YOU ARE NOT FORGOTTEN!

 You Are Not Forgotten! 

“Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?” Luke 12:6 (KJV)

Knowing that you are not forgotten by God creates patience in you to wait till you are rewarded. God, who is called Elohim, the creator, is still the Father of His creation and controller of all things. He provides for all His creation: the birds, fishes, animals, the trees, and human beings. He does not forget to feed them. Beloved, if He is able to provide for animals and trees, how much more will He provide for you. Indeed, you are more valuable than many sparrows (Luke 12:7). Remember that you are His child and the crown of His creation. After God created everything on earth, He put man in charge over His creation (Genesis 1:26). If you feel abandoned or forgotten by God, be aware that it is just a feeling from the enemy. Brush him off by declaring these words, “I am a child of God, I have the nature of Abba Father in me, I cannot be forgotten, He will come through for me because I’m precious to Him.” As you declare these words, the peace of God will garrison your heart. This peace will keep you until you are provided for. Hallelujah! Dear beloved, do you feel forgotten? Meditate on the opening scripture and verse seven and begin to thank and praise God for His providence. Before long, you will experience His providence like Abraham did (Genesis 22:13). Hallelujah! Glory to God!

Prayer Point: My loving and faithful Father, I’m so excited to know that You cannot forget me. I’m on Your mind and You have great plans for me. If You can provide for the sparrows, then You can do much more for me. I trust in You and I wait on You till I experience Your providence in every area of my life in Jesus’ name. Amen!

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

Do You Want to Be Right?

 Do You Want to Be Right? 

“For the word of the Lord is right; and all his works are done in truth.” Psalms 33:4 (KJV)

We are living in an era where things are moving quickly; technology keeps changing, there are many mishaps, and the world is becoming unpredictable. The children of God are faced with several challenges in their walk with the Lord Jesus (Psalms 34:19). However, the children of God are expected to live right to maintain the standard of God. The child of God can only live right by using the Holy Scriptures. Remember, the Holy Scriptures are pure and purified seven times, thus they are infallible (Psalms 12:6). Beloved, you are expected to find the Word of God pertaining to the situation in which you find yourself and use it to bear the testimony of God’s truth. Dear child of God, the expectation of God about you is high, and you must not fail Him. There are people who are looking up to you, and you must succeed so that they can be inspired to also do good works in truth. Never let down the cloud of witnesses who are cheering you (Hebrews 12:1). You can always be right when you use the Word of God. Thus, use the Word, live for the truth, and look onto Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of your faith (Hebrews 12:2). Living right in God’s Word will always guarantee success, peace, joy, and prosperity. Hallelujah! God bless you.

Prayer Point: My righteous and faithful Father, I’m grateful for Your making Your Word available to me. I will meditate on it day and night and observe it to do in order to experience success, peace, joy, and prosperity 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.

GOD’S EVERLASTING LOVE FOR THOSE IN CHRIST!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 19, 2021.

SUBJECT: GOD’S EVERLASTING LOVE FOR THOSE IN CHRIST!

Memory verse: “The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying, “Yes, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: Therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn you.” (Jeremiah 31 vs 3.)

READ: Romans 8 vs 31 - 35 & 37 - 39:

8:31: What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 

8:32: He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 

8:33: Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 

8:34: Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 

8:35: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 

8:37: Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 

8:38: For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, 

8:39: nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separated us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

INTIMATION:

In the passage we read today, the Scripture overwhelmingly reveals the 'everlasting love' for us who are in Christ; who believe in Him, and have accepted Him as our personal Lord and Savior, completely accepting what He wrought for us in redemption. Christ's death for us is proof of His unconquerable love for the believers. Nothing can stop Christ's constant presence with the believer. When we know how great His love for us is, we will feel totally secure in Him. If we believe these overwhelming assurances, we will not be afraid when we are faced with any form of hardships, which naturally comes in the course of life.

Suffering should not drive us away from God, but rather help us to identify with Him further and allow His love to reach us and heal us. No matter what happens to us, no matter where we are, we can never be lost to His love. In such situations, as believers, we should take solace in the fact that Eternal Life with Him awaits us, where there is no form of suffering, or deprivation, but all things are available for us.

Many of us are yet to realize what Christ wrought for us in the New Creation. Few of us have realized that our combat is with the eternally defeated one—Satan. He was eternally defeated when Jesus arose from the dead. Jesus couldn't have risen until Satan was defeated, and now Jesus is the Head of an unconquerable body! In verse 37, the apostle Paul recapitulated all the things that can assail the believer—the new created being; "Tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, or sword," and the believer has been made more than a conqueror in all these.

Sin consciousness had been the outstanding enemy of the believer, but there is no ground for it. If one knew that sin and sins were put away when he was “Born Again,” that there was no past that could ever confront him or her again, it would change the believer’s life completely. Everything that the believer has ever been and has done were put away, all the sins were remitted. The believer’s nature that has led him or her to sin has been changed. A new nature has taken its place (See Second Corinthians 5 vs 17 - 21). The Blood has cleansed us. We is now utterly one with Christ, and are complete in Him.

The Bible in Colossians 2 vs 9 - 10 states, "For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power." The Scripture confirms Christ's deity. All of God was in Christ's human body. We need not anything in addition to what Christ has provided to be saved. We are complete in Him. The completeness is a result of the Father's own work through Christ, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works." (Ephesians 2 vs 10.)

It is obvious our Perfect Father couldn't create anything in His Son that wasn't perfectly well pleasing to Himself. And He confirmed this when He said, "This is My beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased." (Matthew 3 vs 17.) We have been created in His Son. And the actual working out of that creation is described in Second Corinthians 5 vs 17; “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” That new creation is a new specie that stands complete and perfect in the Father's presence. This new creation is as perfect as the first creation was in the Garden of Eden. The difference is that this new creation is a son, an heir of God, and a joint heir with Jesus Christ, and has the Nature of God in him! You can see what this means. It puts us over into the same class with Jesus—as conquerors. Hallelujah!

Prayer: Abba Father, my soul and everything that is within me are saying thank You for Your unparalleled love for me. It’s my desire to return Your love, therefore, engrace me with the spirit of raw obedience to You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

CONFESSION OF OUR SIN RESTORES FELLOWSHIP!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 18, 2021.

SUBJECT: CONFESSION  OF OUR SIN RESTORES FELLOWSHIP!

Memory verse: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (First John 1 vs 9.)

READ: Psalm 32 vs 1 - 5:

32:1: Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

32:2: Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

32:3: When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long.

32:4: For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was turned into the drought of summer.

32:5: I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.

INTIMATION:

To confess our sin is to agree with God, acknowledging that He is right to declare what we have done as sinful and that we are wrong to desire or to do it. It means affirming our intention of forsaking that sin in order to follow Him more faithfully. God wants to forgive sinners. Forgiveness has always been part of His loving nature, and He dramatically showed it to the world through the offering of His only Son, Jesus Christ, for our sins. The instant you confess your sin, He is faithful, just, and righteous to forgive you restore fellowship you. 

Confession is supposed to free us to enjoy fellowship with Christ. It should ease our consciences and lighten our cares. But some Christians do not understand how it works. They feel so guilty that they confess the same sin over and over; then they wonder if they might have forgotten something. These Christians do not understand that God wants to forgive us. He allowed His beloved Son to die so He could offer us pardon. God forgives disobedience, puts sin out of sight, and cleans our record of guilt. Now you are to forgive yourself and forget your sins and go on in love with Him. For you to continually remind yourself of your past errors and sins is to deny the efficacy of His forgiveness and the value of His Word.

When we come to Christ, He forgives all the sins we have committed or will ever commit provided we confess our sins and ask for His forgiveness. We don’t need to confess the sins of the past all over again, and we don’t need to fear that God will reject us if we don’t keep our state perfectly clean. Of course we should continue to confess the sins we commit thereafter, not because failure to do so will make us lose our salvation since our relationship with Christ is secure. Instead, we should confess so that we can enjoy maximum fellowship and joy with Him. Joy cannot be made full without full fellowship. 

One may say, “God has forgiven us our sins because of Christ’s death, why must we confess our sins?” In admitting our sins and receiving Christ’s cleansing, we are (1) agreeing with God that our sin truly is sin and that we are willing to turn from it, (2) ensuring that we don’t conceal our sins from Him and consequently from ourselves, and (3) recognizing our tendency to sin and relying on His power to overcome it.  

There is no need walking in broken fellowship a minute after you have committed sin. The devil is the author of that sin. Then to walk in broken fellowship, grieving over your blunder, is only adding joy and glory to the devil. The instant you have done wrong and your fellowship is impaired, ask for the Father's forgiveness and go on in fellowship with Him. 

In First John 2 vs 1, the Scripture says, 

"My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." Jesus Christ is the righteous Advocate. He can go into the Father's presence when we are under condemnation and shrink from meeting Him. He is always righteous, and can always plead our case. The instant we ask the Father's forgiveness, Jesus takes up our case before the Father and our fellowship is restored.

However, true confession also involves a commitment not to continue in sin. We wouldn’t be genuinely confessing our sins to God if we planned to commit them again and just wanted temporary forgiveness. We should also pray for strength to defeat temptation the next time we face it. For the sin(s) that easily beset you, seek the power of the Holy Spirit to help you overcome it; humbly go to God in prayer for His help through the Holy Spirit indwelling you.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are our sacrificial Savior, our faithful Companion, and ever Merciful Father. In Your loving nature, You gave us Your only begotten Son to die for our sins, and paid the price of sin we owed. Forever I remain deeply grateful to You for the free gift of salvation. Engrace me with the spirit of delightsome obedience to You in all areas of my life, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

THE NEW CREATION MAN IN CHRIST!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2021.

SUBJECT: THE NEW CREATION MAN IN CHRIST!

Memory verse: "In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His WillI.” (Ephesians 1 vs 11.)

READ: Ephesians 1 vs 3 - 9:

1:3: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

1:4: just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in Love,

1:5: having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His Will,

1:6: to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

1:7: In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.

1:8: which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,

1:9: having made known to us the mystery of His Will, according to His good which He purposes in Himself,

INTIMATION:

In the “new creation” in Jesus Christ, God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places. This means that in Christ we have all the benefits of knowing God. These include; being chosen for salvation, being adopted as His children, forgiveness of our sins, insight into our inheritance as His children, the gift of the Spirit, the power of God’s Will in our lives, and the hope of living forever with Christ. And because we have an intimate relationship with Christ through the new creation, we can enjoy these blessings now, and also eternally.

In Christ we have our redemption from Satan's dominion and authority, for "we have been translated into the kingdom of the Son of His love;" (Colossians 1 vs 13), and Jesus has become our new Lord, our love Master. He is our caretaker, the guarantor of our ability to reign over the forces that ones dominated us. There has been remission of all our trespasses, and that remission has been according to the riches of His grace (the unmerited favor to us, not of any good works of us). That is an unfathomable expression of love.

Do you ever imagine what "the riches of His grace" means to us? And He made this abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, for Christ has been made wisdom to us. We then have the wisdom to face life's problems with prudence, and this wisdom, prudence, and ability of God is His Will toward us. But how can you know that fact if you are not a hearer and doer of the Word. The Bible is available to us for studying and meditation. Teachers of the Word abound as well as places of worship, for those who can't read, and understand the Bible. 

Let's look at what James said in James 1 vs 21 - 25. "Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror, for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does."

It is only in learning (hearing, reading, meditating on) the Word of God, and practicing what you have learnt that you can appreciate what you are in Christ. And it is only in so doing that you can free yourself from the dominion of the sense realm. It is important to listen to what God’s Word says, but it is much more important to obey it and to do what it says. We can measure the effectiveness of our Bible study time by the effect it has on our behavior and attitudes.

Every believer should make out a list on a little card or in a notebook of what he is in Christ. Then read it over and over like this: “In Him I have my redemption. In Him I am a New Creation, and Satan has no dominion over me. Jesus alone is my Lord. I am the righteousness of God in Christ. I am the son of God, a joint heir with Jesus Christ. I have as much right in the Father's presence as Jesus has in His presence. And I have a standing invitation to the throne room to come boldly and take my place as a son. I should remember that "It is God who is at work within me, willing and working His own good pleasure. I should never allow myself to forget what manner of man He made me in Jesus Christ.” It is in so doing that the full realization of what manner of man you are made of in Christ will be donned by you.

The New Creation man forgets what manner of man he is in time of stress or crisis, unless he has gotten a clear understanding of what he is in Christ. Most Christians have lived so long in the realm of the senses and religion that it is difficult for them to realize what they are in Christ. Even after the new birth (confessing Jesus as their Lord and Savior) they will unconsciously lapse into the old life, seeing themselves as they were, and not as they are in the New Creation. In this attitude, the new creation is not a workable reality for them. 

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of wisdom and revelation of the knowledge of what I am in Jesus Christ, let my eyes of understanding be enlightened to know what is the hope of Your calling, what are the riches of the glory of Your inheritance in the believers, and what is the exceeding greatness of Your power toward us who believe, according to the working of Your mighty power, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

NO COMPLETE SATISFACTION ON EARTH!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 16, 2021.

SUBJECT: NO COMPLETE SATISFACTION ON EARTH! 

Memory verse: "For we are aliens and pilgrims before You, As were our fathers; our days on earth are as a shadow, and without hope." (First Chronicles 29 vs 15.)

READ: Hebrews 11 vs 13 - 16:

11:13: These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 

11:14: For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. 

11:15: And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they have come out, they would have had opportunity to return. 

11:16: But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.

INTIMATION:

Have you ever imagined why human wants are insatiable? This is because this earth is not our ultimate home. In our home, there are no wants, therefore, there is no insatiableness. And the fact that earth is not our ultimate home explains why, as followers of Jesus, we experience difficulty, sorrow, and rejection in this world. It also explains why some of God's promises seem unfulfilled, some prayers seem unanswered, and some circumstances seem unfair. Such situations are not operative in our home.

In the passage we read today, the Scripture talks about God's Hall of Fame. These people of faith in the passage, were “strangers and pilgrims” on earth—this world is not their home. Embracing this truth, they lived and died without seeing the fruit of their faith on earth, not receiving all that God promised, but they never lost their vision of their heaven country. On the contrary, at the present time, many Christians become frustrated and defeated because their earthly needs, wants, expectations, and demands are not immediately met when they accept Christ as Savior. They become impatient and want to quit. Many think that pain is an exception in the Christian life. When suffering occurs they say, "Why me?" They feel as though God deserted them, or perhaps they accuse Him of not being as dependable as they thought in reality. 

In God's eyes, the greatest heroes of faith are not those who achieve prosperity, success, and power in this life, but those who treat this life as a temporary assignment and serve faithfully, expecting their promised reward in eternity. While we are on earth, we may never see the purpose of our suffering. But we know that God will keep His promises to us. Your time on earth is not the complete story of your life. You must wait until heaven for the rest of the chapters. It takes faith to live on earth as a foreigner. The end of life is not the end! 

However, we live in an evil world filled with suffering, even for believers. But God is still in control. He allows some Christians to become martyrs for the faith, and He allows others to survive persecution. We should be comforted when we remember that Jesus is God, and suffered persecution, and death by hanging, in the evil world. He understands our fears, weaknesses, and disappointments (see Hebrews 2 vs 16 - 18; 4 vs 14 - 16). He promised never to leave us (Matthew 28 vs 18 - 20), and intercedes on our behalf (Hebrews 7 vs 24 - 25). 

In order to keep us from becoming too attached to earth, God allows us to feel a significant amount of discontent and dissatisfaction in life—longings that can never be fulfilled on this side of eternity. We're not completely happy here because we're not supposed to be! Earth is not our final home; we were created for something much better. Realizing that life on earth is just a temporary assignment should radically alter your values. Eternal values, not temporal ones, should become the deciding factors for your decisions. It is a fatal mistake to assume that God's goal for your life is material prosperity or popular success, as the world defines it. The abundant life has nothing to do with material abundance. 

An old story is often repeated of a retiring missionary coming home to America on the same boat as the president of the United States. Cheering crowds, a military band, a red carpet, banners, and the media welcomed the president home, but the missionary slipped off the ship unnoticed. Feeling self-pity and resentment, he began complaining to God. Then God gently reminded him, "But my child, you're not home yet," When recognition is not given to your perseverance, when you suffer neglect, when life gets tough, when you're overwhelmed with doubt, or when you wonder if living for Christ is worth the effort, remember that you are not home yet. At death you won't leave home, you'll go home.

A fish will never be happy living on land, because it was made for water. An eagle could never feel satisfied if it wasn't allowed to fly. You will never feel completely satisfied on earth, because you were made for more. You will have happy moments here, but nothing compared with what God planned for you. You will not be in heaven two seconds before you cry out, "Why did I place so much importance on things that were so temporary? What was I thinking? Why did I waste so much time, energy, and concern on what wasn't going to last?"

Prayer: Abba Father, this world is not my home, I am just passing through. I am persuaded that You have prepared a place for me in our Father’s mansion, to welcome me into at my appointed time of coming home. Endue me with the right spirit of wisdom and understanding, to live on earth conscious of my home country, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

LIFE ON EARTH IS BRIEF AND TEMPORAL!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY FEBRUARY 15, 2021.

SUBJECT: LIFE ON EARTH IS BRIEF AND TEMPORAL! 

Memory verse: "For we were born yesterday, and know nothing, because our days on earth are a shadow." (Job 8 vs 9.)

READ: Philippians 3 vs 20; First Peter 2 vs 11:

Philippians 3:20: For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

First Peter 2:11: Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul.

INTIMATION:

Life on earth is the brief period between birth and death. And because it has a beginning and an end, it is temporary, and not permanent. The Bible is full of metaphors that teach about the brief, temporal, and transient nature of life on earth. To make the best use of your life, you must never forget two truths: First, compared with eternity, life is extremely brief. Second, earth is only a temporary residence. You won't be here very long, so don't get too attached. Ask God to help you see life on earth as He sees it. David prayed, "Lord, help me to realize how brief my time on earth will be. Help me to know my end, and what is the measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am." (Psalm 39 vs 4.)

Repeatedly the Bible compares life on earth to temporarily living in a foreign country. This is not your permanent home or final destination. You're just passing through, just visiting earth. The Bible uses terms like alien, pilgrim, foreigner, stranger, visitor, and traveler to describe our brief stay on earth. David said, "I am a stranger in the earth..." (Psalm 119 vs 19.) As believers, we are "sojourners and pilgrims" on this earth, because our real home is with God. Our true loyalty should be to our citizenship in heaven, not to our citizenship here, because the earth will be destroyed. 

There is far more to life than just the few years we live on this planet. Believers identity is in eternity, and our homeland is heaven. When you grasp this truth, you will stop worrying about "having it all" on earth. God is very blunt about the danger of living for the here and now and adopting the values, priorities, and lifestyles of the world around us. When we flirt with the temptations of this world, God calls it spiritual adultery: "Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." (James 4 vs 4.)

We are in the world and constantly in association with the world, its standards, and circumstances. Though we are in the world, but we are not of this world (John 15 vs 19). We are ambassadors of Christ in this world (Second Corinthians 5 vs 20). As an ambassador you will not be able to isolate yourself from the world. To fulfill your mission, you would have to have contact with the world. But suppose you become so comfortable with this world that you fell in love with it, preferring it to your homeland in heaven, your loyalty and commitment would change. Your role as an ambassador will be compromised. Instead of representing your home country, you would start acting like the enemy. You'd be a traitor. Sadly, many Christians have failed to embrace this reality and have betrayed their King and His kingdom. 

God warns us not to get too attached to what's around us because it's temporary, "For the form of this world is passing away" (First Corinthians 7 vs 31). The cares of this world; financial security, self actualization, worldly happiness, marriage, and so on, are not the ultimate goal of life. As much as possible, we should live unhindered by the cares of this world, not getting involved in burdensome life activities that might keep you from doing God's work.

Compared with other centuries, life has never been easier for much of our world today. The advancement in technology has made life much more easier and enjoyable. We are  constantly entertained, amused, and catered to. With all the fascinating attractions, mesmerizing media, and enjoyable experiences available today, it's easy to forget that the pursuit of happiness is not what life is about. Only as we remember that life is a test, a trust, and a temporary assignment will the appeal of these things lose their grip on our lives. 

Prayer: Abba Father, I am a stranger in this world, and needs your guide embedded in Your Word. May the Holy Spirit continually reveal my true path of life, that I may not wonder aimlessly through life and risk missing my real destination, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!