ARE YOU BUILDING ON A GOOD FOUNDATION?

 Are You Building on a Good Foundation? 

“He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.” Luke 6:48 (KJV)

The kind of foundation on which one builds their life determines their stability and establishment. The Kingdom of God is forever blessed because Jesus Christ is its head. He made a profound statement that should attract the attention of every child of God, if only we want our works and life to remain relevant till eternity. He said whoever comes to Him hears His sayings and does them is like a man who builds his house on the rock (Luke 6:47–48). Dear beloved, why have you come to Jesus? The primary reason for coming to Christ Jesus is to obtain salvation for your soul. After obtaining salvation for your soul, it doesn’t end there. You must remain in Christ and follow Him through His Word – the Holy Scriptures – and build your life (John 10:27). As you put His Word and teachings into practice, your faith becomes strengthened, and you become established and rooted in Him. It becomes easy to work with the Holy Spirit and to appreciate His leading in your life. As seen in the opening scripture, the flood and stream or torrent represent challenges in life. Beloved, there will always be one particular challenge or another rising in your life, therefore, don’t be surprised when it comes. Be rooted in the Word of God and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in you, and you will overcome them because you have built your life in the Word of God, the unshakable rock. Hallelujah! Glory to God!

Prayer Point: My dear heavenly Father, I’m excited to read and meditate on Your Word today. I have made up my mind to build my life, family, business, job, etc. on Your Word. Please let me never get tired from meditating on Your Word. Lead me to teach others also to build their life on the Word 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. 

TRUE AND FAITHFUL COMPANIONSHIP WITH GOD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY JANUARY 4, 2021.

SUBJECT: TRUE AND FAITHFUL COMPANIONSHIP WITH GOD!

Memory verse: 

"He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." 

(Micah 6 vs 8.)

READ: Deuteronomy 10 vs 12 - 13:

10:12: And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul,

10:13: and to keep the commandments of the LORD, and His statutes, which I command you today for your good?

INTIMATION:

God desires to have constant fellowship with us. He is ready to walk with us—to be our companion—if we can meet His expectations. He is willing to let us be with Him, if we will seek such a relationship; the teacher-mentor kind of companionship. God requires five things from us: (1) We must fear God’s awesome being. (2) We must obediently walk according to His will. (3) We must respond to His being with love. (4) Our lives must be one of service for His glory. (5) We must know and obey His commandments. Compliance with all that God requires results in our well-being on earth among ourselves, and our fellowship with God. 

There are four major ingredients for a relationship that would be described as an true and faithful companionship. These are: (1) Agreement, (2) Experience, (3) Conversation, and (4) Learning, and are required in our companionship with God. 

The first is ‘Agreement.’ The Scripture states clearly thus: "Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?"(Amos 3 vs 3.) You have to want to spend time together. This is God’s heart desire. He tells us in many different ways in His Word that He desires to be with us. Jesus said to us, “Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light. (Matthew 11 vs 28 - 30.)

The second is ‘Experience.’ You would share experiences together because you are together by definition. One of the special privileges we have as believers is sharing our heart with God and in turn learning more about His heart toward us and others. We get to see His overwhelming goodness, infinite patience, unchanging love, and unending mercies, as we read the Bible—His "Owner's manual" to us. The Holy Spirit makes the Word come alive in our hearts and points things out from it that are specifically for us and our situation. 

The third ingredient is ‘Conversation.’ There should be conversation—fellowship—between you and God through prayers. Not just one way, but rather you wait to hear from Him. When you are with someone who monopolizes a conversation, or who does not let you talk, but only wants you to listen, you feel uneasy, dominated, and useless in the conversation. You may feel your opinion matters little since it is rarely sought.

Almost all the times we are guilty of doing this to God: We rush into His presence with our "want" list and then, in essence, after presenting our requests and/or complaints, we close the time with Him with, "In Jesus' name, Amen." No time to get His input, no time to seek His advice. Only a time to "dump" on Him. The apostle Peter advised us in to give the Lord all our burdens and cares (

First Peter 5 vs 7). 

Yes, we are to present our anxieties to Him, but then, we should wait for His response.

The fourth ingredient is ‘Learning.’ Learning from the “Superior Partner”—God. When we spend time with God, w

e would come to appreciate Him more as we get to know Him better. 

We become more relaxed in His presence. When we learn from Him, we understand ourselves better; our strengths and weaknesses, how to emphasize or overcome them, why we do things the way we do, how to change our negatives responses, and the like. We also learn much about others and how better to interact with them, showing forth all the fruit of the Spirit.

Somebody will quickly ask, 'How do we hear from God or learn from Him?' He speaks to us through His Word—the Bible. God is the same with His Word. As we study we hear Him speak to us by understanding His opinion contained in His Word, thereby learn more about Him. In the course of your spiritual development, God can speak to you in a vision, through others, or even in audible voice.

God is ready to be our true and faithful companion. He is willing to let us be with Him, if we will seek such a relationship. And it is to our utmost benefit because walking with Him frees us from all burdens, and gives us rest. A relationship with God changes meaningless, worrisome toil into spiritual productivity and purpose. Companionship with God is a shared relationship with weight falling on the bigger shoulders of God than ours. We have someone with more pulling power upfront helping. Consequently, you are participating in life’s responsibilities with a greater Partner—and now that frown can turn into a smile, and the gripe into a song.

Prayer: Abba Father, I crave for Your faithful and effective companionship. Endue me with the spirit of obedience and undying fellowship with You, that I will walk in accordance with Your precepts, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

HAVE YOU LIFTED UP YOUR EYES TO HIM?

 Have You Lifted Up Your Eyes to Him? 

“I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.” Psalms 121:1-8 (KJV)

It is good to lift up your eyes unto the hills because the hills connote the dwelling place of God. In the Old Testament, God made the hills of Zion His dwelling place; therefore, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes towards the hills in prayer and worship. When they needed help from God, all they had to do was to lift up their eyes towards the hills of Zion. In the New Testament, the born again Christians are born into the presence of God so all they need to do is to lift up their eyes and hands towards heaven (1 Timothy 2:8). They don’t need to face any direction because Jesus Christ said a time was coming and now is when the true worshippers of God will worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24). Your body as a child of God is the temple of God; therefore, worship God with your body and call on Jesus Christ any time you want, for He is ever ready to listen to you. Beloved, never allow anything to draw you away from asking for His help. He has given us access to come before His throne to receive all the assistance that we may need in life, so let us utilize this opportunity and be able to assist others as well (Hebrews 4:16). Hallelujah! Be prayerful!

Prayer Point: My faithful and gracious Father, thank You for Your presence in me, and for giving me access to come before Your throne for help. I have purpose in my heart to fellowship with You in prayer every day. Please let this prayer time be a moment to always look forward to because You are a God who answers prayer. 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 WORTH OF BELIEVERS TO GOD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY JANUARY 3, 2021.

SUBJECT: THE WORTH OF BELIEVERS TO GOD! 

Memory verse: "They shall be Mine, says the Lord of Hosts, On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him."

 (Malachi  3 vs 17.)

READ: First Peter 2 vs 9 - 10:

2:9: 

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

2:10: Who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

INTIMATION:

The love of the Father marked us out for the position of sons and daughters way back before the morning stars sang their first anthem, and we are made unto the praise of His glory. He planned that we should be holy without blemish before Him. He marked us out for the position of sons and daughters through Jesus Christ unto Himself; and we are the marked ones. We have been chosen by God as His very own, and His jewels, a special treasure to Him above all people, and we are to Him a kingdom of priests, as Christ has made us kings and priests to our God that we shall reign on the earth. 

He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ (Ephesians 1 vs 3). We are blessed. We are rich in Him. We have His fullness. We are sufficient in His sufficiency. All that He is, we have. We are what He says we are. And the Father has told us that we are in the Beloved. The Father sees us as His own righteousness in Christ Jesus. "And you are complete in Him," and this completeness is over and above all that we can ask or think or desire. We have been called to represent Him to others. We are united with Christ as members of His body, and we join in His priestly work of reconciling God and people. God has given us eternal life in Christ. Our eternal life with Christ is certain because we are united in His powerful victory. God’s incomparable great power is available to help us. 

Now, look at the conclusion of the whole matter as the apostle Paul says: “....We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor power, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8 vs 37 - 39.)

These verses contain one of the most comforting promises in all Scriptures. Believers have always had to face hardships in many forms: hardship, persecution, illness, imprisonment, and even death. These sometimes cause them to fear that they have been abandoned by Christ. But Paul exclaims that it is impossible to be separated from Christ. His death for us is proof of His unconquerable love. Nothing can separate us from Christ’s presence. God tells us how great His love is so that we will feel totally secure in Him. If we believe these overwhelming assurances, we will not be afraid.

Now you know your worth to God in Christ. You see your vast responsibility. You can pray for you now know how. Take your place in Christ. Dare to act your part. Dare to let God use you. Dare to let love reign in your life. Dare to be in your daily life what He says you are. Dare to do what He says you can do. Dare to confess that you are what He says you are. All is yours. Use them. As you act on the Word, the Word reacts in You; it builds up in you, and so you grow in Christ. We are partakers of His Nature, of His very substance and Being.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are awesome, merciful, and compassionate. In all the world there’s none like You. Your love for me is unparalleled and unfathomable. You have blessed me with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places, and made me partaker of Your divine nature. Forever You are my God and Father. I am persuaded that nothing will ever take away my love for You, in the mighty Name of Jesus’ I have prayed, Amen. 

PRAISE THE LORD!

A NEW WAY OF LIVING!

 A New Way of Living! 

“Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.” Ephesians 4:28 (KJV)

The Kingdom of heaven is truth and does not compromise on purity or holiness without which no one can see the LORD (Matthew 5:8). When the child of God claims he or she is born again, there must be an outward manifestation of the inner working of Christ Jesus. This is what the opening Scripture seeks to clarify. The gospel of Christ is living and powerful, and our life must show that we are truly born again (Romans 1:16). Thus, if you were a thief, don’t steal anymore but rather work with your hands on a good job. Engage yourself in activities that will give you income so that you can be a good giver to the needy and also to the things of God. Whatever sin or wrong you were committing before you became a child of God, live it behind you and ask for the grace to live a righteous life, and Jesus Christ will be right there to help you. Remember that the Holy Spirit is in you to give you all the support you need, so fellowship with Him through the Word of God, and He will guide and lead you. In the New Year of 2021, be determined to live a lifestyle that portrays Christ Jesus so that someone can look at your life and be converted. Hallelujah! Say to yourself, “It is possible for me to live a holy life.” Hallelujah! God bless you!

Prayer Point: Dear heavenly Father, thank You for making Your Word available to me today. Please guide and lead me to engage in a business that will make me profitable in Your Kingdom and be a blessing to the needy 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. 

FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY JANUARY 02, 2021.

SUBJECT: FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH!

Memory verse: "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses." (First Timothy 6 vs 12.)

READ: Second Timothy 4 vs 6 -8:

4:6: For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.

4:7: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

4:8: Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge will give me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

INTIMATION:

Christianity is a religion that anchors on our faith in God the Father and Jesus Christ—His Son, and in what Jesus wrought for us in redemption—death on the cross for our sins and remission of the sins of those who believe in His substitutional work for us. It’s also faith in His resurrection from the dead for our hope in eternal life with Him. Our faith is exercised in our day to day lives as we commit to doing all the commandments of Jesus as the adequate response to what He did for us. Christianity is not a passive religion that advocates waiting for God to act while we watch. Your believe or faith must be active; training, working hard, sacrificing, and doing what is right. 

Christianity is a faithful calling by God into relationship with Him, and fellowship with His Son. He is calling you to come and walk with His Son, to live with Him, to carry on the Son's work in His absence. The obedience and discipline associated in this “calling” is hard work. But the beauty of the work is that you are not alone; an Helper—the Holy Spirit, has been freely given to us by God the Father and the Son to help us in the fight. To fight the good fight of faith is to allow faith do its work in you. It’s to contend perseveringly against opposition and temptations of your faith in God. 

The main elements of 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. In fighting a good fight of faith, all these elements are given prominence in the life of the believer.

As followers of Christ, our goal is to know Him, to be like Him, and to be all He has in mind for us. This goal should take all of our energies, and not let anything take our eyes off our goal. With the single-mindedness of an athlete in training, we must lay aside everything harmful and forsake anything that may distract us from being effective Christians. Therefore, we should give up whatever endangers our relationship with God, run with endurance, and engage the power of the Holy Spirit in our struggle against sin. 

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. To run effectively, we must keep our eye on Jesus. We will stumble if we look away from Him to stare at ourselves or at the circumstances surrounding us. The winning streak in our faith fight is self-discipline, and it requires an honest look at your strengths and weaknesses, with emphasis on the latter. It means building the will to say no when a powerful appetite inside you screams yes. For example, when you have self-discipline, you can (1) say no to friends or situations that will lead you away from Christ, and (2) say no to casual sex, saving intimacy for marriage. 

Self-discipline is a long, steady course in learning attitudes that do not come naturally, and requires our channeling natural appetites toward God’s purposes. We all have our weak points, and should pray for God’s help to redirect weaknesses into strength. We can lose our privilege of telling others about Christ in our self-disqualification by not living rightly. It is easy to tell others how to live then not to take our own advice. We must be careful to practice what we preach.

The Scripture, in Hebrews 12 vs 1 - 2, says, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” We have read in the Bible of many that fought the good fight of faith and prevailed, and even now we have so many great cloud of witnesses around us today. This simply tells us it is doable. To effectively run the race, we must not let anything deter us; life’s circumstances, worldly pressures, and pleasures. We must strip off the excess weight that slows us down. 

How can we do that? (1) Be God-focused, “looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.” (2) Drop certain activities that are distractions to your heavenly race, choose friends who are also committed to the race. Wrong friends will have values and activities that may deter you from the course. Much of your own weight may result from the crowd you run with. Make wise choices. (3) Get help for addictions that disable you. For instance, if you have a secret weight such as photography, gambling, or alcohol, admit your need and get help today.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with a warrior spirit to enable me fight the good fight of faith, drawing strength from the advocacy and intercession of the Holy Spirit, with my eyes focused on my final destination—eternity in heaven, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

THE BLESSEDNESS OF A GIVING ATTITUDE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY JANUARY 01, 2021.

SUBJECT : THE BLESSEDNESS OF A GIVING ATTITUDE!

Memory verse: "For If there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have.” (Second Corinthians 8 vs 12.) 

READ: First Kings 17 vs 10 - 16:

17:10: So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, indeed a widow was gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a cup, that I may drink.”

17:11: And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.”

17:12: So she said, “As the Lord Your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.”

17:13: And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son. 

17:14: For thus says the Lord God of Israel; ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.

17:15: So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days.

17:16: The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke by Elijah.

INTIMATION:

A giving attitude is more important than the amount given. The amount we give is not as important as why and how we give. God does not want us to give grudgingly. Instead, He wants us to give out of dedication to Christ, love for fellow believers, the joy of helping those in need, as well as the fact that it was simply the good and right thing to do. God is mindful of the willingness of the heart to give out of your resources. He knows our individual capacities because our blessings come from Him. Holding back much of your abundance reflects unrighteousness to God, and unbelief. However, the person who can give only a small out of his or her meager resources shouldn’t be embarrassed. God is concerned about the willingness to give from your resources.

People may hesitate to give generously to God because they worry about having enough money left over to meet their own needs. But God is able to meet our needs. The person who gives only a little will receive only a little in return. Don’t let a lack of faith keep you from giving cheerfully and generously. In the passage we read today, it was obvious that when the widow of Zarephath met Elijah, she thought she was preparing her last meal. But a simple act of faith from a willing heart, flowing from a giving attitude, produced a miracle— an overflow. She trusted Elijah and gave all she had to eat with her household to him. 

Also, consider the story of the giving of a poor widow In Mark 12 vs 41 - 44. Jesus’ remarks on the offering of a poor widow is quite revealing of God’s kingdom standard; “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had, her whole livelihood.” (Mark 12 vs 43 - 44,)

These widows, in faith, gave all they had to live on, from a willing heart, flowing from their giving attitude. They knew they were giving to the God that owns everything, and ‘is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that they ask or think.’ The widow of Zarephath, by her giving, provoked divine provisioning, such that she, the prophet and her household were fed all through the period of drought or famine. Even the widow’s son was raised up from death, after he fell seriously ill and died. The widow that gave the two mites got God’s approval because she gave extravagantly all that she had, while the rich amongst them were given big sums from their abundance. God saw her offering as the biggest. 

How you give reflects your devotion to Christ. You should give as a response to to Christ, not for anything you can get out of it. Your willingness to give enthusiastically is more important than the amount you give. When we consider giving a certain percentage of our income a great accomplishment, we resemble those who gave “out of their abundance.” Here Jesus was admiring generous and sacrificial giving. As believers, we should consider increasing our giving—whether of money, time, or talents—to a point beyond convenience or calculation. 

From the Scriptures, we see the benefits of giving to include: (1) It Provokes divine provision. (2) It provokes divine protection. (3) It provokes God’s approval, especially when you give sacrificially. (4) It ensures freedom from enslavement to our possessions. (5) It provides the joy of helping others. (6) It opens doors of more blessing by God, more than you can ask or think.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of giving out of dedication to Christ, and give me the grace to willingly and generously give that I may obtain Your approval in my sacrifices and offerings, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!