GOD WANTS OBEDIENCE WITHOUT HESITATION!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY MAY 3, 2021.

SUBJECT : GOD WANTS OBEDIENCE WITHOUT HESITATION!

Memory verse: "By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten" (Hebrews 11 vs 17).

READ: GENESIS 22 vs 1 - 12:

22:1: Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am."

22:2: Then He said, "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you."

22:3: So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.

22:4: Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off.

22:5: And Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you."

22:6: So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together.

22:7: But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My father!" And he said, "Here I am my son." Then he said, "Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?"

22:8: And Abraham said, "My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering." So the two of them went together.

22:9: Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order, and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. 

22:10: And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.

22:11: But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" So he said, "Here I am."

22:12: And He said, "Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me."

INTIMATION:

In the passage we read, Abraham demonstrated one of the greatest acts of obedience recorded in history. The child, Isaac, was born after waiting for a hundred years, when his own body was already dead. He was commanded by God to offer the child for a burnt offering, even when he had no hope for another child, more so when God's promise to him was just for a child, and the child had been given to him. He undertook a three days journey of 50 miles to Mount Moriah to perform the sacrifice of his promised son, his only son, in obedience to God's command. His obedience was prompt and complete, and without hesitation.

Obeying God is often a struggle when it means giving up something we truly want; a relationship, habit, asset, emotion, and so on, or doing something against our wish or belief. We should not always expect our obedience to God to be easy or to come naturally. You can imagine how difficult it ought to be for Abraham, performing a human sacrifice of his only son of old age, in a burnt offering, a ritual practiced by pagan nations, and condemned by God as a terrible sin (Leviticus 20 vs 1 - 5). But in all these, Abraham's obedience without hesitation.

Although, God did not want Isaac to die, He was only testing Abraham; wanted Abraham to sacrifice Isaac in his heart so it would be clear that Abraham loved God more than he loved his promised and long awaited son. The purpose of testing is to strengthen our character and deepen our commitment to God and His perfect timing. Through this difficult experience, Abraham strengthened his commitment to obey God, and also, learned about God's ability to provide.

Even when obedience bring problems and hardship, it should without hesitation. For instance, when God sent Moses and Aaron to Pharaoh, and they took their message to Pharaoh just as God directed. The unhappy result was harder work and more oppression for the Hebrews. (Exodus 5 vs 1 - 9). Whatever you suffer because of obedience to God does not mean falling out of God's favor. The task or command might seem impossible, and the chances for success appear slim, but the bottom line is to obey. Anyone can obey God when the task is easy and everyone is behind it. Only those with persistent faith can obey when the task seems impossible. 

We should obey God even when we don't understand why. It is wise to precisely follow God's specific instructions. We may not fully understand the reasons behind God's instructions, but we do know that His wisdom is complete and His judgement infallible. We should obey God in all things. Selective obedience is really disobedience. Sometimes people compromise and give only partial obedience to God's commands. But commitment and obedience to God cannot be negotiated. God cannot be obeyed in half measures, or with hesitation (Genesis 19 vs 26 on Lot's wife).

Also, God is not obeyed in carelessness.  Careful Obedience to God is showing respect for Him. Aaron's sons were careless about following the laws, and in response God destroyed them with a blast of fire ( Leviticus 10 vs 1 - 2). It is easy for us to grow careless about obeying God, to live our way instead of God's, but if one way were just as good as another, God would not have commanded us to live His way. God always has good reasons for His commands, and we always place ourselves in danger when we consciously or carelessly disobey Him.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are the only God, and there is no other. Your thoughts for us is of good, and not of evil. I believe and put my absolute trust in You, and it is my wish to obey Your commands always without hesitation. Strengthen me in my commitment to You as I have no power of my own to obey You in all things without hesitation, in Jesus Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

God Demonstrates His Love!

God Demonstrates His Love!

God shows [demonstrates] his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

Notice that “demonstrates” is present tense and “died” is past tense. “God demonstrates his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

The present tense implies that this demonstrating is an ongoing act that keeps happening today. And will keep happening tomorrow.

The past tense “died” implies that the death of Christ happened once for all and will not be repeated. “Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18).

Why did Paul use the present tense (“God demonstrates”)? I would have expected Paul to say, “God demonstrated (past tense) his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Was not the death of Christ, when it happened, the demonstration of God’s love? And did not that demonstration happen in the past?

I think the clue is given a few verses earlier. Paul has just said that “suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame” (Romans 5:3–5). 

In other words, the goal of everything God takes us through is hope. He wants us to feel unwaveringly hopeful through all tribulations.

But how can we? 

Paul answers in the next line: “Because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:5). God’s love has been poured into our hearts. The tense of this verb means that God’s love was poured out in our hearts in the past (at our conversion) and is still present and active.

God did demonstrate his love for us in giving his own Son to die once for all in the past for our sins (Romans 5:8). But he also knows that this past love must be experienced as a present reality (today and tomorrow) if we are to have patience and character and hope. 

Therefore, he not only demonstrated it on Calvary; he goes on demonstrating it now by the Spirit in our hearts. He does this by opening the eyes of our hearts to taste and see the glory of the cross and the guarantee it gives that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:38–39).

THE EVER CHANGING MAN VERSUS THE UNCHANGING GOD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY MAY 02, 2021.

SUBJECT : THE EVER CHANGING MAN VERSUS THE UNCHANGING GOD!

Memory verse: "For I am the LORD, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob." (Malachi 3 vs 6.)

READ: Hebrews 13 vs 8:

13:8: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

INTIMATION:

We have seen God personally acknowledge His unchanging Nature in our memory verse above. God cannot be your Father today, and tomorrow He is no more. No! Everything about Him is permanent. What He is yesterday He is today, and forever remain the same. In a changing world we can only trust our unchanging Lord!

About four thousand years ago our loving Father guided the children of Israel out of Egypt. They came to the Red Sea, He parted the waters, and the people of Israel rejoiced with God's faithfulness to them. Three days later, they were faced with a challenge; they found no water until they got to Marah. Unfortunately, the water in Marah was bitter, and they couldn't drink it. But the children of Israel were found complaining and questioning, "What shall we drink?" They, in a short while, forgot the mightiness of God, which He had displayed to them just a few miles back. (Exodus 14 & 15 vs 22-24). Nonetheless, that didn't change God.

Two thousand years later, a band of twelve hand-chosen disciples saw the power of God displayed through the Lord Jesus, as He performed the incredible miracle of feeding the five thousand people with five loaves and two fish. A similar situation faced them another time, which was an opportunity that came their way to exercise their faith, in feeding four thousand others, but they too questioned the permanence of Jesus' ability. (Matthew 14 vs 15-21 & 15 vs 32-38).

In Mark 8 vs 17 - 21, Jesus reckoned with the faithlessness, and non-understanding of His permanent Nature by His disciples: "....Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up? They said to Him "Twelve." Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up? And they said, "Seven." So He said to them, "How is it you do not understand?"

Jesus rebuked the disciples for their hard hearts. Today the hard hearts abound everywhere, even among believers. We see the same attitude in our day and age. How easily we throw up our hands in despair when faced with difficult situations. Like the disciples, we often forget that if God has cared for us in the past, He will do the same now. When facing a difficult situation, remember that God cares for you and trust Him to work faithfully again.

If you were to be honest, you might be able to remember a time when you responded in the same manner. You may have seen God's handiwork in your life, yet you later questioned if God could work in those ways ever again. Ask yourself these questions: Has God changed? Is He no longer the caring Father you need Him to be?

In Romans 3 vs 3 - 5, the apostle Paul in teaching the Roman church about God's permanence, even in judgement. He said, "Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar." God cannot deny Himself and He has said He can never change.

God is a Prepared Father. Nothing surprises our Heavenly Father because He is capable of handling every situation. We are told in Luke 1 vs 37: "For nothing is impossible with God." What great news. We may have limitations, but not our Father in heaven. 

Prayer: Abba Father, You are my permanent, perfect, and prepared Father. You have always been there for me, and have never changed. Give me the grace to completely trust in You, looking up unto You in every situation I face in life, knowing that in my unfaithfulness You have remained faithful and will never change, in Jesus' Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD! 

Prayer Point, Wishes, Messages!

 

Prayer Point, Wishes, Messages

A compilation of the best short happy new year 2021 messages, wishes and new year family prayer points can be seen below:

1. Heavenly Father, thank you for the New Year 2021. I bless and appreciate your name for making me see this New Year.
2. Dear Lord, thank you, for irrespective of the fact that I passed through too many struggles last year 2020, you saw me through.
3. Almighty Father, I appreciate you for your presence in my life every day in 2019. Thank you in advance because I know your Holy Spirit will continually dwell with me in this new year 2021.
4. Lord, let your Spirit lead and direct me each step I take this New Year 2021. Help me, Lord in my decisions and all I desire this year in the name of Jesus.
5. Father, I ask that you open doors of breakthroughs for me this 2021 and cause me to see open doors in all I do!
6. I ask for help, Lord, to be able to achieve all that I desire and wish for this 2021. Help me, father, to make my dreams reality this new year.
7. I pray, Dear God, that every door that was shut against me before, will in 2021, become open even as I receive divine help from every part of the world.
8. Lord, I ask that your wisdom will continually abide and dwell in me in a greater dimension in 2021.
9. Let my heart receive courage to face every situation that I may encounter this New Year in the name of Jesus.
10. Dear Lord, endue me with abilities, skills and wisdom, which come from above so that my life would bring honour to your name in 2021 and beyond.
11. In this New Year, Dear Lord, I commit my ways into your hands. Deliver me from every snare and entrapment of the evil one.
12. My most heavenly father, keep me healthy and strong so I can serve you the more this New Year 2021.
13. Almighty Father, I pray this New Year that fear of what tomorrow holds will not take captive of my mind.
14. Keep the “fire” for your work burning in my heart, much more that it was before, in the New Year 2021.
15. My unfailing God, I ask for strength not to go weary or wax cold especially when the journey becomes difficult.
16. Father, prosper the works of my hand this new year 2021. Let everything I lay my hands on receive immeasurable success. (bless the works of my hands)
17. May your favour go before and after me in 2021 in the name of Jesus.
18. I shall be celebrated and my name mentioned for good all through 2020 and many more years to come.
19. My life shall be a shining light, reflecting your glory in the New Year 2021!
20. Every dream and vision that you would place in my heart this New Year, make me to course with them.

Note that most of these new year messages above are religious in nature but they can be used by anyone, too!

In other words, they are Biblical new year messages fit for friends, family and lovers!

Dirty Rags No More!

Dirty Rags No More

We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. (Isaiah 64:6)

It is true that any shortcoming of God’s law offends his perfect holiness and makes us liable to judgment, since God cannot look with favor on any sin (Habakkuk 1:13; James 2:10–11). 

But what brought a person to ruin in the Old Testament (and it is the same for us today) was not the failure to have the righteousness of sinless perfection. What brought them to ruin was the failure to trust in the merciful promises of God, especially the hope that he would one day provide a Redeemer who would be a perfect righteousness for his people (“The Lord is our righteousness,” Jeremiah 23:6; 33:16). The Old Testament saints knew that this is how they were saved, and that this faith was the key to obedience, and that obedience was the evidence of this faith. 

It is terribly confusing when people say that the only righteousness that has any value is the imputed righteousness of Christ. To be sure, justification is not grounded on any of our righteousness — even Spirit-given righteousness by faith — but only on the righteousness of Christ imputed to us. But sometimes people are careless and speak disparagingly of all human righteousness, as if there were no such righteousness worked in us that pleased God. This is not helpful.

They often cite Isaiah 64:6, which says our righteousness is as filthy rags, or “a polluted garment.” 

But in the context, Isaiah 64:6 does not mean that all righteousness performed by God’s people is unacceptable to God. Isaiah is referring to people whose righteousness is in fact hypocritical. It is no longer righteousness. But in the verse just before this, Isaiah says that God approvingly meets “him who joyfully works righteousness” (Isaiah 64:5).

It’s true — gloriously true — that none of God’s people, before or after the cross, would be accepted by an immaculately holy God if the perfect righteousness of Christ were not imputed to us (Romans 5:19; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 5:21). That is true! But that does not mean God does not produce in those very “justified” people an experiential righteousness that is not a “polluted garment” — even though it is not yet perfected. 

In fact, he does produce such a righteousness, and this righteousness is precious to God and is, in fact, required — not as the ground of our justification (which is the righteousness of Christ only), but as an evidence of our being truly justified children of God. This is what Paul prays for, and we should pray for. He prays in Philippians 1:10–11 “that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”

GIVING WITH THE RIGHT ATTITUDE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY MAY 01, 2021.

SUBJECT : GIVING WITH THE RIGHT ATTITUDE!

Memory verse: "Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you" (Luke 6 vs 38).

READ: Psalm 50 vs 7 - 15:

50 vs 7: Hear, O My people, and I will speak, O Israel, and I will testify against you; I am God, your God! 

8: I will not rebuke you for your sacrifices or your burnt offerings, which are continually before Me. 

9: I will not take a bull from your house, nor goats out of your folds. 

10: For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. 

11: I know all the birds of the mountains, and the wild beast of the field are Mine. 

12: "If I were hungry, I would not tell you; For the world is Mine, and all its fullness. 

13: Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats? 

14: Offer to God thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High.

15: Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.

INTIMATION:

The attitude with which you give, occasions the manner of your receiving. God demands the right attitude of devotion to Him in our services. The right attitude in giving ensures receiving rightly from God. When you give with a wrong attitude, or in a wrong manner, you receive nothing from God. For instance, the religious rituals of going to church, taking Communion, paying tithes, giving to charity, or to the church, are all empty if our motives of doing them are selfish. God doesn't want these sacrifices and offerings without an attitude of devotion to Him. 

Many believers participate in such religious activities enumerated above out of habit or conformity rather than out of heartfelt love and obedience to God. Some give to be recognized; be seen as a financial pillar in the church or ministry, or for self-actualization, not our of love, and obedient obligation to the LORD.

In our memory verse, we have seen that our receiving is tied to our giving. Note, most importantly, that the Scripture says, "the measure we use," not "the measure we give." Many people confuse the two statements. If we give in love, we receive in lovely manner, but if give in hate, or grudgingly, we receive in like manner. If we are critical rather than compassionate, we will also receive criticism. If we treat others generously, graciously, and compassionately, these qualities will come back to us in full measure. We are to love others, not judge them.

In the passage we read, God was saying to His chosen people that His disagreement with them wasn't about a lack of sacrifices on their part; they had been offering sacrifices continually. Israel was faithful in legally performing the sacrifices of the law. That was not God’s complaint against them. His complaint against them was the heart attitude they had in making offerings. They were not offering the sacrifices with a heart of obedient devotion and thanksgiving that give Him glory. They were going through the motions of making the offerings, but they weren't giving their hearts to God.

They thought they were making the sacrifices because God somehow needed their bulls and goats. In this Scripture, God was making it clear that He didn't need anything from them; everything already belongs to the Lord. God said, "If I were hungry, I wouldn't tell you! The world is Mine, and everything in it." He doesn't need to ask anyone for food. The truth is that the Israelites needed those sacrifices; they needed to give back to God and show their trust and dependence upon Him. It wasn't for God, it is for them. The same is applicable to us today.

God doesn't need your giving today any more than He needed those Old Testament sacrifices. The point of your giving is for you to learn to recognize God as the source of all you have (John 3 vs 27). It is one thing to say you believe God is your source, but it is another thing to prove it. The way you prove to yourself, not God, that you believe God is your source, is to give a portion of what you have back to Him. Hence the reason for tithing. People who don't really see God as their source are going to balk at giving part of what they have away. But giving back some of what God has already given you is an act of devotion to Him, recognizing as your source.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are my everything. All I have You have given me. I am nothing without You. You greatly love me and gave Your only Son for me, to die the death I ought to have died for my sins. Endue with with the spirit of love and full devotion to You, that I will receive in good measure from You, in Jesus' Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Fifteen Tactics for Joy

 Fifteen Tactics for Joy

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16:11)

In this life of sin and pain, joy is embattled. Just like faith. And Paul says to Timothy, “Fight the good fight of the faith” (1 Timothy 6:12). So it is with joy. We must work for it and fight for it. Paul said to the Corinthians, “We work with you for your joy” (2 Corinthians 1:24).

How then shall we fight for joy? Here are 15 pointers.

Realize that authentic joy in God is a gift.Realize that joy must be fought for relentlessly. And don’t be put off by the paradox of these first two pointers!Resolve to attack all known sin in your life, by the power of the Holy Spirit.Learn the secret of gutsy guilt — how to fight like a justified sinner.Realize that the battle is primarily a fight to see — to see God for who he is.Meditate on the word of God day and night.Pray earnestly and continually for open heart-eyes and an inclination for God.Learn to preach to yourself rather than listen to yourself.Spend time with God-saturated people who help you see God and fight the fight.Be patient in the night of God’s seeming absence.Get the rest, exercise, and proper diet that your body was designed by God to have.Make a proper use of God’s revelation in nature — take a walk in the woods.Read great books about God and biographies of great saints.Do the hard and loving thing for the sake of others (your verbal witness and deeds of mercy).Get a global vision for the cause of Christ, and pour yourself out for the unreached. 

Every one of those has Bible verses to support it. If you want to see them, they are in the book When I Don’t Desire God: How to Fight for Joy.