“God does not show favoritism or partiality.” (Rom. 2:11 & Acts 10:34 NIV or KJV) and found in many other places in the Bible.

God loves you exactly the same as any other! He has no favorites!

“God does not show favoritism or partiality.” What this promise means, and why it’s so important to understand personally, is that You are just as important to God as any other person. The devil will try to tell you that you aren’t important to God, and that you shouldn’t bother God with any of your concerns. But, you can know for certain that you are exactly as important to Him and loved by Him as much as he loves anyone else on earth! This should give you great confidence with your relationship with God! You can come confidently to Him about anything.

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6 NIV)

You cannot please Him unless you believe this!

The wonderful promise here is that “God rewards you” for simply believing that He exists and that He rewards those who “earnestly seek Him.” God says this is a part of faith and that you cannot please him unless you believe this. It’s amazing how many people choke on this promise because they think of themselves negatively and don’t think that they deserve to be rewarded by God.

It’s about God’s unmerited favor!

But notice that grace is never about being deserving. It’s about God’s unmerited favor towards his children. And, just think about it for a moment from the standpoint of being a parent. We love to give to our children because we love them. Not because they are deserving.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:1-2 KJV)

Constantly make adjustments

The problem with “living sacrifices” is they keep crawling off the altar! In other words, to be a living sacrifice you must continually work at getting back into the “living sacrifice” position, which is to constantly make adjustments to your attitude and your own way of thinking about things, by continually putting yourself back where you are allowing yourself to be used by God; By giving him “your reasonable service”, always adjusting your thinking to His thinking, and always bringing your life and will into alignment with what His Word says!

The great news is that it will change your life when you do!

When you take His Word, what God says about anything, then apply your faith to it, and adjust your own thinking to conform instead to His thinking, you are able to then transform your mind! Your thinking will become like His, and through your new way of thinking, you will come to realize, understand, and even prove, God’s good and perfect will for your life! This is why it’s so very important to work hard at changing the way you think! Again, “as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” It will transform your life!

I remember hearing a story a few years ago describing the first astronaut’s trip to the moon. Apparently, they were just shot upwards towards the moon’s general direction, and then they had to continually make necessary course adjustments along the way to make it possible for them to finally arrive there. They said the trip was very zig-zaggy. In the same way, we must continually make necessary adjustments in our faith journey, and, we will eventually arrive where we need to be!

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:6-7 NIV)

Many times in Scripture we are commanded to not be anxious about anything. Why would God ever command us to do anything that we could not control?

God enables you to do it!

I am also reminded of other promises such as “when we are weak, he is strong” (2nd Cor. 12:10), and his strength is made perfect in our weakness” (2nd Cor. 12:9), and even “I can do all things through Christ Jesus which strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13), In other words, God sends his help and strength to enable you to accomplish what he commands you to do!

This promise comes with instructions!

And, as many times you see in the Word of God, instructions are included along with the commands and promises. And, that is true here with this command to not be anxious about anything. “By prayer (speak to God about it) and petition (ask God for help about it) with thanksgiving (Thank God for the answer for it) present your requests to God (anything and everything about it, put in the form of direct requests to God about it). And, with this promise, God tells you what will happen if you follow and do the simple instructions in the verse, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Fear is not from God!

Finally, remember that anxiety is fear and fear is not from God! (2 Tim. 1:7), It is an attack against you from the devil. But, God promises to “guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus!” The battle is fought and won in your mind and it’s wonderful to know that He has you covered!

“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Rom. 10:17 NKJV)

Learn to hear the voice of God!

Your faith comes from “hearing” the Word of God! It has to be “caught” not “taught”. When you meditate on God’s promises your thoughts are actually changed “transformed” to be “like His thoughts”, and your thinking is effected in dramatic ways. As your thoughts are changed to God’s Word, you actually get “the mind of Christ” because Jesus is the Word (John 1). When the word is in your mind you begin to hear the voice of God. (My sheep know my voice). That’s when you will finally be able to do what Jesus says you will be able to do by faith! You will be like Jesus in the world (1 John 4:17).

“A merry heart does good like medicine.” (Prov. 17:22 NKJV)

It does a body good!

A medical report I heard about recently said that depression actually suppresses the immune system and makes a person sick! So depression is a dangerous thing to allow into your life! DON’T ALLOW IT! It’s destructive! It’s satanic. It’s not from God! But, the good news is that a “merry heart is like medicine” and does a body good!

Here’s what I do!

Whenever I feel any kind of “heaviness or depressiveness” trying to attack me, I use that feeling as a trigger (a reminder) to praise God! The Bible says that “God inhabits the praises of His people” (Psalm 22:3). When you praise him, He enters into your situation and that solves the depression problem! In another place in the Bible, Is. 61:3, we’re again told to put on a “garment of praise for a spirit of heaviness.” And it absolutely works to destroy the enemy’s depression attack! It’s impossible to have any kind of depression and also to have God in the same place! It’s a powerful truth and a wonderful promise that works every time! “I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” (Psalm 34:1 KJV).

“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.” (Eph. 3:20 NKJV)

I don’t know about you, but when I think about it, I can “think” about a lot of things that I could actually “ask” for. But, truthfully, I don’t always remember to “think” or to “ask” for any stuff. And, quite frankly, I no longer EVER ask God for anything that I “need” because it isn’t necessary for me to do so. Why should I ask Him for something that He has clearly promised to take care of already?

He SHALL supply ALL your need!

It says very plainly in God’s Word, “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory, by Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:19 NKJV) It doesn’t say He “maybe shall supply my need”. Or, if He does “it will be determined by the state of the economy”, or, “according to the prime lending rate!” He said he SHALL supply it, So, it is unnecessary for me to ask for what he has clearly promised me in His Word. So, again, I never ask him to supply my need. Instead, I thank Him for supplying them! (And, of course, he ALWAYS does!) I am very grateful that I never need to worry about these things!

So, what then do I ask Him for you may wonder?

I ask him for things that I WANT! Jesus said that we should come to God just like little children do (Matt. 18:3). If you have children you will notice that they don’t normally ask you for a “need” because they rightfully know that you, as their parent, will take care of it for them. In fact, they never seem to give “needs” a thought. But, they sure don’t hesitate for a moment to ask you for things that they “want”! And, when they have a good attitude, you love to bless them with what they ask for. Most parents do!

According to the power that works within us!

Now, I really love the last part of the promise that says that he gives “above all that we could ask or think according to the power that works within us!” Wow!! When you think of all that implies! God has given us much power, and it is within us, to do what we need to do! In fact, brace yourself for this, “the same power that raised Christ from the dead, is within you!” (Rom. 8:11). Knowing and believing this fact should be a great encouragement and faith builder for you! And nothing is then impossible for you!

“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all–how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Rom.8:32 NIV)

What God has made available for us for free wasn’t free for him! In fact the price paid was the highest amount ever paid for anything that was ever purchased throughout all of history, and it is impossible for that fact to ever change, because the price that was paid was the precious blood of God’s only Son, Jesus!

Don’t waste it!

It is absolutely insane NOT to put to use that which was so highly paid for on your behalf!

What did it buy for you?

• You are God’s kid and Jesus’s sibling! It paid for you to be adopted into God’s family! You are now an heir to God! (Rom. 8:17).

• Instant access to God! You now can come boldly to God (your father) at any time of need! (Heb. 4:16).

• All ‘things’ belong to you! Because of what God has done, you have received ‘all things’ from Him! Everything that belongs to Him, also belongs to you!

• All your needs are met! Every possible need you could EVER imagine is supplied somewhere in the Word of God in the form of Promises! (2 Peter 1:4 & 2 Cor. 1:20).

You just have to find them (search them out), mix faith with them, and they are yours!

“But whoever looks into the perfect law of liberty, and continues in it, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.” (James 1:25 NKJV)

You must be a doer and not a forgetful hearer if you want to be blessed in what it is that you do in life (your deed). Many folks read the Bible, (they look into the perfect Law of Liberty) but you would never know it to watch how they behave and live! They don’t retain (keep in their memory) what they have read to use in their life. Therefore, they are NOT blessed in what they do.

The steps to being blessed are clearly defined in this promise.

• First, you look into the Law of Liberty (the Word of God).

• Second, you continue in it (don’t quit, be faithful).

• Third, don’t be a forgetful hearer (remember what you have read).

• Fourth, be a doer of the work (do what is said to do).

As a result, there will be a blessing added to what you do!