Time 2 Heal: July 2025

Sunday, July 27, 2025

Steer Clear of Negativity

It has become incredibly apparent that God is allowing us to see how far the world has deviated from the path of His love. There seems to be no end to the depth of wickedness and evil of those that are greedy and power hungry. Many of us think we know where this is headed, and we’re wondering when and if God is going to put a stop to it. Will He bind the plots of the enemy before those in power go too far? Will He send heaven’s armies to extinguish desires of dark hearts for terror and vengeance, and to wake up the higher senses of us all? These are complex spiritual questions, and only God knows the answers. None of us can know more than what He reveals, and we should not make the error of speculating. What we should and must do is keep our eyes stayed on Jesus Christ and to do all we can to steer clear of negativity.

Make no mistake, there will be a backlash for the rebellion of those that have ignored and even mocked the sovereignty of our God. We are witnessing it happen, and because we’ve enjoyed the plethora of God’s manifold favor, grace, and patience in seasons of the past, most of us are trying to reach back to a season that once was but now is over. For folks like me that are most comfortable with heralding the positive and teaching only about the abundance of His generosity and mercy, our current season marks and requires a departure. You’ve no doubt heard remnants of prophecies from modern day prophets and seers, and although some do not warrant attention, we must not turn a blind eye or closed ear to all.

A season like no other is upon us. 2Corinthians 4:4(NLT) tells us, “Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.” As God’s called-out ones, we must not allow satan to do this to us! No matter what is happening in the world, we must never allow our eyes to be blinded to the Good News of Jesus Christ. God has saved us through Christ! We have a responsibility to keep our eyes open to the truth, to keep darkness out of our hearts and minds, and to help others do the same.

Fear grips many of us and because of the events we will witness in this season, we may be tempted to give in to fear and allow it to consume our thoughts. We should resist this. We must resist it in our conversations, interactions, and attitudes towards people and situations. Most importantly, we must resist it in our embrace of the goodness of God and our relationship with Him. Jesus Christ commanded in John 12:36(NLT), “Put your trust in the light while there is still time; then you will become children of the light.”

All negativity is birthed from darkness and it belongs to that kingdom. 1Thessalonians 5:5(NLT) affirms, “For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night.” This means that wherever God is taking us, darkness cannot tag along. Don’t allow friends, family, and colleagues to goad you into conversations that lead to glorifying what the devil is doing. We must spend more time in prayer and less time in conversations that attract more negativity. This is the last thing we need.

Let Psalm 91:1(NLT) be your perpetual encouragement. It tells us, “Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” Do all you can to remain in God’s shelter, and He will keep you in His protection and care. In the days ahead, more than ever, we will need to be more adept in discerning the voice of God and hearing it as clearly as we ever have. If there is a need for us to prepare and do things differently, He will tell us, but make sure you do not deny His voice. Do not let denial cause you to cover your ears. Do not refuse to rally your strength and move as He leads. Be flexible to the Will of God as He moves you to do whatever is necessary to stay in the arms of His safety and care.

Our Heavenly Father tells us in John 3:16(NKJV), “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” God’s Will is that no one perishes. He wants all people to be saved, but all people do not want to be saved. They do not want to love and honor the One who created them, and they worship the creation, not the Creator. We cannot pretend that there isn’t a price to be paid for making this wrong choice. There is, and as we witness the cost of the world’s sin being paid, let us be ever so careful to pray and not give in to gossip. Let’s not be swayed by wrong information. Let’s be careful to look above the hills, for God is the Source of our help. We must pray without ceasing and keep our hands firmly in His hands. Nothing is more important than growing in Christ. Especially in this season, don’t let anything keep you from it. ■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, July 22, 2025

Stay Connected to the Source

Luke 13:24-27(NLT)

““Work hard to enter the narrow door to God’s Kingdom, for many will try to enter but will fail. 25 When the master of the house has locked the door, it will be too late. You will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Lord, open the door for us!’ But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ 26 Then you will say, ‘But we ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 And he will reply, ‘I tell you, I don’t know you or where you come from. Get away from me, all you who do evil.’”

Can you imagine our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, telling you, “I don’t know you?” More tragic words than those spoken by the Master in Luke 13:24-27 do not exist. It means that a person would be left outside of all hope for the rest of eternity. Jesus Christ spoke these words because this is a very real possibility for many people living today. Not everyone will enter the narrow door to God’s Kingdom. Many will be left outside of it, and we need to do all we can in this life to make sure we’re not one of those people, and that we help others to see the light of Christ.

The truth of the matter is that there are millions of folks that still don’t know God through the Lord Jesus Christ. 2Corinthians 4:4(NLT) tells us, “Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.” This verse says that those who do not yet know Christ are blinded by satan. They don’t know that they can call on Jesus Christ, and that he’s waiting on them to let him into their lives. He said in Revelation 3:20(NLT), “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.”

There are countless women that long in their hearts to have the companionship and a relationship with a man. However, when it comes to having a true one-on-one, heart to heart with our Lord and Savior, nothing could be further from their minds.

We like to govern our lives the way we see fit, on our own terms. And many people will choose to live a life free from accountability and responsibility, and free from the commitment that comes with God’s love; but the truth is, this is exactly what leads to a life of lack, hopelessness and defeat in the end. It is a life that is disconnected from the Source of all goodness and blessings. This Source is our Heavenly Father, the Father of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

There is a “narrow way” that Jesus Christ spoke of in Luke 13:24-27(NLT). It’s a life that only a few will choose to live. This is sad, because God loves everyone, but everyone will not choose to love Heavenly Father. They do not realize the freedom, abundance, and grace He offers, but He has told us to tell them about it. He wants an intimate relationship with everyone. It’s a relationship where He will share His heart with us as we share ours with Him.

I ran into an old friend the other day in the grocery store, and it reminded me of what so many are missing when they don’t know God and connect with His love. This friend and I were talking when her boyfriend called. After speaking to him for a minute or two, she quickly said to me that if they don’t connect with each other throughout the day, she feels disconnected from him. This is a mere human being she was talking about, and yet the connection she feels toward him means everything to her. How much more should our connection to God mean to us? He is the Creator of all there is, and He has chosen us on which to lavish His love.

Romans 10:9-10(NLT) tells us, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.” Look how easy God has made it to come to Him and to become one of His children. This is a message we must share with those that don’t know Him. We need to tell them that the way to God is through His Son, Jesus Christ. This is how they can connect to the Source of all goodness and blessings. He is waiting on the unbeliever to come to Him, and He is waiting on us to be the conduit to help them get connected.■

Sunday, July 20, 2025

Becoming Your Best for God

Psalm 139:23-24( NLT)

“23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24; Point out anything in me that offends you and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”

I heard a man of God say the other day that you can’t be ready for marriage and be selfish at the same time – the two don’t go together. When I heard this statement, it instantly made me think about the people that I personally know who have a history of being all about themselves. But they also have determined to be ready to share their lives with another. The process of going from single to happily married requires spiritual preparation in Christ. This is at times uncomfortable. It’s uncomfortable because we will have to get rid of some of the habits and patterns we currently have and be committed to place the welfare and well-being of another person above our own. Some of us haven’t yet acquired a vision for what that might look like.

Many of God’s sons and daughters are waiting for their right person. They are expecting this person to make their joy complete and bring them the fulfillment they’ve been missing. The reality is that Colossians 2:10 declares that God has already made us complete in Jesus Christ. So, there can be no doubt in our minds that our Heavenly Father wants us to renew our minds to what He has done for us through the finished works of Jesus Christ.

As God’s daughters, we must be clear that it’s not all about becoming the best version of yourself for the man, it’s becoming your best for God. He has a plan for your life, and this plan was in Him long before you were born. Being a wife has been factored into the equation, and you know this by the desire for marriage that God has placed in your heart. But it is important for us to understand that being a nice person, a good cook, or a good friend doesn’t necessarily qualify us as being good wives. In order to be a good wife, we must meet God’s standard, and this requires a habit pattern of living by His Word.

Anytime we attempt to change, whether it’s to achieve a particular goal or to receive a blessing, we’re going to look for the most expedient way to make it happen. Why? Because we want the instant results so we can “get on with it”. The world’s standard has taught many of us that a quick fix or quick results is better and more gratifying because after-all, who wants to wait for anything. This is not God’s way, and whether we honor or not, we can’t rush God. Anything worth having is going to be worth the wait, and God is showing us this in real time.

Jesus Christ commanded us in Matthew 6:33(NLT), “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” This is our Father’s promise. He will supply all our needs, and He has commanded us to come to Him firs, before we attempt to go anywhere else. In many cases, our overzealousness demonstrates that our lack of patience with God’s process, and we must address this before we address anything else. We must pray for God to help us in the discipline of patience and endurance, because both are incredibly necessary for a successful marriage.

Life is designed to comply with God’s order and laws. He doesn’t change and neither does His Word. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. There are spiritual lessons about the love of Christ that we will need to learn before we meet the man that God will send. Do not assume you are ready, let God tell you that you’re ready. You must seek Him by staying in His Word and saturating your mind and heart with it. If you haven’t begun to do this, begin now and show God that you are eager to learn, eager to love like Jesus Christ, and eager to become your best for Him. ■

Sunday, July 13, 2025

Live According to God’s Will

God teaches us in 1John 5:14(NKJV), “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” We all have desires and needs, and Jesus Christ also teaches us in Matthew 6:8 that God knows what we need even before we ask. Even before the thought of a need formulates in our minds, the Father knew the exact moment we would have the thought. By this, we can have confidence that when we ask the Father for something that is within His Will, it is already on its way to us. However, we cannot overlook the reality that the operative words in 1John 5:14 are “according to His Will”.

You and I don’t know ourselves as well as we think. Throughout history, this has proved a very challenging thing for humans to accept. Each of us perceives life a certain way. This certain way is based on the thoughts, memories, and knowledge from our experiences and from what we have learned and picked up from others. Our environment in our development years created the boundaries of what we now believe. All our opinions, assumptions, and thoughts about how things work stem from this, and most of it comes from what the world feeds us.

In Romans 12:2(NLT), God commands, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” God’s expectation is that when we come to Christ and accept him as our Lord and Savior, we will understand that we are set apart for God’s glory and purpose. We will need to learn to operate through His Spirit and cut ties with copying the behavior and customs of the world. We must humble ourselves before God and let Him transform us from the inside out. This will require us to reprogram our minds to the mind of Christ.

The mind of Christ is a mind that is saturated with God’s Word. It is a mind that thinks of the excellency of God’s goodness, and this translates to actions that follow the example of Christ. Psalm 24:1(NLT) states, “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.” God is the Creator of all things and all things belong to Him, but He did not create us to be robots. He has given us free-will agency, and this means that we get to make our own choices and decisions. God loves us very much, but He doesn’t force us to return this love to Him. He allows us to choose whether we will love and honor Him with our whole lives, or whether we will continue to live in darkness.

When we gave our lives to Christ through the new birth experience, we made the choice to love God through Jesus Christ. We acknowledged that we believe in his sacrifice and resurrection, and that Jesus Christ is Lord! We received the gift of salvation, and our commitment to live for God through His Word will keep us in His safety and care. Through reading and studying God’s Word, we learn that God is the One with the plan. Therefore, all our plans and what we think is best must go out the window.

God isn’t pulling our strings like puppets, and He isn’t controlling us or forcing us to do what He says, but we must remember that this is His earth and we belong to Him. He created us for a purpose, and every facet of this purpose is good and perfect. Heavenly Father has made our mission clear, and it is to become the image of His Son. This means that we live as Christ lived and love and he loved when he walked the earth. Jesus Christ said in John 6:38(KJV), “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.” We are here on this earth to carry forth the work of Christ. We are here to do the Father’s Will.

God said in Jeremiah 29:11(NLT), “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Our lives are not in our hands, they are in the hands of God, and He knows exactly what He is doing. God is all knowing and all good, there is no darkness in Him at all. We must be thankful and overjoyed that we can release the burden of having to figure it all out. All we need to do is trust God and walk with Him throughout our lives. Nothing is more wonderful than this! ■

Sunday, July 6, 2025

Hearts and Minds Like Christ

“20 And then he added, “It is what comes from inside that defiles you. 21 For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22 adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. 23 All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.” Mark 7:20-23 NLT

We live in a society that places more importance on looking good on the outside than it does on looking good on the inside. To look good on the inside is to possess what the psalmist wrote about when he prayed to God in Psalm 51:10. It is to have a clean heart and a right spirit within. Jesus Christ teaches us that we shouldn’t be so concerned with outward appearances, and we shouldn’t be overly focused on the rules of what and how we should eat or drink. In other words, he is teaching us to be ever so careful that we are not so consumed with fitting in that we forget what is important to God.

Jeremiah 17:9(NLT) states, “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things,
and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” We are quick to put our trust in our own hearts, and we are much too quick to trust the hearts of others. The Word of God tells us the heart is deceitful and wicked. Good looks, money, and a good reputation aren’t what determines our access to God’s Kingdom. Our Heavenly Father looks at the condition of our hearts. He looks at whether we have a heart that desires to do what pleases Him?

Jesus Christ is our blueprint. He showed us the way to please the Father, and he demonstrated how we can have an intimate relationship with God. In John 14:6(NLT), Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” He’s informed us under no uncertain terms that modeling his life gives us access to God. We must have the mind and heart of Christ to fulfill our call and purpose. Our attitudes can’t be all about pleasing other people or doing what society thinks is appropriate; again, our minds and hearts must be focused on pleasing the Father.

Through his example, Christ showed us how to have a heart that loves everyone, even those that have treated us unkind. Although people slandered him, tried to harm him, and ultimately persecuted Jesus Christ on the cross, he still loved them. He is our big brother and the perfect example of what it looks like to have a clean heart and a right spirit, but many of us don’t practice what he taught. We want to retaliate when someone does us wrong. We become belligerent and fly off the handle if we don’t like how we’re spoken to. We forget that God is watching our every move, and through our actions, attitudes, and words, we are showing Him and everyone else what is in our hearts.

God forgives our bad behavior when we seek His forgiveness, but to continue sinning and not repent by changing the way we think, act, and speak is very injurious to our relationship with Him. 2Timothy 1:7(ESV) informs us, “for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” We must discern when our actions, attitudes, and words are not representing Christ, because if they aren’t, we are the ones to pay the price. We set ourselves up for failure when the love of Christ is not at the root of what we do, think, and say. It takes self-discipline and control to walk this Christian journey, and Jesus Christ has taught us that the gate to heaven is a narrow one. We must make growing in him our highest priority, because when we make the mind and heart of Christ our goal, we will not defile ourselves, instead we will be pleasing to God and receive the blessings of His rewards.

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