1 Corinthians 15:57

“57. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

1 Thessalonians 5:18

“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

Time to stroll down memory lane.

Take the time to be grateful and thankful to the God that made it all possible. The good, the bad. The ups and the downs. The success and the failures. They all worked to make you the person you are today.

Then make time to spend time with your loved ones – family and friends. Do not take people for granted. We do not want to have regrets after they are gone.

Experience has taught the lesson of seizing the day. Because night is coming and no man can work (John 9:4).

Choose to have a Happy and blessed Thanksgiving!

Romans 7: 18-21

“18. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.

19. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.

20. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

21. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.”

What is common to all is struggle. No matter how rich, we’ll adjusted, well educated, or happy a person may or may not be, we are all united by struggle.

We struggle to keep what we have, or we struggle to obtain what we think will make us happy. We struggle to put on the appearance of prosperity. Or we struggle with issues that plague us, generations curses, pain (emotional and physical), the list is endless.

But through the process of struggling, God is able to speak to us. God can speak through anything. We just have to make sure we are listening. However, the word that God speaks during our struggle is just what we need to be (and stay) delivered.

I remember I felt like I was ready for a promotion on my job. I remembered the scripture in Psalms 75:6-7, that promotion comes from God. So I asked God in faith. Almost immediately I started to go through on my job. I NEVER had performance issues. But after my prayer it seems they were not happy with my job performance. I get along well with people wherever I am, but after this prayer I started to have interpersonal relationship issues with co-workers. Anything that could go wrong, went wrong.

I had to fight to keep my job, to perform, to work well in a hostile environment. But prayer was my key. I took it all to God. He helped me. He let me understand I was not ready for promotion just yet. There was some work that God had to do on me.

For the next 5 years God began to show me myself as I struggled through these issues. He taught me patience, faith, and trust in him. He taught me how to cast my cares on him because he cares for me (1 Peter 5:7)

I did not get the promotion right away, but I did receive positive recognition and raises through this process. Yes, God does bless abundantly even when you are going through…

Because God has plans for each of us, the requests or promotion encompasses more than job elevation. Your request for promotion means that you are telling God you are ready for more. Spiritually and naturally. But to whom much is given, much is also required (Luke 12:48). After all, it was that feeling you had on the inside that caused you to ask for more. Don’t limit yourself to a small vision. Recognize that God is a great big God, infinite, vast, never ending. And whatever you can ask or think, he able to exceedingly more than that!

Yes, I did receive the promotion and am being considered for a position that is far more than I even asked for. But more importantly, spiritually speaking, God has elevated me to a place I have never been in him before.

So don’t you give up, keep fighting the good fight of faith. It is hard, but it is worth it. And God is with you – speaking to you and cheering you on the whole time.

Don’t give up, go through to process. In the end, your later shall be greater than your past.

Psalms 115:14-15

“14. The Lord shall increase you more and more,

you and your children. 15. Ye are blessed of the Lord

which made heaven and earth.”

Just some good news to meditate on.

Speak it, day and night.

Say it in the midst of your situation or circumstances. Say it in the face of trouble, problems, heart ache and bad times. Don’t let them define you. But allow them to be a vehicle God can use to receive glory.

You ARE blessed of the Lord. You are ever increasing in him.

This blessing flows from you to your children.

Then, as your blessings are manifested, testify of God’s goodness and faithfulness.

You’re testimony will inspire others to trust in God and to take him at his word.

Walk in the blessings of God daily!

Romans 6:16

“Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? ”

There are times when we wonder where God is in our situation.

We tell ourselves that we are standing on sound biblical principle. We are quoting the scripture and expecting God to move. Yet we see nothing happening.

When I say nothing, I mean that you don’t feel God, you can’t see his hand in the situations you are going through. It seems that heaven is silent in your life.

If this is you, I would encourage you to take a step back and really look at your life. The Bible tells us to examine ourself to see if we are still in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5).

There are times when we follow people (some who pretend to be Godly) instead of Christ.

There are times when we follow slick sounding propaganda instead of sound doctrine (Bible).

We use these erroneous foundations and try to build our lives on them. This is good for a moment. But eventually a storm is going to come and try what you have built. If it does not have a firm structure and a solid foundation, it will crumble and fall.

What a terrible place to find yourself!

Avoid this place by constantly examining yourself. Check what your are standing on by looking to see who you are serving.

– Who are you obeying?

– Who are you listening to?

– What are you filling your mind (and spirit) with?

– Are your motives biblically inspired?

– Are your actions from a place of Godly love and trust?

If you are not absolutely sure that your answers to these questions are God-centered then you are not serving God.

Don’t worry, all is not lost. You can move from error to righteousness just by sincerely repenting. Ask God to forgive you. Then forgive yourself. Then change your behavior with the help of God.

Make time to read the word and apply the biblical principle to your life. Then you can watch God move on your behalf.

You are the only person responsible for you.

Check yourself before it is too late!

Romans 6:14

“For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.”

Sometimes a gentle reminder is all that is needed. We are NOT the old person we use to be, we are new. We have put on the new man since God’s grace came in, when we received the free gift of salvation.

Because we are still wrapped in this flesh and are constantly bombarded with temptation, and the distractions of daily living, we have a tendency to forget who we now are in God.

We forget that we have been delivered and set free. We forget that we are no longer that old person we use to be before God came in.

I am reminded, when God parted the Red Sea for the children of Israel, he told them to bring stones out with them to build a memorial. They needed that so they would not forget what God had done. For God knew just how short our memory can be.

We must do the same. We need a daily reminder of the goodness of God.

What do you have to remind you of just how far God has brought you?

What is your memorial?

It can be as simple as looking in the mirror each morning and specifically thanking God for the things he has delivered you from. Naming them one by one. Making this a part of your morning routine, just like brushing your teeth.

The purpose is not to glory in the past, but to remember that you are no longer that person.

Then you go on with your day, walking in the newness of life, rather than wallowing in the guilt of sin.

Be free, because God has made you free through Jesus.

You are NOT who you use to be.

This is Good News indeed!!

Romans 5:2

“By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.“

By definition, grace is

⁃ the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings.

⁃ a divinely given talent or blessing.

⁃ the condition or fact of being favored by someone.

There is nothing like God’s amazing grace. It is a freely given byproduct of salvation. And it is only obtained by faith.

What I find very interesting is that grace is something that we have to enter into. According to Romans, we have access to grace. By faith. This implies that it is something that we have to choose to walk in. Once we decide to walk in the grace of God, we must also choose to stand (stay) therein.

By definition, favor is

⁃ approval, support, or liking for someone or something.

⁃ an act of kindness beyond what is due or usual.

⁃ feel or show approval or preference for.

God is the ultimate gentleman. He does not force anything on his people. He sets things before you and allows you the honor of making a choice.

But he is also faithful that when we make wrong choices, and later choose to repent by asking for forgiveness. He is faithful to receive us back.

Just by choosing to access and stand in God’s grace we obtain benefits that are priceless. God’s approval, support, and abundant blessings are priceless. Amazingly enough, others are blessed just by being in our presence. They can experience God’s favor to a degree. Because our blessings overflow on them.

It is amazing to see that by choosing to access and stand in the grace of God, our life becomes a witness. We serve the great God, the creator of the world. We should live a life that exhibits our God. A life that draws people to the God abiding on the inside of us.

Most of the time the things we go though in life are not just about us. It is for the people who are around us. For those that may not be strong enough to make different choices, and find themselves stuck in bad situations. They are able to see you, watch the choices you make, and see the results of those choices. It is inspiring, and will speak volumes. It will speak louder than any words you utter.

Let your life be a witness. Just by walking in the grace (favor) of God.

Romans 5:1

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:”

On today, make it a point to rest in the peace of God. Consciously make the choice not to allow people or situations impact the peace of God on your life.

Choose to share this peace. Be that light to someone else to see that even though tough situations arise they should not alter the temperature of your life. For the peace of God is controlling the thermostat.

The issues that occur in life happen on the “outside” of your peace. Therefore it cannot (should not) hinder the inner peace that God has given.

In Ephesians the 6 chapter explains that the armor we wear has a foundation of peace. Our feet are clothed in peace so that wherever we walk we do so in peace. When we enter a room that was before chaotic, it should settle because of the peace wherein we walk.

You CAN have a great day – everyday.

It is a choice that you must make. The peace of God is a constant. Something we always have access too. We just have to choose it daily.

Even with the peace of God, hard or even devastating things occur. But with the peace of God, we can stand. We can calmly react. We can make it.

So, have a great day and do great things.

Walk in the peace of God.

Romans 4:21

“And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.”

Are you fully persuaded?

By definition “fully” is completely or entirely; to the furthest extent.

Persuaded is to cause (someone) to do something through reasoning or argument. To cause (someone) to believe something, especially after a sustained effort; convince.

Proper understanding of these words are important to gage where we are in our faith walk. It is possible to be fully persuaded in some things, but not in others.

There are some areas in our walk where we do not have any issues with trusting God completely. However, there are also areas in our lives where we constantly struggle to believe God. The ultimate goal is to be fully persuaded in all things. For without question, God IS able.

The struggle has to do with control. There are some things and areas where we do not want to relinquish our control over to God. We want to say with our lips that God is in control, but in reality we are not ready to let go of the tight hold we have on the situation. Because of this we struggle.

The struggle is not actually over the situation, but it is in our ability to trust God. To say it bluntly, there are just some areas in our lives where we don’t want God to have control. What we want is “input” from God in the form of blessings, but we do not want God to have control

How can be move from the struggle to being fully persuaded?

We have to come to the point in our walk that we want God more than we want our own way.

This takes time.

– It takes time for the desire for God to filter down through every aspect of our lives.

– It takes time for God to deal with every part of us.

– It takes time for us to realize that there are areas we are holding to tightly that we prevent God from addressing.

– But once realization has come, it is time to loosen the hold and allow God to work on us.

This is a faith thing.

– We are justified through faith.

– It takes faith to let go, and it takes faith to put things in God’s hands.

– It takes faith to leave them there and allow God the space and time to work on them.

Not that God needs the time. The time is for us. This time is how long it takes us to become fully persuaded in the thing. To know that the God who promised is same God who is able to perform it.

To be fully persuaded is to be so certain, so sure, that there is no physical room for anything else. Especially doubt.

Understand that being fully persuaded must be 100% established on the word of God. You cannot stand on a foundation that is not biblical sound. Any such foundation will crumble when the trials of life hit it. But a foundation with Jesus Christ as the cornerstone will stand and withstand through any storm.

It is time to become fully persuaded and receive the fullness of what God has promised us!