Thought for Today: Stop Living Like That

There is a way of life that the enemy is whispering in the ear of many of God’s children. This type of life is led by a lie straight from hell to get you to do things you know you should not do, say things you should not say, and go places that you know you should not go.

These three words whispered into the ear of many of God’s children to lead them into living a life that is not pleasing to God is this: NOBODY WILL KNOW. This strategy is rarely used in public, it is mostly used by the enemy when you find yourself alone. In your private life the devil convinces you that NOBODY WILL KNOW.

NOBODY WILL KNOW that you curse when you are by yourself, NOBODY WILL KNOW that you get drunk when you are by yourself, NOBODY WILL KNOW if you have sex outside of marriage, NOBODY WILL KNOW if you take this or take that, NOBODY WILL KNOW if you go to this place or that place. And then you begin to wonder why you got drunk in public or why you got mad and cursed someone out in public.

You may wonder why you can’t control your sexual feelings and emotions, or wonder why fear and anxiety overcomes you in public. It’s all because you live like that in private. Listen to me, the life that you live in private will manifest in public. Jesus said it this way “For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known” (Luke 12:2). You might not like what I am about to say but it’s the truth; You are living a life as if NOBODY WILL KNOW.

And the Spirit of the Lord says to you STOP LIVING LIKE THAT. If the devil can convince you that NOBODY WILL KNOW, he can convince you to cut the Lord out of your life. “All through my word I have told you time and time again I AM WITH YOU,”Psalms 46:11, “The LORD OF HOST IS WITH US; THE God of Jacob is our refuge.”

God said in Psalm 139:7-13, “Whither shall I go from thy Spirit (Oh LORD) or whither shall I flee from thy presence (OH LORD.) If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there; if I make my bed in hell, behold thou art there, If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say surely the darkness shall cover me even the night shall be light about me. Yea the darkness hideth not from thee (oh LORD) but the night shineth as the day the darkness and the light are both alike to thee. For thou hast possessed my reins thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.”

God loves you so much, and God is your all-in-all. The one name your enemies don’t want you to know God by is found in Matthew 1:23, which says, “Behold a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name EMMANUEL which is being interpreted as GOD WITH US.”

Listen to me, no matter where you are, no matter where you go, no matter what state of mind you are in, no matter what time of day or night it is, you need to know this truth: GOD IS RIGHT THERE WITH YOU. I know it don’t seem like it, it don’t feel like it, it don’t look like it, but “God is not man that He should lie, neither the son of man that he should repent hath he said, and shall He not do it, or hath He spoken and shall He not make it good” (Numbers 23:19).

As a child of God, you cannot live a private life that says NOBODY WILL KNOW. Stop living like that. God knows, God sees, God hears, because the truth of the matter is GOD IS ALWAYS RIGHT THERE WITH YOU.

For it is written, “Doth not HE (God) see my ways and count all my steps? If I have walked (lived my life) with vanity or if my foot hath hasted to deceit. Let me be weighed in an even balance that GOD MAY KNOW MINE INTEGRITY” (Job 31:4-6).

Every time the devil whispers in your ear NOBODY WILL KNOW, just say this: “EMMANUEL, EMMANUEL, EMMANUEL.” Your flesh (feelings and/or emotions) will not feel anything, but the spirit realm (the unseen realm) will hear “GOD, I KNOW YOU ARE WITH ME,” and if God be for you who can be against you. Live your life both in private and public with the mindset “God is with me” and watch your whole life change for the better.

Thought for Today: So Much to Learn

Since you made your decision to do your best to live a life that is pleasing to God, you have become content with your relationship with God. And the enemy of your soul is using that against you. Since the devil can’t convince you that God is not real, he has switched up his strategy against you and has begun to whisper in your ear this lie “You already know all there is to know about God.”  

You don’t have to pray to God everyday anymore, you already know God. You don’t have to worship God every day, you already know what His presence is like. You don’t have to read the word of God each and every day, you already know the word of God. And you unknowingly begin to put off your prayers to God every day, you begin to put off taking time worshiping God in spirit and in truth every day, and you begin to put off spending time each day in God’s word simply because you believed the lie of the devil which told you that YOU ALREADY KNOW GOD.  

I don’t know who I am talking to, but you need to know this truth, Jesus said “I am the vine, ye are the branches; he/she that abideth in me, and I in him/her the same bringeth forth MUCH FRUIT; FOR WITHOUT ME YE CAN DO NOTHING” (John 15:5). You might not like what I am about to say but YOU DON’T KNOW GOD like you think you do.  

Please don’t think that I am just talking about you, in the last 30 years the whole church (believers in the Lord Jesus Christ) have fallen into this trap set by the devil; “You already know God, you don’t need to pray, read His word, or worship Him like you used to.” Falling into this trap, we have lost the awe of who God is.

The word of God says in Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; but fools despise wisdom and instructions.” Please don’t think I am just pointing the finger at you, I have fallen into this trap before, as well. And the Father whispered this truth to me, “Erick, if you can fully know who I AM then I am no longer God, you are.”  

Recently while sitting down with my wife at breakfast, God whispered these truths to my soul: “Erick, when you can number every grain of sand on every beach in this world then you will fully know who I AM. When you can count every blade of grass on the face of this earth then you will fully know who I AM. When you can know the number of every star that is in the heavens then you will fully know who I AM. When you can not only count every bird in this world, but count the number of every feather of each bird, then you can fully know who I AM. And when you can not only count every hair on your own head but count every hair on every human beings’ head in this earth, then and only then will you truly get to know all THAT I AM. “

Do not be content with the little knowledge that you have of God. For the truth of the matter is THERE IS SO MUCH TO LEARN of who God is. When you think you KNOW ALL OF WHO GOD IS, you begin to lose the fear of the lord, the reverential awe of who God is. For the word of God says, “Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in AWE OF HIM” (Psalms 33:8). 

Don’t listen to the lie of the devil who is telling you that you don’t need to pray as much, read the word of God as much, or worship God in spirit and in truth every chance you get, because you already know God. The devil is a liar. THERE IS SO MUCH FOR US (yes, this means me too) TO LEARN ABOUT GOD even through eternity we will never fully comprehend, understand, or know the fullness and the essence of God and all that He is.  

For it is written, “Acquaint NOW THYSELF WITH HIM (GOD) and be at peace thereby good shall come unto thee. Receive I pray thee the law from His (God’s) mouth and lay up His (God’s) words in thy heart. If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles” (Job 22:21-23).  

Don’t fall into the trap of you already know God, PRAY, WORSHIP, and READ THE WORD OF GOD every day because there is so much to KNOW ABOUT WHO GOD IS.

Thought for Today: FAITH IN GOD

There are many who say they believe in God. There are many who say they know God. But how does a person know they truly have FAITH IN GOD? You see it is very easy to have faith in God when you can see Him active in your life. It’s easy to have FAITH IN GOD when you hear His still small voice give you instructions. It is easy to have FAITH IN GOD when He reveals Himself in ways that all you or those around you can say it was nobody but God.  

And despite what religion teaches, it does not take great faith to believe in a great God. Jesus said in Matthew 17:20, “If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain remove hence to yonder place and it shall remove; AND NOTHING SHALL BE IMPOSSIBLE UNTO YOU.”  

Only one place that I know of (because I am not one who says I know all the word) but in only one place in the word of God I have read, seen, or heard anyone ask of the Lord: “LORD INCREASE OUR FAITH” and that is found in Luke 17:5. 

Very few ask this of the Lord for one simple reason, how would you know God has increased your faith if He does not put you in a position to exercise that increase faith in Him that He has given you?  

As I said before, it’s easy to have FAITH IN GOD when you actually see Him provide for you.  It’s easy to have FAITH IN GOD when you see Him protect you and your family. It’s easy to HAVE FAITH IN GOD when He shows you His grace, mercy, love, power, authority, wisdom and understanding.

Right now, you feel like your FAITH IN GOD is being tested by the world, your flesh, and the devil. And those around you are pushing you to believe that you have said something wrong, you have done something wrong, you have acted in a way that is not pleasing to God, or you have opened the door for the devil to come into your life and have his way.  

Sometimes God allows things to happen in your life to show you just how much FAITH YOU HAVE IN HIM. For the word of God says, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him (God) for he/she that cometh to God must believe that He is a rewarder of them that DILIGENTLY SEEK HIM.  

You trust in God, you rely on God, you depend on God, you adhere to God. You read His word every day, you pray in season and out of season, you worship God in spirit and in truth. I came by on my way to heaven to open the eyes of your understanding. This is not just an attack of the enemy. You are in a season where God is showing you that your FAITH IN GOD is more than what you are feeling. For the word of God says, “There hath no temptation taken you, but such as is common to man; BUT GOD IS FAITHFUL who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; BUT WILL WITH THE TEMPTATION ALSO MAKE A WAY TO ESCAPE, THAT YE MAY BE ABLE TO BEAR IT” 1 Corinthians 10:13.

Listen to me, whatever it is you are going through, stop fighting in your flesh (feelings and/or emotions.) Grab the word of God, find out what God says about the situation, and no matter how it feels, no matter what it looks like, no matter how crazy you may sound, say what God said about the matter and know that you will be showing GOD HIMSELF THAT YOU HAVE FAITH IN HIM. Simply because you TRUST GOD even when you can’t see HIM. You know that Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  

For it is written, “Behold I go forward but HE (God) is not there; and backward but I cannot perceive Him (God). On the left hand where He (God) doeth work but I cannot behold Him (God) He (God) hideth himself on the right hand that I cannot see Him (God) But He (God, himself) knoweth the way I take (this is how you know your FAITH IN GOD IS GROWING) when He (God) has tried me (when God has given me an opportunity to exercise MY FAITH IN HIM) I shall come forth as gold. My foot hath held HIS (Gods’) steps His way have I kept and not declined” (Job 23:8-11). 

In this season you need to know it’s not just about the enemy attacking you, it’s also God allowing you to exercise your FAITH IN HIM. Grow your faith in God today by holding on to what God said, no matter how crazy it looks, feels, or sounds.

Be Blessed

Thought for Today: Distracted

There is something that the devil has come to the point of understanding. He understands that he can’t prevent you from believing in God anymore. He can’t convince you that God is not all knowing, all seeing, all powerful and everywhere at all times.  He can’t convince you that God does not love you, does not hear you, does not see you, and that God does not know you. And it seems like in this season all hell is breaking out in your life and you have no idea why. You are trying to figure out THE WHAT of everything that is going on right now. 

The spirit of the Lord says to you, “by attempting to figure out THE WHAT of what’s going on, the enemy has lured you out of your position in the kingdom of God. You are so distracted by THE WHAT, to a point that you have taken your eyes off the reality of WHO I AM and who YOU ARE in Christ.” For the word of God says “But as many as received Him (Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior) to them (this means you) gave Her power to become the sons/daughters of God. Even to them that believe on His name which were born not of blood, nor of the w3ill of the flesh, nor of the will of man but of God” (John 1:12-13).

I don’t know who I am talking to but you need to hear this truth that the sickness that has come upon you or your loved one did not make you, GOD DID. That division and stress in your marriage did not make you, GOD DID. That need that has come into your life did not create you, GOD DID. That dark area of your life that you cannot see your way out did not create you, GOD DID. 

This is what is meant in Job 29:3, “When His (God’s) candle shine upon my head and when by His light I walked through darkness,” YOU HAVE BEEN DISTRACTED by the strategies of hell. The devil wants you to look at the trials, the devil wants you to look at the need, the devil wants you to look at the sickness, the stress, the confusion, the agony, and the hurt. 

Religion has taught so many to just act like those things are not there, act like there is no need, act like there is no stress, act like there is no fear, frustration, hopelessness, or unbelief. And that is simply not true. For the word of God says, “And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).

Listen to me, I need you to focus on the WHO and not the WHAT. That means acknowledge all the bad things that are going on in and for your life right now, acknowledge them, and then remember this one truth: GOD IS STILL WITH YOU. 

This is what is meant in Psalm 23:5, “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.” Don’t act like what the enemy is doing or trying to do to you does not exist. Acknowledge what the enemy is doing, BUT DON’T GET DISTRACTED. Focus on the table that God has already prepared for you. 

Yes the enemy has brought sickness to you or your loved one, BUT DON’T GET DISTRACTED. Focus on the word of God which says, “By his stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). Yes, the enemy has put you in a place where you need this or you need that, and you can acknowledge that but don’t get DISTRACTED, for the word of God says, “But God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philipians 4:19).

Yes, the enemy has brought division in your relationship with someone, acknowledge the division but DON’T GET DISTRACTED, for the word of God says, “What therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder” (Matthew 19:6). The enemy has put you in a position where you now need money. Acknowledge that, but DON’T GET DISTRACTED, for the word of God says, “But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God; FOR IT IS HE THAT GIVETH THEE THE POWER TO GET WEALTH” (Deuteronomy 8:18).

I know you are thinking, “Pastor Erick, why are you telling me to focus on what God said?” Because when you focus on what God said you are placing your focus on God. “How can focusing on what God said make me focus on God?” Here, read this, John 1:1, “In the beginning was THE WORD, and THE WORD was with God and THE WORD WAS GOD.”

For it is written, “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you AND LO I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS EVEN UNTO THE END OF THE WORLD” (Matthew 28:20). 

Don’t get DISTRACTED when the world, your flesh, and especially the devil come at your way with all their drama. Acknowledge what the enemy is trying to do, but focus on the word of God and watch the Father show you that HE IS RIGHT THERE WITH YOU.