GOD’S REQUIREMENTS OF US IN COMPANIONSHIP WITH HIM!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 28, 2021.

SUBJECT : GOD’S REQUIREMENTS OF US IN COMPANIONSHIP WITH HIM!

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 walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6 vs  8.)

READ: Psalm 101 vs 3 - 7:

101:3: I will not set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.

101:4: A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will not know wickedness.

101:5: Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him I will destroy; The one who has a haughty look and a proud heart, him I will not endure.

101:6: My eyes shall be on the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me; He who walks in a perfect way, he shall serve me.

101:7: He who works deceit shall not dwell within my house; He who tells lies shall not continue in my presence.

INTIMATION:

God is ready to teach us, to let us be with Him, to be a true and faithful companion, if we will seek such a relationship. God tells us the manner in which we are to walk with Him. Companions come in all sizes and shapes and for various reasons. A dog can be your companion, an elderly person can hire a companion to accompany him or her. You can even pick up a hitchhiker and have him be your companion for a long stretch of driving. But we will examine a very specific kind of companion: the teacher-mentor, which is God's kind of companionship.

Four areas are major ingredient for a relationship that would be described as a companionship. These areas are: (1) Agreement (2) Experience (3) Conversation (4) Learning. These ingredients are required in our companionship with God.

God defines the first one: "Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?" (Amos 3 vs 3) So agreement is the first requirement. You have to want to spend time together with God, and we know this is the desire of His heart. He tells us in many different ways in the Word that He desires to be with us.

Second, 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 "Code of Conduct," and "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 between you and God. Not just one way, but rather an exchange of ideas from both parties. Think of your own experience. When you have been with someone who monopolizes the 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 you are only a listening board, and your opinion matters little since it is rarely sought.

Sometimes 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 "In Jesus' name, Amen." No time to hear His input, no time to seek His advice. Only a time to "dump" on Him. Yes, Peter advises us in First Peter 5 vs 7 to give the Lord all our burdens and cares. Surely, we are to present our anxieties to Him, but then, we are to wait for His response.

The fourth ingredient is learning. A relationship that culminates into companionship entails learning from superior partner. As we spend time with God, our relationship allows us to learn about Him, about ourselves, and about others. We come to appreciate Him more as we get to know Him better. We become more relaxed in His presence as we now are His companion.

We understand ourselves better; our strengths and weaknesses, how to overcome them, why we do things the way we do, how to change our negatives responses, and the likes. 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?' A classical illustration is made with a product you bought from the store. The manufacturer is in Germany, but has included a manual in the package to enable you study and know more about the product and how to use and/or operate it. The same is true of our relationship with God. He has given us His 'Code of Conduct," and owner's Manual'—the "Bible" for our study. In it God speaks and you hear from and learn about Him. As the spiritual relationship develops, God can speak to you in a vision, an audible voice or even through others in such relationship with Him.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are my faithful companion, and has promised to be with m till the end of age. Thank You Lord for fighting my unseen battles, and giving me victory. Help me to walk humbly with You at all times, in Jesus' Name I have prayed, Amen. 

PRAISE THE LORD!

CAN YOU PROVE YOUR LOVE TO HIM?

 Can You Prove Your Love to Him? 

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 (KJV)

Love has a voice and that voice must be heard. When God wanted to prove His love to mankind, He demonstrated it by giving His only begotten Son. This attested to the fact that God is love (1 John 4:8). Even though the sin of mankind was very grievous, He never allowed mankind to wallow in sin. He had mercy on us and sent His beloved Son to sacrifice Himself for us. Beloved, Jesus Christ accepted to offer Himself for us because He loved us just as the Father loved us. What can we do to show appreciation to the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ? The best appreciation to Him, and the proof of our love for God, is giving our whole life to Him: our heart, soul or mind, and our might or body. In other words, when we accept the gospel and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and make Him Lord and personal Savior of our lives, then we have demonstrated that we love Him. Furthermore, we should be obedient to His Word and very committed to Him. As we do all these things, we should remember that God will test our commitment and love for Him, and we should be on the alert and ready to pass all His tests so that we can be promoted from glory to glory. Beloved, we should also remember to extend this love to our fellow human beings to further authenticate that we love God (1 John 4:20). Hallelujah! Be loving!

Prayer Point: My loving and gracious Father, there is no doubt of Your love for humanity. Thank You for loving me and sacrificing Your beloved Son for me. To prove to You that I love You, I have accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and personal Savior. Please lead and guide me to extend this love to my fellow human beings so that they can have a taste of Your love 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.

RICHES ARE BY-PRODUCT OF GOD’S FAVOR!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SARTURDAY FEBRUARY 27, 2021.

SUBJECT : RICHES ARE BY-PRODUCT OF GOD’S FAVOR!

Memory verse: "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning." (James 1 vs 17.)

READ: Deuteronomy 8 vs 17 - 18:

8:17: Then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.

8:18: And You shall remember the Lord Your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

INTIMATION:

Riches are just a by-product of God's favor. God gives us riches, but riches aren't the real asset in one’s life. It's like the old children's fable about the goose that lays the golden eggs. The golden eggs are not as valuable as the goose that produces them! The goose lays a golden egg every day, and when you have the goose you get all of the golden eggs that come with it. In the same way, riches aren't your true asset. The real treasure is the blessing and the favor of God that produces riches. A lot of people today are focused on gathering golden eggs, and they are completely overlooking the parent force that creates them. The person who owns the goose is going to end up with a lot of more gold than someone who is running around looking for eggs. Likewise.

God is the source of our prosperity, and once you realize that God is the source of prosperity, you understand how pointless it is to chase after riches. Instead, chase faster God who gives favor and power to get riches. In the passage we read today, the Scripture is very clear on the fact that God gives us power to get wealth. God doesn't send us cheques in the mail; He releases an anointing on whatever we do, and causes it to prosper. And the blessing of God is so powerful that it cannot be reversed (James 1 vs 17). In the Scripture. Balaam, the infamous prophet was hired by a foreign King to curse the children of Israel, but he said, "Behold, I have received commandment to bless; He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it. (Numbers 23 vs 20.)" 

The Lord told Abraham, "I will bless you, and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing" (Genesis 12 vs 2). It was the spoken favor of God on Abraham's life that caused him to prosper. It was God's favor that allowed him to grow rich from grazing his cattle and sheep in a desert. Most people judge their worth by their savings and assets, but those things are just a physical manifestation of the real assets—which is God's favor. This is one reason why Scripture reminds us that the power to get wealth comes from God—not our efforts. Once the favor of God is on your life, it cannot be stopped! The only thing that can derail the blessing of God is your own unbelief, negativity, and broken fellowship with the Lord. As long as we keep believing, and are in fellowship witness Lord, the blessings of God will keep coming. 

Understanding the true value of God's favor on your life will cause you to have a steward’s attitude toward possessions. You can look at all of the things you possess and say, "It's just stuff." You will know that money is merely a tool that helps you accomplish what God has called you to do; it isn't true prosperity. It’s God who gives us everything we have, and it’s God who asks us to manage it for Him. God supplies most people with the personal and financial abilities to respond to the needs of others. If we all realize how God has blessed us, and if we all use our resources to do God’s will, hunger and poverty would be wiped out in amongst us. Wealth is a blessing only if we use it in the way God intended. 

The focus of your life should be your relationship with God, which is what causes favor to be bestowed on you, and wealth to accumulate. God's favor in your life is priceless. Money isn't that significant because riches can be stolen and property can be taken away, but no one can rob you of God's favor. Once you get that same mindset, you strive to become very secure in your relationship with God, and be certain to attract His favor in your life.

Prayer: Abba Father, all things are Yours, and no man can receive anything unless it’s given to him from heaven. Endue me with the excellent spirit that will engender an intimacy with You that will cause Your favor and power to rest upon me, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

ENCOURAGE YOURSELF IN HIM!

 Encourage Yourself in Him! 

“For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:” Job 19:25 (KJV)

Job was an upright man but went through many trials. The only thing that kept him going was to encourage himself in the LORD. God has put Job’s story in the Holy Bible for the children of God to learn from. Beloved, when you find yourself going through many challenges, what you need to do is to encourage yourself in the Word of God. Read Job’s story and take inspiration from him. This will keep you moving on as a child of God. Remember that David also encouraged and strengthened himself and was able to prevail over his enemies (1 Samuel 30:6–18). As a child of God, your faith will be tested by God and you must make sure you pass the test so that you can be promoted. In the end, Job was promoted and rewarded (Job 42:12-13). He received a double fold of all that he lost during his trial. Our Lord and Savior also went through persecutions and trials, and finally died on the cross for us. He was also promoted and given a name, which is above every name that at the mention of His name all knees must bow and every tongue must confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of the Father (Philippians 2:8–11). Dear beloved, you shall succeed if you don’t give up or give in. Keep drawing inspiration from Bible characters such as Abraham, David, Job, Joseph, etc. And keep pressing on till you embrace your miracle. Hallelujah! You are an overcomer!

Prayer Point: Gracious Father, I’m blessed because I have been inspired by Your Word. Thank You. As I encourage and strengthen myself in Your Word, let Your grace be sufficient for me to keep moving forward and pressing on, in spite of the numerous challenges in my life, till I embrace my miracle 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.

UNDERSTANDING THE NEED FOR THANKSGIVING IN PRAYERS!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 26, 2021.

SUBJECT : UNDERSTANDING THE NEED FOR THANKSGIVING IN PRAYERS!

Memory verse: "In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (First Thessalonians 5 vs 18.)

READ: Psalm 103 vs 1 - 5:

103:1: Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His Holy Name!

103:2: Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits:  

103:3: Who forgives our iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, 

103:4: Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, 

105:2: Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

INTIMATION:

God is responsible and the performer of every good thing we have seen in our lives. He is the doer of all the invisible happenings in our lives in accordance with His goodness and mercy. He is responsible for all the benefits, especially intangible benefits, accruing to us in life, and giving Him thanks always help us avoid taking God's provisions for granted. 

Thanksgiving is an integral part of our relationship with, and praise to God. Giving Him thanks is His Will for us in Jesus Christ, realizing all He wrought for us in Christ. The Bible, in Revelation 7 vs 11 - 12 says, "All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: "Amen! blessing and glory and wisdom, thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever. Amen."

All we have are gifts from God—life, faith, salvation, possessions and and so on. (John 3 vs 27; Ephesians 2 vs 8 - 9; James 1 vs 17.) When someone gives you a gift, the appropriate response is 'thank you.' Thanksgiving therefore, is also a proper response to God at all times, and in everything. The psalmist says, “It is good to gives thanks to the Lord, and sing praises to Your name, O Most High; To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night. (Psalm 92 vs 1 - 2.)

The bases of praise, and thanksgiving is declaring God's character and attributes. When we recognize and affirm His goodness we are holding up His perfect moral nature for all to see. With genuine praise and thanksgiving we ascribe to God all the glory due to Him. We cannot thank Him enough for His great and wondrous acts in our lives. 

In the passage we read today, David tried listing some of the benefits accruing to us daily from God for which we should always give Him thanks and praise: He forgives our sins, heals our diseases, redeems us from destruction, crowns us with lovingkindness and tender mercies, satisfies our desires, and gives righteousness and justice. We receive all of these without deserving any of them. No matter how difficult your life’s journey, you can always count your blessings—past, present, and future. And the praise we offer to Him benefits us because it takes our minds off our problems and needs, and focuses on God's power, mercy, majesty, and love. 

God has graciously adopted us as His children who are born of His Will, therefore, we should rest assured of His presence in our lives at all times. Consequently, in everything that happens to us, we should be thankful for God's presence, and for the good that He will accomplish through the happenings, knowing that, "All things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8 vs 28). 

It’s noteworthy that God works in 'all things,’ not just in isolated incidents, and for our good. This does not mean that all that happens to us is good. Evil is prevalent in our fallen world, but God is able to turn every circumstance around for our long-range good. The psalmist in Psalm 95 vs 2 says, "Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving....." Therefore, we should always acknowledge God's goodness, and His presence with thanksgiving. God is pleased when we give Him thanks. He uses our responsiveness to teach us more about Himself, revealing Himself more to us for our benefits.  

Your offer of thanksgiving will not be in words only. Just as we naturally show appreciation for what others have done to us both in words and material offering, we should do the same to our Father in heaven. Your material offering in thanksgiving is an application to God for more. God will ever reciprocate all your offerings to Him, and in greater dimension. 

Thanksgiving should be in all areas of life, and If you are truly thankful, your life will show it. As an integral part of our praise to God, it is what we do ourselves. This is the instruction of the Lord. (See Leviticus 7 vs 28 - 30). God told the people of Israel to bring their offering personally with their own hands. They were to take time and effort to express thanks to God. It’s quite obvious that you are the only person who will express adequately your thankfulness to God and to others who have blessed, or helped you.

Prayer: Abba Father, Your praise will be in my lips always, and I will thank You, O Lord, for Your presence, doings, and the good that You will accomplish through any circumstances of life that I face. Endue me with the spirit of praise and thanksgiving to You at all times, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

THE BEAUTY OF GOD IS IN YOU!

 The Beauty of God Is in You! 

“And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.” Psalms 90:17 (KJV)

The psalmist in the opening Scripture prayed for the beauty of God. This is a good prayer point. However, in the New Testament, the beauty of God lives in us in the person of the Holy Spirit. Knowing that the beauty of God lives in you makes you conscious to live a life of glory. Beloved, when a person becomes born again, the Holy Spirit comes to live in that person and makes the person a child of God (2 Corinthians 1:22). Thus, you don’t need to pray for the beauty of the LORD, because He has already given you His beauty in the person of the Holy Spirit. What you need to do is to believe that the beauty of the Lord resides in you and live it to the glory of God by continually declaring it to yourself. The Holy Spirit also comes with the grace of Christ to enable you to work for Him (John 1:17). This grace is also available for you to use in your career so that you can be established. Beloved, remember to cooperate with the Holy Spirit so that He can lead you to understand the Word of God and be rooted and grounded in Him. When you are rooted and grounded in Him, you will flourish and bear fruit even in your old age (Psalms 92:14). Hallelujah! God bless you!

Prayer Point: Dear heavenly Father, thank You for giving me the Holy Spirit to reside in me. Truly Your beauty lives in me, therefore my life is the expression of Your glory. As I impact my sphere of contact with the gospel, let them see this glory and draw closer to You and be saved 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.

KNOWING GOD ENGENDERS GREAT EXPLOITS!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 25, 2021.

SUBJECT : KNOWING GOD ENGENDERS GREAT EXPLOITS!

Memory verse: "Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong , and carry out great exploits, " (Daniel 11 vs 32) 

READ: Matthew 10 vs 1; Ephesians 3 vs 20; Second Timothy 1 vs 7:

Matthew 10:1: And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sicknesses and all kinds of disease.

Ephesians 3:20: Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,

2Timothy 1:7: For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and a sound mind.

INTIMATION:

In our close relationship and knowledge of God, we draw more on God's power. In our memory verse, the Scriptures made it very clear in declaring, "The people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits." The great promise here is that in our close relationship and fellowship with the Lord, we realize the great powers of God made available to us, and consequently become more stronger, more powerful, and ready to take action. 

To understand this verse, we must understand a little of Jewish history. The Jewish people had faced many periods of intense persecution. Probably the most devastating period was under the tyranny of Antiochus Epiphanes, the Syrian King who reigned from 175 to 164 B.C. He changed his name to Theos Epiphanes, which means "the manifest God" He was literally insane with hatred for all Jews.

Prophet Daniel predicted rightly what course of events would take place under the leadership of Antiochus Epiphanes. The king ordered the Jewish sacrifice to stop, desecrated the temple with a "pig offering" on the altar, prohibited the observance of the Sabbath and the circumcision of children, set up idolatrous altars, and ordered all copies of Scriptures to be destroyed. To disobey was to incur his wrath in the form of an ancient holocaust. How would the Jewish people ever survive this atrocity? Daniel knew; "The people who know their God shall be strong for, and carry out great exploits,"

This is exactly what happened. A band of courageous men called the Maccabees led a heroic revolt against Antiochus. They were overwhelming, their exploits was nothing less than phenomenal. They knew their God, claimed His power, took action, and broke through the tyrannical stronghold of their enemy. And people today who truly have a sense of God's presence and guidance have at their disposal the same degree of courage and power. There is no other way to gain this spiritual power except through an intimate knowledge of God.

Prophet Daniel knew His God intimately. When the leadership of the Medo-Persian Empire prevailed upon King Darius to issue a decree prohibiting anyone from praying to any god or man except for the King or be cast into the lions' den,  Daniel continued to pray to the God of heaven (Daniel 6 vs 4 -15). He had no fear, because he knew God, and the people who know God will have the courage and strength to do His Will despite the odds. 

In the passages we read today, Jesus empowered His disciples. He gave them power over unclean spirits; to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and disease. God's power working in us does exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think. He has given us the spirit of power, that same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is available to us through the indwell Holy Spirit. As our knowledge of Him increases and our friendship with Him develops, He makes His power readily available to us.

Prayer: Abba Father, all powers belong to You. With You nothing is impossible. Thank You for the gift of sonship, and Your power through the Holy Spirit that enables me to do all things through Your strength in me. With You victory is mine in all things. My utmost heart desire is an intimate relationship with You, that I may know You and the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that I may know what is the hope of Your calling, and what is the riches of the glory of Your inheritance in me, in Jesus' Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!