Are You In Trouble?

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JAMES 5:13 NIV “Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray.”

The best thing anyone facing trouble (affliction, hardship, evil) can do is pray. Pour out your heart to God and discuss the situation with Him. We are tempted to do many other things: cry, complain, blame others for the situation, but Scripture says we should pray whenever we face problems. Pray for yourself by yourself. There is nothing wrong with having other people pray for you. But there is something wrong with expecting others to pray, while you never pray. Sometimes we have missed it, and that is why we are in trouble. Other times, we may face trouble just because we live in a fallen world. But whenever we are in trouble for whatever reason, we need to know God’s direction as to what to do. Pour out your soul to the Lord, but also wait in His presence with thanks and praise. Let your heart and mind get quiet. Let God’s peace overcome your turmoil and worry (Philippians 4:6). God tells us that if we will draw near to Him, He will draw near to us (James 4:8). This is why you should pray. You need God’s help. He has the power, wisdom and knowledge to get you out of the trouble you face. Never cease praying (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Be of good cheer (John 16:33).God is working, and the answer is coming. Both your eternal destiny and your present trials are in God’s hands!

 

Start your day right

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Genesis 19:27 NKJV “And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the LORD.”

 Abraham was known as “the Friend of God” (James 2:23). What a great honor! But we should not overlook the secret of his greatness. He started his day with God. The Bible confirms same pattern with our Lord Jesus, and also King David. Do you start your day with God? The way you get up in the morning sets the tone for your day. So, try this: First thing tomorrow, get alone with God for a few minutes and go over your plans for the day. As you are going over them, you will have some concerns. Just hand them over to Him (Matthew 11:28, 1 Peter 5:8). You may notice a particular problem you are worried about. Ask Him for wisdom. The Bible says He will give it to you gladly (James 1:5). If He does not give you an immediate answer, still trust Him. He has something in mind, something that you have not thought of yet. Many of us start our day anxious and rushed. But you do not have to. You are going to start your day anyway; why not start it with God? You are going to have a first thought anyhow, so why not let it belong to God before whom all our anxieties flee? When you are having a bad day, pause and ask yourself, “Did I start this day with God, or did I forget to include Him (Proverbs 3:5-6)?” Here are some Scriptures you need to consider: “In the morning…I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly” (Psalm 5:3 NIV). “Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days” (Psalm 90:14 NIV). “I rise before the dawning of the morning, And cry for help; I hope in Your word” (Psalm 119:147 NKJV).

You Can Resist Temptation

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Proverbs 1:10 NKJV “My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.”
Temptation is an invitation to sin. It is not sin to be tempted, but it is sin to give into temptation. Temptation is a trial
designed by the tempter, the devil (Matthew 4:1-3) to present an opportunity to a person to do evil and commit sin, or to
not do evil and remain sinless. Temptation to do evil is not from God, but from the devil (James 1:13-15). Anyone of us
can be tempted. Jesus our Lord and Savior was tempted at all points and did not sin (Hebrews 4:15). In this day and age, a
lot of servants of God are falling victims to satanic temptations, destroying their ministries in the process. Apostle Paul
warned Christians, “take heed lest you fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12). Christians are devil’s prime target for temptation
because we switched camp. We were once in devil’s camp, but now in God’s camp, and the devil is not happy about that.
The good news is that God in Christ Jesus has given us authority to stand our ground and reject the devil’s temptation to
sin. We have the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:13) to stand against all of devil’s temptation, and to not take his bait! We
are in serious spiritual warfare and giving in to devil’s temptation could be fatal. Let us resist him steadfastly as we
become conscious of God’s presence at all times!

God’s Word 

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Matthew 4:4 NKJV “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”

God’s word is the truth and has the power to make you free when you believe and act on it (John 8:32, James 1:22). There are things you must know and believe about God’s word (the Bible): It is life changing. In the parable of the Sower, Jesus said, “The seed is the word” (Luke 8:11). You may not understand the power within a seed, but you know that when you sow it in good soil, it will spring to life; it will not just sit there and do nothing, it will produce fruit. Likewise, your Bible is “the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe” (1Thessalonians 2:13 NKJV). It works. “My word…will not return to me empty but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11 NIV). Note the word “sent.” Every word God speaks is on a mission and is guaranteed to accomplish it in accordance with His will, His strategy, and His timing. It is creative. “By God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed” (2Peter 3:5 NIV). God’s Word was powerful enough to create everything that exists. God did not strive or sweat, He just spoke, and it was accomplished. So, speak God’s Word! It is authoritative. “They were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority…they were all amazed…saying, ‘What a word this is! For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out” (Luke 4:32, 36 NKJV). The forces of darkness around you today must recognize and submit to God’s Word, so stand and act on it!

 

God Is Rich In Mercy

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Ephesians 2:4 NKJV “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,”

The devil promotes the lie that God is mad at people and anxious to condemn them, but the Bible says that God is rich in mercy, to us. Remembering what happened in Nineveh’s case will give you a clearer picture of God’s abundant mercy.  God told Jonah that Nineveh would be destroyed. But when the people of Nineveh repented before God, they received mercy. God changed His judgment, and their lives were spared (Jonah 1:2; Jonah 3:3-10). Whenever people repent and turn toward God, no matter how evil they have been, God shows mercy. God is still the same. He delights in mercy (Mica 7:18). Mercy means not getting what we deserve. It is defined as leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice. Several verses of the Bible proclaim that God’s mercy endures forever. We may look at people and think they do not deserve another chance. They may have blown it again and again and they may seem hopeless to us. But God looks at people differently. He looks at them through eyes of Love and sees their potential and as a result shows mercy. Yes, God is against sin. But it is because He loves us, and knows how harmful sin is. God is more merciful than we have realized. God has plenty of mercy. This is what we should learn from this word of encouragement: The mercy God has shown to us, let us show same mercy to others!

 

 

Selfishness

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PHILIPPIANS 2:3-4 NKJ “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”

Selfishness is self-centeredness, self-serving, self-importance, self-seeking. It is mankind’s deep-seated defect inherited from Adam. If God were to allow it, all it will take to change heaven to hell is selfishness. Selfishness is the root of all conflicts in relationships, especially marital relationship. Selfishness is the cause of every evil, meaning that every evil proceeds from selfish actions. Pride and selfishness always go together. Pride produces and feeds selfishness. Every selfishness is a manifestation of pride. In fact, the Bible says, “By pride comes nothing but strife” (Proverbs 13:10). A truly humble person cannot be selfish. Unconditional love is the opposite of selfishness. Giving is the opposite of acting selfishly. Fortunately, there is a remedy to selfishness: submitting to the Lordship of Jesus Christ especially in our relationships. I want to encourage you today to do a sincere examination of your relationships: are you selfish? If yes, it is time to yield yourself to the love of Christ. There is no cure for selfishness apart from Christ living His life through you!

 

 

 

Be Faithful

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Matthew 25:21 NKJV “You were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.”

In Scripture, to be faithful means to be steady, stable, dependable, and consistent. One of the key indicators of serving God acceptably is faithfulness. In our Christian work, faithfulness is what God rewards. “A faithful man will abound with blessings” (Proverbs 28:20 NKJV). Talent may open the door and get you the job, but character and faithfulness will keep you there. When it comes to faithfulness, God will test you in two ways. (1) Your faithfulness in someone else’s vision. “And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?” (Luke 16:12 NKJV).  If you are critical, complaining, competitive, or constantly comparing yourself with others, you will be disqualified for what God has in mind for you. Faithfulness calls for serving with love and humility. (2) Your faithfulness in small things. “His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things…For to everyone who has, more will be given…but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away’” (Matthew 25:23, 29 NKJV). God wants to know He can trust you. You prove that by your faithfulness in serving others and by your faithfulness in small things. These are proven biblical principles that work not only in spiritual matters, but in everyday life. So today, take a few moments to prayerfully ask yourself the question, “Am I faithful?” If you are, God will bless you!

 

Simplified Life

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Colossians 2:6 “As ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him.”

The Lord Jesus Christ came to deliver us from complications that Satan could potentially bring into our lives (Colossians 1:13). You are delivered from the power of darkness. You are made free from the yoke (oppression) of bondage (Galatians 5:1). You are delivered from a complicated life into a simplified life in Christ Jesus (John 10:10). The key to maintain this simplified lifestyle is to “walk in him”; in order words continue to live your life in him. Over and over the scriptures instruct us to walk (conduct our lifestyle) as new creations in Christ Jesus. We are instructed to walk as children of light (Ephesians 5:8) so we do not stumble; to walk in love (Ephesians 5:2) so we are failure proof (1 Corinthians 13:8); to walk in wisdom (Colossians 4:5) so we do not act foolishly; to walk in the truth (3 John 1:3), so we are not deceived by the devil; to walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16), so we do not fulfill the lust of the flesh. God wants us to walk worthy of the Lord, so we can be fruitful in every good work (Colossians 1:10). The ultimate is for us to walk in the simplicity that is in Christ Jesus, whom we have received as Lord. If we stop walking in Him, then we will start sinking into sin, carnality, and sadly become subject again to the power of darkness. God forbid!

How Are You Responding?

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Romans 12:10-13 NKJV “Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.”

We are living in a world filled with challenges, but God expects us to respond to the challenges with Christian-like attitude. When bad news comes, when challenges arise, when people do you evil, when agitating and angry people come your way, what is your response? Is it in anger, is it in retaliation, or is it in love? Do you have self-control, or do you lose control and give in to your emotions? You can get to a place where no matter what is going on around you or how people are treating you, you can respond in faith, love, and compassion. To get to that place, you need to build faith on the inside of you and develop walking in the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). When you first start out working on how you respond to situations in faith, love, and compassion, you may get frustrated at how many times you mess up. But do not give up! One day, something that normally would have triggered your emotion will not even bother you. Instead, you will have a supernatural response of peace, joy, love, and faith. Then you can rejoice that you are growing and maturing spiritually!

 

Gospel Heard But Not Heeded

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Hebrews 3:12 NLT “Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God”

There are very impressive imitations and look-alikes everywhere in the world we live today. Fake news and products abound everywhere. In the same way, we have people in the church today just like that. They look like Christians. They talk like Christians. We assume they are Christians. But in reality, they are clever imitations of Christians. They are fake. The Bible tells us that in the last days, we will see more and more people like this (2 Timothy 3:1-5). The church is the pillar and the ground of the truth (1 Timothy 3:15). However, the church can be a dangerous place if the gospel truth is heard but not heeded by the hearers. People hearing the truth but not living the truth can make the church a dangerous place. But if you go to church for the right reasons, it is a safe place. If you come to worship God, hear the Word of God, and have a desire to walk in the Word, then church is like a safe haven where you can be refreshed, replenished, and rebuilt. But if you go to church to play a religious game and just go through the motions, then church becomes a dangerous place. That is because every time you hear the gospel and do not determine to heed it, your heart can become hardened and a breeding ground for evil. The best stab against the gospel is the gospel heard but not heeded. Bottom line: be a doer of the Word.