Archive for Spiritual Development
The Great Exchange
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We serve a God who loves us for better or for worse. He loves us in sickness and in health. And the good news is nothing can separate us from His love.
When you come into Christ, a great exchange takes place. You trade your disappointments for His divine appointments. You trade your doubts for His blessed assurance. You trade your sorrows for the joy of the Lord.
It’s like a couple who gets married. It’s no longer yours or mine… it becomes ours. In marriage, you take on the benefits of each other. In most cases, she takes his last name. Her family becomes his family. His home becomes her home. And her belongings become his belongings.
In the same way, when you come into Christ you take on his benefits. He changes your name. He takes your mess and gives you a message. No longer are you defeated, no, your name becomes victory. You enter into the royal family and you become a child of the most High God!
When the great exchange takes place, you’ll go from broken to mended, from decrease to increase. You’ll go from strife to everlasting peace and from pain to Read More→
What Will You Say of the LORD?
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“I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” – Psalm 91:2
The Psalmist made many declarations of the LORD throughout the Psalms. Many were positive and praiseworthy declarations to the LORD, even in times of trouble.
The truth is, God inhabits the praises of His people. When you speak praises of His name in times of crisis, the LORD rewards that and crowns you with blessings, favor and honor.
Too often, when we get soured on life, we’re tempted to make negative declarations of the LORD. We think that God has forgotten us. We think God has left us in the pits of despair. Some even complain and curse the name of the LORD.
But just like the Psalmist, you should make praiseworthy declarations over your situation. When the tough gets going, let your declaration be, “Lord you are my refuge and strength, a very present help in the time of trouble.”
When you experience doubt, fear and uncertainty, affirm that the LORD is ever faithful. Speak life, joy, hope, peace and victory into your circumstance. Regardless of the way things seem around you, your report should be, “I’m blessed Read More→
It’s Yours for the Asking
Posted by: | CommentsIt’s easy to forget about the power of prayer. Day in and day out, we hope for the best- we set high goals and expectations, but we forget the most powerful ingredient of all, prayer.
The scripture says in James 4:2b, “…you have not, because you ask not.” God wants you to have anything you want. But first you must ask in His name.
Maybe you’re overwhelmed with the cares of the day. Say a simple prayer and ask the Lord to bear the burden. You’ll be surprised, miracles can happen. Maybe you have deadlines to meet, ask in the name of the Lord. Maybe you want to start a business and you’re looking for direction. Ask in the Lord’s name, He’s mighty to perform it!
.Maybe you’ve lost hope, and everything around you seems to be doom and gloom. Pray in the name of Jesus, and look for great things to happen. You might think that God has forsaken you. But the reality is that He’s just looking for you to take a step towards Him.
Just like the Parable of the Prodigal Son, if you’ll take one step towards Christ, He’ll take two steps toward you. When you pray to the Most High God, that’s your one step. Once you take that step He goes to work on your behalf, and performs great and mighty things.
Don’t forget, Jesus says in John 14:14, “ask anything in my name, and I Read More→
How to Know if God is Speaking to You (vs Satan Speaking to You)
Posted by: | CommentsDay in and day out, many thoughts come into our mind. And sometimes we entertain the wrong thoughts while other times, we let the most important, life giving thoughts go in one ear and out the other.
A key thing to remember, is that there are some things that God will never say to you. And on the contrary, there are somethings that Satan will never say to you.
God has given us the gift to discern His voice and the words that He speaks to us. But too often, we go around in doubt about whether it’s God speaking to us or Satan speaking to us.
When God speaks to you, it will always line up with what His Word says about you. It’s usually a thought that leads you to do what is right. A thought that builds you up. It’s often times a thought that will encourage you in bad times.
On the other hand, when Satan speaks to you it’s a thought that tempts you to go against what God’s Word says about you. It can be a thought to tempt you into sin. Or it can be a thought full of guilt, condemnation, and accusation.
In Matthew 12:22-37 is a familiar text that indirectly sheds light on how to determine whether God is speaking and working with us. In this text, Jesus heals a demon-possessed man. And the Pharisees said, “no wonder he can cast out demons. He gets his power from Satan, the prince of demons.” But Jesus replies and basically illustrates that a kingdom can’t stand if it’s divided from within. In other words, Satan’s kingdom can’t stand, if Satan is casting out Satan. His own kingdom will not survive.
Another illustration would be, if the Lakers’ own, Kobe Bryant, makes a great turn around in the fourth quarter. And as he goes in for the point, Derek Fisher, who is on the same team, comes and purposely Read More→
Forget Not His Many Benefits
Posted by: | CommentsThe total opposite of thanksgiving is complaining. And we have a tendency to complain when things are not going our way. But the truth is, this is what the enemy wants you to do. He want’s you to look at what’s going wrong, rather than focus on what’s going right.
When we complain, we tend to forget the Lord’s benefits. We forget all He’s done for us. And in the interim, it causes a downward cycle of bitterness, sadness, and frustration.
But be encouraged today. Don’t look at what’s going wrong in your life, look at what’s going right. Don’t yield to the temptation of the adversary and allow him to throw you off track. No, remember all the Lord’s many benefits.
Be thankful that you’re healthy and whole. Be thankful that you’re in your right mind, and have full activity of your limbs.
His benefits are that you’re blessed going in and coming out. You’re blessed and highly favored of the Lord. He’s a God that causes you to prosper in everything that you do. He has even given you the ability to do all things through Christ which strengthens you. These are just a few of the many benefits that come with the Lord’s “package deal”.
You see, it’s likened to getting a job. When you get hired on to that job, you’re getting more than just a paycheck. You’re getting extra benefits. Some companies even offer incentive bonuses. When you get sick or have an accident, and end up in the hospital, that’s when your Read More→
Make Your List and Check it Twice
Posted by: | CommentsFrom time to time, we find ourselves straying away from the fruit that God wants us to bear. Our natural human nature, at times, will cause us to bear fruit that isn’t pleasing to God.
That’s why it’s important for us to perform self assessments and make sure we’re bearing the fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23 tells us that “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” These are the traits that the Holy Spirit within us would cause us to bear.
And again, often times we’ll find ourselves being tempted to not exercise these traits. A great exercise, would be to commit the fruit of the Spirit to memory. And throughout the day, make a mental list of times when you can practice bearing good fruit.
For instance, when you’re in rush hour traffic and you’re tempted to get impatient, take a second and double check your mental list. This is the time to exercise forbearance, or patience (long-suffering) as some translations put it. Maybe someone wants to get in ahead of you in traffic, this is a chance for you to exercise kindness and goodness.
Maybe you’re trying to meet deadlines and something doesn’t go your way. You may be tempted to get frustrated or irritated. Double check your list, my friends. This Read More→
God is Working (You Can Go on Autopilot)
Posted by: | CommentsThere is something that is so peaceful about praying. Part of what give us a sense of peace and tranquility is simply knowing that, God is working.
You see, when you go to the Lord, you’re casting all your cares on Him. It’s like taking out the trash. If the trash builds up in the home, nothing good can come from it. It can cause odor, bacteria build up, fungus, and it can even draw some unwanted creatures into the home.
But when you go to the Lord in prayer, it’s almost like taking your trash out. For many of us, our prayers are, “Lord, fix this. Change that. Remove this. Clean that.”
And you may say, “this doesn’t sound right. It’s not right to dump all my mess on the Lord.” But because of Grace, we have the privilege of casting our burdens on the Lord. In fact, that’s what Jesus urges us to do. He doesn’t want us to carry the load. No, He wants to relieve us of the burden.
We know this because Jesus says in Matthew 11:28, “come to me all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens and I will give you rest.” And 1 Peter 5:7 says to “cast your cares on the Lord for he cares for you.”
That means all your mess: your stress, burdens, insecurities, doubts, worries and fears- you can take them to the Lord and in exchange He will give you Read More→
The Difference Between a “Logos” and a “Rhema” Word (and How they can Benefit You)
Posted by: | CommentsIn our relationship with Christ, we find ourselves going to the Word of God for understanding, revelation, and direction. And sometimes we get clarity and instruction, and other times, we don’t get any understanding. Therefore, it’s important to know that there are two types of Words that feed us. One is known simply as the “Logos” word, and the other is a “Rhema” Word.
To simply put it, the word “Logos” is a Greek word which means “written word.” The Bible, for instance, is an example of a Logos. The word “Rhema” in Greek is referred to as “spoken word.” Many Bible scholars and theologians refer to a Rhema word as being a right now word, or a word for a specific person and a current situation.
You see, when we read the bible, the Word never changes. We’re taking in the Logos. It’s the same Logos or written word that was there in the beginning. I’ve heard many people say that at times, when they read the Bible, they don’t understand. For them, the Words aren’t ministering to them. That’s when a Rhema word comes in handy.
When you’re at church, and the minister speaks the sermon, they’ll speak the word in a way that you get an understanding. The clarity that you get as a result of the sermon, is a Rhema word.
A Rhema word can be a result of the Logos (or Bible) but not always the case. The principle of a Rhema word is based off the Logos, but other times it can be a word that guides you, or shows you what to do.
Here’s the key: when it comes to reading the Bible, which is the Logos, there will be times when you get an understanding or revelation beyond the words that are written on the page. That understanding and revelation that you get is another example of a Rhema word. It’s like studying in school, or doing your homework, and you finally get an “ahah” moment. You get a moment where you say, “Oh, now I get it… I didn’t understand before but now I see…”
Well in the biblical context, I like to think that this “ahah” moment is the Read More→
God Will Stand In The Gap
Posted by: | CommentsWherever there is a void in your life, God can fill it. But too often we forget this principle. And in turn, we resort to things or people of this world to fill the gap. But I want to encourage you today that with God, you have everything you need to bring restoration in every area of your life.
You see, behind the scenes, God is going to work and He’s making provisions for you. He’s working on your behalf to bring ease to every difficult area in your life.
But many times we have it backwards. We end up looking to the things of this world to stand in the gap. Some put their faith in money and material possessions. Others put their trust in people. Some others even resort to excessive alcohol and drugs to fill the void.
But you should know that these things are only temporary. They are what I like to call an immediate fix. But God is the only permanent fix.
I think about how I love my toys. I’m a big electronic guy and I love my new gadgets. Anytime there’s a new technology gadget on the market, I love to scope it out. And I can remember when I first got my touch screen smart phone. And I can remember being on it all day trying to figure out how it works, what it can do, and what all I can get out of it.
For the rest of the week, I was content with my face down in my Read More→
God Has The Right-of-Way
Posted by: | CommentsSometimes we grow impatient and demand our own way while waiting on the Lord to manifest His promises in our lives. Instead of seeking God for direction and waiting patiently, we have a tendency to seek our own knowledge and wisdom.
But know today that it’s better to wait on God’s timing. Even when it seems like there’s no end, God is working behind the scenes to meet you at the point of your need.
The truth is, when we grow impatient and take matters into our own hands, we mess up the flow of God. There is a process for everything in Life. God has a natural step by step progression planned out for you. And when you try to put the end result before it’s proper time, things can actually turn out against your favor.
The other day I was driving in traffic on a very busy stretch. And I came to a point where I was merging into the left turning lane to cross the median. Normally, this is a very busy stretch and it can be difficult to get across the road when yielding to the oncoming traffic. But eventually, when it comes time for the traffic lights to turn red, you can merge across the highway with no problem.
It turns out, the person in car ahead of me grew impatient and decided to “make their own way.” They eased out into the oncoming traffic, causing them to Read More→
