Saturday, January 31, 2015

Heaven Is Our Home

PHILIPPIANS 3:20 LB
20 But our homeland is in heaven, where our Savior, the Lord
Jesus Christ, is; and we are looking forward to his return from
there.

Heaven is a real place. In fact, Heaven is ultimate reality.
There are real people there, involved in real activities. But
most importantly, our wonderful Lord Jesus Christ and our
Father God are there.

Sometimes people talk of someone who has departed this life as
"having gone to their reward."

Heaven is not a reward.

There will be rewards given out by God, but going to Heaven is
not a reward. Heaven is a return to normal.

That's right. Heaven is the way life was supposed to be. Heaven
is normal. What we have been experiencing on this sin-infested
planet is sub-normal.

But part of the Good News is that Jesus will not leave this
place, or us, sub-normal forever. One day, maybe soon, Jesus
will return from Heaven and change things on Earth back to what
God intended when He created this place.

Everything on Earth, as originally created, was a reflection of
the home planet, Heaven. All the beauty and everything good
that we enjoy on Earth is but a dim reflection of what Heaven
offers.

What makes Heaven our home? Home is where your family is. Home
is where you are comfortable. Home is where you have a place to
live. Home is where you belong. For the believer in Jesus
Christ, Heaven fits all those descriptions.

SAY THIS: Heaven is my home.

Friday, January 30, 2015

Tell satan Where To Go

MATTHEW 4:10 NLT
10 "Get out of here, Satan," Jesus told him. "For the
Scriptures say, 'You must worship the Lord your God; serve only
him.' "

Jesus spoke directly to the devil -- and so must you.

Many Christians think they should pray about the devil and ask
God to deliver them from his attacks. But the Bible is clear --
God has given the authority to believers to resist the devil.

You must control the devil, or he will control you!

Unless you exercise the authority delegated to you by Jesus
Christ, the devil will wreak havoc in your life, and everywhere
he is allowed to.

LUKE 10:19 NKJ
19 "Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and
scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing
shall by any means hurt you.

Praying to God to stop the devil's operations is no different
than my son asking me to take out the trash, after I have told
him to do it.

God told us to resist the devil and he would flee. We must
believe and act on God's Word.

EPHESIANS 4:27 NKJ
27 nor give place to the devil.

Would God tell us not to let the devil have any place, if we
had no say about it? If the devil does have a place in our
affairs, it's because we allowed it.

JAMES 4:7 NKJ
7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee
from you.

We must first submit to God, because we are not greater in
power than the devil. But submitted to God in Christ Jesus, the
devil must back off when we resist him and his works.

SAY THIS: In the Name of Jesus, I command you devil to leave
me, my family, and my property alone! Be gone!

Thursday, January 29, 2015

You Can Be Free

JOHN 8:31-32 NRSV
31 Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you
continue in my word, you are truly my disciples;
32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you
free."

Everyone wants to be free, but many have given up hope that it
is possible.

But Jesus gave a promise, valid for you today. You can be free!

Many suffer from physical problems. Jesus' promise includes
you!

Some are bound by debt. The promise of Jesus applies to you,
also!

Others are bound by fear. You can be free!

Many are bound by destructive habits they are unable to quit.
Sin enslaves people, but you can be free from its power!

JOHN 8:34 NRSV
34 Jesus answered them, "Very truly, I tell you, everyone who
commits sin is a slave to sin.

Jesus will set you free from the power of sin. He will not take
away your freedom to sin, but He will change you inwardly, so
you don't want to sin.

Real freedom is more than being able to do what you want to do.
Real freedom is not having to do what you do not want to do.

JOHN 8:36 NRSV
36 So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.

Free indeed!

The answers are in the Word of God: the New Testament.

SAY THIS: I will continue in Jesus' Word, and as He promised, I
will know the truth and it will make me free.

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Freely Give Us All Things?

ROMANS 8:32 NKJ
32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for
us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all
things?

Most people approach prayer as an exercise in convincing God to
help. They think they must twist God's arm, or promise to do
something, in order to get God to give them anything.

The New Testament paints a different picture. God not only is a
willing giver, but has already given! He is not holding back on
us!

When He gave us Jesus, along with Him He gave us everything we
could ever need.

"Why then," you may ask, "do I not have what I need?"

Friend, there is a great difference between something being
given and something being received.

Many people have been unaware recipients of great good, but
until they became aware of it and took the necessary steps to
properly receive their bounty, it did them no good.

You can be entitled to some inheritance, or other windfall,
without knowing it. You can even know it, but without following
the proper procedure, not possess and enjoy it.

So it is with the things of God. Proper procedure must be
followed. There are instructions on how to receive. But the
instructions are clear and easy to follow. You will find them
in the New Testament.

1 TIMOTHY 6:17 NKJ
17 Command those who are rich in this present age not to be
haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living
God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.

God gives us richly all things to enjoy!

Don't judge God's generosity by what you have, or have not,
received. Find out the instructions from the Bible, and receive
all that God has provided for you.

SAY THIS: God freely gave me all things in Christ. Now I will
learn to be a receiver of God's blessings.

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

God Is Not A Killer

John 10:10 NASB
10 "The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I
came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.

Ted Turner, the founder of the CNN TV network, tells how he
turned against Christianity because of bitterness against God
in his younger days. After the death of a family member, the
preacher told him that "God took them," and he became bitter
over it.

Ted Turner is not alone. Millions of people are mad at God
because they believe He has done something wrong -- which He
has not!

God is not going around killing people, or stealing from them,
or destroying their lives. That is the work of the devil.

God is not guilty!

The greatest deception in history has been the devil convincing
people that the things he does are done by God. The devil wants
us to believe that God acts like the devil.

But it is a lie!

Of course, to pull this deception off, the devil had to get
preachers to spread his lies. No one would believe it if the
devil personally preached it.

But just because someone who is called a preacher, a reverend,
a pastor, a priest, a bishop, a prophet, or any other title,
says something is true -- does not make it true. To find out
the truth we need to go to the Bible and study it for
ourselves.

Depending on so-called "experts" can lead you astray. Read and
study the Bible for yourself.

JAMES 1:17 NLT
17 Whatever is good and perfect comes to us from God above, who
created all heaven's lights. Unlike them, he never changes or
casts shifting shadows.

SAY THIS: Whatever is good comes from my God, Who never changes
into being bad.

Monday, January 26, 2015

Talk To Things

MARK 11:23 NKJ
23 "For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain,
`Be removed ....

Too many people think of the Bible only as a Holy book to be
revered. So they put it up on a shelf and make sure no one
mistreats it.

But the Bible is a message from God. It gives us instruction
for our benefit -- practical advice.

It's time to take the Bible down off the pedestal, read it, and
act on its instructions.

Here is one seldom acted upon: talk to things.

The devil wants you to think it would be crazy to talk to
things. But it's not.

Jesus did it. He talked to sickness. He talked to the storm and
told it to be still. He talked to dead bodies and commanded
them to get up. He talked to trees. And He talked to the devil
and told him to get behind him.

Jesus talked to things. You should too.

You should talk to fear and worry. You should talk to
confusion. You should talk to lack. You should talk to
sickness. You should talk to the devil. Tell them to leave.
Tell them to "be removed."

LUKE 17:6 NKJ
6 So the Lord said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you
can say to this mulberry tree, `Be pulled up by the roots and
be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.

SAY THIS: Jesus said I can talk to things. So I speak to
everything that is of the devil and command it to get out of my
life now!

Sunday, January 25, 2015

One Thing Is Necessary

LUKE 10:42 WEYMOUTH
42 and yet only one thing is really necessary. Mary has chosen
the good portion and she shall not be deprived of it."

This is the word of Jesus. Someone who knows more than we do --
and loves us more than we love ourselves. So, we need to listen
and take heed. (After all, we should realize that Jesus did not
say things for His own benefit, but to help us.)

It is easy to get busy in life and let ourselves be distracted
from what we know is important. That was the case with Martha,
the sister of Mary, in the scripture quoted from above. Martha
knew she needed to hear what Jesus had to say -- but she also
knew that she was responsible for preparing something to eat.
What could she do?

We all face such problems -- which are actually choices.

WE choose what our priorities are. WE decide what we will spend
our time and energy on. And we should choose wisely.

(Here's a tip: if it won't be important one hundred years from
now, it's not that important now, either.)

In this situation, Jesus brought a calming -- not a condemning
-- word to Martha. (Jesus is still not interested in condemning
people, but in helping them.) In effect, Jesus said to not
worry, but to put hearing what God has to say first, and then
somehow things will work out with God's help.

Jesus is saying the same message to you, today.

The most important and productive way we can spend time is in
getting God's wisdom, guidance, and help. Hearing and heeding
His Word will pay rich dividends in this time, as well as for
eternity.

Never forget that God can do more for you in one minute, than
you could accomplish in a lifetime by yourself.

Don't make the wrong choices.

SAY THIS: I will listen to God's Word. Then, with God's help, I
will make it.

Saturday, January 24, 2015

The Lord Is Your Helper

HEBREWS 13:6 NRSV
6 So we can say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will
not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?"

Can you imagine how things could improve if God Himself was
helping you?

It can happen.

But, to receive God's help you must cooperate with Him.

God is ready, willing, and able to help you. He desires to help
you. But the choice is yours.

When you act contrary to God's principles, you stop God from
helping you as much as He desires.

To cooperate with God, you must trust Him and walk in faith.
You must agree with God and speak in agreement with His Word.
And you must walk in love. To do that, constant meditation on
God's Word will be required.

You will also need to humble yourself and ask the Lord to help
you in everything you do. God does not force His help on you
without you requesting His help.

Does this sound too hard? It's not. Just ask the Lord to help
you and He will!

ISAIAH 41:10 NIV
10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I
am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold
you with my righteous right hand.

ROMANS 8:31 NIV
31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for
us, who can be against us?

SAY THIS: God is for me. God is my Helper! I will not worry or
be afraid.

Friday, January 23, 2015

The Joy Of The Lord Is Your Strength

NEHEMIAH 8:10 NLT
10 . . . Don't be dejected and sad, for the joy of the LORD is
your strength!"

I do not claim it is the only meaning, but one thing the Lord
showed me from this verse is that our level of joy is like a
thermometer revealing our spiritual strength. If our joy is low
-- our spiritual strength is low. That is because the Lord is
our strength, and in His presence there is fullness of joy.

PSALM 16:11 NKJ
11 You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is
fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

So, if our joy is low, it means we have not been spending time
in God's presence, receiving His strength and help. It means we
have got our focus off God and onto something else.

(Although God is always with us, as we worship Him and praise
Him and thank Him, God manifests His presence.)

Being gloomy is not a sign of being spiritual. God did not
intend for His people to be downcast. Let the world be sad, we
have something to rejoice about! Jesus! Heaven!

If you look at your circumstances you may not feel like
rejoicing. But if you look at Jesus as He truly is -- you will
not be able to keep from rejoicing in Him. Jesus is wonderful!

PHILIPPIANS 4:4 NLT
4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again -- rejoice!

SAY THIS: I will rejoice in the Lord!

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Walk In Love

EPHESIANS 4:31-32 NCV
31 Do not be bitter or angry or mad. Never shout angrily or say
things to hurt others. Never do anything evil.
32 Be kind and loving to each other, and forgive each other
just as God forgave you in Christ.

As a human who has been hurt, you may find it impossible to
forgive and walk in love. But as a child of God, with God
helping you, you can do it.

God freely forgave you. Now, with His love placed in your
heart, you are to act like Him and forgive others.

EPHESIANS 5:1-2 NIV
1 Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children
2 and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave
himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Putting others first is the essence of walking in love.
Selfishness is the opposite of walking in divine love.

COLOSSIANS 3:12-13 NIV
12 Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved,
clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility,
gentleness and patience.
13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may
have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

If you are having trouble with this, just ask the Lord to work
in you and change you. Tell Him you need help.

SAY THIS: I can walk in love because the Lord is my Helper.

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Look At The Stars

PSALM 147:4-5 NIV
4 He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by
name.
5 Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has
no limit.

Sometimes I wonder how God can be mindful of me when there are
so many other people for Him to be concerned about. How can He
keep up? Then I am reminded of the scriptures that tell us that
God has named all the stars. We don't even know how many stars
there are -- scientists say billions and billions -- but God
can call them all by name!

God is definitely in a different category than anyone else I
know. He is mighty. Compared to us, He has no limit to His
understanding or His ability.

ISAIAH 40:26 NIV
26 Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all
these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls
them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty
strength, not one of them is missing.

PSALM 8:3-4 NIV
3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the
moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that
you care for him?

When we do consider the heavens, it can make us feel small and
insignificant. But, according to God's Word -- we are not.

When I became a parent, I gained some insight into God's love
for people. When you have a child, you don't love that child
because it is great or powerful, or can do great things for
you. You love your child simply because it is your child --
your creation -- a part of you.

Why does God love you -- and the rest of humanity? The best
answer we can give is because He created us. He put something
of Himself into us. We are His children.

God doesn't love us because of our great achievements -- but
simply because we are His.

SAY THIS: If God can remember the names of all the billions of
stars, He can remember my name and address, and take care of
me.

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

God Can Be Trusted

HEBREWS 10:23 NKJ
23 . . . He who promised is faithful.

The devil is trying to get you to doubt God and His Word. The
devil wants you to give up on God, to not trust Him, to not
expect Him to do what He said in His Word.

Do not give up! God can be trusted.

Someone who loves you enough to die in your place can be
trusted. Someone who created all that you see, and all that you
don't see, can be trusted to handle whatever you face.

TITUS 1:2 NASB
2 in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie,
promised long ages ago,

God is not a liar. Whatever He says comes to pass!

1 THESSALONIANS 5:24 NIV
24 The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.

God is trustworthy. Don't be moved by the circumstances. God
will not fail you.

SAY THIS: God is worthy of my trust. I trust Him with my past,
present, and future.

Monday, January 19, 2015

What Is God Like?

NAHUM 1:7 NIV
7 The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for
those who trust in him,

Much could be said about God. But the first thing we need to
realize is that God is good. He is not a bad guy. He is not
against you. He is not your problem, but rather He is the
answer to your problems.

Although the world doesn't know what God is like, they
desperately need to know Him. Even sadder is the fact that most
Christians do not really know what God is like, either.

If you want to know what God is like -- look at Jesus Christ.
He perfectly revealed God to us.

JOHN 1:18 TEV
18 No one has ever seen God. The only Son, who is the same as
God and is at the Father's side, he has made him known.

COLOSSIANS 2:9 PHILLIPS
9 Yet it is in him that God gives a full and complete
expression of himself in bodily form.

Would you be content to just read what someone else says
marriage is like? Why be content to just listen to what others
say God is like? You need to taste and see for yourself.

Have your own relationship with God!

PSALM 34:8 NKJ
8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man
who trusts in Him!

SAY THIS: The Lord is good and I desire to know Him better.

Sunday, January 18, 2015

God So Loved The World

JOHN 3:16 WEYMOUTH
16 For so greatly did God love the world that He gave His only
Son, that every one who trusts in Him may not perish but may
have the Life of Ages.

Do you ever get fed up with the world? Do you just get tired of
all the lies and the selfishness?

Do you ever deal with people that you think maybe the world
would be better off if they just went to hell right away?

Well, God never thinks that way. God loves the world -- enough
to die for it. He has never changed His mind.

JOHN 3:16-17 LB
16 For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son
so that anyone who believes in him shall not perish but have
eternal life.
17 God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but
to save it.

Remember this the next time you are having difficulty with
someone. You are dealing with someone God loves!

No matter how you classify yourself -- God loves you. If you
are a sinner or a saint, God loves you. And the good news is
that God's love and power will change you into what you should
be.

JOHN 3:16 BBE
16 For God had such love for the world that he gave his only
Son, so that whoever has faith in him may not come to
destruction but have eternal life.

Don't ever forget it: God loves people.

SAY THIS: God loves the whole world of people -- including me
and everyone I know.

Saturday, January 17, 2015

God's Covenant of Words

ISAIAH 59:21 NKJ
21 "As for Me," says the Lord, "this is My covenant with them:
My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have put in
your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the
mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your
descendants' descendants," says the Lord, "from this time and
forevermore."

According to Isaiah 59:21, part of our covenant with God
includes continually having His words in our mouth and in the
mouth of our descendants. Not only are we to speak God's Word,
but we are to train our descendants to do the same.

God must know something about the importance of the words we
speak, that we have not yet understood.

Although a growing number of believers are beginning to realize
the importance of the words we speak, the vast majority of
Christians have never heard any teaching on this subject. Yet,
if you search the Bible, you will see that God puts a major
emphasis on what we say.

1 PETER 4:11 NIV
11 If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very
words of God....

Look at the Bible for yourself. Decide for yourself. You will
surely decide that the Bible teaches that believers should
speak words in agreement with what God says.

What you say IS important.

SAY THIS: I will speak words in agreement with what God has
said, and I will teach my descendants to do likewise.

Friday, January 16, 2015

Fellowship With God

1 CORINTHIANS 1:9 NIV
9 God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus
Christ our Lord, is faithful.

You need to stop and think about this. God wants to have
fellowship with you.

We are not talking about some lower level person. Not just a
leader of a country. Not just a billionaire.

God!

Stop and think about God, all His knowledge, all His wealth,
all His power -- the ruler of the Universe, and all that He
could choose to do.

Why would God desire your company?

Honestly, I don't know. All I can say is that He does,
according to the Bible.

But what an opportunity! What a privilege! To fellowship with
GOD!

What does fellowship mean? The word used in 1 Corinthians 1:9
is the Greek word "koinonia" (koy-nohn-ee'-ah). Some meanings
are fellowship, association, communion, participation,
intimacy, partnership, and a having in common.

That is what God wants with you. Koinonia.

The same word is used in the following verse. Notice how the
Living Bible translates it.

2 CORINTHIANS 13:14 LB
14 May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. May
God's love and the Holy Spirit's friendship be yours. Paul

SAY THIS: I will respond to God's call and fellowship with Him.

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Words Are Spiritual Weapons

REVELATION 12:11 NKJ
11 "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the
word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to
the death.

Words are more important than most people realize. All
authority is exercised through words.

When it comes to overcoming the enemy of our souls, and all his
tactics, we must speak words of faith in line with the Bible.

What Jesus did for you is enough. He defeated the devil for
you. However, you must enforce that defeat by speaking and
standing in agreement with God. Only then will you see Jesus'
victory manifest in your life.

EPHESIANS 6:17 NKJ
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the
Spirit, which is the word of God;

A sword is a weapon. God's Word is not a weapon when laying on
your coffee table. It only becomes a spiritual weapon when you
speak it in faith.

You must take it. Your spiritual weapon is speaking the Word of
God. You must take the Word and speak it -- just like Jesus
did.

SAY THIS: I overcome by what Jesus did, and my words that
enforce that victory over the devil.

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

By Faith We Receive From God

ROMANS 5:1-2 NKJ
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with
God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in
which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

All we receive from God is by His grace. We do not deserve it,
and we are not able to earn it. It is a gift offered by grace.

But we must access it by faith.

GALATIANS 3:14 NKJ
14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in
Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit
through faith.

We receive through faith. Whether we are receiving the Holy
Spirit or receiving healing. Whatever we receive from God must
be received by faith.

HEBREWS 6:12 NKJ
12 that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who
through faith and patience inherit the promises.

There are many promises in the Bible. If you want them to be
manifest in your life, you must possess them through faith and
patience.

MATTHEW 9:29 NKJ
29 Then He touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith
let it be to you."

This is the statement of Jesus. It is valid for you today just
as it was then. You will receive from God according to your faith.

Do not let this discourage you. Rather it should encourage you.
Although your faith may not be strong now, you can strengthen
it by feeding on the Word of God. It is under your control.

God's Word is faith food. The more you read it, speak it, and
hear it, the stronger your faith will grow.

SAY THIS: I will feed on God's Word and build my faith so I can
receive all the blessings God has for me.

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

God Is Working In You

PHILIPPIANS 2:13 LB
13 For God is at work within you, helping you want to obey him,
and then helping you do what he wants.

Don't be discouraged. God is at work!

You may not be happy with yourself now, but God is not finished
working.

PHILIPPIANS 1:6 NASB
6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a
good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

God can complete what He starts. Give Him some time.

HEBREWS 13:20-21 RSV
20 Now may the God of peace...
21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will,
working in you that which is pleasing in his sight, through
Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

You will never be able to please God just on your own effort,
but through Jesus Christ and His work in you, you WILL become
what God wants you to be.

SAY THIS: God is working in me and He always does a good job.

Monday, January 12, 2015

God's Word Is Medicine

God's Word is medicine — for any weakness or sickness in body,
mind, finances, family, marriage, etc.

Whatever sickness or disease you suffer from, God's Word can
cure it. God's Word is effective for any condition. It works as
a preventative as well as a cure. There is no cost and no
danger of taking an overdose.

Like any medicine, God's Word must be taken to be effective. It
will not work sitting on the shelf. And it has to be taken
according to the directions.

But if you will follow God's directions as faithfully as you
would follow the directions of a human doctor, you will see
wonderful results.

Here are the directions:

PROVERBS 4:20-23 NKJ
20 My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my
sayings.
21 Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the
midst of your heart;
22 For they are life to those who find them, and health to all
their flesh.
23 Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the
issues of life.

In verse 22 the Hebrew word translated health is translated as
medicine in some translations.

PSALM 107:20 NKJ
20 He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from
their destructions.

God's Word will heal. It is full of God's power and carries the
authority of God who spoke it.

JOHN 8:31-32 NKJ
31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you
abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.
32 "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you
free."

You have the guarantee of Jesus — His Word will produce
freedom.

But, you must abide, or continue in His Word. You must feed it
in until you know that you know that you know the truth. Then
you will act on that truth — and it will make you free.

God's medicine works by taking His Word into your being. You
do that by listening to the Word, reading the Word, and
speaking the Word.

You must fill your thoughts with the Word of God. The more of
God's medicine you take, the better off you will be.

SAY THIS: I will take God's medicine daily and it will bring
healing into my life.

Sunday, January 11, 2015

Why Do Christians Fight So Much?

JOHN 13:34-35 NKJ
34 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another;
as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
35 "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you
have love for one another."

Instead of being known for love, Christians are more likely to
be known for disagreements and fighting with other Christians.

Why?

Those who fight are displaying their immaturity. Children can
be expected to squabble over insignificant things, but adults
should not.

Yet even Christian leaders often fight with other Christian
leaders.

It is the devil's strategy to get believers in strife because
it opens the door to him. Do you really want to open the door
to the devil?

JAMES 3:16 KJV
16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and
every evil work.

God allows us to face the temptation of strife so we can
overcome and learn to walk in love. We are continually given
the opportunity to walk in love.

God's primary concern now is preparing us to inhabit eternity
with Him. His plan is to make us like Jesus (Romans 8:29). To
become like Jesus, we must learn to resist the temptation to
not walk in love.

SAY THIS: With God's help, I will walk in love. I refuse to
fight and be in strife with other Christians.

Saturday, January 10, 2015

The Greater One Is In You

1 JOHN 4:4 ICB
4 My dear children, you belong to God. So you have defeated
them because God's Spirit, who is in you, is greater than the
devil, who is in the world.

This message is simple and has two parts: God is greater than
anything, and because you're a believer in Jesus Christ, He
lives in you.

How can anyone argue with the fact that God is greater than any
problem? God, the Creator, is above ALL. Nothing is too
difficult for Him. Most people believe this.

The second part is more difficult to believe: God is in you.
Yet, that is the message of the Bible to believers.

JOHN 14:16-17 NKJ
16 "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another
Helper, that He may abide with you forever--
17 "the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because
it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He
dwells with you and will be in you.

1 CORINTHIANS 6:19 NKJ
19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy
Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not
your own?

2 CORINTHIANS 6:16 NKJ
16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you
are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will
dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And
they shall be My people."

Believe the Bible. The Greater One is in you. He is greater
than any problem. He is greater than any situation, any
difficulty, any obstacle, any enemy, any thing.

SAY THIS: The Greater One is in me. He is greater than anything
I now face or ever will face.

Friday, January 09, 2015

God Is An Artist

EPHESIANS 2:10 NJB
10 We are God's work of art, created in Christ Jesus for the
good works which God has already designated to make up our way
of life.

Look around. See for yourself. God is an artist extraordinaire!

When we gaze at a beautiful sunset, or look at the infinitely
varied forms of life we find surrounding us, and realize that
God designed it all, it is easy to be impressed. God is an
artist. The most brilliant, creative artist ever to exist.

But when we look at our own lives and consider what God is
doing there, we tend to forget that God is an artist. He is
making something beautiful out of you and your life. You may
not see the beauty now -- you may not even see any design or
evidence that God is working -- but you will recognize it
someday.

God's intention for you is to be much more beautiful and
glorious than a sunset or a school of multi-colored fish. And
you will be! God will not fail.

"Wait a minute, preacher. I can see plenty of people that God
has failed on. They are anything but 'beautiful and glorious'
-- inwardly or outwardly."

Yes . . . today. But God is not finished. Many great works of
art take a long time. Don't judge too soon!

SAY THIS: God is a great artist and He is working on me.

Thursday, January 08, 2015

God's Word Is Vital

MATTHEW 4:4 NKJ
4 But He answered and said, "It is written, `Man shall not live
by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth
of God.'"

When Jesus faced the devil's temptations as recorded in Matthew
chapter four, His first response was to quote Deuteronomy 8:3.

God wants you to learn the same lesson that Jesus knew: Nothing
is more important than God's Word. Without the Word, your life
will be less than God intends. The Word of God is vital!

DEUTERONOMY 8:2-3 NKJ
2 "And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all
the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and
test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would
keep His commandments or not.
3 "So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with
manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He
might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but
man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the
Lord.

This lesson was what God intended for Israel to learn in the
wilderness, but sadly, most of them missed it.

When Joshua was taking command of the Israelites after Moses'
death, God wanted to make sure Joshua understood the lesson.
So, He gave him directions for success — which are: speak God's
Word, think God's Word, and do God's Word. Those instructions
have never changed. They are as valid for you today as they
were for Joshua.

JOSHUA 1:8 NKJ
8 "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but
you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to
do according to all that is written in it. For then you will
make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

SAY THIS: God's Word is necessary for me to enjoy life as God
intended it to be.

Wednesday, January 07, 2015

Overcome Evil With Good

ROMANS 12:21 NIV
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

There seems to be no lack of evil. That gives us an opportunity
to overcome.

We will be tempted to respond in kind -- to strike back at
those who hurt us. But that is a bad choice. All it leads to is
more pain and misery for more people -- including ourselves.

The answer is divine love.

With God's love inside us, and God helping us, we can return
good for evil done to us. That breaks the vicious downward
cycle and also breaks the power of evil to affect us.

Don't tell me this won't work in your case. I have personally
heard the victorious testimony of a believer who was tortured
by his communist captors yet walked in love and overcame the
evil situation. It will work!

Love is stronger than hate. Good is more powerful than evil.
You can walk in victory no matter what anyone does to you.

ROMANS 5:5 NIV
5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out
his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given
us.

HEBREWS 13:6 NIV
6 So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not
be afraid. What can man do to me?"

SAY THIS: With God's love, I will overcome evil with good.

Tuesday, January 06, 2015

Jesus Will Give You Rest

MATTHEW 11:28-30 NIV
28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will
give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and
humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Are you struggling? Do you feel like you are barely keeping
your head above water?

If you feel like you are struggling and striving just to make
it -- you need to turn to Jesus. He will give you rest.

If you say that you have turned to Jesus and you think His yoke
is hard and His burden is heavy -- you are deceived.

You need to cast your care on the Lord and learn of Him. So
many people are striving and struggling to get God to love them
when He already loves them and accepts them.

Living a successful Christian life is not done by our own
strength or willpower. It is the result of depending on the
Lord. Only He can do it.

Quit trusting in your plans and abilities and efforts, and
trust in Jesus instead. Turn things over to Him. Let Him be
Lord in your life.

SAY THIS: I will learn of Jesus and trust in Him. Jesus my Lord
gives me rest.

Monday, January 05, 2015

The Lord Is Guiding You

JOHN 16:13 NKJ
13 "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will
guide you....

This article is directed to believers in Jesus Christ to remind
you there are many scriptures indicating that God IS guiding
you.

Too often we feel like we are just on our own, drifting
aimlessly, with no help or guidance from God. Just because you
are not aware of God's guidance does not mean He is not guiding
you. This is part of God's genius: to be able to do things
unnoticed.

When we don't understand God's method of operation, we easily
fall prey to the temptation to doubt God is guiding us, or even
hearing our prayers. This often leads to begging God for help,
which is not faith, and will not produce good results.

We must believe what God says in His Word concerning this
subject of guidance, if we desire to please God.

It is always wise to talk with God before making any decision.
But just because you don't hear God's audible voice answering
you, does not mean that God is not directing you. His primary
means of guiding you are His written Word and the witness of
the spirit inside you.

God will never guide anyone to act contrary to the teaching of
the Bible. That is one reason it is so important to read and
study the Bible.

All of the following are scriptures you can apply to yourself.
(Only the pronouns have been changed to make them personal.)
Saying these will strengthen your faith.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not lack. He leads me beside
the still waters. He leads me in the paths of righteousness for
His name's sake. (Psalm 23:1-3)

God will instruct me and teach me in the way I should go. He
will guide me with His eye. (Psalm 32:8)

God will bring me by a way I did not know; God will lead me in
paths I have not known. He will make darkness light before me,
and crooked places straight. God will do these things for me,
and not forsake me. (Isaiah 42:16)

Thus says the Lord, my Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am
the Lord your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by
the way you should go." (Isaiah 48:17)

The Lord will guide me continually. (Isaiah 58:11)

I follow Jesus so I shall not walk in darkness, but I have the
light of life. (John 8:12)

The Spirit of truth has come and He is guiding me into all
truth. He will tell me things to come. (John 16:13)

I am led by the Spirit of God for I am a son of God. (Romans
8:14)

Now thanks be to God who always leads me in triumph in Christ.
(2 Corinthians 2:14)

It is God Who works in me both to will and to do for His good
pleasure. (Philippians 2:13)

The Lord Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake
you." So I may boldly say: "The Lord is my helper; I will not
fear." (Hebrews 13:5-6)

SAY THIS: Thank You Lord for guiding me.

Sunday, January 04, 2015

Jesus Became Poor To Make You Rich

2 CORINTHIANS 8:9 LB
9 You know how full of love and kindness our Lord Jesus was:
though he was so very rich, yet to help you he became so very
poor, so that by being poor he could make you rich.

Many Christians consider being poor the will of God. Scripture
actually gives a quite opposite picture.

Although there are many warnings in Scripture against the love
of money and its misuse, the fact remains that financial
prosperity is considered a blessing from God in the Bible.

PSALM 35:27 NKJ
27 Let them shout for joy and be glad, Who favor my righteous
cause; And let them say continually, "Let the Lord be
magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant."

(Certainly there are dangers in being prosperous. With more
money you can make more choices, and buy more trouble. However,
money itself is not evil. The person using money determines
whether it will be a force for good or a force for evil.)

You do not have to convince God to prosper you. No arm-twisting
will be necessary, as He has already made the provision.
Through the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ,
prosperity already belongs to you.

I can almost hear the objections: "If I am rich, where is it?
Why do I have all these debts and bills?"

The answer is simple actually. The devil has stolen it away
from us because of our ignorance.

You can reclaim it by faith, but you will have to feed on the
Word for your faith to continue strong and effective. So, to
receive the blessings available to us through Christ, we have
to draw near to God.

Some maturity is required to receive God's provision and to
keep the devil from stealing it. This insures that immature
believers will not have more money than they can handle and
thus have their lives ruined by it.

Nevertheless, according to the Bible you are rich. You may not
have ready access to it, but in Christ wealth is yours -- just
as surely as a young heir is rich even though his money is held
by trustees and he cannot have it until he matures.

SAY THIS: Jesus Christ became poor to make me rich. I am rich
in Christ Jesus.

Saturday, January 03, 2015

You Are Strong In The Lord

EPHESIANS 6:10 NIV
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

No one can successfully argue against the statement, "You are
strong in the Lord." It is a given that if you are in the Lord,
you are strong. Nothing that is "in the Lord" could be weak.

So the only real question is whether you are "in the Lord."

I JOHN 5:20 NASB
20 And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us
understanding, in order that we might know Him who is true, and
we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the
true God and eternal life.

2 CORINTHIANS 5:17 NIV
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the
old has gone, the new has come!

The choice is yours. You choose whether to accept Christ and
thus be identified as "in Him." God does not force this, you
must choose.

EPHESIANS 2:8-10 NASB
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not
of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
9 not as a result of works, that no one should boast.
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good
works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in
them.

From Ephesians 2:8-10 we can see that when we are saved through
faith, we are created anew IN Christ Jesus. That is our
position. So, anyone and everyone who has received Jesus Christ
can be said to be legally "in Him" according to the Scripture.

Always remember that your strength is not in your own ability
or resources, but your strength is in the Lord. Depend on Him.
He will never fail you. (He probably will test your patience
and maybe even let the situation look hopeless, but He will not
ever fail you.)

PSALM 27:1 NKJ
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The
Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?

HEBREWS 13:5-6 NKJ
5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with
such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never
leave you nor forsake you."
6 So we may boldly say: "The Lord is my helper; I will not
fear. What can man do to me?"

PSALM 28:8 NIV
8 The LORD is the strength of his people, a fortress of
salvation for his anointed one.

SAY THIS: I AM strong in the Lord. In the Lord, I am strong,
for the Lord is my strength.

Friday, January 02, 2015

You Are Delivered From The Devil

COLOSSIANS 1:13 NKJ
13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed
us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,

Many people are afraid of the devil. As believers we have no
need to be afraid of the devil, although we should be aware and
on guard against his schemes.

The only true power the devil holds over a believer now is the
power of deception. If you do not know the truth the devil will
take advantage of you. The only way to know the truth is to
read, understand, and act on the Scriptures.

To illustrate, imagine entering the hospital room of a patient
paralyzed from their neck down. All they can do is talk. They
pose no threat to you, unless they convince you to take the gun
from beside the bed and shoot yourself with it.

(How could they do that? One way would be to convince you that
the gun was not real or not loaded, so it wouldn't harm you.)

You may think this is ridiculous, but it happens constantly
with people who do not realize that the words they speak are
powerful, and that the ideas they speak originate with the
devil. Every day the devil convinces millions of people to take
a spiritual "weapon" -- their words -- and use it against
themselves.

The devil operates against you through fear and ignorance.
God's Word gives you the information that will set you free
from both fear and ignorance.

HEBREWS 2:14-15 NASB
14 Since then the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself
likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might
render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the
devil;
15 and might deliver those who through fear of death were
subject to slavery all their lives.

MARK 16:17 NKJ
17 "And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name
they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;

For believers to cast out demons, it means they must have
authority over the devil and his forces. However, unused
authority conveys no benefit.

SAY THIS: Jesus is my lord, and the devil has no power over me.
I have been delivered from the devil's authority. I am free, so
leave me alone, devil!

Thursday, January 01, 2015

You Are Forgiven

2 CORINTHIANS 5:19 AMPLIFIED
19 It was God (personally present) in Christ, reconciling and
restoring the world to favor with Himself, not counting up and
holding against [men] their trespasses [but cancelling them];
and committing to us the message of reconciliation -- of the
restoration to favor.

Most people mistakenly think they have to beg God to forgive
them. Instead, God has already forgiven. It was His idea --
done on His own initiative.

(Whether you accept God's forgiveness and benefit from it is
another question.)

1 JOHN 2:12 NKJ
12 I write to you, little children, because your sins are
forgiven you for His name's sake.

No matter what you have done -- God has already forgiven you!

God is not mad at you. Instead He loves you and desires to have
a close relationship with you. Yes, God is against sin, because
sin is harmful to humans. But He has already made provision for
you to be forgiven and set free from sin.

Jesus Christ paid the price for all your sins -- and God is no
longer holding any sin against you! You have been forgiven.
When you accept that, you can begin to receive the benefit of
Jesus' sacrifice.

EPHESIANS 1:7 NKJ
7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness
of sins, according to the riches of His grace

COLOSSIANS 2:13 NKJ
13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the
uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with
Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,

Through Jesus we have redemption from the devil and forgiveness
for our sins.

Wouldn't it be great if you could tell someone who has messed
up their life that God is not mad at them and not against them?
That He desires to be their friend and help them?

SAY THIS: Thank You Father God for forgiving me and loving me.