Most of us clean up really well. We put on our public faces. We play the role. Some people go about their daily tasks with such a level of confidence, professionalism and excellence that you would think they are close to faultless.

They are always perfectly groomed…

Their credit score is 800,000,000…

They always know the right thing to say…

Their focus is surgical…

Their anointing is nearly biblical.

They are never shaken by anything.

Do you know someone like that?

Watching these people can make you feel…

Unqualified…

Inadequate…

Ugly…

Weak…

Unproductive…

Unfocused…

Insecure…

Naked.

But God sees ALL of us as we really are.

We all stand NAKED before God.

Even the most fit person has some physical imperfections that they don’t want anyone to see when they’re naked.

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God sees us all spiritually NAKED.

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Jeremiah 17:10 (NKJV)

10 I, the Lord, search the heart,
I test the mind,
Even to give every man according to his ways,
According to the fruit of his doings

He sees our heart and our motives of WHY we do what we do.

He sees our secret anxieties and insecurities.

He knows when we’re second-guessing ourselves.

He knows those thoughts that make us most ashamed.

He knows our secrets that we hope are never revealed.

He sees us as we REALLY are when we aren’t ‘cleaned up.

He sees us NAKED.

That’s why we should NEVER take the fact that God sent the Living Word as His Son to serve as PROPITIATION for our sins for granted.

1 John 2:2 (NKJV)

2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.

Propitiation means that Jesus covered our guilt and our sin. It means that Jesus served as a substitute, appeasing the wrath of God for all of our sins.

God knows on our best day we mess up and stand NAKED before Him.

Stop right now and thank the Lord Jesus Christ for covering your spiritual nakedness.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

Even though we may not all be Pastors, every disciple of Christ is a minister. We are all called to serve and represent the glory of God in everything that we do…

Proverbs 3:6  (NKJV)

⁶ In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct^[a] your paths.

Colossians 3:17  (NKJV)

¹⁷ And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

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There are some things that God expects of every believer. We must remember that even though we aren’t always in church, we are always in worship…

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Romans 12:1 (NKJV)

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

 Acknowledging God and honoring Him in everything that we do is a ministry in which we serve Him and worship Him daily. Here are 4 ministries that we all share as believers…

 

1. MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION

Anyone who loves his or her parent wants to see their siblings be in good relationship with their mother and father. If they have an estranged brother and sister, they will do all they can to convince them to be reconciled to their parent(s). That’s the responsibility that God gives us as disciples of Christ…to convince our brothers and sisters to be reconciled to our Heavenly Father through our Lord and Savior, Yeshua, Christ Jesus.

2 Corinthians 5:18-20 (NKJV)

¹⁸ Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, ¹⁹ that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. ²⁰ Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.

 

2. MINISTRY OF FAMILY

Our roles in our families could also be defined as our responsibilities in our families. God has defined our family responsibilities in His word…

Colossians 3:18-21 (NKJV)

¹⁸ Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

¹⁹ Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them.

²⁰ Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord.

²¹ Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.

 1 Timothy 5:8  (NKJV)

⁸ But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

God expects us to not only be led by Him in how we relate to and manage our family relationships, He wants us to define to those who don’t believe how families deal with both the good and bad situations and challenges of life.

 

3. MINISTRY OF WORK

The word lets us know from the Old Testament to the New, that God expects us to work to sustain our lives and families…

Genesis 3:19  (NKJV)

¹⁹ In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread
Till you return to the ground,
For out of it you were taken;
For dust you are,
And to dust you shall return.”

2 Thessalonians 3:10  (NKJV)

¹⁰ For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.

He goes on to let us know that we our to honor Him as we do our jobs. That we represent His very presence while we are there, and that we are to do our jobs as if we our serving Him…

Colossians 3:22-23 (NKJV)

²² Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. ²³ And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,

Remember that the bible uses the term ‘servants’ interchangeably for both slaves and ‘hired servants’.

God expects us to define to unbelievers His integrity on the job. He expects us to define how to deal with the difficulties of the workday, office politics, unfairness in His Spirit and character without complaining of grumbling. It’s not always easy, but it’s possible…

Matthew 20:1-16  (NKJV)

 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. ² Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. ³ And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, ⁴ and said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. ⁵ Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise.⁶ And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle,^[a] and said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day?’ ⁷ They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.’^[b]

⁸ “So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, ‘Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.’ ⁹ And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius. ¹⁰ But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius. ¹¹ And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, ¹² saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.’ ¹³ But he answered one of them and said, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? ¹⁴ Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. ¹⁵ Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?’¹⁶ So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen.”

God expects us to recognize when our job or career is coming between us and Him, and to be able to choose which is most important. He expects us to not allow our jobs and responsibilities to our employers to provoke us to sin. DOES YOUR JOB PROVOKE YOU TO SIN?

  4. MINISTRY OF FUN

All lives need balance. God expects us to laugh and have fun. It is our responsibility to set the example of how to have fun.

Ecclesiastes 3:4  (NKJV)

⁴ A time to weep,
    And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn,
    And a time to dance;

But we have to be very careful of how we entertain ourselves and realize that we are setting the standard…

Ephesians 5:4  (NKJV)

⁴ neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.

There’s nothing wrong with music that is not necessarily Gospel, but celebrates life and fun, as long as it’s doesn’t contain ungodly lyrics. There’s nothing wrong with romance as long as it is within God’s will… GODLY MARRIAGE: YOU CAN’T GET ROMANTIC WITH A HYMNAL… Again, we are setting the example to let the world know that you don’t have to give up laughter and fun to be a disciple of Christ.

Remember that when you leave the four walls of your church building, that worship doesn’t end, but the ministry of LIFE begins.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

Daniel 12:4 (NKJV)

4 “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”

The bible says that in the last days there will be a great increase in knowledge.

That same knowledge that gives us the amazing technology we enjoy…

That same knowledge that gives us the wondrous advances in medicine…

That same knowledge that sends humans into space…

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Is the same knowledge that is now trying to say there is no God…

Is the same knowledge that says the bible isn’t God’s word…

Is the same knowledge that says Yeshua, Jesus Christ, is not the Son of God…

Is the same knowledge that’s using the bible against itself, saying, “That’s not what it really means when it says…”

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God wants intelligent Christians to “contend for the faith” as mentioned in Jude verse 3.

God wants knowledgeable Christians to reason with unbelievers and skeptics to plant good seeds.

God wants smart Christians to reason with people of other religions, so they can come to know the one true and living God.

God wants intelligent Christians to reason with other believers to bring about more unity in the Body of Christ.

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We need to be able to talk to people, not just preach to them.

We need to be willing to hear what they have to say.

We need to know some of what they believe to have an intelligent conversation with them.

We need to know God’s word…history…culture…so we can intelligently share what we believe, and why we believe it.

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Notice how the Apostle Paul reasoned with the Epicureans and Stoics, Jews and Gentiles with respect. (Acts 17:16-34)

Notice how the Apostle Paul reasoned with unbelievers without putting them down or disparaging what they believed. (Act 17:22-23)

Notice how not everyone, but some returned to hear more of the Gospel. (Acts 17:32)

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Yes, God wants us to be anointed.

Yes, God wants us to have faith.

Yes, God wants us to be virtuous…

But He wants us to be knowledgeable too…

2 Peter 1:5-7 (NKJV)

5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,

When the bible says “Study to show yourself approved…”(2 Timothy 2:15) that means study the bible and beyond so we can be INTELLIGENT BELIEVERS.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

If you believe in God, then you have to believe in the devil. We have seen many movies such as The Exorcist that dramatizes demonic possession. I believe that demonic possession is real, and is the explanation for many heinous acts throughout history.

Matthew 12:43-45 (NKJV)

⁴³ “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. ⁴⁴ Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. ⁴⁵ Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So, shall it also be with this wicked generation.”

In the movies, the help of a Catholic priest is usually enlisted to confront and get rid of the evil spirit.

With the reality of demonic possession, I also know there is a difference between mere demonic influence and being possessed by an unclean spirit. I do however believe that God has not reserved the Holy power to rebuke unclean spirits out of individuals for those of one denomination, and quite frankly to those of an office that no longer exists because God only reserved the priesthood for the sons of Aaron, the brother of Moses.

Exodus 28:1-3 (NKJV)

28 “Now take Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister to Me as priest, Aaron and Aaron’s sons: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. ² And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. ³ So you shall speak to all who are gifted artisans, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron’s garments, to consecrate him, that he may minister to Me as priest.

Hebrews 7:11-12 (NKJV)

¹¹ Therefore, if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be called according to the order of Aaron? ¹² For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law.

1 Peter 2:9  (NKJV)

2 Chronicles 11:14-16 (NKJV)

¹⁴ For the Levites left their common-lands and their possessions and came to Judah and Jerusalem, for Jeroboam and his sons had rejected them from serving as priests to the Lord. ¹⁵ Then he appointed for himself priests for the high places, for the demons, and the calf idols which he had made. ¹⁶ And after the Levites left,^[a] those from all the tribes of Israel, such as set their heart to seek the Lord God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the Lord God of their fathers.

God has given all of us power over the enemy through the authority of our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus and the power of His blood.

2 Corinthians 10:3-6 (NKJV)

³ For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. ⁴ For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, ⁵ casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, ⁶ and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

James 4:7 K(KJV)

⁷ Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

The only power that the enemy has is that allowed Him for a season and for a purpose by The LORD God Almighty…

Job 1:9-12  (NKJV)

⁹ So Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing? ¹⁰ Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. ¹¹ But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!” ¹² And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

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Now let me be clear. We are only to confront the devil ONLY through the authority of the powerful name of Jesus, and NEVER on our own. And not just mentioning His name, but while walking in the Spirit and anointing of God…

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Acts 19:13-16 (NKJV)

¹³ Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “We^[a] exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.” ¹⁴ Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so. ¹⁵ And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” ¹⁶ Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered^[b] them, and prevailed against them,^[c] so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

Jude 9 (NKJV)

⁹ Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”

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God has given us the tools to avoid and rebuke demonic influence and possession.

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We must be very careful that we don’t make our bodies ‘habitations’ or comfortable places for the enemy to thrive…

Revelation 18:2 (NKJV)

² And he cried mightily^[a] with a loud voice, saying, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!

We must avoid behavior and mindsets that leave our bodies and spirits vulnerable to the devil’s influence…

Galatians 5:16-25 (NKJV)

 ¹⁶ I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. ¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery,^[a] fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, ²¹ envy, murders,^[b] drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. ²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. ²⁴ And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 7:1-2 (NKJV)

7 Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Ephesians 4:26-27 (NKJV)

²⁶ “Be angry, and do not sin”:^[a] do not let the sun go down on your wrath, ²⁷ nor give place to the devil.

And, we must remember the power that’s available to us through our Lord and Savior…

Matthew 17:17-21  (NKJV)

¹⁷ Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.” ¹⁸ And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour. ¹⁹ Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” ²⁰ So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief;^[a] for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. ²¹ However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”^[b]

Matthew 18:18  (NKJV)

¹⁸ “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

1 John 4:4  (NKJV)

⁴ You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

Power over the enemy is not just reserved for those with a specific office, but with a specific anointing, and level of sanctification. It’s available to all of us through our risen Savior.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

 

 

 

1. Your expression

2. Your mind/thoughts

3. Your perspective

4. Your emotions

5. Your mood

6. Your attitude

7. Your intentions

8. Your desires

9. Your words

10. Your reaction

11. Your response

12. Your direction

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Psalm 145:18 (NIV)

18 The Lord is near to all who call on him,
    to all who call on him in truth.

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BE BLESSTIFIED!

How do you know when you’re doing what God created you to do? Well here you go in about :30 seconds…

1. It comes naturally to you.

2. You feel alive when doing it.

3. It’s therapeutic to you.

4. It’s rewarding to you, even if it’s in difficult circumstances.

5. It blesses someone else besides you.

6. It brings glory to God.

7. You would do it for free.

1 Peter 4:10-11 (NKJV)

¹⁰ As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. ¹¹ If anyone speaks, let him speakas the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

Have you ever had someone get angry or aggravated at you for absolutely no reason? I mean, you haven’t done anything to them.

Or, have anyone ever gotten extremely angry at you for trying to do the right thing. For doing something good? For be a blessing to someone? For speaking the truth?

Why?

Think about the times that those who were being led by the enemy got angry when Jesus came around (Mark3:1-6, Luke 13:1). When He healed people. When He did good. Think of the opposition He encountered. They even sought to kill Jesus and Lazarus because Jesus raised him from the dead and they didn’t want people to believe in Jesus because of that miracle…

John 12:9-10 (ESV)

 ⁹ When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus^[a] was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. ¹⁰ So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well,

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Think of the reactions of the demons inside those they were possessing when Jesus came around. They were afraid, they were worried, they were restless, they were uneasy.

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Matthew 8:29(NKJV)

²⁹ And suddenly they cried out, saying, “What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?”

 Mark 9:20  (NKJV)

²⁰ Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.

Why were they angry, uneasy or afraid.

Because of the presence of Jesus! Demons tremble in the presence of Jesus…at the very mention of His name. The enemy gets upset in the presence of Jesus and those in whom He lives.

So, I encourage you…

Do something to piss the devil off today!

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Here are 7 things you can do to please God while upsetting the devil.

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1. WALK IN THE SPIRIT

Galatians 5:16-17 (NKJV)

¹⁶ I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.

2. GLORIFY GOD  WITH PRAISE

Psalm 22:3 (KJV)

³ But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

3. FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD IN PRAYER

John 14:13-15 (NKJV)

¹³ And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ If you ask^[a] anything in My name, I will do it.

4. READ AND STUDY THE WORD OF GOD

Hebrews 4:12 (NKJV)

¹² For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

5. SHARE THE WORD OF GOD

Matthew 28:19-20  (NKJV)

¹⁹ Go therefore^[a] and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.^[b]

6. SHARE THE LOVE OF GOD

 John 13:34-35 (NKJV)

³⁴ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. ³⁵ By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

7. RESIST AND IGNORE THE DEVIL

James 4:7(NKJV)

⁷ Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Think of how aggravating it is when you know someone is intentionally ignoring you when you are trying to get their attention. Ignore the devil when he tries to get yours.

Don’t be surprised, upset, disappointed or discouraged when your good is met with opposition. Let it be confirmation that you are pursuing your purpose and pleasing God.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

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As I ran an errand today, the person behind the counter was very rude to me. I tried to lighten the mood, but they weren’t having it. I told them I was just trying to make them smile, and they said, “I smile all the time!” ….Uhhhhh, but they weren’t smiling. I don’t know, maybe this person was going through something.

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We all have those days…you know, days that we don’t even want to be bothered with ‘encouraging’ words! Right?

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Some days you don’t want to hear, “It’s going to get better!”

Some days you don’t want to hear, “It won’t always be like this!”

Some days you don’t want to hear, “This too will pass…”

Some days you don’t want to hear, “It’s gonna be alright!”

Some days, you just don’t want to hear it…even when you believe it…you just aren’t in the mood!

We all get frustrated and aggrevated sometimes…

People will get on our nerves and try our patience…

People will be rude and disrespectful to us…

Sometimes we will have every right to be upset…

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Our challenge as Christians is to respond in the SPIRIT OF LOVE. We can’t allow the worst in people, or situations to bring the worst out in us…to leave behind a bad testimony.

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As Galatians 6:1 says we are to restore others in the spirit of meekness.

We are to be humble, long-suffering and patient. Yes, there will be times that we are to be assertive, but we are to remain in God’s character and love in that assertiveness.

1 Corinthians 13:4-5 says it best…

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs”.

Even if you don’t want to hear this today, put it in your pocket for later…

We must remember that even in our frustration, we always represent God, and it’s our responsibility to always operate in His love.

BE BLESSTIFIED!!!