His Abilities Are Beyond Your Imagination

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

Ephesians 3:20-21

When Paul wrote this letter to the church of Ephesus, the church had been dealing with various hardships and tumultuous situations. There were many instances where the church had become a value monetarily and not spiritually. The people in the church had become very ego-friendly and self-worth-driven. Everything in this church began to fall apart, every battle seemed to have been lost and the members who cling to the promises of God were slowly beginning to question their faith and focus on this spiritual journey. Through this background, we can surely draw a parallel from the circumstances yesterday to our present standing. The church has become big business, the devil seems to have control over the pulpit and those who hold to their faith have begun to believe that the “church age” is over. Paul reasons with us today as to how we are to keep our composure through these frustrating times. The first thing we see is that we must remember that God can do exceeding and abundantly more than we can ever imagine. Paul says that God is able to do exceeding above all we can ask or think… Paul is encouraging the believer at the church of Ephesus to remember what God they serve… It doesn’t matter what the circumstances are or what people may be saying; God is able… It doesn’t matter what the doctor has told you, God is able… You may be at a low point in your life and Paul is saying that you can be lifted up! Even the best things that you can imagine happening in your life, Paul is saying that God can and will go above and beyond your greatest imaginations…

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Confessing Unblocks His Mercy

He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

Proverbs 28:13 

A hotel cannot provide a room to a customer if they are all occupied… Likewise, we cannot allow God into our hearts if the space is already taken… Covering sins doesn’t deal with them, but simply stores them away within us, causing us to carry around unnecessary burdens and preventing us from overcoming the trials or errors that we made… The proverb says, “He that covereth his sin shall not prosper…” When we try to cover our tracks or mistakes, we lead a life that allows our mistakes to control us… We become captives to sin and the result of that is that we cannot prosper… To live, we must be freed from the bondage of sin which only comes through confession and belief in God… David recorded in Psalms 51, that a broken and contrite heart is a heart that God cannot turn from. Let’s face it, we all have made mistakes, we have gone to places we had no business going to, engaged in activities that still cause us to cringe at the thought and allowed the lust and sinful desires to win in different phases of our lives. Today’s Proverb deals with the confession aspect of Christian living. He that covereth his sins shall not prosper, when you make a mistake in life, you have two choices; either you control it or it controls you! When you control a mistake, you openly confess to God and your peers of your wrong, therefore this incident doesn’t grow any legs to haunt you through life and cause unnecessary turmoil or chaos. If you allow the situation to control you, it becomes shackles that bind you to weaving a web of lies at the expense of your sanity and peace. When we lie, we have no choice but to continue down that spiral path that will ultimately lead us into a confined and guarded approach. You will walk on eggshells around people and force yourself into believing that everything is peaches and cream. When sin possesses you, God can’t prosper you! The sin must be dealt with, the sin must be confronted, and you must develop an attitude of righteousness. This all is possible ONLY through confession and repentance. Notice that the passage says that “whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” To receive the manifold blessing of God, we must not only acknowledge our wrongs, but we must turn from them. 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Call On Him In Truth And He Will Answer

The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.

Psalms 145:18-19

God is as close to you as you want Him to be… So many people question the existence of God or His authority as the creator of all things because of the turmoil and hardships they encounter. Today’s reading reminds us that we are created as free mortal beings, we have been given a free will to do as we please and it is because of this that we oftentimes separate ourselves from the love and protection that is defined in the arms of Christ… Understanding how our minds flip flop so often throughout the course of a day, we can gain an understanding as to why the Psalmist states that “The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him…” You have to make the choice to follow Christ, you have to decide which path you want to travel and when you make this decision you must stick to it… We cannot waiver in our decision-making or desire to follow Christ and align ourselves with His will… James tells us that when we ask of God we must stand firm in our belief in order to obtain it; “But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord.” 

The same thing that we find in the book of James concerning the fact that an individual coming before the Lord must be of a sound mind and faith in Christ to receive the petitions that He lays before the Lord are the same things that we see here from the Psalmist when he informs us that the Lord will be nigh “to all that call upon him in truth…” To call in truth is to call out of sincerity, calling on the Lord out of His sovereignty and might! The bible says, “The true worshipper will worship in spirit and in truth…” Often times we find ourselves calling on the Lord to do miraculous things and when He doesn’t answer on our timetable we take things into our own hands (this embodies the fact that we have not called on the Lord in truth), we begin to devise our own plan of attack and end up in more turmoil than before… Calling in truth is recognition of God’s place within your life, but also it is trusting God’s plan despite the path that you may have wanted to take… God told us in His holy word, “My ways are not your ways, and my thoughts are not your thoughts…” So if you are going to call on the Lord in truth, don’t doubt when He takes you over the mountain instead of through the lilies… 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Be A Living Sacrifice

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Romans 12:1

Today, in Paul’s letter to the Church of Rome we find the gift that we are called to give daily unto the Lord… As a child of the most high we are directed to be a living sacrifice unto the Lord…In this dying world, we are to be examples of God’s faithfulness, love and compassion… Notice Paul says “a living sacrifice”, we are not called to be mute (dead) in this perishing world as many are right now, but we are to be witnesses to the grace of God… Paul starts this verse off by saying, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God…” and ends by saying, “which is your reasonable service…” Mercy is forgiveness, sympathy, kindness and compassion toward another; when you take time to think about your life, I am pretty sure that it is filled with God’s mercy… Paul is saying that we should be willing without thought to be a living sacrifice to the Lord because He has been a willing sacrifice unto us… His mercy is what Paul pleads through today, the mercy of God is what sustains you and keeps you from your proper punishment… The mercy of God is what has given you life and life more abundantly... God not only sent His Son, but He has given us His Spirit to lead, guide and direct our paths… To beseech is to beg, ask or request… Paul is requesting for us to look at our lives today and notice how much mercy God has bestowed; when you take that into account he asks that we give our lives back to Him… The fact that you have the ability to wake up in the morning, the fact that you are clothed in your right mind, the fact that you have a roof over your head, clothes on your back and a job to go to is the fruit of God’s mercy…Think about where we would stand if we actually suffered the full brunt of the consequences of our actions; some of us would be a complete mess, some would be a lost cause and some would not even have warm blood flowing within their veins… Day after day, God has shown mercy unto His creation and it's time that we live our lives according to his purpose. We can never repay all that he has done and given, but at least we can offer ourselves unto Him which is reasonable!

 ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

God Wants You Back

"That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,  In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life."

Luke 1:74-75

Make no mistake about it, though you face trials and tribulations and deal with hardships, the desire of God is for you to be reunited with Him… Luke records today, verses that echo this same sentiment… It is by God’s grace that you and I have been delivered out of the hand of the enemy… As we walk through this life we need not only to take note of God’s grace as far as being alive, but we also need to understand that things could always be worse… Luke is clear that we have been delivered out of the hand of the enemy… Whether you realize it or not, if the enemy had his way with you only God only knows where you would be… The fact that you can overcome, the fact that you are able to stand, the fact that you have just enough is a testament to God’s goodness and His grace that has kept you and will continue to keep you all the days of your life… Notice the intent behind God’s grace that delivered you, Luke says that He did this so that we, “…might serve him without fear…” There are two different kinds of fear, we are called to fear God and keep His commandments; however, the fear that is spoken of in the gospel of Luke is a fear that leads one to second-guess and allow lordship over them. When we fear God we respect and honor Him, when we fear the enemy we are intimidated, scared and controlled by him. Satan desires for you to fear him because fear can be a device used to control and manipulate an individual or situation. If I fear someone, I am more gullible to do whatever it is that they ask of me; however, if I fear the Lord, I want to bring honor to Him by living a life that pleases Him and shines His beacon light upon the lives and hearts of others… 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Be Sober And Vigilant

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world." 

1 Peter 5:8-9

Making the decision to follow Christ doesn’t mean that your life will be an easy road from that point forward. As a matter of fact, when you choose to follow Christ you should come to understand that the battles in your life will only intensify… The sooner we grasp this important fact the more clearly these words penned in today’s focus verses will become to us. Even in the protective arms of Jesus, we are reminded today that we must “Be sober, be vigilant…” You have to stay on guard as a child of God… The minute you accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior is the same minute that the enemy ramps up His attack towards you. The problem in the lives of many Christians isn’t that they are confused as to their calling but that they have become unaware of their surroundings… We accept Christ as our Savior and forget that the sin we lived in before knowing Him still exists and will try to serve as a stumbling block or hindrance in our advancement in the ministry that He has for us… 

The fact that Peter calls the devil a “roaring lion” should shine a light on the fact that he isn’t as hard to spot as we try to portray him to be… In reviewing the history and makeup of the lion I came across some very interesting facts regarding this animal as it relates to his roar. The first thing is that the roar of a lion can be a sign of territorial dominance; this means that the lion is staking his claim to the area his paws land upon. The second type of roar found with lions deals with his food. A lion will roar to intimidate or scare off other predators while he enjoys his meal… Each roar of the lion lays claim to something in one way or another… The message that we must obtain today is that the enemy is laying claim to certain things and/or aspects of your life. When you go against the grain and dare to upset the status quo he will roar “seeking whom he may devour…” You are guaranteed to go through trials and tribulations; you are assured to deal with hardships and obstacles and you are called not to pray for their removal but for a sober and vigilant mind so that you can overcome and be victorious… 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Things Could Always Be Worse

"Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart; for consider how great things he hath done for you."

1 Samuel 12:24

 

Your only duty on this earth is to “fear the Lord…” When you fear (honor, revere or admonish) the Lord your life is lived in total submission to Him… This means that you walk according to His will and are not focused on things of this world… This passage provides great advice for us to live by; we are called to “serve him in truth” knowing that He knows best and that by serving Him in truth we can call into remembrance all the things that He has done and the paths that He has paved… We have to have an attitude that reflects on what God has done and dispel the notion of living with the mindset of “what have you done for me lately…” According to worldly standards and ways of living, we must approach life seeking our own way and desires; however, we are reminded today that we serve a faithful God; one who already demonstrated His might by sending His son and one who has promised to supply all our needs… Don’t lose sight of the fact that as children of God we often want things to happen according to our desires and standards… When we are faced with opposition, we question or blame God; however, when things are working in our favor we find a way to place confidence in ourselves or mankind… Just like the Israelites we need to be reminded to “Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart…” The only thing that we should fear (revere, respect, and pay honor too) is the Lord… 

 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Be Thankful For His Mercy

If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.

Psalm 130:3-4

Have you ever taken time out of your day to think about where you would be if God had not shown mercy toward you? We are called to take note today that if God really marked our iniquity (wickedness, evil, crime, sin) we would not be here nor would we be able to obtain Eternal Life… The psalmist reminds us today to simply reflect upon our lives and the mistakes that we have made (even the ones that we made just a second ago or last night) and take time to thank God for His mercy… If we are truthful with ourselves, we know that there are a lot of things that we desire in this life that would cause us to divert from the very path of God and lead us down a path of evil… Something as simple as a desire to have more can lead us to love material things which the bible tells us is the root of all evil… The first verse says, “If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?” Let us take some time to ponder that, this verse serves as a sobering reminder that we are filthy rags that don’t deserve the Love of God to shine upon us… If we look over our lives, we will soon realize that we are not worthy to be counted in the number of God, we will realize that our name should not appear in the Lambs book of Life, we will understand that hell should be our eternal resting home… See, oftentimes we try to paint this silhouette of holiness and perfection, but the bible tells us “that all have sinned and fallen short of His glory…” It doesn’t matter what kind of picture you paint, or how fake you act, the bottom line is that if God were to judge us according to our living, we all would be joined together in the pits of darkness… 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

You're In Good Hands With Jesus

"I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one."

John 10:28-30

Your future is not tomorrow in the eyesight of God; your future is the place where you will spend eternity… This is important for us to understand because oftentimes we expect things to happen in our immediate future, all of our good deeds appear to go unnoticed, our faith seems to be ineffective and we find ourselves wondering if we really are walking in the right direction. Jesus teaches us today that the true gift for our walk will be manifest in hearing God say, “well done thou good and faithful servant…” Today’s scriptures remind us of the assured deliverance that a person obtains when he or she has accepted Jesus Christ as their personal savior… Again, Jesus says, “I give them eternal life…”As a child of God, we are under the grace that He dispensed through His Son on the cross… It is because of His grace that we shall not perish. When we read this scripture it reminds us that we have not nor can we obtain anything in this life or grasp anything spiritually if Jesus is not the center of focus within us…

 Jesus is clarifying some things for us today, the bible says, “It is not by any works of your hands lest you should boast…” Be careful to remember that Jesus has made every day of your life possible, know that He touched you this morning, clothed you in your right mind and started you on your way… Not only that, but let us remember that Eternal Life is only possible through Him… When we realize that Christ has made everything possible, we then see the promise of God revealed when Jesus says, “they shall never perish…” Everything that you face in this life will not be your end (I believe that we should praise God right now for that…) We all have made mistakes in life, we all have chased after vain things and found ourselves in perilous times; today, we are reminded that as a child of God we shall not perish. Jesus says, “no one can snatch them out of my hand… My father, who has given them to me, is greater than all…” 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!