QUOTES FOR SEPT 21, 2026

 

QUOTES FOR SEPT 19

 

QUOTES FOR SEPT 17, 2026

 

WORD FOR TODAY

 

     A time of refreshing is about to come on the people of God.  You have been working and struggling against the forces of darkness and a time of light and victory is coming.  When the enemy has come in like a flood ou have been my barrier and wall against it.  You have been my standard and my hedge of protection.

     I will now give you a time of rest.  You have earned it and so I will refresh and renew you.  Take the time to be released from your striving.  It is time to lean on me and let me strengthen you.  This time of refreshing and rest is given because the real battle will soon begin.  The enemy is regrouping and preparing for a counter acctack.  It will be unlike anything you have ever seen before.  However remeber those that know their God will be strong and do exploits.  So rest and refresh because you will be then ready for the onslaught.

     You will however have nothing to fear.  As I was with you before so I shall be with you again.  You have the strength, anointing, power authority, wisdom and power you need.  You will be an overcomer again.  I never intended you to play or stay a victim but a victor.  I have willed that you will be more than a conqueror.  These is my will and plan for you.  Never be afraid of your enemy.  As I was with the saints in the past and geave them the victory, so I will be with you.  Remember the Lord stays the same. 

     So rest, be refreshed and restored.  Great things are in store for you.  No weapn formed against you will prosper.  Your victory has already been secured.  The enemy things ghe can win the war but the srcipt has already been written and if you read the end of the book you win.  So be strong and in the power of His might and you will see a great salvation.

A New Dawn

The Lord reminds his people that after a long night there is always a new dawn.  Many of you have experience a long night.  You have been attack on all sides.  The relentless attack of the enemy has wearied you.  You have fought, prayed, fasted and struggled.  Remember you may weep for a night but joy does come with the morning.

     The morninng is a time of light.  New beginnings and hope.  You are able to see things clearer and you know the long nigh has past.  With the new day a new and brighter perspective.  The colors, the smell, the brightness in themselves brings therapy and rest.  You know that you have a new opportunity to make the day better, richer and creative.  With the dawn come the beauty of the Lord and HIs creation.  You feel invigorated and alive.  This is how it is in the Spirit.  His joy, peace, power, love and richnes come when you rest and revive in the Spirit.

     As you pray, read God's word and think about HIm.  He will strengthen you, anoint and empower you.  You will be renewed, restored and revived in HIm.  He has promised to be the lamp unto your feet and the light unto your path.  The exciting thing about the new day is that you can see everything clearly and in great detail than you could ever see at night.  Every obstacle, hindrance, blockage and road block is seen and can be avoided.  So today rise up and see the salvation of your GOd and the dawn of HIs grace.  Be perfect in peace.  Let gratitude, grace and mercy be your calling card.  Let love be your foundation for life.  In all things trust in the Lord.  Then you will rise like the morning sun ans shine in your world for the Lord.

GOD'S PLAN FOR YOU

 

29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

 

     This morning as we look at Pau’s exhortation it almost sounds like he is giving a list of rules and regulations for life.  A behavior list that if you do this you will be a good person.  Paul has made it clear in the previous part of this chapter and book that faith in Christ alone will save you.  In 1 Timothy Paul reminded Timothy that the world is watching and that our influence and testimony are dampened and hindered when we are inconsistent in our character and public testimony.  In Rev 12:11, it states that we overcome by the blood of the lamb, the word of our testimony and being willing to die for the faith.

 

1.      So in Vs 29, Paul starts with the most obvious our speech.  He says do not let unwholesome talk come out of our mouth.  Gossip, slander, curses, questionable jokes, sarcasm, profanity, outbursts of anger, and questionable conversation.  Whatever is pure, lovely, wholeness, noble, praise worthy, right and holy is what we should be talking.  David asked the Lord to put a watchman at the door of his mouth so he would not sin against the Lord.  James says blessing and curses should not come out of the same mouth.  The mouth will eventually speak what is in the heart.  That is why we must guard our hearts.

 

a.      Paul says that we should only speak what is helpful for building others up according to their needs.  I remember when I got saved the first thing that got cleaned up with my language.  Last time I swore was Aug 15, 1977. 

b.      We are called to speak the truth in love.  Love should be the foundation of any conversation we have.  Encourage, affirm and build others up in your conversations. 

c.      Here are five ways to build others up in conversations.

 

1.       Active listening.

2.      Use their name.

3.      Let them talk about themselves.

4.      Make them feel important.

5.      Emphasize similarities.

 

d.      James says be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger.  When you do this Paul says this will benefit those who listen.  When we have wholesome conversation it really stands out in our profane world.  Solomon says a word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.  I like that.

 

2.      In Vs 30, Paul says do not grieve the Holy Spirit with whom you were sealed for day of redemption.  First, this shows the Holy Spirit is a person.  You cannot hurt a thing, force or object.  I like how Ernest Angley puts it.  It means to burden. When the Holy Spirit is grieved, He is burdened. To grieve is to oppress.

 

a.      To grieve is to afflict with deep, acute sorrow—to afflict the Holy Spirit with deep sorrow because of saying and doing the wrong things.

b.      To grieve is to make sad, to distress. We make the Holy Spirit sad, distressed when we disobey the Lord. God’s own people can make the Holy Spirit sad by some of the things they do, cause Him to mourn. He cannot possibly mix with that which is foreign to His personality.

c.      To grieve the Holy Spirit is to make Him lament; many have done this to Him.  We do not want to do it because we are His temple, dwelling place and we are heading for eternity a place of peace, love and completeness. 

 

3.      In Vs 31, He then says to get rid of the following five things.  First, get rid of bitterness which is caused by being hurt and wronged then letting it go unchecked until it poisons your whole perspective and life.  That is why forgiveness is essential.  Explain how thought process works and why we must forgive immediately.

 

a.      Rage and anger.  Paul puts them together.  Rage is feeling the need to express violent uncontrollable anger.  You lose it and there are always consequences.  Anger is a strong feeling of annoyance, displeasure, or hostility.  Anger is an emotion caused by a perception of being wronged.  It can be good or bad depending on what is angering us.  Selfish anger leads to wrong reactions.  Righteous anger moves us to defend others and right wrongs.  The cause is the key.  But rage and anger uncontrolled is the issue here with Paul.   The key to anger to being quick to hear and slow to speak.

b.      Brawling which means getting into fights whether physical or talking.  People get into fights.  When they feel threatened or wrong.  They do not respect a person, are self- involved, don’t get enough sleep, substance abused, you have personal problems or self- esteem problems and deflect or attack others. 

c.      Slander is making false and damaging statements about someone.  Christians should never do that.  Satan is accuser of the brethren.  You are doing satan’s work when you slander.

d.      Any form of malice which is the intention or desire to do evil or ill will.  Paul says put it away and don’t let it use you.  I love the illustration the old native said.  The one who rules your life is the one you feed.  So feed your inner man with the word of God and prayer. 

 

4.      In Vs 32, Paul says let these three qualities be the evidence of God’s control of your life.  Be kind.  It is the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate.  It flows from love, mercy and grace. 

 

a.      Be compassionate.  This is a feeling or showing sympathy and concern for others.  Understanding, concern and empathy towards other.  Any outward sign of love.  Jesus said people will know we are his disciples by the way we love one another. 

b.      Forgive one another.  This is a choice and must be done immediately.  Paul says you do it because you have been forgiven.  This is the reason we forgive.  We also know forgiveness is the key to get rid of all these negative expressions

GODLY RELATIONSHIPS

 

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of his body. 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”[c] 32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

 

Today we are looking at proper relationships and I am addressing men not because I am afraid to tackle the issue of women’s liberation but that the biggest problem today is the world has an improper view of men.    In our message this morning we are looking at what a real relationship between man and wife should look like.

 

1.      In Vs 25, Paul says that men are to love their wives.  The word for love here has four meanings.  Men are to be their spouse’s friend, family, lover and spiritual head.  Men are to be the high priest in their homes and lead their family in the things of God.  Men are to love their spouses unconditionally with no strings attached. 

 

a.       Paul then uses the example in Vs 26, as Christ loved the church.  Jesus has a complete love for the church.  He looks at His church as a bride.  Have you looked at your spouse at as perpetual bride?  You will never cheat on or defile in any way.  Also you love her the same way you loved her on the day she walked down the aisle and knocked your socks off.  Remember have you felt. How blessed you felt knowing that this beautiful creature walking down the aisle to you had chosen you with all your faults, failures, habits and inconsistencies.  She made a decision to love, honor and cherish you till death do you part. 

b.      Christ gave Himself up for her.  He gave His life.  Jesus said the greatest thing you can do is lay down your life for a friend.  Are you willing to do the same for your family?  Many say yes, but then comes the time where the stress, obligations, responsibilities of marriage become too much and many people call it quits.  Too many men these days do that.  Divorce is easy staying together is hard.  The only cause for Christian divorce is adultery or the non-Christian partner wants to leave.  Then you let them go so you can both live in peace.

c.      Christ made His church and bride two things.  She was made holy.  Men you need to do the same.  Your spouse is a temple of the Holy Spirit so treat her as such.  Never defile, demand or try to make her unholy by any means.  Could be by what you say, imply, do and think about here.   

d.      The second thing he did was cleanse her with the washing of the word.  This means that as the spiritual head and high priest of the family your time together in family devotions, private prayer you speak the word over her.  Call her the bride of Christ, a royal priesthood, holy nation, chosen generation.  Speak blessing over her life using the word.  Call her a victor, conqueror, and overcomer.  Tell God why you love her.  This reminds you, her and God why you love and respect her.  Never speak bad things about your spouse in public or other people.  You are washing her, protecting her and blessing her in this matter.    

e.      Christ is proud of you.  He knows every fault, failure and sin you and possess yet He loves you.  He sees what you can become not what you currently are.  Do you see the good, potential and true worth in your wife?

 

2.      In vs 27, Jesus sees us His church as radiant, without stain, wrinkle or blemish.  Man is that how you see your spouse?  She overlooks your obvious faults, failures and habits can you do the same?  Because men are generally task orientated and non-emotional we often overlook the opinions, needs, wants and desires of our spouses or just blow them off as a woman thing.

 

a.       Paul says see her as blameless and holy.  Now remember Paul is talking to a group of people that just left paganism and idolatry and have no idea what godly relationship is all about.  This is a relationship guide for them.  He is giving them a proper view of each other.

b.       Remember most of these men had been up to their conversion been cavorting with prostitutes and been immoral.  They had no idea how to have a godly family.  This is focus on the family moment for them.  Like today many people have no idea what a godly relationship or family looks like and even those who call themselves Christian often are confused.   

 

3.      In vs 28-29, He says love your wife as you love your own body.  Also those who love they wives loves themselves.  How a man treats his spouse reflects how he looks at himself.  Abusive people actually hate themselves and take it out on others.  The very qualities you attack in others you see as lacking in yourself.  Truth be told when you hate others you actually hate yourself.  Hurt, bitterness and unforgiveness color everything you think, say and do. 

 

a.      Paul makes an assumption that everyone does not hate themselves.  Instead they care, feed and nurture their bodies.  So in the same way as Christ, loves, care, feeds and nurture His church men are to do the same with their spouses.

b.      For we are all members of His body.  Paul uses this analogy because as the body has many parts supporting and helping each part so a man and wife and family unit must do the same.  The church is the ultimate model but the home is a macro version of the church.  When the home is strong the church is strong and vice versa. 

 

4.      Paul then closes this portion with an introduction to godly marriage right from the pages of Genesis.  A man will leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife.  Now the Ephesian male society was made of polygamy, bigamy, mistresses, slaves, and visiting temple prostitutes.  So here is Paul saying you must be true to your wife.  All these other versions you see in our societies is not God’s design.   

 

a.      You are united to her for life.  The two become one.  This is God’s math.  Man’s math is the two become 2.  They have separate identities.  In God’s design they become one identity.  They compliment and completely each other.  Their strengths and weaknesses give them a whole unit.  Two are better than one.  Two stand stronger than one.  They help each other in times of weakness.  They hold each other up.  They fight, protect and work together. 

b.      This is God’s design for family and marriage and when someone comes to you and tells you there is another type of marriage this is their design not God’s.  Some people tell me Jesus never talked about this and they are dead wrong.  He said this same thing in Matt 19:5.  God’s plan for marriage is a man and women not some other version as some proponents spout today.  Paul’s day was just as bad even worse in some ways.

c.      Paul says this is a mystery about Christ and His church.  The church is a bride, a compliment of Christ.  Paul then closes once again reemphasizing that a husband must love his wife as he does himself.  Remember Jesus said you are to love God with every fiber of your being and when you do you get healed and then enables you to love others as you love yourself.  Loving your spouse is actually loving God and loving yourself. 

d.      The last exhortation is for wives to respect their husband.  Remember he is not perfect, he is flawed, faulty, failure orientated and very human.  Respect him because he now knows how to treat his wife.  These Ephesian men and men of today now have been crystal clear instructions on how they are to treat and work with their spouses.  It will be a work in progress.  It will probably be a life time process.  It will take patience, give and take, overlooking and working together.  A good illustration is a process of a diamond.  A diamond starts out of a lump of coal but over time with lots of pressure it becomes hard, clear and of great value and so will your marriage.

 

 

GOD'S POSSESSION

 

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

 

1.      You were included in Christ.  Jesus Christ death, burial, resurrection, broken body and shed blood gave us salvation, eternal and abundant life.  Secured all the blessings and promises given by the Father to the on.  Which are two numerous for us to follow in this message.  Paul will allude to some of them here.

2.      When you heard the message of truth.  Jesus said, “I am the way truth and life.”  The truth would set you free.  You believed in your heart and confessed with your mouth.  Your will intellect and emotions you gave to Him.  You gave up your past, chose the present of Christ and now rely on Him for your future.  You have the certainty, fact, principle, law and belief that Jesus is the only name under heaven by which mankind can be saved.  You have put your dependence on this truth.

3.      It was good news of salvation.  You heard because of the word of God and the testimony of others.  It came to you in some form and you believed it.  Salvation means deliverance.  Being delivered from the penalty of sin, which is eternal death (Romans 6:23).  Being delivered from mortality and given the gift of eternal life (John 3:15).  Salvation means being rescued by God from the consequences of our wrongdoing.  Salvation is all about how a Christian can live a better life today and, ultimately, live forever in the future! 

4.      When you believed and trusted Jesus as your Lord and Savior the result of that is that you were marked.  Cain was marked so no one would kill him.  You are marked so the devil cannot touch you unless God or you allow it.   You have the armor and hedge of protection around you.  Your words and your life have marked you in the natural realm and God marks you in the Spiritual realm.

5.      You have been sealed in the Holy Spirit.  When you cane to Christ you were regenerated by the Holy Spirit.  You became God’s temple.  He came to live our take up residence.  As you allow Him to take control He then transforms you, gives you gifts and produces in your life fruit.  You carry the seal and authority of God here.  You have authority of the blood, word and name.  In the ancient world a seal was either carried on a rope or ring.  It was usually a metal symbol of the person and it was their introduction to the world of government or business.  We are God’s ambassadors in the world systems and business.

6.      The Holy Spirit is also the deposit for our inheritance.  He insures that we have all the rights and privileges now and also in the future.  He is our lawyer.  It is like having a deposit in the bank which you can draw from when needed and also have in the future.  The beautiful thing is that this inheritance never loses its value.  In previous messages.  I gave you the crowns, the rewards of the overcomers.  Lois taught you last week what was in it for us.

7.      We have redemption.  We were bought back by Jesus dying on the cross.  We are valuable.  You have divine favor.  Wherever you go and whoever you are.  Talk when I became AM 930 the light broadcaster.  Did I deserve it, am I better, is it because of my connections?  No redemption and favor

8.      You are God's own possession.  You belong to Him.  You were bought with a price.  God says this person is mine.  No one can touch you without God’s permission.  If they do in a wrong manner they will have to face God and the consequences He deems for those who hurt His kids.  You are His chosen, daughter and son, royal priesthood, holy nation, chosen generation and unique one of a kind person.  I did just one search on the internet and found 45 names for the person who belongs to God.  Paul says out of all the people in the world you chose to be God’s own possession.  You are somebody.   

9.      For his praise and glory.  We are His ambassadors in our world.  What are the duties of an ambassador?  Charged with the responsibility of maintaining diplomatic relations between our country, government and those in our world.   Represents the king in matters of foreign policy. As ambassadors we help promote, and the exchange of information between the Kingdom of God and this world.

 

a.      We do this by what we say and how we live.  How we conduct ourselves in the affairs of others.

b.      How we love, accept and forgive others.  By People rarely remember what you say but they will always remember how you made them feel. 

c.      The glory of God in simple terms is showing the character, nature and essence of God in day to day life.