Daily Devotional
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| Today |  | 2025年10月27日 - 2025年10月31日 |  |
10月26日
You Are What You Think- Winning The Mind Battle
1 Cor 1:24 | |
| 24 | but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. NKJV I love Jesus. He is so good to us. Praise Yahweh for the freedom He has given us to choose Him or whatever way we want to go. I am so glad I have chosen to serve Him and I hope you too have become a part of the Kingdom of God. If you have accepted Him, then you are called. If you are called, then you should have the power of God on you and in you. If you don’t, get to a Spirit-filled church and get prayed for to received the baptism of the Holy Spirit by Spirit-filled pastors. No matter whether you are red, white, black, yellow, or any other ethnicity, the cool thing is God doesn’t care. My mother was from the red group. That means her father was Native American. It was not easy for red folk to grow up in the US in the 1900s because some bad white folk (there’s bad and good in every group) persecuted the Native Americans (the reds). It was bad enough that when my mother started going to school, her father told her, “Don’t tell people you are Native American”. As long as we are living in this physical body world, it is going to be a fight. There are some great people, but the majority of the world is in the darkness. We have to do our best to bring them to the Light of the Gospel before Jesus comes back. It is not just a fight, to live in this world with unbelievers. It is also a fight to just be a believer. If we let our imaginations go wild. We have to watch what we think. You let your mind and thoughts go off and you could get stuck in sin. 2 Cor 10:4-6 gives us some insights that we have to remind ourselves of in how to deal with thoughts saying, |
| 4 | For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. NKJV You have to fight your flesh with the Word of God. You have to cast down arguments (unscriptural topics, ‘imaginations’ the KJV says) and everything else that comes to mind to distract you from the truth you know. Those thoughts can be you thinking, but they can also come from demonic spirits urging you to do wrong. You want your thoughts to be in line with the Holy Spirit and to be led by Him. The passage talks about “taking thoughts captive” meaning, be careful what you think. They have a saying, ‘you are what you eat’ meaning you eat junky food and processed snacks and your body is not going to last very long, you’re going to be easily tired, get sick frequently, and likely overweight. Food is body fuel. THoughts are mind fuel. Taking it a step further, I say, ‘You are what you think”. People of strong faith are strong because they have learned to renew their minds from the old ways of thinking to God’s ways of thinking (Romans 12:2). They have learned to think and speak healing even when they feel a sore throat attacking. They have learned to speak words of prosperity over their bank accounts even when they are not sure how they are going to support their family. Even when their wife or husband is going through some mental crisis they can speak peace in the situation and get through. When they are tired and their mind starts wandering, they can say “No, I will not think those thoughts. I cast down those imaginations and things that try to exalt themselves against the knowledge of God and His Kingdom in my life in the mighty Name of Jesus.” Then we get our minds focused on thinking what God thinks. God’s thoughts are His Word. What you are thinking in your mind, is what is going to manifest in your life. If you think you are a loser, then you are going to be a loser. If you think you can just get by, then you are just going to get by. Haven’t you had enough of just enough? Think you are going to be champion, then you are setting yourself up for victory. Today’s Reading- |
Proverbs 10 | |
| Annual Bible Reading Plan at www.vwc.jp | |
10月27日
Being In The Family
Deuteronomy 33:9 | |
| 9 | Who says of his father and mother, 'I have not seen them'; Nor did he acknowledge his brothers, Or know his own children; For they have observed Your word And kept Your covenant. NKJV When you say “the family” to an American, you conjure up images of these gang-related Italian -American families that make a living lying, cheating, stealing, and killing. The family has this image of the mafia. Obviously, they are doing evil and are not a part of The Way of Jesus or God’s Kingdom. Regardless, they are very exclusive as you are either you are a part of ‘the family’, or you are not. There is nothing in between. It is really the same way for followers of Jesus. You are either a follower, or you are not. There is nothing in between. The Messiah’s family is open to all but you are either in or you are not. King Jesus’ earthly birthmother Mary and his half brothers came to one of His meetings expecting Him to drop the hundreds maybe thousands of people who where gathered around Him to hear His teaching in Matthew 12. His response in verse 50 made it very clear who were a part of His family. He replied, For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother. Matt 12:50 KJV I love that in the King James version of the Bible. Who is in God’s family? Whosoever does the will of the Father God. Whosoever is an old way of saying whomever. Anyone who does God’s will can be a part of the family. That’s right! You don’t have to be Italian, or any other nationality for that matter. Hallelujah! But what is the will of God? People ask, “What is God’s will for me?” “How do I know God’s will in my life?” or even, “What is God’s will?” God’s will is God’s Word. If you know the Bible, you are going to know God’s Word for you! Our text in Deuteronomy 33:9 highlights that. Saying God’s family, His children are those who “have observed Your word, And kept Your covenant”. God’s word is God’s will. God’s will is His covenant with you and me. That is why we are supposed to pray the Word of God. If you pray God’s Words over yourself, they will not return empty to you. God’s words are living and powerful. Saying and praying them over yourself, your family, your circumstances. Another day when Jesus was preaching, a woman stood and said, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts that nursed you”. What did the Messiah say? |
Luke 11:28 | |
| But He said, "More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!" NKJV I love it, because I’ve been all over the US, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Switzerland, Germany, Australia, Canada and wherever I go I have seen members of the family. We are baptized in the Spirit and we are flowing in His ways with the brightness of the Light in our eyes. Our nationality is God’s Kingdom not any nation of the earth. It’s all about hearing and doing. There is no such thing as passive followers of Jesus. True Christians have action to their faith because they are hearing the Word, and they are putting it into practice daily. Are you a part of the family? All you have to do is hear and act on what you’ve heard. Live like that every day, and you are in the family of Jesus. Today’s Reading- | |
Hebrews 13 | |
Proverbs 23 | |
10月28日
The Holy Spirit & Unpardonable Sin
Matt 12:32 | |
| Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come. NKJV Recently a UK-based ‘scientist’ co-authored another book on the universe. His specialty is physics but apparently has done some very interesting studies on the universe and in particular black holes. Black holes are theorized to be collapsed stars that once they fizzle out, they apparently tend to pull in all the objects around them including light itself. There is no black hole anywhere near earth, so no one has been to a black hole. Therefore their science is based on observation and connects heavily to the ‘Theory of Relativity” as it is called. The scientists have an explanation for how the universe was created. Their problem is if they are biased against God, they cannot explain the action, the move, the spark that ignited this creation of the universe. Other scientists have described the spark that created the universe as “The Big Bang”. Remember, good and bad, or even good and evil, are not labels you can put on groups of people. There are good, and there are bad scientists. In the recent book, this famous physicist concluded that God could definitely not be involved in the creation of the universe. When the article hit the news, many humanists applauded as they wanted to have a reason for sinning, but many others rose up and started criticizing the guy. Although my first response was to want to defend God, I decided I would pray for the guy that morning. I did a bit of quick research on the guy and found that when he was at university, he contracted a de-genitive disease. The disease attacked his body and he became a quadriplegic, meaning losing all control of his four (quadra) limbs, legs and arms. He was apparently very smart but has to move around in a wheelchair as he cannot move. Although his book tries to deny the existence of God, when I started praying for him the Holy Spirit started to show me what was going on with him. That’s right! God revealed to me, a believer 9,585 kilometers away from London, what was going on in the life of a this guy. This man was denying God because he thought in his heart, “If there is a God, then I wouldn’t be in this body all shriveled up unable to move on my own”. The followers of Jesus know this was foolishness, but that didn’t stop me from praying for Holy Spirit baptized believers to meet him wherever he goes. It is interesting how you can try to deny Jesus, but God is not offended and neither should you be. So what does Matthew mean when it says, “but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him”? Many pastors have had people come to them saying, “Pastor, I’ve committed the unpardonable sin!” Well, this unpardonable sin, or speaking against the Holy Spirit is ‘rejecting the drawing of that person by the Holy Spirit’ is what I learned in my Bible schooling. The Holy Spirit is here on the earth drawing us to become right with God, repent and turn to Jesus from our wrong ways. The Holy Spirit is drawing us to The Way of Jesus. But let’s look at this further. The Dake Study Bible says, “It is any insulting remark or curse, even attributing to [the enemy] the works of the Holy Spirit. It is unforgivable if it is done maliciously and knowingly...” That is exactly what the religious people were trying to do in Matthew 12:24 saying the works of God were the works of the enemy. It puts things right in context. That was a deception and they knew it. They had rejected Jesus and the works of the Holy Spirit. People better be careful. Especially those who talk maliciously against the moves of the Holy Spirit. That is unforgiveable. I experienced the Brownsville Revival in Florida. The Holy Spirit changed me there. Yet people were criticizing it saying it was an act of the devil. God forgive them. They will be judged. It was powerful move of the Holy Spirit! If people are being healed of diseases, gang members are being set free, witches are being freed from demonic control, homosexuals going straight and throwing off their sin, and countless other godly miracles, something spiritual is happening. Most importantly if people are coming to Jesus, you won’t hear me criticize because it is of God. When nearly 200,000 people repent and turn to King Jesus at one church, the Holy Spirit is there. I refuse to say anything negative about that group and neither should you because you are not talking about them, you are talking against the Holy Spirit. You should do the same. Decide you are going to declare the works of God in your life. You are going to talk about how God took you from a family with nothing to a prosperous life. You are going to proclaim His goodness in keeping sickness and disease away from you, even when others were falling around you. You are going to shout His praises because He took you from an employee to an employer! You are going to sing of His mercies because He forgave you even through you didn’t deserve it. He is SO good to us! Praise Him today! Today’s Reading- | |
James 1 | |
Proverbs 24 | |
10月29日
Believe And Get Going
Matt 8:13 | |
| Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you." And his servant was healed that same hour. NKJV Go you way! As you have believed, let it be done for you. Jesus said this at an amazing time. He had met a Roman centurion. This guy wasn’t even from the area, but he had heard about the signs and wonders. He had heard about the feeding of the thousands. No doubt he had heard about the turning of the water to wine at the wedding. But it was those healings that had stuck in the back of his mind. He knew that what Jesus was doing was real. He knew that King Jesus taught with such authority that there was no way that he was just some local boy. That military commander knew that there was authority behind Jesus and he mentioned it as he said in Matthew 8:8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. KJV When you have authority all you have to do is speak the word, and everything else will come into line. When Jesus left, He made it clear that he gave that authority to us in Matthew 28:18. saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth...” NKJV Then right after that He told us to go into all the world, making followers of Him. If we look back at Matthew 8:13, we see that He told the commander to go as well. Why? Because he could see that the guy was believing. When you are believing and have faith in God’s Word, that thing that you have been believing is going to come to pass. But you’ve got to get going. That is when you are going to be able to go places with Jesus. Hallelujah! So many people live down and defeated lives because they forget to believe. They think they are believing but they have just become religious. That just is not good enough. It is not good enough just to go to church. You’ve got to get there and be a part of the worship, contribute. Help at your church. As you put your faith to action, your faith will grow. I repented and turned to Jesus in 1978, but I really started to see God working in my life and I started really hungering for more and more of Him in 1988. I think, if I wouldn’t have started seeking Him, I could still be floating around doing next to nothing. But when I got hungry, God started putting people of strong faith across my path. That changed me. His Word changed me and I wanted more and more. I learned to walk in health, I learned to walk in His power, and most importantly I learned that as I share what King Jesus has done for me in my life with others, my faith grows. It also reminds me of what God has done for me. He is so good! King Jesus repeatedly told people who had faith in Him to ‘go and you will have what you believe’. He told the Syrian woman who wanted her daughter delivered from the enemy (demon), He told the lepers, He told the blind, and many others. When they believed and when they went, that is when they got their miracle. I think a story in John 4 sums it up perfectly. A nobleman’s son was sick and near death. He also had heard of Jesus and His miracles. He went to meet the Messiah. Jesus saw his faith and told him, “Your son lives!” On the way home, his employees came to him and confirmed that indeed the son was risen up. The word says in John 4:52 | |
| 53 | So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives." And he himself believed, and his whole household. NKJV That is what is all about! The nobleman went home with faith, and that is exactly when he got his miracle. Hallelujah! Are you believing? Then it is time to get going! Today’s Reading- |
James 2 | |
Proverbs 27 | |
10月30日
Looking For A Sign
Judg 6:37 | |
| 37 | look, I shall put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor; if there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that You will save Israel by my hand, as You have said." NKJV A girl working at a clothing shop saw the good looking guy walking in. He was tall with brown hair and blue eyes. He was dressed nicely and was confident as he walked into the clothing store there at the mall. Kathy was a believer and as she had just graduated from high school, she was thinking about meeting the ‘right guy’ as she got ready to go off to University. Kathy had seen many people come and go from the store that she had been working at since she was a sophomore in high school. She was excited about a change but knew she really needed to focus on getting off to university and start work on that medical degree she had been dreaming about. As the guy came into the store, she said to herself, “ I’ll go over and asking him if there is anything he is looking for. If he says, ‘I am looking for a striped shirt’, then maybe this is a guy I am supposed to date”. Kathy knew that dating was usually a dead end and she also knew the Word told her to marry only believers. But she thought it doesn’t hurt just to date around a bit. She was looking for a sign to do something she knew was questionable. Kathy was setting herself up to get fleeced! Growing up, I heard many believers talking about ‘putting out a fleece’. What does that mean? It means someone putting out some type of sign to confirm that the someone needed to do. Just like Kathy did with the customer coming into her store. She knew if she spent time with guys that were unbelievers she would be compromising, but oh if there were a sign, that would tell her different. I think all of us have been guilty of putting out a fleece or looking for a sign, but we must realize that is not how God works. Putting out a fleece is usually done because people are not really trusting God. Instead of talking to God, people tell themselves things like, “If I get a scholarship at that University then I will know it is God’s will for me to go there (even though there is this other school on my heart)”, “If she accepts my offer for a date, then I will know she is the one I am to marry (even though I don’t know if she knows Jesus)”, “If the owner accepts my offer on that house, or “I will know it is God’s will (even though it is a bit more than I can afford right now)”. Gideon knew exactly what he was supposed to do, but he was trying to confirm things. Gideon was wasting his time, but God was faithful and gracious to work with him. Gideon was looking for a sign. We see people doing this from the Old Testament, but when you are looking for a sign it is usually because you are wanting to do something you know you shouldn’t do. It is compromise. What you compromise to get, you are going to have to compromise to keep. God does not lead us in this way. Especially as New Testament followers of Jesus the last thing we want to do. We are to be led by our spirits that are in tune with the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:5 says For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. NKJV When you are asking for a sign, you are walking by your physical senses. Your flesh. When you are living by how you feel, you are going to get in trouble. Galatians 5:16 says, I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. NKJV Live your life according to the Spirit. |
Rom 8:14 | |
| For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. NKJV When you are led by the Spirit of God, you are like a mobile phone that is connected to the Holy Spirit mobile phone carrier. As you read, study, pray His Word; as you pray in tongues, you are led by the Spirit of God. You know exactly what to do and you know exactly God’s will because He will reveal it to you by His Word. Then you be like Ananias who listened to the Spirit and went to meet this persecutor of the followers of Jesus who was blinded. Ananias didn’t ask for a sign. Ananias listened to the Spirit of God with his spirit and in Damascus he prayed for Saul. Saul received his sight. Saul became Paul and rose up as a passionate world-changing follower of Jesus. Wanting to know God’s will for you? Want to better understand God’s ways? Spend time in His Word each day this week and spend time with Him. As you do this every day, your spirit will become sensitive to His. Today’s Reading- James 3-5 | |
Proverbs 29 | |
10月31日
But He Talked About God?
2 Thess 2:3-4 | |
| 3 | Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. NKJV Just because someone talks about God doesn’t mean they know Him. I find the easiest way to see the spiritual state of someone is to ask them what they think about Jesus. Things in the world are changing so quickly. We know from the Word of God the things that will happen as enter into the last days. For me, one of the most revealing verses is 2 Timothy 3:1-5, But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! NKJV From this scripture we learn a lot about how people become. As we look at the violent films and music, the sexual sin, the abuse of people; we see more and more that the world we live in is really going in this direction. As a believer, our spiritual lights are getting brighter and brighter, as the world gets darker. The world needs Jesus! Many people know that Revelations reveals a lot to us about the last days. The book of Thessalonians also reveals what will happen in the last days and really fills us in more on who is going to be doing what, and when. You see we have politicians and world leaders that say they are ‘Christians’. You look at their lifestyles where they do not regularly fellowship with other believers, misinterpret the Word of God, and completely disregard the importance of human life and know that they are just branding themselves ‘Christian’ to win votes. In many cases, these people are anti-christs. They are against Christ (the Messiah Jesus) and will be judged for their deception and lies. But there is someone worse coming. First Thessalonians 2 tells us about a “the man of sin... the son of perdition...” Who is this person? This person is the anti-Christ. A person who will likely come on the scene as a world leader, who will deceive many. How are we going to know who this person is? Many people have guessed the former leader of communist Russia, the US president, and even the Pope could be this anti-Christ. How will we know? We will know the anti-Christ when we see the Jewish temple rebuilt in Jerusalem and a world leader who proclaims himself as God. However if you read the first part of Thessalonians you will notice that there is going to be a great falling away. What is this? This falling away is the time when people will be deceived and fall away from God. The Messiah Jesus told us to be careful saying |
Matt 24:4-5 | |
| 4 | And Jesus answered and said to them: "Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. NKJV What do we do? Do we sit around and just watch things happen? Absolutely not! You and I are to pray and be diligent. We are to fight the enemy because hell is the backer of this anti-Christ. We should not be deceived. |
Eph 5:6 | |
| 6 | Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. NKJV For me, I am not concerned or worried about these last days. I will focus on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, so that when deceivers come, I will know them. We can all know Him. There is only one who is lost with absolutely no hope. Jesus prayed for us in John 17:12 saying, |
| 12 | While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. NKJV You have a hope and a future. Pray for your nation, your church, your family, pray that the Holy Spirit will draw people you meet by His divine appointment each day. Be a light to the people in your life. There is not much time left. Jesus is coming back soon! Today’s Reading- |
1 Peter 1 | |
Proverbs 30 | |
11月01日
Shaking Experience
Hebrews 12:27 | |
| 27 | Now this, "Yet once more," indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. NKJV If you have ever been to Japan for any extended period of time, then you have likely experienced an earthquake. For people from other countries not used to feeling the earth shake, it is an unsettling experience. Especially, if you are in a 50 or 60 story hotel or office tower. That means that you are some 180 meters from the ground. The local people are not too bothered by the shaking of the earth. They just build everything to withstand a major earthquake. The buildings, the highways, the houses, the famous bullet trains... everything is built for dealing with earthquakes. However, they take comfort too easily, as one earthquake can virtually level a city or neighborhood. What is strong will stand, what is weak will crumble and fall to the ground in ruins. In life, there are also shaking experiences such as losing loved ones and tragedies, but frankly we believers need to have a shaking experience to get rid of all the weaknesses, sin, and junk in our lives. For me, I have had many spiritual shaking experiences. Church summer camps, revival meetings, and other places were I have heard the anointed preaching of the Word and been under powerful worship. However, the greatest experience I have had thus far was attending the Brownsville Revival meetings in Florida in the late 1990s. It shook me. I sensed the presence of God so strong and the Lord spoke to me about junk in my life. The Holy Spirit shook the weaknesses off me as I realized what I was doing before was holding me back from more of God. Years ago, a pastor attended a revival meeting in North Seattle. No one knew his role or who he was. At the end of the service, there was a time for prayer as they opened up the altars. The people came forward for prayer, and that pastor sensed he needed to get right with God as with time he had stepped back from his relationship with God. He went to the altar at the front and was prayed for by a teenage girl on the prayer team. She prayed, “Father get rid of all the junk in his life in Jesus’ Name”. When her hand touched his shoulder he immediately fell down and hit the ground shaking. He had fallen under the power of the Holy Spirit. He was unable to get back up for 90 minutes. While on the ground, the Holy Spirit dealt with him regarding his spiritual coldness, some issues in his life, and things that he needed to change. When he got back up, he was changed as he went home to change those things in his life. That pastor got right with God because of the shaking of God, and went back to his city and church a changed man. His church experienced revival because of the shaking power of the Holy Spirit that night in North Seattle. Don’t put your hope in what you have or what is around you. Put your hope in the Father of all hope; the author of faith, hope and love. If you know Him, then everything else really does matter but then again, it doesn’t... because knowing Him is knowing His word. Matthew 24:35 says, |
| 35 | Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. NKJV Are you listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit and getting around anointed men and women of God? You’ve got an upcoming weekend to do just that. Today’s Reading- |
Proverbs 25 | |
| Annual Bible Reading Plan at www.vwc.jp | |
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Daily Devotional
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