I heard a pastor online give a question to the audience and it was this: “If we asked a few of your closest friends what they thought about you, what would they say? I’m sure most would give a few complimentary comments, giving you a good overall review of your character. They might say, ‘oh he’s a reputable man or she’s got a warm fun-loving personality. But, what if we asked God? Would He say, “I don’t know this woman, or I’ve never had a conversation with this man.”

Are other’s perception of you and God’s perception of you the same? I would hope so.

Perception is reality, sometimes. Are we trusting God’s plan for our life, even if what we’re seeing doesn’t make sense? Do we sometimes wonder or question God’s inactivity as a lack of care?

Until our perception of God is clearly understood, our perception has potential for distortion.

If you don’t have a direct relationship with God and aren’t communing with Him daily, then how can you see what He’s doing in your life.

Others may look at you and think you have it all together. They may think that everything is going well in your life and that you have no reason to complain. If this is true, then good for you. If this is just a false perception of what’s really going on in your life, then you have only one option. Turn to God.

You may fool other people, but you will never fool God. He knows everything. He knows your thoughts and intentions. Seek God and make Him number one in your life.

Matthew 6:1 -” Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.”

If you treasure money and what it can buy, more than God, it will rob you of a relationship with Him and you’ll end up in a painful state of mind, in addition to being apart from God.

Basically put, if you’re serving yourself with money by earning money, saving, and spending it on yourself, you are not serving God.  This is a dangerous place to be my friends.

All money is God’s money and once you understand this principle, you’ll know that whatever you have you should give away.  This also includes your time, your resources.  Look for every opportunity to give from your heart to others.

I’ve seen this over and over again in my own life.  I came from a poor family so I know what it is like to have little.  I also know what it is to make money.  But instead of planning for the future in my early working career, I would spend it on myself.

It wasn’t until my late 30’s that I realized what I was doing.  I was putting money at the forefront of my thoughts.  I depended on money, instead of God, to get me to my next destination, my next goal.

Examine your life.  Are you serving God, or are you hiding away your money for your future?

I can honestly say that when I started tithing, giving money to the poor and devoting my life to God, I’ve been the happiest in my entire Christian walk.

You cannot serve God and money.  It will never work.

Luke 16:13 – “No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and money.”

Joy is defined as ‘a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.’  There are several other words that come to mind when you think of the word, joy: elation, comfort, humor, satisfaction, bliss, gratification, just to name a few.

The key to the Christian’s joy is its source, which is the Lord.  Christian joy can be described as a good feeling.  It’s not an idea or it’s not something we’re commanded to do.

How can you rejoice in the Lord if you don’t know Him? You can only accomplish this joy through God’s Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit does things that we will never accomplish from our own will.  It opens the eyes of our heart so that we can see the beauty of Christ. 

As a Christian, you’ll be able to see joy in many things.  You’ll see joy in the people God puts in your life.  You’ll see joy in nature. 

The joy of the Lord is our strength.  This means that when we’re in the middle of a trial, we can find joy in God because we know we’re not alone.  We know that He’s fighting our battle.  We know that joy will come in the morning.

For the believer in Christ, the joy of the Lord comes as naturally as grapes on a vine.  God doesn’t promise that joy makes logical sense for the circumstance.  He does promise that He will provide joy when we trust Him.

Psalm 30:5 – “For His anger is but for a moment, and His favor is for a lifetime.  Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.”

Some of us have strongholds in our life that keep us from serving God fully.  Strongholds are anything that keeps us out of God’s will for our lives.  It could be addiction, pride, lust, lack of faith or even a worldly outlook on life.

Our weapons against these strongholds are not physical.  Our warfare is spiritual in nature.  Our power to endure these attacks comes from God alone.  God’s plan is to demolish spiritual strongholds.

As Christians, sharing the gospel is not the only time we see resistance.  We can face demonic strongholds in our own lives, in our families, and even in our churches.

Deception is one of the primary weapons of the devil, because it is the building blocks for a stronghold.

To have a victorious life, it is very important to have a correct perception of God.  Get to know Him.  Keep the relationship going with continuous communication between you and God. 

If you’re mean and hard to get along with, this can hinder your relationship with God and block you from feeling God’s love and presence in your life.

Strongholds are birthed in deception from the devil.  Once you keep your focus on God’s word and the truth, you’re on your way to tearing down the strongholds in your life.

1 Corinthians 10:13 – “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.  God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond our ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

There are numerous passages in the Bible that speak of answered prayers.  But if you’re asking for a prayer to be answered and you don’t really know or believe that it’s possible, then you’re asking in vain.

You see, believing, having faith that the prayer will be answered is the first step. 

Answered prayer is not only possible, but it is also assured to the righteous.  This means that you’re relying on God for an answer to every situation you face.  This is a constant communion with God in every aspect of life.

There’s a thing called the “ACTS” method of prayer.

A stands for adoration or acknowledgment.  Give God praise and honor for who He is.

C stands for confession.  Confess your sins before God.

T stands for Thanksgiving.  Tell God how grateful you are that He is in your life and thankful for all He has done for you.

S stands for supplication.  Pray for the needs of others and yourself.

God is always there, waiting for us to turn to Him with complete faith, love, and submission.

Mark 11:24 – “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

Stop fighting it.  Why do we do that?  We wake up worried, fretting over what might happen today.  We are anxious that what we want to change may never change. 

God is asking us in Psalm 46:10 to be still.  Stop fearing.  Wake up and acknowledge who your God is.  Be in awe of the creator of the universe who molded you in your mother’s womb.

The phrase “be still,” in this case means look to God for answers.  Look to God for refuge.  Listen for God, watch Him move in your life.

The second part of that sentence “and know that I am God,” implies that we can trust Him and surrender to His plan because we understand who He is.

I’ve experienced a peace that happens when I surrender my worries and problems to God.  I have felt the security in times of trouble.  It’s hard to explain this to an unbeliever because they’ve never experienced it.  It’s unworldly and so amazing when it happens.  I always know that it’s no other than God moving when this takes place.

Experience the fullness of God by letting go of control.  Surrender your will to God’s will.  Trust Him.  This will open the door so that you can experience the fullness of all God wants and has for you.

Let go and let God in.

Psalm 46:10 – “Be still, and know that I am God.  I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”

When you become a Christian, you have a new character.  The old temptations you used to have are not as desirable as they once were.  When you embrace where you are and what God has done for you, it makes God more desirable than any temptation the world has to offer. This is what it means to love God.

It’s not just the verbal agreement that Jesus is the Son of God that shows others our faith.  It’s embracing the significance of that truth.  When you come to a point in your life where you can grasp and understand who God is and what He stands for, it’s then that you know without a shadow of a doubt that God is real.  He sent His Son to come down to earth to be born, to live as a man, and to die on a cross, for our sins.  And to be raised on the third day.  This is the power of God.

Embrace where you are today.  Life may not be as you want it to be, but know this: God is good and He wants nothing more than to give you the best life. 

You are where you need to be.  God planned it. Engage in the life God wants you to have today.

James 1:2-4 – “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

Whether you believe this or not, God has plans for you.  Before you were born, He knew exactly your journey in life. He knew the family you would be born in, the people who would come into your life and the many trails and detours you would be taking along the way.

If you’re a Christian, God has so many blessings prepared for you. If you stay in faith, and keep honoring God, one day you will come into what already belongs to you.  It’s called a prepared blessing.

God is working behind-the-scenes, arranging things in your favor.  You can’t make these things happen on your own.  None of us deserve the next breath, but God gives it to us.

I’ve noticed in my life and have heard this from others, that it seems at times that God just doesn’t give me things because I ask or that’s what I want.  I have had to wait at times for the blessing to come.  This is where God is watching closely.  He wants to see how my faith is.  He wants to see if I trust Him in the wait.

You may not be where you want to be right now, but don’t worry, your blessing is being prepared.  God wants you to prosper and to have a good life.

Trust God’s timing on His blessings!

Deuteronomy 8:7-9 – “For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in the valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper.”