Are you a child of God?

This is the way God's children are distinguished from the devil's children. Everyone who doesn't do what is right or love other believers isn't God's child. 1 John 3:10

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I was talking to someone the other day I cannot recall who it was and how that came about but I mentioned that as children of God, Christians have privileges and that person replied that we are all children of God. Imagine my surprise. My assumption was that the person in question understood the word of God. I have been think about it ever since and i want to discuss it with you today in order to clear all misunderstanding you may have. I will be more careful with my assumptions in the future.

Are we all God’s children? It is true that God loves us all and the fact that He created us all does not imply that we are His children according to God’s Word. Let’s take a look at a few passages: Ephesians 2:3 tells us that before we were saved we were “by nature objects of wrath.” Romans 9:8 says that “it is not the natural children who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring.” Instead of being born as God’s children, we are born in sin, which separates us from God and aligns us with Satan as God’s enemy (James 4:4; 1 John 3:8). Jesus said, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me” (John 8:42). In John 8:44, Jesus told the Pharisees that they “belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire.”

How can you become a child of God? “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). First, you must recognize that Jesus is the eternal Son of God who became man. Jesus was born through the power of the Holy Spirit. He did not inherit Adam’s sin nature). He died for us and resurrected on the third day and ascended to heaven where He is preparing a place for us. While Adam’s one disobedience brought the curse of sin and death to the world, Christ’s perfect life gives life. Our response must be to turn away from sin and we must trust that His blood will purify us. Second, we must have faith in Jesus as Savior. God’s plan was to sacrifice His perfect Son on the cross to pay the punishment we deserve for our sin: death. Christ’s death frees those who receive Him from the penalty and power of sin. Clearly, in Scripture, the lost are never referred to as children of God.
Obviously a child of God is not going to be rejected by sinning, but someone who “dwells” in sin (repeated offender without remorse/ consistently enjoys sin without heed for following Christ and His Word) reveals that he was never born again. Jesus said, “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire” (John 8:44). God’s children, on the other hand, no longer crave the gratification of sin but desire to know, love, and glorify their Father.

There are numerous rewards attached to being God’s child, but we obey Him because we love Him. The Bible says that we are a part of God’s family (the church), we are promised a home in heaven, and given the right to approach God in prayer as Father through Christ (Ephesians 2:19; 1 Peter 1:3-6; Romans 8:15). Being a part of the family of God is the greatest blessing bestowed upon believers and one that should drive us to our knees in humble adoration. We can never do anything to deserve it for it is His gift of love, mercy and grace to us, and yet, we are called to become sons and daughters of the Living God (Romans 9:25-26).You can also be a child of God right now if you would accept Christ into your heart and pray:

"Father God, I recognize now that I have not lived my life for You up until now. I have been selfish and I want You in my life. I acknowledge the completed work of Your Son Jesus Christ in giving His life for me on the cross, please forgive me. Come into my life now, Lord. Take up residence in my heart and be my king, my Lord, and my Savior. From today on, I will no longer be controlled by sin. I will follow You all the days of my life. I ask this in Jesus' holy name. Amen."

Praise the Lord!

God’s Plan

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

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If you are anything like me, then every so often you take inventory of your life. You look at where you are, where you intended to be at certain point and time. For me things never go as planned. I am always ahead in some areas, and missed in others. When I was a baby Christian, I would be disappointed and fall into a short period of depression in the days following my inventory and I would spend the next few months working hard to make my dreams a reality. The more I failed, the more desperate I would get and the more depressed I would become. I did not realize at the time that my life belongs to God and it is His will that must take precedence over my life. God had opened up my heart and helped me realized that all of my unrealized dreams were not failure at all. God was with me the entire time and He guided me into path that aligned with His sovereign purpose for my life. My dear friend, if you have turned your life over to God, trusts Him to lead you as He sees fit.

There cannot be two drivers in a car. Most husbands will tell you that there is nothing more aggravating then a wife trying to lead while occupying the passenger seat. In our adversities, we often try to take the lead. In our trials and tribulations, we tend to forget that we belong to God and that he wants what best for us. He knows what is best for us. Job understood that, and he totally trusted God and at the end, he was rewarded awesomely. He experienced the Glory of God. Friend, like Job, you must know that your redeemer lives. He will never forsake you. You will never lose favor with God. While it is good to have a plan for the future, the believers must understand that it is God’s plan that must be done in his/her life. Friend, you cannot get depressed when things don’t work out according to your plan. Don’t let the devil trick you into thinking that God does not care about you. I do realize that depression is real. I know that despair is real, but I also know that my redeemer lives. I know that my heavenly Father will never let me down. Even before the trial was over Job took control of his depression. “He knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” Job 23:10

If you feel that you fell out of favor with God, find someone who will pray with you and encourage you. In the midst of those deep moments of despair, God will never turn his back on you and don’t you turn your back on him. When you approach God by faith through his son Jesus Christ, he will turn your life around and like job you will experience His glory. Friend, emotionally, financial and physically ruin are not bigger than God. Listen, you are serving the Almighty, the Omniscient, and the Omnipotent God. There is nothing impossible to Him. He has the power to bring life into the dead circumstances. He has the power to change your failures into triumph. Seek God for His will and direction. Rely on him completely and He will direct your path. His plan for your life includes emotional, financial and physical healing, but more importantly His plan is to live in you. His plan is for you to know Him and to let Him dwell in you.

God wants you to place your trust in Him. You must fight any thoughts that don’t align with the word of God. Train your thoughts to align with God’s word. You were design for victory. You were design for greatness and you must know that no weapons formed against you shall prosper. You are a victor not a victim and that you are above the limitations of this world. Diabetes, Heart Diseases, High Blood Pressure, AIDS, Cancer and Depression cannot win. There are not above God. You don’t even have to go after the victory. It was already given to you over 2000 years ago on the cross. Jesus already won. You have the victory in Him. God plan is for you to be well mind, body and soul and He is greater than your circumstances. Regardless of what you are going through today remain confident that God will deliver you. He most certainly has the power to do so. He has done it for many others. Remember my friend that God is bigger than the giants you are facing.

Praise the Lord

Does God Heal?

Does God Heal?

“I tell you the truth, if anyone says t this mountain, go throw yourself into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I will tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours”. Mark 11:23-24

Over 20 percent of the Gospel is about the healing ministry of Jesus Christ. Jesus taught his disciples how to pray and heal. Wouldn’t he want His followers to pray for healing today? I believe that Jesus wants us to be healed and to have victory in our lives. He came and gave himself as sacrifice/substitution for our sins and to destroy the work of the devil, sickness, disease and emotional hurt including. Jesus died so “you” can have everything God intended for “you “to have before the “fall of man”, and it is up to you to claim it all.

I have heard people say over and over again that “it is God will for me to be in this situation, and I have to accept it”, when they are faced with difficult challenges. I am urging you not to fall into that trap. God wants you to call on Him in times of trouble. He does want to help you. He wants to heal you. He wants you to have victory over your situation, no matter how serious and impossible it seems.

Pray to God, from your heart. Talk to Him openly about your healing needs. Don’t ever give up until you receive your healing. God wants you well. He wants to make you well. He wants you to be your provider in every way. God loves you.

Praise the Lord!

Intimate Friend

True Friend

“No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you”. John 15:15-16

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For many years I longed for deep friendships. It was quite embarrassing to discover that after a certain amount of years on this earth, I knew people from every continent and yet I had no real, intimate friends. I would meet people and instantly feel connected to them and I would offer them my friendship with all the benefits that come with it but over and over I’d get disappointed. I wasn’t getting the commitment I expected in return. I set expectations that no one could ever met and as a result I grew up isolated, guarded and secretive. I was surrounded by people but lonely inside. Over the years I randomly trusted people who appeared to have wanted a deep friendship with me just to face the painful realization that they did not know how to give what I was so desperately searching for at the time.

I was reading the above scripture one night when I finally understood its true meaning. I have read it many times before but that night I realized that true friendship such as the one I was looking for can only come from God. The loneliness that I grew up with could only be filled by the unconditional love of God. It was unfair to expect earthly friendships to fill needs that God strategically created us with for the purpose of filling Himself. Like me, perhaps you have never thought of Jesus in that way, perhaps you never seen Him as a friend, a real friend who cares about every area of your life. You know him as the Savior and the Eternal Son of the Living God but do you know him as “your” intimate friend? The above scripture confirms that He is indeed our friend. He wants to share Himself with us. He gave himself for us. The people we choose as friends will let us down. They are limited in their ability to fulfill all of our needs and in many cases they don’t even know how to love but Jesus is the one who loves His friends. He loves us so much that He gave His life. Wow! Imagine that for a minute. Who do you know will give his life for you: A spouse, parent, a brother or sister? I seriously doubt it. People dedicate their lives in search for their own happiness no time to worry about anyone else.

God did create us with a need for each other; however, by no means should that need be a substitute for the innate need to be with God. Friendships are important, but they don't always last. Jesus knows us and loves us despite who we are. He stands by us through our ups and downs. He doesn’t hide away when we are facing adversity. He doesn’t use excuses to justify his absences and you don’t have to leave Him numerous messages to finally get a call back. He cares about our weakness and loneliness. He will always be there for us. He is our friend. Unlike other friends, we didn’t choose Him. He chose us (John 15:16).

When a love one turns his back on you, when you’re going through your darkest hours, I want you to remember that you are not alone. Jesus promises to dry up your tears when you are in pain. He promised to remove your anxiety when you are worried. He promised to hold your hand while walking through the dark valleys of life because He is your friend, your best friend, the life-giving friend, the friend for life. If you never had a real friend, I have great news: Jesus longs to be your friend. He wants to have that deep, true, and intimate relationship you so definitely deserved. Call on his name and start enjoying a friendship you never thought possible.

Praise the Lord!

It Shall Be done!

My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” John 15:7

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Christians often forget that the Lord Jesus Christ urges them not to worry because if they let Him (hangout with them) live inside of them, then they can ask for anything and it will have to happen, it will be done. Praise the Lord! To really understand this verse, you have to go back and read the 13th chapter of John. Jesus was approaching His sacrificial death for you and I, and it must have been a difficult time because He loved the disciples, He knew He was about to leave them and He also knew that both Judas and Simon would betray Him, and yet He seizes the moment for some much needed teaching. It is one of the most beautiful chapters of the Bible. Jesus wanted to be sure that the disciples would not despair and know what to do once He was gone. That’s how much Jesus loves us! He wanted you and I to know, even though He is no longer living as a man among us, we can still have access to everything He is and everything He has to offer. The disciples did not understand it at the time, but you and I have to realize that there is no need in our lives bigger than God. Let’s read the text again, Jesus, Our Lord and savior did not ask us to bring (some, a few) of our requests to Him, but He said ask for “whatever’ ‘anything’ and it will be done. Now, if this does not encourage you, I don’t know what will. You can bring all of your needs to him, both big and smalls.

I understand that the church makes the word of God too difficult to grasp but there is nothing sophisticated about it. We don’t need a theology degree to understand that Jesus promises to grant all of our requests, as long as we He lives inside of us. There is no trick about this. It is really quite simple, but can one abide in Christ unless he/she is saved? No! To start enjoying a loving relationship with Christ, you have to admit that you are a sinner and that you need a savior. Therefore, unless you believe in Jesus who died in your place (for you sin) you will spend eternity in Hell. If you believe on Him as your crucified, buried, and risen Savior, you receive forgiveness for all of your sins and His gift of eternal salvation by faith. It is really this simple and quite amazing, wouldn't you agree? The beauty of it is that you can make this decision right where you are now. Friend, don’t let another day go by, make the decision now. This week alone there was a devastating plane crash and hundreds of people have died and at the start of this year, thousands more people perished around the globe as a result of earthquakes suddenly. Even if you were to be blessed with many more years on this earth, wouldn’t you want to live with Christ? Don’t you want to experience this burden free relationship starting now? My relationships with people have always been complicated from childhood to my adulthood, the only reliable, secure relationship I have known is the one with Jesus Christ and you too can start this incredible journey by making the decision to let Jesus Christ into your life right now. There is no waiting period, you make the decision and instantly become part of God’s family and the heir of the greatest kingdom, the Kingdom of God, and Jesus will now reside in you and you in Him and whatever you ask him shall be done.

Praise the Lord!

The Lord our Provider

As the two walked on together, Isaac spoke to his father Abraham. "Father!" he said. "Yes, son," he replied. Isaac continued, "Here are the fire and the wood, but where is the sheep for the holocaust?" "Son," Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the sheep for the holocaust." Then the two continued going forward. Genesis 22:7-8

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As you know by now, Jehovah Jireh (The Lord our Provider) is my favorite name of God and one that has great meaning to me. You cannot know God until you know His names. I experienced something amazing yesterday that totally took me by surprise, and I thought that God never is taken by surprise. He does not see into the future. He knows it. Abraham trusted God to provide a lamb for the sacrifice, and just when he was about to kill his own (only son), God stepped in and offer a substitute. God is indeed our provider and we should trust Him to take care of all of our needs.

God had provided for him in the time of his extremity, so He will provide for all them that put their trust in Him. The God of Abraham is alive, and let his name be praised, and let us rest assured that, as certainly as Abraham, Jacob and Daniel in distress that when there seemed to be no way of escape, the Lord appeared for them and was seen , even so shall it be with you when times of extreme pressure come. We shall all be tried and tested, but in our utmost need God will see to our deliverance, if we would let faith have her perfect work, and will pray and quietly await the moment when the Lord shall be seen working His glorious provision. The Lord is the Preserver and the Provider of men. I pray and long for all of us to get this truth firmly planted in our hearts. I pray that you let yourself be reminded of Abraham and all of those before us who trusted God to be their provider and was not once deceived.

So what is your pressing need this morning? Is it healing? Maybe a new house? A car? A job? Maybe you’re searching for perfect peace, emotional balance or maybe you’re awaiting to be married, you’re waiting for your spouse to come back home and maybe you have been praying for that love one to come to Christ. Whatever the need maybe, God's has unlimited supply to provide for it, and His unfailing, uncompromising word should satisfy your minds now and for all of eternity. God's wealth is at your disposal; His healing (emotional, physical and spiritual) is at your disposal. Don't continue to torture yourself by refusing to take God at His word. You are His child, His creation. You are His personal property, and He desires to give you His perpetual care and complete attention. I want to remind you that The God of Abraham, Daniel and Jacob is still in perfect control. He is able and willing to do all things. You must take the initial step to believe His word and you need to remind yourself every morning that you are the child of the Most High God, Jehovah Jireh.

Praise the Lord

Teach the Children Well

These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your refregarator and your houses and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:6-9

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Parents strive to offer their children a better life than what they had. They try their best to leave a financial inheritance for them but fail to make provision for the one legacy of value: a love for God and His Word. It is the parents’ responsibility to provide children with things, but material objects cannot substitute for faith in God. Children do not belong to the parents, but to God and while here on earth, they have the responsibility to raise them in manners that honor God. In Mark, it is stated that Jesus told his disciples to "Let the children come unto me." Jesus valued children and He understood their potential to further the kingdom.

When you do things God's way, you receive the benefits of that relationship. As you develop your relationship with Christ, you can be free from worry and anxiety, addictions, and so many other problems that seem to plague young people. When you do things God's way, you receive the benefits of that relationship. You should be motivated to lead your children right not only because you love them and want to spare them unnecessary hardship, but also because of your desire to please God, for it His will. It doesn’t matter how challenging it is, God will guide you and lead you as you care for precious little ones.

Give children spiritual values and not only material thing that have no lasting power. Teach children to be responsible at an early age. Teach them on the importance of living a Christ centered life. Teach them the fear of the Lord. It doesn’t matter how they feel about it. Seek God’s approval instead of children's. Childhood is not a time of indulgence and a time to satisfy selfish desires, but a time to train and inspire your precious ones and to develop them into mature responsible adults who value ethics, peace, and God. Choose to please God above all else. Your love to your children is secondary to your love for God. Establish God authority over your home. Your fear and love for God must be a daily reality in your homes. Be the right type of influence and be blessed.

Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Psalm 127:1

Praise the Lord!

Is Anything Impossible to God?

Is any thing too hard for the LORD? Genesis 18:14

Nothing is impossible with respect to any of God's promises." Luk 1:37

When the people we love need help, we go to great length to provide them with our resources and our time. I know a person who traveled 3000 miles to be with a person for just a couple of hours. There is nothing we wouldn’t do for our love ones, but we have certain limitations due to our physical ability or maybe our resources, but our heavenly father have no limits, praise God. He created heaven and earth. He can move mountains, He created the mountains. he created everything for us. he created us and He knew each one of us by name before we were born; surely nothing is impossible to Him. Surely He will come to our rescue in our time of needs. Amen.

God cares about all of our struggles, not just the physical and financial. He also wants to give us victory over our strongholds. If you keep struggling with the same sins or having trouble bringing a certain thoughts or sins into captivity, then bring it to the Lord in prayers. You haven’t used all of your resources until you ask and invite God into the fight. The battle of the flesh can be a very powerful one, but praise God; we don’t have to go at it alone. Jesus died to give us victory over all sins.

Some people are very selective to what they bring to God in prayers. They feel shame to present certain situations to Him, but let me assure you, He already knew. That thing you did in your secret place that you cannot even admit to yourself, He knows it and He saw it as you were doing it. He still loves you. He grieved with you. He wants to deliver you. Don’t let the devil stop you from coming back to your loving father’s arm. Repent and start anew. It is impossible for God to give up on you, so don’t give up on yourself. Allow Him the opportunity to work through you. Allow Him the opportunity to help you through your current situation. Give Him room to work and He will

Praise the Lord!

Trust God

"Indeed we call blessed those who showed endurance". James 3:11
Trust and wait on God is the only way.

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Someone sent me a letter the other day questioning the waiting period. How long do we wait on God before moving on. How long is long enough? We wait in God always, until the end. There is no other alternative. I always believe that it was the only way.
Scripture tells us "apart from me you can do nothing" John 15:5. And "I can do all things through him who strengthens me" Philippians 4:13.

It is very important that you learn to trust God early on your Christian walk. I cannot stress this enough. Friend, you must learn to trust God and teach your children to do so early. As you trust Him, you will begin to learn to wait on Him. There's just no two ways about it or around it. To live a life of blessing, we have to make our words agree with what God says. Not just for a few hours or a few days, but all the time, regardless of the situation that we are facing.
If you have ever done that, you very well know how difficult it is. As time wears on and the circumstances around you appear to be stubbornly determined to stay in the same miserable, helpless condition, and everyone around is getting discouraged, it can be hard to keep on speaking God's Word and even harder to keep on believing. But you have to do it if you ever want your harvest of blessing to come in and if you want to see victory in all areas of your life.
We talk all the time about walking by faith and not by sight. I don't have to see any changes to know that God hears my prayers and that He is healing my body, my finance and/or my spirit.

Walking by faith is not denial, it is acknowledging that your problem is so great that you cannot fix it yourself and that it is best that you turn it over to God and wait on Him, trust Him to work it out. Sometimes, believers don't last that long. They start believing and waiting long enough, but then when they don't see immediate results, when the bank account gets low and rent is past due, when their spouse walks out, the child gets sick, somebody else receives a promotion, when they are unable to get a job or find a mate, they get discouraged and begin to speak words of lack and defeat. They forget that they were born to win: "you are more than Conquerors through Christ". Romans 8:37. They destroy their faith with the words of their own mouth, and they sadly never get to enjoy the sweet rewarding fruit of endurance and perseverance.

We live in a world of instant gratification; people want results “right now”. Remember my dear friend that you are in the world but not of the world, we don’t act like the world (John 15:18-21). The above scripture calls blessed those who learn to endure and wait on the Lord.
The next time you strike out on faith, whether it's in the financial realm, personal, spiritual, physical or any other area, keep that in mind. Decide from the beginning that you're not going to let that waiting period discourage you. You have to decide that you are in that situation to win. HANG ON, KEEP ON BELIEVING AND HOPING on until the Word of God is manifested in your life. Put PATIENCE AND PERSEVERANCE to work and keep your words in line. You will receive your harvest and you will bless the name of the Lord.

So how long do we wait? One hour? One day? One week? 20 years? 30 years? Don’t ever give up on your miracle? Don’t ever stop trusting God no matter how long it takes.

Praise the Lord!