OVERCOME POVERTY
"in all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury. Proverbs 14:23"
Devotion : The opening scripture is vivid and illustrates how to overcome lack and poverty. Working produces profit or gain to the worker or laborer. Doing the appropriate kind of work tends to riches and wealth. Empty talk and idleness lead to poverty and want. Dear beloved, don't associate yourself with people who just gossip and spend all their time indulging in idle chatting. It can only lead to poverty and lack. Dear beloved, do you have a job you are doing to make a living and have the ability to give in the house of God? Share your comments here!
Friday, 17 July 2020
Thursday, 16 July 2020
BRINGING GLORY TO GOD!
EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!
THURSDAY JULY 16, 2020.
SUBJECT: BRINGING GLORY TO GOD!
Memory verse: "Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.” (Isaiah 43 vs 7.)
READ: John 17 vs 4 - 5:
17:4: I have glorified You on the earth: I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.
17:5: And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.
INTIMATION:
We are created to bring glory to God. And living for God's glory is the greatest achievement we can accomplish with our lives. God made you to be you, and for a purpose. When the purpose for which He created you is met by you, you give glory to Him. When anything in creation fulfills its purpose, it brings glory to God. Birds bring glory to God by flying, chirping, nesting, and doing other bird-like activities that God intended. Even the lowly ant brings glory to God when it fulfills the purpose it was created for. Likewise you and I, if we do the will of God on earth for us, bring glory to Him.
In the passage we read today, our Master Jesus Christ, demonstrated this ultimate goal in His earth walk. Jesus honored God by fulfilling His purpose on earth. He glorified the Father on earth by teaching the will of the Father and doing the work of the Father. We honor God the same way—by doing His will. God, in His nature of Love and Mercy, in return, glorifies those you glorified Him. Before Jesus came to earth, He was one with God. And when He has almost completed His God-given mission on earth, He reminded God to glorify Him by restoring Him to His original place of honor and authority. Jesus' resurrection and ascension attest to His restoration.
God will glorify you and I if we accomplish our purpose for which we are created by Him. In Romans 8 vs 29 - 30, the Scripture says, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified."
God is a God of purpose. He created you for His purpose. God's working in our lives is to fulfill His preordained purpose, not necessarily to make us happy. God works in "all thing," not just isolated incidents, for our good. This does not mean that all that happens to us is good by our understanding. For instance when you lose your job, or valuable, it is not good. But God may have allowed that for the ultimate benefit of His purpose in your life. Evil is prevalent in our fallen world, but God is able to turn every circumstance around for our long-range good.
Note that this promise is not for everybody. It can be claimed only by those who love God and are called according to His purpose. Those who are "called" are those the Holy Spirit convinces and enables to receive Christ Jesus. Such people have a new mind-set, a new perspective on life. They trust in God, not life's treasures; they look for their security in heaven, not on earth; they learn to accept, not resent, pain and persecution because God is with them, and they know that this world is not their home, they are just passing through.
God's ultimate goal is to glorify such people; to make them like Christ. The Bible in First John 3 vs 2 says, "Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." As we become more and more like Christ, we discover our true selves, the persons we were created to be.
Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of obedience and commitment to You, that I may bring glory to You by the things I do here on earth, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.
PRAISE THE LORD!
GOD'S PRIORITY
GOD'S PRIORITY
"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Matthew 28:19"
Devotion : Our Lord Jesus Christ prioritized teaching over the fivefold ministry in Ephesians 4:11. When Jesus Christ trained His disciples He did not train them to be prophets even though prophets are also good, but He trained them to be teachers of His Word. This should inform us that teachers are more important and elevated above the other four offices - that is, the office of the apostles, prophets, evangelists and pastors. It takes teaching of the Holy Scriptures to create understanding in new converts and even existing members of the body of Christ. Teaching informs, guides, directs, counsels, comforts, multiplies, and retains the membership of the church. Let the world learn from the church and elevate teachers in society into their rightly place. Dear beloved, can you teach the Word of God? Share your thoughts here!
"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Matthew 28:19"
Devotion : Our Lord Jesus Christ prioritized teaching over the fivefold ministry in Ephesians 4:11. When Jesus Christ trained His disciples He did not train them to be prophets even though prophets are also good, but He trained them to be teachers of His Word. This should inform us that teachers are more important and elevated above the other four offices - that is, the office of the apostles, prophets, evangelists and pastors. It takes teaching of the Holy Scriptures to create understanding in new converts and even existing members of the body of Christ. Teaching informs, guides, directs, counsels, comforts, multiplies, and retains the membership of the church. Let the world learn from the church and elevate teachers in society into their rightly place. Dear beloved, can you teach the Word of God? Share your thoughts here!
Wednesday, 15 July 2020
YOU HAVE THE POWER TO RESIST THE DEVIL!
EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!
WEDNESDAY JULY 15, 2020.
SUBJECT: YOU HAVE THE POWER TO RESIST THE DEVIL!
Memory verse: "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” (James 4 vs 7.)
READ: First Peter 5 vs 5 - 10:
5:5: Likewise you young people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, and gives grace to the humble.”
5:6: Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,
5:7: casting all your care upon Him, for he cares for you.
5:8: Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
5:6: Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,
5:7: casting all your care upon Him, for he cares for you.
5:8: Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
5:9: Resist him, stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.
5:10: But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.
There is within man the power to resist the temptations of the devil. God has never given Satan the power to voluntarily subject people to his will. If one desires to seek God, then Satan has no power to subjectively keep one away from God. Our power to resist Satan is exemplified in the fact that we can make him flee. Since God will not allow the individual Christian to be tempted beyond that which he is able to endure, then we must assume that we have the power to make the devil flee from us (First Corinthians 10 vs 12 - 13; Matthew 4 vs 8).
Our power to resist Satan makes us responsible for our own actions. However, we must keep in mind that no man has the power within himself. It is through the power of the gospel, and Christ working in us, that we are able to resist the devil (Philippians 4 vs 13). We must choose to unleash this power in our lives in order to flee from all temptations that come to us through the work of the devil. And since we have this power, then we will all stand before God in judgement and be held directly accountable for our deeds. Each one will give account of himself before God (Second Corinthians 5 vs 10).
The apostle James’ imperative command to draw near to God, places the responsibility for our action on our shoulders. In this he identifies the source of power to resist the devil. The individual must take the initiative to keep himself in the love of God. Those who have allowed their lives to be directed by the world must repent and turn to God. Those who have made their hands dirty by becoming a friend to the world must repent and turn to God. They must become pure with wisdom from above in order to remain in the grace by which they are saved.
Satan has no power over the one who voluntarily keeps himself close to Jesus. However, Satan roams about as a nervous lion looking for his lunch. Those who are ignorant of his warning roars will fall victim to his hunger for the souls of men. Therefore, it is necessary that the Christian learn how the devil seeks to destroy the lives of men. One must be aware of how he stalks his prey. The sober and vigilant Christian is constantly listening for the roar of the hungry Satan. He can identify how Satan works. However, if he becomes ignorant of God’s Word, or enticed by the lust of flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride of life, he or she will be ensnared by Satan and consumed (First John 2 vs 15 - 16).
Christians have been called out of the world through their voluntary obedience to the gospel. Since they have been called by God through the gospel, they will be guarded by God through trials. The Christian must remember that Satan cannot voluntarily consume anyone he do chooses. The apostate Christian has simply given himself or herself over to Satan because of his or her own ignorance of the Word of God or willingness to forsake the fellowship of the community of God’s people.
Peter’s admonition, in the passage we read today, is evidence that the Christian has the voluntary power to stay away from the consuming hunger of Satan to devour souls. The context in which one is more apt to fall is when one is under trials and persecution. Therefore, it is in such a state that one must be sober and vigilant to resist Satan. Christians can withstand the temptations that are presented by Satan by exercising faith in God through prayer, Bible study, and good works toward others. One must understand that as a Christian, others have also gone through similar trials that he or she may be suffering. Since others endured, then certainly the ones under similar circumstances of trial can also endure.
The Scripture, in Ephesians 6 vs 12, says, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” These who are not “flesh and blood” are demons over whom the devil has control. They are not mere fantasies—the are very real. We face a powerful army whose goal is to defeat Christ’s church. When we believe in Christ, these beings become our enemies, and they try every device to turn us away from Him and back to sin. Although, we are assured of victory, we must engage in the struggle until Christ return, because Satan is constantly battling against all who are on the Lord’s side.
We need supernatural power to defeat Satan, and God has provided that by giving us His Holy Spirit within us and His armor surrounding us. If you feel discouraged, remember Jesus’ words to Peter: “On this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16 vs 18).
Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit, my ‘Senior Partner,’ and Your whole armor to withstand the wiles of the devil. Bestow to the divine wisdom to always ask for the supernatural power You have made available to us through the Holy Spirit, and rest assured in You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.
PRAISE THE GOD!
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