God is good

Mark 10:18 : so Jesus said to them, “why do you call Me good? No one is good but One,that is God.”
How do we know God is good?

Firstly by reading the bible. Jeremiah 29:11 says  for I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord,thought of peace and not of evil,to give you a future and a hope.Psalm 40:5 says Many,O Lord are Your wonderful works which you have done; and Your thoughts towards us cannot be recounted to You in order;if i would declare and speak of them,they are more than can be numbered.

Secondly,by the life and the ministry of Jesus.We know God is good by the visible proof of what Jesus did in the bible .Jesus says in John 14:9 that he who has seen Me as seen the father. Jesus and the father have the same character.No wonder He says in John 14:10 that He is in the Father and the Father is in Him.Jesus went by about doing good.Acts 10:38 says how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the  Holy Spirit and power , who went about doing good.Jesus ascribes all forms of evil to the devil in John 10:10 ,he steals,he kills and destroys.In the same verse ,we notice that all the Lord does is give life and life in abundance.

Thirdly,we know that He is good because He gave us his only begotten son.John 3:16 says for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. There is no man on earth that can blame the Lord for going to hell.The Most High has given His only son just to ensure that no one goes to hell.

Action point: If you have not given your life or you have backslidded please give your life to Jesus today . If you have given your life to Christ, hold your salvation with both hands.

Foxes in the vineyeard

Songs of Solomon 2:15 :Catch us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.
Anyone who know foxes will tell you they are opportunistic feeders. Everything about them is destructive.They kill for fun for example they might go into a poultry and kill the birds just for the fun of it.They kill pets like cats just for the fun of it. One thing about them is they are very intelligent.A place you do not want them is in your vineyard. Just a visit is enough to destroy the whole vineyard.The good thing is you can decide not allow them and put measures in place.
In our lives too there are little foxes that spoil the vineyard the Most High has prepared for us.They are character defects or bad habits we permit.No matter how small  they may be,  they are able to destroy us if we do not do something about them. They are like untreated wounds that begins to fester if not treated . For Moses it was anger ,the display of anger that robbed him of the promised land in Numbers 20:8-12 started in Exodus 2:22 when he killed an Egyptian. Judas Iscariot started with stealing from the money bag ,John 12:6 and before you know it he sold Jesus his mentor and father in the Lord in Matthew 26:14-16 . By the time he realized his error it was too late so he committed suicide.
For Samson it was indiscipline ,he started with disobeying God on a small scale(judges 14:8-10)  and he graduated to sleeping with prostitutes(Judges 16:1), in the end both of his eyes were plucked out(Judges 16:21). In the case of David, it was women ,Abigail was still grieving her husband when David forced her into marriage(1 Samuel 24:1-44) this lust for women grew to the extent David finally killed a soldier to take his wife(2 Samuel 11:5-27) and that almost cost him his kingdom. His son Solomon inherited this habit from him.
Many of the bad habits we have today started very little, habits like pedophilia, masturbation, fornication started from watching pornography tapes, looking at naked pictures and all.Most of the people who lack integrity today started with telling little white lies. There is a poem i will like to share with you.
Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become your character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.
Lets do something about those little bad habits before they destroy us.Lack of integrity and coming late to church finally destroyed Ananias and Saphira in Acts 5:1-11.
PRAYER POINT: Father in heaven, anything that could cost me Your plans for my life please take it away today.

The faithful God

Numbers 23:19- God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?

God is faithful and His faithfulness can be found in His commitment to His word.One thing the Lord does not play with is His name. The fourth commandment   says You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain , for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain - Exodus 20:7.This shows how much God takes His holy name but for Him to exalt His word above His name according to Psalm 138:2 , that should tell you He will do anything to keep His word. The bible says in Matthew 24:35 that Heaven and Earth will pass away but the word of the Lord will not pass away.

Why is God faithful? because He is not a man.Man is limited in a lot of ways,man changes,man depends on situations ,circumstances and other men, man lies. According to John 4:24, God is a spirit not man. He is unlimited in every way, Luke 1:37 says with Him nothing shall be impossible.Also He is unchangeable ,Malachi 3:6. He depends on nothing, Psalm 62:11 says all power belongs to God. Psalm 33:9 says He spoke and it is done , He commanded and it stood still.

As children of God we are expected to be faithful to our words and promises.Ephesians 5:1 says Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children.

ACTION POINT: Be faithful to your words and keep all your promises.

I Do

Malachi 2:16 says For the LORD, the God of Israel, says that he hates putting away: For one covers violence with his garment, says the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that you deal not treacherously.

I have always wondered why people are quick to say “1 do” when exchanging marriage vows.Many say it without the understanding of the word I DO.According to Ephesians 5:25 when a man says “i do” what it means I will  love you with everything i got and if need be i will die for you . I DO also means regardless of your past , i take you as  part of me , no matter what you do i will forgive and forget because Jesus Christ forgave the church and He is still forgiving the church when they make mistake.

According to Ephesians 5:24 , when a woman says “I do ” , what it means is as from today my submission to you(husband) will be total whether it is convenient or not. You will be my head just like Christ is the head of the Church. The most important part of the body is the head and without the head the body is dead.As highlighted in Ephesians 5:23 , Christ is the head of the church. We are the church. The most important thing to us to day should be Christ not our business or education.Our submission to Him should be total whether it is convenient or not.

PRAYER POINT: Father ,Let my submission to you be total today.

TRUST IN THE LORD

Proverbs 3:5 says Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding.

We have seen people who trust in their ability or looks to bring them a particular results. Others have their trusts in material possession, some have put their trust in some rich uncle or well to do family member.
It is only when we appreciate the real meaning of trust , then only we will come to the conclusion that trusting in anything aside God is foolishness.The dictionary defines trust as reliance on the

integrity,strength,ability,surety of a person or thing.How can one rely on the strength of a fellow man when the bible says in Isaiah 40:30 that human strength diminishes?How can a man put his trust in anything on this earth when Luke 21:33 says Heaven and earth will pass away?

Trusting in anything other than God will bring disappointment. Isaiah 31:1 says Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and rely on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD! According to Isaiah 30:7 any other help aside the help from God is utterly useless.A trust in anything aside God will bring fear and shame , Isaiah 20:5.

The only One you trust is God.Psalm 32:10 says the trust in the Lord brings mercy. Psalm37:5 says commit your way to the Lord , trust also in Him and He shall bring it to pass. Those who trust in the Lord or His words will not be put to shame. Psalm 34:5 says they look to Him and they were radiant and their faces were never ashamed.

Do you know that those who trust in God , trust in His timing and do not mind waiting on Him?

PRAYER POINT: Father ,let my trust in you be total

Day of Reckoning

Revelations 22:12 - And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

Long before Jesus was born , it was prophesied that He will return .Isaiah 62:11 says The LORD has made proclamation to the ends of the earth: “Say to the Daughter of Zion, ‘See, your Savior comes! See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.‘“Whether we believe it or not He is coming back.
When He returns everyone of us has to settle our accounts with Him.Just like it happened in Matthew 25:14-30, where the three servants had to give accounts , we will also give accounts.What are we going to account about? According to Matthew 12:36 every idle words that we speak .This is does not exempt anyone even born again Christians!

Also our works,Revelations 20:30 says the sea gave up the dead who were in it,and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them, and they were judged ,each one according to his works.1 Corinthians 3:13 says each one’s work will become clear;for the Day will declare it,because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is.Are you gathering with Jesus ? if you are not gathering with Jesus by evangelizing then you are scattering .Luke 11:23 says those who do  not gather with Me scatters.

Another thing we will give an account for is how we spent our time on earth,the nobleman in Luke 19:12-25 told his slaves occupy till i come or do business till i come which means busy yourselves with business until i return.We will not only give an account of how we spent our time but how we managed the resources He gave to us.

How are we preparing for that day?On earth , when a student fails there is an opportunity to repeat the class. When a project is submitted and it is not of the required quality there is a chance to redo such project in the day of reckoning there will be no second chance.That day there will be no Oops! or am sorry , ignorance is not an excuse,no excuse will be accepted. No panel to review the decision , all decisions made by God is final no appeal !

How prepared are you for that day ? will your works survive the test of fire? the resources He has given to you have you done business with it? resources like your strength maybe to help in church work , mouth to witness, money to support the missionaries,kingdom projects and the poor ? If you have not giving your life to Christ or if you have before and have backslidded why not come back to Christ.

ACTION POINT: Review your walk with Christ and begin to work on areas that you know that you are lacking.

YOU SHALL HAVE WHAT YOU CONFESS

Numbers 14:28 “say to them,’As I live,’ says the Lord,’just as you have spoken in My hearing,so i will do to you:
Words are very powerful ,Proverbs 18:21 says life and death are in the power of the tongue. Our words can either bring us goodies for example proverbs 13:2 says From the fruit of his lips a man enjoys good things; it can also the the opposite ,Proverbs 18:6 says A fool’s lips enter into contention, and his mouth calls for blows.
Jonathan told his armor-bearer that  nothing refrains the Lord from saving by many or by few- 1 Samuel 14:6. By the hands of these two ,the Lord caused the host of the Philistine to flee. The bible records in 1 Samuel 14:15 that there was trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. The garrison and the raiders trembled;and the earth quaked so that it was a great trembling.
Before the Israelites was the Red Sea behind them was Pharaoh and his host , the children of Israel began to panic. Moses said to them ,”do not be afraid but stand still and see the salvation  of the Lord,which He will accomplish for you today for the Egyptians whom you see today , you shall see again no more forever  .The Lord will fight for you , and you shall hold your peace”- Exodus 14:13-14.That day the Lord fought for them and they held their peace.
When Isaac asked his Daddy (Abraham ) where the lamb of sacrifice was Genesis 22:1-13, the old man replied God will provide. Brethren God did provide.
What are we confessing today ?are they positive things or negative things? There are some people called themselves realist or so , they claim to say things as they are . Well 2 Corinthians 5:7 says we walk by faith not by sight.Joel 3:10 says Let the weak say i am strong.
ACTION POINT: As from today , make it a point of duty every morning to prophesy good things into your life, family, your work , your church and your country.