Sunday Mornings

Hebrews 2:5-6 ( MSG ) 5.God didn't put angels in charge of this business of salvation that we're dealing with here. 6.It says in Scripture, What is man and woman that you bother with them; why take a second look their way?. Man disobeyed God and fell out of God's original plan. But God, being so mindful, kind and merciful, provided a means of reconciliation for man to reconcile back to Him ; The Salvation Project. "This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life"  John 3:16 The Salvation Project is a planned endeavor by God with the goal of delivering man from sin and eternal damnation; giving man a new life. This process was kick-started by the birth of Jesus. "It's obvious, of course, that he didn't go to all this trouble for angels. It was for people like us, children of Abraham." Hebrews 2:16. Yo

Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “ I Am  Who  I Am .” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘ I Am  has sent me to you.’” Exodus 3:13&14 Sequel to the last episode of our devotional a week ago, Moses was now ready to be encountered by God after that he had come to the wit-end of his abilities. When God wanted to reveal Himself to Moses, He used a rather strange name. Nevertheless, it is custom for God not to be careless in naming ceremonies. Why then would God introduce Himself as I AM? A couple of weeks ago i was viewing a program on TBN and in their interludes, they kept repeating this advertisement or would i say, message: "I AM, therefore you are! That message struck me in my spirit. I began to understand why the name answered Moses' question of who God is. "Those who know

But Moses said to God, "who am I that I should go to Pharoah and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" Exodus 3:11 Sometimes we forget that the Moses in this chapter of Exodus is the same Moses in the chapter 2 of Exodus. What could have happened to Moses who felt that he could save the Israelites [all by his strength and influence]? At this point God had frustrated Moses as if to squeeze every pride and esteem he had for himself and his ambition. At this point, he had lost his youth, he had lost his position of influence in the palace, he had lost his ground amongst the Israelites, there was no possible way that saving the Israelites could be possible as far as Moses was concerned, yet this was the right time that God could move through Moses. Before now, the deliverance songs and praise would have been given to Moses, but God, in His jealous nature, wanting all the glory to belong to Him, saw it pleasing to make Moses pass through many discomfort and failures until h

James 5:13 KJV Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. God has not asked us to seek his face in vain. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. James 5:16 KJV Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Through Biblical history, we have seen the power of prayer. Examples may include; Daniel . When all the wise men of Babylon including Daniel, Meshach, Shadrach and Abednego were enlisted for execution because they couldn't know and interpret the King's dream, Daniel prayed instead. Daniel 2:17-18 (MSG) Daniel then went home and told his companions Hananiah , Mishael , and Azariah what was going on. He asked them to pray to the God of heaven for mercy in solving this mystery so that the four of them wouldn’t be killed along with the whole company of Babylonian wise men. Hannah Hannah who was barren for years decided

I call to you, LORD; help me now! Listen to me when i call to you. Receive my prayer as incense, my uplifted hands as an evening sacrifice. (Psalms 141:1-2) The picture painted in this Psalm is that of a refugee that needs sincere and urgent help. the psalmist needed the help of God urgently [ i call to you, LORD, help me now! ]. Again our attention should be drawn to the descriptions and comparisons that the psalmist made with his prayer and lifting of hands. For a couple of weeks i have been researching to find out the meaning and significance of the evening sacrifice. It can also be referred to as [corporate] night devotion. The Israelites saw this as a moment to gather in one accord and worship God. The psalmist for one reason or the other could not attend the evening sacrifice, but did not see that as a barrier to worshiping God. He as well wanted his prayer to rise to heaven as a sweet smelling savor, holy and acceptable. Today many Christians have idolised the church an

Job 1:10 KJV Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. The Hedge of Protection As God's children, we have a hedge around us that keeps us safe from the evil intentions of the devil. The devil continually censors us, looking for who to devour; but the Hedge placed around us has made us invincible. Breaking the Hedge The devil has no power whatsoever to break the Hedge around us. When man commits sin, the Hedge gets broken; rendering man vulnerable to affliction from the devil. God may also remove the Hedge as seen in the case of Job ( where he was tried). In such a situation, we have to stand strong and pass the test. Summarily, the devil has no power to get over the Hedge placed around us. He has no power to afflict us; except we allow him by committing sin. But God could also remove the Hedge in a bid to test us; although, in all t

Nathanael said, "Where did you get that idea? You don't know me." Jesus answered, "One day, long before Philip called you here, I saw you under the fig tree." John 1:48 (MSG) It is very absurd to think that the time to build up your faith is when the call of the LORD for a specific task comes. Even though God qualifies those whom he calls, scriptures also point out the necessity of deliberate personal preparation as a prerequisite for being a vessel he will use. 2 Timothy 2:21 KJV If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work. God still keeps his standards as a Holy God. So only holy man can be His vessels of honour. When God chose David to be king over Israel, it was because while he was in the bush taming his father’s flock and chasing away beasts that came to attack, God was watching and marking out someone that would be a vital tool to His

The boy Samuel was serving God under Eli’s direction. This was at a time when the revelation of God was rarely heard or seen. (I Sam 3:1, MSG) Two things that the LORD wants to point our attention to this week through this devotional; these are the intrinsic characteristics of a generation or community or individuals that are living under a closed heaven: …serving God under Eli’s direction: a generation that does not have direct contact with heaven will always need some other scheme to link up. From the days of creation, the LORD has always wanted a personal relationship with man. At some point, we could be relaxed and conclude that Eli was playing a discipler’s role to the young lad-Samuel, but I see God coming into the scene to save Samuel’s hunger to serve the LORD and serve Him rightly because Eli could be nearly blind physically, but spiritually, he was blind and deaf and insensitive to the move of God, and this was whom the whole nation of Israel was looking up to; this was wh

1Peter 2 ( MSG ) 1 So clean house! Make a clean sweep of malice and pretense, envy and hurtful talk. 2 Now, like infants at the breast, drink deep of God's pure kindness. Then you'll grow up mature and whole in God. 3 You've had a taste of God. 4 Welcome to the living Stone, the source of life. The workmen took one look and threw it out; God set it in the place of honor. 5 Present yourselves as building stones for the construction of a sanctuary vibrant with life, in which you'll serve as holy priests offering Christ-approved lives up to God. 6 The Scriptures provide precedent: Look! I'm setting a stone in Zion, a cornerstone in the place of honor. Whoever trusts in this stone as a foundation will never have cause to regret it. 7 To you who trust him, he's a Stone to be proud of, but to those who refuse to trust him, The stone the workmen threw out is now the chief foundation stone. 8 For the untrusting it's . . . a stone to trip over, a boulder bl

But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. Matt 5:34-36 Everybody likes a good name. We can go at any length to gain reputation, even if it is at the expense of integrity. Many times, we say something and do another because we do not want to step on toes. Because of the atmosphere of falsehood, we need to swear an oath in order to be taken for our words. From today's edition, we can see that God does not ever want us to be in a position where we have to swear in order to be taken seriously. If we are saying something, we should mean it without mixing words. Every idle word will be brought to judgement  (Matt 12:36). God is known for His faithfulness because he does not go back on His words. Psalms 138:2b says that God honours His words a

Genesis 39:9 KJV There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God? Last week, we looked at Lot's wife; she served as an example to warn us from desiring the pleasures of the world. Today we shall be looking at an example that teaches us about the Fear of God. Having reference for God will deter one from committing sin. Genesis 39:4 KJV And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand. Genesis 39:7 KJV And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me. Joseph was the head of Potiphar's house. So if he had yielded to Potiphar wife's temptation, no one could possible had known. But Joseph was rooted in God; he feared God and wouldn't do such an evil thing. Joseph resisted

Remember Lot’s wife! Luke 17:32 When I come across such scriptures as this, my mind becomes heavy with a lot of questions. Jesus was talking about the coming of the Son of Man in this chapter of the scripture, and suddenly, he laid emphasis on Lot’s wife; someone whose name is not really known, her identity can only be traced to her husband, but in her story lies a lot of lessons to learn from. We trust the LORD to lead us to find the lessons He was intending to teach us from the life of Lot’s wife: But Lot’s wife looked back as she was following along behind him and became a pillar of salt (Gen 19:26). The first thing that I feel the LORD is laying emphasis on this week is to note particularly that Lot and his family were on a journey. They were on a journey to safety; away from destruction. A foundational truth is that the reason why we are in the body of Christ is also for the same reason. We are all on a journey away from destruction. It is because our eyes were opened

John 15:16 KJV Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. The Lord has chosen us and we ought to be rooted in Him; and then recruit others that will serve Him in that manner. Matthew 28:19-20 KJV Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: [20] Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Matthew 9:37-38 KJV Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; [38] Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest. For us to to serve effectively in contributing to the Great Commission and also reaping in the harvest, We ought to have the spirit of God as our ult

2 Kings 4:6 KJV: And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed. ...and the oil stayed; but why? -there was no more vessel. We must learn that out LORD is not a wasteful God. The heavens are only open when God wants to move, and He would only move when there are people waiting to receive from Him. Acts 2:2-3 KJV: And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. Even though there was a sort of rushing wind, the LORD only visited those who were waiting for Him. There were a lot of people in Jerusalem at this time, but the anointing of God’s Spirit was not for careless passers-by. It had a target-empty vessels. Often at times we attend meetings with friends and it seems your friends be

Psalm 143:8 KJV Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee. Couple of years back, at 5:00am the bell ringer jingles the bell till you wake up. Even if you are lost in non- rapid eye movement slow wave sleep, the stroke of cane administered by the house master will wake you up. We just had to stay awake. Most times, we just open the Bible and place our quiet time notes in front of us and sleep off. Also, we could just put our head between our knees on the bed and pretend to be praying; then sleep off. Other times, we genuinely wanted to have an Alone time with God, but yet we sleep off. Even when you doze off, you try to remain sensitive to the environment; such that when you perceive that the house master is coming around for his routine check, you start mumbling words as though you were praying. When ever it was time to check our quiet time notes, we just copy from the

Jeremiah 15:16 KJV Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts. It was some minutes after midnight and I had just completed my assignments. Afterwards, I slept off. Waking up at 6:30am, I stretched for my phone and the first notification read '' class at 7:30". I quickly jumped off my bed and began to prepare. The class lasted till around 12noon. Took a break and had another class at 2pm. At 5pm the class was over. As I got to the hostel I ate and slept. Waking up at 8:30pm, I went to see bae. At 10pm, I had a group discussion. After the discussion I decided to watch an episode of a TV Series; during which I dozed off. And behold it was morning the next day. I never got a chance to meet with God the previous day. Life is very busy for most people. People have to go to work, attend meetings, attend to house needs, go to school, pass exams , travel and several othe

Do not give what is holy to dogs-they will only turn and attack you. Do not throw your pearls in front of pigs-they will only trample them underfoot. Matthew 7:6 ( GNB ) We are all familiar with the famous bible verse: ask, and you shall receive; seek, and you shall find; knock, and the door will be opened to you . The following verse makes it more interesting: for everyone who asks will receive, and anyone who seeks will find, and the door will be opened to those who knock. It paints a picture of an action-reaction relationship between asking and receiving. It appears that the natural reward for asking is receiving. However, even in our few years on earth, and our years as believers in the faith, it doesn’t seem to work as easily as the verse paints it to be. God will be helping us this week to see one of the reasons why this is often times the case. Even before our LORD would talk about asking, in form of preliminary introduction, he clearly stated that dogs do not deserve what i

2 Peter 3:11 (MSG) Since everything here today might well be gone tomorrow, do you see how essential it is to live a holy life? Daily expect the Day of God, eager for its arrival. Without holiness and a life that pleases Jesus, one can never see the Lord. As we await the coming of the Lord, we ought to actively live in purity; only then can we get the license to see Him. Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. Never expect to see him if you live daily pursuing vain things or wallowing in sin. Rather, refrain from every form of sin, grow in grace and set your eyes on His coming. Prayer: Lord help us to live in purity as we await your coming in Jesus Name Amen.

Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. (Matthew 17:4) Our work With God is primarily in two phases: receiving from God and blessing others. When the bible calls us light and salts of the earth, it is bringing to mind that we have a responsibility to affect lives on earth. Receiving from God is like coming down a hill with another hill within sight. The normal thing to do is to gather as much momentum down hill for the next till to climb. There is always something to gain in the presence of God for the hereafter. And as they came down from the mountain,...And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying, Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatic, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water. And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure

Hebrews 12:16-17 (MSG) Watch out for the Esau syndrome: trading away God’s lifelong gift in order to satisfy a short-term appetite. You well know how Esau later regretted that impulsive act  by then it was too late, tears or no tears. A syndrome is a characteristic condition or pattern of behavior that tends to occur under certain circumstances. It's a group of events that mark a particular condition. As God's children we have a sure inheritance. God has given us the GIFT of SALVATION ( a highly placed honour). In return we ought to live within the confines of the terms and conditions of the gift. Read #11:Terms and Conditions Apply. The Esau's Syndrome is a constellation of events that involves; I. Trading away God's life long gift. II. In an attempt to satisfy an immediate need ( immediate cravings of the flesh). III. Regrets come afterwards. We should try not to trade our eternal  inheritance for temporary pleasures. Let's live a life that won't make

So when you give something to a needy person, do not make a big show of it, as the hypocrites do in the houses of worship and on the streets. They do it so that people will praise them. I assure you, they have already been paid in full. But when you help a needy person, do it in such a way that even your closest friend will not know about it. Then it will be a private matter. And your Father, who sees what you do in private, will reward you. Matthew 6:2-4 Last week, we began a study on giving. God was able to show to us that one of the ways to show that we love Him is to give. This week, we trust the LORD to open our eyes much more in the area of giving. So when you give: the introduction of our anchor scripture does not suggest that giving is an option. The word when shows that there will always be a time to give and you are meant to give at such time. To a needy person: the human nature yearns after favors. We are always looking for benefits. We would most likely support the camp

Then shall they also answer him, saying, “Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee”? Then shall he answer them, saying, “Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me”.  Matthew 25:44-45 Indeed many believers would find it a rare privilege to give to the LORD. That is why it is not difficult to raise funds in Christian gatherings. If the man of God can find a way of tuning the hearts of the brethren towards seeing the LORD as the object in need, the turn out will be more than budgeted. Surprisingly at the same time, believers find it difficult to give on a daily basis. He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will he pay him again. Prov 19:17 If we see everyone in need as a representative of God-which is actually how God has designed the earth to be (Deut 15:7-11), then we will forever be givers. Will

“Come!” answered Jesus. So Peter got out of the boat and started walking on the water to Jesus. (Matt 14:29) In our everyday walk with God, He is always squeezing through our lives as if to persistently ask, “Now when do I come into this relationship, this vacation you have planned, or these books you want to read?” He is always pressing this point until we learn to build faith on Him. The invitation of Jesus to “come” is an invitation to leave the levels where you trust your certificates to get you what you want, where your strength is in your qualifications, your beauty, your finances, and come to a place where your feet may fail. He is calling you from your boat of confidence to the oceans deep and wide with waves to and fro. There His grace abounds much more! He will keep the feet of His saints,…for by strength shall no man prevail.(I Sam 2:9) If you are convinced that thus far you have been relying on your strength, you can make the distress call that Peter made to Jesus: Th

"Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet" James 4: 8-10. (MSG) As God's children, we ought to forsake friendship with the world and TOTALLY submit to God. "Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God." 1 Peter 1:18 (MSG) God has been so faithful to us. All we need do is to ensure that we live daily pleasing Him. Living with the consciousness that we owe our lives to Him. "The last and Final Word is this: Fear God, Do what He tells you". Ecclesiastes 12:13 Let's strive daily to ensure that we keep God's commandments, refraining from any for any evil and sin. Action Point : 1 Peter 3: 11 "Shun evil and cultivate Good; run after peace for all you're worth".

The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting: but the substance of a diligent man is precious. Proverbs 12:27 To be slothful means to be inactive. The passage above shows a slothful scenario that should make all ears tingle. This slothful picture that Solomon is pasting is a man that went on a hunt and brought back game. At this point it becomes a little bit confusing because a synonym for being slothful is being lazy. In other words, for someone to stand from his bed, and go into the bush and wait for hours to get a catch; for him to hit a target and drag the game back home should call for celebration and congratulations for the hardwork thus far; yet God says that he is slothful. The very reason why he went hunting has not been met. The game still remains unroasted . How true is this of us today? Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore,... Ephesians 6:13&14

Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, LORD, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask him for.” John 11:21-22 ( GNB ). At first sight it appeared Martha had it all. One would hear her speech and perceive she was well grounded in the faith, but a study of later verses postulates otherwise: “ Your brother will rise to life,” Jesus told her. “I know,” she replied, “that he will rise to life on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me will live even though they die, and all those who live and believe in me will never die. Do you believe this? (23-26) Just some minutes after her speech, Jesus decided to engage her in a conversation that was meant to expose her ignorance. Jesus wanted to teach her something new. But she was not teachable. She thought she knew it all. Even though she said “Yes” in vs. 27, her reaction in vs. 39b showed that she still lacked the depth of the ne

42. Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; 43. for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. Daily, we get convicted of sins and/or habits that we ought to let go of. But we allow the smothering effect of peer pressure or 'what others will think' to suffocate these convictions. What others think doesn't matter at all; God's approval is paramount and essential in our lives. Action Point : We should always be mindful of God approval and seek to Glorify Him in our daily living.

The LORD turned round and looked straight at Peter, and Peter remembered that the LORD had said to him, “Before the cock crows tonight, you will say three times that you do not know me.” Peter went out and wept bitterly. Luke 22:61-62 ( GNB ) . Peter’s denial is one of the most striking incidents in the buildup of Jesus’ journey to the cross. When Jesus was arrested, scriptures recorded of His disciples that they all forsook him and fled (Mark 14:50). But there was this disciple that followed the train till the courtyard of the High Priest. He was so zealous for the LORD even at the hour of His condemnation [at least he was a “glance distance” away from his Master]. Zeal was not enough, especially when its foundation was boasting in the arms of flesh, because there at the courtyard, he was confronted, and he denied his Master three times. This may look like a light issue, but when you study the time interval between each of these denials, you will realize that Peter was having the f

HYMN One is our Master, the blessed Redeemer, Strong is the bond that unites us in Him: Oh, may the love His own Spirit hath kindled Burn with a light that will never grow dim. Brethren in Jesus, let us be faithful, Faithful to Him who is guiding our ways; True in allegiance and loving obedience, Till in His glory hosannas we raise. One is our Master; with gladness we’ll serve Him, “Doing the will” of the Lord “from the heart,” Knowing His strength is made perfect in weakness— All that is needful His grace will impart. One is our Master, the highest and noblest, Yet in His tenderness always “the same”; Be it our honour to follow His banner, Blessing for ever be unto His name. One is our Master; and happy those servants, Watching and ready whene’er He may come; Changed in His image, from “glory to glory,” Joyful reward in His kingdom and home.

But Jesus said, “Judas, is it with a kiss that you betray the Son of Man?” Luke 22:48 ( GNB ) This was the first time Judas was coming in contact with Jesus after betraying him. The way this meeting was going to end was more tragic than the whole betrayal. As he was leaning over to Jesus, I could quietly perceive the LORD expecting a whisper in his ear from Judas saying “master, forgive me! I have sinned.” But alas, it was a kiss that Judas gave his master. You can perceive how disappointed Jesus was, from the tone of our key verse. Jesus was so surprised, he asked the stern question to Judas “is it with a kiss that you betray the Son of Man?” I can hear the Spirit of God quietly asking us the same question today. After betraying God for worldly fame, and glory, were you apologetic, remorseful or repentant? Or you just went right back to the congregation of the brethren to lift “holy hands”? This is hypocrisy! Scriptures make us understand that Judas actually thought his betrayal of

Hebrews 2:5-6 ( MSG ) 5.God didn't put angels in charge of this business of salvation that we're dealing with here. 6.It says in Scripture, What is man and woman that you bother with them; why take a second look their way?. Man disobeyed God and fell out of God's original plan. But God, being so mindful, kind and merciful, provided a means of reconciliation for man to reconcile back to Him ; The Salvation Project. "This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life"  John 3:16 The Salvation Project is a planned endeavor by God with the goal of delivering man from sin and eternal damnation; giving man a new life. This was accomplished by the death of Christ Jesus. "It's obvious, of course, that he didn't go to all this trouble for angels. It was for people like us, children of Abraham." Hebrews 2:16. You

Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive be delivered? (Isaiah 49:24) It is one thing to be a prey, it is another for your predator to be mighty. Every prey always quietly prays that he be delivered, but when in the hands of a might, that hope vanishes. In like manner some captivities as abduction and kidnapping are unlawful, so you have hope of the state and federation backing you up for your release; but when your captivity is lawful, such hope vanishes. Today’s scripture brings a vivid scenario of hopeless situations. The answer to the question posed by the passage is for whoever is in this situation to write a will as soon as possible, and prepare to die. No matter how you must have answered the question of that hopeless situation, you need to sit back now and listen attentively for what God has to say: But thus saith the LORD, even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: (Isaiah 49:25a) Hallelujah!!

2 Timothy 4:3-5 (MSG) You’re going to find that there will be times when people will have no stomach for solid teaching, but will fill up on spiritual junk food—catchy opinions that tickle their fancy. They’ll turn their backs on truth and chase mirages. But you— keep your eye on what you’re doing; accept the hard times along with the good; keep the Message alive; do a thorough job as God’s servant. We are urged to refrain from sexual immorality, false teachings, envy, jealousy, hatred, greed and other sinful nature that is contrary to fulfilling the task set before us. We ought to set our eyes on the goal and avoid chasing mirages. We should live Godly lives , keep the message of God alive and be a thorough Christian. Philippians 3:12-14 (MSG) I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of th

And Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour is come that the son of man should be glorified. Verily, verily I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit…” (John 12:23-24). Here we see our LORD illustrating the pathway to glory though the life cycle of a seed. It is one of the wonders of the world how a seed becomes a plant, especially when scientific investigations have shown that when the seed is buried, it actually dies and decays. Yet if it does not die, it will not become a tree, it will remain a seed. The characteristics of a tree are genetically embedded in its seed. Because straight is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. (Matt 7:14) This description once again is illustrating the way to life which everyone naturally wants to partake from, unfortunately, it doesn’t come on a platter of gold, and the easier way which is leading to destructi

Romans 6:6-14 ( MSG ) 6-11 Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life— no longer at sin’s every beck and call! What we believe is this: If we get included in Christ’s sin-conquering death, we also get included in his life-saving resurrection. We know that when Jesus was raised from the dead it was a signal of the end of death-as-the-end. Never again will death have the last word. When Jesus died, he took sin down with him, but alive he brings God down to us. From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to God. That’s what Jesus did. 12-14 That means you must not give sin a vote in the way you conduct your lives. Don’t give it the time of day. Don’t even run little errands that are connected with that old way of life. Throw yourselves wholeheartedly and full-time—rememb

I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Phil 4:19 Scriptures describes us as braches on the True Vine which is Christ. The branches are where the fruits are being displayed. Nevertheless we cannot appreciate the fruitful branch without acknowledging the vine which it is attached to. The moment the branch thinks that it is self-sufficient, and wanders off from the vine… in hours and days away, it becomes firewood material. The world is waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God. We are actually going to be at the stage of affairs, but we must constantly remember that there is a power working in us. If that power is absent, we become mere chaff. One scripture that illustrates this is the story of Sampson and the Philistines: Then she called, “Sampson, the philistines are upon you!” he awoke from his sleep and thought, I’ll go out as before and shake myself free,” BUT HE DID NOT KNOW THAT THE LORD HAD LEFT HIM. Judges 16:20 Sampson thought it was business as usua

Ecclesiastes 12:13 ASV - This is the end of the matter; all hath been heard: fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. It is only those who love God that will have reference for Him and do what he says John 15:14 ASV -Ye are my friends, if ye do the things which I command you. Christ has commanded us to abide in His love and love others around us. But often, we find ourselves violating. Love is not an "all- deliberate" effort but an "all-aided" effort. It is Christ-mediated. You need to have Christ in you for Him to help you abide in His love and to love others. How do we abide in His love?; 1Thessalonians 4:3 ASV - For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye abstain from fornication . Abiding in God's love entails pleasing Him; and pleasing Him entails living a life of purity. How do we love one another? This, sometimes gets so difficult, but when you have Christ as the anchor of your life, the issue is

“…Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld your son, your only son.” Gen 22:12b (NIV) The heart of man is deceitful above all things and beyond cure; who can understand it? This question raised in Jer 17:9 was answered in vs 10, “I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind…” There is always a slim chance of never meaning what we confess (Matt 15:8, Isa 29:13). The heart can be very deceptive. It takes the LORD to deliberately search and examine everything we say and do in order to know for sure if we are what we confess to be (Psa 7:9; 64:6b, I Chro 28:9). Never think that God will not need prove from you that you fear Him. One of the most common way we prove that we are serious with God is when we have come to the point where indeed we have no other gods before Him (Exo 20:3). These gods could come in many forms, especially things that we value and love. For father Abraham, there was a likelihood that Isaac could stand as a god in between Abraham and The Almi

At last he came to his senses and said, “all my father’s hired workers have more than they can eat, and here I am about to starve!” Luke 15:17 ( GNB ) The difference in time between when we were yoked with Christ in discipleship and when we are making a repentant statement is usually long. Within this time lag, there are always several things we get involved in, and be negotiating with, and feeling comfortable with, even though they are actually wrong. Blessed is the man that walketh not in the council of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of the sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. Psalms 1:1 This passage covers a very illustrative view of how the slow fade process takes place. It begins with a walking , and then you find solace, and you consider standing , and with time, you find out that you are already sitting at ungodly positions. Usually by the time that we discover ourselves, we would have squandered all the resources that the Father has bestowed on us. Th

Mary said to the angel, “I am a virgin. How can this be?” Luke 1:34 This week, we see another scenario where the dictates of God mesmerizes the scope of our human imagination. This on its own is a good thing, it is actually the reason why we should have faith. Faith implies depending on God, [because you have seen your handicapped abilities]. Notice the difference in today’s text and the text of last week. While last week was boasting of the impossibility of God’s word coming to pass, this week we see how to handle God’s word. God is always ready to explain to us what we do not understand in His Word (John 16:13), because He knows that Spiritual matters cannot be understood naturally. Let us look at what God wants us to learn from the response given to Mary: And the angel answered and said unto her, the Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee:… Luke 1:35 While you may be looking at your competence, and when you measure it with the expecta

The attendant on whom the king leaned for support said to the Holy Man, “you expect us to believe that? Trapdoors opening in the sky and food tumbling out?” “You will watch it with your own eyes,” he said, “but you will not eat so much as a handful!” II Kings 7:2 (MSG) The Word of God and His Promises have a way of overwhelming our human thoughts. There are times when God speaks to us and the very first question we ask ourselves is “How? This cannot happen”. It was clear from verse1 that the message was coming from God through His prophet. The reason why we doubt is usually because we do not see things the way God sees and ordains things (Isaiah 55:8-9). We must be careful never to limit the ways of God by our imagination. The devil is very strategic in playing his tricks. Take notice of the fact that this disbelief was coming from the attendant on whom the king leaned for support.  He was more or less someone the king trusted. He was a dependable citizen. Anything the king left in

When Jesus heard that, he said, "Then there's only one thing left to do: Sell everything you own and give it away to the poor. You will have riches in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Luke 18:21 (MSG) Every man on earth has an affinity for perfection. They may try to hide it, but if God can use us to show them the way to the Light, the way to the unforced rhythms of grace they will grasp it with open arms. We must open our eyes to see that we carry the one and only thing the world does not have and is looking for. Just like the rich young ruler that came to Jesus, many are looking for satisfaction. They have tried a lot of things, attended several crusades, recited and obeyed the law from birth. In all these activities they didn't get the utmost of it-they did not find Christ, they didn't find rest (Matthew 11:28-29). Today there is still an invitation from heaven. Jesus is calling out “There is only one thing lacking...follow me”. As simple as the call is, many will

Stays alert, be in prayer, so you don't enter the danger zone without even knowing it. Don't be naive. Part of you is eager, ready for anything in God; but another part is as lazy as an old dog sleeping by the fire. Mark 14:38 ( MSG ) Beloved, it is a wonderful thing for us to be in 2016AD. It is a usual custom this season to be found at silent corners trying to recap how 2015 has been and looking forward to strict measures to practice now to make 2016 better. The passage today tells us that Jesus is the only thing we need to take more serious to have a fruitful year ahead. Jesus said, "I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from me ". John 14:6 . Without him, the same cycle will continue on and on no matter your efforts Written by DiDi Happy Sunday Happy 2016.