Tag: Devotional

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Look At The Heart

6 When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.” 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” ~ 1 Samuel 16:6-7

When we look in the mirror, sometimes Fear shows up just to tell us how undeserving and worthless we are. Fear will show us our flaws, our shortcomings, our past, and anything else it knows will stop us from fulfilling our call. And when that isn’t enough, Fear will use others to cause self-doubt in us.

Look at how Samuel saw Eliab, he looked at his outer appearance, but he couldn’t look at his heart. People are going to look at you and make a judgment before they even meet you. Fear will try to make you believe that what they see is who you are, but don’t believe them. Don’t give into Fear. God has chosen each of us for a specific purpose. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. If God has called you, the only thing that matters is that you trust the call God has for your life.

You may not be what the world thinks is good enough for your call, but always remember it wasn’t the world that called you. It was God. God called you for a specific purpose. It doesn’t matter if anyone else believes in you because God believes in you. God created you for this purpose, don’t miss out on it.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Look At The Heart.

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You Are Set Apart

15 Then Moses said, “If you don’t personally go with us, don’t make us leave this place. 16 How will anyone know that you look favorably on me—on me and on your people—if you don’t go with us? For your presence among us sets your people and me apart from all other people on the earth.” ~ Exodus 33:15-16

Moses was afraid to move forward for fear that God would not be with them because the presence of the LORD was what set them apart from everyone else. We don’t have to have this fear. We ARE the Temple of God.

16 Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?

1 Corinthians 3:16

We are never alone because we are the Temple of God, so God is always with us. We are never in darkness because we are the light of the world because the light of the world lives in us.

14 You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.

Ephesians 5:8

You are set apart; God called you out of the world, so you no longer belong to the world but to Him. Don’t be afraid. You are a child of God. There is nothing that can stop you from accomplishing your call and your dreams. So, don’t give up. Don’t be discouraged. Don’t be afraid. Be strong and courageous. Live your life as a Child of God, and no one and nothing will ever be able to stop you. If God is for you, who can be against you?

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Live Set Apart.

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Trust In His Name

21 For our heart is glad in Him, because we trust in His holy name. ~ Psalms 33:21

Joy can only come from trusting in the Name of the LORD. Why? Because without faith, you’re anxious, fearful, worried, depressed, angry. You’re a mess without faith because without faith you are without God. So, put your trust in His Holy name. For it is by His name that we are saved, healed, and given a new life. This is the name above every other name.

Look at this, 10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe. (Proverbs 18:10) The name of the LORD is our safe place. It is our protection. Don’t allow fear, anxiety, depression, anger, or anything else to take away your joy. Your joy comes from your faith and trust in the name of the LORD.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Put Your Trust In The Name of The LORD.

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Obey

29 Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’” ~ Mark 12:29-30

We always quote this verse, but we never really explain it. We never really get deep. We are quick to say, “We love God,” but do we really understand what those words mean? See, we automatically assume that loving God is just this kind of mental thing, where we say, “yep, I love God. I’m a Christian,” and that’s it. But in reality, loving God is both a mental and a physical act.

Jesus knew this would happen. Jesus knew that we would only speak with our mouths, but never act on our words, so He explained to us in the book of John that if we loved Him, if we loved God, we would keep His commands. John 14:15, “15 If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Which we do, to a certain extent.

We keep the commands that suit us. We cherry-pick the commands, and we think this is okay. We think that it’s not as bad as others, so it will be overlooked. And sometimes, we just straight up refuse to believe that something is a sin because it is tradition. It is something passed down. It is something we feel was built into us. When we do this, it’s like the young man that committed adultery in the book of Proverbs. Just as “he [did] not know that it [would] cost him his life,” we do not realize it will cost us our life.

Just as the young man knew deep down that it was wrong, but nevertheless made excuses for himself, we do the same. We read it’s wrong. We know it’s wrong. But yet, we still do it. We convince ourselves we’ll get away with it. Not realizing it will cost us our lives.

Obeying is love, and love is obeying. They are inseparable. You can’t cherry-pick the bible and then try to make up for it in other areas. That’s why it is said in the book of 1 Samuel 15:22, “to obey is better than sacrifice.” In today’s world, we don’t go out and sacrifice rams or lambs; we sacrifice other things.

Giving to the poor is a sacrifice. Clothing the naked. Feeding the hungry. Going to Church. These are all sacrifices. And yes, each and every one of them is important, but if you do not obey, your sacrifice is meaningless. Anyone can give money. Anyone can give food. Anyone can do these things, but obeying, obeying very few people can do. That’s why it’s how you love. Because you’re putting God’s desires and plans, first. When you obey, you are cleansing yourself from all unrighteousness and getting one step closer to that initial creation you were meant to be. You are one step closer to getting back to the image of God.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Obey.

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The Christian Box

19 Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. ~ Genesis 2:19-20

I believe one of the biggest reasons why young people or people, in general, do not become Christians or associated as Christian in their businesses. Our Christian artists now only want to be known as regular artists, and a lot of the time, it’s because they do not want to lose their creativity or be placed in a box. We don’t want to own Christian businesses because we can’t mix God and our regular lives for the fear that will stop our growth.

Somehow, somewhere along the way, we have lost our creativity. We are satisfied with the mediocre and treat the things of God as common. But that is not how it was in the beginning. God planned for man to be a creative being, acting in the image of God the Creator.

Look at what the Scripture says, God brought every living thing to the man to be named with no help from God in the process. He not only had the capacity to name ALL the living creatures but also the capacity to remember their names. Wow! Talk about creative thinking. That’s your heritage; that is who you are. So go ahead, come out of your comfort zone. Do not let anyone tell you that you are not creative or that being associated with Christianity will somehow put you in a box. Being a Christian becoming more and more like God is exactly why creativity is in your DNA. It’s a part of your God-given image.

Heavenly Father, speak to and encourage those who do not even realize how creative they are. Open their eyes so that they can see the creative and smart being you have created them to be. Place a burning desire in the hearts of those who are creative to use their gifts to further Your kingdom. Give opportunities to those who are willing to step out in faith. Let them shine in Your light with the brilliance of the midday sun. LORD send a wave of creativity over Your people so that Your name may be glorified forever. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Deliver Your People

6 The same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their foremen, 7 “You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks, as in the past; let them go and gather straw for themselves. 8 But the number of bricks that they made in the past you shall impose on them, you shall by no means reduce it, for they are idle. Therefore they cry, ‘Let us go and offer sacrifice to our God.’ 9 Let heavier work be laid on the men that they may labor at it and pay no regard to lying words.” ~ Exodus 5:6-9

If we read the previous chapter (chapter 4), we will find that “that same day” refers to the first day or the first encounter that Moses and Aaron had with Pharaoh. They had just had a town meeting with all the elders, and everyone was pumped about how concerned God was about them and their situation. Social Media was lighting up, and the whole internet came to a screeching halt as everyone chatted excitedly about leaving Egypt and slavery. I mean, these people had pure hope and joy excitedly surging through their veins. They probably even had detailed dreams in HD color – they were so hopeful and excited. But instead of Pharaoh saying, “Oh, my bad, I didn’t realize you needed worshiping God, please go quickly and do what you need to do.” He said, “No way! Get back to work! and by the way, let me help you with some of that free time you seem to be burdened with!”

So, instead of things getting better, things got extremely worse, and they gave up; they lost hope. And that is exactly what happens to us today. We think deliverance from our Spiritual Egypt should be quick and easy, and because it doesn’t work the way we think it should, or immediately, we give up and lose hope. But I am here today to encourage you that because conditions have gotten worse for you in Egypt does not mean the dream is over. If the LORD is your God and you have been groaning and crying out to Him, He has heard you. He will come to your rescue and deliver you and bring you into your Promise Land. So do not give in and do not give up. Keep the faith and do not lose heart; even if things get worse, God will deliver you.

Our Heavenly Father, You alone are God Almighty, and besides You, there is no other God. You care for us, and provide for us, and satisfy our mouths with good things, that our strength is renewed so we can soar on wings like eagles. Thank You, LORD. Now O LORD, please come down with great concern and see the plight of some of Your people. In Your great compassion, deliver them from their cruel bondage and bring them into a spacious land flowing with milk and honey. Bring lasting hope to Your people, I pray. Hope that can and will weather the storms that are sure to come before they reach the shores of their promise. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Don’t Ignore His Nudge

“17 But consider the joy of those corrected by God! Do not despise the discipline of the Almighty when you sin. 18 For though He wounds, He also bandages. He strikes, but His hands also heal.” ~ Job 5:17-18 NLT

When God disciplines us, it isn’t to destroy us. God corrects His children with love. He may take away, but He also gives. God doesn’t just leave us in our sin; He corrects us. Then when we are corrected, He brings us back into His presence. He takes the shattered, broken pot that most others would just throw away and molds us into a new and beautiful creation.

God doesn’t just leave us in our filth; instead, He guides us through His Holy Spirit into the life He has planned for us. God’s correction isn’t out of hatred; otherwise, we would have no second chance. We wouldn’t get chance after chance to make it right with God. His laws aren’t restraints; they are freedom. His discipline isn’t wrath; it’s love. Only a father who doesn’t love his child would allow them to blindly walk off the edge of a cliff to their death.

His laws aren’t a list of do’s and don’ts; they’re a guide to life. They keep us safe from harm. If God doesn’t discipline us, then He cannot be love. Don’t be discouraged or angry or even ashamed when you feel convicted; that is the Holy Spirit nudging you back onto the path to life.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Don’t Ignore His Nudge.

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Breathing Fruit

31 And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward. ~ Isaiah 37:31

Every Christian’s goal is to bear fruit. Good fruit, fruit that will last. If we don’t bear fruit, we won’t receive rewards. Fruits are what separate the righteous from the unrighteous. Jesus said we would recognize false prophets by their fruits. A bad tree cannot bear good fruit, and a good tree cannot bear bad fruit.

So, what does it mean to produce fruit? Proverbs 20:11 says, “11 Even a young man is known by his actions–whether his conduct is pure and upright.” Therefore, fruits are your actions, good or bad. It’s what you do and not necessarily what you say. People make beautiful promises that they never intend to keep. They can’t because a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. They describe the devil as having a silver tongue. Meaning, he is skilled in persuasion. He makes it sound beautiful and appealing, even desirable. But the intent is vastly different, and the end is death. So, good fruit is so very important, but how do we produce it. We cannot produce good fruit above without taking roots below.

Now, what does that mean? Jesus told a parable about the sower who went out to sow his seed. He said, “but when the sun rose, they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away.” Our roots, therefore, are our belief and faith in the good soil, which is the Word of God, that we are planted in. If the soil is good or fruits are good. The more nutritious the soil, the more abundant the fruit. The sweeter and better the fruit. The greater our faith, the greater the miracles. Jesus told the two blind men in Matthew 9:29, “29 According to your faith let it be done to you.”

Get into a Bible-believing Church, who doesn’t restrain the power of the Holy Spirit but teaches that the same Spirit that raised Christ freedom the dead still dwells in us. And if He still dwells in us, His power had not diminished in the slightest. Grow those roots and bear those fruits in Jesus’ name.

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Seek The Desires of God’s Heart

3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.  4 Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart. ~ Psalms 37:3-4

Often times, we only quote the last part of this verse, ‘He will give you the desires of your heart,’ and in doing so, we completely miss the how. Here’s what I’m saying, when we only quote the last part of this verse, we miss our obligation to God. Our part of the deal. God doesn’t just give us everything we want. He doesn’t just give us all of our desires. Why?

Because our hearts are filthy and lead us to sin. Look at what Jesus says about our hearts,

18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.

Matthew 15:18-19

Jesus was convinced that the heart was deceitful above all things, just as Jeremiah 17:9 states. But don’t be discouraged; look at what David prays to God in

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

Psalms 51:10

Our hearts are deceitful above all else; this is why David prays that God would create in him a NEW heart. This is why David, in the verse above, tells us to first, ‘Delight yourself in the LORD,’

See, when we delight ourselves in the LORD, we are no longer seeking our own happiness. We are no longer seeking our own desires, but instead, we are seeking the desires the LORD has for us. We are now seeking His plan instead of our own because we are now a new creation in Christ Jesus. He is cleansing us from the inside out. The Holy Spirit is transforming us until we are made perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect.

Don’t give up hope. Don’t stop fighting to do good. The LORD is faithful to His children. Seek Him first, and you will receive the desires of your heart.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Seek The Desires of God’s Heart.

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Remember His Promises

43 So the Lord gave Israel all the land He had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there. 44 The Lord gave them rest on every side, just as He had sworn to their ancestors. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the Lord gave all their enemies into their hands. 45 Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled. ~ Joshua 21:43-45

The LORD does NOT change. If He fulfilled the promises He made to Israel, He will fulfill the promises He made to you. Don’t be discouraged by the amount of time it’s taking for your promises to be fulfilled. It took generations for the promises to Abraham to come to pass.

I know that in our generation, it can be difficult to have patience because God’s timing isn’t like ours. It won’t always happen overnight. It won’t always happen as soon as we ask. It took Daniel 21 days of constant prayer to see His prayer fulfilled. We’ve been promised that when we ask, we shall receive when we ask in faith. So, don’t give up on the promises you have yet to see. Don’t give up on the prayers you have prayed. Don’t lose your faith.

faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1) Hold to your promises. Remind the LORD daily in prayer and have faith because our God will fulfill every promise. Not one of His promises fail. EVERY ONE IS FULFILLED.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Remember His Promises.

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