OBEY AND BE BLESSED!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY MARCH 20, 2020.

SUBJECT: OBEY AND BE BLESSED!

Memory verse: "If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land." (Isaiah 1 vs 19.)

READ: Deuteronomy 30 vs 15 - 16: 

30:15: See, I have set before You today life and good, death and evil, 

30:16: in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgements, that you may live and multiply, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess.

INTIMATION:

Being obedient is submitting to authority; to comply with orders—the practice of doing what one is told. Obedience to God is doing the will of God, and willingness to forsake all that are outside God’s will. True obedience is willingness to obey commands from the heart. Heartless obedience of law is worthless before God. His laws are written in the Bible and are clearly evident in the world around us. Obeying them is reasonable, sensible, and beneficial. We could expect blessings when we conduct ourselves according to the moral principles of God. The most difficult part of obeying God’s laws is simply deciding to start now.

Not being obedient is, in my considered opinion, disagreeing with God, and consequently, refusing to access the promises and blessings of God. The Scripture likened disobedience to rebellion and stubbornness to God. Rebellion and stubbornness are serious sins. They involve far more than being independent and strong-minded. Scriptures equates them with divination (witchcraft) and idolatry (First Samuel 15 vs 23). 

Rebellion against God is, perhaps, the most serious sin of all because as long as a person rebels, he or she closes the door of forgiveness and restoration with God.

Christians today always make rituals of going to church, taking communion, serving in units, paying tithes etc. But these activities are empty if our reasons for doing them are selfish. God doesn't want these sacrifices and offerings without an attitude of devotion (obedience) to Him. The prophet Samuel told Saul, "To obey is better than sacrifice" (First Samuel 15 vs 22). All we should do is to give God the obedience and lifelong service He desires from us, and the promises of God and the provisions thereto, are all ours.

The Christian rituals are not bribes to make God overlook our character faults. All God wants is our sincere faith and devotion. The Christian rituals ought to be outward sign of an inward faith in God. Many today have come to place more faith in the rituals of their religion than in God they worship. God does not take pleasure in your outward expressions if your inward faith is missing (Hosea 6 vs 6). Though religious rituals can help people understand God and nourish their relationship with Him, but they are helpful only if it is carried out with an attitude of love and obedience to God.

Have you ever said you would obey God if you know what He wanted? Have you ever complained that obedience is too difficult for a mere human? These are unacceptable excuses. All God’s laws are good, and are for our benefit in obedience (See Deuteronomy 28 vs 1 - 13). The strength to obey comes from our relationship with God, who is also the source of our strength for; “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens m” (Philippians 4 vs 13). The power we receive in union with Christ is sufficient to do His Will and to face all challenges that arise from our commitment to doing it. 

Prayer: Abba Father, trust and obedience to Your Word is the only access to Your promises and provisions. Strengthen me, O Lord, with the spirit of raw obedience to You and Your Word, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

THE CERTAINTY OF GOD’S WORD!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY MARCH 19, 2020.

SUBJECT: THE CERTAINTY OF GOD’S WORD! 

Memory verse: "God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should repent, has He said, and will He not do it? (Numbers 23 vs 19.)

READ: Isaiah 55 vs 10 - 11; Matthew 24 vs 35; Hebrews 6 vs 17 - 18:

Isaiah 55:10: For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater,

55:11: so shall My Word be that goes forth out of My mouth: it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

Matthew 24:35: Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away. 

Hebrews 6:17: Therefore,God, desiring even more to show “to the heirs of promise” the unchangeableness of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath,

6:18: so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong encouragement, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.

INTIMATION:

God is eternal, and His Word is equally eternal. The certainty of God’s Word is severally enunciated in the Scriptures. In the Gospel of John 1 vs 1, the Scripture says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” This means that God existed alongside His Word and they are inseparable. The nature of God is the same as His Word. God is eternal, perfect, constant, unchanging, incorruptible, and unfailing, and so is His Word. No word from God can ever be defaulted. Every Word of God is pure (Proverbs 30 vs 5), and forever settled in heaven (Psalm 119 vs 89). 

God is not a man that can change his mind according to his own desires, nor can be manipulated by the whims of humans. God’s Word (promises) cannot be changed because they come from the One who cannot lie, neither has He ever broken a promise or an oath. Since God is unique in eternity as the omniscient being who has originated all things, then there is no being before whom He might lie. It is thus impossible for God to lie since He cannot lie to Himself. He cannot lie or deceive men because there is no darkness in Him at all (James 1 vs 13; First John 1 vs 5). 

The Word of God shall stand forever (Isaiah 40 vs 8), and you are trusting in that Word. And only in God’s eternal Word will we find lasting solutions to our problems and needs. The Bible says in Second Timothy 2 vs 13, "...He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself." When this gets into your blood. It gives you a warrior spirit, and makes you confident of your place in Christ. It makes you know that you are what He says you are, and that you can do what He says you can do. Your confidence is in that Word that cannot be broken. 

When you get tied up with God; when you and God become identified as you do in the new creation, His nature is imparted on you. The apostle Peter captures it this way, “Having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the Word of God which lives and abides forever” (First Peter I vs 23). You pass out of the realm of "I can't" into the realm of "I can." You can no longer be a failure, because you know you can do all things in Him that strengthens you. You feel like David must have felt when he said, "For by You I can run against a troop: by my God have I can leap over a wall." (Second Samuel 22 vs 30; Psalm 18 vs 29). You become a master of circumstances. 

In the passage we read today in Hebrews, the Scripture mentions two things that makes it impossible for God to lie—His nature and His Word. God embodies all truth, you can be secure in His promises; you don't need to wonder if He will change His plans because by His nature He will never change (Malachi 3 vs 6). Our hope is secure and immovable; anchored in God and His Word, just as a ship anchor holds firmly to the seabed. Impassable gulfs will become level roads to you when you realize the nature of God’s Word, and that He watches over His Word and is ready to perform it (Jeremiah 1 vs 12). All you are to do is carry it into His presence and repeat it and say, "Father, this is what you said." You just look up and say, “Father I thank you, for this is Your Word."

God has made even His throne back of His Word. I wonder how much some of our hearts can take it. It is like God throwing a cable about the throne, dropping the cable over for us to grasp. Think of it this way; He said, "Do you see, I am putting my throne as surety for My Word. My very Self is enwrapped in this." This is awesome! What this means is that if the Word should fail, it will dethrone the Triune God, but this is absolutely impossible, even when the heaven and earth fail and pass away. 

Prayer: Abba Father, Your Word is proven, and is a shield to all who trust in You. Let my eyes of understanding be continually enlightened by the revelational knowledge in Your Word, that I may know the hope of Your calling and the riches of the glory Your inheritance in me, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

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

Preacher: Priest Godsknight O.J

Topic: Friendnemies!

Text: Ps 108v12 "Give us help from trouble, for vain is the help of man."

The most dangerous set of people to dwell with on earth are the "Friendnemies". They sit with you in your inner court, give motivational words, although are only trying to supervise your success till it turns to failure (Micah 7v5-7).

You need spiritual discernment to be off such people's hook; the grace of God to reposition them well on your life map (Ps 18v44-45).

As it stands, virtually every business transaction can't be completed without Friendnemies. They'll only be catalyst for your testimonies in Jesus Name🤝(Ps 2v1-4).

It's your bank 🏦 account, but they know your transaction details than you do. Their informants congratulates you smiling, when you lodge or withdraw huge cash, but has other plans🙆🏾‍♀( Prov 23v7).

Their original concept is not to favour our causes, albeit, our scripts didn't say we'll fail because they conspired (Ps 108v13, 105v14-15).

For those writing Jamb & Waec this year, I'm seeing fake objective answers being shared in the spirit realm. You can avoid failing in flying colors, by attempting the questions yourself.

Friendnemies will provide wrong answers to the right questions, choose not to fail 🧏🏿‍♂. They'll advice you to kill, gang rape, Rob, etc.

I Prophesy, anyone that wants to use your life as ransom will be disgraced outrightly by the Ransom Christ paid at Calvary in Jesus Name (Col 2v14-15).

When the chips are down, still roll forward. Don't play along with those who think your life should be their game 🤷🏾‍♂. Question the devil's authority on time, else you'll turn a non-entity.

I've journeyed in circles before, now I know how not to journey in such anymore 😜(Ps 105v17-22). You're released from Friendnemies traps today in Jesus name (Ps 72v13-14).

God bless you🤝.
Instagram: @PriestGodsknight.

SAVED FOR GOOD WORKS!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY MARCH 18, 2020.

SUBJECT: SAVED FOR GOOD WORKS! 

Memory verse: "Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. (Titus 2 vs 14.)

READ: Ephesians 2 vs 4 - 10: 

2:4: But God, who is rich in mercy, because for His great love with which He loved us,
2:5: even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ, (by grace you have been saved;)
2:6: and raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 
2:7: that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
2:8: For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 
2:9: bot of works, lest anyone should boast.
2:10: For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

INTIMATION:

We are saved and became Christ followers through God’s unmerited grace, not as the result of any effort, ability, intelligent choice, or act of service on our part. However, out of gratitude for this free gift of salvation, we will seek to do good works; helping and serving others with kindness, love, and gentleness. While no action or work we do can help us obtain salvation, God’s intention is that our salvation will result in acts of service and good works. We have been created anew in Christ by obedience to the gospel. We have been so created, not by good works, but for good works. 

The Christ follower owes all that he or she is to God who gave us a reason for transforming our thinking and life (Romans 12 vs 1 - 2). Through the manifestation of God’s grace, Christ followers have been driven by faith to conform their lives to the will of God. They do good works in thanksgiving to the grace of God (Second Corinthians 4 vs 15).  The Christ follower is not saved by works of merit that he or she has devised according to his or her own desires. They are saved for the purpose that God might work through them. Therefore, they do good works in response to what God has done for them. 

It is our works that manifest our response to the grace of God. They are indication of our thankful response to God for His gift of grace. It is noteworthy that final judgement will be based on our deeds because they proclaim what sort of heart is within us. When we realize how far God had to send His Son in order to redeem us from condemnation, we respond with a life of thanksgiving. Our good works, therefore, are works of thanksgiving, not works of merit. We should continue to believe in God in order to maintain good works. Our maintaining of good works manifest our belief in God and appreciation for His grace.

While good works can’t save us or even increase God’s love for us, they are true indications of our faith and love for Christ. Discipleship for Christ followers is not optional, but a requirement. Every believer should be involved in good works. In carrying out good works, Christ followers will develop a solid spiritual foundation of a good character that is fit for eternal dwelling. Good works manifest the goodness of one’s heart. We therefore, judge ourselves by our works, for it is by our works that we manifest our hearts (Second Corinthians 5 vs 10). 

Christ followers are the light of the world, and their light should shine before everyone that when they observe or see their light, which is their good works, the will glorify our Father in heaven. If we live for Christ, we will glow like lights, showing others what Christ is like. Christ followers must behave with integrity among the unbelievers in whose presence they live. They must behave in a way that presents hope to others. In doing this, they influence others for good, and also bring glory to God. If your actions are above reproach, even hostile people will end up praising God. Gracious, godly, and winsome behavior on the part Christ followers could even win some of the unsaved souls to  the Lord. 

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for Your free gift of salvation to me. Give me the grace to represent Christ appropriately in good works, that they will see my good works and glorify You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

THE TRUE WORSHIP!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY MARCH 17, 2020.

SUBJECT: THE TRUE WORSHIP!

Memory verse: "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him." (John 4 vs 23.) 

READ: John 4 vs 24; Hebrews 12 vs 28; 

4:24: God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.

Hebrews 12:28: Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.

INTIMATION:

Worship is paying great honor to; to love and admire very greatly. You worship because you know the worth of what you worship. You worship God because you know who He is. When you catch the revelation of God and His worth, the appropriate response is to reverence Him in worship. The truth about God is revealed in His Word. According to our memory verse, Jesus is saying in this most profound statement is that one must know the word of God in order to worship the God of the word. Ignorance of God’s word leads to one worshipping a god who is the creation of one’s mind, and such is the spirit of idolatry. 

It is in consonance with the true worship that Jesus gave us the greatest commandment of God, “And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength...” (Mark 12 vs 30.)

Worship must be based on the truth of Scripture, not our opinions or feeling about God. To "worship in truth" means to worship God as He is truly revealed in the Bible. Your worship is acceptable to God when it’s in truth and in spirit. In truth because of the self-revelation of God to you in His Word, and in spirit because involves the totality of you—coming from the inside of you. 

“God is Spirit” means He is not a physical being you can see, and is not limited to one place. He is present everywhere, and can be worshiped anywhere, at any time. It is not where we worship that counts, but how we worship. Your worship must be genuine, and acceptable. Genuine worship is spirited. You must engage your real you, and your real you is in your spirit. Made in God's image you are a spirit that resides in a body, and God designed your spirit to communicate with Him. Genuine worship is your spirit responding to God's Spirit—Holy Spirit—Who in turn responds with help. The Holy Spirit prays for us (Romans 8 vs 26), teaches us the words of Christ (John 14 vs 26), and tells us we are loved (Romans 5 vs 5).

The Bible, in First Corinthians 2 vs 11 says, "For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God." The things of a man are known to the spirit of man, and only the spirit of man can genuinely worship God acceptably. It is not just a matter of saying the right words; you must mean what you say, engaging your inner self in all you do. Heartless worship is not worship at all! It is an insult to God. He wants all of you. He is not interested in halfhearted commitment, partial obedience, and the leftovers of your time. He desires your full devotion, and complete commitment.

Acceptable worship should be a lifestyle. It ought not to be a part of your life; it should be your life. Worship is not just communion, It is your whole life given for service to God, and His pleasure. God is worshipped continually, and in any place. God should be praised at all times; at work, at home, in battle, in jail, and even in bed! Every activity can be transformed into an act of worship when you do it for the praise, glory, and pleasure of God. The Bible, in First Corinthians 10 vs 31, says "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." 

But how is it possible to do everything to the glory of God? It’s by allowing God's love so permeate our motives that all we do will be to His glory. By doing everything as if you were doing it for Jesus and by carrying on a continual conversation with Him while we do it. You can keep as a guiding principle, asking, "Is this action glorifying God?" Or "How can I honor God through this action?" When we worship, God looks past our words to see the attitude of our hearts. The Bible says, "Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." (First Samuel 16 vs 7.) Therefore, your heartfelt worship is what God accepts and responds to.

Prayer: Abba Father, I praise You with my whole heart, and all that is within me bless Your Holy Name. O Lord, let Your Word dwell in me richly in all wisdom, that I may  

worship You acceptably with grace in my heart, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

THANKSGIVING IN WORSHIP!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY MARCH 16, 2020.

SUBJECT: THANKSGIVING IN WORSHIP! 

Memory verse: "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;" (Philippians 4 vs 6.) 

READ: Psalm 69 vs 30; 100 vs 4; Colossians 2 vs 6 - 7; 4 vs 2:

Psalm 69:30: I will praise the name of the LORD with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving.

100:4: Enter into His gate with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His Name.

Colossians 2:6: As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 

2:7: rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.

4:2: Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving.

INTIMATION:

The Christian works in thanksgiving for what God has done through His grace, acknowledging God’s goodness, which expresses your faith and confidence in Him. There is no powerful living apart from a life of thanksgiving which, of course, is the will of God for us.The Christian is zealous in the Lord because of his or her salvation that has come from the Lord through the offering of His Son Jesus Christ as a propitiation for our sins. Prayer and petitions (supplication) are to be made in a spirit of thanking God for all that He has done in our lives. When one truly understands the grace of God, He or she will respond in thanksgiving for all that God has done through Jesus. 

God desires an attitude of thanksgiving, not just an act of it. Thanksgiving is an application for more. Being thankful for all the things He has done and is doing in your life is a pathway to receiving your petitions from Him. Therefore, when you have petitioned God for something, immediately begin to thank Him in trust and confidence that the thing you have asked for is on the way coming. The apostle Paul counseled all believers to give thanks in everything; for this is the Will of God in Christ Jesus for them (First Thessalonians 5 vs 18.)

The apostle Paul lived a life of thanksgiving and preached the same to all believers. In some of the passages we read today, his counsel on thanksgiving, as an integral part of worship, is clearly expressed. In our memory verse (Philippians 4 vs 6), Paul counsels all believers to be thankful for what we ask in prayer, and to continuously be thankful and grateful for what He has already done in the past, what He is doing now, and what He is going to do in the future, including answer to your petition. 

Jesus, our Messiah and perfect example, lived a life of thanksgiving during His earthly ministry. He knows the power of thanksgiving when communing with the Father, and gave thanks to the Father always. For example; He gave thanks to God when He broke the seven loaves and fishes and fed the four thousand (Matthew 15 vs 36). He gave thanks to God when He took the five loaves and two fishes and fed five thousand (John 6 vs 11). He also thanked God for hearing Him at the tomb of the dead Lazarus (John 11 vs 41). And He gave thanks to God when He gave the bread and wine to His disciples at the Last Super.(Mark 14 vs 22 - 23).

Thanksgiving magnifies the Name of the LORD (Psalm 69 vs 30), and opens the gate of the court of the LORD (Psalm 100 vs 4). It also, multiplies what we have received (Second Corinthians 9 vs 12). For instance, when Jesus lifted up the bread and fishes and gave thanks it multiplied that thousands were fed by the meal of a child. Also, the power of thanksgiving in prayer helps us abound in Christ, drawing our life-giving strength from Christ (Colossians 2 vs 7).  The more we draw our strength from Him, the less we are fooled by those who falsely claim to have life’s answers. If Christ is our strength we will be free from human regulations.

This kind of lifestyle of thanksgiving is an evidence of a grateful heart. If a person is grateful for what he already has, it is an indication that the individual is mature enough to receive other blessings. But if a person is always complaining about what he has now, why should the Lord bother to give him anything else to crab and gripe about When we realize how far God had to send His Son in order to redeem us from condemnation, we respond with a life of thanksgiving. Our good works, therefore, are works of thanksgiving, not works of merit. Christians are motivated because of what they already have in Christ. 

Prayer: Abba Father, there is none like You. Your steadfastness never seizes, and Your mercies never come to an end. Your compassion  never fails. I will forever remain thankful to You for all Your great and wondrous works in my life. What You cannot do for me let it remain undone, and what You cannot give me may I never have it, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

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

Preacher: Priest Godsknight O.J

Topic: Question The Punisher 👨🏼‍⚖.

Text: Num 22v28" Then the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey and she said to Balaam, "what have I done to you that you have struck me these three times?"

My major Charge from Jesus this year, is to set the captives free 🕺🏻💃(Is 61v1). You don't have any business being a slave to anyone, no matter your background (Prov 29v2).

Until you speak 🗣 the language your enemies understand, you're just mumbling (Prov 6v4-5 ). Question your punishers till they submit to God's WILL for your life in Jesus Name.

I Prophesy, you & your family👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 shall see your punishers being gracious in defeat, their rods of affliction will become useless to your destinies in Jesus Name (Num 23v23).

Just as Balaam didn't do God's WILL here, & wasn't allowed to strike the donkey 🦓 further, all those who're not doing God's WILL shall loose their authority over you.

The soldiers that demanded for weapons before facing a terrorist sect called "Boko Haram", are still in prison 🤦🏻‍♂, while repentant Boko Haram are to enjoy foreign trips🙆‍♂. Can we say those soldiers haven't repented too? 🤷🏾‍♂ (Prov 29v10 ).

Protecting the interest of our soldiers and their families should be Paramount before considering terrorists' welfare, regardless of their offences (Prov 11v1).

Life is a two-way street, now is the time for arrows 🏹 of affliction to backfire at punishers (Ps 20v8 ).

Let's Pray:

1) Father, I collect my pending marriage certificate from the punishers, I'm getting married this year🤵🏽👰🏽(Is 34v16).

2) Abba Father, I walk over the graves the punishers dug for me in Jesus Name (Esther 7v1-10, 10v1-3.)

3) Father, I step out of any form of slavery today with benefits (Exod 12v31-36), & I pursue, takeover & recover all I've lost to punishers in Jesus Name ( Ps 126v1-6).

God bless you🤝.
Instagram: @PriestGodsknight.