Mark 1:23-24

Just then there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit; and he cried out saying, “What business do You have with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who You are- the Holy One of God!”

It is a blindness and rebellion not to believe that God exists and that Jesus is His son. The demons and unclean spirits knew Jesus as the Son of God. A man struggles because of a lack of knowledge, offense, or pride, which causes rebellion against God. God can still change man’s heart; we must keep praying for the lost.

Luke 8:14

The seed that fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, but as they go their way they are suffocated with the anxieties and riches and pleasures of this life, and they bring no fruit to maturity.

A line must be walked, and not letting the cares of this world choke out our hearing the word is one of them. If we are busy and can’t hear ourselves think, then any word from God doesn’t have a chance. What grabs and holds our attention will be the direction our heart goes.   

James 3:17

But the wisdom from above is first pure (morally and spiritually undefiled), then peace-loving (courteous, considerate), gentle, reasonable (and willing to listen), full of compassion and good fruits.  It is unwavering, without (self-righteous) hypocrisy (and self-serving guile).

The revelation wisdom from God and His word is pure for our hearts.  It is God’s truth for our lives and enables us to be peace-loving and avoid strife in our lives.  Wisdom doesn’t have an agenda and is not selfish but is for the elevation of our lives.  We can all have the wisdom of God; when we ask for it, God will give it to us freely.

Mathew 12:33,35

Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is recognized and judged by its fruit.  The good man, from his (inner) good treasure, brings out good things; and the evil man, from his (inner) evil treasure, brings out evil things.

Our spiritual life matters because what we believe, trust, and focus on we will express in word and deed.  That is why time matters when it comes to spending it on the word of God.  The word transforms any darkness and confusion into light and helps us walk as light.  

Daniel 7:17-18

These four great beasts are four kings who will arise from the earth.  But the saints (believers) of the Most High (God) will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, for all the ages to come.  

God had a plan for salvation, which means that God has always had a plan for us.  God’s plan existed clear back from Adam to Daniel to now and beyond.  It doesn’t matter what the world is doing. It matters what God has done and is doing now.   Our reassurance and safety come from God.

John 9:39

Then Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment (to separate those who believe in Me from those who reject Me- to declare judgment on those who choose to be separated from God), so that the sightless would see, and those who see would become blind.”

It is incredible how people can be standing in the same spot and see two different things.  Faith is like that because of our experiences, choices, and what we value most results in whether we choose to see Jesus as savior or not.  That is why our prayers are essential for the lost to get directed back on the path toward God.  

John 14:18,20

I will not leave you as orphans (comfortless, bereaved, and helpless); I will come (back) to you.  On that day (when the time comes) you will know for yourselves that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you.

Kenneth Hagin said, “People need to rely more on the God inside of them after they are born again. Instead of just thinking God is distant from us and in heaven, but God is with us on the inside of us.”  This idea changes the distance in the relationship between God and us.  God inside us changes the length of our prayers and should change how we relate to God.  

Psalms 73:26-27

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the rock and strength of my heart and my portion forever.  For behold, those who are far from You will perish; You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful and have abandoned You.  

God is our strength when we feel weak and our direction when we are lost.  We know this because we remember our lives before salvation and what it felt like not knowing God.  That feeling of separation and lack of guidance is why people perish without God.  Praise and thanksgiving to our father in heaven for His love and salvation. 

Psalms 2:10

Now therefore, O kings, act wisely; be instructed and take warning, o leaders (judges, rulers) of the earth.  Worship the Lord and serve Him with reverence (with awe-inspired fear and submissive wonder); rejoice (yet do so) with trembling.

It says that leaders are to give respect to the Son so that he does not become angry and they perish.  Leaders are to represent the Son on earth in an honest manner.  Leadership was supposed to follow the Godly principles of the law, and the Bible handed down by God.  It is when man follows their own way instead of God that corruption of leadership happens.

Romans 12:4-5

For just as in one (physical) body we have many parts, and these parts do not all have the same function or special use, so we, who are many, are (nevertheless just) one body in Christ, and individually dependent on each other.)

God gifted each of us with many talents to work together on His behalf.  We are like seeds planted in different areas but a community of Christians.  We grow with families and in various towns, and we work jobs.  We influence where we live and are planted there as a part of the body of Christ to represent Him.