BE SILENT ABOUT YOUR GOOD DEEDS!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY DECEMBER 24, 2020.

SUBJECT : BE SILENT ABOUT YOUR GOOD DEEDS!

Memory verse: "But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.” (Matthew 23 vs 5.)

READ: Matthew 6 vs 1 - 6:

6:1: Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.

6:2: Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
6:3: But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
6:4: that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.

6:5: And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.

6:6: But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

INTIMATION:

God is interested in the motives of our actions. God is not pleased by a good act on with a wrong motive. He wants all our doings to be God-centered, not self-centered; 

done not to make us look good but to make God l

ook good. 

To be sure our motives are not selfish, we should do our good deeds quietly or in secret, with no thought of acclaim or reward. Jesus says we should check our motives in three areas: generosity, prayer, and fasting. 

When we pray, when we fast, and when we give, the Bible says that we must be pure in our motives. If we do what we do for the sake of being seen by others, then being seen by others is our only reward. If, however, we do what we do in obedience to God, then God will reward us. 

When Jesus says not to let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, He is teaching that our motives for giving to God and others must be pure. It is easy to give with mixed motives, such as, giving or doing something for someone because it will benefit you in return. So many believers hide under the cloak of the Scripture such as: 

“A man's gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men” (Proverbs 18 vs 16), to give for personal gains, expecting some favor in return. 

But believers should avoid all scheming and give for the pleasure of giving and as a response to God’s love. 

God only rewards such gifts that are devotionally motivated, not those that are with attachments of returns or favor. The Bible is explicit on this when it said, “

He who has pity on the poor lends to the LORD; and He will pay back what he has  given.” (Proverbs 19 vs 17.) Jesus said, “And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the thankful and evil.” (Luke 6 vs 34 - 35.)

If one does good in order to receive the recognition of men, then he or she has received his or her reward. Christians should let their light shine, but not for the purpose of drawing attention to themselves. In drawing attention to your act of giving, the drawn attention would be all the reward you would receive. Christians should give in a manner by which they do not intentionally seek the praise of men. Christians should not give or do good for public displays acclaim. Their giving should be as private as possible in order that one’s motives for giving be kept pure. 

Many people do good acts for appearance and recognition by the crowd, not really out of devotion. 

God is personal, and relates with us on personal grounds, not on public opinion about us. It is obvious that when we do something well, we want to tell others and be recognized. But recognition is dangerous—it can lead to inflated pride. How much better it is to seek the praise of God rather than the praise of people. Then, when we receive praise, we will be free to give God the credit. 

Doing something only for our recognition is not a loving sacrifice. With your next good deed, ask, “Would I still do this if no one would ever know I did it?” 

In the passage we read today, Jesus again exposed the hypocritical attitudes of the religious leaders. They don’t care about being holy—just looking holy in order to receive people’s admiration and praise. 

Jesus used the word “Hypocrites,” to describe such people who do good acts for appearances only, not out of compassion or other good motives. Their actions may be good, but their motives are hollow. These empty acts are their only reward, but God will reward those who are sincere in their faith.

Today, like the Pharisees, many people say they follow Jesus, but they don’t live by His standards of love. We must make sure that our actions match our beliefs.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of selflessness, and godly motives in all my doings, and that You will be first in all my doings, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

HE IS EVER READY TO ASSIST YOU!

 He Is Ever Ready to Assist You! 

“He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.” Isaiah 40:29 (KJV)

Knowing that God is always ready to give you assistance boosts your confidence in Him. There are so many activities on earth, some of which leave us weary and weak. Sometimes when we feel weary and weak we resort to the wrong things, such as drugs, alcohol, and pleasure, and we confide in people in the attempt to solve the problem, only to find that the problem is becoming worse. Dear beloved, if this is your situation, then it is time to meditate on the opening scripture and seek God for help. Indeed, He gives power to the faint or weary and might or strength to the weak. Humbly go before Him in prayer and ask for all the assistance you need. Remember that He is still calling all who are weary and heavy-laden to come so that He will give them rest (Matthew 11:28). Beloved, don’t feel too sinful to approach God. All He requires is a remorseful and broken spirit to approach His throne of grace, and He will give you all the support you need to do right this time (Psalm 51:17, Hebrews 4:16). He is a faithful God, so you can trust Him. If He gave His only begotten Son to the whole world, then He is capable of giving you all that you need in this life and in the life to come. After receiving His support, praise and thank Him and always be in fellowship with Him. Let others also know that they can trust Him, and you will be winning souls for the Lord and He will continually bless you. Hallelujah! Be an overcomer!

Prayer Point: My loving and gracious Father, I’m so grateful for Your love for me. I come before Your throne in humility. I’m weak and weary from addiction to alcohol, drugs, all manner of sins, etc. Please forgive me and give me the grace to always overcome and do what is right in Your sight, so that You can continually bless 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. 

THE MYSTERY OF LAWLESSNESS!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 23, 2020.

SUBJECT: THE MYSTERY OF LAWLESSNESS!

Memory verse: "For the mystery of lawlessness is already work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.” (Second Thessalonians 2 vs 7.) 

READ: Second Thessalonians 2 vs 6 - 12: 

2:6: And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time.
2:7: For the mystery of lawlessness is already work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.

2:8: And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming:
2:9: The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs and lying wonders,
2:10: and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
2:11: And for this reason God will send them  strong delusion, that they should believe the lie,
2:12: that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

INTIMATION:

We are in the last days—the time between Christ’s first and second comings. The Scriptures warn us about the happenings that will dominate the world before the second coming of Christ. A new world order that will be headed by the Antichrist; Satan tool for his final battle. However, throughout history there have been individuals who epitomized evil and who were hostile to everything Christ stands for. These antiChrists have lived in every generation and will continue to work their evil. Then just before Christ’s second coming, “the man of sin....the son of perdition,” a completely evil man, will arise. He will be Satan’s tool, equipped with Satan’s power. The lawless man will be the Antichrist.

“The mystery of lawlessness is already at work” means that the work that this AntiChrist will do is already going on. Mystery means something no one can discover but something God will reveal. Lawlessness is lack of respect for the law, illegality, anarchy, wildness, unruliness, lack of restraint. It is the hidden, subtle, underlying force from which all sin springs. Today the world is being ravaged by lawlessness which is going on to a certain extent, but the man of sin had not yet been revealed. However, the movements of lawlessness are usually not the result of one individual. Individuals only become the instigators of a mood that prevails in a particular society. 

Civilization which still has a veneer of decency through law enforcement, education, science, and reason, has not been able to contain the lawlessness. Instead it has, through science, assisted in sophisticating the lawlessness. Today we have seen the conspiracy theory in high places occasioning the manufacturing of viruses in laboratories and released into the air to attack human population. This is what the Bible called “spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Ephesians 6 vs 12.) Although we are horrified by these lawlessness and criminal acts, we have yet to see the real horror of complete lawlessness. This will happen when the one who is holding it back steps out of the way. 

Why will God allow this to happen? To show people and nations their own sinfulness, and to show them by bitter experience the true alternative to the lordship of Christ. People totally without God can act no better than vicious animals. The Bible reveals a God who hates evil and will one day do away with it completely and forever (Revelation 20 vs 10 - 15). We don’t need to understand every detail of how God works in order to have perfect confidence in His absolute power over evil and His total goodness toward us. 

It is dangerous, however, to label any person as the Antichrist and try to predict Christ’s coming based on the assumption. The man of sin (lawlessness) is mentioned in the Scripture, not so we might attempt to identify him, but so we might be ready for anything that threatens our faith. If our faith is strong, we don’t need to be afraid of what lies ahead, because we know that the lawless man had already been defeated by God, no matter how powerful he becomes or how terrible our situation seems. God is in control, and He will be victorious. Our task is to be prepared for Christ’s return and to spread the gospel so that even more people will also be prepared.

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for all You wrought for us in redemption through Christ’s atonement for our sins. Satan is a defeated foe, and by our faith in Christ, we stand victorious in Him. Endue me with the spirit of faith that I may remain faithful to the end, and receive the crown of glory in eternity with You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

BE SENSITIVE TO GOD'S DISCIPLINE

 Be Sensitive to God’s Discipline! 

“And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed.” 2 Thessalonians 3:14 (KJV)

God Almighty is a disciplinarian. He has the right instruments to discipline His children. The methods He uses vary from person to person. He has said in His Word that if He doesn’t discipline any child of His, then that child is a bastard (Hebrews 12:7–8). The opening scripture is about the methods He uses to disciple His children. Anyone who disregarded Apostle Paul’s epistle should be noted or marked for disassociation so that they feel ashamed and repent. Dear beloved, are you sensitive to God’s discipline? Being sensitive to God’s discipline is a mark of maturity in Christ Jesus. Anyone insensitive to God’s discipline will be meted with severe punishment till he or she repents. For example, the prophet Jonah was punished severely for His disobedience till He repented. Then God gave him the opportunity again, and this time he obeyed to the glory of God (Jonah 2:1–10, 3:1–7). Beloved, when you become unrepentant even after punishment, the Lord will no longer be interested in using you to fulfill His will and purpose. Remember that He set aside King Saul because of his continual disobedience and chose David instead (1 Samuel 13:13–14). Beloved, be sensitive to God’s discipline and conform to it, and you will become mature for Him to use you, and you will train others to be discipline as well. Hallelujah! Be an overcomer!

Prayer Point: My righteous Father, You are the only God I know. Thank You for putting in place the instruments and the methods of discipline to mold me into the caliber of person You want me to be in order to fulfill Your will and purpose. Please lead me to also teach others how to submit to Your discipline and be blessed 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.

HUMBLE YOURSELF BEFORE GOD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY DECEMBER 22, 2020.

SUBJECT: HUMBLE YOURSELF BEFORE GOD!

Memory verse: "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.” (First Peter 5 vs 6.) 

READ: Luke 14 vs 7 - 11: 

14:7: So He told a parable to those which were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places, saying unto them,
14:8: When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the beat place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him;
14:9: and he who invited you and him come and say to you, ‘Give place for this man,’ and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place.
14:10: But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, go up higher.’ Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you.

14:11: For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

INTIMATION:

Being humble is being lowly in mind, submissive, meek, modest, or simple. Humility means proper respect for God, not self-depreciation. Being humble involves having a true perspective about yourself; seeing yourself as you really are from God's perspective, and acting accordingly. The key to an honest and accurate evaluation of oneself is knowing the basis of our self-worth. The humble compares theirselves with Christ, realizing their sinfulness, and understand their limitations. Apart from Him, we aren't capable of very much by eternal standards. In Him we are valuable and capable of worthy service. On the other hand, they also recognize their gifts and strengths and are willing to use them as Christ directs. 

Evaluating yourself by the worldly standards of success and achievement can cause you to think too much about your worth in the eyes of others and thus miss your true value in God's eyes. Before God we are all sinners, saved only by God's grace, but we are saved and therefore have great worth in God's kingdom. In humility, we are to lay aside selfishness and treat others with respect and common courtesy. Considering others' interests as more important than our own links us with Christ, who was a true example of humility.

Obedience to God begins with humility. We must believe that His way is better than our own. We may not always understand His ways of working, but by humbly obeying, we will receive His blessings. We must remember that (1) God’s ways are best; (2) God wants our obedience more than anything else; (3) God can use anything to accomplish His purposes. In our relationship with God, there are two great truths that illustrate what we need for healthy living. The first is that God is Supreme and there is no other. The second is that we are only human beings created by God for His purposes. If you want God to use you, know who God is and know who you are. 

Humility comes with exaltation both with man and in the Mighty hand of God, who "gives grace to the humble" (First Peter 5 vs 5 - 6). As I said earlier, humility is not putting yourself down or denying your strengths; rather, it is being honest about your weaknesses. The more honest you are, the more of God's grace you get. We are naturally drawn to humble people. Pretentiousness repels, but authenticity attracts. True humility is not convincing yourself that you are worthless or nobody before God, but recognizing God's work in you. It is having God's perspective on who you are and acknowledging His grace in developing your abilities. 

Apostle Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthian church (First Corinthians 15 vs 9 - 10) stated thus, "For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me." Paul was deeply humble. He knew that he has worked hard and accomplished, but only because God had poured kindness and grace upon him which he always acknowledged. 

Humility allows us to be content with God's leading in our lives. Such contentment gives us security so that we no longer have to prove ourselves to others. The psalmist in Psalm 131 vs 1 says:- "Lord, my heart is not haughty, Nor my eyes lofty. Neither do I concern myself with great matters, Nor with things too profound for me." Humility, trust and contentment are the bedrock of the psalmist’s song. Let humility and trust affect your perspective and give you the strength and freedom to serve God and others.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with an humble spirit that I will be lowly and obedient to You in all things, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

ARE ALL THINGS WORKING TOGETHER FOR YOUR GOOD?

 Are All Things Working for Your Good? 

“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.” Romans 8:28 (KJV)

Knowing that all things are working together for your good puts to rest all anxiety. The Holy Scriptures indeed have all the things the children of God need in order to live a meaningful life on earth. Apostle Paul, after his encounter with our Lord Jesus Christ, never went back but proceeded immediately to preach and teach the gospel (Acts 9:20). He encountered many untoward situations and suffered in the hands of many adversaries, but all turned out for his good to minister the gospel. At one point he was beaten to unconsciousness but after his adversaries left him, thinking that he was dead, Paul was revived to continue preaching the gospel (Acts 14:19–20). Thus, he was confident and convinced that in Christ Jesus all things work together for our good. Dear beloved, are all things working together for your good? It doesn’t matter what you are going through right now as you read this message, it will turn out for your good if you don’t give up on your faith in Christ Jesus. Even if you give up on your faith and you return to the Lord Jesus in humility, He will give you grace and opportunity to exercise your faith and win. Jesus Christ faced the most difficult situations in life from conception till His death on the cross, but He triumphed victoriously to the glory of the father (Matthew 1:20, 27:35). Beloved, once you are alive there is hope, so keep believing in Jesus Christ, inspire your spirit and soul with the Word of God, receive strength from the Holy Spirit through continual fellowship, and keep moving forward, and you will soon cross the finish line as a winner to the glory of God. Hallelujah! You are an overcomer!

Prayer Point: My dear heavenly Father, thank You for nourishing me with Your Word today. I’m grateful to hear that all the things I’m going through are working together for my good. In Jesus’ name, I receive more grace from You to overcome, and I embrace my miracles and breakthroughs. 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.

LET YOUR CONSCIENCE BE CLEAR!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY DECEMBER 21, 2020.

SUBJECT : LET YOUR CONSCIENCE BE CLEAR!

Memory verse: 

"

Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly.”

 

(Hebrews 13 vs 18.)

READ: Hebrews 10 vs 22 - 24

:

Hebrews 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.

10:24: And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and to good works:

INTIMATION:

Conscience is a knowing with oneself. It’s that faculty by which we apprehend the will of God, as that which is designed to govern our lives. It is that process of thought which distinguishes what is considers morally good or bad, commending the good, and condemning the bad, and so prompting to do the former, and avoid the later. Your conscience is your first judge, and imprisons you if you are not acting appropriately. We escape the gnawing accusations of our consciences by acting in love, and setting our hearts on God's love. Not by ignoring them or rationalizing our behavior. Do good, act appropriately, and you will then free yourself by clearing your conscience.

Many feel guilty because they think they are not doing enough to show proper love to Christ, and others. Their conscience bother them. If they ignore their consciences, then they sin because they have compromised their faith by doing something they believe is wrong. One must not allow his faith to be led astray by a violation of what he or she conscientiously knows to be what is right. 

How can you keep your conscience clear? Treasure your faith in Christ more than anything else and do what you know is right. Each time you deliberately ignore your conscience, you are hardening your heart. Over a period of time your capacity to tell right from wrong will diminish. As you walk with God, He will speak to you through your conscience, letting you know the difference between right and wrong. Be sure to act on those inner tugs so that you do what is right—then your conscience will remain clear. Do not ignore those inner tugs nor rationalize your behavior, but set your heart on God’s love. 

When you come to God with a clear conscience, you are coming to Him without fear, confident that your requests will be heard. When you say, "God you know that I am walking in the light of love, I am doing your Word," then persuade your heart. If you go into His presence for intercession, your heart is not fearful; your heart does not condemn you. Your heart is in perfect fellowship with this living Word and you have boldness in His presence, conscious that you are welcome. You make your petition in the name of Jesus, and you know that the Father hears you and that you have the petition of your heart.

We try to steer clear of actions forbidden by Scripture, of course, but sometimes Scripture is silent. Then we should follow our consciences, and be faithful in your doings. “Whatever is not from faith is sin” means that to go against a conviction will leave a person with a guilty conscience. When God shows us that something is wrong for us, we should avoid it. 

Job said, “My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go. My heart shall not reproach me as long as I live.” (Job 27 vs 6.) In the midst of all accusations, Job was able to declare that his conscience was clear. Only God’s forgiveness and the determination to live right before God can bring a clear conscience. How important Job’s record became as he was being accused. Like Job, we can’t claim sinless lives, but we can claim forgiven lives. When we confess our sins to God, He forgives us. Then we can live with clear consciences (First John 1 vs 9.) 

Sometimes after confessing our sins, we still feel guilty. However, when such guilt feeling rise up in our hearts, we should remind ourselves that God knows our motives as well as our actions. His voice of assurance is stronger than the accusing voice of our conscience. If we are in Christ, He will not condemn us (Romans 8 vs 1; Hebrews 9 vs 14 - 15). So if you are living for the Lord but feeling that you are not good enough, remind yourself that God is greater than your conscience. 

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of obedience to Your Word; hearing and doing Your Word, that my conscience may be clear in all things, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!