Sanctification is the ongoing process by which God sets the believer apart for a holy and sacred use. It is what begins to happen at salvation, the changing from the inside out that can only be learned from God, through His Word and diligently pursued by the believer. Many times we believe our “tests” come from then enemy to see how we will react to a bad situation. However, we can also be tested through our blessings. When the Lord blesses us, He expects us to share that blessing with others. All of these trials, tribulations and even blessings can be used by God to teach us He is the one we must lean on and He is the one who blesses us. God already knows our heart, the “tests” are showing US what He can do if we pursue His will. How far we go in the sanctification process depends on how much of our flesh we sacrifice. As a child of God we are all saved by the blood once we accept Jesus Christ as our Saviour. However, His glory is an ever growing glory. “Being transferred into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” II Cor. 3:18 How much of the Lord’s glory we reflect is up to us. Don’t be afraid to glorify His glory and let Him continue setting you apart for a holy use in His will and His Kingdom.

The motto of the Bible is simple – God first. We must put God first daily; not weekly and not just for a while. We cannot put God first then at the enemy’s first attack try to “make peace” with the devil. There is no such thing as making peace with the enemy. To follow the Lord, and receive His full armor of protection and His complete blessing on our life, is a full time commitment. Always remember, that even though the Lord has His hand of protection over us, the devil is also watching us. One small step of faith will release the almighty power of God in our situation. Proclaim the Word of God in your life. Declare the Lord’s blessings over your children. We MUST finish the race before we can claim to have run the race. Commit to FINISH your walk, your purpose and your calling in Jesus’ name!

If only we had as much faith in our prayers as we do in our complaints. The object of our faith (the Cross), not the amount of our faith, is what is most important. As long as we believe Jesus died on the Cross to give us absolute authority over the devil so we could have all the riches of the Kingdom of God, then we have the faith we need. Jesus died on the Cross so the devil could not rob us of our blessings. The Lord fought that battle and won.   Faith has nothing to do with the five senses, just your heart. We all have the measure of faith, it’s where you place that faith that matters the most. Many times it is easier to depend on the certainty of the past rather than face the difficulties of today or the uncertainty of tomorrow. Pray for the will of God in your life. If you feel like your prayers are not being answered quick enough, make sure your prayers line up with the Word of God and His will, praise Him for His wisdom in your life, then be still, get out of His way and wait. Pray for guidance and understanding while you wait. He sees the big picture and has already made provisions. He’s not busy preparing our blessings, He’s busy preparing us…but we must keep the faith in Him!

Declare today to give the devil a revelation. The enemy is subject to us, not the other way around. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is the same Spirit living in us as a believer in Christ. Romans 8:9 “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you…”. We now have the privilege of being led and empowered by God’s Holy Spirit. Being led by the Holy Spirit is a verb not a noun; He is a lifestyle and not just an encounter. NEVER let the enemy tell you it is not God’s will for you to receive what you need. It is God’s joy to give us what we want and need! The enemy will have us circling around the promise land for the rest of our lives if we allow him. Claim your inheritance as a child of God today.   Declare the glory of the Lord and His righteousness. Reveal to the enemy your power and authority over him in Jesus name!

I believe the Bible is the Word of God. Furthermore, I believe miracles are the work of God. I also believe the Word of God is NOT up for negotiation. Joshua 24:15 “…choose this day whom ye will serve”. We should always give God the glory “in spite of” not “because of” His blessings. The Lord never intended for us to be the peacekeepers with the enemy, for that would negate The Cross. He did however, intend for us to be the keepers of our brothers and sisters souls. We, as Christians, are called to protect all that is Holy. Holy being the Holy Spirit inside of us manifesting the Word of God in our hearts. Once the Word of God is manifested in our hearts and we begin to praise God in spite of the enemy’s attacks we start becoming a new breed of Christian. Entertainment no longer matters but the Word of God sets your soul on fire. Use that fire to ignite the fire in others and never let the enemy even try to snuff it out!

The Cross – we must understand The Cross to fully understand humility and humbleness. If it wasn’t for Jesus Christ and The Cross we would be living under The Law of the Old Testament. We all know Jesus died for our sins but do we fully understand what He alone saved us from? There are no unconditional covenants, promises or blessings. After the fall of man (Adam & Eve) Jesus was sent to offer Salvation to all who would receive. We could not save ourselves because our will power alone was not enough. God’s mercy and grace gave us free will but most importantly, God’s mercy and grace gave us His only begotten Son because He knew we could not do it alone. God wants to give us every opportunity He can without taking away our free will. Sometimes God will use instruction, love, perserverence and even drastic measures to turn us away from hell – but He will not take away our free will. We can’t grow rich off of all of the Lord’s blessings then reject the source. Once we realize “the source” is Jesus Christ and The Cross, we will also understand just how humble we should be. We now live under God’s grace and mercy only because of Jesus. Thank you Jesus for The Cross and our Salvation.

Although religious rites are important we cannot rely on them for effectiveness of winning souls over to Christ because spiritual things cannot be discerned by the unredeemed. We MUST rely on the original Christian program which is the preaching of Christ, the Cross and the gospel to win souls. It is not the “art” of preaching but “what” is preached. 1 Corinthians 1:18 “For the preaching of the Cross is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.”

One thing we, as sinners, (yes, I said “we”) all have in common is excuses. We live in a fallen world and try as we might, we too will fall into the trap of the sin nature. Most of us know the “10 Commandments” but did you know there are actually 613 Commandments? ONLY Jesus was able to keep all 613 Commandments. Here is the good news, because of Jesus and The Cross we now live under the grace of God. Because of Jesus we now have the Holy Spirit living inside of us which causes us not to enjoy the sin nature. Never expect to give up the sin nature without the help of the Holy Spirit; our will is not strong enough on it’s own. The Lord does not take things away from you, He adds His mercy, grace, love, joy and peace which eventually leaves no more room for the other “stuff”. Our God is not a God of condemnation. He wants nothing more than for us to prosper and receive ALL He has to offer. The Lord knows our struggles, weaknesses and temptations. Ask the Lord for strength to overcome what has you bound and rebuke that spirit of condemnation. Let the Word of God feed your spirit. Concern yourself with God’s glory and His will, not what the enemy tries to offer. Psalms 89:21 “With whom my hand shall be established; mine arm also shall strengthen him.”

The benefits of being a child of God far outweigh the requirements. When we react to our emotions (frustration, anger, fear,etc.) we are allowing the enemy to take possession of our soul. Take back what is yours!! Luke 21:19 “By your patience possess your soul.” Be patient and know God is in control. The Lord will always use our circumstances to our benefit and not our harm. Nothing in life happens “to” you, it’s happens “for” you – this is your testimony. Possess your soul by patiently waiting on the Lord’s will and let anything that hinders your testimony strengthen your resolve to testify and glorify Him.

There is a difference in ignorance and unbelief. Ignorance is a lack of knowledge. As harsh as it may sound, we all suffer from a degree of ignorance because we are not all knowing – only God is all knowing. However, unbelief is the lack of confidence in God. Unbelief is the lack of faith in His Word. Knowledge we can gain through prayer and reading the Bible but is completely void if we do not believe the Word of God is true. Rest assured Satan knows and believes the Word of God; he even quoted it back to Jesus trying to tempt Him in the wilderness (Matt 4:6). Faith only works at the point of execution, until then it is knowledge. The spiritual level of a person is not determined by our knowledge but by our faith in the Word of God. Knowledge of God’s Word is the basis of Christianity but Faith is the key to our Salvation.