DON'T TRUST IN YOUR JOB TRUST GOD

How long could you go without a source of income? If you didn’t have a paying job for a few years, would you still be able to trust that God was working everything together for your good?

16 years ago, I took early retirement to care for my mother. Then the market crashed, and I lost a lot of money. So this time, I went back to work. I did not have a steady job, but I was never broke. I had no idea that, what I was going through, was part of God, working things out in my favor. God put people in my life to help take care of my needs, and once I was still, He began to bring everything together for my good.

“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.”

Lord, I have seen You work in my life, as well as others. I fill Your presence when I get weak and hear Your voice daily. Lord, You have searched my heart and removed most of the stuff that is not of You, and Your Spirit continues to overcome my flesh. Father, I thank You for the blessings, lessons, and love You have always shown me. Thank You for binding all the things that keep me from sitting at Your feet and lose me from them. Thank You for revealing who You are in me and keeping me focused on You and not the confusion around me. Thank You for making me complete with myself and giving me peace even in the storm. Thank You for keeping the fiery arrows of my enemies from piercing my skin. Thank You for pulling the wool off the people around me, which meant to harm me, and giving me eyes that see. Thank You in advance for justice for my son and all sons and daughters who have been wrongfully killed. Thank You, Lord, for helping me become the person I am today, in Jesus name Amen 

EVERYTHING IS GOVERNED BY PRINCIPLES

Life is about the principles we live by, and the Word teaches us those principles. Therefore, the Word is the final authority for all things, and how God provides directions for living in a way that protects us from harmful thinking and behavior.

Father, help us learn the biblical principles of life and let Your thoughts be our thoughts. Lord, let the Word fill us with wisdom and the knowledge of implementing You in our daily lives. Lord, search our hearts and minds and remove all that is not of You. So, the Spirit can take charge of our thoughts, actions, words, and lives. Lord, help us love You like You love us, with our whole being, and to love others as we love ourselves. Baptize us in the Holy Spirit that empowers us to pursue righteousness, justice, and mercy for everyone, even our enemies. Lord, let COVID-19 not limit our participation in our churches' activities, and let us support our Church families. Father, bless us with the principle of gratitude because every day we wake up is a gift from You.  Lord, bless us with the principle of humanity, so no matter what, we will keep a low view of our own importance. Lord, fill our children with the principle of optimism, so they will be hopeful and confident about their future and success. Father, bless us with the principle of generosity and forgiveness, so we will help our suffering brothers and sisters and take back our strength by forgiving those who wronged us. In Jesus' name Amen 

IT LOOKS BAD BUT WE WALK BY FAITH

The Word says: "The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold."

Who would have thought going to the hospital could be based on are you worth saving, God did?
Who would have thought that you have to wait for a month to be buried even with insurance? God did?
Who would have thought that life would change so dramatically? But, God did, that why He prepared us?

Lord, You tell us: "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly, we are wasting away, we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." This shall pass because we will stand on Your Word and walk in Your favor and protection. Because we know You are working behind the scenes in our favor. So, Lord, bind all our unforgiveness, envy, jealousy, pride, strife, addiction, and all that keeps us from sitting at Your feet and loose us in the name of Jesus. Lord, baptize us in the Holy Spirit and surround us with Spiritual Soldiers to help us through this Valley of death. Lord, bless those that are suffering financially and those that are sick. Let them see You, through all the people You have blessed, right now in the name of Jesus. Amen

NO RESENTMENT

Ephesians 4:32-32 put away all bitterness and wrath, and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, and forgiving, as God in Christ forgave you.

Some of us are stagnated because we can't get over the betrayal of a friend or a cheating spouse. But, holding a grudge will never let us move forward; we must get over it and take back our power.

Father, let us repay no one evil for evil but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. Lord, let us not hold grudges to live peaceably with all, forgiving others as our Father forgives us. So, give us Your strength to be still and never avenge ourselves, but leave it to Your wrath, for it is written, "Vengeance is Yours, You will repay them. So "if our enemies are hungry, feed them; if their thirsty, give them something to drink; for by so doing we will heap burning coals on their heads." But, Lord, we will need Your strength and courage to do this; we cannot do it alone. Lord, help us practice what we have learned and give You room to move in our lives. So, we can forgive and not hold to things we cannot change. Thank You for Your understanding and for showing us mercy despite our faults and failures. Thank You for stripping us naked and clothing us with grace and love that brings us all together, even our enemies. In Jesus' name Amen

A RELATIONSHIP

 The Word says: Above all, love each other deeply because love covers a multitude of sins.  because whoever does not love does not know God

A strong relationship is built on TRUST, UNDERSTANDING, and LOVE.  A relationship with God is built on the same principles.  These three things will help us be faithful to our commitments and obligations.  Man cannot be counted on to stand by us or take a stand for us, but God can and will.  Trusting, understanding, and loving God, is the most important thing we can do in our walk, personal relationships, businesses, and lives.  When we develop a strong relationship with God, a relationship with others becomes more manageable.  

Father, You are love, and our passion for others flows from You.  Lord, You have been faithful to Your promise, even though we fall short of Your grace and are so grateful.  Lord, help the Word make our hearts pure and our intentions clear in finding our purpose in life. Father, keep our minds centered on You, so our burden will be light, and we will not get weary of doing good.  Lord, keep us on the right path, so the journey will bloom as we grow together and never lose sight of You.  Lord, You are worth all our love and respect; forgive us for not praising and worshiping You enough.  Lord, through Your Blood, You have brought reconciliation between our Father and us; thank You.  Thank You for being our Rock and Redeemer; thank You for being the source of all that's good in our lives.  Lord, of hope, may we all enjoy the peace that having a relationship with You brings and the gift of physical intimacy that You have blessed us with; in Jesus' name Amen.

WE DON'T NEED TO BRAG

 Jeremiah 9:23-24This is what the Lord says: The wise must not brag about their wisdom.  The strong must not brag about their strength.  The rich must not brag about their money.  But if someone wants to boast, let him brag that he understands and knows Me.  Let him brag that I am the Lord, that I am kind and fair, and that I do things right on earth.  This kind of bragging pleases me, says the Lord.

Father, You, give happiness to us, Your servants, because we give our lives to You.  Thank You, Lord, for Your kindness, forgiveness, and great love for all who call on You.  Jesus, teach us what You want us to do and how to respect and trust You completely.  Lord, we will praise You with all our hearts, and we will honor Your name forever.  Father, You have a great love for us, and Your Son has saved us from Spiritual death. So, we brag and boast about His sacrifice and goodness.  Lord, we boast about Your provisions, mercy, and grace; Lord, we brag about no longer being controlled by our past or our sin; and we boast about our future with You in eternity.  Father, right now, we ask You to bind everything that keeps us from sitting at Your feet and loose us.  Lord, let us walk in Your way and teach our children and our children's children the way to go.  Father, help us grow in Your knowledge and wisdom, which gives us guidance and understanding. Father, we give thanks continually and glorify only You because we will see Your marvelous light in due time.  So we pray for a humble heart so we do not practice our righteousness to be seen by man.  Lord, let us not sound our trumpets when we give to the needy but stay silent, so You will receive the glory, Amen in Jesus' name.

 

BAPTIZE US WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT

Matthew 28:19 Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 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.

When the Holy Spirit baptizes us in the name of the Father and the Son, it empowers and prepares us to be His messengers. We begin to understand and acknowledge God as our Father and Christ as our Lord and Savior. We become submissive to His Word, which is the essence of our discipline and developing Christ-like character.

Lord, let Your Word baptize us in the Holy Spirit to help us become inward changed men and women. Father, thank You that Christ's faithfulness saves us, not our own. Lord, continue working in and through us to serve Your purpose. Lord, let the Holy Spirit fill our hearts and renew our faith and enkindle in us the fire of Your love. Thank You, Lord, for setting Your seal of ownership upon us and taking up residence in our hearts. Lord, strengthen our faith and empower our spiritual walk as Your Word gradually transforms us into the lovely likeness of our Lord. We pray that the Holy Spirit leads and guides us in all things and that we practice what we learned. So, we can learn to listen to the gentle promptings of Your voice as we study the Word. Give us the grace to recognize Your still, soft voice as we search through the scriptures each day and the wisdom to discern Your spiritual nudges that direct and guide us. In Jesus' name Amen