“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10, ESV)

Forward motion depends on previous building—layers of diligence, dedication, and sacrifice. Yesterday, the day before, and the day before that, effort accumulates building blocks for an outcome envisioned in your heart.  For example, study and learning access higher levels of the same to gain subject mastery; or in business, we thrive when solid groundwork is followed by the next level of growth-producing increase and profit. 

The thief John speaks of is Satan. As enemy to the dream in your heart, Satan works against you, even questioning what you’ve built or attacking it outright, setting you back on your heels in confusion. Faith that brought you this far is now arrested. In the process, your greatest vulnerability is the adversary’s determination to take God’s Word away from you, stealing hope simultaneously. Specifics of the plan you began by faith, you now doubt, fear calling into question absolutes earlier trusted. 

The enemy is a thief—first! As thief, he comes to steal God’s word, leaving you ordinary, as those not familiar with the covenants of Almighty God. The process of wrangling God’s Word away from you is subtle. The very thing you’d never question now tempts you; faith was the speaker earlier, but now you are beset with increasing voices of contempt and suspicion. Many around you differ from your trusted beliefs, at the ready to fuel the confusion. 

Today, put your foot down. Surrender to God. Stand up to the devil and RESIST him. He will flee (James 4:7). He will not conquer. You have all of heaven’s authority—what you say matters (Matthew 16:18-19). For the person building with vision and a dream in their heart, for the one blessed, this is a lifestyle—daily. 

A thief comes to steal. Close and lock the door. Amen. 

John 10:10,ESV | Luke 19:10-24, ESV | Ephesians 2:12, AMP | James 4:7, TPT | Matthew 16:18-19, NLT | Verses@Once

“Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God.”  (Philippians 4:6, AMP)

The response you and I have to life experiences reveals how and what we believe, and the depth to which we believe it. Life lived by faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior draws moral courage from deep within. Integrity surfaces too. Because we are loved, we love. He is constant, so are we. 

Experts who know the connection between human thought and our resulting actions explain how subliminal messages speak to us from the background of the mind. They are secretly shaping us, and therefore we need to realize this inner voice must be discerned—whose voice is it?

For Christians, the message playing in the background of our thought life is a constant—God loves us! We belong to His unshakable kingdom and trust in His love, which is superior to our own thoughts, plans, demands… or anything! We know He is there, working all things together for good. 

Peace responds. Peace keeps and prospers us. The storm is not lord. 

Amen.

Philippians 4:6, AMP | Romans 8:27, AMP |  Hebrews 12:27-28, ESV| Romans 8:28, AMP | Verses@Once

David acknowledged his sin and repented to the Lord. Israel’s famous king understood the alignment of divine wisdom with truth. For him, sin’s struggle to continue in a lie meant automatic separation from wisdom, a position David as king could not survive unscathed. Nor can we. 

A fool says in his heart there is no God: I can do what I want, as long as I want, and consequences will not expose me. The fool does not answer to anyone because a fool’s heart believes he is not subject to God—to God’s appointed order. Rather, the fool, in his heart, believes that all are subject to him. As for God, he sees God as one to “fix it” on a whim, at a time of the fool’s choosing. Tragically, a fool cannot accept Godly wisdom until the damage is done, and it’s too late. 

The principle is this: anytime we feel entitled to something, believing it is uniquely separate from or not subject to God, or that we can get away with it again and again, and justify what we’ve done as though hidden from God, the denial is ours alone. The outcome will mark us.  

Wisdom developed in the heart of a child will champion truth, leading to more truth and greater depths of truth. However, wisdom’s opposite, a foolish heart, will darken, and the child as he grows cannot discern that the thing he grips in his hand is a lie. Consequently, a lying heart is what he develops. 

The Bible teaches this kind of foolishness can become bound in the heart of a child. Wise parents guide their children in refusing foolishness, choosing wisdom instead. The principle never goes away. Beyond childhood, every lie has its consequence. A lying heart, dominated by a lying spirit, is the result.

God’s wisdom is truth. His wisdom is perfectly just and greater than sense, reasoning, accumulated learning, or mere opinion. Godly wisdom comes through the power of the Holy Spirit, who directs and empowers us to conform to it. We are to teach truth, speak truth, and never stop presenting truth. 

His truth is marching!

Amen.

Romans 12:2 | Psalm 51 | Isaiah 44:20 | Psalm 14:1 | Psalm 53:1 | Hebrews 12 | 1 Peter 1:3-10 | Luke 11:2 | Verses@Once

“In righteousness you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; And from terror, for it shall not come near you.”  (Isaiah 54:14)

Panic is not from God—panic is magnified fear, and there is no fear in God. 

The fear-base of panic comes from various sources—torments developed from an accumulation over time of every fear ever recorded in your character, occurring all at the same time! Satan is the real source of extreme, uncontrollable fear and torment. He is the culprit.  

For many people, the experience of being panicked to the point of losing control is real. Fear and terror produce chemical changes in the body, like physical sweating and a rapid heart rate—a sense of terror results when extreme fear of what cannot be controlled reaches the human brain. Science has identified the chemicals released and the imbalances produced. The experience can be devastating. 

The good news is that God designed the human mind to clear itself, to give thoughts about fearful expectations and terrifying experiences stored in the mind back to us, to be controlled by us. When that happens, our responses depend on what we believe about fear’s power to control us. Strengthened by the Lord, we deny fear’s domination and choose instead to believe that God’s love delivers us from every fear!

The Lord does not condemn. His compassion extends to anyone suffering panic, whatever the cause! If you are fearful, allow His compassion to fill you. Cooperate with Him to receive deliverance for your whole spirit, soul, and body. 

Amen. 

Romans 10:17 | 2 Timothy 1:7 | Psalm 139:13-15 | Psalm 91 | Isaiah 54:14-15 | Verses@Once

The person who is righteous and also is rich in possessions is described in Psalm 112:1-5:

• The righteous rich are blessed. A righteous person who owns wealth and possessions fears the Lord and delights greatly in His Word. 
• Their descendants are mighty in their generation—they too, are blessed.  
• Wealth and riches are in their house. Their righteousness endures. 
• Light arises in the darkness for the righteous rich; this person is gracious and full of compassion. 
• They deal graciously and lend. They guide their affairs with discretion. 
  

The righteous person who is a possessor of wealth makes this confession:

I am blessed, and I fear the Lord; I delight greatly in His Word. 
My descendants are mighty in their generation and are blessed.
Wealth and riches are in my house and my righteousness endures. 
Light arises in the darkness for me; I am gracious, full of compassion, and righteous. 
I deal graciously and lend and guide my affairs with discretion. 
As a possessor of wealth, I choose my Lord’s leading to guide and direct me—I am His grateful representative.  
 
Amen.
 
Psalm 112:1-5

“In righteousness you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; And from terror, for it shall not come near you.”  (Isaiah 54:14)

Panic is not from God—panic is magnified fear, and there is no fear in God. 

The fear-base of panic comes from various sources—torments developed from an accumulation over time of every fear ever recorded in your character, occurring all at the same time! Satan is the real source of extreme, uncontrollable fear and torment. He is the culprit.  

For many people, the experience of being panicked to the point of losing control is real. Fear and terror produce chemical changes in the body, like physical sweating and a rapid heart rate—a sense of terror results when extreme fear of what cannot be controlled reaches the human brain. Science has identified the chemicals released and the imbalances produced. The experience can be devastating. 

The good news is that God designed the human mind to clear itself, to give thoughts about fearful expectations and terrifying experiences stored in the mind back to us, to be controlled by us. When that happens, our responses depend on what we believe about fear’s power to control us. Strengthened by the Lord, we deny fear’s domination and choose instead to believe that God’s love delivers us from every fear! 

The Lord does not condemn. His compassion extends to anyone suffering panic, whatever the cause! If you are fearful, allow His compassion to fill you. Cooperate with Him to receive deliverance for your whole spirit, soul, and body. 

Amen. 

Romans 10:17 | 2 Timothy 1:7 | Psalm 139:13-15 | Psalm 91 | Isaiah 54:14-15 | Verses@Once