Daily inspirational insight and revelations to start your day and offer hope, comfort and assurance in God.
Author: Anneta Pinto-Young
I am a trained Social Worker who currently provides professional leadership on a programme to support Social Work students and Newly Qualified Social Workers entering the Social Work Profession.
Born and raised in Jamaica in a Christian family where my father is an ordained Pastor and Deacon who has served for over 50 years in the ministry. My father is also a trained musician and our family can be described as a musical family. I grew up in a small farming community in St. Peter’s, St. Andrew and my parents also have a small farm.
I credit my gift of writing to my father who I watched and listened to over the years as he wrote sermons, poems and other recitals in his capacity in ministry. English has always been an easy subject for me and over the years I have developed an increased interest in writing.
I am a Trainer, I sing and have a passion for worship, the spoken word and the free flow of the prophetic anointing. I am married to my best friend Andrew Christopher Young who is an advanced Musician and whose music you can find on YouTube and Facebook. I am a trained Coach and Mentor and I love experimenting with food so I love cooking. I enjoy trying cultural dishes from across the world and I view food as an entry into cultures and languages.
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1).
Our God operates in seasons and there are specific timings for events in our lives. Solomon advised in Ecclesiastes that there is a time and a season for everything. As believers we have to be sensitive to God’s timing and to the different seasons. Farmers understand seasons and have to keep this in mind to understand when to plant, sow new seed and the time for harvesting.
There are difficult seasons that we endure in the body of Christ and then difficult seasons give way to seasons of rest and peace. For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. “Weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5).
The word night in the text refers to more than just one night but can represent a season of darkness. “But after you have suffered a little while the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you” (1 Peter 5:10). Your night season is almost over and the light of daybreak is coming. Your suffering is coming to an end and God will restore, strengthen, confirm and establish you.
The devil will not be allowed to continually oppress God’s people and God will drive out the enemies of oppression and fear. There are doors of sorrow, weeping and hardship that are being shut. God will open doors of restoration, freedom, celebration and joy.
“he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8).
James taught about the testing of our faith and experiencing trials of different kinds. He said that when our faith it tested, it produces endurance and patience. When patience has done it’s perfect work in us, we will be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. James encouraged a person without wisdom to ask God, who would give freely without holding back. He had a prescription for our asking of God. This was to be done without doubt, as doubting is a sign of instability. He described a doubter as having a mind that is like the waves of the sea. The waves are driven by the currents of the wind. Someone with this sort of mindset, will struggle to receive anything from God.
James described a double minded person who was doubtful as an unstable person. Remember that the requirement for pleasing God is an attitude of faith. “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). We cannot please God without first believing, that he is who he says he is and that his word is true. Why is doubt such a big deal and how does it rob us of faith? Having doubt is to call into question the truth of something or to lack confidence in a person. With God there is no sitting on the fence; either we believe in him or we don’t.
The scripture makes several references to being either hot or cold, wheat or tares, sheep or wolves. Many people enjoy sitting on the fence as it means that they don’t have to fully commit to anything. Most people won’t put up with half hearted commitment, so what makes us think that God will accept it? The term well balanced can suggest having a good mix of different traits and characteristics. It also connotes emotional stability and a sense of security. Having Christ Jesus as our solid and secure foundation is a source of stability.
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock” (Matthew 7:24). As believers, we listen to the voice of God and obey his commandments. This helps to guarantee both emotional and spiritual stability, as the storms of life will not cause us to drift. Contrasted to the person who hears and does the word, is the person who does not listen and take heed. That person’s foundation is like sand which does not withstand the storms of life. Paul also admonished us to continue to be built up in the word. “so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes” (Ephesians 4:14).
“For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation” (Psalm 62:1).
David wrote about waiting for God alone and in silence. He spoke of God as his rock and his salvation. David was putting his trust and confidence in God alone. He warned against placing our trust and confidence in riches gained from robbery and extortion. “Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God” (Psalm 62:11). David spent a lot of his life on his own and this time carved out intimacy with God. He spent time in song writing and praise unto God, as he kept his father’s sheep. David also spent other times alone with God, when he ran away from Saul.
Another bible prophet who spent a lot of time alone with God, on Mount Sinai, was Moses. There were occasions after he had been in the presence of God, when his countenance changed. “When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him” (Exodus 34:30). After Moses met with God, he would put a veil over his face when he met with the people. The veil came off again when he went back to speak with God. Imagine spending so much time with God that your face glows.
Jesus also spoke often about being alone in times of prayer with God. He was alone in the wilderness for forty days and nights, in fasting and prayer. “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (Luke 5:16). He was often thronged by large crowds and he had disciples that were with him throughout his life. Despite the constant pull of other people, Jesus understood the importance of alone time.
The presence of the Lord brings illumination and transformation. Many people are afraid or uncomfortable about spending time alone. Most people dread loneliness and isolation, yet so many people are alone. Having a relationship with God means that you are never alone. We have a need for human contact and healthy relationships that are well balanced. Yet, God wants us to spend time alone with him, in his presence in order to communicate with us. Relationships are born and maintained through intimacy. God wants our alone time and he will reveal his secrets to those who find the time to be with him.
Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors—empty vessels; do not gather just a few. Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another vessel.” So the oil ceased (2 Kings 4: 3,6).
Elijah once performed the supernatural miracle of provision, for the widow who came to ask him for help to pay her debt. The widow was the wife of a prophet who once served Elijah and now that he was dead, debtors threatened to take her sons as slaves for payment. Elijah asked the woman what she had in her house and her response was, “nothing except a flask of oil” (2 Kings 4:2).
Elijah started with what she had in her house and used this to demonstrate God’s ability, to take what we have and to multiply it according to our faith. His instruction to her was to collect as many empty vessels as she could find and she needed to get more than a few. Supernaturally the flask of oil kept pouring until the last vessel was full.
It was at this time, that the widow asked her son for another vessel, but they had used all the vessels that they gathered. As soon as he announced that there were no more vessels, the oil stopped flowing. This is a great miracle of God’s provision and now the widow could sell the oil to pay her debt and provide for her and her sons.
I imagine that when the last bottle was full, the widow may have wished that they had collected even more bottles, because then the oil would continue to flow to fill whatever they had gathered. The number of bottles that she gathered represented the measure of her faith and for however much she could imagine, that is what God provided for her.
We have to set the bar much higher and stretch our faith, in order to be able to receive more from God. What do you have in your house that you call nothing? God can multiply it, to bring you significant increase according to your faith. Use the word to build up and increase your faith and then expect God to give you the supernatural increase.
“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8).
It is God who created us for his good pleasure and he has already provided everything that we need to accomplish his plan and purpose. God is not the author of confusion, so he would not ask us to do something if he has not already made a way, for us to accomplish it. We may not be able to see the way, but our requirement is faith. Although the way seems impossible, we are required to have faith that God is able to do what he has promised.
We increase our faith through our study of the word. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17). During difficult times and when we struggle to stay in faith concerning what God has said, we study the word to gain strength. “Study and be eager to do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analysing and accurately dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).
Faith requires hope in things that we cannot see. If we can see it then it does not require faith and when it seems impossible is when God does his best work. He specialises in the impossible and he is waiting for our declaration of faith, for his work to be manifested in us. “Abraham did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised” (Romans 4:20-21). Stay in faith and keep believing.
“He listened to Paul speaking. And Paul, looking intently at him and seeing that he had faith to be made well, said in a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” And he sprang up and began walking” (Acts 14:9-10).
Paul and Barnabas were preaching the gospel in Lystra. While Paul was preaching, a man sat listening to him, who was crippled from birth and had never walked (Acts 14:8). As the man listened, Paul must have observed the man’s body language and watched how he was responding to his sermon.
I imagine that Paul would have been speaking, about the resurrection power of Jesus Christ, which is able to raise the dead, heal the sick and cause the lame to walk again. There must have been an excitement and an anticipation of faith, on this man’s face that caused Paul to see that the man had the faith to be made well. And acting upon the man’s faith, (not Paul or Barnabas’s faith), Paul commanded the man to stand up on his feet. The scripture did not say that the man stood up slowly and needed help to get to his feet. This man “sprang up and began walking.”
This miracle was according to the measure of this man’s faith. “each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned” (Romans 12:3). We know that without faith it is impossible to please God, “for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).
Jesus often healed people and commented on their faith making them whole. And for those who struggled to believe, there was help for their unbelief (Mark 9:23-27). Faith is required for miracles, healing and deliverance to take place. In Mark 9, the father prayed against unbelief in order to increase his measure of faith to receive healing for his son. Faith increases through prayer, hearing the word and also in Mark 9, Jesus encouraged his disciples to fast and pray. Increase your faith and believe God for healing.
“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17).
Our faith in God is linked to our physical sense of hearing. We must hear the word of God to gain and increase in faith. Hearing is described as an auditory perception, which supports the ability to perceive sounds and to detect vibrations. en.m.wikipedia.org
“The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple” (Psalms 119:130). In this verse, David is saying that the teaching and impartation of the word of God, brings understanding to even those who are simple or slow to understand. I have learnt a principle called ‘total immersion’ or ‘complete saturation’ in the word to increase in faith.
The word of God is prescriptive and has answers to all of life’s problems. If it is healing that you need, then totally immerse your senses in what the bible says about healing. Some ministers have been kind enough to post on the internet, audio recordings of scriptures about healing. The word of God is readily available at our fingertips and it is up to us to tap into the word to get what we need. This is definitely more beneficial than binge watching crime dramas or reality TV.
What I mentioned above is only one example, of how we can saturate our ears with the word to increase our faith in a particular area. Once our faith is increased, then it is easier to grasp what God has promised. Think about your number one need and seek out biblical resources, that teach kingdom principles to increase your faith in that area. You can find teachings on financial freedom, marriage, success, overcoming challenges and strategies to win life’s battles.
“He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Matthew 11:15).
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10).
David prayed to God to ask for forgiveness, after the prophet Nathan confronted him about his sins with Bathsheba. David lusted after a man’s wife, slept with her, got her pregnant and tried to cover it up by getting her husband drunk, so he could sleep with her. When his attempts at a cover up didn’t work, David killed the man. What would lead David into such a depraved condition? Lust, envy, covetousness, adultery, deception and murder. These attitudes which David displayed are all works of the flesh. David was referred to as, ‘a man after God’s own heart.’ What led him from such devotion to God, to this place of sin and defilement?
Psalm 51 gives us the answers as David poured out his heart to God. His heart had become unclean and impure. Many psychological theories would suggest that, perhaps David was experiencing a mid-life crisis. He was a skilled warrior and during the height of a battle, he was sitting at home. He had valiant warriors who were on the battlefield, to bring home the victory for Isreal. Whatever the explanation that we might come up with, the bible is clear about what leads to sin. James explained that God does not cause anyone to be tempted. “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire” (James 1:14). Desire then gives birth to sin and sin leads to death.
David was not guarding his heart and had taken his eyes off the things of God. Over-confidence can also cause people to fall into sin. Paul said that we should, “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test” (2 Corinthians 13:5)! What this means is that lifestyle changes, loss, grief and other significant life changes can cause people to veer off course. Regular spiritual examination is as important as going for routine health checks. Consecrating ourselves before God will help us to examine and test ourselves.
Weeds, doubts, fears and deceptive voices are all tools that the enemy uses to constantly wear away at believers. Most people don’t backslide in a day, but are gradually led away and enticed by the things of the world. Our hearts and spirits need constant maintenance, to ensure that no foreign entities have entered in. Our inner circle also needs regular maintenance and examination. People can be sent to infiltrate your inner circle, who have familiar and other spirits lying dormant. Once they get close enough to cause damage, these spirits can then be activated to carry out their assignment. Don’t allow sentimentality to cause you to ignore warning signs, that people have become unsafe and are being used as agents of the devil.
“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life” (Proverbs 4:23).
“See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled” (Hebrews 12:15).
In Hebrews 12, Paul exhorts on faith and living for God. He reminded us that God will discipline his children, because of his love for us. Paul advised that we try our best to live peacefully. “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). In Romans 12, he also said that we should live at peace, as much as it is possible. This means that at times, peace may not be possible as some people are not at peace with themselves. At these times, we follow Abraham’s example when he chose to separate from his nephew Lot. “Then Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen” (Genesis 13:8).
Abram allowed Lot to choose from the surroundings lands, to settle with his family and servants. There are some instances when separation is necessary for peace. There are other occasions however, when this is not possible. This is when we need the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, to guard our hearts and minds (Philippians 4:6). Paul knew that as believers, it is difficult for us not to have experiences that will cause us to become angry. Having feelings of anger is not sinful, but our response to anger is what can lead to sin. “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil” (Ephesians 4:26-27).
Although we become angry, we should not sin with our mouths and make sure that we don’t harbour It. Anger unresolved leads to resentment and bitterness. “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice” (Ephesians 4:31). Bitterness has roots in anger and hatred and these emotions are harmful. Anger opens a door for the devil to tempt us into works of the flesh.
We are human, is what we generally say, in response to acting out of character. We are to live in the spirit, so that we do not gratify the desires of the flesh. We have to constantly submit ourselves to God in order not to allow bitterness to take root. It’s like taking a shower daily. We don’t take a shower today and say tomorrow that we don’t need another one. We shower daily for hygiene maintenance, because our bodies become dirty. It’s the same thing with our spirit man and our hearts which can be deceitful. We daily consecrate ourselves and ask God to take away any anger, bitterness or resentment. It’s not easy, but God gives us strength.
Another week of bible quizzes and celebrations when we get the answer correct. Tam is a great bible Teacher and her weekly quizzes keep us engaged and searching our bibles to learn more.
Hey Neighbor! This week, our CareBibleStudy class searched through the Bible for a certain prophet on Tuesday, and a certain King on Thursday, and …
Devotional Inspirations 