Encounter You

Going forward is what we all desire, no one wants to remain facing their giants all the days of their life, but it requires two things; to keep silent and trust God to be God.

In part 4 of the Out With the Old in With the New series, we learn the importance of active listening, which involves being attentive, understanding, responding, reflecting, and retaining information. Therefore, Listening to God is crucial for understanding His guidance and making necessary changes in one's life. The steps for active listening are being attentive, understanding through the Holy Spirit, responding and reflecting on God's words, and retaining information by writing it down. Obedience is highlighted as the most important aspect of listening to God, as it demonstrates faithfulness and trust in Him.

In part 3 of the Out With the Old in With the New series, we learn that the importance of a life devoted to prayer for believers, highlighting prayer as the most powerful tool for navigating life. It explains that God respects human free will and will only intervene in our lives if invited through prayer. Prayer allows God to act on our behalf, not because He is subject to us, but because of His love and our willingness to choose life over death. Prayer of Salvation, filling of the Holy Spirit, and Speaking in Tongues: ☛ Lord, Jesus, I invite you into my life. I admit that I am a sinner and have sinned against you. I believe that Jesus is Lord and that He died and rose for my sins and my life. I ask You now, Holy Spirit, to come into my life, to teach me, to lead me, and to guide me. Lord, you say if anyone lacks the Holy Spirit and the evidence of speaking in tongues, all they have to do is ask You, and You will give it to them. So, Lord, we ask you for the Holy Spirit and the evidence of speaking in tongue. In Jesus's name, I pray. Amen.

In part 2 of the Out With the Old in With the New series, we learn the process of letting go of old systems and thoughts to embrace new ones that align with God's will. It emphasizes the necessity of relinquishing control and becoming vulnerable, particularly with God, to transition into a new season of life. This involves surrendering fears, doubts, and old habits that no longer serve us. We also highlight the importance of prayer in this process, stating that prayer invites the Holy Spirit to guide and support believers in identifying and replacing outdated systems with God's new plans. Prayer samples: ☛ Father, I commit my life into Your hands; help me trust You in all my ways. ☛ Father, reveal to me the systems and thoughts in my life that need to be evicted and help and empower me to evict them. ☛ Father, replace my old systems and thoughts with Your new systems and thoughts for my life in this season.

The renewing of our minds is a fundamental principle of Christianity. It highlights that transformation through mind renewal is necessary for believers to fully experience and enjoy the new life God offers. Accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior guarantees salvation but does not automatically align our thoughts with His. Growth in Christ requires a continuous process of learning and transformation through the Holy Spirit, moving from old ways of thinking to new ones that align with God's word. This transformation is a lifelong journey, requiring constant re-evaluation and reflection. Believers are encouraged to pray for God's guidance in identifying areas of their lives that need renewal and to embrace the process of mind renovation to fully receive God's promises.

Let me be the first to admit I hate struggling. Though I have come to realize there are moments when God permits difficulties to enter our lives to refine our understanding of him, I still don't like it. And what is even more difficult are those moments God chooses to allow you to stay in the difficulties without intervening. What do you do in those moments? Those are the moments you must hold onto God because it is only through him will you be able to come out.

When God wants to grant us the desires of our hearts, he transitions us into position to receive that thing. This doesn't mean that it's an easy change; often, it comes with emotions we didn't know we could express. However, our ability to transition well is paramount to making it to the other side.

Fear is our enemy. I want you to read that again: fear is our enemy. Whenever, we live in an atmosphere of fear, we are living contrary to the will of God for our life. You see, fear is our enemy because its source is the devil, and we know the devil is our enemy. When we understand this, we will be able to make an accurate assessment of where to put our energy and how to deal with it. If God is not the source of our fear, what has God given to us?

Many of us are aware of the power possess by our police officers. When you are driving 70 MPH in a 60 MPH when you see that police car afar off, you quickly lower your speed in hopes they do not pull you over with a speeding ticket. I'm just going to say that in Texas, we have learned the art of recognizing police vehicles from a distance, even the unmarked ones, why? Because we have a problem with following the speed limit. But the reason we make it a point to recognize a police vehicle to avoid being ticketed is that we understand the power they possess. You see, if they did not have the power to stop us and ticket us, we wouldn't care when we saw them on the road. For the fact that their power is backed by the United States Government, we must obey. It is the same with each of us, we all possess a power within us that is not backed by humans but the living God.

Silence is an art many have not mastered. Many are praying to God about why things are not working out, and the answer is that their mouths have invited fights and faith killers into God's plan. If they do not have a strong enough relationship with prayer, they will be delayed. When God gives you a word, it is your job to nurture it until it is time to release it.

We often proclaim our desire for growth, yet when it comes time to work on growing, we walk away. Yet, the fruit of growth is worth so much more than remaining stagnant.

Our prayer life is soil; when we cultivate it, we produce a fruitful prayer life. Therefore, the foundation of a good prayer life is a good understanding of who God is and what he will be in our lives when we pray to him. God calls our prayers to grow from God I need you to provide this today. To God, can you be a provider today in my life? I am facing this situation and know you are a provider. Can you come and be that in my life today? When we shift our understanding of God and apply it to our prayer lives, we will begin to experience the fruits of answers that seem to evade us when we pray.

Fear is often the reason we find it hard to let go and allow God to take control of our circumstances. Often, the experience of past disappointments also contributes to our fears that it will not work out or God cannot do it. If Naaman had stopped on the sixth time, he would not have been healed. But, he continues past his disappointments until he receives his healing, so must we also trust in God that the sixth time doesn't determine the character of God, and we can let go of what we are trying to fix ourselves.

Our ability to forgive is important to our ability to be forgiven by God. In Matthew 6:14-15, Jesus speaks of the importance of forgiveness and why it is not an option in our lives. God has not called us to walk in unforgiveness, but that we may be faithful to forgive.

When our hope is lost and destroyed, we first lose hope in Jesus. Sometimes, it's not because we do not believe in Jesus, we do not believe in God, but we have been disappointed beyond what we can handle, and so we lose faith in the One who can deliver us. But hope is never lost forever; it can be rediscovered and restored, and today is a day for the restoration of hope in Jesus. He is our hope; he is the solid rock on which we stand.

This is a word for someone, as I prayed and asked God what he wanted his people to hear today. He said to tell them, go. It's time for you to go.

Where is God invited in your life? Is He relegated to Sundays only, or does He have access to every day and everything that concerns you? As followers of Christ, we have a mandate to devote ourselves to God and him alone, which requires surrendering our lives to him alone. Surrender is inviting God into all areas of your life; when we make God the God of all things pertaining to our life, we have fully accomplished the mandate of Christ.

When we pray, God hears and answers our prayers. But what happens when we don't see the answer? Maybe it may be that we are required to go and look for it. When the children of Israel in Exodus asked God for bread, he provided the seeds to make bread. But he instructed Moses to tell the children to go outside of their camp to find the answers. Sometimes, we, too, are required to go in search of our answers.

Perspective is everything. It affects our present and our future. When we walk by faith, we change our perspective from our limitations to God's possibilities.

Lord, I believe that all things are possible with You, and that should be our mantra. It declares in the midst of our circumstances that our trust is in God. Because our trust is in God, who has no limitations and the final say in our lives, we will experience victory over whatever is threatening us.

God did not waste his breath on you. Your creation has purpose attached to it.

A prayer to close out the week.

We are called to remember what God has done for us so that we may be able to withstand what we may face.

Each miracle God performs is him revealing Himself so that our knowledge of him may be built to help us develop our faith in him.

God's glory helps us recognize he is God alone; his glory is what gets us from where we are to where we desire to go.

God delivers his people. When we face troubles in life, we can trust that God fights for us, and all we need to do is rest in him.

God does not desire for his people to live in bondage. He wants them to walk in the victory and freedom given through Jesus.

A prayer for this new week.

This is a prayer from us for you: It is with a grateful heart that we come to God on your behalf. We are thankful that each of you made it through another week. We pray that God continues to guide, protect, and provide for you.

Worship is an intentional decision to devote oneself to God. This decision is not based on feelings or circumstances but on God's character because our worship will be tested in difficult moments. It is up to us to decide whether we will worship God, good or bad, no matter the seasons of life.

God is still working miracles in the lives of his people today. Let that sink in for a moment. This reminder is necessary in our American society today, where belief in miracles is at an all-time low. People are more inclined to trust in themselves than in the God of creation and humanity. Though some believe that God stopped performing miracles when the Bible was compiled, the testimonies heard from people who have experienced it, including me, prove otherwise. God is still in the miracle-working business; his powers have no limits, and as long as we have limitations, God will continue to perform miracles. This is a call to believe that God is still performing miracles and wants to do so in your life.

What is the worst thing you have ever done for me; I can name myself on the top of my head. And as bad as it was, it can never disqualify me from experiencing the goodness of God, and it will never stop God from loving and doing good in my life. And I want to suggest today that what you think is an obstacle to what God has spoken to do in your life is nothing but a means for you to remember the kind of God he is as you interact with others. When we have been forgiven much, we are also able to forgive others much. Whatever God says he can do, he wants to do for you, not the others, but for you. It is God's heart to do good towards you, which includes using you as a testimony of his goodness and faithfulness. NOTHING ever stops and changes God's mind about you. NOTHING.

Mercy is a free gift of God given to us through Christ Jesus. We can access it daily without fear of rejection or discontinuance when we need it. It is available 24/7.

It is by God's mercy that we are not consumed, but there are some things in our lives we want his mercies to consume. We want it to consume every lack, barrenness, and dysfunction to walk in God's freedom and goodness.

God is not like man in that he should lie. He is also not like man in that he should fail. It is the assurance we can walk in during any situation that arises in our lives. We know that God is too faithful and committed to seeing us walk in his goodness to leave us where we are. So, the next time you hear a voice saying that you wouldn't amount to anything or it wouldn't work, don't be afraid to speak back with confidence that the God who made me this promise is faithful to bring it to pass. God CANNOT FAIL, and he won't start with you.

Mercy is God's compassion toward us, which never fails. Because God is merciful, when we are underserving, we can trust that whenever we need to pull from his well, we can go boldly into his presence. His great mercies remind us that we serve a great God—a God who speaks and winds and waves obey. That is the God we serve; he is good and merciful.

God's love for us is displayed daily. How it plays out has to do with our identity. It is God who calls us out of our limited understanding of who we are to become all he has for us. Only through hearing from God can we learn who we are, but it doesn't stop there; we must be brave enough to take hold of his truths about us and walk in them.

God is good. This is not an assumption but a statement of fact: God is good. His goodness keeps us, protects us, and provides for us; like David, we have too many reasons to praise the Lord. We should not praise God only when things are going well but when they are not.

God dwells with us now. We often understand that God, in the form of Jesus, dwelled with us in the past but neglect to recognize that God's presence in our lives is now; his presence is always present. God is with us; because he is, we do not have to fear loneliness. Because with God, we are never alone.

What is the cost of your future? Those who often get to their destination do so because what is in front of them is thought to be greater than where they are, and so must we. Going forward is the call, but the how will depend on your faith in God.

Difficulties come into our lives with a purpose. Often, they hinder our faith in God and steal, kill, and destroy what God is doing and wants to do in our lives. Yet, when we choose to hold on to God despite what we may face, we overcome what was meant to kill us.

Good news often does not come in the passage we desire. When God wanted to save humanity, he chose to become human. But he came and showed up for us. And that is what Jesus wants to do in this season of your life: show up. You may be wondering where is God in all this, where is he in the problem you are facing, and I'm here to encourage you that the King (Jesus) is coming into that problem. It's about to turn around for your good.

Faith is at work in us, but the measure of it depends on how you use and understand it. Faith is the bridge that brings those things you desire and pray about to pass. Walking in faith grants us access to things we would not ordinarily have access to.

Faith is the first step to obtaining victory, but faith requires action. That action may mean adjusting to situations and circumstances to get what you want. In Mark 2:1-12, we meet four friends who were willing to do it another way, for their friend to receive the healing he needed from Jesus. And we must also be willing to step over those things that seek to hinder us from obtaining our victory.

What does it look like to invite God into your daily life? The story of Bartimaeus, a blind man who recognized that to see, he had to overcome being silenced to remain the same. Yet, because of his faith, he chose to endure temporary ridicule for long-term sight. He invited God into his daily life, and it changed forever. How would your day change if you invited God into it?

You go to a bank when you need to withdraw money from your account, and you go to a hospital when you are sick. So, it is with God that when you need help, you go to him first. When we recognize where our help comes from during difficult situations such as job loss, financial crises, eviction, or whatever we may face, we can take courage that God is our source of life. Because our help always comes from the Lord, who created the heavens and earth.

Faith is essential to being a believer, but what is faith, and how do you use it according to God's will? Joshua 6:2-20, which many know as the story about the walls of Jericho, tells us about Yahweh's people on the brink of entering their promised land but finding an obstacle when they are at Jericho's doorstep. And though God told Joshua I had given this city to y'all to take, they did not have a strategy until God gave them one. But God's strategy for the victory would have been rendered useless if they had not obeyed his word, but thank God that they did obey his word, and because of that, they gained victory in the physical realm, which was given to them in the spiritual realm. Why are we talking about Israel's story? Listen to understand what Jesus wants to do in your life through obedience.

What is the gospel? We have heard the word gospel thrown around in church services and culture. But we learn that the Gospel is good news for all who accept it. It is also a new way of living and being that God gives us to live the life He designed for us.

God's miracles always occur to showcase God's goodness and compassion towards people. In John 9:15, this is true of the blind man's encounter with Jesus that transforms his sight from blindness to seeing.

Fear has a price, and that price is costly. When we choose not to confront how we feel and how it affects those around us, we become a hostage to that fear. It's time to break up with your fears and walk in the victory that belongs to you.

How do you face your fears? Many struggle with overcoming fear because they are unwilling to define what they fear. When we are able to name what scares us, we are able to face it and overcome it.