where are the men and women of God? Get out of your hiding place and get involved in this vicious war.  The devil wants you dead and lost.  Get up and fight for your souls because it is not about your life anymore. Read the word of God daily, pray and intercede for others until you move the hand of God.  Hold up the hands of your brothers and sisters around the world just like the prophets of old did (Exodus 17:11-12).

We can all take a lesson from the brave and tenacious people of Ukraine. President Zelenskyy and the soldiers displayed remarkable courage, steadfast faith, indomitable spirit, and resilience in the face of terror. Their unswerving commitment helped them outwit the enemy many times. They will not give in because of their commitment to their country and its people. Despite the loss of many lives, they have not given up because they see the end goal and will continue to fight until the end comes. They deserve to be applauded for their bravery in planning, strategizing, and calling on strong countries around the world for help and executing the battle plan. UKRAINE, I AM PRAYING FOR YOU!

Today’s Christians need to have a battle plan ready every day because yesterday’s plan is obsolete and will not help you in today and tomorrow’s battle. We cannot keep running away when we are faced with challenges. We must keep beating down Heaven’s doors until the answer comes. Form alliances by praying in groups, teams, families, and church communities.  Pray without ceasing (1Thessalonians 5:16-28).  We have God as a mighty warrior (Psalm 24:8), (Jeremiah 20:11), (Exodus 15:3). Many of us are shirking our godly responsibilities to watch and pray to keep us from the devil’s temptations.  We cannot continue to dance with the devil and expect to receive miraculous answers to our prayers. Stop being powerless because you have all the tools to fight these tactical wars designed to steal your soul. Strap on your armor daily and pick up your weapon, the word of God, the sword of the Holy Spirit and fight because you have a mighty army fighting for you (Ephesians 6: 11-18). Show up and show God that you want to be delivered, heal, restored, and delivered by doing the preparatory work before the night comes and it’s too late (John 9:4). When we are faithful in doing the work, we were called to He will be faithful and grant you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4).

Many of us have seen tough times throughout the last couple of years, decades, or our lifetime. We lost everything we had unjustly. We have seen our food supply diminished, experienced failing health, betrayal by friends and family members, isolation from those we love and stagnation. Hence, we have been experiencing severe drought in many areas of our lives. In desperation, our pleas ascend to God with urgency. God heard your prayers for help because His ears are always attentive to the cry of the poor and innocent.

God is preparing to increase the rains of blessings in your lives. You will receive blessings now, missed blessings from the past, and blessings for the future. Get ready for our overflow as you enter a new month. Your life will be complete in Him. Start preparing for the rain of abundance in your life.  HAPPY 2022!

JOEL 2: 19-27

Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.

And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.

And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.

 And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.

Acts 3: 2-6

And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple;

 Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms.

 And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.

 And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.

Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have to give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.

Life has a way of knocking the wind out of your sails. Sometimes it’s for a brief period however, at other times it can be long term.  These hardships are so severe that it is crippling and leave one with no will or the desire to fight one’s way out. Hence, we wallow in self-pity expecting everyone to give us a handout instead of a hand up which is what most of us need.  We become even further discouraged and sometimes bitter when others are not willing to do for us what we can do for ourselves.

The man at the Gate Beautiful was comfortable with his condition. Although it had reduced him to being a beggar, he was contented because it had brought him pity and along with it some money. When he met Peter and John, he set his eyes upon them; those pitiful eyes no doubt looking for money. They invited him to look at them. I bet this must have confused him because no one else had requested this of him before. As if reading his mind, they told him they had no money but that the name of Jesus was powerful. Peter commanded him in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth to rise and walk. He gave him a hand up and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. It changed his mindset from begging to freedom and equal rights as a child of God. He was now rejoicing and praising God.

Yes, we have that equal rights too. God is waiting for you to get into your closet and pray and ask others to pray and believe with you because He wants to give you a hand up. Rise and walk into your calling, in the Name of Jesus! I challenge you to get up out of whatever situation you are in and position yourself to receive the blessings from Jehovah Jireh, today!

The Lord is my leader;

I have no lack

He prospers and refreshes me.

He renews my soul and leads me into the truth.

Although I am afflicted with sickness, lack and suffer from injustice, I will not be afraid

because God is with me.

His justice and mercy comfort and gives me hope.

He filled my table with nutritious and healthy foods while my enemies lack.

You healed me and renewed my strength, and now I have more than enough.

Your love, wisdom and prosperity will be with me throughout my life

and I will live with you forever.

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Revelations 2:10

 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life

Revelations 7:14

And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

As Christians, not only do we serve God because we love Him, but we also look forward to the eternal rewards, which is a sparkling white robe of righteousness that the righteous will wear along with the crown of life. However, these usually come with a hefty price tag;  obedience and sacrifice the cost of which many are unwilling to pay. It is understandable since the trials we bear are not only heartbreaking but backbreaking as well. However, eternity is worth any sacrifice that we must make in this life.

Jesus’ Second Coming

Jesus is coming again, and He wants to reward all of His children. Therefore, we must keep our garments spotless by washing them in the blood of Jesus daily in anticipation of His coming.  While we wait, we should keep checking for any spots and asking Him to give it a second wash when necessary. As we spend quality time each day in His presence, worshipping, praying, studying, confessing and repenting, His Holy Spirit will point out our blemishes.

Keeping our temporal robes spotless

Throughout each day it would be wise to re-check ourselves for any spot of sin that might have infiltrated our robes and again get into His presence for a second wash or even a triple wash to remove the stains of the devil and keep our robe pure. Without our robes of righteousness no one may enter His Kingdom of eternal rest.  Jesus demonstrated this in the parable in Matthew 22: 11-13. There will not be a soiled robe in heaven!  Let us prepare for the marriage supper of the lamb by living a life of devotion and service to God and humanity.

Revelations 19: 7-9

JOHN 10:10

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

Satan comes in through the back door, side door, and alley. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, will only come in through the front door, which is the main point of entry to a building. Satan, the thief and robber, will force his way in because he intends to steal, kill and destroy. Jesus, the gentle lamb, will stand at the door and knock, wooing you but giving you the choice to let Him in. His children know His voice and will let Him in and allow him to lead them to better grazing ground.

Satan’s purpose is the destruction of the mind, body, and soul. The Good Shepherd came to give and restore life. He will give up His life to save His sheep. While Satan will create the danger and leave them to perish. Whom will you choose today, the Good Shepherd or the thief? The choice is always yours.

A colleague, Ron, wrote this and the message is perfect for this time. You can visit his website at hopefulservant.org

25 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”  26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?”  27 So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’ ”

28 And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.”

Christ had been talking with the leaders of His people, “experts” in the law. They were starting to see the truth, but were having a difficult time reconciling observance of the law with salvation.  Like usual, Jesus turns their thoughts on their heads and instead asks them to simply summarize the law.  Their response shows they had a good grasp of it, they realized loving God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind and loving your neighbor as yourself was the focus. 

The bible makes it clear that this passion for Christ, and loving others, is the outcome, not the path to salvation.  The Holy Spirit, via the Apostle Paul, taught us. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast” – Ephesians 2:8-9.

Our sanctification, or being made more holy and Christ like, increases greatly when we observe the next verse.  “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” – Ephesians 2:10.

We have been prepared to love God and do good works in His name.  Loving God can sometimes be difficult to grasp.  When we are regenerated we know we love Him.  How can we deepen our love and relationship with Him?  Here are a few suggestions:

1. Learn who God is – The bible is a wonderful message from Him.  The more we read and study it, the more we understand the person and nature of God.  There are direct references describing who God is, however digging deeper uncovers key traits and bigger picture motives of our Lord. How can we love God deeply when we don’t know who He is?
2. Learn what He has done, is presently doing, and will do for us – God gave Himself for us (John 3:16), but we sometimes don’t fully grasp what that really means?  Reading and studying the bible, including the Old Testament, demonstrates the depth of His sacrifice.  In it we learn key elements of the relationship between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  We see the whole picture, why the earth was created, why we have been taken down this path, why certain events were put into motion.  Finally, we learn about our glorious, forever future.
3. Commune with Him continually – Continuous prayer is key to communing with our Lord.  We see examples throughout the scriptures, even by Jesus Himself, that continual prayer brings us closer to God.  This is the communication path God has provided to us for communicating with Him with the expectation we use it.
4. Eliminate competing priorities – We are continually tempted by Satan and his demons to love the world and the things in it.  Jesus explained it best, we cannot have two masters (Matthew 6:24).  World events and the vagaries of life take away precious time we could use to learn about Him and commune with Him.  We must continually fight competing priorities and live our lives knowing every moment is a precious gift.  We were created for good works, not to please ourselves with the pride(s) of life.
5. Start now – Even if you have little spare time, dedicate yourself to carving it out daily.  Set the clock 15 minutes earlier and spend that time reading.  Many online programs, such as blue letter bible, will allow you to read through the bible in a year in about 15 minutes a day.  Even if you only have 5 minutes, make a promise to get started now.

Loving God with all of our heart, soul, strength, and mind and loving our neighbor as ourselves, seems to be a tall order.  Other than Jesus, we only know in our own hearts if we are doing this.  In response to His offer of salvation we agree to love Him as we ought to.  That means focusing our lives on Him, learning who He is and developing a deep love affair with Him.  It means loving one another and forgiving when it hurts.  It takes effort and sacrifice, but as time goes on we will see it is worth every second.  This will be affirmed forever in eternal glory.

God bless,

Ron