FORWARD AND UPWARD LIFE

 FORWARD AND UPWARD. LIFE

"Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. Romans 12:14" 

Devotion : The opening scripture has given us a key to eternal blessings. It exhorts us to bless those who persecute us; we should bless and not curse. As Christians, we have a forward and upward life: this means that we have been called only to blessings and not curses. We are the light of the world and must show the world the right way to live a godly life. When we curse, we are not living our nature and the enemy can creep in and destroy. Some of those who persecute us have a chance of being born again; therefore, if we curse them, all those who have the chance to receive Christ will miss this chance and go to hell. We reap what we sow; if we sow curses, we will reap curses, and if we sow blessings, we will reap blessings. Finally, our Lord Jesus Christ did not curse people - He only cursed a fig tree. Dearly beloved, have you been persecuted before? How did you handle it? Share your comments here!

WITH GOD WE HAVE ALL WE NEED!

 

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 7, 2020.

SUBJECT: WITH GOD WE HAVE ALL WE NEED!

Memory verse: "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8 vs 32.)

READ: Jeremiah 29 vs 11 - 14:

29:11: For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

29:12: Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, Ana I will listen to you.

29:13: And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

29:14: I will be found by you, says the LORD, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all places where I have driven you, says the LORD, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away.

INTIMATION:

God is in His creation and close to every one of us. But He is not trapped in His creation—He is transcendent. This means that God is sovereign and in control, while at the same time He is close and personal. The world is God’s and all its fullness. God owns all things, and according to His wise plan, His people were to have a future and a hope; consequently, they could call upon Him in confidence. His children need not despair because they have God’s presence, the privilege of prayer, and God’s grace. If we seek Him wholeheartedly, He will be found. 

God knows the future; He knows the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46 vs 10). And His plans for us are good and full of hope. As long as God, who knows the future, provides our agenda and goes with us as we fulfill His mission, we can have boundless hope. This does not mean that we will be spared pain, suffering or hardship, but that God will see us through to a glorious conclusion. We are encouraged by a leader who stirs us to move ahead, someone who believes we can do the task he has given and who will be with us all the way. God is that kind of leader. 

God is love, and loves us greatly. He so loved us that He gave His only Son, Jesus Christ, to the world as a propitiation for our sins. Jesus came, took the form of man, suffered all things, and died the death we ought to have died for our sins. What an awesome sacrifice—One given His life for another, exchanging what is of immeasurable value with what is completely worthless—our sinful life! The apostle Paul, in Romans 8 vs 32 and 35, clearly asks rhetorically; “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”.....”Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril or sword?...”

The apostle Paul assuredly answered the questions, saying; “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8 vs 37 - 39). Therefore, if God gave His only begotten Son for you, He isn’t going to hold back anything that you require to live for Him. If Christ gave His life for you, He isn’t going to turn around to condemn or abandon you. Neither a strange land, sorrow, persecution, nor physical problems can break our fellowship with God.

Now with God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our sinful and worthless condition and exposing Himself to the worst by sending His own Son, is there anything else He wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us? There is absolutely nothing! God’s promises are public, and their fulfillment is sure. So why do we ever doubt Him? We never have to be uncertain when we have a God of truth and righteousness. In times of dire circumstances, it may appear as though God has forgotten you. But God may be preparing you for a new beginning with a Him at the center.

Prayer: Abba Father, Your love for me and for the whole world is unparalleled. I cannot thank You enough for all You have done for me. O Lord, I know Your good thoughts for me, help me to offer myself as a living sacrifice to You, obeying You in all things, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

THE PRESENCE OF GOD

 THE PRESENCE OF GOD

"And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. Exodus 33:14" 

Devotion : In the old covenant, the presence of God came upon the prophets, lived with the prophets, and walked with the prophets. However, in the new covenant the children of God are born into the presence of God and the presence of God lives inside them. The presence of God is called the Holy Spirit, which Jesus Christ gave to the church after His departure. When the Holy Spirit is in you and with you, He gives you rest. In fact, you operate from a place of rest, a place without struggle, and a place full of abundance. Dearly beloved, are you operating from a place of rest? Share your comments here!

THERE IS POWER IN YOUR WORD!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY OCTOBER 6, 2020.

SUBJECT : THERE IS POWER IN YOUR WORD!

Memory verse: 

"You are snared by the words of your mouth; You are taken by the words of your mouth." 

(Proverbs 6 vs 2.)

READ: Psalm 1

9 vs 14; 141 vs 3; Proverbs 13 vs 3; 18 vs 21; Matthew 12 vs 37:

Psalm 19:14: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.

141:3: Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips.

Proverbs 13 :3: He who guards his mouth preserves his life, but he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.

18:21: Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Matthew 12:37: For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.

INTIMATION:

Words can work wonders, but they can also work blunders! Do you realize that multitude of people fail in life because they speak failure? They fear failure and allow their fear to overcome their faith. What you say locates you. You will not, and you cannot rise above your own words. If you speak defeat, failure, anxiety, sickness, and unbelief, you will live on that level. Neither you nor anyone else, no matter how clever, will ever live above the standard of their confession. This spiritual principle is unalterable. If your confession is foolish, trifling, unpractical, or disorganized, your life invariably will be the same way. With your words, you constantly paint a picture of your inner self. Jesus said, "Out of the abundance of the. Heart the mouth speaks" (Matthew 12 vs 34).

The Bible says, "Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles" (Proverbs 21 vs 23). Numerous troubles are caused by an unruly tongue! Words spoken in the heat of the moment—words of anger, words of harshness, words of retaliation, words of bitterness, words of unkindness—produce trouble for us. Words can cut and destroy. They can also mend and heal. 

On the average, a person opens his or her mouth approximately 700 times a day to speak. Stop and think before you react, or speak, no matter the circumstances. 

We would always do well to ask God to guard what we say so that we are not snared by our words, and that our words will bring honor to His name. It is noteworthy that every word and thought of ours will be examined by God, and we will give account of them all in the day of judgement (Matthew 12 vs 36). 

Self-control starts with “tongue control”—controlling what you say. 

The apostle James recognized this truth when he stated, "The tongue is a little member and boasts great things" (Janes 3 vs 5). If you wish to be self-controlled, begin with your tongue. If you can control this small but powerful member, you can control the rest of your body. 

The Bible in Proverbs, gives special attention to words and how they are used. Four common speech patterns are described in Proverbs; (1) The Controlled tongue, (2) The Caring tongue, (3) The Conniving tongue, and (4) The Careless tongue. I call them the 4Cs. The “Controlled tongue” thinks before speaking, knows when silence is best, and gives wise advice. The “Caring tongue” speaks truthfully while seeking to encourage. The “Conniving tongue” is filled with wrong motives, gossip, slander, and a desire to twist truth. The “Careless tongue” speaks lies, curses, quick-tempered words which can lead to rebellion and destruction.

Avoid careless speech because it is a vicious habit. When one realizes that his words are the coin of his kingdom and that his words can be either a cursing influence or a blessing, he will learn to value the gift of speech. The word is a seed (Luke 8 vs 11), and if spoken from a poisoned mind, it is a disaster. An idle word spoken aloud may fall into the soil of someone's heart and poison his entire life. Learn to control your tongue.

Go to higher level of living in the kingdom of God. Believe that you are who God says you are. Think that way. Talk that way. Act that way. Train yourself to live on the level of what is written about you in God's Word. Do not permit your thoughts, your words, or your actions to contradict what God says about you. Although you may not master positive confession in a day or even a week, you will learn it as you continue to walk in it faithfully. Because God has said it, we should boldly say the same thing! 

Prayer: Abba Father, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight. O Lord, set a guard over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips. Let my words speak of Your blessings at all times, in Jesus' Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

 

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY OCTOBER 6, 2020.

SUBJECT : THERE IS POWER IN YOUR WORD!

Memory verse: 

"You are snared by the words of your mouth; You are taken by the words of your mouth." 

(Proverbs 6 vs 2.)

READ: Psalm 1

9 vs 14; 141 vs 3; Proverbs 13 vs 3; 18 vs 21; Matthew 12 vs 37:

Psalm 19:14: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.

141:3: Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips.

Proverbs 13 :3: He who guards his mouth preserves his life, but he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.

18:21: Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Matthew 12:37: For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.

INTIMATION:

Words can work wonders, but they can also work blunders! Do you realize that multitude of people fail in life because they speak failure? They fear failure and allow their fear to overcome their faith. What you say locates you. You will not, and you cannot rise above your own words. If you speak defeat, failure, anxiety, sickness, and unbelief, you will live on that level. Neither you nor anyone else, no matter how clever, will ever live above the standard of their confession. This spiritual principle is unalterable. If your confession is foolish, trifling, unpractical, or disorganized, your life invariably will be the same way. With your words, you constantly paint a picture of your inner self. Jesus said, "Out of the abundance of the. Heart the mouth speaks" (Matthew 12 vs 34).

The Bible says, "Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles" (Proverbs 21 vs 23). Numerous troubles are caused by an unruly tongue! Words spoken in the heat of the moment—words of anger, words of harshness, words of retaliation, words of bitterness, words of unkindness—produce trouble for us. Words can cut and destroy. They can also mend and heal. 

On the average, a person opens his or her mouth approximately 700 times a day to speak. Stop and think before you react, or speak, no matter the circumstances. 

We would always do well to ask God to guard what we say so that we are not snared by our words, and that our words will bring honor to His name. It is noteworthy that every word and thought of ours will be examined by God, and we will give account of them all in the day of judgement (Matthew 12 vs 36). 

Self-control starts with “tongue control”—controlling what you say. 

The apostle James recognized this truth when he stated, "The tongue is a little member and boasts great things" (Janes 3 vs 5). If you wish to be self-controlled, begin with your tongue. If you can control this small but powerful member, you can control the rest of your body. 

The Bible in Proverbs, gives special attention to words and how they are used. Four common speech patterns are described in Proverbs; (1) The Controlled tongue, (2) The Caring tongue, (3) The Conniving tongue, and (4) The Careless tongue. I call them the 4Cs. The “Controlled tongue” thinks before speaking, knows when silence is best, and gives wise advice. The “Caring tongue” speaks truthfully while seeking to encourage. The “Conniving tongue” is filled with wrong motives, gossip, slander, and a desire to twist truth. The “Careless tongue” speaks lies, curses, quick-tempered words which can lead to rebellion and destruction.

Avoid careless speech because it is a vicious habit. When one realizes that his words are the coin of his kingdom and that his words can be either a cursing influence or a blessing, he will learn to value the gift of speech. The word is a seed (Luke 8 vs 11), and if spoken from a poisoned mind, it is a disaster. An idle word spoken aloud may fall into the soil of someone's heart and poison his entire life. Learn to control your tongue.

Go to higher level of living in the kingdom of God. Believe that you are who God says you are. Think that way. Talk that way. Act that way. Train yourself to live on the level of what is written about you in God's Word. Do not permit your thoughts, your words, or your actions to contradict what God says about you. Although you may not master positive confession in a day or even a week, you will learn it as you continue to walk in it faithfully. Because God has said it, we should boldly say the same thing! 

Prayer: Abba Father, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight. O Lord, set a guard over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips. Let my words speak of Your blessings at all times, in Jesus' Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

MAKE YOUR CHOICE!

 MONDAY OCTOBER 5, 2020

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUBJECT: MAKE YOUR CHOICE! 

Memory verse: "I call heaven and earth as witness today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live." (Deuteronomy 30 vs 19.)

READ: Deuteronomy 30 vs 19 - 20:

30:19: I call heaven and earth as witness today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;

30:20: that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.

INTIMATION:

All that God requires of everyone of us to do to be saved takes no scholar to understand and apply. For this reason God holds each of us individually responsible for our own eternal destiny. In life we are faced with choices. God has ordained our paths in life, that we may accomplish our predetermined purposes in life in accordance with His Will for us. God doesn't force His Will on anyone. He lets us decide whether to follow Him or reject Him, obey Him or disobey Him. This decision, however, is a “life or death“ matter. With disobedience there is death and evil. God wants us to realize this, for He would like us all to choose life, and daily, in every situation, we must affirm and reinforce this commitment. 

The final exhortation is to make a free-moral decision to choose that which will bring life and good. The Will of God is enshrined in His “instructional manual” - the Bible. Within the pages of the Bible we find a purpose for everything under the sun, even the tests we face in life. In our memory verse today, God spoke to His children, and presented them with a multiple choice test: the choice between life and death. He tested them with problems while they were in the wilderness. Why were they tested? The answer is in the passage we read today. God tests us so see if we would hear Him and obey His commandments; walking in accordance with His Will for us, that He would bless us. 

God knows the future, and His plans for us are good and full of hope. As long as God who knows the future, provides our agenda and goes with us as we fulfill His mission, we can have boundless good success. This does not mean that we will be spared pain, suffering, or hardship, but that God will see us through to a glorious end. It is easy to obey when everything is falling in place, and grand for us. But what about obeying God when you are on a crossroad, or in the middle of the most severe problem of your life?

We all have unique personalities, and we all have our own individual purposes. Our paths of life, in accordance with God’s Will for us, are unique and our tests are different and predetermined by Him for His purposes. We may not like the way we are tested, but God chooses the test, and He is the One who issues the final grade. No one likes problems. Consequently, no one likes to be tested, and no one likes to take the same test over and over again. The only way we can avoid taking a test the second time is to pass it the first time around.

It is only in ensuring that you play appropriately your own part in the relationship with God that you may pass the test the first time. And to be able to do that, you should regularly go through your spiritual checklist to ensure you are not the architect of any problems you face by not living in accordance with His Will. How then do you that? The “Instructional Manual” - the Bible guides us through life and it's obstacles. When you are in the midst of a problem, it is vital to go through your spiritual checklist to ensure you are not the source of the problem by deviating from God’s instruction.q

If you are not the source of the problem by ensuring you have done or is doing your part, then be patient, God will definitely do His part, He is not a man that He should lie nor the son of man that He will repent, He does what He says, and makes good what He has spoken (Numbers 23 vs 19). Though it might tarry, but be patient, it must surely come to pass! (Habakkuk 2 vs 3).

Prayer: Abba Father, Your ways are excellent, and Your thoughts past finding out. Your counsel stands forever. Your Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. Show me the path of life that I may walk in it, and be in Your presence, enjoying the fullness of joy, and accompanying pleasures, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

YOUR ADVERSARY THE DEVIL

 YOUR ADVERSARY THE DEVIL

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Peter 5:8" 

Devotion : An adversary is someone who always takes the opposing position, in other words, an opponent or an enemy. The devil is described as an opposition, opponent, and an enemy. He has nothing good in him and will never do good. He seeks people who are vulnerable to destroy them through hypocrisy and deception. The only way a believer in Christ Jesus can outwit him is to be sober and vigilant. Soberness and vigilance must go together to identify the operations of the devil and his cohorts of darkness. Christians must therefore shun sleepiness, dull-mindedness, drunkenness, ignorance, and prayerlessness to overcome the adversary. Dearly beloved, what did you learn from the article? Share your thoughts here!

THE FORCE OF FAITH!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY OCTOBER 4, 2020

SUBJECT : THE FORCE OF  FAITH!

Memory verse: "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he that comes to God, must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." (Hebrews 11 vs 6.)

READ: Hebrews 10 vs 19 - 23:

10:19: Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, 10:20: by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh,

10:21: and having a High Priest over the house of God,

10:22: let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

10:23: Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

INTIMATION:

Faith is a potent force without which prayer will be absolutely unproductive. The Bible calls faith "The substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11 vs 1.) Building up your faith is a prerequisite for effectual communication with God. With faith you are holding in confidence the things you have asked in prayers, and perceiving as real facts what is not revealed to the senses. It is the ticket on which you take delivery of anything from heaven. 

Your confidence in God must first be in place before you ask Him for anything, because though His Word presented before Him grants you audience in the Throne Room, your faith in Him (in His Word) is what motivates Him to act on your behalf. Therefore, it is you, not God, who determines whether your prayer gets answered or not. Though ‘He is ready to perform His Word’ (Jeremiah 1 vs 12), He demands your faith that leads to a personal, dynamic relationship with Him.

You don't only approach God with His Word, you must come with an unwavering assurance that ‘He abides faithful and cannot deny Himself’ (Second Timothy 2 vs 13). Therefore, your approach to the Throne Room must be with unwavering faith. The Scripture in James 1 vs 6 - 7 says, "But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord." Once faith and trust in God is established, you can rest assured of results when you pray. You will not only believe in the existence of God, but also believe in His loving care. That is relying on God with full  expectations that He will hear and answer when you pray.

Two blind men prayed to Jesus for the restoration of their sight. Even though Jesus heard them, He did not heal them until He was assured of their faith in Him: "When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, "Son of David, have mercy on us!" And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him, and Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this? They said to Him. Yes, Lord. Then He touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith let it be to you." And their eyes were opened...." (Matthew 9 vs 27 - 30.)

Jesus didn't respond immediately to the blind men's pleas. He waited to see if they had faith. They followed Him all through to the house, pleading with Him to heal them, and that shows believe and commitment. Not everyone who says he wants help really believes God can help him or her. Jesus may have waited and questioned these men to emphasize and increase their faith. When you think that God is too slow in answering your prayers, consider that He might be testing you as He did the blind men.

Jesus, by His death and offering of His blood in atonement for our sins, has made it possible for us to approach God in the Throne Room directly. We must come not halfheartedly or with improper motives or pretense, but with pure, individual, and sincere worship in faith. We can know that we have “a true heart” if we evaluate our thoughts and motives according to His Word. Christians can approach God boldly, free from our “evil conscience” and in full assurance because of the work Jesus Christ did for us in redemption.

Under the new covenant of accepting the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, our hearts and consciences are cleansed completely, not partially or temporarily, from dead works to serve the living God (Hebrews 9 vs 14). Christ’s sacrifice transforms our lives and hearts and make us clean on the inside. Our clean conscience allow us to enter God’s presence with boldness. We have a personal access to God through Christ and can draw near to Him without an elaborate system, and growing in faith to deepen our relationship with God.

Prayer: Abba Father, my trust is in You who made heaven and earth. Forever You are my God and in You I live, and move, and have my being. I solidly anchor my absolute faith is in You. Give me the grace to remain so anchored, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!