Thursday 18 October 2012
Saturday 13 October 2012
Treading down our enemies
Psalm 60:12 Through God we will do valiantly, for it is He who shall tread down our enemies.
Without God, one will be a laughing stock or a toy in the hands of the
enemy. The psalmist says in Psalms 124:1-3, if not for God who had been
on our side the enemies would have swallowed us alive. As a matter of
fact unless God intervenes there is nothing anyone can do. There is
nothing any herbalist, doctor /surgeon, prophet, president or political
godfather can do to help us.
There are two categories of
enemies. The ones we aware of their existence and the ones we are
unaware of their existence. Dealing with the enemies we are aware of
their existence is not so difficult, simply take them to God in prayers
and that settles it. Dealing with the enemies we are unaware of their
existence is almost impossible. How can anyone fight an enemy he or she
does not know exist? When we talk of enemies we are unaware of their
existence in our lives, we are not talking of witches and wizards.
Witches and wizards are small, all you need is just the name of Jesus
and they will run. We are talking of enemies within. We are talking of
enemies present inside us. An example of such enemy is pride. Many
suffering from the spirit of pride do not believe they are proud. Some
will even get angry when you suggest it to them. How can such people man
fight the spirit of pride in their life? Proverbs 16:18 says pride goes
before destruction. Many suffering from anger problems do not know they
have the problems. By the time they know they are suffering from anger
problems it will have been too late, sometimes it is when they start
exhibiting the symptoms of hypertension and high blood pressure. Those
in the medical professions have advised that intense and unresolved
anger is linked to health conditions such as high blood pressure,
depression, anxiety and heart disease. So also is the fellow who
laziness is destroying his life. Proverbs 10:4 says lazy hands make a
man poor. To a lazy fellow he is just resting or chilling, unknown to
him he has been idle for hours whereas his colleagues are busy achieving
things. The one suffering from loose tongues do not know he or she has
that problems. The fellow would have divulged all their life secrets and
plans to vision killers without knowing it. Most people with acidic
tongue will tell you they only say things as they are or they are been
real but unknown to them that careless use of the tongue is dangerous.
According to James 3:6, as small as the tongue is, it is able to take a
man to hell.
How can we fight an enemy we are unaware of its
existence, it is by linking up with God who can see everything and has
the power to deliver us from these enemies. Hebrews 4; 13 says before
God nothing is hidden. We might be unaware of the existence of the
enemies in our life but God is aware of their existence. That was why He
was able to warn Cain of the presence of anger he was unaware of its
existence in his life in Genesis 4:5-6. Cain did not heed to the advice
and his anger brought a curse upon his life.
ACTION POINT:
Father, every enemy within secretly destroying my life and my future
please bring it to my attention and destroy them today.
Friday 12 October 2012
crying to God
James
5:16 says Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another,
that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man
avails much.
There is nothing that moves a parent like the cry
of their children. The same thing applies to God. When we cry to Him,
things definitely happen. One of the reasons why the children of Israel
stayed so long in Egypt was because they were quiet. Immediately they
cried to God, He moved. This shows there is a disadvantage in been quiet
because one might suffer unnecessarily. If ten people lined up to seek
for help or to see the doctor , the one who cries most is likely to be
attended to first. There are many of us who still think suffering is
God’s way of testing us. There are many who still believe it is ok to
suffer. It is ok to endure temptation actually James 1:12 says blessed
is the man who endures temptation but the next verse which is James 1:13
says God does not tempt His children with evil actually God does not
tempt anyone. Many still believe that been sick is good. Many still
believe they need to be poor to get to heaven. Sickness is not God’s
plan for your life, 1 Peter 2:24 says by His stripes we have been
healed. Poverty is not a criterion to go to heaven, Salvation and living
a life of holiness takes a man to heaven not bank balances.
Why do we have to cry to God in prayers? Crying gets the attention of
God and makes Him to remember His promises – Exodus 2:23-24. From
studying Exodus 3:7-22, one will come to the conclusion that crying
causes God to pay us a visit
, causes God to make up His mind
to help us, causes Him to be an enemy to our enemy, causes Him to send
us help, causes Him to bring us in favor with our enemies, causes Him to
be with our helpers so that they will not fail in their attempt to help
us and many more. Crying to God causes Him to arise on our behalf and
we know from reading Psalms 68:1 that when God arises, all His enemies
are scattered. When we cry to God in prayers, we should not do it like a
gentleman or a lady. Our prayers should be hot and aggressive. James
5:16 says the effective fervent prayers of the righteous avails much.
Matthew 11:12 says and from the days of John the Baptist until now the
kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.
The prayer that causes one to sweat is not a gentleman’s prayer, talk
less of sweat becoming like drops of blood. If Jesus who was the son of
God, prayed fervently until His sweat became like drops of blood what is
our excuse not to pray that way today. Before we go to God in prayers,
let’s make sure our standing with God is good. Psalm 66:18 says if I
regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.
ACTION POINT: Cry to God today over that issue and I can assure you He will send help.
There is nothing that moves a parent like the cry of their children. The same thing applies to God. When we cry to Him, things definitely happen. One of the reasons why the children of Israel stayed so long in Egypt was because they were quiet. Immediately they cried to God, He moved. This shows there is a disadvantage in been quiet because one might suffer unnecessarily. If ten people lined up to seek for help or to see the doctor , the one who cries most is likely to be attended to first. There are many of us who still think suffering is God’s way of testing us. There are many who still believe it is ok to suffer. It is ok to endure temptation actually James 1:12 says blessed is the man who endures temptation but the next verse which is James 1:13 says God does not tempt His children with evil actually God does not tempt anyone. Many still believe that been sick is good. Many still believe they need to be poor to get to heaven. Sickness is not God’s plan for your life, 1 Peter 2:24 says by His stripes we have been healed. Poverty is not a criterion to go to heaven, Salvation and living a life of holiness takes a man to heaven not bank balances.
Why do we have to cry to God in prayers? Crying gets the attention of God and makes Him to remember His promises – Exodus 2:23-24. From studying Exodus 3:7-22, one will come to the conclusion that crying causes God to pay us a visit
, causes God to make up His mind to help us, causes Him to be an enemy to our enemy, causes Him to send us help, causes Him to bring us in favor with our enemies, causes Him to be with our helpers so that they will not fail in their attempt to help us and many more. Crying to God causes Him to arise on our behalf and we know from reading Psalms 68:1 that when God arises, all His enemies are scattered. When we cry to God in prayers, we should not do it like a gentleman or a lady. Our prayers should be hot and aggressive. James 5:16 says the effective fervent prayers of the righteous avails much. Matthew 11:12 says and from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. The prayer that causes one to sweat is not a gentleman’s prayer, talk less of sweat becoming like drops of blood. If Jesus who was the son of God, prayed fervently until His sweat became like drops of blood what is our excuse not to pray that way today. Before we go to God in prayers, let’s make sure our standing with God is good. Psalm 66:18 says if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.
ACTION POINT: Cry to God today over that issue and I can assure you He will send help.
Thursday 11 October 2012
Not ready
2 Timothy 4:5 -But you watch in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fully carry out your ministry.
I have always loved the Boys Scout Motto which says “be prepared”. The
cost of been un-prepared or not ready is very high because costly
mistake is inevitable. Been unprepared can deny one of everlasting joy.
If you do not believe me please ask the five foolish virgins in Matthew
25:1-13. The opportunity they had waited all their life came and because
they were unprepared i.e. failed to bring extra oil for their lamps in
case the bridegroom delayed they lost the opportunity of a lifetime. I
pray that the lack of adequate preparation will not deny us of the
opportunity we have been waiting for in Jesus name, Amen.
Been
ready implies preparing oneself to receive the blessings of God. By
preparation we mean working on oneself, shedding the weights of bad
habits or character defects in our life. Hebrews 12:1 says therefore we
also, since we are surrounded by so great cloud of witnesses, let us lay
aside every weight, and the sin which easily ensnares us, and let us
run with endurance the race that is set before us. From studying the
life of Gehazi you will notice although he desired to take the mantle of
Elisha that will fall later, he was not ready. Why? Because he failed
to take care of the character defects in his life and he had so many.
One of them was love for worldly materials another one was his uncaring
and unloving nature. In 2 kings 4:27 a woman whose only son had just
died held on to the feet of Elisha to please help her, what did Gehazi
do? He started pushing her away, the fact that the woman had just lost
her only son did not bother him. God will never use such cold people or
people who don’t show sympathy at all .Anyone in ministry must be extra
caring and loving. The reason why God has not released the blessings of
some is not because they do not desire it; it is because they are not
ready yet. There are one or two things they need to deal with first and
most of the time they are character defects or little sins. Anyone
praying for promotion or expansion and his not ready to put extra effort
or work harder is not ready . A man that is stingy, lazy, can’t take
decisions or not responsible is not ready for marriage. He can desire it
and pray all night but he is not ready. So also is a woman who is not
submissive, lazy, and impatient or gets angrily easily. Such woman will
spend the rest of the marriage fighting with the in-laws. A fellow still
suffering from pride or anger or believes tribalism is not ready to be a
leader. Anointing in the hands of a fellow who cannot forgive or gets
angry easily is disaster. Anointing in the hands of such a man or woman
is like giving a rocket launcher or sub-machine gun to a fourteen year
old. Many of us talk of heaven and want to go to heaven but we are not
ready, how many can beat their chest that if they stand before the
throne of God this minute God will not find any fault in them? 1 Peter
1:13 says Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope
to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the
revelation of Jesus Christ;
PRAYER POINT; Father , help me to lay aside every weights and little s
Monday 8 October 2012
Profit in all Labour
Proverbs 14:23: In all labor there is profit, but idle chatter leads only to poverty
Asides pride and lukewarmness, one thing God does not condone is laziness. The scriptures says that if anyone will not work; neither shall he eat - 2 Thessalonians 3:10. In 1 Thessalonians 4:11 , Paul admonished the Thessalonians to work with their hands. Proverbs 10:4 says the only thing lazy hands bring is poverty. There are many of God’s children who are yet to fulfill God’s plans for their lives because of laziness. God has opened doors for so many but through laziness they have not been able to take advantage of these open doors. Many have lost their destinies because of procrastination, something they should have done today they postponed it to a further date by the time the date comes they further postponed it and before you know it is too late. A man who took advantage of his open door was Jeroboam in 1 Kings 11:28. He was just an ordinary laborer in the king’s court but he worked so hard that Solomon noticed and promoted him. Jeroboam’s hard work so much impressed God that He made him king over Israel in 1 Kings 14:7. Hard work can turn common a laborer to a king. There were princes in Israel at that time but Jeroboam became the king. Hard work gives you things that belong to the kings. There are many of us who God has opened doors of employment to or for. Through hard work God can make us the CEO of the organization we are working for. There are many business owners who God is ready to bless to the extent that they will lend to nations; all these are functions of hard work.
Proverbs 14:23 says in all labor there is profit. Hard work brings result but the result varies with field. 1 Timothy 4:8 says for bodily exercise profit a little; but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. If there is anything to labor in, it is in the things of God. If we can work hard for God, we will see great results in every other areas of our life. Matthew 6:33 says seek first the kingdom and His righteousness and other all these will be given to you as well.
ACTION POINT: If you are not in any group in your church please join one, if you are in one already you can join another or strive to be the best in your current group remember been the best in anything requires putting more efforts than others.
Gold in the mouth of fish
Proverbs 13:2 – A man shall eat well by the fruit of
his mouth, but the soul of the unfaithful feeds on violence.
In Matthew 17:24-27 Jesus was asked to pay temple
tax so He told Peter to go the sea, cast in a hook, and take the first the fish
that comes up . There are several lessons from this passage. Firstly, through
Jesus our needs are met. Ephesians 3:20 says He is able to do exceedingly
abundantly above all that we ask or think. Secondly, With Him nothing is
impossible. Luke 1:37 says for with God noting will be impossible. Jeremiah
32:27 says I am the God of all flesh, is there anything too hard for me?
Thirdly God is all-knowing. He knows the location of our breakthrough; He knows
what you need to do to breakthrough in your endeavor. Hebrews 4:13 says nothing
is hidden before God but all things are naked and open to His sight.
Deuteronomy 26:6 says before Him, Death is naked and destruction has no
coverings. Jesus has the key to every information in the world. Fourthly, God’s
word is settled. Once God speaks nothing on earth can change it. Psalms 33:9
says He spoke and it was done, He commanded, and it stood fast. If there is
anything He has promised you, I can assure you that He will bring it to pass.
He told Peter inside the first fish is money and so it was when Peter caught
the first fish.
Lastly, present in every fish are resources to meet
our needs. By fish, we mean soul meaning according to Luke 5:10. For every soul
we win for Jesus, heaven releases resources to meet our needs. Proverbs 13:2
says a man shall eat well by the fruit of his mouth. You want God to take you
to the top, you want Him meet your needs, you want hunger to be a strange word
to you? Use your mouth effectively for Him. Use it to win souls. Proverbs 11:30
says He that wins soul is wise. Proverbs 3:35 says the wise shall inherit glory
or honor. When we combine both scriptures it means He that wins soul will
inherit glory.
ACTION POINT: Use everything within your power to
win souls for Jesus.
Saturday 6 October 2012
The power of thoughts
THE POWER
OF THOUGHT
Proverbs
23:7a – For as he thinks in his heart so is he.
Our
thoughts play a major role in the events of lives. Our thoughts determine our
confession, Luke 6:45 says out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
Our confession decides our destiny. Proverbs 18:21 says life and death are in
the power of the tongue. Numbers 14:28 says “says to them, ‘As I live,’ says
the Lord, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you”. Our
confessions are so important the Lord advises the weak to say they are strong
in Joel 3:10.Our thoughts also determine our action .The elders have a saying,
they say the ancestor to every action is thought. Our actions determine our
rewards both in heaven and on earth. Revelations 22:12 says and, behold, I come
quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work
shall be. Jeremiah 17:10 says I the LORD search the heart, I test the mind,
even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his
doings. Romans 2: 6 say God will render to each man according to his deeds.
Also our thoughts say a lot about us.
According
to Proverbs 23:7, we are our thoughts. Someone might ask how? Others may say
why? Well thoughts precede action and our action defines us. 1 John 3:7 says
little children, let no man deceive you: he that does righteousness is
righteous, even as he is righteous.
The
good news is once our thoughts changes, our life changes also. How can we
change our thoughts? By changing what we feed our minds. The reason why so many
Christians still struggle with sexual sin is because of the dirty jokes or
conversation they engage in, dirty movies they watch, dirty songs they listen
to – songs talking of sex and all that. These are where dirty thoughts emanate
from. According Mark 7:15 the product of our thoughts is able to defile us.
Titus 1:15 says to the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled
and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are
defiled. Feeding our minds with spiritual materials like reading the
bible, Christian literature will do us a lot of good. Romans 10:17 says faith
comes by hearing, hearing by the word of God. Reading success stories and
autobiographies of people who overcame one difficult or other also helps too.
These are good for the mind; success thoughts and positive thoughts emanate
from them. Before feeding our minds with positive and spiritual materials, we
need to purge ourselves of dirty stuff and the purging is done through fasting
and praying.
PRAYER
POINT: Father, purge me off every thought that is destroying me and causing a
gap between you and me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)