Faith Builders Devotional

Daily Devotional

April 26 - May 2 2026

But He answered and said to the one who told Him, "Who is My mother and who are My brothers?" 49 And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers! NKJV

Probably the most important part of society is the family. If the family is in good shape, the children are nurtured to go up and become the major contributors to ministry, business, and even education. However, broken families have the potential to produce broken children. The vast majority of men in prisons in the United States have grown up in homes where there was no father figure. There was no dad around to show the boys how to operate with honor and integrity. The family is very important to society. If the enemy can break down the family, these evil spirits can break society. We see that it is true, and as believers we must make the best effort to be the best fathers and mothers, just as well as grandfathers and grandmothers.

In Matthew 12, we see Jesus’s mother and half-brothers coming to where he was surrounded by people and asking him to come meet with them. Clearly Jesus was under incredible demand as people were hungry to hear the Word, get prayer for healing, and looking for wisdom. There was a meeting going on and these people were a clear distraction. It is quite presumptuous that they would come and expect Him to drop everything and everyone, just to talk to them. However, we have to realize sometimes family members can be that way. Sometimes family can hold us back from God’s plan. In fact, I have to say many times family will hold you back. That is why God told Abraham to leave Ur and go to the place He had called him to.

I come from a wonderful family living in an area called Pacific Northwest in the United States. From an income perspective at the time, we must have been a lower to middle income family. We didn’t have much, but we had each other. I am who I am thanks to great parenting. My parents were so loving they even adopted three orphaned girls from Korea. What love to give others a chance!

At the core, we are a very tight-knit family and love each other dearly. However, one thing you have to know when you get married is that your family is no longer your father, mother, sister or brothers. You family becomes that of you and your spouse. Remembering this will save you a lot of trouble. The parents and brothers and sisters become your “extended” family. If you do not get this right, you will bring unnecessary stress into your marriage. In some instances, I have seen marriages ending in divorce because one of the spouses couldn’t keep their extended family out of their marriage.

Jesus understood this. Although there was no need for Jesus to marry a human, He realized that His family became His extended family. Although He was an exception, His ministry was His family. He knew He had a purpose and He was not going to allow the “family” or in His case, woman who bore His human body, to distract Him to do what He was called to do.

Praise God for great families. But don’t let any extended family member hold you back from giving your all to your spouse. Furthermore, do not allow your spouse or kids to keep you from your relationship with Yahweh through Jesus. If you ask me to give you my priorities in life I would say, 1. God 2. Spouse 3. Church 4. Job. If I get these out of order, then things are going to be a bit challenging. Is your family holding you back? Are you listening too much to your extended family?

Apr27

One Flesh

Genesis 2:24
24	Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. NKJV When God created Adam, it was only one human in that gorgeous garden. It was a tropical place (they weren’t concerned about wearing clothes) and they did not need to worry about working to grow any crops. God’s plan was to take care of us. There was no need to go through what we are living in now, had our ancestor Adam just followed the directions God gave him in the garden (I am sure any one of us would have probably messed up like Adam did). It was not God’s plan for the world to be the way it is now. However, by looking at the condition of things around us, you can see what happens when man, and in many cases, the demons are trying to control things. A great way to understand God’s plan for us is to look back at what they had in the garden. For example, is sickness and disease God’s plan for anyone at anytime? Let’s look back at the garden. There was no sickness. Was having multiple wives God’s plan for man? God created one man and one female for each other. The world takes a very loose view on sexual intercourse (abbreviated as sex), promoting the idea that it is somehow part of some dating process. This year, one scientific study pointed to the fact that there is an emotional bonding created between people and whomever they first have sexual intercourse with. It cannot be replicated with others later on. Very interesting! Maybe that is why there are so many confused people on the subject. Sex is sacred, and according to God’s plan it is only something to be between a wife and her husband. Well, what is it about sex that makes it so sacred? Why do we want to avoid having relationship with multiple people? What is the purpose of this ultimate act of affection and deep love between a wife and a husband? You remember that the Word says we are a three part being. The Word says in 1 Thess 5:23
23	Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are a spirit, we have a soul (our mind, will, and emotions), and we live in a body. When two people have sexual intercourse not only are two bodies coming together, but two spirits are coming together. This is the one flesh that Genesis is talking about. When they become one flesh, a new spirit-being (baby) can be conceived. Sex is sacred. If you want to have a great marriage, one other thing you must remember about Genesis here is that the husband and the wife leave the parents. If you or your spouse get your parents involved in your marriage, you are likely to have unnecessary tension in that marriage. We are supposed to leave our family and cleave to our husband or wife. I got married at 21 years old and early on, I let the opinions of my extended family cloud the discussions with my wife. Big mistake to do that, as your spouse is going to feel like they are second-string to anything “the family” has to say. Men seem more susceptible to this than women, as we always hear about the infamous tension between the wife and the “mother in law”. Don’t let yourself be distracted from your spouse by extended family. If you are married today, I encourage you to make every effort to focus on pleasing your spouse by what you say and what you do. If you are single but having sex outside of marriage, you need to realize the Bible is strong about that and calls it fornication. If you love someone then marriage is the precursor to sex. If you are not going to marry that person, cease that activity, repent and get God’s forgiveness, and save yourself for your spouse to be. Finally, if you are single and looking forward to getting married, pray for that spouse that is coming. I prayed for my wife before I knew her. I asked God for someone who knew Him, someone with a bright and bubbly personality, and most importantly someone who looked good without makeup.

Apr28

How Do I Honor My Parents?

Eph 6:2-3

"Honor your father and mother," which is the first commandment with promise: 3 "that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth." NKJV

I have described, as a pastor, how we have many people come to us with marital issues. Many misunderstandings happen between a husband and a wife due to the fact that one of the spouses listens too much to their extended family (father, mother, sisters, brothers, etc.). However, this should not be mistaken to say that you should just throw your extended family away once you get married and start your own family.

The way that you act and react, the way you look, and even sometimes your feelings can be a direct reflection of that of your parents. This is why some people have major issues when adopting children. There are traits and even generational curses on people due to the action of the parents that can go to the third or fourth generation (Ex 34:6-7). These hindrances must be broken for those children to be free. Looking from the other side here, our children are a reflection of us. Of course, we must raise up our children in God’s ways, as once they become adults they will be responsible for their own actions.

Once adults, we should never forget all that our parents did for us. The Word is clear that we need to honor our father and mother. Why? Most importantly we should honor our parents, because they deserve the honor. In most cases, parents have given their all to raise us, feed us, get us to school, and help us become a contributor to society. My goal for my children is to given them a better life than I have. I pray that I can impart them with more wisdom for life, more knowledge of things, more financial wellness, more insights on the Word, and a better place to live. This list could go on and on for me. Although we did not talk about it, my parents gave me something better than they had. They deserve the honor for that. They put a lot in to me. What about your parents? I am sure, like you and I, they were not perfect, but they should have done the very best they could have.

I am so proud of my father and mother because of all they have done for me. Not only for my blood family, but they also adopted three girls from Asia into our family to give them a chance at life. More so, my father made every effort to be involved in my life. He was at the various events in my life from sports events to animal shows. He was always there. My mother was consistently around when I needed advice. That motherly wisdom when dad was off at work was invaluable.

Maybe you are not so proud of your family. That is okay. Remember first and foremost, if you have repented and turned to Jesus, you are a child of God. Even if you had the worst parents in the world, you know it is okay to love them. They may have abused you, not cared for you, or even abandoned you. As a believer, you could be the one who starts the heritage of faith for your family. Break the generational curses on your family and make an effort to show the love of God to your parents.

How can you honor your parents as adults? Call them and tell them that you love them. Remember them on special days like Father’s Day, and Mother’s Day. Make an effort to spend time with them. When you have children, Proverbs tells us the pride of grandparents are their grandchildren. If physically and economically possible, take the grandkids to see their grandparents as much as you can.

Praise God for great parents. If you have come from a broken family or have parents that didn’t do their part, have grace for them, love them, and let the good parenting start with you. If you don’t know how to be a good parent, get some good books from Spirit-filled authors that you can learn from. There is no point trying to learn everything about parenting from zero. Learn from others.

Be a part of a heritage of faith for your family!

Apr29

Dealing With the Generational Curses

Ex 34:6-7

And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, "The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, 7 keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and the fourth generation." NKJV

God is so gracious. The whole reason that Jesus came us to cleanse of from sin (from the wrongs that keep us from God). Becoming a believer is not like paying an initiation fee and become the member of a club. Being a committed Christian is a lifestyle. That’s right, it’s something you do every day. If you want to have a fruitful life, you have got to be God-centered. What God-centered means is that you; 1) Value and know the Word, 2) Value and know the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Things come up in our lives each day that we have to learn how to deal with. I have seen pastors pray healing for demon possessed people. If they are led by the Spirit they will know that they are dealing with an evil spirit and need to cast it out. Sometimes we open ourselves up to these evil spirits (through sex outside of marriage, substance abuse, and the occult). Other times it is something that our parents, or our ancestors have opened us up to.

In Asia, when a person in Japan has repented, turned to Jesus, and confessed Him over themselves, there is still some stuff to deal with. I have met many Japanese who have had a similar experience. This includes my wife. In the middle of the night, when they are on their bed, they have felt something evil in the room with them. They cannot move anything except their eyes. What happens from there varies. In the case of my wife, she was in California at Bible school. She said it was great fear. She couldn’t move but finally, she was able to call out the Name of Jesus. When she did that it immediately disappeared and has never been back.

I have heard this same type of story many times. What is it? It is a generational curse. The enemy has a foothold on some of the people of Japan because of ancestral worship. These ties have to be broken and the only way to do it is through the power of Jesus and His Name. We have to let the enemy know they have no right to try to hold on to us when we are a child of the King. You have to let them know who we serve.

Who do you serve? When you repent and turn to Jesus you are not just starting your relationship with the Creator of the Universe, you are telling the physical and spiritual worlds that you serve the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

Apr30

Mercy Me! Showing Mercy

Mathew 5:7

"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. ESV

What goes around in life is what comes around. I have seen it time and time again. If you want good things to happen to you, you better do good things for others. Good comes from good, evil comes from evil. It is a spiritual law, be a follower of Jesus or a completely lost person.

The world you and I live in is very competitive. If you want a good job, family, and future you have to do your best when you are in school to get high marks (grades). If you do not study hard as a student, you may find yourself working low-paying menial jobs for the rest of your life. There is nothing great about not doing homework or disregarding your teachers. In the end, these disruptive students will pay the price for the rest of their existence on their earth. What you do now determines your future. What you plant in life, that is what you are going to harvest. If you want people to be gracious and kind to you, you have to do the same to others.

In Matthew 5, Jesus blows away the idea that living strictly by the laws of Moses (and being a religious hypocrite in the background who says but doesn’t do) is not going to get you any closer to God. Jesus shows us that we don’t need to be a king to have favor in God’s eyes. For me, showing the mercy that Matthew 5:7 talks about is really showing your power. Anyone can get mad and break things. But to show someone kindness even when they may not deserve it, that is godly.

How do I show mercy? Give your seat to the elder person getting on the train or bus you are riding. Give way to the person in the car on the side street as you drive down the main street. When you say, “How are you doing?” to the person at the cash register at the supermarket, show that you really mean it. Be kind and show respect to your teachers even if all the other students are ridiculing them. There are so many ways to show mercy to the people around you.

I had a vision of a friend that was standing in line at the checkout of the supermarket. A young mother was there with the cashier. All the items were rung up, but she clearly didn’t have enough cash. By the Holy Spirit, he knew that this woman was going through some financial difficulty. She didn’t have enough money. The mother was asking the cashier to remove items one by one to match the cash amount she had. He pulled out the money and gave the difference to cashier. The cashier reluctantly accepted the money. On the way out the lady came back and said, “You didn’t have to do that”. He smiled and responded, “I know. God loves you so much”.

Have you showed mercy to someone this week? Why not practice godliness from today? People come into the Kingdom and churches grow one person at a time. Hallelujah!

May1

Scared Of The Dark

Ps 27:1

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid? NKJV

If you want to be a strong believer, you have to realize how to employ faith in your life. Maybe a better word for ‘employ’ would be ‘implement’. When you implement something, you are building something. To implement the building plans for a house or building, you are making it happen. That’s right. Implementation is making it happen. Believers, we have to implement our faith. We’ve got to put it into action and make it happen. Start by doing, start by saying. Start walking by faith, and start speaking by faith.

The opposite force to faith is fear. If you are not in faith as a believer, then there is a good chance that you are in fear. What is fear? Fear is uncertainty about the future. If you don’t know if the rough economy will kill your job, and if you are worried about that, then you are fearing that. Worry opens the door to fear. Fear is what opened the door to the enemies attack on Job (Job 3:25). He said, what he feared had come upon him. If you have fears, you need to replace them with faith.

Fear is dark. It will paralyze you and make you inept. It will take from you. Have you ever watched a scary movie? It is amazing how those images can get burned onto the tapestry of your soul (mind and emotional area). You go to bed that night afraid to look under the bed thinking there might be something there. Not a good feeling.

These days the cameras are all digital, taking pictures and recording them on solid-state disks (memory cards). Some people still use film. I once heard someone relate our spirits to film and cameras saying, “Our spirits are like film, whatever we expose them to will develop there”. It is really your soul that you are exposing, but your soul and your spirits are very close (Hebrews 4:12). Our exposure starts through our soul where we are exposing our mind, will, and emotions to those things around us. After experiencing the Brownsville revival, I decided I would never again see an “R” rated movie. (In America, r-rated means “restricted” to adults. I decided if it was “R”, that was for a good reason. I don’t need to expose myself to trash or questionable material). Proverbs 4:22 tells us to protect our hearts with all we’ve got. Our eyes and ears our the entrances to our hearts (souls). Recently, I decided if I can’t comfortably watch a movie with teenagers, then it is better to do something else. There is no reason to pay to put fear, violence, sensuality, or any other trash in your soul. That is tommyrot!

If fear is uncertainly about the future and the unknown, what is faith? Hebrews 11:1 tells us what it is. If you summarize it, faith is certainty about the future. If you are filled with faith, it is because you are talking with certainty about what God has planned for you. There is no reason to fear anything. Faith grabs those promises from the Word and applies them to their life.

You don’t have to fear harm, because Psalm 91 promises that God’s angels will protect those who love Him. You don’t have to fear financial difficulty, because Deuteronomy 28 promises blessings for those who serve Him. You don’t have to fear sickness and disease, because 1 Peter 2:24 says that Jesus took the curse of sickness and disease on our behalf. You don’t have to fear the dark, because our Lord Jesus promised He would be with us to the end of the age. Hallelujah!

If you have fearful images in your mind or emotional scars, start to confess the Word over yourself. Every time you think of them, start to replace those images of worry or fear with images of yourself victorious, filled with faith, and overcoming every and any thing that comes along.

Yahweh is your strength, and He is your protector. If you have a heart after Him, you have absolutely nothing to fear. His angels will surround you and protect you from physical harm as well as spiritual harm. I have seen it in my life, and you will see it in yours too as you go for God with all you’ve got.

May2

No Shame

Psalms 119:80
80	May my heart be blameless in your statutes, that I may not be put to shame! ESV Shame, what is it? Shame is a painful feeling of humiliation resulting from wrong or foolish behavior. If we have done something really wrong, and we are a normal person, we feel pressure from society for our wrong. It is especially true as Japan is more of a group-oriented culture much like many of the other island nations (Singapore, UK) around the world. If people feel stealing, cheating, or other wrong behavior is shameful this will prevent most normal people from doing it even if they are not being watched. But there is another side to shame. The world is negative and very lost. People try to pressure others through embarrassment or a sense of shame. This is where shame may be used by unbelievers against the Kingdom of God. Yes, the world by default is in a fallen state. People in the world do not understand the principles of the Kingdom. What they don’t understand, many times they will criticize. People want you to be like them. So if you are serving God, it is common for unbelievers to criticize you. If you are going after God and the uncompromising Word, they will see you walking in divine health. They will see you have nice things because you are seeking His Kingdom and His things first. They will see the wisdom on you as you are filled with the Holy Spirit and led by that Spirit. It is awesome. To an unbeliever, they want to know the secret of your power. If they decide they don’t want to follow the Lord, they can sometimes become anti-Christ, anti-Christian, or against anything godly. This is where they will try to shame you so that you will do what they do. They will say things like, “Come party with us. Let’s drink our troubles away”, “It’s okay, the people will never know”, or “Come on, what makes you better than us?”. They try to pressure you to shame. Don’t stand for it. How do you stand up? The only way to stand is to stand on the Word. If you don’t, there is a good chance you can get taken (deceived and ripped off). When the devil tempted Jesus, all three times our Lord responded with the Word. Check out 2 Timothy 2:15 which says,
15	Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. NKJV You need not be ashamed of anything if you know the Word. You will be able to rightly divide it. What does that mean? That means you will know how to understand and apply the Word. Psalms talks about knowing His statues, again that is His Word. Have you read the Word today? Today’s Reading-
Acts 7
Proverbs 12

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