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| Today |  | March 22 - March 28 2026 |  |
Mar22
The Words To Say
Acts 4:13 | |
| 13 | Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. NKJV Have you graduated from High School? Have you graduated from college? What about a graduate degree? These are all good things. God can really use that. Paul, also known as the Apostle Paul, was a very educated and learned man. He was educated in the best schools of the time and as we can tell, the Holy Spirit used him greatly. Much of the Word of God came through Paul. That is just amazing how God can use and speak through us. In 2 Peter 1:20-21, it says |
| 20 | knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, 21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. NKJV When you learn to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, God will speak to you. He will speak through you as well. We are all imperfect. We all have issues. If we want to overcome, He will help us. He will work through you, if you are willing. Are you willing? You can be moved and directed by God. Maybe you didn’t have the opportunity to get an education like Paul did. Maybe you didn’t even get a chance to go to high school. Don’t let that limit you. God can use anyone. The key is being willing. In Acts 4:13, the so called educated religious people were amazed because Peter and John spoke with such authority and they worked signs and wonders in the Mighty Name of Jesus. How could this be? These guys were fishermen. They probably hadn’t been to any school. The difference is that they had been with Jesus. They spent time in His presence. These guys knew God. You and I can do the same. The Word says that when you don’t know what to say, the Holy Spirit will give you the words. I have experienced this many times. When I preach, I like to go into that worship service with an outline of all the scriptures I am going to use and illustrations I have researched and studied in advance. It takes a lot of work to pastor, and showing your appreciation just by being at church each Sunday is such a blessing for the Pastor. Your reactions to the anointed Word of God He preaches are so precious. However, sometimes I go into the message and although I have prepared all week, I feel unsure of what God wants to say. These are the times that others pull out their notes from past messages and get ready to preach an old message. For me, it is different. This is the time I get on my face and seek God all the more, because I want the message to be from the Holy Spirit. I want people to be touched to the heart when they hear the message. I want God to work through me. It is all about willingness. He wants to work through you as well. He wants to guide you and direct you. He wants to give you the words to speak (Luke 21:15). No matter what your education or your background is, you have access to the wisdom of God. When you have been with Jesus, there is nothing that can stop you as you rely on Him. The most important thing is to get out there and tell people about Jesus. When you go, that is where your faith starts. When you open your mouth, that is where that faith continues. That is when He will guide you by the Word you’ve put in your heart and the Holy Spirit that is there with you. |
Mar23
The Laying On Of Hands
Acts 19:4-7 | |
| 4 | And Paul said, "John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus." 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. ESV As a believer, when you need something from God, it is powerful to get into His presence. He gives wisdom to those who seek Him. He gives knowledge and strength. When you believe and get filled with the Spirit of God, you can impart that anointing to others. Of course, they have to be open and willing to receive. This is through the laying on of hands. I like churches that make time to pray for the sick. God wants to touch His people. He can and does gracefully move for people without any human intervention. But generally, God wants to move through His children for His children. Frankly, you and I are the hands and feet of God. For this time, we are the ones that are to tell people about Jesus. It goes the same for physical healing. We are the ones God wants to work through for physical healing. James 5:14 says, |
| 14 | Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. NKJV We are God’s hands and His feet. If we don’t feed the poor, who will? If we don’t encourage the discouraged, who will? If we don’t pray for the healing of the sick, who will? When a believer who is filled by the Holy Spirit, lays hands on someone. The Holy Spirit moves through that touch. It works for healing as well as many other things. Before we send someone out from our church, we pray for God’s touch on them as we lay hands and pray over them. There is a transference of the Spirit of God on us to the person we touch. As the person praying, we need to pray in faith. Jesus said that He has given us all authority. If you look through the book of Acts, you will see time and again about the laying on of hands. |
Acts 28:8 | |
| 8 | And it happened that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and dysentery. Paul went in to him and prayed, and he laid his hands on him and healed him. NKJV If you are going to receive prayer, make sure it is with someone who is filled with the Holy Spirit of God who prays over you. Make sure it is someone you know and someone you trust. James encourages to make sure it is the leaders of our local church. The laying on of hands is a powerful tool for tapping into the Kingdom of God. When you pray, expect things to happen. When you are prayed for, you can see God moving through His people. |
Mar24
Fat Or Thin, You’re In!
Acts 2:21 | |
| 21 | And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved.' NKJV As an avid ‘Faith Builder’, you know that being a believer (being a Committed Christian) is not about religion. It is not just about having some traditions and a culture of love. There is so much more. You don’t have to have a certain income status. You don’t have to be poor and you don’t have to be rich. You don’t have to be fat, and you don’t have to be thin. You don’t have to be white, black, red, yellow, or any other ethnic group. The Word is very clear about what you have to do. You have to repent, turn from your wrong ways, and follow Jesus our Messiah. It doesn’t matter about any status that you have, or don’t have. As unbelievers, we are all equal before God. We’re all lost and will be eternally separated from Yahweh if we don’t choose Him while we have the chance during our lives on this earth. Whether you are living in a mansion in Beverly Hills or living under a bridge in Shinjuku, we are all lost without Jesus. Acts 2 tells us exactly what we need to do. We need to call on the name of Yahweh. That is exactly what Romans 10:8,9 is saying. We must acknowledge our need of Him and confess Him as our Messiah, then you will be saved. It’s so easy! When you call on God, He will never let you down. He will seek you out. It is awesome. It has been many years, so let me share with you this testimony. I heard the story of a man working on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. This is the ocean just South of Texas. He would work a shift of several weeks on this metal island (almost like a big table) in the middle of the sea. After several weeks working, he would have several weeks off at home. It was long hard work. The oil rig was all metal with grating that you would walk on to get around this small platform where you could see the ocean below them as they drilled for off-shore oil. This engineer loved God. One day as he was working, he thought he had a vision. Walking around the corner on the rig, he suddenly stepped into a jungle. He wasn’t sure where he was, but there was no ocean or metal grating anywhere nearby. He looked down and saw the moist dirt around his booted feet. All around him was a tropical jungle. He could smell and sense everything around him. He heard noises in the distance and followed the sound. As he peered out of the jungle, there was a clearing with a small village of mud-huts. Just nearby he saw a young boy playing. He stepped out of the jungle and approached the child. For some reason, he felt he should share about Jesus. The boy was startled at first, as no one else from the village was around at the time. The oilman was very surprised as he was able to speak the language of the child and explained how God sent His Son to live and die on our behalf. He shared how Jesus died to make him right before God. The boy accepted Jesus. About that time, some of the adults of the village entered the clearing from the other side of the jungle. When they saw the oilman, they drew their bows and machetes and start running towards the oilman. He sensed he needed to get out so he turned and ran. As he ran back into the jungle, he ran between the bushes and plants of the jungle, suddenly the bushes and trees disappeared and he found himself back on the oil platform. He couldn’t believe what happened. The jungle, the villiage, the clearing, the boy… it all seemed so real. The dream, the vision, or whatever it was seemed like it really happened. As he looked at the waters of the Gulf below him, he noticed his boots. They were covered with fresh mud and small fragments of plants. This was no dream. You see when someone calls on the Name of God, He will do whatever it takes to tell them about Jesus. This story sounds like something from a motion picture. However, God had actually transported this believer to the person in need. We may never know all that happened with the people in that jungle village. But we do know that one of them got the Word, called upon Jesus, and was saved. This idea of calling on God for salvation is nothing new to the New Testament or even the Old Testament. It has been God’s plan all the way along. The guys in Acts are actually quoting Joel 2:32 |
| 32 | And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved. No matter who you are, or what you’ve done. The only forgiveness we have is in the blood of Jesus that was shed for you. It washes you clean and pure before God. It is not complicated, you have to believe and you have to receive your salvation. Only you can call on Him. So won’t you call on Him today? If you already know Jesus, tell someone else about Him, His love, and His plan for them. |
Mar25
Praise Him When You’re UP & Praise Him When You’re Down!
Acts 16:25 | |
| 25 | But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. NKJV If you just read Acts 16:25 by itself. It seems like no big deal. A couple guys who love Jesus are praying and singing. There are two very important things to remember. Firstly, what we have to realize is these guys had just been beaten up. They were bleeding. I am sure they had bruises all over bodies. They certainly were in pain, hurting, and in chains. Secondly, we have to remember where they were. They weren’t at home. They weren’t even in some hotel room somewhere. They were in prison. One of the most uncomfortable places that you can possibly be, prison was far from relaxing. It was dark, damp, insect-infested, and probably reeked of death. There were probably all sorts of people in the prison. There were probably people mumbling to themselves and others groaning. Food and water was not easy to get when you were in the jails of ages past. For most people, if you were thrown in jail, that became your “death sentence” as thousands of people died in jail. It was a horrible place. Even though they were bruised, beaten, and in pain; even though they were in this dreadful place, they praised God. They honored God by praying and singing to Him. These days many people just operate themselves based on their own feelings. If they don’t feel like doing something, they don’t do it. “Well, brother, I just don’t feel like working today.” “Honey, I just don’t feel like going to church today”. “I know I promised, but I just don’t feel like keeping that promise”. I am sure Paul and Silas didn’t feel like praising God in these horrible circumstances. What if they had just gone on how they felt? What if they had just laid there quiet and bleeding? What would have happened? I’ll tell you what would have happened; absolutely, undeniably, nothing! I am not moved by what I see or what I feel, but I am moved by the Word of God. Paul and Silas went against their feelings and put God first. They went after God with all they had. Even though they were in a cold and dark place, they chose to worship and thank God. Even though their bodies were hurting from the blows of their persecutors, they chose to worship and thank God. I believe they were thanking God for bringing them through: That they were thanking God for the victory over the circumstances. Notice that other people around them were listening and watching. What are you doing? Why are you complaining about that job, those marital challenges, those children, that lack in your life, those tough times that you have gone through, those people that ripped you off.. Stop complaining and start praising. Prayer and praise brings the victory. When Paul and Silas started praising look what happened. |
Acts 16:26 | |
| 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. They prayed and sang praises to God when they were down. When you praise God, it lifts your soul (mind, will, and emotions). That flows right to your spirit and then people can see the light of God in your eyes. That is why we sing at church every Sunday. Then suddenly, there was a great shaking earthquake and all the chains on the prisoners in their cells fell off them. God lifted them up and set them free. People around them saw their victory and if you read on in Acts you’ll see that the warden of the jail got saved through it. Isn’t God good? We’ve got to remember how Paul and Silas got their victory. They praised God when they were down, and He brought them up. I am sure they praised God all the time. Make prayer and praise a part of your daily life. |
Mar26
Be Truthful, A Matter Of Life Or Death
Matt 5:36-37 | |
| 36 | Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one. NKJV People like to deal with others who are truthful. Friendships are built on trust that what the friend is saying is true. Companies are looking to hire people who are honest, work hard, and tell the truth. No one likes to work with a liar because you can’t rely on liars. What they say is whatever will benefit them. They’ll lie to get whatever they can. We’ve got to remember however that, what you compromise (lie) to get, you will have to compromise to keep. Obviously, lying is a bad habit. It can become an addiction that can get the perpetrator deeper and deeper in a hole. We all know that lying is wrong. Some people call lies that, they think, don’t hurt others ‘white lies’. Before God, white, black, or blue, a lie is a lie. In our conscience, we all know that lying is wrong. If you don’t deal with it, this sin will separate you from God. This lying is exactly what got the enemy. The enemy is a bunch of liars. Can you imagine them trying to work together? What confusion and chaos must be there! We all know lying is wrong. God is truth. Jesus said in John 17:17, Sanctify them with Your Word, for Your Word is truth. If you want to associate with God, you must be truthful. What about promises? Do we have to keep our promises pastor? Let’s look at what the Word says. In Matthew 5:36,37, we’re encouraged to let our “Yes be yes, and our no to be no”. That means you don’t have to say yes to everything. It is okay to say no. That’s right! it is okay to say no. But if you tell someone you are going to do something, then you had better do it. Otherwise, your word is going to become just as worthless. As an unbeliever, you have to be truthful if you want people to trust you and promote you. As a believer, there is even more. Your word should be as good as gold. |
Titus 2:7-8 | |
| 7 | Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, 8 and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us. ESV If you lie or don’t keep your word, people won’t have anything good to say about you. We got a quotation from a company to change the sign at our church. We got an initial quotation after a week of waiting. We asked for the service times to be added to the sign. Via telephone the guy said he would take care of it right away. One week passed by, no response. A second week passed by, so we called the guy at the office and his mobile. No return call. Four weeks later, still no response to update the initial quotation. In a few weeks, we’ll probably hear back from the guy as he seems to run on his own clock. However, in the meantime we have found a company that keeps their word and booked the work with them. What can we say about the guy who didn’t keep his word? Nothing, because there is nothing good, he didn’t keep his word. It is best to be silent. I like to tell people that in life, “you snooze, you lose” in life. This guy from the sign company lost face and respect from us because he didn’t keep his word. Believers, we’ve got to stay awake, be aware of what is going on around us, be responsive, but most importantly we have to keep our promises. Why? Jesus told us to be perfect as our Father is perfect (Matt 5:48). Every day is a chance to work toward that and becoming a better person. Don’t be afraid to say no to people when you can’t do something. If you say you are going to do something. Keep that promise as if you have made it to the Lord. It is a reflection on Him when people know you are a believer. When you look good, He looks good. Keep your promises and watch increase come your way! Increase in good friends, increase in business, increase in family. Your words should be like gold. |
Mar27
Faith That Changes You
Acts 15:8-9 | |
| 8 | So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, 9 and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. NKJV On Saturday mornings, we have a prayer and intercession time in preparation for church on Sunday. It is amazing. We call it Power Hour. This is a wonderful time of getting my spiritual recharging. I have watched people coming to these meetings really change into strong women and men of God. One Saturday as one of the guys was standing praying at the front of the church, he had his eyes closed and turned to suddenly find a guy standing in front of him. The guy started asking him about himself saying, “Why am I so ugly?” The believer was surprised as he was just praying and turned around to find this guy standing in front of him. We sat down with the unbeliever and shared with him about the Word. We shared with him that by God’s standards we are all ugly before the Almighty God. Romans 3:23 says 23“…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” The guy felt ugly not because of his physical appearance, but because of the lack of acceptance of the people around him. He had had difficulties at work and was “on the last straw”. He said he had even wanted to commit suicide. We shared with him about how God has a wonderful plan for each and every one of us, but that it is our responsibility to fulfill that plan. We introduced him to Jesus and he prayed to accept the Messiah there that day. It is interesting that Acts 15:9 talks about how we purify ourselves before God. We do it by faith. Isn’t that interesting? We get saved by faith (believing, repenting, and confessing). Life is all about faith. Habakkuk 2:4 says |
| 4 | But the just shall live by his faith. Faith is not something you just have when you turn from your wrong ways, and turn to God. Faith is something you live by. You should be using your faith every day; faith in raising your children, faith in staying married, faith in choosing your profession, faith in everything. You know what faith in Yahweh does for you? It cleans you, purifies you, gives you confidence, helps you overcome bad habits, helps you to turn from a defeated person to a victor, helps you pray for the sick and know they are healed, it helps you stand through a tough time and know you will overcome, by faith you know that when you give more is coming back to you, and simply put, faith works! Have you put your faith to work? The just lived by faith in the Old Testament of the Word, and the just lived by faith in the New Testament. You and I are living in the New Testament. We can still live by faith. If you check out Hebrews 11, you will find the whole chapter is dedicated to people who lived by faith. There is no differentiation between those who lived in the Old or New Testaments. It is just whether or not they lived by faith. Faith works. |
Mar28
Praise and Favor- God’s Way
Acts 2:47 | |
| 47 | …praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. NKJV It is very interesting how when you are praising God. People want to be around you. The word in the Greek is the word aineo. The interesting thing is this is not the word that you use to praise others. “Great job, you scored a point!” is not the kind of human praise we are talking about. Aineo is praise directed towards God, because only He is worthy of our praise. Remember Luke 2:13-14 when the angels appeared to the shepherds in the field to announce the birth of the Messiah? |
| 13 | And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: |
| 14 | "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" That heavenly host was praising God. They were aineoing. Their praise was directed to Yahweh and Him only. If you look back to Acts 2:40, you will see what was going on. People were getting excited about God. People who didn’t know there was hope in life were hearing about Jesus, repenting, and committing their lives to Yahweh. Miracles were happening. There were all sorts for signs. For our church picnic in years past, two times in a row the weather forecast was rain. We know God has given us authority over the elements so we took authority over the weather. We told people to bring your roller skates, balls, or whatever you wanted to do outdoors. We agreed as a church that we would not allow rain to mess up our fellowship and time together. We prayed and believed. There was no rain both times we had picnics. That was a sign of God’s blessing on our fellowship. We were thanking God for moving through our prayers of faith (if you aren’t praying, heaven is not moving). I remember one family brought only food for the picnic because they expected rain. Their kids had nothing to do at the park. We have to keep up our faith! They learned and were thankful to God for changing the weather according to our faith. These guys in Acts had all sorts of things like that happening. I am sure there were things like what we have experienced. People were getting healing and more importantly, they were coming to God. They were so excited about God that they were telling people. And every day, more people were added to the Church. They were so thankful and what were they doing? They were directing their praise (aineo) to God. It is interesting what happens when you praise God. Things just fall into step. See, when you are praising God, you’re saying, “God, I trust you. I give you my all and all. Guide me and direct me by your Holy Spirit”. You are trusting God. Proverbs 3:5-6 |
| 5 | Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. If you trust God and if you are praising God, then people are going to want to be around you. From there you will find great favor. I have found when praise God and when I trust God, then He directs my path just as Proverbs says. It seem like wherever I go, I see good things happening to myself, my family, my church, and my business. I walk into the department store, and there just happens to be a sale on what I want to buy. I go to the restaurant, they see my joy, and they stand there and talk to me and offer me extra food. I get on the airplane and suddenly my seat changes to the better seat. This is the favor I am talking about. With or without it, I will praise God. However, it sure is nice to have the favor of God as we go about daily lives. Isn’t Proverbs interesting? In Spencer Patrick lingo, I would say, trust God and don’t just rely on what you know. In whatever you do, acknowledge and praise Him, and He will put you on the road to a great life. |
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