Tag: #dailydevotional

EPISODE 377 KNIT TOGETHER IN LOVE

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The title of today’s episode: KNIT TOGETHER IN LOVE

There is an old form of needle work that many generations of people have used to create clothing, blankets and many items that are useful. Knitting takes a single thread and weaves it into intertwining loops that hold on to one another. All the loops keeps the garment from unravelling. But if one loop gets broken the whole garment could unravel. The broken thread needs to be restored to save the garment.

When a person gets a bad cut, they require stitches. Someone will clean out the wound to prevent infection, then stitches bring the two halves together. This helps the skin to repair itself and grow together.

In life we often have misunderstandings and differences of opinion. Each side holds back and doesn’t truly listen to one another. If they do it is to respond with a counter argument. Instead of listening to understand. This attitude comes from pride. We know what the word says about pride, it goes before a fall. When things become about who is right and not what is right, everyone loses.

Col 2:2-4 That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; 3 In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words.

The body of Christ is supposed to be one body. This says we are knit together with love. Other scriptures say that if one member hurts we all hurt. It is time we cleanse the wounds and come together with love. Let God’s love be the stitches that pulls us together.

The thing our enemy satan fears more than anything is unity in the body of Christ. Because if we would spend the time we invest in fighting one another and start rebuking him instead, he would not stand a chance.

For us to be effective in the last days, we are going to have to come together. We will never win souls until people feel there is a safe place for them to run.

Prov 18:19-21 A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle. 20 A man’s belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled. 21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

How many people out there have suffered church hurt. They have been hurt by someone in the body of Christ. Then when they left the local congregation no one even checked on them to see where they were, to let them know that they care.

By our words we are justified and by our words we are condemned. Our words have power. We can restore or kill with our words. It is time we restore and bind up the wounds of those who are hurt. In restoring those who are hurt, we strengthen the body of Christ.

To be effective in the last days we are going to have to come together. The prodigals will not come home, if they do not have a safe place in which to run. In bible times when someone was injured they would use wine and oil for healing. The oil had healing herbs and the wine would kill germs. If we spiritually pour in the oil and the wine, they are representations of the Holy Ghost. When we allow the anointing of God’s Spirit to flow, it will heal our wounds.

We must remember that it is not all about us. We are all members of the same body. Unity will go a long way in us seeing the final harvest come in before Jesus returns.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 376 WHO TOUCHED ME?

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The title of today’s episode: WHO TOUCHED ME?

There is a story in the gospels that show how important not only the power of touch can be, but how faith changes things.

Luke 8:43-45 And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, 44 Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched. 45 And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?

It wasn’t just that some one made contact with him. As Peter said, many people has pressed into you and you question who touched you. Peter didn’t understand how that woman’s faith could draw something out of Jesus. Her faith drawled anointing from him that healed her of the affliction she had suffered for twelve years.

Luke 8:46-48 And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me. 47 And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately. 48 And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.

She could have touched any other garment, but nothing would have happened. She was afraid when she heard Jesus ask who touched me. But she once again found boldness and admitted that she needed healing. Because of her boldness, Jesus was able to tell her that she was made whole. When our faith can reach out and touch Jesus we will see miracles.

People can lay hands on you and pray until they turn blue, but without the anointing of the Holy Ghost and faith there will never be a transfer of God’s power. The enemy loves to use examples of when someone doesn’t receive healing to try to tear down our faith. There are too many examples of when God does heal.

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.

Our enemy comes to destroy, but Jesus came to give us an abundant life. That includes walking by faith. Every choice we make in life needs to be led by Jesus. We can always reach out and touch Jesus. He will supply our needs. He is our savior, healer, deliverer and our guide. He will never lead us in the wrong direction.

Touch can transfer healing power. Think about Peter and John and the man at the gate, beautiful. He had sat at that gate for years and begged for money. Peter and John came by, and he looked at them, expecting they would give him some money. Peter said, Silver and gold have I none, but I have something better. Then he reached down and got him by the hand, lifting him to his feet. The man was not healed until Peter commanded in the name of Jesus for him to rise and walk, then he touched him by reaching down to help him up.

Never underestimate the power of prayer, faith and simply taking someone by the hand and lifting them up. There is power in prayer and power in a touch.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 375 GO TO THE SOURCE

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The title of today’s episode: GO TO THE SOURCE

There is a game that children often play to learn the lesson not to gossip. It is called the telephone game. Everyone stands in a line, and one whispers a sentence or two in the ear of the person next to them, they repeat it to the one beside them and the game goes on and on. When the person at the end of the line seems confused by what they were told they have to go to the original source to see what the sentence actually said. Things along the line always gets confused when it comes to human beings.

Jesus is our source, he has given us his Spirit to always whisper the right information in our ear. We can depend on Him to lead us and guide us, every step of our way.

People in many countries carry their water for many miles. They have to go to the rivers or streams. They have to go to the source to get the water. Like those of us who are blessed to have water come to us by pipe, our sink is our source.

But to find living water, we have to go to Jesus. He met a woman at a well in the heat of the day. She was being shunned by the other women in her village, because she had been married several times and was currently living with a man she was not married. She came for water, but ended up getting so much more because she met Jesus.

John 4:13-14 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

How many people try to run from their problems, only to find that they carry them wherever they go. I have been known to go to the beach in search of peace. I always feel close to God standing on the edge of the ocean. I feel like my problems are so very small. I realized that the destination was not my peace, but God was my peace. Yes, maybe the beach helps me to connect to God, but ultimately, anywhere God is, there is peace. He is our source.

When a car breaks down, you have to take it to someone trained by the manufacturer to fix it. You have to take it to the source that it came from originally. When we get sick, Jesus, our source, is waiting to bring healing to our bodies.

Psalm 34:18-19 The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. 19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.

Whatever we have need of Jesus is our source. All we have to do is call on His name. He will save, heal, deliver and set free those who need help.

John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

This verse is a good way to summarize what I have been saying today. God is the vine, we have to connect to the vine or our source for strength or we will never produce fruit. Whatever we need, we can go to our source.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 374 HE’S STILL GOD

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The title of today’s episode: HE’S STILL GOD

When we can’t see the path before us. When we wonder if our foundation is solid. When the storm clouds are so very dark and the rain is beating down. He is still God.

When we are in so much pain that we do not know if we can get out of bed, or we are so emotionally heartbroken and smothered by grief that we find it hard to breathe. He is still God.

He will never leave us or forsake us. God will see us through whatever we face. He is still on His throne, and He is still God. Our faith has to be in Him and not our circumstances. No one knew this better than Job. He didn’t allow his grief, sickness or the influence of others to shake him. He lost all that he had for a season. He didn’t look outward to the influence of others. He didn’t look inward to the voice of his flesh, but he looked up to God for the answers.

The one who held his every breath in His hand. He kept his focus on God and God turned it all around to pour out a blessing on Job. God wants only what is best for us, we can trust him. He is bigger than our circumstances.

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

I want to encourage you with a true story…

There was a man who was stranded on a raft in the middle of the ocean. He survived several days. He went through a couple of hard storms. When he was asked how he survived the storms and waves he said, “I had to be here now.” In other words, he had to focus only on that moment he was living.

He could not be overwhelmed by all the waves that may come at him. He had to focus on the one in front of him. He could not celebrate all the ones that were behind him, because he had to focus on the one in front of him.

If he had gotten wrapped up in fear and worry about all the waves, he had yet to face he would have become battle weary and fallen into fear. He would not have survived. If he had been caught up in celebrating and looking at all the waves behind him, he would not see what was coming at him. We have to learn how to live in the moment.

In the hard moments we need to keep breathing and know he is still God. We cannot worry about tomorrow’s problems. Tomorrow, will bring what it brings, and we will have time to face it then. He will still be God. When our time on earth is done. He will still be God and He will be there for his children.

Phil 4:11-13 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. 12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

We have to remember that nothing we face is bigger than our God. When things are going wrong or when they are right, He is still God. He will forever reign. He is good and in every moment of every day, He is still God.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 373 LAGNIAPPE

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The title of today’s episode: LAGNIAPPE

I used to work with a man that had a retirement cabin on a lake. The name of his cabin was Lagniappe. He explained to me that it meant “a little something extra”. That cabin was his something extra.

According to Wikipedia, A lagniappe is “a small gift given to a customer by a merchant at the time of a purchase” (such as a 13th doughnut on purchase of a dozen), or more broadly, “something given by way of good measure.” It can be used more generally as meaning any extra or unexpected benefit.

I was reminded of this when I started to think about what God expects from us. We need to be willing to give all that we can give to the cause of Christ. Not just what is expected or required but we need to give the little something extra.

God is worth us making the effort to give that little something extra. To go above and beyond what is required.

Luke 12:48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

Jesus did not deserve the punishment he received. He went above and beyond what was required of him. We have been given a so very much because of Jesus’ sacrifice. Since the word says whomsoever, much is given of him shall me much required. It leaves me to ask, what is required and how can I give a little something extra?

MATT 5:40-42 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. 41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. 42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

Jesus shared how his disciples should treat others. He says if someone asks us to go a mile with them we should go two. Many times we do not even want to go one. This is when we need to remind ourselves that Jesus went above and beyond for us. He gave more than we could ever give. So we should be willing to give more than is required.

MATT 5:43-45 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

Loving our enemies is a difficult thing that God asks of us. It is hard to be good to those who are trying to destroy us. But Jesus was our example. When Peter cut off the ear of the soldier that came to take Jesus away. Jesus healed him. That was an act of love on Jesus’ part. He also saved Peter who was acting on emotion. Without proof of Peter cutting off the man’s ear, there was no way he could have been punished for a crime of assault on the man.

Our actions can affect those around us, both good and bad. We have to be ready to do all we can to further the cause of Christ, even if it is Lagniappe.

Thanks for watching,

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 370 BEHIND THE MASK

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The title of today’s episode: BEHIND THE MASK

There are masks like the ones used to make movies and television shows. They make the actors look like someone else. There are the masks that people wear to a masquerade ball. Then there are the ones we put on every day if we aren’t careful. In the world we live in, we often wear many masks.

Prov 6:16-19 These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: 17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, 19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

These six things the Lord hates. I am going to cover a couple of them today. It is the unintentional and the intentional masks. God hates a proud look. Pride is something that Lucifer developed before he was kicked out of heaven. His pride led to his downfall.

For a long time, I thought a proud look was someone who walked around with their nose in the air, like they were really important. That is one way to look at it. But the more I think about it, a proud look is the mask we try to hide behind.

The first mask I want to talk about is the unintentional mask. In a culture that doesn’t allow us to be vulnerable, it is hard sometimes to show people the real us in a world where if you show weakness, it could be what others would use to bring you down. To protect ourselves, we put on a mask and go out into the world. Pretending things are fine. When we may be crumbling inside. We may be going through horrible storms all the while wearing a fake smile.

This false face causes people to look at Christians as fake pretenders. Some Christians tell people that if they serve Jesus, everything will be sunshine and rainbows. Giving people a false sense of Christianity. Many times, we do not realize we are putting on this face. But is wearing this mask not a form of lying or deception?

When people in the world decide to turn to Jesus, based on observing the masked church. They will either buy into it all and create their own mask, or they will feel like a failure for letting their emotions and disappointments show.

They will not understand why their life is not a bed of roses. They will return to a life of sin because they cannot live up to the illusion. When they come under their first attack from satan, they will feel like they failed as a Christian because they struggle.

2 Cor 12:9-10 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

Learning to allow ourselves to be human is one of the hardest things. We need to understand that we are weak and only in Christ are we strong. We need to have confidence in our God. Being real for one another will help everyone to grow. What if showing that you struggled with something, you encouraged someone else that they are not alone in their struggles.

It is time for us to set aside our pride and focus on what matters. God needs us to just be real, true and authentic. That is the only way we are going to win the world to Christ.The second mask is the intentional mask. This is the false face that people put on to deceive others; the mask of deception. They want to make everyone think they are on fire, Christians. When they want to gain an advantage over others, to manipulate. They are the enemy of the cross. They can be false shepherds out to deceive the congregations by clothing themselves with good deeds. Their purpose is to sow discord among the people in order to tear down the work of the Lord. Satan has sent his children of darkness to deceive and destroy.

These people say all the right things and do all the right things. Only by the spirit of discernment can we see behind their mask. It is time you show the world the real you. God made you the way you are; you are special in his sight. Look to him and live for him, free from the mask.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 369 DON’T DIE TWICE

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The title of today’s episode: DON’T DIE TWICE

I have shared with you many times about how fear destroys faith. Fear is fuel for our enemy to turn up his pressure. He wants to keep us down by causing us to fear. As Christians, we are to walk by faith. If we allow fear to destroy our faith, how are we going to finish this race that is set before us? Fear is the opposite of faith.

We often hear people say that a liar shall have their place in the lake of fire. This is a serious thing. It is a reminder to pray every day to keep our failures and sins under the blood of Christ. After reading the following verse I am starting to think that walking in fear may be the sin of unbelief. Since fear is the opposite of faith.

David stood before Goliath in faith. He didn’t stand in fear. He faced the giant with the strength and heart of a warrior. Knowing that God would deliver Goliath into his hands. We, too, need to know that God will not allow us to be overtaken by our enemy.

Rev 21:6-8 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. 8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

It is appointed for man to die once and then the judgment. How we have lived the one life will determine if we suffer from a second death. Those who are not right upon physical death will end up in hell, which is the second death.

Most know that being a liar, murderer, whoremonger, sorcerer and idolater will send them to hell. But what surprised me in the list was fearful and unbelieving. Many people will end up in hell because they chose to live in their sins. They do not believe in Jesus and his work on the cross. We often even call them unbelievers. However, I had never noticed the word fearful in that verse before today. I guess always before, I had skimmed over it.

It makes me think if we fully trust God, we will not be shaken. Nothing will cause us to fear because he holds us in his hand. He will take care of us. We have no reason to fear. I don’t know too many, if any, that have arrived fully, at the point in which they always walk by faith and never by sight.

Learning to walk by faith is a lifelong pursuit. That is why our elders seem so strong in their faith. They have been living by faith for a long time. They have learned how to be overcomers. In verse six, when he said he was Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. That encompasses everything from start to finish.

The key to verse six is that next phrase, I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. If we are thirsty for the things of God. We will draw close to Him. We will spend time in pursuit of Him through prayer and worship. The closer we are to Jesus, the less we will fear man or satan. This is the place we need to be to avoid the lake of fire. We need to be close to Jesus.

The fountain of the water of life means eternal life for the believer; it is a sign of spiritual cleansing and ultimate satisfaction for our soul.

Matt 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

Our faith walk boils down to how much we hunger to be in God’s presence. If we desire righteousness, we will be filled. If we have righteousness from the Lord, we will not fear the enemy. We will never have to suffer the second death. We will have life eternal.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 368

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The title of today’s episode: FAITH IS OUR DEFENSE

How often in life do our circumstances cause us to stumble because we do not trust? How many times do we fall because we look at circumstances instead of having faith? How many times do we let fear override what we know to be true? For example, if there is nothing we face that God cannot handle, why should we fear?

Often, we as humans allow the circumstances, to be bigger than God’s potential answer, to our problems. Our failures all boil down to a lack of trust and faith. When things are good it is easy to say we trust. But when things get tough, we often falter for lack of faith.

But when we get down to the place where there is nothing more we can do, then we are ready to trust God. Learning to trust, before we exhaust all other options, is what faith is all about. When we are to the point we trust God first, we have begun to walk by faith.

HAVING FAITH MEANS BEING FULLY PERSUADED THAT GOD IS ABLE AND WILL PERFORM WHAT HE HAS PROMISED.

Rom 4:20-22 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. 22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.

Just as Abraham trusted God. He had promised him that he would be the father of many nations through Issac. A time later, God told him to take Isaac up to the mountain and sacrifice him. Many of us would fall into fear and question how God could ask us to sacrifice Isaac if he was to be the next link in the lineage. But Abraham obeyed God and believed that He would work it out.

—–

Eph 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to

quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

Shields were used in several ways. They could be put together with other

soldiers’ shields to create a wall of defense. They were used as protection for the

individual. Some shields were large enough for a man to stand behind.

Our faith is like a shield; it protects us from attacks by the enemy. But we can

combine our faith with that of fellow believers to create a wall of defense against the enemy. Through our faith, we can be a strength to one another.

Most of us, at some point, have lost faith. It may be a huge thing, or we may have

let a little doubt creep into our hearts. This happens when we let down our guard

or our shield and allow the enemy to place thoughts in our minds. Doubt is a liar, a tool of the enemy to make us question God’s motives and his promises.

When we let fear set in, we have dropped our shield. We are no longer protected from the darts of the enemy.

Never run into battle without all of your armor. We cannot give the enemy the opportunity to make us question or doubt. God will go before us and will fight for us, but we have to keep the faith. So stand strong, be encouraged and keep the faith.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 367 TEN BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES TO REMEMBER DURING DIFFICULT TIMES

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: TEN BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES TO REMEMBER DURING DIFFICULT TIMES

Today, I want to encourage you with a list of things to remember when going through troubles and trials. God will never leave us or forsake us. He is always in control, no matter how things look. Maybe he is waiting for us to relinquish our free will before he can move, so we need to check ourselves. God’s timing is perfect; he will always lift us up. Jesus is the foundation for our lives, and we can be sure he will work things out for our good. He will give us strength in our trials. He will fight our battles; we just have to remember to praise him.

GOD WILL NEVER LEAVE OR FORSAKE US

Heb 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
Many places in His word says that he will go with us. He will not forsake us. Having the assurance that He is always with us, even in the trials, is a guarantee that should give us peace.

Matt 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

He will go with us even to the end of the world. This should strengthen our courage to keep going when the trials are difficult.

GOD IS ALWAYS IN CONTROL

Isaiah 40:12 Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?

If we would stop and think about how beyond boundaries, how big our God is that he measures out heaven with the span of his hand. He weighs the mountains in scales. He is in control of very complex things. He understands everything. We should trust that he knows how to fix our problems.

Matthew 19:26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

With God, all things are possible. Even when our situations seem like they have no answer. When we feel like there is no way out. It is possible with God and he holds the answer to all the issues of our lives.

MAYBE HE IS WAITING FOR US TO RELINQUISH OUR FREE WILL

Gal 5:16-17 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

There are times when we face situations in life because we make wrong choices. God may lead us to make changes or different choices. We can pray and ask for him to fix our issues, but he will not override our free will. He is waiting for us to yield to his leading. Then he will step in and strengthen us and fix our issues. Walking in the Spirit means we have surrendered our free will.

HIS TIMING IS PERFECT

1 Kings 18:36 His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He.

He is an on-time God. We can rely on him to be fair and just. He is faithful. We can count on him to work things out at the perfect time. Many examples in the Bible, situations seemed to be impossible, but God would always come through for his people. His timing is precise and perfect.

Eccl 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

He holds the times and seasons in his hand. We can trust him.

HE WILL LIFT US UP

James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

When we fall down, He will pick us up. When we get bogged down in the cares of this life, he will lift us out of our troubles.

Psalm 40:2-3 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. 3 And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.

We can trust God to save our souls. We trust his word that we will have a home in heaven. Then why can’t we trust him with our problems and issues? He reached down and pulled us up out of the pit and placed our feet on solid ground. We should remind ourselves that He will lift us up. He will take care of us.

HE WILL BE OUR SURE FOUNDATION

Jesus shared a parable about a wise man and a foolish man. A wise man will build on a solid foundation. Jesus is the foundation on which we build our lives. The wise man is anchored to the rock, so when the storms of life blow, he will not be moved.

The foolish man builds on sand, and when the storms come, his house falls. The lesson to take from this is to allow Jesus to be the foundation of our lives. It will not matter what kind of storm blows into our life, we will not be destroyed because we stand on a solid foundation.

WORKS THINGS OUT FOR OUR GOOD

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Many people cling to this verse in hard times. It is reassurance that God orchestrates our lives; he allows trials for our good. In difficult times, we grow stronger.

Jer 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

STRENGTH IN THE TRIALS

Isaiah 41:10 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.

God’s word says not to fear. Often, when trials and storms come, the enemy will attack us with fear. God doesn’t want us to fear but to have faith. His word tells us he will strengthen us.

GOD WILL FIGHT OUR BATTLES

2 CHR. 20:16-17 To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel.17 Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you.

This is my go to story to remind me that God is fighting for me. I love how this story reminds us to worship in our trials and let God fight for us. When Jehosophat and his army arrived at the battlefield, his enemies had destroyed each other. The only thing left for Jehosophat’s army to do was collect the spoils.

God will fight for us and leave us to collect the blessings from the battle.

10) PROMISES NEVER FAIL

NUM 23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

His promises are a guarantee. If he said it, he will do it. We can count on him to take care of us. He will do what he has promised.

I hope the next time you find yourself walking through the fire, you will find that God is in the fire with you. He has made us so many promises in his word. We can count on all of them.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 366 — REDEEMING THE TIME

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO VERSION: https://rumble.com/v6uy3x1-god-focus-this-morning-ep366-redeeming-the-time.html

WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: REDEEMING THE TIME

When we think of redeeming, a gift card or coupon normally comes to mind. We trade them for something valuable to us. When we redeem the time God has given us we use every moment wisely. We must seize the opportunities to be a light and a witness to others. Life is too short to have regrets about not doing enough for God.

James 4:14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

We have no guarantee of tomorrow. That is why we have to seize the opportunities given to us. As we look to God for guidance and direction, he will lead us to where we need to be in life. His plans are not always our plans; however, we need to be able to discern his plans and yield to them. He wants only what is best for us. He sees the big picture when we only see a puzzle piece.

Eph 5:15-17 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, 16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

The word circumspectly means mindful, careful, cautious, attentive, and not extravagant.

We are to walk carefully or wisely, not as fools. Making the most of our time because the days are evil. We do this by understanding the will of the Lord and not walking unwisely according to man’s ways.

The best way to know God’s will is to listen for that still, small voice. He says his sheep know his voice. We have to be led by the Spirit. Spending time with him is never wasted; it is the best way to redeem our time. The more time we spend with him, the more we will know his voice.

Col 4:5-6 Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.

6 Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

We are to use wisdom when speaking to people who do not know God. We have to show them God’s love through our actions and our words. Knowing how and what to say to people sometimes is difficult. We must always tell them the truth in love. Knowing God’s voice will help us to know how deep and far to go.

We are trading the temporary for the eternal. If we redeem our time, God will use it to build the eternal. We can be a part of people’s stories of how they came to know the greatest story ever told. The story of God’s redeeming grace.

Proverbs 13:20 – He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.

The wise redeem their time, but fools waste their resources. If we redeem our time, we will plan ahead. That is being wise. Look at the parable of the ten virgins; five were wise and five were foolish. Five of them redeemed their time and planned ahead, preparing to meet the bridegroom. They had their lamps filled with oil. The five foolish didn’t redeem their time and they were caught unprepared without oil in their lamps.

This is a parable about being filled with the spirit of God. They were all ten good moral people; they were virgins. But five of them were wise enough to have oil, which is a representation of God’s spirit or anointing. We have to be filled with his spirit and be prepared for the bridegroom’s return. This is what it means to redeem the time. We have to make sure we have walked wisely and mindfully of God’s ways, so that we are ready to meet him when He returns.

No one knows how long we have until Jesus comes and gets his bride. We do not know if we will even see sunrise. But God wants us to use the time we have to further his kingdom; nothing else matters.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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