You Could be a Winner!

October 18, 2022October 18, 2022 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

$100.00 to the first 50 people that “like” and “comment” on this post to show my appreciation to my readers!*

Do I have your attention? Did you think, even for a moment, this could be an easy way to get $100? Scams are everywhere lately. Most of the ones I get come as text messages requiring me to click on a link and render my payment method to fix my account. I got one this past week that said my October payment for a subscription couldn’t be processed. My heart leaped for a moment, and I almost clicked on the link.

Many scams are written with fear built-in or hope to hit it rich without working hard for it. They remind me of how satan talks to us. He will tell us perhaps a half-truth but not the whole truth. He will dangle something we desperately want in front of us and make it seem so easy to obtain. Like he said to Eve in the Garden of Eden, Then he lied to her by saying, “You will not surely die.” (Gen. 3:4) He even tried to tempt Jesus.

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ²After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. ³The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

⁴Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

⁵Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ⁶“If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

⁷Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

⁸Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ⁹“All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

¹⁰Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

¹¹Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. Mat. 4:1-11 (NIV)

The devil tried three separate times and ways to get Jesus to stumble. Some say he tempted him in the big three: the pride of life, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes. It’s important to note how Jesus overcame satan;

Jesus knew the word of God.
Jesus did not respond with his knowledge and reasoning but quoted scripture. Doing so is so powerful!
Jesus resisted the devil, and he fled. (James 4:7)

Whether it’s a scam or the devil’s temptation, do not act out of fear or as a quick way to alleviate a desperate desire or need. Think about it, and check to see if it aligns with God’s word. That will require you to know what is written in the Bible, which will require you to read it. Remember this:

If it’s too good to be true, it usually is!

The tester wants you to pass. The tempter wants you to fail!

You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44 (MEV)

*(This was only an example of this post meant to get your attention, and no money will actually be paid out. Sorry, but I do appreciate everyone who reads this post.)

It’s Christmas at Denny’s Tonight

September 17, 2021September 14, 2021 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

I dream of what my life might have been, if only…

Do you live with regret? I could, if I allowed myself to. I sometimes wonder what the church would look like if I had stayed on track and became the pastor I believed God had called me to be. Would we, the people of the church be an Acts chapter 2 type of church? Believing in, and walking out the power of the Holy Spirit. Would we see souls saved daily? What about signs and wonders? If only.

But instead, I stopped holding on to, waiting for the promises of God, and I accepted the devil’s substitute for my life, because it was there, now, in the moment. I just had to believe the lies he was telling me that it was okay. Kind of like accepting the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. As I mentioned in my last blog post, Satan tempts or attacks us where we are weak.

Life didn’t end there, for me, as I imagined it would. I could have become a shell of a man. I didn’t. I received God’s forgiveness, asked that his Spirit not depart from me, and moved on. That is what one should do when things don’t work out the way we think they should.

I read a post on Facebook the other day. A young woman just had a child in the hospital, but after returning home her and her husband came down with Covid. The baby was fine, but had to be separated from his new mother. The baby’s father had to return to the hospital, this time in the intensive care unit. The young mother wrote something along the lines of, “We dreamed of hiking in the mountains with a tour guide. But now we are hiking through this with the Lord as our guide.”

Life is not going the way they dreamed, but her focus remains on target. On the Lord.

That is the only way to deal with potential regret. Give it to him, and continue to seek him for guidance, for his leading. He knows the way. Life may feel like Christmas at Denny’s, but it doesn’t have to. It comes down to your perspective. Your view of life. Is your current situation a set back? A delay? A roadblock, or simply a detour? No matter what it is, God can speak into your spirit and say, “Recalculating.” God knows the way. He will get you through the storm and to the other side.

Trust in the Lord completely,
    and do not rely on your own opinions.
    With all your heart rely on him to guide you,
    and he will lead you in every decision you make.
Become intimate with him in whatever you do,
    and he will lead you wherever you go Prov. 3:5-6 (TPT)

Tempting, Isn’t it?

March 5, 2021March 2, 2021 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

I once wrote a parody of Genesis 3:1-7, where Satan tempted Eve. I expressed the idea of Satan not being successful in his first, or second attempt. He soon realized he had to step up his game and be the best salesman there ever was or will be. He begin convincing Eve the fruit would complete her ensemble (a word I learned from my first wife) and the forbidden fruit went well with the shoes she was wearing. As you know, the rest of the story, it worked.

I had a Chinese friend, a few years ago, who referred to temptation as,

“her favorite sin”,

and she was convinced the devil knew what it was and how to use it against her.

What is yours? What does your snake say to you?

But now I’m afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s clever lies, your thoughts may be corrupted and you may lose your single-hearted devotion and pure love for Christ. 2 Cor. 11:3 (TPT)

One of the greatest tools we have is knowing how Satan comes against us using the same temptation usually every time.

“so that we would not be exploited by the adversary, Satan, for we know his clever schemes.” 2 Cor. 2:11 (TPT)

^“So now we come freely and boldly to where love is enthroned, to receive mercy’s kiss and discover the grace we urgently need to strengthen us in our time of weakness.”Heb. 4:16 (TPT)

“We all experience times of testing, which is normal for every human being. But God will be faithful to you. He will screen and filter the severity, nature, and timing of every test or trial you face so that you can bear it. And each test is an opportunity to trust him more, for along with every trial God has provided for you a way of escape that will bring you out of it victoriously.^“ 1 Cor. 10:13 (TPT)

The tempter wants you to fail,

but the tester wants you to succeed.

Remember Jesus has already overcome the evil one, and He is there to help you do the same. Call upon his name, and trust He hears you and will show you the way to be an overcomer.

Identity Thief

April 7, 2020March 25, 2020 / Mark Brady / 2 Comments

WIYTGIG 1 I have a theory that human spirits are in heaven, with God, and then, the moment a child is conceived a human spirit is installed. It’s just a thought, okay? One reason I believe this is I was in a grocery store and I saw a small child in their mother’s arms. When the child saw me I smiled, and without hesitation the child tried to leap out of the arms of their mother into mine. The child’s spirit wanted to be reunited with God’s Spirit, which dwells in me.

the child saw God

I didn’t encourage the child at all. I simply smiled. I have thought about that moment and I came to realize the child sensed God’s Spirit within me. That led to the question, “how did the child know God?”

I have been reading “Translating God” by Shawn Bolz. He talks about seeing people as the original version of them God intended. This will help you relate to them better when you begin to see them as God does.

So what happens then? How do we get so off course from being the image of God he designed? Life, temptation, sin, and free will. Those are the things that steal our true identity. I know a man, who had a dream about his son before he was ever born. In the dream he got his name and his destiny from God. Sure enough a son was born, but today that son is not living a life anything close to what God intended. The man continues to love his son anyway, and continues to pray for him, and believe that one day the real version will emerge, and his son will be a mighty, spiritual warrior.

It’s like when we are born, our life is perfect, and wrinkled free. Then, as life happens we get wrinkled, but the moment we accept Jesus we go to the cleaners and there, the Holy Spirit, as steam, gets all of the wrinkles out. He restores us to our original design, and purpose. Yes, it takes discipleship, healing of the heart, and spending a lot of time with God getting to know him fully and his nature, but it can be done.

Jeremiah 1:5 (The Message)

“Before I shaped you in the womb,
I knew all about you.
Before you saw the light of day,
I had holy plans for you:
A prophet to the nations—
that’s what I had in mind for you.”

I encourage you to be hungry to be the person God intended you to be. Ask God to show you his plan, design, and purpose for your life. Then, I encourage you to live it. If you choose to do this you will never be happier!

Your Toughest Challenge

September 1, 2018September 2, 2018 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

challenges My toughest challenge is being single. It’s not what I wanted, and certainly not what I thought would happen growing up. The apostle Paul, from the Bible, says being single is better because then you are available to God whenever he calls upon you, but Paul also said it is better to marry than to burn. Perhaps, Paul was shipwrecked one too many times!

Have you ever wondered why Jesus put Judas, who later betrayed him for $600, in charge of the group’s money? Bill, one of my past youth members once said, “The tester, wants you to pass. The tempter, wants you to fail.” Jesus wanted Judas to overcome his toughest challenge. Jesus wants you to overcome your toughest challenge too. That is why he is willing to help you.

No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it. (1Co 10:13 MSG)

When facing your toughest challenges, ask Jesus to help you. Cry out to him if you need to. Also, it is helpful to go do something else, go somewhere else, and start thinking about something else. Don’t flirt with temptation. One thing that helps is praying. It’s hard to sin when you are praying! You and Jesus got this, just as I have learned, he helps me be single, every day!

How Satan Gets In

June 17, 2017 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

Sieve Jesus warned Peter (Simon) Satan wanted to get inside him and tempt him. Satan wanted to see if Peter’s life was rattled, shaken would his belief in God remain.

Luke 22:31 “Simon, stay on your toes. Satan has tried his best to separate all of you from me, like chaff from wheat.” (MSG)

So how does Satan get inside our hearts in the first place?

Perhaps when a family member hurts us. – Resentment
Maybe when a neighbor gets a new car. – Jealousy
Could be when difficult financial times fall upon us. – Fear
When your boss rides you, even though you work very hard. – Hatred
It could be after the loss of a loved one. – Grief, or sorrow
Through a battle with a serious illness. – Desperation
If a child goes astray with their life, or departs from God – Hopelessness
You feel there is no one out there who really loves you, understands you. – Loneliness
A situation or person ticks you off – Anger

These are only a few examples of how our lives can be shaken, sifted. If this is happening to you will God remain? I hope so. One way to make sure is to do an evaluation of what is in your heart. Clean it out and then keep the door to your heart and soul SHUT! And it wouldn’t hurt to lock it either.

Recognize quickly when Satan tries to sneak into your heart, because he will, even if the door is barely cracked.

brady, mark a.

Words to inspire you

temptation