BE GOD-CENTERED!

 

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY OCTOBER 11, 2020.

SUBJECT: BE GOD-CENTERED!

Memory verse: "But He turned, and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offence to Me: for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."(Matthew 16 vs 23.)

READ: Matthew 16 vs 21 - 27:

16:21: From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.
16:22: Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!
16:23: But He turned, and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offence to Me: for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

16:24: Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
16:25: For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
16:26: For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

16:27: For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and then He will reward each according to his works.

INTIMATION:

Being “God-centered” is making God the center of your life. All you desire is to do God’s will; always evaluating things from God’s perspective than from human or self perspective. This is the opposite of being “self-centered,” which is thinking mainly of oneself, caring only about oneself and own needs, being egocentric. A self-centered person leaves God out of the center of his or her life as Satan desires. Many people try to use God for their own self-actualization, but that is a reversal of nature, and is doomed to failure. We are all made by God, for Him and His use, not vice versa. Life is all about letting God use His creation for the purpose He created it; it Is all about letting God use you for His purposes, not your using Him for your own purpose.

The obsession of self-centeredness is a dead end. The Bible in Romans 8 vs 6 states, "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." Those who are self-centered live for themselves, and not for God, and consequently lose the spiritual dimension to their lives. Keep your commitment to Christ at full strength. Then you’ll be ready when He returns.

We must be committed to living for Christ that we should “hate” our lives by comparison. This does not mean that we long to die or that we are careless or destructive with the life God has given, but that we are willing to die if doing so will glorify Christ. We must disown the tyrannical rule of our own self-centeredness. By laying aside our striving for advantage, security, and pleasure, we can serve God lovingly and freely. Releasing control of our lives and transferring control to Christ bring eternal life and genuine joy.

In the passage we read today, Jesus said to Peter, ‘It is satanic to think of self rather than God’: “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offence to Me: for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” He further said to His disciples, ‘Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. They should follow Him and He will show them their life's purpose. Jesus advised them that self-help is no help at all, but self-sacrifice is the way, God's way to finding yourself, your true self. 

Though ignorantly, Peter played the part of Satan to divert Jesus from the cross. Satan was using Peter’s love and concern for Jesus as an appeal to cause Jesus to stumble in His destiny. Today, too many friends and family use their appeal as Peter, to discourage men, and women from going Into the world to preach the gospel. One of the works of Satan is to use the good intentions of brethren in order to dissuade the destiny of those who seek to serve the Lord.

God made you for a reason, and your life has profound meaning! We discover that meaning and purpose only when we make God the reference point of our lives. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is, and by what He does for us. We are equivalent to an invention in God’s hands. The easiest way to discover the purpose of an invention is to ask the creator of it directly, or refer to the owner's manual. The same is true for discovering your life's purpose; Ask God—your Maker, or refer to the Owner's Manual —the Bible. The discovery is by revelations inherent in the Word of God. 

God has not left us in the dark to wonder and guess. He has clearly revealed His purposes for our lives in the Bible. It tells us why we are alive, how life works, how the owner of life governs it, what to do, what to avoid, and what to expect now, and in the future. And it is only in Him, and His Manual you can find these answers. If that is the case, it makes no sense to center your life on yourself, but rather on the Owner of that life, and the determinant of how best to lead that life of yours.

In First Corinthians 2 vs 7. The Bible says, "But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory." The wisdom of God is mysterious and goes deep into the interior of His purposes which is only determined by Him, and revealed to us, if we quest for it. You don't find it lying around on the surface. God, in His wisdom, determined the way to bring out His best in us, long before we ever arrived on the scene. It is beyond the wisdom of men, or of this world. "For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God" (First Corinthians 3 vs 19).

God is not just the starting point of your life; He is the source of it. To discover your purpose in life you must turn to God's Word, not the world's wisdom—never lean on your own understanding. You must build your life on eternal truths, not self-driven ambitions. God, in His infinite wisdom, purposefully created you, and you are to serve His purpose to live a purposeful life.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of raw obedience to You, that You will take the first place in my life in all things, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen. 

PRAISE THE LORD!

FAITH MAKES THE WORD PREVAIL!

 

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY OCTOBER 10, 2020.

SUBJECT: FAITH MAKES THE WORD PREVAIL! 

Memory verse: "The He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith let it be to you.” (Matthew 9 vs 29.)

READ: Matthew 8 vs 5 - 13: 

8:5: Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, 

8:6: saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed dreadfully tormented." 

8:7: And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."

8:8: The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. 

8:9: For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, 'Go ,' and he goes; and another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."

8:10: When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! 

8:11: And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 

8:12: But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." 

8:13: Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you." And the servant was healed that same hour."

INTIMATION: 

Faith is trust, confidence, belief in a particular thing or person. The main elements in faith in its relation to the invisible God, as distinct from faith in man, are (1) a firm conviction, producing a full acknowledgement of God’s revelation or truth; (2) a personal surrender to Him; (3) a conduct inspired by such surrender. All this stands in contrast to belief in its purely natural exercise, which consists of an opinion held in good faith without necessary reference to its proof. But God has been proven from the beginning by His wondrous works, and marvelous acts. The above referenced faith in the invisible God makes the Word prevail. 

The Scripture in John 1 vs 1 - 3 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made.” The Scripture notes that Jesus Christ is the Word, and was with God from the beginning, and all things were created by Him. Therefore, the Word takes the place of the unseen Christ. Meditation on the Word is a visit with Him. The Word prevails when you catch the revelation of Christ in the Word, and by faith declare the Word, and that is tantamount to bringing the Creator of all things to the scene. 

Faithlessness is the major cause of why God's Word bless some people and not bless others. When people hear God's Word but do not believe it, then the word preached will profit them nothing. This is because it’s not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. Lack of faith blinds people to the truth and robs them of hope. It’s in believing that the glory of God is made manifest to us. Our faith triggers the grace—power of God to help us in our times if need. Jesus said to Martha at the tomb of Lazarus; “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” (John 11 vs 40.) 

God’s glory is the backing of His Word. Faith or belief is the first sure step to receiving from God. Not believing God and His Words is regarded as disobedience. And disobedience is regarded as rebellion and stubbornness against God, and is tantamount to witchcraft which is regarded as the most serious sin of all because, as long as a person rebels, he or she closes the door of forgiveness and restoration with God. (First Samuel 15 vs 23.)

The genuine faith of the Roman soldier—the centurion—amazed Jesus, and He said to the crowd, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!" It was the faith which the centurion manifested that made the Word to prevail. The centurion could have let many obstacles stand between him and Jesus—pride, doubt, money, language, distance, time, self-sufficiency, power, race. But he didn’t. If he did not let these barriers block his approach to Jesus, we don’t need to either.

Our memory verse is from the story of two blind men in Matthew 9 vs 27 - 30, who wanted Jesus to heal them of their blindness. When Jesus asked 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......” Jesus didn’t respond immediately to the blind men’s pleas. He waited to see if they had faith. These blind men were persistent. They went right into the house where Jesus was staying. They knew Jesus could heal them, and they would let nothing stop them from finding him. That’s real faith in action. If you believe Jesus is the answer to you every need, don’t let anything or anyone stop you from reaching out to Him.

Prayer: Abba Father, my faith is securely anchored in You. I am persuaded that there is nothing You cannot do for me. Anything You can’t do for me, let it remain undone, anything You can’t give me, may I never have it. Nothing, absolutely nothing can take my focus away from You. Give me the grace to remain steadfast in my faith in a You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

EVERY CREATURE

 EVERY CREATURE

"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. Mark 16:15" 

Devotion : When mankind fell in the Garden of Eden they became sinners; in fact, their nature became polluted with sin and they began to bear the nature of sin. They, therefore, needed deliverance from sin. Jesus Christ was sent to die on the cross to deliver mankind from sin. All mankind has been delivered from sin but to honor Jesus Christ and become a personal beneficiary of this inheritance, you must first accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your life. After you have received Christ Jesus, eternal life becomes your present inheritance; you then qualify to enjoy all the promises of God in the Holy Scriptures. This is the message of the Gospel, or good news. Dearly beloved, do you preach the good news? Share your comments here!

DON'T GIVE UP

 DON'T GIVE UP

"Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded. 2Chronicles 15:7" 

2 Chronicles 15:7

MSG: "But it's different with you: Be strong. Take heart. Payday is coming!"

NLT: And now, you men of Judah, be strong and courageous, for your work will be rewarded."

NASB: But you, be strong and do not lose courage, for there is reward for your work.”

AMP: Be strong, therefore, and let not your hands be weak and slack, for your work shall be rewarded.

UKJV: Be all of you strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded.

Devotion : There is a tendency to give up when there is no motivation. No wonder our opening scripture motivates the believer in Christ Jesus that there is a sure reward for his work. What he needs to do on his part is to be strong on the inside and on the outside; he should also strengthen his hands to keep on working. A mindset of reward should be enough to urge the Christian to keep working for the LORD. Jesus Christ is the rewarder of those who do not give up on God's work, Revelation 22:12. Dearly beloved, have you given up on God's work? Share your thoughts here!

CERTAIN HABITS THAT LEAD TO POVERTY!

 

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY OCTOBER 9, 2020.

SUBJECT: CERTAIN HABITS LEAD TO POVERTY!

Memory verse: "They sow the wind, and reap the whirlwind. The stalk has no bud; it shall never produce meal. If it should produce, aliens would swallow it up.” (Hosea 8 vs 7.)

READ: Proverbs 20 vs 17 & 21; 23 vs 21; 24 vs 33 - 34: 

20:17: Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.

20:21: An inheritance gained hastily at the beginning will not be blessed at the end.

23:21: For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and drowsiness will clothe a man with rags.

24:33: A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest; 

24:34: So shall your poverty come like a prowler, and your need like an armed man.

INTIMATION:

There are habits, according to Scriptures, that eventually leads poverty, among other consequences. Laziness, drunkenness, gluttony, dishonesty among others, are the sins that eventually leads to poverty. Just as God gives us more than we give Him in the way of tithes and offerings when we do good, when we do evil God takes from us more than we profited by one sin. 

According to our memory verse, people who do evil, "have sown the wind, and they will reap the whirlwind." Crop yield is the result of the type of seed sowed. A seed planted in good soil and given the proper proportion of sunlight, moisture, and fertilizer will yield bountifully. For such seeds, a single seed can produce multiple fruit in good conditions.

The Scripture, in Proverbs 13 vs 11, says, “Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished, but he who gathers by labor will increase.” There is every dignity in labor. Ill-gotten gains or wealth  usually grow wings and fly away. Therefore, it’s like sowing in the wind, that is, investing in activities without substance. Like the wind that comes and goes, ill-gotten wealth offers no real prosperity, but will always lead to sad end. 

Evil can prevail for a while, but justice prevails forever. 

In our society today, numerous instances of the end of those involved in evil practices to get rich. Some the law has caught up with them, and are in ruin, some have died untimely, and their families left behind scattered the wealth. This is because such riches are not from the Lord, consequently, it brings sorrow along with it. While “the blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it” (Proverbs 10 vs 22). If a person acquires his or her food by fraud, the food may satisfy his or her immediate hunger, but in reality it is eating gravel.

Drunks and gluttons will always end up in lavishing their resources on drinks and food. Their appetite for food and drink becomes their bane, eventually their resources are filtered away on their insatiable appetite on these things. If one can not control his or her intake of wine nor his or her eating of food, such person has revealed a flaw in character; lack of self-control. Such lack of discipline will lead such persons to poverty. At a time, their health will start experiencing unfavorable challenges resulting from drunkenness and overfeeding. The devourer will come with sicknesses of all manner to filter away their resources.  

The lazy person is unwilling to work hard and do His or her best on any given assignments to him or her. The easy way to life is such people’s attraction. Consequently, they are not zealous, hardworking, and eventually end up with little or nothing. As a thief unexpectedly comes upon his or her victim, so poverty will seize the possessions of the lazy. The impatient child who hastily wants his or her inheritance is focusing on the wealth, and thus seeks to consume it in his or her lusts. He will take the inheritance, but end up in the pig pen like the prodigal son.

Quick, sudden, and ungodly riches are ‘come easy, go easy.’ Their effects are short-lived, and their end usually destructive. Because they are ungodly, they separate you from God. And life outside of your Creator is useless, purposeless, meaningless, and leads to eternal damnation.

Prayer: Abba Father, whatever You cannot give me let me never have it. May I never have the provision that will lead me to excessive eating and drinking. Endue me with the spirit of best practices in every endeavor I engage in, in Jesus’ Name  I prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

HERITAGE OF GOD'S CHILDREN

 HERITAGE OF GOD'S CHILDREN

"No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD. Isaiah 54:17" 

Devotion : The children of God have many heritages, two of which have been mentioned above. The first is "no weapon that wages war against you shall prosper"; the weapons of the enemy are deceit, lies, doubt, immorality, sickness etc. The second is "every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment you shall condemn", meaning that any tongue that speaks against you with the intention of judging you, you shall bring it to naught. The devil and his cohorts of darkness can throw their best weapons but they will surely fail; they can speak their best language against you but you shall silence it. Praise the LORD! Share your comments here!

DO NOT BE PUFFED UP!

 

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY OCTOBER 8, 2020.

SUBJECT: DO NOT BE PUFFED UP! 

Memory verse: "John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven." (John 3 vs 27.)

READ: First Corinthians 4 vs 7; James 1 vs 17:

First Corinthians 4:7: For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it? 

James 1:17: Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variation, or shadow of turning.

INTIMATION:

We have nothing that God hasn’t given us. All we have—physical and spiritual—are all blessings from the Lord, they never originated from ourselves. Therefore, all such things were gift of God, and no one should claim any credit for that which had been given to him or her through the grace of God. Therefore, let no one be puffed up or boast as if he or she had not received them from God. Gifts are given for the purpose of ministry to others, and not exclusively for one’s own profit. And since gifts originated from God, whether miraculous or not, they must be used according to the will of God, that is, to the benefit of others as good stewards of the gifts of God. 

Perhaps no story in the Scriptures best exhibit this fact of receiving all from God better than the story of Abraham. He was not wealthy because he was a shrewd business man or because God rewarded his great integrity. Abraham was prosperous because God promised to bless him and make his name great. The blessing was independent of Abraham's performance or what he deserved. It is purely the favor of God that made him rich. And God commanded him to be a blessing to others (Genesis 12 vs 2). 

Abraham was so confident in God as his source that he never relied on natural circumstances and his own efforts for prosperity. Consequently, he gave up a well-watered plain for his animals, and allowed his nephew to take the plain lush with grass while he took the other part that was dry. Keep in mind that the survival of the herds was depended on there being plenty of natural grass to graze on. Looking at the natural facts, the decision whether to choose a grassy plain or the desert was a no-brainer. But Abraham knew God was his source, no matter how things looked like to the naked eye. Abraham was saying, "It doesn't matter where I go, the Lord is going to bless me." 

In the same way, your efforts are not the source of prosperity in your life. Therefore, do not be puffed up or boast of what you possess or have achieved for it is God’s grace that had enabled you to achieve. The Scripture in Deuteronomy 8 vs 17 - 18 says, “Then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand has gained me this wealth.’ But you shall remember the LORD your God: for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.”

For instance, a farmer has to prepare the soil and plant seeds in order to get a crop, but God created the natural laws that govern sowing and reaping, God sends the rain and sun that makes the plant to grow, God gave the land to farm on, and God is the source of the farmer's health. Likewise, it is the blessing of God that makes it possible for you to prosper, and the foundation of prosperity is seeing yourself as a steward.

If you are to boast do so in the Lord who has made you what you are, and has given you all you have. Nothing but simple faith in God do get a person into God’s kingdom. No one can boast that personal achievements helped him or her secure God’s gifts. Salvation is totally from God through Jesus’ death. There is nothing we can do to earn our salvation, we need only to accept what Jesus has already done for us. 

Prayer: Abba Father, You are reason I live, and in You I move and have my being.  All I have are Yours. Yours I am, and Yours I want to be. Give me the grace to manage Your gifts to me appropriately, to earn my acceptance as a worthy servant by You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!