“For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who relentlessly accused them day and night before our God, has now been defeated—cast out once and for all!”  Revelation 12:10 (TPT)  Some governments maintain their power by feeding people alarming headlines and then positioning themselves as the only solution to get people to submit to their agenda. After all, if you can scare someone enough or convince them to believe a lie, you can control them.   Satan operates the same way. He’s not some all-powerful being—Jesus stripped him of his power and authority (see Colossians 2:15.) He can only try to manipulate you into falling for his lies through fearmongering. This will either steer you away from the truth or sideline you completely.   As a pastor, I’ve …

May grace (God’s favor) and peace (which is perfect well-being, all necessary good, all spiritual prosperity, and freedom from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts) be multiplied to you…  2 Peter 1:2 (AMPC)  If you’re struggling to know God’s peace, how do you find it?   One important way is to ensure your beliefs align with what His Word says. You see, our beliefs affect everything. They attract and connect the dots of our lives. Let’s say deep down you’re convinced God doesn’t love you because of what you’ve done. That belief has consequences that will impact everything from your relationship with God to your self-esteem, life goals, who you marry and how you raise your kids.   Our beliefs hold incredible power! We must get them …

The strong spirit of a man sustains him in bodily pain or trouble, but a weak and broken spirit who can raise up or bear?  Proverbs 18:14 (AMPC)  Have you ever heard, “It’s what’s on the inside that counts”? That saying holds more truth than most people realize! It really hit home for me when I became an adult. Raised by parents who were pastors, I saw miracles happen regularly. Years later, I began working on the streets as a paramedic.  As I attended to accident scenes and helped victims of abuse, it shocked me into recognizing how much our world lacks peace. People desperately need the love and power of Jesus to heal hearts, minds and physical bodies.   I also realized that the less we …

Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. Psalm 92:13 (NKJV)  Why do palm trees grow beautifully in Hawaii but wither in Canada? It’s because they thrive in a particular atmosphere, and believers are the same way.   To mature and grow strong spiritually, we need to put down roots in the nourishing environment of a life-giving church.   Psalm 1:3 (AMP) says people who tap into a robust and visionary church are like trees “firmly planted [and fed] by streams of water.” Their hearts and minds get fed, their marriages and families thrive and friendships blossom because they’re established in healthy soil. That’s why today’s verse says those who are planted in God’s house flourish.   Now, the …

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.  Psalm 103:2 (ESV)  When it comes to growing up into a mature believer, a big part is getting your mind to submit to what God says. So here’s what I do: I talk to my mind.   Throughout the psalms, David talked to his mind constantly. Through singing and praying, he made his mind submit to God. In fact, David is one of the few men I can find in the Word who even knew how to encourage himself in the Lord. (See 1 Samuel 30:1–6.) In today’s verse, David told himself to remember God’s benefits, and in Psalm 42:11, he reminded his heart by speaking to it to hope in God.  There are times …