JESUS IS LORD

Romans 10:9 - That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Lord is a differential appellation for a deity or person who has authority, control or power over others. When we say Jesus is Lord, what we are saying is that He has authority, control and power over everything. By authority we mean influence or command. According to Matthew 28:18, all authority in heaven and on earth is His. He has authority over non living things, He told a storm 'be still' and it stood still, Mark 4:36-41. He has authority over all living things, which is why at the mention of His name all knees bow, Philippians 2:10. He has or is in control. He has control over all the demons and witches in the world. That is why He Is called the Lord of Host. He presides over the entire host in heaven ,earth and hell, which is why He was able to tell the legion demons who had possessed the man in Gadara to leave and they left without grumbling, Mark 5:1-20. Lastly Jesus has power. Psalm 33:8-9 says let all the earth fear the Lord, let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him, for He spoke and it was done; He commanded and it stood fast. According to Isaiah 13:13 , He is able to shake the heavens and the earth will move out of its place .Nahum 1:4 says mountain quake before Him, the hills melt, and earth heaves at His presence. Because He has power, He is able to bring back to life a corpse that began to decay, John 11:33-45.Every time you say “Jesus is Lord”, what you are doing is you are putting everything that pertains to you under His authority, control and power. By admitting Jesus Lord, what you are doing is you are submitting your challenges and everything bothering you at His feet. The challenges are no longer yours; He is free to do whatever He pleases with them.

A Lord is also someone to be obeyed. When a Lord speaks over an issue, you do not have opinions, you do not question it, all you do is just obey. When it comes to judgment, the Lord can overrule a verdict or a ruling out of mercy. The woman caught in adultery was guilty no questions about it but Jesus out of mercy overruled the verdict to stone her to death. When He said go into the world and preach, it is not negotiable. Whether you like or not you have to do just that because the Lord has spoken. When He says forgive, that is final. So before you put your challenges before Him as the Lord, you must be ready to carry out all His instructions. When He says ‘jump’, you do not ask why? What you say is ‘how high Lord’. When He says ‘go into the world and preach’, your response will be ‘yes Lord’ and off you go. As you carry out His instructions, you will see that He will begin to exercise His authority, control and power over all the issues of your life.

PRAYER POINT: Father, I am ready to carry out your instructions, please exercise Your authority, control and power over the challenges of my life.

ATTRACTED BY CHARACTER

Psalm 147:10 – He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man.

Heraclitus once said “Character is destiny”. There is a difference between morals and characters. It is possible to have good morals but bad character. There a lot of people with good moral upbringing, they will never tell a lie or steal but they lack integrity or you cannot trust them with secrets. There are people in the churches today who will never smoke or commit adultery but when it comes to keeping their promises or vow they need help. There are people who will never rob God in tithes and offerings but will talk behind their pastor’s back or gossip about fellow Christians. Although they have good morals yet they lack good character . Saul for example had good morals. There was no record of Saul stealing someone’s donkey or committing adultery but he lacked good character. Two hundred and thirty thousand men volunteered to go to war with him (1 Samuel 10:5-9 ), after winning the war he kept only two thousand and sent the rest ( two hundred and twenty-eight thousand men) back home with nothing (1 Samuel 13:1-2). This is bad character. Another example is Uzziah in 2 Chronicles 26:1-2. He had good moral upbringing, never cheated anyone, the bible recorded nothing bad about his morals but he lacked character. He had no regard for common men or the prophets. When he became very powerful he began bully prophets in the temple. At the end Saul was demoted and Uzziah became a leper.

One criteria God uses in selecting people for important assignments or blessing is good character. Psalm 147:10 says He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man. That is why at times we wonder why God will pick a person like David to be a man after His heart or Rahab to be the great great grandmother of David or Abraham to be His friend or Paul to write more than half of the New Testament. We all know David needed help in the area of morals. In 2 Samuel 11:1-17 we see David committing adultery with Bathsheba and then killing her husband to marry her. Although David struggled with his morals, he had excellent character. He was very humble and full of integrity. Psalm 78:72 says he shepherd Israel with the integrity of his heart. In 2 Samuel 22:2, Vagabonds and world rejects gathered around David and he made them mighty men that shook the world. This is good character. In Joshua 2:1-17 is the story of Rahab the prostitute from Jericho, morally she needed help but she had good character. She never stole from the spies; she kept her promise to protect them. Through her God delivered Jericho into the hands of the Israelites. She later became the great great grandmother of David. Jesus came from the lineage of David! Today many Christians struggle as a result of bad characters. There are many beautiful sisters and well to do brothers who are yet to find their life partners all because of their character. Good character brings favor; it opens door; and takes you the top. To keep the door open or keep you at the top you need good morals. Good character took David to the top but bad morals almost destroyed him. Good character took Rahab to the top but she worked on her morals and became a responsible wife.

KEY WORD: Good moral without good character leads to frustration. Good character without good moral leads to shame. Good character will definitely open doors but good moral is needed to keep the doors open.

JESUS SAVES

Acts 4:12 neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Jesus saved, Jesus saves and Jesus will continue to save. In Matthew 5:21-34 is a popular story of the woman with the issue of blood. She had been sick for twelve years. She started life as a rich woman but as years passed she spent all her money trying to get a cure for her sickness. The sickness stole her joy, peace and strength. According to the Law of Moses, a woman with the issue of blood is to be set apart, Leviticus 15:19-29. Anything she touches is rendered unclean, anywhere she sits is unclean! If this woman in Matthew was married before this sickness started, she will not be able to go near her household or be able to fulfill her duties as a wife to her husband. If she was single, she would have to remain single for life unless if she is cured. In any way you look at it, for the period of twelve years she was set apart and I do not need to tell you she was lonely. Loneliness for a month is unbearable not to talk of been lonely for twelve years. To make matters worse, it was her responsibility to inform everyone around of her sickness. Failure to inform them could incur death penalty, so she had to warn them so as not make them unclean. This meant she had to personally go from house to house to tell them of her secrets – her sickness. Not only that, she would have to inform visitors and strangers too. If she was visiting an area, she would need to inform them of her sickness. She went through all these for twelve years. I bet she must have considered suicide but one day she heard that the savior was in town. She made up her mind to receive salvation; she touched the hem of the garment of Jesus and was saved. Jesus took away her shame and gave her glory. He took away her sickness and gave her health. He took away death and gave her life. This woman had no future. What kind of future will a woman in that condition envisage? She was not only stagnant but regressing in life. Jesus saved her and gave her a future. He put a smile on her face and took away the source of her loneliness. What a good Jesus! He is interested in your case just like He was in the case of the woman with the issue of blood. The woman tried Jesus with her faith and she found Him to be the savior.

In John 8:1-11 is another popular story of a woman caught in adultery. The Pharisee brought only her to Jesus to pass judgment and left the man. There was no need for them to bring this woman to Jesus because according to the Law of Moses she was guilty and the penalty is death by stoning. The opinion poll said she should be stoned to death. Mercy was the last thing they thought of because they had already condemned her. By the time they brought this woman to Jesus, she was few minutes from a horrible death. What did Jesus do? He saved her. I bet the woman herself must have been shocked by the judgment of Jesus. The woman who was few minutes to death received life. They dragged her to Jesus, spat on her, and beat her. They exposed her sins to Jesus but He simply covered up. Indeed Jesus saves. What are you going through today that looks like the end of the world? Jesus saves. He is right besides you .He wants to save you. He said “I have come that they may life and have it in abundance”, John 10:10. He did not come to give you eternal life alone, He came to restore life to that dead situation.

ACTION POINT: Do not miss the opportunity to be saved, take all those issues and run to Him and He will save you.

MY GLORY AND THE LIFTER UP OF MINE HEAD

Psalm 3:3 -But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.

One of the names of our Lord is King of glory, Psalm 24:7-8. To truly understand the meaning of the word glory, one needs to consider its opposite which is shame. Shame is a very terrible thing. A man that knew shame like the back of his hands was Naaman, 2 Kings 5:1-17. He was a decorated general. He had all the badges a Syrian army could have. He had respect of the king and everyone in Syria. He had everything an average Syrian could dream of. He had the brains, name, connection, fame, and everything you could think of but he was a leper. This leprosy cancelled all his life achievements. Because he was a leper, he had to live in Leper’s colony in the thick forest. He could not come near his family or else he would infect them. He could not stand before the king or anyone. Although he had everything money can buy, he was very lonely .I do not need to tell you that Naaman walked with his heads bowed. One day he came across the agent of the King of glory –Elisha, and his story changed. He was cured of his leprosy and the head which was down was lifted. The man whose residence was leper’s colony in the thick forest began to live in the best part of town. Naaman who was not allowed anywhere in the city began to ride on chariots in the city. Naaman who had not smiled in years suddenly began beam with smiles because his shame had been replaced with glory.

Colossians 1:27 says Christ in you the hope of glory. Jesus Christ is the king of glory. Once He enters any life, shame vanishes. One He takes residence in a man, His glory will begin to radiate in the man’s endeavors. One thing common with people who have failed at something or suffered defeat is that they walk with their heads bowed. To be defeated means to lose a battle to someone or something more powerful and stronger. No one looses a battle and walks with his head high. Sorrow causes him to walk his head bowed. If someone fails an examination and begins to jump for joy, you know something is wrong somewhere. Shame and sorrow causes a man who has just failed an examination to walk with his heads bowed. The man at the pool of Bethesda was now used to defeat having suffered defeat on thirty –eight occasions, John 5:1-16. Every time the angel of the Lord came to trouble the water, someone faster, stronger, and quicker got to the pool before him. One day the King of glory paid him a visit and without trying he received his healing. To fail simply means to work very hard and have nothing to show for it. Peter tried all night but had nothing to show for it, Luke 5:1-10. While he was washing his nets with his heads bowed, the king of glory visited him and the same river he had cast his net all night , he cast his net once and caught so much that two boats began to sink. It is shame that keeps a man’s head down but once the shame is taken away;God’s glory begins to radiate and the head that is bowed down will automatically go up.This is why you need to give your life to Christ so that the glory of God will radiate in your life.

PRAYER POINT: King of glory let your presence be felt in my life.

 

MERCY WITHDRAWN OR RENEWED

Matthew 5:8 says blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

God is abundant in mercy. It is His mercy that keeps us alive, Lamentations 3:22. We are saved by His mercy. Romans 5:8 says while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. For every sin we commit there is a death penalty (Romans 6:23), but instead of giving us what we deserve which is death by crucifixion God gave Jesus to die for our sins. God’s mercy over a life can either be renewed or withdrawn. Mercy can be withdrawn if abused or not appreciated. In the case of Uzziah the king of Judah, mercy was withdrawn as a result of abuse, 2 Chronicles 26:1-21. God’s mercy took this sixteen year old boy and made him king. He also prospered him but when he was strong pride set in. Uzziah began to bully the prophets of God and mercy was withdrawn immediately and he became a leper. In the case of Saul, mercy was abused. God’s mercy took this farm boy and made him king. He was giving a simple instruction to wait for Samuel but he decided a king should not be kept waiting so he went ahead to do the sacrifice in the absence of Samuel. Through God’s mercy he received pardon .He graduated to a level whereby he began to pick and choose which of God’s instruction to follow. He was instructed to destroy everything in Amalek; he decided to kill some and spare some and mercy was withdrawn. When David erred by taking a man’s wife and devised a scheme that led to the death of the husband, instead of destroying David God renewed His mercy over him. Why?

Matthew 5:8 says blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. The reason why mercy was renewed in the case of David was because David was a merciful man. David had several opportunities to kill Saul but he did not kill him. Out of mercy David gathered vagabonds and those the world had rejected and made them mighty men of valor. When you study the life of Uzziah, there was not even a single act of mercy recorded against his name. Saul on the other hand was wicked and merciless. The first war he fought, three hundred and thirty thousand children of Israel went to war with him, 1 Samuel 11:8. These men left their occupations to join Saul’s army. After winning the war, Saul choose two thousand out of these three hundred and thirty thousand and sent the rest away with nothing, 1 Samuel 13:2 . He had no need for them again so he just dumped them. Any man who will bask in God’s mercy must be ready to show mercy at all times. Anyone who does not forgive or show mercy will suddenly find mercy been withdrawn from him when he errs. If you are the type who does not give second chance or forgive or you are too harsh, please be careful so that God’s mercy will not be withdrawn when you need it most. I think I have shared the story of my traffic warden friend who was stopped by a traffic police for exceeding the speed limit for a particular stretch of road. He explained to this police officer that he exceeded the speed limit because he was late for work. The officer ignored him and began to write a speeding fine .As the officer was about to hand the speeding fine to him, he asked my friend, as a traffic warden do you give second chance( my friend was in his uniform)? And my friend replied that everyone deserves a second chance. The police officer tore the speeding fine and said there you go your second chance.

KEY WORD: The amount of God’s mercy you are entitled to is dependent of the amount of mercy you are willing to show.

WALKING BY FAITH NOT BY SIGHT

2 Corinthians 5:7 – (for we walk by faith; not by sight)

Contrary to popular belief, seeing is not believing. We cannot see ultraviolet rays, but we know it gives sunburn. We cannot see the wind, but we must have seen it uproot a tree or flatten buildings. We cannot see electricity but we know that it is dangerous to hold a live hot wire. We cannot see carbon monoxide but we know it can kill. Hebrews 11:1 says faith is the substance of things hoped for, evidence of thins not seen. Faith is a thing of the heart not of the head. Faith is taking God at His word. It is confidence in God’s words and power to turn a situation around.A man that walked by faith with God was Abraham. Despite the age of Sarah and deadness of his body, when the Lord told him that Sarah was going to conceive he believed God. He did not look at what medical science had to say. He did not dwell on the fact that Sarah had not menstruated in over thirty years; he took God’s word for it and he held on it.

2 Corinthians 5:7 admonishes us to walk by faith; not by sight. Why? According to Hebrews 11:6 without faith it is impossible to please God. Also faith in God is a righteous thing, Galatians 3:6. Another reason why we should not walk by sight is because the things which we see are temporal, but the things which we see not are eternal, 2 Corinthians 4:18. The things we see are challenges and enjoyments. The riches, honors, pleasures, profits e.t.c are temporal and they endure but for a time. So also the pain, sorrow and tears. All that we enjoy, and all that we suffer here are temporal. Every visible thing in this world is temporal but the things which we see not are eternal. God is eternal, the joys and the glories of heaven are eternal. The question today is what are you striving for? Things which are seen or things which are not seen? All your efforts today, are they directed at the things of this world or heaven? Are you currently investing in a property on earth or investing in your heavenly homes and palaces. Whether you believe it or not there are palaces in heaven for everyone winning souls, helping the poor, working for God in one capacity or the other. All your labor of love in your churches are not in vain .For every single thing you do for Jesus, there is a small reward on earth and bigger reward in heaven. Do everything to make it to heaven and not only that put more efforts into whatever you are doing for Jesus today because there is a reward waiting for you. As you labor for the kingdom of God on earth, there are angels building homes for you in heaven.

KEY QUESTION: are you working for the things which are temporal or eternal?

BURNING THE BRIDGES

1 Kings 19:21 – so Elisha turned back from him, and took a yoke oxen and slaughtered them and boiled their flesh, using the oxen’s equipment and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and followed Elijah, and became his servant.

BIBLE STUDY: 1 Kings 19:19-21

Immediately Elisha received the call to serve, he killed his livestock, gave away the farming implements, and followed Elijah the man of God. He burned the bridge between his past and future. Many today who have giving their lives to Christ are yet to burn the bridge between their past and future. After giving our lives to Christ, the first thing we need to do is to destroy anything that ties us to our former life. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says therefore is any man be in Christ, he is a new creation: old things are passed way; behold, all things are become new. As new birth bachelors and spinsters we no longer need to keep birth control pills and contraception. These things are for fornicators not for singles who are born again. We no longer need to keep clothes that expose parts of the body that is meant to be covered so we need to dispose off those clothing. We no longer need the contacts of our old lovers because we now have a new lover which is Christ.

Why did Elisha kill the livestock and give away his farming implements? He that to avoid backsliding. He knew if kept the animals and farming implements, he could be tempted to backslide. Elisha knew that his attention will be divided between his oxen (past) and Elijah (future). Because of this he decided to forego his past for a glorious future ahead. We need to do away with our sinful past so as to avoid destroying our glorious future. The chances of back-sliding are very high when after giving our lives to Christ, we are still in close contact with our ex-lovers; still keep birth control pills and contraception ; still keep friends we used to commit sin with. If they have giving their life to Christ no problem but if they have not we have nothing in common again. After giving my life to Christ, the first thing I did was to dispose off every material that does not glory Christ in my life. I confiscated CDs, novels, DVDs, cards, e.t.c . After that I went to preach to all my lovers both new and old. I politely told of all of them that I am a new creation and I am no longer who I used to be. I preached to my friends but I was still hanging out with them. I noticed that this was affecting my spiritual life so I gave everyone up and stopped calling them. I noticed that immediately I did this, I began to grow spiritually. It is true I lost very close friends but I gained the most valuable friend any man can have which Is Jesus. Why did Jesus ask the rich man to give all he had away and follow Him, Matthew 19:21? So that once he starts following Him, his riches and wealth will not draw him back from serving Jesus. When Jesus called Peter, he did not destroy his boats . Immediately Jesus was crucified, Peter went back to fishing, John 21:1-6.

ACTION POINT: Make a list of what is affecting your walk with Christ and begin to take measures to deal with them.