ACT OF COMMENDATION

 

ACT OF COMMENDATION

"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8" 

Devotion : When mankind sinned against God, they were afraid to approach God. God did not wait for mankind to approach Him; He sent Jesus Christ to die to atone for their sin so that mankind would approach God without fear or any sense of guilt. What God did is an act of true love which deserves to be commended. Any time we lift up praise and worship to God for His love toward us, we are commending Him for His mercies and love. He has also taught us not to be revengeful but to be forgiving toward one another. Dear beloved, are you revengeful or forgiving toward others? Share your comments here!

HAVE FAITH IN GOD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY AUGUST 17, 2020.

SUBJECT : HAVE FAITH IN GOD!

Memory verse: "Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for He is faithful that promised;)” (Hebrews 10 vs 23.) 

READ: 

4:18: Who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.”
4:19: And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body now dead, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah's womb.
4:20: He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 
4:21: and being fully convinced that what He had promised, He was also able to perform.

INTIMATION:

The object of your faith is critical to your work with God, and obtaining His promises. The Bible says, "Have faith in God." (Mark 11 vs 22.) Faith is an asset of inestimable value, it is worth what you perceive it to be. Faith is not feeling, but rather a force that invades the invisible world and delivers to the physical. It implants humanity into divinity and gives dominion to the faithful. Faith is reasoning with God in the Word until you are persuaded that what He has promised He will do. Therefore, it is a display of confidence in God until you obtain your promise or your desired result. 

In the passage we read today, we saw Abraham, the father of faith, as a classic example of someone with absolute confidence in God. He never wavered at the promise of God, and it was counted to him for righteousness. Your feeling has nothing to do with your faith. You can walk into a hospital room and see someone you dearly love suffering on a bed of affliction, and you cry emotionally for an hour. Your tears may give you emotional relief, but will do nothing for your loved one. Absolutely nothing! Yet one minute of faith released in prayer to a loving God can stop sickness and disease in its tracks.

The Scripture in Hebrews 11 vs 1 states that faith has substance. Faith is real. It is measurable, hence we have all been given a measure of faith. Substance, in the case of faith, means that we have an assurance that God will do for us today what He has done for His people previously. What God has done in the past, He can do in the present. God's past performance gives us absolute assurance for our future. God said in His Word, "I am the LORD, I do not change." (Malachi 3 vs 6.) Scripture also says that Jesus Christ is "the same yesterday, today, and forever." (Hebrews 13 vs 8.)

Our faith is not mysticism. Our faith is not positive thinking or religious psychobabble. Our faith is rock solid, based on the historical evidence that God in heaven will faithfully perform what He has promised, and validated by what God has done in the past. Some people have faith in faith. They take the attributes of God and make them objects of worship and abuse them. While some others have faith in religious rituals, rather than God. Therefore, they are worshipping their distorted view of the attribute of God instead of God Himself. This is , in fact, legal idolatry. You have chosen a different God to worship. 

How would you explain the believer who virtually lives in the church, attending all services Monday through Sunday, but has no love in him or her? They have made the religious ritual of going to church their God, instead God who is love; it is faith in faith. Those who have faith in faith believe more in the crucifix hanging around their necks than the Christ hanging on the cross. A crucifix around your neck without Christ in your heart is nothing more than faith in faith; it is not faith in God. The object of our faith must be God and God alone.

Faith in God consists of more than wearing jewelry. It's more than sleeping in the church. Faith in God is substance based on the Word of God and the evidence of God's past performance. Not only is the object of your faith important, but so is the source. The Bible says, "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" (Romans 10 vs 17). The Greek word 'comes' is a progressive verb, which implies a faith that is continually increasing and growing. When you become a new Christian, God gives you a measure of faith (Romans 12 vs 3). This measure of faith increases to more faith as you hear the Word of God and internalize it. As you experience God's faithfulness, your faith grows and matures even more.

No matter how intimidating your problem happens to be, God is ready to hear and answer your prayer right now. He is ready to release your miracle. But first you must expect a miracle! Know it that faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable, and receives the impossible.

Prayer: Abba Father, my absolute trust is in You, for I know Whom I have believed. You are not a man, that You should lie, nor a human, that You should change Your mind. You have never spoken and failed to act! And have never promised and not carried it through! Give me the grace to remain steadfast in my trust in You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

WE ARE COWORKERS WITH GOD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY AUGUST 16, 2020.

SUBJECT : WE ARE COWORKERS WITH GOD!

Memory verse: "We then, as workers with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.” (Second Corinthians 6 vs 1.) 

READ: Second Corinthians 5 vs 20:

5:20: Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God we’re pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.

INTIMATION:

The Christian is the representative of God to the world on behalf of the cross. It was through the early apostles and disciples that the message of reconciliation was first preached to the world. We are workers with Jesus Christ. It is in the realm of the recreated spirit that we become utterly one with Jesus Christ, and entered into the holy priesthood (First Peter 2 vs 9; Revelation 5 vs 10). You can be God's voice, His spokesman, His ambassador, His under-ruler, through the Word in your lips, in Jesus' Name. You become God's Will toward Satan ruled world through your prayer life. As coworkers with God through prayer; your spirit is contacting the Father. Your spirit is reaching other human spirits through the Father, and also connects to the spirit of other believers. 

Therefore, in the spiritual exercise of prayer, we become so utterly ruled and governed by the Word and the Holy Spirit that we become masters of demons and of their works. The Word on our lips in prayers is the same as the Word on the lips of Christ. We cast out demons with the Word. We pray for sick folks and the diseases leave them. Weakness is destroyed by the strength of God. The very life of God flows out through our lips. 

In First Corinthians 5 vs 4, the apostle Paul enumerated this revelation in relation to prayer, and our union with Christ in His work when he said, "In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,” The apostle Paul was telling the believers that when they gather together in their meeting that his spirit, and the Lord Jesus through the Holy Spirit will be with them in their deliberations.

Remember what Jesus said in John 7 vs 38 - 39, "On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If any one thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." Jesus, speaking to the Samaritan woman in John 4 vs 10, used the term "living water" to indicate eternal life. Jesus is speaking of the Holy Spirit's indwelling presence that comes from our inner life of prayer, and there gushes forth a torrent of the very life of God that speeds on its way to that who is in need. 

The Holy Spirit is God's promise or guarantee of eternal life for those who believe in Him. It is that same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead that dwells in you, and that Spirit will also quicken your mortal bodies (Romans 8 vs 11). Our prayers bring the very presence of God upon men, and any circumstances, in any part of the world. In prayer we are cooperating with Him, and become ambassadors of Christ, ruling the demons and evil forces all over the world.

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for making us kings and priests to reign on earth. Endue me with the excellent spirit of prayer, in communion with You, and working with other believers to rule the world with You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

GLORY IN TRIBULATION

GLORY IN TRIBULATION

"And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; Romans 5:3" 

Devotion : Apostle Paul in his walk with Christ Jesus went through several tribulations. He saw God's hand in the tribulations to teach him some spiritual truth. He learned of the spiritual truth and is in the best position to enlighten us about what he had learned. He learned that tribulation or challenges yield patience, and patience produces experience, and experience generates hope. Hence, Apostle Paul is of the view that we should not totally condemn tribulation or challenges but rather be on the alert to learn patience, experience, and hope. In the end, the Holy Spirit comes to our aid to end the tribulation, fulfilling our hope because He loves us and His love is at work in our heart. Dear beloved, are you going through any challenge or tribulation? What should be your disposition? Share your thoughts and comments here!

WATCH AND PRAY

WATCH AND PRAY

"Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak. Mark 14:38" 

Devotion : Before Jesus Christ went to the cross He went with the disciples to pray in the garden of Gethsemane. He took with Him Peter, James, and John to assist Him to pray whilst He went farther. He came back on three occasions to find them sleeping. He told them to watch and pray lest they enter into temptation. The same goes for us who are born again in Christ Jesus. The only way to prevent or overcome temptation is to watch and pray. Jesus was able to overcome the temptation of the devil because He watched and prayed (Matthew 4:1-11). There is now no excuse because the Holy Spirit has been given to us to help us pray; He is also ever ready to help us to fully take control over the flesh. Let us therefore cooperate with the Holy Spirit so that He can teach us how to watch, pray, rule over the flesh, and overcome all kinds of temptations. Dear beloved, are going through any temptation? How to you wish to overcome it? Share your comments here!

JUSTIFIED BY FAITH!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY AUGUST 15, 2020.

SUBJECT : JUSTIFIED BY FAITH

! 

Memory verse: 

"Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.

" 

(Galatians 2 vs 16.

)

READ: Galatians 3 vs 2 - 7:

3:2: This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 

3:3: Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?

3:4: Have you suffered so many things in vain - if indeed it was in vain?

3:5: Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 

3:6: Just as Abraham "believed God, and it was accounted to him as righteousness."

3:7: Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.

INTIMATION:

The Christian life is specifically rooted in faith in Christ, and His substitutionary work for us in redemption. It is by grace (unmerited favor) through faith that we are saved (Ephesians 2 vs 8). The Holy Spirit (the Spirit of grace) gives Christians great power to live for God. People still feel insecure in their faith because faith alone seems too easy. Some Christians want more than this. They want to live in a state of perpetual excitement. They still try to get closer to God by following rules. While certain Christian disciplines may help us grow, they must not take the place of the Holy Spirit in us or become ends in themselves. 

In the passage we read today, the apostle Paul is asking the Galatian believers, "Did you receive the Lord through your own works and efforts or by hearing the Gospel message and saying, 'I believe that?'" He further ask them, "Are you really so foolish and senseless and silly as to begin your new life by the Spirit and then try to reach perfection by depending on your own weak human flesh?" Then finally, he concludes in asking them, "Does God supply your every need and work miracles among you because you keep the law perfectly or because you put your entire faith and trust in the message you heard?"

The believers in Galatia received the Lord by faith, but were trying to perfect themselves by depending on their own flesh, trying to change themselves and their lives by human effort rather than by trusting in God, and His grace to live a changed life. Now, effort has a place in the Christian life. It does have a part to play. But even then, anything done outside the grace of God will have no real lasting effect. 

The law is not bad in itself. Even the Scripture says, "The law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good" (Romans 7 vs 12). The law can make us acceptable to God. Yes, the law still has an important role to play in the life of a Christian. The law (1) guards us from sin by giving us standards for behavior; (2) convicts us of sin, leaving us the opportunity to ask for God's forgiveness; and (3) drives us to trust the sufficiency of Christ, because we can never keep the Ten Commandments perfectly. The law cannot possibly save us. But after we become Christians, it can guide us to live as God requires.

Are you struggling with changes that need to be made in your personality? Do you ever get frustrated and confused, trying to believe and have faith and confess and do all the right things to bring about change in yourself and your life, yet it never seems to happen? You wanted to change everything you saw wrong about yourself and life, but for some reason you just couldn't do it. Most believers will blame the devil. They will spend better part of their time binding and casting the devil away, instead of turning to the Lord for help. 

The Lord constantly requires us to turn to Him. Why? Because when we do anything apart from Him, we take the credit and glory that rightfully belonged to Him. For this reason He will frustrate any of our own efforts to do things outside of Him. Jesus said, "....For without Me, you can do nothing." (John 15 vs 5).

We are saved by grace (unmerited favor) from God, and only the grace we receive that empowers us to meet specific situations in life. In Luke 11 vs 2 - 4, Jesus thought His disciples how to pray, "Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one."

Our Lord's Prayer clearly shows three things; (1) God our giver, (2) our leader, (3) our deliverer. Our duty then is to ask so that we can receive. (See Matthew 7 vs 7 - 8). We are to do the asking and God Himself does the work. Therefore, turn to God in prayer, because only God could bring about changes that you desire in your life. But our duty is to ask in faith. Get your face before the Lord on a regular basis and say,

Prayer: Abba Father, I can't help myself. I am coming to You like a little child. I am totally helpless. I lay this whole situation before You, asking for Your grace. I don't deserve Your help, Father, but You are my only hope. Please do for me what I can't do for myself, in Jesus' Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

A SURE GUIDE

A SURE GUIDE

"And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left. Isaiah 30:21" 

Devotion : There is a sure guide for the believer in Christ Jesus; he has no excuse to say that he did not know the way or how to go about it. The Holy Spirit is his sure guide to show him the way and how to go about doing what he ought to do. Jesus Christ said when the Holy Spirit comes, He shall guide the believer into all truth (John 16:13). The Holy Spirit is a person and He wants His children to develop a personal relationship with Him. Christians should therefore learn to develop a very personal relationship with Him; they should know Him, His voice, and have time for Him because He lives in them and He is ever ready to lead them. If you allow Him to lead you, you will become a success and a wonder in your world. Dear beloved, how well do you know the Holy Spirit? Share your thoughts and comments here!