Faith Builders Devotional

July 6 - July 12 2025

July6

How In The World?

1	Corinthians 5:11 But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner — not even to eat with such a person. NKJV As a young professional I remember doing a project for a multinational company. This company would talk about ‘integrity’ all the time while the managers were sleeping with each other, the employees were fighting, and all sorts of cheating was going on in the background. To them, integrity meant doing the right thing, talked about it, but, they did just the opposite. That’s the world. What about the church? Well, we find a similar thing in churches were they talk about doing the right thing but they end up doing exactly what they spoke against. If you love Jesus, you are not supposed to do what the unbelievers are doing. You are to be different. That’s right. The Word says in 2 Corinthians 6:17 "Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you." NKJV We are to come out of the world and be different. We are the ones that are supposed to be ‘coming out’ to share the joy and life in King Jesus! We are not to go into the world and be the same. As a matter of fact if there are people in the fellowship of believers around you who say they love Jesus but are in sin, and the Word makes it VERY clear that we are not to hang around them (1 Corinthians 5:11). Get away from people who say they are believers but are in sexual sin, cheating others, lying, or any other sin that will separate you from the presence of God. I will never forget a young professional who came to our church, who wanted to minister so bad to the people but he had no anointing. He was in sin. We were a bit slow in those days, but we perceived something amiss we just weren’t sure for about 4 weeks. After hearing about how we loved homosexuals but needed to help them to get out of this sexual sin, he wrote a lengthy email to the church. In that email, he tried to explain away 4 or 5 of the many scriptures that show how this lifestyle is sin and how sexual sin brings judgment. He was clearly not open and chose his sin over King Jesus. When I asked the Holy Spirit about it, He showed me 1 Corinthians 5:11 that showed me we must put out people who profess to be believers but are in the various sins, with no repentance, that are listed there. That company talked about “integrity” but was not able to do much in that area. Now the world preaches “tolerance”. They tell us we have to accept everyone as they are. They try not to say anything to ‘offend’ others, they are afraid to tell the truth. They want us to accept their lifestyles and say nothing. A big saying for believers in the US in the 2000s was “What would Jesus do?” (WWJD). So what does King Jesus have to say about the same sex trying to ‘marry’? About movies that promote fornication and violence? About songs filled with vulgar words and spreading hate? We are to cut relationships with people who profess to be believers but are not obeying the Word. Why is that? If a fellowship of spirit-filled believers associates with a sinner that professes to be one of us, the unbelievers around them will think we are like them. Their sin becomes your sin. Who you associate with is a reflection on you. We are supposed to be a light to the unbelievers in the world, not like them. We are not to accept these false believers, but we are to show Jesus to the people that don’t know Him. So, what would Jesus do? How did Jesus deal with sinners that He met? John 8:10-11 gives a great example of what King Jesus thought. A woman was caught in adultery (Where was the man that was with her??). The religious people brought her to Jesus because they wanted him to judge her. They were going to kill her with stones. He told the one without sin to throw the first stone. He stooped down and began writing in the dirt with his finger. They all left one by one.
10	When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?"
11	She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more." NKJV King Jesus was without sin. He was the only one there that had any right to throw a stone. He didn’t. He didn’t condemn her, but he told her that she needed to quit sinning. We don’t have to tolerate people’s sin. If we live in a free country, we have every obligation to tell people what is sin that will kill them and stand for the right. We are the light in the darkness. Our first witness is our lives, secondly we’ve got to use our mouths and tell people about Jesus. You can talk all you want about cleaning fish, but it is pretty difficult to clean a fish you haven’t caught. Focus on sharing the love of Jesus today and getting people into the kingdom, the Holy Spirit will clean them up. Believers are not afraid to call wrong, wrong and right, right. Our Messiah didn’t tolerate sin, but He acted in love. We should do likewise.

Isa 34:16
'Search from the book of the Lord, and read:
Not one of these shall fail;
Not one shall lack her mate.
For My mouth has commanded it, and His Spirit has gathered them. NKJV
When I started asking the Yahweh to speak to me, the first thing I realized is that He speaks to us via the Word. If we know the Word of God (the Bible) then we are setting ourselves up to really know our Father. The better we know the Word of God, the better we shall know the God of the Word.
As we have gone through life, we all have various issues we face. One issue I have seen a lot with people is the desire to marry. Many people seem to get nervous if they get to 30 years old or so and are not married. There are two incidents that immediately come to mind, where we saw women rush to marry and marry the wrong person.
One lady came to our church briefly and told us God told her to marry a young guy who was a newly saved former gang member. What can you say to someone who says God told them to do something like that when you know they are wrong? Sadly, three years later they divorced. Her rush to marry not only caused pain for her and the young guy, but also created a lot of unnecessary pain and stress for her mother, father and even sister.
I have learned to turn my worrying and anxiousness into faith. It is a daily thing, it is a daily fight, faith is a lifestyle. There is nothing like living by faith because the “Just live by faith”. When you need something don’t worry about it! Go to the Word of God and find a promise for your situation. I do that for healing, peace, wisdom, joy, insights, family, church, business, extended family, and pretty much everything else I can.
If you are unmarried and wanting to get married, I love Isaiah 34:16. This is a scripture you can pray for yourself and confess daily. You can thank God that He has a mate (or spouse) for you because even the animals are created and get mates. You can thank Him that He cares for you more than the animals. You can thank Him for the divine connections to that lifetime spouse that He has for you.
A couple things to remember, if you are a guy looking for a lady, look at the woman before you decide to marry. Is where she lives clean? If she can’t cook, can you? Does she have any issues with anger or violence? Does she nag or verbally abuse not knowing when to be silent? What are her parents like? (That is a lot like what she will be like). Is she loving and compassionate to those around her? Most importantly, is she a committed follower of Jesus the Messiah and filled with the Spirit?
For the ladies looking at the guys, you have similar things to think about. But if he is going to be your possible breadwinner (the person bringing financial income into the family), you need to make sure of a few more things. Did he complete his education? Is he motivated? Is he a doer or just a talker? How does he treat his parents? Does he listen too much to his mom? (Momma’s boys are hard on the wife). Does he know how to work hard? Is he compassionate? How does he treat others? Is he prone to physically hitting or punching anyone or anything when he gets upset? Does he have a vision for his life and what does he plan to do with himself in 5 years or even 10 years? Most importantly, is he a committed follower of Jesus the Messiah and filled with the Spirit?
There are a lot of things to consider as you pray and find your spouse. Don’t be in a hurry because it is a life decision. It is not something we should take lightly. Trust God and He will make it happen in faith. Talk about those characteristics of that spouse you are expecting. Believe in faith, because that pleases God and He will work on your behalf. If you rush, you could end up paying the price for years to come. Most importantly, is he a committed follower of Jesus the Messiah? I love Proverbs 21:9 that says
Better to dwell in a corner of a housetop,
Than in a house shared with a contentious woman. NKJV
It could be a contentious man as well. Marriage is wonderful, marriage is sacred, marriage is for a lifetime. It takes work, but it is well worth it.

July8

You’re Included!

Eph 3:6
that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel NKJV
If you look around the nations, you will find people of Jewish descent in high levels of the various societies around the world. You will find many running companies, owning myriads of businesses, and even controlling much of the Hollywood entertainment industry. Even though they many not be doing the greatest businesses from a moral perspective, they are certainly doing well financially. Why is it that this little group of people descending from Israel are so well off? What makes a Jew a Jew?
I have asked many Israelis or Jewish people, “What makes you Jewish?” Many don’t know but some point back to Abraham. From history, we know Abraham is the father of the Jews. Then I ask, “What made Abraham Jewish?” I have yet to get a right answer, or in most cases any answer at all. Romans 4:3 says

For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." NKJV
Then check out Romans 4:17

(as it is written, "I have made you a father of many nations") in the presence of Him whom he believed — God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; NKJV
So what made Abraham Jewish? Wasn’t he just like everyone else in what is now present day Iraq (Ur)? Yes, he was. However the difference was Abraham believed God and he acted on that faith by going when Yahweh said go. That is what set him apart from the people around him.
God made Abraham a whole new nation because he believed God. Can you imagine that? From one husband and wife, a whole new nation of people came forth. It doesn’t matter what your background is. If you believe God and act on His Word, He will do amazing things through you.
You are included in God’s plan when you believe and act, and act and believe.

July9

Put Him In Remembrance

Isa 43:26
Put Me in remembrance;
Let us contend together;
State your case, that you may be acquitted. NKJV
As I dive deeper and deeper into the Word each year, I see how inseparable reading the Word (the Bible), praying, and fellowshipping with others is to becoming and remaining a believing Christian. I heard a preacher in Missouri say it last year and I agree, “If you aren’t regularly going to church, I really doubt that you are a Christian”. It is so true. If you aren’t going to the gym, how can you be a good gymnast? If you aren’t playing the piano, how can you be a good pianist? If you aren’t running each day, how can you be a good runner? If you aren’t always thinking of good ideas, how can you be a good entrepreneur?
To be a strong believer, a strong Christian, we must be in His Word, and know His Word. You must find the place in God’s Word for whatever situation you are going through and stand on that scripture. Read it, write it down, pray it, confess it, talk about it with your family; and make it a part of your life. When you go through a situation, remind yourself of that promise. For example, if you are looking for a spouse, use Isaiah 34:16 and get that Word out there and confess it. If you are looking for healing, confess Isaiah 53:3-5, 2 Peter 2:24, and many other promises. If you need a financial breakthrough, I spend a lot of time in Deuteronomy 28, Philippians 4:19 and many other places.
I love Isaiah 43:16, because God speaks to us through Isaiah. He tells us to remind Him of His Word. That’s it! Remind Him of HIS Word. Some might say, “Oh but God is all-knowing, He already knows His Word”, or “You can’t talk to God like that”.
Always ask yourself, “What does the Word say about this?” This helps incredibly when you are thinking about something or going through a situation. Yes, God is all knowing but He is not a puppeteer or ogre that is just controlling us. If that were the case, everyone would be believers on the earth. However, at this time He is giving us a chance to decide. In Isaiah, God tells us to remind Him of His Word. I think it is more for us than for Him. I remember asking God why we pray a blessing over our food before we eat. His response was that the blessing was for us not for Him. If you eat bad food, you can become very sick or even die. This is why we pray before we eat.
One man reminded God of His promise regarding a city and delayed judgment that saved his nephew and family. Remember Abraham praying for Lot? Abraham prayed, Yahweh responded. Abraham interceded for a city and the outcome changed because Abraham was talking to God about it. If you aren’t praying, then nothing is going to happen around you. If you are praying, you can change the nations.
Remind God of His Word and thank Him for answering your prayers. Use His Word as your prayer book. Mark the promises and use them in your daily life.

July10

The Gems & The Wife

Prov 31:10
Who can find a virtuous wife?
For her worth is far above rubies. NKJV
I married a lovely lady from Japan in my last year of University. As I thought about her, I just always wanted to be with her and spend my time with her. I asked her to marry me, and she agreed to be my wife. She is an incredible blessing to me. Where I am weak, she strengthens me. Where I am strong, I cover her. Marriage is a wonderful thing.
These days, we have many women getting in cars or trains and going to some place of work just like their husbands. There is nothing wrong with that, but it seems that western media belittles the very important role of the mother, and more importantly the wife. The role of the wife is just as important as the husband. Without the wife, the husband would not be able to do what he does to support the family. He might be able to support himself as a single guy, but he would have no chance to positively influence the next generation. And just as we read in Genesis, I think many guys would be lonely like Adam would have been.
The relationship of a husband and wife should not be a slave and master type of relationship, with the wife or the husband controlling the other. It should be a partnership of two equals. Equal people, with different strengths that you need to capitalize on.
In the old days, the husband would go out and work while the wife would stay home and run the household. She would manage the food (actually gardening), the children, the house, and many times the money as well (depending on the family). My mother raised tomatoes in Oregon and took them into town to sell them to local restaurants to be able to buy shoes for her children.
Although you may not raise tomatoes, things really haven’t have changed that much. The wife may not have to raise food but she can certainly think of extra ways to manage family money, living areas, and children more efficiently. It is not a “sin” for a mom to work, but when that work gets in the way of time with the children then there is a problem. A wife can get a part time job to contribute to the family income. She can start looking for places to invest budget able amounts of money in the market. She can even look at ways to earn extra income by teaching her skills in the area. The most important thing is that the children have access to their mother or father whenever they need them.
The husband’s role is to support the family. If the husband refuses to work, then the wife may have to work. Unless the husband is handicapped, there is no good reason that a husband is not working full-time. Stress will come in the marriage if the husband is not taking care of his wife and family. It can also come if the husband comes home to a house that is not in order.
I want to encourage wives today. Don’t think a ‘stay at home mom’ is something to look down at. It is a very important role. Behind your husband, the kids are very important. You can do all sorts of things to better the life of your family. As your kids get older and need you less and less, you can begin to do more and more. And of course your husband should be helping you as much as he can.
Proverbs 31:10 says a virtuous wife is more valuable than expensive gems. Why is that? It is because the wife is working hand in hand with her husband to enhance the lives of their family.
Praise God for a great wife, and praise Him for a great husband too! What a divine partnership. If you are married, pray for a blessing on your spouse today. Pray that God would bless them, that He would give them wisdom, that he would help them to be the best lover, partner, provider, and parent to your family. If you are not married, pray for that spouse to be. You can pray exactly as above.
Hallelujah!

July11

These Things Shall Pass- Sorrow To Joy

Isaiah 61:3
To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness, NKJV
Our Father God is the God of Victory, not defeat. He is the God of joy, not sorrow. He is the God of the breakthrough. As humans we are all emotional beings. I think most normal people like to be around others. If not, then God would have not made Eve for Adam. When we are around someone for a time and they become friends, it can be difficult to part ways. Especially if it is someone we see every day at our school or some other event.
When I was a kid, I would go work on a farm in Oregon during the summer from about June after school got out. It was very hard work, but an excellent experience. I am so thankful for my farmer brother-in-law (who married my oldest sister). He taught me the meaning of work, responsibility, and was a great positive influence on me as I was growing up as I had the opportunity to work on his farm. (To this day I am impressed with how his passion for Jesus has deepened. His family radiates Jesus to the people around him as they see the shine of the King in his eyes).
About mid-July, I would head back up north to Washington for the county fair. The fair was an event for the area where people would go to enjoy some park rides, see the latest and greatest crafts, hear a few music groups, see various vendors selling their wares, and see various types of animals. There was everything from cats to horses.
People would be showing their sheep, goats, cows, and various other animals to be judged for grooming, disposition, and overall appearance. My older brother-in-law and sister had been into horses. Those wonderful hay-burning beasts that eat a lot but don’t produce (no wool or milk as they are mostly used for transport) all that much. I had been influenced by my parents to raise goats that are very good for healthy milk, ice cream (delicious!) and yogurt.
I would spend 5 days in the barns at the country fair taking care of my animals and answering questions from the crowds of people that would walk through. Families with children, couples, and even reporters would be wandering through. I would get to know the other kids with animals and we would have a great time caring for the animals and getting acquainted with other people from the county. When those 5 days would end, I remember going home to a quiet summer time house and getting my animals back in their home barn. I felt so lonely and down after all that time around all those people. It was really tough for me.
I learned that the best thing to do was to keep myself busy and keep focused on Jesus to overcome these feelings. During that summer break, I discovered that if I just laid around the house, the loneliness would become worse. But if I went and fellowshipped with other kids at church, got up each morning and read the Word, and just kept moving then the feelings would pass.
Isaiah 61:3 says that God has joy for our sorrow, praise for heaviness, and that He has beauty for ashes. But the beginning of the verse talks about Mt. Zion. That means we have to get where He is, we have to get into His house, we need to get around His people. If you want to be strong you’ve got get around Yahweh and His people. That is why Hebrews 10:23-25 says,
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
The feelings will pass. You’ve got to let go. If you are down, pick yourself up and get into His presence! Encourage someone, tell someone about Jesus, get together with other believers. What you do will come back to you.
He is amazing!

July12

Considering The Fallen

1	Tim 6:5 useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself. NKJV In High School in Washington, I was doing a lot of different things along with my studies. I was in the orchestra, jazz band, and marching band. However, I was also into sports and active in football, wrestling, and judo. I wasn’t too good in football but it was a certainly a good experience. The guys there tended to be rough talkers. I developed good friendships with some of the guys there and avoided some of the others due to their filthy talk. As I was involved in music as well, I got a really good feel for the various groups within the student body in the form of athletes (jocks), musicians, the smart, the creatives, and the rest. I remember sitting in the cafeteria with my football buddies after lunch and putting banana peels under the legs of my chair... Boy those peels slide! I noticed that whoever the students and teachers associated you with was how they judged you. My advanced placement (AP) History Teacher had an image of me as a copious student so after attending a Friday night football game he said the following Monday morning to me, “I didn’t realize you were on the football team”. You see, people associate you with whom you are around. The people you spent time with. The people you spend time with shape and form the way you think. This is especially true as you are growing up. In the movies, the actors are sometimes given the line introducing their friend, “This is my associate, Robb” as a more formal way of saying this is a friend who is with me now. But our associations really form us. This is why the Word clearly tells us to get away from sinners who call themselves believers. That is people who are fallen away. How do you describe these believers who have fallen away? For lack of a better term, we describe these deceived people as ‘the fallen’. If you spend time with the fallen, you will be associated with those folks. Paul tells Timothy to “withdraw yourself”. Get away from these people who are a bad influence on who you are. They will pull you down. Associations with evil, put you in the same class. Check out 2 John 10-11 which says,
10	If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; 11 for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds. NKJV “But pastor, that sounds so hard. Aren’t we supposed to love as believers?” you may say. Of course! But when it comes to evil you are supposed to hate evil. Especially evil that masquerades itself as good. That is what God hates and why King Jesus spoke song strong to the fallen religious people. Of course, judging a whole group as evil is not how it works. Every person, within every group has a choice to make between good and evil. Although Nicodemus was a Pharisee (Jewish religious leader), we see in John 3 that he went to the Messiah Jesus as he realized that even he as one of the most educated people in his nation, didn’t really understand it all. If you don’t get away from this fallen evil, you are supporting whatever wrong is done and according to 2 John, you share in it, you become a sponsor as you “share in his (or her) evil deeds”. We see in 2 Thessalonians 3:6-7,
6	But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us. NKJV Know a person who goes to church but has a drinking problem, pornography problem, or a mouth that spews evil words or talks about people in your church or even your pastors? Get away from them. If you want to help the fallen, consult your pastor and go with other strong believers to encourage them. Don’t go by yourself. If they are not open or repentant, the Word is clear- withdraw from them. If you don’t it could hurt you, your testimony, and possibly even separate you from God. This is a hard subject for outgoing believers like us, but we must focus on those who are open. Oh, that I wish that I could chose Jesus for every living human in this world! Our hearts goes out for them. Prayer For Today- Father, I pray that you give me wisdom and direction. Help me to see the condition of the people’s souls around me. Holy Spirit, please give me the words that will cut right to the heart of the problems of these people who are so far from You but think they know You, these fallen. I thank you that greater are You Who are in me than the enemy who is trying to control them. I thank You for Victory and intercede from this person. Draw them by Your Holy Spirit and help me to know if they are open or just acting. I want to focus on bringing thousands of people into Your Kingdom and learning to walk in Your ways. I thank you for the divine appointments to do just that. In Jesus’ Name, AMEN!

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