Month: March 2020

Exercise Spiritually

March 31, 2020

Word of the day: 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 ESV

When you have a moment, think about ads on tv, things that make you go against God? Some people do not honor God when it comes to ads, or when you want to do things God’s way. With the chaos going on today, it is easy to lose sight of God. It is easy to get something you don’t need and lose focus on God. When you read this verse, does it tell you how to stay focus on God? Yes, it does. Teach and stay on top of it. The bible got a lot of truths, parables, wisdom; this is not something to teach once a week. These teachings must be daily. That is how you stay focused on God. Devotional writers do not do devotionals once a week. It is daily you see writers share content: two, three times a day, maybe more. Learning to do teachings in repetitions will help you focus on God. Meditate, pray, read multiple times a day. God blesses us numerous times a day; we can celebrate and study his word innumerable times a day.

Father, thank you for today. I pray for our fellowship that we can draw others to us. Let us be wise to study you multiple times a day. It can be difficult when we have issues, an uncertain future, or storms we believe we can’t overcome. If we continue to be with you in the word, meditate, and praying can change everything. Thank you for your love. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

Who is the Judge?

March 30, 2020

Word of the day: 37 “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. Luke 6:37 NLT

The topic of the day and a life living verse for every day: Do not judge others. The definition of judging is; forms an opinion or conclusion about a person or situation. When you have a forgiving heart, you don’t judge others.  Most people that don’t apologize do not have a forgiving heart. The reality is we should start forgiving others regardless of what they have done. This type of behavior shows how well you follow Christ and his leading. When you pass the right attitude towards others, good things come back. When you pass off bad manners, wrong actions happen. Forgiving others can bring a domino effect, starting with you and passing it on to others to forgive. That is a healthy spread of positivity.

Father, thank you for our fellowship. I pray today for our actions. I pray we can forgive others and not let our egos take over because we don’t feel the need to apologize. I pray that the egos to swell down and practice humbleness to forgive others. Thank you for your love. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

Generational Curse

March 29, 2020

Word of the day: 9 “Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children— Deuteronomy 4:9 ESV.

Some families can start by breaking the generational curse. These curses can be an addiction or lifestyle. Religion is one of the few things taught in a family that can break the generational curse. In today’s verse, Moses wanted everyone to make sure no one forgot what God has done for them, miracles, and all. As parents, this is a good curse to break if your parents didn’t teach you about God. There are times where we will forget God’s moment in our lives where he saved us, or have miracles that we don’t remember. Journal those processes. Not only does it help in remembering, but if you did forget, it is right there for you to share accurately. These are moments never to forget. We can always omit the wrong someone does, and it can be a million, but never the one thing right that was done for you.
Father, thank you for our fellowship. I pray today that generational curses break by teaching about you. Lift those who are teaching about you for the first time. There is always someone learning something new. Thank you for today. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

Repentance

March 24, 2020

Word of the day: 11 John replied, “If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.” 12 Even corrupt tax collectors came to be baptized and asked, “Teacher, what should we do?” 13 He replied, “Collect no more taxes than the government requires.” Luke 3:11-13 NLT

Here is something difficult some people can’t do. Repent of their sins. In the bible years, corrupt tax collectors got baptized but asked a question. What should we do? John replied, “Collect no more taxes than the government requires.” There are a lot of corrupt people out here, and they want fortune and fame. They want to achieve it any way they can get it. Some won’t do it. There are some willing to repent for other reasons. It does not have to involve corruption. It can be something personal. Fight with a friend, an affair. How can we repent? Psalms 51 is a good read on repentance. Here are four ways to do it if you are not reading Psalms 51.

  1. Recognize that you have done wrong.
  2. You must have genuine remorse for doing wrong and for the pain and problems you’ve caused.
  3. You must be committed never to repeat the act regardless of the temptations or situation.
  4. Repair the damage you’ve done, or at least do what you can to apologize directly to the injured party.

Repentance takes prayer, patience, time, and community. God can make it happen for you to repent.

Father, thank you for our fellowship. Thank you for your commitment to us. I pray for repentance. It can be hard for certain people to do. I pray that people can be courageous to repentance and know there are edible communities, especially within the church that will not judge and help them through. Be with those who need to repent. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

Discrimination

March 15, 2020

Word of the day: 15 For the assembly, there shall be one statute for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you, a statute forever throughout your generations. You and the sojourner shall be alike before the Lord. Numbers 15:15 ESV

Let’s talk about discrimination for a second. The definition is the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people or things, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex. God blessed the Israelites with a land of their own. When God blesses you with something, we can’t discriminate against it for any reason. We should not let boundaries get in the way of what God blessed you. Open yourself up and don’t allow your idols to decide they want barriers that will enable you to have limitations. I see it so much it is unbearable to see. In this verse, the Israelites cannot discriminate against anyone that came to the land. Good leaders do not distinguish for any reason. If you worship someone that allows discrimination or boundaries in a hateful way, it is time for cleansing, wisdom, and inviting the holy spirit to be in your life more often.
Father, thank you for our fellowship. I pray for boundaries in our lives. I admit I have some limitations in my life for not communicating with others. I am a private person, but I have boundaries issues. I am not letting people into my home. I need to examine this and is willing to allow the holy spirit to work on me. Thank you for your love. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

Honor

March 28, 2020

Word of the day: 7 My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. 8 Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. Psalm 62:7-8 NIV

As you read today’s verse, are you comfortable telling God everything? Some people will feel like he will reject you if you are honest. That is false. God is a forgiving God. He knows mistakes are going to happen. What we can depend on is letting God in our lives and be truthful to him. It is easy to tell your best friend your secret, but God already knows about it. Why waste your time by avoiding him? Today, put your faith in him and let him be the person of your life. We can get our priorities mixed up by listening to others. It’s a regular activity, but it is the right people? God’s honor is essential for you and him. Be faithful to him today. Do not let others dedicate your faithfulness to God.
Father, thank you for today. Our fellowship is essential, especially while we are practicing social distancing. Trust can be a real issue here while everyone is practicing quarantine. Self-discipline can be an issue. I pray that we lay it all down to you and be honest with our problems. Let us be comfortable and let others lead by example. Thank you for our fellowship. We give you praise. We love you In Jesus’ name. Amen!

Denying The Truth

March 14, 2020

Word of the day: 31 “No!” Peter declared emphatically. “Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!” And all the others vowed the same. Mark 14:31 NLT

No! Peter declared emphatically. Please take a moment and think about why he said this with a strong reaction. Jesus predicted Peter denying him on another occasion. You can find Jesus’ predictions in Luke 22:31 and John 13:36-38. The definition of emphatic is; as showing or giving emphasis, expressing something forcibly and clearly. Why would you represent a statement so strong? There are a lot of reasons for it, but in this case, Peter already felt the tension when Jesus predicted the denials. If you say you follow Jesus, but then you fall back into temptation or fall into addiction, you have been trying to get away from, kind of get you to think if you are following Jesus. It is one thing to say that you are, but it is another thing to do the complete opposite of what Jesus wants when we are following him. Please take some time to think about your behavior. Are you telling others you are following Jesus, but your actions show something different? Examine it in prayer, meditation, and see the truth for yourself.
Father, thank you for today. Thank you for our fellowship. I pray for wisdom as we take time to examine our motives. Some are maybe telling others that they are following you but don’t show it with their attitude and heart. I am asking for our incentives to have an examination with prayer and meditation. Thank you for your love. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

Do As You Are Told

March 20, 2020

Word of the day: 35 And the angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but speak only the word that I tell you.” So Balaam went on with the princes of Balak. Numbers 22:35 ESV

We all know this, but words do hurt. When God instructs us to spread positivity through our terms, do it. We are now in times of isolation, which is hard for a lot of people. Today’s verse, the angel of the Lord told Balaam to speak words that are being told by the Lord. Hanging around the wrong crowd, in the passages ahead, Balak went to Balaam and told him to spread curses. The last thing that needed to happen is curses. When you are given instructions by the Lord to have limits to your mouth, make it a practice to say less unless the Lord tells you to say something. Balaam got the consequences of listening to someone else instead. Today, meditate on quiet time and knowing what to say and when to say it. There are plenty of negative things going around, and it is not something everybody wants to hear. Let’s do something good for someone, saying something beautiful, especially while being socially distant. Being careful and not selfish. The words we speak can wonderfully impact someone or hurt someone.
Father, thank you for our fellowship. We are in confusing times right now; I pray for clarity, encouragement, wisdom during these times. There are so many words that are not the right words that are coming out of people’s mouths. I pray we all stay on your words of encouragement. We never know what to believe, and people do not know when to be quiet or say the right words. Let us be the shining example. Thank you for your love. We give you praise. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

Risky Faith?

March 27, 2020

Word of the day: 19, but they couldn’t reach him because of the crowd. So they went up to the roof and took off some tiles. Then they lowered the sick man on his mat down into the crowd, right in front of Jesus. 20 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, “Young man, your sins are forgiven.” Luke 5:19-20 NLT

There is such a thing as risky faith. How are you willing to go risking your confidence in your situation? What is happening here is a man ready to a risk for a sick man. This young man is showing a massive amount of faith doing what he is doing. Are you willing to risk it for a friend to help with their situation through giving, a listening ear, or time? A lot of us don’t show that risk for our fellow beings. Instead, we run the opposite way or say we can’t help. If you believe Jesus is not watching, you are kidding yourself. Taking the risk of your faith shows your real faith. Today, some essential workers are risking themselves with this virus. If that is not a step of faith and courage, I don’t know what is. These are the risks they take. They can easily say, I don’t want any part of this and be selfish. Think about that today. Remember, there is no obstacle to seek Jesus.

Father, thank you for our fellowship. I pray today for essential workers that are risking it to provide. It is a leap of faith, regardless if they believe in you or not. Those that don’t think so will not see it yet. We can’t encourage everyone to be a Christian, but we can be a shining example to lead the way. I pray your hands over those that can’t stay home to put your hands over them in protection. You can protect like no other. Thank you for your love. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

Know Your Role To Serve

March 19, 2020

Word of the day: 16 And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. 17 He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.” Luke 1:16-17 NLT

John’s role in the ministry is to turn people away from evil-doing or sin. These behaviors can block you from blessings. You know this, but do you understand this? Most of us do, but these types of behavior can also prevent communication with God. Please take a moment and think about this. The bible says one thing, but you do the complete opposite. You pray about your situation but go in the opposite direction. These are ways to hinder our relationship with God. He may have a serving spot for you that you are ignoring. You may be nudged by the holy spirit to get going on something that is bothering you. I know I have. I am going to take action on something I should have done a long time ago. I am going to do two things I should have done a long time ago that the holy spirit been nudging me to do. How are you going to take action on what the holy spirit has been trying to get your attention?
Father, thank you for our fellowship. I pray today we can take action on what is on our minds or what the holy spirit has been nudging us to do. I pray we find wisdom and favor in whatever the holy spirit asks of us. We love you. In Jesus’ name. Amen!