EQUIPPED FOR MORE
Equipping our spirit, soul, & body
to be all God created us to be
AS A CHILD OF GOD
AS A CHILD OF GOD: February 2021
AS A CHILD OF GOD: After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother,” the angel said. “Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” Matt 2:13
God has so many ways of talking to His children, and dreams are one of those ways. How blessed we are that we have a Father who will go to great extremes to communicate His will to us. As we seek God and get to know Him, we will start to recognize His voice more clearly.
Oh Lord, help us to hear You when You speak, whether it’s in our thoughts, nudges from You, visions, dreams, others people, Your Word, nature, experiences, or any way You choose.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: In those days John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began preaching. His message was, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” Matt 3:1-2
John didn’t seem to have a variety of messages to preach, he basically just had one as far as I know. But he fulfilled God’s plan for his life. It wasn’t glamorous, that’s for sure, but it didn’t matter, as he was being obedient to his Heavenly Father.
God has a plan for all of His children, some appear to be glamorous, some mundane, but most somewhere in between. Some of us will know specifically God’s plan for our life, and others surrendered vessels for God to use as He desires.
Lord, help us all to discover through seeking You, who You created us to be. May we seek Your will, and not our own. May we live our life according to Your Word, as we continue to seek all You have for us.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Matt 3:8
It’s easy to confess sin, it’s easy to say “sorry” with our words, it’s easy to say we repent. But true repentance, and true forgiveness leads to a changed life, bearing good fruit.
Oh Lord, may we see our sin through Your eyes and Your heart. Help us to choose true repentance when we’ve sinned, so our lives will be forever changed, to bring You glory.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. Matt 5:14-16
There’s times I’d just rather be at home alone, yet God spoke very clearly to me one day. He reminded me that His light is in me and shines through me, and does no good if I keep it hidden in my house all the time. Now my light can shine from home if that’s where He want me to be, but He wanted me out of the house, spreading His love, joy, peace, compassion, light, and good deeds. But as His children, in the world doing good deeds, we must be very careful not to cross the line into pride.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. Matt 5:19
Just like in any earthly family, we are responsible for our actions as God’s child. We are held accountable to God, for our part in other people’s lives. When we encourage others, to do either right or wrong, according to God’s laws, we can either reap blessings or severe discipline. Part of our responsibility is knowing how God wants us to live. This comes from knowing Him personally, knowing His heart, and knowing His Word.
Lord, remind us often of our motives, especially when we interact with other people.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! Matt 5:44
It’s hard to love our enemies, and people who are just pure evil. But just because we love them, doesn’t mean we have to like them or approve of their actions. The one way we can accomplish this is to pray that they become who God created them to be. We were all created in the image of God when we were born, and we were created to love and do good works. And if (and hopefully when) our enemies become who God created them to be, possibly through our prayers, what a day of rejoicing that will be.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: “Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. Matt 6:1
Most of us like to be recognized by others for the things we do, it’s human nature. But as God’s beloved children our motives need to remain pure. We are called to do good deeds, and to do them publicly, but our motivation needs to be to please God and not to be admired by others. If God wants us recognized by others, then He will see to it.
Most of us struggle in this area to some degree, and many of us crave approval from others way too much. Our identity needs to come from who we are in Christ, and not for what we do to impress others.
Lord, remind us when our focus in on impressing others, so we can repent quickly.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. Matt 6:5-6
What we do in private is way more important to God than what we do in public. He sees everything, He knows everything, especially our motives. Impressing others can be such a hard habit to break, but it can be done, by seeking God more. Also, many times we are impressed by what we see others doing, but what are they doing behind closed doors, that’s what’s even more important.
Lord, I want everything I do to bring You glory. I want what I do in public to be a reflection of what I do privately behind closed doors. I want to make being humble and pleasing You a priority in my life.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. Matt 6:14-15
As God’s beloved children we have choices to make every day. We can choose to forgive those who have wronged us; and lets face it, we feel offended and hurt on a regular basis; and be forgiven by God. Or, we can choose not to forgive, and suffer the consequences of not being forgiven by our Lord and Savior.
There are so many testimonies of people being set free from bondage, pain, and sickness, by choosing to forgive someone who hurt them in the past. Forgiving others is a powerful weapon against the enemy, and a powerful gift to ourselves.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Matt 6:20
What an amazing opportunity we are given, to seek treasure that will be stored in heaven for eternity. Just to name a few: An attitude of gratitude, forgiveness, righteousness, humility, intimacy with God, obedience, servanthood, trusting God, valuing others, giving, joy, peace, a renewed mind, ears to hear, eyes to see, knowing God’s heart, generosity, seeking God first. And the list can go on and on.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. Matt 6:33
Wow, what an amazing promise from our Heavenly Father. What does seeking God’s Kingdom first, and above all else, look like in our day to day lives? Probably making some time for Him every day, like we do TV, sports, school, work, friends, looking at our phone, or surfing the internet. Probably reading His beloved Bible and obeying what it says. Probably making Him our best friend, by getting to know Him, His thoughts, and His heart. Probably Trusting Him over our circumstances for the things we need. As His beloved children we have access to everything we need in life, we just need to continually be seeking Him and His Kingdom first.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: “Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you. Matt 7:6
This verse can be confusing at times. We are called to share the gospel, yet those are usually unholy people. However, there are times when we spend too much time ministering to the saved or unsaved with no fruit. This can either be out of guilt, feeling it’s the Christian thing to do, or compassion. However, we need to make sure we are spending our time ministering where God has called us. Only through communication with Him do we know if we are wasting our time (throwing pearls to pigs), enduring His assignment, or in need of His wisdom to proceed differently.
We are so blessed to have a Father who loves communicating with His children. When we seek His wisdom He will share His desire for where we are now in life.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets. Matt 7:12
If everyone lived this way, it would be a very different world. We can’t change the world, but I can change ourselves.
Lord, we pray that You would help us by getting our attention every time we treat someone in a way we wouldn’t want to be treated. Whether it’s our words, the tone of our words, our look, our fist, our neglect, our indifference, our control, or anything else. Do whatever it takes for us to pause, and rethink our actions.
Our desire Lord, is to please You, love You, and be all You created us to be.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: “If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine. Matt 10:37
God wants to be our number one love. Not that we don’t love our family, but we love Him More. It’s easy to say we love God with our words, but does the way we live reflect that love? How do we love God, not why, but how? I’ve asked many people this, and it’s hard for most to find words to express how they love God. But I think, as God’s children it’s important to know how we show Him we love Him.
Some ways to show God we love Him are: spending time with Him, talking to Him, listening, reading the Bible, helping others, obeying His commands, living according to the desires of His heart, repenting when necessary, trusting Him, thanking Him, praising Him, showing mercy to others. The list can go on and on.
So as a God’s beloved child, how do you love Him?
AS A CHILD OF GOD: John is the man to whom the Scriptures refer when they say, ‘Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, and he will prepare your way before you.’ Matt 11:10
We all have our place in the Kingdom of God. Some, like John the Baptist were created to prepare the way for someone else to come and take over. Like Jesus, the years he spent in ministry were few, yet they both did exactly what they were called to do. Whether we were called to be in the limelight, or a behind the scenes helper, we all have a purpose, and place in God’s Kingdom.
May we not be jealous of others giftings or calling, but rather encourage them. And at the same time, may we embrace who God created us to be with joy, peace, confidence, and humility.
Behind every person in the limelight, walking in signs and wonders, are the people interceding for them, and thay may never get recognition, except by God who takes such delight in them. When we are doing what God has called us to do, we don’t need recognition by anyone other than our Heavenly Father.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matt 11:28-30
When we “go” to Jesus when we are weary, tired, frustrated, or worried; when we “take” His yoke, joining ourselves with Him; and when we “let” Him teach us how to move in agreement with His moves and His ways, we can find rest. It doesn’t mean the burden disappears necessary, it just means when we unite ourselves with Jesus, the majority or the burden is lifted from us as He takes it.
It’s like when a small child struggles to life a heavy suitcase, yet when we help, the weight of the suitcase becomes easy for the two of us to carry. But we have to be close, we have to be united in the effort.
God is our everything if we will just go to Him, stay close to Him, and let Him teach us what we need to know to find rest, and enjoy our journey with Him.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.” Matt 12:36-37
Our words matter, our words come from what’s in our heart, and as a child of the King, we represent His Kingdom. Our words either heal or harm, bring life or death, encourage or discourage. God created with words, Jesus healed with words, and so can we.
When our heart is continually filled with the love of our Father, and when we stay united with Him, then it’s easy to speak words of love and life.
Lord, we give You permission to get our attention, when the words that come out of our mouth are unpleasing to You, so we can repent quickly. This is a battle at times for most of us, but with practice we can learn to pause before just blurting out what’s in our heart, and run it through God first.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: Immediately after this (the feeding of the 5,000), Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone. Matt 14:22-23
Jesus had originally wanted to be left alone after hearing about the beheading of John the Baptist, but the crowd found Him and He had compassion. After feeding the crowd, Jesus sent everyone away, including the disciples. He needed alone time with His Father. Sometimes we think we can do it all, or need to do it all, that for some reason if we don’t do it, God can’t possibly find someone else. Jesus knew He needed time alone with Father and made sure He got it.
When we overextend ourselves, doing this and that, thinking we are doing God’s work, that no one else can do, many times we are just thinking way too highly of ourselves. Our Father wants to us to spend quality time with Him on a very regular basis. That’s where we get refreshed, and taught things only our Father can teach us. We will never be all God created us to be, without making time with our Father a very high priority.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Matt 18:4
As God’s beloved children we are in a position to receive abundant blessings and giftings from our Father just by believing and trusting in Him. Unfortunately human nature creeps in at times and pride begins to grow inside of us. We can think that we are greater than others because of something God has blessed us with. However, humility impresses our Father, and pride repulses Him. If we want to do great and mighty things in the Kingdom of God, we must remain humble at all times, giving God ALL the glory ALL the time.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then. Matt 19:30
May we never think too highly of ourselves or too lowly. In Christ Jesus is where we get our identity. In Him we matter, in Him we are enough, in Him nothing can stop us from doing His will, in Him those who seem to be unnoticed are spotlighted in His heart, in Him we know that without Him we are but dust.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matt 20:28
We never get too educated, rich or famous; our church or ministry never gets too big or well known to stop serving others. And no matter how often others serve us, we are still called to serve. It’s easy to serve others we admire, but what joy could come when we serve those who would least expect it.
Lord, open our eyes to opportunities to serve others, especially those who would least expect it.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves!” Matt 21:13
Every time I read this verse I think of my body as God’s temple, and wonder if I could really call it a house of prayer. But the reality is that as a child of God our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19), and we are called to pray without ceasing (1 Thes 5:17). Just like Jesus cleansed the temple of defilement and disorder, so we too need to keep our temple clean and pure, and overflowing with prayer.
What an honor it is to be a temple of the living God.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.” Matt 21:22
Just because we don’t always receive what we pray for, doesn’t negate the words of Jesus. As God’s beloved children we have access to the One who answers prayers, and answers them abundantly. That little word “faith” has kept many prayers from being answered though. It seems to be a lifetime effort of growing in faith for most of us. Yet the more we get to know our Heavenly Father, the easier it is to have unwavering faith in what we pray for, because our prayers become His will.
AS A CHILD OF GOD :Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. Matt 22:37-38
How do we personally love our Father with all our heart, not why, but how?
How do we love our Father with all our soul?
How do we love our Father with all our mind?
How do we love our neighbor as ourself?
It’s easy to say “I love …..”, but words are cheap without actions.
Heavenly Father, as Your beloved children, teach us how You want us to love You.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. Matt 25:29
We have a Father with unlimited abundance, just waiting for us to be faithful with what we have, so He can give us more.
Too often we allow fear, doubt, shame, self-pity, poor circumstances, offense, unforgiveness, and so many other things to keep us from using what God has already given us. We stay stuck in the present or the past, without moving forward. When we really think of all that God has blessed us with, and not focus on our lack, there is always something we can be doing to bring God glory.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: But Jesus replied, “We must go on to other towns as well, and I will preach to them, too. That is why I came.” Mark 1:38
When we spend time with our Heaven Father He will start to reveal His plans for us. We will start to recognize His voice as He guides us where to go and what to do. However, it’s easy at times to be persuaded by others and get off track from where God wants us to be, and it can be even easier if we are being praised by others, and start to enjoy the attention.
But the more we focus on being who God created us to be, and obeying His guidance, the more we stay right where He wants us to be, doing what He wants us to do, and being who He wants us to be.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: And because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their unbelief. Matt 6:5-6
Unbelief can be crippling in our walk with God. Jesus couldn’t even do miracles in His hometown, due their unbelief. If we want to be all our Father created us to be, we need to believe His Word, and His words and promises to us. It’s hard at times to keep believing, when in the natural we don’t yet see anything happening.
Oh Lord, I repent for the times I’ve allowed unbelief to reign in my life. I choose to embrace Your promises and Your words to me, and keep believing. You are worthy Lord, of my continual belief in who You are, and what You’re capable of. As I read my Bible, Your Word, I choose to believe every word was inspired by You.
It’s interesting that even Jesus was hindered by people’s unbelief, and chose to leave, I’m sure as His Father was leading. As we listen closely to our Father, He will guide us when to leave and when to stay, during every journey and every circumstance in our lives.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.” Luke 1:45
It’s so nice when things God says will happen, happen quickly, but that’s not the case many times. Believing is a choice, and not always an easy one to make. But believing in something God has said or is saying, is always beneficial. For years I doubted if I was hearing God correctly during our quiet time together, but these days I’m choosing to believe, not believing is just too high a risk to take.
As I continue my journey of believing, I continue to seek God for direction. I position myself to learn what I still need to learn. I position myself to repent when necessary, obey quickly, live righteously, risk ridicule. I’d rather believe, and find out I didn’t hear correctly, than not believe, and find out when I get to heaven I should have.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect and guard you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’” Luke 4:9-11
The devil knows Scripture very well, therefore we can’t always assume when a verse comes to our mind that it’s from God. And just like Satin, others have tried to manipulate many people using God’s Word. That’s why it so important to know the heart of God, His character, and the correct context of the Bible. When we read or hear Scripture with Holy Spirit’s guidance, we will know when someone is trying to deceive us.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: “Certainly there were many needy widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the heavens were closed for three and a half years, and a severe famine devastated the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them. He was sent instead to a foreigner—a widow of Zarephath in the land of Sidon. And many in Israel had leprosy in the time of the prophet Elisha, but the only one healed was Naaman, a Syrian.” Luke 4:25-27
As children of God we are blessed with Holy Spirit to guide us where we should go, to do what we are called to do. Just like Elijah we need to know where and who God is sending us to, what our assignment if for now. Who does He want us to heal, help, or minister to now. To often we assume because there is a need, that we are the only ones to meet that need, when actually God might have plans for someone else to meet the need. But by having an intimate relationship with Holy Spirit, we can be led exactly where we are supposed to be, to accomplish God’s plans for our lives.
Heavenly Father, Thank You, and help us to be totally obedient to Holy Spirit’s leading.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: As the sun went down that evening, people throughout the village brought sick family members to Jesus. No matter what their diseases were, the touch of his hand healed every one. Luke 4:40
One touch from Jesus and we can be changed forever. Jesus used few words, if any when He healed people. It’s not the length of our prayers that get people healed, it’s the power and anointing that we carry, that comes from our Heavenly Father.
Oh Lord, may we all seek to walk in the fulness of Your power and anointing, seeing people healed by You, through the touch of our hands.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: “Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” Luke 5:5
Sometimes God asks us to do something which in the natural just doesn’t make sense at all. BUT, if God says to do something, we can be assured that it’s for a really good reason, and it’s best if we get to it right away. How truly blessed we are to have a God, who can create something from nothing, who can turn the world upside down to give us something He wants us to have, if only we will trust and obey.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. Mark 6:27-28
35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Luke 6:35-36
Most of us don’t really like these kind of verses. We are called to love our enemies and to pray for them. Only as God’s beloved children is this even possible. We may not like them, we may hate what they are doing, they may appear to be pure evil, but we are still called to love them and pray for them. They are made in the image of our Father, just like we are, and God is asking for us to show mercy, just like He does to us. It doesn’t mean we don’t try to get them out of office, or out of our personal lives, and away from having power over us. It means we do it the way God wants us to. As we seek God for answers, He will guide us what to do. My go to prayer in these areas is, “God, bless them to be who You created them to be.” Because God did not create them to be evil, and hurt people.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: 37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Luke 6:37
There’s a lot packed into this one verse on how we are to behave, and think. Will God really judge us the way we judge others, or whether we don’t forgive? Yes He will. We make hundreds of judgements everyday through our thoughts, and God knows our thoughts and holds us accountable. Judging others and unforgiveness are two powerful weapons that the enemy uses against us to keep us from walking in the freedom that is ours as God’s beloved children. How blessed we are though, to be able to repent, receive God’s forgiveness and start changing our thoughts and behaviors to resemble the way God created us to be.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Luke 6:38
Give: money, time, encouragement, help, kindness, compassion, joy, laughter, a smile, good thoughts, respect, prayer, listening, honesty, friendship, thankfulness, your expertise, quiet, rest, etc.
God wants to bless us, but He also wants us to be a blessing to others. Lord, open our awareness of how You want us to give.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees—their hypocrisy. The time is coming when everything that is covered up will be revealed, and all that is secret will be made known to all. Whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be shouted from the housetops for all to hear! Luke 12:1b-3
As we mature as sons and daughters of God we are held accountable for what we say and do. One day all our sin will be exposed! When? Only God knows. Why? He has called us to righteousness and to be holy, as He is holy. It’s so easy at times to think if everyone else is doing something, than it’s ok for us too. But we are children of the King of kings. If we don’t want our sin exposed for all the world to see, than we should take care of it now. Lord, we give You permission to expose our secret sins to us (just in case we’re unaware of it), so we can repent quickly.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? Luke 16:10-11
How we act when doing the little things in life is what matters to our Father. He is always watching to see if we will be honest and faithful, especially when no one is watching. He wants to give us more, so much more, but we have to prove ourselves before He will do so.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. Luke 18:1
When we don’t see God answer our prayers the way we thought He would, or when we thought He would, it’s easy to assume it wasn’t His will, and just give up. But as we read His Word and get to know Him, we know the desires of His heart. When we are praying for what is already ours as His children, or what Jesus died for to give us, we need to keep praying, and not given into the temptation of giving up.
I must admit I’m guilty of giving up at times, Father forgive me.
Lord, please remind me to stand firm when praying Your will, Your promises, Your heart.
Teach me if there’s something I need to be doing, or not be doing, when my prayers are delayed.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another. John 1:16
The life as a beloved child of God, has no boundaries, no limitations, anything is possible. This includes receiving God’s grace, favor, blessings, and goodness. We already have it, it’s ours, it’s in us, it’s truth.
Lord, open our spirit, soul, and body to the reality of this truth.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: But Jesus replied, “I have a kind of food you know nothing about.” “Did someone bring him food while we were gone?” the disciples asked each other. Then Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work. John 4:32-34
I’m still waiting for the nourishment that comes from doing God’s will, to overpower my need, and want, for physical nourishment on a more regular basis. But I have experienced being so completely satisfied, thrilled, overjoyed, and content with being right where I’m supposed to be, doing exactly what God wants me to be doing, and that is so very satisfying.
When we are being nourished by doing the will of God, it goes deep into our spirit, soul, and body. It heals, satisfies, and comforts, in ways that physical nourishment can’t even come close too.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not just because of what you told us, but because we have heard him ourselves. Now we know that he is indeed the Savior of the world.” John 4:42
I love this verse. Hearing and learning from others is great, but hearing and learning from Jesus personally is off the chart incomparable. God wants all of His children to know Him personally and intimately, and spending time in His presence getting to know Him more.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: Then Jesus told him, “Go back home. Your son will live!” And the man believed what Jesus said and started home. John 4:50
Believe is such a powerful word, and we are called to believe. We are called to believe in what we can’t see, believe in what seems impossible, and believe in what just doesn’t make any sense at all. But if we believe in Jesus, and who He is, and what He is capable of doing, than believing becomes easier. Every day we have to purposely choose to believe with our heart, with our spirit, and not just with our mind.
As God’s beloved, He often times is waiting for us to step out in faith, to dare to embrace believing the impossible. He is waiting for us to step into His Kingdom and never come out.
Oh Lord, I want to live in that place of total faith, and always believing in You. I want to live in that place where doubt is pulled out before it has a chance to take root.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.” John 6:29
It’s all about Jesus, it’s always all about Jesus. Knowing Him, trusting Him, believing in Him. Believing His Word, believing in what we sometimes just think we hear from Him.
If this is the only work God wants from us, we need to give it high priority. It is work, to spend time getting to know Jesus, trusting Him and believing Him. It’s work to constantly be pulling down strongholds and worldly thoughts of doubts and fear.
Believing is not passive, not for me anyway. I have to work at believing all the amazing, seemingly impossible things God has planned for me to accomplish in my lifetime. It takes effort and time, but it’s pure bliss and joy, getting to know and trust my Jesus more and more.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: As it is written in the Scriptures, ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. John 6:45
God never tires of teaching His children. He loves the One on one time with each of us. But going to His school, being taught by Him is optional, it’s our choice. It’s also our choice if we want to go daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, or just when we’re desperate. Or, we can also choose to be in school 24/7. But as we all know, in school we do more listening than talking.
Father God, I know you have so much to teach me, every day for the rest of my life. Here I am, I choose to enroll in Your lifetime, 24/7 course. Paid in full by Your Son.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: Jesus answered, “If I want glory for myself, it doesn’t count. But it is my Father who will glorify me. You say, ‘He is our God,’ but you don’t even know him. I know him. If I said otherwise, I would be as great a liar as you! But I do know him and obey him. John 8:54-55
For decades I said, ‘He is my God’. I read His Word, went to church, Sunday School, home groups, I was saved and had eternal life. But I did not really “know Him”, not the way I do now. As God’s children we have the opportunity to really know Him, and not just about Him. We have the privilege of being able to know God intimately, if we will only take the time and choose to do so.
Getting to know God, is a journey of total bliss.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. John 10:10
Jesus came to give us a satisfying, greater, excessive, abundant, exceedingly awesome life. Wow, that’s the desire of His heart, of our Father’s heart. What does that even look like? Is there something we can do for this to manifest more in our life? Do our eyes (and our heart) need to be opened to see that we already have this life?
AS A CHILD OF GOD: And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth. John 17:19
As God’s beloved children we have been made holy. Maybe we don’t act holy every day, but that doesn’t change the truth. We were sinners, now we are holy, and the more we see the truth of who we are in Christ Jesus, the more our behavior will reveal it.
I was a sinner, now in Christ Jesus, I’m: anointed, accepted, beautiful, approved, blameless, blessed, compassionate, blissful, complete, born again, confident, courageous, empowered, equipped, fearless, gifted, forgiving, free, faithful, healed, humble, joyful, necessary, powerful, obedient, righteous, significant, truthful, unoffendable, unshakable, unstoppable, successful, valued, worthy, loved, victorious, etc.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: But Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath. Shall I not drink from the cup of suffering the Father has given me?” John 18:11
Let’s face it, some people seem to suffer a lot more than others. How do we know when we are drinking from the cup of suffering the Father has given us, and not suffering from the enemy? I just can’t say for sure. My thought is that if Father God has asked me to do something, and I know that it’s His will, and I end up suffering in some way because of it, that would qualify. If on the other hand, I do something not so smart, and it ends with me suffering, that may be entirely different. Are we willing to do whatever God asks of us, even if it involved suffering?
Lord, give us courage and strength to do whatever You ask of us, even if it means drinking from the cup of suffering that You’ve given us.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8
When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and become God’s children, Holy Spirit comes and lives inside of us. But what about the power, I want to live in the power? I was what I consider, a powerless Christian for many decades, and I know there are many Christians that feel the same way. It wasn’t until I had an encounter with Holy Spirit, and started to seek God more intimately for who He is, that I realized that power and miracles are supposed to be a part of my life. For me, power comes when I’m totally surrendered to God, and allowing Holy Spirit to lead me and speak through me. Then I know I’m speaking my Father’s words, and doing my Father’s work, and that’s where the power is.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: Then they all prayed, “O Lord, you know every heart. Show us which of these men you have chosen as an apostle to replace Judas in this ministry, for he has deserted us and gone where he belongs.” Then they cast lots, and Matthias was selected to become an apostle with the other eleven. Acts 1:24-26
I like the fact that Matthias was already a believer of Jesus. He followed Him, experienced some of His miracles, but wasn’t a part of the chosen 12, who Jesus spent extra time with teaching and equipping. We never know what might happen when we follow Jesus and live in obedience as children of God. We could be going about our day as usual, when suddenly we are chosen for a position of honor in the Kingdom of God. We don’t have to honor ourselves, if Jesus wants to promote us, He is quite capable of doing so.
Life as a beloved lover of Jesus, is full of exciting possibilities and opportunities.
Oh Lord, I want to embrace and enjoy every minute of the journey I am on with You.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: King David said this about him: ‘I see that the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. Acts 2:25
There’s a saying, ‘Out of sight, out of mind’, and it’s true in so many ways. I wonder how are lives would be different, if for one day we could see Jesus with our natural eyes, right beside us. Would we go about our day like it were any other day? Would we be so busy doing things, that we didn’t take time to just sit with Him and talk back and forth? Would we treat others any differently? Would we allow fear over what might happen to consume our day?
But the truth is, He is with us. Just because we can’t see Him with our natural eyes, doesn’t change that fact. Oh Lord, remind me to open my spiritual eyes and see You with me, all throughout the day.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of our people, Acts 4:8
What would happen if we, God’s beloved children, didn’t confront anyone, share the gospel, preach, teach, discipline our children, open our mouth to complain or anything else, until we were filled with the Holy Spirit?
Lord, I pray You get my attention whenever it’s necessary for me to pause, and ask You to fill me up with more of You, before proceeding in times when it would bring You more glory to do so.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: As Paul and Barnabas left the synagogue that day, the people begged them to speak about these things again the next week. Many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, and the two men urged them to continue to rely on the grace of God. Acts 13:42-43
We all benefit from listening to mighty men and women of God who preach the Gospel. But we never want to rely on them totally, for our training as His beloved children. Just as Paul and Barnabas urged the people to rely on the grace of God, so should we. We lose out when we only rely on others to teach us, and not on God Himself. That’s the joy and beauty of being His children, we can go directly to Him. He has special, unique things to teach each of us, and He does a really good job of it, if we let Him.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: After some time Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s go back and visit each city where we previously preached the word of the Lord, to see how the new believers are doing.” Barnabas agreed and wanted to take along John Mark. But Paul disagreed strongly, since John Mark had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in their work. Their disagreement was so sharp that they separated. Barnabas took John Mark with him and sailed for Cyprus. Paul chose Silas, and as he left, the believers entrusted him to the Lord’s gracious care. Acts 15:36-40
Just because we are believers in Jesus Christ, and God’s beloved children, doesn’t mean we don’t make mistakes, and disagree strongly with others. It happens and it’s part of life on earth. How we handle these situations is what matters though. We repent, we forgive, we don’t take offense, sometimes we go our different ways (hopefully blessing others as they do the same), and always seeking God’s direction.
However, we have the benefit of the whole Bible and all of it’s teachings.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: Next Paul and Silas traveled through the area of Phrygia and Galatia, because the Holy Spirit had prevented them from preaching the word in the province of Asia at that time. Then coming to the borders of Mysia, they headed north for the province of Bithynia, but again the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them to go there. Acts 16:6-7
Sometimes we get upset when the our good, godly plans don’t work out. Sometimes things don’t work out as planned because God has something He’s got planned, and He wants to make sure we do it. When given a choice, it’s always best to choose God’s plans. Sometimes God’s plan isn’t what we want, sometimes it’s harder, sometimes it involves discomfort, pain, hardship, patience, etc., but His way is always better than ours. So next time we encounter road blocks to our plans, hopefully we can trust that God is up to something, and embrace the journey set before us.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! Acts 16:25-26
Being God’s beloved children positions us for the miraculous. When we sing praises to God in the midst of pain and suffering, others are watching as they witness our love for Him, and their lives could forever be changed. When we sing and worship God despite our pain and suffering, God sometimes just shows up and decides to release His glory all over the place. We are so blessed, no matter our circumstance we are always God’s beloved children
AS A CHILD OF GOD: “And now I am bound by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem. I don’t know what awaits me, except that the Holy Spirit tells me in city after city that jail and suffering lie ahead. Acts 20:22-23
We don’t always get to choose the assignments God has for us, however we can always choose to say “yes” or “no”. Sometimes it’s easier not to know if pain and suffering are part of God’s plan. Would it make a difference if we knew? Paul’s life, along with many other believers, consisted of a lot of pain and suffering, but they all kept saying “Yes” to Him. I heard someone say once, “It’s easy to die for Christ, but are we willing to live for Him?”
I pray that as God’s beloved children we always have the strength and courage to say “Yes!”.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours. Romans 1:12
We have a responsibility as God’s beloved children to encourage others. Too often we expect others, especially leaders, to continually feed us spiritual food, comfort us and encourage us. Too often those who do the most encouraging, rarely receive encouragement themselves. Encouraging others isn’t telling them what they want to hear, it’s reminding them of who they are in Christ Jesus, it’s living a lifestyle of love, joy and peace in the midst of difficulty.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to visit you, but I was prevented until now. I want to work among you and see spiritual fruit, just as I have seen among other Gentiles. Romans 1:13
This verse jumped out at me today. So often we are disappointed when our plans don’t work out as we’d like them to. I doubt Paul blamed God or others for the continued blocking of his plans, to do godly ministry. I know I was so disappointed when I missed my planned trip to Africa due to Covid. But as we all totally surrender our agendas for Gods, we can settle back in to seeking Him for what He has for us right here, right now. Our delays or cancellations don’t surprise God, and when they come up we have a choice to make in how we’ll respond.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. Romans 4:20
We bring glory to God when we keep believing His promises, and the words He speaks to us during our quiet time. So instead of complaining, doubting, or even trying to make things happen on our own, we need to keep having faith.
I think my biggest doubt is believing I heard Him correctly. Yet I also have to believe if I did hear Him incorrectly that He can easily let me know that. I’d rather keep believing in faith that I heard correctly, than take a chance that I did hear correctly, yet didn’t keep believing, and missed out.
God has shared some amazing plans that He has for the two of us to accomplish during my lifetime, and I have to purposely choose every day to continue to believe and not doubt. Believing is a choice, not an easy one sometimes, especially if we step out of His Sspirit and start thinking with our natural mind.
Oh Lord, the desire of my heart is to continue to bring Your glory by believing You are who You say You are, and that You’ll do what You say You will do.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. Romans 8:5
The Bible is full of things we can think on that would please Holy Spirit, and we are in complete control of what we choose to think on. No one can force us to think on sinful things, though they can tempt us to for sure. The Bible is full of verses encouraging us to meditate and focus on God’s Word, His goodness and promises. It’s just easier at times to think on the negative, the things we can’t do, the things going wrong in our life, country, and world.
Someone once said they could tell what a person focused on, by what they highlighted or underlined in their Bible. Do we highlight the negative or the positive, who we were before Christ, or who we are in Christ?
AS A CHILD OF GOD: Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways! Romans 11:33
There’s times when I read the Word and say to God, ‘What were You thinking?’. I don’t understand a lot of why God does what He does, and did what He’s done. But I don’t have to understand everything to still trust that He has a plan, He knows what He doing, and has since the beginning of creation.
It would be so easy to get hung up on what we don’t understand, and spend countless hours trying to figure it out (and if He’s calling you to do this, than do it), or we can just focus on the fact that God is good, all the time, and He knows what He doing or done, and we can trust Him 100%.
I’m always getting new revelations every time I read the Bible, but some parts I still don’t get, and that ok. Maybe next time, or in 5 or 10 years, or when I get to heaven.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Romans 12:10
How often do we delight in honoring others? Too often we bring honor to ourselves, to God too, but what about others?
Lord, open our eyes to ways that we can honor others, with true love and delight.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law. Romans 13:10
What does “Love does no wrong to others” really look like? We are called to love others as we love ourself, but what does that look like?
A very short list of what love is and isn’t is found in 1 Corinthians 13:4:7
Love is: patient, kind, rejoicing in truth, always hopeful, endures all circumstances
Love is not: jealous, boastful, proud, rude, demanding its own way, irritable, keeping records of being wronged, rejoicing about injustice, giving up, losing faith
We have to love through God’s definition of love, not our own. Way too many people have been abused by someone claiming to love them.
Lord, search my heart, what does loving others look like to You, and am I doing that?
Teach me to love others the way You want me to.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. Romans 13:13
God is concerned about every area of our lives. I don’t believe the majority of believers have a problem with wild parties, drunkenness, sexual promiscuity, or immoral living. However, for many quarreling and jealousy are part of our everyday lives, and we think nothing of it. Yet it got thrown in with drunkenness and sexual impurity, so it is a big deal, just like any other sin. Jealousy and pride go hand in hand and is something that God detests (Prov 16:5) .
Lord, remind us of seemingly innocent areas of our lives, that need to be purified by You.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God. 1 Cor 2:4-5
Whenever we are talking to others about God we have a choice, do we rely on ourself, or on Holy Spirit; do we want others to rely and trust in our wisdom or His? A mistake too many people make is wanting others to rely mostly on them to get to know God, when He wants everyone to rely on Holy Spirit for power, wisdom, teaching, and pretty much everything.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is beneficial. Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others.1 Cor 10:23-24
I have a saying, “just because I can, doesn’t mean I should.”, and it comes from this verse. For instance:
Just because I can work all day, being productive, even doing work for the Lord, doesn’t mean I should. Why? I can neglect the rest my body needs. I can neglect my spouse and children. I can make the mistake of thinking God will love me more, or bless me more if I do more.
Just because I’ve got money to buy things I want or need, doesn’t mean I should. Why? Too much unhealthy food can make my body deteriorate. Spending money on “things” to make me happy will never bring true happiness. Gambling, drugs, alcohol ruin lives.
Just because we can, or think we can, or think we should be able to, doesn’t make it a wise decision. That’s where seeking God’s wisdom is so valuable, and such a good habit to get into.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts (wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discerning spirits, tongues, interpretation of tongues). He alone decides which gift each person should have. 1 Cor 12:11
Holy Spirit decides which gifts we’re to have, and I have to assume He knows what He’s doing. Too often we want another’s gifting, without embracing the gift God has given us. We have within us as God’s children the ability to walk or minister in all these gifts as He leads us, but still, some are gifted more than others.
Lord, I want to thank You for the special gift You’ve selected just for me. Open my eyes and my heart to receive this gift. Teach me how to grow in my gifting, and how to use it to bring You glory. Help me to encourage others in their giftings without being envious.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing. 1 Cor. 13:1-3
It’s ALL about love. What love is: patient, kind, rejoices in truth, never gives us, never loses faith, hopeful, endures every circumstance, just to name a few.
Love is not: jealous, boastful, proud, rude, demanding it’s own way, irritable, keeping records of being wronged, doesn’t rejoice in injustice, just to name a few. (1 Cor 13:4-5)
Jesus is love, He is our example.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ. It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God. 2 Cor 3:4-5
When God qualifies us for an assignment, we are well qualified for sure. Sometimes life seems unfair, and basically it is if we jealously compare our lives with others. Sometimes we may think we are more qualified than someone else; or sometimes we think someone else is way more qualified than we are.
God has chosen and qualified some of the least likely to succeed, for life changing assignments that have changed the world, and brought Him great glory. We must embrace who He qualifies, whether it’s someone else, or ourselves.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. 2 Cor 4:8-10
As God’s beloved children we are not promised a life of ease, and some seem to have more challenges than others. How we respond to these challenges is what’s important, and Paul demonstrates this wonderfully.
Where’s our focus, on ourselves or on serving God? When we focus too much on ourselves, it seems the challenges in life are magnified. When we keep our focus on God, it seems like God is magnified. Every day can be a challenge, filled with opportunities to decide what gets magnified in our heart.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love. 2 Cor 6:6
Proving ourselves in God’s Kingdom is a lot different than proving ourselves in the flesh. People can spend their whole lives trying to prove to others and even themselves, that they are someone special, successful, worthy, the best at something, good enough, educated enough, have enough money, and on and on. But what matters to our Father is different, and He wants His children to proves themselves differently.
We say we love God, we say we are His children, we say we would die for Christ. But can we prove it by the way we live, can we prove it by what’s in our heart?
AS A CHILD OF GOD: Yes, I am afraid that when I come again, God will humble me in your presence. And I will be grieved because many of you have not given up your old sins. You have not repented of your impurity, sexual immorality, and eagerness for lustful pleasure. 2 Cor 12:21
Paul was talking to Christians, God’s beloved children. We miss out so much when we choose to continue living in sin, instead of a totally surrendered life to Christ. God has so many blessings and promises waiting for His children who love and obey Him. The more we get to know God, the more that obeying Him is pure joy, and not a burden at all.
Lord, I want to love You more by obeying the teachings in Your Word. I want to love You with my actions, with the way I live my life. Instead of just telling You “I love You”, I want to show You by the way I live.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to understand that the gospel message I preach is not based on mere human reasoning. I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ. Galatians 1:11-12
What would happen if every preacher and teacher of the Gospel lived by this verse? What would happen if we lived this verse before we started giving advice to others?
As God beloved children, we have access to receiving revelation from Jesus Christ just like Paul did. Many of us are so blessed to be able to listen to messages received just this way, but we sometimes forget that we also have access to such revelations.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Gal 5:22-23
As much as I desire to be Holy Spirit led 24/7, I realize I still have a ways to go, as responding in the flesh still pops up more often than I’d like it to. But perfection is not my goal, loving God and living more like Jesus is the desire of my heart, and my greatest on-going goal in life.
The more we get to know God, the more we love Him, and the more we love Him, the more we manifest the fruit of His Spirit.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: For we are each responsible for our own conduct. Gal 6:5
Way too often we blame others for our actions and reactions. There are so many things in life that we just don’t have any control over, but our own conduct is not one of them. We have complete control over the words that comes out of our mouth, the tone we use, whether we forgive others or not, and our attitude towards what is happening to us and around us.
Lord, bring to my attention when I start blaming others for the way I act; bring to my attention when I’m not acting as a child of the King should act.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. Ephesians 4:11-12
Our responsibility as mature children of God, is to equip others to do what He created them to do, and be who He created them to be. We are to equip others to be dependent on God and not ourselves. We all have our part in the family of God, and when we do our part well, there is unity, love, encouragement, forgiveness, joy, and so much more. We need to embrace our part in God’s family, and encourage others to embrace their part. We are God’s amazing children, and we are here for a reason.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. Phil 4:13
God gives His beloved children the strength to do what needs to be done. He doesn’t always take the challenge, the pain, the hurt, the betrayal, or the heartache away, He just gives us the strength to continue, as we cling to Him. Oh the possibilities as we walk with our Father.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Col 2:3
It’s all about Jesus. In Him we have everything we need, and in Him godly wisdom and knowledge are available. And, if we are God’s beloved children, we are in Christ Jesus. What an amazing Father we have.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Some people like to pick and choose what part of the Bible they like to read. Some people believe only the New Testament is relevant today. But Paul was talking about the Old Testament when writing this. God speaks to us through the whole Bible, and sometimes in the middle of reading genealogies, or other hard to read areas, is a special treasure we can gleam from. God can speak to us through any part of the Bible, along with speaking to our heart, if we will just listen to Him.
The desire of God’s heart is to equip us to be all He created us to be, and He gives us the means to do so. We are so blessed to have access to the Bible, as so many people in the world don’t. Lord remind us of the treasures in Your Word, just waiting for us to gleam from.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. Hebrews 11:6
How do I bless God? Faith and Believing, in who He is and what He says. How does God bless me? Rewards me as I sincerely seek Him. And it just doesn’t get much better than that. Will I see all the rewards He has for me in my lifetime, or when I expect them? Probably not all of them, but that doesn’t mean they won’t manifest in my children and spiritual children and grandchildren’s lifetime.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles (trials) of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. James 1:2-3
Not one of the promises we like to declare, and not one we’ll ever find on the front of a greeting card, that’s for sure. However, Kingdom living is different than wordily living. So next time troubles or trials come our way, we have a choice to make. Will we complain, accuse, and make excuses, or will we embrace it as an opportunity to choose joy and faithfulness towards our Heavenly Father, even in the midst of our troubles and trials?
If we truly want to be all God created us to be as His beloved children, we need to joyfully embrace the opportunities when our faith is being tested with hardships.
Personally, I will never pray for more troubles, trials, or testings. However, if presented with them, I will do my best to embrace the opportunity for my faith and endurance to grow.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. James 1:4
LET IT (endurance from our faith being tested vs 3) GROW! Usually we try anything we can to be done with trouble, trials, and testings, we don’t want to endure it, we want to be done with it. But James says to let it grow, let it finish its work, perfect its work. Quite a different way of looking at things, in fact a Kingdom way of looking at things.
When we choose to embrace Kingdom living, and let endurance and perseverance grow and mature, we too mature as children of the King, and as a result become all He created us to be.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry James 1:19
This is a prescription for a healthy, and probably successful marriage, parenting, friendship, employment, and just plain way of life. What a beautiful character trait to be known by. Holy Spirit, remind of this verse whenever needed.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. James 1:22
I know people who could quote scripture remarkably, never miss church, teach home groups, yet fall short on the “doing” part. Yes, they are busy “doing” stuff, but many times aren’t “doing” as Holy Spirit desires,
Loving God in my opinion is fluid, always doing, always being, always resting, always living “In Him”, which manifests in obedience to His Word, and especially behind closed doors.
Lord, I don’t just want to know Your Word, I want to live and do Your Word.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. James 3:5
Time for another heart check. It’s so easy to allow, (yes, allow, it’s a choice) jealousy and selfishness into our heart. It’s one thing for jealousy and selfishness to inter our thoughts, but a very different things to allow them into our heart. It’s very earthly (worldly) for sure, but we must remember we are Kingdom children, of the most high God.
The thought of me walking in an unearthly, unspiritual or demonic way is pure dread to me.
Holy Spirit, I give You permission to hit me over the head with Your spiritual baseball bat, anytime I allow jealousy or selfishness to even enter my thoughts.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:15-16
What does “be holy” look like? Love, Jesus, our Father, obedience, purity, basically an endless list of God’s character. Being holy is being in Christ, as opposed to being in the world.
In a world where the enemy is constantly trying to put us down, by putting thoughts of doubt, shame, and unworthiness into our mind, many times others and ourselves are also doing that. We bring God no glory when we think of ourselves as less than who He created us to be, as His beloved children.
Being holy isn’t being perfect, it’s believing God and His Word.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing. 1 Peter 3:9
As children of the King of kings, we have certain responsibilities, and one of them is to act like His child. We are expected to control our behavior, what comes out of our mouth, and how we respond when wronged.
When we live our lives according to ways of the Kingdom and the King, blessings abound. Our Father is so generous with His blessings, all we have to do is position ourselves to receive His abundance.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: So he (Jesus) went and preached to the spirits in prison— those who disobeyed God long ago when God waited patiently while Noah was building his boat. Only eight people were saved from drowning in that terrible flood. 1 Peter 3:19-20
What caught my eye here is that God “waited patiently” while Noah built the ark. Sometimes we are such a hurry to “do” for God, to finish an assignment and get on to something new. But Noah’s assignment couldn’t be hurried, it needed to be done as God designed.
Our beloved Father is more concerned about us doing as He says, accomplishing our assignment according to His leading, with integrity, honesty, humility, love, joy, peace, etc. God is not impressed with our fastness to accomplish something, He’s impressed with our obedience and love as we listen to His directions.
God could have wiped out the world in a way that didn’t take 120 years, but He didn’t. He patiently waited for Noah to finish His assignment.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves of sin and corruption. For you are a slave to whatever controls you. 2 Peter 2:19
What a powerful verse, that should cause us to think about what possibly controls us. For instance: work, food, drugs, alcohol, gambling, friends, other people, education, people pleasing, being first, being right, politics, fear, need for control, perfection, anger, etc.
Lord, open our heart to what areas of control we need to release to You.
AS A CHILD OF GOD: When the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write. But I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Keep secret what the seven thunders said, and do not write it down.” Rev 10:4
Sometimes our Father might tell us, or show us something that is so amazing we just want to share it with others. But we always have to be listening very closely to His leading. Why did He allow John to hear the seven thunders, and then tell him not to write it down, but to keep it a secret? We don’t know. But what we do know is that John obeyed. Even when we don’t always know why, we always must obey our Father’s voice.
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Nzambani Rock
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Shirataki noodles
Slim rice
Konjac noodles
Cucumber
Zucchini
Pickles bread & butter spears
Watermelon
Lettuce
Celery
Bok choy
Calorie free dressings
Watercress
Condiments: mustard, hot sauce, salsa, soy sauce,
Kiwi & good before bedtime
Tomato
Tomato soup 15
Water
Tomato soup – 17oz canned whole tomatoes with liquid, add one chicken stock cube , bring to a boil, add in a bit of stevia, garlic seasoning
Highly fattening foods:
Cookies
Cooking oil