Honest Reflections

One-minute read.

Answered Prayers

Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Mark 11:24

Strong faith depends on prayer. Regularly talking to God develops a close relationship and dependence on Him. I know that when I pray, God will answer in one of three ways: yes, no, or not yet. We all must wait for answers to prayer. Sometimes, the Lord gives immediate responses, but usually, the response comes in time.   Without a doubt, we can have faith that the Almighty will answer.

When my nephew Cody died from juvenile diabetes, a friend asked me why God didn’t heal him. After all, I had prayed for years for the Lord’s healing.

“God did heal him. Just not the way I thought. Cody never has to take another shot, check his blood, or watch his carbs. God healed him completely when He called him home.”  Yes, I miss him every day, but I know we will meet again in heaven because Cody loved the Lord, and Jesus lived in his heart. Wherever I go, Cody goes with me; the love we shared never dies and lives forever.

The Lord’s not a vending machine in the sky that gives us whatever we want. God knows the best answer for our lives; we might not like His response, but in the long run, we’ll understand. As followers of Christ, our home lies in heaven, not on Earth. The things of this world will pass away, but our eternal home never will. God answers every prayer in the best possible way, in that we can have faith.

Application:

God answers prayers.

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for answering our prayers in the best possible way for us. Help us accept what we don’t understand and grow closer to You through our prayers. Comfort us in our pain. Strengthen us in our weakness, And in all things, let us trust You. IJNIP Amen

One-minute read.

Overflowing Blessings

Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.

Malachi 3:10

God challenges us to test Him in giving. Nowhere else in the Bible do we find the Lord telling us to test Him.  Speaking to the Israel nation, Malachi tells them the solution to their problem. Bring the whole tithe to the storehouse; the Lord will bless them when they do. During this time, the temple served as a warehouse for the first fruits; the Levites and priests would distribute from it for sacrificial purposes, domestic needs, and whatever emergencies arose. If the Israelites didn’t obey God and tithe, the storehouse would not have the supplies needed for the Levites to help others. When we tithe to our local church, we give them the assets needed to support the church family and community. If we don’t do our part, the church can’t do theirs.

Since I started tithing while unemployed twenty-five years ago, the Lord has overflowed my life with blessings. He provided a job for me and has kept me employed ever since. Through the Lord, I’ve learned financial management, gained wisdom from Him, and made better decisions because my confidence lies in Him. We trust God with our salvation but struggle to trust Him with our money. If He can provide eternal life for us, the Lord can overflow our life with blessings if we give Him our money.

Blessings come in many forms: financial, health, relational, and employment. The list goes on and on. But if we don’t put God first in our finances, we’ll miss His overflow of blessings. Jesus urges His followers to “excel in the grace of giving” (2 Co. 8:7). Give the Lord your first fruits and then some, and see how He overflows your life with blessings. 

Application:

God will overflow blessings in your life when you tithe.

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for Your promises that always hold true. Give us the faith to tithe to You.  Help us understand that You don’t need our money; You want our hearts. Let us make You the first priority in our lives as we trust You with our money.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Freedom

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

John 8:36

Through Jesus, we find freedom. God’s Son invites us into the Lord’s family and shares His perfection. We can’t do anything to earn the gift of salvation; in our humanness, we remain sinners. Jesus, as God’s Son, has a right to the divine heir privileges, and He transfers those privileges to us when we place our faith in Him and begin to follow His teachings.

For instance, when I started following Biblical financial principles, I found freedom from debt, no longer laying awake at night, wondering how to pay my next loan payment. Instead, I found freedom by putting God first in my finances, tithing, paying my creditors, and saving money. Faith in Jesus and obeying His commands gave me freedom.

The journey never ends. As I gain freedom from one thing, God reveals another area I need to give Him. Currently, I’m gaining freedom from a protective mechanism I’ve used my entire life, which my husband calls “The Bear.”  When I feel cornered, I come out fighting, often at the expense of others. But through Jesus, I’m learning a different way to react and finding newfound freedom.

Let God free you from bondage. Place your trust in Jesus, begin following Him, apply His teachings, and find freedom like never before.

Application:

Jesus sets us free!

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for the freedom we find in Jesus. Help us apply Christ’s teachings to our lives, turn from our sinful ways, and find true freedom like never before. Give us the strength to take the steps of faith we need to take and follow You.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Exemption from God’s Wrath

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

John 3:36

Wrath means God’s opposition to sin; the Lord judges all disobedience. Believing in Jesus means admitting our sins and asking for the Creator’s forgiveness. Those who don’t confess and believe live under condemnation, and God’s wrath remains on them. No other passage in John’s gospel mentions “wrath.” Not a sudden burst of temper, the Lord’s wrath marks His displeasure against sin, and as a result, the non-believer will endure the consequences of their actions.

None of us deserve the blessings we receive from God. The Lord bestows them on us because we place our faith in Him, trusting God for salvation and His provision. When we turn from His ways and live according to fleshly desires, we suffer the consequences of those actions. But the minute we repent and turn from our sin, we get freedom from bondage and exemption from the Lord’s wrath. Unfortunately, some people never recognize the hold sin has on them, refusing to trust God and instead, living in condemnation.

When Jesus forgave the adulteress woman in John 8:11, He told her to “go and sin no more.” As Christ’s followers, we have the same command. Once we recognize our sinful ways, God wants us to stop doing them, turn to Him for guidance, living differently. People who don’t choose Jesus will live in bondage to their sins and endure God’s wrath as a result. The Lord wants none to perish, all to turn to Him and leave behind their sinful ways; when they do, God responds with grace and mercy.

Application:

God promises exemption from His wrath to those who believe and trust Him.

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for exempting us from Your wrath when we turn from our sinful ways and follow Jesus. Let no one perish, soften hearts, and help people see their misdeeds, then confess them to You and live in Your grace and mercy.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Eternal Life

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16

Salvation comes when we believe God for it. We can’t earn eternal life; the Lord gives it to us when we trust Him.  Accepting something, not doing something, comes from belief. Without faith, we can’t access eternity. Jesus leaves us with two options: believe or perish. Belief comes with eternal life, accepting the gift from God, and living in His blessings. Perish means living apart from the Lord in utter futility, losing all that makes existence worthwhile. God gives us the choice; we can decide what life we want.

Many people choose to perish. They do not believe in the Creator, placing their belief in nothing. And as the saying goes, those who stand for nothing will fall for anything. People put their faith in something: work, family, sports, material things, or science. Whether they recognize their belief system or not, they have faith. Atheists believe the sun will rise, yet don’t give God credit for it. Scientists believe in theories, not realizing the Lord originates all things, even the tiniest molecule. Billionaires believe in their money, not giving God credit for their wealth. On and on the list goes for what people place their faith in other than the Almighty.

But as for me, I choose Jesus. Author of life, provider of strength, and guide for my journey; I have all I need in Him. And so do you. God promises eternal life for those who accept His gift. Choose wisely. Stand for Jesus and receive abundant life in Him.

Application:

God promises eternal life.

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for the gift of eternal life through Jesus. Help us accept the gift, knowing we can do nothing to earn it, but we can receive it by faith. Soften hearts, return people to You, and help them obtain what Jesus offers.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Heal the Land

If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sins, and heal their land.

2 Chronicles 7:14

God gives us the stipulations necessary for a nation to experience His blessing. We must turn to Him, pray, and stop doing wickedness. In practical terms, instead of pushing our agendas, we must make the Lord our number one priority, others second, and ourselves last. Easier said than done; we can’t have a healthy nation if we spend every day doing whatever we want, not considering God or others.

According to the Great Commandment (Mark 12:30-31), the Lord desires us to love Him with our entire being: heart, mind, soul, and body. Then, He wants us to love others as we love ourselves. Only when we get our priorities straight with God will He shower His blessing upon our nation and heal the division that currently exists. If we love God and others well, unity will follow.

The left versus right comes from the English parliament, when the different parties sat on opposite sides of the room. We need both sides. Like in marriage, Ron and I have many different opinions, but we’ve learned that by putting God first and then each other second, we find the middle ground and discover the best path for us to take. Together, we make better decisions. Loving God and others will help us find the middle ground in our country, bringing unity back to a divided nation. Pray, seek, and turn to the Lord; God promises He’ll heal our land if we do.

Application:

God promises to heal our land if we pray, seek Him, and turn from our wickedness.

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for hearing our prayer when we seek You.  Help us see our wickedness and turn from it so You will heal our land. We pray for our nation that You will help us cross the aisle and find the middle ground we need to become unified once again.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

John 1:9

God forgives immediately. The moment we confess our misdeeds, the Lord extends grace, cleansing our hearts and making us right again. Of course, He may have some directions for us to follow. We might have to ask someone we wronged for forgiveness or have to suffer the consequences of our actions. Immediate forgiveness doesn’t mean no repercussions.

When we make mistakes, they do have consequences. In my twenties, I lived beyond my means, running up debt. The Lord immediately forgave me for my overspending once I confessed my sin to Him, but I still had to pay the credit card bill. Yes, God could have provided the means for me to become debt-free instantly, but instead, He blessed me with a job to pay my bills and used my brother to teach me how to budget and manage money. As a result, I learned self-control and became more mature.

Maturing in Christ means learning life’s lessons.   God quickly forgives, separating our sins from us “as far as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12). Then He grows us as we endure the consequences of our actions. Taking responsibility and doing the right thing when we’ve done something wrong helps us walk righteously. Keeping us humble, we learn and grow as we own our actions, accept correction, and become more like Jesus.

Application:

God immediately forgives.

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for Your immediate and complete forgiveness of our sins. Also, thank You for growing us as a result of our misdeeds. Please help us learn the lessons well, not repeat the mistake, and become more like Jesus as we submit our lives to You.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Power to Resist

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

James 4:7

Submission differs from obedience.  We must surrender our will to God before we can become obedient to His commands.  A master at manipulation and deceit, the enemy doesn’t stand a chance when we submit ourselves to the Lord, using His power to resist the devil’s ploys.  Without submission, we can’t have victory.

“First pride, then the crash, the bigger the ego, the harder the fall.”

Prov. 16:18 MSG

Our egos get us in more trouble than anything else.  Because we don’t submit, we become disobedient and lose access to the Lord’s power.  The enemy knows and uses our weakness to his advantage, making us think we can do or handle something in our strength, not submit ourselves to the Lord. 

In the garden, the serpent spoke to Eve’s ego, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1).  Eve’s will or God’s?  Our will or the Lord’s?  Making us question the Lord’s commands and focus on our will instead of God’s causes us to fall.  “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:5).  Eve fell for the devil’s ploys because she submitted to her will, not God’s, desiring to become like the Creator. 

We have a choice; God gives us free will.  The question remains the same as it did initially: my will or the Lord’s?  If we want to become obedient to Christ, we must first submit.

Application:

God gives us the power to resist when we submit.

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for giving us the power to resist the devil’s temptations when we submit our lives to You.  Help us to keep You at the forefront of our minds, not letting our egos stop us from submitting to Your will.  Give our hearts the desire to follow You, becoming more and more obedient each day.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Generous Wisdom

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.“

James 1:5

Facing trials, we often lack the wisdom to know how to deal with them.  We don’t need opinions; we need guidance.  The Lord wants us to turn to Him at these times and ask for help, which He will give us.  But if we don’t ask, we won’t receive.  God-given understanding helps us discern the path we should take, helping us avoid wickedness and live a life of righteousness.  The Lord helps us understand the nature and purpose of trials, realizing we will grow and become more like Christ as we persevere through the storm.

Silver can’t become pure unless it goes through the fire, bringing the impurities to the surface, making it easy to sift out of the precious metal.  In the same way, without testing, we can’t become mature and complete. Lord knows, the testing I’ve endured the past year has made me more dependent on Him and sifted some control issues out of my life.  Learning to let go and trust God doesn’t come as easily for me as you may think.  As devoted as I am to the Lord, I still struggle with trust issues. Thankfully, the Almighty uses life’s trials to help me submit and trust Him more, maturing me.

Seek God’s wisdom to help you endure the trials of life.  Don’t rely on your strength to persevere; access the Almighty’s, continue in the faith, and let Him mature and complete you as He leads you to victory.

Application:

God generously gives wisdom when we seek it.

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for giving us the wisdom to face life’s trials.  When we find ourselves in the fire, remind us of Your presence.  Help us to learn the lessons You have for us and become mature and complete as we trust You in the test.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Divine Anointing

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;“

Isaiah 61:1

Picturing a person anointed by the Spirit of God, especially for preaching, one can’t help but think of Jesus, the ultimate minister. As His followers, we receive the Holy Spirit and become ministers ourselves. Everyone who knows and loves Jesus receives a divine anointing to share the gospel, good news, with others.

“Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: “God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:18-20 MSG

God gives you everything you need to share the good news of Jesus. Just tell others how following Christ has transformed your life. Strive to become more like the Savior every day and share what you know with others. Following Jesus, the journey doesn’t end until we reach heaven. If we remain teachable and humble, we’ll always have something to share with others about our Savior.

Application:

God anoints you with His Spirit.

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for giving us the Holy Spirit to help us fulfill our purpose on Earth, sharing the gospel with everyone. As we move through our days, help us tell others about what Jesus does for us daily. Keep us humble and teachable so we always have something to tell.

IJNIP. Amen