1 John 5:12

The one who has the Son has life. The one who doesn’t have the Son of God does not have life.

You can be alive but not really living. You can be successful and financially prosperous and still be empty. You can be the center of attention in a crowd and still feel lonely. Jesus is life, and without Him, you don’t really have life at all. Without Him, you have death working in you and waiting for you.

Most of us have heard the saying, “Life is what you make it.” According to this verse, however, life is who you have in you. We fall for the false philosophy that you can do something to make your life better, but if you don’t have Jesus, nothing you do can give life. You merely waste energy trying to gain something or achieve something that can never satisfy you or give you hope for anything beyond this world. Eternal life and life worth living is found in Jesus Christ.

If you are a Christian, you have life. The Devil may try to convince you that you are a failure, but you have the One who is life and brings it more abundantly living inside you. Don’t listen to the Devil or conform to the standards of the world. Tune out the world and tune into the voice of the Holy Spirit living inside of you. He has something eternal – lasting and fulfilling – for you, and the Devil wants to drown His voice by feeding you disappointment and discouragement. Resist him, and he will flee.

If you are not a Christian, you don’t have this life living inside of you. Know that you will always feel the void of this world and never be completely satisfied without Him because He is the giver of life. You will never know a love like His nor ever experience true joy outside of Him. He is the answer to the emptiness you seek to fill. He is life abundant and free.

Life’s answers are found in Jesus Christ because He is life. Choose to live a life worth living and turn to Him today. Whatever need you may have can be found in Him. Die to yourself and to this world and find new life – true life – in the Son of God.

Have a blessed day!

Luke 23:28

But turning to them, Jesus said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and your children.

As Jesus was on His way to the cross, a large crowd followed Him. Many women were among them, weeping for Him. Jesus, however, was not concerned for Himself. He was concerned for these women and their children. He was ultimately headed for victory over death through resurrection power. They were headed for death and eternal damnation unless He did what He was about to do.

Christ overcame every blow, every stripe, every wound that man inflicted upon Him. While He died a cruel physical death, He rose in victory by a power much greater than His earthly flesh or man’s sin.  Because of His victory, we have the hope of victory over our difficult circumstances today. His sacrifice gives eternal life for those who believe in Him. His resurrection means that our sins are forgiven, and God has accepted that sacrifice. Through Him, we have the power to overcome anything this world or its ruler may throw at us. 

Don’t weep for Jesus. He is a victor and not a victim. Weep for those who do not know Him and are destined to live defeated lives without Him. If you belong to Christ, know that your victory is already won. You just need to walk in it. 

Have a blessed day!

Wholehearted Devotion

Joshua 14:9

On that day Moses promised me, “The land where you have set foot will be an inheritance for you and your descendants forever, because you have remained loyal to the LORD my God.”

These words were spoken by Caleb, one of the two spies who brought back a positive report from the promised-land. Only he and Joshua were allowed to enter and carry the people forward. Those who shrank back in fear never entered. God honors wholehearted devotion to Him. Such devotion requires we place Him over our fears and take the land He has promised us.

Caleb brought back an honest report from the land. It was a good land, flowing with milk and honey.  Strong men and giants inhabited the land, but Caleb and Joshua believed their God was stronger. They dared to believe God would give them the land He had promised them. The others feared they would be defeated. As a result, they were defeated by their own fears. Caleb and Joshua conquered their land and had an inheritance for their children and their children’s children. One moment of courage can make a huge difference in your life and in generations that follow.

What has God promised you? Have you seen giants in the land? Because you are taking enemy territory, you will not take the promised-land without a fight. Your greatest fight, however, may be over your own fear. Will you choose to believe Him or to believe the negativity that causes you to doubt God? Give Him your wholehearted devotion today, and believe Him for victory. He did not bring you this far out of bondage just to see you defeated on the border of your promised land!

Those who were fearful wanted to go back to Egypt and into bondage, where they felt it was safe. They would rather live as slaves than as free men with a bountiful inheritance. Living a life of true freedom, however, requires faith that God will do what He says He will do and courage to move forward in that faith. This kind of courage comes from wholehearted devotion to God and an unwillingness to go back into slavery, regardless of the cost. If you are wholeheartedly devoted to God, you have nothing to lose by entering into the land and everything to gain! Determine to set your foot on promised ground, and claim your inheritance in a good land. Become wholeheartedly devoted to a God who loves you beyond your imagination and cannot lie. 

Have a blessed day!

2 Peter 2:18

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

Peter instructs us to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ. Salvation is not just a one-time event; it is a state in which we are transformed into the image of Christ. We become new creations, and the whole objective is to change us. To say we are saved and to remain bound in sin is an oxy-moron. While we will certainly make mistakes in our Christian walk, we should experience lives that are continuously being re-directed to the center, which is Christ. When we veer off track to the left or the right, a strong force known as the Holy Spirit should be steering us back toward the center. Here, we experience growth as we partake in the daily grace He provides to increase in our understanding of Him as a person.

Any success we achieve in our walk is because of the grace Christ has given us. If our ministry grows, it is because God has added to the number. If people come to know Christ through us, it is because the Holy Spirit moved upon them. All the glory belongs to Jesus, and we cheat Him if we try to take any part of it for ourselves. Any victory you receive is not because you are getting better; you have victory because God’s grace is growing in your life. When you begin to look at yourself as nothing and to God as everything, you are on track for growth.

May we all grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. If He is not the center of all we do, we are off focus. May we take attention off of ourselves and re-direct it to Him. It really is all about Him, and the sooner we come to understand this, the sooner we will experience the personal victory we desperately need to see. To Him be the glory for our personal victories. Without His grace, we have no hope. With His grace, however, all hope is ours!

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 108:7

God has spoken in His sanctuary; I will triumph! I will divide Shechem. I will apportion the Valley of Succoth.

God has already spoken victory over you, and whatever He speaks comes into being. You will triumph over your current battles, and the war is already won! Your job now is to believe you have victory and to march forward.

Shechem was a place in Palestine meaning “ridge.” The Valley of Succoth was a place in Palestine, as well. Succoth means “booths.” A ridge is usually considered a high place, and a valley is a low place. Whether you have come to the border of a high place or confined in a booth in a low place, God says you will triumph!

To divide Shechem means to separate it evenly or carefully. To apportion the Valley of Succoth also means to divide carefully and distribute appropriately. In your victories, you have something to give to others. Every time you take ownership over your weaknesses and gain victory in an area, you have hope and encouragement to give to others who are struggling with the same issues.

God has already spoken your victory over you. Your victory will lead others into victory, as well. Take heart, go forth, and conquer!

Have a blessed day!

Isaiah 62:12

And they will be called the Holy People, the LORD’s Redeemed; and you will be called Cared For, A City Not Deserted.

As Christians, we carry this promise today. When we receive Christ as our Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us to transform us into the image of Christ. We are the LORD’s Redeemed because He has already died for us and risen again, thereby paying the price for our sins. We belong to Him, and we are Cared For. We are A City Not Deserted in Christ.

At times, however, we may feel contrary to God’s word here. These feelings come if we entertain the thoughts of the enemy that tell us we are anything but holy, redeemed, cared for, or not deserted. If we truly believed who we are in Christ, we would live as more than conquerors and defeat his wicked schemes. We cannot trust your thoughts or our feelings, but we can always trust the word of God. If He says we are a Holy People, His Redeemed, Cared For, and A City Not Deserted, then that is what we are!

I recently read where racing negative thoughts and feelings of loneliness, depression, and anxiety are signs of mental illness, which can be as debilitating as physical illness. The Devil is waging war in our minds, and if we entertain his thoughts enough to believe them in any way, he can gain a stronghold over us to sabotage our identity in Christ. We act on what believe. Therefore, it is time we start believing what God says about us and start rejecting the lies the enemy tries to plant in our head.

Dare to speak God’s word over yourself every day as a war decree. Your words have power. Say it until it resonates in your spirit, and you believe it. You are more than a conqueror in Jesus Christ. You are loved, accepted, and you have a purpose. He works all things together for your good and His glory, and He will be with us in the form of the Holy Spirit to the very end of this age, which will end with His glorious physical appearing. You are Holy. You are Redeemed. You are Cared For. You are A city Not Deserted. Believe and conquer!

Have a blessed day!

Genesis 30:25-26

After Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me on my way so that I can return to my homeland.  Give me my wives and my children that I have worked for, and let me go. You know how hard I have worked for you.”

Now that Rachel had finally bore a son, Jacob sought to leave Laban. He greatly desired to return to his own homeland. No doubt, he was tired of Laban’s scheming and manipulation. Perhaps, he even wanted to raise his favored new son in a different environment – away from Laban’s influence. With both wives supposedly happy, he might have a chance to create a new life in his own homeland and completely separate from his uncle/father-in-law’s household. In any event, something about Joseph’s birth urged him to make a move toward independence from Laban. 

Jacob bargained with Laban initially because he wanted something from him – Rachel. Laban wanted something from Jacob, too. He wanted financial blessing, and he saw it in Jacob. The two cooperated as long as they wanted something from each other. Once Jacob had all he wanted from Laban, he was ready to move. Their relationship is a perfect example of how the world operates and our relationship with it. Playing worldly games and bargaining with the Devil may get you more than you want, and he is never ready nor willing to let you out of his control. 

Are you ready for a new chapter in your life? Has the Devil obligated you to commitments you no longer feel the need to fulfill? Have you paid a high price already and desire a greater promise God has for you? Jacob had an outwardly comfortable place with Laban forever if he chose to remain there. An inward longing, however, drove him to search for more. If you find your inward longing becoming greater than your outward comfort, it may be time for you to step out in faith and make a move toward a promise.  Pray for specific direction, and look for open doors. Ask God for new opportunities, and watch to see what He provides. Even seemingly small doors may lead to surprising places. If God has set such a longing in your heart, no amount of compromise with the world will satisfy it. Sooner or later, you will need to go. Dare to dream again, and begin to move toward your dream.

Have a blessed day!

Isaiah 59:21

“As for Me, this is My covenant with them,” says the LORD: “My Spirit who is on you, and My words that I have put in your mouth, will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouth of your children, or from the mouth of your children’s children, from now on and forever,” says the LORD.

God promised in this verse to keep His Spirit and His word with the nation of Israel. We are His children through Jesus Christ, and God sent His Spirit to dwell in everyone who comes to Christ. While we may reject the Holy Spirit’s leading at times, He has promised He will never depart from us. His Spirit is with us forever.

Family and lineage are very important to the Jewish culture, as they are to most cultures. God promised that His Spirit would not depart from their families or their lineage. It would reside within the blood line.  God cares about our families. His intention is to increase awareness of Him through our lineage. We are all aware that what we do today will affect our children tomorrow. Know, too, that what you pray today and proclaim by faith will affect your children tomorrow. 

The devil knows the power of the family unit, and that is why he is so actively attacking it today. Too many of us Christians don’t understand the promise of the covenant God made in this verse. If His Spirit is always with us, we have the power to call on God, to move in the name of Jesus, and to proclaim by faith God’s perfect will for our children and our children’s children. We can’t control what choices they make, but we can pray and expect the Spirit of God to work in their lives. Prayer is our biggest weapon in spiritual warfare, and I think most of us don’t fully understand how powerful it is. 

If your children are still at home, pray over them every day. Let them hear your prayers and what you want God to do for them and through them. Let them hear how you want God’s very best and perfect will for them. If your children are grown and have moved out of the house, continue to pray for them.  Proclaim God’s perfect will for their future and let them know you are praying for them. God cares about your family, and He wants to increase awareness of Himself through them. Know that He is working, even if you can’t see it right now. Your lineage was meant to be a Christian lineage, and God’s Spirit and His word will never depart from them.  This is His promise to you!

Have a blessed day!

Isaiah 22:22

I will place the key of the House of David on his shoulder; what he opens, no one can close; what he closes, no one can open.

This verse refers to Eliakim, who was steward of the House of David (palace) at the time of Sennacherib’s attack. God gave this steward authority to care for the house by giving him the key. With this key, he could open doors and shut them according to his purpose, which was to care for the operation and well-being of the house.

There may come times in our lives when we face closed doors. Closed doors can hinder us from fulfilling our purpose, but God will give a key to His trusted servants to watch over His household. When He does, that servant has the authority to open and close doors for whatever is needed.

We often think about open and closed doors from the old game show, “Let’s Make a Deal.” In that show, contestants were given a choice on which door to open, and they got to keep whatever was behind the door they chose. The prize could be something wonderful and exciting, or it could be something silly or disappointing. The hope and goal was to choose the door with the best prize.

In God’s Kingdom, however, we don’t choose which doors to open. Our doors aren’t for prizes; they are for purpose. Eliakim was placed in charge when the enemy had threatened to attack, so the doors he opened and closed were for serious times. God still uses His servants to open doors for others to carry out His purpose. When we find an open door, we aren’t to bargain with God on whether or not to keep the prize. We are to walk through it with purpose. If a door is closed, we must trust the matters behind it are not for us to handle at this time and go another direction.

God is not playing “Let’s Make a Deal” with us. He is placing people in position for purpose because the enemy is attacking. If God has opened a door for you, no one else can close it. It is your door. If He has closed a door, don’t try to break it down; you aren’t equipped to handle what is on the other side at this time. He may choose to open that door at a later date, but trust His timing. Make purpose – not prize – your goal. You may be surprised what doors open when you change your focus!

Have a blessed day!

Isaiah 62:5

For as a young man marries a virgin, so your sons will marry you; and as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so your God will rejoice over you.

Keep in mind that God is speaking to the nation of Israel in this verse. As a young man marries a virgin as his bride, so Israel’s sons would marry her land and make her fruitful and productive again. While she may feel like a deserted, desolate, abandoned “has-been” of a woman, she will be as a new virgin bride when God restores her.

Regardless of what you have faced in this life and how ugly you may feel, God’s plan is to restore you and rejoice over you as if you were a new bride. While others may place you on the clearance rack, God chooses you as His very own and instills worth in you that the world cannot touch. You are wanted, chosen, and desired for destiny. Anyone who discounts you fails to see your worth and does not belong in the plan God has for you.

Turn to Christ today, and allow Him to give you a new identity – one with a rich inheritance. God values you and wants to restore you. His desire is to rejoice over you as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride. Come off the clearance rack of someone else’s opinion of you, and delve into the abundance of God’s love and grace for you. You belong with the valuables because you are of great value to Him.

Have a blessed day!