Who doesn’t want to be strong, stand straight and face the world with confidence?

Life is a series of stories, and each one of us has a unique story to tell. Billions upon billions of stories and no two are exactly the same.

Let’s be honest, there have been times in each of our stories where we’ve all felt hopeless, weak and shattered. In those chapters what did you do to rebound and how quickly were you able to regain your footing?

I don’t know about you, but at least for me the only way I can muster the strength to keep on fighting this ‘good fight of faith’ is running back into the arms and fixing my eyes on the Author and Perfecter of my faith (Hebrews 12:2).

In referencing our ‘should be’ stance while in the heat of battling spiritual warfare Paul cited in Ephesians 6:10 the following; “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.”

I think we kinda have a rudimentary idea of what “to be strong in the Lord” means, but let’s look at what it doesn’t mean.

As I’ve mentioned in previous devotionals, in the original Greek language, the term is a passive voice verb meaning “to be rendered (more) capable or able for some task.” To be strong in the Lord does not involve building up your own strength. Believers cannot strengthen themselves in the Lord; rather, they must be empowered and/or be strengthened by God!

Simply put, when life hacks stop working and we are stricken with frailty and fragility God will undoubtedly stand for us and empower us to keep believing in ourselves, to be patient, to refuse to be victims of our circumstances, to ask for help when necessary, to overlook things beyond our control, and to never give up fighting the good fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:12).

God must have a sense of humor because it makes no human sense that we are strongest in the Lord when we operate in the realm of human weakness. But, I guess your can’t make spiritual sense through human reasoning. We may not realize what it means for God to be our strength until we’re weak enough that He’s our only option.

Do you sense your strength rebuilding in your inner core?? I know as I write this devotional, I sense the power of God in my presence!

I equally know that some of you are still learning to rely on the power of God and the first thing I suggest that you to do is to look back at the things that God has done: “Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always. Remember the wonders He has done, His miracles, and the judgments He pronounced” (Psalm 105:4–5). Every miracle recorded for us in the Bible should give you encouragement that His strength is more than enough!

No matter how weak or ill-equipped we may feel, we can rely on the power of God. We have the assurance that God “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20). We have confidence that ultimately God will accomplish His good in our lives: “In all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

BeStrong

Let’s not ever forget who is holding our nation in the palms of His hand. Let’s not stumble over own doubts and ambiguities as to where the proverbial buck starts and stops. Let’s not allow the narrative that have been spoken cloud, fog or obscure our spiritual lens to see the hand of God working in and through our world, national, state, and local governments.

It has been said that “religion and politics don’t mix.” But is that really true? Can we have political views outside the considerations of our Christian faith? The answer is no, we cannot.

You see, the will of God permeates and supersedes every aspect of life. It is God’s will that takes precedence over everything and everyone. Do you remember the Model Prayer (aka) the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13? In verse 10 Jesus said, “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. God’s plans and purposes are fixed, and His will is inviolable. What He has purposed, He will bring to pass, and no government can thwart His will (Daniel 4:34-35).

Secondly, we must embrace the reality that our government can not save us! Only God can do that! Political entities are not the savior of the world. The salvation for all mankind has been manifested in Jesus Christ. God knew that our world needed saving long before any national government was ever founded. He demonstrated to the world that redemption could not be accomplished through the power of man, economic strength, military might, or politics. Peace of mind, contentment, hope, and joy—and the salvation of mankind—are provided only through Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Finally, God is sovereign and the only way to walk in the light of His sovereignty is to know Him. Know His attributes, know what He has done in the past, and this builds confidence in Him. Daniel 11:32b says, “The people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.” Imagine that kind of power in the hands of an evil, unjust god. Or a god that really doesn’t care about us. But we can rejoice in our God’s sovereignty, because it is overshadowed by His goodness, His love, His mercy, His compassion, His faithfulness, and His holiness.

Is it possible to experience joy, hope and strength in a fallen world? Well, the answer to the question largely depends your ability to maintain a Christ-centered mindset in spite of worldly turbulence. However, I believe that in order to consistently experience joy, hope and strength you must be plugged into the source of joy, hope, and strength.

It’s no secret that we live in a fallen world; we all struggle with sin on a daily basis. We all experience heartache and pain. We witness natural disasters and staggering losses. Injustice, inhumanity, and falsehood seem to have its way. Discord and trouble are commonplace. None of these things were part of God’s original plan for humanity. We fell from our original position in the Garden and as you know,
we now live in a fallen world. According to Romans 8:22, “All creation “groans” under the consequences of our sin.”

The good news is that if you are plugged into Christ, your well will never run dry! When you are plugged into Christ, you will start to see things from the lens of victory and not the lens of confusion, destruction and chaos! When you are plugged into Christ the shortest distance between you and (joy, hope, and strength) is established by His ‘yes’ and God’s ‘amen’ (2 Corinthians 1:20).

The other bit of good news is that God does not intend His world to forever groan. Through Jesus Christ, God is repairing His creation, something that we could never do on our own. He is restoring friendships, He is restoring our reflection of His likeness, He is restoring the design of family & marriages, He is restoring man’s proper dominion, and He is daily restoring and replenishing our joy, hope, and strength!

Please chew on Isaiah 43:2 today and remember that, “When you pass through the waters, God will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”

TGBTG, Jesus Christ has promised to return, and when He comes back, He will finish setting everything right forever (Isaiah 2:2–4; 25:6–9; 65:17–25; Revelation 20—22). So, don’t miss God’s final invitation to all fallen people: “Come!” (Revelation 22:17). All who are plugged into God by faith in Jesus Christ will always be filled with joy, hope, and strength.

I’ve got good news for you!!! God is getting ready to turn your private prayers into public miracles and life changing breakthroughs!!!

Now that I have got your attention, the real question is do you really believe in the power of prayer?

Charles Spurgeon said, “True prayer is neither a mere mental exercise nor a vocal performance. It is far deeper than that — it is a spiritual transaction with the Creator of Heaven and Earth.”

The answer to the above question is found in one pivotal scripture. In Matthew 18:18-20, Jesus tells us about the power of prayer when he said, “Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

As mentioned by Spurgeon, this spiritual transaction is not a vocal performance. It’s not about what you pray or even how you pray. This spiritual transaction is an act of worship that glorifies God and reinforces your need for Him.

When we choose to believe and earnestly commit to living a prayer life we literally connect with the very source of and purpose for our existence.

Not to mention, prayer is our fiercest weapon against the enemy and all things in this fallen world and let me insert this; prayer is also the only conduit to genuine external and inner peace!

Unfortunately, this power source is far too often overlooked because many people struggle with what to say and they doubt that God is really listening! If I am talking to you, re-read paragraph 5.

1 John 5:14-15 reminds us; “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us — whatever we ask — we know that we have what we asked of Him.”

Still not convinced? Well, there is hope and confirmation found in Psalm 107:28-30. The Psalmist wrote, “Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven.”

Brothers and Sisters, it’s spiritually imperative for us never to doubt what God can do through our prayers and it’s of equal importance never to forget there is insurmountable power that lies within the walls of that spiritual transaction!

Have you ever wandered or asked yourself, “What does God really want from me?!” Well, in Micah 6 we find a nation of people complaining about their inability to satisfy God. Their way of asking this question is found in verse 7, “Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?” Sarcasm at best, but let’s be honest; we’ve all asked the same question in one shape, form or fashion.

In Matthew 22:36-39 Jesus was asked, which commandment is the greatest and Jesus answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” What God wants is really quite simple: He wants us!! All our service for God must flow from those two commands to love, or it is not real service; it is fleshly effort. And Romans 8:8 says that those who are “in the flesh cannot please God.”

Now then, without going too-too deep and to keep it in proper perspective, God wants us to trust Jesus (Philippians 2:9–11 ), He wants us to, “become conformed to the imagine of His son” (Romans 8:29), He wants us to be obedient (First Peter 1:14–15 ), He wants us to worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24), and when we diligently go to Him for ‘the things we want’, He wants us to come to Him faithful and believing (Hebrews 11:6).

Unfortunately, we have the tendency to overthink things in life which makes living life unnecessarily more difficult than it needs to be. That’s one of the reasons why Solomon encouraged us not to lean on our own understanding, but to acknowledge God so that He can direct our paths (Proverbs 3:6). In other words, God wants us to acknowledge Him and trust Him as our Leader (aka) Lord and Savior.

In Micah 6:8, the prophet responded to Israel’s snide and irreverent question mentioned in verse 7. He said, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” God’s desire for us is very simple. As I mentioned above, people complicate things, tacking on rules and man-made laws that ensues frustration and kill the joy in following Christ (2 Corinthians 3:6). From God’s perspective the status of our relationship with Him is never on ‘complicated’!!!

God wants us to love Him with all our hearts and let our obedience stem from a heartfelt desire to be pleasing in His sight. In I Samuel 15, God appointed a time ‘to settle accounts’ with the nation of Amalek for opposing Israel when they came from Egypt (V2) and He gave freshly anointed King Saul specific instructions, but he failed to do exactly what God commanded. Of course, Saul doesn’t see it that way and overthinks the entire situation. In the latter he does what he thinks God wants in lieu of doing want commanded him to do. He decided to offer God sacrifices, when God was testing his obedience and Samuel’s classic reply to Saul’s unfortunate decision confirms the principle of this message. In verse 22 he said, “What is more pleasing to the LORD: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.”

God wants from us what we need from Him love, trust, and faithfulness!

If we were created to praise God, what are somethings that stops or impedes us from praising God?

In order to answer this ‘let’s be honest’ question we must first fully understand what is the biblical definition of praise. Praise is an outward expression that gives glory and honor to God. Praise magnifies the Lord. Praise is an intentional spoken or visible, physical act. We can’t just think God is good; we have to say it. We can’t just go and meditate on it or pray for others, we need to tell someone about God. Psalm 145:3 reminds us that, “Great is the Lord and worthy of much praise, whose grandeur is beyond understanding” and Psalm 150:6 confirms that, “Everything that has breath praise the Lord!”

With that said, when life sucks the life out of you or takes the wind out of your sails, it’s hard to look up to an invisible God and offer up a tangible praise you don’t have in your spirit to give. It’s hard to praise God when you are dying on the inside! It’s hard to praise God when you can’t see an immediate solution your problem. It’s hard to praise God when you have more debt than income! It’s hard to praise God when you children and/or spouse is acting like a prodigal! It’s hard to praise God when your supervisor or employee breaches their end of the agreement. It’s hard to praise God when you are judged by the color of your skin and not by the content of your integrity. It’s hard to praise God when people maliciously and spitefully slanders your name for personal gain! As I mentioned above, let’s be honest, it’s hard to praise God when you have nothing left in your tank that is praiseworthy.

Well, in order to truly differentiate between our call-to-praise from the reasons that stop our praise, we must first recognize that our circumstances (good or bad) should never control our praise because praise isn’t about us, it’s all about God!

In Psalm 34:1 David strongly reminds us the importance of living a life of continued praise to God. He starts the chapter by saying, “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise will always be on my lips.” Did you catch that? David didn’t say sometimes, he said, “ALL TIMES!”

I don’t know about you, but I want to give God an ‘anyhow’ praise because I know what Romans 8:38-39 says. I know that nothing will every separate me from God’s love and that (at least for me) is my reason to praise Him. Not to mention, in Psalm 22:3 we are reminded that, “God Dwells in the praises of His people!”

So if you are going through a tough stent and you want a new and fresh perspective, lift your hands and voices up and give God what He rightfully deserves. Confuse the enemy by focusing on the Problem Solver rather than the problem. If praise can knocked down fortress built walls at Jericho, I am sure your praise can knocked down any obstacles standing in your way that is impeding you from doing what God created you to do!!

Praise is not the inevitable byproduct that comes when everything is going right in our lives; it is the driving force. Praise will get our focus where it needs to be—on God. If we start praising God in the middle of our problems, our problems will shrink so much that we’ll hardly remember to bring them to God! We’ll be so busy praising Him and thanking Him for His blessings that our problems will be an afterthought.

Proverbs 18:16 declares: “A man’s gift makes room for him.” I want you to know that God has put a gift or talent in every person that the world will make room for. It is this gift that will enable you to fulfill your vision and it will always make a way for you in your life.

I’ve heard it said “Your name has been written in places where your feet have yet to enter” and “Your name has been mentioned in rooms your feet have not entered.” A play on words indeed, but both statements are foundational grounded in the same spiritual truth—God’s prescriptive  and predestined favor! 

Did you catch that?!! Interestingly, the Bible does not say that a man’s education, resources, financial statement, or status will make room for him, but that his gift does.

The second half of Proverbs 18:16 says, “A man’s gift…brings him before great men.” Many people fail to realize that the gift they’re sitting on is loaded with power, potential, persistence, perseverance, purpose, and passion!

Still not catching on?! Well, Consider this; before King Saul was transitioned out, King David’s name was written in a place his feet had not entered. I Samuel 16:11-12 confirms, “Then Samuel asked, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse replied. “But he’s out in the fields watching the sheep and goats.” “Send for him at once,” Samuel said. “We will not sit down to eat until he arrives. So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the LORD said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.”

In closing, Ephesians 1:11-12 reminds us that, “In Him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.” Henceforth, there’s absolutely no reason why you should think God will do anything less. You don’t need to worry about who doesn’t think you’re deserving or qualified, there’s no reason to worry about haters nor do you need worry about the folks that tried to keep you out because God has already spoken your name into someone’s spirit (like Samuel) who is going to aid in moving you to the next level in your earthly and spiritual journey.

Judas Isacariot had the best Pastor, the best Leader, the best Advisor, the best Counselor and yet he stilled failed!

Why did he fail? Well, for starters although Judas was chosen to be one of the Twelve (John 6:64), all scriptural evidence points to the fact that he never believed Jesus to be God. He even may not have been convinced that Jesus was the Messiah (as Judas understood it). Unlike the other disciples that called Jesus “Lord,” Judas never used this title for Jesus and instead called him “Rabbi,” which acknowledged Jesus as nothing more than a teacher.

Secondly, Judas not only lacked faith in Christ, it appears that he also had little or no personal relationship with Jesus. The only documented dialogue between Jesus and Judas involves Judas being rebuked by Jesus after his greed-motivated remark to Mary (John 12:1-8), Judas’ denial of his betrayal (Matthew 26:25), and the betrayal itself (Luke 22:48)

Lastly, Judas was consumed with greed to the point of betraying the trust of not only Jesus, but also his fellow disciples, as we see in John 12:5-6.

I often ponder what would have happened if Judas truly repented, but as we examine the text we find that he did not repent. The Bible clearly indicates that Judas was not saved. Jesus Himself said of Judas, “The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born” (Matthew 26:24).

Beloved of God, this message is all about living a life of selfless-accountability, rather than selfish-blame shifting. Fact is, some people simply can’t admit to perceived failures or mistakes, so they blame others so as to dodge responsibility. With this in mind, blaming others is really a defense mechanism in order to maintain our own sense of self-esteem (a/k/a pride).

For example, Pilate attempted to absolve his guilt in the matter of the crucifixion of Christ: “‘I am innocent of this man’s blood,’ he said. ‘It is your responsibility!’” (Matthew 27:24). Ultimately, attempts to pass the buck are futile. “You may be sure that your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23).

Each one of us has the personal responsibility to “repent and believe the good news” (Mark 1:15) and then to glorify the Lord with good works (Ephesians 2:10). Let’s be clear, if your attitude or character doesn’t change and your heart doesn’t transform you will always blame the pastor, leader, advisor, and counselor for your shortcomings. Look at it this way, nothing will ever change until something changes, so don’t rebuke accountability—rebuke pride and watch the best life you desire to live manifest right before your eyes!

Where there is pain, there is living hope! I Peter 5:8-9 says, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.”

‘Watch’ and ‘stand’ are common terms used back in ancient times because they didn’t have the technology we have today. Peeps back then didn’t have cameras nor video recording door bells. They had to use there eyes and their feet (old school) to keep watch of their surroundings. Paul was equally familiar with these two terms and in I Corinthians 16:13-14 he said, “Watch! Stand firm in the faith! Be courageous! Be strong! Let all that you do be done in love.”

If you noticed in each passage of text ‘be strong’ is a motif and Ephesians 6:10 adds, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.”

When we are overwhelmed by stressed it’s easy to call it quits! You might even think you are alone, but on the contrary! We have been grafted into the family of God with full access to the throne of grace to receive help and mercy in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16).

Our present condition is not our conclusion. Despite the incessant deadly blows the world throws at us, we don’t have to live in pain because we serve a Savior who delivers, restores, and heals! In times of difficulties we should always turn to God in prayer as it’s our only conduit to supernatural strength and peace (Philippians 4:6-7).

Beloved, we can find living hope in pain because living hope is found only in Christ Jesus! I Peter 1:3 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (CSB). The Greek term for “hope” in this passage means “an eager, confident expectation.” This hope of the believer is not only “living” but “lively.” The CEV translates the phrase as “a hope that lives on.” Unlike the empty, dead hope of this world, this “living hope” is energizing, alive, and active in the soul of the believer. “We live with great expectation,” as the NLT puts it. Our living hope originates from a living, resurrected Savior.

That being said, it’s imperative for us to remember that we don’t ‘watch’ nor ‘stand’ in vain. Our living hope is solid and secure! Hebrews 6:19-20 confirms that, “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain. Jesus has entered there on our behalf as a forerunner, because he has become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek”(CSB).

Never forget, Jesus Christ is our Savior, our salvation, our Living Hope!

#Watch #Stand #BeStrong

If you didn’t know, Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the entire Bible and it contains 2,445 words! In verse 11 we find one of the greatest principles to embrace and foster in our daily lives and it reads, “I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”

Why should we hide God’s word in our hearts? Well, in short God knows that we are sinners and unfortunately it’s our nature to sin against Him.

Our hearts are the center of our being. The part that cannot be seen. Our mind, intellect, emotion, will. God is saying to keep these hidden but not forgotten.

Another reason God is telling us to hide His word away in our hearts is because every word that comes for His breath is precious, each word possess limitless value, and should be considered great treasures to be hidden away… in our hearts!

Look at this way, the ancients had no security systems or safety deposit boxes to stow their treasures away. They hid them! In today’s world most people typically store their valuables in a secure and not so easily accessible temperature controlled-dust free space, so that it’s protected and preserved from damage, theft, and any kind of contamination!!

The text says something in verse 11 that is not evident in the translation and goes like this: “I have hidden your word in my heart [to the end] that I might not sin against you.”

There is a reason the psalmist is hiding God’s word in his heart to the end. And it is easily seen in the text. He knows that he is a sinner and having the treasure of God’s word hidden in a safe yet accessible place will help him fight against sin. We are all in a battle against sin.

God tells us again when talking about wearing our spiritual armor we must put on daily for this epic spiritual battle that wages war on us from the second of our birth till our last breath (read Ephesians 6).

When we know, preserve, and protect God’s word within us [hide] we can draw it out like a double-edged sword from it’s sheath and use it to fight evil in our lives.

And according to the Bible, the word of God is the only offensive weapon we have against evil.

God, through the psalmist, is telling us to hide His word in our hearts so that when sin comes along we will know how to handle it and be strengthened not to sin against Him.