I really believe that the church today can be what God created it to be, but many in the church have settled for less. They have no goals. They have lost the desire to see their dreams become a reality, and are now living life “the best they can”. When you settle for less in your own personal life, you will settle for less when it comes to the life of the church. God has ordained more for you. It is His will for you to be blessed and for you to prosper. As a child of God, you have no reason not to prosper. You have no reason not to reach your goals in life. If you are determined to make it, to live this Christian life without compromise, to bring honor and glory to God through your obedience, to give your life to Him completely so that He might be manifested in your mortal body; if you are determined to rise above what you are going through, letting nothing keep you from reaching your goals in life; if you who are determined to rise to the high places of life in Christ Jesus then know this: you only succeed when you refuse to fail.

There are times when the change does not come fast enough. Instead of the change coming, God allows the breaking to come. That’s right, God sometimes allows you to be broken. This is what happened to the psalmist.  What He went through broke Him before God. And in the state of His brokenness what was in him came out, and that was this: “I love the Lord”. He had been broken by life’s trials, life’s trouble, heartaches and pain. He had been broken by his suffering…so broken that he cried out to the Lord. But note: his suffering did not make him bitter.  What he went through did not make him hard or filled with hate. What he went through did not turn him away from God. Out of his brokenness he cried, “I love the Lord”. Remember those words.

One of the greatest spiritual tests a child of God has to go through is the test of suffering. I am talking about the kind of suffering that comes with trouble, with persecutions, with trials, with disappointments, with hard times that seems to have no end. And the hardest thing to bear is knowing that your God has allowed you to go through these things without giving you a reason why. That’s right, there are times when God allows you to be tried, allows trouble, pain, and disappointment to come your way, allows persecution and hard times into your life. Which means…we must be careful of the attitude we take when disappointments come. If God allows them to invade your life, then what can we do to change them? Wait in faith and believe God to overcome.

You have been born of the Spirit of God; and Jesus said in the word that the kingdom of heaven is within you (Luke 17:21). Therefore it should be a priority to seek the realities of the Kingdom of God in your day to day life. Jesus taught that you should pray…”Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.” “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Mat. 6:9, 10). No more should you get caught up on the things happening to you or around you. No more should you faint nor become weary or frustrated because of the attacks of the enemy. No more should your needs overwhelm you. No more should you allow the devil to overcome you, people to hurt you, situations to take from you all that God has given you. All you need do now is to step up and stand in faith when challenged in any way or by anybody or anything. Step up and stand in faith and the word of God will sustain you, regardless the challenges, the attacks, the suffering, the trials or the temptations. Step up and stand in faith in the Kingdom of God, in the presence of God, in the faith of God and in the word of God.

God rules in His kingdom not the enemy. God reigns and has dominion in His kingdom, not worldly troubles or needs. Remember, you are with God – in His presence – now. He is in charge. You must remember in each separate thing you go through that you must make the decision to by faith stand with God the Father in His presence above all that threatens you. Never let what you go through – worldly problems or needs – bring you down to their level again. Step up and keep stepping up and be strong in the word and faith! You have been called to this life. You glorify God in all you do in this earth. Let God have control in every area of your life. Be one with Him in all things.

Kingdom words are words that come from the Kingdom of God within you. Because of your faith, you are in the Kingdom of God now and the Kingdom of God is within you. Luke 17:21 Jesus said, “…behold the kingdom of God is within you.” Now hear this deep within your spirit: In the Kingdom of God within you there are words that govern the kingdom life you live on earth. Again: In the Kingdom of God within you there are words that govern the kingdom life you live on this earth. These words become your direction and your guide. These words become your response when in times of difficulty. These words are what work for you when you are going through, under attack, persecuted, tried, tempted, going through great suffering, sick in the body, problems in the marriage and/or family, problems with the children, when you do not know what to do…when trouble won’t leave you alone. Kingdom words come out of your spirit and then out of your mouth and go to work for you in the earth.

Sometimes you can be so low and so bound by what people are trying to do to you that you do not know what you need.  Sometimes you can go through so much; you can be so overwhelmed by the hardness of life, by the little tricks people play, that you fail to discern your real need.  But then comes Jesus.  The one who knows all; the one who can do all; the one who promised to supply all your need according to His riches in glory and takes away all your fears, all your hunger and all your thirst. Turn your heart back to God and let Him be your all and lead you in the way that you are to go.

Who will surrender their all? Who will give everything? When we needed Him, He was there. When we hurt so badly, He was there. Have we forgotten all the times when He made the way? Have we placed Him in the back of our minds? No. I can never forget what He has done for me. He saved me. He healed me. He made so many ways for me. I can never forget. [DRI]

Walking in obedience to God the Holy Spirit and His grace is where our strength comes from.  This is how we endure and overcome suffering, and persecutions.  This is what enables us to love our enemies.  In every situation in life we will have what we need to overcome by the Spirit and grace of God.             As we study the word of God, we learn even more about His Spirit and grace.  How God has freely given us the Spirit and how we are full of His grace and truth.  You see God never intended for you to fall.  He never intended for you to turn back on Him.  But it is all in your priorities.  What do you want?  When your will lines up with the will of God, when you surrender your all to the ways of God, then your spirit becomes a well for God to deposit into you all you need to be ready when Jesus comes, and to do all that you are called to do.

Pardon me, but is it me or am I just imagining things?  Where is the joy?  Where is the excitement?  Where is the expectation?  Where are the saints standing in faith, praying to God faithfully for His return?  Where are the people who refuse to compromise?  Where are the saints who die daily, who deny themselves, who loved not their lives even unto death so that God’s perfect will might be done in the earth, making ready for His return?