Suffering That Crushes Faith

 “They have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.” (Mark 4:17)

The faith of some is broken instead of built by suffering. Jesus knew this and described it here in the parable of the four soils. Some people who hear the word receive it at first with gladness, but then suffering makes them fall away. 

So, affliction does not always make faith stronger. Sometimes it crushes faith. And then come true the paradoxical words of Jesus, “The one who has not, even what he has will be taken” (Mark 4:25). 

This is a call for us to endure suffering with firm faith in future grace, so that our faith might grow stronger and not be proved vain (1 Corinthians 15:2). “To the one who has, more will be given” (Mark 4:25). Knowing God’s design in suffering is one of the main means of growing through suffering.

If you think your suffering is pointless, or that God is not in control, or that he is whimsical or cruel, then your suffering will drive you from God, instead of driving you from everything but God — as it should. So, it is crucial that faith in God’s grace includes the faith that he gives grace through suffering.

GUARD YOUR INTEGRITY!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY JULY 31, 2023.

SUBJECT : GUARD YOUR INTEGRITY!

Memory verse: “The just man walks in his integrity: his children are blessed after him.” (Proverbs 20 vs 7.) 

READ: Matthew 5 vs 33 - 37:

5:33: Again, you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shalt not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’

5:34: But I say to you, do not swear at all, neither by heaven; for it is God's throne;

5:35: nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.

5:36: Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black.

5:37: But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.’

INTIMATION:

Integrity denotes honesty, uprightness, morality, and wholeness. Therefore, a man or woman of integrity is known for honesty, uprightness, morality, and wholeness. 

Integrity is more valuable than wealth, but most people don’t act as if they believe this. In a bid to get what they want they compromise their integrity in order to achieve their aim. They will pay any price to get what they want thereby falling into various temptations, and indulging in many forms of compromises— ritual and devilish sacrifices to acquire wealth, lying, cheating on people, and employers, invading taxes, stealing, withholding tithes, refusing to give, and so on.

Many compromise their honesty to achieve their objectives. Dishonesty is a difficult sin to avoid. It is easy to cheat if we think no one else is looking. But dishonesty affects the very cure of a person. It makes him or her untrustworthy and untrusting. It eventually makes him or her unable to know himself or herself or relate with others. Don’t take dishonesty lightly. Even the smallest portion of dishonesty contains enough of the poison of deceit to kill your spiritual life. If there is any form of dishonesty in your life tell God about it now.

Christians should live with such a character of life that whatever they say should be understood as truth. They should be good for their words. If a Christian makes a promise, it should be assumed that he will keep that promise. A person with a reputation for exaggeration or lying often can’t get anyone to believe him or his word alone. Always be honest so that others will believe your simple yes or no. 

By avoiding lies, half truths, and omissions of the truth, you will become known as a trustworthy person. Truthfulness seems so rare that we feel we must end our statements with “I promise.” If we tell the truth all the time, we will have less pressure to back up our words with an oath. Making casual oath is common to many in normal conversation in order to establish integrity or credibility. Integrity and credibility of the Christian should be based on the behavior of one’s life, not on casual statements continually made in conversation. The statement of Christians should be considered true and correct without the necessity of making oaths in order to reinforce what they say. 

Our integrity is often put on the line in money matters. God calls us to be honest even in small details we could easily ignore. But if we are not trustworthy with our money here (no matter how much or little we have), we will be unfit to handle the vast riches of God’s kingdom. Heaven’s riches are far more valuable than earthly wealth. 

See that you maintain your integrity in all matters, whether big or small. Never try to get away with anything. Be a man or woman of integrity whether you have or not. We should guard our integrity. A reputation for honesty is worth far more than the money we might gain by compromising it.

Parents who behave themselves with integrity will leave an example for their children to do likewise. One of the best things parents can leave for their children is a heritage of integrity. Your life circumstances, whether rich or poor, should never cause you to compromise your integrity. 

When we know and love God, we realize that a lower standard of living—or even poverty—is a small price to pay for personal integrity. Do your actions show that you sacrifice your integrity to get what you want? What changes do you have to make in order to get your priorities straight? 

Prayer: Abba Father, give me the grace to guard against any form of compromises in my life that will eventually hurt my integrity and cause me to lose Your approval, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

HOW TO ATTRACT GOD’S CARE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY JULY 30, 2023.

SUBJECT : HOW TO ATTRACT GOD’S CARE!

Memory verse: "Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." (First Peter 5 vs 7.) 

READ: Psalm 103 vs 8 - 14 & 17:

103:8: The Lord is merciful and gracious. Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. 

103:9: He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever. 

103:10: He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. 

103:11: For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; 

103:12: As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. 

103:13: As s father pities his children, So the Lord pities those who fear Him. 

103:14: For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. 

103:17: But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him. And His righteousness to children's children.

INTIMATION:

God is concerned about every human being He has created, and He is not willing that any should perish. God is concerned and interested in you personally and in every detail of your life. Too often we focus on God as Judge and Lawgiver, ignoring His compassion and concern for us. When God examines our lives He remembers are human condition. His mercy takes everything into account. 

God will deal with us compassionately. We are fragile but God's care is eternal. God is so caring that when He forgives us our sin, He separates it from us and doesn't even remember it. East and west can never meet and this is a symbolic portrait of God's forgiveness when our sin is forgiven. We need never wallow in the past, for God forgives and forgets.

Subjects of the Kingdom are the objects of God’s care. He will take care of those who seek Him first. Therefore, we attract God’s care when we put Him first in our lives. Putting Him first means to fill your thoughts with His desires, to take His character for your pattern, to serve and obey Him in everything, and to turn to God first for help. Subjects of the kingdom desire that the will of the Father be done on earth in their hearts as it is done in heaven. God’s righteousness comes through one’s submission to His will. Seeking the kingdom of God, therefore, must always be first. 

If you desire to attract God’s care, He should be first in all things. You must desire to commit yourself to the Lord and delight in Him. To commit yourself to the Lord means entrusting everything—your life, family, job, possessions—to His control and guidance. We should trust in Him, believing that He can care for you better than you can yourself. 

We should be willing to wait patiently for Him to work out what is best for us. To delight in the Lord is to experience great pleasure and joy in His presence. This happens only when we know Him well. Thus, we must know Him better. Knowledge of God’s great love for us will indeed give us delight. 

One must take the initiative to keep oneself in the love of God. Those who have made their hands dirty by becoming a friend of the world, must repent. If one loves the world, the love of the Father is not in his heart. Those who love activities and possessions of this world do not love the Father, for they are obsessed with the things of this world. 

God wants us to yield completely to Him; being totally devoted to Him. He desires that we daily lay aside our own desires to follow Him, putting all our energy and resources at His disposal and trusting Him to guide us. This is because He has good, pleasing, perfect, and best plans for us. Therefore, devoting yourself to Him is reasonable, and the most proper thing to do. 

Prayer: Abba Father, my utmost heart desire is for an intimate relationship with You, with total commitment to Your will, and putting You first in everything in my life. Give me the grace to serve and obey You in everything, and that nothing takes the first place in my life outside of You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Suffering That Strengthens Faith

 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. (James 1:2–3)

Strange as it may seem, one of the primary purposes of being shaken by suffering is to make our faith more unshakable. 

Faith is like muscle tissue: if you stress it to the limit, it gets stronger, not weaker. That’s what James means here. When your faith is threatened and tested and stretched to the breaking point, the result is greater capacity to endure. He calls it steadfastness.

God loves faith so much that he will test it to the breaking point so as to keep it pure and strong. For example, he did this to Paul according to 2 Corinthians 1:8–9,

We do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.

The words “but that was to” show that there was a purpose in this extreme suffering: it was in order that — for the purpose that — Paul would not rely on himself and his resources, but on God — specifically the promised grace of God in raising the dead. 

God so values our wholehearted faith that he will, graciously, if necessary, take away everything else in the world that we might be tempted to rely on — even life itself. His aim is that we grow deeper and stronger in our confidence that he himself will be all we need. 

He wants us to be able to say with the psalmist, “Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:25–26).

House of Joy Ministry celebrate her 20 years annversary of ministry to over 500,000 souls world wide through Gospel of our Lord Jesus on August 4th, 2023 also double my birthday. Join us on +2349016233784 on WhatsApp or on https://miheanyi.blogspot.com. Menu botton.

GOD DESIRES OUR CONSISTENT OBEDIENCE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY JULY 29, 2023.

SUBJECT : GOD DESIRES OUR CONSISTENT OBEDIENCE!

Memory verse: "And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved." (Mark 13 vs 13.)

READ: Philippians 2 vs 5 - 11: 

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 death of the cross.

2:9: Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given him the name which is above every name,

2:10: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and those on earth, and those under the earth,

2:11: and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 

INTIMATION:

God demands our obedience to His commandments. We do this by obeying God with (1) Our heart— by loving Him more than any relationship, activity, achievement, or possession; (2) Our will—by committing ourselves completely to Him; (3) Our mind—by seeking to know Him and His Word, so His principles and values form the foundation of all we think and do; (4) Our body—by recognizing that our strengths, talents, and sexuality are given to us by God to be used for pleasure and fulfillment according to His rules, not ours; (5) Our finances—by deciding that all of the resources we have ultimately come from God, and that we are to be managers of them and not owners; (6) Our future—by deciding to make service to God and man the main purpose of our life’s work.

We should strive to be consistent in our obedience. Heroic spiritual lives are built by stacking days of obedience one on top of the other. Like a brick, each obedient act is small in itself, but in time the acts will pile up, and a huge wall of strong character will be built—a great defense against temptation. 

God requires lifelong obedience. Spurts of obedience are not enough, and we can’t please God by spurts of religiosity. Real spirituality takes a lifetime of consistent obedience. Only "he who endures to the end" will be rewarded. Be remembered for your consistent faith. Being consistent in your faith every day engenders the build up of a lifetime of obedience. Otherwise you may become more famous for your downfall than for your success. 

Consider Jesus Christ who actually became a human to identify with our sins; He voluntarily laid aside His divine rights and privileges out of love for, and obedience to His Father. Christ died on the cross for our sins, and God glorified Him because of His obedience; consistent obedience to the end. God highly exalted Him and gave Him the name above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth.

Therefore, if we say we follow Christ as believers, we must also say we want to live as He lived, and strive to live as He lived. He is our role model, and we are expected to be Christlike. To believe in Jesus "to the end" will take perseverance because our faith will be challenged and opposed. Severe trials will sift true Christians from fair-weather believers. 

Enduring to the end does not earn salvation for us but marks us as already saved, and an evidence that we are really committed to Jesus. The assurance of our salvation will keep us strong in times of persecution. Persistence or consistency is the by product of a truly devoted life.

Obedience to God begins with humility. We humble ourselves by renouncing other masters, identify ourselves with Jesus, discover His will, and live according to it, and consciously turn away from conflicting interests, even if these interests have been important to us in the past. 

We must believe that His way is better than our own. We may not always understand His ways of working, but by humbly obeying, we will receive His blessings. We must remember that (1) God’s ways are best; (2) God wants our obedience more than anything else; (3) God can use anything to accomplish His purposes. 

Prayer: Abba Father, my utmost heart desire is to have the mind of Christ and live humbly as He lived; consistent in my obedience to You till the end. Strengthen me in my strive, and help me in my daily life to live like Christ, and to live for You, in Jesus' Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

God’s Plan for Martyrs

They were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been. (Revelation 6:11)

For almost three hundred years, Christianity grew in soil that was wet with the blood of the martyrs. 

Until the Emperor Trajan (about AD 98), persecution was permitted but not legal. From Trajan to Decius (about AD 250), persecution was legal. From Decius, who hated the Christians and feared their impact on his reforms, until the first edict of toleration in 311, the persecution was not only legal but widespread and general. 

One writer described the situation in this third period: 

Horror spread everywhere through the congregations; and the number of lapsi [the ones who renounced their faith when threatened] . . . was enormous. There was no lack, however, of such as remained firm, and suffered martyrdom rather than yielding; and, as the persecution grew wider and more intense, the enthusiasm of the Christians and their power of resistance grew stronger and stronger.

So, for three hundred years, to be a Christian was an act of immense risk to your life and possessions and family. It was a test of what you loved more. And at the extremity of that test was martyrdom. 

And above that martyrdom was a sovereign God who said there is an appointed number of martyrs. They have a special role to play in planting and empowering the church. They have a special role to play in shutting the mouth of Satan, who constantly says that the people of God serve him only because life goes better. That’s the point of Job 1:9–11. 

Martyrdom is not something accidental. It is not taking God off guard. It is not unexpected. And it is emphatically not a strategic defeat for the cause of Christ. 

It may look like defeat. But it is part of a plan in heaven that no human strategist would ever conceive or could ever design. And this plan will triumph for all those who endure to the end by faith in God’s all-sufficient grace.

Why We Don’t Lose Heart

 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16–18) 

Paul can’t see the way he used to (and there were no glasses). He can’t hear the way he used to (and there were no hearing aids). He doesn’t recover from beatings the way he used to (and there were no antibiotics). His strength, walking from town to town, doesn’t hold up the way it used to. He sees the wrinkles in his face and neck. His memory is not as good. And he admits that this is a threat to his faith and joy and courage. 

But he does not lose heart. Why? 

He doesn’t lose heart because his inner man is being renewed. How? 

The renewing of his heart comes from something very strange: it comes from looking at what he can’t see. 

We look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:18)

This is Paul’s way of not losing heart: looking at what he cannot see. What, then, did he see when he looked? 

A few verses later in 2 Corinthians 5:7, he says, “We walk by faith, not by sight.” This doesn’t mean that he leaps into the dark without evidence of what’s there. It means that for now the most precious and important realities in the world are beyond our physical senses. 

We “look” at these unseen things through the gospel. We strengthen our hearts — we renew our courage — by fixing our gaze on the invisible, objective truth that we see in the testimony of those who saw Christ face to face.

“God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6). “The light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” We see this as it shines in our heart through the gospel. 

We became Christians when this happened — whether we understood this or not. And with Paul we need to go on seeing with the eyes of the heart, so that we not lose heart.

GOD FORGIVES SIN!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY JULY 28, 2023.

SUBJECT : GOD FORGIVES SIN!

Memory verse: "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." (Luke 5 vs 32.)

READ: Isaiah 1 vs 18 - 20:

18: "Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD, though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

19: If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land;

20: But if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword", for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

INTIMATION:

The Greek word for sin is harmartia, which means “miss the mark.” Sin, therefore, is one missing the mark of perfection in order to be considered righteous before God. Those who are involved in sin are known as sinners. Sin has been preached to us so long and we have been told so often that we are unworthy and unfit, and this has kept us with a sense of inferiority which has been destructive to a faith life. This has made many to keep a distance from our holy and perfect God, and their guilt feelings of sin keep them from praying (seeking the face of God), which is their only means of restoration, because only God forgives sin. 

Sometimes one may feel that he has done something terrible, and could never come close to God. Consequently, the effect of sin keeps one away from praying. However, it is noteworthy that perfect moral behavior is not a condition for prayer. Though the stain of sin seems permanent, but only God can remove such stain of sin from our lives. We don't have to go through life permanently soiled. God's Word assures that if we are willing and obedient in turning to Him, Christ will forgive and remove our most indelible stains of sin.

No matter how long you have been away from God, He is ready to hear from you and restore you to a right relationship with Him. Every situation can be salvaged if you are willing to turn to God. In Judges 16 vs 28 - 30, we would observe that in spite of Samson's past, God still answered his prayer and destroyed the philistines' heathen temple and worshipers. He killed more people at his death than he did in his life because of the mercy of God when he turned to Him in prayer.

Christ came for sinners like you and I, and He expects us, the sinners, to come to Him for mercy. We can only go to God in prayer, acknowledging our need and admitting that we don't have all the answers, and God will come to our help. He desires to show mercy and His mercy endures forever. God is infinitely merciful. All of us are compassed with infirmity, and only God can succor us. Hence we are to pray boldly for mercy. When we go to God in prayer, repent of our sin, and seek His forgiveness, He is faithful to forgive us, but we must come to Him in prayer. He then withholds punishment deserved by us and gives His kindness in excess. God's mercy is everlasting and total. 

God can forgive all sins, except the sin against the Holy Spirit. The unforgivable sin against the Holy Spirit is the deliberate refusal to acknowledge God, and His power in Christ, expressed through the Holy Spirit. It indicates a deliberate and irreversible hardness of heart. It reveals a heart attitude of unbelief and unrepentance, that attributes to Satan the work that the Holy Spirit accomplishes. Such people have turned their backs on God and rejected all faith, and are unwilling to ask for forgiveness. Even when they receive the prompting of the Holy Spirit, convicting them of sin, they reject it. 

The deliberate rejection of the work of the Holy Spirit is blasphemy, because it is rejecting God Himself. Blasphemy is a malicious and injurious speech against the work of God. It is such because the accusers are assigning the work of God to Satan. It cannot be forgiven simply because those who are making the accusations will not accept the message by obedience to the gospel. Such persons remove themselves from the only force that can lead them to repentance and restoration to God.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are the only God, there is no other. Before You there is no God, with You there is no other God, and there will be no other God after You. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your loving kindness; according to the multitude of your tender mercies. Blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleans me from my sin, in Jesus name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

If You Don’t Fight Lust

 Abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. (1 Peter 2:11)

When I confronted a man about the adultery he was living in, I tried to understand his situation, and I pled with him to return to his wife. Then I said, “You know, Jesus says that if you don’t fight this sin with the kind of seriousness that is willing to gouge out your own eye, you will go to hell and suffer there forever.”

As a professing Christian, he looked at me in utter disbelief, as though he had never heard anything like this in his life, and said, “You mean you think a person can lose his salvation?” 

So, I have learned again and again from firsthand experience that there are many professing Christians who have a view of salvation that disconnects it from real life, and that nullifies the threats of the Bible, and that puts the sinning person who claims to be a Christian beyond the reach of biblical warnings. I believe this view of the Christian life is comforting thousands who are on the broad way that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13). 

Jesus said, if you don’t fight lust, you won’t go to heaven. “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell” (Matthew 5:29). The point is not that true Christians always succeed in every battle. The issue is that we resolve to fight, not that we succeed flawlessly. We don’t make peace with sin. We make war.

The stakes are much higher than whether the world is blown up by a thousand long-range missiles, or terrorists bomb your city, or global warming melts the ice caps, or AIDS sweeps the nations. All these calamities can kill only the body. But if we don’t fight lust, we lose our souls. Forever.

Peter says the passions of the flesh wage war against our souls (1 Peter 2:11). The stakes in this war are infinitely higher than in any threat of world war or terrorism. The apostle Paul listed “immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness,” then said it is “on account of these the wrath of God is coming” (Colossians 3:5–6). And the wrath of God is immeasurably more fearful than the wrath of all the nations of the world put together.

May God give us grace to take our souls and others’ souls seriously and keep up the fight.

By God's grace House of Joy Ministry will be 20 years old in the ministry on August 4th and also is my birthday special on August 4th this year. For your sponsorship, donation and your gifts contact on +2349016233784 on Whatsapp or send email to miheanyi19@gmail.com.

God bless you!

What It Means to Love Money

 The love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. (1 Timothy 6:10)

What did Paul mean when he wrote this? He couldn’t have meant that money is always on your mind when you sin. A lot of sin happens when we are not thinking about money. 

My suggestion is this: He meant that all the evils in the world come from a certain kind of heart, namely, the kind of heart that loves money. 

So what does it mean to love money? It doesn’t mean to admire the green paper or the copper coins or the silver shekels. To know what it means to love money, you have to ask, What is money? I would answer that question like this: Money is simply a symbol that stands for human resources. Money stands for what you can get from man — other human beings — instead of God. 

God deals in the currency of grace, not money: “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat!” (Isaiah 55:1). Money is the currency of human resources. So, the heart that loves money is a heart that pins its hopes, and pursues its pleasures, and puts its trust in what human resources can offer. 

So, the love of money is virtually the same as faith in money — belief (trust, confidence, assurance) that money will meet your needs and make you happy. 

Love of money is the alternative to faith in God’s future grace. It is faith in future human resources — the kind of thing you can obtain or secure with money. Therefore the love of money, or trust in money, is the underside of unbelief in the promises of God. Jesus said in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters. . . . You cannot serve God and money.” 

You can’t trust in God and in money at the same time. Belief in one is unbelief in the other. A heart that loves money — that banks on money for happiness — is not banking on all that God is for us in Jesus as the satisfaction of our souls.

OUR MISSION ON EARTH!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY JULY 26, 2023.

SUBJECT : OUR MISSION ON EARTH! 

Memory verse: "Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation." (Second Corinthians 5 vs 18.)

READ: Matthew 28 vs 19 - 20; Mark 16 vs 15:

Matthew 28:19: Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 

28:20: teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Mark 16:15: Go into the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

INTIMATION:

You are made and called for a mission. The earth is an extension of God's kingdom. From creation God has been at work in the world. He created the angels and other heavenly beings to join Him in His work in heaven, and for special missions on earth. He created us to join Him in His work on earth. The aspect of the work He has employed you to join Him is called your mission. God wants you to have both a ministry in the Body of Christ and a mission in the world. Your ministry is your service to believers, and your mission is your service to the rest of the world.

The english word 'mission' comes from the Latin word for 'sending.' Being a Christian includes being sent into the world as a representative of Jesus Christ. Jesus said, "As the Father has sent Me, I also send you. (John 20 vs 21.) Your life mission is both shared and specific. One part of it a responsibility you share with every other Christian, and the other part is an assignment that is unique to you. The mission that Christ called us to is called “The Great Commission,” which was given to all followers of Christ, not just pastors and missionaries alone. This mission given to us by Jesus is mandatory, and to ignore it is disobedience.

Jesus clearly understood His life mission on earth. At age twelve He said, "I must be about My Father's business." (Luke 2 vs 49), and twenty-one years later, dying on the cross, He said, "It is finished." John 19 vs 30.) Like the bookends these two statements frame a well-lived, and purposeful life. Jesus completed the mission the Father gave Him. The mission Jesus had while on earth is now our mission because we are the Body of Christ. What He did in His physical body we are to continue as His spiritual body—the church. 

Our mission, therefore, is introducing people to God! Christ changed us from enemies into His friends and gave us the task of making others His friends also. Because we have been reconciled to God, we have the privilege of encouraging others to do the same. God wants to redeem human beings from Satan and reconcile them to Himself so we can fulfill the five purposes He created us for: to love Him, to be part of His family, to become like Him, to serve Him, and to tell others about Him. 

Once we are His, God uses us to reach others. He saves us and then sends us out. The Bible says, "We are ambassadors of Christ."   

(Second Corinthians 5 vs 20.) We are the messengers of God's love and purposes to the world, and imploring others on behalf of Christ, to be reconciled to God. All believers are the ambassadors of Christ. We are messengers and agents of Christ mandated to continue the work He started. Jesus did two things with us; He called us to Himself, and commissioned us to go for Him. This mission given to us by Christ is so significant that He repeated it five times; in five different ways, and in five different books of the Bible. The emphasis connotes how important and demanding of us it is to Christ. 

You may have been unaware that God holds you responsible for the unbelievers who live around you. The Bible, in Ezekiel 3 vs 18, says, "When I say to a wicked, 'You shall surely die,' and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand." We are responsible to tell others about God's judgement and His message of salvation, although we are not held responsible for how they respond. But if we refuse to tell others what we know, God will judge us. Therefore, remember God's words to Ezekiel when you are tempted to remain silent among those who don't believe.

The pertinent questions you should ask, and the answers to them are; (1) When do you go? Now! (2) Where do you go? To the world beginning with where you are now. (3) Why do you go? Because it is mandatory to tell others about Christ, sharing your own experience and knowledge of Him, and (4) How do you do the work? Witnessing for Christ, preaching the gospel of repentance and remission of sins, ensuring that those who believed are baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to do everything Jesus said we should do.

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for the privilege of calling me to the mission of reconciling others to You. Give me the grace to be committed to this mission with great zeal, preaching the Good News to all, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Satan’s Strategy and Your Defense

 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith. (1 Peter 5:8–9) 

The two great enemies of our souls are sin and Satan. And sin is the worst enemy, because the only way that Satan can destroy us is by getting us to sin, and keeping us from repenting. The only thing that damns us is unforgiven sin. Not Satan.

God may give him leash enough to rough us up, the way he did Job, or even to kill us, the way he did the saints in Smyrna (Revelation 2:10); but Satan cannot condemn us or rob us of eternal life. The only way he can do us ultimate harm is by influencing us to sin, and keep us from repentance. Which is exactly what he aims to do.

So, Satan’s main business is to advocate, promote, assist, titillate, and confirm our bent to sinning. And to keep us from faith and repentance.

We see this in Ephesians 2:1–2: “You were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked . . . according to the prince of the power of the air” (NASB). Sinning “accords” with Satan’s power in the world. When he brings about moral evil, it is through sin. When we sin, we move in his sphere. We come into accord with him. When we sin, we give place to the devil (Ephesians 4:27). 

The only thing that will condemn us at the judgment day is unforgiven sin — not sickness or afflictions or persecutions or intimidations or apparitions or nightmares. Satan knows this. Therefore, his great focus is not primarily on how to scare Christians with weird phenomena (though there’s plenty of that), but on how to corrupt Christians with worthless fads and evil thoughts.

Satan wants to catch us at a time when our faith is not firm, when it is vulnerable. It makes sense that the very thing Satan wants to destroy would also be the means of our resisting his efforts. That’s why Peter says, “Resist him, firm in your faith” (1 Peter 5:9). It is also why Paul says that the “shield of faith” can “extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one” (Ephesians 6:16). 

The way to thwart the devil is to strengthen the very thing he is trying most to destroy — your faith.

THE FEAR OF THE LORD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY JULY 25, 2023.

SUBJECT : THE FEAR OF THE LORD! 

Memory verse: "And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding." (Job 28 vs 28.)

READ: Psalm 25 vs 12 - 15; 34 vs 11 - 14:

25:12: What man is he that feareth the LORD? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.

25:13: His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth.

25:14: The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.

25:15: Mine eyes are ever toward the LORD; for he shall pluck my feet out of the net.

34:11: Come you children, listen to me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

34:12: Who is the man who desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good?

34:13: Keep your tongue from evil, and your soul lips from speaking deceit.

34:14: Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.

INTIMATION:

“The fear of the Lord” means to have respect and reverence for God and to be in awe of His majesty and power. It is not a mere fear of His power and righteous retribution, but a wholesome dread of displeasing Him. The fear of the Lord is reverential of Him as a controlling motive of life in matters that are spiritual and moral. Reverence mingled with fear and love constitute the piety of man toward God. It is a fear which banishes the terror that shrinks from His presence, and which influences the disposition and attitude of one whose circumstances are guided by trust in God, through the indwelling Spirit of God. 

The Bible often connects the fear of the Lord (love and reverence for Him) with obedience. “Fear God, and keep His commandments” (Ecclesiastes 12 vs 13). “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word” (John 14 vs 23). A person who fears the Lord doesn’t lie, turns from evil, does good, and promotes peace. Reverence is much more than sitting quietly in church. It includes obeying God in the way we speak and the way we treat others. Fear of the Lord is the foundation upon which learning takes place. This fear leads to listening to God and obeying His commandments. It is obedience to His will. 

Recognition of the existence and authority of God in our lives is the foundation upon which all learning should take place. The fear of the Lord is a key theme in the wisdom literature of the Bible (Job through Songs of Solomon). It is the starting point to finding real wisdom (Proverbs 1 vs 7 - 9). The only way to become truly wise is to fear (revere) God. Too often people want to skip this step, thinking they can become wise by life experience and academic knowledge alone. But if we do not acknowledge God as the source of wisdom, then our foundation for making wise decisions is shaky and we are prone to mistakes and foolish choices. 

To fear the Lord is to recognize God’s attributes: He is Holy, Almighty, Righteous, Pure, All-knowing, All-powerful, and All-wise. When we regard God correctly, we gain a clearer picture of ourselves: sinful, weak, frail, and needy. When we recognize who God is and who we are, we will fall at His feet in humble respect. Only then will He show us how to choose His way. If one will reverence God and submit to His will, then God will teach him His way. The obedient will then live in peace of mind, his posterity through his children will continue throughout generations, and he will thus benefit from his covenant relationship with God, enjoying the benefit of a spiritual connection with Him, and will be a friend of God.

With fear of the Lord is prolonged days, and your children will have a place of refuge. It gives confidence, it is a foundation of life, and helps turn one away from the snares of death. God offers intimate and lasting friendship to those who revere Him, who hold Him in highest honor. What relationship could ever compare with having the Lord of all creation for a friend? Your everlasting friendship with God will grow as you respect and honor Him. 

Prayer: Abba Father, endue with the excellent spirit of fear of the Lord, and raw obedience to Your will, that I may be found worthy of Your intimate friendship, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

HOW TO BRING GLORY TO GOD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY JULY 24, 2023.

SUBJECT : HOW TO BRING GLORY TO GOD! 

Memory verse: "Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but to Your Name give glory, because of Your mercy, because of Your truth." (Psalm 115 vs 1.)

READ: First Corinthians 10 vs 31; First Peter 4 vs 11:

First Corinthians 10:31: Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

First Peter 4:11: If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone minister, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

INTIMATION:

Glory means fame, honor, praise, splendor, and beauty. We are created to bring glory to God—bestow honor, fame, praise, splendor to Him for ‘God has created us for His glory” 

(Isaiah 43 vs 7). Living for God's glory is purposeful, and in accordance with the will of God. It is the greatest achievement anyone can accomplish with his or her life. God made you to be you, and for a purpose. When the purpose for which He created you is met by you, you give glory to Him. God, in His nature of Love and mercy, in return, glorifies those you glorified Him.

How then can I bring glory to Him? There are many ways to bring glory to God, but they can be summarized in God's five purposes for our lives. These purposes are:-

(1) We bring God glory by worshipping Him. Worship is the appropriate response to God's self-revelation. It is our first responsibility to God. We worship God for who He is. God wants our worship to be motivated by love, thanksgiving, and delight, not duty. We worship God by enjoying Him. Worship is far more than praising, singing, and praying to God, though they are all acts of worship. Worship is a lifestyle of enjoying God, loving Him, and giving ourselves to be used for His purposes. When you use your life for God's glory, everything you do can become an act of worship. 

(2) We bring glory to God by loving other believers. When you were born again, you became a part of God's family. Following Christ is not only a matter of believing; it also includes belonging and learning to love the family of God. The apostle Paul said, "Therefore, receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God" (Romans 15 vs 7). Accept each other just as Christ accepted you; then God will be glorified. It is your responsibility to learn how to love as God does, because God is love, and it honors Him. 

(3) We bring God glory by becoming like Christ. Once we are born into the family of God, He wants us to grow to spiritual maturity. Spiritual maturity is becoming like Jesus in the way we think, feel, and act. The more you develop Christlike character, the more you will bring glory to God. In the Gospel, we see the truth about Christ, and it transforms us morally as we understand and apply it. 

Through learning about Christ's life, we can understand how wonderful God is and what He is really like. As our knowledge deepens, the Holy Spirit helps us to change. Becoming like Christ is a progressive experience. God gave us new life and a new nature when we accepted Christ. Now, for the rest of our lives on earth, God wants to continue the process of changing our characters to eventually conform to Christ’s.

(4) We bring God glory by serving others with our gifts. Each of us was uniquely designed by God with talents, gifts, skills, and abilities. The way you're "wired" is not an accident. God didn't give you your abilities for selfish purposes. They were given to benefit others, just as others were given abilities for your benefit. Some people, well aware of their abilities, believe that they have the right to use their abilities as they please. Others feel they have no special talents at all. Everyone has some gifts; find yours and use them. All our abilities should be used in serving God and others; none are for our own exclusive enjoyment. 

(5) We bring God glory by telling others about Him. God doesn't want His love and purposes kept a secret. Once we know the truth, He expects us to share it with others. It is for this reason He gave us the great commission to preach the Good News (Mark 16 vs 15). This is a great privilege, introducing others to Jesus, helping them discover their purposes, and preparing them for their eternal destiny. God's grace brings more and more people to Christ, and as this is done God will receive more and more glory. Second Corinthians 4 vs 15 says, " ...That grace, having spread through many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God." God is glorified when people come into a right relationship with Him and begin to bear fruit in their lives.

When the combination of allowing Jesus to permeate our behavior, and subsequently allowing our behavior to affect the lives of others, then truly God is glorified on earth among men. Our actions must be motivated by God’s love so that all we do will be for His glory. Keep this as a guiding principle by asking, “Is this action glorifying God?” or “How can I honor God through this action?” 

Prayer: Abba Father, give me the grace to continually do things that will glorify You. My utmost heart desire is for an intimate relationship with You, and that I may serve You and others acceptably to Your glory, and endue me with the spirit of excellent service to You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen. 

PRAISE THE LORD!

Jesus Keeps His Sheep

 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22:31–32)

Though Peter, in fact, failed miserably, by denying Jesus three times, the prayer of Jesus preserved him from utter ruin. He was brought to bitter weeping and restored to the joy and boldness that showed itself in Peter’s message at Pentecost. Jesus is interceding for us today in the same way that our faith might not fail. Paul says this in Romans 8:34. 

Jesus promised that his sheep would be preserved and never perish. “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:27–28). 

The reason for this is that God works to preserve the faith of the sheep. “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). 

We are not left to ourselves to fight the fight of faith. “It is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). 

You have the assurance of God’s word that, if you are his child, he will “equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ” (Hebrews 13:21). 

Our endurance in faith and joy is finally and decisively in the hands of God. Yes, we must fight. But this very fight is what God works in us. And he most certainly will do it, for, as it says in Romans 8:30, “Those whom he justified he also glorified.” The glorification of God’s justified children is as good as done.

He will lose none of those he has brought to faith and justified.

How to Defy Sinful Desire

 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. (Hebrews 11:24–26) 

Or, boil it down to the essentials: “By faith Moses . . . [left] the fleeting pleasures of sin . . . for he was looking to the reward” (Hebrews 11:24–26).

Faith is not content with “fleeting pleasures.” It is ravenous for joy. Joy that lasts. Forever. And the word of God says, “In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11). So, faith will not be sidetracked into the deceitful pleasures of sin. It will not give up so easily in its quest for maximum joy. 

The role of God’s word is to feed faith’s appetite for God. And, in doing this, it weans my heart off of the deceptive taste of lust. 

At first, lust begins to trick me into feeling that I would really miss out on some great satisfaction if I followed the path of purity. But then I take up the sword of the Spirit and begin to fight. 

I read that it is better to gouge out my eye than to lust (Matthew 5:29). I read that if I think about things that are pure and lovely and excellent, the peace of God will be with me (Philippians 4:8–9). I read that setting the mind on the flesh brings death, but setting the mind on the Spirit brings life and peace (Romans 8:6). I read that lust wages war against my soul (1 Peter 2:11), and that the pleasures of this life choke out the life of the Spirit (Luke 8:14). But best of all, I read that God withholds no good thing from those who walk uprightly (Psalm 84:11), and that the pure in heart will see God (Matthew 5:8). 

As I pray for my faith to be satisfied with God’s life and peace, the sword of the Spirit carves the sugarcoating off the poison of lust. I see it for what it is. And by the grace of God, its alluring power is broken.

THE ENDURING MERCY OF GOD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY JULY 23, 2023.

SUBJECT : THE ENDURING MERCY OF GOD! 

Memory verse: "O give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever." (Psalm 136 vs 1.)

READ: Zechariah 3 vs 1 - 5:

3:1: Then he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him.

3:2: And the LORD said to Satan, “The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?”

3:3: Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the Angel.

3:4: Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, “Take away the filthy garments from him. And to him he said, “See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes.”

3:5: And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put clean turban on his head, and they put the clothes on him. And the angel of the LORD stood by.

INTIMATION:

Mercy is a translation of a Hebrew word that includes aspects of love, kindness, mercy, and faithfulness. It is the outward manifestation of pity. It assumes need on the part of him who receives it, and resources adequate to meet the need on the part of him who shows it. It is used of God who is rich in mercy (Ephesians 2 vs 4), and who has provided salvation for all men. God is merciful to those who fear (reverence) Him. We never have to worry that God will run out of love because it flows from a well that will never run dry. All that exists is the result of the mercy of God. God could have existed alone in eternity, but He chose not to. 

Mercy has literally been defined as not giving a person what he or she deserves in punishment. This is exactly what God does for us. Our disobedience demands God’s wrath! But God is merciful to us sinners; He shows mercy toward us by providing an escape from sin’s penalty through Jesus Christ, Who alone saves us from sin. When we pray for forgiveness, we are asking for what we do not deserve. Yet when we take this step and trust in Christ’s saving work on our behalf, we can experience God’s forgiveness.

Countless times throughout the Bible we see God showing His love and patience toward men and women in order to save them. Although He realizes that their hearts are evil, He continues to try to reach them. When we sin or fall away from God, we surely deserve to be destroyed by His judgement. But God has promised never again to destroy everything on earth until the judgement day when Christ returns to destroy evil forever. God reminds Himself of this promise by every change of season made by Him.

God’s mercy is unbelievable, it goes far beyond what we can imagine. Even when we deliberately walk away from Him and ruin our lives, He would still take us back, and give us inward spiritual renewal. God wants to forgive us our sins and bring us back to Himself, too, and will not remember them anymore. Most of us will not learn this until their world has crashed in around them. Then the sorrow and pain seem to open our eyes to what God has been saying all along. Are you separated from God by sin? No matter how far you have wandered, God promises a fresh beginning if only you will turn to Him.

The passage we read today regarding Zechariah’s vision portrays how we receive God’s mercy. We do nothing ourselves. God removes our filthy garments (sins), then provides us with fine, new clothes (the righteousness and holiness of God—Second Corinthians 5 vs 21; Ephesians 4 vs 25; Revelation 19 vs 8). All we need to do is repent and ask God to forgive us. When Satan tries to make you feel dirty and unworthy, remember that the clean clothes of Christ’s righteousness make you worthy to draw near to God. 

Satan accused (opposed) Joshua, who here represents the nation of Israel. The accusations were accurate—Joshua stood in filthy garments (sins). Yet God revealed His mercy, stating that He chose to save His people in spite of their sin. Satan is always accusing people of their sins before God (Job 1 vs 6). But he greatly misunderstands the breadth of God’s mercy and forgiveness toward those who believe in Him. Satan the accuser will ultimately be destroyed (Revelation 12 vs 10); while everyone who is a believer will be saved (John 3 vs 16). To be prepared, we can ask God to remove our clothing of sin and dress us with His goodness. 

We should be thankful that God’s mercy extends to us. Many times God has withheld us from sinning against Him in many ways unknown to us, and we can’t even detect. We have no way of knowing, but He does. God works just as often in ways we can’t see as in ways we can. It is easy to view sin lightly in a world that sees sin as inconsequential, but we should view sin as serious. Even when we sin in the worst imaginable way, we can turn to God in prayers and repentance. 

Prayer: Abba Father, You are full of compassion, gracious, long suffering, ready to forgive, and plenteous in mercy to all those who call upon You. Thank You, O Lord, for Your grace and mercy upon my sinful life and may it speak for me all the days of my life, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!