As we watch the condition of our world rapidly decline, we can refer to the Apostle Paul’s letter to Timothy.
You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that! 2 Timothy 3:1-5
Our relationship with God determines our destiny. Either we will choose eternal life by total surrender and submission to God, or we will choose the final death by seeking after worldly pleasures.
The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” Jeremiah 31:3
Until we can pray daily, “God not my will but your will be done in my life,” we fail to put God first. Seeking our own desires is the reason that we have relationship issues with God. Submission is not a choice when we serve God. He loves us and is waiting to give us the best life ever.
It is human nature to look our best. After all, the first impression is the lasting impression. For human eyes, this may be true. Thankfully, when we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, it is not our first impression that others see that counts. The Lord has appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness. Jeremiah 31:3.
God looks at the sincere heart of the one who is seeking repentance and forgiveness. He accepts us exactly where we are in our lives. God showers us with His unconditional love, grace, and mercy that only a Heavenly Father can give to us. Embrace the opportunity for God to change you into the best that you can be.
Bible Verse: But the LORD said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The LORD doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7
Prayer: God, we thank you for seeing us from the inside. We give you our heart and ask you to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We ask this prayer in the Worthy Name of Jesus. Amen.
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” Isaiah 30:21
God is loving, full of compassion, grace, and mercy. But God is also a God of “No Compromise.” “For I am the LORD, I change not…” Malachi 3:1.
God does not make adjustments in His laws, precepts, commandments, or requirements to live holy and acceptable lives. Righteousness by faith only comes through Jesus Christ. And yes, sanctification is a life-long process, which involves daily spiritual growth. The path that we must travel is narrow, winding, and upward. Because we are born with sinful natures, serving God requires human effort plus divine intervention.
We must make a covenant with God that requires becoming a servant. Obedience is not an option. Our daily prayer, “God not my will, but your will be done” is trusting God completely with your life despite the circumstances. Still, without knowledge of the scriptures and fervent prayer, we cannot obey God, nor can we understand confession, repentance, and forgiveness, or overcome temptation.
The Bible is our spiritual mirror and our road map to maintain our journey on the one-way street leading to eternal life. How far would we travel without prayer to connect to the Power source to refresh and energize us for continuous travel?
Our spiritual journey is comparable to traveling down a one-way street. The expectation is that everyone is going in the same direction. There is no chance of becoming lost unless you turn to the right or the left.
There will be many distractions [the temptations of worldly pleasures] during the journey. Maintain your focus! To receive our reward of eternal life, we must keep our eyes on Jesus. He will navigate us safely over the bumps, potholes, and debris caused by our trials, tribulations, and temptations. Trust Jesus with your life. He is our Spiritual GPS that provides error-free and no alternate route directions.
Bible Study: Exodus 8
God, we thank you for the guidance that we can receive any time of the day or night. Thank you for loving us. We ask this prayer in the Worthy Name of Jesus. Amen.
Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper— it only leads to harm. Psalm 37:8
Anger is a God-given emotion. Without anger, we would tolerate social injustice and heinous crimes such as molestation, abuse, neglect, human trafficking, etc. The big mistake is that we use anger to hurt and retaliate against people instead of the issue. Because of our pride and sinful nature, we cannot control our anger without godly discipline and self-control. God has uncompromising guidelines on our emotions: Uncontrolled anger is a deal-breaker to receiving eternal life. Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no root of bitterness springs up to cause trouble and defile many. Hebrews 12:14-15
Unfortunately, bitterness and unforgiveness tag teams with anger, and we lose the fight to push forward with an emotional healthy mindset. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. James 1:20. But most importantly, anger prevents us from sanctification, the daily struggle of becoming righteous, holy, and acceptable to God. I have heard many believers boast, “I have righteous anger.” Well, that is not possible because God says, “But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.” Isaiah 64:6.
Many times we are at fault when an emotionally charged situation arises. The trending psychological answer of, “I am sorry you feel that way” is not appropriate if you have caused the inflammatory situation. If you know the individual and their problem of controlling their anger, say a short prayer aloud. At that point, you are asking God for divine intervention. Next, offer a heartfelt apology, and walk away.
We have a perfect role model, Jesus Christ, who dealt with the angry demands of many individuals who rejected his deity as the Son of God. But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to him, “I demand in the name of the living God—tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.” Matthew 26:63. Most of us do not possess the godly discipline of maintaining silence. “Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted over the earth.” Psalm 46:10. Not only does God resolve the unrighteous situation, but He also does it in a manner that brings glory and honor to His Name.
Luke, chapter 4 tells us of the angry opposition that Jesus faced for telling the truth: When they heard this, the people in the synagogue were furious. Jumping up, they mobbed him and forced him to the edge of the hill on which the town was built. They intended to push him over the cliff, but he passed right through the crowd and went on his way. Luke 4:28-30.
Satan knows that his time is short on this earth. So, he uses distractions to deceive us into speaking and behaving in an unholy manner. Disobedience is enmity against God. Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. James 1:19-20
We have come too far in our spiritual journey to let anger, a deadly and uncontrollable emotion overpower us, and cause the loss of eternal life. Pray for deliverance if you love to become angry. He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon!” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s holy people. Revelation 22:20-21
Bible Study: James 1
God, we ask forgiveness for inappropriate anger, hostility, and retaliation. We desire to maintain peace, be obedient, and serve you wholeheartedly. Thank you for hearing and answering our prayer that we ask in the Worthy Name of Jesus. Amen.
“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
Bible Study: Psalms 23 and 27
God, thank you for giving your Son, Jesus to die for us that we may have eternal life. Jesus, we thank you for your great sacrifice and for being our Shepherd. We ask this prayer in the Worthy Name of Jesus. Amen.
Are you familiar with the cliche, “Looking for love in all the wrong places?” Many of us are looking for love in all the wrong people. We have different definitions of love based on our total life experience from childhood to the present. Because of sin, we willingly compromise by placing ourselves in the lives of those who do not love God wholeheartedly.
We were created from love and redeemed from sin by unconditional love. Yet, we fail to commit our love and life to the very One who suffered, bled, and died for us, Jesus Christ. Have you discarded your prior beliefs or knowledge of love to embrace God’s, unconditional love?
God definition of love: Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
But then God says, “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” Jeremiah 17:9
Sounds like a dilemma? Not for God. We do not understand that it takes God’s supernatural power to give us the wisdom to understand unconditional love.
God’s concept of love: “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
God’s expectation for all believers: “Jesus declared, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.… Matthew 22:37-38
Jesus gave us the foundation to resolving all of our challenges of feeling lonely, empty, and broken. We must love God with our “all.” Are we doing our part in the love relationship with God?
After the creation of Adam, God was aware of the misery that being alone would cause: Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” Genesis 2:18. Marriage is a holy institution ordained by God. Adam and Eve were the first married couple. God designed the family: And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1:28.
Sin entered and messed up God’s perfect plan. But the plan of salvation and redemption was already in place before the creation of the human race. Our Omnipotent God was fully aware that Adam, Eve, and the entire human race were lost without His perfect, divine Son dying for us.
We should never doubt God and Jesus Christ’s love for humanity. It is only human beings who are created in His image. We have the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual components of our Heavenly Father. Still, we do not comprehend God’s love.
The breakdown: We fail to do our part in the love relationship with God. The daily prayer, “Let your will be done,” demonstrates the level of commitment that we have to God.
Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will do it.… Psalm 37:3-5
God is always aware of our mental, emotional, physical, and most importantly, spiritual needs. Why would He withhold the blessing of us being loved by another individual? If we cannot love, obey, have faith, and trust in God, then we are not ready to enter the life-long (until death do us part) holy union of marriage.
We will always remain in the struggle between good and evil. Without divine intervention, our human effort would be meaningless. The decision to follow Jesus involves a challenging journey. “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, because I have overcome the world.” John 16:33.
Trust God’s plan by praying daily, “God, let your will be done in my life. Please show me the way to love and serve you with all of my heart, soul, and mind. Amen.”
God is the giver of gifts! We receive His love, grace, and mercies every day. “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows,” 1 Chronicles 16:11-12.
God does not promise us that He will give us a husband or wife. But we are guaranteed eternal life if we: Trust in and rely confidently on the LORD with all your heart. And do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways, know and acknowledge and recognize Him, And He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing obstacles that block your way].Proverbs 3:5-6, Amplified Version
Are you looking for love? Allow God to show you the joy of being in a love relationship with Him, and He will bless you beyond your expectations.
Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 13
God, we confess that we have not loved you with all of our heart, soul, and mind. And for this, we pray for forgiveness. Please show us how to love you by teaching us how to love you through faith, trust, and obedience. We ask this prayer in the Worthy Name of Jesus. Amen.
Can you imagine falling in love with your soulmate? The excitement and feelings from being in a love relationship with another person are second only to our love relationship with Jesus Christ. But as time passes, your “soulmate” is not as enthusiastic and appears emotionally detached. You ask, “Are you okay?” to which he or she may blame it on feeling tired or involvement in a stressful situation. Usually, soon after that conversation, you receive the sad news that things are not working out, they are not ready for a serious relationship.
How did their feelings change so fast? Why didn’t you see it coming? The Red Flags were evident. Because of your commitment and ability to give unconditional love, you were blinded. Unfortunately, you were the only one who gave 100% commitment, and now you are dealing with the heartbreak of a love no more, and the stages of grief that accompany a broken heart. Many of us know this story quite well. Even so, “He heals the brokenhearted, and bind up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3
When we enter into a relationship with God, we are saved from sin through Jesus Christ. We may not realize that it takes 100% total commitment to worship and serve God. Still, God’s standards have no leeway or a gray area.
Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God. Exodus 34:14.
Listen, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord alone. Deuteronomy 6:4
We are depressed, anxious, and worried because our perception of God differs from who God says He is. We give to God the time that we think He deserves. Most of us would never believe that we do not give God 100% commitment. Red Flags: How often are we studying the Bible or communicating with God through prayer? When do we give time or money to help those in need?
We do not see ourselves as desperate people who need God for our existence. Our mindset of self-sufficiency and independence becomes evident in times of prosperity. Those are the times we smile, laugh, and have joy because all-is-well. Yes, we are thrilled in the good times as we proclaim that “God is good all the time, and all the time God is good.”
What prevents us from being committed to our love relationship?
We worship many idols: Self, jobs, material things, pleasure-seeking activities, people, etc. These are the distractions that consume our time and indicate who or what is the priority in our lives. But God being the loving Father that He is, takes action to redirect our focus. Yes, it is God who reminds us that we need Him.
Our true perception of God is revealed when the bitter trials and seasons of darkness invade our peaceful existence. Do we proclaim that God is good? Are we thanking God for His grace and mercies during challenging times? Does adversity make us wipe the dust off from our Bible to search for God’s promises to deliver us? “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?” Jeremiah 32:27. Are these the times that we fall on bended knees with fervent prayer?
The “I Am” requires wholehearted commitment: And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. Deuteronomy 6:5
We cannot have an emotional roller-coaster [based on the high and low times] relationship with God. Whether we are in good times or stormy trials, we must stay committed to our Jealous God by giving Him our whole heart. God sets the standard for the level of commitment that He is willing to accept. Our priority is Godbecause He is the Lord alone.
There is a sweet peace that is always present when our heart is 100% committed to God. We have the advantage that God will never leave us or forsake us. He remains 100% committed to humanity. God created us from love, in His image. We are the recipients of Jesus’ blood sacrifice, and God’s gifts of grace, mercy, and provisions. And for this, God deserves our everything!
And if it seems evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom you will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Joshua 24:15
Bible Study: Deuteronomy 6
God, we say thank you for setting the standard for serving you. Thank you for loving us unconditionally. We desire to give you 100% commitment from today forward. We ask this prayer in the Worthy name of Jesus. Amen.
Steps 2 Success with Spiritual Solutions 
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