Faith Builders Devotional

Daily Devotional

January 18 - January 24 2026

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. 5 For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations. NKJV

Enter His gates with thanksgiving! The easiest way to describe it is when you enter into God’s presence, you are passing “the gates” of the physical world we live in to the spiritual world and connecting the two. As a believer, one of the most important things you can do is fellowship with the Father. How do you do it?

The same way you go to visit with anyone. You’ve got to go to where they are. If you are near your church, then I encourage you to be there as much as you can. Whenever there is a prayer meeting, you need to be there. However, it is not always possible for us to make it to our church buildings. THAT is the cool thing about Yahweh!

He said He will never leave you or forsake you Hebrews 13:5). He will go with you wherever you go. How does he go? Well, that is what Jesus was talking about in John 15 (read from verse 26). Depending on your Bible translation, Jesus said He had to go so the Father could send the ‘Helper’, the ‘Comforter’. The Greek word here parakletos literally means ‘one to come along side’. The Holy Spirit comes along side and helps and comforts those who serve Yahweh and act and live by faith. So, what about those gates?

Even as someone who has repented and accepted the work of Jesus, you still need to fellowship with the Father because you need to get spiritually refreshed daily. You need to make the effort to Praise Him.

You enter the gates of God’s spiritual property when you begin to praise Him. As you praise Him it is like a jet taking off. All those problems, complaints, concerns, worries… it all gets so small as you gain altitude and get farther away from it.

When you begin to praise God, the Holy Spirit (your comforter along side) is there. Praise God and you will strongly sense the power of the Holy Spirit there. You start at the entry into His gates, and you go deeper. You go to His courts. That is where the true fellowship with the Father begins. You’re getting yourself into Yahweh’s living room. He is right there to converse with you.

The key is you have to take the first steps. You have to enter into His gates and this is a spiritual act that will make you stronger. You start by thanking him for His goodness to you. Thank Him for what you’ve got; you’re job, you’re family, your friends, your health, your healing. There are so many things to be thankful for. Enter into His gates today!

Jan19

Why Is The World Such A Mess? The Earth Lease

Ps 24:1
24	The earth is the Lord's, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein. NKJV Probably the most common question that unbelievers ask Committed Christians is, “If God is in control of the world, then why is it such a mess?” If you are a Cultural Christian like I was, you are immediately stumped by this question because you’ve have been taught that God is in control. There is this conception with Cultural Christian leaders that whatever happens is ‘God’s will’. This way of thinking (or doctrine) not only is wrong,but it confuses a lot of people who are looking for God. Father forgive me for blindly telling unbelievers that any event that comes their way is ‘God’s will’. If you think about it, if God is in control of the world, then He has done a horrible job of managing it. We have famines, war, people being kidnapped or abducted, unjust legal systems, babies being ripped out of their mothers’ wombs for convenience’s sake, dictators in control of whole countries, children losing their parents, children born with birth defects, drug dealers fighting for territorial control… this list goes on and on. The world we live in can be a very nasty place. Is this God’s will? Absolutely not! If you ever get confused about what God’s plan is, I suggest you go back to the Garden. What? That’s right, go back and see what God had planned for us in the garden of Eden. You can see God’s original plan. In Genesis 1 you’ll notice that God made the earth and gave mankind (that’s men and women) dominion or shall we say ‘control’ over the earth. In Psalms 24, you see that God owned the earth and He entrusted it to mankind. This is confirmed in Psalms 115:16
16	The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord's; But the earth He has given to the children of men. NKJV God gave us control over the earth for a time. He still owns everything. It is basically leased to us. I like to call it the Earth lease. Do you remember the Genesis story? The enemy came and brought doubt saying, ‘Did God really say this?’ don’t do this, or don’t do that. He does the exact same thing today. The enemy always wants to get us doubting God’s plan for us. Unfortunately, our ancestors believed him and got duped out of God’s plan for them and lost the paradise God had created for them. So why is the earth such a mess? Well, it’s a combination of the enemy on the spiritual side, and all the humans on the physical side. As a believer, we don’t have to be a part of that. We don’t have to be associated with the hopelessness in the world. We have a living hope. His name is Jesus. Did you know Jesus went to hell on our behalf? Check out Ephesians 4. Not only that, Jesus took that authority back for us. So if you are a believer, you can be back in communion with Yahweh through Jesus (John 14:6). I have decided that as long as I am on this earth, I am going to walk in the authority that we have as Committed Christians. I refuse to allow God to get blamed for the enemy’s mess. The earth is just under the authority of man for a time. It will go back 100% to God’s control. Jesus is coming soon! Walk in His goodness and walk in His authority today. Use the name of Jesus in your life and watch the enemy flee. God is good and His mercy endures forever and ever!

Jan20

Just One Way

John 14:6
6	Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. NKJV These days, it seems like everyone is going out of their way to try not to offend anyone else. The United States started as a Christian nation, as acknowledged by the US Supreme Court, but just like the Israeli people during bible times, we have strayed and need to go back to God and His ways. When you lose your ability to speak the truth, you move towards compromise. Yahweh is not the Almighty God because He compromises. Yahweh is pure and awesome. Yahweh is truth. If you want to know the God of the Word, you must know the Word of God (the Bible). In John 17:17, Jesus prays for us;
17	Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. NKJV With regards to God, many people say, ‘All roads lead to Rome’ meaning that there are many ways to get to God. Jesus was very clear that there is only one ‘road’ that leads to God. If I have a choice of going with what people say or going with what the Messiah says, I choose the Messiah. There is only one way to God, Jesus the Messiah. On the West coast of the United States we have one interstate freeway called Interstate 5. Interstate 5 runs North to South, from Canada through Washington, Oregon, and California. I have fond memories of the highway because every couple years my family would drive from the Tacoma area to Los Angeles to enjoy our Spring break from school in the parks there. It would take a few days and we would stay at inexpensive little motels along the way. If you want to go to New York, no matter how long you drive or which way you go, you will never get to New York City (NYC). You have to head East from the West Coast of the United States to get to NYC. You can’t just take any road east. Even if you are heading in the right direction, some roads may lead you to Orlando, some to Atlanta, some may stop in Chicago. Clearly all roads don’t lead to the same place. If you want to have a relationship with your Creator, if you get on the wrong road you will get lost. At events proclaiming humanitarian causes, you’ll see representatives from the religions of the world coming together and ‘praying’ for peace and such. I have noticed that no matter what the cause, you only ever see Cultural Christians showing up. Committed Christians know that if you want to pray about anything, there is no point of coming together with people who don’t know God. Jesus is the first man to proclaim that He was the only way. By coming together with religious people, Committed Christians know that this confuses unbelievers and gives them the feeling that it is all the same. Yahweh warns us to beware of religion, calling it the “vain deceit” and “traditions of men” (Colossians 2:8). Tradition will not bring you closer to God. It all comes down to seeking Yahweh. The only way you can become right with Him is through faith in Jesus the Messiah. We are saved by grace, not by what traditions we have (Ephesians 2:8). Are you on the right road? Want to go deeper with God? Seek His face with all your being.

Jan21

The Faith That Amazed God

Matt 8:10
10	When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! NKJV The importance of our faith in our daily lives is detrimental. Just reading Matthew 8:10 makes you wonder, what was done that was so great that the Messiah, the Creator of the Universe (John 1) stopped and ‘marveled’? Was He amazed because a Roman captain, a leader of over 100 soldiers, had stopped him and talked to him? Was He marveling because He was talked to by a foreigner that many Jews loathed? What stopped Jesus in His tracks? It was the faith of the centurion. It was faith. What does Hebrews 11:6 say?
6	But without faith it is impossible to please Him[Yahweh], for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. NKJV Jesus stopped and marveled because for the first time in His 30 plus years on the earth, He saw pure faith. What is pure faith? Faith is believing God and talking about it. Faith is speaking. What did this Roman leader do? In Matthew 8:8, the Roman Captain said,
8	The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. Notice, the Roman didn’t even expect Jesus to come to his house. All he wanted was for the Messiah to speak a word and he knew his trusted employee would be raised off that bed of sickness. He recognized Jesus’s authority and knew of the miracles that happened when He spoke. The greatest hinderance to answered prayer is brought up in Matthew 8:2. When you question God’s willingness to work in your life, you have no faith to stand on. Jesus made it very clear to the leprous man in 8:3 that He was more than willing to heal him. God wants to work in our lives. Without faith, it is absolutely impossible to please Yahweh. Hebrews 11:6 says we have to do two things; 1) Believe that Yahweh exists 2) Believe that Yahweh is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him Healing is God’s reward. Prosperity is God’s reward. A strong marriage is God’s reward. A good job and good relationships with people is God’s reward. God wants to bless His children, just as I want to be a blessing to my wife and children. God wants to bless those who are diligently seeking Him and His Kingdom in faith. Are you walking by faith today? Are you speaking God’s Word over your situation or what the world has to say? The world talks hopelessness, loneliness, fear, and doubt. Yahweh’s Kingdom is hope, joy, and peace in any circumstance or situation. If you are speaking faith, then watch the world around you begin to change by the Word of God and the Word of Faith in your mouth.

Jan22

Did God really say?

Gen 3:1

The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, "Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?" NLT

One of the most beautiful things about coming into a relationship with Yahweh is knowing that you are not some freak of nature. You are not someone who just happened because your mother and father conceived you. Yahweh has brought you here for a purchase and He has awesome plans for those who want to take part of them.

Many people are going about their day to day lives like robots. They don’t think about why they are here or what legacy they will leave behind when they are gone. However, once you hear about Jesus and accept the work that He did for you, you become the righteousness of God. It is no longer about what you did because His death and resurrection makes you right before God, and washes away all our sin and anything that would separate us from God’s plan for our lives.

Once you discover God’s calling for your live you realize that God has some gifts and talents that He has given to you that you can use for the Kingdom. You may be a singer or musician, teacher or giver, a great speaker, a talented artist, a caregiver, there are so many gifts or talents that you can use to contribute to your local church and change your nation for Jesus. It is so fulfilling to operate in your gifting and callings.

Once you get going, many times the enemy will come and try to get you to doubt your calling and what you are doing. Even if, God has spoken to you specifically about doing something that doubt and fear tries to come in. The enemy wants you to doubt what God called you to do so he can take you off course. Just like he did in the Garden, the enemy will come in and say, ‘Did God really say?’ Did God really call you to start this home group? Did God really say you would be the head and not the tail? Did God really say you would be blessed in whatever you do? Did God really say to help out at your local church? Did God really say you can get free of that sinful lifestyle?

When we first started in ministry in Tokyo, It was a big deal to go from a major domination with churches and missionaries around the world to independent ministers starting a work in central Tokyo. The first few months it was tough, I remember thinking “Am I really supposed to be in Japan?” “Is this group God’s will and was I to leave the denomination?” I already knew God’s answer was YES! We pressed on.

Over the months we did this initial outreach we were able to lead 28 people to Jesus, see people healed of unknown diseases, and changed by the power of God. If we would have listened to the ‘Did God really say?” we would have missed out on bringing Jesus’s power and word to the hundreds of people we met. Hallelujah!

When you ‘hear’ this type of voice, you need to rebuke it in the Mighty Name of Jesus. Doubt and unbelief will try to replace your faith and victory. When God calls you to do something, you have got to make sure it is according to His Word and follow it. God’s directions will always be in line with His Word.

Jan23

Put Your Soul Into It

Deut 4:29
29	But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. NKJV I repented and received Jesus at a denominational church in Aloha Oregon in 1978. It was an awesome experience to get ‘born again’. I like the literal translation of that term ‘born again’ in John 3:3, the Amplified Bible translates Jesus’s explanation to the priest in this story well.
3	Jesus answered him, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that unless a person is born again (anew, from above), he cannot ever see (know, be acquainted with, and experience) the kingdom of God. AMP When you repent and accept the work Jesus did for you, your spirit is ‘born from above’. You are born into heaven. That does not change the never changing fact, that if you want to go deeper with God you must seek Him. The promise in both the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 4:29) and the New Testament (James 4:8) is the same. If you seek Yahweh with all of your being, YOU WILL FIND HIM. That is awesome. You don’t have to be concerned with sacrificing animals to please God. You don’t have to constantly think of doing good deeds to please God. You just have to draw near to Him, then he will come close to you. The first step is yours to make. As a teenager, I wondered why God would not just come show Himself to everyone and make everyone repent. I learned that for this point in time, God wants to respect our decisions and give us a free will to make decisions by ourselves. You are responsible for the decisions you make. If God just did as I thought as a teenager, we would all be forced to repent and we would love our ability to choose. Love is a choice. Yahweh gave us an ability to choose because He loves us. He gave us that ability to choose life (eternity with Him) or death (eternal separation from Him). When you seek God with all your heart, what does that mean? Well, you know that humans are made of up of spirit, soul, and body (1 Thess 5:23). In the Word, we see the word heart used a lot, the heart means our soul (not our really our spirit). When we seek God with all of our hearts we are seeking Him with all of our whole soul (that means all of our mind, will, and emotions). We’re constantly talking to Him, thanking Him, rolling our cares on Him. We’re seeking Him with all we’ve got. People may become an emotional wreck around you, but you know that God will not allow it to come near you. If you don’t know God deeply or at all, I encourage you to take up this promise and seek Him you’re all your soul. Then watch Him work in your life.

Jan24

Freedom, Worship, and The Anointing

1 Sam 16:23
23	And so it was, whenever the spirit from God was upon Saul, that David would take a harp and play it with his hand. Then Saul would become refreshed and well, and the distressing spirit would depart from him. NKJV There is something about worship that takes you to the next level with God. What do we mean by worship? Praising and worshiping Yahweh through song in Jesus’s Name. The Japanese, like many cultures, love to sing. You just wouldn’t know it, because Japanese tend to be very introverted as there is a lot of pressure to conform to the group and not stick out. With regards to singing, things seem to be a bit different. In the case of the Japanese, many times people get a little drugged up with their alcohol and then they are ready to sing. After work and a little drinking, you’ll find Japanese going to Karaoke and singing their favourite songs into the wee hours of the morning. There is something about singing that gives people a bit of a feeling of release. However, once the melodies are played and the songs are sung, they realize that the trouble before the song started is still there after the song ended. As a believer, I have learned that music and sound is God’s creation for us. It is a powerful tool. Not only that, music is how we enter into God’s presence. Humans are doing the same thing all the time. We play music at sports events, parties, weddings, and we even play music at our high school and university graduations. But I believe, music was designed for one main purpose and that is to glorify God. When someone filled with the presence of God begins to sing worship to Him, situations change. The Word says that ‘David was a man after God’s Heart’. He knew how to worship. When a demonically manipulated ruler needed peace, only a Spirit-filled believer (David) and anointed worship could break the oppression. I’ve seen demons wig out on the people they’ve connected to as the presence of God begins to fall in a meeting. Church is all about worship. God spoke to me for our church in December 2008. He said that we need to have anointed music and a message. The music opens me open for what God is going to say, then the Holy Spirit teaches me through the messenger and an anointed message. The more you get to a strong faith church, the stronger you will get. (Unfortunately, the opposite is just as true, the less you are in a strong church, the more defeated you will be). Learn to get into God’s presence and you will have freedom. As you learn to worship, no matter what happens, you will experience miracles in your life. Remember Paul and Silas were arrested and thrown in prison for being Committed Christians. In Acts 16:25-26
25	But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were loosed. NKJV Paul and Silas were not singing Karaoke songs. They were singing praise to God even though they had been beaten up and locked up. They knew that if they gave it to Yahweh, He would take care of them. They began to praise God. They just didn’t sing a song, they worshipped Yahweh and everyone was listening. When you worship God, spiritual chains will fall off. I see it every Sunday. Your being there is so important because like Paul and Silas, everyone is watching you (including unbelieving husbands or wives). Your worship can benefit them. Discouraged? Worship Him! Depressed? Worship Him! Near poverty? Worship Him! Sick? Worship Him! God will bring you though. Then things change. Happy? Worship Him! Victorious? Worship Him! Change you can really believe in.

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