If you know the Truth, do not, under any circumstances, change you mind. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. (Jhn 8:32) You won’t have to guess, you will know the truth. The Word of God is true because God cannot lie. If He has said it, then He has spoken truth.

What happens when you run up against people who don’t know the truth? They may respond to you subtly or violently. It doesn’t matter. Stand firm on what you know to be true.

Joshua and Caleb believed God when no one else did.

When Joshua and Caleb came back from scouting the promised land, they were the only ones to say go for it. They’re positive report so enraged the people that they were nearly stoned to death. (Num 14:10) But Joshua and Caleb were right, and were the only two of that entire generation to actually enter the promised land and live long years there.

Your commitment to God may not be easy. He never promised that. He did promise to be with you through everything He calls you to. That is truth. Don’t look at circumstances and don’t listen to people who don’t know what they’re talking about. Listen to God and He will bless your path, because He said He would.

God is not looking for perfect, but humility.

Maturity requires that we learn and grow. And don’t you know that mistakes will be made along the way. That’s not that big a deal. In fact, God is not so much interested in seeing you be perfect as He is in seeing how you handle the ups and downs.

When we fail at something, we beat ourselves up about it and make it worse that it really is. Or we panic and try to cover it up. Neither way is good. Learning to grow in maturity is the ability to be transparent with what works and what doesn’t. When you make a mistake, admit it. Learn from it. Don’t be afraid.

God said to fear not. He said to trust Him. If something blows up that shouldn’t have, don’t assume that it’s the end of the world. Trust God to help you work it out. That’s what faith is all about. When you give the mess over to Him, He’ll walk you through it. No matter what happens, trust Him. Always trust Him.

The more you trust when things go wrong, the stronger you grow in maturity and the more you can be trusted with. Maturity isn’t about being perfect. It’s about how you handle being wrong. Be humble. Learn as you go and don’t let your pride get in the way. The lessons may be hard, but they are exactly what you need for your next promotion.

**************************************************************************The Key of David, by Diana Symons                                                                                             A story that’s been told for thousands of years…  The Bible’s Book 1 Samuel tells the story of David’s life – from an obscure family to an unlikely king, from shepherd to warrior, from champion to king-maker. What does it mean for a man to love God and be loved by Him? This book explores what it means to be human in the light of the Kingdom.

The time to get happy is now!

When should you rejoice? When should you be thankful? Before you get what you asked for. Sing, o barren, you who have not borne! Break forth into singing, and cry aloud, you who have not labored with child! For more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married woman, says the Lord. (Isa 54:1)

When the barren rejoice for the children that are not yet born, the the children are sure to come. And that attitude of joy and thankfulness will ensure that the barren will become more fruitful than the woman who already has children.

That is faith. That is trusting God to be who He says He is — a loving Father who sees our needs and loves to bless us. If we put Him above all things, even our greatest love, He promises to bless our heart’s desire. But that’s a big “if”.

God must be your chief joy. He must be your greatest love. If you can’t be honest about that, then don’t blame Him for not doing what you want Him to do. But if you can, then rejoice and sing, because He will do what He says He will do. He is God and cannot lie. His word is truth. So do your happy dance, because the blessing is coming.

Resist the enemy and it will make your stronger.

You know how practice makes perfect, and using muscles builds muscle? It’s the same way in the kingdom. The more we extend our faith, the stronger our faith gets. You may start out only able to believe for small things, but as you see God respond to that little faith, it’s easier to believe for bigger things.

In the same way, the more we resist the bad thoughts of the enemy, the easier it is to resist them. Once you realize that bad feelings and bad thoughts don’t come from God, you can make up your mind to not receive them. You can literally tell yourself to ignore them. Claim the good things of God and the enemy will have to leave you alone.

You may need to remind yourself to do this somehow. Just remember that anytime you’re feeling bad about something, do a check. Where is it coming from? Is it something you did? Repent if you need to, God forgives. Is it coming from someone else? You don’t have to receive it.

The more you guard your heart, the stronger you’ll get. The more you resist the enemy, the more of God you can claim. It’s like taking enemy territory every time you refuse to be unhappy.

Happiness is a decision.

Happiness is your decision. Yes, you decide if you will be grumpy or happy. To let your emotions be subject to the wind is to give up control over yourself. That is not only a bad idea, it’s dangerous. If you are not in control, the enemy will happily take over.

Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him. (Ps. 42:11) Have a good talking to yourself. Snap out of it. Your happiness is a heartbeat away. Are you sick of being unhappy? Then decide right now, this second, to stop it.

Tell yourself, “I choose to be happy. I will trust God and bless Him for all that He has done for me.” It may take repeating a few times, but keep at it. You can be happy and you can be happy every day. Put your life in God’s hands so He can help you with the things that are going wrong. If you don’t trust Him, He can’t help.

Happiness isn’t something only rich people have, or lucky people have. Happiness is a decision. If you are unhappy, then it is a choice that you have made. Chose to unmake it.

Jump in. The water’s fantastic.

Are you excited by what God is doing in the church today? If you are not seeing it, maybe you are hearing about it. People are being healed physically. People are being set free from emotional pain. The power of God is changing lives all over the world.

You can be part of this. You don’t have to be a bystander in a move of God that may unprecedented in history. The outpouring of God’s Spirit is phenomenal. It’s easier now to hear the voice of God than it ever has been. All you have to do is ask.

Ask God to speak to you so you hear His voice. Ask Him what He thinks of you. Ask Him about His plans for you. Ask Him to bless your life and those around you. Pray for physical healing. Pray for any breakthrough that you need.

Do not be swayed by the opinions of others. Are their opinions recorded in the Bible, or is God’s? Who’s word is true? Trust God to be who He says He is. When He promises to heal, and He does, then He will. When He promises to bless, and He does, then He will.

This is a great time to be a believer. You’d better jump in, because the water is fantastic.

God loves simple faith.

Do you find it surprising that every time Jesus was astounded by someone’s faith, it was someone outside the Jewish faith? They were people who simply heard what He said and saw what He did and believed Him. They didn’t argue or demand to know where in the law He had the right to perform miracles.

The church today is not much different from the religious society that Jesus faced. If Jesus came into a service and acted in His unpredictable way, He’d be asked to leave, despite His Lordship that we claim to honor.

Jesus loves simple faith. Just believe. Did God say it? Then believe it. Is He powerful enough to answer any prayer? Then believe it. You don’t need to know denomination. You don’t need to know chapter and verse. You just need to know Him.

Your hungry heart to see God will move you into realms of faith that many scholars will never see. Just believe, and watch heaven open up for you. Believe and be healed, blessed, and saved. Believe and God will be everything you need Him to be, because He loves faith.

Don’t hesitate to do what God is asking you do to.

There are leaders and there are followers, but in the kingdom of God, everyone is a disciple. We are all called to live as Jesus showed us. We don’t all have the same calling, but we are all called to follow.

What that means is, whatever the Spirit of God is leading you to, you should go with it. Sometimes we act like sheep who have gone astray. We look to other people to step up when God may be calling us to do it. Is the reason you don’t step up because you humbly think that other people are more qualified? Or are you just scared?

Often God will nudge us to step up in areas we don’t feel comfortable in, but that’s because He wants us to trust Him to make it work. All He wants is a willing heart. Gideon wasn’t the man anyone would have picked out to be the leader of an army. It was only after he moved in obedience that he saw God work on his behalf.

Spiritual growth takes faith. Don’t wait to feel like you can do what you think God wants you to do. Just obey and let Him bless your efforts. A mistake in stepping out is better than a mistake in not doing anything.