Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Can you do that? One indication that we can is the fact of God telling us to do it. Whether we want to do it is the question. The Lord bases things on the expectancy of us being doers of His word, His will. His will is to protect us while here on earth because we have an enemy behind the scenes, not just people. Walking in this degree of love takes much discipline. I think if we could know the results, the positive effects of walking in the agape love of God, it’d be a no brainer concerning whether we wanted to live this way. A tough skin and great understanding will be necessary. Love endures all things, and so must we with the Lord’s help (1 Corinthians 13:7). Understanding that Jesus died for us and went through the greatest love test of being tortured to death for something He never did. That’s love at its highest execution. We can and should die to ourselves, putting His will before our desires, and plans. Jesus died literally on the cross; we can die to our inordinate thoughts, purposes, and bad motives. More time with God brings more sustaining power to you. Love your enemies, it’ll confuse the hell out of them.

God says to us today, fear not I will help you. There’s much to fear without Him, and rightfully so since we do have an enemy that kills, steals, and destroys (John 10:10). The Lord our Shepard is always out in front of our pathway. He leads us according to what He sees. The most worry in this world is about tomorrow, and the possibility of something bad happening can drive you straight to anxiety and unnecessary worry. These worries are based on fear which can be found in the unknown. Without faith, fear has room to flex. Once we believe God’s taking care of us no matter how bad things look, you won’t be afraid of tomorrow or any unknown area because He has already checked tomorrow concerning your safety. Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Pleasing the Lord most definitely gets you into His good graces, and favor, which can change everything concerning our lives. God has not given us the spirit of fear, but our enemy the devil, behind our backs brings thoughts that induce fear (2 Timothy 1:7). If you’ve renewed your mind with God’s word, those bad thoughts will be powerless against the knowledge of the word of God in your mind (you won’t yield to the fear). Becoming a practitioner of God’s word for your everyday living, puts you out of fear’s grip. Don’t be afraid, God’s got you either way, keep it moving.

Everything in heaven and earth belongs to Almighty God. He created it all, and He hasn’t given up on mankind to bring us through this life in victory (Genesis 1:1-31). The earth is the Lord’s and everything and everyone in this world belongs to God (Psalm 24:1). When He gave dominion and authority to mankind in the beginning, before the devil got into the picture, we were in control of a peaceful, sinless, trouble free world. But once Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit things changed to appear God was not in the picture. Once they obeyed the devil, by eating the fruit, Satan took over. He actually has the legal right for now, based on the disobedience that took place in the garden of Eden. Because of this disobedience by mankind, we are living in a world owned by God but totally influenced and ruled by the devil. It would seem God is nowhere to be found. God gave us a go of running the planet but we dropped the ball in the garden, so the Lord made arrangements for those who still are interested in having things restored like before Satan got in. Salvation is available to all who want it. In spite of this messed up world, God’s greatness, power, and love for mankind caused Him to send Jesus to fix everything. Choose Him and live the life originally intended by God. The time is short before His return.

We are all summoned to lay hold of eternal life. For those of us that have accepted eternal life with Jesus, we are now here to fight the good fight of faith. That means the life we now live, we live by the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ (Galatians 2:20). To fight the good fight of faith we must first renew our minds with God’s word, the bible (Romans 12:2). Study to show yourselve approved by God, workmen and women who rightly divide God’s word of truth for victorious living. It’s a good fight because we always win in the end. It is through faith and patience we obtain the promises of God (Hebrews 6:12). God’s promises comes with; needs being met (Philippians 4:19), health and healing in our bodies (Jeremiah 33:6 ESV), soundness of mind (2 Timothy 1:7), peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7), and everything in between concerning life. Your lifestyle must be of that which exceeds the life and lifestyle of mere men and women (zero God in their life). We are Christians, in this world with God. We have His help 24/7, but it is a participatory lifestyle. We are laborers together with God, He won’t do your part for you (1 Corinthians 3:9). Tighten up that belt, chin up, and do the work to make your own life better with God.

The Sabbath was made for mankind not mankind for the Sabbath. In old testament days a group of religious leaders, the Pharisees and Sadducees took the Sabbath out of its proper context when it came to everyday life. There was an incident where Jesus healed someone on the Sabbath day, and the religious leaders of the day wanted to hold Jesus accountable for working on the Sabbath (Mark 3:1-6). Jesus gave them an example of, if one of their livestock fell in a pit on the Sabbath day would you not go get it (Matthew 12:11). Those religious leaders who were so on keeping the Sabbath that they had lost common sense in some areas by being overly extreme with it. They were plotting to kill Jesus because of it. A man or woman should not be penalized for getting healed on the Sabbath day nor should the servant of God who performed the ministry. Once Jesus died and rose from the dead for our justification, the law was no longer enforced to judge us as it previously did. The work at Calvary has brought us to the dispensation of Grace which we live in today. God will not strike you dead because of your sin today, judgement comes on the last day for everyone. Keep the Sabbath Holy, but don’t let it take you away from God’s love working in you towards others.

When two or three gather in the Lord’s name, there He is in the mist of them. Praying the prayer of agreement brings more power on the scene. One person praying puts a thousand to flight, but two people in agreement praying for the same answer puts ten thousand to flight. The prayers prayed to the Lord in faith believing, puts the enemy on the run especially when you are confident in the authority God gave you over evil. In the 18th verse of this chapter it speaks of binding and losing. “Whatever we bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever we loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” If we can imagine and then believe this law of God, we can loose, send out, declare and decree for the ministering angels who are here to help God’s servants to come help us, it’s their job (Hebrews 1:14). When two of God’s people come together in prayer agreement, this is the ten thousand mentioned earlier that will be loosed from heaven, and put to flight to bring the answer to our prayers with more power. Get hold of people who are of like mind, and spirit to come into agreement with you. If they are not making a harmony with you, a symphony in agreement with your thoughts, purposes, and actions concerning the issue being prayed about, find someone who just straight up believes the bible is the truth.

When we know our labor in the Lord is not in vain, we stand firm with an expected end of completion. Everything we do for God is recognized by Him. Let nothing move you off course because we go with God and all His support and backing. We can stand firm in the Lord when His word is working mightily in us. Standing on the promises of God will always bring victory over every resistance that is designed to stop us. God’s word says “We are more than conquerors through Him….” (Romans 8:31-39). We can do all things through Him who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13). God has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness in His word (2 Peter 1:3). It is our responsibility to study to show ourselves approved, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). You can stand firm and not let anything move you off course. When you feel like things are not just right or a little off to you, it’s time to get with the Lord and reboot. Our faith must be fed all the time to stay strong. You got this!

There was a man in Jesus’ time on earth that was thrown out of the synagogue, and Jesus heard about it. To put things in today’s understanding of how I see that situation, that man was put out of the church for whatever reason, no one should be kicked out of the church. Jesus heard about it and before He ministered to the man, Jesus said, (I’m paraphrasing) they won’t let me in that church either. So we see even back then the church was out of touch with the truth about God and His way of running His church. Today’s world and churches unfortunately have missed the mark as talked about in the book of Revelations. Once we disconnect our personal life from the Lord by not praying anymore, or not reading the bible anymore or as often, there’s a break in your faith connection with God. Once you disconnect your regular everyday routine of praying, reading the bible, praising and worshipping the Lord, you will have begun your descent towards the dark side. It is subtle and not easily recognized while you are busy serving in the church. Stay connected to the source (Jesus) because there are demonic influences that imitate the Lord’s way of doing things but you’ll end up where you don’t want to be in life.

One day Philip a disciple of Jesus Christ came across a traveling eunuch of great renown. He was trying to understand a passage in the book of Isaiah, he was wondering if it was speaking of Isaiah or someone else. Phillip heard him and ran towards the eunuch’s chariot. Eager to explain the truth about God’s word, Philip had the eunuch so involved that as they came across a body of water, the eunuch asked Phillip, “What’s to stop me from being baptized here and now” (Acts 8:38-40). Phillip baptized him and once they came out of the water, the Spirit of God took him away and he appeared in Azotus, a place far away. Back in the day the disciples of Jesus experienced more supernatural help because of their commitment to be ALL IN for Jesus. Once the good news of the gospel is shared, when a person genuinely hears and perceives what is really being offered, motivation in that person will explode to want the Lord. The hearts of God’s people will soften when the Master calls us into the sheepfold. Share the good news today, someone’s life may be depending on your ministry, the only one that person will listen to.

The person who practices truth who does what is right comes out into the light. This is today’s text which is about practicing truth. Because of mankind’s fallen nature, its propensity to sin is inevitable. Even after being saved we must practice the truth, because the father of lies, Satan, (the devil) has legal and lethal authority over mankind for now (John 10:10). Until we receive Jesus as Lord and Savior of our lives we are swayed by the demonic influences of this world ruled by the devil. Until we come into a saving knowledge of the truth we will continue living well below our potential (1 Timothy 2:4). It is the Lord who is at work within us both to will and to do His good pleasure through us (Philippians 2:13). When we allow the truth to lead our lives we become divinely promoted for dependency upon God. In doing so we exhibit the light where God resides and it becomes manifested in our lives for others to watch and learn. Do what’s right and come to the light of the Lord. Light is indicative of good and truth. Whereas the darkness goes hand and hand with evil and all falsity. Come to the light and shine for Jesus.