WHAT HAS THE LORD SAID?

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 06, 2021.

SUBJECT: WHAT HAS THE LORD SAID?

Memory verse: "So David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?” And He answered him, “Pursue: for you shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.” (First Samuel 30 vs 8.)

READ: First Samuel 23 vs 1 - 5:

23:1: Then they told David, saying, “Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah, and they are robbing the threshing floors.”

23:2: Therefore David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I go and smite these Philistines?” And the LORD said to David, “Go, and attack the Philistines, and save Keilah.”
23:3: But David's men said to him, “Look, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?”
23:4: Then David inquired of the LORD once again. And the LORD answered him and said, “Arise, go down to Keilah. For I will deliver the Philistines into your hand.

23:5: And David and his men went to Keilah, and fought with the Philistines, and brought away their cattle, and fought with the Philistines, struck them with a mighty blow, and took away their livestock. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.

INTIMATION:

What has the Lord said in that matter? What has He said in your situation? What has He said in that your endeavor? Such aforesaid questions are the anchor of a wise decision, and action. Inquiring from the Lord puts us on a safe drive to God ordained destination. It makes us triumphant in all our life’s endeavors. This truth is known from ancient times. God is the source of all truth. Whoever seeks the truth from Him will receive it and will be preserved from error. This is His promise. Knowledge of this led the faithful of ancient times to enter into communion with God when seeking the truth and the right ways. 

They inquired of God by means of human expedients, and were answered by Him through the same channel. They were well aware that the good spirit world in the service of God is the agent of His will, and that to consult the spirit beings of God's Kingdom is equivalent to inquiring of God Himself. They were equally well aware that there is such a thing as an evil spirit world, and their daily experience had taught them the possibility of communicating with this also.  

David was a classic example of a man who was extensively used to the practice of inquiring from God, and the results are known to all Bible scholars. David sought the Lord’s guidance before he took action. He listened to God’s directions and then proceeded accordingly. This is the way to go by all believers in God. This privilege is given to us by God Himself. He said, “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33 vs 3.) 

David’s trust and confidence in God’s guidance among other things is unparalleled in the Scripture. David fought his battles the way God instructed him. In each instance he (1) asked if he should fight or not, (2) followed instructions carefully, and (3) gave God the glory. He never, at any point, tried helping God like King Saul. For Christians, we can err in our “battles” by ignoring these steps of David, and instead: (1) Do what we want without considering God’s will, (2) do things our way and ignore advice in the Bible or from other wise people, and (3) take the glory ourselves or give it to someone else without acknowledging the help we received from God. All these responses are sinful.

Wisdom demands that rather than trying to find God’s will after your action, or having to ask God to undo the results of our hasty decisions, we should take time to discern God’s will beforehand. We can hear Him speak through the counsel of others, His Word, and the leading of His Spirit in our hearts, as well as through circumstances. For instance, David knew he would become king (First Samuel 16 vs 13; 23 vs 17; 24 vs 20), and although the time seemed right when Saul was dead, but David still asked God if he should move back to Judah, the home territory of his tribe (Second Samuel 2 vs 1). Before moving ahead with what seems obvious, he first brought the matter to God, who alone knows the best timing. This should be the pattern of all believers in Christ.

Only those who put their whole faith in Him and who look up to Him for help, will God allow to inquire of Him.  But all those who hold communion with the evil one—the devil, and who look for help from the spirits of the abyss, God will reject.  It is not the half-hearted, not those who today turn to God and tomorrow to the devil, not those who today pray and devote tomorrow to wickedness, God will answer.  This was the truth in olden times, and it is still the truth today.  

Prayer: Abba Father, the end is known to You from the beginning. Endue me with Your excellent spirit that I may seek You, and Your counsel at all time, before any moves of mine, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

ARE YOU NEGLECTING YOUR ROLE?

 Are You Neglecting Your Role? 

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” Ephesians 6:10 (KJV).

There was one particular day I entered my room and was met by thick darkness. I was thinking of what to do till it donned on me that I had a switch on the wall. Upon turning on the switch, the whole room lit with exuberance. There was power flowing through the circuit, but without turning on the switch the power could not be accessed for light energy. This is the picture Apostle Paul is painting in the opening scripture. Dear beloved, the Holy Spirit is the power you need to accomplish any task, but until you cooperate with Him and play your role as a child of God, you will never be successful in your calling or any task you want to accomplish (Acts 1:8). Thus, being strong in the Lord, and in the power of the Holy Spirit, is our responsibility. Beloved, you can only be strong in the Lord when you abide in His Word, and His Word abides in you through meditation on the Word day and night (John 15:4–7). Second, make time to pray for yourself and intercede for others as well; praying in tongues is very critical in building yourself in Him (1 Corinthians 14:4). Be conscious to also fast in order to build up your spiritual senses. Then, finally, learn to fellowship with other believers in like faith to draw inspiration from them, because iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17). Beloved, allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide you in what we have discussed, and you will always be strong to continually triumph in every good endeavor. Hallelujah! Glory to God!

Prayer Point: My loving and gracious Father, thank You for Your timely Word today. I’m ready to put all that You have said in Your Word to practice, in order to be strong to triumph in every good endeavor. Please lead me to help other brethren to also be strong in You after I have gained the strength in 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. 

NEGATIVE EMOTION HINDERS ANSWER TO PRAYER!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY JANUARY 5, 2020.

SUBJECT: NEGATIVE EMOTION HINDERS ANSWER TO PRAYER!

Memory verse: "Then they will cry to the LORD, but He will not hear them; He will even hide His face from them at that time, because they have been evil in their deeds"(Micah 3 vs 4.)

READ: Isaiah 59 verses 1 - 2:

59:1: Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear: 

59:2: but your iniquities have separated you from your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.

INTIMATION:

As believers, we have heard that our confession is our possession—what we say is what we get. But there are times we can't get what we say. These are times when we bear loads of grudges, resentment, envy, hatred, anger, unforgiveness, and like emotions. The loads of such negative emotions are very heavy and costly to our relationship with God, because they are regarded as sin. The dictionary definition of sin is "a moral offense or shortcoming, especially from the point of view of religion." It is a rebellion against God's laws.  "Sin is a reproach to any people" (Proverbs 14 vs 34), as well as to God. 

Though we may have been dragged into such emotions by wrongdoing to us by another, but these negative emotions hurt us more than they hurt the one who has wronged us. This is because, if our faith is strong and our prayer is persistent, there is only one thing that can stand in the way of answered prayer, and it is sin which the aftermath of negative emotion. Jesus said in Mark 11 vs 25; "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses." Only in so doing that you receive what you ask in prayers. Heaviness of heart resulting from negative emotion is a hindrance to receiving answers on the altar of prayer.

In the passage we read today, the prophet Isaiah says that the Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save, neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear when we call upon Him, but our iniquities have separated us from our God, and consequently, He hides His face from us, and refuses to listen to us nor hear our prayers. What a terrible condition for a Christian; being unable to talk to God! 

When we understand what our resentment does to us, we see how much better it is for us to allow our enemies to get away with their cruelty, rather than hold a grudge and cut ourselves off from God. The Bible tells us that vengeance is God's business, not ours: "Repay no evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath: for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine; I will repay,' says the Lord. Therefore “If your enemy is hungry feel Him; If He is thirsty, give him a drink; For in do doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12 vs 17 - 21.)

God takes vengeance on our enemies because He is just, and perfect in all His ways. Ours is to do good at all times, and have regard for good things in the sight of all men: The writer of Hebrews concord with the apostle Paul when he says; “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord, looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled” (Hebrews12 vs 14 - 15). 

However, an unforgiving spirit is so destructive that we are warned that when God does take vengeance on our enemies, we are not even to be happy that He did so: "Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; Lest the Lord see it, and it displease Him, and He turn away His wrath from him" (Proverbs 24 vs 17 - 18). 

Once you understand the destructiveness of "getting even," you will be able to ask God to keep you from resentment in all its forms. In Matthew 5 vs 39, Jesus commanded us thus; "But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also." Jesus is suggesting that our response to injustice should not be demanding our right, but to give it up freely! According to Him it is more important to give justice and mercy than to receive it.

Prayer: Abba Father, uproot any root of resentment, unforgiveness, and other negative emotions in my heart that separate me from You, and hinders answer to my prayer, that I may be found a worthy son, living at peace with all people and have regard for good things in the sight of all, in Jesus’ Name I prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

WHAT IS ETERNAL LIFE?

 What is Eternal Life? 

“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” John 17:3 (KJV)

Jesus Christ is the truth, and anyone who wants to know the truth should know Jesus Christ from the Holy Scriptures. He indeed made it clear what eternal life is: it is the knowledge of the true God. The question is, do you have the knowledge of the true God? There is only One God, He is called the Father, the Elohim, the Creator of heaven and earth (Genesis 1:1). There is no other way to know the true God without first knowing Jesus Christ of Nazareth because He is the knowledge of the Father (John 14:6). The Father is always looking for people who will appreciate the good work He has done in the person of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Therefore, anyone who does not have and worship Jesus Christ cannot have the eternal life of the Father. Dear reader, do you have Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? If you do, then you have eternal life. But if you don’t have Jesus Christ it is time to say these words, “Dear Jesus Christ, thank you for dying for my sins, I believe in you and accept you now as my Lord and Personal Savior. Come into my heart and make life meaningful to me, Amen.” If you sincerely said those words, believe that you are born again. You are welcome into the family of GOD. Buy a Holy Bible and ask God to lead you to a church that believes in the totality of the Holy Bible and the doctrines of Christ. Introduce yourself to the pastor of the church, and they will nurture you. Hallelujah! God bless you!

Prayer Point: My loving Father, thank You for making me Your child and a member of Your Kingdom. I pray for all souls under the sun who are not born again that You send someone to them to tell them about Jesus Christ and be saved. 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. 

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.