Category Archives: Faith

2024, Faith

Thoughts on Faith

We cannont exercise our faith beyond what we believe to be possible.

John G. Lake

Matthew 17:20 (MSG), “Because you’re not yet taking God seriously,” said Jesus. “The simple truth is that if you had a mere kernel of faith, a poppy seed, say, you would tell this mountain, ‘Move!’ and it would move. There is nothing you wouldn’t be able to tackle.”.

There is nothing impossible with our God! We must be a people who pray with boldness knowing our Father hears our prayers and that He watches over His Word to perform it!

True Bible faith is seeing every circumstance in life not through worldly standards, but through God’s Word. We must see everything in life with God’s perspective, knowing that He will answer our faith-filled prayers and meet every need!

2022, Christianity, Faith

True Happiness

True happiness does not come from worldly pleasures, but from faith in God. We need to rely on our walk of mountain-moving faith, and let the joy of the Lord be our strength every day in our lives. We need to ask God daily to fill us up so that we overflow with the power of His Spirit, and His joy in our lives. Living this life is a supernatural life, which will keep us strong in our faith during difficulties in life, temptation, and sickness. Many people today struggle with a sin that they have not brought into subjection, a part of their flesh. The reason for that is you have not allowed the joy of the Lord to flow in your life in every area, because you do not know your true identity in Christ. It is time to identify who we are in Christ so we can live the life He called us to glorify His name and make His Kingdom known.

2022, Apostolic, Christianity, Discipleship, Faith, Inspiration, Wisdom

Walking in True Communion

Many Christians know about Communion or the Lord’s Supper, often churches will hold Communion based on a certain routine. While it is Biblical for us to partake of the Lord’s Supper together as the Body of Christ, we must also walk in Communion with Him daily. I am one who believes that Communion in the church should be taken seriously because the full sacrifice of Jesus Christ is something that we ought not to take lightly in any sense. Jesus Christ became a curse and paid the price for us in our place, it took the death of God’s own Son to purchase our redemption and freedom from the bondage of sin. 

Jesus says something profound in John 6:53-58 (NKJV), “Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.  Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.  As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.”

Now let me make something clear here because this is often confused especially in Catholic circles. When you partake of the Lord’s Supper the bread and juice or wine do not somehow become the exact body and blood of our Savior. The Sacrifice of Christ is one and done and there is no need to repeat it (Hebrews 10:10). However, we are instructed in the New Testament to partake in the Lord’s Supper in remembrance of Him. We do Communion in remembrance of Him and it is symbolic (Luke 22:19). 

Now back to what Jesus said in John chapter six. He said that if you do not eat of the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood you have no life in you. Interestingly Jesus mentions that His Body is bread from Heaven or as they called it in the Old Testament, the manna (Exodus 16:31). So what is our manna under the New Covenant? John 1:1 (NKJV) says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”. Jesus is the Logos, the Word of God. Additionally Revelation 19:12-13 (NKJV) says, “His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.”. 

Part of walking in Communion with Him is having a relationship with Him that involves studying and meditating on the Word of God because Jesus is the Word of God. Now, what about the Blood of Jesus Christ? Ephesians 1:7 (NKJV) tells us, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace”. We must come to the realization that we are blood washed, our sins are forgiven and He remembers them no more (Hebrews 8:12). Jesus tells us in Matthew 3:8 (AMP), “So produce fruit that is consistent with repentance [demonstrating new behavior that proves a change of heart, and a conscious decision to turn away from sin].”. When we are born again we repent and place our trust in the full Sacrifice of Jesus Christ which contains His Body and His Blood. The Christian doesn’t just encounter repentance once, we are t bear fruits of repentance. We won’t get it right every time after we are born again, that is why we must be led by the Holy Spirit and when He convicts us, repent.  

We need to realize that as born-again believers we spiritually through the new creation have the blood of Christ applied to our lives. The Blood that makes us holy and sanctified and we must come to realize this not just mentally, but truly in our soul and spirit. Too many people mentally ascend what the Blood of Christ has done, but they never have a revelation of it. 

It is time we walk in communion with Jesus Christ daily. The word communion in the Oxford dictionary is defined as, the sharing or exchanging of intimate thoughts and feelings, especially when the exchange is on a mental or spiritual level. When we walk in full communion with Him in this realm on earth it is to be an intimate walk with Him. 

I’d like to leave you with one nugget of thought. Many people overlook a particular individual in the Bible and that is Enoch from the Old Testament. While there is much we can discuss on many levels with Enoch, I’d like to leave you with one verse about him. Genesis 5:24 (AMP) says, “And [in reverent fear and obedience] Enoch walked with God; and he was not [found among men], because God took him [away to be home with Him].”. Enoch had such an intimate walk with God that he actually never encountered physical death. His walk was reverent with the fear of God and obedience. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). Too often I feel as the church has become too modern I feel we have lost a Biblical fear and reverence toward God. As we strive to walk in deeper communion with Him, let us walk it in full surrender, obedience, and reverence. 

If under the Old Covenant, Enoch could have a deep and intimate walk with God, then why can’t we all as New Covenant believers? We are the temple of the Holy Spirit under the New Covenant (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). We have everything we need to walk the kind of walk Enoch walked in a New Testament context. Now I am not saying this means we can avoid physical death, but this should challenge us to seek out a deep and intimate walk with God. 

2021, Bible Study, Christianity, Faith, Inspiration

1 John 1:6 Devotional

May be an image of 1 person and text that says 'If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we le and do not live out the truth. 1 John 1:6'

As believers we are to walk in the Light we receive from Jesus Christ. When one is truly born again they become a new creation in Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). As children of God, we are children of Light! Walking in the Light means living a sanctified life that produces fruit (1 Thes 4:3, Matt 7:16, Gal. 5:22-23). Too often people think that all it means to be a Christian is to repeat a prayer and receive your hell insurance card. It is not possible to say you had an encounter with God and remain unchanged. When one becomes truly saved, they are changed, because they are no longer a child of darkness, but a child of Light!

2021, Christianity, Faith

True Faith Over Mental Ascent

Faith is something that is so vital to the believer, in fact, you cannot enter the Kingdom of God without faith. On the other hand, it is common for people to get wrapped up in mental ascent. When someone only applies mental ascent to the Word of God all they do is mentally agree with the Word of God. However, the Bible makes it clear that we must mix faith with the Word of God. Mental ascent will come out of a place of academia, where all one will do is just familiarize themselves with the facts of Scripture, but the Word of God never truly soaks into their heart. 

Many Christians think that in order to be in a ministry you must go to seminary or Bible college, however, none of the Apostles of the early church went to seminary. Let me be clear I believe educational training has its place, however, many think that is the only way to be qualified. In Acts 4:13 (NLT) it says, “The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.”. Notice it says the Apostles Peter and John were ordinary men with no special training according to Jewish tradition. The Jewish leaders at that time were well trained in the Old Testament Scriptures. However, Peter and John had everything they needed. Of course, they were alongside Jesus during His earthly ministry, but they also received the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the believer’s power source for every good work. The Holy Spirit will help us understand the Word of God so that our faith can be built.

Every believer regardless of their educational background can walk in a great level of faith. Hebrews 4:2 (NASB) tells us, “For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also did; but the word they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united with those who listened with faith.”. This is talking about the people in the wilderness in the Old Testament, they heard the promises of God regarding the promised land, but the message did them no good because they had no faith. They only mentally agreed with it which resulted in them being moved by their circumstances. This is why we need to be full of faith so that when circumstances tell us otherwise we are not moved. 

Hebrews 11:1 (NET) tells us, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, being convinced of what we do not see.”. We must be fully convinced of what God’s Word says. Jesus made a bold statement about faith in Mark 11:23 (ESV), “Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.”. Please take note He says we must “not doubt in our heart”. You can have doubts mentally, but you cannot have doubts in your heart. Human standards might tell you it is impossible, but you must take heart to the Word of God like it is so. 

I pray this encourages you and stirs your faith. Continue to seek God daily and meditate upon His Word. Ask God to give you a greater measure of faith and to help your unbelief. Every time you get into the Word ask the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of your understanding. God is faithful! 

2021, BLogger, Christianity, Faith, Healing, Inspiration

Faith In God

Many people today are living in fear over the circumstances of the world. From health concerns to problems in the Middle East and inflation, many people are asking questions. People who are even Christians have fear over these circumstances, it is not just unbelievers who are living in fear. It seems many Christians need to get re-rooted in the Word of God and come into alignment with God’s Word for every aspect of our lives. 

We can spend a good amount of time worrying about our current and future circumstances. However, I believe we should reconsider where we devote our time in our minds. Can you imagine how much different each of our walks of faith could be if we spent more time in prayer and in God’s Word than worrying? The Word of God is our spiritual food. When tempted by the devil, Jesus responded in Matthew 4:4 (ESV), ““It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’””. 

While the Word of God may not satisfy our physical hunger, the Word of God is our sufficient spiritual food. The Apostle Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV), “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”. We need to realize that the Word of God is what equips us and trains us for everything God has called us to in our lives. We should not just turn to the Word of God when we are spiritually depleted, but we should turn to the Word of God and feast upon it daily. 

An important aspect of being filled with the Holy Spirit is being filled with the Word of God. Jesus tells us in John 6:63 (ESV), “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.”. The two go hand in hand. We need to cultivate a prayer life that is in line with God’s Word. Ephesians 6:18 (ESV) says, “Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints”. We are to pray at all times under the leading of the Holy Spirit. We need to seek out God’s Will in our prayer life, and we can know God’s Will by getting into the Word. 

There will be others in our lives that we will come across who are unbelievers who will appear to be distraught over what circumstances are taking place in this world or even in their own personal lives. This gives us the perfect opportunity to share with them how we walk in the peace the Lord has given us. Romans 15:13 (ESV) tells us, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”. 

2021, BLogger, Christianity, Discipleship, Faith, Old Testament

A Biblical View of God’s Love

Sadly in today’s world and even in the modern church, there is a distorted view of God’s love. There are many people who pose the claim of if God is love, how can He send sinners to hell? Part of this issue is there is a rise of false teachers who preach a false gospel that leads people to believe there is no hell, hades, the lake of fire, or eternal judgment. These false teachers easily gain popularity because this world’s mainstream entertainment system is run by Satan himself. Don’t believe me? Just listen to the lyrics of today’s top ten hits on secular radio. 

Spiritual warfare isn’t just about a battle of people yelling “get out in Jesus name”, spiritual warfare is also a battle for truth in accordance with God’s Word. Trust me, I believe part of spiritual warfare is about casting out the kingdom of darkness, however, there are many believers who are misinformed and think that is the only aspect of spiritual warfare. John 8:31-32 (ESV) tells us, “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,  and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”. 

So how do we Biblically explain God’s love? Let’s look at Exodus 34:6-7 (ESV), “The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,  keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.””. Most people like this verse until it says “but who will by no means clear the guilty”. 

The Cross of Jesus Christ consists of both the wrath and the love of God. You can’t have one without the other. Make no mistake all sin must be paid for, either by the lake of fire or by the Blood of Jesus Christ. While we live in a world that is full of injustice and a corrupt system, God’s justice is perfect and consistent every single time. Psalm 7:11 (ESV) says, “ God is a righteous judge and a God who feels indignation every day”. 

On the Day of Judgement, everyone will have to give an account before God. Hebrews 10:31 (ESV) says, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”. Too often today, many people both in and out of the modern church lack a proper reverence towards God. We need to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ seriously. It is time believers stand up for the truth in God’s Word in a world where most people only want to hear about how they can live a happy, healthy, and successful life. If you think Christianity is about “living your best life now” then I am deeply concerned about your Salvation. 

Jesus told us in Mark 9:43 (ESV), “And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire.”. Even before the Day of Judgment, after the Second Coming of Jesus, there is a Heaven to gain and a hell to be shunned. Revelation 21:8 (ESV) warns us all, “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”. People like to make the claim “I don’t need God I am a good person”. Well just ask them, have you ever told a lie, even a white lie? Everyone has told a lie at least once if not more, and if you lied that just doesn’t make you a sinner, it also makes you a liar, which the Bible makes very clear the final destination for liars. 

However, the God of the Bible is a loving God, who sent His only Son to pay the price for all sin. This is God’s free gift, all you need to do is repent and believe (Mark 1:15). Jesus said in John 3:16 (ESV), “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”. God’s love is Holy, it is not like the love we are used to on this world, and in fact, I don’t think we can ever come to the full realization of His love until we leave this earth. 

Accepting the Gospel is not about being religious, Jesus was against the religious people during His earthly ministry. The Gospel is about being set free from the bondage of sin, being set free from the weight that was placed on each person as a result of the fall. When you are born again, the moment your genuinely repent and believe fully in Jesus Christ, you have a new nature inside of you. You will receive the Holy Spirit, who will empower you to walk in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit will teach and guide you on your Christian walk. You might think to yourself it is impossible for me to overcome this area of sin in my life, but let me tell you it is the finished work of Christ that overcomes it. You may not see instant changes right away, but the Holy Spirit will do the work in you. If God started a good work in you, He will complete it (Philippians 1:6). 

2021, BLogger, Christianity, Faith

A Thought on Evangelism

"The Kingdom of God is not a matter of getting individuals to heaven, but of transforming the life on earth into the harmony of heave." - Walter R.

Truth! An encounter with religion is praying a prayer with no transformation other than your Sunday mornings looking different.

An encounter with the King of Kings results not only in a love for being among those likeminded in the faith, but a transformed life.

Here is some food for thought… It’s not possible to say you been ran over by an 18-wheeler and look unchanged. Just like it is impossible to say you encountered God and remain the same.

We need evangelism that is like those who were apart of the Early Church. We need to have a heart for those who are on the broad way to hell. Not only should we boldly proclaim the Gospel with our words, but we should proclaim the Gospel by leading by examples. We are to be a living testimony for God’s Glory!

2021, BLogger, Christianity, Faith, Prophetic Flow Teaching

Stirred in Faith

In Exodus 34-35 we see the account of when Moses received the covenant from God on the stone tablets, and we see Moses presenting the covenant to the Israelites. One of the things the Lord highlighted to me as I was reading this passage was how the people’s hearts were stirred after listening to Moses. 

In Exodus 35:20-22(NKJV), “And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. Then everyone came whose heart was stirred, and everyone whose spirit was willing, and they brought the Lord’s offering for the work of the tabernacle of meeting, for all its service, and for the holy garments. They came, both men and women, as many as had a willing heart, and brought earrings and nose rings, rings and necklaces, all jewelry of gold, that is, every man who made an offering of gold to the Lord.”. 

The people of Israel heard what Moses spoke to them regarding what God said about the renewal of the covenant. The people were stirred to contribute to the building of the Tabernacle. The people of Israel could not see the ended result of what Moses spoke to them, but they were stirred of heart and acted by faith to contribute to the building of the Tabernacle as God had ordained. 

In the remaining portion of Exodus, we see the people of Israel diligently building the Tabernacle. The people of Israel knew that Moses was chosen to speak directly with God. Moses was a willing vessel to be mightly used by God in the Old Testament. The people knew Moses encountered the Lord because his face would shine after he spoke with the Lord. Exodus 34:29 (NKJV) tells us, “Now it was so, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the Testimony were in Moses’ hand when he came down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him.”. 

Moses was a man who was marked by experiencing God’s presence. God’s presence is what empowered Moses to speak boldly to the people of Israel concerning the covenant. The mark of God on his life resulted in the people being stirred in the heart. This then resulted in the people of Israel contributing to the Tabernacle. 

How often do we yield to the presence of God in our daily walk? Do we seek to be marked by the presence of God or do we seek to be marked by our own traditions? Too often in the church world, we get caught up with traditions that don’t even line up with the Bible. As believers, we should be marked by the presence of God and His power operating through us for His glory. The people of this world should be able to tell there is something different about us they can’t explain with human standards. This will open the door for us to witness to people and to stir people up to repent and turn to the solution for sin, which is Jesus Christ. We as believers need to be stirred up to walk in the Great Commission as Jesus said in Mark 16:16-17 (AMP), “These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name, they will cast out demons, they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents, and if they drink anything deadly, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will get well.”. Jesus did not say, ‘these signs will follow the first-century church’. Jesus said ‘these signs will follow those who believe’. Jesus didn’t say ‘these signs will only follow televangelists who ask for you to sow a $1,000 seed’. Jesus said, ‘these signs will follow those who believe’. 

God is calling His people to wake up to the call He has called us to. Jesus isn’t coming back for a bride that is praying to be taken out of this fallen world, He is coming back for a victorious bride that brings glory to His name. Jesus is coming back for a bride that casts out the kingdom of darkness and expands the Kingdom of God on this earth. It is time we get over our man-made theology and put ourselves in agreement with God’s Word. The world needs revivalists who are strong in faith, like Moses and the many others listed in Hebrews 11. 

2021, Apostolic, Baptism of Holy Spirit, BLogger, Christianity, Faith, Healing, Uncategorized, Wisdom, Word from God, Word's of Wisdom

Hold Fast to the Word of God

According to the Oxford dictionary, hold fast means to remain tightly secured. Are you tightly secured to the Word of God in your daily life? Philippians 2:14-16 (NKJV) tells us, “Do all things without complaining and disputing,  that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,  holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.”.

Too often in today’s world, we can get caught up with the flow of complaining or walking in hate, rather than focusing on God. The people of this world will focus on the problems of life, rather than focusing on the Solution which is a life totally submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. If we are a born-again believer, then we have no right to complain about your present circumstances, instead, we need to speak life to our circumstances according to the Will of God. How do you know what the Will of God is? By reading His Word! When you speak the Word of God into your life or the life of others with full unwavering faith you can expect things to change.

We need to hold fast to the Word of Life if we want to speak life into our lives and the lives of others. You cannot hold fast to the Word of Life by just going to church once or twice a week, there needs to be daily feeding upon the Word! When you speak God’s Word into your life or someone else’s it is not for your own personal gain but, it is to rather glorify God and expand the Kingdom of God. Jesus told us in Mark 11:23 (AMP), “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea!’ and does not doubt in his heart [in God’s unlimited power], but believes that what he says is going to take place, it will be done for him [in accordance with God’s will].”. When we act in unwavering faith, we have the ability to change our circumstances only by the Power of God operating in our lives.

Romans 8:9 (AMP) tells us, “However, you are not [living] in the flesh [controlled by the sinful nature] but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God lives in you [directing and guiding you]. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him [and is not a child of God].”. We have the Spirit of the Living God inside of us, the God who does not change. When God created the Heavens and the Earth, everything was created by the words He spoke. When He created mankind, He spoke life into existence. It is only by us having the Spirit of God inside of us that we have the authority to speak life. It is only by us having the Spirit of God inside of us that we have the authority to speak His Will (healing, deliverance, and Salvation) into our lives and the lives of others. It is only by us having the Spirit of God inside of us that we can have the faith it takes to move mountains.

When we operate in the authority that He gave us as believers we do it to glorify Him and to expand the Kingdom. Too often this type of message gets out of balance and people become very self-centered, this is why everything we do must be done in love. 1 Corinthians 16:14 (AMP) tells us, “Let everything you do be done in love [motivated and inspired by God’s love for us]”. How do you know if you are walking in love? Read what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (AMP) “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”. If how one operates in the authority of the believer is not done in love, then they have gotten out of balance and are not being led by the Spirit of God.

If the church wants to see revival, then we need to first hold fast to the Word of God. Revival will only come when the church knows who they are in Christ. Revival will only come when the church knows the authority she has and acts upon it. Most importantly we must have a revival that is led by the Spirit of God, rather than by carnality.