Tag: #dailydevotional

EPISODE 341 WHAT IS IN YOUR CUP?

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The title of today’s episode: What is inside your cup?

A cup can be fancy and clean on the outside but inside can be carrying a deadly disease or poison. These are like the people that are poison to the body of Christ. They look the part of a Christian, they may even dress a certain way to impress those around them. They wear a uniform of their belief of what holiness looks like, but inside they are full of gossip, hatred, bitterness and anger. Some commit sin and hide it under a good reputation.

God will only allow this type of behavior for so long. When he gets to the point that he has tried to get them to change and they refuse, he will turn them over to a reprobate mind. If they continue to attend church and play the part of the “good Christian” but are full of evil, God will expose them.

Psalm 34:14-16 Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. 15 The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry. 16 The face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

Look how long he waited for Eli’s sons to change. They were committing sins within the temple. He warned Eli to stop them, but he allowed it to continue. God killed Eli’s sons and when Eli heard the news that they were dead he fell backward and broke his neck.

Jesus warned the Pharisees that they were evil inside, but on the outside they dressed to impress and did things to make everyone think they were holy.

Matt 23:25-27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. 26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. 27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.

Jesus told them they were like tombs with whitewashed on the outside, but inside they were full of dead men’s bones. They were filled with all manner of uncleanness. This is why it is so important for us to be vigilant to check out those we listen to for our spiritual well-being. A large portion of those in the ministry are motivational speakers who water down the truth. As Christians, we cannot allow these people to pour poisons of complacency and wishy-washy half-truths into our cups. But we have to ask what we want in a minister. Are we asking for the full truth even if it hurts our toes? Are we telling the ministry that we desire the deep things of God?

If we seek God’s truth and make sure our cup is clean inside. We will find ministry leaders that have clean cups full of power and the anointing of the Holy Ghost. These are the ones you want to align with and allow them to pour into your life. Because what they pour into your life will be anointed of God. It will strengthen your soul and help you walk a strong faith walk.

When God’s light is inside of our cup we will shine on the outside. There will be no poison within us. Others will be able to see with the reflection of God’s light within us.

This is why it is important to do all we can to walk in the light of God.

Deut. 28:1-2 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: 2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.

If we try our best to walk in the commandments of God and do his will, his blessings will overtake us. In other words, if we do all we can to walk in God’s ways, his blessings will overflow from our cup. We want only good things to flow from the cup of our life. It is time to search and ask the question, “What is in my cup?”

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 340 VICTIM OR VICTOR?

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: VICTIM OR VICTOR

Are you a victim or are you victorious? Even if you have been a victim, you don’t have to stay a victim. The enemy wants nothing more than to destroy us. But we can have victory through our faith in Jesus. We can pray all we want but if we don’t have faith to believe God for what we are asking it is just noise going into the air. The word says faith without works is dead. Before some of you get excited. Works only will not accomplish anything either. It is like running on a treadmill; it expels energy but will not get you anywhere. But us working with God and believing for him to do what we have asked can accomplish great things.

It is time we look at the situations of life through our faith. We cannot see the Goliath’s of life, through our natural eyes. We have to always see our giants in comparison to our God. We cannot compare them to our own fleshly weakness.

It is easy to get nervous and anxious about situations in life. When we walk in our flesh, we can become anxious. But when we walk by faith, we are strong and bold. The strength comes from the Lord.

Phil 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

God doesn’t want us to be anxious about anything. The enemy loves to cause us to be anxious. Anxiety is one of his many tools. If we are anxious, we are not walking in faith. Our own emotions are in control of the situation. But when we pray, we can turn that anxiety over to Jesus and he will return to us the strength needed to walk by faith.

Phil 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

God will take our anxiety and give us peace as long as we are willing to surrender it to him. But we cannot speak words out of our mouths about how anxious we are, or the enemy will have a stronghold.

Take some time and ask yourself if you are holding on to things that make you anxious. Maybe someone said something that made you feel inadequate. Maybe something happened to you that caused you to be afraid. It is not wrong to feel these feelings. We would not be human if we didn’t experience emotion. But it is what we choose to do with those emotions that makes us victims or victorious. If we walk by our flesh and pet those emotions and start feeling sorry for ourselves, we can end up in full-blown depression. But if we rise up against the emotions and ask God for help to overcome, we will be victorious.

How many times do we tell the stories of old: David and Goliath, the three Hebrew men in the fiery furnace, the parting of the Red Sea, and other miracles. Each situation came down to faith over fear.

Moses had faith that God would see him through, after he had a God encounter. No bush had ever burned like that before, but it took him experiencing the fire of God to increase his faith. He knew that God would not bring them halfway out of bondage. Moses trusted that God would do what he had promised.

But because of unbelief, those who were in bondage were never fully free. They were made to wander the desert for forty years. Only those born in the process got to see the promised land.

We are the same way, God finds us in bondage to sin. He starts the process of bringing us out. But our flesh will never get to the promised land. But only what is born in the process, our spirit man will ever cross over to the promised land. We will only cross over if we learn to walk by faith.

Faith is seeing with our spiritual eyes what we are asking God for, when in the flesh it has not shown up yet. But it is crucial to see it with our faith and know God will bring it to pass in the right season.

Many times, we ask God to open doors for us. We may be at the right door, but if we walk through too soon, we may not be ready for what we find behind the door. God, in his wisdom, knows just the right time to open the door.

Until the door opens, we have to have faith in the hallway. We have to continue to see with our spirit the things we have asked for that are behind the door. At just the right moment, God will take out his key and unlock that door. He will gently push it open, revealing what your belief and faith have built behind the door.

We have to know that God didn’t create us to be victims but to be victorious. Even when we have walked through seasons of being victims to the enemy. We will come out victorious, God is with us.

Be encouraged, keep walking by faith, do not be discouraged, God holds us in his arms. We are safe, forgiven, strengthened and empowered for what the new day will bring. We must remember that we always have the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 339 -SPIRITUAL WARFARE – USING OUR FAITH TO FIGHT SATAN

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: SPIRITUAL WARFARE -USING OUR FAITH TO FIGHT SATAN

Today is the conclusion of the spiritual warfare series. In this time of struggle and stress that the church is going through right now, we need to know how to stand against the enemy. The subject of spiritual warfare goes far deeper and is more detailed than I have covered. I encourage you to dig into the word and do research for yourself.

2 Cor 5:7 We walk by faith and not by sight.

This is a reminder that we cannot go by what we see. We fight our battles with our faith. Part of the armor of God is our shield of faith. In other words, our faith is a defense against the enemy. Because we choose to see things through our faith and not how they appear to be at that moment.

A strategy is needed when we make our battle plan against the enemy. Picture a room full of generals with maps and intelligence reports scattered about, trying to create a plan. Sometimes we have to defend ourselves from attacks. Other times, we need to go on the offensive and take back territory.

We must understand the tactics of our enemy, his vulnerability, his territorial strongholds and how to break the lines of defense. We have to be determined to win. Belief in our cause will give us the strength to keep pressing forward.

We are in a battle for a billion soul harvest. I cannot think of a better cause than that, when heaven rejoices over even one soul coming to Christ. How can we not do all we can to tell the world that there is a better way.

When David looked at Goliath, he saw an enemy of his God. He was determined to take him out because he defied God. The Philistine had been mocking God and God’s people. David looked at him through his faith. He didn’t let how he looked in the natural shake him. He didn’t compare himself to Goliath. He compared Goliath to his God. Actually, the giant was minuscule compared to his God.

If David had looked at Goliath with human eyes not through faith, then Goliath would have seemed huge. David may have fallen into fear like all the rest of the army. He would have believed a bad report like the children of Israel when they went into spy out the land. But Joshua and Caleb looked at things through their faith. They stood boldly and proclaimed that we are more than able to take the land. They understood there were giants. But they chose to look at things in comparison to their God.

This is how one would walk by faith and not by sight. We have to look at our enemy through the lens of faith. Yes, to our natural, physical being, the enemy is more powerful. He has had thousands of years to manipulate mankind. He is good at the art of temptation and trapping. But we have to change the way we see our enemy. We need to look at him like David looked at Goliath. Compared to our God, he is minuscule. The enemy is nothing.

This is how we win our battle; we allow God to fight for us. He will guide us and lead us.

James 4:6-10 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. 9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

James used a lot of wisdom when writing to the church. He called out the spiritual issues of the church. But he also encourages the church that they can walk in victory if they do certain things.

He tells us to walk humbly and submit ourselves to God. If we resist the devil, he will flee. But we have to resist. It doesn’t say play with him, allow just a little bit of sin, after all the enemy says a little will not hurt. We are wise enough to know a little opens the door to the enemy to get a stronghold.

James says for the double minded to cleanse their hands and purify their hearts. To stop being double minded. In other words, we must have a made-up mind. We cannot flip flop between two opinions. We have to choose the right side and not give room for the enemy to get a foothold.

James says to cleans our hands. In other words, the things we do, our works or the work of our hands must be spiritually clean. We must have a pure heart. It takes work to fight against the enemy and not be double-minded, have clean hands and a pure heart. We can do these things, with the help of our God.

Never go into battle with an attitude that you will not win. If this is the attitude you may as well not go to battle. We have to believe we will come out victorious. We cannot win alone, but we have to go.

Like Jehosophat’s army, I shared with you yesterday. He didn’t have to fight with natural weapons. But they did fight with worship, they had a part to play. They had to show up at the battlefield to collect the spoils of war. We have to plan to be victorious by walking by faith. This refers to fighting a good fight of faith.

Eph 6:13-17 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

I want you to notice verse thirteen. We put on the whole armor of God so that we can withstand evil. Then the verses go onto list the different parts of the armor of God. It takes this armor to equip us to be able to stand against the enemy. We could not discuss warfare without touching on our protection or armor.

Every episode of this series has been to encourage you and give you a desire to study how to war and defend against the enemy. We have to go into training or boot camp to understand how to fight our battles. There used to be commercials that encouraged kids to read books then they would say, Knowledge is Power. When it comes to our enemy, the more we know how to stand against him.

Be bold and stand strong against our enemy. You can win the battle if you stand with God. Allow him to lead and be willing to face your fears and doubts, putting them under the shield of faith. Be sure to plan for victory, never allow the enemy to cause you to talk defeat. Our words have power. Using the word of God is the fiery darts against the enemy. I hope this series has encouraged you to stand strong and fight the good fight of faith.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 338 SPIRITUAL WARFARE -WORSHIP IS OUR WEAPON

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: SPIRITUAL WARFARE – WORSHIP IS OUR WEAPON

I have been doing a series on spiritual warfare. In episode 334, we covered keeping a watch for the enemy. Our adversary, satan, is on the prowl to destroy the body of Christ. We have to be on guard and keep watch for his traps and tactics.

The second thing we covered in episode 335 is our battle for holiness. We have to walk holy before God and resist the temptation to sin. The enemy is constantly trying to get us to fall into sin. We have to keep a guard on our thoughts and hearts so as to not fall into the traps of the enemy.

The third topic we covered in episode 336 was how the body of Christ needs to reconnect to the power of God. We must set aside our fear and man’s doctrines and spend time with God. We need to connect with the power of miracles and other tools the modern-day church has lost. We will be able to connect to that power source if we spend time in earnest prayer and fasting. These things are missing from our modern church. Episode 337 was all about prayer and fasting.

Today I want to talk about the power of praise. We often do not think about praise as being a weapon. Praise connects us to God in a way that nothing else does. We can break free of a lot of things with praise and worship. It helps us to untether from religion and connects us to God when we yield to him and zone out everything else. Getting into a place where it is just you and God, and you forget everything but your praise and love for God.

Worship is our weapon; every praise we lift sends explosions into the enemy camp. Worship breaks the narrative of the enemy, because we can leave the thoughts behind us. Every thought of the enemy that comes to cause us to be negative and to bind us up, we can break with worship.

One of my favorite stories is found in 2 Chr. 20, King Jehosophat had three different armies coming against him. The people were praying and God said,

2 Chr 20:15-18 And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s. 16 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. 18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the Lord, worshipping the Lord.

They spent time praising the Lord because he told them not to be afraid because they had a large number of enemies threatening them, he promised to take care of the battle. He told them the enemy would be destroyed without them even shooting one arrow or drawing their swords.

2 Chr 20:20-21 And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. 21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth for ever.

Their worship was their weapons. To the natural mind, this seems crazy to put singers in the front of the army. From the natural perspective they would be the first ones fired upon. But Jehosophat knew that God had said they would not have to fight, so he sent the praise team before the army.

2 Chr 20:22-24 And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten. 23 For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another. 24 And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped.

I love how these three armies destroyed one another. It is like Haman being hung on his own gallows in the story of Esther. What the enemy plans to harm us will only elevate us, as long as we keep our perspective right before God. We need to praise and worship him. Releasing the darts of praise will cause the enemy to run or to be destroyed.

Evil spirits cannot stay where the anointing of God is, they have to flee. Our worship invites the presence of God. The anointing breaks yokes. We will not be tethered to the things of the enemy if we worship and do not dwell on the negative.

Complaining is the opposite of worship. Complaining is music to the ears of the enemy, because he will agree with your negative words. He will have an opening to work through if we allow ourselves to be full of negativity.

This is why we have to focus on the good things, even when life is not reflecting the good. We have to remember this world is not our home, we are just passing through.

Saul had lost his kingdom through disobedience. He still sat on the throne for a time period after Samuel told him that the kingdom was no longer his to rule. Saul even went to a sorcerer the witch of Endor to try to get insight into the future. Further opening up doors to the enemy the devil to take over and control him. He was tormented by evil spirits in the night and could not sleep. He called for someone to play music for him.

David played a harp with the anointing of God and the evil spirit would depart from Saul. This is proof that the anointing through praise will break the torment of the enemy. The evil spirits have to flee when we worship.

Just any musician would not work. People have talent and can play music beautifully, but if it is not anointed it will not drive away evil spirits. David, however, knew how to worship God. He learned when he was a shepherd boy. His pure praise was what elevated him to the position of King.

David didn’t always do the right things. He, too, fell into sin. But his willingness to repent and try again was honored by God. Our heavenly father doesn’t expect us to be perfect. He just asks us to worship him honestly and with a pure heart toward God.

We can win our spiritual battles with our enemy if we send up praise. Remember that worship is another weapon we have to fight off the evil that tries to overtake us. More spiritual warfare on tomorrow’s episode.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 336 SPIRITUAL WARFARE – RECONNECTING TO THE POWER OF GOD

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: Spiritual Warfare – Reconnecting To The Power Of God

Over the next few days, I will be talking to you about Spiritual Warfare. We recognize that outside of the things we see, hear, smell, taste and touch in our physical world, there is another realm. The realm of the spirit cannot be experienced with our natural senses.

God is in the spirit realm with his angels that he sends to protect us. We often think about the angels protecting us from things like car wrecks and accidents. But they war in the spiritual realm with the powers of darkness. They war for our very existence at times. The enemy would like nothing more than to take us out. But God draws a line and says, You can only go so far.

It takes God’s revelation through His Spirit within us to see into the spirit realm. The enemy through witchcraft and santanic rituals will give people counterfeit revelations. I am told by those whom God has saved from the life of witchcraft and satanic rituals, however, that the things they see are different than the things God’s children see.

Those dealing in darkness can only see children of God surrounded by light or a fire of protection. They know who is real in the kingdom of God and who is not. We do not understand the power we have as children of God. When we receive the Holy Ghost, we are given power to stand against the enemy.

Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

I know that many say that we will have the power to witness. That is how this verse is normally explained. But it goes much deeper than just being able to tell someone about Jesus.

Notice the picture on your screen, it is from my Hebrew/Greek Study bible the number 1411 is the strong’s concordance number beside of the word power, which leads to the original Greek word, dunimus.

Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance

ability, power, strength

From dunamai; force (literally or figuratively); specially, miraculous power (usually by implication, a miracle itself) — ability, abundance, meaning, might(-ily, -y, -y deed), (worker of) miracle(-s), power, strength, violence, mighty (wonderful) work.

Copied from bible hub online.

This says that when we are born again or receive God’s spirit, we will receive miraculous power, ability, abundance, meaning, mighty deed. We will be workers of miracles, power, strength…

Why are we not seeing miracles among believers any longer? Some would tell you that it was just for early church. It is easy to explain away. Maybe it could be that we have lost our ability to connect with the Spirit of God on that level. We have become so sophisticated that we lost the connection.

We cannot battle the enemy without the power of God. The early church went about with signs following them, casting out devils, miracles. This connection showed the world that they knew God.

This is what it is going to take reach the world today the power of God. We have no hope of pulling people out of darkness without the light of God within us. Many may listen to what I am saying and will be skeptical. But I have seen miracles, I have experienced them and when God see fit to release that power within me, I will be a vessel he uses to heal others.

Every believer can have God’s power within them to work miracles and free people from demonic oppression and possession. If we pray and are willing to give up the distractions of this life and commit fully to the cause of Christ. But most are not willing to fully sell out to the cause of Christ. But we have to be led by the Spirit of God that is within us. Unless we are fully sold out to the cause of Christ, nothing else in this life matters. We will never be the effective witnesses we should be in the earth.

Some of us have been running our spiritual lives on battery power, what little bit we have stored up is how our light is shining. But if we plug in the charger and connect to our power source through prayer and fasting. We will be able to allow God to use us in miraculous ways. Suddenly, we have a new spiritual spring in our step, and we feel like we can make a difference in this world.

We can not afford as the body to be lukewarm and lacking power. The enemy has intensified his attacks on our society. It would stand to reason that the Body of Christ is going to have to intensify our prayers and prepare for battle.

The enemy will not win, if we equip ourselves with the armor of God. If we bind together in God’s love, unity and the power of His Spirit. The enemy doesn’t stand a chance. God will win the battle. I want you to ask yourself who’s side do you want to be on? The winning side or the losing side? We can win if we reconnect to the power of God.

Thanks for watching,

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 332 HUMBLE AND JUST

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: HUMBLE AND JUST

There is a portion of our society that is all about gaining power and influence. They will lie, cheat, steal, and in some cases kill to get their way. The name of the game is elevation to more power. But their type of power is an illusion. Because it is all based on a lie. Truth is the only sure thing. We can rely on the truth.

Some of the greatest influences in my life have been people who had power and influence but didn’t wield it like a weapon. Most of them were humble, and only a few even realized that they had great power.

Prov. 11:1-3 A false balance is abomination to the Lord: but a just weight is his delight.

Think about the old scales that had two baskets or platforms. On one side, they put an exact weight, then in the other basket, they would put what they wanted to weigh. When the two baskets or platforms were balanced, you could say that the thing you were weighing was of a certain weight.

Often, dishonest merchants would have false weights in order to cheat their customers. People often do things dishonestly to as we would say, tip the scales in their favor. But the dishonest will not get away with their cheating forever; the truth will come out. They will be ruined; no one will want to buy from them once the truth is known.

However, if you are humble and honest, God will make things work out in your favor. You do not have to brag about yourself. God will do the bragging for you. He will lift you up and make you prosperous in every way.

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

James was repeating what Jesus said to his disciples.

Matt 23:11-12 But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

Jesus was our example; he was the Lord of everything. He was God Almighty wrapped in flesh, but he never acted like he was anything more than a humble servant of God.

Jesus told his disciples that if they sought to be elevated, like people today want wealth and political power, then they would be humbled. But if they were humble, God will exalt them.

Micah 6:8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

We are to do that which is just and true. We are to love mercy, embrace it at every turn, when the opportunity arises. And walk humbly with our God. We do not have to walk this road or any road alone. He is there to help us and be our guide, but we have to humble ourselves and allow him to lead us.

Prov 11:2-3 When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom. 3 The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them.

Many times the word talks about pride. Pride goes before a fall. When we allow pride to enter our hearts, we will do anything to save face. These types of people do not want others to know they are not the person that they are perceived to be; they end up falling by trying to cover their pride.

Those who do not seek to be exalted have wisdom. They value other things over the pedestals in which people can elevate one another.

Proud and exalted people never slow down to notice those around them that are hurting and need a kind word or deed. The humble person notice others pain and are willing to do what they can to make life bearable.

To be exalted and prideful is a lie, because they pretend to be something they are not. Those that are humble, are full of truth because they do not pretend to be something they are not.

Even children can understand the difference between real and make-believe. But as adults, if we pretend too long, we believe our lies. This is why getting our identity from the Lord is so important. He will never lead us in the wrong direction, but will keep us grounded in truth.

That truth being that we can do nothing without God. We are nothing without God. If we keep the proper perspective on our focus on God, walking humbly will be possible. Because all things are possible with Jesus.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 330 KNOW THE ENEMY

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: KNOW THE ENEMY

This morning, I sat and pondered all that is happening in our world. People are blinded to what satan is doing. A large portion of the Body of Christ is blind to the tactics of the enemy. We need to be wise to his tactics to keep us from falling into a trap.

Matt 10:16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

Jesus told his disciples he was sending them forth as sheep in the middle of a bunch of wolves. Sheep are vulnerable animals, they do not have many built in natural defenses. It is not like they have razor sharp fangs or sharp claws. When a predator comes around sheep are vulnerable without their shepherd. They do not have much chance of survival. They will be consumed by wolves. Just like satan, he is a predator, he will devour us if we do not stay close to our shepherd.

Understanding the enemy will give us wisdom on how to avoid his traps. However, we do not have to go down the proverbial rabbit hole and study satanism to know how to avoid his traps. God’s word tells us all we need to know.

I Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

We think sober just means not drunk on alcohol. But it also means: serious, solemn, clearheaded, temperate. Temperate means mild, balanced and self-restrained. Vigilant means to be watchful, careful, alert to danger.

The word is telling us to pay attention and not be distracted, be clear headed and self-restrained. The enemy’s biggest tool in his arsenal is to draw us away from God, he tempts us with something that our flesh desires. If we lack self-restraint it is easy to get caught in the trap of the enemy. Satan is out there, roaming and watching for us to get in a vulnerable place for him to try to pounce on us. Everyday, we have to make sure we have on the whole armor of God. We have to be watching out for the enemy’s attack.

Think about all the evil that is on open display in our society today. We cannot even imagine the evil that is being hidden from us all. God is going to expose the evil. All the evil will not stand if we pray for exposure and for God to remove it.

Luke 12:2-3 For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. 3 Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.

God will reveal every evil plot and plan of the enemy. Part of God’s protection as our shepherd is to reveal the plots of the enemy to us. He has given us discernment. Which is an instinct that we know in our spirit with deep understanding the plans of the enemy.

We can overcome it all by resistance. We can resist the things he is plotting and planning. If we resist him, he has to flee.

James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

We resist by being temperate or self-restrained enough to say no to satan’s temptations. In resisting we take away any right he has to overpower us. He has to leave us.

We overcome the enemy with the blood of the lamb and the words of our testimony. We need to speak out of our mouths how great God is, when we speak it, we reinforce it in our own belief system. Our testimony will encourage others as well as ourselves.

Rev 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

We have power over the powers of the enemy. We are wise to his devices. We have to stand together and stand strong. Hold onto our faith and nail scared hand of our shepherd.

2 Cor 2:11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

We have to know the tactics of our enemy and how to combat them. Our Lord is there to keep us safe. God will not allow us to be overtaken by the enemy as long as we look to him. He has promised to be our protector, savior and friend. So be vigilant, keep watch for the enemy so that you are not caught in his trap.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 328 STANDING IN THE GAP

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: STANDING IN THE GAP

All through the Bible we find stories of people who stood in the gap for their nation, people, and family. Standing in the gap means we fill the void space between those who are in need of God to reach God. Jesus is the ultimate example, without him standing in the gap for our sins, we would not even have a right to ask for God’s help. The largest gap ever created was the one Adam and Eve made when they sinned. Jesus came and filled in that gap.

John 14:6-Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Moses interceded on behalf of the children of Israel several times. Asking God to give them mercy when they deserved punishment. Many times God was weary of their idolatry and disobedience, but Moses prayed for God’s mercy.

Esther called a fast and prayed for God to save her people from Haman’s evil agenda to kill all of her people. Once the time of fasting and prayer was over she went to the king at risk of death. She asked for her people to be given into her hand to do as she wished. When his plot had been revealed to the king. Evil Haman was hung on a gallows he had prepared for Mordecai a Jew that would not bow to him. God’s people were spared because of Esther and her call for prayer.

Nehemiah was grieved by the news that the walls of Jerusalem lay in ruins. Because of his intercession and excitement of rebuilding the wall. Others got on board. Nehemiah stood in the gap and the people were lead into a time of repentance and renewal. The walls were fortified and once again Jerusalem was a strong city.

Sometimes all it takes is for one person to get excited about something. Their vision can become the vision of others. Nehemiah wanted to rebuild the walls, but it took a group of people to accomplish it.

Abraham pleaded with God to spare Sodom and Gomorrah. He asked God to spare it if he could find fifty righteous. He did not. Abraham kept bargaining down to ten people who were righteous. God could not even find ten in all the city that was righteous.

After Lot, his wife and his daughters left the city, fire and brimstone started falling from the sky on the evil. God told them to not look back, but Lot’s wife turned and looked back, she was turned into a pillar of salt.

It is safe to say that God spared Lot and his daughters because of Abraham’s prayers.

For years, there has been a movement in our country of intercessors who have prayed for our country and the world to be free from evil rulers. Many have cried out to God for mercy on our country, our states and local areas.

Being an intercessor takes time and energy. It means going beyond the words and feeling the emotion of the weight of where our country is spiritually. We have been taken over by evil agendas and the worship of satan.

I am sure that the only thing that has spared America is the large group of God’s people that feel compelled to intercede. Now more than ever we need for God to reveal the evil, make know satan’s agenda. God will spare our country, but we have something to do, we need to intercede.

I am sure we all have someone in our lives that needs us to stand in the gap of intercession for them. They are bound in sin and need God to intervene on their behalf. There are people that are dying of sickness and bad choices that need God.

We cannot be the church of recent years where we look at these situations and say a surface prayer and go on about our lives. Now is the time to get serious and get down to business. We need to allow our prayers to penetrate heaven. Many prayers never leave the earth. The difference one is saying a prayer. “Lord help that situation. Amen.” The other is getting on our face before God and praying until we feel like we cannot pray any longer. We need to P.U.S.H, Pray Until Something Happens.

Are you willing to stand in the gap for that loved one or friend? Are you willing to invest time in crying out for our country? God is needing us to keep pushing and praying. We are so close to our breakthrough but we need to keep going. Keep walking by faith.

Heb 4:14-16 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 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.

Because of what Jesus has done for us, we can come boldly to the throne of God and petition for mercy and grace. We can be bold in our prayers and intercession for those in need of God’s intervention.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 322 ARISE OUT OF SLEEP AND FIGHT

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: Arise Out Of Sleep And Fight

Almost everyone I talk to is struggling with fatigue, stress, anxiety, fear of the unknown. The enemy is trying to wear us out, but we have to fight. We are on the edge of something happening that will change the world as we know it. God is going to begin to pour himself out in the churches that are ready to accept him.

Some churches, as I have said many times, are social clubs. They are happy with the status quo. They do not want God’s presence in their midst. If he were to show up, they would have to measure up.

Other congregations of people are starving for fresh bread of God’s anointing. They desire a closer walk with him. They want to know him, not just know about him. Not in word or deed, but truly know him. These are the people that he is going to visit. He wants to be welcome in the buildings that bear his name. He longs to communicate with us and give us direction and a better understanding of what he wishes to do with us.

Far too long, the harvest field has been ready, and the church has been asleep. It is time to wake up and arise out of sleep. The Pharisees of today have bound up God’s people for too long. God doesn’t give us a checklist and expect us to live by it.

By this list, you will know you are my disciples. Don’t do this; you can’t do that, and on and on. No, the words says, we are his if we have love one to another. If we love him, we will do what his word says, but we do not get salvation by works. It all comes down to a personal relationship. How much time do you spend with him? How often do you think about God and his wonderful mercy outside of church services?

Today is a grand and glorious day. It is an opportunity to change things for the better. Today is the day to get serious, arise out of sleep, and press forward. Do not allow the enemy to wear you out. He is trying to make everyone battle-weary.

But we do not have to allow satan to wear us out. We can praise our way through. Praise will break the heaviness. Praise helps us power through whatever the enemy is trying to do in our lives to wear us down. If he can get us to fall into fatigue, depression, or fear, he knows we will not have the energy to fight him. He knows we will become weary of trying to witness to the world.

But we can break through and break out of the chains he is trying to bind us up in by praising the Lord. There is not one thing the enemy can do to us if we can keep our God Focus.

When we feel weak, we are strong in the Lord. He draws near to the humble and the weak. He will see us through whatever comes our way. We cannot give up; we have to stand strong and fight. The enemy will not win unless we give up. Let the boldness of the Lord arise in you and stand strong. Look to the Lord, and He will restore our peace.

I want to leave you with a verse for the day.

Gal.6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 321 GIVE ME FIRE

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: GIVE ME FIRE

There has to be toe-stomping preaching in order to save our souls. I long for the days when preachers were full of fire and not afraid to preach the word. I love for a message to step on my toes, because it makes me better and stronger. Today, too many churches have motivational speakers. But we need powerful messages that make us grow and not always the fluff of living our best lives. Sometimes life is hard. Jesus told the disciples that they would face hard things. It is not different for us today. But in those hard things, we grow and become stronger. With our new level of faith, we can be a beacon of hope in a dying world.

Unbelief is the new norm; people do not know how to have faith. The ministry has to start preaching with fire the things the church needs to hear about growing faith. They need to hear that it takes prayer and a lot of prayer to grow your relationship with God. People need to be told and understand that they are signing up for a life of service and sacrifice. Everything will not always be wonderful. Being a Christian is not about having a pampered, cushy life. People need to be taught that there is a difference in saying a prayer to check off a to do list for the day of Christian things and getting down to business and pouring your heart out to God in prayer. One is saying a prayer, and one is praying a prayer.

When we desire sermons that get on our toes, it means we want to grow in strength and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. The truth sets us free. The truth is hard to swallow sometimes. But it is always best for us in the long run.

The truth is like a medicine, bitter to swallow, but it will give you strength and make you stronger. I don’t know when it became the norm to not tell the truth, especially behind the pulpit. Be encouraged, there are real ministers of God out there and they are standing tall to proclaim the truth of God. If you know such a preacher, stand behind them, encourage them and back them in anyway you can.

We need the fire to be restored to the pulpit in order for it to be restored to the body. Our God is a consuming fire. The word consume means to destroy, ingest, swallow up, use, or utilize. Our God will destroy the things of our flesh. He will swallow up who we are and make us better vessels for his use. We have to be on fire, too, for the world to know we are different. In order for us to be a usable vessel for God.

Just like the burning bush in the desert. What made Moses go see what was going on, because it was on fire. The only one God spoke out of was the bush that was on fire. The only people today that God will truly use are those who are on fire for him.

We are the temple of the Holy Ghost; God’s fire lives within us. Only by allowing His fire to burn on the altar of our hearts, can we learn to walk in the light of his fire.

The Children of Israel had a pillar of fire that was a buffer between them and their enemy. If we keep the fire burning bright, it will keep away the evil of this world. They will not be able to look at us for the light of God that is within us.

People will know we are different and will be drawn to the warmth of the fire of God within us. We will be able to lead them to Jesus, the only one who can save them from the evil of this world and the evil inside of them.

God’s holy fire is important. The fire of truth will help us to understand the word of God. It will help us to know what God is calling us to do in this life. But if the fire has gone out in the church, then the people will starve. Their bones will become cold, and they will die.

Keeping the fire of God in our lives is crucial to our spiritual walk. It is also crucial to all those we will meet along the way that we are supposed to share Jesus. Pray for him to stoke the fire in your life. Pray for the body of Christ to catch on fire. It is the only way we will reach the world. Just like the burning bush, if we are on fire, they will come to see what God has to say through us. And through that word of God, many will be delivered and saved.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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