SPIRIT MIND VERSUS FLESHY MIND!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY MAY 31, 2020.

SUBJECT:  SPIRIT MIND VERSUS FLESHY MIND!

Memory verse:  "For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.” (Galatians 6 vs 8.) 

READ:  Romans 8 vs 5 - 8:

8:5: For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
8:6: For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
8:7: Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.

8:8: So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

INTIMATION:

According to the passage we read today, there are two minds, not one mind. There is the mind of the flesh, and there is the mind of the spirit. That does not mean you and I have two brains, it simply means that we receive information from our natural mind (which operates without the Holy Spirit), and we get information from our spirit (through which the Holy Spirit communicates directly to us).

The apostle Paul divides people into two categories: those who are dominated by their sinful nature, and those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit. Those who are controlled by their sinful nature are those who take instructions from their mind of flesh—being carnally minded. Their minds are focused on their own desires. In a religious context, they are the ones who focus on their ability to perform law in order to save themselves. The carnally minded person is walking in sin, though he or she may not recognize the fact that he or she is in sin. All of us would be in the first category if Jesus hadn’t offered us a way out. 

Those who take instructions from their spirit mind are those who are controlled by the Spirit of God—Holy Spirit. They are not led by their carnal minds, but by the Holy Spirit Who indwells them. (Romans 8 vs 14; Galatians 5 vs 18.) The Holy Spirit is the only One who knows the mind of God, and is the revealer of the truth. (John 16 vs 13). Daily they consciously choose to center their lives on God, using the Bible to discover God’s guidelines, and then follow them. In every perplexing situation, they ask themselves, “What would Jesus want me to do?” And when the Holy Spirit points out what is right, they do it eagerly. 

In First Corinthians 2 vs 16, the Bible says, "For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.” This Scripture tells us that because the Holy Spirit lives in the believers, they have the mind of Christ. The problem is that although they have the mind of Christ and know the Word of God, they don't listen to their spirit which is being enlightened by the Holy Spirit. Instead, they listen to their natural mind, which relies strictly on sense and reason without the Holy Spirit.

In all situations of life, our head will be trying to give us information. It will be yelling at us so loudly that if we don't turn our attention to our spirit we will never hear what the Lord is saying to us in any situation. That is why we must learn to live out of our spirit and not of our head. You see, evil spirits constantly bombard us with negative thoughts. If we receive them and dwell on them, they become ours because the Bible says that as we think in our heart, so are we. (Proverbs 23 vs 7.) If we accept the lies of the devil as reality, then they will become reality to us because of our "faith," our belief in them.

That is why in moments of worry, stress and turmoil we have to simply take the time to turn to our inner man, the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, and say, "Lord, what do You have to say about this?" If we listen in faith, He will speak to us and reveal to us the truth of that situation. You and I have two huge vats of information within us. One is carnal information that comes off the top of our head. The other is spiritual information which wells up out of our heart. One is muddy. polluted water, and the other is clean drinking water. It is up to us to decide which source we are going to drink from.

Some people try to drink from both sources. That's what the Bible calls being double-minded. (James 1 vs 8.) Do you know what it means to be double-minded? It means that your mind is trying to tell you one thing, and your spirit is trying to tell you just the opposite. Instead of saying, "I'm not going to believe that because it's a lie," you get in a cross-fire, going back and forth between the two thoughts.

If you and I are ever going to live the happy, victorious and successful Christian life the Lord wills for us, we are going to have to decide which fountain of information we are going to drink from. We are going to have to learn to live out of our spirit and not out of our head. The individual who persists on remaining “in the flesh,” is actually working against the plan of God to have all men trust in Him for direction. Such a person is focusing on himself or herself and not God’s grace. This is the man or woman who seeks to walk by sight and without the faith that is necessary to please God (Hebrews 11 vs 6).  

Prayer: Abba Father, give me the grace to always listen to the prompting of the Holy Spirit indwelling me, and knows the things of God, that I may please You at all times, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

THE GRACE TO LIVE HOLY!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY MAY 30, 2020.

SUBJECT:  THE GRACE TO LIVE HOLY!

Memory verse:  "For God did I not call us to uncleanness but in holiness.” (First Thessalonians 4 vs 7.) 

READ:  First Peter 1 vs 13 - 16:

1:13: Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

1:14 as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;

1:15: but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 

1:16: because it is written, “Be Holy, For I am holy.”

INTIMATION:

Grace, as undeserved (unmerited) favor, is one aspect of grace, we are  probably most accustomed to hearing about, and it is wonderful. But we have also seen that grace is power—the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives that enables us overcome our problems. It is the power of God available to meet our needs without cost to us. There is nothing more powerful than grace, and it is received by believing rather than through human effort.

What is holiness? Holiness is being "separated to God,"—being consecrated or set aside for sacred use. It is standing apart from sin and evil. It is a separation that should result in "conduct befitting those so separated." It is the characteristics or nature of God especially the third person of the "Trinity." Holiness is a demand on us by God. We are to separate ourselves from the world's sinful values, and be devoted to God's desire rather than our own, and carry His love and mercy into the world.

God's plan for us ab initio, is to be like Him, hence His creating us in His own image and after His likeness (Genesis 1 vs 26). He wanted us to live like Him. Unfortunately, sin separated us from Him. In His love, mercy and grace, He sent His Son, as a propitiation for our sins (First John 4 vs 10), and through His blood reconciled us back to Himself, to live for Him and be like Him. But while God wants us to be holy, He realizes our weakness and inability. He knows that without help we can never be what He desires for us to be or wants us to do. That is why He has sent His Spirit to help us to fulfill His design and purpose for us.

Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us, and the Holy Spirit has been sent to prepare us for that place. That is not a Scripture, but it is scriptural; that is, a truth based on the Word of God. This process through which the Holy Spirit makes us holy, or leads us into holiness is called sanctification. Sanctification therefore, refers to the process that God uses to do a work in us by His Holy Spirit to make us more and more holy until finally we become just like His Son Jesus. It is God's grace (the power of the Holy Spirit) we receive that enables us to meet the need of sanctification—the transformation process to holiness.

In Hebrews 10 vs 14, the Bible says, "For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified." We have been made perfect, yet we are being sanctified (made holy). Through His death and resurrection, Christ once for all, made His believers perfect in God's sight. At the same time He is making them holy (progressively cleansed and set apart for His special use) in their daily pilgrimage here. We should not be surprised, ashamed or shocked that we still need to grow. God is not finished with us yet.

Sanctification is a progressive venture. The finality of that process will never occur while we are in these earthly bodies. But we don't need to be concerned about that. The only thing we need to be concerned about is progress. The question we must ask ourselves is: “are we making progress toward holiness? “Are we cooperating with the Holy Spirit and allowing Him to do what He wants to do in our lives?” 

As believers we are not to be anxious about holiness or the process of sanctification ('be anxious for nothing' (Philippians 4 vs 6)), but we are to be serious about it. We are to recognize that it is God's Will for us. We are to desire and thirst for it with all our hearts, and sincerely ask God for it in our fellowship with Him. We are to make every effort to cooperate with the Holy Spirit Who is working to bring it to pass in us day by day.

Prayer: Abba Father, in Your loving kindness, and the riches of Your grace You saved us from the bondage of sin and Satan to live for You, and be like You. I thirst for the sanctification by Your Spirit to enable me lead a holy life as You desire, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

THE DECEIT OF EARTHLY POSSESSIONS!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY MAY 29, 2020.

SUBJECT: THE DECEIT OF EARTHLY POSSESSIONS!

Memory verse: "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the world that are in it will be burned up." (Second Peter 3 vs 10.)

READ: Luke 12 vs 16 - 21:

12:16: Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.

12:17: And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ 

12:18: So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods.

12:19: And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”

12:20: But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you, then whose will those things be which you have provided?’

12:21: “So is he who lays up treasures for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

INTIMATION:

Wealth, possessions, and money are all good, and the blessing of God to mankind, but we are deceived by the notion that they provide answers to every problem, hence we throw them at our problems. Though these material things are good in themselves because God has given them to mankind for our enjoyment (First Timothy 6 vs 17), but being obligated to them is sinful. The apostle Paul, in First Timothy 6 vs 10, says, "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through many sorrows."

These earthly possessions, are dangerous because they deceive us into thinking that they make life easy, and help us get everything we want. Consequently, we put our trust in them rather than God, who controls all circumstances. Those who pursue the empty promises of earthly possessions, rather than seeking God, will one day discover that they have nothing because they are spiritually bankrupt.

Guard against wrongful pursuit of these material things so as not to be a servant to them. They are created by God to serve you, and not you serve them. You are created to serve God, and if you loose your mark, you will serve them instead of God which is an error, and sinful. Jesus said in Matthew 6 vs 24, "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." Can you honestly say that God, not money, possessions, and wealth, is your master? One test is to ask which one occupies more of your thoughts, time, and efforts.

Your life is shaped mostly by what you are obligated to. They can develop you or mar you, but either way, they will define you. If you tell me what you are obligated to, I'll tell you what you will be in the years to come. We become whatever we are obligated to. Usually many people miss God's purpose for their lives at the point of committing themselves, or being obligated to their choice in life. 

Many are also afraid of getting committed or obligated to anything, and prefer to just drift through life. Many others make half-hearted commitments to competing values, which leads to frustration and mediocrity. And many more make a full commitment to worldly goals, such as becoming wealthy or famous, and end up disappointed and bitter. Your total obligation should be to God who owns and controls all circumstances.

Every choice you make has eternal consequences, so you better choose wisely. In our memory verse, the apostle Peter warns us about the futility of earthly possessions. Then he continued in the next verse (v 20), asking the pertinent question to us all, “Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness?" Realizing that the earth will be burned up, we should put our confidence in what is lasting and eternal and not be bound to earth and its treasures and pursuit of them. 

Earthly possessions are not bad or evil in themselves, but the manner of your pursuit of them is where the problem lies. The Bible, in Ecclesiastes 7 vs 12 says, "For wisdom is a defense, as money is a defense: but the excellency of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to those who have it." How wisely then do you pursue these earthly things? Do you pursue them with the excellent knowledge which comes from wisdom; knowing that at the end they are all vanity? 

Even life is a vapor, stripped of the life-giving spirit breathed into us by God, our bodies return to dust. Stripped of God’s purpose, our work is in vain. Stripped of God’s love, our service is futile. Therefore, we must put God first over all we do and in all we do because without Him we have nothing. Knowing that life is futile without God motivates the wise person to seek Him first.

What are you obligated to? Do you spend more of your time piling up possessions, or striving to develop Christlike character? Now that we have been warned about the impending end, the choice is yours to make. Be morally clean and spiritually alert because you don’t know the hour of His coming! 

Prayer: Abba Father, all things are Yours, and in You all things consist. Endue me with the excellent spirit to put You first in all things, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen. 

PRAISE THE LORD!

THE CHILD AFTER GOD’S HEART!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY MAY 28, 2020.

SUBJECT : THE CHILD AFTER GOD’S HEART!

Memory verse: "He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them." (Psalm 145 vs 19.)

READ: Psalm 37 vs 4 - 6:

37:4: Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.

37:5: Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.

37:6: He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.

INTIMATION:

You attract special audience in prayer when you partner with God in ensuring the establishment of His Kingdom here on earth. Kingdom-oriented praying gives you special audience with God. If you desire breakthroughs in your life, one of the fastest ways of achieving it is to have a strong affection for God and His kingdom. Let your thoughts be dominated with the desires of God, serve and obey Him in everything. For He said, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6 vs 33.)

Your delight in the Lord occasions strong affection for God and His kingdom. When you delight in the Lord, you will experience great pleasure and joy in Him and His kingdom. The Scripture says of the Lord, “Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord; and I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth...” (Isaiah 58 vs 14.) Desire to know God better, and to know His great love for you. When you do, you will entrust everything about you—your life, family, job, possessions—and He will work out what is best for you. 

The reason God created the earth is for the extension of His kingdom, hence, Jesus taught His disciples how to pray thus, "In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in Heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your Will be done on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6 vs 9 - 10.) When you pray kingdom-oriented prayer, you are giving reference to God's spiritual reign. It is God's Will that His kingdom be established here on earth as was announced in the covenant with Abraham. 

When we pray "Your Will be done on earth," we are praying that God's perfect purpose will be accomplished in this world as well as the next. When you are interceding on kingdom matters, let it be from the depth of your being, as if you are praying for your own child who is dying, or even the healing of your ailment that has kept you at the corridor of death. Such prayers usually means much to you. 

If you concern yourself that much on ensuring the actualization of God's Will on earth, God will definitely concern Himself with your affairs, and you will experience additions of all the things the world is struggling to get. This is a prayer strategy that moves heaven to rain down favor on you, so much that you will not need to pray for most things before you get them: "It shall come to pass that before you call, I will answer, And while they are still speaking, I will hear." (Isaiah 65 vs 24.) This is prevalent in the lives of those who are heartily mindful of His kingdom matters. Their prayers are answered at the right time. 

Most people are dying in their prayer rooms because they are self-oriented in their prayers. They are the "needy-stars" of the kingdom. Their prayer is always all about self; "Lord, give me this; Lord, bless me; Lord, bless my children and my wife," and their demands are endless. All they remember to pray about is "me, I and myself." They are least concerned about the welfare of anybody else or on any issue that does not touch them personally. Their idea is, "If God is concerned about His kingdom, let Him fix it."

When a kingdom prayer point is raised in the church, a lot of people just mumble through; you can hardly hear what they are saying. But when it is said, "Pray for yourself, that this year's prophesy may find fulfillment in your life," people begin to pray with much vigor and energy. But it is how much you take pleasure in the affairs of the kingdom that determines the quality of response you enjoy from God. 

The psalmist in Psalm 102 vs 12 - 13 says, "But You, O Lord, shall endure forever, and the remembrance of Your name to all generations. You will arise and have mercy on Zion; For the time to favor her, Yes, the set time, has come." When your concern for God's kingdom is deep-seated in your heart, you pray heart-felt prayers for the kingdom and His people. Your prayer shall be that, "The Lord endures forever, and be remembered throughout all generations." Then, He will arise with mercy and favor for you. As you begin to seek His kingdom in your prayers, I see every concern in your life become a testimony of answered prayers to you, in Jesus name.

Prayer: Abba Father, let the zeal of Your kingdom eat me up, that I may desire to do all the things required for the advancement of Your kingdom, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

PLUGGING INTO THE POWER SOURCE!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY MAY 27, 2020.

SUBJECT: PLUGGING INTO THE POWER SOURCE!

Memory verse: “Finally my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” (Ephesians 6 vs 10.)

READ: Ephesians 6 vs 10 - 11; 14 - 17:

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.

6:14: Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put 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.

INTIMATION:

God Himself is the source of all power, peace and victory. He is all-powerful and all-knowing. And it is through the things of God—the things we do in fellowship with God—that plugs us into the Source of power. If there is anything the devil tries to do, is to keep people out of fellowship with the Lord. Satan knows that once you are connected to the source of divine power, it is finished for him.

Do you know what happens when you spend quality time with God? You begin to act like David when he faced the giant Goliath. You begin to take a bold stand, and confront the enemy and ask David asked, "Who do you think you are to defy the army of the living God?" (First Samuel 17 vs 26.) As soldiers of the Cross, you and I are not supposed to be afraid of our enemy, the devil. Instead, we are to “be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.” When the spirit of fear comes along, rather than shaking like a leaf, we are to be bold as a lion, and remind the devil that "God has not given us the spirit if fear but of power, love and a sound mind" (Second Timothy 1 vs 7).

The devil comes against those who are doing damage to his kingdom, those who are doing something for God. How then do we withstand the devil? By girding on the full armor of God, taking the shield of faith, by which we can quench his fiery darts, and by wielding the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. (Ephesians 6 vs 14 - 17.) But all of that armor, and all of those weapons come from spending time in fellowship with the Lord; “praying always....” (verse 18).

Being strong in the Lord, as we are instructed in Ephesians 6 vs 10, is being strong in fellowship with God—praying without ceasing. Then verse 11 goes on to say, “Put on God's whole armor of God,” Only after being strengthened in fellowship can we properly wear the armor. Fellowship with the Lord is what ensures a victorious and peaceful Christian life. Salvation is not based on your fellowship—it is based on the blood of Jesus, and your believe and confession of Christ Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. But without fellowship with God, you will struggle the entire time you are here on this earth as a Christian, even though you will be saved because your name is in the Book of life.

It does not mean that you will be in a room with God all the time. If you will give twenty or thirty minutes of sleep in the morning in order to get up early and seek His face, God will honor that sacrifice. If you are willing to turn off the television for thirty minutes in the evening and spend some time in fellowship with the Lord, you will be richly rewarded. However, God is a Loving Father, He will not require more of you than what you are able to give Him. He is not an ogre who is out to make you miserable. He just knows what you need in order to have that abundant, enjoyable, victorious life. He also knows that it doesn't come from methods, but from Him.

When you fellowship with the Lord, you learn to quickly follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit. However, you should come apart with the Lord (fellowship with the Lord in prayer) privately, before you come apart publicly. Spend time with God so you can remain stable as you deal with the daily affairs of life. Jesus, during His earth walk, has always isolated Himself most nights to fellowship with the Father, before coming apart publicly in the day, with inexplainable but undeniable powers.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of prayer and supplication without ceasing, that I may be in constant fellowship with You, and have the grace—the power of the Holy Spirit—to meet my needs in all life’s circumstances, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

CUTTING YOURSELF FROM GOD!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY MAY 26, 2020.

SUBJECT: CUTTING YOURSELF FROM GOD!

Memory verse: "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses." (Mark 11 vs 25).

READ:  Isaiah 59 vs 1 - 2:

59:1: Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear: 

59:2: but your iniquities have separated you from your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.

INTIMATION:

We have heard that our confession is our possession—what we say is what we get. But there are times we can't get what we say. These are times when we bear loads of grudges, resentment, envy, hatred, anger, un-forgivenesses, and like emotions. The loads of such emotions are very heavy and costly to our relationship with God, because they are regarded as sin.

The dictionary definition of sin is "a moral offense or shortcoming, especially from the point of view of religion." It is the a rebellion against God's laws, a perversion of heart.  "Sin is a reproach to any people" (Proverbs 14 vs 34), as well as to God. Though we may have been dragged into such emotions by wrongdoing to us by another, but these emotions hurt us more than they hurt the one who has wronged us. This is because, if our faith is strong and our prayer is persistent, there is only one thing that can stand in the way of answered prayer (getting what you ask) and that is un-repented sin. 

Isaiah 59 vs 1 - 2 says, "Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear: but your iniquities have separated you from your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you, that He will not hear." 

What a terrible condition for a Christian to be in; to be unable to talk to God! 

When we understand what our resentment does to us, we see how much better it is for us to allow our enemies to get away with their cruelty, even murder, and forgive them, rather than hold a grudge and cut ourselves off from God. God knows the heart of our enemy, and repays accordingly without needing any helps from us. The Bible tells us that vengeance is God's business, not ours; "Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath: for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine; I will repay,' says the Lord" (Romans 12 vs 19). God takes vengeance on our enemies because He is just, and because He loves us.

However, an unforgiving spirit is so destructive that we are warned that when God does take vengeance on our enemies, we are not even to be happy that He did so; "Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; Lest the Lord see it, and it displease Him, and He turn away His wrath from him" (Proverbs 24 vs 17 - 18). 

Once you understand the destructiveness of "getting even," you will be able to ask God to keep you from resentment in all its forms. In Matthew 5 vs 39, Jesus commanded us, "But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also." Jesus is suggesting that our response to injustice should not be demanding our right, but to give it up freely! According to Him it is more important to give justice and mercy than to receive it.

Jesus said in Mark 11 vs 25; "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses." Only in so doing that you receive what you ask in prayers.

Study Acts 13 on the account of two God's steadfast servants, both spirit-filled men, Paul and Barnabas in Antioch where they preached and taught. The Gentiles heard and were glad and glorified God, and all those who believed received the Spirit and were ordained to eternal life. The Jews, however, incited the devout men and women against Paul and Barnabas and drove them from the city. They left, and they were filled with joy in the Holy Spirit, and never had any desire for retaliation. The Spirit-filled life doesn't seek revenge but joyously reflects the presence of God within.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of forgiveness that my heart will be free from iniquities, so that my prayers will be unhindered, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

IDEAL WITNESSING FOR CHRIST!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY MAY 25, 2020.

SUBJECT: IDEAL WITNESSING FOR CHRIST!

Memory verse: "But go and learn what it means: ‘I desire mercy not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” (Matthew 9 vs 13.)

READ: Mark 2 vs 15 - 17: 

2:15: Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi’s house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him.

2:16: And when the scribes and the Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, “How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?”

2:17: When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

INTIMATION:

Jesus came into the world to save sinners, and no sinner is beyond His saving power. He gladly associated Himself with sinners because He loved them, and because He knew that they needed to hear what He had to say. He spent time with all manner of people—poor, rich, bad, good, etc. Therefore, as ambassadors of Christ, our ideal witnessing for Him is reaching out to those who have need for His saving grace, no matter their kind. We too, must befriend those who need Christ, even if they do not seem to be ideal companions. Are there people you have been neglecting because of their reputation? They may be the ones who mostly need to see and hear the message of Christ’s love from you. 

However, this fact of ideal witnessing has inadvertently been contrasted by many with the apostle Paul’s sayings in Second Corinthians 6 vs 14 - 16, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols....”

Here the apostle Paul advises that believers and unbelievers cannot be joined together effectively for a common purpose, such as; business partnership, marriage, etc. This is because of the difference in their beliefs. It would be a mismatch, and such can weaken the believer’s commitment, integrity or standards, especially for new converts, and those not yet deeply rooted in Christ. The apostle Paul had earlier explained that this does not mean isolating oneself from unbelievers which is against Christ’s leading, “I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you need would need to go out of the world.”

Paul even urges believers to stay with their unbelieving spouses, “But to the rest, I, not the Lord, say: If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to with her, let her not divorce him” (First Corinthians 7 vs 12 - 13). 

The apostle Paul made it clear that we should not disassociate ourselves from unbelievers—otherwise we could not carry our Christ’s command to tell them about salvation (Matthew 28 vs 18 - 20). Rather, we are to distance ourselves from the person who claims to be a believer, yet indulges in sins explicitly forbidden in Scripture by rationalizing his or her actions. By rationalizing sin, a person harms others for whom Christ died and dims the image of God in Himself or herself.

He wanted believers to be active in their witness for Christ to unbelievers, but they should not lock themselves into personal or business relationships that could cause them to compromise their faith. Believers should do everything in their power to avoid situations that could force them to divide their loyalties.

Also, Paul did not want single believers to enter into marriage with unbelievers. Such marriages cannot have unity in the most important issue in life—commitment and obedience to God. Because marriage involves two people becoming one, faith may become an issue, and one spouse may have to compromise beliefs for the sake of unity. Many people discount this problem only to regret it later. Don’t allow emotion or passion to blind you with someone who will not be your spiritual partner. 

One secret of effective witnessing for God is to recognize opportunities to relate God to person’s experience. When the opportunity arises, we must have the courage to speak out, using the situation to turn attention to God. 

Prayer: Abba Father, my utmost heart desire is to be an effective witness for Christ, recognizing every opportunity, and utilizing the it to speak out to turn attention of all around to You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

GOD’S GRACE ABOUND TOWARD YOU!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY MAY 24, 2020.

SUBJECT : GOD’S GRACE ABOUND TOWARD YOU!

Memory verse: "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work." (Second Corinthians 9 vs 8).

READ: Ephesians 1 vs 7 - 9: 

1:7: In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace 

1:8: which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,

1:9: having made known to us the mystery of His Will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself.

INTIMATION:

God is making His grace to come leaping toward the believers in all its fullness, and that grace has within it His all sufficiency for every emergency. The Scriptures in Ephesians 1 vs 3 says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ." We become the disciples of Christ in utilizing the blessings to bear fruit, even much fruit. It is in doing so that the Father is glorified. And He promised to increase and multiply whatever we do to bear fruit (John 15 vs 8). How little we have appreciated this, that His very sufficiency and ability—all the heavenly blessings—are all at our disposal. 

The tenth verse of Second Corinthians 9 that says, "Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness." Do you understand what He means by "fruits of your righteousness?" It means all the gracious things you are able to do with these heavenly blessings at your disposal just as Jesus did. God will make His grace abound toward you that your fruit of your righteousness—the gracious things you doing will be increasing. 

All the gracious words that Jesus said and all the mighty acts that He performed were the fruits of His righteousness. I wonder if we have ever thought of it. Jesus was fearless in the presence of the enemy in every place. He had no fear of a storm at sea. He had no fear of lack. He wasn't afraid of death. He raised Lazarus who had been dead four days. He wasn't afraid of a mob. He exercised power over nature and its forces. Those were some of the fruits of His righteousness. When His grace abound in us they will make us like Jesus, and these fruits of righteousness can abound in us.

Righteousness and all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places was given to us in Christ with the intent that we bear fruit with them. The apostle Paul says in Second Corinthians 3 vs 4 - 6: "And we have such trust through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant....." 

Now, notice this carefully, He is not only our ability, but He is our sufficiency. There is no lack in us, in our service, in our finances, in anything connected with our earth walk. You see when He took us over and came into us and began to build His Word into us, He was building His sufficiency and His ability into us. How ashamed we ought to be if we have ever talked about our weakness and our lack when the ability of God, the measureless ability of God is ours.

By His Word He created the universe; created this earth with all its flowers and fruits, its wealth of minerals, chemicals, and oils. His efficiency in that living Word created these things. Now He is building into us that Living Word with its supernatural efficiency. 

A praying believer with the consciousness of this whole knowledge, becomes invincible. All we need to do now is to take our place and act our part knowing that is God who is at work within us. Not only is He building Himself into us, but He is there to work through us. He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ. You are blessed with everything that you need. His very fullness is yours. His love is yours. Yes, He Himself is yours, and you are complete in Him.

Prayer: Abba Father, Your loving kindness toward me is immeasurable and overwhelming. Everything within me is thanking You for the riches Your grace, and of the glory of the inheritance You have given me in Jesus Christ. My utmost heart desire is to manifest to the fullest my inheritance, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen

PRAISE THE LORD.

YOU ARE NOW GOD’S SUPERMAN!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY MAY 23, 2020.

SUBJECT : YOU ARE NOW GOD’S SUPERMAN!

Memory verse: "Most assuredly, I say to you, He who believes in Me, the works that I do He will do also, and greater works than these he will , because I go to my Father." (John 14 vs 12.) 

READ: Matthew 17 vs 17 - 20: 

17:17: Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.”

17:18: And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of Him; and the child was cured from that very hour.

17:19: Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast out it out? 

17:20: So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; nothing will be impossible for you. 

INTIMATION:

God's Superman is the New Creation man recreated in Christ Jesus. He believes in his heart and confesses with his mouth the Lord Jesus. In the passage we read today, Jesus stated some prophetic facts about believers. Jesus stated a fact when He said, ".......Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you. if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing shall be impossible for you." 

The disciples were unable to cast out the demon because they had no faith. The faith that enabled them accomplish the works they before then was the faith of Christ that accompanied them as they went without Him. It is the power of God, plus our faith, that moves mountains. The mustard seed was the smallest particle imaginable. Jesus said that even faith as small or undeveloped as the size of mustard seed would have been sufficient. Perhaps, the disciples had tried to cast out the demon with their own ability rather than God’s. There is great potential in even a little faith when we trust in God’s power to act. 

Jesus wasn’t condemning the disciples for substandard faith; He was trying to show how important faith would be in their future ministry. This is applicable to all believers also; faith is our greatest tool in our work with Christ. If you are facing a problem that seems as big and immovable as a mountain, turn your eyes from the mountain and look to Christ for more faith. Only then will you be able to overcome the obstacles that may stand in your way.

Note that Jesus told the disciples the consequence of their unbelief, they weren't able to cast out the evil spirit (Demon) from the epileptic son. (See Matthew17 vs 14 - 20).

But Jesus said to them, "If you have faith" - "If you believe," you will perform the great miracle of moving a mountain from here to there by simply speaking faith in the lips of that believer. 

Now reconcile it with Matthew 19 vs 26, when Jesus said, "....."With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." As I presumed earlier, the disciples tried casting out the demon in their own power, and it was impossible because they are mere men. But the recreated man (the believer) has that same spirit that was at work in Jesus, and that same spirit will be at work in him and enable him to do what Christ did and even more. (John 14 vs 12).

Also take this with Mark 11 vs 24, "Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them." This is because Jesus said, "all things are possible to him who believes." (Mark 9 vs 23). There were no believers in that time Jesus Christ was preaching. They were Jews under law. The believing ones came into being at Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended upon men. It means that a believer is a New Creation Man. The New Creation Man is a partaker of God's nature. He is really an incarnation. He has received the nature and life of God. Then he invites the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead, who came the day of Pentecost, to make His home in his body. This man, not only has God's nature, but has God actually living in him.

If this doesn't constitute a superman, then I don't know what a superman is.This man is with God's nature, and God is indwelling him, he has been given a legal right to the use of the Name of Jesus with the power of attorney. This believer, God's superman, this new creation in Christ, is a child of Deity. He stands  before the world as a very branch of the vine. He is taking the place of Jesus in the world.

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You most gracious Father for making one with You, and for the gift of the Holy Spirit indwelling me. I am a god, and a joint heir with Christ. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Engrace me for exploits in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD! 

YOU ARE A NEW CREATURE!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY MAY 22, 2020.

SUBJECT: YOU ARE A NEW CREATURE! 

Memory verse: "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; all things are become new." (Second Corinthians 5 vs 17.)

READ: Romans 6 vs 3 - 11:

6:3: Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 

6:4: Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

6:5: For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,

6:6: knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.

6:7: For he who has died has been freed from sin. 

6:8: Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 

6:9: knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 

6:10: For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 

6:11: Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

INTIMATION:

The New Creation concept  is adequately and clearly revealed to me when I realized that Jesus was recreated. Until then Christianity, as simple confession of Christ Jesus and the attendant forgiveness of sins, with the theological justification, has no sense of reality in it. But when I realized that Jesus was recreated, the real idea of our recreation came alive in me.

You see, Jesus was made sin with our sins. He became our substitute. He took our place to be a propitiation for our sins. We were crucified with Him. We died with Him. We were buried with Him. We were judged with Him. He went to the place where we should have gone, and He suffered there until the claims of justice against us were met, until all the claims were satisfied. Then the grave couldn't hold Him any longer.

Jesus is able to accomplish all He did because of the Holy Spirit operational in His life. The Scripture in Matthew 3 vs 16 says; “And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightaway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto Him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon Him.” The recreation or new creation is the quickening of the spirit of the believer by the operation of the Holy Spirit, and by whose power all the services are rendered, and the accomplishments are achieved. 

Because we were united with Christ in His death, our evil desires and bondage to sin died with Him. Now, united by faith with Him in His resurrection life, we have unbroken fellowship with God and freedom from sin’s hold on us. If we think of our old, sinful life as dead and buried, we have a powerful motive to resist sin, as we treat the desires and temptations of our old nature as dead. All these are made possible by the operation of the Holy Spirit in the believer.

Therefore, the behavior of a true Christian should be putting on the new nature you are recreated in, by accepting Christ and regarding the earthly nature as dead. We change our moral and ethical behavior by letting Christ (in His Spirit form) live within us, so that He can shape us into what we should be.

When you are dead to sin, it means we should have as little desire for improper worldly pleasures as a dead person would have. The power of sin over us died with Christ on the cross, and was nailed there, so we are free from that power. Before we confessed Jesus, our body of sin inherited from Adam often willingly cooperate with the power of sin at work in our life. Now we have confessed Christ, that power is defeated once and for all. 

Though we are no longer under sin’s power, God does not take us out of the world or make us robots, it’s true we will still feel like sinning, and sometimes we will sin. The difference is that before we were saved we were slaves to our sinful nature, but now we can choose to live for Christ, and that is why a truly born again Christian will always feel very sorry when he or she falls into sin, and will confess such sin because sin’s attraction has drastically reduced in his or her life. Upon confession and repentance, he or she is forgiven (First John 1 vs 9).

How then can we keep ourselves under check and not to let sin control the way we live, to not give in to its desires? We can take the following steps: (1) Identify our personal weaknesses, (2) recognize the things that tempt us, (3) stay away from sources of temptation, (4) practice self-restraint, (5) consciously invest our time in good habits and service, and (6) lean on God’s strength and grace through our indwelling Holy Spirit, as we learn to turn to Him in all things we do.

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You so much for the substitutionary work of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ—our Messiah, for me, and for the gift of salvation, and redemption, and sanctification in Him. I pray for Your exceeding grace to live above sin, especially sins that have dominion over me, in Jesus’ Name I prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!