Let them shout for joy and be glad, who favor my righteous cause; and let them say continually, “Let the Lord be magnified, who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.” Psalm 35:27 (NKJV) Does God want you to prosper? I was preaching on this topic one day in church. Afterward, a good friend of mine told me, “Leon, I would never be as selfish as to want more than I need in life.” That sounds honourable. But I asked him, “If everybody here asks, believes for and gets only what they need, who will give to those who don’t have? Who will finance the will of God to help the helpless or reach the lost?” Today, I want you to understand that God desires …

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. Matthew 28:19–20 (ESV) God’s command to make disciples of all nations doesn’t mean we all should quit our jobs to become preachers. So how does God accomplish His plans with our lives? By planting different skills in all of us! You see, according to Genesis 1:28, God’s original mandate was for mankind to go into the world, multiply and subdue (or overcome) it. He hasn’t rescinded this mandate, and Jesus also gave us the Great Commission in Matthew 16, which is to share the gospel worldwide. Rising up with our …

Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch. Matthew 15:14 (NKJV) It’s almost always a bad idea to listen to the crowd for wisdom. A crowd is often full of negative talk, which can cause a difficult situation or trying time to deteriorate rapidly. In times like these, God often raises up a leader whose ears and heart are inclined toward Him first and not the crowd, so that the Kingdom can advance. There are so many examples of this throughout the Bible. For instance, in Exodus 12:37-38, it says God had to raise up Moses to free over a million of His people who were trapped in a slavery-mindset. …

But the crowds found out where he was going, and they followed him. He welcomed them and taught them about the Kingdom of God, and he healed those who were sick. Luke 9:11 (NLT) When you live your life in love with Jesus, understanding the full victory that is yours through Him, it changes your life and how you interact with others. People notice and many will want what you have. When Jesus walked the planet, people were constantly drawn to Him like magnets! Today, that same Jesus is in us, and He is drawing people to Him. Others are attracted to Jesus in us because of how He impacts our attitude and choices. They see our work ethic, our kindness, our daily lives, the …

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:8 (NLT) The Bible explains that Holy Spirit empowers us in various ways. One way He helps us is in becoming influential so we can be living witnesses to our belief and salvation in Christ. Interestingly, the word “witness” is also used interchangeably in the New Testament to mean martyr. Now, most people aren’t seeking martyrdom, but when it comes down to it, what would we truly lay our lives down for? Our houses? Our cars? No, those are replaceable. Most of us would say for our spouses or …