HOW TEMPTATION WORKS!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY DECEMBER 14, 2020.

SUBJECT : HOW TEMPTATION WORKS!

Memory verse: "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make a way of escape, that you may be able to bear it." (First Corinthians 10 vs 13.)

READ: Mark 7 vs 21 - 23; James 1 vs 14 - 15.

Mark 7:21: For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 

7:22: thefts, covetousness, weaknesses, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. 

7:23: All these evil things come from within and defile a man.

James 1:14: But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 

1:15: Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings death. 

INTIMATION:

The accuser of brethren, Satan, is the tempter, and has continued in his known tricks since creation. And because his tricks are known to us, Satan is entirely predictable. His ways and strategy since inception have not changed. All temptation follow the same four-steps process, which Satan used both on Adam and Eve and on Jesus.  The apostle Paul says in Second Corinthians 2 vs 11, "...For we are not ignorant of his devices." The four-step process is; (1) Identifying a desire inside of you, (2) identifying your doubt, (3) employing his deception on you, and (4) luring you into disobedience.

 

STEP ONE.

Satan starts by identifying a desire inside of you. It may be a legitimate or normal desire, like the desire to be loved and valued or to feel pleasure or have a better living. Or an illegitimate or sinful desire, like the desire to get revenge or to control others or to cheat on others. Temptation starts when Satan suggests (with a thought) that you give in to an evil desire, or that you fulfill a legitimate desire in a wrong way or at the wrong time. 

Satan's known tactic on legitimate desires is to suggest shortcuts. These shortcuts are often temptations! For instance, you have a financial need, and there is some money entrusted in your care, he will suggest to you to use it since nobody will know or see you. You may have a sexual urge, he will suggest to you can satisfy the urge by having sex with anybody around you, after-all nobody will see you or know except you and you partner. 

STEP TWO.

Step two is doubt. Satan tries to get you to doubt what God has said about the sin: Is it really wrong? Did God really say not to do it? Didn't God mean this prohibition for someone else or some other time? Doesn't God want me to be happy? The Bible warns, "Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God." (Hebrews 3 vs 12.) Our heart turn away from the living God when we stubbornly refuse to believe Him. If we persist in our unbelief, God will eventually leave us alone in our sin. Beware of the deceitfulness of sin; it attracts but also destroys.

STEP THREE.

Step three is deception. Satan is incapable of telling the truth and is called "the father of lies." (John 8 vs 44.) Anything he tells you will be untrue or just half-true. Satan offers his lie to replace what God has already said in the Word. Satan say, "You will not die. You'll be wiser like God. You can get away with it. No one will ever know. It will solve your problem. Besides, everyone else is doing it. It is only a little sin." But a little sin is like being pregnant: it will eventually show itself.

STEP FOUR.

Step four is disobedience. You final act on the thought you've been toying with in your mind. What began as an idea gets birthed into behavior. You give in to whatever got your attention. You believe Satan's lies and fall into the trap of which the apostle James warns us about in one of passages we read today—James 1 vs 14 - 15.

Temptation comes from evil desires inside us, which the devil exploits. It begins with an evil thought and becomes sin when we dwell on the thought and allow it to become an action. The best time to stop a temptation is before it is too strong or moving too fast to be controlled. Never make excuses for evil thoughts and wrong actions. Excuses include (1) it's the other person's fault; (2) I couldn't help it; (3) everybody's doing it; (4) it was just a mistake; (5) nobody is perfect; (6) the devil made me do it; (7) I was pressured into it; (8) I didn't know it was wrong; (9) God is tempting me. 

A person who makes excuses is trying to shift the blame from himself or herself to something or someone else. That is wrong. As a Christian, accept responsibility for your wrongs, confess them, and asks God for forgiveness. The Scripture says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (First John 1 vs 9.)

Prayer: Abba Father, You are merciful and gracious. I know, most faithful God, You will not allow me to be tempted beyond what I am able to bear, and will always make a way of escape, in Jesus’ mighty Name I prayed, Amen. 

PRAISE THE LORD!

 

ARE YOU STILL GRAPPLING WITH FEAR?

 Are You Still Grappling with Fear? 

“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1 (KJV)

Grappling with fear is a sign of a lack of confidence in what we have. As a child of God, you now know that there are two kinds of fear: positive fear and negative fear. Positive fear is what the Holy Scriptures refer to as the fear of God; that is, the reverential fear we accord the Most High God by living in obedience to Him and refraining from doing evil (Proverbs 1:7, Job 28:28). Negative fear, on the other hand, is an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain, or harm; making one unable to take the right actions. Dear beloved, are you still grappling with fear? The opening scripture seeks to address negative fear, which creeps into the lives of every human being. As a child of God, remember that the enemy will always try to make you afraid in order to prevent you from living in obedience to God, but there is a way out of this situation. Making the Word of God your light, your salvation, and your strength is the only way out of fear. Surely the Word of God is the light to dispel all darkness of fear (John 1:5). Remember that Jesus Christ is your salvation, so put your trust in Him and learn from Him through the Holy Scriptures, and act like Him (Matthew 4:19). Finally, you have the Holy Spirit to provide you with all the strength you need. Therefore, draw close to Him through His Word and fellowship with Him and He will lead you to overcome fear, and do what God is leading you to do (Acts 1:8). It is better to do the right thing in the midst of fear than to allow the fear to enslave you to do nothing. Beloved, speak out boldly or confess, “I have overcome you, spirit of fear, in Jesus’ name.” Go ahead to do what God is leading you to do, and you will succeed. If you have the gift of speaking in tongues, speak in tongues in the midst of fear and you will be armed with boldness to act and win. Hallelujah! Glory to God!

Prayer Point: My loving Father, thank You for giving me Your Word to overcome fear. I praise You also for the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life to give me all the strength I need to succeed. I speak in tongues now and confess Your Word boldly to overcome all manner of fear in my life, and I do every assignment You have committed to me in Jesus’ name. Amen!

Were you blessed by today's message? Kindly go to the comment section and share your comments, and testimonies. Let's also know your challenges so that we can pray for you. 

YOUR DEEDS EXHIBIT YOUR FAITH!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY DECEMBER 13, 2020.

SUBJECT : YOUR DEEDS EXHIBIT YOUR FAITH!

Memory verse: "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." (James 2 vs 26.)

READ: James 2 vs 14 - 20:

2:14: What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 
2:15: If a brother or sister is naked, and destitute of daily food,
2:16: and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?
2:17: Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
2:18: Bit someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without world, and I will show you my faith by my works.
2:19: You believe that there is one God. You did well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! 

2:20: But Do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?

INTIMATION:

If you say you have faith in God, you act in accordance with His Word, therefore, you will be a doer of the Word of God. Christ said, “Love one another as I have loved you” (John 15 vs 12). Jesus showed love to us; He is compassionate, loving, forgiving, healed the sick, fed the hungry, and finally demonstrated an unprecedented show of love by dying in our place for our sins. He gave His life of inestimable value for our lives that are completely worthless. He was completely selfless. Jesus had faith in His Heavenly Father, and did all He commanded Him to do during. If one claims to have faith in God, and yet does not manifest such benevolent actions in the behavior toward others, then that one’s faith is self-deception, and barren. Such deeds are the manifestation of one’s faith. 

Faith without corresponding actions is barren. Unless you are a doer of the Word, your words may be lovely, and beautiful, but they are mere empty words without corresponding actions, and they are never crystallized or made real. Unless you are a doer of the Word, you are not a believer of the Word. You only have mental assent without action, and it is mere empty profession of religion of words. Jesus would call them builders on a sand foundation, just a sand house made by idle hands on the seashore to be destroyed by the next incoming tide. Such religion of Word without corresponding action is very dangerous, and results in self-delusion.

Faith works through love (Galatians 5 vs 6). If you have faith in God, you will love as He loves, and show your love in deeds as He did. Though we are saved by faith, not by deeds, but our deeds in love are indicators of your faith. Because faith expresses itself through love, you can check your love for others as a way to monitor your faith. Deeds of loving service are not a substitute for, buy rather a verification of, our faith in Christ. The works referred to in this context do not refer specifically to keeping the commandments of law. Reference here is good deeds toward one’s fellow human. Such deeds are the manifestation of one’s faith. Therefore, one’s faith must be manifested by his benevolent actions toward others. 

The apostle John gave an instance of true love in his epistle in First John 3 vs 16 - 18: "By this we know love, because He laid His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up hid heart from him, how does the love God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.” Real love is an action, not a feeling. It produces selfless, sacrificial giving. The greatest act of love is giving oneself for others. How then can we “lay down our lives”? By serving others with no thought of receiving anything in return. Sometimes it is easier to say we’ll die for others than to truly live for them—this involves putting others’ desires first. 

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of faith working through love, that I may be an ambassador for Christ, doing the required good works, In Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

PRAY IT OUT AND SAY AMEN!

 Pray it Out and Say Amen! 

“Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.” Romans 15:13 (KJV)

Praying based on the Holy Scriptures is a sure way to attract the attention of God. Apostle Paul prayed for the Roman Christians in his letter to them, and when they had read the letter, they said ‘Amen’ to his prayer. In like manner, any time we read or study the Holy Bible and encounter a prayer in it, we can personalize that prayer and conclude by saying ‘Amen’. Dear beloved, even now you can personalize the prayer in the opening scripture and say a big ‘Amen’ to conclude it. Indeed, we are serving the God of hope who is capable of bringing joy and peace into our lives. However, we must first believe that He is able to do it and He will abound us in hope through the power of the Holy Spirit (Mark 9:23). Beloved, did you realize that faith and hope were mentioned in Apostle Paul’s prayer? Yes, the two are very important in every Christian’s life. Faith is needed for our present situation while hope takes care of the future, especially when the promises of God appear to be delayed. Remember, Abraham hoped against hope before finally receiving his promise of Isaac (Romans 4:18–22). Beloved, make up your mind to serve the Lord forever and turn your life into praise and thanksgiving onto God; joy and peace will remain in your life till all the promises of God are fulfilled in your life. Hallelujah! Be prayerful!

Prayer Point: My precious Holy Father, You are very wonderful for always thinking about me, and You have planned to continually bless me in Your Word. Please continually empower me by Your Spirit never to give up, but to keep believing and hoping in your promises and serve You in joy and peace till all Your promises come to pass in my life in Jesus’ name. Amen!

Were you blessed by today's message? Kindly go to the comment section and share your comments, and testimonies. Let's also know your challenges so that we can pray for you.

FAITHFUL OBEDIENCE!

 

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY DECEMBER 12, 2020.

SUBJECT : FAITHFUL OBEDIENCE!

Memory verse: "By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten" (Hebrews 11 vs 17).

READ: GENESIS 22 vs 1 - 12:

22:1: Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am."

2: Then He said, "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you."

3: So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.

4: Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off.

5: And Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you."

6: So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together.

7: But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My father!" And he said, "Here I am my son." Then he said, "Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?"

8: And Abraham said, "My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering." So the two of them went together.

9: Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order, and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. 

10: And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.

11: But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" So he said, "Here I am."

12: And He said, "Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me."

INTIMATION:

Being obedient is submission to authority; to comply with orders—the practice of doing what one is commanded to do. Obedience is of the conduct and may be observed. When a man obeys God he gives the only possible evidence that in his heart he believes God. Obedience is a demand on us from God. People who trust God will obey Him because He asked them to, whether or not they understand why God commands it. The reason that He is God is enough to obey Him in every respect. If you think the benefits of obedience are worth it, consider who God is—the only One with the power and ability to meet your every need.

In the passage we read, Abraham demonstrated one of the greatest acts of obedience recorded in history. The child, Isaac, was born after waiting for a hundred years, when his own body was already dead. He was commanded by God to offer the child for a burnt offering, even when he had no hope for another child, more so when God's promise to him was just for a child, and the child had been given him. He undertook a three days journey of 50 miles to Mount Moriah to perform the sacrifice of his promised son, his only son, in obedience to God's command. His obedience was prompt and complete, and without compromise.

Obeying God is often a struggle because it may mean giving up something we truly want; a relationship, habit, asset, emotion, and so on, or doing something against our wish or belief. We should not always expect our obedience to God to be easy or to come naturally. You can imagine how difficult it ought to be for Abraham, performing a human sacrifice of his only son of old age, in a burnt offering, a ritual practiced by pagan nations, and condemned by God as a terrible sin (Leviticus 20 vs 1 - 5). But in all these, Abraham remained every faithful in his obedience.

Although, God did not want Isaac to die, He was only testing Abraham; wanted Abraham to sacrifice Isaac in his heart so it would be clear that Abraham loved God more than he loved his promised and long awaited son. There was no debate with God from a loving father who made the command. There seems to have been no sleepless nights, for He rose up early in order to carry out the instructions of the command. We should not assume that Sarah was informed of the matter, for Abraham told no one what was transpiring. He simply prepared for the journey and for the sacrifice and then headed for the God-appointed location. 

Even when obedience bring problems and hardship, it should not be compromised. For instance, when God sent Moses and Aaron to Pharaoh, and they took their message to Pharaoh just as God directed. The unhappy result was harder work and more oppression for the Hebrews. (Exodus 5 vs 1 - 9). Whatever you suffer because of obedience to God does not mean falling out of God's favor. The task or command might seem impossible, and the chances for success appear slim, but the bottom line is to obey. Anyone can obey God when the task is easy and everyone is behind it. Only those with persistent faith can obey when the task seems impossible. 

We should obey God even when we don't understand why. It is wise to precisely follow God's specific instructions. We may not fully understand the reasons behind God's instructions, but we do know that His wisdom is complete and His judgement infallible. We should obey God in all things. Selective obedience is really disobedience. Sometimes people urge believers to compromise and give only partial obedience to God's commands. But commitment and obedience to God cannot be negotiated. God cannot be obeyed in half measures, or with hesitation (Genesis 19 vs 26 on Lot's wife).

Also, God is not obeyed in carelessness. Careful Obedience to God is showing respect for Him. Aaron's sons were careless about following the laws, and in response God destroyed them with a blast of fire ( Leviticus 10 vs 1 - 2). It is easy for us to grow careless about obeying God, to live our way instead of God's, but if one way were just as good as another, God would not have commanded us to live His way. God always has good reasons for His commands, and we always place ourselves in danger when we consciously or carelessly disobey Him.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are the only God, and there is no other. Your thoughts for me is of good, and not of evil. I believe and put my absolute trust in You, and it is my wish to obey Your commands always without compromise. Strengthen me in my commitment to You as I have no power of my own to obey You uncompromising, in Jesus Name. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

DO YOU HAVE VALUE FOR WORDS AND MEDIATATION?

 Do You Have Value for Words and Meditation? 

“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.” Psalm 19:14 (KJV)

Placing value on our words and the meditation of our hearts makes success inevitable. Words are so powerful that they make or break the audience. In other words, when words are spoken, they either bless the audience or curse them. No wonder the whole universe was created by the Word of God (John 1:3). One unique thing about words is that their content is determined by the source from which they are spoken. This is where the heart comes in, because out of the abundance of the heart the mouth will speak (Matthew 12:34, Proverbs 4:23). Dear beloved, if you have value for the words you speak, then you will work on your heart by feeding it with the Holy Scriptures through meditation. Meditating on the Holy Scriptures day and night will enable the words that proceed out of our mouth to be acceptable onto the Lord (Psalm 1:2–3). When our words are acceptable onto the Lord, they become a blessing to our audience, and we are also blessed. Beloved, be conscious of this truth and make meditation on the Holy Scripture so important to you that you cannot do without it. Consequently, your words will be seasoned and minister grace to the audience, and your prayer will always be answered. Hallelujah! Glory to God!

Prayer Point: Dear heavenly Father, thank You for teaching me how to speak wholesome words from Your Word in order to be a blessing to my audience. Please remind me always to meditate on Your Holy Scriptures, to have acceptable words to use in my prayers and in my worship and praise to You in Jesus’ name. Amen!

Were you blessed by today's message? Kindly go to the comment section and share your comments, and testimonies. Let's also know your challenges so that we can pray for you.

THERE IS HOPE FOR YOU

 There Is Hope for You! 

“For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the LORD; because they called thee an Outcast, saying, This is Zion, whom no man seeketh after.” Jeremiah 30:17 (KJV)

There are many things that God is doing in this world that do not require our approval or cooperation. Things such as the family we are born into, the color of our skin, our gender, the country we are born into, etc. are in the sovereignty of God (Psalm 115:3, 136:6). He decides to do them without our knowledge; we are only beneficiaries. Dear beloved, you might have been born into a poor family, suffering from an ailment, born with an ailing condition, etc. Perhaps you are being called a bastard or an outcast but remember that God has plans for you. Meditate on the opening scripture and gain a heart of wisdom to have hope in God. If you are born again, then God will indeed restore your health, heal your wound, and put joy in your life (Colossians 1:27). If you are not born again, then your hope doesn’t have a foundation because you don’t have any covenant with God to compel Him to help you. What you need is to believe in Christ Jesus and be saved, and the opening scripture will be your portion. Beloved, if you already believed in Jesus Christ and have a personal relationship with Him, then remind God of His promise in the opening scripture and claim it for yourself. Then continually fellowship with Him through the Holy Scriptures, serve Him in humility, and be devoted to Him, and He will make you a living testimony of His Word. Those who once called you an outcast will one day see you and testify that you serve a living God of restoration. Hallelujah! God bless you!

Prayer Point: My loving heavenly Father, thank You for giving me hope and assurance today. I will continually trust in Your Word and serve You in humility till your Word and promise of restoration are fulfilled in my life in Jesus’ name. Please help me never turn my back on You when everything is okay in my life. Amen!

Were you blessed by today's message? Kindly go to the comment section and share your comments, and testimonies. Let's also know your challenges so that we can pray for you.