“For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” Philippians 2:13

God is always at work within you to accomplish His purposes. You may feel sometimes God is removed from you and seems distant. You may think He has other priorities and more important things to deal with but that is not true. He is devoted to you 100% of the time and never leaves His work unfinished.

The silence of God cannot be interpreted as a lull in His relationship with you. He is at work at all times to refine your inner nature to conform to Him. He creates circumstances to strengthen and perfect your faith.

God is invested in your life and wants to be involved in all that you think and do. He wants you to be able to walk with Him unconsciously and sometimes without direct guidance.

His good pleasure might be for you to rest in Him and cease from your striving. It might be a time of inner healing and introspection into your life with Him. Or, this might be a time of deep conviction and change within you.

The Holy Spirit is at work in you today whether you are aware of His presence or not. He is filling you with love, joy, and all of the attributes of the fruit of the Spirit. He is correcting you and preparing you to do His work.

God has a special plan designed just for you and is at work today to prepare you to step into this handcrafted role. No one else can function in this role as God has placed His handprint on you and anointed you for doing His good pleasure.

So today is not just another day! God is building something mighty and powerful in you. Give Him the glory for great is the Lord!

“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. Life is more than food, and the body.” Luke 12:22-23

Is Jesus for real? You and I are human beings and we don’t have the ability to feed 5,000 people. You can’t be oblivious to the need for food, clothes, and the necessities of life. And it takes money to buy these things and survive in this world.

What is Jesus getting at in this Bible verse? He is merely stating that you should not worry about your needs. Worry is a symptom of fear and doubting the ability of God to meet all your needs. He is not telling you to go without food or clothes or sit back and do nothing. He is telling you to trust Him for your every need.

King David said “My help comes from the Lord who created the heavens and earth.” Ask God to embed this truth in your heart.

God calls things that don’t exist as if they did and wants you to walk by faith not by sight. What you lack will come by your unwavering faith in God.

Jesus makes the point if you seek Him first in your life then all the other things will follow. He wants you to make Him the priority in every detail of your life. You do this through praise, prayer, reading the Word, and listening to His voice. You dedicate each day to God and ask for His wisdom and protection.

So instead of worry, start praising God for His generous heart and desire to bless you abundantly.

Worry brings anger, frustration, and despair. Your faith in almighty God brings hope and confidence into your life.

Jesus will never disappoint you. Approach Him by faith and He will overflow your cup!

 

“You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4

Satan is a very smart character. He observes you very carefully and listens to all your words. When you become angry, frustrated, or depressed, he tactfully moves in to draw you away from God. He gives you the idea God isn’t doing anything to help you so do something for yourself. This is the first lie!

This can lead to all kinds of unhealthy behaviors including excess use of alcohol or drugs, binge eating, a spending spree, or an illicit sexual act. If you buy into this temporary form of relief, you will become estranged from the power of the Holy Spirit and on a road to destruction and misery. Now Satan has you exactly where he wants you-separated from God.

The strategy of Satan is to implant an evil idea into your mind, convince you to let this idea become a desire, and then you are sunk. The desire will now be lived out in your life and you can easily become in bondage to Satan.

Satan can also work through your friends, the media, or the Internet to deceive you into pursuing something evil. Or, the temptation can come in the workplace. Satan wants to give you the idea that God doesn’t really care, everyone else does this, and don’t worry about the consequences.

The solution to the underhanded attacks from Satan is to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ Jesus. If you are in doubt about a thought or a plan of action, ask the Holy Spirit living in you to discern the truth from the lies of Satan and reveal His perfect wisdom to you.

God has given you authority over Satan. Speak the name of Jesus Christ to Satan and he will shake with fear and flee from you!

Like Jesus, you have the power to send the unclean spirits into a herd of pigs and they will fall off a cliff and disappear into the ocean. He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world!

“If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32

How to be a friend of Jesus?

The secret is don’t try to impress Jesus. Just be yourself and invite Him into your life. You can’t please Him through your efforts and you will never come close to His righteousness. You will fall short and fail Him. He alone is worthy!

God does not need you. You need Him and nothing else will suffice!

God is looking for one thing from you. Recognize who He is and walk towards Him by faith.

God is alive and wants to have a warm and personal relationship with you. This relationship will be based on trust and nothing else.

You seek God out for your every need and trust Him through the good and bad times. You never look at your circumstances but you keep your eyes on the Creator of all things.

You abide in your best friend by praising Him, praying to Him for your concerns, and filling yourself with His Word.

You come into oneness with Jesus through His Spirit living in you. Be still and listen for His voice and be obedient to Him when He speaks to you.

The purpose of God is to imprint His laws in your mind and heart and give you the freedom to walk through life free from the bondage of sin.

You can walk confidently with Jesus aware that He is at work taking away old things and making all things new!

He wants the very best for you!

“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.” Psalm 100:4

We tend to come before God spending most of the time asking for Him to meet all our needs. There is a sense of priority in speaking to God about what we want for ourselves and family.

There is nothing wrong with taking every need to God and depending on Him for help in all your circumstances. In fact, this makes God grateful that you turn to Him and not to worldly resources.

More importantly, God wants you to be thankful at all times regardless of your difficulties or challenges. You have to go back to Jesus to find thankfulness. He was just like you in a human form. He was perfect and without sin. Jesus was willing to give up His life so you can live with Him forever. No one will ever make a bigger sacrifice! This act of God overshadows any request you can bring to Him.

You and I need to pause for a minute to understand the significance of what Jesus did for you. He died to offer you the gift of eternal life. You have Jesus living in you at this very moment and you will live in His kingdom forever.

The living water is in you and will eventually become a fountain of water leading to eternal life. This act of God was complete and nothing is lacking.

So instead of asking of God, you and I should be praising and thanking Him. Think about asking God how you can please Him.

Your answers from God will come through your praise and thankfulness!

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10

The hand of God created you in His image. This started before you were born. God knew all about your parents and the circumstances you would face when you came out of your mother’s womb.

God knew you would be enticed into evil behaviors and your natural person was in rebellion against God. He was aware of all the influences of Satan to disrupt your life and keep you away from Him.

He knew you would be developed with a personality filled with a genetic disposition for sin, inner hurts, traumatic moments, and difficult experiences growing up.

God kept His eyes on you with one objective in mind. He wanted to restructure your heart, mind, and soul to reflect His personality and to cause you live a life pleasing to Him.

God knows you much better than you know yourself. He is omniscient and knows every detail of your life-past, present, and future. The will of God is very simple to understand. He wants to create a oneness with you and equip you with the ability to release rivers of living waters touching others.

This is the end game with God. People will see God in your words and actions and be drawn to Him.

Nothing is more important to God! When you place your own desires or self seeking above God, you upset His plan. This causes God to delay His blessings coming to you.

Make God your priority and the desires of your heart will fall into the perfect plan of God.

“O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.” Romans 7:24-25

When you see yourself for who you really are it makes you sick and desperate to find something better. You understand in your heart that your earthly body is separated from the purity of God regardless of how hard you try to do good. You are sold under sin with no way to get out. Your future is hopeless.

You find out the spiritual values you cherish and your desire to live a godly life are impossible. You try hard to do good and fill your mind with biblical truths but you keep falling into sin and fail God.

There is an answer to this dilemma! Stop trying to please God or do things for Him. You have to worship God in Spirit and Truth and He has provided a way for you to live a godly life.

As a believer, the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus lives in you and He is greater than all sin. The Holy Spirit will set you free from sin and purify your life. You have the life of Jesus living in you and He wants to share Himself with you.

Serve God by becoming yoked to His Spirit dwelling inside you. Worship God with praise, study His Word, and seek Him out for all your needs. Take time to be still and listen for His voice. Learn to be obedient to the leading of His Spirit.

This is the only method to live a holy life. Your works have no value to God and your earthly mind and fleshly emotions will always lead you astray.

The only way you can escape the law of sin leading to death is through the person of Jesus Christ. He is looking for your faith in Him. This is how you can please Him and lead a godly life.

Abide in God and He will abide in you!

 

“Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?” So in all this, Job said nothing wrong.” Job 2:10

It is hard to believe Job, a human being just like you and me, could loose all his wealth, loose all his sons and daughters, and be afflicted with painful boils and not blame God.

This situation happened because God allowed Satan to attack Job and do almost anything to him except take his life.

Job did not curse God but believed that the hand of God brings both good and bad things. He was willing to accept the judgment of God. In effect, Job believed God is God and He can do whatever He pleases and we are at His mercy.

I don’t know about you but I could not go through Job’s ordeal without swearing at God. I have experienced severe, heartbreaking trials myself and have cursed God, torn up Bibles, and bitterly lashed out at Him.

The point is I never stopped worshipping God or believing in His sovereignty. And I never turned to worship other gods. But I was livid, depressed, and fed up with God. I never thought I would see the goodness of God. All I got was a steady stream of pain and suffering.

What I have learned from walking with God is you will encounter trials and tribulations. You will suffer like Jesus! It is unavoidable.

To clarify, there is no evil in God but at times He will allow Satan to attack you either directly, through other people or institutions. Like Job, God will remove the buttress of support around you and allow Satan to have access to you. This is to test your faith and build godly qualities of endurance and patience.

The only remedy is to pray for the mercy of God to fall upon you, fill yourself with His Word, and stay attached to God through His Spirit. You also have to forgive God and pray for inner healing.

I have clung to this promise from God to help me get through many long and dark days, “I would have lost heart unless I believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.”

God will deliver you because He lives by His Word. So don’t give up or fall into unbelief! He loves you.

 

 

“But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31

To walk with God, you have to acknowledge who He is and learn to fear and respect Him for His greatness and power.

The God who created all the stars in the sky sees all your troubles and challenges in life. He is invested in you and wants to give you an abundant life. He knows every detail of your life and nothing is hidden from Him.

God does not ignore your wants or abandons you in a time of distress. Everything happens in the perfect timing of God. He measures your life and He gives and He takes. He will never leave you.

God is everlasting. He never grows weak or weary. You will never be able to understand the depth of His wisdom and knowledge.

In God’s eyes, you are like a blade of grass that will wither and fade away. This is why you need the gift of eternal life living inside you. God gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.

God is calling you to trust in Him! If you abide in Jesus you will find new strength and soar high like eagles. You will run and not grow weary. You will walk and not faint.

This amazing truth happens because God releases His life in you to help you accomplish the challenges of life.

He is your everything!

 

 

“Yours, O Lord, is the greatness,
The power and the glory,
The victory and the majesty;
For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours;
Yours is the kingdom, O Lord,
And You are exalted as head over all.” 1 Chronciles 29:11

This Bible verse is the starting point to a heart felt relationship with God. There is no reason to submit your life to someone other than yourself unless they can give you things you can’t give yourself.

No one has ever seen God so why seek out someone that lives in the invisible or give up your whole life for promises from a distant God.

You can count your money and see your home and possessions with your own eyes but you can’t see the blessings of God unless you walk by faith towards Him.

You have to understand who God is and then you will gladly walk toward Him. There is no one like God. The character of God is greatness, power, glory, victory, and majesty. He reigns over everything in heaven and earth. He is exalted above all things.

God is life changing. He offers you the gift of eternal life which begins the moment you make a decision for Jesus. He places the life of His precious Son in your body in the essence of the Holy Spirit. You inherit all His promises and will live with Him forever.

God creates a powerful transition in your life as your old self fades away and you become a new person. The characteristics of God begin to blossom in your life and you learn to walk with God.

You no longer rely on self but draw upon the strength, wisdom, protection and all the unlimited resources of God.

Faith is the door to God! Submit yourself to God and you will find out how great He is and how insignificant you are compared to Him.

He offers you an abundant life you can never find on your own!