CARNAL MIND VERSUS SPIRITUAL MIND!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY JANUARY 10, 2021.

SUBJECT: CARNAL MIND VERSUS SPIRITUAL MIND!

Memory verse: "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." (Romans 8 vs 6.) 

READ:  Read Romans 8 vs 12 - 14; Galatians 5 vs 16 - 18:

Romans 8:12: Therefore, brethren, we are debtors - not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.

8:13: For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

8:14: For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

Galatians 5:16: I say then. Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

5:17: For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh, and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.

5:18: But If You are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

INTIMATION:

The apostle Paul notes in our memory verse that there are two minds—the mind of the flesh, and the mind of the Spirit. That does not mean you and I have two brains, it simply means that we receive information from our natural mind (which operates without the Holy Spirit), and we get information from our spirit (through which the Holy Spirit communicates directly to us). The mind of the flesh, which is sense and reason without the Holy Spirit, is death, that is death that comprises all the miseries arising from sin, both here and hereafter. But the mind of the Holy Spirit is life and peace, both now and forever.

In the passages we read today, the believers are not to be led by the carnal mind, but by the Holy Spirit Who indwells the (Romans 8 vs 14; Galatians 5 vs 18). The Holy Spirit is the only One who knows the mind of God, and is the revealer of the truth (John 16 vs 13). If your desire is to have the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5 vs 22 - 23), then you know that the Holy Spirit is leading you. In First Corinthians 2 vs 16, the Bible says, 

"For who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.” This Scripture tells us that because the Holy Spirit lives in us, you and I have the mind of Christ. The problem is that, although we have the mind of Christ and know the Word of God, we don't listen to our spirit which is being enlightened by the Holy Spirit. Instead, we listen to our natural mind, which relies strictly on sense and reason without the Holy Spirit.

In every situation of life, our head will be trying to give us information. It will be yelling at us so loudly that if we don't turn our attention to our spirit, we will never hear what the Lord is saying to us in that situation. That is why we must learn to live out of our spirit and not of our head. It’s noteworthy that evil spirits constantly bombard us with negative thoughts. If we receive them and dwell on them, they become ours because the Bible says that as we think in our heart, so are we (Proverbs 23 vs 7). If we accept the lies of the devil as reality, then they will become reality to us because of our belief in them. Use the Bible to discover God’s guidelines, and then follow them. 

That is why in moments of worry, stress and turmoil we have to simply take the time to turn to our inner man, the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, and say, "Lord, what do You have to say about this?" If we listen in faith, He will speak to us and reveal to us the truth of that situation. You and I have two huge vats of information within us. One is carnal information that comes off the top of our head. The other is spiritual information which wells up out of our heart. One is muddy. polluted water, and the other is clean drinking water. It is up to us to decide which source we are going to drink from.

Some people try to drink from both sources. That's what the Bible calls being double-minded. (James 1 vs 8.) Do you know what it means to be double-minded? It means that your mind is trying to tell you one thing, and your spirit is trying to tell you just the opposite. Instead of saying, "I'm not going to believe that which comes from my head—the mind of the flesh—because it's a lie," you get in a cross-fire, going back and forth between the two thoughts. If we are destined to live the happy, victorious and successful Christian life the Lord wills for us, if we are going to have to decide which fountain of information we are going to drink from, we are going to have to learn to live out of our spirit and not out of our head—our fleshy mind.

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit. He is my Senior Partner, and daily I hand over my thoughts, words, and actions to Him for His leading. Endue me with the spirit of discernment, to know the prompting of the Holy Spirit, that I will follow His leading, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

LET YOUR LIFE COMMUNICATE YOUR FAITH!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY JANUARY 09, 2021.

SUBJECT: LET YOUR LIFE COMMUNICATE YOUR FAITH!

Memory verse: "Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel," (Philippians 1 vs 27.)

READ: Philippians 1 vs 12 - 14:

1:12: But I want you to know brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel,

1:13: so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ;

1:14: and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

INTIMATION:

Let the conduct of your life communicate your faith as a Christian, showing others the strength of your commitment to serving God, and living for Him. God has chosen us to be Christ’s representatives on earth. Therefore, we should live our lives worthy of the calling we have received—the awesome privilege of being called Christ’s very own. People are watching your life. Can they see Christ in you? How well are you doing as His representative?

The communication of your life should reflect your faith, and growth stage in life. For instance, If you are a parent, and a Christian, part of your mission is to raise your children to know Christ, to help them understand His purposes for their lives, and to send them out on their mission in the world. You may take a cue from Joshua who said, "As for me and my family, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24 vs 15.) 

It is obvious that our lives must support and validate the message we communicate. Before most unbelievers will accept the Bible as credible they want to know that the Christians are credible. This is why the Bible, in our memory verse, says, "Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ...." Be sure that you live in a way that brings honor to the Christ and His Good News. It is not enough to hear or read the Word of God or even know it well. We must put it into practice. 

How easy it is to listen to a sermon and forget what the preacher said. How easy it is to read the Bible and not think about how to live differently. How easy it is to debate what a passage means and not live out that meaning. Exposure to God's Word is not enough, it must lead to obedience. It is your obedience to the Word that the unbelievers look out for before accepting your message of the Good News.

The apostle Paul was in prison in Rome when he wrote his epistles to the churches in various locations. For many people, being imprisoned would cause them to be bitter, discouraged, and give up, but Paul saw it as one more opportunity to spread the Good News of Christ. Even in prison, he was fearlessly speaking for Christ. He became an encouragement to many Christian then who were afraid of persecution.

For Christians today, we may not be in prison, but we still face many circumstances that can lead to discouragement—times of indecision, financial burdens, loss of our jobs, various forms of hardships, family conflicts, church conflict etc. How our acts in such situations will reflect what we believe, and communicate to others, especially the unbelievers. We should become an encouragement by the way we live. When we live faithfully for Him during difficult situations, we encourage others to do same.

We should live in such a way that we are a credit to the Message of Christ. The apostle Paul’s life has always communicated exceeding faith in Christ to many. His utmost desire is for Christ to be magnified in his body, whether by life or death. He summarized his faith by saying, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1 vs 21.) Whether he lived or died, he wanted Christ exalted in his conducts. 

To those who don’t believe in God, life on earth is all there is, and so it is natural for them to strive for this world’s values: money, popularity, power, pleasure, and prestige. For the apostle Paul, however, to live meant to develop eternal values and to tell others about Christ. His purpose in life was to speak out boldly for Christ and to become like Him. And this should be the core of believers’ conduct.

Prayer: Abba Father, let my words and actions be the exact expression of my faith in Christ, and the selling point to unbelievers. Give me the grace to live in accordance with this desire of exhibiting at all times absolute obedience and trust in You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

DOES THE LORD FORSAKE HIS CHILDREN?

 Does the LORD Forsake His Children? 

 “For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.” Isaiah 54:7 (KJV)

In the Old Testament or Covenant, it was possible for God to forsake His children for a brief period of time. He forsook them when they sinned against Him, after He had on countless occasions warned them to desist from sins (Daniel 1:1-2). He hates the sin of spiritual adultery—the sin of serving other gods in addition to Him. He is a Jealous God (Exodus 34:14). On the other hand, in the New Testament or Covenant it is not possible for the LORD to forsake His children (Hebrews 13:5). This is the dispensation of grace where He has decided not to leave or forsake His children, simply because His great mercies in the dispensation of grace are much more than the dispensation of the Law and the Prophets. This, however, does not give us the freedom or liberty to commit the sin of adultery in our worship but rather use our liberty to please and work zealously for Him. Hallelujah! Dear beloved, are you serving other gods in addition to Elohim? Anything that takes the first place of God in our lives is an idol; it could be a cell phone, money, pleasure, spouse, job, etc. Thus, we shouldn’t allow anything to take away our commitment, devotion, and attention from God. Beloved, let’s take advantage of God’s great mercies to please Him, enhance our intimate relationship with Him, and be blessed. Hallelujah! Be an overcomer!

Prayer Point: Dear heavenly Father, I’m delighted to hear that You cannot leave me nor forsake me. I take advantage of this privilege to always give You the first place in my life. Please help me please You and have a deeper intimacy with You and be a blessing to many lives in Jesus’ name. Amen!

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DO YOU WANT TO BE ESTABLISHED?

 Do You Want to Be Established? 

“Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.” Proverbs 16:3 (KJV)

As children of God, our works and our thoughts should coincide, meaning our thoughts should work hand in hand with our actions. For this to happen, we must commit our works or plans into the LORD’s hands in prayer, and He will give us the right thoughts or directions as to how to achieve our works or plans (Proverbs 3:5–6). This is the only way to ensure that your thoughts are in sync with your actions. Dear beloved, do you want to be established? If you don’t commit your works or plans into His hands in prayer, you will not achieve them because you would have put pride in your heart, thinking that God is not necessary to achieve them. This will lead to failure. Jesus Christ wants to be part of every decision we make so that He can take His rightful place in our lives as our Lord and Savior. That is why He gave us the Holy Spirit to abide with us forever (John 14:16). Therefore, let us involve the Holy Spirit in our thoughts, decisions, choices, and every action or work we do, and we shall succeed. Remember that success starts with having the right thoughts (Philippians 4:8). Thus, involve Him in everything you want to do, and He will lead you to always win. Hallelujah! Glory to God!

Prayer Point: My loving Father, thank You so much for making Your Word available to me. I meditate on it day and night. Please guide and lead me to make the right decisions, choose right, and take the right actions in order to be established and always win 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.

GRACE IN OUR FAITH WALK!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY JANUARY 08, 2021.

SUBJECT : GRACE IN OUR FAITH WALK

! 

Memory verse: 

"Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.

" 

(Galatians 2 vs 16.

)

READ: Galatians 3 vs 2 - 7:

3:2: This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 

3:3: Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?

3:4: Have you suffered so many things in vain - if indeed it was in vain?

3:5: Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 

3:6: Just as Abraham "believed God, and it was accounted to him as righteousness."

3:7: Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.

INTIMATION:

The Holy Spirit (the Spirit of grace) gives Christians great power to live for God. People still feel insecure in their faith because faith alone seems too easy. Some Christians want more than this. They want to live in a state of perpetual excitement. They still try to get closer to God by following rules. While certain Christian disciplines may help us grow, they must not take the place of the Holy Spirit in us or become ends in themselves. 

In the passage we read today, the apostle Paul is asking the Galatian believers, "Did you receive the Lord through your own works and efforts or by hearing the Gospel message and saying, 'I believe that?'" He further ask them, "Are you really so foolish and senseless and silly as to begin your new life by the Spirit and then try to reach perfection by depending on your own weak human flesh?"

Then finally, he concludes in asking them, "Does God supply your every need and work miracles among you because you keep the law perfectly or because you put your entire faith and trust in the message you heard?" The believers in Galatia received the Lord by faith, but were trying to perfect themselves by depending on their own flesh, trying to change themselves and their lives by human effort rather than by trusting in God, and His grace to live a changed life.

Now, effort has a place in the Christian life. It does have a part to play. But even then, anything done outside the grace of God will have no real lasting effect. The law is not bad in itself. Even the Scripture says, "The law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good" (Romans 7 vs 12). The law can make us acceptable to God. Yes, the law still has an important role to play in the life of a Christian. The law (1) guards us from sin by giving us standards for behavior; (2) convicts us of sin, leaving us the opportunity to ask for God's forgiveness; and (3) drives us to trust the sufficiency of Christ, because we can never keep the “Ten Commandments” perfectly. The law cannot possibly save us. But after we become Christians, it can guide us to live as God requires.

Are you struggling with changes that need to be made in your personality? Do you ever get frustrated and confused, trying to believe and have faith and confess and do all the right things to bring about change in yourself and your life, yet it never seems to happen? You wanted to change everything you saw wrong about yourself and life, but for some reason you just couldn't do it. 

Most believers will blame the devil. They will spend better part of their time binding and casting the devil away, instead of turning to the Lord for help. The Lord requires us to constantly turn to Him for help. Why? Because when we do anything apart from Him, we take the credit and glory that rightfully belonged to Him. For this reason He will frustrate any of our own efforts to do things outside of Him. Jesus said, "......For without Me, you can do nothing." (John 15 vs 5).

We are saved by grace (unmerited favor) from God, and only the grace we receive that empowers us to meet specific situations in life. In Luke 11 vs 2 - 4, Jesus thought His disciples how to pray, "Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one."

Our Lord's Prayer clearly shows three things; (1) God our giver, (2) our leader, (3) our deliverer. Our duty then is to ask so that we can receive. (See Matthew 7 vs 7 - 8). We are to the asking, and God Himself does the work. Therefore, turn to God in prayer, because only God could bring about changes that you desire in your life. But our duty is to ask in faith. Get your face before the Lord on a regular basis and say:

Prayer: Abba Father, I can't help myself. I come to You like a little child. I am totally helpless. I lay this whole situation before You, asking for Your grace. I don't deserve Your help, Father, but You are my only hope. Please do for me what I can't do for myself, in Jesus' Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

DEATH IS THE BEGINNING OF LIFE IN ETERNITY!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY JANUARY 07, 2021.

SUBJECT: DEATH IS THE BEGINNING OF LIFE IN ETERNITY! 

Memory verse: "He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end." (Ecclesiastes 3 vs 11.)

READ: Ecclesiastes 12 vs 5:

Also they are afraid of height, and terrors in the way; when the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper is a burden, and desire fails. For man goes to his eternal home, and the mourners go about the streets.

INTIMATION:

You are created to live forever. Life on earth is not all there is. It is just the beginning of life, it is the preparation for the next. Death marks the beginning of life on the other side- in eternity. You will spend far more time on the other side of death than you will here. Earth is only a tryout for your life in eternity. It is a practice workout before the actual game. Death is not the end of you. It isn't your termination because you can't be terminated. Death is only a transition into eternity, and there are eternal consequences to everything you do on earth, leading to the part of the eternal divide you will forever live. For many death is is a darkened door at the end of their lives, a passageway to an unknown and feared destiny. But for God’s people, death is a bright doorway to a new and better life. 

Even though we know that everyone will eventually die, death always seems unnatural and unfair, even at a hundred and twenty years. The reason we feel we should live forever is that God wired our brains with that desire! (Ecclesiastes 3 vs 11.) One day your heart will stop pumping, and that marks the end of your body and your time on earth, but it will not be the end of you. Your earthly body is just a temporary residence for your real self—your spirit. At most, you are designed to live a hundred and twenty years on earth (Genesis 6 vs 3), but you will live forever in eternity. Your time on earth is but a small parenthesis to in eternal life. You are made to last forever. 

The plain truth is that while life on earth offers many chances, eternity offers only two: heaven or hell. Your relationship to God on earth will determine your relationship to Him in eternity. If you learn to love and trust God's Son, Jesus, accept His finished work on the cross for you, and confess Him as your Lord and Savior, you are given the legal right to be the child of God, heir of God, joint heir with His Son, and will spend the rest of eternity with Him. On the other hand, if you reject Him, reject His love, forgiveness, and salvation, thereby committing the only unforgivable sin, you will spend eternity away from God—in hell. 

There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, 'Your Will be done,' and those to whom God says, 'All right then, have it your way.' Tragically, many people will have to endure eternity without God because they chose to live without Him here on earth. When you fully comprehend that there is more to life than just here and now, and you realize that life is just preparation for eternity, you will start living in light of eternity, and that will color how you handle every relationship, task, and circumstance. Suddenly many activities, goals, and even problems that seemed so important will appear trivial, petty, and unworthy of your attention. 

The closer you live to God, the smaller everything else appears. Eternity focused life changes your value system. You use your time and money wisely. You place higher premium on relationships and character instead of fame or wealth or achievements or even fun. Your priorities are reordered. Keeping up with trends, fashions, and popular values just doesn't matter as much anymore. 

The Scripture in Philippians 3 vs 7 says, "But what things were gain to me, I have counted loss for Christ." The apostle Paul said he thought his past achievements were very important, but now considers them worthless when compared with what Christ has done for us. If our time here on earth is all there is to life, we would live as if there is no tomorrow. You could exploit life as much as you could, forget being good and ethical, and wouldn't have to worry about any consequences of your actions. You could indulge yourself in total self-centeredness because your actions would have no long-term repercussions. Unfortunately, life is beyond our days on this earth. Lead your life with eternity with God as your driving force.

Prayer: Abba Father, one thing I have desired of You, that I will seek after, that I may dwell in Your house forever. Show me the path of life that I will work, and gain eternity with you, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

DO YOU WANT TO SEE GREAT AND MIGHTY THINGS?

 Do You Want to See Great and Mighty Things? 

“Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” Jeremiah 33:3 (KJV)

The child of God is an asset and a heritage of God. Hence, he or she should live in continual victory in this life. They should also live in the knowledge of God. Living in the knowledge of God means living in the Holy Scriptures (Hosea 4:6). The Bible is the library of God, containing the written and spoken Word of God. The written Word is not the same as the spoken Word of God; when you read the Bible and you see “And God said”, whatever God speaks with His mouth is the spoken Word; all other words are His written Word. In the Bible, there are other living things that spoke: Servants of God, kings, a donkey, false prophets, Satan, demons, etc. In the New Testament, there is a distinction between the words spoken by Jesus Christ and the words spoken by His disciples. The words of Jesus Christ are in red color and the other words spoken by different authors are in black color or any other color (Matthew 3:15). Let us have an educative mindset any time we take up our Bibles to read or study. Hallelujah! Dear beloved, do you want to see great and mighty things? Try calling on God, using His Word. Use His Word in faith and He will answer you (Mark 11:23). Abraham called on Him and He answered, Moses called on Him and He answered; likewise did Peter and Paul. Beloved, when you also call Him, He will also answer and show you deep things that will amaze you. Hallelujah! Keep calling on Him!

Prayer Point: Dear heavenly Father, thank You for enlightening me today. I call on You today. Please confirm Your Word and show me great and mighty things which I never knew about myself, family, business, etc. 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.