The best advice we can follow is to pray more and to think less about our desires. God’s Love has no boundaries. His answer of “No” protects us from suffering the consequences of following our hearts.
“In the Bible, God demonstrates His unparalleled, unrivaled, unequaled powers and abilities and His love to humanity.”
“Only God has the mind of Omniscience, the ability to know and comprehend every iota of knowledge that can be known.”
God’s Love includes His goal for us to receive our reward of Eternal Life. But is this our goal?
Take a few minutes to think about the goals that you are pursuing. Our priorities reveal whether or not, we are choosing Heaven as our Eternal destiny.
God will never bless us with anything that distracts us from putting Him first, or interferes with our spiritual growth and transformation.
Only God can give us our best lives. His thoughts, plans, and ways are above our understanding. Our responsibility is to pray daily, asking for His plans to be revealed, and to use our faith to trust and obey His will.
Redirecting our faith and focus from pleasure, prosperity, success, and material possessions is the only way, we can do our part in receiving our Crown of Life from Jesus, who is coming soon. Peace and Blessings.
Lord God, we desire to know Your plans for our lives. We ask You to lead us, guide us, protect us, and correct us, as we travel in our spiritual journey with Jesus. Lord, we desire to live with you forever in the New Heaven and New Earth.We ask this prayer in the Loving Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
“From one man He [Jesus] made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.” (Acts 17:26).
Sociology was one of my first academic classes required for my nursing degree. I can recall an assignment of openly confronting prejudice by exposing our inner feelings of “I dislike this group of people because…”
Being truthful required a spoken answer of identifying the individuals who we targeted our discrimination against, and giving the reasons for our prejudice.
As we listened to each other’s [mostly absurd] answers, we realized that learned behaviors [usually from parents and family members] produced unsubstantiated discrimination and prejudice against those who had never harmed us.
Shame and embarrassment permeated the atmosphere, yet there was an interesting twist when I verbalized my answer of, “I am not prejudiced,” which was met by a sharp rebuttal from our professor, “It is impossible for you not to be prejudiced!”
With confidence, I disclosed to my professor and classmates that I was raised by parents who taught us to love everyone.
From a young child, my mother taught us the magnitude of God’s love by singing this song, “Jesus loves the little children of the world. Whether red, or yellow, black, or white, they are precious in His sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world.”
“We love because He first loved us.”(1 John 4:19).
“So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” (1 John 4:19).
Possessing the Loving Heart of Christ
The Love Commandments: “And He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” (Matthew 22:37-39, ESV).
“Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” (1 John 4:11).
The sign of a converted heart is one that is filled with God’s love. God is love. We were Created from Love, and Redeemed by Love.
“The Samaritan woman said to Him, ‘You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?’ (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)” (John 4:9, NIV).
Jesus demonstrated love in His ministry by speaking powerful messages of hope. He exhibited patience, compassion, and the healing of countless multitudes of people without regard to their backgrounds.
God’s love will permeate Heaven’s atmosphere. And only believers who love others freely in their earthly lives will receive the glorious reward of living forever in the Lovely New Heaven and New Earth.
Reflection: Are there any biases or prejudices hidden in your heart that would prevent you from receiving your reward of Eternal Life?
“Prejudice can stem from the perception that certain groups or ideas pose a threat to one’s own belief system or way of life.”
In the Scriptures, God reveals that either we love or hate. There is no middle of the road feeling of “dislike” identified in the Bible. Disliking others reveals that we do not have the loving heart of Christ.
Because the manner in which we were raised varies, our different experiences define our perception of love, and define our boundaries of inclusion. But once we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we embrace love as defined by God.
God gives us His characteristics of Agape love in 1 Corinthians 13.
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-5, NIV).
Love Your Enemies “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven…’ ” (Matthew 5:43-45).
“Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.” (Proverbs 10:12).
God will never condone biases for any reason. If we focus on our differences then it is easy to target those who embrace unbelief in God, practice pagan worship, celebrate various cultural customs, and live alternative lifestyles.
Yes, God hates sin, but He loves humanity, including sinners. “Jesus was and is absolutely inclusive. There is no ‘them versus us’ at the foot of the cross; Jesus paid the highest price for each one of us.”
Love Is the Catalyst for the Spiritual Transformation of Our Hearts
Sanctification is the lifelong, daily, and gradual Spiritual transformation of our minds, characters, and personalities into the Righteousness of Christ’s Loving Character, performed daily by the Holy Spirit.
The Prerequisite of Sanctification: We must possess the Righteous Characteristics of Christ: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23, KJV).
Christians who have hearts filled with Christ’s love shine brightly. They will know we are Christians when our temperament is gentle, our smile is genuine, and our spoken words are positive and uplifting.
“Heaven will be more diverse than we can imagine, with every people, nation, color, tongue, and gender (Revelation 5:9). Father, grant us your grace, that as Christians we may display your inclusive outlook, here and now. In Jesus’ Loving Name, Amen!”
Prayer: King David’s prayer must be our prayer: “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24, KJV). Yes and Amen.
Until we acknowledge that life consists of spiritual warfare, we will never utilize prayer as our most valuable weapon to win the Spiritual War between Good and Evil.
Sadly, without connecting to Christ every day through personal worship, we miss out on receiving Jesus’ strength and power to live as victorious overcomers.
“The name of the LORD is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe.” (Proverbs 18:10).
Receiving Daily Bread Requires Us to Abide in Jesus Christ: Pray, Wait, Listen, Obey, and Persevere in Jesus’ Name. Yes and Amen!
“But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31).
Bible Study: 1 Kings 19 [Elijah’s Fear Overpowers His Faith in God].
Lord God, we thank you for Your abundant love. We also thank You for Your promises to renew our strength when we have become weary from self-reliance, and following our thoughts. Teach us how to redirect our faith and focus to You, so we can live victoriously through Your power. We ask this prayer in the Holy Name of Jesus, Amen.
“Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, ‘Come to bed with me!’ But he refused.” (Genesis 39:6-8, NIV).
“How fierce was the assault upon Joseph’s morals…Yet how promptly and firmly [he] resisted.” “How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”(Genesis 39:9).
“He [Joseph] suffered for his virtue and integrity…and by her influence caused him to be cast into prison, by charging him with a foul wrong.”
“…Joseph suffered because he would not yield his integrity. He had placed his reputation and interest in the hands of God.”
“And although he suffered to be afflicted for a time, to prepare him to fill an important position, God safely guarded his reputation that was slandered by a wicked accuser, and afterward, in His own good time, caused it to shine.
“The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”(Exodus 14:14).
“God made the prison the way to his elevation. Virtue will in time bring its own reward. The shield which covered Joseph’s heart was the fear [reverence] of God, which caused him to be faithful and just to his master [Potiphar] and true to God.
Trust God to fight for you, He always wins!
Bible Study: Genesis 39
Lord God, we pray for the courage to live righteously, and to never compromise our integrity, even when facing threats, and character defamation. Thank You, Jesus, for reminding us that although we may suffer, if we are faithful, You will give us a victorious outcome. In Jesus’ Holy Name, we pray, Amen.
Following Jesus is the best decision, we will ever make. Yes, life is filled with unexpected challenges, but Jesus promises to give us His strength, so we can move forward. Trust Jesus with your life. No love can come close to our Creator’s love for us. Pray, Obey, and Persevere! Peace and Blessings!
Jesus, we thank You for Your everlasting love. LORD, we dedicate ourselves to follow You with faithful obedience. Give us wisdom, strength, direction, correction, and protection from the spiritual warfare designed to separate us from You. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.
“Behold, I am Yahweh, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?”(Jeremiah 32:27, LSB).
When life is filled with the invasion of character assassination, job loss, financial hardships, change in health status, family dysfunction, and marital disruptions, and even the unexpected minor obstacles, which appear like weeds, remember the Faithful and Omnipotent God who is waiting for you to ask for His Divine Help.
The Plot Against Daniel
“So these governors and satraps thronged before the king, and said thus to him: ‘King Darius, live forever! All the governors of the kingdom, the administrators and satraps, the counselors and advisors, have consulted together to establish a royal statute and to make a firm decree, that whoever petitions any god or man for thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions…’ “
“Now, O king, establish the decree and sign the writing, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which does not alter. Therefore King Darius signed the written decree.” (Daniel 6:6-9).
Daniel’s Immediate Response
“Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.” (Daniel 6:10).
The Exposure of the Enemy’s Scheme
“So they answered and said before the king, ‘That Daniel, who is one of the captives from Judah, does not show due regard for you, O king, or for the decree that you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.’ ” (Daniel 6:13).
King Darius’ Unexpected Response
“And the king, when he heard these words, was greatly displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him; and he labored till the going down of the sun to deliver him…Now the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; and no musicians were brought before him. Also his sleep went from him.” (Daniel 6:14,18).
God Reveals His Amazing Love, Faithfulness, and Power!
“Then the king arose very early in the morning and went in haste to the den of lions. And when he came to the den, he cried out with a lamenting voice to Daniel. The king spoke, saying to Daniel, ‘Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?’ “(Daniel 6:19-20).
“Daniel answered, ‘May the king live forever. My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in His sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.’ ” (Daniel 6:21-22, NIV).
“The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.” (Daniel 6:23, NIV).
“God is able to make anything bad that happens to you, work out for your good.”
“Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon him while He is near. (Isaiah 55:6).
Daily prayer and Bible study reveal that we are using our faith to trust God’s faithfulness, and His promises to deliver us from every dilemma.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6, NIV).
We form many habits that are counterproductive to our spiritual growth, but forming the habit of constant praying is the spiritual lifeline that connects us to Jesus, our Shepherd, and the Commander of Angel Armies. [Study Psalm 91].
Daily challenges can range from minor annoyances to life-changing adversity. Still, we must choose to respond like Daniel who immediately asked God for help. Yes, he remained courageous, even when facing the impossible situation of pending death.
“I will lift up my eyes to the hills—From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:1-2).
Like King David, the Believers who depend on God by asking Him every day to intervene in their ordinary routines of life, reveal they have redirected their faith and trust from themselves to God.
Human thoughts and strategies are very limited, and will always produce unforeseen consequences. As followers of Christ, we should never be willing to play the Game of Chance with our lives.
Relying on Jesus Christ, our Heavenly Intercessor is the only way our faith can grow, and become steadfast. Only God can guarantee victorious outcomes that honor and glorify His Holy Name.
Always remain faithful to God. Live like Daniel, establish a faith-based life fueled by much prayer, and fear will never rise up and overpower your faith in God.
Our faith and trust in God’s power and promises are the catalysts to immediately seek God in prayer. Thankfully, we serve a Righteous and Dependable God whose promises are “Yes” to which we say, “Amen! [It is so!]”
Bible Study: Daniel 6
Lord God, we thank You for being a Never- changing God, and a Loving Father who invites us to come before the Throne of Grace to petition for Your help at anytime. Lord, we are in desperate need of Your Divine Intervention to resolve our battles of spiritual warfare. In faith, we thank You in advance for giving us the victory, and ask this prayer in the Righteous Name of Jesus, Amen.
God tells us to, “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10).
Growing closer to God is not an emotional experience of highs and lows, it is a day by day spiritual transformation of our mind, character, and personality that allows us to receive Jesus’ gift of peace.
Sanctification Prepares Us for Eternal Life
Sanctification is the gradual and daily spiritual process of growth and transformation performed by the Holy Spirit, which requires the human effort of surrender, faithful obedience, and renouncing our desires, and sinful practices and pleasures.
Sanctification requires the human effort of full cooperation with the Holy Spirit. Instead of following our thoughts, we pray for God’s guidance, and obey His answers. Yes, this is a struggle!
We do not use our emotions to react to conflict, or stressful situations, instead, we strive to possess the Spirit of Christ, and immediately pray for Divine Help.
Christ’s Character: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering [patience], gentleness, goodness faith, meekness [humility], temperance [self-control], against such there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23).
Through our daily personal worship of Prayer and Study of the Scriptures, we receive spiritual wisdom. It is in the times of separation from others, the Holy Spirit quietly teaches us the deepest meaning of God’s Righteous Precepts.
As we begin to perceive life through the Spiritual Eyes of Christ, we begin to recognize that we are growing spiritually. Not only do our desires and goals change, but we also approach the Throne of Grace before making decisions, and rely on God to fight our battles.
Loyalty to God is manifested by righteous thoughts. Instead of pursuing earthly success and material possessions, we seek to fulfill our God-given purpose of using our talents and spiritual gifts to honor God, and witness to others.
“I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.” (John 16:33, CSB).
Remaining loyal to our Shepherd does not exclude us from enduring suffering, trials, and hardships. The apostle Peter tells us that we will experience fiery trials.
“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.” (1 Peter 4:12, NLT).
“These ‘fiery trials’ are seen not as surprising misfortunes, but as opportunities to test faith, purify character, and deepen one’s connection with God, ultimately preparing us for future glory.”
Spiritual Fact: When facing challenges, our first response reveals the status of our faith and trust in God.
Although, we can resolve our obstacles, spiritual growth is evidenced by our desire to depend on God. Instead of developing strategies, our first response to adversity is a prayer asking for God’s Divine Intervention.
“Even before they call, I will answer; while they are still speaking, I will hear.” (Isaiah 65:24, CSB).
Developing a life of prayer builds steadfast faith and trust in God, and demonstrates confidence in Jesus’ promise, “I will never leave you or forsake you.”
In Philippians chapter 4, the Apostle Paul gives us Jesus’ instructions on maintaining our faith and gift of peace despite our circumstances.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7).
Prayer connects us to Jesus, our Intercessor who receives every prayer, silent and spoken. From exercising our faith to believe in the Power of God, the Holy Spirit blesses us with Christ’s spiritual peace [an abiding inner calmness] that words cannot describe.
“You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in You.” (Isaiah 26:3).
God loves and honors His faithful believers. From surrendering ourselves to follow Christ, we receive the daily blessings of spiritual peace, a quiet spirit, provisions, the fruition of His perfect plans, and the ability to sleep like newborn babies.
“In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” (Psalm 4:8).
Like David, even when facing adversity, we can have the confidence that Jesus Christ, Heaven’s Mightiest Warrior will fight every battle we face!
If you are living a life of faithful obedience then you are right where God needs you to be. Yes and Amen! Peace and Blessings.
Bible Study: Psalm 46
Lord God, we thank you for the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth who speaks to our hearts, giving us spiritual wisdom and discernment when we dedicate ourselves to follow Christ. Jesus, we thank You for Your amazing gift of peace, and protection from spiritual warfare. We give you the honor, glory, and praise, and ask this prayer in Your Holy Name, Amen.
“Behold, I am Yahweh, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me? (Jeremiah 32: 27, LSB)
We can agree that life has many challenges which keep us distracted from focusing on the unlimited power of God. Still, God is who He says He is.
Take a moment to reflect on “Who” you are praying to, God reminds us in the Scriptures that nothing is too difficult or complicated for Him to resolve.
The many benefits of studying the Bible is that God defines His Loving Character, and provides us with the history of His Divine intervention in the lives of those who pray in faith, asking for His help.
Jesus, God, the Son, the Second Person of the Triune Godhead is our Heavenly High Priest and our Mediator who receives and answers all of our prayers.
The same Jesus who parted the Red Sea, delivered the three young Hebrews from the fiery furnace, and raised Lazarus from the dead is still performing Great and Mighty miracles in 2025.
“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).
Exchanging self-reliance for total dependency on God guarantees that we will enjoy a peaceful life. Prayer does not prevent or remove the trials, yet prayer combined with faith gives us the assurance that God remains committed to helping us.
Jesus promised to give us Divine strength to persevere when we are experiencing the hardships of life. Our role is to believe without doubt and wait on Him to resolve our challenges.
“Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD.” (Psalm 27:14, NLT).
When facing adversity, we use our measure of faith [even weak faith is still faith] to believe that God loves us, and He will intervene. Yes, we can pray with confidence knowing our Heavenly Father is always faithful in keeping His promises.
Lord God, we thank you for Your abundant love and Your willingness to help us when we pray in faith, believing that You are the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory. We know that nothing is too hard for you, and we ask forgiveness for our doubt and unbelief. Jesus, we ask for Your Divine Help in resolving the obstacles that we face, and thank You for hearing and answering our prayer that we pray in Your Worthy Name, Amen.
Surrender to God gives us Freedom and Peace. There is only One Way to Follow Jesus on the Path of Righteousness.
We use our faith to surrender and obey. How do we know what God wants us to do? Every day, we have personal worship, and ask Him to reveal His God plans for the given day.
Believers, we are living for Revelation chapters 21-22. Yes and Amen!
Lord Jesus, we are Your sheep and desperately need Your help, guidance, and strength to keep moving forward on the Path of Righteousness. We thank You for hearing and answering this prayer that we ask in your Holy Name, Amen.
Seek, Pray, Obey, and Persevere in Jesus’ Strength! Peace and Blessings.
“Sometimes you enter the secret place expecting comfort, but God gives you correction. You go in wanting confirmation, but He gives you an assignment you didn’t ask for.”
You may pray, asking: ‘God, what do You want me to do? “And He replies: “Be still, and know that I am God…” (Psalm 46:10). Daily consecration, personal worship, prayer, and Bible study, along with witnessing, are every believer’s spiritual priorities.
How do we react when we hear the Voice of God telling us to do what opposes our plans?
“What You Want to Hear [Yes] Is Usually Not What You Need.”
We pray with joyful expectation, assuming that God will answer our prayers with “Yes.” But truthfully, unless we are asking for Divine strength, comfort, guidance, protection, or provisions, most of the time, God’s answers are to “Wait,” or “No.”
Although Satan, our enemy, has produced and afflicted humanity with every disease present on this Earth, God does not promise physical healing for every believer.
Why Do God’s “No” Answers Exceed His “Yes” Answers?
God’s ultimate goal is to Sanctify and Transform our character into the likeness of Christ’s Righteous Character. Our earthly lives are the only time we have to prepare for Eternal Life.
Sadly, many are too distracted by Satan’s temptations, relationships with unbelievers, and fleeting treasures to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in the lifelong spiritual process of growth and maturity.
God created us with a free will of choice to follow Christ or to follow our desires. Aligning ourselves with God’s will through surrender and faithful obedience is God’s greatest desire for us.
Yet, history reveals that Jesus Christ does not always become the Lord of our lives. Even believers struggle with surrendering and faithfully waiting on God to answer their prayers. Many give up and eventually answer their own prayers.
We have the crucial responsibility of choosing our destiny. If we desire heaven then we will acquiesce to God’s Sovereign Authority by living a life that proclaims love, loyalty, and obedience to Christ.
“And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.” (John 8:29).
Follow Jesus’ example of obedience. Trust God’s plan for your life! Never exchange your Crown of Life for temporary relationships and meaningless earthly treasures.
We have this hope: Jesus Christ is coming soon to take the righteous to heaven! Yes and Amen!
Lord God, we thank You for Your Holy Scriptures and the ability to communicate with You through prayer. Thank You for the Holy Spirit who gives us guidance, correction, protection, and teaches us how to recognize Your Truth from false doctrines. We ask for the strength to stand down our desires and overcome temptation. In faith, we ask this prayer in the Righteous Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
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