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

Forgiving God “ For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you (Matthew 6:14).” It was challenging for me to embrace the Divine idea that there is only One Power and One Presence in the Universe, God, the Good, Omnipotence. I had two gods: The Good God, Jehovah, and the bad god, the devil. Jehovah received all the praise, and the devil got all the blame. When I stopped giving place to the devil in my thoughts, words, and actions, I had One Source, God (Ephesians 5:29). Without the devil to blame, I was forced to face my anger with God and ultimately learned to forgive God. Although God had not sinned or done anything wrong, I still needed to forgive God because, in many cases, I felt that God had done me wrong. Because I felt that way, I needed to forgive God and “let go” of that erroneous idea so that I could be in an authentic and intimate relationship with God. When I forgave God...

Exclamation Point Prayers! “ When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching (Matthew 22:33).” Prayer causes you to have moments that you describe with exclamation points. There are several one-word prayers to express when the light bulb goes off, and you get it. “Aha!” “ Wow!” “OMG!” You have Divine moments all the time, but when you realize it, you say, “Aha!” God always to you, but when you finally understand what God has been saying to you the whole time, you respond with “Wow!” There were times throughout your life when you experienced Divine intervention or a burst of inspiration, and you said, “OMG! “ The freedom to establish a personal relationship with God in your communication style deserves an exclamation point. There are no religious rituals procedures that limit or govern your prayers. “Aha!” You can pray at any time. There is no set hour that you must pray or any time of day that restricts your prayers. “W...

Standing “ When you stand praying, forgive (Mark 11:25).” Standing is a powerful prayer posture. Not only did Jesus, the Perfect Pattern, lay prostrate to pray, he also stood in prayer and taught his disciples to do the same. Standing in prayer demonstrates your ability to stand up for yourself, aware that you can talk to God directly, just as Jesus did. There are several biblical examples of Jesus, the son of God, praying directly to his Father with the confidence that God would hear and answer his prayers. On the cross, Jesus prayed to his Father (Matthew 27:45- 46, Luke 23:34, 46). When he declared, “It is finished,” he meant that the work of reconciliation between humanity and divinity was accomplished (John 19:30). Jesus also manifested finished work through the veil in the temple that was rent from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51). The torn veil symbolized that God and creation are one and are no longer separated. It signifies that t...

Prayer Tool of Writing and  Journaling - Pencil You see many maintenance workers, repair technicians, electricians, architects, and plumbers with pencils behind their ears. They often have measurements to write and drawings to produce. A toolbox is not complete without a pencil. The pencil is a physical symbol of writing that is required for your soul to unfold. Writing is an important part of your soul’s journey. Imagine where society would be if no one wrote down the laws, took notes at meetings, or recorded historical events. The Bible we know today exists because people took the time to write down what they heard from the stories told by their ancestors through multiple generations. It is not about the quantity of your writing but the quality of your writing. The major prophets required personal scrolls due to the length of their writings. The 12 minor prophets were able to fit all their writings on one scroll. Journal da...

  Prayer Tool of Forgiving - Vice grip pliers Vise-grip pliers have several uses,  such as removing broken screws and loosening frozen nuts. They can also be used to clamp small things in place, to remove stripped screws and even to open  a zipper when the pull breaks off. Forgiveness, in its simplest form, releases the past. According to H. Emile Cady, “forgiveness is letting go of that which is old, worn, obsolete and that which no longer serves you well.” It removes the broken screws of hurt and loosens you from the frozen nuts of bitterness and resentment. Forgiveness clamps the love in your heart in place and reminds you of your oneness with all your brothers and sisters of the Universe. It removes the stripped screws of guilt and shame and opens you up to all the good that you zipped away. Forgiveness may be your most utilized prayer tool because you can’t pray without forgiveness, and you can’t forgive without praying.

  Way of Speaking “...If anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them (Mark 11:23).” Prayer is two-way communication between you and God. Prayer impacts what you say to yourself about yourself. Instead of putting yourself down, calling yourself names, or being overly critical of yourself, prayer inspires you to love yourself, to speak positive words of affirmation to yourself, and to be patient with yourself. Not only does prayer impact your “self-talk,” prayer effects what you say to others and how you say it. Talking to God empowers you to boldly speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). Your communication with God reflects itself in your communication with others (Colossians 4:6). If your prayers are one-way where you talk, and God listens, then you may struggle to listen to others and allow them to speak without interruption. The continual practice of list...