Who is he that overcomes the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? We cannot be satisfied with the things of this world and gain the victory to overcome them. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them, and they in God. They would no longer be satisfied with the things of the world, but will renounce the things of this world, and press on towards the heavenly goal. I am so glad that I am begotten by God, that I have overcome the world, that I am daily overcoming the world and its desires, by faith. Praise the Lord!

Too many of us spend our time engaging in the wrong things, which are leading us further away from God; idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, and those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Therefore, put them away from you and focus on those things that are lovely, honest, true, just and of a good report.

Lord, there is so much to be thankful for, where do we begin? You have given us so much, yet, you continue to be kind to us, you continue to shower us with your mercy and grace, and you promised that you will not deal with us as we deserve, but will be merciful. Lord, if we were count the many blessings that you have bestowed on us, they would be more than the sand on the seashore and while we may not be able to name them one by one, or count them, we would thank as we remember them.

If you accept the Lord, as your Rock and the God of your salvation, He will light your lamp to enlighten your darkness, you will be able to leap over walls, He will be a shield to you, because you trust in Him. He will arm you with strength for every battle that you will face, He will set you on high places, His right hand will hold you up, less you fall, He will subdue under your feet all those who rose up against you, and He will enlarge your path under you, so that your feet would not slip. The Lord lives! Blessed be our Rock! Let the God of our salvation be exalted. Praise the Lord!

My brothers and sisters in Christ, God’s presence surrounds those who trust him like a shield. Those who have come to know God in an intimate way, feel his presence daily. His banner over them is love. So, this morning, if you do not have Jesus in your life, I am encouraging you to seek him and to foster an intimate relationship with him. Then, you will be able to let go off all the worthless goods of the world and cling to Jesus, you will then be able to feel his presence in the morning, in the evening, and every minute of the day, because you will have Jesus, and if you have Jesus, you have everything.

Whatever the stronghold in your life this morning, it can be shaken, because, if we are children of God, we are on the winning side, he has already gained the victory for us, but, we need to walk in the power that he has given to us to break every strongholds in our lives, whether they be jealousy, envy or revenge, spiritual, financial, physical or emotional. If we are faith-filled, we could speak to the stronghold in our lives this morning, and tell it that the battle is not ours, but the Lord’s, and that he will win every time; then you sit back, be strong in the Lord, and watch him break every stronghold in your life.

The Lord was angry with Job and he spoke to him through a whirlwind, he chastised him until he got his attention.  Many of us are like Job, our friends will see us engaged in wrong-doing, provoking the Lord, and will try to speak to us, but, we refuse to listen. Many of them are God’s messengers sent to help us, and when we refuse to listen to God’s messengers, he intercedes, and when he does, he speaks to us through the storms in our lives, some of us listen, but, some of us perish, because we fail to listen and examine ourselves. Will the Lord visit you in the whirlwind or the storm today?

Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house, or brothers and sisters, mother or father, children or fields for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundred-fold now in this age and in the age to come eternal life.” Let us therefore seek after God’s kingdom and his righteousness, so that all good things will be added to us.

Absolutely not! All of us are naked before God. He sees our secret faults, he is able to discern the thoughts and the intensions of our hearts, good or evil. My brothers and sisters in Christ, God will bring every one of our deeds good or bad into judgment. We will all have to give an account of our stewardship. Those things that we do in secret and believe that no one sees us, know that God is able to see them, and not only that, he knows our frailty in our service to him, and that is why he makes intercessions for us, that is why he is able to sympathize with our weaknesses. Therefore, let us return to the Lord, and humbly make our confessions before him. Our God is awesome, he is an understanding and forgiving God, seek him, while he may yet be found. Praise the Lord!

I will adorn myself with your full armor oh God, so that I would be ready for any task you set before me. I am willing Lord, and I know that you have already equipped me for any battle I will face, and that I will be victorious. I have put on the sandals of peace that comes from the Good News so that I will be fully prepared. My loins are girded with Truth and I am clothed with the breastplate of righteousness. I have taken up the shield of faith, with which I will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. I am armed with the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Therefore, I will be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might, and I will be able to all things to bring honor and glory to his name, because he strengthens me. Thank you, Lord!