How do we learn to live for this Kingdom that is contrary to what we see? How do we not get swept up in the self-absorption, self-preservation, and self-glorification that has completely infested our society?

While Balaam’s story is as dramatic as it is funny, it underscores a great lesson: God’s dealings with us, though far beyond our comprehension, are undergirded by great patience and compassion. Otherwise, if He marked our transgressions, who would stand? If the Lord kept a record of our sins, who could survive? (Psalm 130:3)

Does your life reflect the greatest commandment that we are instructed with — to love the Lord with all of your heart, soul, and mind? Jesus tells Martha that only “one thing” is necessary. This “one thing” is fellowship, oneness, and closeness with God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

What if we lived every day from the perspective that it is a miracle that Christ lives in us and we live in Christ? That it’s a miracle that we get to commune with Him while we live on earth? That we have the opportunity to live in union with Christ, to know the Holy Spirit, and listen to him as he guides us on the path of life?

Jesus at the forefront of our minds looks like surrendering the idea that the end goal is to obtain anything this world has to offer. We must shift our perspective to the end goal being to glorify Him and share in the inheritance and salvation He promises to us.

God made us in His image and gave us the ability to speak as well. It’s a wonderful mystery and an absolute gift. It’s what sets us apart from the animals. With this ability comes great responsibility because “death and life are in the power of the tongue.”

Western Christendom tends to lull us into thinking our faith journey ought to always consist of mountaintop experiences. That’s a fallacy. The Bible is replete with heroes of faith whose fame germinated out of the soil of intense pain and suffering. There are no exceptions: those that would drink from the cup of Christ’s glory, must also drink from the cup of His suffering.

Jesus is not looking for another church-goer. He is looking for a follower who will abide, love, and surrender everything to Him. Are you willing to lay down your life to follow Jesus? Are you willing to surrender your image and pride to follow the One who created you? Jesus is calling you to a life of a disciple.

In The Final Quest, author Rick Joyner says, “often what makes men kings on earth is the greatest stumbling block to being kings in Heaven.” We are simply stewards of the things given to us on earth. We must stay sensitive to His voice to be ready and quick to give, open up our homes, go meet with this person, and to be faithful with whom and what He has put in our lives.

When you are abiding in the Lord, you will be stirred to encourage others in Him, because, after all, when you receive encouragement from the King of Kings, you can't help but pass it on. Who can you encourage, today?

The more I uncover the lies and schemes of the enemy in my own life, the more I realize how powerless Satan is compared to the power of the Holy Spirit inside of me. The only reason we have the ability to overcome the lies, schemes, and fears from the enemy is because God overcame him first and has given us His victory.

The key to greatness, both individual and national, is to identify with God’s purposes and God’s people, and that means the people that God is restoring and bringing back to their land, to their city, the people of Israel and the church of Jesus Christ.

The mark of the early church was that the Apostles knew the reality of Jesus; they had been with Him. They had been reoriented and experienced a revival. Psalm 85:6 says, “Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?”

Every hard circumstance that we walk through, every conversation with a friend, every scripture we read, every word that comes from Him is preparing us for the path that lies ahead. When God calls you to something, He will always equip you for it. With the Holy Spirit living inside of us, we live empowered, unafraid, overcoming lives.

We have God’s DNA. It’s him who gives us the love and grace to parent well. He is a beautiful parent that loves, protects, and plans well for His children.

We all need a thin space, where we linger and know that God is there. I want to experience thin spaces and I believe they are not limited to certain locations, rather, when we most need God, the space can become thin because He finds us and draws us close to Him.

Will you drop that which doesn’t satisfy and fall into the arms of the Lord who loves you deeply? Stop trying to draw sustenance from a dead well. Only Jesus can truly satisfy. He stands ready to water your dry places with His Living Water.

 Living for Jesus comes with many challenges. While I am not averse to making sacrifices for Jesus that I deem reasonable, every time I come across stories like Letwaba’s or read the book of Acts in the New Testament, I often ask myself: “How far am I willing to go for Jesus? How much am I willing to sacrifice for the Gospel? 

God is looking for a malleable heart - one that is tender and responsive to His leading. He is yearning for His children to walk before Him in reverential awe and a holy regard for His glorious presence.

Fasting can be traced back to the Old Testament, where it was practiced as a form of repentance, mourning, and seeking God's guidance. It is mentioned numerous times in the Bible, both in the Old and New Testaments, with examples like the Israelites fasting during times of crisis or seeking divine intervention, and Jesus himself fasting for 40 days in the wilderness.