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

Prayer & Persistence “He spoke a parable to illustrate that people are to always pray and never give up (Luke 18:1).” Jesus, the Perfect Pattern, was a great teacher and often used parables to illustrate his point. Parables represent earthly stories that have heavenly meaning. The verse for today is the beginning of the Parable of the persistent widow and the Unjust Judge found in Luke 18:1-8. The image of God in the parable symbolizes the judge, and the woman represents any person who desires answered prayers. The woman was specific about her request, “avenge me of my adversary.” She was also strategic about getting results “I tell you that he will avenge them speedily.” God answered her prayers in due time. The lesson from the parable is that intentional and persistent prayers get results. Prayer is more than a religious ritual. It is an authentic relationship with God that gets results. God is your Source and created many ...

  Hallelujah “ And after they had sung a hymn, they went out into the Mount of Olives (Matthew 26:30).” Worship is only for God. Jesus emphasized two important points about worship. First, it is for God only. In the wilderness, he deflated his ego by telling himself the truth. “You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve (Matthew 4:10).” Secondly, worship must be done in spirit and in truth. “God is Spirit, and they that worship God must worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24).” Although worship is only for God, you can praise all the good in your life. You can praise people, places, and things. Whatever you praise grows and multiplies. Whatever you praise expands and increases. Hallelujah is a one-word prayer and is considered the highest praise. Don’t praise sickness, pain, and disease by talking about it all the time and claiming it as your own with such phrases as “my high blood pressure, my di...

Lifting the hands “ I desire people everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or doubting (I Timothy 2:8).” Lifting the hands is a sign of surrender. When an officer arrests a person, the first thing the officer says is, “Put your hands up.” Lifting the hands means that you humble yourself and surrender to the officer’s authority and comply with the legal process. Lifting the hands is a prayer posture that signifies releasing and letting go. Jesus said, “If you humble yourself that you will be exalted, and if you exalt yourself, you will be humbled (Luke 18:14).” The power of lifting the hands is making a conscious choice to humble yourself as opposed to allowing a process of humiliation to bring you to a place of humility. Prosperity is the One promise for living the one Kingdom Law of Love , following the one Kingdom principle of Divinity (applied through the 7 Kingdom Principles for Divine Living), and living the one Kingdom Pract...

Prayer Tool of Witnessing and Sharing Your Testimony  with Others as symbolized by the Measuring Tape Witnessing is often seen as the primary venue for evangelism and proselytizing others to become a part of your faith tradition. In the past, people passed out tracks in heavily populated areas, hung door knockers on people’s doorknobs, or used blow horns to share the gospel of Jesus Christ in the streets. Today, it is more common for people to witness by inviting a friend to attend a service or class with them, and by posting a positive message or scripture on social media platforms. The greatest form of witnessing is “being” a witness. You are a witness when you let your light shine, and people see it. When people see the change in you, they are inclined to ask how that change came about. Their ask is an indicator they are ready to hear your testimony. They are opening the door to their hearts and minds for a new experience. Your testimony is...