Tag: #dailydevotional

EPISODE 239 HOLD ON AND KEEP FIGHTING

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We have so much to be thankful for as children of God. I want to encourage you today to think about your worst moment. Then, think about how God brought you through it. It is always good to use the past to encourage ourselves when we are facing hard things. To those who are in the middle of your worst moment, be encouraged your breakthrough moment is coming.

It is always darkest before dawn. The enemy fights the hardest right before God makes him let go completely. There is nothing we face that we must face alone. Jesus is with us to help us and give us strength for that next minute, next hour and next day.

I just have a quick idea to share with you today.

Genesis 28:10-17 And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.11 And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. 12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. 13 And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; 14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15 And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. 16 And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not. 17 And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.

How many times have we been a place that we didn’t feel like God was there? Jacob woke up and said “Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not.” There are times God is there, and we don’t know it. It feels like our prayers are hitting the ceiling and there is no hope. But even when we don’t feel him, he is there. We have to know that we walk by faith and not by feeling. Our faith says he is there with us, even in the darkest valley.

Circumstances do not dictate our outcome. God dictates our outcome. He will see us through even when we do not know he is there, that is when our faith has to come through. We know his word says he will not leave us or forsake us. We have to stand on the promises in the word.

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.

If you feel like your world is flying apart, he is the glue that is holding it together. Stand strong, look unto him and keep fighting the good fight of faith.

Thanks for watching,

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 238 LIVING WATER

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What happens to water when it gets pooled or doesn’t flow? It becomes full of bacteria, it becomes stagnant. In this stagnant state, it begins to stink because of all the rotting plants and other rotting things that are in it. This is what happens to Christians too often. It is easy to fall into a routine and not flow in the spirit of God. We stop praying as much as we should. We get out of the will of God and grow cold or become stagnate.

All the dead things that have built up while we are in a rut and become stagnant. When the living water starts flowing, everything changes for the better. In the stream of the spirit of God, we get unstuck.

God’s living water is pure. It keeps us from becoming spiritually dehydrated. It is a fact that if we become dehydrated we cannot function. Severe dehydration will eventually kill someone. We cannot allow the enemy to keep us from the flow of God’s Spirit until we are dehydrated.

Pure water contains no contaminants. Dead leaves provide a place for disease to take hold and grow. In order to have pure water again, the dead leaves and rot have to be removed. We cannot grow spiritually if we have dead leaves. We have to remove all the dead things so that we can grow new leaves.

In the spirit, we need to be prepared and filter the things of the world with the word of God so that things do not get dammed up and become stagnant. The word guards our minds and lives.

Filter out what is not of God. Otherwise, it can contaminate your source of pure water.

This reminds me of the story of Issac in Genesis Chapter 26. I suggest you read the whole chapter.

Gen 26:15-20 For all the wells which his father’s servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them, and filled them with earth.16 And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we. 17 And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there. 18 And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them. 19 And Isaac’s servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water. 20 And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac’s herdmen, saying, The water is ours: and he called the name of the well Esek; because they strove with him.

He dug the wells that his father had dug. The enemy had filled it up with dirt after Abraham died. He got the water to flow again, and then the enemy came and strove with him over the well.

Every time we get things going and flowing, you can be sure the enemy will come along and try to cause issues.

This happened a second time to Issac, he cleaned out a well and got it flowing. The enemy came along, and he walked away. Then the third time, the enemy did not strive with him. God promised him that he would be fruitful and multiply.

The third well was called Rehboth which means, “For now the Lord has made room for us and we shall be fruitful.”

In this story, I can see the church of today. Some have wells that are stopped up and need to be dug out. Other have wells that the enemy is fighting for, only God can say if you are to walk away from that well or if it is where you need to be. But the Lord has made room for us all. The ground is level at the foot of the cross.

We will never be able to gather the harvest of souls without living water. We don’t want to be found at the well of strife and contention. We don’t want to be found at a stagnate well of fear and regret. Other wells of sin and heartache, complacency and procrastination. We want to be at the well of free-flowing water.

I live near an artesian well. For those of you who do not know what that is, it is a place where water freely flows out of the ground and has been fixed with a pipe. The water is under pressure from the rock structure underground. There is water flowing out of it even in the dryest of weather conditions. People come from all around the area to carry water when their wells are dry.

God’s living water should be like that of the artesian well. There should be so much pressure that we have to let it flow.

John 7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

When we allow God’s living water to flow freely in our lives, we will be able to share Jesus with those who are thirsty. They will never thirst again.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 237 — GOD IS MOVED

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Yesterday, I talked to you about how God is not moved by the things the enemy throws our way. Today, I want to share with you what the word says about what moves God and how God is moved.

God had so much compassion for mankind, that even when Adam and Eve were disobedient, he took care of them. He clothed them and made sure that they survived. He then went about creating a way for mankind to return to the fellowship that Adam and Eve knew before their fall. Understanding God’s heart and desire for a relationship with us is crucial to understanding what moves God. He is not moved by circumstances, politics or anything else that can cause us to fall into fear and anxiety.

In order to move God, we must move his heart by trusting and walking by faith. Faith moves God. We build our faith through prayer. Four things that move God and help us to develop our relationship with him.

One is to start a relationship with him if we have not already.

We need to Repent of the things we have done that are disobedient to God’s laws. Ask him to fill us with His Spirit. Then we will have a guide. When the Holy Ghost comes into our lives it will lead us and guide us.

2 Cor 7:10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

The word repent means to make a turnaround. When we tell God we are sorry for being disobedient and walking in sin, we are to turn from that sin and do it no more. God’s grace is not a license to live any way and expect God to be OK with it.

Two Read the Bible:

2 Tim 3:16-17 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

The word of God is given to us by God so that we have an understanding of his expectations. It is to inspire, strengthen, enlighten, and instruct us in God’s laws. It is to show us the difference in a life lived well and one that is thrown away on sinful living. It is in reading and understanding his word that we come to know the heart of God. It builds our relationship with Him.

Three Worship and Praise:

God is high and there is no one or nothing above him. That is reality. When we worship, it gets our hearts set. Praise and worship elevate God in our lives. It puts God in his proper place in our lives.

Worship helps us to connect our hearts to God’s heart. It allows the Spirit of God within us to make a deeper connection. It helps us to learn to trust.

Four Prayer:

Prayer is the key that opens many doors.

I Pet. 3:2 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

Prayer is simply talking to God and waiting for him to speak to our hearts. He desires for us to spend time alone with him. God desires our trust. We learn to trust through prayer, worship, reading the word and being obedient to the word. It is all about our relationship.

God is not moved by the fiery trials but is moved by us when we fully rely on him.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 236 – GOD IS NOT MOVED

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I want to share with you a thought that I had today. It started with the three Hebrew men that were cast into the fiery furnace. That sounds like a scary prospect. No one wants to think about what should have happened to them. They stood strong in their faith and the outcome was different from the way it was meant to play out. I thought well God is not afraid of the fiery furnace. We should be able to stand strong in the fiery flames that are meant to burn our lives to the ground. Those men boldly proclaimed, Our God is able to save us, but if he chooses not to, we will honor our God and not bow to your idol.

If God is not moved by the flames, we should not be either. God is not afraid of disease, financial collapse, people’s lies against Him. We need to find the boldness of God to not be afraid of the things the enemy throws our way. God is not moved by them; he knows he can and will deliver us. He doesn’t doubt his ability to save, heal, deliver and set free. When we get to the place in God that we have total confidence in Him and are not moved by our circumstances we will see miracles.

The early church was not moved by circumstances. They suffered horrible things in the name of the cause of Christ. They died torturous deaths at the hands of evil kings, but they did not deny their faith. They remained bold.

That same Spirit that was in them is in us today. God has not changed and has not backed off of his original idea of sin. In spite, of what some so called preachers would like you to accept as truth. Do not be deceived, God is the same, He has not changed. It is our societies that have changed. It is time we find our way back to the old paths and find that Holy Boldness that God gave the early church.

Heb 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.

It is time for us to let our light shine and not be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I love the song it is well with my soul. Because it reminds us of that things in our lives can be spinning out of control, but if our standing with God is in a good place all is well. All that matters is that things are well with our soul.

We have to remember when the storms of life hit us hard, God is not moved by the storms. He is bigger than any storm that can come our way. He is the one that has the ability to change the course of any storm or dissipate it all together.

Remember the story of Peter walking on the water. Jesus was there with him in the storm. Jesus didn’t do anything to the storm for a little while. He gave Peter a chance to walk through it, to test his faith and his focus. But Jesus didn’t let anything happen to him, he was right there to pick him up when Peter asked for help.

Jesus was taking a stroll on the water. He was not shaken by the storm on the horizon. Fear of what may happen plagues many today. But worrying about what could possible take place is wasting today. There will be plenty of time to deal with tomorrow’s storms, tomorrow. Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that we cannot prepare for the future. Actually it is a good thing to do. Look at the ants, they work all summer so that they do not have to go out on the snow and ice. We can get too caught up in the anxiety of it all and not enjoy today.

We were only meant to live in one day at a time. It is the only one we have any form of control over. The next time the enemy comes with all sorts of scenarios, put him in his place. We can rise above the storms, because we are not alone.

Learning to be strong and not focus on our circumstances is the next stepping stone to growth. It is all a part of learning to walk by faith. Because our God is not moved by circumstances. But he is moved by our faith.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 235 KEEP FOCUS AND COURAGE

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KEEPING FOCUS AND COURAGE

How many battles were lost in the last minutes because one side slowed down? When in a sports competition, many games are lost in the last few minutes because one side either got cocky and lost focus or the team was sure of defeat and lost courage. Focus and courage is what it is going to take for us to win our battle against our enemy.

We cannot feel like since things appear to be turning our way, that we can let down. We cannot lose courage that things will turn out in the favor of our enemy. Now is the time to double down and make sure our courage doesn’t fail.

We need to stop and take a deep breath every now and then. We need to check our lives to make sure we are on track. The word says we need to meditate on God’s word. I know I say it often, but we are to hide his word in our hearts. The more of the word we have inside of us, the less likely we are to fall into sin. If we keep our focus on God, we will get where we are supposed to be.

Psalm 119:11Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

It is the job of the enemy to distract and destroy. If he can distract us from our focus on God he has won half the battle. Knowing the tactics of the enemy will help us to avoid his traps. He is good at reading us, then we say things out of our mouth that is negative. Satan will take the negative talk and help it to become a reality in our lives. He may notice our flesh struggling with something; he will do all he can to turn up the pressure to get us to fall into sin.

Look at Samson, he was drawn to Delilah. The enemy noticed how he was taken with her and used her to bring him down. He didn’t tell her where his strength came from the first time she asked. But she kept working on him, manipulating and sweet talking to him until he surrendered.

We are no different, satan keeps coming at us like a spider. When a bug is caught in the web of a spider, it goes to it and bites it. But it doesn’t kill it’s prey all at once, it goes to it a few times and bites it, until it dies. Satan is the same way, if he would approach you head on full force, we would resist. But he comes a little at a time. “That little thing will not matter” how many times have we thought or said those words.

PROV 4:18-22 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. 19 The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble. 20 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. 21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. 22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.

The word tells us to not let God’s sayings, or his word depart from our eyes and to keep them in our hearts. The words written in the Bible are life both spiritually and physically to us.

Prov 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

Diligence means careful, persistent effort. We are to keep our heart with a careful, persistent effort to stay on the right path. It is my firm belief that if we can learn to keep our “God Focus” he will lead us the right way. If we all can learn to let him lead, all the denominational boundaries will fall away. But first, we have to all learn how to focus on God. Put him in the center of our lives where he belongs. We have made things too complicated.

Prov 4:24-27 Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee. 25 Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. 26 Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. 27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.

Notice verse twenty-five says don’t look right or left. Then the next verse says that we need to think about the path of our feet. This is when we take time to slow down and check our focus. The next verse says to not turn right or left to remover our foot from evil.

It all starts with where we look and focus on, then we ponder, then we stick our foot into sin. We can save ourselves a lot of grief if we can just learn to keep our focus on God.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EP234 HOW DO YOU LOOK?

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: How Do You Look?

People look at us and they judge our appearance. They think they know what type person you are by the label on your jeans. Are you carrying the right purse or driving the right car. We are judged in many ways by others. To some it is just a first impression that they stick to, a snap judgment.

Some people that are good at manipulating others will be able to say all the right things to impress. They will appear to be a kind and wonderful person then end up being a serial killer. We cannot always think that just because someone appears friendly and kind that they are friendly and kind. They may be the embodiment of the devil with a kind smile.

We can do all the Christian things and dress like we are told by some denominations and look the part of a Christian, and still not look good to God. God doesn’t judge us by the way we dress or what kind of car we drive. The title on our business cards means nothing to Him.

I Sam 16:7 But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.

The Lord said this to Samuel when he went to anoint a king among Jesse’s sons. There was one there that looked like he should be king. He was what Samuel thought was the right height to command respect. He was handsome to look at and appeared to be king material to Samuel.

But God knew his heart was that of a coward. Sometime in the near future he would be shaking in his shoes along with the rest of the army. But God knew inside of that little shepherd boy beat the heart of a warrior. He knew David would boldly stand and defy Goliath. He knew that David was strong and the harder the enemy came against him the more he trusted in God. He had the heart of a leader and king.

But to look at him, he wasn’t much in man’s eyes. Have you ever felt like you were nothing. You felt like you had nothing to contribute. You wondered why God just didn’t give up on you. It seems that everything you attempt seems to fall flat of your expectations. You feel like they disappoint God too. It could be that maybe it is just not your Goliath moment yet. But inside of you beats the heart of a warrior.

Do not be guilty of allowing the enemy to sit in the seat of judge. He will tell you all lies to make you feel as small as possible. He will pick apart everything and bind you up with guilt, shame, worthlessness and feeling like there is no use to try.

But God sees you for who you really are, he sees your heart. The fact that you feel like you have let him down proves that you want to do what is pleasing in his sight. You are on your way to becoming what you were always meant to be by God.

Satan knows that if we ever reach the knowledge of who we are, he is really in trouble. We will be like David, the more he comes at us the stronger we will become in God. We will lean on him and trust him more and more.

Be encouraged my brothers and sisters, don’t look in the mirror, do look at how others may see you, don’t even see yourself through any lens but God’s. His word is our mirror, it will help us judge to see where our heart is and we will see the labels that matter. Blessed, Chosen, Adopted, Favored, Forgiven, Child of the Most High God.

Getting the right labels in our mind will help us to see ourselves as God does. Remember, God looks on the heart. We need to make sure our heart is set on him.

Psalm 57:7 My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise. My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise. My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise.

Psalm 112:7 He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD. He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD. He will not be afraid of evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.

I ask the question once again, How do you look? If you ask him, God will show you.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EP233 THANKFUL

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: THANKFUL

Everyday that God gives us is a day to be Thankful. Today in America it is Thanksgiving Day. Many have traditions of watching the big parade on TV, some go around the table to say what they are thankful for that year. But how many really think about why we are even breathing.

Today and everyday is the day to be thankful for all the Lord has done. Since it is a holiday. I want to leave you with a scripture and a quote to think about today.

I Thes 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

God wants us to be thankful. Because when we are it changes our attitude about our lives. It is a lot harder to be depressed when you are thankful.

There is a famous quote that goes: Happiness doesn’t bring gratitude, it is gratitude that brings happiness. Thanks for taking a moment out of your day to share with me. I am Thankful for each and everyone that watches my videos and reads my blog. Thanks for all of your encouragement, likes and shares.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EP232 WORSHIP – THE KEY TO ACCESS TO THE THRONE OF GRACE

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode is: “WORSHIP—THE KEY TO ACCESS TO THE THRONE OF GRACE”

What is worship?

Isaiah Chapter 6 tells us of the vision of the prophet Isaiah. For time sake I will not read it to you. But it is a beautiful chapter. I suggest you read it. It tells us that above the throne of God there are seraphims (angels with six wings). Their whole purpose for existing is to fly and sing, HOLY, HOLY, HOLY, is the Lord of Hosts. These angels aren’t permitted to look upon him. They cover their face with two of their wings.

Yet with all the angels’ praise, He still longs for our worship. Our praise means more to him than all the angels’ praise because we choose to worship. We are his blood-bought children. We have free will to choose good or evil, right or wrong. We choose every day to serve God. We have the choice to stay in the same comfortable rut or break out of that rut and worship. Stepping out is never easy, but it is necessary.

People in the Old Testament worshipped God with sacrifices and incense. Jesus became our sacrifice once and for all time. His blood was enough, we are covered by that precious blood. We can now boldly enter into the throne room to petition or to worship. We have access through the blood of Jesus.

Why do we need to access the throne of grace? To obtain mercy and help for our situations in life. All the answers are at Jesus’ feet.

Heb 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Worship is not about us. Although we get ministered to through worship and God does things in our lives because of our worship this is not why we worship. Worship was designed to get us out of our comfort zone of our flesh and make it all about our enthusiasm for being in God’s presence because we love him. God know when we are going through the motions.

Matt 15:8 -This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.

Jesus was quoting Isaiah. The Pharisees and Sadducees had all their rituals and manmade laws. They didn’t even know God when He stood before them. They had never made a heart connection. They searched and searched the scriptures, but didn’t understand them, because they went by what they were taught and not what God could have shown them if they had taken time to ask.

Isaiah 29:13 -“Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:”

We never want to be guilty of making God feel like we are just giving him lip service. He doesn’t want empty words. He wants our hearts.

Psalms 100:2: “Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.”

Serve the Lord with gladness. That gladness comes from making a God connection every day. It doesn’t matter what we are dealing with; we can have joy even in the middle of the worst tragedies. Every day is a day that God has given us. We need to make up our minds each morning that we will approach it with a worshipful heart.

Psalms 29:2: “Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.”

Give God glory means to show respect, honor, gratitude for who he is and not only what he had done for us. There is nothing we can do to ever thank Him for all he has done. But we can appreciate and worship him for who he is and who he is to us.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 231 ABUNDANT LIFE

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: Abundant Life

I want to share with you today about the abundant life. Let’s start with a definition of abundant -plentiful, generous, overflowing. Many people focus on our natural physical lives when they talk about abundance. Materialism is abundant in and out of the church of today. The people who are living the “good life” have wealth and all that it can buy. But that is not an abundant life, not really.

Rev 3:14-18 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; 15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye salve, that thou mayest see.

These people had an abundance of wealth, and its trappings but did not have spiritual wealth. Many claim Christianity but do not follow Christ. They worship their abundance. We could have all the material things and not have an abundant life. If our spirit is sick, we are naked, poor and miserable. We will not have abundance of the things that matter like peace and joy.

Matt 6:31-34 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

God has promised to take care of us. He is our provider. He didn’t promise fancy cars, multiple homes and all the things that money can buy. He didn’t die so that we could have a summer home in France. He wants us to have a relationship with Him. He wants us to use whatever he has given us to further the kingdom. We all have different resources, some can sing and play music, others are gifted with words. Some are blessed with a lot of money; others may just have enough to live on themselves. But whatever we have, we are obligated to use for the kingdom of God.

When Peter and John came by the blind man at the Gate Beautiful, the man was begging for money. But Peter said, Silver and Gold, have I none, but such as I have, I give to you. He said, In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise and walk, then he lifted him to his feet. It wasn’t what the guy asked for, but they gave him an abundant life because now he could see.

We should always leave people better than we find them. Sometimes it is just a smile or a word of encouragement. Sometimes it is a prayer you say with them, for whatever they need. But if we do all we can, God will do the rest.

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.

Jesus was talking about the devil when he said the thief. The devil always subtracts and divides while God adds and multiplies. Satan wants nothing more than to destroy each of us. That is why we have to bind together and lift up one another so we can share God’s gift of an abundant life here and in the world to come.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 230 LOVE ONE ANOTHER

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode is: “Love One Another”

I John 3:11-24 –

11 For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

The message of the gospel is to love one another. This is often misconstrued that we should embrace people’s sin. We can love the sinner and hate the sin. That is what God does, He loves the sinner and hates the sin.

12 Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous. 13 Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. 14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.

Cain slew able because of jealousy and hatred. Able was righteous and did what was good in the sight of God. Cain killed his brother because he chose a path of evil. This says that we know that have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. In other words, when we are in sin, we are spiritually dead. We do not really care about anyone but ourselves. When we become saved or have passed unto life, we have love for the people of God.

15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

God is so full of love that he considers hate equivalent to murder. The word says if we have hate in our hearts God cannot be there, because God is love. That doesn’t mean we cannot be attacked by the emotion that we feel might be hate. We can hate a person’s ways and actions, but still not hate them. If we hate them, we will want only bad for them and want to see them dead, knowing that in their evil state, they will end up in hell. If we don’t care about their soul, then God is not in us, he cannot be within us.

It is hard at times to separate things out. There have been people that have rubbed me the wrong way, I often call them sandpaper people. They are in our lives to help us see our flaws and remove them. Like sandpaper removes rough edges when a piece of wood has been cut.

But when the enemy puts so much hurt and offense in you toward another that you wish them dead, then it is time to do some serious praying. Because your heart and soul needs to be repaired and only God can help you.

God tells us to love one another not for his sake, but for our own. Part of becoming a mature Christian is allowing fruit to be produced in our lives. In order for fruit to grow our hearts must be full of God’s love.

16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? 18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

There is an old quote that says, “Actions speak louder than words.” If we truly are Children of God, we will love people. We will show kindness when we have no reason to show it. We will share the love of God with those around us, even the sandpaper people and worse.

As children of the most high king, we have a responsibility to the kingdom to be good ambassadors. People don’t need judgmental attitudes from the Bertha Better Than You’s of the world. The love of God is not in them, they are miserable and want everyone else to be miserable. They are like the Pharisees of today. Standing in the way of those who want to be close to God. Jesus didn’t come to make us miserable but to give us an abundant life.

Letting our light shine, is not an occasional thing, but an every minute of everyday thing. We shine the brightest when we are showing God’s love to those who don’t deserve it. Just as God showed us love when we didn’t deserve it. Is it easy? No. But Jesus is with us and will give us the strength to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes.

Jesus used the story of the Good Samaritan to illustrate his point about how we are to treat one another. This story can be found in the book of Luke 10:27-37.

Ask yourself if there is someone that you are holding a grudge against. If there is, ask God to help you let it go, by doing this you will find freedom for yourself.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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