SPIRITUAL GROWTH TO MATURITY TAKES TIME!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY OCTOBER 19, 2020.

SUBJECT : SPIRITUAL GROWTH TO MATURITY TAKES TIME!

Memory verse: 

"But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord."

 (Second Corinthians 3 vs 18.)

READ: Mark 4 vs 26 - 29:

4:26: And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground;
4:27: and should sleep by night and rise day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how.
4:28: For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head.  

4:29: But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.

INTIMATION:

There are no shortcuts to maturity. It takes years for us to grow to adulthood, it takes a full season for fruit to mature and ripen. The same is true for the fruit of the Spirit. The development of Christlike character cannot be rushed. Spiritual growth, like physical growth, takes time. When ripening fruit quickly by any method other than the natural process on the plant, it loses its flavor. We often expect quick changes in our lives and quick victories over sin. Our journey with God is lifelong process, however, and the changes and victories may take time. 

God could miraculously and instantaneously change your life. Usually, however, He chooses to help you gradually, teaching you one lesson at a time, doing it in stages, “little by little.” Rather than expecting instant spiritual maturity and solutions to all your problems, slow down and work one step at a time, trusting God to make up the difference between where you should be and where you are now. You will soon look back and see that a miraculous transformation has occurred. While we worry about how fast we grow, God is concerned about how strong we grow. God views our lives from eternal perspective, so He is never in a hurry. 

Today we're obsessed with speed, but God is more interested in strength and stability than swiftness. We want the quick fix, the shortcut, the on-the-spot solution. We want a sermon, a seminar, or an experience that will instantly resolve all problems, remove all temptation, and release us from all growing pains. But real maturity is never the result of a single experience, no matter how powerful or moving. Growth is gradual. Be patient. We are changed from one level to another, until we are perfected by Jesus Christ at His coming. 

Christian growth is a lifelong process. Although we have a new nature, we don’t automatically think all good thoughts and have all pure attitudes when we become new people in Christ. But if we keep listening to God, we will be changing all the time. The God who began a good work in us continues it throughout our lifetime and will finish it when we meet him face to face. God’s work for us began when Christ died on the cross in our place. His work in us began when we first believed. Now the Holy Spirit lives in us, enabling us to be more like Christ every day. Change may be slow, but your life will change significantly if you trust God to change you.

Remember that life in Christ is never complete. Heaven promises completeness; until then, growth is the normal pattern. Growth often endures seasons of drought and drabness. That’s normal. The key to growth includes daily devotion to Christ through Bible study and prayer. Christian life takes hard work, self-denial, and grueling preparation. As Christians, we are running toward our heavenly reward. The essential disciplines of prayer, Bible study, and worship equip us to run with vigor and stamina. 

Do you sometimes feel as though you aren’t making progress in your spiritual life? When God starts a project He completes it! God will help you grow in grace until he has completed His work in your life. When you are discouraged, remember that God won’t give up on you. He promises to finish the work He had begun. When you feel incomplete, unfinished, or distressed by your shortcomings, remember God’s promise and provision. Don’t let your present condition rob you of the joy of knowing Christ or keep you from growing closer to Him.

Christian maturity means making Christ the beginning and end of our faith. To grow to maturity, we must center our life on Him, not depending on religious ritual, not falling back into sin, not trusting ourselves, and not letting anything come between us and Christ. Christ is sufficient and superior.

Prayer: Abba Father, I totally surrender to You. My eyes are upon You, transform me as it pleases You, until I am approved to receive Your crown of glory, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

BE NOT OFFENDED IN GOD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY OCTOBER 18, 2020.

SUBJECT : BE NOT OFFENDED IN GOD!

Memory verse: “And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in Me." (Matthew 11 vs 6.)

READ: Job 9 vs 4; Isaiah 45 vs 9 - 10:

Job 9:4: God is wise in heart, and mighty in strength. Who has hardened himself against Him, and prospered?

Isaiah 45:9: “Woe to him who strives with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’ 

Or shall your handiwork say, ‘He has no hands’?

45:10: Woe to him who says to his father, ‘What are you begetting?’ Or to the woman, ‘What have you brought forth?’”

INTIMATION:

So many have their conscience ensnared with offenses toward God or man, and all they do in prayer is nothing but complain, and murmur. When you are offended in God, you turn Him against yourself; and if God is against you, who will save you? If you despise Him, who will lift you? If He withdraws His breath from you for one minute you will be dead. If you have lost anything, God is the reason you didn't loose everything. May be the enemy's intention was to take your life, but God stepped in and you only lost your car. But here you are, offended and complaining against Him. If He withdraws His hand from your life, can you imagine what will become of you?

No one can harden himself against God and prosper. It is impossible to reason from the viewpoint of the fallibility of man in order to win in a context against Him who has created and controls all things. Many are stranded because of offenses. When you are offended in God or man, you bear iniquities in your heart that inhibits God from hearing you (Psalm 66 vs 18). While preparing your heart to approach God in prayer, one of the things you must guard against is offenses. Anything that makes you to murmur against God is moving you against your destiny. You can't expect Him to answer your prayers when your heart is full of complains and offenses toward God or man. 

For those who justify themselves against God, when they stand in prayer, they say, "Lord, I've paid my tithe, I have done everything that You commanded. Only You haven't done your part." In other words, they count themselves faithful and God unfaithful. But the Bible says, "...Let God be true but every man a liar..." (Romans 3 vs 4.) Everything that moves you to question the integrity of God, or His love for you must be destroyed, so that the altar of your heart can be prepared for the fire from heaven. 

In our memory verse, Jesus said that those who do not take any offense in the Lord are fortunate and blessed. Jesus said this when John the Baptist that sat in prison, began to have some doubts about Jesus, whether He really was the Messiah. John thought in his heart that if his purpose was to prepare people for the coming Messiah, then why was he in prison when he could have been preaching to the crowds, preparing their hearts. John expected that the coming Messiah should be able to save him from prison. 

When John the Baptist’s disciples came and put his question before Jesus,—"Are you the Coming One, or do we look for another?" Jesus knew that he was already offended in Him. He asked the disciples to go back to him with the good news of His exploits—the blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. Obviously, that would have offended John the more because he already had heard all those evidence that indicated the real identity of Jesus, and wondered why He didn't want to save Him from prison. The wise and right thing to do when you are in doubt because of happenings around you is turn to Him, and not turn away from Him.

It’s noteworthy that it was in the same prison and the same Jailer that held Paul and Silas. They were doing the work of the Messiah when they were arrested and jailed. But they didn't get offended, both toward God or the men, but instead sang and praised God while in there, and God came in His Might and saved them. But for John, he was eventually beheaded when the King's daughter, on the advice of the mother, asked for his head in a platter. Let your conscience be as that of the apostle Paul who said, "This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men." (Acts 24 vs 16.) 

The Scripture in Romans 8 vs 28 says, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." So, set your heart right before Him. Count Him faithful in all things. Refuse to complain, but rather let God know that you have no alternative beside Him, and that you are ready to hang on till your answer comes from Him. Any attempt to step away from God, is stepping into doom for you. Certainly, there is no unrighteousness with God! (Romans 9 vs 14.) Give your destiny motion by clearing off every offense from your heart, to establish a thoroughfare to heaven in prayers. This is the way to maintain a good communication line with God.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are the Lord, the Creator and Owner of all things. All that happens are already known to You, and You allow them for Your purposes. Engrace me with a conscience free from offenses toward You and men, that I may be worthy of Your blessings accordingly, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

LOVE DIMENSION

 LOVE DIMENSION

"And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. Deuteronomy 6:5" 

Devotion : Love has dimensions: the dimensions of love mentioned in the opening scripture make up the kind of love God expects from us. He wants us to love Him with our whole being: spirit, soul, and body. These are the three dimensions of love God demands from us. Our heart/spirit to worship Him, our soul/mind to meditate/memorize His Word, and our body/might to present to Him as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto Him. Dearly beloved, which part of your being lacks the love of God? Share your thoughts here!

LIVING A TRANSFORMED LIFE

 LIVING A TRANSFORMED LIFE

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 12:2" 

TESTIMONY

Yesterday devotion on MERCY AGAINST SICKNESS really worked for me. Right now am in a remote village called Obimo Ajona, Nsukka in Enugu State. Past four days I've been suffering of typhoid fever and malaria but by God's mercy I've fully recovered. Blind Bartimeus cried for mercy Jesus stoodstil.  Brethen, there's power in God's word and pls always share our daily broadcast. God bless you.

Devotion : Living a transformed life does not come by accident or chance; it comes by making a conscious effort to renew your mind daily by God's Word. The scriptures are the only tools given by God to renew our mind. Therefore, Christians who do not make a determined effort to study and meditate on the scriptures are missing, and will continue to miss, the greater blessings from the Word of God. The opening scripture has identified the Christians who conform to the world: they are those Christians who fail to renew their mind with the scriptures. Such Christians will face the same challenges that worldly people face. For example, some Christians are complaining of economic hardship, which worldly people are also complaining of. The Christians who are renewing their mind will never complain but praise God because they live in God's economy, where there is an abundance of every good thing. Moreover, such Christians can detect the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God. Dearly beloved, have you found the will of God for your life? Share your thoughts here!

THE INSEPARABLE LOVE OF GOD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY OCTOBER 17, 2020.

SUBJECT : THE INSEPARABLE LOVE OF GOD!

Memory verse: "Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?"

 (Romans 8 vs 35).

READ: Romans 8 vs 31 - 39:

8:31: What then shall we say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

8:32: 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?

8:33: Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies.

8:34: Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes Intercession for us.

8:35: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

8:36: As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter."

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 things, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

INTIMATION:

Have you ever imagined a separation from God? Your answer might be yes, because you have considered yourself not good enough for God. You will then say, "God will not save me." Your thought is that your sinful life will be a hindrance for you to receive salvation from Him. But it is not true! If God gave His Son for you, He isn’t going to hold back the gift of salvation! And He will not withhold anything you need to live for Him. If Christ gave His life for you, He isn’t going to turn around and condemn you! 

Christ had already chosen you, and gave His life for you because of His love for you, and quest for you to have life, and have it more abundantly. Have you ever imagined this show of love by God? Have you ever heard of any parallel, or equal show of love in history, and even now? Christ was spotless, perfect, and rich. For our sake, He became poor, accepted to be a propitiation for our sins, took all our sins; past, present, and future, on Himself, and paid the wages of our sin which is death (Romans 6 vs 23; Ezekiel 18 vs 4). His death was even a shameful death on the cross, just for us. 

By His death for our sins, He justified us, legally setting us free from sin haven paid the price for us. He did not stop at that. He descended to hell and met with our accuser, and greatest enemy, Satan. He engaged him there, defeated him, and stripped him of all powers. He took back His life and ascended into heaven where He sits at His position of authority—the right hand of God, and making intercession for us continually, as our advocate before the Father. However, He is not there for the purpose of condemnation, but for the work of intercession on behalf of the saints. His continued intercession means that the Christian has the continual cleansing of sin by His sacrificial blood. 

He is our High Priest who sympathizes with our weaknesses, and ever ready to help us through the journey of life. When our accuser—Satan—accuses us, He reminds God of what He has wrought for us. No matter what happens to us, no matter where we are, we can never be separated from His love. Though believers may have to face hardships that Satan would unleash upon them in many forms, but they cannot separate the sons of God from their Father if they remain faithful unto death. 

Though the hardships sometimes cause us to think that Christ has abandoned us. But far be it from the truth, it is impossible to be separated from Christ. His death for us is proof of His unconquerable love, which is an overwhelming assurance of our being totally secure in Him. No one, including Satan, or anything can stand against God to bring His people into eternal glory, except us when you reject the offer Christ has given to you by His death as a propitiation for our sins. 

No one can bring a charge against the children of God except the One to whom the body of Christ belongs. No one has a right to condemn the members of the body except the One who saved them. However, since God loved His children and offered His own Son for them, then it is not logical to believe that He would charge His blood-bought children with sin. If Jesus gave Himself on the cross to save the Christian, then it is not logical to believe that He would turn and condemn those for whom He died.

Consequently, in Christ we are super-conquerors, and His love will protect us from any forces in the universe: principalities and powers, unseen evil forces like Satan and his fallen angels—the demons. We are completely secured in Him. God loved us so much so that He exchanged His Son's life of inestimable value with our worthless sinful lives. Whenever I imagine this act of God, I feel a chill run through my spines, with goose-pimples all over my skin. It is awesome!

When we comprehend the extent to which God went to bring us into eternal glory, then we begin to understand the love of God. When we understand how far Jesus had to come to get us, then we can appreciate the extent to which God had to go to save us. If the magnitude of God’s love does not motivate us into action, then certainly, we will be lost because we are loveless and unresponsive to the grace of God. We are ungrateful if we do not respond to His grace. Loveless and ungrateful characters have no place in eternal glory.

Prayer: Abba Father, I thank You for all You wrought for me in redemption out of Your unparalleled and inseparable love for me. It is my desire to reciprocate this love You showcased for me. Engrace me, O Lord, with raw obedience to You in all things in my journey of life, in Jesus' Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

MERCY AGAINST SICKNESS

 MERCY AGAINST SICKNESS

"For indeed he was sick nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. Philippians 2:27" 

Devotion : The one who was described as sick was a person by the name of Epaphroditus. He was the Apostle Paul's companion, who ministered to the needs of Paul. Sickness does not come from God; it is an attack from the devil and his cohorts of darkness. No wonder God has provided His mercy to heal sicknesses and diseases! Praise the LORD! The Apostle Paul used this weapon of pleading for the mercy of God to heal Epaphroditus; he had tried other weapons but could not get the healing until he cried for the mercy of God. The mercy of God is so powerful that it cannot fail. Dearly beloved, are you going through any challenge and have tried everything you know that could help? Try calling on God's mercy, it will never fail you. Share your comments here!

PUT ON YOUR NEW NATURE AS A CHRISTIAN!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY OCTOBER 16, 2020.

SUBJECT : PUT ON YOUR NEW NATURE AS A CHRISTIAN!

Memory verse: "And that you put on the new man, which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

" 

(Ephesians 4 vs 24.)

READ: Colossians 3 vs 5 - 10:

3:5: Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
3:6: Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience:
3:7: In the which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.
3:8: But now you yourselves are to put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.
3:9: Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds,
3:10: and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him.

INTIMATION:

As a Christian, one is new because of the washing of sin by the blood of Jesus, because one has made a decision to maintain direction in one’s life that is guided by the knowledge of Christ. He or she is continually renewed by the knowledge of Christ in walking the Christian life. The renewing process is a continual growth in the knowledge of Jesus. Our growth is pointed in the direction of the image of Jesus, and thus, we are continually becoming more like Him. 

What does it mean to put on your new nature? It means that your conduct should match your faith. If you are a Christian, you should act like it. To be a Christian means more than just making good resolutions and having good intentions; it means taking the right actions. This is a straightforward step that is as simple as putting on your clothes. You must rid yourself of all evil practices and immorality. Then you can commit yourself to what Christ teaches. 

Through righteous thinking and holy living one puts on the new man. When one is immersed into Christ he becomes a new man, having been washed of all sins. However, though one is washed of sin, he still must bring his life into conformity with conduct that is directed by the word of God. As a new man one must maintain his commitment to follow after the example of Jesus’ life and teachings. 

Although we have a new nature, we don’t automatically think all good thoughts and express all right attitudes when we become new people in Christ. But if we keep listening to God, we will be changing all the time. As you look back over last year, do you not see a process of change for the better in your thoughts, attitudes, and actions? Although change may be slow, it comes as you trust God to change you. As Christians, we must remain true to our confession of faith, and should rid ourselves of the old life and put on the new nature given by Christ. If you have made such a commitment to Christ, are you remaining true to it?

Our old way of life before we believed in Christ is completely in the past. We should put it behind us like old clothes to be thrown away. When we decide to accept Christ’s gift of salvation, it is both a one time decision, as well as a daily conscious commitment. We are not to be driven by desire and impulse. We must put on the new nature, head in the new direction, and have the new way of thinking that the Holy Spirit gives. Those behavioral practices of life that they put off must be replaced with positive actions of righteousness. Now that we are walking in newness of life, our behavior must characterize the One after whom we called ourselves. 

People should be able to see a difference between Christians and non-Christians because of the way Christians live. We are to live full of light. As people who have light from the Lord, our actions should reflect our faith. We should live above reproach morally so that we will reflect God’s goodness to others. Jesus reflected this truth in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 vs 15 - 16). We should leave behind the old life of sin, since we are followers of Christ. We must rid ourselves of all evil practices and immorality, so that our conduct should not manifest the nature of those who have given themselves over to the lusts of the flesh. 

We should consider ourselves dead and unresponsive to sexual immorality, uncleanliness, lust, evil desires, and covetousness. The warning in this verse is not against sex, but against sexual perversion. Where is the line between the two? The Bible everywhere celebrates heterosexual, monogamous marriage as the proper situation for sexual fulfillment. Christian men and women should be open to true love—and to sexual intimacy—within the commitment to lifelong fidelity. That is God’s way. The rest is dangerous and futile. Stay away. Sexual sin and perversion will drain your energies and turn your heart away from God.

Jesus wants to clean your life and your church of sexual sin and verbal sin. There is no place in the kingdom.of God for hedonistic sexual experimentation or for gossip, rage, and backbiting. In their place, witness to the world like a lighthouse on a stormy night by displaying love, faith, and hope. Lying to one another disrupts unity by destroying trust. It tears down relationships and may lead to serious conflict. So don’t exaggerate statistics, pass on rumors and gossip, or say things to build up your own image. Be committed to telling the truth. In contrast to a life after the lusts of the flesh, believers must present their bodies as living sacrifices to God. 

Prayer: Abba Father, give me the grace to be guided by the Holy Spirit in my thoughts, words, and actions, that I may always walk in His guidance, and to do Your will at all times, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!