“Behold, I am the LORD the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?” (Jeremiah 32:27).
Most of my adult life, I was always thinking about how I would resolve my challenges, which led to a history of insomnia. In 2025, I watched a sermon on the courage that is required to use our faith to trust God completely with every aspect of our lives, including the small details.
Only a few Christians actually surrender themselves fully to God. Unfortunately, we have embraced the unbeliever’s practice of self-reliance. Instead of using our faith to trust in God, we have redirected our faith and trust to ourselves, which equates to a nonverbal, “God, I do not trust You.
“Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will do it.” (Psalm 37:5).
It is easy to say that God is Good, but it is not the words that we speak that indicate our love, faith, and trust; it is our worship of faithful obedience and completely trusting God with our lives that reveal our love for God.
“I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him bears much fruit, for [otherwise] apart from Me [that is, cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing.” (John 15;5, Amplified Bible).
For many, just the thought of relinquishing that control creates an unrighteous spirit of rebellion against God. Yet, Jesus tells us that trusting and obeying Him is not optional: “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46).
“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7).
The outcome of my decision to fully surrender and place my faith and trust in God is that every day, I enjoy Jesus’ gift of spiritual peace. The challenges and obstacles have not ceased, but I decided to throw away self-reliance, which freed me from the strongholds of worry and disobedience.
To know that you are in right-standing with God is peace! Now, I pray and wait on God’s resolution. No more rebellion against God and no more insomnia. “I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.” (Psalm 4:8).
The reality is, if we cannot trust God in our earthly lives, and Jesus says we cannot please God without placing our faith and trust in Him, then how will we be prepared to trust God for eternity? Let go! And trust God, He is Faithful. Yes and Amen.
“And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28).
Lord God, our minds are filled with doubt instead of Jesus’ peace. And for our unbelief, we ask for forgiveness. We thank You for loving us despite our rebellious spirit of self-reliance. Lord, we thank You for the Sabbath, a time that we can focus on You and a time of peace and restoration of our minds, bodies, and souls. Thank You for hearing and answering our prayer that we ask in faith and in the Righteous Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
God’s Perfect Love: The Creation of Humanity: “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness…'” (Genesis 1:26).
“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” (Genesis 2:7).
God’s Perfect Love: The Plan of Redemption: “He [Jesus] said, ‘It is finished!’ And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.” (John 19:30).
“We love because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19). In John 3:16, God reminds us that it was love that prompted Him to give us Yeshua, His only Son, to save us from experiencing the second and final death [Malachi 4].
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind [self control]. ” (2 Timothy 1:7).
God’s Perfect Love: Not only were we created in God’s likeness, but every human being has also received spiritual gifts. The development of our gifts requires faith in God. 1 Corinthians 13 differentiates the characteristics of Agape Love from the conditional, wavering love that unbelievers practice.
Jesus reminds us, “Without Me, you can do nothing.” Even believers must have converted hearts and be empowered by the Holy Spirit for us to love unconditionally, or disunity occurs.
Our Identity in Christ: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9).
When Jesus, God, the Son, created us, we received spiritual gifts: Love, Faith, Power, Self-control, Cognitive Reasoning, Recognition of Danger, and a Free Will to Choose. And this list is incomplete.
From Redemption Flows God’s Love, Grace, and Mercies
If we never received anything else, our love and appreciation for God, the Father, God, Jesus, the Son, and God, the Holy Spirit, should result in the commitment to follow Christ and obey His perfect will and plans for our lives.
Each New Day, We Stand at The Spiritual Crossroads: Either we use our faith to follow Christ, or we will follow our thoughts and desires.
“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16, ESV). God gifted us with a Free Will to choose to live holy or not.
Unfortunately, Satan has deceived the majority of today’s believers with his false teachings of Compromised Christianity, based on the idea that we can do as we please because we are covered by God’s Grace.
“What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!” (Romans 6:15). Our habits and lifestyle reveal if we are living as we desire. Yet to think that God disregards our intentional sins because of His Grace opposes God’s requirements of total obedience to His command of living righteously.
“Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?” (Romans 6:16, NIV).
“And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve.” (Joshua 24:15). Righteousness has no Middle Road. Either we have pledged our allegiance and love to God, or to Satan. We can sing, pray, and study the Bible, but Faithful Obedience is the worship that honors and reveres God.
God also gifted us with Five Senses: Sight, Smell, Hearing, Taste, and Touch. Without the commitment to consecrate ourselves to God daily, our Senses lead us to commit heinous sins against God, the Sustainer of Life.
Sin is always the easy choice. Only with the Holy Spirit’s Divine Power and Strength can we fight against the internal conflict in our hearts and the external opposition of Satan’s temptations.
Although we are tempted, Satan’s power is limited; The devil can never force us to rebel against God. If we do not pray for the strength to overcome, then the only possible outcome is to dishonor God.
The Gradual Process of Rebellion
Desire Leads to a Fall: Satan deceived Eve because she desired more than “everything” God had given them. Eve desired to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, or else Satan’s Temptation would have failed.
“But each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” (James 1:14-15).
The transition from being a faithful, obedient follower of Christ to becoming an unbelieving believer is gradual; separation from God begins with thinking about that one compromising sin. We ask ourselves, “Where in the Bible does it say that we can’t?”
The Christian believer does not awaken one morning and say, Today, I will sin against God. No, following one’s sinful desires begins with constantly thinking about the pleasure of the particular sin.
“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
The Warning: When our thoughts are unholy, the Holy Spirit makes us aware that we are sinning against God by troubling our conscience. We can never say, I didn’t know.
“Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41, ESV).
Either we will come to our senses, asking God for forgiveness, ceasing our thoughts, or we will not care and decide to move forward in fulfilling our desires.
“An uncontrolled imagination is the catalyst for our thoughts becoming actions.” Sadly, it is the lack of self-control that detours us from the Path of Righteousness, resulting in the once faithful believer transitioning to an Unbelieving Believer.
The Definition of Unbelieving Believers: “…lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power.” (2 Timothy 3:4-5).
Ironically, many Believers who no longer follow Christ on the Path of Righteousness still attend Church [demonstrating their misunderstanding that works do not save us]; God does not practice the human-made theory of “Absolution.”
Sin is deadly because sin separates us from God, who reveals that He will not listen to the unrepentant believer’s prayers: “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.” (Isaiah 59:2).
Sin strips us of our spiritual senses and leaves us in darkness. We cannot think wrong and do right! Not only does God know our hearts, but He also knows every thought and action of our entire lives before we think about or do them.
“Would not God discover this? For he knows the secrets of the heart.” (Psalm 44:21, ESV). We may hide our secret lifestyles from others, but God sees our lifestyles, which reveal the inclusion of worldly activities and bad company.
“Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company ruins good morals.'” (1 Corinthians 15:33, ESV). Bad company extends beyond worldly unbelievers: Bad company also includes family members and uncommitted believers who follow their thoughts instead of obeying God’s plans for their lives.
“A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.” (Matthew 7:18). A Common Trait of Fallen Believers: Those who are in a state of rebellion against God are offended by the Sword of God’s Truth—The Holy Scriptures.
The Path of Repentance and Restoration: Jesus Christ is the Truth, the Life, and the Only Way, Who commands us to: “Be holy, for I am Holy.” (1 Peter 1:16).
“The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).
Although we like to think of our hearts as being good, we must believe what God says about the condition of the human heart.
Only Christ through His Righteousness can cleanse our hearts; using our faith to surrender and obey God, day by day, the Holy Spirit transforms our hearts and characters [the lifelong spiritual process of Sanctification, John 17:17].
Repentance is a covenant vow in which one promises God to never commit sins of willful disobedience against Him again. Repentance is always required to be restored righteously [1 John 1:9].
We surrender ourselves every day to Christ. Sin appears pleasurable when our God-given gifts of Love and Faith have been redirected from God to ourselves [Matthew 22:37].
We need to reconnect with God, the Source of Life, through daily personal worship by praying and studying the Bible. [Hosea 4:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:17].
Pray for wisdom and understanding before studying the Bible. We study with the intention of understanding and following God’s commands.
The Holy Scriptures are God’s instructions, giving us the spiritual knowledge and wisdom to remain faithful and obedient. [Psalm 119:105, 111]
To overcome self-gratification, our focus must remain on Christ. Let go of all secular habits that fail to honor God, including music and streaming.
Friendships with unbelievers are one of Satan’s most effective strategies. The unbeliever has no intention of changing. It is always the believer who changes. “What does light have to do with the Darkness of Sin?
Heaven is not cheap! And God says that He never changes. Jesus promises us that sin, sinners, and this present Earth will be destroyed!
“For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, when all the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble; the day is coming when I will set them ablaze,’ says the LORD of Hosts. ‘Not a root or branch will be left to them.'” (Malachi 4:1).
We are temporary travelers living in a temporary earthly home. We must come to our spiritual senses; there is no logical reason for us to lose our reward of Eternal Life for this temporary Earth overflowing with Satan’s treasures and pleasures designed to make us rebel against God.
Following Jesus will be rewarded: “Beloved, we are now children of God, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when Christ appears, we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He is.” (1 John 3:2). Yes and Amen!
Bible Study: Romans 12; Revelation 19-22
Lord God, instead of following You with faithful obedience, our lives reflect compromised spiritual morals and values. We come to the Throne of Grace asking for the forgiveness of following our sinful desires. We ask You to cleanse us from all unrighteousness and to give us a new heart, a heart filled with love. Lord, we love You! Thank You for Your great sacrifice on Calvary’s Cross. Today, we choose Jesus, and we ask for the Power, Strength, and Presence of the Holy Spirit to guide and keep us on the Narrow Path leading to Eternal Life. Yes, in faith, we ask this prayer in Jesus’ Holy Name, Amen.
“To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” (Revelation 3:21).
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)
I thought about individuals who are in the military; their discipline and self-control, but most importantly, their desire to obey their superiors, and the punitive Rules of Conduct and War.
In the United States, we no longer draft individuals for military service; they willingly enlist. Even though their choice to become soldiers may result in severe injury or death, they never lose their desire to serve their country.
Question: If humans can use their mental strength to willingly obey other humans and pledge allegiance to a country, then why is it so difficult for Christian believers to faithfully surrender and obey God, who is the Source of Life?
Answer: People who enlist in the military possess a strong desire to become soldiers, which includes non-negotiable obedience. Consider this: Maybe we did not understand God’s requirements for Total Surrender and Faithful Obedience when we accepted Christ as our personal Savior.
Disobedience to God resulted in Adam and Eve losing everything perfect, and the Israelites, whom God emancipated from Egyptian bondage, journeyed in the wilderness for forty years; Canaan was only an eleven-day journey from Egypt.
At the end of Joshua’s life, he addressed the nation of Israel with a challenge: “Serve the Lord! And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.” ( Joshua 24:14-15).
Matthew 22:37-39: “Jesus replied: ‘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. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.'”
Genuine love is the driving force that motivates us to worship God with heartfelt loyalty. Because of our love and appreciation for God, the Father’s Gift of Jesus Christ, it is not a burden for us to worship God through a sacrificial life of self-denial, expressed by humility, surrender, and faithful obedience.
No Room for Disloyalty: “Why do you call me Lord Lord and not do as I say?” (Luke 6:46). Our love relationship with Christ is All or Nothing. There is no middle-of-the-road, compromised version of Christianity that allows us to disobey God.
The Deceptor: One of Satan’s most powerful deceptions is, “we can live as we please…” He told Eve, “You will not, surely die.” Yet, the consequences did include death; not only did they lose immortality, but Cain killed Abel, his brother, and every human being is born with a heart filled with selfishness and the desire to disobey God.
The Powerful Deception: We make the assumption that we can follow our thoughts and pursuits and still inherit Eternal Life, but Satan knows [from personal experience, he is the fallen angel, Lucifer] that disobedience to God separates us from God.
We were bought at a price; Jesus’ Sacrificial Offering of His life on Calvary’s Cross redeemed us from the only possible outcome of sin, and that is death (Romans 6:23).
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5).
The Believer’s Life Journey consists of following Jesus Christ, our Shepherd. To stay on the Narrow Path of Righteousness, we must be led moment by moment by the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Our Spiritual Journey is comparable to the life of an enlisted soldier. We pray, wait for God’s instructions, given to us through the Holy Spirit, and we obey.
Our Spiritual Instructions are in the Holy Bible: Micah 6:8; Romans 12:1-2; Galatians 5:22-24; Matthew 22:37-39; John 15:4; and 1 Corinthians 13. These are some of the Foundational Scriptures, which every enlisted soldier in the Army of God is expected to know and obey.
Divine Intervention Empowers the Human Effort of Obedience: Through the Holy Spirit, we receive Jesus’ Divine Strength to carry out and complete our daily Spiritual Orders.
Through our obedience, the Holy Spirit guides the daily process of Spiritual growth and transformation, shaping our minds, characters, and personalities into the likeness of Christ’s Righteous Character.
We are Temporary Travelers on a Temporary Earth, who are waiting for the return of King Jesus, our Mighty Warrior and the Commander of Angel Armies. [John 14:1-3]. Yes and Amen!
Lord God, we pray for those who committed their lives to You, but have deserted You for the pursuit of earthly treasures, pleasures, and relationships with bad company. Lord, we do not judge them, because You tell us, “All have sinned and come short of Your glory.” Lord, we also pray for ourselves, asking You to cleanse us from all unrighteousness and to transform our stubborn, selfish hearts into hearts that desire to follow You. We also ask for the strength to persevere and remain loyal, serving You until the end. In faith, we ask this prayer in Jesus’ Righteous Name, Amen.
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” (Philippians 2:3-4).
Although we credit psychology as the basis for the practice of Active Listening, the Apostle Paul taught the Gentile believers that listening with the intent to understand reveals a spirit of humility and is a spiritual practice that promotes compassion and unity.
“Often in conversation there is the tendency to concentrate on our reply to whatever is being said, rather than focused on listening in order to understand what the other person is saying and trying to see the issue from their point of view.”
“Often strife arises from simple misunderstandings that could be avoided simply by active listening. We may not agree, but listening and seeking to understand the other person’s viewpoint is the first step for fostering healthy communication and trust.”
Bible Study: Philippians 2
Lord God, we pray for a change in our behaviors toward one another. We confess that we have adopted many of the rough behaviors of the world that do not represent Your love and compassion. And for our impatience, and unloving behaviors, we ask for forgiveness. Lord, we ask You to teach us how to love others as You love us. In faith, we ask this prayer in the Loving Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
A Song of Praise for the Lord’s Faithfulness to His People A Psalm of Thanksgiving.
Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! 2 Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. 3 Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. 5 For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.
“Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?” (Jeremiah 32:27).
We use our faith to believe that God is who He says He is: Loving and Omnipotent [All-Powerful], and YAHWEH Yireh [Our Provider]. Trusting God is easy when we are confident that He loves us and desires the best for our lives.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes.” (Proverbs 3:5-7).
Unbelieving Believers: Believing only that God exists in Heaven happens when we redirect our faith and trust from God to ourselves. Sadly, many feel unloved by God because they trust their limited abilities to resolve life’s challenges.
When we doubt God’s Love, Power, and Promises, we place ourselves on the same spiritual status as unbelievers, who consistently play The Game of Chance with their lives, always experiencing consequences, and never having peace.
Although God created us to depend totally on His thoughts, plans, and help, He never forces us to love, obey, and trust Him. We are free to choose the course of our lives and whether or not we desire Eternal Life.
Self-Reliance Is The Weed that Produces Discouragement and Consequences
“Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.” (Proverbs 28:26, ESV). Wisdom is a blessing that only comes from obeying God.
Ouch! Although God’s words sound harsh, because we have placed our thoughts above God’s higher thoughts and ways [Isaiah 55:8-9], we need a spiritual reality check to come to our senses.
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6, NIV).
God is not punitive. Satan is the evil one who brings chaos and confusion into our lives. Every day, Satan mistreats unbelievers according to his diabolical schemes.
“The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.” (Psalm 121:7-8, ESV).
But for the believer’s striving to follow Christ with faithful obedience, Elohim Shomri places protective boundaries around us. Study Psalm 91.
In John 16:33, Jesus warns us that we will face overwhelming trials that only He can resolve. Every day, we can build our faith by praying for guidance in resolving our small obstacles, so when the tsunami trial hits, our first response is a prayer of Faith: Lord, You promised that if I come to You in faith, You will help me.
We never have to perceive challenges and adversity as impossible if we acknowledge that Jesus Christ is our Shepherd and follow Him with faith, surrender, and obedience.
“We are the sheep of his pasture” (Psalm 100:3) reveals that “Christ is our Creator and Shepherd, who leads, provides, and protects His people (us) with abundant blessings and care of His presence, calling us to joyful worship and gratitude for His unending love and faithfulness. It emphasizes our belonging to Him, acknowledging our dependence on Him for guidance and provision in life.”
To remain in right standing with God, we are required to love God by putting Him first; No one, including ourselves, should come before God. Our highest worship is faithful obedience.
Returning to God Is a Life-Saving Decision: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9).
Prayer of Confession: “God, my faith is weak because I have been trusting in myself instead of You, and for my self-reliance, and not trusting You, I ask for forgiveness.”
God’s Response: “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, NLT).
“It is possible for us to do our best and still not see the light at the end of the tunnel. But that is because we have limited human ability.”
The Journey of Faith requires the courage to completely trust God with everything. Humility is the Key that Opens the Door of Faith: Even when we think that we can resolve our challenges, we redirect our faith, asking God to intervene.
Pray and involve God in every decision! Our Daily Prayer: LORD, I don’t know what I will face today, but You know. I believe that Your Power is Unlimited, and I desperately need Your Help. In Jesus’ Powerful Name, Amen.
“My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9). “God’s power is most evident when we admit our own inadequacy; embracing weakness opens the door for the Holy Spirit to empower us with Jesus’ Divine Strength.”
“God specializes in situations that human eyes [our minds] perceive as impossible. God is the God Who reveals that impossibilities are His specialty; He makes a way where there seems to be no way!”
“For the individuals who hold on to their faith in God, believing in His Unlimited Power, are the people who receive God’s greatest blessings and miracles.” Yes and Amen!
Lord God, we come to You confessing and repenting for using our gift of faith to trust in ourselves. We admit that we have embraced a stubborn spirit of self-reliance. Lord, we have tried every option, but our solutions have failed. We stand at the crossroads, knowing that we are helpless; Lord, we desperately need Your Help! We thank You for hearing and answering our prayer of need that we ask in faith and in the Powerful Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Steps 2 Success with Spiritual Solutions 
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