Greg Durante Podcast

For God to sanctify you is for you to be set apart. When God blesses you, He wants you to trust Him only, even amid unbelievable circumstances and situations. Trust His Word. Trust His promises. That in the middle of trials, there will be an answer. That in the darkness, there is light. That in lack, there is fullness. That in every negative situation, there is something that God has prepared. Because His Word said that when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him. God will make a way and make the crooked path straight.

We may be hard-pressed on every side, but problems and trials are normal. The good thing is that we have the Word of God and prayer as our weapons. Soaking in these puts one in a better position to shield and wield his attack. The anointing we will receive will prepare us to be our best in the battle.

Everyone experiences the same trials and problems while here on earth. It may not be at the same time or circumstances, but still, nothing is new under the sun, just as the wise man told us in the book of Proverbs. But the confidence of the Christians lies in the everlasting truth that there is also nothing in this world that can separate us from the love of God. This truth, once believed and applied, just as any truth on earth is, will free any man from doubts, worries, troubles, and anxieties. And there are so many truths in His Word and in His promises, that will keep us grounded, standing steadily, amidst the turbulence and chaos, life may bring. 

Accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior makes Him the Lord and Savior of our lives and a Shepherd who guides, cares, protects, leads, watches over, and tends to us. He is also the Bishop of our souls, who advises, teaches, and mentors us about the Word of God and the will of the Father. We have someone we can follow in Jesus, who will always give whatever we need to strengthen our walk of faith.

Go! The God Almighty has given us this command. We have been saved not just to sulk and preserve ourselves but to go and share the good news we have received. We have been given the command and the assurance that He will be with us even to the ends of the earth. God is looking for willing vessels to let His power, provision, grace, mercy, love, salvation, presence, peace, and glory to cover the earth. So let us go, and spread the freely given gifts of the goodness of God here and now.

As one family in Christ, we must exercise the ability to pray for one another. And not just to pray but to aspire for the best for our brethren. Because God prepared the best for us, we must learn not to focus too much on ourselves but lift one another so that people may see the huge difference between people coming from every walk of life and walking on the same path in faith.

When we were born again, we took on a new identity in Christ. Our old selves were gone. We are now ambassadors of Christ. We represent Him in every place we go, all the time because Christ is now living in us. And people should see Him through us, not just in our words but also in our actions. We must make every effort to make Him known, just as we have known Him when we had an encounter with Him through the people or circumstances we met.

A household of faith is maintained and sustained by God. When you make Jesus the center of your family, everything falls into place. The foundation is firm and stable, so storms of life, trials, and problems cannot and will not destroy the household. It may come, but the household will be more than ready to triumph. Put Jesus in the center and see the difference.

The book of James wants to convey that we should also be doers of the Word and not just hearers. We cannot learn fully a thing if we haven't done it yet. In school, theories are tested in the laboratory. Swimming is not learned by acquaintance. And muscles are not built sitting down. So is faith. We cannot learn much of what God wants us to be by just sitting in the church pew once a week, maybe one or two hours, listening. God wants us to apply it once we stand after the Message was brought forth 

In all that we do and say, let it reflect and give the glory back to God. We have the strength, the will, and the drive to do everything we do because God has given us the chance, the breath, and the life so we can do it. If we were to count every second of our breath just as many times we have to be thankful to God, we are in great debt. Give back the glory to God always. It is He who wills us to move, and breath, and live, in the very first place.

Believe! It is one of the things required to gain salvation freely, as given to us by God. If you have seen the universe and all in it, you will know that there is a Creator greater than all you see with your eye. He does not have to defend Himself because His creations can attest to His power and nature. There are numerous things, seen by the naked eye or not, which can serve as clear evidence of a great God, so that at the end of the day, no one will have an excuse to not believe in Him. 

Regardless of where you are today, if you believe and belong to God, you are a child of God and a citizen of His Kingdom. And to be a citizen of the Kingdom of God means that we may be living in the physical world but our focus is not on this world but on eternal things, of things God is doing and His plans for us. So whatever happens around us, we know that God is in control of the lives of His citizens, wherever they are.   

There is no denying that there is no better place than in the presence of God, especially when you're in trouble. To be with God and truly know who He is, is to be assured of the good things that will happen no matter the circumstances because He holds our future. We might not see it for the time being, but definitely, it is secured and will come to pass.

We have been given a potent tool against the enemy, prayer, in the name of Jesus. It is our ready access to the throne of God for mercy, favor, blessing, healing, and all things good. Let us always involve ourselves in intense prayers for our requests and intercessions so the supernatural can move in our lives and this world. 

Problems and setbacks in life are part of life itself. To never have experienced such means never learning something. So, these problems, setbacks, trials, disappointments, difficulties, blows, misfortunes, impediments, troubles, delays, obstacles, whatever they may be called, may put us down or may launch us higher. With God, these are all opportunities to stir up a hunger in us to seek Him more, to find Him more, and to know Him more, to rest and regain our strength.

We are called to be like Christ. Have you ever wondered why, some people, despite having everything, still are not satisfied? Because we have replaced the important with the necessary. The Bible says, seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you. See Him, His face, His life. And even though you walk life with problems thrown upon you every step of the way, just like Christ, you will not be shaken up because each step you take is always on solid ground.

God's love wants us to be with Him. But sin separated us. Nevertheless, His great love made a way through Jesus Christ. And now it is Jesus' prayer that we would believe Him as the way, the truth and the life. Jesus is always interceding for us, even now. Praying for us to be like Him, to follow His example, to trust only in the Father, and therefore, inherit the inheritance assigned to us from the very beginning.  

But for the obedience of Jesus Christ on the cross, we would not be saved and redeemed. It is only by Jesus that we can come boldly to the Father. The greatest gift we receive, freely, that is salvation, which comes with a promise of eternal life, a gift worth more than anything on earth could offer. So how could you not serve your King Jesus, who made you free from everything that would hold eternal life for you?

The promises of God, His Word, are all yes and amen. When you agree and have faith that it will be done so, it will be done so. Because our God is a God of covenant. He is the other part of the covenant. All you have to do is agree and have faith, and it will be done so. 

With the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, we have been redeemed. And we are made co-heirs with Jesus. He said, what He did, we can do also. We have been given, too, the power and the authority in Jesus Christ. Don't let the devil tell you so.