Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.  3 John 1:2 (NKJV) It’s important to guard your beliefs. If you guard what you believe to make sure it lines up with what God says in His Word, you’ll do well. You’ll have peace in your mind, a confidence in God’s promises and control over your emotions… and this will cause you to experience success in life. In other words, where your soul is prosperous, you’ll have health and prosperity. When you think about it, your family also has a set of shared beliefs, which result in a common way of handling emotions. Some families avoid all confrontation. Others scream and fight out their differences. …

Give generously to the poor, not grudgingly, for the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do. Deuteronomy 15:10 (NLT) Some assume that God loves to punish and correct us, but is that really true? Since Jesus was our best example of what God is like, let’s look at His example. The opening verses of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 were all about blessing. Jesus often took the time to stop and bless children, too. And His last words before ascending into heaven were words of blessing over His followers. Jesus blessed people everywhere He went. The truth is that God gets pleasure out of blessing you and is pleased when you receive it. In fact, God has commanded a blessing on …

Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Luke 12:32 (NKJV) What do you consider normal? Is it normal for you to feel sick and tired all the time? Is fighting and conflict normal in your relationships? What about financially? Is it normal to be out of money at the end of the month? Your normal is all you can ever imagine for yourself, and it may be limiting you. You see, you will live in your “normal” for the rest of your life. You might have a month of surging ahead in some area, only to slide back down to what’s normal unless you renew your mind to a new normal for you. Maybe you’d …

How joyful are those who fear the Lord—all who follow his ways! You will enjoy the fruit of your labor. How joyful and prosperous you will be! Psalm 128:1–2 (NLT) Faith requires a fight. We need to fight to get ourselves to believe for increase. What really bothers me is when someone who is fighting to believe is held back by religious, man-made beliefs. Many of these beliefs imply that we should just be happy with nothing—that poverty is godly. It’s too bad because this poverty mentality limits us from doing what each of us is called to do on this planet. In a Christian poverty mentality, people are taught that if someone succeeds they must be compromising. Christians end up feeling guilty when they …

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13 (NKJV) Most of us realize that God is able to do anything. The issue is… do you really believe you can do all things through Christ? It’s easy to believe that God can do great things. It’s a different story to be able to confidently say, “I can do anything!” Now, I realize that the end of that verse is “through Christ who strengthens me,” but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s you doing it! Do you see the difference? God works through mankind on this planet. He strengthens you so you can do all things! Nothing is holding you back. Don’t buy into any of the excuses that pop into your …