Tag: Faith

Staying Courageous in the Stormy Seasons—Devotional Reading, August 23, 2023

Perceiving oneself as blessed should prevent the onset of discouragement and depression when the stormy seasons enter and escalate in our lives. But our human hearts are fragile. When the rains of distress pour on us, often, we share our dilemmas with friends and family who cannot provide the answers or actions to resolve our circumstances.

Yes, we can seek emotional support during the storms [trials], but we need to bring our prayerful petitions for help to God first.

“…But those who seek the LORD will not lack any good thing.” —Psalm 34:10

Trending Social media posts state, “God is silent, He never answered my prayers.” There is a disconnect between our comprehension of seeking God and God’s definition of seeking Him. We desire a God-on-Demand who rescues us immediately from our tribulations. With little time devoted to worshipping God, we do not understand His ways, nor do we possess the willingness to suffer. So we pray once or twice and give up on God because we desire immediate cessation of the storms.

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” —John 16:33

Jesus gave us many warnings that we would suffer hardships throughout our earthly journey. Without a firm foundation in the strength of Christ, we easily succumb to the tribulations which bring stormy waves of sorrow and hopelessness. Yet, it is the stormy seasons that build our faith and give us courage.

Not every storm is a trial allowed by God to change our character. Depending solely on our judgment and distrusting others can lead to detrimental choices and substantial adverse consequences in our lives. We agree that busyness impacts most people. With little time left, we are too busy to pray for God’s wisdom and study the Scriptures for guidance.

The Bible is our Guidebook that we use to find out, “What decisions should I make based on the Scriptures?” So instead of feeling blessed, we are overwhelmed from attempting to navigate through life without Divine Help. Excluding God from one’s life produces spiritual unrest, and disconnects us from the Source of life.

Still, we are not in a hopeless predicament. In humility, we acknowledge our disobedience and repent if we caused the storm. Even if we are the cause of our storm, God never forsakes us. We must have steadfast courage and undoubting faith to believe in God and His promises. God is our Source, He gives us the spiritual strength to endure every storm.

Character-changing storms usually have a longer duration and feel as if they will never end. Pray and ask God to reveal the unrighteous behaviors that He is using the stormy season to purge from your character. There are four Chapters—1 Corinthians 13, Galatians 5, Ephesians 5, and James 3—that God expects for every believer to study and measure their characters against. With a prayer of surrender pray for the Divine strength to persevere and endure.

Some storms are the result of spiritual warfare, especially conflict with others. Even so, Christ gives His permission before any trials from Satan are brought into our lives. God will never allow Satan to crush the righteous! Read Job Chapter 1.

During the Stormy Seasons, Pray Often for Divine Help!

David had many troubles but wrote the steps we need to take during the seasons of hardships and also gave us wonderful words of encouragement, God always delivers the righteous!

“The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their cry.
The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.” —Psalm 34:15-16

“The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit.” —Psalm 34:17-18

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all.” —Psalm 34:19

Choosing to surrender to God on a daily basis is a personal decision that demonstrates our love for Him. Jesus designed us to have a dependent relationship with Him, built on love, trust, and obedience. These spiritual qualities not only keep us connected to Christ, but also ensure that we are following God’s will.

David’s Petition: “Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice! Have mercy also upon me, and answer me.” —Psalm 27:7

The winds of tribulations are harsh, blowing with such force that we fall. We must cry out for Help! Who can persevere through the storm without Christ’s strength? Never forget that God’s goal is to save our souls and give us eternal life.

Spiritual maturity is demonstrated through God-reliance. No one is stronger than the one who depends on God!

Reflect on your lifestyle and make drastic changes if you do not have time to put God first! Developing a lifestyle of worship is intentional and takes concerted action on our part. When our lives are peaceful and we diligently pray and study the Bible every day, our dependency on God acts as a spiritual catalyst to immediately cry out to God when our stormy trials begin.

God knows that building our faith, trust, and confidence and changing our character into the likeness of Christ is achieved in the stormy seasons. Yes, the seasons that make us wish for Jesus to say, Peace be still, are working for our good and His glory!

Even if the intensity and duration of the storm lasts longer than we anticipated, practicing God-Reliance gives us unwavering confidence fueled by our faith and trust in God’s promises of deliverance.

Pray in faith and wait. God’s promises are Yes to which we say, Amen!

Scripture: “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.” —Psalm 34:19

Prayer: God, we thank You for Your Divine Love. Please forgive our self-reliance and doubt. Lord, we are in a storm and need Your strength to make it through. Thank You for hearing and answering our prayer that we ask in Jesus’ name, Amen.

© 2023 Steps 2 Success with Spiritual Solutions and Woman, You Are Loved by God Ministries

Live Wisely…Because the Days Are Evil Devotional Reading August 21, 2023

“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise…” —Ephesians 5:15, NIV

God desires that we live happy and healthy lives, but He warns us that we need godly wisdom to stay on the Righteous Path which leads to eternal life. Many people proclaim that Life is good! Yet, their perception of the good life is based on human wisdom, their accomplishments, financial stability, and tangible goods.

Not only have we incorporated self-reliance into our belief system, we readily use human-made standards to make decisions and measure success. Without wisdom, we cannot know the will of God. Nor can we discern spiritual warfare and live our best lives without the Holy Spirit’s insight and guidance. But most importantly, without godly wisdom, we cannot receive eternal life, because our thoughts and decisions will never align with God’s plans.

“Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.” —Colossians 2:9

We live in a time of mass information. So many voices and the majority are expressing their opinions based on their thought processes. Why are we so eager to embrace empty philosophies? The exclusion of godly wisdom places us in enemy territory! Without spiritual discernment, God warns us that we will be deceived by satanic false doctrines that are gift-wrapped in the appearance of God’s Divine Truth.

When we rely on human knowledge and understanding, we place ourselves in a vulnerable position. God tells us that we are being cheated! Something about the word cheat causes our emotions to become riled up—upset or angry. The definition of the word Cheat: an act of fraud, swindling, hoax, or deception. Oxford Dictionary

We are living in dangerous, evil times. The Amplified translation of Colossians 2:8 gives us [an easily understood] insight into the methods based on human wisdom used by Satan.

“See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception [pseudo-intellectual babble], according to the tradition [and musings] of mere men, following the elementary principles of this world, rather than following [the truth—the teachings of] Christ.” —Colossians 2:8, Amplified Bible

Sometimes the programs or infomercials that we watch or listen to are so absurd that our only logical response is to laugh. But Satan is not shooting fiery darts at those who can be easily deceived, he knows they offer no resistance to the deceptive intellectual babble of our era. Satan is after the children of God!

Satan doesn’t present human theories that we will easily dismiss, he develops a personalized plan using spoken words that provoke us to fall into temptation. Many believers love God but rely on their knowledge, intellectual thoughts, outcomes from prior experience, and strategies. They are intermittent Bible readers who do not have a spiritual foundation based on Biblical truth. Sadly, these are the people who, upon hearing new religious concepts, quickly accept them as true, without questioning their validity.

Yet, there is another group of believers who study the Bible and pray for wisdom from the Holy Spirit, but they hear the new concept from a reputable pastor, speaker, or social media post, and it piques their interest. They are striving to stay on the Path of Righteousness, but sometimes get caught up by Satan’s expertly deceitful tactics. God tells us to test the spirits—search the Scriptures, pray, and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal whether or not the message is God’s Truth.

We cannot place our total confidence in the presenter. Many times personal feelings, the desire for likes, or using guesswork, results in the speaker giving inaccurate explanations of God’s Holy Word. It is imperative that we have a relationship with Christ based on our love, faith, and knowledge of the Bible which contain Holy Words breathed by God to men anointed by the Holy Spirit.

Without Exception, there is only One Truth and One Meaning to every Scripture in the Bible.

God’s expectation is that we will use the Bible to measure every sermon or doctrine. The Holy Spirit is our Teacher who always gives us a 100% accurate understanding of the Scriptures. Every believer has the opportunity to study and learn Biblical Truth. Studying God’s Truth under the guidance of the Holy Spirit gives us spiritual nourishment, feeding our minds and souls by imparting peace, power, spiritual knowledge, and godly wisdom.

Two weeks ago, I listened to a pastor who stated that Matthias was not the twelfth disciple that replaced Judas. Because the Apostles cast lots when choosing the replacement disciple, He surmised that God would not use that method to choose a disciple. He believes that God chose Paul as the twelfth apostle.

After hearing this concept, I studied Acts Chapter 1. As I thought about his opposing doctrine, I began to think deeply because my interest was piqued. But I didn’t feel right. I prayed a simple prayer, Holy Spirit, is this true? All praises to God, the Holy Spirit immediately came to my rescue by flooding my mind with answers.

The Holy Spirit reminded me of three things: 1. In our earthly lives, we will never understand God’s ways. 2. The Bible is God-breathed and does not contain any mistakes! 3. A statement I previously heard on how to avoid the acceptance of false doctrines.

In a recent question-and-answer program by a pastor, I have listened to for many years, stated, “We are living in the last days. You will hear many new concepts of God’s Truth, pray for wisdom and discernment from the Holy Spirit, and use this question to measure the information with, “Is this information Biblical and does it have anything to do with my salvation?’ “

Satan knows his time is running out. None of us are above hearing false doctrines that we readily accept or ponder in our minds. Our Arch-enemy is using every deceptive tactic to attempt to cheat the very elect—those who are striving to live righteously. Stay prayerful! Diligently study the Scriptures under the guidance of the Holy Spirit!

Because the Bible gives us God’s instructions on living righteously in these evil days, the Scriptures below provide guidance on living wisely through possessing godly wisdom.

1. ” ‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,’ says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.’ ” —Isaiah 55:8-9
2. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” —Proverbs 3:5-6
3. “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” —Proverbs 14:12
4. “Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.” —Proverbs 26:12
5. “Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?” —1 Corinthians 5:20

There is only one way for us to receive heavenly wisdom: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.” —James 1:5-6

Because our hearts are carnal and our understanding does not align with God’s thoughts, the Apostle James gives us the characteristics of heavenly wisdom.

Heavenly Wisdom Verses Demonic Wisdom—James Chapter 3

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. —James 3:13-18

Prayer: God, we desperately need the Holy Spirit’s wisdom, guidance, and spiritual discernment every day. Lord, we pray for You to shelter us from the fiery darts of false doctrines and ask for a spirit of humility to permeate our minds and souls as we prepare for Your soon coming. In Jesus’ Worthy name, we pray, Amen.

© 2023 Steps 2 Success with Spiritual Solutions and Woman, You Are Loved By God Ministries

Living in Preparation for Eternity Devotional Reading August 20, 2023

We are living on the threshold of eternity. Are you living wisely? Does your life reflect the Righteousness of Christ?

The foundation of our relationship with Christ is based on love—His love for us is always consistent, but sadly, our love for Christ is changeable, often vacillating because of our heart’s desires and circumstances.

The love we have for God is revealed every day by our goals, plans, thoughts, spoken words, and actions which demonstrate our faithfulness to God. From our faith springs trust, obedience, and the desire to stay connected to Christ, the Source of our lives.

“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” —Ephesians 5:15-17

Every believer reaches a crossroads in their relationship with God which requires a declaration of who is first in their life. There is no middle ground, either God is first or we are first. For us to serve God, we must give a sacrificial offering. The things we treasure the most, money, material goods, relationships, and jobs are the object of our sacrifice.

Where do we stand when God tells us to let go? God is not punitive. The people, jobs, material goods, wealth, goals, and plans that He is asking us to let go of are preventing us from fulfilling God’s ultimate purpose for each of us. To live with the goal of self-seeking accomplishments does not align with God’s goal of the Holy Spirit guiding and preparing us [through this earthly life] to receive our reward of eternal life when Jesus comes.

“Then He said to them all, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?’ ” —Luke 9:23-25

Jesus tells us that we must take up our cross and follow Him. Taking up our cross is to surrender ourselves through prayer every day. Following Christ places us on the Path of Righteousness, yet, the human effort of faith and obedience along with the guidance and wisdom of the Holy Spirit keeps us on the Narrow Path.

The Narrow Way—”Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” —Matthew 7:13-14

Do we understand that our earthly struggle cannot end in victory if we fail to love, obey, and follow the will of God? Obedience is not a natural response when the requirement is in opposition to our desires. Whether we understand the prophecies in the book of Revelation or not, one thing is certain, we are living in the last days of Earth’s history.

Receiving our reward requires diligent earthly preparation. Our daily worship of surrendering to God changes our perspective of time. We use our time wisely to pray and stay in alignment with the will of God. Surrendering to Christ gives us an internal spiritual transformation and an external purpose. We no longer live for ourselves, our desire is to live in the New Heaven and New Earth.

Staying in Alignment with God Requires Action!

Salvation is not passive! Our goal is to love Christ and faithfully obey His commandments. We strive to live holy by avoiding wilful disobedience. The Holy Spirit will alert us if we are detouring from the Path.

We Are Christ’s Disciples—John 17:20-23

What does God expect of us? To live righteously, for our character to reflect the Fruit of the Spirit [Galatians 5:22-23], study the Scriptures, pray continuously, use our spiritual gifts and natural talents, witness Jesus’ love and the Plan of Salvation, and help those in need.

The Great Commission—”And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ ” —Matthew 28:18-20 Amen.

The Believer’s Outreach Calling—In our walk with Christ, we are expected to witness the love of Christ to others. God has granted us advancements in technology that allow us to reach people wherever a satellite signal exists. Jesus clarifies that the reward in Revelation chapter 22, verse 12—”And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.”

Receiving our reward is not only based on our willingness to serve, but also to perform our spiritual assignment of witnessing and helping others every day which proves our love, loyalty, faithfulness, and obedience to God. Every believer is expected to actively complete their earthly work as determined by the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Serving God requires us to follow in the footsteps of Christ in His earthly ministry.

Attending church and giving tithe and offerings are God’s expectations of our service to Him. It is our outreach efforts of witnessing and helping others that we feel are optional. The parable of the Sheep and the Goats in Matthew chapter 25, verses 31-46, is regarding two groups of believers. Sadly, the goats never thought they were required to be active disciples.

We have arrived and live in the perilous times that the Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to Timothy.

“But know this, that in the last days, perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!” —2 Timothy 3:1-5

Satan has deceived many to have a false concept of God that He is a Punisher. And when we hear sermons or study the Bible about the destruction of the wicked and this earth, we experience feelings of “Doom and Gloom.”

If we study Revelation chapters 19 through 22 and do not get excited then our hearts are not filled with love, faith, and obedience to God. There is a better life for the faithful, righteous who surrender themselves every day and are actively working as Christ’s disciples. And our minds are focused on seeing our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and living with Him forever and ever. Amen.

Scripture: “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming quickly.’ Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” —Revelation 22:20-21

Prayer: God, we ask forgiveness for not doing Your will and fulfilling our spiritual work of telling others of the love of Christ. We ask You to cleanse us from all unrighteousness and to bless us with the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. We pray for wisdom and direction to do Your will. In Jesus’ Holy name, we pray. Amen.

© 2023 Steps 2 Success with Spiritual Solutions and Woman, You Are Loved by God Ministries