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

Preacher: Priest Godsknight O.J

Topic: Regard St. Valentine🏇🏽.

Text: Eccl 4v9 "Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦."

St. Valentine's Day is one of the most powerful celebration on Earth, & it's worth the hype. It flags Christmas color for identity, except, green & gold.

Valentine was a patron saints of lovers, epileptics & beekeepers. A priest & a physician who befriended his jailer's daughter, & healed her from blindness before suffering martyrdom.

Due to his Noble exploits; like saving marriages from war front, today should be set aside to mend relationships, heal broken homes, bruised friendships, et al. It's a day the LORD made, it's marvelous in our sight.

Today, virtues such as: "Resilience, Truth, Faith in God, Dignity, Benevolence", should be added to our feathers as humans, so that our relationships can be blessed (1 Pet 3v7, Prov 5v15-23 ).

Students should play novelty matches; visit hospitals, carry out charitable works in their environs. All hands should be on deck, to make today worthwhile.

For Adults, it's a time to reflect on your love life. Do check & balance, defy lust, build trust, crush pride (Eph 5v22-25). Be of help to others whether they'll marry you or not, someone next to them might be your heartthrob (Prov 18v22 ).

Birds 🐦 will surely kiss👄 on trees 🌲& roof tops today, because they feel us. Let God see beautiful moves among couples & love birds, when He looks down today 👩‍❤‍💋‍👨 (Eccl 4v11-12 ).

As we celebrate Val in grand style, you won't be a victim of ritualists in Jesus Name. Love all, trust a few, do no wrong. Your Val should be your gaurdian Angel, someone you trust👫🏾.

It's a Val with harmattan, let it count wherever you're. The God of Christmas is at work to fix homes, don't be left out ( Eph 2v14) 🌹. Happy Valentine💃👠.

God bless you🤝.
Instagram: @PriestGodsknight.

THE CONVICTION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IS FOR OUR GOOD!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 14, 2020.

SUBJECT : 

THE HOLY SPIRIT'S CONVICTION IS FOR OUR GOOD! 

Memory verse: 

"And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgement."

 (John 16 vs 8.)

 

READ: 

John 16 vs 7 - 11

:

16:7: Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.

16:8: And when He has come, He convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgement.

16:9: Of sin, because they do not believe in Me;

16:10: Of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more;

16:11: Of judgement, because the ruler of this world is judged.

INTIMATION:

What is conviction? It's to prove guilty; to pronounce guilty; a person found guilty of 

crime or sin. It's usually convincing or persuading by evidence to satisfy as to truth or error. 

Conviction is a veritable tool employed by the Holy Spirit for our betterment. Conviction is meant to convince us of sin, lift us out of it, and to help us move higher in God's will and plan for our lives. He convinces us to repent, which means to turn and go in the right direction rather than the wrong one in which we are currently going. 

How wonderful it is to have close fellowship with the Holy Spirit, to have Him in our lives to let us know when we are going the wrong way.

When we are convicted by the Holy Spirit, it is God speaking to us because He wants to help us in some area. He is not condemning us, but He's trying to let us know that He wants us to live a better and healthy life. The Holy Spirit works to enlighten our awareness of what we are doing wrong that leads to death, and what we need to do to enjoy the abundant life. When He speaks to our conscience about changes that are needed, we should pray right then, asking God to deliver us and bring about those changes through our faith in Jesus.

When Holy Spirit reveals to you an issue that needs to be dealt with in your life, you can trust that the anointing is also present to break the yoke of bondage over you. If you put off confronting the behavior until you want to deal with it, you may have to face change without the anointing, which is very difficult. When God convicts, He also anoints, so that is the best time to yield to His help in changing. We often wants to do things in our own timing, and we struggle and struggle because we're not asking for God's help. 

Holy Spirit reveals the result of sin and the result of righteousness so that people can see life and death set before them and call on God to help them choose life. People who has chosen the life of sin have wretched, and miserable lives, which makes them look ugly and older than their age. The rough, rugged lifestyle they have chosen has taken a toll on them. 

The power of God can make us look better and keep us feeling younger, because we are not living the hard life of sin. This power of God is at work in the world today demonstrating the results of sin and the results of righteousness. The line between the two is becoming vividly distinct. It is no longer difficult to tell who belongs to God and who doesn't. The world that we live in is full of gross darkness (Isaiah 9 vs 2). But God gave Jesus "for a light to the nations" (Isaiah 42 vs 6). His light is visible in the faces of true believers.

It is healthy and normal to feel guilty when we are initially convicted of sin; but to keep the guilty feeling after we have repented of the sin is not healthy, nor is it God's will. Conviction from the Lord never fills us with condemning shame. Shame fills us with a painful sense of disgrace and humiliating regret, often for something that we couldn't help. 

When God works in people's lives, He condemns the sin, but He never condemns the sinner, rather He gives mercy to the sinner, so we never need to be afraid to let God show us what we are doing wrong. The Holy Spirit lives in us, and can't get much closer to us than that. He doesn't come just to take up space, or because He has nowhere else to stay or go. The Holy Spirit lives in us because He has a job to do, which is to help (empower, encourage, advocate, strengthen, counsel, teach, comfort, intercede) and lead us to God's plan for our lives.

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit. I surrender to His leading. I pray that nothing will break my fellowship with Him, in Jesus' Name. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

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

Preacher: Priest Godsknight O.J

Topic: At Least, Twins!

Text: Deut 7v14 "You shall be blessed above all the people, there shall not be a male or female barren among you, or among your livestock."

The LORD gave His word regarding year 2020, as our Year of "Worshipper's Lifestyle" (Ps 68v11). He also emphasized benefits that can't elude worshippers too.

First, is marital bliss while another is the birthing of twins (Male & Female). Jesus has broken yokes hindering singles marriage in the spirit realm, barrenness has also expired (Is 10v27, 30v 30-31).

February is a love month, avoid the wind of prostitution, adultery & fornication this season (Rom 12v1-2 ). Enjoy love games because Jesus is Love, however, don't be a game in the hands of lustful souls (Prov 5v15-23, 6v26-29 ).

Barren wombs are now permitted to birth at least twins this year. Triplets, quadruplets, quintuplets are also allowed. May heaven complement those miracles with resources to nurture them in Jesus Name (Ps 16v5-6, 107v20).

Deut 28v4 "Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks."

As the Valentine's Day approaches, I pray that every barren couple that honours the day with faithful games shall get offsprings result, at least, twins in Jesus Name (Is 14v27).

Heavenly medics are already all out to heal wombs & fix low sperm count (Judges 13v 2-3 ). You'll get Ephraim & Mannaseh, just that it shall be a male and a female as promised (Gen 1v27 ).

For heartbroken singles, this season shall turn around your matrimonial fortune for the best because Jesus' marriage plans will rest on the moment.

Be arrayed in your red and white (Esther 2v1-18 , Is 46v 10-11), be sociable enough to attract a partner, that's how to complement your prayers ( SOS 2v2-3).

God bless you🤝.
Instagram: @PriestGodsknight.

THE SPIRITUALLY MINDED LIFE!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 13, 2020.

SUBJECT:  THE SPIRITUALLY MINDED LIFE!

Memory verse:  "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." (Romans 8 vs 6.) 

READ:  Romans 8 verse 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:

We observe from our memory verse that we relate with two minds in us. These are the mind of the flesh, and 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).

According to the Scriptures, to be a child of God, we are not to be led by our carnal mind, but by the Holy Spirit: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God” (Romans 8 vs 14). The evidence of our sonship is being led by the Spirit of God. The Spirit-led life is a life of victory, and conquest of the devil, because it manifests the fruit of the Spirit that has no law against it (Galatians 5 vs 22 - 23), therefore, the accuser of brethren has nothing to accuse you of. The fruit of the Spirit is the spontaneous work of the Holy Spirit in us. They are the character traits that are found in the nature of Christ. The fruit of the Spirit is the by-product of Christ control—we cannot obtain by trying to get them without His help. 

This Scripture tells us that “we have the mind of Christ.” This is because the Spirit of  Christ—Holy Spirit lives in us. The problem is that although we have the mind of Christ and know the Word of God, we don't listen to our spirit which is being enlightened by the Holy Spirit. Instead, we listen to our natural mind, which relies strictly on sense and reason without the Holy Spirit. In every situation of life, our head will be trying to give us information. It will be yelling at us so loudly, and if we don't turn our attention to our spirit we will never hear what the Lord is saying to us in that situation, nor know that which is pleasing to Him. That is why we must learn to live out of our spirit and not of our head, that is being led by the Spirit. 

Incidentally, evil spirits constantly bombard us with negative thoughts. If we receive them and dwell on them, they become ours because, according to the Scripture, 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," that is, our believe 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, and what we will do to please Him.

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.) 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 of the mind because it's a lie," you get in a cross-fire, going back and forth between the two thoughts.

If you are ever going to live the happy, victorious and successful Christian life the Lord wills for you, then you are going to have to decide which fountain of information you are going to drink from. You are going to have to learn to live out of our spirit and not out of our head—you must be led by the Spirit.

Prayer: Abba Father, You have adopted me as Your son, and has graciously given me Your Spirit. Help me to always listen, and take counsel from Your Holy Spirit indwelling me that I may lead a victorious and conqueror’s life, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

THE SHEPHERD OF THE RIGHTEOUS!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 12, 2020.

SUBJECT : THE SHEPHERD OFTHE RIGHTEOUS!

Memory verse: "The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"

 

(Psalm 27 vs 1.)

READ: Psalm 23 vs 1 - 6:

23:1: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 

23:2: He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. 23:3: He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name sake. 

23:4: Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. 

23:5: You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. 

23:6: Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

INTIMATION:

The Lord is the shepherd of the righteous. The Scripture in the 'New Testament' calls Jesus the good shepherd (John 10 vs 11); the great shepherd (Hebrews 13 vs 20); and the chief shepherd ( First Peter 5 vs 4). When one submits to the shepherding of God, he trusts that God will provide all that is necessary for survival. Because of the Lord’s care over us, we are satisfied with the spiritual food that comes from Him, and thus we take our rest in the shadow of His care. The righteous know their God, and He leads them according to His will to places of security. 

Jesus is the good Shepherd, who tends to us—His sheep—out of love, and is committed to us, even to the extent of laying His life for us. As the Lord is a good shepherd, so we are His sheep; not frightened and passive, but obedient followers, wise enough to follow one who will lead us in the right places and right ways. As calm waters naturally soothe one’s mind in times of trouble, so God takes us to places where the turmoil of life can be endured. By the calm waters our inner man is renewed and refreshed. 

The Lord leads us down paths that take us to that which is good for us. The two significant results of the death and resurrection of our Messiah, Jesus Christ, our great Shepherd, is found in His work 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. Consequently, 'He restores our souls, and leads us in the paths of righteousness for His name sake: "Righteousness will go before Him, and shall make His footsteps our pathway." (Psalm 85 vs 13.) He does this in order that His name be glorified among the nations. He is holy, and therefore, desires that His people be holy. 

We can trust that God will always meet the needs of the righteous. Whatever they need on earth He will supply, even if it is the courage to face death. Whatever they need in heaven He will supply. The psalm we read today is probably the most quoted of all the psalms simply because in a few words it portrays the life of the righteous. Though the righteous must live in a world that is plagued with suffering and turmoil, they must put their faith in God as they struggle through life. The psalm is a sublime utterance of those who are focused on staying close to God.

God has complete ability to meet our needs. Just as the sheep is dependent on the shepherd to meet its needs, so are we to our Father in heaven. He is our Shepherd and we are His sheep (flock). The sheep are completely dependent on the shepherd for provision, guidance, and protection. We must remember, however, the difference between our wants and our needs. Most people want to feel good and avoid discomfort or pain. We may not get all that we want. By trusting in Christ, our attitudes and appetites can change from wanting everything to accepting His provision and power to live for Him.

When we allow God our shepherd to guide us, we have contentment. He knows the "green pastures" and "still waters" that will restore us. We will reach these places only by following Him obediently. Rebelling against the shepherd's leading is actually rebelling against our own best interests. God works in us to make us the kind of people that would please Him, and if you are obedient, you will eat the fruit of the land: "For the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes" (Revelation 7 vs 17).

Even in death, He is with us. Death casts a frightening shadow over us because we are entirely helpless in its presence. We can struggle with other enemies; pain, suffering, disease, injury, but strength and courage cannot overcome death. It has the final word. Only God—the God of life—our shepherd, can walk us through death's dark valley and bring us safely to the other side, and ensures our eternal comfort amidst life's uncertainties. God offers protection even when enemies surround us, and believers will dwell with God. 

The perfect shepherd and host, promises to guide and protect us through life to bring us into His house forever. The psalmist says, "One thing I have desired of the LORD, that will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in His temple. For in time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon the rock. And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me..." (Psalm 27 vs 4 - 6.)

Prayer: Abba Father, in You I live, and move, and have my being. You are my strong tower, I run into You and am saved. Give me the grace to hear Your voice and follow You all the days of my life, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

THE REALITY OF REDEMPTION!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 11, 2020.

SUBJECT: THE REALITY OF REDEMPTION! 

Memory verse: "Him who knew no sin, God made to become sin that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (Second Corinthians 5 vs 21.)

READ: Romans 3 vs 21 - 26:

3:21: But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,

3:22: even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 

3:23: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

3:24: being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

3:25: whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that are previously committed,

3:26: to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

INTIMATION:

All humanity has fallen short of that which is required for one to dwell in the presence of God. The result of law is that all have been made sinners. The result of sin is separation from God (Isaiah 59 vs 1 - 2). And the result of separation from God is spiritual death which will eventually lead to a second death. Since all have sinned (Romans 6 vs 23), then apart from the grace of God, no one can stand before God in the basis of law alone. 

Before the cross, all were under the curse of sin in that they could not deliver themselves from spiritual death through meritorious law-keeping or good works. Therefore, as a result of God’s grace, the sinless Son of God was offered as a sacrifice for sin. Jesus thus bore the sins of all humanity on the cross to redeem us from the consequences of sin—eternal separation from God. In order for any person to take advantage of the God’s grace he or she must obediently respond to the gospel.

In His death, Jesus was God’s offering to appease His wrath that would eventually have to be poured out on sinners. In order for God to stand just in judgement of free-moral man, there had to be a choice for men to be saved from condemnation. Through the offering of the blood of Jesus, God gave the choice. Though the offering has to be made at a point in time in human history, the required response to God by faith on the part of man has always been in existence (Galatians 3 vs 11).

Those who confessed Christ are justified freely on the grounds of grace, through the redemption that God wrought in Christ. The redemption is based upon the fact that God laid our sins, griefs, sorrows, diseases etc., upon Jesus. Not only did He become the Sin-bearer, but God accepted His substitutionary sacrifice on our behalf. He was delivered up on account of our sins, for God made Him sin with our sins. He was raised from the dead because He had put sin away; He had, by His death on the cross, satisfied the claim of justice—"the soul who sins shall die" (Ezekiel 18 vs 20).

Therefore, redemption means Christ setting sinners free from slavery to sin and Satan, and the revealing of the righteousness of God that comes to man through faith in Jesus Christ, and it belongs to all those who acknowledge Christ as Savior and confess Him as their Lord. Jesus died in order that we might become the justified children of God in Christ. It is because of His death that we able to be righteous before God. Since we cannot establish our own righteousness on the basis of perfect keeping of law or meritorious good works, then all must be drawn to the cross in order to be justified from sin. It is at the cross that we are justified by the grace of God.

The righteousness of God is the justification of those who obediently respond to the grace of God that was revealed on the cross. It is the righteousness (justification) that is accredited to those who seek God by faith. God is just because He has revealed the means by which we can be made righteous. It was through Jesus’ faithfulness to go to the cross that the righteousness of God was accomplished. Justification was also accomplished because of the faith of those who believed in the cross. Both the faithfulness of Jesus in going to the cross, and man’s faith response to the cross, were necessary in order to accomplish God’s eternal plan to reconcile us to Himself through Jesus. 

After His death on the cross, Jesus was resurrected, made alive in spirit, that is, recreated. He was the firstborn out of death. Thereafter, He was declared righteous and made a new creation by the life God imparted to Him. Then He met Satan in his own kingdom and stripped him of his authority and took from him the dominion that he had over the world. That new creation—the recreated life—is what Christ has wrought for us, and we are also made righteous in Him by redemption—His substitutionary work for us on the cross.

When Jesus arose from the dead, He arose, not only because He had put away sin, but also because He had, as a substitute, conquered Satan. It was as though we, individually, had been the conquerors, just as though we had been there in that dark region and had conquered Satan, stripped him of his authority and risen from the dead.  When Christ rose from the dead, redemption became a settled and closed issue.

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for what You wrought for me in redemption in Christ Jesus. He took my place and died the death I ought to die as a sinner I am. He gave His sinless life of inestimable value for my life of sin that is completely worthless; paying the wage of my sin with His life. I confess Him as my Lord and personal Savior. My utmost heart desire is to live for Him all the days of my life, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen. 

PRAISE THE LORD!

THE BANE OF IMPURE MOTIVES!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY FEBRUARY 10, 2020.

SUBJECT: THE BANE OF IMPURE MOTIVES!

Memory verse: "But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.” (Matthew 23 vs 5.)

READ: Matthew 6 vs 1 - 6, 17 - 18: 

6:1: “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.

6:2: Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 

6:3: But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 

6:4: that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly. 

6:5: And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.

6:6: But you when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

6:17: But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,

6:18: so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret  place, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

INTIMATION:

Motive is something—incentive, purpose, intention—that causes a person to act. Therefore, a pure motive is devoid of any form of selfishness. When we pray, when we fast, and when we give, the Bible says that we must be pure in our motives. If you do any of these things being self-centered other than being God-centered, then your motive is impure. God abhors anything that we do that takes Him out of the first place in our lives. 

For instance, when you do something for the sake of being seen by others, your motive is impure, and Jesus said that being seen by others is our only reward. If, however, we do what we do in obedience to God—putting God and His desires first—then your motive is pure, devoid of any selfishness, and God will reward you. Obedience to God is key to receiving from Him: “If they obey and serve Him, they shall spend their days in prosperity and their years in pleasures” (Job 36 vs 11).

It’s easier to do what’s right when we gain recognition and praise. To be sure our motives are not selfish, we should do our good deeds quietly or in secret, with no thought of reward. Jesus says we should check our motives in three areas: generosity, prayer, and fasting. These acts should not be self-centered but God-centered, done not to make us look good but to make God look good. 

Impure motives Jesus calls ‘hypocrisy.’ The term hypocrisy, as used in the Scripture, describes the acts of people doing good for appearances only—not out of compassion or other good motives. Their actions may be good, but their motives are questionable—empty and self-serving. These empty and self-serving acts, wanting to boost their egos, are their rewards. But God will reward those who are sincere in their faith, obeying and serving Him sincerely.

Our relationship with God is personal, hence Jesus requiring us to be private in our dealings. When He says not to let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, He is teaching us actions in pure motives. It is easy to give with mixed motives, like doing something for someone if it will benefit us in return, or doing things for selfish ambitions, like public recognition and applaud. Jesus teaches that believers should avoid all scheming, but rather our actions must be in response to God’s love, and obedience to Him.

Knowing the Scriptures, but not practicing them is a hypocritical attitude. For instance, some really don’t care about holiness, as demanded by God, but likes looking holy, or be seen as holy in order to receive people’s admiration and praise. Such people like public prayers where they speak on top of their voices and gyrate as if under the power of the Holy Spirit, just for public recognition. The essence of prayer is not public style, but private communication with God. There is a place for public prayer (corporate prayer), but to pray only where others will notice you indicates that your real audience is not God, but rather self-recognition, which is an impure motive.

Some may conclude that Jesus’ directions about private prayer call into question all public prayers. That is an obvious misunderstanding of His teaching. The Gospels record Jesus at prayer both privately (Matthew 14 vs 23) and publicly (Matthew 14 vs 18 - 19). Jesus was only drawing attention to the motives behind actions. The point really wasn’t a choice between public and private prayer, but between heartfelt and hypocritical prayer. When asked to pray in public, focus on addressing God, not on how you are coming across to others.

The Bible teaches us the principles of giving and receiving (Luke 6 vs 38). God relates with the us in the same manner we relates with Him and others. The thrust of what Jesus stated in those verses is that we will be dealt with by God in the same manner we treat our fellow humans. If we treat others generously, graciously, and compassionately, these qualities will come back to us in full measure, and may sometimes surpass ours. Therefore, when we measure mercy to others, God will in turn measure mercy to us. If we are critical rather compassionate, we will also receive criticism. Doing something only for ourselves is not a loving sacrifice. With your next good deed, ask, Would I still do this if no one would ever know I did it?

Prayer: Abba Father, engrace me to be pure in my motives in all I do, that I may please You, rather than by myself, to eschew compromises of any form in my life, that I may not to be a friend to the world, and an enemy to You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!