THE SOURCE OF GOD’S GRACE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY MARCH 13,2021.

SUBJECT:  THE SOURCE OF GOD’S GRACE!

Memory verse:  "Finally my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” (Ephesians 6 vs 10.) 

READ:  Acts 20 vs 32:

20:32: So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 

INTIMATION:

God is the custodian and source of all powers, peace and victory. And it is in fellowshipping with God, that is, the things we do in fellowship with God, that plugs us into the source of His power. If there is anything the devil tries to do, is to keep people out of fellowship with the Lord. Satan knows that once you are connected to the source of divine power, it is finished for Him.

Fellowship with the Lord is what ensures a victorious and peaceful Christian life. It is noteworthy that your salvation (which is a gift from God) is not based on your fellowship, rather it is based on the blood of Jesus, shed on the cross for our sins, and your believe in what He wrought for us in redemption, and confession of Christ Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. But without fellowship with Him, you will struggle the entire time you are here on this earth as a Christian, even though you will be saved because your name is in the Book of life.

Do you know what happens when you are in fellowship with God—spending quality time with Him? You become a custodian of His grace—the power of God to help you meet your needs and solve your problems. You begin to act like David when he faced the giant Goliath. You begin to take a stand and demand of the enemy, "Who do you think you are to defy the army of the living God?" (First Samuel 17 vs 26.) 

As soldiers of the Cross, you and I are not supposed to be afraid of our enemy—the devil. Instead, we are to ..”be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might—His grace.” When the spirit of fear comes along, rather than shaking like a leaf, we are to be bold as a lion, and remind the devil that "God has not given us the spirit if fear but of power, love and a sound mind" (Second Timothy 1 vs 7).

The devil comes against those who are doing damage to his kingdom, those who are doing something for God as His ambassadors. How then do we withstand the devil? By girding on the full armor of God, taking the shield of faith, by which we can quench his fiery darts, and by wielding the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. (Ephesians 6 vs 13 - 17.) But all of that armor and all of those weapons come from spending time in fellowship with the Lord.

Being strong in the Lord, in my considered opinion, is being strong in fellowship with God. And it’s only after being strengthened in fellowship that you can properly wear the whole armor of God. The necessary, and needed knowledge of the whole armor can only be acquired in fellowship with the Owner of the armor—God Himself!

Being in fellowship with the Lord does not mean that you will be in a room with God all the time. If you will give twenty or thirty minutes of sleep in the morning in order to get up early and seek His face, God will honor that sacrifice. It you are willing to turn off the television for thirty minutes in the evening and spend some time in fellowship with the Lord, you will be richly rewarded. 

However, God is a Loving Father, He will not require more of you than what you are able to give Him. He is not an ogre who is out to make you miserable. He just knows what you need in order to have that abundant, enjoyable, victorious life. He also knows that it doesn't come from methods, but from Him?

When you fellowship with the Lord, you learn to quickly follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit. However, you should come apart with the Lord (fellowship with the Lord) privately before you come apart publicly. Spend time with God so you can remain stable as you deal with the daily affairs of life.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are my all in all. I thirst to be in Your presence at all times. Give me the grace and enablement of being in fellowship with You at all times, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

GOD HAS GIVEN US ALL THINGS IN JESUS CHRIST!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY MARCH 12, 2021.

SUBJECT : GOD HAS GIVEN US ALL THINGS IN JESUS CHRIST!

Memory verse: "Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us all things to enjoy." (First Timothy 6 vs 17).

READ: Romans 8 vs 32; Second Peter 1 vs 3:

Romans 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?

Second Peter 1:3: As His divine power as given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to glory and virtue:

INTIMATION:

In the beginning God placed everything that man could use and enjoy in the Garden. God saw to it that Adam lacked nothing, as he was created in His own image and after His likeness, leaving nothing to be desired by him. God gave Adam dominion over everything. Adam was the master of the kingdom given to him, and was empowered to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, subdue it. God only placed Himself above Adam as his master.

God's Will of abundance for mankind was supreme until that fatal day Adam committed high treason against God by doubting God's integrity, and believing God's permanent enemy. According to the Scriptures, the woman was deceived but the man was not (First Timothy 2 vs 14), meaning that Adam knew what he did, and the implications of what he did. He tried shifting the blame on the woman when God enquired of him concerning his did (Genesis 3 vs 12).

When Adam partook of the deadly tree, he died, not physically but spiritually. Spiritual deadness is the nature of Satan. That nature consequently overtook Adam's once righteous spirit, and he became one with Satan. Every phase of Adam's life came under the curse of his new god, Satan. He was driven from the Garden; abundance was no longer his to enjoy. He had to toil and sweat in order to survive. His beautiful life was overrun by thorns and thistles both in the physical and in the spiritual world.

The Lordship of God provided only good. Poverty and lack came only after Adam changed god and began to operate under Satan's dominion, the author of poverty.

It is obvious that God desired man to live in abundance, but by Adam's own choice, the lordship of Satan engulfed him in a curse that resulted in poverty and lack. 

God's heart yearns for His people to be free, and through His infinite wisdom, He has continually provided deliverance for man and freedom from the curse of poverty. God, in His infinite mercy that endures forever, sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, for our sake, to pay the supreme price for our sins. He legally met the claim of justice; ‘The soul that sins shall die’ (Ezekiel 18 vs 4), and died on the cross for our sins. Through our believe in Christ Jesus our Sacrificial Savior, and His substitutionary work, He gave us right to become His children (John 1 vs 12). We are reinstated to our original position with Him. In accordance with His Will for us, in abundance and sufficiency, He has given us back all things in Christ Jesus to enjoy, Hallelujah!

Prayer: Abba Father, unto You be glory for the great things You have done. My sufficiency is in You who made heaven and the earth. Thank You for my redemption in Christ Jesus, and uphold me by Your generous spirit, in Jesus' Name. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

YOU HAVE BETTER WEAPONS!

 You Have Better Weapons! 

“No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.” Isaiah 54:17 (KJV)

The child of God must understand that there is an enemy out there, in the realm of the spirit, who does not want them to prosper. He always wants your downfall. God wants you to be encouraged that no matter how hard the enemy tries, his weapons will not defeat you. His tongue of accusation will not stand because you have better weapons. No wonder he is called the accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:10). Beloved, it is your heritage to live in peace, righteousness, and prosperity. Arm yourself with the Holy Scriptures and speak the Word of God to the enemy any time he comes against your mind with lies. Remember, Jesus Christ triumphed over him by using the Holy Scriptures, thus you are also guaranteed victory when you use them (Matthew 4:4, 7, 10). Take advantage of the blood of Jesus when the need arises. Be confident and trust God for His Word because the enemy has been defeated on the cross of Calvary (Colossians 2:14–15). You are a victor in Christ, so celebrate your victory continually. Hallelujah! You are an overcomer!

Prayer Point: Dear Father, thank You for making me a victor in Christ Jesus. Indeed, I have all the weapons at my disposal to render the enemy and his cohorts continually defeated. Continually embolden me to put fear in my enemies perpetually, 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.

Everyday with Jesus on https://miheanyi.blogspot.com awesome place for divine protection through God°s word daily.

PREPARE AGAINST THE HARD TIMES!

 Prepare Against the Hard Times! 

“In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him.” Ecclesiastes 7:14 (KJV)

The opening scripture has given believers in Christ Jesus divine truth to walk with in their daily lives. The truth is that there is a day of prosperity and a day of adversity (Job 1:1–22). God wants you to be in readiness against these two events. Beloved, if you are experiencing the day of prosperity, give God the praise and use this period to prepare against the time of adversity so that when it comes you will not feel it. Invest from your prosperity into business, the lives of people, and the work of the ministry, and you will not feel your day of adversity. Remember that by the wisdom of Joseph the Egyptians stored up grains in the seven years of abundance, so during the seven years of drought and famine they had enough grains to even sell to other countries (Genesis 41:47–57). On the other hand, if you are experiencing your day of adversity, be inspired by the opening scripture that your day of prosperity is at hand. Therefore, continue to be expectant, avoid complaining, encourage yourself in the Word of God, and continue to trust God for your prosperity, and your day of prosperity will come. Praise the Lord! Be an overcomer!

Prayer Point: Dear heavenly Father, thank You for creating times and seasons. Please stir up Your wisdom in me to identify my day of prosperity—rejoice and use my prosperity to prepare against the day of adversity so that, when it comes, I don’t feel it 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 POWER OF GRACE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY MARCH 11, 2021.

SUBJECT:  UNDERSTANDING THE POWER OF GRACE!

Memory verse:  "So He answered and said to me: “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the LORD of hosts.” (Zechariah 4 vs 6.) 

READ:  Ezra 4 vs 1 - 5:

4:1: "Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the descendants of the captivity were building the temple of the LORD God of Israel, 

4:2: they came to Zerubbabel and to the heads of the fathers' houses and said to them, Let us build with you, for we seek your God as you do; and we have sacrificed to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here. 

4:3: But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of fathers' houses of Israel said to them, “You may do nothing with us to build a house for our God; but we alone will build to the LORD God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, has commanded us.”

4:4: Then the people of the land tried to discourage the people of Judah. They troubled them in building, 

4:5: and hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

INTIMATION:

The passage we read today clearly brings to the fore the import of the power of grace. Correlating them with some other passages in the Bible will give us a clear understanding of the grace of God—the power of God. The adversaries of the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin were people who had been relocated in the northern kingdom when Assyria conquered Israel. These were mixed group of foreigners whose ancestors had been conquered by the Assyrians, and were forced to resettle in the northern kingdom of Israel after Israel was defeated and her people taken captive. 

The Israelite captives from the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin who returned to Jerusalem after the proclamation of freedom to the twelve tribes of Israel, started rebuilding the temple of God. In an attempt to infiltrate and disrupt the project these adversaries offered to help in the rebuilding project. Their real motive was to disrupt the temple project because they don't want Jerusalem to be strong again on their return from exile.  Although, it is true they were worshipping the God of Israel, but they also worshipped many other gods. To these foreigners God was just another 'idol' to be added to their collection. In God's eyes, this was not worship—it was sin and rebellion. True worship involves devotion to God alone. The Jews however, knew this—they saw through their ploy and refused their assistance.

Since the Israelites (Jews) were well aware of this fact, they told the people—their adversaries—that they had no part in building a temple to the LORD. When they heard this, it made them so angry that they began to do everything in their power to harass and cause trouble for the Israelites, to frustrate their purpose and plans.

Now, what should be the reaction of the godly to that kind of opposition and persecution? I believe the answer to that question is a key to enjoying the life of grace that God wills for his people. Let us look at passage in Zechariah 4 vs 1 - 3: "Now the angel who talked with me came back and awakened me, as a man who is awakened out of his sleep. And said to me, “What do you see?” So I said, “I am looking, and there is a lampstand of solid gold with its bowl on top of it, and on the stand seven lamps with seven pipes to the seven lamps. Two olive trees are by it, one at the right of the bowl and the other at its left.”

Zechariah had a vision in which an angel spoke to him. In this vision he saw a lampstand made of gold with seven lamps upon it. There were seven pipes to the lamps and two olive trees, one on either side, to feed the lamps continuously with oil. Students of the Word of God know that oil represents the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is the power of Almighty God. We have earlier learnt that the grace of God is the power of the Holy Spirit to meet our needs and solve our problems, although, the Scripture doesn't say it in so many words.

The seven lamps on the lampstand can only give light and glow if they have oil supplied to it. The pipes connect the lamps to the bowl containing the oil. The bowl is then connected to the olive trees that are constantly supplying the bowl with oil for the lamps to give light continually.

Now, let's look at what the Word of God says in Zechariah 4 vs 4 - 6; "So I answered and spoke to the angel who talked with me, saying, “What are these, my lord?” Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.” So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts." Here the Lord is speaking to the same people who were trying to build the temple with Zerubbabel. He is telling them how they should react to their frustrating situation. He is saying to them that their response to trouble should be to depend not upon their own abilities or efforts, but upon the limitless power of the Holy Spirit to meet the issues and resolve the crises they face. 

The vision given to Zechariah, shows the limitless power of God's grace in meeting our needs being made manifest. Remember, it is not by your power or might but by the Spirit (the grace) of God that we overcome all our lives' challenges. Many people believe that to survive in this world a person must be tough, strong, unbending and harsh. But God says, "Not by our might nor by our power, but by His Spirit—the power of God." It is only through God's Spirit (God's grace) that anything of lasting value is accomplished by us.

Prayer: Abba Father, outside of You I can do nothing! Thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit my Helper and His power available to me to always meet my needs and solve my problems, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

RECEIVING THE GRACE OF GOD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY MARCH 10, 2021.

SUBJECT:  RECEIVING THE GRACE OF GOD!

Memory verse:  "For the Lord God is a sun and shield: The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly..” (Psalm 84 vs 11.) 

READ:  Acts 4 vs 33; Ephesians 6 vs 24:

Acts 4:33: And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.

Ephesians 6:24: Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen. 

INTIMATION:

God's grace is a gift, and is receivable as a gift of God. It cannot be received on account of works. If you engage in spiritual exercises, that is, you spend time reading the Bible, praying, meditating, making positive confession etc, in an effort to get something from the Lord, it is works. Your fellowship with Him becomes work if your motive is to be considered worthy of receiving anything from Him by those acts which are your works, rather than by the grace of God. It cannot be received by reading and memorizing or confessing Scriptures. It cannot even be received by faith, but rather through faith in Christ Jesus. 

The grace of God is only received in our fellowship with the Lord, and our motive in fellowship with the Lord must be right to enable us receive His grace. You are to worship Him for who He is, and what He does, and can do, love Him, and witness for Him effectively, and desire to be in his presence as an upright believer. Anytime we get to thinking, by our evaluation, that we deserve something because we are doing something for God (whatever it may be, even spending time with Him) we are following a method rather than the Spirit. Though we might receive our petition, it is all by His grace. 

Wrong motives in fellowship is the major reason for many unanswered prayers amongst Christians. We must be careful about our motives. And even when we operate by all right methods, and our motives are pure, let us not fall into the trap of thinking that we deserve anything good from the Lord by our works. It is all by His grace. 

According to the Bible, we don't deserve anything except to die and spend eternity in everlasting punishment. Why? Because in the Lord's eyes, all of our righteousness, every good thing that we could ever do, is like filthy rags. (Isaiah 64 vs 6.) To fully understand and appreciate this fact, we need to look upon our righteousness as compared with the righteousness of Almighty God. If we will do that, instead of comparing our righteousness with the unrighteousness of others, then we will see ourselves as we really are. However, instead of feeling bad about ourselves, and looking at our own works or efforts, we should rejoice in the Lord, and glory in the Holy One of Israel for what He wrought for us in Christ Jesus, and His finished work for us on the Cross. 

In the parable of the sower in Mark's Gospel, Jesus likens the Kingdom of God to a farmer who sows his seed in his field and then goes to sleep, and rises night and day and the seed springs forth and grows up, ....he knows not how (Mark 4 vs 26 - 29). You see, we don't understand what happens once the seed is placed in the ground. Yes we are to plant our seed; prayer is a seed, Bible study is a seed, preparation for spiritual exercise is a seed, meditation is a seed, a good confession is a seed, an offering is a seed, Church attendance is a seed, witnessing for Christ is a seed, good work is a seed, time spent with Lord is a seed. Sow the seed, and allow God to do the work. He does the work not us, therefore, we can only receive God's favor by His works—His grace (power of the Holy Spirit) through faith in Him.

We must get beyond ourselves and our works and efforts and keep our eyes focused on God and His grace toward us. All these spiritual exercises enumerated above, and even the ones not mentioned are all channels through which we can receive the grace, when our motives of fellowship is right, and gets us plugged into the power source—receiving the grace of God (the unmerited favor—the power of the Holy Spirit) that enables us meet our needs. The most important of all is renewing our minds with God's Word and spending time with the Holy Spirit.

Prayer: Abba Father, all things are Yours, and Your mercy and compassion are at Your pleasure. May I ever find favor before You, to receive Your grace in all things in my life, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD! 

SPEAK YOUR FAITH, NOT FEAR!

 Speak Your Faith, Not Fear! 

“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalms 27:1 (KJV)

The Psalmist spoke the words in the opening scripture when fear wanted to have its way in him. Apparently, his enemies wanted to put fear in him so that they could defeat him, but he refused to fear and put his confidence in the LORD. Dear beloved, refuse to fear by speaking words of faith from the Holy Scriptures just as the Psalmist did. Fear comes by hearing or watching the wrong things, but faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). Therefore, if you hear anything that tries to create fear in you, it is the wrong message; replace it by hearing the Word of God to create faith in you. Don’t stop speaking faith; in fact, speak words of faith every day—speak them into your life, family, business, and career and see your faith work for you. When David voiced his faith, God honored his words, and Goliath was defeated just as David said (1 Samuel 17:45–50). Beloved, the Word of God always works, so keep speaking it boldly in faith and you will win. Hallelujah! You are an overcomer!

Prayer Point: My faithful Father, thank You for inspiring me today by Your Word. Henceforth, I cease from hearing or watching fear-inducing messages or things, and I focus on hearing your Word, thereby creating faith in me. I will keep speaking words of faith every day to see my life, family, business, etc. flourish 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.