Wealth

Revelation 3:17

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁷ You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.

There is a misunderstanding when pastors preach about financial prosperity and what the public perceives what the message is about.

God wants all of His people to be financially secured and with the capability to help others. However people ask a couple different questions:

If God wants His people to have wealth, why wouldn’t He just give it to them?

Or

Why would God tell His people to get wealth when there are starving people in the world?

The first question, why don’t we just get money handed to us when we become believers-simply because we would ruin ourselves. If everyone was given sudden wealth the number of believers would dwindle to almost nothing; it is too easy to get carried away when we get something good. The wealth would be spent in vain and people would be more inclined in doing what they want to do with the money rather than listening to what God wants them to do with it. Of course He wants everyone living comfortably, but there is a difference in living comfortably and trying to accumulate as many things as we can.

The second question, why wealth to believers and not to those who are starving-He will use His people to do His will which is to help others and spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is not His fault if people choose not to believe and go their own way and for those who haven’t heard the name of Jesus to get to hear from believers and they will become heirs of the Kingdom of God as well. We have free will, we can either accept Him or reject Him-we can’t expect to receive the promises and provisions that God has for us if we don’t acknowledge Him and follow the path He has preset for us.

 Do not be fooled into thinking that those who have accumulated wealth based on worldly values and those who have wealth because their faith in Jesus Christ and doing His will are the same. They are not the same, that is why those who have wealth based on worldly values, such as greed and revenge, have to worry about how to keep their money and protecting it from others trying to steal it. You can not have wealth and not have Christ in your heart and on your mind to serve your purpose on this earth. 

Do not become like those who will be around when Christ comes back-the ones who spend their lives trying to accumulate wealth like others around them and not having the time to serve the Lord and receive the wealth that He has laid up for us. In the end the wealth you have is not going to mean anything-it’s what you did with it according to His will.

Choosing Sides

There are people who think that just because they do not believe in Jesus Christ that they are exempt from His wrath. Just because you don’t believe in Jesus Christ doesn’t mean that you will be able to live life as you want because you do not control your life, it will either be hands of Satan or of God….you choose who you will abide in.

When you are not with Christ, meaning that you do not acknowledge Christ as your Lord and Saviour, you are by default in subject to the torment and frustrations of the enemy.

Matthew 12:30

New International Version (NIV)

³⁰ “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

I hear people say “If there is a God, why would He take my mother away from me…” and so on. When people loose loved ones or suffer a natural disaster in their hometown, they do not realize that because we ALL have free will, everyone on this earth has free will, they may not have freedom in other countries, but they still have free will. Therefore if we ignore God and get into sin and rely on their own thinking or that of another man or idol, they put themselves as well as any young children under their care at risk of being tormented by the enemy. 

Choose who’s side you want to be on, think about where you would want to be in the afterlife. There are only two choices: God or Satan…. It’s as simple as that.

Life or Death?

Matthew 12:31

Matthew 12:31

New King James Version (NKJV)

The Unpardonable Sin

³¹ “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.

This should clarify for those who believe that their sins cannot be forgiven and for those who believe there is no sin that can’t be forgiven.

The unforgivable sin is to blaspheme the Spirit. When you think about it, it would take a conscious effort to commit this type of sin and would have to know of the outcome. Thus, every sin that we can think of is forgivable.

There is no reason to think that you cannot be forgiven of your sins, this is a trick of the enemy to make you believe that you are or have been too wicked or rebellious to be forgiven and wiped clean.

There is only one thing that can make you “clean” again and give you a brand new start-the blood of Jesus is the only “astringent” that can clean ANYTHING!

If everyone knew that they can be forgiven for all their sins if they repent, I guarantee there would be a significant spike in the number of believers in the world. However, there would still be a number of those who would consciously sin so they could participate in the sin for a moment then repent and then repeat the process all over again. This is why once you have repented of your sins you must stay connected to the word by reading it, listening to it and praying to keep the foul spirits at bay.

God loves you so very much, do not hold onto your sins of the past or the your present sins, give them all up and ask God to forgive you and if you have yet to verbally ask God into your heart, ask him to.

Higher Power

Power of faith

Knowing that there is in fact a higher power should be a relief for everyone. Knowing that you don’t have to be perfect because we are all created equal and that the only perfect person is Jesus should be a relief. Knowing that we are a part of much bigger cause that we are all needed should be a relief.

It is a constant battle to get nonbelievers to believe that there is a God and that He loves them. So many still believe that we came from a molecule and that’s how everything was created…yet they forget that the molecule and whatever else science has showed us all had to be formed.

Don’t think that God is naïve to science and false religions, He saw the end from the beginning and knows all.

The easiest thing you could ever do is BELIEVE and know that Christ is Lord. It is so simple that it clearly shows who is being influenced by Satan to believe otherwise.

Jesus Christ is the answer to all of our problems, yet even Christians, myself included, turn to man for answers to things that we think God doesn’t handle.

Trust and know that the Lord cares for us and that whenever we have doubts about it, pray and ask the Lord to help you find what it is that is causing you to doubt.

Fight Self

Ephesians 5:15-18

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁵ Be very careful, then, how you live —not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶ making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. ¹⁸ Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit"

This is another example of self v.s. the Spirit.

Self is that part of us that tries to constantly interfere and make us doubt in our abilities to accomplish something that we were set to do. Self is that part of us that wants to constantly think things through and feels like we have to do more or be more than what we are.

When we are not in our self-mode and we are in the Spirit our views on what needs to be completed in the natural is already looked at as being done and done right. In other words in the Spirit we do not lack for anything, we are worth it and we can accomplish everything we were set to do.

The world tries to make us believe that we have to compete and compare ourselves to on another in order to determine our self -worth. That is why there are many people who suffer from bouts of depression and struggle to accept the fact that Jesus is here for us and that we all have a purpose.

In order to keep ourselves from getting back into self is to stay connected to other likeminded believers and seek God through His word (bible) and pray for the guidance by His spirit.

Guard Your Ears

Hebrews 2:2

New International Version (NIV)

Warning to Pay Attention

“² We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.”

Face it, we live in a media consumed world, everywhere we go there is loud music playing, people’s phone with the latest songs as ringtones, commercials, television shows, and movies playing all around us. It is impossible to completely shut ourselves off from everything, so we have to be mindful of what we allow ourselves to listen to whenever we can help it.

What we allow through our ear gate stay with us, they are seeds that get dropped into our soul and either starts to burrow and grow or gets snatched up by the word we use to get rid of it.

A way of telling if something you listened to has burrowed and started to bear fruit is when you have those times when you do, say or think about something in a contrary way to what you use to.  You would be shocked as to how much words from a random song on the radio can lodge itself into your soul and later gets used in a conversation that you didn’t know you even listened to those words being said before.

Today more than ever, we have to stay guarded spiritually. There are too many different tactics that the world has to use at their disposal to get Believers off their path with Christ. Satan will use anything to lure people into his trap, even the little pleasures that we all enjoy, like music and gossip shows.

Whenever you hear something contrary to what the word says you have to cast it down and not claim anything they say so that those seeds won’t bear fruit.

Power of the Spirit

1 Corinthians 2:6-8

New International Version (NIV)

⁶ We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. ⁷ No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. ⁸ None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”

Living in a world where man’s knowledge supersedes all understanding, we must be reminded that only God’s spirit the Holy Spirit knows all. It’s easy to get caught up in what we know or what someone else thinks or “knows” to be true. We as a society get caught up in lifestyle fads because they usually yield results that we like which in return results in us being gradually pulled towards the world system and further away from the Lord.

Unfortunately there are many Christians who don’t believe that they need to have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that they only have to acknowledge that he is with us after we get saved. However, when you do not get the infilling of the Holy Spirit, with the evidence of speaking in tongues, you lack the power that God has given access to in order to heal the sick and raise the dead as Jesus did.

Without the Holy Spirit it can be hard to get the wisdom, the knowing or witty invention that God has for us that no one else can even think about doing or saying.

As much as we think we are the supreme beings, we are merely rags when compared to God Himself.

Be humble and know that we must acknowledge that there are STILL things that we do not know and cannot do and that only God can provide those things if we yield to His spirit.

Bad v. Wicked

Proverbs 2:21-22

King James Version (KJV)

²¹ For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it.

²² But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.

I think people underestimate the difference between being bad and being wicked.

There is no difference between being bad and being wicked, the only difference is the connotation that each word holds.

Where being “bad” is the cool trend, the idea of being bad has been separated from being considered wicked. The two words are one in the same, yet you can call someone bad and they not be offended, on the other hand if you say they are wicked or evil the tables are turned.

I believe this is a major reason as to why people keep running in to trouble, they think one type of behavior is okay if it falls under an socially acceptable category, only to be proven wrong when it is too late.

Don’t be fooled by these behavior trends that lead you to believe that the boundaries have been extended out further. Society may try to change the boundary between what is acceptable and what isn’t, but God does not change along with the world, nor is He influenced by it. He and His word will remain the same. 

Oath

Hebrews 6:16-18

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁶ People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. ¹⁷ Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. ¹⁸ God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged.

Ever wonder why people are to place their hand on a bible and take an oath in order to insure the truth is said? Well I have.

I randomly came across Hebrews 6:16-18 when thinking about topics to cover. This instantly answered a question that I have always had tucked away in the back of my mind. I wondered why, even in this wicked world, do people still use the Lord’s name in their practices in order to be sure they are hearing the truth in regards to a situation.

**side note: I use to think why is it that the Lord is trusted to get people to tell the truth, but for everything else, by world views, the Lord isn’t needed….

Verse 18 is an important verse to remember, because there can be times when you feel like God’s word is not true for your life…however, if you believe that God’s word doesn’t apply, it would make God a liar. God can not lie He IS truth-His word applies to you as a believer and as well as what He says about non-believers.

Behave Like A Christian

Romans 12:9

New King James Version (NKJV)

Behave Like a Christian

⁹ Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. ¹⁰ Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; ¹¹ not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; ¹² rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; ¹³ distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.

There is a dividing line that is being made known that is dividing the true Christians and the religious Christians. 

The religious Christians are those like the ones you see or hear about on the television that protest outside funerals of fallen soldiers or those who rally against homosexual events. You may ask why this is considered bad, this is just an example of how some Christians take one piece of scripture and use it to condemn others which is NOT what God and His word is about. Although you may feel strongly about a given area, especially in relation to sins of this world, you must remember that everything has to be done through the love of Christ, not hatred.

The true Christians are those that take God’s word as truth and do not manipulate it in order to “draw” worldly people in and make them feel good about what they are doing or saying that is contrary to the word of God. True Christians believe and use their authority through Christ and do His word.

The dividing line amongst Christians can be easily seen in just the way we look at and speak to our brothers and sisters in Christ. We should not be criticizing each other and gossiping about each other.

In times like these, more than any other time, we need to lift and encourage each other no matter what we are going through.

It’s easy to get out of love and into the flesh or to take on religious behaviors or ideas, just recognize that you got off track, repent and get back on His path for you. 

Strength

Philippians 4:13

New King James Version (NKJV)

¹³ I can do all things through Christ^[a] who strengthens me.

For those times when you feel less than or that you can’t accomplish something just know that as a child of God, you do not have to feel this way. He didn’t make any mistakes in creating us therefore we are capable to do whatever it is that we need or want to accomplish peacefully.

No other god can create a being that is set up for excellence, no other god can forgive you of your sins and no other god can give you salvation.

There are going to be times when we are tested to see if we will step up to the plate in a given situation, usually those situations are those that will cause you to feel like you can’t do it, because you instantly become intimidated when the situation arises thus causing you to feel like you just aren’t made for it.

Remember that you are a one of a kind and that only you can do the things that you do.

Renew your strength and know who you are and who’s you are!

Anger

Have you ever been in a verbal altercation with someone that you can literally feel your frustration turn in to anger? What’s worse in that type of situation is when you realize that the person isn’t going to change their mind and you feel like you are going to explode…even though you know it’s really not THAT big of a deal.

Well, most people have experience that type of situation in their lives, some more often than others. This is usually what causes people to become more defensive overtime. As a young person getting in arguments with others is almost a right of passage. I know when I was High School, there was NEVER a day when there wasn’t a verbal altercation in the classroom or a fight at lunch, what’s sad is that it has increased since the time I graduated.

Most fights are perpetuated due to retaliation for something that was said or done to one person or a friend of that person.

2 Thessalonians 1:6-7

6 God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you 7 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.

Wanting to cause some type of harm to someone else who has or is doing you wrong is all to prevalent in our society that it gets MANY people in to trouble, both physically and spiritually.

If only people knew that they do not need to do something to make someone “pay” for what they did to you or someone you know. It is not our place to seek revenge, because the Lord has already said that He will “pay back those who trouble you”. 

It can be a hard truth to wrap your head around if you have been a victim of a crime or have lost a loved one due to violence or a careless act like drunk driving. Just know that God will vindicate you and all you have to do is forgive the person so that God can handle them Himself.

Job 1:7

Job 1:7

King James Version (KJV)

⁷ And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

Satan has, since I can remember, been portrayed as an animal-like beast that stays in a dungeon. In the bible it is completely different, Satan is spirit that can walk amongst us if he wanted to as in Job 1.

Satan is always trying to find reasons as why God should not bless you and instead find a way to bring you down.

God has given us many warnings as to how to keep from being devoured by the enemy. Do not be fooled in to believing that Satan has no authority on earth-the world system is controlled by Satan. 

**side note: I found that many people, both Christians and non-Christians have a hard time or just choose not to use the word Satan, because of fear or feeling silly for using it. The name has been used so much in folklore that it has become more of a name for the “boogey man” rather than an actual demonic spirit.

Just because you don’t use the word Satan does not mean he doesn’t exist.

This is even more of a reason to follow God and keep His commandments, none of us want to live a life of constant ups and downs because we fall victim to the traps the Satan has set up for each of us….

2012 part deux

Genesis 9:11-13

New International Version (NIV)

¹¹ I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth. ”

¹² And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: ¹³ I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.

There are many people who believe in the end of the world in 2012 due to the Mayan calendar ending in late December of this year.

It’s unfortunate that people believe this nonsense, however our Lord has made it clear that the earth will not be wiped out,ever!

In Genesis 9:11 we see that God had made a covenant with us the He would never again destroy life like He had before. There is no need for Him to do so.

Of course this world is going to get darker spiritually and eventually physically, but this does no mark the “end of the earth” it marks the end of this supernatural battle that is being fought everyday…but we all know that the war is already won and we just have to stand our ground in faith and trust that God will do the rest if we yield to Him.

Don’t be fooled by fake “warnings” from worldly sources, they use things like these to get people of course and in fear.

If you want to hear truth, crack open a bible and seek for yourself…give yourself to God and allow His spirit to dwell in you and you will have the truth and understanding to keep from being deceived.

Favor

Proverbs 13:15-17

King James Version (KJV)

¹⁵ Good understanding giveth favour: but the way of transgressors is hard.

¹⁶ Every prudent man dealeth with knowledge: but a fool layeth open his folly.

¹⁷ A wicked messenger falleth into mischief: but a faithful ambassador is health.

The most recent topic we have been discussing in bible study is about favor.

I never really paid much attention to the need of favor and the appreciation of what favor does for our walk.

Have you ever been in a situation that you know you need to have a certain outcome for everything to be okay? Or in a situation where you want to achieve something that you know you couldn’t buy your way in? Well that is a prime example of when you need favor.

Favor is not something that you earn but rather what you ask for when getting ready to go into a situation. Favor comes when you ask, knowing that you are living a righteous life and not living in sin. Favor is the one thing that can take you from rags to riches in ways that no other worldly person could ever imagine.

I have heard a few people say that they don’t need much and that they just know “the Lord will provide enough”…God is the God of ‘enough’, He is the God of ‘Abundance’!

When you ask for favor in situations it doesn’t just mean you get to get ahead it means that you get to achieve and come in contact with people that God had set aside for you to ‘touch’ their lives. When you get that business going or that job promotion that you asked favor for, you are now able to do more to reach those that wouldn’t have been reached hadn’t you lived a righteous life and asked for favor!

To be continued….

A Good Name

Proverbs 22:1

New International Version (NIV)

22 A good name is more desirable than great riches;
    to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.

In a world where your worth is based on your family’s bank account, it is hard for today’s Christians to be unmoved by the topic of finances. Everyone who doesn’t live under a rock has thought about what it would be like to be rich, to have the money to go wherever you want, buy whatever you want and have people look up to you. This idea of having monetary wealth is the cause for many issues that come about in life. We see people like the Kardashians on television and in magazines that advertise a lifestyle that displays excess of money and resources.

God does not place a monetary value on anyone. The Lord loves to spoil His children with whatever they desire, however, He does not have dollar bills falling from the sky into people’s laps for a reason…Because God knows that we would not be unfazed by the money and stay focus on our walk.

You are worth what you do with your life…

Not just doing going about doing good, but being the representation of what God can do.

You can have as many zeros in your bank account, but it cannot buy you salvation or even favor with God and men. Everyone can get money, but not everyone can get a good name in the sight of the Lord.

Mind Manipulation

As each day goes by I have noticed how intensely the lines have been drawn in society when it comes to what you should and should not tolerate.

It’s interesting how we as Americans consider ourselves free thinkers and yet we have the most manipulative tactics being used every day in just the media alone to form our ways of thinking about things.

The heated debate over whether gay marriage should be legalized in any state has caused those who are for it to appear as peace loving and are up to date on how to view people, however those who are against gay marriage are considered to be old fashioned and prejudice.

Due to fact that there have been numerous organizations that have abused the name of God, have called themselves Christians and have inappropriately protested their views of homosexuality, the gay organizations have been provided with “ammo” to persuade others into following them rather than God.

We need to let everyone know that first and foremost, God does not HATE gay people! He hates the homosexuality which is the sin. Love the sinner, hate the sin. Secondly, we have to show the love of Christ and not “bash” them over their heads with the word, but show them that they have been bought with a price and that they can have a life without sin.

These youth who are committing suicide because of the torment from others and from other demonic influences cannot be a reason to support gay rights and groups, it means that we have to help our youth understand that there is a deeper spiritual reason as to why they feel this way and to teach those who bully that they also have issues that need to be addressed spiritually.

Please don’t let these advertisements for raising awareness for gay organizations and artist claiming they support this or that lifestyle persuade you!

Faith = Currency

A member of our church had said that faith is the currency of Heaven. That made me think about how faith would look in comparison to our dollar currency that we value so much in this world.

Can you imagine if having faith in God and all that He has for us being used as actual currency to “buy” the things we want and need??

Well that’s how the things of heaven move-with our faith.

In order for us to get the things we want from God we have to have faith that He can and will do it for us. How else do you expect to receive those things if not for faith?

Faith is the type of currency that does not rise and fall in value, cannot be bought, can be used throughout the world and is always an acceptable form of payment.

faith/fāTH/

Noun:	1.      Complete trust or confidence in someone or something. 2.      Strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof.
Synonyms:	belief - trust - confidence - credence - credit

You don’t have to be “born into faith” to have it and achieve great things as those who have been “born into money” that we see in the world.

Having faith in God means that you have no limits!

Life Changers pt.2

Having what you say is taken to a whole other level when you consider the words you speak on a daily basis.

If you were to write down every single word that you had uttered, would you have anything listed that was contrary to where you want to be in life?

For example, say you want to open your own business. During the course of a regular work day at your current job, you talk to your coworkers about how hard it is to start a business, how it’s going to take a long time to save the money you would need to pursue your dream, or how you keep running into various issues in life.

These are all things that place giant road blocks in your plan and keep you from reaching your goal at the appointed time or even at all.

2 Corinthians 4:13

New International Version (NIV)

^“13 It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.”^[a] Since we have that same spirit of^[b] faith, we also believe and therefore speak”

We all say “just kidding” or “I don’t mean it” in our conversations with friends and family…even I am a “repeat offender” when it comes to this…but everything we say we actually do mean it! It’s the reaction of others or what we have heard or been taught that causes us to automatically recant and say that we don’t really mean it.

Remember…say what you want and expect it to manifest.