steps2successwithspiritualsolutions

The Secret to Maintaining Peace

God, I need your help to change the way I think, speak and act. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Bible Study: James 1

Waiting Until God Brings Us Victory!

Reposting this to encourage myself and others to never give in to our feelings of defeat. Be blessed. God loves us.

24 hours of Peace, Praise, and Worship

Happy Sabbath!

Sabbath Devotional: Living with Faith, Hope, and Gratitude

Life in the 1970s in a small Texas town was tough. There was a significant disparity between the financially wealthy and the rest of us. Poverty transcended all barriers; there were only two classes of people, the rich and the poor.

But, we also belonged to a church family who looked out for each other. Most of us had very little, yet, we were happy. Our faith in God was strong. We prayed continuously and were confident that God would answer. Our joy was evident because we always knew that God would give us our essential needs (Matthew 6). In addition, every Sabbath after lunch, we passed out literature in our assigned areas. Yes, those times are precious memories.

We had great faith as we prayed, prepared, and looked forward to Jesus coming again.

Fast forward to the 21st century, and many believers are feeling anxious, worried, overwhelmed, depressed, and hopeless. What brought about the change?

As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. Luke 17:12-13. The men with leprosy heard of the great Messiah who healed those with many illnesses and raised the dead. When they saw Jesus, all ten men used their loud voices to ask Him for mercy.

Jesus commanded them to go and show themselves to the priest, which took unwavering faith. Remember that lepers were outcasts and not allowed to mix with other people. All ten obeyed Jesus’ command to, “Go.” Because of their faith and obedience, they received healing from the dreadful disease that excluded them from society.

One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God he fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan. Luke 17:15-16. Jesus healed ten lepers, yet only one returned to say, “Thank you.”

In this story, the desire to receive healing was reflected by their desperation. But even more importantly, they recognized Jesus and ten men loudly asked Him for mercy. When Jesus told them to go to the priests, they didn’t say, “Jesus, we are not allowed to go into the city, nor can we go into the synagogue.” The lepers faithfully obeyed Jesus’ command, and received healing. But only one of the ten had a grateful heart. And it is gratitude that caused him to turn around to thank Jesus.

Why was the man’s ethnicity of being a Samaritan emphasized? Because the Jews had no interactions with the unbelieving and unrighteous Samaritans. Even so, he did not care about society’s restrictions. The healed man took another giant leap of faith and went back to Jesus to say, “Thank you.”

Most believers of today acknowledge the deity of God, our Creator. Yet, we are so distracted by our circumstances that our faith is almost nonexistent. “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?” Jeremiah 32:27.

Our outlook is bleak when we enter the season of darkness [hardships, trials, and sorrows], nor do we focus on the fact that God always keeps His promises.

What happens when we accumulate wealth? Due to financial prosperity, we begin to forget where the prosperity comes from. We take our eyes off Him and start looking at our wealth. We begin to worship the tangible things instead of the Creator. Alexis, contributor

And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

We have adapted and conformed to the “self-help” mindset of the world. As we try to figure out the solutions, we are desperate, but our desperation is not for Jesus.

The busyness of our lifestyles has prevented us from having an up-close and personal relationship with God. Simply put, we do not have time to put God first.

Although our faults are many, we can change our current way of thinking, acting, and living. Jesus paid a high price for us. He kept his promise to die for our sins. And now Jesus is still serving us by being our Heavenly Intercessor, presenting us as faultless before God when we confess and repent of our sins.

Always put God first! When we possess a spirit of gratitude, we recognize every blessing, great or small, and we readily thank God for His never-ending grace and mercies.

This is our blessed hope: Jesus promises us that He is coming again!

12 “Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon!” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! Revelation 22:12-13, 20

Bible Study: Matthew 6, and Revelation 22

God, we are so caught up in life’s circumstances that we have lost our faith, hope, and total belief in you. We ask forgiveness for focusing on ourselves. We acknowledge that without your love, grace, and mercy, we would be hopeless. Please give us the strength to change and to put you first. We ask for a renewal of our commitment as we faithfully serve you and prepare for the Second Coming of your Son, Jesus Christ. We ask this prayer in the Worthy Name of Jesus. Amen.

It’s Just Too Much

The Lord is my Shepherd. I have all that I need. Psalm 23:1

Two lifestyles are trending now: Having excessive things [Materialism] and only basic needs [Simplistic or Minimalist].

Some people have cluttered homes. And others have well-organized museums that display their well-chosen things. As I prepared to relocate, it wasn’t difficult to figure out that I had too much stuff (craft supplies, clothing, home decorations, and furniture). The truth was that I spent a lot of money in the previous six years on things that I would never use again. It took five weeks to choose and pack the necessities and donate the many items.

The decision to relocate to Florida was the opportunity for new beginnings. I decided to rid myself of the nonproductive life-long behavior of seeing, wanting, and buying. First, I had to acknowledge and pray for forgiveness for wasting the financial resources that God had blessed me with. Still, there was a more significant concern, “What was the reason that I kept buying material things?” I prayed for change, but also asked God to reveal His answer. It was not going to be easy. I needed divine intervention for this journey.

For some individuals, the question remains, “What is wrong with buying the things that you want if you work hard?” Psychologists have their theories, but we will approach this from a spiritual perspective. Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. Matthew 6:19.

Two reasons come to mind, focusing on material things causes a distraction from what is essential in life, especially your relationship with God. Secondly, out-of-control “wants” produce an ungodly trait of selfishness that is always hungry and requires constant feeding. “Give generously to the poor, not grudgingly, for the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do. There will always be some in the land who are poor. That is why I am commanding you to share freely with the poor and with other Israelites in need.” Deuteronomy 15:10-11.

Because of our sinful desires, the Apostle Paul tells us, “I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.” Romans 7:15. Eliminating character traits that do not align with God’s requirements will always cause an intense struggle. Especially habits of excess, whether it is tangible items, food, etc. We cannot overcome without God’s help. To produce a change in our character requires “Human effort plus divine intervention.”

The struggle to break the habit of materialism is real. Victory is only possible when we put God first. Jesus replied, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.” Matthew 22:37. Loving God produces the desire to obey all of His commands. Put God first.

Bible Study: Matthew 6

God, we ask you for the strength to get rid of the stuff that clutters our minds, homes and distracts us from putting you first. We desire to have a closer relationship with you and to help those in need. We ask this prayer in the Worthy name of Jesus. Amen.

Faith in God

Spiritual Support is Available

Life is tough. But Jesus told us that when we committed to serving God that we would have hardships.

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace. In the world, you shall have tribulation. But be of good cheer [have courage]; I have overcome the world. John 16:33

We can never have peace and joy without Jesus, nor did God create us to be alone and on our own.

And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. Colossians 1:9

Do you have a prayer partner? It is vital to our spiritual, mental, and emotional growth that we bond with at least one person excited about serving God and is preparing for eternal life.

Yesterday, I spoke to my sister-in-Christ, Linda, who lives 1500 miles away. We chatted, spoke on the goodness of God and the blessings and miracles that we have received. We ended our conversation with a prayer. Both of us felt refreshed. Pray for God to connect you with someone who loves God and loves others.

Believer’s Alert: Start a prayer group to serve those in need.

God loves us. No one is excluded from God’s love. Please remember that we are required to serve others. One of the greatest blessings is to encourage others through prayer is not an option.

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:28

Love God, Love Others, and Love Yourself.

Bible Study: Colossians 1

Prayer: God, we thank you for the gift of your Son, Jesus who died that we may have eternal life. Please bring people into our lives who love you and are committed to serving others. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Destroy Fear with Faith and Prayer

Fear has several dictionary definitions:

1. An unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain or a threat.
2. A feeling of anxiety concerning the outcome of something or the safety and well-being of someone.
3. A mixed sense of dread and reverence [refers to God].

Countless situations initiate fear. We will not speak on the physical dangers of where someone or something threatens our physical safety because God has given us a “fight or flight” [stay or run] system in which the body prepares to protect itself.

The third definition of fear is one that all believers should challenge because it refers to God, our Creator, and Heavenly Father. When we love God, we do not have dread. Our fear is reverence and awe of God. But truthfully, if we believe that God is Omniscient and Omnipotent–that He is fully aware of our hardships, problems, and situations before they happened then what is the basis for our fears?

We have two issues: 1. Lack of faith. 2. Focusing on our limited abilities.

Fear is an age-old problem. Even with God’s countless promises, miracles, and deliverance, we still fear our circumstances. Our minds immediately become bombarded with the thoughts of how we will take care of yet another problem or life event.

The Israelites also lived with fear, and God comforted them: “When you go out to fight your enemies and you face horses and chariots and an army greater than your own, do not be afraid. The Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, is with you! For the Lord your God is going with you! He will fight for you against your enemies, and he will give you victory!” Deuteronomy 20:1, 4

Jesus’ disciples who had seen the power of God through Jesus, the Son of God required comfort: That Sunday evening, the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said. John 20:19.

How is that possible? Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour? Matthew 26:40. The disciples also had the same deficit that many of us have: Limited time spent with God in prayer.

I asked my mother, who is 87 y/o this question: “Why do modern-day believers have so many doubts and fears?” She responded: “They do not pray enough. It is not enough to pray one or two times a day.”

Last night, I prayed for God to reveal the answer to alleviating all of our fears and wavering faith. This morning, my sister-in-Christ sent me the following devotional reading:

DAILY DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. – Isaiah 65:24

God who heard Daniel’s Prayer will hear ours when we come to Him in contrition [repentance]. … It is a part of God’s plan to grant us, in answer to the Prayer of faith, that which He would not bestow, did we not thus ask. – Great Controversy, p.525. Ellen G. White

• A Point To Ponder •

The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, and prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but he trembles when we pray. – Samuel Chadwick

Pray without ceasing. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 is not an option when serving God. It is a privilege to pray to the God who sees all, knows all, and lovingly cares for us. God always answers prayers.

It is time for us to acknowledge the ceaseless love of our Heavenly Father by communicating more frequently. When hardships hit like a tsunami, pray prayers of faith and thanksgiving. Who else can comfort us as God can? Who else can provide the answers?

Develop the habit of praying more and more each day. Your faith will strengthen and you will be confident in knowing that God will bring victory. And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

God’s Promise: I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers! Isaiah 65:24. Yes, God is aware of our challenges. Because we need reminders that we are to remain dependent on God, we are required to approach Him in prayer with reverence and humility. Be transparent and honest. God already knows that we are fearful with weak and wavering faith. Even so, verbalize your feelings in your prayers and thank God for hearing and answering your prayers. He knows, and He cares.

Bible Study: Deuteronomy chapter 20

Prayer: God, although you have taken care of our challenges in the past and performed mighty miracles, we are still are overwhelmed with fear. We acknowledge that we are not praying enough, nor do we have the faith and trust needed to serve you. Please forgive us for our lack of communication, our doubt and unbelief. Thank you for the privilege of prayer and thank you for being our Jehovah Jireh–our Provider. We ask this prayer in the Worthy Name of Jesus. Amen.

Author: steps2successwithspiritualsolutions