What do you consume the most? Scripture makes a bold statement about our desires and why we consume so much that reflects our true heart and not just our words. “What god reigns in your belly?” The apostle Paul warned of those “whose god is their belly” in Philippians 3:19. Belly speaks beyond appetite for food; it represents a nature within driven by cravings, desires, self-will, lust, ambition, comfort, ego, and the need to remain in control. Whatever rules your appetites will eventually rule your decisions. Many struggle to fully submit to God because there are still rival gods sitting on the throne of the heart such as the god of self-sufficiency, the god of money, the god of image, the god of manipulation and control, and the god of pride. But the danger of pride is that it seduces people into believing they are their own provider, protector, and source. They regulate and determine what God is allowed to have theirs such as time, money, and resources and he just watches in silence. Yet, God will sometimes allow what you built in your own strength to shake so you can discover that He alone is Jehovah Jireh. The Lord will NOT compete with idols fashioned out of fleshly security. Sometimes losing control is the very doorway to trusting God completely. You cannot seduce God because he has everything but you can be seduced because fear holds tightly while love cannot be love until its freely given away. This call of the Spirit of God is not merely behavior modification; it is total surrender. James 4:7 declares, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Notice the order: submission comes before resistance. Many want authority over demonic warfare while refusing surrender to God and this is never going to happen. True spiritual authority flows from yielding everything over to God. When the belly no longer reigns, the Holy Spirit can rule. When self learns to decrease, Christ increases. God is calling believers to lay every idol on the altar and declare, “Lord, not my will, but Yours be done.” The enemy loses power when pride loses influence. What reigns in your belly will determine what manifests in your life. Therefore, starve the flesh, crucify pride, feed the Holy Spirit with the Word of God and prayer, and let God sit on the throne without competition. It’s time to Pass Inspection. And to all of our Mother's Happy Mother's Day!

1 Peter 2 reminds believers of the finished work of Christ, declaring, “by whose stripes ye were healed.” The language is intentional when he declares you were healed, pointing us back to the completed victory of the Cross. Healing is not merely an emotional aspiration or future possibility or a wishful thought. Our healing was secured through Jesus Christ who did the suffering first, not us. Never forget beloved Jesus Christ once and for all paid the sacrificial debt for sin and is forever triumphant which means YOU AND I SHALL BE FOREVER TRIUMPHANT! Prophetically, this means the believer does not approach God as one abandoned or rejected, but as one standing in covenant through the blood of Jesus. Apostolically, Peter anchors the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ in the reality that redemption affects the whole man, spirit, soul, and body. The Cross was not partial in its work; it was complete. You are not waiting for fear to go, it’s gone and you are healed! You are not waiting for breakthrough to start, JESUS did it!!! IT IS FINISHED!!! Therefore, as believers, we do not come before God as beggars trying to persuade Him to be merciful. We come in faith, agreeing with what Heaven has already spoken through Jesus Christ. The prophet Isaiah peeled back the veil to see what healing would cost in the future and under the auspices of the Holy Spirit he prophetically declared that He, Jesus Christ was “wounded for our transgressions” and “with his stripes we are healed,” while Peter confirms the fulfillment of that promise through the finished work of Jesus. Your faith must reach into what Christ accomplished and bring that reality into your present expectation and obedience. Healing begins with alignment, meaning don’t just bring words, bring your hearts, minds, and confession into agreement with the Word of God. So let this settle deeply within your spirit: Jesus already initiated your healing at Calvary. The Cross was the divine transaction where sin, bondage, and affliction were confronted by the power of God. Now we stand in faith, trusting the authority of His Word and the sufficiency of His sacrifice. The believer’s posture is not desperation but confidence in Christ. As we walk in prayer, faith, wisdom, and dependence on God, we hold firmly to the truth that the finished work of Jesus continues to minister life, restoration, and hope to His people. Declare it and believe it because it is finished! The more I elevate in faith, the more I cause my reality to reflect completeness which is heaven's portion! If you can believe it, declare it with me today that IT IS FINISHED!! AMEN!