steps2successwithspiritualsolutions

God’s Perfect Plans

“Whoever of you does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple” Luke 14:33

Discipleship: Our commitment to following Jesus means that we abandon all of our desires to obey God faithfully.

Satan’s deception: The Garden of Eden had countless trees that Adam and Eve could eat from (God gives us free will). There was only one tree that God commanded Adam and Eve that God instructed them not to touch. Yet, the desire to eat from that one tree caused the fall of humanity. Eve was deceived because she chose to involve herself in a lose-lose conversation with Satan. But it didn’t take any effort for Adam. He intentionally chose to disobey God by just taking and eating the fruit. When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Genesis 3:6

“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.” Matthew 6:24

Jesus tells us that it is not possible to live a double life. And this is an ongoing struggle. Our hearts pull us in the opposite direction of God’s plans. We are encouraged to follow our dreams. “Success” is aggressively promoted by our society. Where do we turn? Everyone else is achieving their goals, and we feel as if we have nothing. Praying for God to reveal His plans opens the door for many wonderful blessings that God is waiting to give to us.

The Controversy: Yes, I love God, but…

Fixated on loving ourselves causes us to have minimal love for Jesus Christ. Jesus replied, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.” Matthew 22:37. Accepting Jesus as our personal Savior and Lord of our lives means that we must renounce [to abandon all] our pursuits, our will, and our desires. So, does that mean that we cannot have dreams or goals?

God created us with a sound mind. He gave us talents, gifts, and abilities that we use to glorify Him first. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Jeremiah 29:11. Yes, God desires that we reach for the dreams that are part of His plans for us. As disciples, we present our goals and dreams to God in prayer. And we wait for God to reveal His purpose for our lives.

Answer to the dilemma: For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will. John 6:38. We are Jesus’ disciples. When we wait on God, He will reward us for our faithfulness.

God’s Omnipotence: Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders You have done, and the plans You have for us–none can compare to You–if I proclaim and declare them, they are more than I can count. Psalm 40:5

Peace and joy are fruits of obedience. Can our plans compare to the plans that God has for us? Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD. Psalm 27:14

Bible study: Matthew 6

Prayer: God, we confess that we have not put you first. We ask forgiveness for attempting to live double lives. Let your will be done in our lives. We ask this prayer in the Worthy name of Jesus. Amen.

Delight yourself in the Lord

Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

Delight–to please someone greatly. For us to please God greatly, our love must run deep. So, how do you know that your love for God runs deep? You present yourself as a living sacrifice daily through prayer, “God not my will but your will be done in my life. Amen.”

It takes total surrender to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Matthew 22:37. It took most of my life to figure out that I was trying to compete with God by constantly making plans that were not His plans. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11. After many failures, I finally gave in by making a total commitment to trust and obey God.

In January, when I was facing homelessness, God proved His Omnipotence. He performed supernatural financial miracles. The picture you see is of the Atlantic Ocean in Florida. I did not ask God to move me to the Florida coast, but He remembered the joy of my childhood. As a young girl, I learned to swim in the Atlantic ocean in New Jersey. Although I had forgotten my love for the ocean, God never fails. And now, as my hair turns gray, I can reflect on His amazing watery creation in person.

My love runs deeply for God. Not because of the things that He gives, God always keeps His promises. Our Heavenly Father has committed to take care of us. I desire to serve Him wholeheartedly because He loves me unconditionally. Still, I am growing in His grace. I decided to stop reacting emotionally to my trials and sorrows by immediately praying for divine intervention. God always extends His grace and mercies, which requires me to do my part.

We can change our perception of God by striving to delight in the Lord. God loves us! He desires that we have peace and inner joy, which is only possible when we put Him first. Have a beautiful and happy Sabbath.

Bible Study: Psalm 37

Prayer: God, we love you. Thank you for the Sabbath and for your love, grace, and mercies. We ask this prayer in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Our Dependable God

Rest and Renewal

The DIY Package

DIY Package: Living with anxieties and worries are evidence that we are trying to face and fix the uncertainties in our lives.

God’s Package: I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on Earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart [be brave and courageous], because I have overcome the world. John 16:33

The Perfect Life

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Jeremiah 29:11

2021 brought so many changes in my life that I could have never imagined. Most of the changes didn’t feel good, nor did I understand God’s plan for me. In January, I received a call regarding the intent to sell the leased property that I had lived in for six years. I prayed, asking God to reveal His plans for my life. As I began to look for new housing, the waiting lists for vacancies were averaging six months. When did small-town life become so appealing? Still, I told God that I trusted in Him, although every door was closed. But those were my thoughts based on my circumstances.

Because our Heavenly Father knows that we have fragile hearts and often become overwhelmed with our circumstances, He reminds us, “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?” Jeremiah 32:27

God pushed the restart button. He revealed His love and plans by relocating me from point A to point B, 1500 miles away from my comfort zone. How did I know it was God? Because when God fulfills His promises, supernatural miracles are revealed that no human can perform. As you witness the blessings from the open windows of heaven (Malachi 3:10), it is evident that God’s divine intervention is at work. God does everything for His glory: And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

Never worrying about the future is our gift when we place our lives in the hands of God. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. 1 Peter 5:7.

Bible Study: Matthew 6:25-34

Prayer: God, we are weary from the worries and anxieties we have placed on ourselves from not trusting in you. We desire to put our lives in your hands. We come to you with many challenges that are unsolvable without your help. Please help us to overcome our lack of faith and trust in you. Thank you for hearing and answering our prayer that we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Never-ending Love of God

The Skin Controversy

Last night, I watched a believer defend his right to tattoo his body. He stated, ” You are looking at the outside of my body, but God knows my heart.”

God’s answer: “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” Jeremiah 17:9

Documented history: The ancient Greeks and Romans used tattooing to penalize slaves, criminals, and prisoners of war. While decorative tattooing was looked down upon, pagan religious tattooing was accepted and practiced in Egypt and Syria.

God’s answer: Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31

2. Recently, I looked through my google photos, and found some uploaded pics from the 1980s where the sides and back of my head was buzz cropped–shaved. It was fashionable back then and now head shaving for women is readily accepted. What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Ecclesiastes 1:9

God’s answer: But if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering. 1 Corinthians 11:15

3. The many breathtaking circular designs that skilled barbers design in your head are also pagan practices signifying worship of other gods.

God’s answer: In Leviticus chapter 19, God gave instructions on not conforming to pagan hairstyles which signified worship of other deities–pagan gods or goddesses.

4. Assimilation: the process of taking in and fully understanding information or ideas. We have readily adapted to many worldly practices, and most of us do not have a complete understanding of their historical meaning. Believers, why do we have a dislike for studying the Bible?

God’s answer: My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. Hosea 4:6

5. We have downgraded the holy standards of God because we do not desire to fully commit ourselves to God. The Bible [Old and New Testaments] reveal God’s righteousness. Fact: Many believers do not believe in the Old Testament. I can assure you that if we studied the first five books of the Bible (Genesis-Deuteronomy), we would view God with a greater level of reverence and honor.

God’s answer: God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and not act? Does He promise and not fulfill? Isaiah 55:11

For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. 1 John 2:16

My personal decision is to surrender and follow Jesus until my last breath. I have not lived a naive life. During my rebellious period, I explored all that the world has to offer. It is my desire to have eternal life by giving up habits, people, places, and things. Whatever God requires me to do, I will do it.

Jesus said: “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.” John 10:27-30

Jesus always faced controversy and death-threats for speaking the truth: Once again the people picked up stones to kill him. John 10:31; They got up, drove him out of town, and brought him to the edge of the hill that their town was built on, intending to hurl him over the cliff. Luke 4:29. Never once did our Lord and Savior give in to the majority opinion nor was He swayed to accept the temptations of this world.

Certainly, we have a choice to faithfully follow God’s standards of righteousness or to follow our own desires and attempt to incorporate them as a New Age Christianity.

God’s answer: He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. Revelation 22:11

Bible Study: John 10

Prayer: God, we ask for forgiveness for blending our unrighteousness with your holiness. It is our desire to love and serve you with our hearts, souls, and minds. Please teach us to live holy and acceptable lives that are pleasing to you. Thank you for the gift of your Son, Jesus that we may have eternal life. We ask this prayer in the Worthy name of Jesus. Amen.

Watch “I Want Jesus to Walk with Me | Help in Daily Living | Fountainview Academy” on YouTube

The Prayer of Faith

And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.” 1 Kings 17:1

When I read the story of the prophet Elijah praying for rain to stop for three years, I asked myself, “Who was this man of exceeding faith, and how can I become faithful like he was?”

Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain, and the earth began to yield its crops. James 5:17-18

So let’s go to the scriptures to see what God has to say about us having the capability to have Elijah’s solid and unwavering faith.

1. Our faith pleases God: And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. Hebrews 11:6
2. Stay in the will of God: Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what the will of God is, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2
3. Ask and receive: “And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.” John 16:23
4. Get rid of a disorganized lifestyle: Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! Psalm 46:10
5. Patiently wait for God’s answer: Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD. Psalm 27:14
6. Obey His commands: “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?” Luke 6:46

Having faith over fear remains a challenge for most believers. The disciples who were in constant physical contact with Jesus, the Son of God also struggled with their faith. We have our own agendas and plans which are contrary to God’s plans, which prevents total faith and trust in God.

But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. Matthew 8:26

1. Fear prevents us from having solid and unrelenting faith in God: For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7
2. God is Omnipotent: Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard for me? Jeremiah 32:27
3. Pray often, but do not fixate on yourself: Pray in the Spirit at all times, with every kind of prayer and petition. To this end, stay alert with all perseverance in your prayers for all the saints. Ephesians 6:18
4. God knows, and He cares: Even before they call, I will answer, and while they are still speaking, I will hear. Isaiah 65:24

Bible Study: 1 Kings 17 and James 5

Prayer: God, we are weary because our faith is weak. We are ready to have rock-solid faith like Elijah. Please teach us to take one day at a time in our spiritual growth. We desire to live faith-based lives by trusting you with all of our hearts. We ask this prayer in the Worthy name of Jesus. Amen.