When my father passed away, I knew the only father I had left was my Father in Heaven. Since my father has gone away, I graduated with a doctorate degree, wrote books, and ended up hosting a television show. These things I didn’t get a chance to share with my earthly father. There for a time I thought I had to fill his shoes, but I learned I couldn’t walk in the footprints that were made for someone else. The Lord didn’t intend me to live a life He created for someone else. I sought the Lord daily and learned in my own life that the Lord has a different plan for me. The only shoes the Lord wants to fill is yours and mine. We are to be His feet, His hands and His voice. We are to be Christ’s example on Earth until He returns. How beautiful are the feet of them, which bring good news. Now that I have stop trying to fill someone else’s shoes, this has made mine easier to walk in. He’ll make yours easier to walk in also. Just follow His path and He'll help you fill your own shoes.
by Ward W. Bond, PhD
When my father passed away, I knew the only father I had left was my Father in Heaven. Since my father has gone away, I graduated with a doctorate degree, wrote books, and ended up hosting a television show. These things I didn’t get a chance to share with my earthly father. There for a time I thought I had to fill his shoes, but I learned I couldn’t walk in the footprints that were made for someone else. The Lord didn’t intend me to live a life He created for someone else. I sought the Lord daily and learned in my own life that the Lord has a different plan for me. The only shoes the Lord wants to fill is yours and mine. We are to be His feet, His hands and His voice. We are to be Christ’s example on Earth until He returns. How beautiful are the feet of them, which bring good news. Now that I have stop trying to fill someone else’s shoes, this has made mine easier to walk in. He’ll make yours easier to walk in also. Just follow His path and He'll help you fill your own shoes.
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The Lord is my Shepherd, I lack nothing. I don’t need anything because He takes care of all of my needs.
The Lord takes me to lush pastures. He makes sure that I’m fed and that I have fertile ground in which to grow. Those lush pastures are for my physical, mental, spiritual growth as well as for my business and family. The Lord leads me to refreshing water. His water is life. His living water is a new anointing, new salvation, healing and deliverance. His living water is truth and we know the truth will set you free. The Lord restores my soul, my strength, my health, my finances, my business, my family and more. The Lord takes me down the right paths for the sake of His reputation. When I don’t know the why, He leads me in the right direction when I trust in Him. My journey brings my Lord glory when I follow Him with a whole heart. Even though I may walk through the shadow of the valley of death, I’m reminded that it’s a shadow. It will soon pass and I need not be afraid for You are with me, as Your rod and staff comfort me. As long as I stay focused upon your Word, my sword and shield are always with me and I can fight the good fight of faith. My Lord is preparing a feast for me in plain sight of my enemies. He is showing my enemies that I’m an overcomer and more than a conqueror and that I’m being blessed double for what has been taken away from me. My enemies will see that I will rise up and be redeemed, nothing will hold me down as I reach for the hand of the Lord. The Lord has anointed my head with oil. I have His power with me daily and I can call upon His name with gladness and that He is the very present help in time of need for any situation. The Lord has filled my cup till it is overflowing. My cup is full of His mercy, grace, goodness, gentleness, love, kindness, patience, faith, hope and self-control. The very things I can share with everyone who crosses my path. Surely, the Lord’s goodness and faithfulness shall follow me all the days of my life and I shall live in the Lord’s house forever so I may gaze upon His splendor. Yes, His goodness and faithfulness are for me to receive. His Word says in Psalm 16:5, He gives me stability and prosperity and He makes my future secure. Psalm 23 quoted and paraphrased by Ward W. Bond by Ward W. Bond, PhD
Many of us will never understand the suffering people go through much less endure. Some of them are crying at Jesus’ feet begging for help. One thing I have learned is that you can’t pass someone by when they are hurting for whatever reason. Don’t you think Jesus would stop if He saw you in pain? We lie to ourselves when we say I can’t help that person? The Word says, “we can do all things through Christ”. It didn’t say we can do all things our self. If you reach down to help someone in need, don’t you think Christ will give you the resources to help that person? If you confess Jesus as Lord, then do the things He would do. Reach out and touch the hurting. Christ living inside you will meet that person’s needs to heal their hurt. Always remember we are His hands, feet and voice in this world. He picked you to carry out His plan and commandments. So help out the least of these when they reach out to you. It is the Jesus in you will touch their heart and fill their need. by Ward W. Bond, PhD
“Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.” Those are the words the Lord spoke as He was walking on water. Peter saw his Lord and asked if he could come upon the water. A strong wind blew up quickly and fear touched Peter’s heart. How many of you have been so close to Jesus that you had faith which could move a mountain, but a wind stirred in your life and doubt instantly filled your heart. Jesus said to Peter, “O’ ye of little faith, why did you doubt?”. Jesus was simply saying, “I’m right here with you. No more than an arm’s length away, but you doubted my ability to help you.” We’ve all shown a lack of faith in the face of Jesus. In the end, Christ calmed the storm. Even when our faith fails us in the eyes of Jesus, He is forever willing to help us, but He allows you to answer the question, “Why did you doubt? For it is I”. by Ward W. Bond, PhD
Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee. The Lord can sustain you and give you strength when you finally let go of the burden, which has made you weak. The Lord is not going to carry your burden around, but He will carry your burden away. The scripture says, “Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror has overwhelmed me.” Sounds like many of you quote that scripture after leaving the doctor’s office. What do you do with a bad report, which is cast upon you? Do you walk around worrying about it until it destroys you? Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee. If He can carry the sin of the world to the cross, He can carry your burden away. The Lord is stronger than our own self will. When we are weak, He is made strong in us. When the Bible says that we can do all things through Christ, that includes giving Him our burden. Remember, His burden is light. by Ward W. Bond, PhD
“Moreover if the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will also make your mortal bodies alive through his Spirit who lives in you.” Romans 8:11 I recently wrote a post called ‘Cancer and the Mustard Seed.’ In that post I wanted to show people that as much as we view faith as something big, the Lord said if we have faith the size of a mustard seed we can move mountains. In this case, big doesn’t mean size, but power. In Romans 8:11, this scripture can’t explain that power any easier. Just think about it. If the same power that raised Christ from the dead lives in you, don’t you think that power can accomplish everything you desire it to accomplish? If the same power that raised Christ from dead lives in you, it means your cancer can be healed. It means He supplied you with faith for a new job. It means He can heal every disease from arthritis to depression to fibromyalgia and more. It means you have a foundation for your faith to stand upon. You stand upon the rock, the power, the name of Jesus. When you’re saved, He lives in you. He’s never gone from you. If you ever feel like Christ is not near, it’s usually us that separates ourselves from the Lord. How many of you are dealing with a situation that makes no sense at all? You were in God’s will and everything you held dear has been turned upside down or removed. You’re wondering what you did wrong or why someone else did you wrong? You ask, ‘Why didn’t the Lord prevent this? I believed I was in the Lord’s will?’ Then you keep your mind on the never-ending merry-go-round that not’s so merry. Stop the mind games, it’s an open door for Satan to keep you from passing the test. In times like these, we must go deep into the power that lives in us. You know the same power that raised Christ from the dead that lives in you? Why do I keep repeating that scripture? Because we all need to hold onto it and never let that scripture leave us! We accepted Christ as Savior, and we must allow Him to be our daily foundation, the rock in which our whole life must be based upon. The Christian life isn’t the easy life. You get saved and then expect life to be rosy, but the battle actually begins. The Lord will refine us with His fire to mold us and remove the rough edges, polishes us up to the point He can see His reflection in us. In James 1:2-4, “My brothers and sisters, consider it nothing but joy when you fall into all sorts of trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect effect, so that you will be perfect and complete, not deficient in anything.” You know Psalms 23:1 says, “The Lord is my shepherd, I will not lack anything.” But fear not! The same power that raised Christ from the dead lives in you! You are walking around with a constant power supply that never runs out! When you feel overwhelmed, tired, whipped, or exhausted, His power is there. Even in our toughest times we can tap into Christ in an instant and He will never leave you or forsake you because He lives in you! Life is full trials, tribulations, but life is full of victories too. You are victorious! At this very moment, maybe you are going through a test, trial or tribulation and you want it to end. It’ll end when you tap into the power that lives within you, the power of Christ and allow Him to have His way. Victory is always on the other side.. When you realize the power that lives in you gives you faith to stand and say, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” (Phil 4:13) So you see His power is the power that does it all. He heals, redeems, vindicates, blesses, provides, protects, refines, polishes, strengthens and moves mountains. He's your all in all because He's in you! You can all things because you are never alone. Tap into the power within, He’s waiting. by Ward W. Bond, PhD
Gail MacDonald once wrote, “If there is a beginning point in spiritual development, it is the choice one makes to become useful to God and, therefore, to others. I have a right to make this choice because I begin with the assumption that having been made by God, I am alive for a purpose.” You have purpose, tremendous purpose to be used by God to show the world His love. You need to realize that you can achieve the impossible, because all things are possible for those who believe. Do you believe that the Lord can do mighty things in you and through you? You should believe that. Never say you are not worthy of the calling God gave you. The Apostle Paul was far from being a saint, but the Lord took him and used him for His glory. He can use you too. Make it a priority in your life to become useful. The Lord can use you to do mightier works than Christ ever did. You are alive for a purpose, and Lord says, "together we can do this!." by Ward W. Bond, PhD
Let's get real here. There are just some people in this world who are very difficult to forgive. We've all been done wrong for no apparent reason and the more you think about your situation the more bitter, unforgiving and angered you become. Peter asked Jesus how many times must we forgive? Peter said 7 times? Jesus said, 70 X 7! The point is not having to forgive someone almost 500 times, but to forgive to the point you are free. We're all human and sometimes we would rather punch people in the nose than to forgive them. The forgiveness is not necessarily for them, but it's for you. We are to forgive others who have sinned against us, the same way Christ forgave us and He forgave us by being nailed to the cross. If we do not forgive others, then Christ doesn't have to forgive you of your sins. Mark 11:26 says, "But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses." Forgiveness isn't easy and that's why there is grace. by Ward W. Bond, PhD
Many Christians today lack the very thing that will help them to stand stronger in the face of adversity. That’s the foundation of Jesus Christ. Peter Wade once wrote, “The tragedy is that it is just as easy for Satan to deceive God’s people today as it was to deceive Eve. They go chasing after this man and chasing after this ministry, and forget what they have resident within. We must have something that lasts. It’s time we got back to the simplicity that is in Christ.” Too many times we have chased movement after movement seeking the next religious experience, all the while we are ignoring Christ. It is Jesus alone that we need to be chasing after. God never changes. We change because we take our eyes off the throne of God. You want the ultimate experience? Take God’s son, Jesus into your heart and let Him fill you with His spirit. While all the different religious movements come and go, the simplicity of Christ will still be here. God wants to instruct you and give answers to your questions. You cannot depend on another person to hear Him for you. Hearing the Lord’s voice becomes an everyday occurrence as you willingly spend time with Him and study His Word by meditating upon and memorizing Scripture. The voice of the Lord gently guides and encourages, giving hope. God leads; Satan drives. God convicts; Satan condemns and brings guilt. When God speaks, He does not use fear to motivate. If fear overcomes you, it’s the enemy speaking, not God. We must learn to identify His voice and to be sensitive to responding quickly. Remember, listening gets better as intimacy deepens. And know that even close relationships have times of silence. When God is silent, keep waiting in faith and do not allow the enemy to cause you to succumb to unbelief. The ability to communicate and listen increases with maturity. Take time to listen to the voice of the Lord, because He takes time listening to you.
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AuthorWard W. Bond, PhD is the daily TV host of Think Natural, a natural health program. See DrWardBond.com - He is an ordained minister and focuses on the faith and healing power of Christ. Archives
July 2018
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