Faith Builders Devotional

Daily Devotional

January 11 - January 17 2026

Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you." NKJV

Praise the Mighty Name of Jesus! Giving is one topic we could discuss for a year. God is all about giving. I recently heard a pastor say, ‘We don’t give to get’. I could sense he was speaking against people whom he thought were blowing this verse out of perspective. In the meantime, he was ripping up the faith of those believers gathered there. In those 5 words, the Holy Spirit revealed to me this pastor’s misunderstanding of God and His ways. God is a giver and He wants us to be givers as well. Of course we’re not giving to get, we’re giving to give. There was so much unbelief in that church I had to remove myself from that ‘service’. You’ve got to surround yourself with people of strong faith if you want to be strong. When I was competitive in Judo and wrestling, I found I got stronger when I practiced with strong people. Hang with the weak believers and you will be weak. That is not God’s plan for you.

As a believer, we give because our Father is the greatest giver. ‘For God so loved the world that He gave…’ (John 3:16). The more faithful you are with the resources God gives you, the more God can, and will, bless you. That doesn’t mean the pastor should preach a message on giving every week. There is so much more to life spiritually, but giving should be a part of our daily lives. We need to teach giving to our family and those in our area of influence.

When Mariko and I first went to Japan, we had only 5 suitcases, a University degree and a Bible school degree. We had near nothing. We only had the promise of a job for me to support our family. One thing we did know was that we needed to bring our first fruits (the first part of our income, our tithe) to God’s house(Malachi 3:10). That is something my parents taught me when I was young, (praise Yahweh for great parents!) to first tithe at least 10% off my income to the church I was fellowshipping and being spiritually fed at.

We learned how to give our tithes to our local church and gave some offerings to some outside ministries that we felt were preaching the Gospel, feeding the poor, and helping others go deeper with God. We always look for ‘good ground’ ministries, because we don’t want to put our financial seed into a ministry that is just doing conferences and selling books and compact disks.

We have seen in time, that as we have been faithful, God has blessed what we have given and given more back to us. The more resources He gives us, the more that goes back into His work. If you are faithful with small things, God will entrust you with more.

When you look at a really blessed believer, see how they manage their resources. This is exactly what Jesus was explaining in His parable of the talents (Luke 19:11-27). I always had thought it was mean to take the talent (resource) back from the guy who had one and give it to the guy with 10 talents. I thought, “Why would God give to the guy who had resources and doubled it when he already had the resources while the other guy only had one?” Jesus was making the point that when you are faithful in small things, then He can entrust you with more resources. If you are unfaithful with what you’ve got. You will lose what you have.

Don’t limit resources to your income. Your resources are also your possessions such as your property and your things. I see my biggest resources as my time. The more time I give to the Word , the stronger I will become. The more time I invest in my church, the more time will come back to me. The more encouragement I give to my neighbor the more encouragement will come back to me. The more time I spend with my children, the more my children will spend with me when I am older and wiser in years.

Wondering why God doesn’t entrust you with more? The first thing to ask yourself is, ‘Am I a regular giver at my church, with my friends, and in life?” If not, now is the time to start. Start tithing at your church, be there regularly, buy a friend a meal to encourage them, pray for your members of your church family and let them know you are praying for them… There are so many areas that we can give to others.

Give and it will come back to you. More than you can ever imagine.

Jan12

Free From The Past

1 John 1:8-10
8	If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. NKJV In the ministry, you will find what holds people up the most is not financial limitations, physical issues with their bodies, or lack of having time. The biggest detractor for our future is our past. If you have been born, then you have a past. Thousands, more like millions, of people are held up by what happened to them, what they did, or some thought from their past. That guilt from sexual activity outside of marriage, abuse they endured as a child, or those harsh words that the boss, friend or relative said that tore their heart or even motivation. We have all done ignorant and outright stupid things. We have let the emotions of that time loose and said or done something that we regretted later. Unbelievers have no way to get free from the past. They will forever be burdened with the memories of past events or actions. However, if you only believe and trust God, He has something better for you. God has forgiveness. How do we get free from our pasts and wash ourselves clean of our mistakes and shortcomings (sin)? Through His forgiveness. Forgiveness, like salvation, all comes down to faith. If you want to be forgiven, you grab the promise of 1 John 1:8,9 and do two things. 1) Repent- Acknowledge your wrong and that you never want to do it again 2) Confess your sin (say it aloud) to God and by the blood of Yashua receive His forgiveness. That is all there is to it. It is very easy, but it is something you have to do by faith. We know the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin (John 16:8). However, He does not condemn (Romans 8:1). When you sin, the enemy will come and condemn you. It is very easy to discern conviction from condemnation. The enemy is led by one fallen angel, satan, but is usually some condemning demon spirit that says to you, ‘You aren’t really forgiven”, “You can’t expect what you did to be forgotten”, or “What you’ve done is too bad to be forgiven, you will have it for the rest of your life”. You must stand against the enemy and receive your forgiveness just like you received your salvation by saying in faith. Faith is speaking. When I screw up, I repent, ask God for forgiveness, and say by faith, “Thank you God for your forgiveness, I receive it now”. Every time an idea or thought comes up that says that I am not forgiven, I say, “I thank you Father that I am forgiven and I turned from that sin and am clean by the blood of Jesus that cleanses me”.
4	Don’t think that forgiveness is a feeling. Forgiveness is an act of faith. …the just shall live by his faith. Hab 2:4NKJV You are the just if you are living by faith: Start living and forgiving yourself and others by faith.

Jan13

Let It Go- Forgiving Others

1 John 1:8-10
8	If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. NKJV Just as we have to confess our own sins and repent (turn from the old ways), we also have to forgive others. There are so many people who are sick and dying because they have let unforgiveness take root in their lives. I have shared at Victory about our experience in a healing service in Tokyo in the 1990s. There was a young woman of about 43 years old there wanting to get healing for arthritis. She had it so bad that it was hard for her to raise herself off the toilet. Our fellow missionary friends from California prayed for her healing. After the prayer, what do you think happened? Absolutely nothing! This is the point where many people’s faith is stretched. Some people may stop there and just say, “Oh, I suppose God just doesn’t want to heal her”. That is complete unbelief and out of line with God’s Word! Jesus died on the cross to not only make us right before the Father, but to take our sickness and disease. 1 Peter 2:24 says
24	…who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness by whose stripes you were healed. NKJV Clearly, God’s plan for us is health, healing and abundant life. Health and healing promises are all over the Word of God. In Isaiah 53:3-5, Isaiah prophecies that the Messiah will come to take all our sicknesses and our pains. So when you pray for someone to receive their healing, you can know that it is God’s will to be healed. What about that lady with arthritis? Well, this is why being led by God’s Spirit is so important. When you learn to hear His voice, you will discern many things. Our missionary friend heard the voice of the Spirit telling her to ask about the woman’s husband. She asked, “Has your husband done something to hurt you?” At that point, the woman immediately started sobbing. The floodgates of tears opened with that question. She began to share how her husband had been unfaithful to her, he was in and out of prison, and dealing with the Yakuza (Japanese mafia). We told her, if you want to be free, you have to forgive. You see, unforgiveness doesn’t hurt others. It only hurts you! Proverbs 17:22 says,
22	A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person's strength. NLT When that lady receiving prayer began to acknowledge that she had unforgiveness in her heart, things began to change. She started to say, ‘I forgive my husband’ by faith. She moved slowly towards the front of the church, walking very slowly with years of arthritis weighing on her. She went to one side and was struggling to get to the other of the church. As she was fighting to move herself along, she was saying “I forgive my husband” repeatedly. We stopped her and prayed for her again. She began moving again all the while saying, “I forgive my husband”. Within 10 minutes, she had completely received her healing. Praise Yahweh! Was she healed because suddenly God wanted to heal her? Absolutely not! God has already done absolutely everything for our healing already through the work of Jesus on the cross (Isaiah 53:3-5, 1 Peter 2:24, Matthew 8:17, Proverbs 4:22,1 John 3:8, John 10:10). She was healed because she had cut herself loose from the unforgiveness that had given the enemy a foothold in her life and kept her in disease. Getting offended, not forgiving others, holding grudges, it is so easy for us all to fall into that trap. Don't be decieved. Let go of anything that holds you from going deeper with God and forgive others. If someone comes to mind as you read this Faith Builder, act out in faith now. Faith Confession- Father I forgive, _________________ (say their name) right now. I refuse to hold unforgiveness against them whether they are sorry or not. I will forgive him/her for what they did to me and every time I think of them I will say that I forgive them by faith. I thank you Father that you have forgiven me and the blood of Jesus washes me clean so that you have forgiven me even though I do not deserve it. I receive your forgiveness and I release forgiveness to others. In the powerful Name of Jesus the Messiah, AMEN!

Jan14

The Secret Supply

Phil 4:19-20
19	And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. 20 Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. NKJV The neat thing about serving God is that He becomes your Father and takes care of you. Your relationship with the Almighty God is more important than anything else. If you know God, whatever the world or the enemy throws your way will turn into another victory for you. In Matthew 6:33, we get a really good feel for what Jesus wants our priorities to be. Jesus says,
33	Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need. NLT When I was a kid in Washington state, I remember going to pick strawberries with some of my brothers and sisters on our summer school breaks. We picked in the summer at a Japanese American owned farm in the Green River valley. It was a tough job. I remember coming home with my knees sore from kneeling next to the bushes and even dreaming about strawberries at night. The money we made helped my parents pay for our school clothes and school supplies. Our family was made up four birth children and three adopted children, so financially things were tough. During summer breaks in junior and senior high school, I worked on my eldest sister’s farm in Oregon. Talk about hard work! At University when I began to ask God to speak to me and lead me, He did. I began to start to understand that it wasn’t my family or even my job that was my supply. My job was to seek God with all I had, work hard and smart and He would take care of me by blessing what I did. When I began to understand faith made anything possible, my life completely changed and so did my financial situation. I have noticed that the more time I spend getting to and contributing to my church, encouraging people, praying for the sick, spending time in His presence, meditating on His Word, and sharing the Word and my testimony with others, the more blessed I am. It is awesome how God just brings things together. Some may say, but pastor, doesn’t the Bible say, ‘money is the root of all evil’? Well actually, the Word says that the ‘Love of money is the root of all kinds of evil’. People do all sorts of things just to get money. Both rich and poor people, believer or unbeliever, can have the 'love of money’, issue to deal with. As a believer, we’ve got to realize that finances and property are just a tool that we need to employ in getting people into God’s Kingdom. Things are only entrusted into our hands for a time. Money and things just go back into circulation again when we are gone. God’s Kingdom is forever. If you are seeking Him first and living right you have to change your way of thinking from that is ‘mine’ to, these things are ‘His’. His supply is much greater than you can imagine.

Jan15

Overcoming Habits

Rom 8:1-4
8	There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. NKJV Have you got any bad habits? We all have areas in our lives where we need to overcome. When you begin to realize that you are a three-part being, spirit, soul and body (1 Thess 5:23), things begin to become a bit clearer. How you can be attacked in your soul and body but have you still have a reborn spirit before God. You start to better understand how to deal with issues in your life. When you screw up, you know it. You speak rude to someone, lie about something, watch or listen to something you shouldn’t have… the Holy Spirit will convict you of that. Believers are especially sensitive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. When you feel convicted, the best thing to do is repent and confess that wrong you have done. Yahweh is faithful to forgive when you do your part (1 John 1:8,9). Sometimes, you will feel even more than convicted. You feel condemned. Romans 8:1 says that for those who are in Jesus, there is no condemnation. Well, where does that condemnation come from? Most of the time it comes from the only beings that are condemned to eternal separation from Yahweh from the beginning of time as we know it… the demons. They will try to condemn you and make you get so discouraged with the disappointment from what you have done that you will dry up spiritually. For example, you are trying to stop drinking and you end up drinking with friends one night because you felt that peer pressure to drink. Almost immediately, you get attacked with what you think are your own thoughts but in actuality they are not. You hear things like, “And you call yourself a Christian, there you go again” or “ You’re never going to be free from that, you parents were alcoholics and you are an alcoholic”. When you end up feeling condemned and not convicted, then you can be assured that it is not the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin so that we can overcome. If you have a bad habit of any sort; repent and ask God for His help in overcoming it. He loves you and wants to help you. Jesus says in John 8:34-36,
34	Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. 35 A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free. When the Holy Spirit convicts you, respond. He cares for you and wants to keep you in communion with the Father.

Jan16

Great Thinkers

Prov 16:3
3	Commit your works to the Lord, And your thoughts will be established. NKJV During history, we have seen some pretty amazing people born into this earth. Great writers, composers, poets, historians, scientists, missionaries, pastors, evangelists, entrepreneurs and various other peoples that have done something that changed the world either while they were here or after they left. Working for a famous American company in Tokyo, I remember working like a dog. I would be at work before 8AM and still be there after 8PM almost every day. If you asked me a week later what I did, I could only give you generalities of what I did but not much detail. I remember going home feeling like I really hadn’t accomplished much even though I had been there all day. Why? I was working hard but not working smart. I asked God for wisdom and as promised in James 1:5, He gave it to me. I soon met another follower of Jesus who worked for a company that did time management training. He helped me to learn how to plan my day schedule events and achieve goals that I had set. I got a binder with a schedule and task list and started planning my day and executing the plan each day. If you asked me what I did any day (even a year later), I could tell you exactly what I did, who I talked to, and what we discussed. This paper-based tool really helped me work hard but more importantly work smarter. Anyone could do it. When studying Leonardo Da Vinci’s biography along with Benjamin Franklin’s background, I noticed a common thread. They both used paper (notebooks) to keep track of what they learned. From that, it sounded like I was on the right track. Virtually anyone could do great things if they just work hard and smart. It is one thing to plan, but if you get God in your plans you will see God do amazing things through you. As more believers become organized, the more we can do for the Kingdom. Proverbs encourages us to commit whatever thoughts or plans to Him and God will bless them and make them even better. I like the Amplified version of the Bible that says in Proverbs 16:3,
3	Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed. AMP If you are keen to do more for the Kingdom, get God involved in your planning. He will bless what you are doing and help you to change the world for Him. Hallelujah! What are your plans for today?

Jan17

Discerning Of Spirits

1 John 4:1

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. NKJV

When you learn to discern the spiritual side of life, you will be able to see the actions of others in a different light. Not everything done by individuals was something they came up with by themselves. Sometimes people are tricked, motivated, or even controlled from the outsideby filthy evil spirits.

Greater is He that is in us than the enemy in the world! However, we have to learn to discern the spirits around us a bit better.

I visited a church in Washington State back in June of 2006. Just as the worship (songs) part of the service was coming to a close, a man started convulsing and causing a distraction from his seat in the back left side of the church. I have seen and had to deal with demonic activity before and I could discern from the other side of the building that there was something demonic going on.

The head pastor with years of teaching experience in this ‘Spirit-filled’ denomination seemed to understand what was going on as he immediately took control of the situation. As he began to respond it was clear he did not know that the man needed to deal with something spiritual not physical. He had someone call an ambulance and stopped the service to tell everyone to stretch out their hands as he led a prayer for healing for the guy.

People of God, we have to be wise to the enemies’ schemes! We must be able to discern the spiritual side of things just as we see things happening around us. That pastor should have rebuked the devil in that man then and there. Praying for healing left the man under the manipulation of that unclean spirit as he didn’t need healing, but instead he needed deliverance.

Learn to test the spirits to see if they are from God or are the enemy. The book of 1 John chapter 4:1-6 gives us proven guidelines for that. It will save you a lot of time as you will immediately be able to get to the root of many problems in society. Remember the battle is not against flesh and blood, it is a spiritual fight. The best part is that we win the battle! You can win all the way through if you test the spirits and go after God with all your being.

Although I have never personally seen an angel, seeing demons flee at the Name of Jesus just as the Word says sends me home rejoicing on how great our God is! God is so awesome.

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