10 nuggets of wisdom for your Saturday (Part 201)

When you have hope and faith in Jesus, every day is sweeter than the day before. You go from glory to glory and the blessings keep coming to you in Jesus’ name!

Choose God over your circumstances. Choose His love. Choose His peace. Choose His joy. Choose faith over fear. Choose to follow God even when it doesn’t feel right. God will make things right when you choose to stand in faith. Choose Jesus over everything.

The light of the world lives in you. Jesus in you is the light people need. Let Him shine and let Him heal the world through you. Give Him to people you know. Give His love to anyone around. Jesus in you can change any situation so be an agent of change as you spread around the good news of His message.

The eyes of faith see what your mind can’t understand. The eyes of faith see beyond the natural. The eyes of faith gives you insight into the supernatural. The eyes of faith know what God is up to. The eyes of faith focus on Jesus and no one else.

The temptation to quit can be strong. The desire to give up can be overwhelming. Call on the One who beat death. Call on the One who dealt with the worse temptation. He will get you through it and He will make you strong. Call on Jesus!

We hear thousands of messages every day. We hear fear. We hear joy. We hear doubt. We hear faith. Let’s be careful what we pay attention to. We will hear what the world has to say but we should be more attentive to what the Lord has to say.

The journey with the Lord is full of ups and downs but the good news is that the Lord is with us all the time throughout the journey. Let’s hold on to His faithfulness and rejoice with gladness. He will never leave us nor forsake no matter what bumps are on the road.

The truth that sets us free comes from Jesus. His truth is liberating and it will always give us the freedom that the world can’t provide. Let’s stick to the truth. It will stand the test of time.

Lift up the name of the Lord. Lift up His name above your problems and your difficulties. Lift up His name and keep it high. Jesus’ name is more powerful than all the problems in the world combined. Lift up the power that is never defeated.

God so loved the world that He gave His only Son. God so loved you that He gave His only Son. God so loved your life that He gave His Son’s life for you. God so loved you and the devil has no say in the matter. God so loved you so love yourself and enjoy God’s creation. God so loved you so never forget what He did for you!

Suggested reading: Matthew 4:4; John 3:16; 2 Timothy 3:16

Praying

Finding the right way to pray seemed difficult for me when I was young. I had no clue if my prayers were heard or if they were effective. I searched for the best way to pray. I read books. I listened to sermons. I was on a quest for the perfect formula and for the words that would get the job done. Did God listen to eloquent prayers more than He listened to simple prayers? Did I have to pray for a certain length of time for my prayers to be answered? How often did I have to pray? I had so many questions about prayer and the answers were hard to find. I hit a wall when it came to prayer and I gave up. I didn’t pay attention to how I prayed. What seemed to matter was that I prayed and that was good enough for me. I prayed every day and my words were not sophisticated but they represented what I felt and they carried the message to the Lord. Then I found that the Lord is not far from us. I found out that He is not up on a cloud looking down on us and that changed a lot in my spiritual life including the way I prayed. I learned that God listened and that He never turned a deaf ear. I learned that every word was important to Him and that I didn’t have to try to impress Him with my prayers. I didn’t have to sound smart and to sound pious. All I needed was to sound just like me and to speak from an honest heart. God knows what I want to say. God knows what I need. God knows who I am. God knows what my prayers are. He just wants me to speak to Him and to listen to Him. An open heart is a great entrance into a strong prayer life. I opened up and He closed my narrow views about prayer.

I discovered the great world of prayer when I was in college.  I call it a world because it is huge and it encompasses so much. Prayer is talking to God and listening to Him like I often say. It is a declaration from our hearts that says that we are dependent on God and that He means the world to us. Prayer is a petition and a request on behalf of others. We pray for others to be healed or to be blessed. When I discovered that prayer was meant to move the heart of God so that He would intervene in someone’s life, I was touched. When you think about it, prayer is a great gift to whoever we pray for. We pray that God would bless someone or that He changes someone’s life. Prayer should be selfless and it should be an expression of love. When love entered the prayer equation, it was a game-changer. Praying without love doesn’t work. With God, nothing “works” if love is not at the root of what we do. “Love others” we are told and if we do love them, we will pray for them. “Love God” we are told and if we love Him, we will talk to Him. Friend, let love be the essence of your prayers. May your prayers all be rooted in love. May love be the force behind your prayers and you will see how God moves in your life.

What is a great prayer you might wonder? The prayer that comes from the heart and that is fueled by love is a great prayer. Give love a chance to guide you in your prayers. Pray for your family. Pray for your friends. Pray for acquaintances. Pray for your schoolmates. Pray for your co-workers. Pray for people you don’t know well. Pray for your community. Pray for your country. Pray for the world. Pray for anyone. Just pray. Make it a habit. Pray every day. There are so many prayers that are waiting to be spoken. There are so many people that are longing for prayers. There are so many words from the heart that need to be released. My encouragement today is that you don’t get bogged down by how you should pray. Don’t worry about how you sound. Speak from the heart. Go to the Lord and talk to Him. He will talk to you as well in those moments. He will reveal His heart and give you love. Prayer is so important and you and I can be prayer warriors that touch the world one prayer at a time. Just pray. Just open your heart. Just talk to Jesus. The Holy Spirit will assist you and He will do what you can’t do. May God bless you and protect you and remember that He will always love you!

Suggested reading: Jeremiah 29:12; Matthew 6:7; Colossians 4:2

5 essential keys

There is a door that opens the way to a place where peace reigns, joy is strong and faith is everywhere. There are five keys that open that door. Each key is precious and powerful. God has given us the keys to getting to that place. It is not a place far away. If you believe in God, you might have been to that place and you might be living there. If those keys are on your keychain, I encourage you to use them all the time. Open that door and keep it open. Step inside that place and stay there. make yourself at home in that place. Get comfortable and don’t leave it. We tend to travel too much when the Lord wants us to stay in His house and enjoy His presence. Let me talk about the 5 keys today. I hope you will take the keys and open the door to a place where God is always present and doubt and fear are banned.

Key#1: Faith. Faith is the key that allows us to know God and to communicate with Him. Without faith we can’t please God. Without faith we can’t know God. We should always hold the key of faith and keep it very close to us. That key is the answer to all our problems, fear, and worries. The key of faith locks fear and doubt out of our lives. When fear and doubt try to get inside our dwelling place, faith blocks them and ignores them. They might be knocking on the door but faith keeps them away. They have no right to barge in and faith knows that well. The key of faith is the key to a healthy relationship with the Lord. It is crucial and it is very powerful.

Key#2: Love. Faith without love is nothing. We need faith to know God but it has to be accompanied by love. Love is the most important key even though I listed it as the second key. Love is why you and I are here. Love is the reason why we are saved. It is why Jesus came and died in our place. Love brought Him back to life and gave us eternal life. Love is more powerful than anything and anyone. Love conquers all. Love never fails. Love has won. Love will never lose a battle. God is love. Love is more than a symbol of God’s presence. Love is God with us. Let’s use the key of love every single day. It opens more doors than we know.

Key#3: Communion with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a Person. He is a gift from Jesus. He is the gift that keeps on giving. He is the gift that will never let us down and that will always give us what we need. He is the gift that the world needs. He is the gift that connects us to Jesus. The Holy Spirit takes us to a place of peace where Jesus is King. When we turn the key of communication with the Holy Spirit all the time, we open the door to a union and a communion that is holy and pure. We open the door to knowing Jesus, which is primordial and more than necessary.

Key#4: Prayer. Prayer will never get old. I can’t get enough of prayer and I pray every day. Jesus taught us to pray in His Word. If He talked about it, it means that it is something we should take very seriously. Prayer is talking to God and hearing from God. Prayer is the link that attaches us to the Father and that gives us access to His heart. Pray every day. Pray when you feel like it and when you don’t. Pray because God is listening. Pray because God is talking. Pray and you will be in the house of the Lord all the time. Pray and you will open the door to many blessings.

Key#5: Praise. God inhabits the praises of His people. When you pray, the presence of the Lord comes. Praise is an expression of your adoration to the Lord and He hangs out with you on a different level. Praise is faith speaking and acting. Praise defeats the enemy and gives us hope. Praise is what we need every day but we don’t turn to it enough. Praise the Lord and doors will unlock that you didn’t think could ever open. Praise is the key that opens possibilities and that gives you an advantage over your negative circumstances. Praise the Lord all the time and you will be in the house of the Lord where His joy is your strength.

You have the keys. Thank God for each one of them. May God bless you and protect you and remember that He will always love you!

Suggested reading: Psalm 4:1; Jonah 2:7; Mark 11:24

Speak the name of Jesus

There is power in the name of Jesus and we need to use His name on a daily basis. We use so many names without knowing and those names are either powerless or they have negative power in them. Every time we speak fear and doubt, we speak the name of fear and the name of doubt. If we say “I will never make it” what we are truly saying is “In the name of doubt I will not make it.” When we say “This is too big or too impossible,” we are really saying “In the name of fear, I can’t see this take place.” We put a lot of emphasis on the impossible being impossible when we speak doubt over our circumstances. We need to choose the name we speak very carefully. We need to reject the names of fear, doubt, and all kinds of negativity. They are not helping us. They might feel comfortable but they are very harmful. We can’t speak ten different negative names in our lives and expect good things to happen. When can’t speak in the name of doubt and expect Jesus to bless us and to give us the breakthrough we are waiting for. We can’t speak negativity into our lives and be surprised that we are not seeing deliverance and blessings flowing into our lives. Positivity along with the name of Jesus is what brings the breakthroughs and freedom. I am inviting you to use the name of Jesus all week. Speak His name in all circumstances. You will push joy, love, peace, and hope into your life. His name saves. His name heals. His name sets us free!

“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”* The name of Jesus gives us salvation. It set us free. It is by His name that we got saved. Now the power in His name is still available and His name can still save us no matter what is going on in our lives. When we speak His name in faith, things change. Miracles happen. Seas of problems are parted. Blessings flow into our lives. Hope comes back. Triumph is present. The name of Jesus is the most powerful name in the universe. The enemy trembles at the mention of His name. Imagine what would happen if you spoke Jesus’s name all day. You would see things move in the right direction all the time. You will have the confidence that bad things won’t last and that the Lord can fix anything because when we speak His name in faith He listens and He moves in your favor. God is always on the move and when you speak the name of Jesus you experience His movement in your life and it always goes in the right direction. You will see how Heaven collides with earth and how nothing is impossible in His beautiful name!

Just a mention of the name of Jesus makes a way. When I speak His name, I get bold in my faith. I have hope and I know that nothing absolutely nothing can stop the Lord from acting in my life. I might have to speak His name a few times. I might have to hold on to His name for some time but He never lets me down. His name is my refuge, my stronghold, my place of hope and love. I find comfort and peace in His name. I speak His name over the week that is coming. I speak His name over every event that I know will take place during the day including meetings and even grocery runs. I have His name with me at all times. How amazing is that! You, friend, also have the name of Jesus with you all the time. Be sure to speak it and to use it all day. Declare that in His name nothing is impossible and speak blessings into His life. When you are down or when you are unsure of what to do, speak the name of Jesus. Speak the name of Jesus against confusion, against fear, and against doubt. Speak His name against anything that rises above your peace. The enemy is a thief and he tries to steal your peace and your joy. The name of Jesus will restore peace and joy. Don’t hesitate to speak His name. Stay in the Lord and trust His name. It is a very strong tower of protection. May God bless you and protect you and remember that He will always love you!

Suggested reading: John 14:13; Acts 4:12*; Romans 10:13

Jesus, I truly…

The other day I saw a big sign on a church that read “Jesus, I truly trust in You.” I love seeing this sign and I embrace its message. I trust in the Lord and I want everything in me to declare, “Jesus, I truly trust You.” However, there are times when everything in me is saying “Jesus I truly don’t know what to do” or “Jesus, I truly want to trust You but right now I am struggling.” I am human just like anyone else and with that comes doubt and fear at times. I am learning to overcome them and to delete them from my life. One thing I know for sure is that I can’t conquer them on my own. Every I have to say “Jesus, I truly need You.” I say it when I pray in the morning. I say it a few times during the day. I am dependent on Him. I am not good enough or strong enough to make it on my own. I need Him. I have to rely on Him. I can’t live without Him. It is very humbling when we confess that we are nothing without God. When I first started saying that during prayer time, my flesh didn’t like it. My flesh would tell me that I could do a lot on my own and I had to trust that I was strong enough. I was made strong outside of God in my life and I could turn to God once I had run out of energy of my own. The truth is that without Jesus I am nothing and with Him I am someone and that someone is an overcomer. “Jesus, I truly need You and trust You” is one of my mantras and I live by it. What do you tell Jesus on a daily basis? What comes after “Jesus, I truly..”?

I am inviting you today to spend time watching what you tell the Lord. Do you rely on Him wholeheartedly? Does your “Jesus, I truly..” declaration end with words of desperation, words of hope or words of doubt? I didn’t know for the longest time that my prayers and my actions were proclaiming “Jesus, I truly am lost.” I was lost even when I thought I had been found. I was lost in myself and I couldn’t see anyone in me. The Lord was in me and He tried to get my attention a few times but I was buried in my ego and I cared about myself more than I did about the Lord. “Jesus, I am truly ok on my own” was another unconscious declaration I made. Jesus should be the center of our lives which means we should be on the periphery looking in. We shouldn’t be on the center looking out and seeing Jesus as an option among other options. He is our best option. He should be our only option. We ought to remain in Him and let Him remain in us. Once we do, we will always declare that He is all we need and we will understand that total reliance on Him is crucial. We will echo what the sign on the church said and our trust in Him will be unshaken.

Staying full of the Lord and full of His Word is a powerful way to keep trusting Him and to have strong faith in Him. When the Word of God is a big part of our lives and we study it and meditate on it, our faith skyrockets. We have to be diligent and keep at it and it produces great fruit. What I loved about the sign on the church is that it was out in the open for everyone to see. It was bold and it was strong. I want my declaration of trust in the Lord to be bold and strong. I am letting it stand in the open so that every time the enemy walks by me he can’t help but see my bold declaration. The enemy is like a lion waiting to devour us so he is always around us doing drive by’s and walk by’s and he doesn’t ever get tired. Let’s be strong and never tired to say that we truly trust in the Lord. Let our faith be heard and our hope in the Lord be visible. Our actions can show how much we trust the Lord. Let’s be the children of God who adore Jesus and who depend on Him completely. Let’s brandish a spiritual banner that reads “Jesus, we truly trust You” no matter what is going on in our lives. Let’s stay in the Word and lift up the Lord. May God bless you and protect you and remember that He will always love you!

Suggested reading: Jeremiah 17:7-8; John 15:7; 1 John 4:16

Your daily Thanksgiving

When I was praying the other day I was so grateful for the Lord. I was grateful for His love and for who He was. I am grateful for Him every day. Every days is Thanksgiving for me. I can’t start my day without praise and thanksgiving. I don’t need a reason to be thankful. There is so much to be thankful for. The problem is that my mind gets in the way and looks at what I don’t have or IT tries to focus on what others have. It is a very detrimental approach. It is not what the Lord wants us to pay attention to. We all have blessings. If we have Jesus as our Savior, we have reasons to celebrate and we have blessings to be grateful for. Your Thanksgiving is not just on the last Thursday of the month if you leave in the USA. It is every day. Thanksgiving is a daily occurrence in the life of the believer or at least it should be. Have your Thanksgiving session a few times a day. God loves to hear how thankful you are. He wants you to have a praise and thankful attitude and leave your complaints behind. You can sit at the table of the Lord and enjoy His Thanksgiving meal. There are so many things on His table that you can be thankful for. There is enough food for thought for you to focus on. Wisdom from the Lord is available at His table and it is worth all the money in the world and more. Today I encourage you to stay at the table of the Lord and be thankful for Him. Don’t wait for Sunday or for the end of November to be grateful. Your Thanksgiving should be ongoing and it should be a lifestyle.

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”* If you wonder what God’s will is for you, look in the Bible and you will find out what His will is. His will for you is to rejoice, pray and give thanks. Rejoice in the Lord. Not just when everything is going well but all the time. You might wonder how you will be able to do that. Ask the Lord for help. When you are down and rejoicing is the last thing on your mind, ask the Holy Spirit to give you His joy. You can rejoice in the middle of the worst times of your life. Not because you are going through a tough season but because the Lord is with you during that season. Rejoice and pray. Pray any time. Pray when life is great. Pray when life is tough. Pray because the Lord talks to you during prayer. Prayer is as much about Him talking to you as it is about you talking to Him. You might find that sometimes prayer is more about God telling you how much He cares and how safe and protected you are. He tells you not to worry and not to fear. Those are great reasons to be thankful for. Give thanks in all circumstances because the Lord is good in all circumstances. His will is that you give thanks. It is a wonderful habit to have. It is what He desires. It is a great way to please God and to remain in His will. Give thanks every single day. Your daily Thanksgiving keeps you in God’s will!

“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.”** Stay rooted in the Lord and let your faith be centered around Him. Abound in faith with thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is an expression of your faith. It is more than gratitude. It is thanking the Lord for what you don’t see with your natural eyes. Let your faith create new songs of worship and thanksgiving in you. Your faith should be attached to your thanksgiving. You should thank God for what you have and for what you know you have in faith. Thanksgiving is not just based on the natural. It should be based in the supernatural as well. You have a supernatural God who does the impossible. Be thankful for the impossible made possible. Every day start your day with thanksgiving and with praise. You will develop a positive mindset and your day will be off to a great start. Thank God for God. Thank God for Jesus. Thank God for the Holy Spirit. Rejoice, pray and thank God for all He does and who He is. May God bless you and protect you and remember that He will always love you!

Suggested reading: 1 Chronicles 16;34; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18*; Colossians 2:6-7**

God made you

God is a creator. God is an artist. Beauty is His final product. Love is the canvas that He uses to make amazing things. You are one of His creations and He used love to create you and He sees you as a beautiful final product. Now, think about how He looks at you. He looks at you with great joy and with great pleasure. He is glad He made you. He is glad you are alive. He was very pleased with you when He was extremely satisfied with His creation. He knows you are the way you were supposed to be. Why doubt and why deny His art? Why think that you should be different and you are not good enough? It is a normal way of thinking because in this world we have standards that are not God’s standards.

We think like the world and we see ourselves through the eyes of the world. We want to be like others. We compare ourselves. We believe that social media is the social norm. God is above all the selfies and all the body images that are so prevalent in this world. He made you in a way that is unique and He wants you to celebrate the person that you are. You have a personality and qualities that are from the Lord. There is a lot of good in you. There is a lot of love you. There is a lot of the world in you that is hiding the good and the love that come from the Lord. Find yourself in Jesus. Find who you are in the Lord. There is a lot of beauty in you that you might not see or that you are not aware of. Today I am here to tell you that God made you and He loves His creation. He loves you. He didn’t make a mistake when He made you. He sees the wonderful person that you are and He wants you to get on the same page. Learn who you are in Christ. Learn about the beautiful creation that is you!

“I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made: Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”* This verse is part of Psalm 139. David wrote it and he thanked God for making him the way He is. David recognized that he was a masterpiece because of who made Him. He honored God by thanking Him for making Him. Honor God, friend. Thank Him for creating you. Celebrate the Maker for His beautiful art. You are His art. You are His creation. You are His love. He loves you. He adores you. We miss out on so much when we are not in tune with God the creator and we don’t take into consideration that He made us. There are things about ourselves that we won’t like. We can find faults with ourselves easily.

Let’s focus on the Lord in us. That is beautiful. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit and we can’t reject that part of us. We can ignore it but we shouldn’t. You were made fearfully and wonderfully. Your are wonderful. You are a wonderful work of the Lord. Stop criticizing the work of the Lord. Stop putting down what God made. Stop denying the Lord in you. Start thanking God for what He did. Start seeing the beauty. Start seeing God in you. It is what you should see. It is what you need to see. God is in you and you are a blessing and a blessed one. Someone out there is longing to see the Lord in you and if you don’t like yourself, you will not let that light shine. Your beauty, your light is what someone is looking for.

Praise God because you are fearfully and wonderfully made. God took the time to create you. He didn’t make someone that is not worthy of His love. You are a work of art that is loved by God. You deserve His love and you should open yourself to it. His love will carry you. His love will get you through anything. His love will allow you to be all you can be in Him. Pray that you receive revelation about who you are in Christ and embrace the one that God made. You have so much to be grateful for and you have so much to give.

Like I said earlier, you are a blessing. God made you a blessing. You are not a curse and you are not a nuisance. You are a wonderful person that makes other people’s lives better. Don’t sell yourself short. Don’t minimize the power of the person that you are. You are a person of God whose love can heal and help others. I am so glad that the Lord made you and I thank Him for you. Stay encouraged and remember that you are a unique person whose personality and traits are a blessing. May God bless you and protect you and remember that He will always love you!

Suggested reading: Genesis 1:27; Psalm 139:14*; Colossians 1:16

10 nuggets of wisdom for your Saturday (Part 199)

The world needs the love of God that you have in you. Be the light that people around you are craving. Be the peace that your world is lacking. Be the joy that can give people strength. Be the first responder that God made you to be!

Today you are not alone. Today you don’t have to fend for yourself. Today you are not fighting battles without an army to back you up. God is your army. God is your ally. You are protected and you are blessed. He will not forsake you and He will not leave. Today you are going to win all battles in the name of Jesus. Stay encouraged!

The power of God doesn’t change. God can do miracles. God can open the seas. God can calm the storms. God can heal. God can transform. God can do all things. Let your faith get you there!

God’s love is available every day. It is there for you Monday through Sunday. 24/7. God never takes a break from loving you. Receive His love and embrace His faithfulness!

Sit at the table of the Lord. Sit where peace is. Sit where the truth is. Sit with the love is. Sit where the joy is. Sit where the Word is. Sit where the Spirit of the Lord. Sit where there is freedom. Sit with God. You are always welcome at His table!

The peace that God gives is not of this world. It will calm the storms within even when the enemy is blasting lies into your mind. Rely on God for peace that surpasses all understanding. Nothing will derail you!

Replace worry with worship. Worship the Lord and sing His praises. Darkness will diminish and the light of the Lord will grow. Worship your way out of fear and worry. Praise the Lord!

Speak against the storms in the name of Jesus. Speak louder than the raging winds. Speak louder than the fear. Speak louder than your worries. Speak louder than the lies of the enemy. Speak louder than the impossibilities. Speak louder than the doubts. Speak in the name of Jesus and expect a breakthrough!

Let Jesus be your answer to everything. Let Jesus be your declaration in everything. Let Jesus be your thought about everything. Let Jesus be your action in everything. Let Jesus be your reaction to everything. Let Jesus be your everything!

Doubt questions God and argues with His promises. Reject doubt. Reject the argument. Side with God. Side with the truth. Know the truth so well that doubt doesn’t have power on you. Spend time in the Word of God and the questioning will diminish.

Suggested reading: Mark 10:27; Hebrews 12:2; 1 John 4:15

10 nuggets of wisdom for your Saturday (Part 197)

God is sponsoring an event out of this world and it is coming to your life. He has a plan to prosper you and to bless you. He is preparing something amazing for you. Hang tight. Don’t lose hope. God is about to blow your mind with a miracle that surpasses all understanding!

Don’t look at people through the lens of their sins. Don’t focus on people shortcomings and faults. Just because you are saved doesn’t make you better than anyone else. God doesn’t love you more because you love Jesus. You love Jesus so you love people more. Let His love be your lens. Let His eyes of love impact your sight. Walk by love and not by sight!

God is your refuge. He is your safe place. He is your protection and your shield. You can also find shelter in Him. Stay in His house. Stay in His love. Declare Him as your Savior and your King. Rely on His faithfulness. He will always protect you!

With God you can find peace in the most unusual ways. His peace is not limited by the terms and conditions of the world. It is divine and it surpasses everything that you know. It doesn’t make sense and yet it is more real than your chaos and your confusion. Call on God for peace and you will be free from any mental torment.

Don’t give up on finding joy. You have the Lord and His joy is powerful. Joy is coming again. Joy is going to visit and stay when you stay focused on Jesus. His joy is going to be your strength. His joy is going to be your default setting. Stay in the Lord and you remain joyful!

Every time you struggle, remember that God has won your battle. Every time you fear, remember that God has taken care of everything on the cross. Every time you are in pain, remember that Jesus the Healer is still healing today. Every time you doubt, remember to pray and the Lord will open the eyes of your understanding.

This is not the end. God is not finished. He is working on something new and something great for you. Don’t believe the enemy’s lies. There is life beyond the lies. There is hope beyond the impossible. There is a breakthrough that will take your beyond your present circumstances! There is God for every trouble.

God’s goodness should be the focus of your day. Keep in mind that He is good all day and every day. He loves you and He wants you to have a good life. Trials and tribulations will come but they don’t nullify God’s goodness. God is good through it all and He will get you through it all. Praise Him for His goodness!

If only you could look at yourself the way God looks at you, you would be in love with His creation. You are His beloved creation. He made you fearfully and wonderfully unique. He loves spending time with you and He loves the sound of your voice and the sound of your heart. Adore Him, praise Him. He will always love you!

Let your tunnel vision be a vision of faith. Let faith be the train that get you through any tunnels of live. Keep looking ahead with the eyesight of faith. Don’t worry about what’s on your left and what’s on your right. Keep your eyes on the Lord who is taking you to an amazing place. Stay on the train of faith!

Suggested reading: Mark 11:24; Hebrews 11:1; Ephesians 3:16-17

Being more Jesus minded

Jesus is the truth, the way and the life and He gives freedom. He said that He came to set the captives free and to give us all a better life. There are people out there living the good Jesus life like I say. They are living out the truth of who Jesus is and it is that truth that is impacting their lives in a beautiful way. They know who Jesus is. They believe who He is. They love who He is. They pursue and follow the Jesus of the Bible and they live their lives with the awareness of God. They don’t stray from Jesus. They make Him the center of their lives and they adore His company and His presence. If you are saved, you can be like those people. If you are saved, you can be more like Christ.

The key is to remain in Him and to let your life be filled with His love and His presence. I call this being “Jesus minded.” It is keeping Him at the forefront of our thinking and not letting distractions and negative thoughts get in the way. Jesus is the way and He can make a way out of any negative thought patterns that we might have. I used to let my mind go down a rabbit hole very easily. Overthinking was a way of life. One of the many problems with overthinking is that it doesn’t leave much room for Jesus. We don’t overthink about the goodness of God. Overthinking likes to rob us of our joy and it doesn’t like that we might try to focus on Jesus. Today I want to encourage you to be more “Jesus minded.” Work on thinking more like Him and thinking more of Him.

Jesus is the son of God. That is such a powerful truth. Your Savior is the Son of God and He is God. Meditate on that. Your Savior is not weak. He is not small. He is not little. He is invincible. He is bigger than life. His love is larger than all the hate in the world. He is a Giant in every way. No one and nothing is better than Jesus. Not only is He invincible but He can do the impossible. It is this invincible and this loving Jesus that you ought to get to know. You can make flashcards with the description of Jesus that I mentioned above. Keep them in front of you as much as possible.

Get constant reminders of who Jesus is. Keep hearing about Him. Keep reading about Him. Pray that you receive a powerful revelation about who He is. The Holy Spirit is an amazing advocate and He will teach you about Jesus. Talk to Him and listen to Him during prayer. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and He gives freedom. If that statement is not a reality to you yet, ask the Spirit to impart that knowledge to your heart. Desire to think more of Jesus and do all you can to have Him on your mind as much as possible. The enemy will try to get in the way. God can help you clear your mind and make room for Jesus. Work with His Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is a gentleman and He doesn’t impose anything on us. He is gentle and He is kind. He whispers about the Lord and it’s up to us to prick up our ears and pay attention. Now, if we never open our Bibles, we will have a hard time hearing from God and knowing more about Jesus. To be “Jesus minded” requires intention and dedication. It is not going to happen if we passively hope for more of Him to come into our thoughts. I mentioned flashcards and I can add that speaking about the Lord even to ourselves is very helpful. I make a lot of declarations throughout the day and most of them have to do with Jesus. I describe Him to myself. I praise Him and I talk about His goodness and His holiness.

I tell my mind about the power of Jesus. I speak and my head listens. I pray and my heart listens. I sing and my moods change. Jesus gives freedom and His freedom can and should affect our minds. Let’s give ourselves the opportunity to be more Jesus minded by remaining in the Word and by constantly presenting Him to our thoughts. We need to keep inserting Him in there and we need to keep rebuking any thought that tries to derail our faith. The mind is a battlefield and we engage in the battle of the mind daily. Who is fighting your battles? Jesus is fighting your battles so put Him in the middle of the arena of the battle of the mind. His Spirit will assist you. There is freedom for your mind, friend. Jesus can set you free from the thoughts that are keeping you captive. Do your part and He will do His. Persevere and keep at it! It will change your mind! May God bless you and protect you and remember that He will always love you!

Suggested reading: John 14:6; John 15:7; Romans 12:2