CREATED FOR GOOD WORKS!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY MARCH 31, 2020.

SUBJECT: CREATED FOR GOOD WORKS!

Memory verse: "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them..” (Ephesians 2 vs 10.)

READ: Ephesians 2 vs 8 - 10:

2:8: For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
2:9: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

2:10: For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

INTIMATION:

We become Christians through God’s unmerited grace, not as the result of any effort, ability, intelligent choice, or act of service on our part. However, out of gratitude for this free gift, we will seek to help and serve others with kindness, love, and gentleness, and not merely to please ourselves. Christians have been created anew in Christ by obedience to the gospel (Romans 6 vs 4 - 5). Since they are recreated in Christ p, they respond with good works of thanksgiving. They have been so created, not by good works, but for good works. The Christian is not saved by works of merit that he or she has devised according to his or her own desires. They are saved for the reason that God might work through them. 

While no action or work we do can help us obtain salvation, God’s intention is that our salvation will result in acts of service. We are not saved merely for our own benefit, but to serve Christ and build up the church. Christians thus work in response to what God has done for them (First Corinthians 15 vs 10). It is their works that manifest their response to the grace of God. While good works cannot save believers, they are true indications of our faith and love for Christ. Their works are not meritorious conditions upon which they will be judged. They are indications of their thankful response to God for His grace. Final judgement will be based on our deeds because our deeds proclaim what sort of heart is within us. 

The Christian owes all that he is to God who gave him a reason for transforming his thinking and life (Romans 12 vs 1 - 2). Through the manifestation of God’s grace, Christians have been driven by faith to conform their lives to the will of God (See Romans 3 vs 31). They do good works in thanksgiving of the grace of God (Second Corinthians 4 vs 15). Credit of the transformed life, therefore, must go to God for His grace that gives reason for hope by focusing our lives on God. We are God’s masterpiece. Our salvation is something only God can do. It is His powerful creative work in us. 

Good works are faithful service, acts of charity, and involvement in civil affairs. They are actions that are above reproach; gracious, godly, and winsome behavior that shows Christ in your life, who in His earth walk was full of good works (John 10 vs 32; Acts 10 vs 38). When Christians engage in good works, they effectively become the light of the world that people will see and glorify the Lord (Matthew 5 vs 16). Good works are winsome. If you want someone to act a certain way, be sure that you live that way yourself. Then you will earn the right to be heard, and your life will reinforce what you teach.

When Christ saves us, we move from a life full of sin to one where we are led by God’s Holy Spirit. All our sins, not merely some, are washed away. In becoming a Christian, the believer acknowledges Christ as Lord and recognizes His saving work. We gain eternal life with all its treasures. We have a new life through the Holy Spirit, and He continually renews our hearts. None of this occurs because we earned or deserved it; it is all God’s gift. This was so important that the Triune God participated fully in the work of salvation: Based upon the redemption work of His Son, the Father forgives us and sends the Holy Spirit to wash away our sins and continually renew us. Therefore, our gratitude to God for all His gifts, is demonstrated in our good works.

Prayer: Abba Father, give me the grace to continually engage in good works, as Your masterpiece and ambassador here on earth, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

GOD’S STANDARDS OF LIVING!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY MARCH 30, 2020.

SUBJECT: GOD’S STANDARDS OF LIVING!

Memory verse: “He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6 vs 8.)

READ: Psalm 15 vs 1 - 5:

15:1: LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill?

15:2: He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart.

15:3: He who does not backbite with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, nor does he take up a reproach against a friend;

15:4: In whose eyes a vile person is despised, but he honors those who fear the LORD; he who swears to his own hurt and does not change; 

15:5: He who does not put out his money at usury, nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.

INTIMATION:

God demands that His people will be morally upright, Though we live in a morally bankrupt society, a world whose standards and morals are eroding, our standard of living should not come from our evil society but from God. The standards of living prescribed by God is His will for His people. As we grow in our relationship with our Redeemer, we develop a desire to live by His standards. The depth of our eternal relationship with Him can often be measured by the way we reflect His standards in our daily activities. 

Whoever lives by God’s standard is qualified to stand in His presence. In the passage we read today, the psalmist gives us the standards to serve as a measuring scale to determine how we are doing. It defines the character of those who could stand in the presence of God. These include those who walks uprightly; those with righteous behavior of life. The righteous commit themselves to the fear of the Lord, their defense is the Lord. Their sustenance is guaranteed because they live under the protection of the Lord. Those who are truly righteous deal justly with others. They are mindful of their integrity, and deal honestly with God and others. 

Words are powerful, and how we use them reflect our relationship with God. Perhaps nothing identifies Christians as their ability to control their speech, to speak the truth at all times, and do not speak hypocritically. Making up or spreading false reports is strictly forbidden by God. Gossip, slander, and false witnessing would undermine families, strain relationship, neighborhood cooperation, and make chaos of the justice system. Destructive gossip still causes problems. Even if you do not initiate a lie, you become responsible if you pass it along. Don’t circulate rumors, squelch them.refusing to slander another person. 

A committed Christian does not backbite; does not speak behind the back of someone in order to destroy his or her reputation. He or she does that which is good in response to faith, and does not take pleasure in looking on evil or committing evil. Love for God and others should rule their lives. In loving their neighbors as themselves they should not work against them nor slander them. They should be disgusted with those who do wickedly, and align themselves with those who do good. They should be committed to their words even when it may be to their own detriment. They should strive to always do that which is right and fair to their neighbors. 

A committed Christian should not take or give bribe, despises extortion, and should not listen to violence. It is obvious that what corrupts justice most is the act of persuading the judges’s favor through a gift. A bribe blinds the discerning and perverts the words of the righteous. When a society has resorted to bribes in its justice system, it has become a corrupt society in which there is no real integrity.. Christians should hold their heads high in integrity.

God demands the the poor and powerless amongst us should be well treated and given the chance to restore their fortunes. Christians should reflect God’s concern for the poor by giving and by helping those less fortunate than ourselves, helping them  by lending money without interest, and thus not taking advantage of them when they have fallen into hard times. God is not against charging interests on loans for business purposes, as long as it isn’t exorbitant (Proverbs 28 vs 8). He is against charging interests on friendly loans to the needy, especially among the community of believers (Leviticus 25 vs 35 - 37). 

Some people are so obsessed with money that they will change their God-given standards and lifestyle to get it. If money is a controlling force in your life, it must be curbed, or it will harm others and destroy your relationship with God. It is impossible to focus one’s life on service to the Master in heaven, and at the same time make material things the master of our lives. If one’s focus is on the things of this world, then he cannot give himself or herself to God in a way that God demands of His children. 

Prayer: Abba Father, give me the grace to live by Your standards; to love you and others with all my heart, and doing good works, that I may earn Your approval for eternity with You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

BREAKFAST BY THE SEASIDE
Life's Punchlines... (Volume 3).
❤🇳🇬🇳🇬 Year 2020🇳🇬🇳🇬❤.

Preacher: Priest Godsknight O.J

Topic: Worth His Sacrifice!

Text: Acts 17v30" Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent."

Life will appear simple to you, if you've mastered its complexities. However, you can know so much, yet, know nothing.

For millenniums, the worth of Jesus Christ's sacrifice on tree 🌲 Calvary✝, is yet to be fully grasped because of the complexities in its analysis.

Today is a blank cheque, hopefully you'll grab this opportunity to wine 🍷 & dine 🍞 with the lover of your soul forever (Jer 3v15 & 22-23).

Everyone came from heaven through Jesus' carefully designed procreation mandate 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦, but not everyone stays connected. Reason being that, some claim to be "Breakout Kings"💀.

Their offsprings hardly understood the worth of Calvary for them. They claim that their ancestors were fallen angels, hence, rebellious cultures🙃 should be preserved ( Gal 1v13-17).

Jesus Christ created your ancestors (Col 1v16), He stretched forth His hands on Calvary tree to identify with His winged-humans that fell. He didn't give up on them, despite Lucifer's mess up🤷🏾‍♂.

Do yourself a greater good by finding your divine track🏃‍♂ in Jesus, you don't have to live like one who's dead while alive (Luke 16v11-13).

Drinking human blood only puts you in chains 🤮, real power is devoid of madness! Jesus can heal you like those ten lepers, it's your gratitude that shall make you whole ( Luke 17v11-19).

Those Angels are not getting the full benefits of Calvary sacrifice because, they chose to rebel still, rather than value the Price that redeemed them 🙇🏻‍♂(Col 1v13-14, Rom 10v14-17).

Regardless of your ancestor's background, you're not doomed 🤓(Rom 10v10). C.O.F.F.E.E says, "Christ Offers Forgiveness For Everyone Everywhere". Visit the Mercy Seat today (Heb 4v14-16).

God bless you🤝.
Instagram: @PriestGodsknight.

COMMIT YOURSELF TOTALLY TO GOD!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY MARCH 29, 2020.

SUBJECT: COMMIT YOURSELF TOTALLY TO GOD!

Memory verse: 

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service."

 (Romans 12 vs 1.)

READ: Revelation 3 vs 15 - 16:

3:15: I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot.

3:16: So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.

INTIMATION:

We cannot measure up to God’s standards. No one has ever measured and will ever measure up to God’s standards except Jesus Christ, who is also God. But God expects us to have some measure of service He considers reasonable. God wants us to offer ourselves as ‘living sacrifices,’ that is daily laying aside our own desires to follow Him, putting all our energy and resources at His disposal and trusting Him to guide us. It is only reasonable to respond with worship to God for His grace that was manifested through the sacrifice of His Son on the cross for our sins. We should offer our lives in sacrificial worship and service to Him.

In view of the fact that God’s grace was poured out for our salvation, our natural response is to obediently comply with the directions of the One who has offered the grace. Therefore, all believers should be motivated to respond to all God has done, and give themselves totally to the One who gave His only begotten Son to them. Committing ourselves totally to God as a living sacrifice should be a natural response of the spiritually-minded individual who has come to know and appreciate the grace of God. As the Levitical Law called for the total consumption of the burnt offering for sin upon the altar of sacrifice, so must believers give their lives totally to God. 

We should offer our lives in sacrificial worship to God and service to Him. Those who have not given their lives totally to God have not appreciated the grace of God. If because of His grace God was willing to offer His Son, who was eternal in heaven, then certainly it is not unreasonable that we give to Him the totality of our short life on earth. Commitment to serve Jesus is an everyday work in one’s Christian life. Those who commit themselves to Jesus will not only receive the abundant life in this life, they will also reap eternal life in the new heavens and earth to come. 

It is the mind of flesh to reason that one can give anything less than the totality of his or her life and still believe that God’s grace will reward him or her of his or her lukewarm commitment. Just as lukewarm water makes a disgusting drink, so also is a Christian who is half-hearted, following God halfway. We should give ourselves to God, asking Him to put us to good use to His glory. As we grow in our relationship with our Redeemer, we develop a desire to live by His standards. The depth of our eternal relationship with Him can often be measured by the way we reflect His standards in our daily activities.

God has good, pleasing, and perfect plans for His children. He wants us to be transformed people with renewed minds, living to honor and obey Him. Because He wants only what is best for us, and because He sacrificed His Son, now living, to make our new life possible, we should joyfully, and gratuitously give ourselves as ‘living sacrifice’ for His service.

Prayer: Abba Father, I want to live my life fully and completely dedicated to You, to serve and obey You in all things. I pray for Your grace to lead me through, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTIAN HUMILITY!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY MARCH 28, 2020.

SUBJECT: THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTIAN HUMILITY!

Memory verse: "Let this mind be in you which was in Christ.” (Philippians 2 vs 5.)

READ: Philippians 2 vs 3 - 8: 

2:3: Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than himself.
2:4: Let each of you look out not for his own interest, but also for the interests of others.
2:5: Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus,
2:6: who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 
2:7: but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.

2:8: And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

INTIMATION:

The spirit of Christian humility is the spirit of Christ in laying aside rights to serve the interest of others. Jesus Christ was humble, willing to give up His rights in order to obey God and serve people. As believers, we should have a Christ-like attitude, one that enables us to lay aside our rights in order to serve others. We should develop His attitude of humility as we serve, even when we are not likely to get recognition for our efforts. Truly humble people compare themselves only with Christ, realize their sinfulness, and understand their limitations. On the other hand, they also recognize their gifts and strengths and are willing to use them as Christ directs. 

If we say we follow Christ, we must also say we want to live as He lived. Jesus was willing to lay aside or empty Himself, of His being and essence as God in order to incarnate in the flesh of man. He made a supreme sacrifice in incarnation in order to accomplish the plan of redemption for the salvation of man. In contrast to lordship, He took on slave-hood, in contrast to existence in spirit, He took on the physical. In order to become the slave of humanity, He had to take on the form of humanity. In order to make the divine sacrifice for the sins of humanity, He had to incarnate into the form of those for whom He would die. 

Jesus equal to God in essence, being, eternality, and work. Since He was God, then He could not have existed in any other state of being than what God is. However, in order to accomplish the redemption of mankind, He did not consider His being God something that could not be forsaken for the benefit of His creation. Jesus did not consider His existence as God something to be grasped in view of the state of condemnation in which all humanity dwell. 

Jesus had every right to demand service or to forcefully Lord over the flock. However, He commanded our submission by what He did for us in serving our sin problem. We thus follow Him in thanksgiving for what He did on the cross and continues to do as our Advocate (First John 2 vs 1). While on earth, He did not command the following of His disciples through authority. They followed because of His love for them. The sign of a member of the body of Christ is one who is functioning as Jesus in order to make himself the servant of others. The function is based on loving one’s neighbor as himself, and loving others as Christ loved us.

Therefore, humility is not self-degradation, it is realistic assessment and commitment to serve. Like Jesus, we should have a servant’s attitude, serving out of love for God and for others, not out of guilt or fear. Considering others’ interests as more important than our own links us with Christ, who was a true example of humility. True humility is seeing ourselves as we really are from God's perspective, and acting accordingly. Humility will not allow you to be influenced by praise, honor, and popularity. It helps you not to allow popularity to twist your perception of your own importance. 

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of humility and servanthood that I will serve You and others out of love and obedience to You in all things, in Jesus’ Name I prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

BREAKFAST BY THE SEASIDE
Life's Punchlines... (Volume 3).
❤🇳🇬🇳🇬 Year 2020🇳🇬🇳🇬❤.

Preacher: Priest Godsknight O.J

Topic: Vain Contest!

Text: Jer 51v31-32 " One runner will run to meet another, And another messenger to meet another, To show the King of Babylon that his city is taken on all sides; The passages are blocked, The reeds they have burned with fire, And the men of war are terrified."

When the LORD gave this prophecy through Jeremiah, narrow minded folks called it garbage. Today, the devil 😈 & his ministers are terrified 🤷🏾‍♂.

Everyday, it's greed. They want to own the lands, control the boarders, privatize the rivers, define the economy, rule the people, judge the innocent.

What are you doing in self isolation, you who kill humans at Will? Why are brutal Armed men & callous insurgents hidding? Only Jesus is invincible!

Hypocritical leaders still sound like they truly care about preserving lives from COVID-19. Till tomorrow, innocent's blood will be used to renew their rituals (Prov 1v10-19).

The doom of Pharaoh was nothing but poetry to him (Exo 10v7 ), till he couldn't change the drumline anymore 🙆‍♂(Exod 14v23-31).

The devil 😈 has done everything beastly possible to own the Earth through corrupt practices (Rev 13v11-18), but can't break The Word's purpose👌 (John 1v3-5).

Many are toiling when they're suppose to sow their little seeds to honor God. Erroneous moral & religious orientations everywhere, yet, no one wants to be wrong (Col 2v8).

Jesus is still the game changer. The devil can't strategize than the one who hanged the clouds ☁️, someone has to loose!

Humans want to teach God the Earth's purpose, they'll only end up passing through without knowing why🤷🏾‍♂.

Inferiority complex is at play, they say they're superior. Bestiality, homosexuality, eating life rats, is not superiority, get Sense (Prov 4v7). May God in this season correct the prevalent madness on Earth in Jesus Name.

God bless you🤝.
Instagram: @PriestGodsknight.

LIVING BY THE WORD OF GOD!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY MARCH 27, 2020.

SUBJECT : LIVING BY THE WORD OF GOD!

Memory verse: "And Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’

” (Luke 4 vs 4.)

READ: Matthew 7 vs 24 - 27: 

7:24: Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock,

7:25: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

7:26: But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand,

7:27: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.

INTIMATION: 

The Word of God is the message from the Lord, delivered with His authority and made effective by His power. 

The Bible is the custodian of God’s Word, and is inspired by God through the Holy Spirit. It 

is completely trustworthy because God was in control of its writing. The Bible is entirely authoritative for our faith and life, and our safeguard against false teaching, and is our source of guidance on how we should live. 

Knowing the Bible verses is an important step in a Christian's life. It is the sword of the Spirit we engage in spiritual battles. (Ephesians 6 vs 17.) A word-dry Christian is a powerless Christian. 

Real life is accepting, and abiding in the Truth—the Word of God. It is total commitment to God and living by every word that comes from Him. It transforms us, and makes us into what God wants us to be, and gives us everything we could possibly need. Jesus said in John 6 vs 63, "....The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life." Life was in the words of Jesus, and that life was the light of men. Anyone who embraces the word and lives the word embraces the light which is the life of men. The word is only living in the lips of the believer, not in the book nor on the written page.

How can we live by the word of God? (1) Recognize our need for it. (2) Agree that God alone can truly satisfy us. (3) Pray for God’s presence, wisdom, and direction as we read. (4) Savor the relationship you have with Him through Christ. (5) Practice what He teaches you. The prevalence of the Word in your heart and in your mouth guarantees a successful Christian life (

Romans 10 vs 8)

. The Word needs to become to you as real as day and night. Dominating events in your life is as close as the Word is to your heart and mouth—believing is in your heart and speaking out is in your mouth. 

When the Word prevails over us, we are sufficient in all things, not because of our abilities, but because of His power Christ—the Word—working in us. Not because we are obeying the law, but because of His grace (His Spirit) working in us. We are what He says we are. We can do what He says we can do. He is what He says He is, and no Word from Him is void of ability to be made good in us. 

The Spirit of God uses the Word to make us like the Son of God. To become like Jesus, we must fill our lives with His Word. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us. To be a healthy disciple of Jesus, feeding on God's Word must be your first priority. Jesus called it "abiding." 

Many believers, because the Word does not prevail in them, live as common men. Disease and sickness prevail over them because they do not walk in the light of the Word. It is the Word in our lips that is active. 

Jesus is the Word (John 1 vs 1), He is the truth (John 14 vs 6), and He is God. Therefore, in Him is God, the Word, and the truth. Abiding in His Word, is abiding in Him, and in the truth. In our day-to-day living, abiding in God's Word includes three activities, namely; accepting its authority, assimilating its truth, and applying its principles. You must accept the authority in the Word. The Bible must become standard for your life: the compass you rely on for direction, the counsel you listen to for making wise decisions, and the benchmark you use for evaluating everything. The Bible must always have the first and last word in your life.

Many of our troubles occur because we base our choices on unreliable authorities: culture ("everyone is doing it"), tradition ("we have always done it"), reason ("it seemed logical"), or emotion ("I just felt right"). All four authorities are the works of man, and they are defective, and imperfect like man himself. What we need is a perfect standard that will never lead us in the wrong direction. Only God's Word meets that need. 

God's Word is the spiritual nourishment you must have to fulfill your purpose in life. Therefore, never take it for granted. You should consider it as essential to your life as food (Job 23 vs 12). The Bible calls the Word of God milk (First Corinthians 3 vs 2; First Peter 2 vs 2), bread (John 6 vs 48), solid food (First Corinthians 3 vs 2), and sweet dessert (Psalm 119 vs 103). This four-course meal is the Spirit's menu for spiritual strength and growth. Crave for it like no other food, because in it all other things exist.

Practicing obedience to the Word is the solid foundation to weather the storms of life. It is likened to building on the rock, a solid foundation, and the builder is considered wise. And everyone that hears the Words and do not do them, is likened to foolish man who built his house on the sand. The hearer must become a doer or else the entire structure that he builds will be destroyed.

Prayer: Abba Father, Your Word endures forever, it is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. O Lord, give me the grace to live my life rooted in the nourishment of Your Word, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY MARCH 26, 2020.

SUBJECT : THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD!

Memory verse: "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

” (Ephesians 6 vs 11.)

READ: Ephesians 6 vs 13 - 18: 

6:13: Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

6:14: Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness,
6:15: and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
6:16: above all, taking the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
6:17: And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,

6:18: praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

INTIMATION: 

Jesus Christ came as a propitiation for the sins of the world and 

has given the believe the free gift of salvation. 

By confessing Christ and accepting the free gift, believers have been given 

rich and glorious inheritance in Him, as well as His power of 

incredible greatness (see Isaiah 53 vs 4 - 5; Ephesians 1 vs 18 - 22). These they can access through the wisdom and revelation of the knowledge of who they are in Christ, in which God has given them all that pertains to life and godliness (Second Peter 1 vs 3).

 And these are available to the believers even in t

he day of adversity or evil. The day could be any day in the life of a believer under Satan’s machinations to perpetrate evil. 

To withstand these attacks, the believer must depend on God’s strength and use every piece of His armor. The whole body needs to be armed with the strength of God’s armor through the Holy Spirit as you do battle against Satan and his cohorts. Satan and his demons are very real, not mere fantasies, hence we face a powerful army whose goal is to defeat the body of Christ—the church. 

Believers should first put the truth of God in His Word by believing and living the truth (Philippians 1 vs 27). They should do such in order that they be transformed into the strong character of Jesus, as well as be able to identify and stand against all that is error and morally wrong thereby leading a righteous life. Just as the breastplate in the soldier’s armor protects the vital organs of a soldier, living in righteousness—living in the will of God (the Word of God)—protects the vital spiritual life of a believer. 

As they have embraced the gospel of Jesus, they should adhere strictly to it knowing that it is upon the foundation of the historical event of the gospel that believers maintain emotional, mental, and spiritual stability. It is the fact of the death of Jesus for our sins and His resurrection for our hope that we can have peace of mind and confidence that Jesus has all things under control for the sake of the believers. 

Now, without faith we cannot please God. The faith of the believer is a shield to ward off the attacks of doubt, discouragement and despair. In faith the believers victory is assured: “And this is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith” (First John 5 vs 4). By increasing faith through the study of the word of God (Romans 10 vs 17), the believer is able to stand against the deceptions or wiles of the devil. 

And just as the helmet protects the head which is the center of reference of the body, the believers are protected by the assurance of their salvation that is based, not on their works, but in the grace of God through the work of Christ on the cross. Just as the soldier can confidently keep his head high in order to engage the enemy because of the helmet, the believers, by their salvation, are assured of the victory they have already recorded in Christ (First Corinthians 15 vs 57).

The believers only weapon of attack in the armor is the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. The purpose of the sword is both for attack and defense. The believer uses the sword of the Spirit to attack the enemy of deception and also to defend himself against being deceived (see Matthew 4 vs 1 - 11). It is the responsibility of every believer to be armed with the knowledge of the word of God in order not to be tossed to and fro in a world of turbulent religious deceptions. Those who are ignorant of the word of God are fertile soil for the deceptive beliefs of Satan. 

The Word of God is His will, and communing with Him in accordance with His Word guarantees answers to our prayer (Isaiah 41 vs 21; 43 vs 26; Jeremiah 1 vs 12; First John 5 vs 14 - 15). God demands that we lead a life of constant prayer (Luke 18 vs 1; First Thessalonians 5 vs 17). One way of praying always is to make quick, brief prayers your habitual response to every situation you meet throughout the day. You can make prayer your life and your life a prayer while living in a world that needs God’s powerful influence. This you can do by ordering your life around God’s desires and teachings so that your very life becomes a prayer. 

The believers strength is maintained if he or she remains in fellowship with the Lord who is the source of the supernatural power to defeat Satan. They must maintain the spiritual armor of the Lord by which strength they guard against the wiles of Satan. 

Every temptation that the devil may throw against the believer can be stopped by the truth that is learned through a study of God’s word. There is no power that Satan may have that can break through the whole armor of God that the believer exercises in his or her life (Romans 8 vs 37 - 39).

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for Your whole armor made available to me in the fight against the devil, and the victory You have given me in Christ. My faith is solidly anchored in You and Your Word, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

IN TIMES OF TROUBLE!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY MARCH 25, 2020.

SUBJECT : IN TIMES OF TROUBLE!

Memory verse: "If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” (Second Chronicles 7 vs 14.)

READ: Ephesians 6 vs 10 - 13: 

6:10: Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.
6:11: Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
6:12: For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual wickedness in heavenly places.
6:13: Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

INTIMATION: 

Trouble is 

the work of the evil one—the devil—the source of all evil that is seen in the world working with his demonic agents (Luke 13 vs 16; Acts 10 vs 38). In such times, we must seek the Lord. Satan is a permanent enemy of God who has continued to work against God to turn the world to his side against God. Though Christ came and defeated Satan, striping him of all powers, but he has continued to influence the world by subterfuge—deceptive stratagem—in order to destroy the work of God through Jesus. 

Through deception, Satan has instigated those institutions and governments that control society, especially to lead people against the truth of God. He has been deceiving the whole world through every means of intimidation of the evil environment in which the believers live. Satan’s means include plagues such as the world is in at this time of history—the Covid 19 pandemic. We must be aware that Satan is alive and working in a deceived world of secular enticements and religious misdirection. Our awareness of such is the first step in preparing ourselves not to led astray. 

In the Old Testament days, before the coming of Christ, God gave four conditions, as stated in our memory verse, for forgiveness and healing: (1) Humble yourself by admitting your sins, (2) pray to God, asking for forgiveness, (3) seek God continually, and (4) turn from sinful behavior. Whether we sin individually, as a group, or as a nation, following these steps will lead to forgiveness, and subsequent healing. Humility and obedience to God’s will is the hallmark of a repentant heart. Therefore, if we would have God answer our prayers, there must be humility and obedience to the word of God. Our sincerity is determined by our humility and our obedience. 

Jesus Christ came and freed the believers from the clutches of sin and Satan by His substitutionary work on the cross, and has given them the free gift of salvation. By confessing Christ and accepting the free gift, believers have met the four conditions given by God for forgiveness and healing stipulated above. Believers have been bought with a price (First Corinthians 6 vs 20), and He has given them 

rich and glorious inheritance, as well as His power of 

incredible greatness (see Isaiah 53 vs 4 - 5; Ephesians 1 vs 18 - 22). 

Now, with all these available to the believers, what will the believers do to safeguard themselves from the works of the devil and his demons? 

Believers must realize that, though they have been saved through the redemptive work of Jesus on the cross, God does not take them out of the world nor make them robots, they are still in the world and will be subject to negative influences in the world caused by Satan and his agents. Therefore, they will still engage in battle of life but are assured of victory even before the battle. However, they are fighting not 

against the physical things of this world (flesh and blood), but against 

“principalities” and “power” (the powerful evil forces of fallen angels headed by the devil). 

God has empowered the believers by giving them His Holy Spirit and His armor surrounding them. Believers must put on the whole armor of God is to be able to stand against Satan’s deceptions. Satan has deceived the whole world through various forms of the intimidation and negative influences in the evil environment in which the believers live. To withstand these attacks through deceptions, the believer must depend on God’s strength and use every piece of His armor through the Holy Spirit fo battle. They face a powerful army, 

not mere fantasies, they are very real, 

whose goal is to defeat the body of Christ—the church. 

The believers strength is maintained if he or she remains in fellowship with the Lord who is the source of the supernatural power to defeat Satan. This imperative command places the responsibility for being strong on the shoulders of the believers. They must maintain the spiritual armor of the Lord by which strength they guard against the wiles of Satan. 

Although they are assured of victory, they must engage in the struggle until Christ returns, because Satan is constantly battling against all who live on the Lord’s side. 

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for availing me of Your whole armor to battle against the rulers of darkness of this world, and my victory by the blood of the Lamb and with word of my testimony in Christ, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

HAVE A CONTINUED ATTITUDE OF PRAYER!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY MARCH 24, 2020.

SUBJECT : HAVE A CONTINUED ATTITUDE OF PRAYER!

Memory verse: "Pray without ceasing." (First Thessalonians 5 vs 17.)

READ: Luke 18 vs 1 - 8:

18:1: Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, 

18:2: saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man.

18:3: Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary,’

18:4: And He would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man,

18:5: yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’”

18:6: Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said.

18:7: And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?

18:8: I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”

INTIMATION:

It is a desire of the Father that His children approach Him in prayer. It is through prayer that not only the inward man is strengthened, but also the work of God is called upon by the believer to function in his or her life. Prayer is the natural response of those who recognize their need for the help of God in their lives. Most Christians have realized the fact that the Father's heart is hungry for the companionship of His children. His heart hunger is the reason for man and his redemption. God wants a constant fellowship with His children. It was His plan from the beginning hence He visited Adam everyday in the Garden. He loves us and that love impels Him to call us to prayer.

Prayer is a call to the Father to visit with Him. It is the call of Love of the Father to come and fellowship with Him. Prayer is our need crying out for help. It is the voice of faith to the Father. It is for this reason that the Lord wants us to always pray; always be in His presence. Prayer, then, is facing God with man's needs, with His promise to meet those needs. It is born out of the sense of need, and the assurance that the need will be met. The Lord taught us to pray, He is one with us in this prayer life. Prayer is part of God's program for us.

It is God's Will that His children will come to His Throne Room, to stand in His presence  without reproof or condemnation. It is for this reason that Jesus Christ, while teaching His disciples how to pray, said, "When you pray" (Matthew 6 vs 5), and not "If you pray." It is God's intention that His children will visit their Father, the children coming joyously into the presence of their Loving Parent, and are welcome.

The apostle Paul, in consonance with the Lord’s demand, says we should pray without ceasing; persist in prayer and not give up; continuing steadfastly, and earnestly in it, and being vigilant in it with thanksgiving (Romans 12 vs 12; Colossians 4 vs 2). To persist in prayer does not mean endless repetition or painfully long prayer sessions. It means keeping our requests constantly before God as we live for Him day by day, believing He will answer. Emphasis here is not on a continued action of prayer, but on a continued attitude of prayer. In other words, the believer should be in a state of mind that he or she can at all times take part in the action of praying to the Father; being of an attitude at all times that is conducive to offering prayer to God. 

When we live by faith, we are not to give up. God may delay answering, but His delays have good reasons. As we persist in prayer we grow in character, faith, and hope. When we pray, we are in constant communication with the Father and it enriches us spiritually. We touch the Father through our prayers, and there cannot be any touching of the Master without the Master knowing it. When our need touches Him, it makes a demand upon his ability to meet that need. 

 For instance, one day when the crowd was pressing around the Master, Jesus said, "Who touched Me?" And they said, "Master, the multitudes throng and press You,  and You say, "Who touched Me?" But Jesus said, "Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me." (Luke 8 vs 45 - 47.) touching the Master is making a demand from Him. The woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, touched Him, making a demand upon His ability to meet her need, and the Master knew it, and she got her need met—she was healed of the disease (See Luke 8 vs 40 - 48). 

In the passage we read today, we learned that the Lord wants us to persist in prayer and not give up. It’s a Christian behavior, and an expression of our faith that God answers our prayers. Faith shouldn’t die if the answers come slowly, for the delay may be God’s way of working His Will in our life. He is ever present—Omnipresent—, always listening, always answering, may be not in ways you had hoped, but in ways that He knows are best as the All-knowing—Omniscient God. If the unjust judge responds to constant pressure, how much more will a great and loving God respond to us? If we know He loves us, we can believe He will hear our cries for help.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are my Loving Father, and Faithful Companion. Endue me with the spirit of constant prayer and supplication to You, making my requests known to You, with thanksgiving, knowing that You will come through to me, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!