How many times have we looked to money or people as our savior instead of God? I fell into the trap of thinking money was my savior rather than God. I took on business deals that I shouldn’t have because of our financial needs.

The mistake I made was that I didn’t ask God whether I should take these business deals before giving my yes.

I followed where the money was, but not God. 

This kept me from stewarding my calling as a mother and building the ministry God entrusted to me. I ended up obeying God and letting go of the business deals. It was then that I could feel God’s grace upon my life to do what He has called me to do.

As I stepped out in faith to pursue Living Revelations wholeheartedly, I started to see God bring the provision through the ministry.

This was a reminder to me that God is my Savior, not money.

What is Idolatry?

God makes it clear that we are not to have any gods before him (Exodus 20:3). Jesus alone is the One we are to follow. What is idolatry? Idolatry is anything we put above God. Idolatry begins when we believe God is not enough.

It’s in the moment we say, “I need to have this,” that what we start to develop an idol in our hearts. Money, relationships, fame, etc., can easily become idols if we are not careful to remember that Jesus is all we need. We must always put God first.

Money is not bad, but when money becomes our main ambition, it can become an idol where we see money as our savior and not God.

God warns us in I Timothy‬ ‭6‬:‭9‬-‭10‬, “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”

The love of money can cause us to stray from the faith, leading us to destruction and hell.

Matthew 6:24 says, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

Don’t believe the lie that you can serve God and idols. Idolatry removes God from our lives. When we read the Old Testament, we see countless times that idols and the high places where people worshipped idols would always pull people away from God.

We cannot tolerate idolatry.

Let’s not make our ambitions to be rich, but rather to do the will of God and use our finances for His purposes and not our own personal gain.

The enemy wants us to live short-minded, thinking of worldly pleasures, but God invites us to live with eternity in mind. The money we have now should be used to store up eternal treasures for the life to come when Jesus comes back.

Everything we have now on earth will disappear (1 Timothy 6:7), but our good deeds done for God will account for us riches that we will get to enjoy for eternity in heaven.

Are you following where the money is or God’s leading?

Don’t let money rule you. If you serve money, you will live a life of worry because money cannot guarantee you security. If you serve God, you will never have to worry because He is faithful to provide all our needs.

Jesus tells us right after verse 24 not to worry about what we will eat or drink. He tells us that God knows what we need and to simply seek first His kingdom and righteousness (Matthew 6:25-33). As long as we put God first, everything else that we need will come.

How to avoid Idols in our Lives

How do we guard ourselves from forming idols in our lives? By looking to Jesus as our only Savior — the One who satisfies us and the only One that we need.

May we continue to carry the heart of Psalm 23:1 that says, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.“

The world will constantly remind us that we need everything but God. These are the times when we have to renew our minds with God’s truth and remember that God is all we need. Discontentment births idolatry. The moment when discontentment springs up, we must give thanks to God and rejoice. Giving thanks to God puts God back where He belongs and gives us the right perspective of who He is.

Paul says in Philippians 4:12-13, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

Paul was able to avoid idolatry because He looked to Jesus as His source of strength. We must put God first and remember that all we need is found in Him and through Him.

Practice taking refuge in Jesus when troubles or discontentment arise. Psalm 18:30 says, “God, his way is perfect: The LORD’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him.”

Do you acknowledge that Jesus alone is your Savior? Are you being led by Jesus or idols like money?

1 Timothy‬ ‭6:17-19‬ says, “Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.”

It can be easy to make marriage/relationship, success, fame, or a career an idol in our lives.

If we believe we need to be in a relationship to feel happy, or that we need to achieve a certain career or level of success to be fulfilled, then those things have become idols in our hearts.

The truth is, nothing will satisfy us except Jesus. Only Jesus was made to be our all satisfaction. We were made to worship Jesus alone.

While marriage, success, and family are beautiful things to have, they were never meant to take the place of God.

Jesus says in John 6:35, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.”

Is there a person or thing that you have put above God? Have you positioned Jesus to be your Savior, the only One you need?

Follow Jesus and put God First

Let Jesus be the one you look to for guidance. Don’t follow where the money is, but follow His leading. There is safety in trusting Jesus.

Trust that God knows the best way for you to invest your time, gifts, and resources‭‭ for His kingdom and glory.

Contentment is possible in Jesus, but it requires us to seek Jesus and make Him our delight. Psalm 34:8 says, “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”

Where are you turning for rest and satisfaction? The world offers many things before us that can tempt us to seek after those things instead of Jesus, causing us to feel discontent in our current season.

It can be that vacation you’ve always wanted, or a spouse you’ve been praying for, or the financial breakthrough you need. While these things may be good, let us not lose sight of the One who is good and all satisfying—Jesus.

1 Timothy 6:6-7 says, “Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.” Godliness with contentment is great gain. Look to Jesus for contentment. He promises to not leave us hungry and thirsty.

We need to remember that the things of this world will not last forever. What will last forever is our relationship with Jesus. May we set our affections on things above and not on earthly things that will pass away (Colossians 3:2).

Will you take time throughout the day to worship Jesus and seek Him in the Word? So remember, do not fall into idolatry. 

Prayer: Jesus, help me to follow You above all else. Keep me from chasing idols like money or success, and remind me that You alone satisfy. Teach me to trust Your leading, find contentment in every season, and live for what matters eternally.

Listen to our Podcast “What is Idolatry and Not Falling into Idolatry”

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There have been times when I was confronted with my pride but failed to see it because I processed it through my own thoughts and feelings. It wasn’t until I humbled myself and invited the Holy Spirit that I could then see my faults and see what God saw.

I learned it takes humility, the willingness to put ourselves lowly, to see our flaws and walk into God’s abundant blessings.

Humility will always lead us to wisdom, and it has the ability to show us our blind spots. Walking in humility also means that we do fear God because we acknowledge that He alone is to be enthroned and not our ego. When we humble ourselves with the fear of God, we position ourselves to have access to God’s wisdom. This is why Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom…”

God always rewards the humble by positioning us to be lifted up (1 Peter 5:6) as we deny ourselves.

Is there an area in your life where you need to be humbled?

We can’t understand the things of God with our own intellect — we need the mind of Christ, which comes from the Holy Spirit. We need the Holy Spirit in order to understand the things of the Spirit, including the Word of God because the Word of God contains Spirit-taught words (1 Corinthians 2:13). 1 Corinthians 2:14 says, “The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.”

If we want to access the mind of Christ, we need to lay down our own lives in humility and invite the Holy Spirit in. Having the mind of Christ means dying to ourselves — all of our fears, pride, and everything else; and surrendering our lives to the Lord. Once Jesus saves us, it takes daily renewing of our minds with God’s Word to transform us and allow us to adopt the mind of Christ.

Let’s not forget that the Bible, which is Jesus Himself, also contains wisdom that will bless our lives here on earth and for eternity. Though we may be tempted to go our own way, let’s choose the way of wisdom. Proverbs 4:6-7 says, “Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.”

Many times, we suffer due to the lack of wisdom applied in our lives. Though choosing wisdom may be costly, it will be well worth it down the road. When we choose to seek wisdom and live by it, we will find protection from things that will harm our lives.

Will you choose daily to lay aside yourself and let Jesus and His Spirit lead you? Only through the Holy Spirit can we know God’s thoughts (1 Corinthians 2:11).

The enemy will try to make us fear this world more than we fear God to cause us to walk away from wisdom. Whether it’s lying due to fear of man, or disobeying God out of fear of not having enough, it all comes from a lack of fear of God. We need to replace these lies of the enemy with the truth of God. We have access to the truth because everything God thinks and says is truth.

Having a fear of God will cause us to do nothing apart from Him and will lead us into the path of wisdom. So remember, the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.

Prayer: Jesus, thank you for sending the Holy Spirit to guide me. Help me to humble myself and have a healthy fear of you, so that you may lead me into the path of wisdom.

Listen more in our podcast “The Beginning Of Wisdom”
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I used to not be excited about reading the Bible until I realized that God speaks and reveals Himself through the word. There was a time when I would open my Bible and whisper, “I hope God speaks today.”

I said these words years ago without realizing that God does speak through His word. It’s not that God is not speaking, but that we are not willing to linger long enough to listen to His voice through the word.

You can receive revelation through the word by the Holy Spirit. Jesus reveals Himself and his will for your life through the word.

John 16:13 says, “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.”

The “truth” in this verse is the word of God. The Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth, teaching and directing our lives practically. Reading the Bible isn’t just about getting knowledge of Jesus, but experiencing Jesus. He wants to be relevant in our lives, and that’s where the Holy Spirit plays a role in bringing revelation – making the word alive and practical in our lives.

Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Jesus can be found in scripture, His word can be made alive when you invite the Holy Spirit to speak to you through the word.

I believe the enemy is planting a lie in many believers that we can’t encounter revelation through the Bible; in other words, God doesn’t speak to us through the Bible. We’ve relied on preachers or yearned for encounters in the midst of worship to hear God besides the word itself.

The truth is, God does speak through the word. Why? Because the word is Jesus.

John 1:14 says, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” Jesus is the very scriptures we hold in the Bible. We can encounter Jesus through the word because the word is Jesus.

We must be as excited with reading our Bibles like when entering into His presence in worship. 

I’ve received great breakthroughs in my life through the word. The Holy Spirit uses the word of God to correct and show me things in my heart that I never realized I had. He opens my eyes and gives me vision for my future. He’s used the word to give me practical direction for my daily life.

I went from not being excited when reading the Bible to being excited and expecting God to speak.

Paul writes in Colossians 1:9-10 “We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way.”

The Holy Spirit’s job is to illuminate the word and bring it to life as we read it. We can read the word but not give the Holy Spirit room to speak to us through it. Jesus has a lot that He wants to show us and it starts with giving our time in the word.

We cannot neglect the word of God because it has been given to us as our daily bread. Jesus says, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35). He tells us that every day we are to pray, “give us this day, our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11). This means we are to be in the word to receive Jesus as our daily bread.

When was the last time you were in the word of God? Are you reading it every day and making that a priority? 

When we neglect the word, we neglect the truth that Jesus is trying to speak to us. We miss out on the revelation that he yearns to fill our hearts with. If we are needing to be set free, we must be immersed in the word that is the truth. Jesus says in John 8:32, “then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Are you needing direction in your life? Do you long to be set free from strongholds that have been holding you back for so long? You will find everything you need in the word and by the power of the Holy Spirit.

If you have not invited Jesus as your savior into your life, that is the first thing you need to do. Through Jesus, you will then receive the Holy Spirit who will illuminate the word for you. Invite the Holy Spirit in and pray John 16:33 before reading scripture. Read the Bible with excitement and expectancy that He will speak through it. So remember, it’s time to get in the word.

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Now that 2018 has ended, I can say that this was truly a year of miracles.

While there were many miracles that happened, the journey through this year wasn’t at all easy.

I was faced with fearful thoughts and opposition. God had spoken many promises into my life for this year but they all seemed impossible.

God’s word for me in 2018 was “this is the year of miracles to those willing to believe.” There were moments when I wanted to give up. I couldn’t believe because my situation seemed so impossible. But He told me to be bold and not hold back on anything. I did and I can now say Jesus came through just as He always does – He is Faithful.

Here’s what 2018 looked like for me:

• I stepped out of my shell and started doing worship on the piano
• God opened many speaking/ministering opportunities and saw many hearts touched
• Living Revelations became an official non-profit organization
• I spoke over 80 prophetic words that brought encouragement to others
• God stretched me in generosity and I saw how it blessed others in such a timely manner
• I made the decision to let go of my full-time job to pursue ministry and Living Revelations
• I was able to marry the love of my life and have a beautiful wedding (with only 4 weeks to plan).

All of these things wouldn’t have happened if I wasn’t willing to believe in Jesus. I never could see myself worshipping in front of people. I didn’t think Living Revelations could impact many lives and I didn’t feel qualified to share God’s word. Never could I have imagined getting married within a year. But with God, all things are possible. He’s a God who wants to show off His glory through our lives if we will let Him.

Jesus says in John 11:40 says, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

The only way to prove our belief in Jesus is by our act of faith through obedience. There were times when I could have chosen to give in to fear and not step out by faith and pursue the things God put in my heart to do. If I had done so, I would have not seen all these miracles come to pass.

We must press on and be willing to believe despite the setbacks we may face.

What are promises that God has spoken over your life? Are you willing to believe and follow Him no matter how impossible it may seem?

Following Jesus isn’t easy, but He does promise us a life to the fullest (John 10:10). When we allow Jesus to be the shepherd over our lives, we can be sure that His goodness and love will follow us all the days of our lives (Psalm 23:6).

We must be willing to seek His direction and have the faith to obey Him no matter the hardships we face. Jesus says in John 16:33 that we will face troubles, but we can rest in Him because He has overcome it all.

As we step out of our comfort zones, God will open the doors of opportunity for 2019. The transition entering into the new year is only to prepare us for the blessings that God wants to pour in our lives. God wants to be able to trust us with the plans that He has for our lives. If we can’t trust God now, how can we trust Him when He gives us more?

God wants us to know that He is our ultimate provider. He is the one who does it all – we are merely a vessel for beholding His glory. We serve a God who does above all we can ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us (Ephesians 3:20).

2019 is a year of open doors and abundant blessings for those who acknowledge God as the Great I Am. Let’s start 2019 with the faith that we serve a God of the impossible. So remember, are you willing to believe?

Prayer: God, you are the Great I Am and the one who does it all. I put my trust in you. 

I have needs just like you. I spent weeks fasting and praying but it had a lot to do with looking for God to do miracles through me and in my situation. Breakthrough was needed in my situation, but without me realizing my heart was set on His hands and not His face.

The Holy Spirit convicted my heart as I read Psalm 27:4 which was written by David:

“One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.”

David had many needs and was going through so many struggles. King Saul was after his life, yet David made one request to God – it wasn’t to be raised up as a king, nor for provision and safety or for any other need He may have had. His request was to simply be in God’s presence and to gaze upon His beauty.

David’s heart was after God alone.

Was my heart after God alone? Not completely.

My heart was too focused on my needs. I forgot the most important thing that my heart needed which was God. I lost the joy of His presence because I was too focused on what I lacked. I needed to remember that I have all I need in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19 reminds us, “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”

As we set our hearts on God, all our needs will be met.

Jesus is all we need and everything else comes secondary after Him. Many times we put our needs over Jesus. Maybe you’re thinking you need that boyfriend to make your life better, or you need success to feel good about yourself. The truth is you just need Jesus. He is the source of love, joy, affirmation, peace, comfort and any other need you may have.

Your needs should only be pointing you to Jesus.

It can be easy to focus on what Jesus can do through us and for us that we miss Jesus himself. I was caught up with seeking the miracles of Jesus that I forgot the greatest miracle of all which is His love for us. He died on the cross for our sins and was raised back to life to redeem us. He loved us while we were yet sinners (Romans 5:8).

If Jesus was willing to go that far to die for us, will He not meet our needs today?

God is a good father and will take care of our needs. He wants us to learn to put Him first and to love Him not for what He can do for us but simply for more of Him.

Matthew 6:33 reminds us, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

May we be like David, whose only request was to dwell in the presence of God and gaze at His beauty. It’s ok to be asking God for a breakthrough, but ultimately our hearts must be set on Him. 

David says in Psalm 27:8,”..Your face, Lord, I will seek.”

For what reasons have you been seeking God lately? Is your heart set on your needs or on God? 

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and show you anything that is hindering your heart from being pure before Him.

Make Psalm 139:23-24 your prayer to the Lord: “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

As you set your heart on God, He will quiet all the worries of this world and bring you in a place of complete joy and stillness. So remember, set your heart on what matters.

Prayer: Lord, I trust that as I set my heart on you, all my needs will be met.

As vacation time was coming up, my to-do list was growing.

I had work tasks that had to be completed, graphics that had to be created and scheduled for Living Revelations, and much more. I started neglecting my morning times with God to work out more in the gym just before my cruise.

When I finally had the time to spend alone time with Jesus, I ran into a passage in my devotional that said: “We are not called to do something but to do it for someone.”

It was at that moment when I realized I had lost my focus on the most important thing – Jesus.

I was getting things done for Jesus but neglected Jesus himself. Without me realizing, I was prioritizing my to-do list over spending time with Jesus.

While Jesus loves us doing things for him, He first wants us to give our undivided attention to Him.

When we spend more of our time doing things for Him and neglect to spend the time to hear what He has to say, we have missed the whole point. Our lives were made to glorify God and that only comes from a life devoted to Jesus in the secret place – the place where you and Jesus are alone.

Matthew 22-37-38 says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.”

We are not showing our love and devotion to God if we are only doing things for Him but neglecting to spend time with Him. Imagine having a spouse who does things for you but doesn’t bother to spend quality time with you. How would that make you feel?

Jesus cares more about us than the things we do for Him. 

We see this in the story of Mary and Martha. Jesus came to visit them and while Mary was sitting at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said, Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made (Luke 10:39-40).

Martha got upset and asked Jesus to tell Mary to help her. But Jesus replied, “few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:42).

Jesus made it clear that Mary has chosen what is better, which is spending time listening to Him. While all the preparations were important, they were not as important than spending time with Jesus.

Will you be like Mary and choose to sit before the feet of Jesus? Nothing is worth cutting our time with Jesus.

Are you like Martha who loves Jesus but is distracted by the things that need to get done? What’s distracting you from spending time with Jesus? Is it ministry for Jesus himself? Is it your workload?

Whatever it may be, know that time with Jesus is worth it and necessary.

Jesus says in John 15:5,”I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

Jesus is the key to the success of our lives and ministry. Spending time with Jesus is more important than getting our to-do list done. Apart from Jesus, we can do nothing. Many times we think we are being more productive by getting our to-do list done first before spending time with Jesus, but in reality, we will be more productive if we start our day with Jesus.

There’s nothing more important than spending time with Jesus.  Jesus is the source of joy and strength we need to get through the day, the source of wisdom and creativity for us to stand out in our work, and the source of love and assurance we need to persevere in the midst of a negative world.

What if spending time with Jesus was the solution to your marriage conflicts? What if spending time with Jesus was the key to the inspiration and strategy you needed for your dreams to come true? 

We need to start viewing time with Jesus as necessary than optional. It is impossible to reach the plans God has for our lives by our own strength and mind. We need God’s strategies and creativity. Jesus has all the solutions we need for our lives and when we spend time with Him, He will pour out all the wisdom and revelation we need to glorify Him in all we do.

Ephesians 1:17 says, “..the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.” The more we spend time with Jesus, the more our lives will look like Him. 

Proverbs 2:6 says, “For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” God has also given us the Holy Spirit to know Jesus better and to live as Jesus live so that others may witness His love and power through us.

The more we spend time with Jesus, the more we will see Him real and active in our lives. It’s the time spent with Jesus that prepares us to be successful in all we do to glorify God. So remember, spend time with Jesus.

Prayer: Jesus, I choose to spend time with you before above all things. 

I would be lying if I said I got to where I am today from going through life in perfect conditions.

I went through many hardships and setbacks, and still am today.

But every testimony I’ve written started with a struggle. It’s through the struggles that I’ve been able to learn to depend on God and come out victorious.

I’m never the hero in my battles, it’s always God. Through my struggles, I have seen God’s strength and power more real in my life. No matter what battles I go through, I see them through the eyes of victory because I know God is for me.

God has already scheduled our victories even in the midst of our battles. 

Just as God is for me in my battles, He is also for you.

We can endure hardships with joy when we know that God is using them for our good and that victory is coming. Romans 8:18 says, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” The hardships we go through may be painful, but the testimony that will stem from our problems will be greater than the pain.

God promises us in Romans 8:28 that in all things he works for our good. This means we should have no reason to be filled with fear because we know the end result will always be our victory.

Without trials and testings, we will never grow as Christians. The sign of a growing Christian is one whose faith is growing. Abraham is a perfect example of one whose faith grew. Romans 4:20 says, “Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God.”

Abraham had to go through impossible situations for his faith in God to grow. Abraham desired to have children but both him and Sarah were around 100 years old and past the capabilities of having children. However, God promised Abraham that he would have descendants as many as the stars in the sky (Genesis 15:5).

While God did promise Abraham many descendants, he still allowed them to go through hardships. Genesis 16:1 says, “Sarah was not able to bear children.”

You might ask, “Why would God make it harder for them and not allow Sarah to have children right after making the promise to Abraham? Why did God make them go through such difficulty?”

God allowed Abraham and Sarah to go through what seemed impossible so that their faith would grow and see that nothing is impossible for God.

God too is taking you through the hardships so you can see that nothing is impossible for Him.

What difficulties is God taking you through today? Will you press through and trust that His promises for you are coming?

God is more interested in your growth than your comfort. He is a good father and like any good father, He allows us to go through difficulties as a discipline to strengthen us. Hebrews 12:7 says, “Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?”

If you had a child, would you want them to skip the process of studying and just see them get an A? Of course not (at least I hope not). You would want your kids to learn through the process and earn the A.

Like any good parent, God too wants us to go through hardships to grow and learn. God doesn’t want us to skip the trials and tests of life and miss out on the opportunity to gain wisdom and understanding. He wants us to go through the process and come out stronger and victorious.

Hebrews 12:11 says, “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

Will you trust God and His process?

We can enjoy the process when we know it’s for our good and our own maturing. James 1:2-4 reminds us, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

Hardships open the way for new strength and wisdom. Every hardship is an opportunity to grow stronger and wiser. 

We cannot be qualified to help others until we learn how to be overcomers in Christ.  God uses hardships to prepare us to be used to make a difference in someone else’s life. 

No matter what you are facing, know that you can come out victorious with Christ. God promises us that in all hardships we can be more than conquerors through Christ who loves us (Romans 8:37).

Every victory starts with a battle and every testimony starts with a struggle. So remember, hardships are necessary.

Prayer: Lord, I thank you that I can praise you through all hardships knowing that my victory is coming.

I never thought much of prayer and always excused myself out of it thinking I didn’t have the gift of a prayer warrior. I never could find the right words to make my prayers sound grand, so I told myself that prayer just wasn’t my thing.

I’d pray here and there but never invested my heart in it. Whether it was praying for myself or others, they would simply be a few quick words so I could move on in my day. This past January I prayed and asked God what he wanted me to work on this coming new year.

His answer was to pray more.

I didn’t think God had called me to become a prayer warrior, but he showed me that everyone is called to pray. I started creating prayer cards with specific Bible verses for me to proclaim for myself, my ministry, and for those whom God put in my heart to pray for. Ever since I have been praying more, I’ve seen God work more through my life and Living Revelations.

More than ever have I received messages from people all over the world telling me how Living Revelations has touched their life. I credit this all to God. Through prayer, God’s anointing and power have become stronger and more evident in my life.

We may see prayer as simple words spoken, but it is our prayers that draw the power of God into our lives and ministry.

Our prayers open doors for God to do the impossible. 

A great example of the power of prayer is in the life of the prophet Elisha from the Bible. Elisha was a man of prayer and a powerful prophet used by God. Elisha would always pray to God before any miracle happened through God. 2 Kings 6:17-18 says, “And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha…Elisha prayed to the Lord, “Strike this army with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness, as Elisha had asked.”

God’s power was displayed through Elisha because of his prayers. Just as God used Elisha to bring miraculous powers, God also wants to use our prayers to shine his light and glory. God has plans to use us our prayers to bring his power, restoration, and miracles into the world. God’s power becomes evident in our lives through prayer. 

We must make prayer a prioritization. We’re all called to pray regardless if we consider ourselves a prayer warrior or not. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, “Pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Prayer is not a requirement for some, but for all.

God calls you to pray because it’s only through prayer that he can do wonders with your life. When you live a life following God’s way and his righteousness, your prayers become powerful and effective (James 5:16).

When was the last time you invested heart in prayer? Have you realized the power your words have through prayer? God wants to show you more of Himself in your life, but he asks you to seek him with all your heart through prayer. God promises to those who seek him with all their heart that they will find him.

When you pray, you are calling on a mighty God to move upon your life. Pray with faith and boldness trusting that God can do the impossible. So remember, there is power through prayer.

Prayer: Lord, I thank you that I can call on you to do wonders in my life through prayer. 

Just like you, I too made goals that I wanted to accomplish last year; goals to be a better person, to be more productive, and to be closer to God. While I did accomplish some goals that I had made, there were also a lot of other goals that ended up just being “goals” but never accomplishments.

I had a goal to finish my Psalms devotional book that never ended up happening, and goals to pray more, but my prayer life still has not gotten better since the day I made the decision to pray more. My problem was a lack of strategy and commitment. The desire to change was there, but no visible strategy was placed.

Having the desire to accomplish something isn’t enough to get us to accomplish our goals. Turning goals into accomplishments requires desire, strategy, and commitment.

When you set a goal to get an A in a class, you have to create a strategy on how you plan to accomplish that, and then you have to commit to that strategy. Just desiring for an A in the class but not committing time to study or do homework will take you nowhere near an A.

Just as we set goals and strategies to get an A in class, so should we do the same for setting up goals to having a closer relationship with God. Many of us say “this will be the year that I will pray more” or “this will be the year that I get closer to God” without making actual strategies on how we plan to achieve that. So what ends up happening? Goals stay as goals.

However, there is a way to live purposefully this new year and make everyday count. To help you make the most of this new year, I created a Live Purposefully Calendar (click to download) that you can download. This calendar will help you accomplish your goals by allowing you to plan and create strategies for you to commit to. To help you stay committed to your strategies, choose one accountability partner who will agree to check your calendar at the end of each month. There are check boxes on each day for you to mark off whenever each strategy is completed for the day, and a check box at the end of the calendar for your accountability partner to mark off that they have seen your calendar.

Let’s make 2017 the year we turn our goals to accomplishments. God has a calling and purpose for all of us, but it is up to us to be obedient and live up to the calling. Paul writes in Philippians 3:14, “I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Let’s press towards the calling God has for us and live purposefully this new year. Will you join me in living each day of 2017 purposefully? So remember, live purposefully this new year.

Click here to download the Live Purposefully Calendar for free.

Recently, I’ve been caught up with my things to-do list that just never seemed to end. Each day I found myself crossing off things I had to do, but the the time that I had didn’t seem to be enough for me to finish all that I had to do.

Each day was like a race with time, using every second that I had. I was busy with my full time job, starting my own Christian clothing line, blogging, and studying for my bible class.

But there was one thing that I neglected to do that should have been my priority on my things to do list, and that was my time alone with God.

It wasn’t that God was displeased at my works for him, but he was displeased with where I was placing my focus on in life. I became so focused on my work for him that I started cutting short my time with God. Even doing things for God can displease God when it becomes of greater importance than God himself.

I was so excited with starting my Christian clothing line that all my focus was placed on that. I thought that my works would fulfill me with joy and peace, but the more I focused on what I needed to do, the more I was overwhelmed with burdens and worries.

What caused these unnecessary burdens and worries? It was because my heart was focused on the wrong thing.

It can be easy for us to believe that our jobs and careers will fulfill us, or that our marriages will fill us with satisfying love, but the truth is all these blessings can only come from God. We want a good job because we are seeking for security, but security only comes from God. We want to get married because we want love, but fulfilling love only comes from God.

When we focus on other things, we loose sight of the real blessings that come from God. Our works cannot provide us security, peace, joy, hope, and all the other desires we have in our hearts. All these things can only come from God, who brought together the works in our lives.

James 1:17 says, “Every good gift comes from above, coming down from the father of heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” We must focus on the giver of the gifts, and not the gifts themselves because the source of blessings comes from the giver.

When we focus on God, our hearts become opened to receive the blessings that he has for us. Blessings do not only come in monetary forms. God’s blessings include his faithfulness in our lives, his peace in our hearts, his loving voice in our ears, and his bursting love in our souls.

When we place our focus on God, it opens our eyes to see his faithfulness, our ears to hear his loving voice, and our hearts to receive his unconditional love.

That is what I call a blessing.

God has so much that he wants to pour out in your life, but are you giving him room to pour into your life? Are you focusing on him? Your works were never made to please you – only God was made to please you.

Philippians 4:19 says, “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Jesus Christ.” God has all you need, but you must keep your eyes focused on him so that you can follow his path that will lead you to a desirable and blessed life. So remember, are you focusing on the right thing?