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| Today |  | September 6 - September 12 2026 |  |
Sep6
Living Free
Rom 8:2 | |
| 2 | For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. NKJV There are two types of people calling themselves Christians. If you ask them, they are very different. Simply put, you have the Cultural Christians and you have the Committed Christians. Committed Christians are the ones that are committed to knowing God in a real way. They are not stuck in some type of religious tradition or ritual. They are all about living The Way God has called us, through Christ Jesus. As you go about your life everyday each week, you will have the opportunity to meet both types of people. Cultural Christians usually do not know Jesus personally (they only know about Him), they are not baptized in the power of the Holy Spirit, and they are not like Committed Christians. Beware of Cultural Christians! If you are not careful, you can be pulled into the same religious traditions and bondage that these people are bound up in. Thinking like, my church is the only true church, the Word of God is not properly translated or corrupt, we follow the traditions of our fathers and these other writings as well, and many other compromises that cut you off from the power of the Holy Spirit and the living God. Rewind time a bit and we’ll find it is exactly the same as the religious Jewish people of Jesus’ time. It was a law of sin and death just as these religious folks, cultural christians and others teach today. Romans 8:2 reminds us that we are not to to get tied down by the law of sin and death. We are to be living in the Law of the Spirit. That makes Romans 8:14 all the more real. |
| 14 | For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. NKJV Galatians continues the thought of being led by the Spirit of God. In 5:18 we see, |
| 18 | But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. NKJV You see, although they don’t usually realize it, people are trying to take away the freedom of Spirit-led believers. It has been happening since Jesus came. I went for training in the Chicago Illinois area of the United States several years ago. As I am always looking for common ground with people so I can bring them to the higher ground of King Jesus, so I decided to go to the church that Sunday of some religious folk. Their church service started promptly at 11am and ended exactly at 12pm when the bells chimed. I was sad because we seemed to be missing the point. Every reading, when to stand, when to sit, when to sing... it was all laid out by the head church in another country. I left the place feeling empty. What is the difference between this and the religious Jews of 2000 years ago? Nothing different. Jesus didn’t come to just get us tangled up in another law like some of the Jews had done. He came to bring freedom. He said so Himself. |
John 8:36 | |
| Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. NKJV | |
John 6:63 | |
| It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. NKJV We’ve got to realize the law, sin, and death all go together. We should make sure we have no part of religious beliefs and bondage. The law and sin lead to death. What kind of life are you living? Today the Holy Spirit is speaking to you to throw away the rituals and the traditions and seek Him. | |
Rom 8:10 | |
| And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. NKJV If Jesus is in you, if you are are a Committed Christian you should no longer be living in the ways of men and women. You should be living in the Spirit of Life in Jesus the Messiah. Let’s pray- Father God, forgive me for allowing myself to become religious and wrapped up in the things of the Cultural Christianity. Help me daily, by the power of your Holy Spirit to be covered, immersed, and fully filled in the Way and Jesus. In the Name of Jesus, I pray Holy Spirit that you teach me where I have gone wrong and become pulled into this law of sin and death, I break that right now. Father help me to live daily in the law of the Spirit in Christ Jesus. In the mighty name of Jesus the Messiah I pray, amen! Today’s Reading- See www.VWC.jp | |
Proverbs 19 | |
Sep7
When Sin Is Sin
James 4:17 | |
| 17 | Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. NKJV Created within us is a desire to know God. We read about that in Romans 1 about how people actually deny God. Why in the world would you ever deny the Creator of the Universe who created you to love? Romans 1 shows us that is because people are in the bondage of sin therefore if they say that God does not exist then basically what they are doing is not sin. How do we know if what we are doing is right or wrong? When is something sin? God has created within each and every one of us a good conscience. We know stealing someone else’s things are wrong, we know murdering someone is wrong, we know having sexual intercourse outside of marriage is wrong. As the world goes darker, what are grandparents considered appalling is now considered ‘normal’ by this generation. That was exactly what happened to the generation of Noah. They were so evil and wrapped up in their sin that God had to finally say, “Enough is enough. Can I allow these evil creatures to exist on the earth?” He looked for people who loved Him and wiped the earth fresh of those in sin. We see a similar thing with Sodom and Gomorrah. These people were so wrapped in their sexual sin that the men wanted to rape the ‘male’ angels who came to check out the city. As I think about these things and I look at the world around me, my heart is saddened by the millions of children that are aborted each year in our nations. This is all in the name of convenience for people, they want to indulge their lusts but they don’t want to have children. The blood is on the hands of those who are murdering these children. Why would you ever want to kill a child when there are hundreds of thousands of couples in each country that can’t have children that want them? Denial. That’s right, these people deny that the babies in the womb are human and call them ‘fetuses’ to somehow dehumanize them. That is interesting because this is exactly what everyone does with sin. What exactly is sin? We know all the big issues, the murder, the adultery, the thieving, suicide, homosexuality, lying, and the lot, but what about the things that the Bible aren’t as clear or that the Bible doesn’t seem to mention? What about gambling, substance abuse like alcoholism, drinking addictive drinks, foul language, overeating or other things you may not know biblically about? Is it sin? Things such this are where James 4:17 comes in. If we are doing something and the Holy Spirit convicts us, then we better stop. For a recovering alcoholic, having a glass of wine may be a step back into the direction of the bondage of that substance. For another believer, a glass of wine may not be a big deal. (Personally, I avoid addictive drinks). Our relationships with God are personal. We each have varying issues. If we are falling into some type of sexual addiction, then we better stop what we are doing. Does that mean sex is wrong? No sex is a wonderful thing between a husband and a wife. The point being, we must be led by the spirit and we must follow our consciences. It is not mentioned in the Bible, so it must not be sin? If you do anything and feel guilty about it, then you better deal with it because to you, it is sin. If you hurt someone’s feelings by something you said... maybe it seems like they got over it, but if you are still feeling conviction you better go apologize to them. Sometimes apologies are more for the offender than the offended. Being a follower of Jesus is all about personal relationship and that is important to be right personally. Romans 14:14 says, |
| 14 | I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. NKJV Have you got something that is ‘eating’ at you? Likely it is some type of sin. Just because something isn’t mentioned in the Bible doesn’t not mean it is wrong for you. Follow your conscience, follow the Holy Spirit and confess that to Him right now. He is gracious, righteous, and just and will forgive you of all unrighteousness, sin, and darkness. Today’s Reading- See www.VWC.jp |
Proverbs 23 | |
Sep8
Rome Roads And The Blood
Matt 26:28 | |
| 28 | For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. NKJV How many times have you shared what Jesus has done in your life to change your situation, strengthen you, and cleanse you, only to have that listener say something like, “I think religion is good for people and it all leads to the the same place”? There is this an old saying that “All roads lead to Rome” which probably started when the Roman empire controlled the known world. At the time, it was true that whatever road you took, they were all built out of, and to Rome. However, trying to saying that all religion is going to make you right before God is completely inaccurate! The only way we can be right before God is by the work of Jesus. This means that no other way can connect you with God. Jesus is the only way and He told us that. Before He came, it was prophesied in Isaiah. I especially like Isaiah 53. Jesus is the only way is nothing new. Isaiah called it the Highway of Holiness. |
Isaiah 35:8 | |
| 8 | A highway shall be there, and a road, And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, NKJV I love that because, being a follower of Jesus is not a one day thing. It is like traveling down the highway. You get on, and you need to keep going. If you stop, you are not going to arrive at your destination. If we are spiritually unclean, we are not holy. How do we become holy? We only become holy by the blood of Jesus, that is why Jesus is the only way. Not by following some person, traditions, or anything else. It is all about the blood of Jesus. Jesus said it in Matt 26:28. Only by His death and resurrection are we made right before God. Every thing wrong you ever did is cleansed. It is washed away. Everything! That is amazing. Well, does the Bible say anything about life on other planets? You might say, “Pastor, what does that have to do with anything?” I heard a great point from a speaker in God’s House the other day share on this. His point was that, there is no other life outside of the earth like us. Why? If there were, there would have to be another Jesus, He would have to do the same thing for those people, and what we have gained through the blood and redemption of Jesus would mean nothing. Acts affirms that there is no other. |
Acts 4:12 | |
| Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." NKJV If you want to know God there is only one name. If you want to live forever in heaven, there is only one name. If you want to be clean from all the wrong you’ve done, there is only one name. It is only by the Name of Jesus, and cleansing work of His blood that you must receive, and then you can be renewed. At that name, every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess. Next time someone tells you all religion is the same. Prayer for them, but when you are there standing in front of them you can ask them, “Then why did Jesus said He is the only way in John 14:6 if there are multiple ways?” With a little bit of love, and the power of the Holy Spirit working in your life, you will see people around you come to Jesus. Today’s Reading- See www.VWC.jp | |
Proverbs 24 | |
Sep9
You Can’t Take It With You
Matt 6:19-21 | |
| 19 | "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. NKJV The little boy loves the toy truck. When kids church is over he grasps it as his mother picks him up to take him out of the classroom to meet her husband. The mother tells her son, “You can’t take it with you” but as a three year old, he doesn’t quite understand the truck belongs to the kids church room. She has to pry the little truck out of his hands so that she can’t hand it back to one of the wonderful volunteers that is helping look after the toddlers while the parents are in church. Many of us are very much the same as that little boy. I have met a lot of famous people, and I have met a lot of very rich people. People who own television studios, who preside over countries, who have started multiple successful companies, and even some people who have inherited huge business empires from the hard work of their parents or grandparents. One thing I have noticed about the rich people who are so well off is common among the majority. Most of these people work really hard. They are constantly looking for new forms of business, they are constantly looking for new things they can do to make money. To them weekends or national holidays means an opportunity to research a new business area get out not just lay around the house and relax. There are a growing number of them coming to Jesus and the Way. We believers need to let these people know that they are no different than the little boy with the toy truck. Whatever companies your started, buildings you built, organizations you formed, when you die (when your spirit leaves your body), “You can’t take it with you”. That is why Jesus tells us in Matthew 6 to ‘lay up’ treasures in heaven. What does this ‘lay up’ mean? It means to accumulate. Of course, it is okay and do great things in business, even in ministry, but we need to accumulate spiritual treasure not so much earthly treasure. What is this spiritual treasure and how is it that we accumulate it? Spiritual treasure is this |
Phil 4:8 | |
| 8 | Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy — meditate on these things. NKJV We’re told to think about these things. To meditate on them. Meditate means to ‘think deeply’. What you think about is what you do. What you do affects the others around you. Why not start today? Be true with others, be noble, do think that are pure and right, be loving, focus on giving the good reports, give them the encouragement they need to be successful. What you do while you are on earth, is what you will be judged for in heaven. Without Jesus, you will not be in heaven. With Jesus, evidently we can accumulate great things based on what we do while we are here. Our lives are just a vapor, we’re just here for a time, we’re just really a shadow. Ps 39:5 says, |
| 6 | Surely every man walks about like a shadow; Surely they busy themselves in vain; He heaps up riches, And does not know who will gather them. NKJV Don’t get hung up in the race for riches. Don’t just work really hard to build up some empire. We all must remember we can’t take it with us. The earthly investments are nice, but start building up your heavenly investments today, they are the only ones that really matter anyways. Today’s Reading- See www.VWC.jp |
Proverbs 26 | |
Sep10
Thankfulness & The Strong Believer
1 Tim 4:4-5 | |
| 4 | For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; 5 for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. NKJV Being thankful is probably one of the most important traits for the daily life of the believer. If you read the ‘current’ history books on the founding fathers of the United States of America, you likely get this impression that the famous pilgrims went to the new world of North America to find their fortunes. It is absolutely and completely untrue. For some reason current anti-christ history writers of our era think that they can expunge Jesus from history. The first people that went to the new world weren’t traders, mercenaries, or even business people. They were followers of Jesus. Pilgrim leader William Bradford wrote in his diary that the voyage was motivated by "a great hope . . . for advancing the kingdom of Christ." I believe God can use followers of Jesus more than any other human beings on the earth. We are His children and we have His anointing on what we do if we are right with Him. Thankfulness is a big part of being right with God. In this nation of America, there was a lawyer from the state of Illinois that became a very famous president. He fought for the rights of Africans who had been brought to those United States as slaves. He knew that these people were just as human as the English, Swedes, Germany, and many other people represented in this new nation. I am convinced President Abraham Lincoln loved Jesus because he talked about Him and did things like this to show it. He enacted legislation designating a day in to be thankful. In 1863, President Lincoln declared a national day of Thanksgiving. He wrote, "We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven. We have been preserved in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have imagined that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated by our own success, we have become too proud to pray to the God that made us." Doesn’t his pronouncement of 1863 still reign true over one-hundred years later to us? Why? It is the same issue the Israeli’s had thousands of years before President Lincoln. People stop being thankful, forget the goodness of our maker, start to think they did everything without Him, and then everything falls apart. When you stop being thankful that is when you start going in the wrong direction. In Sunday school, I remember hearing the stories of the children of Israel wandering in the wilderness for 40 years because they forgot God and thinking as a child “Oh, those poor children of Israel why did they fall away from God”. How different are those people from you and I? In retrospect, it is always easy to see what where things went wrong. Especially if it’s seeing what other people did wrong! Clearly Mr. Lincoln recognized how short we humans have short memories. We forget the works of God in our lives and then we get shipwrecked because we forgot what got us there. Well, it is time for a change. Start your day every day being thankful. Thank Him for the breath in your lungs, the food and clothing in your house, the sunrise... there is so much to be thankful to Yahweh for! Be thankful every day. Get a little day planner or notebook and keep track of your prayers requests and dreams that you discuss with God each day. Write them down and date them. Then when they are answered, write down the dates you received the answer. I have been doing this for years so when I go into God’s presence I have a whole list of answers prayers that I can thank Him for. Healings, financial needs met, breakthroughs for my family members... the list goes on and on and on. Hallelujah! Yahweh is so gracious. When you are thankful follower of Jesus, great things happen, and keep happening in your life. Today’s Reading- See www.VWC.jp |
Proverbs 29 | |
Sep11
Faith That Obtains
2 Peter 1:1 | |
| 1 | Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: NKJV In the Fall of each year in Japan, elementary schools around the nation have a sports day. This special Saturday event gives a chance for the kids to run and play games with their classmates in front of their parents and siblings. They have various races, dances, music, and other activities to celebrate in a long day where the moms pack a lunch for the family as all the families eat in little groups around the school playground. (Preparing those lunches can be a bit of pressure for some mothers). At these sports days, the students run races and get ribbons for the race that they did. The kids that came in first place for a particular race don’t get ribbons for third place. They obtain first place ribbons for running first. As you read 2 Peter 1:1, we see a similar thing. The followers of Jesus must have faith. Faith is not something that you just walk up and take if you haven’t run the race. You have to obtain it, to prove it. Remember James says, Faith without works (or action) is dead. As a believer, turning to Jesus is the first step. The second step is the start using your faith. As a matter of fact, not only do you obtain faith, but it is something that is different depending on you. The Word talks about people of ‘like faith’. Every church has people who cycle through. That is not God’s way and these people are mostly unstable spiritually. They may even come for a time, never to be seen again. Some people stay a bit longer. All churches have these people that come for a few months then disappear. Why? Maybe they got offended, someone said something they didn’t like, or they didn’t like the way that church worshipped God. It doesn’t really matter what their excuse is. Someone summed it up for our church. These people that come and don’t stay are not of ‘like faith’. God is wanting to take our church higher, so He is putting together people hungry for more, who are sincerely in love with Him, and passionate to share Jesus with everyone they meet. It is the same for your church. So, there are some people with ‘like faith’ with us, and there are some with different faith. It is better that the ones of different or even no faith go if they are going to distract. Remember that faith is something you have to obtain. When you get ‘in faith’, it takes you higher and it purifies you and goes hand in hand with the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Acts 15:8-9 says, |
| 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 Faith is powerful because it pleases Yahweh. Faith is not static or passive. If you run a race and place 10th, people will think you’re crazy if you walk up expecting to get first prize. Faith is active. Just when you think you knew everything about Yahweh, then there is something else to know. If you have been living faith by just listening to you pastor’s message each Sunday with no time yourself in the Word or prayer during the week, then it is time for a change. You need to obtain a higher faith, a like faith. A like faith compared to whom? Well, a great place to see great men and women of faith is in Hebrews chapter 11, the believers “Hall Of Faith”. That precious ‘like faith’ is something we can all obtain, but we have to make an effort. That effort has to be aggressive, outgoing, and believing. The more you believe for, the more God can do through you. Take your faith to a higher level. Let’s obtain like precious faith together. Start talking about it today. |
2 Cor 4:13 | |
| 13 | And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, "I believed and therefore I spoke," we also believe and therefore speak, NKJV Tradition and ritual will take you no where, but faith will move mountains. Believe, speak, and act. That is the faith cycle. Today’s Reading- See www.VWC.jp |
Proverbs 30 | |
Sep12
The Great Escape
2 Peter 1:4 | |
| 4 | by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. NKJV If you have ever lived in a huge city, you will know many people who just want to get out on the weekends. If a family lives in a city and they have sustenance, there is a high possibility that these people will have bought a vacation home. Where do they buy these homes? Out in that nation’s countryside. You see, people are looking for escape. They are looking to looking for a way to get away from the day to day monotony. Sometimes they are bored with life so they think if they escape once in a while, they can refresh themselves. It could be a temporary fix to escape your circumstance but it is not a complete fix. Why? We know from 2 Peter 1:4 that the world is corrupt. We all know it. We see wars, famine, suffering, abuse, starvation, injustice... the world we live in is completely corrupt. You can try to blame it on God all you like, but He has entrusted the world to mankind for a time. Look what we have done with it? However, He is so gracious that He has given us a way out. We have to quickly living by what we see. We must live based on what we can’t see. We have to get our minds to stop looking at the physical world around us and start looking at the spiritual world. If you are living for the physical or the flesh, you are living a shallow life. There is so much more! Gal 6:8 says, |
| 8 | For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. NKJV Notice the root of the problem is corruption and lust. Corruption is doing the wrong thing. Doing things that you wouldn’t want people to do with you. What is lust? It is a hunger or desire for something that you should not have. For the spouse of a another, too much food, political or financial power... people lust for all sorts of things that they shouldn’t have and get into all sorts of trouble. Lust and corruption is the root of most of the trouble in the world. We’ve got to be spiritual. The only way to escape the world is by the power of the Holy Spirit. By getting yourself out of the physical fleshly way of thinking and walking by the spiritual way of thinking. Getting yourself out of lust and corruption and into His ways. God has a better plan for you. |
Hebrews 8:6 | |
| 6 | But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. NKJV Start thinking spiritual from today. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you how you can avoid falling into the traps of lust and corruption. Don’t see that person who you meet today as a person in your way or someone who is just a customer, see them as an opportunity to share the love of Jesus to this lost and dying world. Begin to escape to God’s world which is His Way. The world of the spirit and His power. He’s got a much better plan than any human could ever make make for you. Your escape to the spiritual is where you will find unbelievable peace, amazing prosperity, full life, unending joy, and so much more. All this while living in this physical world that surrounds you. You may be the only connection to the Jesus and the Way that some people see. Today’s Reading- See www.VWC.jp |
Proverbs 1 | |
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