Be Encouraged - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) September 4, 2026

The devil's greatest ambition is to dim the light wherever it may be. To that end, it will do everything to plant seeds that make you think things are worse than they truly are. It wants God's children to slump their shoulders and bow their heads. Meanwhile, you are to move confidently like the lion mentioned in Proverbs 30:29-30.

If the devil can succeed at forcing you to walk with bowed heads, then you won't see the light at the end of the tunnel. And that light awaits you even though God allows you to go through tough periods. Those seasons are to discipline you so that your imperfections are removed, and your faith is strengthened. His objective is to make you a worthy vessel for His purpose.

You've got to lift your head up. You can't believe the lie the devil's telling you - that if God were going to do it, He would have done it by now. Another lie could be that God hates you because you are a sinner. Or, that you'll never be as good as someone else, so you shouldn't even try. As long as you received a promise from God or found His word in the Good Book, it will come to pass (Isaiah 55:10 -11).

And so, you need to fight - and I really mean war - to remember who you are to God. If you are not sure how God sees you, then hold on to this truth: He deemed you important enough to let His Son die on the cross for you long before you were born or ever sinned. 1 John 4:9 - This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

His word in Zechariah 2:8 states, ...for whoever touches you touches the apple of His eye. He also said in Jeremiah 1:5 that He knew you before you were born, and He went on to say in Isaiah 43:4 - Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life. You're kind of like a big deal to Him.

Plus, if you made the intentional choice to give your life to Christ, then remember that God rewarded you with a deposit of His Spirit. This means you have access to God's strategy, wisdom, and more, as long as He needs to use you for His purpose. Micah 3:8 also teaches that those with His Spirit are also filled with God's power. You were created for great exploits, all because you know your God and chose Him.

Read those verses over and over until you believe them in your spirit. Reject the seed of discontentment and sadness that the enemy wants to saddle you with. Replace the despair and weariness with praise (Isaiah 61:3). You are a child of God's light and goodness. Proclaim His word and study His word to discover the love notes it contains, specially written by the Creator of the Universe for you.

It doesn't matter how dark the night may seem; dawn is always on the horizon. Psalm 30:5 is more eloquent when it says - ... weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. So hang in there. God hasn't forgotten you. Just as it was for Jairus, your miracle is on the way. Don't give up. Don't let frustration and impatience cheat you of what you're set to reap on earth and in heaven. God bless you!

Any thoughts? Leave your comments below. And as you await fellowship at Noon EST, consider reading the Altar Call below and the following previous P&P messages:

1. God Gives Us A Way Out

2. No Need For Fear

3. Patience

4. Hold On

5. Don't Forget God's Love

6. You are being built for the Lord

7. Don't Uproot Your Seed

8. Onward Christian Soldier

9. Love, the antidote to fear

10. In the Palm of God's Hand

11. God Is Waiting On You

12. The devil's Underlying Scheme

13. Don't Reject God's Process With Grumbling

14. Don't Let Sin Rule You

15. Topic: God's Love

16. Topic: The Wait

We Are Like Jesus - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) September 1, 2026

Dear child of God, if I told you that in this world you are like Jesus, would you believe me? You don't have to take my word for it. Look at 1 John 4:17 - This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus.

You are likely wondering what those words mean practically. Jesus came to this earth to empower those who believe in Him to live as He did. He obeyed His Father and said what God told Him to say. He went where God told Him to go and did what He was told to do. He served His Father and the Lord rewarded Him by ensuring that He displayed the marvelous light and might of the One who sent Him.

This meant that He healed the sick, cured the blind, forgave the repentant, raised the dead, and spoke confidently about the word. And His disciples did the same. The Bible tells us Jesus sent out the 12 and then the 72 to do what He'd been doing - cast out demons, cure the sick, heal diseases, and proclaim the Kingdom of God (Luke 9-10).

And long after He'd died and risen to heaven, one of His disciples reminded believers, saying, In this world we are like Jesus. That reminder is for you and me today, as well. It is easy to forget that Jesus deputized those who believe in Him to not only do what He did while on earth, but even greater than what He did. For instance, the Bible doesn't tell us that His shadow healed people, yet we are told that Peter did (Acts 5:15). Just as the Savior raised the dead, so did Peter's prayers bring Dorcas back to life (Acts 9).

We need to take a closer look at Jesus and how He lived so we can be intentional about being more like Him. He was a light who chased out the darkness from wherever He went, and we should be doing the same. All we need is faith in Him and the word of God to do more than we've done before or thought we ever could. Jesus was sent to be the archetype - to show us what is possible when we live as true sons and daughters of God who His Spirit leads. We shouldn't reject that inheritance. It is our birthright.

God wants to use us as vessels for His glory here on earth, just as He did with Jesus. If we gave our lives to Christ, then we signed up to be those the Lord can work through. Yes, some troubles will distract us from God's purpose for us, but we must remember what Jesus said in Matthew 6:33 - if we prioritize God and His kingdom and walk righteously, everything we need will come to us.

We therefore can take a deep breath and focus on God's concerns, knowing that our issues will be addressed at the appointed time. And in a way that exceeds our expectations. The Lord will take responsibility for our needs because He is focused on the well-being of His servants (Psalm 35:27). So serve God as His child, just as Christ did, and you will surely be like Him on the earth.

Any thoughts? Leave your comments below. Fellowship starts at Noon EST. Till then, consider reading the Altar Call below and the following previous P&P messages: 

1. Serve with your Talents & Gifts

2. Embracing the Five-Fold Ministry: Unlocking Personal Benefits of Serving God

3. Predestined To Win

4. Precursors to Jesus

5. What Would God See When He Looks At Your Heart?

6. Topic: God's Children

7. Topic: God's Concerns Series (Mark 8:33)

8. Topic: Jesus Christ

9. Topic: Kingdom Identity

Choose The Bear - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) August 28, 2026

If today's title leaves you wondering whether I'm hopping on that popular theme that encourages women to see a bear as less dangerous than a man in the woods, then the answer is no. I am, however, hopping onto scripture and a stark warning it gives. The Bible tells us in Proverbs 17:12 - Better to meet a bear, robbed of her cubs than a fool bent on folly. Yeah, choose the bear.

The issue isn't about choosing a bear over a man. Rather, God wants us to know that wisdom is needed to keep us away from a fool. That's why the proverb says we should choose the angry bear over our fellow human being. Far too often, we Christians underestimate the importance of godly wisdom, something the Lord attested to in Hosea 4:6, where He said that His own people are destroyed because they lack His wisdom. As a consequence, believers regularly end up in the hands of violent, wicked people.

A fool isn't just a senseless person. A fool is also an unkind, scheming, and wicked person bent on doing wrong. Many people use the term incorrectly, so when we hear that word 'fool', we don't grasp the weight that it carries in the Bible. Plus, because believers don't spend enough time studying God's Word, we fail to see His perspective on such evil people. This results in ignoring the signs they freely reveal about who they truly are. Believers must be cautious not to emulate such people. Their end, if they are stiff-necked, will not be heaven.

So when God says in Proverbs 17:12 that we should choose a raging mama bear, we better pick that bear and leave the fool alone. The fool usually comes well 'packaged' - full of flattering words and good looks that make them seem great. Most people would miss the truth of who they are. This is why we must realize that the only way to identify a fool is through the wisdom of God. Many search for lists of 'red flags', thinking that is enough to keep them away from wicked people. However, the wicked are great pretenders, just like the father of lies, their father - satan.

Without God's wisdom, a fool will deceive even the most experienced and vigilant person. This is why we all need the Holy Spirit and must develop the capacity to hear and submit to His nudges. The Holy Spirit is the administrator and dispenser of God's gifts, the most valuable of these being wisdom. And we can't have the Holy Spirit without giving our lives to Jesus Christ. Jesus said the Holy Spirit would only come to those who intentionally choose Him as their Lord and Savior.

That means inheriting the Christian faith because we had Christian parents is not enough to receive the Holy Spirit and have Him dwell in us. We have to choose God by giving our lives to Christ. Remember, He said no one can reach heaven unless they are born again (John 3:3). To learn more about what this means, listen to the Altar Call video that follows this message and say the included prayer. Ask for and receive the Holy Spirit, then cooperate when He gives instructions.

He might tell you to walk down a certain street or not to go into a certain store. He might tell you to get up and pray for a particular person even when you're very tired. Or, He might tell you how to do your hair. Yes, the Holy Spirit is invested in making sure you are your best because God wants you to be at your best and have His best. There's nothing that the Holy Spirit won't help with if you let Him.

Choose Jesus and be intentional to honor what He taught in the Bible. Submit to God's Holy Spirit as He leads you through life. Be sure to ask for God's wisdom in all things - nothing is too big or too small to deserve the provision of insight and strategy from the Lord. Pray using James 1:5-6 and don't doubt that God will give you the wisdom you asked for because doubt destroys prayers. Then, once you have that wisdom, create space between yourself and anyone the Holy Spirit reveals as a fool. And don't be foolish by ignoring what Proverbs 17:12 says - choose the bear.

What are your thoughts? Check out the Altar Call below as well as the following old messages:

1. Anger

2. On Fools

3. Packaging

4. Don't Fake It Till You Make It

5. Responding to Scoffers

6. Anger Leads To Judgment

7. The Mockers of Jesus

8. Do You Look Like Him?

9. Foolishness vs Wisdom

10. Topic: Wisdom