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Are You Satisfied?

We are so continually busy. Busy with work or school, family and friends, chosen activities, and responsibilities of every kind. For some, the business seems necessary. For others, it is a search for satisfaction or a sense of accomplishment. At the core, we’re really hoping that what we are doing matters, yet sadly, so few things really profit.

I love how beautifully the King James says it. John 6:63 tells us, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” The picture the word quickeneth conjures is one that quickly gives a jolt of life, a spring in the step. That is something to think about. The things we do by instruction from the Holy Spirit bring a quick boost of joy and life to our hearts and lives. What we do in obedience gives strength and meaning. We realize God’s purpose.

On the other hand, the flesh doesn’t profit at all. Though I believe we are to take care of our physical bodies since they are the temple of the Lord, 1 Timothy 4:8 tells us, “For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.” The power in this verse is to remind us of what to be focused on, Godliness. It’s living for and unto God in all things that will profit everyone and everything for all of time and eternity.

If I focus on myself, I risk living unsatisfied and ultimately doing it all for nothing. Jesus said, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” Mark 8:36. We have a life of obedience to live. Jesus also said in 1 John 5:3, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.”. Instead, they give life and purpose. They fulfill and give strength. In short, they satisfy.

I know we can’t walk away from all responsibility, but I challenge you to make sure that you do the things that give life and strengthen you for your journey. Follow the leading and instruction of the Spirit of God. Let your obedience bring you great and deep satisfaction to your soul. Let the joy of the Lord indeed be your strength. Nothing else will satisfy. It only leaves you wanting more.

Every pleasure the flesh can offer fades quickly and leaves you wanting. Regardless of how you find physical pleasure, it won’t last. If you eat this morning, you will need to eat again. Every addiction, self-gratification, or obsession will leave you empty. CT Studd got it right. “Only one life twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.” Proverbs 4:7 “…In all of your getting, get understanding.” If you want to live your best life now, don’t waste your opportunity today to live by the Spirit and live a satisfied life.

Jaime Luce

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Do The Hard Thing!

Do the hard thing even when people don’t understand you. Paul had it in his spirit to go to Jerusalem. His friends, who were believers, even prophetic, told him not to go. They tried to convince him not to do it. But Paul knew what was in his spirit. He told us in 1 Corinthians 4:4 that he conducts himself in all good conscience. In Acts 24:16, speaking of Paul, “So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.”

Don’t disobey to please people if you know that you have heard from the Lord. Keep your conscience clear. Men won’t always understand. That’s because God didn’t speak that to them. They weren’t on a zoom call with you to hear what God said to you. People have good intentions, but they won’t always understand.

If Daniel were facing his choice to be thrown in the lion’s den today, people would have told him, “Dude, listen. You don’t have to do this. Just close your windows and pray in secret. That way, you won’t offend anyone and not risk your life.” But Daniel did what Daniel knew to do. Daniel going headlong into the lion’s den was the very thing that brought glory to God and influence with the king. It was the exact place Daniel was called to serve. His actions caused the removal of those with corrupt influence and the establishment of righteous influence.

If the Three Hebrew boys were facing the fiery furnace today, people would have justified them bowing down and even encouraged it. They would have told them, “it wouldn’t be God’s will for you to die. If you die, how will you do anything for God? That isn’t necessary. God sees your heart.” Ehhh—wrong! The act of being thrown into the furnace influenced the king, causing him to declare that God is the only real God. It was their willingness to do the hard thing that caused their bonds to fall off, and it was that hard thing that brought glory to God.

The kingdom of God is the invisible, influencing the visible. It is the unseen influencing the seen. Like the wind, you see its influence without ever seeing the wind itself. People won’t see that God is influencing you. They will only see later what the impact was. People won’t understand you. Accepting that will help you go from being a people pleaser with no influence to a God pleaser with tremendous influence. Do the hard thing!

Trouble may come before the thing is finished, and people will say, “See, I told you.” But you can’t worry about that. Those same people don’t ask you for your opinion before doing what they think they should do. They aren’t worried about what you think or if you agree. In fact, for Paul, Daniel, and the three Hebrew boys, it looked like they were right.

Let’s look at Paul. If he had listened and not gone to prison, we wouldn’t have most of the New Testament. The influence and reach of Paul’s obedience to what God put in his spirit still speaks over 2,000 years later. We still cling to what he taught us about following Christ.

Don’t waste time judging others. It isn’t your business, and it isn’t your calling. Do what God speaks to you to do so you can influence and make the impact you need to make.
Do the hard thing!

Jaime Luce

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Your Gift Reveals Your Heart

Have you been guilty of judging another person’s gift? Gift-giving is personal. Often, those who know us the most intimately give the best gifts. In fact, the most extravagant gifts are usually given by those who understand our hearts. To a person outside of that relationship, the gift may not be understood or valued, but it means a great deal to the receiver. The gift can even be mocked or ridiculed and cause others’ hearts to be revealed. Such was the case in Matthew 26:6-13 NKJV.

6 And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, 7 a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table. 8 But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? 9 For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor.”

10 But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me. 11 For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always. 12 For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial.13 Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”

Jesus had closely walked with His disciples for three years. He had been preparing them for His death and resurrection. He knew the cost of the gift He was about to give them and that they couldn’t know its value until much later. But there was one, not obvious to the rest, who desired to give a gift that would cost her all that she had even before Jesus would give His. He would pour out his life for others while Mary would pour out her sustenance for Jesus. Both would be mocked, undervalued, and misunderstood.

That’s what giving to the work of the Lord is. Jesus said, “she has done a good work for Me.” and that it would be told as a memorial to her! Our gifts matter. Your offerings, especially when costly, are not a waste. Those who think so are only revealing what is in their own hearts. They excuse their distaste for them by saying there are more worthy places to give as if they give to any.

From the beginning, gifts have been mocked. Abel gave a righteous gift, while Cain hated him for it. Instead of giving and doing what was right or worthy, he envied, judged, hated, and murdered his brother for it. What does seeing others’ gifts provoke in you?

Mary saw the fullness of the blessing and gifts she had received from Jesus, which provoked her to give. The disciples saw the gift she gave, which provoked them to mock and one to murder.

Don’t listen to the hard-hearted and envious. Give to the Lord with abandon. It has great purpose in the kingdom. Your reward won’t come from men. It will come from the one you gave the gift. He sees what you have given, and He knows the cost. Your gift will be echoed through time and eternity, and in the end, you will hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.” Matthew 25:23 NKJV

“Give and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” Luke 6:38 NKJV

Love gives. Jesus said in Matthew 6:21 NKJV, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Do you really love Him? There is more to love than the giving of gifts, of course. Jesus also said that if we loved Him, we would keep His commandments. The common denominator in this equation is your heart. During this Valentine’s season, where we make an effort to show love, let me provoke you to examine your heart.

You cannot give what you do not have. Maybe your heart needs to be converted or prodded. Let the knowledge of what Christ has done for you provoke you. “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.” John 3:16 NKJV

Jaime Luce

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You Have What It Takes

There is a misconception that is prevailing in the church. The dangerous and misleading belief is that you just need to say a prayer of salvation, and you’re good. You’ve got a ticket to heaven, and all will be well. Why it’s misleading is because you can receive the mercy and grace of God by just asking. But once you have moved from the children of darkness into the children of light, there is something for you to do. And what he calls us to do has great consequence for us and the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 25:14-30 tells us the parable of the talents. Verse 14 begins like this. “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.” In this parable, the man is dealing with his own servants. He isn’t talking about strangers or outsiders. He is talking about those are his. He then gives one servant five talents, one servant two talents, and the last servant one talent. He gave each according to their ability, so nothing was required of them that they could not handle.

Heaven operates this way. We’re given what we have the capacity to increase. There are no excuses. We should be doing something to grow what we have been given. To bury it is to bury your future and, ultimately, your eternity. It is that drastic!
The servant given five talents made five more, and he heard the words in verse 21, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.”

Likewise, in verse 23, the second servant was given two talents and heard, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.”

However, in verses 24-25, the third servant who was given one talent made excuses while placing blame on his lord and said, “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.”

But look what his lord said to him in response. “You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming, I would have received back my own with interest. Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. For everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And Cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

This parable closely resembles another parable Jesus gave of the wedding feast in Matthew 22. Someone comes into the wedding without the proper garments on, and the king said to the servants, “Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into out darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

I know this can sound hard but hear me out. You won’t be required to do what you aren’t capable of doing. However, sometimes you’re called to do what you think you can’t do. Moses thought the people wouldn’t listen to him and that he was insignificant and asked the Lord how. The Lord asked him a question in response. “What do you have in your hand?” He then successfully led millions of people to freedom with the rod that was in his hand. And God will do the same with you. You do have what it takes. There are no excuses. God has given you everything you need to be fruitful in this life and the next.

Don’t worry about the one with five talents or the one who has two. Just do what you’re called to do with what you have, which will produce an increase. And when you do, what a reward you will receive when you hear those words, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.” What a day that will be! So go for it. Do something with what you have and watch God do the impossible through you.

Jaime Luce

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Just Pray

Prayer. Such a small but powerful word. And to access its power, you simply must do it. You want to do it. You know you need to do it. Your own spirit calls to you, asking you to do it. And it’s the one thing that can actually change you and your situation. It is the one thing that can bring peace into your chaos. But it won’t happen by itself. You must do it. Just as keys are only useful when you use them, so is prayer.

Prayer is the ability to talk face to face with the one who created the galaxies. The one who formed the heavens and the earth with just a word. The one who owns it all and desires to share it. The one who imagined you and dreamed a good plan for you and knows how to bring it to pass. The one who loves you so personally that He gave His life just for you so that you could live that life He planned in grand fashion.

In Ephesians 6:18 (NIV), Paul says, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” That covers it all. He tells us to pray about everything, anything, all things, and keep praying.

He also tells us how to do it. By the Spirit. Why is that important? Because in Romans 8:26 (NKJV), we read, “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” That is so comforting. Even when we don’t know what to pray, the Holy Spirit does. If we will open our mouths and allow Him to pray through us, even when it only sounds like groans, God hears me and knows what I need.

Then the promise is that He not only hears us, but He answers us. 1 John 5:14-15 (NIV) says, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”

We are instructed to pray. It’s like Naaman, the leper, in 2 Kings 5. When the Prophet told him what he needed to do to be healed, he didn’t want to do it. His servant reasoned with him and said to him that he would have done it if the Prophet had told him to do a hard thing. Why not do the simple thing he instructed? So Naaman realized he was wrong, did what he was told to do, and received his miracle.

God is your Father, and He is a good father. The closeness and nearness we desire from Him are found in prayer. You can’t have a relationship where there is no talking. It’s not a hard thing we are called to do. The answers you desire are found in Him. The help you need is found in Him. The breakthrough you are fighting for is found in Him. Everything you could ever need or want is found in Him. The key to accessing it all is prayer.

If you want this year to be different, become a person of prayer. It’s very simple, yet so many miss it. Don’t be one of them. Let the Lord begin to direct your life in the plan He designed just for you. You can start right now, right where you are. All you have to do is pray. Your answers are waiting.

Jaime Luce

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Is Fasting Really Necessary?

A brand new year often brings a desire for consecration for the Christian. We sense that we need to draw closer to the Lord or, in essence, rededicate ourselves to Him. We recognize the need for more of Him. For many, that consecration means fasting. Fasting literally means not eating food. I know it has become common practice to go easy on ourselves and say that we are fasting television or social media for a time. Though those things are good to do, they aren’t fasting. Fasting means food.

But is it necessary? There are objections to fasting found both outside and inside the church. If the objection comes from the outside, it is usually coupled with comments like, “That’s a little fanatical” or “isn’t that a bit extreme?” If it comes from within the church, it is from those who desire to argue over particular scriptural references that suit their opinions.

First, let me be clear, you don’t have to fast to get saved. However, when Jesus behaves in a particular manner, it would seem a behavior we ought to emulate. John 5:19 “Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” So Jesus emulates the Father, and we emulate Jesus.

It would seem that the Son of God would not need to fast. But we see that in Matthew 4:1-11, he clearly did. Why was it necessary? Immediately after Jesus’ baptism, he was led up into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Jesus knew what was ahead. He knew the enemy would be coming to tempt him. With that knowledge, Jesus chose to prepare. His preparation was that of fasting. He humbled his flesh to allow no hindrance for His Spirit to rule.

The purpose should be the same for us. We don’t fast because we think it is a magic wand that can make God answer our prayers. Instead, we humble ourselves and our flesh so that our spirits draw closer to God. We desire His strength and power instead of the fleeting power of natural food. We understand that fasting doesn’t change God. It changes us, and that is where we need the help.

To live a surrendered life for Christ in this new year will take our participation and preparation. If you live to advance of the Kingdom of God and for His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven, It will take your participation. You may need to put away the former things and put on His righteousness. You may need to die to the flesh so you can live to the Spirit. To do this, it may take humbling yourself and acknowledging your dependence on the Lord. If we recognize that we need Him today and every day, we will do whatever it takes to remain close to His heart.

Jesus said that we would have tribulation in this world, so we know we will face difficult circumstances and temptations like Him. But He also said, be of good cheer for I have overcome the world. He showed us a remedy. He showed us what He did. He fasted.
I think it’s that simple. If Jesus needed to do it, I think it is fair to say that we do too. If you feel that there is too much space between you and your Savior, if you just need more this year, if life is overwhelming, or you simply want to rededicate yourself to the Lord and His purposes, consider a time of fasting.

Happy New Year!

Jaime Luce

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Press On!

Phillippians 3:13-14, “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Are you pressing? Though the road has been challenging, are you pressing forward? Though all may have forsaken you, are you pressing? Even though you have a past, are you pressing? Even though you’ve had some successes, are you pressing?

Paul had experienced it all. He began with a past that left him feeling he was the least. A worm at best. He had been blind, beaten, shipwrecked, bitten by a snake, and abandoned, to name just a few. He knew failure in ministry and relationships. He wrestled with his flesh, saying he didn’t do the things he wanted to, and he did the things he didn’t want to do.

On the other hand, he was rocking the world by bringing the gospel to the gentiles. He had brought the baptism of the Holy Spirit to those who hadn’t so much as heard that there was a Holy Spirit. He healed the sick and raised the dead. He mentored and fathered new Christians to lead, and he mended and reunited relationships with those once torn. He authored thirteen of the twenty-seven books of the New Testament and finished his race well.

With a new year upon us, let us remember what Paul taught. Forget what is behind. There is a prize to win that God has called us to win. The enemy would love to keep us locked up in the things we can’t relive. It isn’t an easy thing, of course. Paul said he strained forward. The original Greek for that word means to exert oneself to the uttermost. It’s hard work. It’s a stretching, and stretching is painful. But like a rubber band, once it has been stretched, it will never be a small as it once was. It has grown.

We, like Paul, must press on. That word press means to move rapidly and decisively toward. To hasten and to run. Before we know it, 2023 will be at the door, and what will we have done? Let’s press on. Let’s leave the past in the past and stretch toward the prize. To look back is not to press but to regress. It’s time to advance with precision. We’ve got a race to win, and 2022 is just the year to do it. Press on saints. Let’s win the prize!

Jaime Luce

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You Will Still Be Victorious

The obstacle in front of you does not necessarily mean that God isn’t with you. When God wanted to set His people free from the grips of Pharoah, He hardened Pharoah’s heart to show His great power over the God’s of Egypt, using the very plagues that mirrored the God’s they served.

Each plague represented when Pharoah said “no” to Moses’ demands. Each “no” represented a more demanding situation for the children of Israel. But it was God who hardened His heart. God was definitely going to set His people free. He had already declared it and sent Moses to get the job done.

But to look at it with natural eyes, you would think that God couldn’t possibly have sent Moses since Pharoah kept refusing. It would seem that God was not with them nor desiring to deliver them.

We see this happen again when the children of Israel are preparing to go to battle and take their promised land. God tells Moses to have them attack King Sihon of Heshbon, who had refused to let them pass through his land while they journeyed in the wilderness. In Deuteronomy 2:30, Moses says this, “But King Sihon of Heshbon refused to allow us to pass through because the Lord your God made Sihon stubborn and defiant so he could help you defeat him, as he has now done.

God again hardened the heart of an enemy He wanted to be defeated. That news should be a massive place of hope for us. Most people would think that if God told them to go battle something, it would be easy. They believe if God told them, the doors will fling open, and no battle is necessary. A battle doesn’t represent God’s absence. In fact, it could represent the exact opposite.

If you are following the leading of the Holy Spirit, and you feel you must enter the battle, then yes, God will give you the victory. However, you may still have to battle. God can’t lose a fight. And sometimes He hardens your enemies’ hearts against the plan of God in your life. If He does this, it is because He plans to destroy that enemy in your life completely. He allows their cup of iniquity to fill so that you can utterly destroy the works of the enemy in your life once and for all and take new territory.

Don’t be discouraged. Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. (Eph 3:10) If God is for you, then who can be against you? (Romans 8:31) If you must fight, then fight. God will surely give you the victory!

Jaime Luce

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The Main Thing

In every circumstance and every situation, there is one determining factor that has the power to alter, change, restore, and make brand new. It alone holds power to manifest an answer where only questions abound. It is the single factor that set’s you apart. This one element is the golden ticket, the treasure map, the compass of direction. The single key that opens every door tears down every wall, and defeats every enemy is the presence of God!

In Exodus 33, Moses is having an exchange with God about continuing with his assignment. We’ve all been there. We begin and see the mighty power of God displayed as we set out in faith to accomplish the task He called us to do. Somewhere along the line, things go sideways. The people who were with you are now against you. Where you thought you’d be and where you are now look nothing alike. Even your conversations with the Lord are discouraging because He’s just as fed up with everyone’s lack of faith as you are. Though God promises you that He will still use you and accomplish what He said He would, you feel depleted and not comforted.

I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “Keep the main thing, the main thing.” What Moses was worried about was the main thing. He knew that even if he continued forward with a new plan, that would still eventually accomplish his task; without the main thing, it would mean nothing. This is where most people miss it. This one main thing is why God chose Moses.

All Moses cared about from the beginning was God’s presence. It was his only sure thing. It’s as if to say, “If God goes with me, I know it will go exactly how God says it will go.” Moses was so attached to this truth that God would speak to him face to face. And even in that seemingly perfect relationship, Moses wasn’t satisfied. The cry of his heart was, I need to know you more. He says to the Lord, “Show me your glorious presence.” In essence, he was saying, “I know you talk to me, even intimately, face to face, but I want to know why you do what you do and how you think. I want to know all of your ways and how to walk in them.”

King David had this same heart. That’s why it is said of him that he was a man after God’s own heart. God’s presence going with you, leading the way, is the secret of every victory. To know that God is with you, fighting for you, preparing the way, is the peace and courage of every giant slayer. It is the ammunition for every weapon you wield. It is the ultimate prize. To have the presence of God is to have peace that passes all understanding. It is strength to continue to fight the next battle. It is assurance that you’re going to be ok.

If you seek anything today, may you seek His presence. Keep the main thing, the main thing. Nothing else really matters. Though the season is busy and chaotic, remember where peace comes from. It won’t come from checking off all the boxes and finishing the must-dos. It will come when you’re face to face and hear Him say, “I’m going with you, and I’ll show you all my goodness.” There is nothing like the presence of God. Make Him your priority, and watch Him make the difference.

Jaime Luce

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Work Your Favor And Use Your Gifts

Favor is a funny thing. It’s not garnered because you desire it. It is bestowed for reasons only the one giving can determine. Jacob had 12 sons, but it was the 11th that captured his heart. Joseph was the firstborn from the woman he’d worked 14 years to marry. Because she remained barren for so many years, Joseph was not conceived until Jacob’s old age. Finally, seeing the fruit of that love gave Joseph the favor that no other son could achieve. The giving of a gift showed Jacob’s favor and affection. A coat of many colors.

But as they say, “Favor ain’t fair.” His brothers hated and envied him for it. Their perception of his favor, dreams, and gifts was that Joseph was a threat. Though they were older and had more position, they would lose that status if Joseph’s dreams were true. They blamed their possible feat on Joseph’s favor and gifts. They hoped if they removed him and his glaring coat, they’d not feel the lack of their own dreams. Yet stripping Joseph of his colorful coat and selling him into slavery only exacerbated their problem. Now they had to continually witness their father’s grief and sorrow, cementing forever the favor that belonged to Joseph.

Potiphar’s wife had a problem with it too. She thought she could manipulate and use Joseph’s favor for personal gain. She wanted to partner with it and share in his favor. What he carried was so evident that though she held position above Joseph, she wanted what he had for herself. By keeping his coat, she thought she held power to control Joseph’s future.

Even in prison, Joseph’s favor was present, putting him in charge. God was positioning him for his breakthrough.

You may feel like Joseph. Your situation seems to be going from bad to worse. Even if you’re still in a prison, feeling forgotten, use your gifts anyway. Bring heaven’s interpretation to the lives of those in the prison with you. Don’t entertain the lies of the enemy. You are destined for greater things.  If your dreams are still unfulfilled, hang on. Envy, manipulation, and delay can’t stifle the gifts God has given you. This is not how your story ends. You have not lost your favor. There are countless numbers of people who need your gift. Your position is being set. So, work your favor and use your gifts.

Jaime Luce

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