THE BELIEVER’S UNUSED ABILITIES!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 18, 2020.

SUBJECT:  THE BELIEVER’S UNUSED ABILITIES!

Memory verse:  "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." (First Peter 2 vs 9.) 

READ:  Second Peter 1 verse 2 - 4:

1;2; Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 

1:3: as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 

1:4: by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."

INTIMATION:

Many Christians still have not understood fully the finished work of Christ for them, haven made available to us the power of God as “partakers of His divine nature.” The finished work is like undeveloped resources in the African Continent. The finished work still remains the only source of our ability to live for God, have a relationship with Him, and obtain and harness all the promises of God to us, live a prosperous life and have good success. 

 

In the passage we read today, we note that God has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness since we now partakers of His very nature—divine nature. God has supplied us with everything in this life that is necessary for living according to His directions and for developing a nature that prepares us for eternal dwelling. One of these things is certainly the Word of God. It is through the word of God that we learn how to conduct our lives according to the will of God. The word of God is certainly the guide that we must follow in order to be certain concerning the conduct of our lives in behavior and godly living.

The power to lead s godly life comes from God. Because we don’t the resources to be truly godly, He allows us to be "partakers of the divine nature" in order to keep us from sin and help us live for Him. The divine nature is being clothed with Christ through the obedience to the gospel, being cleansed of sin, and thus brought into the fellowship of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Putting on Christ is dressing oneself in the divine nature of godliness and sanctification of the Spirit. Those who have put on the divine nature of Christ have been delivered from the lust of the world because they are now slaves to Jesus. 

When we are born again, we are born of the Spirit, therefore, we are spirit. God is Spirit, and by His Spirit, empowers us with His own moral goodness. And we have been born of incorruptible seed through the Word of God which lives and abides forever. (First Peter 1 vs 23.) However, many believers want an abundance of God’s grace and peace, but they are unwilling to put forth the effort to get to know Him better through Bible study and prayer. To enjoy the privileges God offers us freely, we must grow in our “knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.”

Who has imagined or knows what it might mean, or what it means if that nature of God is fully harnessed, and  utilized by every human who has received it. This nature of God comes with the operation of the Spirit of God in us. The Spirit grants us the creative ability manifested in creation. The miracle-working power that was manifested in Jesus is imparted to us. In fact, all the nine gifts of the Spirit are made available to us. It is for this reason that Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and they may have it more abundantly." (John 10 vs 10.)

Not many Christians have realized that we have in us divine ability. You then ask, "How can this be utilized?" It is acting upon His Word, knowing that all His promises are real and for you to receive if you believe, and knowing that you have your inheritance in Him as God has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance in the light. We take Him, by grace, to lead us into all the fullness of our inheritance. In the new creation, God is at work in us, thinking through our minds, operating through our recreated spirits. He has actually taken us over. Let Him Rule! While He is at work in us, we, as theatre of His marvelous works, should show the excellencies of Him. 

Here is the gold mine. We are an elect people. We are God's own possessions. He set us apart that we may unveil the hidden treasures of grace by God at work in us. He is illuminating us, leading us into all the truth and reality. In Colossians 2 vs 3, the Scriptures says; "In Whom are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge hidden." And He has given us light and ability to know what these treasures are: The knowledge of what He has done; knowledge of what He is to do in us; knowledge of what we are; knowledge of what we may do with His ability. And He has also made available the wisdom to utilize all these varied knowledge.

Now, imagine what will happen if all these divine abilities available to us are fully harnessed by the believer, displaying the virtues and perfections in Him. Such life will be exceedingly glorious. It’s ours to live, but it has been substantially underutilized.

Prayer: Abba Father, You have graciously imparted on us Your divine nature. Engrace me to live in Your fullness, manifesting Your divine abilities, utilizing fully the huge treasures of wisdom and knowledge revealed to us in Your Word, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

ARE YOU READY FOR THE DAY OF THE LORD

 

Revelation 6:1-2 - "I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, Come and see. And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.

September 15, 2020 President Trump was joined by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the foreign ministers of the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, the two Arab states entering into the normalization pact with Israel.

A white horse with a bow and no arrows denotes conquering through peace. Could this be the beginning of the opening of the seal judgments foretold 2,000 years ago. The peace accord will only be temporary.

Revelation 6:3-4 - "When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, Come and see. Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword."

The second seal brings with its opening war. Only time will tell for sure. We must be ready!

James 5:8 - "Be ye also patient (and ready); stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh."

--

In His service,

Dr. Gary S. Linton, PhD
Ministrymaker Ministries, Inc.
Ministrymaker Ministerial Fellowship
Ministrymaker University & Seminary

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"Let him who is taught the Word share in all good things with him who teaches. Be not deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that shall he also reap." - Galatians 6:6-7

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THE LOVE OF GOD IN CHRIST!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 16, 2020.

SUBJECT: THE LOVE OF GOD IN CHRIST!

Memory verse:  "Hold fast the pattern  of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus." (Second Timothy 1 vs 13.)

READ:  Ephesians 3 vs 17 - 19; Romans 8 vs 37 - 39:

Ephesians 3:17: That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
3:18: may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the width, and length, and depth, and height—
3:19: to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fullness of God.

Romans 8:37: Yet, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
8:38: For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
8:39: nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

INTIMATION:

God’s love for us in Christ is total, immeasurable, and inexhaustible. It reaches every corner of our experience. It covers the breadth of our own experience, and it reaches out to the whole world. It continues the length of our lives. It rises to the heights of our celebration and elation. It reaches to the depths of discouragement, despair, and even death. When you feel shut out or isolated, remember that you can never be lost to God’s love. We may feel that our faith in God and our love for Christ and for others will always be inadequate. We will experience times of failure. But we can remain confident that Christ will help our faith and love grow as our relationship with Him deepens. 

The passages we read today reaffirms God’s profound love for His people. No matter what happens to us, no matter where we are, we can never be separated from His love. Suffering should not drive us away from God but help us to identify with Him and allow His love to heal us. These verses contain one of the most comfortable promises in all Scriptures. Believers have always had to face hardships in many forms; persecution, illness, difficulties, imprisonment, attacks, and even death. These sometimes cause them to fear that they have been abandoned by Christ. But the apostle Paul exclaims that it is impossible to be separated from Christ. His death for us is proof of His unconquerable love. Nothing can separate us from Christ’s presence. 

The love of God in Jesus Christ for us ensures the fullness of God available to us. This “fullness” is expected only in Christ because all of God was in Christ’s human body. When we have Christ, we have everything we need for salvation and right living.  In union and through His empowering Spirit, we are complete. But we must appropriate that fullness through faith and through prayer as we daily live for Him. You can ask the Holy Spirit to fill every aspect of your life to the fullest.

God tells us how great His love is so that we will feel totally secure in Him. If we believe these overwhelming assurances, we will not be afraid. Jesus never worked independent of His Father. Jesus said, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will in no means cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6 vs 37 - 40.) 

Christ will not let His people be overcome by Satan and lose their salvation.  Jesus out of His great love, gave up His life for our sakes. He had not acted out of His own self-interest, selfishly holding on to the glory of heaven that He already possessed (Philippians 2 vs 6). Instead, Jesus had willingly “died for all” because of His love for us. Because Christ died for us, we also are dead to our old lives. When we have Christ, we have everything we need for salvation and right living. We should no longer live to please ourselves: we should spend our lives pleasing Christ. 

People can feel so guilt-ridden by their past that they think God could never forgive and accept them. But consider the apostle Paul’s past. He had scoffed at the teachings of Jesus and had hunted down and murdered God’s people before coming to faith in Christ (Acts 9 vs 1 - 9). God forgave Paul and used him mightily for His kingdom. No matter how shameful your past, God also can forgive and use you. “He who has begun a good work in You will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1 vs 6.)

Prayer: Abba Father, Your unparalleled love for my sinful self is inexplicable and undeniable. Give me the grace, O Lord, to give my best in obedience to You, and in gratitude for Your love for me, even when I don’t deserve it, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

THE DAY OF ADVERSITY

 THE DAY OF ADVERSITY

"If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small. Proverbs 24:10" 

Devotion : Scripture has acknowledged that there is a day of adversity: it is a day of highest opposition from the kingdom of darkness; a day when God allows the kingdom of darkness to tempt man. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ had His day of adversity, when the kingdom of darkness was allowed to crucify Him. Nonetheless, the strength of Christ grew even stronger, to overturn death by bringing resurrection, and totally defeat the devil and his cohorts of darkness. Job had his day of adversity; his wife even asked him to curse God and die, but Job kept his integrity towards God. Finally, Job overcame his trial and was restored twice over. Every Christian will face their day of adversity and God expects His children to always triumph over adversity. The scriptures, the Holy Spirit, the blood of Jesus, the name of Jesus, holiness, grace, prayer, etc are some of the tools or weapons to overcome adversity. Dearly beloved, do not fail on the day of adversity because you have enough weapons to win. Hallelujah! Share your comments here!

WHAT GOD REQUIRES OF US!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 16, 2020.

SUBJECT : WHAT GOD REQUIRES OF US!

Memory verse: “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all thy heart and with all your soul.” (Deuteronomy 10 vs 12.)

READ: Deuteronomy 10 vs 12 - 17:

10:12: And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all thy heart and with all your soul,

10:13: and to keep the commandments of the LORD, and His statutes, which I command you today for good?
10:14: Indeed, heaven and the highest of heavens belong to the LORD your God, also the earth with all that is in it.
10:15: The LORD delighted only in your fathers, to love them, and He chose their descendants after them, you above all people, as it is this day.
10:16: Therefore, circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be stiff-necked no longer.

10:17: For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, mighty, and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe.

INTIMATION:

Often we ask, “What does God expect of me?” This is the most important question anybody could ask. God created us for His predetermined purposes. The Bible in Psalm 139 vs 15 - 17 says, “My frame was not hidden from you, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed, and in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them. How precious also are Your thoughts for me, O God! How great is the sum of them!”

God created us for His purposes and carefully wove us together as is soothing to His predetermined purposes. He prepared beforehand every day of our lives even before we had even lived one day, and every moment laid out before a single day had passed. He put together His precious thoughts for and about us, and these things are already recorded in a His book. He, therefore, requires us to walk in His preordained path to achieve His thoughts for us.

In the passage we read today, the Bible gives a summary of what God expects from us in a simple form and easy to remember. Here are the essentials: (1) Have reverence for God. (2) Walk in His ways. (3) Love Him. (4) Serve Him with all your heart and soul. (5) Keep His commands. However, we usually complicate the expectations of God from us with man-made rules, regulations, and requirements. And regrettably we fall short of those man-made conditions, thereby become frustrated and burned out from trying hard to please God. Concentrate on His real requirements and find peace. 

God demands that we submit to Him inside, in our hearts, as well as outside, in our bodies. When this is done, we begin to imitate God’s love and justice in our relationships with others. If our hearts are right with God, then our relationships with other people can be made right too. When your heart has been cleansed and you have been reconciled to God, you will begin to see a difference in the way you treat others. 

Jesus said that loving God with all ourselves is the first and greatest commandment (Matthew 22 vs 37 - 39). This command, combined with the command to love your neighbor (Leviticus 19 vs 18), encompasses all the other Old Testament laws. We are to love God, think constantly about His commandments, teach His commandments to our children, and live each day by the guidelines in His Word. 

God emphasized the importance of parents’ teaching the Bible to their children. The church and Christian schools cannot be used to escape from this responsibility. The Bible provides many opportunities for object lessons and practical teaching. Consequently, it would be a shame to study it only one day in a week. Eternal truths are most effectively learned in constant study and meditation on God’s Word.

Your life reflects your view of life. How you define life determines what you get out of it. Your perspective of life will influence how you invest your time, spend your money, use your talents, and value your relationships. Your view of life may, inadvertently, be based on a faulty metaphor. To fulfill the purposes God made you for, you will have to challenge conventional wisdom and replace it with the biblical metaphors of life. This is what the Scripture tells us in Romans 12 vs 2 that states, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

Now that you have known what God requires of you, walk in the light of God’s requirements, and fulfill His purpose of life for you. God walks with you when you are in His predetermined path, and ensures you are on the right track  Walking in God’s predetermined path for you is tantamount to entering into an agreement with Him. Such agreements are irrevocable and eternal. Even though we rarely uphold our end of the agreement, God would always be faithful to His part. 

God’s mercy is unconditional. No matter how many times we turned from God, He is always there to restore us. It is comforting to know that despite our inconsistencies and sins, God loves us unconditionally. Eternal life is achieved not on the merit system but on the mercy system. God loves us no matter who we are or what we have done. 

Prayer: Abba Father, my utmost heart desire is to please You and walk in Your ways. My purpose in life is not in myself to determine. Guide me through life’s journey that I may not miss the path You already prepared for me, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

 

JESUS CHRIST IS TIMELESS

 JESUS CHRIST IS TIMELESS

"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. Hebrews 13:8" 

Devotion : Mankind and other creations are affected by time: as day and night go by, mankind and other creations change. Mankind and other living things grow old and pass away. Other creations that are not living things are affected by wear and tear or the passage of time. But Jesus Christ is not affected by time: in fact, He created time and can alter it. The opening scripture is simply explaining that Jesus Christ is God, because it is only God who remains the same and is not affected by time. Indeed, Jesus Christ is eternal. As believers in Christ Jesus, if time is going against us, we have someone to call to alter time in our favor; that person is Jesus Christ of Nazareth. He can also cause certain events to repeat themselves, which is why it is sometimes said that history repeats itself. Dearly beloved, do you want time to favor you? You know who to call! Share your comments here!