Imagine never experiencing another moment of being unsure about the outcomes of decision-making. Whether our challenges are great or a small part of our daily lives, God promises to guide us, and to give us a victorious outcome that honors His Holy Name.
In faith, Pray, Trust Him, and Wait: “Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!” (Psalm 27:14).
Lord God, we thank You for loving us and caring about the challenges we face. In faith, we ask for Your help. We thank You for Your commitment to resolving our challenges and giving us peace and victory. In Jesus’ Holy Name, we pray, Amen.
Last year, I listened to a sermon that changed the way I respond to my challenges. Usually, our first response is to share our distress with our family or friends, asking for help and emotional support.
But the pastor stated, “Go to God first, pray, ask for His help, and also ask for the strength to endure the hardship. Asking God builds our faith and trust in Him, and gives God the opportunity to use His supernatural power to give us a miraculous outcome, bringing glory and honor to His Holy Name.”
“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16, ESV).
Nothing is a surprise to God, who knows every trial and adversity we will face. Yes, God already knows exactly what we need; but God is not intrusive, He waits for us to use our faith to ask Him for help
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, NLT).
Last Thursday, I faced a dilemma and immediately prayed for God’s help. On Monday, God answered my prayer by blessing me with more than I asked for. I am so thankful that I obeyed the pastor’s advice and did not tell anyone about my situation.
My prayer: Lord God, nothing comes as a surprise to You. You know the situation that I am facing and You also know that I can do nothing to resolve it. Lord, I need your help, and Your guidance, so I will know what You want me to do. Thank You for helping me. In Jesus’ Righteous Name, Amen.”
King Jehosaphat’s Prayer: 2 Chronicles 20
When King Jehosaphat faced three enemy armies, he knew that it was impossible for them to win; yet, the words of his prayer teach us how to approach our Loving and Powerful God, who cares about every detail of Our lives.
“Our God…For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” (2 Chronicles 20:12, NIV).
King David proclaimed: “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him. The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are attentive to their cry; The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles.” (Psalm 34:8, 15, 17, NIV). Amen!
For every challenge, if we use our faith to believe that God will answer our prayers, the Holy Spirit will comfort, strengthen, and give us courage as we wait for God’s Divine Intervention.
“Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord! (Psalm 27:14).
Lord God, we thank You for reminding us that You care about every aspect of our lives. And if we ask You for help, and believe that You will help us then You will give us the perfect solution and a victorious outcome. Lord, we thank You for Your unconditional love and ask this prayer in the Worthy Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
“Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen. (Jude 1:24-25).
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” (John 14:27)
Jesus’ gift of peace is one of the believer’s greatest spiritual benefits. To enjoy a mind filled with peace, gratitude, and contentment instead of fear, anxiety, and worry is possible even when we are facing our greatest challenges.
Jesus’ gift of Perfect Peace is an internal calm filled with joy, contentment, and courage experienced by those who have dedicated and surrendered their lives to follow Jesus Christ.
Spiritual Peace is not a quiet place, or listening to soothing music. Spiritual peace cannot be purchased; only Jesus can give true Peace. Spiritual Peace is a life-enriching experience that so few enjoy because receiving this gift requires that we follow Jesus with faithful obedience.
“Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble.” (Psalm 119:165). God’s Moral Law [The Ten Commandments] and His Righteous Precepts in the Bible establish boundaries for Christians, teaching us how to live righteously.
Jesus’ promise of peace is the foundation for an unbothered mind, even when the fiery trials of adversity bring raging storms into our lives. Yet, only the righteous who strive to complete the Spiritual Conditions of Participation receive His gift of Divine Peace.
The Spiritual Conditions of Participation to Receive Peace: “Jesus answered, ‘If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.'” (John 14:23, HCSB).
Is it possible for us to be ineligible to receive Jesus’ Gift of Peace?
“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.” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Engaging in sin, including the sin of self-reliance, makes us ineligible to receive Jesus’ gift of peace. “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say? (Luke 6:46).
The False Teaching of Compromised Christianity promotes church attendance, but teaches that because we are covered by God’s Grace, we can live according to our desires. “God’s grace does not provide Christians with the license to engage in sin. Rather than promote sin, God’s Grace teaches restraint from sin.”
“For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ…” (Titus 2:11–13, NIV).
Those who are disobedient cannot receive Jesus’ Divine gift of Spiritual Peace. The Solution: “Whoever consents to renounce sin and open his heart to the love of Christ, becomes a [recipient] of this heavenly peace.”
The Knowledge Seekers: There are Christians who are highly perceptive of their environments, aware of everything happening in their community, on the job, and in the city they reside in.
Yes, the knowledge seekers keep up with the global and local news, weather forecasts, the political arena, economic status, and social issues. They are tech-savvy, financially stable, and can readily participate in most discussions because, while others are wasting time on frivolous activities, they are seeking a higher level of knowledge.
The knowledge seekers love God and attend church, yet they also do not receive Jesus’ gift of Perfect Peace. Unfortunately, Christian knowledge seekers use their intellectual energies to continuously focus on the distractions of the tumultuous conditions in this world instead of focusing on God and preparing daily for Eternal Life.
“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in You.” (Isaiah 26:3). Jesus teaches that the only way to have His peace is by using our faith to focus on Him and trusting Him with our lives.
We also require Jesus’ gift of Perfect Peace to engage in the Daily Battle of Spiritual Warfare. In Ephesians 6, the apostle Paul tells us that we are involved in a spiritual war of the Great Controversy of Good and Evil that has existed for over 6,000 years.
Paul compares the Christian journey to the commitment of a soldier in the military, which requires an intentional focus, a peaceful mind, and maintaining one’s priorities to keep oneself prepared to fight in battle.
“No soldier in active service gets entangled in the [ordinary business] affairs of civilian life; [he avoids them] so that he may please the one who enlisted him to serve.” (2 Timothy 2:4, Amplified Bible).
Not having Jesus’ Peace prevents us from growing spiritually. Our prayers will be rushed, and we will not have the attention span to focus on the Holy Scriptures, preventing the Holy Spirit from guiding us in our spiritual journey and giving us the wisdom and discernment to understand the depth of God’s Word. [Isaiah 55:8-9].
Once we have accepted Christ as our Savior, He is also our Commander, who enlisted us to serve God, the Father. God must be our first priority! We actively participate in our salvation by maintaining a close relationship with Christ, which requires a sacrificial life of self-denial, surrender, and faithful obedience.
Separation, Solitude, and Silence are the Requisites for Personal Worship
“Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand.” (Psalm 95:6-7).
Our love for God is demonstrated by the daily personal worship of Prayer and Bible Study. Many do not understand the depth of our spiritual experience of personal worship. We revere God with a spirit of humility because the Holy Spirit lifts us spiritually, placing us in the Divine and Holy Presence of Christ, which requires us to remove all distractions.
The Bible is our Spiritual Blueprint and Roadmap given by God to instruct and guide us, so we can actively participate in our journey of Sanctification [daily spiritual growth and transformation] performed by the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit, also known as the Spirit of Truth, gives us the wisdom and discernment to understand the depth of God’s thoughts—the Holy Scriptures. And we receive the strength to overcome temptations and to persevere in our rugged Christian journey.
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2).
We require Jesus’ gift of Perfect Peace to allow the Holy Spirit to transform our minds, characters, and personalities into the likeness of Christ [Sanctification] required to receive Eternal Life.
Jesus’ Transforming Power is not a superficial emotional experience. We must have His Spiritual Gift of Peace for our Minds and Characters to be transformed into His Righteous Character, which requires us to be covered with the Righteousness of Christ.
Reflection: What is distracting your focus from enjoying a heart-to-heart relationship with Christ and receiving His peace?
Matthew 6:33 says, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness…”; Proverbs 3:6: “Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.”
“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7).
The greatest peace comes from knowing that we are following Jesus Christ as He leads us on the Path of Righteousness: And our reward will be eternity with Jesus, our Triumphant King. Yes and Amen!
Lord God, we thank You for Your Love, Grace, and Mercy. We ask You to give us the wisdom to reset our priorities by seeking knowledge and guidance through prayer and from Your Holy Scriptures. We also pray for the strength to resist the temptations of our heart’s desires and pursuing knowledge that only distracts us, and has nothing to do with our Salvation and Eternal Life. In faith, we ask this prayer in the Powerful Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
We were created to rely on God and to have a mind filled with peace. How can we not trust God?
God is the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory! God asks, Is there anything too hard for ME?
Like a child who trusts their parents, we simply trust God because “He is the Omniscient, Omnipotent, Omnibenevolent, Sovereign God and we are not.”
At some point, in our Christian experience, we will face adversity that human effort cannot resolve. But why wait until extreme hardships enter our lives to trust God?
Surrendering control and self-reliance to God requires courage; and because of our obedience, God rewards us with perfect peace and victorious outcomes!
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13).
Lord God, we thank You for being Yahweh Yireh, God, our Provider. We thank You for always being faithful, although we are not faithful to You. Lord, we desperately need Your help and we thank You in advance for Your Divine Intervention. With faith, we ask this prayer in Jesus’ Holy Name, Amen.
The Rich, Young Ruler “…came up to Jesus and asked, ‘Teacher, what good thing must I do to have eternal life?…'”
“All these I have kept,’ the young man said. ‘What do I still lack?'”
“Jesus answered, ‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’ When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.” (Matthew 19: 16, 20-21, NIV).
“To join Jesus meant that this young man had to accept a life of self-denial. With deep interest Jesus watched him weigh the question. With keen insight the ruler understood what he’d been told, but it made him depressed. If he had sensed what he would gain in the gift Jesus offered, he would have become a disciple. Instead, he reflected on what he would lose.” (Commentary).
We have made it to the second month of 2026. Our goal is to have a closer relationship with Christ by any means necessary!
Are you a follower of Christ? Most Christian believers do not consider themselves to be “Followers of Christ.”
“But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46).
Daily surrender and faithful obedience are the defining characteristics of a true follower of Christ. Deep within our hearts, we know whether or not, God is our priority.
“And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” (Matthew 16:26, NLT).
Behaviors Revealing Earthly Pursuits
Misplaced Priorities: Focusing entirely on material success, greed, or selfish desires.
Neglecting the Eternal: Trading the eternal, priceless nature of the soul for temporary, passing worldly benefits.
Rejecting Spiritual Life: Failing to surrender to God’s will and instead chasing personal ambition, which results in a life lived without a right relationship with Christ.
If we are caught up in pursuing the distractions of earthly trinkets, pleasures, success, and relationships instead of following Jesus, then sadly, our desires will be our only reward.
To follow Jesus requires much more than attending church once a week. The apostle Paul tells us in Romans chapter 12 that we must live a sacrificial life of self-denial to be a true follower of Jesus Christ.
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12: 1-2, NIV).
The Characteristics of the Sacrificial Life: Faith, Surrender, Obedience, Courage, and Commitment Are Required to Be a True Follower of Christ
“Every person is as close to God as they want to be.” (A.W. Tozer).
From praying daily for God to reveal His will and studying the Holy Scriptures, the Holy Spirit gives us wisdom, guidance, and teaches us how to live a holy and acceptable life, pleasing to God.
How close are we to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ?
2 Timothy 3:1-5 gives us the answer: “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.”
From reading this description, one may think that the apostle Paul is referring to unbelievers; but unbelievers do not have a form of godliness. He is describing believers who have failed to commit to living the sacrificial life of self-denial that is required to be followers of Jesus Christ.
When we appreciate God’s love and Jesus’ great sacrifice, we love God; and, it is not a burden or an inconvenience for us to live the sacrificial and obedient life required to be a true follower of Christ.
“However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find [this kind of persistent] faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8, Amplified Bible).
Lord God, does our lifestyle reflect that we are committed followers of Jesus Christ? If not, we ask you to reveal the habits and people, we must give up to live a God First, Christ-centered, Bible-based life. In faith, we ask this prayer in the Righteous Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and was and is to come—the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:8)
“In Revelation, Jesus, God, the Son, identifies Himself as the ‘Alpha and Omega,’ the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, symbolizing that He is the beginning and the end, the Initiator, and the Sustainer of all creation.”
“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it” is a foundational biblical declaration from Psalm 24:1 (NIV), affirming that God is the Owner, Creator, and Sovereign Ruler of the world and all its inhabitants. And God has placed extensive boundaries on the devastation that humanity and Satan can cause on His Planet Earth.
Still, we wonder, is God in control of this earth? The answer is an unequivocal Yes! 2 Timothy 3 describes the behaviors that would be prevalent in the Last Days, which exist now. We are temporary travelers living on a temporary Earth that is not our Forever Home. Every day, we should be preparing for John 14:1-3.
Evidence of God Intervening and Correcting Out-of-Control Human Beings
The Tower of Babel: Humanity Thinking They Are Above God
“Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth…”
“But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. The Lord said, ‘If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.'”
So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there, the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.” (Genesis 11:4-8, NIV).
Evidence of God’s Loving Intervention for Humanity: “Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.” (Genesis 3:21).
Adam and Eve’s disobedience not only resulted in their eviction from the Garden of Eden, but their sin required the first death in the universe, as they needed animal skins to protect their bodies from the changing seasons.
We do not give much thought to the death of animals because death is a part of our fallen existence, but immortality always existed; one can only imagine the angels must have been horrified at the presence of blood and the process required to make animal skins for Adam and Eve.
“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5).
Adam and Eve’s disobedience also required the death of Jesus on Calvary’s Cross. Sin always requires the payment of death. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23, NIV).
Divine Intervention: Because Jesus fulfilled the Plan of Redemption, dying for our sins, we do not have to die for our sins unless we choose to reject Christ. Jesus offers us the option of not experiencing the only possible solution to being born in sin and shaped in iniquity, the second and final death.
The Bible provides indisputable evidence that God has always intervened for the righteous, even in the worst possible situation: facing death at the hands of their enemies.
The Exodus through the Red Sea; the Tower of Babel; Job’s extreme suffering; the three Hebrew young men in the fiery furnace; Daniel in the lion’s den; the angel delivering the apostle Peter from prison; and the earthquake in the jail where Paul and Silas’ chains fell off are just a few of the examples of God’s Divine Mercies intervening, protecting, and enforcing His Power and established boundaries over Satan’s schemes against the righteous on the planet Earth.
Reflecting on our lives reveals that God blesses us with miracles every day that we have never even thanked Him for: Breath, strength, provisions, protection from physical harm, scams, and most importantly, Satan’s Schemes.
The Great Controversy between Good and Evil has raged for over 6,000 years. Without studying the Bible, many are unaware of the invisible Spiritual War that every believer is involved in, every moment of our earthly lives [Ephesians 6].
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the Heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12).
Another Bible translation, GWT, states: “This is not a wrestling match against a human opponent. We are wrestling with rulers, authorities, the powers who govern this world of darkness, and spiritual forces that control evil in the heavenly world.” (Ephesians 6:12).
Satan and his angels, who were cast out of heaven, are the powers who govern darkness. Yet they are angels [created beings] who have no power over the Triune GOD: God the Father, Jesus, God the Son, and God, the Holy Spirit.
One of the spiritual benefits for the faithful, obedient believers who dedicate themselves to surrender and follow Christ is that Christ, the Commander of Angel Armies, has given us the assurance in Psalm 91 that we are protected from Satan by Jesus’ legions of Heavenly angels.
Those who refuse to obey God have forfeited their angelic protection. Satan is so evil that he even punishes the unbelievers who are following him, which is evidenced by the terrible catastrophes and incurable diseases they suffer from.
Temptations, scams, physical danger, terminal illnesses, violence, sexual immorality, human trafficking, pornography, abuse, natural disasters, tornadoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, civil and international wars, and the uncontrollable desires to pursue material possessions and wealth are just a few of Satan’s diabolical schemes to persuade humanity to distrust God’s Love, Sovereignty, and Omnipotence.
False Teaching: Satan has convinced many believers that God is punishing the world by unleashing His wrath with disasters and terminal illnesses, but it is Satan who is responsible for death, plagues, famines, hatred, and violence.
Commentary: “We do not understand as we should the great conflict going on between invisible agencies, the controversy between loyal and disloyal angels. Over every man, good and evil angels strive. This is no make believe conflict.”
Commentary: The Invisible Spiritual War is over the souls of Believers: “It does not mimic [earthly] battles in which we are engaged. Satan is the prince of demons. The evil angels over whom he rules [obey and carry out all of his diabolical schemes]. Through them he…instigates all the evil that exists in our world.”
The condition of our world reveals the true nature of the human heart: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” [Jeremiah 17:9].
Satan knows that the human heart is never satisfied. Eve had everything, including immortality, yet she desired more. We inherited hearts filled with greed, so Satan uses the temptations of earthly treasures and pleasures to distract and persuade us to believe that God does not want us to have the best in life.
God’s Promises to the Righteous
“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 the believers who pray, study the Holy Scriptures, and are committed to follow Christ with faithful obedience, we cannot be persuaded; we know that God is a Loving and Protective Heavenly Father.
God’s Promise to Keep Us Safe: “Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place—the Most High…no evil shall be allowed to befall you…” (Psalm 91:9-10, NIV); “For He shall give his angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.” (Psalm 91:11).
If you [and your family] awakened this morning and returned home safe without any emotional or physical harm, it is Michael [Jesus Christ], our Triumphant King and Commander of Angel Armies, who assigned angels to keep you [and them] safe.
“The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.” (Nahum 1:7, ESV). If our faith and trust are in God, then we should never doubt God’s Sovereign Authority by asking, Is God still in control of this world?
“For the eyes of the LORD roam to and fro over all the earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are fully devoted to Him.” (2 Chronicles 16:9).
Brothers and Sisters, do we think that the credit agencies protect our identity from being stolen, or do the banking regulators have the power to prevent hackers [who serve Satan] from draining the money in our bank accounts?
It is God’s Divine Protection keeping our material possessions intact, including the deed of our houses from being duplicated, and sold while we are still living in the house. And it is the Holy Spirit who gives us the wisdom to discern when people are lying to us.
And for all of God’s goodness, have we given Him our reverence, love, loyalty, and gratitude in return?
God’s Answer: “All of us like sheep have gone astray, We have turned, each one, to his own way; But the LORD has caused the wickedness of us all [our sin, our injustice, our wrongdoing] To fall on Him [instead of us].” (Isaiah 53:6, Amplified Bible).
Truthfully, we have doubted God’s Love and Power; disobeyed Him by following our thoughts and ways; and still living a life of self-reliance by placing our faith and trust in human abilities and wisdom.
Today, God is asking those who doubt His Sovereignty: “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding.” (Job 38:4).
“The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9, NIV).
God, the Father, knows the exact date that He will tell Jesus Christ the time is now to bring the faithful to their Heavenly Home: Go, awaken the faithful, the martyrs, and the children from their graves who faithfully served You, and gather the living who followed and obeyed You by living a sacrificial, faithful, and obedient life.
“I Am Coming Quickly: He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming quickly…'” (Revelation 22:20).
The Great Day of the LORD: “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” (Revelation 19:11-16).
Prayer: “Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”
“Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?” (Jeremiah 32:27).
There are times when we face situations that make us realize that we do not know what to do or have the power to change the circumstances. And because we know that human solutions cannot resolve those challenges, we finally surrender to God’s Sovereign Authority, desperately asking for His Divine Intervention.
“Would not God discover this? For He knows the secrets of the heart.” (Psalm 44:21).
But there is a problem with that mindset; we have only prayed and asked God for His help because we have hit the wall, knowing that our human efforts are insufficient.
“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; Fear [Reverence] the Lord and depart from evil.” (Proverbs 3:5-7).
God tells us not to follow our own thoughts and not to be wise in our own eyes, which, if obeyed, keeps us dependent on His perfect plans and prevents us from experiencing negative consequences. Yet many believers see this as a suggestion to disregard, but relying on God is His command.
One of the greatest mistakes that postmodern Christians have made is that we perceive God’s Grace as permission to compromise His Commands, but God has never given us the option to disobey His Righteous Precepts.
“But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46). Disobedience is the bitter fruit of self-reliance: Not only have we detoured from the Path of Righteousness, but spiritually, we have also separated ourselves from God.
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit…” (Romans 8:1).
From choosing to accept and follow Christ, we are freed from the sins that enslave us to Satan. “This freedom is not a license to sin but results in a life where the mind is set on the things of the Spirit, fulfilling the righteousness of the law.”
“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
In 2 Timothy 1:7, the apostle Paul reveals that believers have received spiritual gifts: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.”
Satan can tempt us, but he does not have the power to force us to sin against God. Choosing to sin is a wilful act of disobedience which dishonors God, revealing that we love ourselves more than God. Disobedience reveals that we do not value God’s Love, Grace, and Mercy.
From the moment we awaken, we make choices about whether to follow our ideas and strategies. If yes, then we have excluded God from our daily decisions, which fosters a spirit of self-reliance and rebellion against Him.
“Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him.” (John 9:31). Unless we offer a genuine prayer of repentance in which Christ, our Intercessor, forgives our sins, God reveals in the Scriptures that He does not hear a sinner’s prayer.
“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). Repentance for a spirit of self-reliance and disobedience is required before we can approach the Throne of Grace asking for God’s Divine Intervention.
In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus, the Son of God Reverenced and Honored God, the Father’s Sovereign Authority over Heaven and Earth.
Jesus prayed, “Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:9-10). [Hallowed definition: Revered and Honored].
We were created to glorify God. Honoring God with faithful obedience is the entire purpose of the Christian Believer’s life.
Sermon Note: “Your responsibility is to follow Christ and obey His will for your life, and By the time you are done, the LORD will be glorified.” Yes and Amen. Peace and Blessings.
Lord God, we confess that we have followed our thoughts instead of asking You for answers, and for this rebellious sin against You, we ask for forgiveness. Please cleanse us from all unrighteousness and fill us with Your Holy Spirit. Lord, give us the direction and guidance we desperately need in our daily lives. Our desire is to follow and obey Jesus, our Shepherd and Triumphant King, who promised us Eternal Life. We thank You for hearing and answering our prayer that we ask in the Worthy Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
“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).
Steps 2 Success with Spiritual Solutions 
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