Matthew 26:41 – “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

As I prayed, read, and meditated on the Word, I sensed what may have just been for me: “Watch and pray.” 

• We are not to pray and see what will happen; we are to pray with the eyes of the Spirit, seeing what God has done in heaven being manifest on earth.  
• We are to watch as though seeing a movie being played out. 
• We are to pray each part into fulfillment.  
• We are not to beg in our petitions, pleading with God to do something, but our prayer is to be akin to a movie director guiding each phase. We are to link God to the situation and exercise authority in the Spirit.

Watch what has been done and, in prayer, link God to man as one would edit a film.  It is not a petition but a proclamation!

Jesus said, ” Abide in Me. ” I am the vine, and you are the branches.  The fruit of the vine is visible through the branches, but the branches can produce no fruit unless they abide in the vine. We are laborers together with God.

Jesus said the greatest commandment was Love! Matthew says we are to love God with ALL our hearts, souls, strengths, and minds. 

• The Heart is who we are. 
• The Soul is our will and emotions. 
• Strength is the fleshly house where we display actions. 
• The Mind is where our thoughts are formulated. 

Interestingly, He separated soul and mind.  The mind is the filter for what goes into the heart.  If the mind is filled with stinkin’ thinkin’, the heart will be fed corruption.  The heart will be fed life if the mind is set on things above.

• We are to Watch and pray. 

We are to Watch our minds, mouths, emotions, and bodies.  We are to participate in the process of reprogramming or renewing our minds.  Renewed minds are platforms for miracles, fellowship, and living above the fault line of defeat.  

• We are to Watch and pray. 

Do not just watch or just pray, but watch what we pray and watch as we pray.  We have the authority to enforce Calvary’s victory and bring the Kingdom of God into the present.   Either Jesus did what He was tasked to do, or He did not.  If He did – Why Not Have the Promises in the present?  Why not now?

• We are to Watch and pray! 

Today, we can begin a new life of ultimate victory. We have the authority granted by Jesus, the Holy Spirit of Promise, and the ability to pull down strongholds!

There is no easy button in life, but we have the power of faith, obedience, and perseverance.  So, reach for the prize and live each day to the fullest in Jesus.   God bless you. Have a fantastic day in Jesus!

1 Thessalonians 5:18 – “In everything give thanks, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Isaiah 55:8 – “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.”

What a Day today is!  It is time to Wake Up, Grab Our Expectations, and Soar into the Day with Joy!   This is the Day the Lord has made, and there is reason to rejoice!   It is our Heavenly Father’s Good Pleasure to give us the Kingdom.   Jesus came to give us life and that more abundant.  Today is a good day!  Rejoice; it will confuse the devil.  It will encourage those who are on the edge of discouragement.

The heart is vital in our walk with the Lord.  Jesus repeatedly said we were to believe in our hearts and forgive from the heart.  He did not say the mind but the heart.   

I have found that my mind filters what my heart hears. 

• My heart is left empty if my mind is focused on the wrong things. 
• If my mouth speaks wrong things, Jesus said that out of the abundance or the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks. 

So, it is critical that we fill our hearts with the Word of God and train ourselves to guard our thoughts and our words. 

Just saying something does not make it a reality or happen, but if we believe in our hearts that what God said is true, valid, and available, then our hearts become filled with faith and expectation.   If we allow our thoughts to be focused on the negative, the bad, and the problem rather than the promise, we will fill our hearts with those things, our faith will be diminished, and our expectation of the fulfillment of the promises will be absent.

Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil and reverse the curse for us!

• My desire for you and me is that we set our hearts to believe whatever God says and promises. 
• It is my desire that we set our hearts to live by faith, not by what we see or feel. 
• It is my desire that we set our hearts to be wholly obedient to the Holy Spirit. 
• It is my desire that we set our hearts to walk in the fullness of His presence, power, provision, protection, and purpose.  Are we super saints?  Hardly, we are normal biblical ones!

The more we study God’s Word, and the more we know the God of the Word, the more we realize that it is IMPOSSIBLE FOR GOD TO LIE!   Therefore, if God says it, we can count on it.  Let us make this determination:

• Never make excuses for not having and being all God has promised. 
• Never intentionally or unintentionally blame God for the failure to receive and achieve. 
• Never blame God consciously or subconsciously for our lack of answers. 
• Always ask the Holy Spirit to search us and reveal to us our deficiencies.
• Always ask Him to help us climb higher and higher so that we are not controlled by what we see, feel, or think but by what God says! 
• Ask that He will transform us into vessels that manifest Him everywhere!

I am convinced that attaining that place is possible if we set our hearts to seek Him wholeheartedly and refuse to be satisfied until we have entered into that place of permanent residence in His presence – Here on Earth!

God has promised to supply whatever we need! Have a fantastic day, and rejoice in Jesus’ Victory, which is our Victory!

Matthew 21:22 –  “And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”

There have been times in my life when I have had to deal with the devil’s illegal attacks on my physical body, including today.  In those times, I focus on knowing God’s word and way.   Today, as I read in Matthew from chapters 17 to 21, several things kept repeating themselves: Healing, deliverance, authority, and faith.

We make faith mysterious and intentionally or unintentionally, consciously or subconsciously blame God when we do not receive the desired answer.

It is NEVER God’s fault.  That is absolute!

Unfortunately, we sometimes attempt to justify why we did not receive a positive answer to our prayer.   It is a valid truth that God knows best!   That goes without saying.  He does!   However, it is equally true that He never contradicts Himself.

Jesus died for our salvation, and it is never God’s will not to save.  Yet in healing, deliverance, provision, etc., we tend to say things like, “It must not have been God’s will.”  I ask for chapter and verse!

Did Jesus come to destroy the works of the devil?  Did He defeat the devil?  Absolutely!

If that is true, and it is, then why would Jesus take the stripes and revoke the curse, which was death, sickness and disease, and poverty, but will not give us what Jesus died to achieve?

He said repeatedly, “If you believe in your heart, you receive what you ask.”

For a long time, I have sought the key to understanding, not to bring condemnation on myself or others but to enable me to function fully in God’s Promises and Provisions.  I desire understanding so I can pray effectively, live victoriously, and manifest Kingdom Life now.

I have discovered that there is a key.  It is the Heart!   Not the mind but the heart.   The mind filters what gets into the heart.  If we develop negative thinking and adopt thinking that justifies failure, the heart is not exposed to truth and expectation.

I have not fully arrived at that place or level of faith and understanding, but I am pressing in.  If God makes a declaration or issues a promise, I am determined to believe it, seek it, and not be distracted from it.  I will guard my thoughts and my words so that my focus is on the promise rather than what I see or feel. 

We either believe God and act like He is telling the truth, or we do not.  I have experienced miraculous healing, deliverance, guidance, and provision.  Sadly, those have not been the norm, but the unusual.

God cannot and does not lie.  Therefore, if He says or promises ANYTHING, it is 100% reliable.   My cry is for me, you, and everyone to recalibrate our brains, restructure our words, and renew our anticipation in Him. 

It is Finished!    That means nothing more has to be done for us to receive the promises of God NOW!

Lord, let today manifest Your truth in our lives.

Job 22:21 – “Agree with God, and be at peace; thereby good will come to you.”

Isaiah 53:1 – “Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?”

Our words do not determine our faith; our faith determines our words.   We can say anything, and those words are meaningless unless coupled with faith.   We believe with our hearts, not just our heads.

When we believe God’s report, we are not moved by what we see because it is meaningless compared to what God says. Fear prevents faith from manifesting, and faith negates and dissolves fear.

The Bible is clear – We are not given a spirit of fear!  We are given a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind.  Opposites cannot operate simultaneously in the human heart.  Bitter and Sweet Water do not flow from the same stream.  Light and Darkness do not coexist in the heart.  We must align our hearts with what God says, not what we see, hear, or feel.

My prayer: “Lord, help me to be consumed with You, filled with You so that nothing I see, hear, or feel that is contrary to Your Word moves me.  You are Truth!  You cannot lie or fail.  Therefore, I choose to trust you with my life.  Amen.”

Let us determine that with the help of the Holy Spirit, we are going to Walk by Faith, not by Sight.  Those are our only two choices in life.  One produces life and victory, the other death and defeat.

Choose life and the abundance of God’s provision!  It is your heritage!

Proverbs 18:4 – “A person’s words can be life-giving water; words of true wisdom are as refreshing as a bubbling brook.”

This morning, I was reminded once again that some people expect God to do everything for them while they do nothing for themselves.    There are some basic principles of life (covering every aspect of life) that we cannot ignore and expect God to be our magic formula.  

Some specific things hinder our spiritual walk: Wasteful spending can produce poverty, improper diet can produce sickness, and unwholesome thoughts will produce sin and doubt.  If we want to walk in faith, we must abide in Jesus, and His words abide in us.  What we feed on, we become.  If we are weak or deficient in an area, we need to take steps to strengthen that area. 

• God’s truth brings freedom.  
• God’s word will guide us IF we walk in obedience.  

God’s guidance is ever-present, being manifested through His Word, circumstances, people, and His Spirit.   We may desire detailed directions, but God often expects us to make choices based on the fundamental principles of His Word and life. He wants us to mature and be able to make right choices. His constant guidance should reassure us in our decision-making.

Even when we make mistakes, God’s direction is still available to us.   If we come in repentance, humility, and obedience, He will guide us back on track.   Fear of making mistakes should not paralyze us, for it is in action that we learn and grow.

It is not a magic formula, but confidence in God and total surrender that opens the door to victory!   That door is open; walk through it today!

May God’s incredible Grace and Peace be with you today and lead you into His Presence.   Have a fantastic day!  Rejoice!