A PRAYER-LESS CHRISTIAN!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY JULY 5, 2020.

SUBJECT: A PRAYER-LESS CHRISTIAN! 

Memory verse: "For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable unto all things, having the promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.” (First Timothy 4 vs 8.)

READ: First Timothy 2 vs 1 - 4:

2:1: Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, interceptions, and giving of thanks be made for all men,

2:2: For kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.

2:3: For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,

2:4: who desire all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

INTIMATION:

There is no denying the fact that the lack of prayer is the undoing of some members of the body of Christ. A prayer-less Christian is a weaponless, powerless, and defenseless Christian. He or she is a toy in the hands of the devil and his agents—the demons. A prayer-less Christian is very far away from God and cannot seek Him. Prayer is the master key to godliness. It should be as natural as breathing and as enjoyable as eating. It will be as unconscious as our communication with each other. While doing all these we must not lose the fact that we are communicating in fellowship with someone superior to us but has given us the privilege to come to Him. 

Let us take a cue from the prayer habit of Our Messiah Jesus Christ. The Scripture in Mark 1 vs 35, gives us an example of the importance of prayer to Jesus: “Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.” If prayer was important for Jesus, then it must be important for His followers. Jesus was a man of prayer. He taught prayer, not as a slavish duty, but as a glorious privilege. I use to wonder why He needed to pray. But He needed that because He took His human form, and lived the human life. I am convinced that He didn't draw upon the secret resources that belonged to Him during His earthly ministry, more than it is possible for us who live and walk in His Name. 

Pray, even if you have to get up very early in the morning to do it. It’s vitally important to: (1) seek the Lord before your busy schedule takes over your thoughts; (2) withdraw from noise and demands so you can focus on God; (3) take Jesus’ attitude of regular communion with the Father; (4) reflect on the priorities Jesus had for His life; (5) determine to pray on a more regular basis, not just in times of crisis. Outside of God we can do nothing. Jesus emphasized this fact in John 15 vs 5, when He said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in Him, Bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”

We seek God through prayer and His Word. Believing that God exists is only the beginning; even the demons believe that much (James 2 vs 19 - 20). God will not settle for mere acknowledgment of His existence. He wants a personal, dynamic relationship with you that will transform your life. Those who seek God will find that they are rewarded with His intimate presence. God finds easy to reach us as we constantly visit Him. Our visit to the Lord is fellowshipping with Him in prayers. By constant visit, we make ourselves available for His use. We will be in that prized inner-circle with Him; one of the trusted ones.

Although God is all-powerful and all-knowing, He has chosen to let us help Him change the world through our prayers. How this works is a mystery to us because of our limited understanding, but it is a reality. The Christian’s most powerful resource is communion with God through prayer. The results are often greater than we thought were possible. Some people see prayer as a last resort to be tried when all else fails. This approach is backward. Prayer should come first. Because God’s power infinitely greater than ours, it only makes sense to rely on it, especially because God encourages us to do so. 

Prayer: Abba Father, thank you for the privileged invitation to constantly commune with You in prayer, knowing that without You, I can do nothing. Give me the grace to live a prayerful life in communion with You at all times, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

GROW TO BE LIKE JESUS!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY JULY 04, 2020.

SUBJECT: GROW TO BE LIKE CHRIST!

Memory verse: "But, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him, who is the head—even Christ." (Ephesians 4 vs 15 .)

READ: Ephesians 4 vs 11 - 15:

4:11: And He Himself gave some to be apostles; some prophets; some, evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 
4:12: for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 
4:13: till we all come to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
4:14: that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,
4:15: but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—even Christ

INTIMATION:

God created us to grow, and he wants us to grow. His ultimate goal is for us to mature and develop the characteristics of Jesus Christ. The Word of God, the people around us, and the circumstances we encounter in life are all used by God to mold us. Sadly millions of Christians grow older but never grow up. They are stuck in perpetual spiritual infancy, remaining in diapers and booties. The reason is that they never intended to grow. They never allow the world to pass through them while passing through the world. The Word of God, the people they interact with, and the circumstances they encounter in life hardly influence them from shifting their position. 

Spiritual growth is not automatic. It takes an intentional commitment. You must want to grow, decide to grow, make an effort to grow, and persist in growing. Discipleship—the process of becoming like Christ—always begins with a decision, the decision to respond when Jesus calls you. Even our response is not automatic, it may take some time. Peter, James, and John were called on three different occasions by Jesus Christ before they eventually got committed: Jesus called them first when the disciples of John the Baptist followed Jesus (John 1 vs 35 - 42), the second time at the Sea of Galilee (Mark 1 vs 16 - 18), and thirdly at the Lake of Gennesaret (Luke 5 vs 1 - 11).

When the first disciples chose to follow Jesus, they didn't understand all the implications of their decision. They simply responded to Jesus' invitation. Accepting the invitation is all you need to start. When you get committed to the call, the growth process begins, because your life is shaped mostly by what you are committed to. They can develop you or mar you, but either way, they will define you. If you tell me what you are committed to, I'll tell you what you will be in the years to come. We become whatever we are committed to. 

Usually many people miss God's purpose for their lives at the point of committing themselves, or being obligated to their choice in life. Many are also afraid of getting committed or obligated to anything, and prefer to just drift through life. Many others

make half-hearted commitments to competing values, which leads to frustration and mediocrity. And many more make a full commitment to worldly goals, such as becoming wealthy or famous, and end up disappointed and bitter.

Every choice you make has eternal consequences, so you had better choose wisely. The Bible in Second Peter 3 v 10 - 11, the apostle Peter warns us thus, "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness," Realizing that the earth will be burned up, we should put our confidence in what is lasting and eternal and not be bound to earth and its treasures or pursuits. 

One major parameter for measuring a mature Christian, the apostle Paul says, is “speaking the truth in love.” This sounds so simple, but it seems so hard for us to do. Some of us are fairly good at speaking the truth, but we forget to be loving. Some of us are good at being loving, but we don’t have it in us to level with others if the truth is painful. The instruction here is to do both: Speak the truth, but do it in a loving manner. Think of the trouble we would spare ourselves if we followed this practice, especially in the church! When you have a problem with another believer, don’t go to someone else with it. Go directly to that person, and speak the truth in love.

How can we grow more and more like Christ? The answer is that Christ forms us into a body—into a group of individuals who are united in their purpose and in their love for one another and for the Lord. If an individual stumbles, the rest of the group is there to pick that person up and help him or her walk with God again. If a person sins, he or she can find restoration through the church (Galatians 6 vs 1) even as the rest of the body continues to witness to God’s truth. 

What are you committed to? Do you spend more of your time piling up possessions, or striving to develop Christlike character? As part of Christ’s body, do you reflect part of Christ’s character and carry out your special role in His work? Now that we have been warned about the impending end, the choice is yours. 

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of truth and commitment in You that I may never shift my focus on You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD! 

THE GRACE OF GOD DEFINED!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY JULY 03, 2020.

SUBJECT:  GRACE OF GOD DEFINED!

Memory verse:  "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich." (Second Corinthians 8 vs 9.) 

READ:  Ephesians 1 verse 7 - 8:

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

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

INTIMATION:

The common definition of grace known to us is "God’ free and unmerited or undeserved favor for sinful humanity." God showered His kindness (also known as His grace) on us. This is the voluntary and loving favor given to those He saves through faith in the substitutionary work of Christ. God voluntarily became man—the person of Jesus of Nazareth. The man Jesus was subject to human limitations by setting aside His glory and His rights, in response to His Father’s Will to limit His power and knowledge. Christ became “poor” when He became human because He set aside so much. Yet by doing so, He made us “rich” because by His “grace,” we are redeemed—we received salvation and eternal life. 

Therefore, the grace of God can be defined as His voluntarily setting aside His Deity—His glory, rights, power, and knowledge, for the love of sinful humanity, and bestowing on us unmerited or undeserved favor by redeeming from sin and Satan, and handing us the gift of salvation and eternal life. The study of James 4 vs 5 - 6 in the Bible, reveals that there is so much more to grace; “Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”? But He gives more grace. Therefore, He says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

The verses in Amplified Version of the Bible is quite revealing, "Or do you suppose that the Scripture is speaking to no purpose that says. The Spirit Whom He has caused to dwell in us yearns over us and He yearns for the Spirit [to be welcomed] with a jealous love? But He gives us more and more grace (power of the Holy Spirit, to meet this evil tendency and all others fully). That is why He says, God sets Himself against the proud and haughty, but gives grace (continually) to the lowly (those who are humble enough to receive it)."

The Amplified Bible says that grace is the power of the Holy Spirit to meet the evil tendency within each of us. What evil tendency is James referring to here? The evil tendency or desire is clearly stated In James 4 vs 4; "You are [like] unfaithful wives [having illicit love affairs with the world] and breaking your marriage vow to God! Do you not know that being the world's friend is being God's enemy? So whoever chooses to be a friend to the world takes his stand as an enemy of God." (AMP)

The evil tendency or desire is, like an unfaithful wife, having  illicit love affairs with the world. It is turning away from God and looking to ourselves or to others, rather than simply asking Him to meet our needs. That is a tendency of the flesh, and it is not the way God wants us to react. Whoever chooses to be a friend to the world takes a stand as an enemy of God.

The remedy to this evil tendency is found in James 4 verse 6 which tells us that in the midst of all our problems and frustrations, God gives us more and more grace, more and more power of the of the Holy Spirit to handle this evil tendency or desires, and all others things fully. That is why God sets Himself against the proud and haughty (Psalm 138 vs 6; Proverbs 3 vs 34; James 4 vs 6) who think they can handle things on their own without Him, but gives grace continually to the lowly, to those who are humble enough to receive His grace by simply asking for it.

God wants to give us the power to overcome our wrong motives and intentions, if we will be humble enough to ask for it and receive it rather than trying to handle everything ourselves by our own power and in our own way. 

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for Your grace lavished on me out of Your love. Endue me with the spirit of complete trust, and obedience to You that I may fully harness the benefits of Your grace upon me, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

DECLARE BOLDLY HIS WORD!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY JULY 02, 2020.

SUBJECT: DECLARE BOLDLY HIS WORD!

Memory verse: "And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, 'I believed and therefore I spoke,' we also believe and therefore speak." (Second Corinthians 4 vs 13.)

READ: Mark 16 vs 20; Acts 14 vs 3; 

Mark 16:20: And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through accompanying signs. Amen.

Acts 14:3: Therefore they stayed a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who was bearing witness to the word of His grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.

INTIMATION:

Bold declaration of the Word of God with faith is agreeing with Him, and only in so doing will God work with you. The prophet Amos asked this very important question, "Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?" (Amos 3 vs 3.) We agree with God by faithfully saying what His Word says with boldness. When you, as a faithful child of God, boldly declare His Word, God is left with no other choice but to agree with you, and confirm His word by hastening to perform it according to His Will (Jeremiah 1 vs 12). When your word is not in agreement with God's Word, you weary Him with your word (Malachi 2 vs 17). The fallout of such disagreement is agreeing with the lies of the devil, which eventually separates us from God.

Obviously, It is in the heart of all Christians to agree with God, and walk closely with Him. The Bible records the testimony of Enoch: "[He] walked with God" (Genesis 5 vs 24). Enoch wasn't the only person who could walk with God, you and I also can walk with God. We can walk just as closely with God as Enoch did if we choose to agree with Him in faith, boldly declaring His Word, because that same spirit of faith that worked in Enoch is in us, and also working in us who believe.

When you speak lack, sickness, fear, defeat, and inability, you are disagreeing with God because, "He is your shepherd, and you shall not want" (Psalm 23 vs 1), "He supplies all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4 vs 19). "By His stripes you are healed" (Isaiah 53 vs 5), and "He sent His Word and healed you, and delivered you from your destructions" (Psalm 107 vs 20), "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and of a sound mind" (Second Timothy 1 vs 7). 

In our memory verse, the apostle Paul encouraged all believers to boldly speak the word, just like the psalmist who wrote, “I have believed it, so I said it.” (Psalm 116 vs 10.) We should boldly say what we believe, and what we believe and boldly declare is what God confirms in our lives in accordance with His Will, because He is a God “who confirms the word of His servant, and performs the counsel of His messengers” (Isaiah 44 vs 26). 

As believers, having the same spirit of faith in God, we should boldly be speaking the Words of our Father, and the power in the Word will manifest in our lips as though is the Father speaking them. It is not us, nor our power, but God who hastens to perform His Word to His glory. As a child of God, and a believer in Christ's work of redemption, Christ has already promised to give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist (Luke 21 vs 15). 

Our relationship with the Lord should be in humility, obedience, and trust in Him and His Words. Jesus enumerated the benefits of believing and boldly declaring the word of God to the world:  “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mark 16 vs 17 - 18.) For those believers who boldly witness for God, in the name of Jesus they will exercise complete authority over the evil one and his cohorts, they will be spirit-filled, they cannot be killed by poisoning, and will be commanders of signs and wonders. 

In the Book of Acts of the Apostles, we read abounding testimonies of the apostles who boldly declared the Word of God by faith, and became commanders of signs and wonders. The same Word of the unchanging God is available to us, and has never changed. That same signs and wonders that followed the apostles will follow us when we boldly declare God’s Word in faith.

Prayer: Abba Father, Your faithfulness endures forever. You have magnified Your Word even above Your Name. Endue me with the spirit of faith in Your Word that I may continually declare Your Word in every circumstances I face in life, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

THE GREAT COMMANDMENT!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY JULY 1, 2020.

SUBJECT: THE GREAT COMMANDMENT!

Memory verse: "So he answered and said, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and your neighbor as yourself.’” (Luke 10 vs 27.)

READ: Deuteronomy 11 vs 13 - 15:

11:13: And it shall be that if you earnestly obey My commandments which I command you today, to love the LORD your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul,

11:14: then I will give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil.

11:15: And I will send grass in your fields for your livestock, that you may eat and be filled.

INTIMATION:

God demands our love and service (total devotion) to Him, in sincerity of heart, not with eye-service, but doing the Will of God from your heart. Doing the Will of God is obeying His commandments passionately, that is, from your heart! This is called the “Great Commandment.”

How do you know when you are serving God from your heart? The first telltale sign is enthusiasm; your excitement, and great interest in serving Him. When you are doing what you love to do, no one has to motivate you or challenge you, or check up on you. You do it for sheer enjoyment. You don't need rewards, or applause or payment, because you love serving in this way. This is exactly what God requires of us. Hallelujah!

The second characteristic of serving God from your heart is effectiveness. Whenever you do what God wired you to love to do, you get good at it. Passion drives perfection. If you don't care about a task, it is unlikely that you will excel at it. In contrast, the highest achievers in any field are those who do it because of passion, not duty or profit.

God’s interest in the man’s heart is because the heart is the center of the man. Your heart reveals the real you—what you truly are, not what others think you are, or what circumstances force you to be. Your heart determines why you say the things you say, why you feel the way you feel, and why you act the way you do. The Bible, in Proverbs 27 vs 19, says, "As in water face reflects face, so a man's heart reveals the man." 

The Bible uses the term heart to describe the bundle of desires, hopes, interests, ambitions, dreams, and affections you have. Your heart represents the source of all your inspirations—what motivates you, what you love to do, and what you care about most. Even today, we still use the word in this way when we say, "I love you with all my heart." It’s for this reason that God demands our heart (our passion) in loving and serving Him.

Our heart—our feelings of love and desire—dictates to a great extent how we live because we always find time to do what we enjoy, hence God’s interest in our hearts. In Proverbs 4 vs 23, the Scripture says, "Keep you heart with all diligence, for out of it springs the issues of life." It tells us to guard our heart above all else, making sure we concentrate on those desires that will keep us on the right path—the path of God. When your heart is centered on God, your affections push you in the right direction—the path of God, and consequently, you put boundaries on your desires, and will not do or go after everything you see. 

Another word for heart is passion. There are certain subjects you feel passionate about and others you could care less about. Some experiences turn you on and capture your attention while others turn you off or bore you to tears. These reveal the nature of your heart. Your emotional heartbeat is the second key to understanding your shape for service. God gave each and everyone of us some inborn interests. Don't ignore your interests. Consider how they might be used for God's glory. 

Now, the question is, “What is your passion for God?” God wants you to serve Him passionately, not dutifully. Let the service come from your heart. The Bible repeatedly tells us to "serve the Lord with all your heart."  People rarely excel at tasks they don't enjoy doing or feel passionate about. God wants you to use your natural interests to serve Him and others. The reason you love to do those things you love doing is because you derive great passion in doing them. Listening to inner prompting—signals from your heart—that can point to the ministry God intends for you to have. 

Prayer: Abba Father, Your Will is that I serve You, and others with passion. Engrace me to manifest fully in passionate service to You, O Lord, and to serve others likewise, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

GODS DESIRE TO SAVE US

"Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. Timothy 2:4"

Devotion : God is good. He is good because He does not want anybody to go to hell. Even though He does not want anyone to go to hell, He has left everyone to his own will; in other words, He has allowed mankind to make their own choices. The almighty God, through His saving plan, gave Jesus Christ to mankind that through Jesus all men can be saved. For this reason, the gospel is still being preached today; this is the saving knowledge God is conveying to the people of the world through His ministers of the gospel. The desire and expectation of the Father of creation is that sinners, evildoers, and the wicked will take advantage of the knowledge of Christ and be saved. If they don't choose the path of salvation, then they have chosen the path of eternal damnation. Dear beloved, what path have you chosen? Share your thoughts here!

NO MARRIAGE IN HEAVEN

"For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven. Mark 12:25"

Devotion : A question was posed by the Sadducees about a woman who married seven times because every husband she married died without giving her children. Finally the woman also died, and the question was, whose wife will she be after the resurrection? Jesus Christ, who knew what was prevailing in heaven, answered the Sadducees that in heaven there is no marriage. God, in His own wisdom, restricted marriage to the earth. This insightful knowledge will aid people to plan toward their marriage since they can only enjoy it here on Earth. Furthermore, the answer from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ silences all false doctrines in certain religions that beautiful women and men await them in paradise for marriage. Dear beloved, do you have a desire to marry? May your desire be fulfilled right here on Earth, amen. Share your comments here!