Truth With Joseph: Recent Episodes
Joseph Nishant Fernando
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If you think you're a Christian, you're not. Acts seventeen, twenty-eight tells us in Christ we live and move and have our being. All that means is this: our words, our thoughts and our actions; everything we do, say or think, must find its foundation in the Word of God. In other words, everything we do must find its purpose in Christ. If that is not the case, then you are not a Christian. We can claim to be Christians, but we are not Christians according to the Word of God.
The Gospel of John, Chapter one with three tells us that all things were made through Christ. Paul would go on to say in Romans eleven, thirty-six, for from him, through him and to him are all things. The entire universe was made through Christ and for his glory. Genesis Chapter 17, verse nine. We see God speaking to Abram saying, As for you, you shall keep my covenant. In other words, your only responsibility is to obey God's Word.
Deuteronomy Chapter eight, verse three tells us, Man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every Word that comes from the mouth of God. Without the Word of God, we do not have eternal life. Life here on Earth can be lived in two ways–– you could live a life in the Spirit or otherwise. But when you live a life in the Spirit, your life will bear much fruit in the Kingdom of God and you will receive the crown of glory–– eternal life in the presence of God.
Jesus said in the Gospel of John Chapter 10, verse 10, I came that they might have life and have it abundantly. God gave his only-begotten Son for you and for me, so that we can experience and enjoy every good blessing that God has for us. More than you desire to be blessed. God wants you to be blessed. And that is why He sent His Son. We have our free will, and we also know that the only thing that we are called to do is to obey God. So use that free will to abandon yourself and make yourself a slave to God who liberates you through the precious blood of Christ.
To hold back your free will, and think that you are going to make all the right decisions, that in itself is a lie because the true nature of a sinful world is to propel us and compel us to commit sin. And when sin grows to its fullest, it gives birth to death. And that is what Christ came to save us from. And that is why we read in second Timothy Chapter one Verse nine that God saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works, but because of his own purpose and grace that he gave us in Christ Jesus.
Let's pray that our minds will be opened to understand and perceive the truth that God gives us through His Word. If you are a Christian, don't just claim to be one. Start acting like one. Remember Acts seventeen, twenty-eight, in Christ we live and move and have our being. Every word you speak must find its purpose in God. Every thought you think must find its foundation in the Word of God. Every deed you do must glorify God. Let's pray for the grace to perceive and to walk according to the will and purpose of God.
Father, we pray for this great gift today. We've been calling ourselves Christians, but living a life that is displeasing in your sight and not acceptable according to Your Word. Lord we pray for your mercy and the precious blood of Christ to wash us and cleanse us and make us whole and renew us once again. Lord, rekindle your fire in our lives that we might study Your Word, and just as you commanded Abraham in Genesis 17, 9, to fulfil our only responsibility–– to obey you. Help us, Lord to know Your Word and to obey You, that we may live as true Christians in Christ. In Jesus name. Amen.
The church does not need you. You heard me right. However, when I say church, I do not mean the building, I do not mean the denominations, I do not even mean the religion. I am talking about the body of Christ, the people of God. The last thing we need is another selfish person who does not understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I want you to know this. Yesterday we saw in the Gospel of Matthew Chapter five verse nine, Jesus proclaiming, Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called Children of God.
And we see a great example of a peacemaker in Abraham in Genesis Chapter 12. Right. But I'm here to tell you one more thing. The Gospel of Mark, Chapter 12, verse 31, God commands us saying, Love your neighbor as you love yourself. Now, the love for neighbor cannot come without the love of God in our hearts. And the love of God can only come about when we have the love for God. And Jesus tells us in the Gospel of John, Chapter 14 or 15, if you have the love for God, if you love God, you must obey his Word.
So it all comes down to this– knowing God's Word and obeying him and serving him in everything you do. Now, I want to take you to Genesis Chapter 14 to see that being a peacemaker is just the beginning. Abraham is not only a peacemaker, he is an extraordinary peacemaker. And that is what you and I are called to be. We are called to be peacemakers, extraordinary peacemakers.
In Chapter fourteen of Genesis, we read a lot gets captured by enemies. Right? Now, just before this, we saw that Lot separates himself from Abraham and goes his own way. When Abram hears the news of Lot's capture, he does not react, saying, Oh well, that is his fate. He separated himself from me and now he's suffering consequences and there is no protection. He was captured and his whole family and household and his positions are taken. Well, that is none of my business. That is not how Abraham responds. Instead, he instantly prepares three hundred and eighteen warriors from his own household to pursue the enemies and to rescue Lot and his household and all the possessions.
In short, he is given victory. God grants victory to Abram and on his return, the king and priest of Salem, Melchizedek praises God and blesses Abraham and proclaims God's goodness. And we lead in verse 20 of Genesis Chapter 14 that Abraham tithed everything. Now pay close attention. When we hear the word tithe, we only think of money, don't we? Because we've had a lot of messages being taught to us about tithing with money giving, offering to the church.
But I want to tell you something very clearly Verse 20 cannot be more clear than to say Abraham tithed everything. God has given you in life. That is, twenty-four hours each day. How much time are you tithing? How much time do you spend obeying God's Word, studying God's Word and putting it into action? How much talent have you put into action in your church helping people? Are you a musician? Are you helping your church in worship?
If you are a preacher, if you love studying the Word of God and talking about Jesus, how much time are you taking each day to study the Word and share the good news and the gospel of Jesus Christ with people? Well, you may say, but I do not belong to either of those categories. It doesn't matter if you could be an accountant. How are you serving the Lord with your talent? So we not only have tithing of money, we have tithing of time. We have tithing of your talent. Every thing that God has blessed to you, you are accountable to share it.
Don't be selfish because being selfish is the opposite of being like God, because God so loved us that he gave his only son, he gave everything, his only son to die on the cross. If that be the case, Jesus tells us, be like your Heavenly Father. All these years of your life, you've probably worked hard. I am not denying that...
Blessed are the peacemakers, the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter five, we read about the Sermon on the Mount. And Jesus proclaims in verse nine, Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. Being a peacemaker is not an option. It is what qualifies us to be the children of the Most High God.
Paul writes to the Romans. Chapter 14 verse 17. He says, The Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking. Rather, it is of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Peace is the key to be part of God's kingdom. You cannot make peace with people unless you have the love of God in your heart. God commands us in the Gospel of Mark Chapter 12 verse 30 onwards; we see Jesus giving us the two most important commandments. He says, Love the Lord, your God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your strength, with all your soul. And he says, Love your neighbor.
Without that love for your neighbor, you cannot be a peacemaker. We see a great example of a peacemaker in Abram in Genesis Chapter 13. We see how Abram and Lot grow in their material possession so much to an extent where the herdsmen of Abraham's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock have strife between them. They begin to quarrel. There is restlessness; and Abram walks into the situation, and he makes peace.
He tells Lot, why should we have struggles? Why should our herdsmen fight amongst themselves? Let us part ways so that we could be at peace with each other. If you know the history, we spoke about it briefly in Genesis Chapter twelve– in the previous episode. Abram, who was Lord uncle, he could have easily told Lot, Hey, I'm the senior guy here, you've got to listen to me. But that is not what Abram did. Neither did he say God called me and you followed me Lot, so you've got to listen to what I am about to tell you. That is not what Abraham did.
He told Lot, there are two pieces of land before us. You take one and I'll go the other way. If you take that one to my right, I will go to the one to the left. If you pick the one to my left, then I will go to the one to my right. Abraham is a true peacemaker and there is no way you and I could be a peacemaker without the love of God in our hearts.
We read in First Corinthians, Chapter 13 verse five. Love does not insist on its own way. Love is not irritable, nor is it resentful. So love is the only way to live by. You and I are called to be peacemakers that we may be children of God. Listen to this. Jesus has given us the command to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Let's pray for this grace.
Father, we thank you that you love us unconditionally to a point of giving Jesus to be crucified on the cross for us, for our sake, to save us. Help us Lord, to be peacemakers. Help us to have your love in our hearts that we may not insist on our own way. Help us to forgive people and help us to be peacemakers every day. In Jesus name. Amen.
Do you want to be blessed? We all do, don't we? But here's the thing you must trust in the Lord, and he will bless you. We read in the Book of Genesis, Chapter 12, Verse one. And the Lord said to Abram, Go from your country, from your kindred and from your father's house, to the land I will show you. God is calling Abram to let go of everything he knows– the place, his house and the people of his house.
And God is saying, go to a place that I will show you. That means Abraham does not know where that place is. Essentially, God is saying let go of everything you know and step into the unknown. Now, why would somebody do that? If you are wise, according to this world, you would say, why would I let go of all the good things that I already have? I have my father's house. I have all the people of my father's house. This is the land I grew up. I'm familiar with everything here. Why would I leave the security, my comfort space and go to a place that I do not even know?
But here's the thing. God is GOD; He is almighty. In the next verse, he says I will. He begins saying, and I will. That means the rest is up to God and God is going to deliver his promise. Whatever God speaks, he is faithful and true to fulfill his promises.
And God tells Abraham, if you do this, if you leave everything and go to the place, I will show you. I will bless you and make your name great and you will be a blessing. Imagine that; we want to be blessed. And God is telling, not only will I bless you, I will make your name great, I will to fortify you. I will increase you. I will give you power. I will give you riches. I will give you a good health. I will increase you. And you will be a blessing to others.
Not only will we be blessed, we will be blessed to a point where we can bless others. Imagine that kind of blessing, a blessing that not only satisfies you, but a lot more people who are connected to you, people who surround you. That is true blessing. That comes only from God. We read the Psalmist speak of something very similar in Psalm Chapter three verse one he says many raise up against me. Many are my enemies. In Verse three, he says, but you Lord.
Many are my enemies. Many rise up against me. Many say bad and wicked things about me. Many say I cannot be saved. But you, Lord are a shield that surrounds me. You are my glory and the one who holds my head high. Think about that; the confidence of the Psalmist in God is that God is the one who is real protection and true blessing. Every other blessing we achieve or attain in our life is temporary, it's momentary.
But when true blessing comes from God, that blessing not only remains in our life, but it overflows onto the people around us. Now, that is the kind of blessing we want. And what does it take to receive such a blessing from God? We must trust him. That's right. You must trust in the Lord, and he will bless you. Let's pray.
Father, we thank you that you are trustworthy, that you keep your word, you give your promises, and you fulfill them in the right season, in your appointed time. And we trust in you. Lord, help our unbelief, moments when we are weak, we falter, and we fail to put our trust in you. But just as the Psalmist says, when I'm afraid I put my trust in the Lord Psalm fifty-six, three. Lord, help us whenever we are afraid to put our trust in you knowing the true blessings come from you. In Jesus name. Amen.
Why did God make the rainbow? Have you ever wondered why? Science tells us that the rainbow is caused by droplets of water in the air that act as prisms causing the colors, and we perceive it as a rainbow? But science does not tell us why God made the rainbow, but the Word of God tells us why. Now, before we step into the Book of Genesis to see why the rainbow is in the sky, I want you to briefly listen to this carefully.
In Psalm Chapter fifty six verse three we read. When I am afraid I put my trust in the Lord. That makes me wonder why would the Psalmist put his trust in the Lord when he's afraid? Psalm hundred and twelve verse seven tells us. Those who put their trust in the Lord would not be afraid of bad news. We all experience bad circumstances all the time, and the Psalmist is very clear in telling us if you put your trust in the Lord, you will not be afraid of bad news.
And that again would make us ask the question, why? Romans eight twenty-eight tells us all things, the good and the bad, all things work together for the good of those who love God. And loving God means obeying His word. You love God by putting your trust in him and obeying him. You love God by studying his word and obeying his word. Now let's get to Genesis, Chapter six, seven, eight and nine and see why God made the rainbow and put it up in the sky.
In Genesis six, we read about how the whole earth is growing strong in wickedness and evil and corruption to a point where God decides to destroy the entire Earth with floodwaters. Now, Noah finds favor with the Lord. God instructs Noah to build an ark so that Noah, his entire family, and a lot of animals could be saved. When the flood is over and the flood waters receded, God makes a covenant. And he says, never again will I destroy the entire earth with water.
And as a sign, as a symbol of this covenant, God places a bow in the sky, what you and I call the rainbow. And he said, every time there's going to be clouds, there's going to be water, there's going to be rain, this rainbow will appear as a symbol, as a sign of the great covenant that God has made. And God is faithful. He will never destroy the entire Earth with water. God is faithful. He is all powerful, and he keeps his word.
And that is why we must put our trust in him and obey him. And now that you know why God made the rainbow, that is to keep his covenant. God has many other beautiful promises just for you written in the Bible. Have you taken time to open and to know what God has promised you that he will keep because he is faithful? Study the word of God and love him by obeying his word. Put your trust in the Lord and you will not be afraid of any bad news. Let's pray.
Father we thank you that you are faithful and you are true to your word because you are the way, the truth and the life. Lord you have spoken your word and you have given us your promises. Help us to study your word and love you by obeying your word that we may receive your promises and experience of fullness in our life. That even in bad times we will not be afraid, we will not be shaken, but we will put our trust in you knowing that you will never fail us. In Jesus name. Amen.
You can if you refuse to give up. If you're listening to this, I want you to watch closely. We read in Hebrews 11 eight by Faith Abraham obeyed God and set out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. Now we read about this place throughout scripture. It is called the Land of Canaan, often referred to as a land flowing with milk and honey. It is a great and glorious place. But Abraham was not the first one to receive God's call to journey into the promised land, as we see in Genesis Chapter 12. A little before that, in Genesis Chapter 11 verse thirty-one, we see Terah, the father of Abraham, setting out on a journey from Ur of Chaldeans to the Land of Canaan.
We do not know why or how or for what purpose, but he stops at the land of Harran and they do not journey any further. They settle at Haran. Why am I talking about Abraham and his father Terah? Listen to this. God has a promised land for each one of us. We have a dream, a desire. We have a God given purpose for each of our lives. You are probably still in Ur of Chaldeans like Abraham's father. Maybe you have not started on your journey yet. Or maybe you knew your purpose and you began your journey toward that dream. Or maybe you just settle down at Harran and never proceeded further.
I want you to know God is calling you. God has a purpose for you, and God will give you the strength and the resources to fulfill the purpose that he has for you in your life. Jeremiah twenty-nine eleven God says, for I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, and I want you to connect to the Word of God to know what God has for you, because God will make a way for you to fulfill everything that He has called you to do because he is faithful, not because you and I deserve God's grace, but because he is loving and merciful to make away where there is no way.
And I want to speak over your life. The words of Jesus we read in the Gospel of John. Chapter five was eight Jesus looking at a paralyzed man who is lying down in the same place for thirty-eight years. Right? I do not know how long you are stuck in your life with whatever circumstances or relationship or a career, whatever it is that you are stuck with. I am speaking the words of Jesus to you over your life. Get up, take up your bed and walk.
It does not matter how long you have been stuck. Thirty-eight years, the man was paralyzed and here is Jesus speaking to him. Rise up and walk. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. And God's Word is power and God's Word is life. And God's Word is coming your way today. Stop procrastinating. Whatever the dream and purpose that God has put in your heart in your life, pick up your mat and walk and pursue it. May the Lord give you wisdom and strength.
James chapter one we read, those who lack wisdom must ask God for it, and He will give it to you. If you do not know where to get started, get started with the Word of God and God would speak to you and direct you in which way you should go. God would give you the wisdom that you need to do all that you are called to do.
Again, let me remind you of Hebrews eleven, eight. By faith, Abraham obeyed God. And I want you to take up God on this offer by faith, obey God, pursue him, study his word, and allow him to guide you and direct your steps every step of the way until you reach your promised land. Let's pray.
Father, we thank you that you are a good and merciful father. And we thank you, Lord, for the promises that we have in your word. Give us the grace, give us the wisdom and give us the courage to look to you at all times. No matter what circumstances may surround us, help us know that you are stronger and you are above every problem. Your name is above every other name that you are almighty, and there is nothing that is impossible for you. In Jesus name. Amen.
Why did Jesus say, get behind me, Satan to Peter? I want you to understand that Peter was one of the three disciples who were close to Jesus. We have several incidents recorded throughout Scripture, including the Transfiguration, but not exclusive to it, where we find Peter, James and John with Jesus. And despite being close to Jesus, he gets rebuked by Jesus and with a statement so sharp and harsh–– Get behind me, Satan. And this calls for attention.
So let's study up and see what Jesus has to say. We read in the Gospel of Matthew Chapter 16, Verse 21 to 23. Jesus is revealing to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem, where he will suffer, and he will be killed, and he will rise again on the third day and God will glorify him. Now, the moment Peter hears that Jesus is going to suffer and be killed, he takes Jesus aside, and he tells the Lord, You are not going to Jerusalem.
You must not do this. Does Peter mean bad? No way. Peter loves the Lord and out of his great love, He tells Jesus, this cannot be; I am not going to sit here and watch you suffer and then be killed. I'm not going to let this happen and you are not going to do this. And that is when Jesus explains and rebukes Peter. He says, Get behind me, Satan, because you are a hindrance to me.
And then he goes on to say why; for you have set your mind not on the things of God, but on the things of this world. Although Peter meant well, what Jesus was trying to say is this; God's plan for me is to suffer in Jerusalem and be crucified, that I may be glorified on the third day. And yet here you are telling me not to fulfil the plan of God. We see Paul warning believers in Second Corinthians, Chapter 11, Verse three, he says, I am afraid as the serpent who deceived Eve will lead you astray from your pure and sincere devotion to Christ.
What exactly is this deception that Paul is talking about? We read in the Book of Genesis Chapter two. God instructs Adam and Eve very clearly. We see the word God commanded them, right? It's not an option. It is God's instruction that is bound and meant to be followed. And God says you are free to eat of any fruit from any tree in the garden, but you must not eat of the fruit of the tree of good and evil.
For in the day you will eat of it. You will surely die. Now God is very clear, he says, do not eat from this tree for the day you eat of it, you will surely die. And in chapter three verse four we see the serpent talking to Eve saying. Eat of this fruit, you will surely not die. What do you see here? God says you will die if you eat of it and the serpent says, oh, you will not die. Don't worry about it. Right?
There's a problem. This is exactly what Satan does. He contradicts God, and he somehow convinces our mind and leads us astray from the plan of God. That is exactly what Peter was doing, although he had good intentions, he loved Jesus, and he said, don't go to Jerusalem. But going to Jerusalem and being crucified is the plan of God. And Jesus says you are a hindrance to me. Get behind me, Satan.
Now, there may be good people in our lives who mean well to us. But that does not mean that their advice is God's plan for us. You know what I mean? We have a lot of people who care about us, who give us great advice, which may seem wise, and we may even obey and follow their counsel. But these very things would lead us astray from our pure devotion to Christ. It is important that we know the Word of God, that we understand the will of God and the plan of God, that we would not go astray in our faith. My friend, Paul would write to us in Romans twelve two, be transformed by the renewal of your mind our mind must be changed. And the only way we can change it the right way is by knowing God's Word...
When was the last time you asked yourself, why do bad things happen to me? Right? We ask ourselves all the time, why do I have to go through this? I'm trying to do the right thing. I'm trying to live according to God's Word; hey, I'm trying to be a good Christian. And still somehow bad things happen only to me. Right? We often feel this way. And the worst part is this–– we even get mad at God.
We get angry. We get upset with him because of what we experience. But I want you to know a few things from the scripture today which will liberate you, because the Word of God is the truth and the truth sets us free. That's right. Let's turn to Psalm hundred and six verse one, and Psalm hundred and seven, verse one. Both the verses tell us, oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good and his steadfast love endures forever.
I want you to take one message out of those two scriptures. God is good. John would tell us that God is love. Can love hurt you intentionally? No way. And God is love in perfection. God is perfect in His love for us. He gave his only son to die for us on the cross even before we knew him, even while we were sinners. So do you think a God who loves you so much from all eternity, who would sacrifice his only son on the cross so that you can have the best in your life, so that you have the opportunity to be saved by knowing Jesus do you think this same God is even capable of hurting you?
That is not true. That is a lie that the devil sows in our heads, and we must understand this and liberate ourselves from this lie. My friend James will tell us in chapter one who is thirteen onwards. Remember when you are tempted, never say God is tempting me because God is not tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. And then he goes on to explain the primary cause of our temptation, trails, frustration and the bad things we go through; the bad thoughts, we think and the bad deeds, we do.
All of these are the result of the things we desire in our heart. And these desires make us think things we don't want to think, make us do, deeds we don't want to do otherwise. And we are enticed and dragged into doing all the wrong things which result in sin. And sin gives birth to eternal death. Remember what Jesus says in the Gospels, a good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.
What does that mean? If your thoughts, if your desires are all sinful and bad, evil and wicked, you cannot bear good fruit like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness. You cannot. Without the Holy Spirit, you cannot bear good fruit. Now, how can we do that, James four, seven tells us submit yourselves to God. Now, what does that mean? Aren't we all working toward our freedom? We want to earn our freedom, don't we?
We want to strive and give our best at achieving something, so we could break free from the bondage of this world. Right? That is what we are taught. That is what culture teaches us. That is what society teaches us. That is what modern life in a modern world teaches us. But the truth is Jesus already set us free and all we must do is submit ourselves to God. But our problem is this. The moment we hear the words submit, surrender, we think, oh my God, why do I want to surrender or submit my free will? I have free will to do what I want. God has given me free will. Why would I go and surrender that back to him?– because, God has your best interest at heart. And whether we want to accept it or not. We will fail no matter how hard we try. Right. Because we are faulty people, we make mistakes. Even if it is for our own benefit. We may have good intentions, but still we will fail. But God does not fail....
Before you go on about your life, take a moment and ask yourself this question– how to maximize my purpose in life? There is great potential in you because you are the creation of the Most High God. To understand God's plan and purpose for your life, you must comprehend the culmination that eternal glory awaits the good and faithful servant. Paul would go on to tell us and Colossians three twenty-three in everything you do work willingly with all your heart as unto God and not for a man.
What does that mean? In your workplace, there are times that you may be treated unfairly. Do not say I'm not paid well, I'm not treated equally and therefore I wouldn't do my best. God has put you in that position so that you would give him the glory. Matthew twenty, twenty-eight we read, the son of man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. Jesus came to give his life on the cross for you and I.
And if that be the case, every breath we draw, every beat of our heart, we are to live for his glory. In Mark nine, twenty-five we read about Jesus telling his disciples if anyone desires to be first, he must be the last of all, and servant of all. When it comes to academic achievements and career excellence, we compete to the best of our abilities to over achieve. And it may not make sense when you hear Jesus saying if you want to be first, you must be last.
That does not even make logical sense. But this is what it means. James would explain to us in Chapter four Verse 10 humble yourself before the Lord, and he will exalt you. Remember Jesus, they tortured him, they scourged him. They tied him to the pillar, they crowded with thorns, they crucified him, and they murdered him. But God raised him up on the third day. It does not matter what people try to do to you; when God lifts your head up high, when God exalts you about everyone else, because you are his child, and he will crown you with glory, no one can say anything about it.
And that is why we go back to Colossians three, twenty-three. Do everything you do as you do unto God willingly with all your heart. Don't do it for man, don't do it for people to appreciate you; don't live for people to accept you, but live to glorify your creator. Let's pray for this grace.
Father, we thank you that you are a loving and merciful God who sent his only son because of love. To die for us on the cross to serve and not to be served. Help us not to live for this world, not to live for the pleasures or passions of this world, not to live even for the people of this world, but to live to glorify your holy name, to be good and faithful servants in Jesus name.
Amen.
Why does God not answer my prayers? Now, that is a painful question. And I know how you're feeling because I've been there. Why are my prayers never answered? I'm glad you're listening because God has an answer for you.
In Isaiah 65, 24. We see God speaking, “before the call. I will answer while they are yet speaking, I will hear." Now, You are probably shaking your head going, "no, that's not been my experience. I've prayed about some things several times and I haven't heard from God and my circumstances have never changed." Right?
It's confusing. But James four, three gives us clarity, "you ask and you do not receive because you ask wrongly." He's very clear about it. This is not an option. This is not a possibility. You ask wrongly to spend it on your passion. Remember Jeremiah 29, 11. "God has a plan for you." And if you trust and believe that God is Almighty God, then you will trust in his plan for you.
If you had a child, and the child was constantly asking you for strawberries and the child said, "I've never had strawberries, I would love to have some strawberries, please get me some strawberries." But you know that the child is allergic to strawberries. Would you still go ahead and buy the child a box of strawberries? You wouldn't do that because you know, that is life threatening to the child.
God knows what is good for you. And it is because of this love that he has for you, that he does not give you whatever you want because that could be dangerous for you. But God has a plan. I want you to remember the words of Jesus in Luke 11, 13. "If you who are sinful and evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Heavenly Father, who is holy and perfect, give you the Holy Spirit if you ask Him."
Now, you're probably asking, does this mean I should only pray for the Holy Spirit? What about my requirements, my other prayer needs? What do I do with all those? Let me tell you something. If you have the Holy Spirit, he will guide you into all the truth, and he will give you wisdom that no one in this world can give you.
Jesus speaks yet again in John, 15, 7, and he says, "If you abide me, and my words abide in you ask for whatever you wish and it will be done." And the only way that you and I are going to abide in God and remember the Word of God and that the Word of God, may abide in us it is through the Holy Spirit.
If we do not have the Holy Spirit, then we cannot live in accordance to the Word of God. And that means our prayers will never be answered. And that's what we are asking, right? Why are my prayers never answered?–– because the Word of God is not in us. So what do I do? What do I do that God will hear my prayers and answer me?
Now, I'm going to give you the answer to it. It's not my word. It's the Word of God. This will change your life forever. But you got to take action from this very moment for the rest of your life. If you would like to turn your life around for the glory of God. 1 Thessalonians. 5, 17, "pray without ceasing". In other words, never stop praying.
Again, you'll probably be asking me, "hey, I have a job, I work, I take care of my house, I need to cook. I have so many other things to do. What do you expect me to do? Keep praying all the time?" Don't misunderstand. What it means is this, maybe you are cooking; and while you're cooking, You could thank the Lord and say, "Father, I thank you for the good blessing that you've given, for the wisdom you have given for your providence to prepare a good meal for my family."
Maybe you have a very bad job, right? And it's easy to complain, but you could say, "Lord, I thank you that you have blessed me with this job. While there are so many people out there desperately hunting to have a job, any job."
There are so many things that you can pray to the Lord while you are going about your life.
God does not need your money. That's right, we've been told time and time again by preachers, teachers and churches that we must sacrifice and give our money to build a church to build God's work. But the truth is, on the contrary. Let's turn to first Timothy Chapter six verse 10 for the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. And it is through its craving that many have wandered away from their faith in Christ and pierced themselves with many sorrows.
Misunderstanding the purpose of money and the use of money in our life and messing up our relationship with God causes a lot of pain and sorrow and agony that is inescapable. We all suffer under this pressure. Hebrews 13 five tells us, keep your life free from the love of money. Be content with what you have for God has said I will never leave you or forsake you. What does it mean? God's presence with us, is everything.
God is our provider. He is our protector. He is the source of every good blessing. That is why the Psalmist in Verse one of Chapter 23. The Lord is my shepherd and I shall not want. In other words, God is my shepherd who cares for me, He tends to all my needs and I have everything I need. We have a beautiful promise in Philippians four, 19. My God will supply every need of yours according to His riches. That's right. His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. God is the source of every blessing, my friend. And God is not dependent on your money.
Now that we discussed all of that, you might have a question. Why does the Bible teach us to tithe and give offering to the church if God does not need our money? Here's the deal. Don't get confused. Proverbs three, nine tells honor the Lord with your wealth and the best part of everything you produce.
Remember Cain and Abel? Abel gave the first-born lambs as sacrifice to God. God has blessed you with everything you have. I'm just going to give you a very simple analogy here. Imagine this. If I gave you an advice to invest a thousand dollars into a business, right. And you just trusted me and invested a thousand dollars into a business and five years later, you got ten million dollars out of it, wouldn't you, with great joy, come to me and say, hey, you know what? I heard your advice, and I was blessed and I'm going to give you a million dollars. You would do that joyfully because you know that if I hadn't told you about the investment, you would have never made it.
Now, what am I trying to tell you here? God is the source of every blessing, even the very breath that you are breathing this moment, your heartbeat that is going on inside you. It is from God. You haven't done anything. You and I haven't paid anybody. You and I haven't worked to be worthy of this life that God has given us. Our life is so much more worth than money. Think about it. Not even worth ten million dollars, can you buy life? That is purely God's mercy and blessing, and if God has blessed us with so many rich blessings in our life, should we not be glad and cheerful to honor the Lord? It is our rightful duty.
It is our rightful duty to honor God, not only with our wealth, with our talent, with our time, with everything we have in everything we do. The best belongs to God because it is our duty and not because God needs it. Understand this today, make no mistake, it is your duty to honor the Lord, not to be slaves of false teaching, but to honor the Lord for all the goodness that he has given you. Let's pray.
Father, we thank you that you are a good and merciful Father. You have blessed us with a gift of life. You have blessed us with all the resources that we have helped us Lord to honor you with our time, with our tithe and our talent. Lord everything we have is yours, and we want to honor you. Give us the grace, the humility and the courage to honor your name and live for your glory in Jesus name. Amen.