The Bishop’s Mind: Christian Wisdom, Daily Devotionals & Empowering Messages for Kingdom Living

“Thanks!” “ He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him, and he was a Samaritan (Luke 17:16).” “Thanks” is a complete prayer. Thanksgiving is a powerful way for you to communicate with God, yourself, and others. You can never go wrong, saying thanks. You can never be too grateful. Appreciation is always in order. Thanksgiving is preventative. Thanking your body prevents the breakdown of various systems and organs of the body. Have you ever taken your body for granted? Have you ever assumed that a part of your body would continue to function despite you neglecting it? Have you ever abused your body with drugs, alcohol, or by not giving it any thought or attention? Sickness, pain, disease, discomfort, and dysfunction is your body crying out to be acknowledged and appreciated. Thanksgiving is a part of your healing process. Saying thanks is curative. The Samaritan man in the text who said “thanks” was healed AND made whole. The ...

The Sacred Sunday Posture:  Kneeling “ A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees; if you are willing, you can make me clean (Mark 1:40).” In addition to bowing your heads and closing your eyes, many people learn to “get on your knees and pray.” Often, it’s at night before going to sleep. Parents instruct their children to kneel on the side of the bed and say their prayers. Perhaps you have fond memories of kneeling and reciting the Lord’s Prayer or the 23 rd Psalm. Or maybe you were taught, like me, “Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake. I pray the Lord, my soul, to take. God bless mommy, daddy...” Kneeling is a physical way to revere God as your Creator and remember that God is your Source. “Know that it is the Lord, who is God. It is he that has made us and not we ourselves. We are his people and the sheep of his pasture (Psalm 100:3).” Without reverencing and ...

Prayer Tool: Fasting - Needle nose Pliers The pliers symbolize both fasting and forgiving. Needle-nose pliers represent fasting, and Vice-grip pliers represent forgiving. This week  we will focus on fasting as, and in Week 6, we will focus on forgiving. Needle-nose pliers cut, bend or strip wires just like fasting helps you rewire your mind and body. Jesus fasted and taught his disciples to fast as a life practice. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, reinforced the prayer tool of fasting in his epistles to the churches telling them to be “in fastings often (II Corinthians 11:27).” There are several different types of fasts referenced in the Bible. Some fasts are absolute where people such as Moses, Elijah, and Jesus were set apart for 40 days without food or water (Exodus 34:28-29, Deuteronomy 10:10, I Kings 19:8, Matthew 4:1- 13). Some fasts were for shorter periods, such as three days and three nights, as Esther did with her maids (Esther ...

Prayer Tool: Thanksgiving, Praise, and Worship – Putty Knife Putty is a soft, malleable, grayish- yellow paste that hardens after a few hours. It is mostly used for sealing  glass panes in wooden window frames and can be used to cover gaps in flooring and to seal pipes in plumbing jobs. A putty knife is a metal spatula used to mix, apply, and smooth putty. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding. In all of your ways, acknowledge God, and God will direct your paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).” Acknowledging God is the putty that holds your life together. The root of thanksgiving, praise, and worship is acknowledging God. Our spiritual practices of thanksgiving, praise, and worship are varying degrees of your acknowledgment of God. “In all things give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you (I Thessalonians 5:18).” Thanksgiving is like mixing putty. Amidst the things that are going...

Prayer Changes You “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard. I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went (Matthew 21:28-29).” In Matthew 21:28-31, Jesus, our Wayshower, used the parable of two sons to demonstrate the power of prayer. The first son said that he was not going in the vineyard to work but later changed his mind as a result of prayer. The second son said that he was going to work but never did. Prayer does not change things. How often have you prayed for things to change while you remain the same? In her book, Lessons in Truth, H. Emile Cady said that one of the major causes of suffering is “the stubborn refusal to change.” Once transformed by the renewing of your mind, then you are empowered to change the things in your life (Romans 12:1-2). Prayer changes people and changed people have the power to change things. God has given humanity the authority to change the plane...

  Change is not a dirty word! “Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place (Revelation 2:5 NIV).” Denial: I cannot be where I AM not.  Affirmation: I can only be where I AM.  Kingdom Principle – Divine Placement  Your current way of being (perceptions, thoughts, words, and actions) brought you to this point of your journey.  To go to the next point along your path, change is necessary. Some things in your life may be easy to change. Other things may be more challenging to transform. Nevertheless, progression, growth, and development call for some type of change. These changes are for your highest good and forward movement.  John the Baptist had one requirement of his baptismal candidates (Matthew 3:1-16). Repent. Jesus was no exception to this rule. He, too, needed to repent. Repentance is a change of heart or mind that results in a change of action.  Jesus’ public accepta...