SANCTIFICATION IS BY THE HOLY SPIRIT!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY JANUARY 20, 2020.

SUBJECT : SANCTIFICATION IS BY THE HOLY SPIRIT!

Memory verse: "Sanctify them by Your truth, Your word is truth." (John 17 vs 17.) 

READ: John 14 vs 23 - 26:

14:23: Jesus answered and said to him, "if anyone loves Me, he will keep word, and my Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.

14:24: He who does not love Me does not keep My words, and the word which is not Mins but the Father's who sent Me.

14:25: These things I have spoken to you while being present with you.

14:26: But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

INTIMATION:

A follower of Christ becomes sanctified (separated from the ways of the world) through believing and applying the Word of God in our daily living. He or she has already accepted the sacrifice of Christ on the cross for forgiveness and remission of sin and has declared Him as his or her Lord and Savior. Daily application of God's Word has a purifying effect on our minds and hearts. Scripture points out sin, motivates us to confess and forsake sin, renews our relationship with Christ, and guides us back to the right path. Obedience to the truth of God will separate one from the world in the sense that one obeys God and not men. One’s continued obedience maintains the separation from the world.

The Scripture says, "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of heart." (Hebrews 4 vs 12.)

There is life-changing power in the Word of God. The Holy Spirit is the embodiment of that power of God. The Holy Spirit convicts people of sin, and also assures them of the truth of the gospel. The Holy Spirit is the power of our new lives in Christ. He begins a lifelong process of change  making us more like Jesus. 

To sanctify literally means to "to separate," to set apart for sacred purposes, to purify. We can purify ourselves by reading God's Word, thoughtfully applying it to our lives, and preparing our hearts to participate in worship through anticipation, self-examination, and meditation. We cannot become sanctified on our own, but God gives us the Holy Spirit to help us obey and to give us power to overcome sin. We rely on God's power to free us from the grip of sin. Don't use the excuse that you can't help slipping into sin to continue in your sinful lifestyle, for God has made available His power, through the Holy Spirit, to overcome our evil desires.

A message about sanctification without a message about empowerment simply produces pressure. Because it causes people to go out and start trying to live a sanctified life without knowing how to do what they know they should be doing. If we don't know about the power of the Holy Spirit to help us do what He has revealed to us to do and not do, we would be overcome. We see the commands, such as the one in First Peter 1 vs 14 - 16, about not conforming to the former lusts that governed us before when we were in ignorance and didn't know the requirements of the Gospel, and about being holy even as God is holy, and we realize out inability to do all that without help. Hence the need to go back to our empowerer—the Holy Spirit. 

If you study the subject of holiness, for instance, you will learn that there is no such as a person becoming holy apart from a great involvement with the Holy Spirit in his life. Why? Because the Holy Spirit is the power of God given to us to do in us and through us and for us and to us what we could never do on our own.

Jesus said in John 15 vs 5, "....Without Me you can do nothing." We are not capable of anything in our own powers or strength, "....For by strength no man shall prevail" (First Samuel 2 vs 9). To make available His power to help mankind, God became a man in Jesus so that Jesus could die for our sins. Jesus rose from the dead to offer salvation to all people through spiritual renewal and rebirth. When Jesus ascended into heaven, His physical presence left the earth, but He promised to send the Holy Spirit so that His spiritual presence would still be among humankind. All believers have the power of the Holy Spirit available to them. It's only the power of God in the Holy Spirit given to us can the believers have the strength to do all things (Philippians 4 vs 13).

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for the gift of Jesus Christ our Messiah, and the Holy Spirit our Helper. Your faithfulness endures forever, and without the Holy Spirit empowerment I am capable of doing nothing. May I never take my focus away from You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen,

PRAISE THE LORD!

DISOBEDIENCE IS THE RESULT OF UNBELIEF!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY JANUARY 19, 2020.

SUBJECT : DISOBEDIENCE IS THE RESULT OF UNBELIEF!

Memory verse: 

"For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it." 

(Hebrews 4 vs 2.)

READ: Hebrews 4

 vs 1 - 7:

4:1: Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. 

4:2: 

For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.

4:3: For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: "So I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest'" although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.

4:4: For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: "And God rested on the seventh day from all His works";

4:5: And again in this place: "They shall not enter My rest."

4:6: Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience,

4:7: Again He designates a certain day, saying to David, "Today," after such a long time, as it had been said: "Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts."

INTIMATION:

The Bible says that, when people hear God's Word but do not believe it, "the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it." Unbelief results in disobedience. One cannot claim to believe in God if he or she does not obey the will of God—the Word of God. If the Christian’s faith does not move him or her to continue to obey the will of God, he or she will not enter into God’s final rest of heaven. 

Many of the Christians filling our churches today 

know a great deal about Christ, but they 

do not know Christ personally—they do not combine their knowledge with faith. They do not believe completely in Him and do not act on what they know. 

Consequently, they turn back on the promises of God, and doubt that God would fulfill His promises. 

Especially when a problem shows up in their life, they will be overwhelmed by the difficulties of the present moment, and allow that to overshadow the reality of God's promise. They are tempted to trust in their abilities to handle their problems. Never trust in your efforts that are never adequate, but rather on Christ’s unfailing power, or else you can be in danger of turning back.

What keeps us from God's ultimate blessings ("entering His rest")? (1) Not worshipping or submitting to Him. (2) Hardening our hearts, especially to sin. (3) Trying God's patience because of stubborn doubts. (4) Ungrateful hearts—not being thankful. In the passage we read today, the Bible warns us not to harden our hearts, but to reject the glamour of sin and anything else that would lead us away from God. 

Although the works of the promised rest were finished from the foundation of the world, only those who believe do enter that rest (do obtain His promised blessings). God even swore in His anger that the unbelieving hearts would not enter His rest (Psalm 95 vs 11). For the Christians that believes, the apostle Paul has a word for you in First Thessalonians 2 vs 13, "For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe." The Word only works in the life of those who believe.

God wants us to enter His rest; to be at peace with Him now and rest eternally with Him later. He offers the opportunity to enter His ultimate place of rest, that is, invites us to come to Christ. To enter His rest, you must believe that God has this relationship in mind for you (Jeremiah 29 vs 11). It is not subject to your creating it; it is already in place, and you must trust in Christ for it; and you must determine to obey Him. We do not need to wait to for the next life to enjoy God's rest and peace; we may have it daily now! Our daily rest in the Lord will not end with death, but will become an eternal rest in the place that Christ is preparing for us.

Prayer: Abba Father, You have said it, I believe it, and that settles it. In Christ Jesus I have rest round about, and in Him I live, and move, and have my being. Give me the grace never to shift my focus on Christ at anytime. Blessed be Your name forever, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

BE CANDID IN YOUR PRAYERS!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY JANUARY 18, 2020.

SUBJECT: BE CANDID IN YOUR PRAYERS! 

Memory verse: "But Hannah answered and said, “No , my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD." (First Samuel 1 vs 15.)

READ: First Samuel 1 vs 10 - 11; 15 - 16:

1:10: And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the LORD and wept in anguish.

1:11: Then she made a vow and said, “O LORD of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, But will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head.

1:15: But Hannah answered and said, “No , my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD. 

1:16: Do not consider your maidservant a wicked woman, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have spoken until now.

INTIMATION:

Knowing that God is an all-knowing God, go to Him in prayers with total sincerity of heart, and frankness in all intents and purposes. Don't keep anything back. Don't ask for what you really don't want, or promise to do something you can't or won't do. Remember He already knows your heart. 

In the passage we read today, the Scripture tells us the story of Hannah. She had no child for her husband who really loved her. She was greatly discouraged and bitter because the husband's other wife had children and ridiculed her. Her loving husband could not solve her problem. She then turned in prayer to the Provider of solutions to all problems. Eventually, Hannah discovered that an honest and fervent prayer opens the way for God to work. Hannah made a vow in return for having a mail child, to dedicate him to God for lifetime service. God gave her a son named Samuel. She lived up to her promise, and God even blessed her with five more children excluding Samuel. 

Each of us may face times of barrenness when nothing seems to work in our work, service, or even relationships. It is difficult to pray in faith when we feel so ineffective, but Hannah did. We should always be careful what we promise in prayer because God may take you up on it. Hannah so desperately wanted a child that she was willing to strike a bargain with God. God took her up on her promise, and to her credit, she did her part, even though it might be painful.

Although, we are not in a position to barter with God, He may still choose to answer a prayer that has an attached promise. When you pray, ask yourself, 'Will I follow through on any promises I make to God if He grants my request?' It is dishonest and dangerous to ignore a promise, especially to God. God keeps His promises, and He expects you to keep yours. The antidote to discouragement is telling God honestly of your problem, how you feel, and then leave your problems with Him.

God created you and knows you. All you are passing through, and the circumstances surrounding you in life are all known to Him, hence He is called “the all knowing God.” If you, for a fact, knows that He knows all things (First John 3 vs 20), why present yourself in prayers in partial sincerity. God hates lie (Proverbs 6 vs 17), and liars are of the devil—the father of it (John 8 vs 44). Prayers without complete sincerity is a sin, and an abomination before God. God desires we worship in truth (John 4 vs 23 -24), and prayer is a form of worship.

Prayer: Abba Father, I will worship You in truth and in spirit, and pray to You in complete frankness, for You already know my thoughts even before I say them. Engrace me to always commune with You in all sincerity of heart, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

GOD MAKES YOU RICH!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY JANUARY 17, 2020.

SUBJECT: GOD MAKES YOU RICH! 

Memory verse: "That I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich’." (Genesis 14 vs 23.)

READ: Genesis 13 vs 8 - 11:

13:8: So Abram said to Lot, "Please let there be no strife, between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren. 

13:9: Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left." 

13:10: And lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as you come to Zoar.

13:11: Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other." 

INTIMATION:

Abraham was not wealthy because he was a shrewd business man or because God rewarded his great integrity and performance. Abraham was prosperous because God blessed him and made his name great as promised (Genesis 12 vs 2). It is purely the favor of God that made him rich. Abraham so rich that he  couldn’t dwell together with his nephew, Lot, because their flocks and herds were too big. They had so many animals that one location couldn't feed them all, so their servants began fighting with each other over the grazing land, and they were forced to separate. 

Abraham took Lot up to a hilltop so they could look out over the whole land. One part of the land was a well-watered plain flush with grass; the other part was dry. It is naturally obvious that the survival of the herds depended on there being plenty of natural grass to graze on. Fields of grass were the only source of food they had. So it isn't surprising that Lot chose the well-watered land for himself.

The story reveals how confident Abraham was in God as his source. Anyone who was relying on natural circumstances and his own efforts for prosperity would never give up a well-watered plain for his animals. Looking at the natural facts, the decision whether to choose a grassy plain or the desert was a no-brainer. But Abraham knew God was his source, what things looked like to the naked eye not withstanding. Abraham was saying, "It doesn't matter where I go, the Lord is going to bless me." Right after Abraham allowed Lot to take the better land, God appeared to him and promised even more prosperity than Abraham had already experienced:

"And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: "Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are - northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever. And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered. Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you." (Genesis 13 vs 14 - 17.)

In the natural, it is impossible for a man who grazes his flocks and herds in the desert to prosper as much as a man whose cattle graze in lush pastures, but nothing is impossible with God. (Luke 1 vs 37.) The blessing of God made Abraham rich, and he prospered much more than Lot did. The Scripture states that Abraham was blessed by the Lord in all things (Genesis 24 vs 1).

Not long after Lot and Abraham separated, foreign kings raided the city of Sodom, where Lot lived, and took everyone captive. When Abraham heard that his nephew had been seized, he armed his servants that were trained for war and pursued the foreign kings. His private army consisted of 318 men, which gives you an idea of how rich he was and how many servants he had at that time in history. He was so rich that he had a private army. Abraham's men defeated the foreign kings and brought back all of the spoils and people who had been taken captive.

The king of Sodom was grateful, so he offered to let Abraham keep the spoils: "The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, and take the good to yourself" (Genesis 14 vs 21). The king recognized that if it hadn't been Abraham, his entire kingdom would have been lost. We don't know how much spoil the king was offering Abraham, but it isn't unreasonable to think it would have been the equivalent of millions of dollars today. He had recovered all the goods, food, valuables of five cities, so the spoils certainly worth a lot of money. But he didn't accept the king's offer because he didn't want anyone to have a reason to claim they had made him rich. 

Abraham knew he was rich because of the blessing of God. His confidence in God as the source of his wealth was so strong that he gave away millions of dollars worth of spoils, which he had rightfully earned by conquest. (Genesis 14 vs 22 - 24.) We also, need to see God as our source and develop the attitude that the resources we have are gift from God, and that your efforts are not the source of the prosperity in your life.  

Yes, you may have worked so hard at your job, but God is the source! God gave you life, health, and abilities, and God is the One who opens door of opportunity. Until you recognize God as your source, nothing else the Bible say about finances is going to work. As long as you hold to your money with a clenched fist and hoarding possessions, God's method of prosperity won't work in your life. You have to see yourself as a steward managing the financial blessings that God has given you.

Seeing God as your source doesn't mean you sit at home and do nothing. You are supposed to work, but you need to recognize that even though you work, it is God who gives the increase. (First Corinthians 3 vs 7.) A farmer has to prepare the soil and plant seeds in order to get the crops, but God created the natural laws that govern sowing and reaping, God sends the rain and sun that makes the plant to grow, God gave the land to farm on, and He is the source of the farmer's health. Likewise, it is the blessing of God that makes it possible for you to prosper, and the foundation of prosperity is seeing yourself as a steward.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are reason I live, and in You I live and move and have my being.  All I have is Yours. Yours I am, and Yours I want to be. Engrace me to manage Your resources appropriately, to earn my acceptance as a worthy servant to You, in Jesus’ Name I prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

GOD’S PLAN CARRIES HIS GRACE!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY JANUARY 16, 2020.

SUBJECT: GOD’S PLAN CARRIES HIS GRACE!

Memory verse: “And the child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon Him.” (Luke 2 vs 40.)

READ: Psalm 105 vs 13 - 15:

105:13: When they went from one nation to another; from one kingdom to another people, 

105:14: He permitted no one to do them wrong; yes, He rebuked kings for their sake, 105:15: saying, “Touch not my anointed ones, and do My prophets no harm

INTIMATION:

It is hard for us to enjoy life if we don't have assurance about today, peace about yesterday and confidence about tomorrow. Why is it so? It is because as long as we live we will always have to face situations for which we don't have all the answers. If we don't have something going on in our lives that we can't handle, we wouldn't need God, therefore, we wouldn't need faith, we wouldn't have to trust God. 

The Lord will see to it that we are always dependent upon Him. And He does that by allowing us get into situations that are over our head. That is why although we may get worried, God never gets worried because He already knows exactly what He's going to do. He has got a plan, a path, and a work all ready for us. For instance, when Jesus fed the multitude of five thousand men, excluding women and children, He said to Philip His disciple; “Where shall we buy bread that these may eat? But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.” (John 6 vs 5 - 6.)

Although the Lord already has a plan for us to follow, a path for us to walk in, and a work for us to do, He won't give us all the answers today that we will need tomorrow. With each new day comes the grace that we need to live that day and meet the challenges of it. Consequently, Jesus advised us thus; “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about it’s own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (John 6 vs 34). Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will give you the grace to deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. But not until you ask Him.

You may have heard the story about the young man who was in prison and about to be burned at the stake the next day for his faith in Christ. In the same cell there was an older man, more experienced believer who knew more about the way of the Lord. As it began to get dark, the younger man struck a match to light a candle, and as he did so, he burned his finger. Letting out a cry of anguish and pain, he said to his companion, "How can I stand to be burned at the stake tomorrow if I can't stand to be burned on the finger tonight?" The older man calmly replied, "Son, God didn't ask you to burn your finger, so there is no grace for that. But He is asking you to die for your faith, so when the time comes the grace will be there."

No matter what happens, God is still in control. He has a plan to handle everything that we will encounter in this life. And His grace is sufficient to meet all our needs. When the Israelites were brought out of the land of Egypt to the promised land, because it was God’s plan, His grace was sufficient for them to meet all their needs, even in the wilderness, until they arrived at the promised land.

We turn to God to seek pathways for effectiveness. We must rely on God for our effectiveness rather than simply on our own energy, effort, or talent. In Second Corinthians 12 vs 9, God told Paul, "...My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Our weakness not only helps develop Christian character, it also deepens our worship, because in admitting our weakness, we affirm God's strength.

It was God's plan to send His only Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins. And the Bible recorded in Luke 2 vs 40, "And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.” When the time came for Jesus to do what He came for, He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed, and He said to His disciples, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death.” (Matthew 26 vs 37 - 38). 

Jesus prayed to God the Father three times, asking for the same thing, saying the same words; “O My Father, If this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done” (Matthew 26 vs 42). Thereafter, God took over, the Father’s strength was made perfect in the Son’s weakness, and He became strengthened to face the planned death for mankind. God's plan carries His grace.

Prayer: Abba Father, in You I live, and move, and have my being. I can do all things through Your grace available to me. Help me, O Lord, that nothing can inhibit Your grace in my life, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

GOD WORKS IN YOU TO PLEASE HIM!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 15, 2020.

SUBJECT: GOD WORKS IN YOU TO PLEASE HIM!

Memory verse: “For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." (Philippians 2 vs 13.)

READ: Hebrews 13 vs 20 - 21:

13:20: Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,

13:21: make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

INTIMATION: 

To please God is to do His will; to walk in accordance with His precepts. It’s on this pivot that all that pertains to life and godliness revolves. God works in us as we have responded to His work for us. He worked for us through the cross; the gift of His only begotten Son as a propitiation for our sins. We are sinners who had know hopes of saving ourselves from God’s condemnation, but Christ came, took our place, paid the wages we owed—the wages of sin which is death. And died fro our sins to salvage us—set us free—from the consequences of sin and death, and separation from God. 

It is on this premise that we work out our salvation in appreciation of what Christ has done for us. Our sense of gratitude to the work of God in reference to our salvation, therefore, should move us into action. In this way God is living in us. When we are motivated into action by the redemptive work of God, then we work according to His purposes. And when we work according to the purposes of God, it is God who works in us. Christians do not work in order to be saved. They work out their salvation because they are saved. When we respond to the sacrificial blood of Jesus on the cross, then it is God who is working in us. 

God has not left us alone in our struggles to do His will—to obey His laws. He wants to come alongside us and be within us to help, hence His gift of the Holy Spirit—our Helper. God gives us the desire and the power to do what pleases Him. As a believer, you are not left to your own resources to cope with problems. God created you for His specific purposes that are predetermined by Him, even before the foundation of the world. Consequently, only Him can work out His plan and purpose in you. 

In Ephesians 1 vs 11, the Scripture says, “In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will.” God is sovereign and in control of all things. He works all things in us according the counsel of His will. God’s purposes for the believers cannot be thwarted, no matter how hard Satan tries, or what he brings our way.

Jesus gave us the assurances when He said, in John 6 vs 37 - 40, “All the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him, may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

Godhead—the Trinity—in union with one another, is at work in the world, and in every believer. God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit never work independently of the other. The will of the Father (Loving Father) is accomplished by the Son (our Sacrificial Savior) with the instrumentality of the Holy Spirit (our Faithful Companion). Thus, anyone who makes a sincere commitment to believe in Jesus Christ as Savior is secure in God’s promises, even the promise of everlasting life with Him. 

God’s work for us began when Christ died on the cross in our place. His work in us began when we first believed. Now, the Holy Spirit—our Helper—lives in us, enabling us to be more like Christ every day, helping us accomplish the will of God for us. This is the Christian growth and maturity that began when we accepted Jesus, and continues until Christ returns to perfect us and take us home to the Father.

Sometimes, by human assessment, you feel as though you aren’t making progress in your spiritual life, especially when sometimes you fall into sin. But be of good cheer, it is a gradual process that will only come to perfection when Christ returns. Now, look at this Scripture, “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1 vs 6.) Be confident that when God starts a project, He completes it! God has given us the Holy Spirit to help us grow in grace until He has completed His work in our lives. Never let your shortcomings, and your feeling of incompleteness, or distress becloud you of God’s promise and provision.

All that is required of the believer is to believe Him and keep His commandments. The same commandments He has sent an Helper—the Holy Spirit—to help us in our weaknesses. God works in us to make us the kind of people that would please Him, and He equips us to do the kind of work that would please Him. Yours is to yield to the total control of the Spirit that His fruit will be fully manifested in you—love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. In the real sense of it, He does all things. What a benevolent Father!

Prayer: Abba Father, I surrender completely to You. Work Your work in me that I may be complete in every good work to do Your will and please You at all times, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

ENMITY WITH GOD!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY JANUARY 14, 2020

SUBJECT : ENMITY WITH  GOD!

Memory verse: 

"Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend to the world makes himself an enemy of God." 

(James 4 vs 4.)

READ: First John 2 vs 15 - 17

:

2:15: Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

2:16: For all that is in the world - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and pride of life - is not of the Father but is of the world.

2:17: And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

INTIMATION:

Being a friend to the world is making yourself an enemy of God. This is because having friendship with the world involves seeking pleasure at the expense of obeying God. Christians are not to attach themselves to the thinking of the world in a way that they are diverted from keeping their minds on those things at above. The Christian must not be directed in his or her life by the evil values and morals that are maintained by those deceived by Satan. It is impossible for one to love God with the intensity of love by which God demands that we serve Him, and at the same time, compromise his or her values and morals by living after the world. Whenever there is a compromise in one’s relationship with the world and God, lukewarmness or apostasy in reference to the truth results. One’s relationship with the world must be defined and controlled by his or her love for God.

The materialist is an adulterer in that he or she has wedded him or herself as a member of the body of Christ to that which is of the world. He or she has broken the covenant made with Christ in order to give him or herself to the world. If one loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him or her. Those who love activities and possessions of this world do not love the Father, for they are obsessed with the things of this world. 

This does not mean that the rich must forsake their riches, for many rich people have the gift of making money for the benefit of the work of the kingdom advancement endeavors. The rich are not obligated to give themselves into poverty. However, those who have been consumed with the things the world have taken their minds off that which is to come. And that which is to come is the destruction of all that for which one has worked in this world.

Pleasure is the desire or inclination that pleases or delights you. It's something that gives you enjoyment, that is joy or delight. Pleasure can keep us away from God. And that pleasure that keeps us from pleasing God is sinful. But pleasure from God's rich bounty is good. There is nothing wrong with wanting a pleasurable life. God gives us good gifts, and He gives us richly all things to enjoy (James 1 vs 17; First Timothy 6 vs 17). But those sinful pleasures or evil desires that keep us away from God should be avoided. The Scripture has given us the cure of evil desires, which is humility:

Some people think that worldliness is limited to external behavior—the people we associate with, the places we go, the activities we enjoy. Worldliness is also internal because it begins in the heart and is characterized by three attitudes: (1) lust of the flesh; preoccupation with gratifying physical desires, (2) lust of the eyes; coveting and accumulating things, bowing to the god of materialism, and (3) pride of life; obsession with one's status or importance. 

The enemy of our soul—the devil—knows we are vulnerable in these areas. When the serpent tempted Eve, he tempted her in these areas; "So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate" (Genesis 3 vs 6),  Also, when the devil tempted Jesus in the wilderness, these were his three areas of attack (see Matthew 4 vs 1 - 11). Jesus didn't fall to the whims and caprices of the devil. He resisted him and he flee from Him. Jesus defeated the devil by His self-control, insisting on dong what “is written”! 

Normally, the desire for possessions and sinful pleasures can be intense, but we should realize that these objects of desire will one day pass away. It has been plainly revealed in the Scripture that it is only the person who does the will of God will live forever. In the passage we read today, the apostle John got his conviction based on the facts of Jesus' life, death, resurrection, and promises. We too should learn from that. Knowing that this evil world will end can give you the courage to deny yourself temporary pleasures in this world in order to enjoy what God has promised for eternity.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of love for, and complete obedience to, You, and give md the grace to resist any form of compromise with the world, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!