To be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer is the word for today. This takes much study of God’s word and then the applying of God’s word in our everyday lives. To have joy is to have God’s strength (Nehemiah 8:10), which comes from an internal source not from natural material things. Joy was placed in our new recreated human spirits on our christian birth-day, when you got saved. Developing that fruit of the spirit is our job. We also have received the Hope of Glory who is Jesus Christ at the new birth experience (Colossians 1:27). There’s no hope without Jesus in the picture. Everyone’s patience can stand some improvement. Who wants to wait in this microwave, hurry up society. To be patient during affliction causes us to stay in position to receive help from God. Deal with it until you have the victory, and thank God for coming through for you before you see any results (that’s faith). Finally and most importantly, being faithful in prayer; our patients is necessary for faithfulness. We can’t be faithful if we’re not patient enough to wait on the Lord. It’s all connected to yield a life of victorious living.

Can you sing of God’s mighty strength and power, or His mercy and loving kindness in the morning, or any time of day. If the answer is no, it’s not an uncommon one. How can we sing about something we’ve never experienced, and mean it. When the Lord has been to you a defence, a fortress and high tower enabling you to see your enemies coming so you can prepare for battle, you should be singing something. God is our defender, our place of safety in times of trouble (Psalm 18:2). He wants us to come to Him for everything in prayer (Philippians 4:6). How can God physically comfort or defend us when He’s in heaven and we’re on the earth, glad you asked. We can receive physical contact and get physical results from an unseen spiritual entity (look at how the devil makes people act). For contact with God, and not the dark side of the spirit realm, we must spend a lot of time fellowshipping with God in prayer and worship. Praising and worshiping God using music or declaring and decreeing scripture out loud for a time, brings the manifested presence of God to you. With God’s presence on you, nothing can come against you. He is our defender.

Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you. My question is to you, is this possible and why would I want to do this? Because we, christians are not of this world even though we were born into it. We are foreigners in a distant land, sojourners according to the bible (1 Chronicles 29:15). We can get caught up in the affairs of this life to the point we get totally engaged in participating with the stuff that makes for temptation, drama, unrest, and unnecessary stress. Walking in the agape love of God secures us in the Ambassador’s office of God’s Kingdom building program. We are here on planet earth to do God’s bidding and not to get caught up in the affairs of life to the point our usefulness to God becomes ineffective (2 Timothy 2:4). When we can love our enemies, not befriend them, do good to our haters, because that opens the door for God’s correction to get them. Bless those who curse you because then God will bless you, and eliminate their curses. Always pray for those who mistreat you, by doing so you’ll be helping change them and shielding yourself at the same time. Follow God’s love and you’ll position yourself above the mess of this world.

We are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus by faith, and not by our own doing. As we relate to, become one with the realization that Jesus died for our sins and gave His precious blood to wash us from all unrighteousness, we can begin a righteous walk in life. If we confess with our mouths the Lord Jesus Christ, and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead for our justification, we become born again Christians (Romans 10:9-10). The are the righteousness of God because of our attachment to Jesus’ work at Calvary. It is by grace we have been saved through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9), and it is by faith that we are righteous. Our lifestyle after becoming Christians should be by faith. That basically means we are acknowledging the Lord in all our ways so He can direct our path in life (Proverbs 3:6). We should live by faith, for in doing so we unlock all of God’s goodies from heaven. It is impossible to please God without faith (Hebrews 11:6).

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. To thirst for righteousness is the ultimate experience of the faith believer. We can finally go after the Lord knowing He’s a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him and always be in a blessed state of existence. Once the Lord sees our commitment and diligence in seeking Him, thirsting for righteousness, we’re in His good graces. The bible says, taste and see that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8). The things and ways of God take time for manifestation to come. You can’t try God for a couple of weeks and then say it doesn’t work. Look at it this way, everything starts with a seed. The seed of our diligence to stay committed with the hunger and thirst for God will take time for a ripe harvest. Our willingness to wait can make or break the normal cycle for our harvest of blessings to come. To be in right standing with God has everything to do with our success in life and ministry as a Christian.

God is calling us out on something here. He’s saying, if you bring all the tithes into the place of worship, the storehouse, He will open the windows of heaven and pour out blessings that there won’t be room enough to receive. Test Me, the Lord is saying, and see what happens. When we trust the Lord like this, we are going out on a limb where it is not comfortable, especially if you’re hurting financially. Most times it will take the time it takes for manifestation to come, (to see a return on your giving). Other times God will cause the money to come instantly, at a time you knew it had to be God because of the timing of the need (God makes us wait to build our faith). It is through faith and patience we obtain the promises of God (Hebrews 6:12). Your storehouse is generally the place where you are getting fed the word of God, usually it’s a church or ministry giving you the teachings, and growing potential you need to thrive in life. The kingdom of God requires financial support to function like any other establishment on earth. If God’s own people who are called be His name won’t give to the work of the gospel, who will?

As we learn about God it is expected that we put that which we have learned into action. In our everyday lives lets practice being a doer of God’s word not a hearer only (James 1:22-25). Living by faith in God’s words and His teachings causes us to live above the evil in this world (John 17:15). God will protect us from the evil one as we position ourselves in God’s kingdom properly. Being a doer of God’s word puts us in His protective care. Easier for Him to do that when we’re living a lifestyle more conducive to His will, which is His word. Paul is speaking to the Philippians about practicing that which he’s been teaching them, and he said, the peace of God will be with you if you practice these principles for victorious living. It will always be a matter of how you’re living which will determine God’s assistance in our lives. If a person is blowing up a lifestyle of sinful behavior, it won’t be as easy for God to get to you, and help. Mentally assenting to God’s word is useless, but a doer of God’s word rules the world around him.

Is your spirit crushed right now. Have you come to a place that feels like, if God doesn’t step in now and do something, I’m going under. Just know if you’re trusting God you won’t go under. Things can get pretty hairy sometimes and we need supernatural help to get out of it. Many times the help we need isn’t natural, or can be fixed in a medical way or by psychology or psychiatry or therapy, but by God and God alone. When we are attacked supernaturally, or spiritually by the devil and his crew, we can’t see them. We only experience the effect they’ve let us with after sucker punching us (never saw them coming). The only way we can know it’s a spiritual attack opposed to a physical one is by living the lifestyle that has been offered to us in the bible for victorious living. Having a handle on your broken heart is having a handle on your relationship with the Lord. The better our fellowship is with God, the better handle we’ll have on the unseen attacks of satan and his kingdom. Better to serve God, than to stay open for another broken heart attack.

The way to become a Christian, to be “saved”, to be “born again”, which is the same thing however you want to say it. But your afterlife plan is only available before leaving earth. Without choosing Jesus as Lord and Savior of our lives, it’s a default ticket to hell. Unless a man is born again, saved, becomes a Christian, he or she cannot enter the kingdom of God (John 3:3). Not choosing Jesus puts you in the default position for placement down below where it’s too hot to imagine, and the constant eating of your flesh by worms (Mark 9:48). Good reason to become a Christian because of that. God wants those who chose Him even though we have to deal with the worst life struggles imaginable, and people are in our ear saying, “How could God let this happen to you?” But you still choose Jesus; that’s a testimony to the devil and God. Satan threw his best shot to keep you from God but you invoked your will and now you shall be with the Lord after you transition. If we openly (before a witness) declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart that God raised Him from death, you will be saved!

God knows the plans for welfare, peace, plans to give us hope in our final outcome. He knows the plans for our lives because He puts plans in each and every person, and all living things. The plan of God could also be interpreted as meaning, or understood as built-in instinct; that still small inner voice of guidance which helps direct us to our God given plan. We just have to find out what our plan is, and then pursue it (Proverbs 3:6). God’s plans for all include prosperity and not evil. When we don’t know the plan for our lives, that’s an indication we aren’t connected to the Lord properly, or maybe you’re not connected at all. Everything that pertains to life and godliness is in the book, the bible (2 Peter 1:3). So dust it off, or go buy one, and get to studying to find out who you’re supposed to be in life. If you desire a fruitful and prosperous future, find out what plan God has for your life. In the end it’ll be something you’ve never dreamed could happen for you.