VIOLENCE IS REQUIRED

MEMORY VERSE: and if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. Matthew 5:30

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ezra 6-10

Violence is required to achieve certain things in life. Oh yes! And please, by violence i don’t mean physical violence or causing terror. No. No. No. Someone once told her pastor, “Sir, the only language my husband understands is violence.” This is not the type of violence i am talking about. I am against physical violence of every form. You need to go after certain things violently;i.e., aggressively, if you are serious about getting them. Violence is required to become who God created you to be. Violence is required to get to the top. Violence is required to realize your potential in Christ. You need to knock and keep on knocking for some doors to open. Matthew 11:12 says: “and from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force”. What brought down the walls of Jericho was not a whisper. It was not a gentleman’s shout. Joshua 6:20 says: “So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a GREAT SHOUT, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.” Jesus prayed a violent prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. Luke 22:44 says: “and being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”

Been violent requires force, energy, persistence and determination. An example of a man who was violent in his decision to serve God was Elisha. The day he decided to follow the Lord, he did it in a violent manner. He burnt his bridges. (A bridge is any link with your sinful past that is capable of returning you to that sin). The decision to follow Christ must be done violently. Photographs of former sinful partners must be burnt. Occultic books and regalia from secret societies must be destroyed. Pornographic and x-rated materials must be destroyed. Clothes that expose part of your body that are meant to be covered must be burnt. Music that glorify sex outside marriage or sex before marriage must deleted right away. CDs /DVDs that glorifies crimes and guns must be burnt immediately. Erotic books, Tarot and palm reading books must be burnt. The Lord used us to restore a sister back to Christ several months back. I said her, "the only way to get rid of your sinful partners is preach to them". It wasn't easy but she did it.  She promised the Lord never to return to her past again and she didn't. You must be violent about your decision to serve Christ. You must be violent about your decision to make heaven. Matthew 5:30 says: “and if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell”. Sometimes the people capable of bringing you back to Egypt (sinful practices) may be close and precious to you as your right eye. They could even be your right hand man or childhood friends. The bible says if you don’t want to go to hell, cut them off right away. It is better to go to heaven without a friend, than go to hell with a circle of friends.

NOTE: The reason why a lot of people backslide into the world is because they fail to burn the bridge that links them back to the world. To serve Christ , there are some friends, from your past, you will have to cut off. There are some relationships you will have to disconnect yourself from because they are not drawing you closer to Christ. There are some places you will have to stop visiting if you want to remain standing.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

SPIRITUAL VIOLENCE REQUIRED

MEMORY VERSE: And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. Matthew 11:12

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalms 115-120, Proverbs 24

One day, Jesus was in a place teaching and everyone around gathered to listen to Him. People from neighboring villages heard He was around and they came too. (Within hours, the whole area was packed. Some had to stand because there was no place to sit). Everyone brought his or her challenges, sick friends and relatives to Jesus. After teaching, He began to minister to the sick, pray with those who wanted Him to agree with them in faith over a thing or other, counsel those that needed counseling, etc. As He was doing these, the disciples of John the Baptist arrived and asked, “Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? (Matthew 11:3)” In other words, are you the messiah, are you the one who the prophets prophesied about? He answered and said, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard (Matthew 11:4).”

As John’s disciples departed, Jesus began to testify about John the Baptist. He said, “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. (Matthew 11:12).” All the prophets before John prophesied of the coming messiah. They spoke of Him in obscured terms or represented him under dark shadows and figures. Whereas John spake of Him as already come, and in plain terms, directed people to His very person. John said in John 1:29, “...Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” From the day, John started his ministry – preparing the way of the savior and pointing to Him as the way to access the kingdom of God - the kingdom of darkness have been doing everything it can to prevent people from accessing the kingdom of God and its benefits. As such, violence is required to access the kingdom of God and its benefits. Violence against every opposition is mandatory.

Your number ‘one’ opposition is Satan and his demons. All that he and his demons stand for must be treated with violence. This is why the bible admonishes us to resist him (James 4:7). The word ‘resist’ is a violent term. The word ‘resist’ implies that he will try to block you from accessing the kingdom of God and its benefit. Except you do something about him and his demons, they will block your way. As for his demons, the bible admonishes us to cast them out (Mark 16:17). The word ‘cast out’ is another violence term. You number ‘two’ opposition is the flesh. Mr Flesh is an ally of the devil and it does not want to please God but itself. The only way to deal with Mr Flesh is by mortifying it (Colossians 3:5), in other words keep it under. Deny it its cravings. Your number ‘three’ opposition is the world system of evil. The bible admonishes us not to conform to it (Romans 12:1-2). Last but not the least, ‘anyone’ who invites you to sin is an opposition and to deal with them say a Big No!

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Matthew 11:12 says: “And from the days of John the Baptist until now.....” The word ‘now’ means ‘at the present moment’. The kingdom of heaven still suffers violence and this will continue until Christ returns.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please help me to stand firm against every opposition.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.