Our Good Is His Glory

 

But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:6)

One common objection to Christian Hedonism is that it puts the interests of man above the glory of God — that it puts my happiness above God’s honor. But Christian Hedonism most emphatically does not do this.

To be sure, we Christian Hedonists endeavor to pursue our interest and our happiness with all our might. We endorse the resolution of the young Jonathan Edwards: “Resolved: To endeavor to obtain for myself as much happiness in the other world as I possibly can, with all the power, might, vigor, and vehemence, yea violence, I am capable of, or can bring myself to exert, in any way that can be thought of.”

But we have learned from the Bible (and from Edwards!) that God’s interest is to magnify the fullness of his glory by spilling over in mercy to us — to us sinners, who desperately need him.

Therefore, the pursuit of our interest and our happiness, even if it costs us our lives, is never above God’s interest and God’s happiness and God’s glory, but always in God’s. One of the most precious truths in the Bible is that God’s greatest interest is to glorify the wealth of his grace by making sinners happy in him — in him!

When we humble ourselves like little children and put on no airs of self-sufficiency, but run happily into the joy of our Father’s embrace, the glory of his grace is magnified and the longing of our soul is satisfied. Our interest and his glory become one.

When Jesus promises in Matthew 6:6, “Your Father who sees in secret will reward you,” this is a reward he wants us to seek. He does not lure us with joy we shouldn’t have! But this reward — this joy — is the overflow of turning away from human praise, and going into our closet to seek God.

Therefore, Christian Hedonists do not put their happiness above God’s glory. They put their happiness in God himself and discover the glorious truth that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.

THE EFFICACY OF NIGHT PRAYERS!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 2022.

SUBJECT: THE EFFICACY OF NIGHT PRAYERS! 

Memory verse: "Arise, cry out in the night, at the beginning of the watches pour out your heart like water before the face of the LORD. Lift up your hands toward Him for the life of your young children, who faint from hunger at the head of every street.” (Lamentations 2 vs 19.)

READ: Matthew 13 vs 24 - 25:

13:24: Another parable He put forth to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field, 

13:25: but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went away.

INTIMATION:

Praying in the night hours is considered the best timing since our prayers are usually interrupted during the day by the pressures of our daily schedules. In the night our concentration is highest, and our fellowship most effective. Night prayers arm us most effectively to overcome the overwhelming evils in the world. The evil doers usually perpetrate their evils in the night hours when most Christians are resting in their beds. They are like the father the devil—the Prince of Darkness, moving around in the night looking for who to devour.

In the passage we read today, Jesus told His followers a parable saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went away......" (Matthew 13 vs 24 - 25.) "While men slept" the evil doers—men of the underworld—are up in their covens, in their shrines, to perpetrate evil under the cover of darkness. 

When you fellowship with the Lord in prayers in the night hours, you are in His presence; the place of maximum protection, and the glory of God expelling any form of darkness around you. The prince of this world and his cohorts cannot operate in His presence; ‘He disappoints their devices so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise.’ (Job 5 vs 12.)

Jesus Christ, in His ministry on earth, has always gone up to the mountains in the night hours to pray—communing with the Father, and obtaining all the powers required for His exploits; charged up fully in the night hours of prayers in readiness for daily exploits. Then, in the day time, He only gives thanks to the Father that had always heard Him in their communion in the night: "Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God." (Luke 6 vs 12.)

Jesus has always chosen the night to isolate Himself to pray to the Father. His concentration in His fellowship with the Father in the night hours is at its max. No distractions of any sorts. This practice of fellowshipping with the Father and our Messiah Jesus, in the night hours, is very essential for every Christian to win our battles against the devil and his cohorts. Our battles with them are not physical, but spiritual; "For though we walk in the flesh! we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for the pulling down strongholds," (Second Corinthians 10 vs 3 - 4.) 

The night, especially at midnight, people are most vulnerable to spiritual attacks. It is the hour when enemies lay siege and render people defenseless. It is also the time that you can launch a deadly, surprise attack on your enemies’ camp. From 12am-4am Christians should be vigilant in prayer. During this period the body immune system is at its lowest. Demonic creatures roam about with much anger during this time, making their patrols, and witchcraft is at its peak. 

Midnight is a time of transition, from one day to another. God can bring a transition in your life as you pray at midnight. It is a time of great spiritual activity, both good and evil. Destinies of men are shaped and interrupted at midnight. If you are not shaping your destiny at midnight, then somebody may interrupt your life at midnight. 

David, the man who never lost a single battle all his life, has this to say, “At midnight, I will rise and give thanks to You, because of your righteous judgments” (Psalm 119 vs 62). The great king knew when to win his battles in prayer, and engaged effectively at midnight amidst his daily busy schedule as a king. What excuse do you have? Do you say, “I wish I arise but I’ll be tired”? Do you have a busier schedule than that of King David (president of the nation of Israel)? I doubt you do. 

Praying at night is a sacrifice that will not go unrewarded. God sees your desperation through the sacrifices of your night’s rest that you make to in order to commune with Him in prayers. However, midnight is the best time to make serious intercessions, and expect results. Jesus emphasized this in a parable when He taught His disciples about prayer: 

“And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him;’ And he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give it to you’L.’ I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.” (Luke 11 vs 5 - 8)

Prayer: Abba Father, deliver me from spiritual laziness so that I may rise up at night to engage in prayer warfare against the devices of the devil and his cohorts. In the night hours I will come to You in prayer with my whole heart and being, and I am persuaded that my petitions will receive Your attention, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

The Power of a Superior Promise

 

I shall walk in freedom, for I have sought your precepts. (Psalm 119:45, my translation)

An essential element of joy is freedom. None of us would be happy if we were not free from what we hate and free for what we love.

And where do we find true freedom? Psalm 119:45 says, “I shall walk in freedom, for I have sought your precepts.”

The picture is one of open spaces. The word frees us from smallness of mind. “God gave Solomon . . . breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore” (1 Kings 4:29). The word frees us from threatening confinements. “He brought me out into a broad place” (Psalm 18:19).

Jesus says, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). The freedom he has in mind is freedom from the slavery of sin (John 8:34). Or, to put it positively, it is freedom for holiness.

The promises of God’s grace provide the power that makes the demands of God’s holiness an experience of freedom rather than fear and confinement. Peter described the freeing power of God’s promises like this: “Through [his precious and very great promises] you become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire” (2 Peter 1:4).

In other words, when we trust the promises of God, we sever the root of corruption and sinful desire by the power of a superior promise.

How crucial is the word that breaks the power of counterfeit pleasures! And how vigilant we should be to light our paths and load our hearts with the word of God!

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11).

ATTRACTING SPECIAL AUDIENCE IN PRAYER!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 26, 3022.

SUBJECT : ATTRACTING SPECIAL AUDIENCE IN PRAYER!

Memory verse: "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." (Matthew 6 vs 33.)

READ: Psalm 37 vs 4 - 6:

37:4: Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.

37:5: Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.

37:6: He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.

INTIMATION:

You attract special audience in prayer when you partner with God in ensuring the establishment of His Kingdom here on earth. Praying Kingdom-oriented prayers give you special audience with God. If you desire breakthroughs in your life, one of the fastest ways of achieving it is to have a strong affection for God and His kingdom. Let your thoughts be dominated with the desires of God, serve and obey Him in everything.

Your delight in the Lord occasions strong affection for God and His kingdom. When you delight in the Lord, you will experience great pleasure and joy in Him and His kingdom. The Scripture says of the Lord, “Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord; and I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth...” (Isaiah 58 vs 14.) Desire to know God better, and to know His great love for you. When you do, you will entrust everything about you—your life, family, job, possessions, and so on—to Him and He will work out what is best for you. 

The reason God created the earth is for the extension of His kingdom. Jesus taught His disciples how to pray in Matthew 6 vs 9 - 10, "In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in Heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your Will be done on earth as it is in heaven." When you pray kingdom-oriented prayer, you are giving reference to God's spiritual reign. It is God's Will that His kingdom be established here on earth as was announced in the covenant with Abraham. 

When we pray "Your Will be done on earth," we are praying that God's perfect purpose will be accomplished in this world as well as the next. When you are interceding on kingdom matters, let it be from the depth of your being, as if you are praying for your own child who is dying, or even the healing of your ailment that has kept you at the corridor of death. Such prayers usually mean much to you. 

If you concern yourself that much on ensuring the actualization of God's Will on earth, God will definitely concern Himself with your affairs, and you will experience additions of all the things the world is struggling to get. This is a prayer strategy that moves heaven to rain down favor on you, so much that you will not need to pray for most things before you get them: "It shall come to pass that before you call, I will answer, And while they are still speaking, I will hear." (Isaiah 65 vs 24.) This is prevalent in the lives of those who are heartily mindful of His kingdom matters. Their prayers are answered at the right time. 

Most people are dying in their prayer rooms because they are self-oriented in their prayers. They the "needy-stars" of the kingdom. Their prayer is always all about self; "Lord, give me this; Lord, bless me; Lord, bless my children and my wife," and their demands are endless. All they remember to pray about is "me, I and myself." They are least concerned about the welfare of anybody else or on any issue that does not touch them personally. Their idea is, "If God is concerned about His kingdom, let Him fix it."

When a kingdom prayer point is raised in the church, a lot of people just mumble through; you can hardly hear what they are saying. But when it is said, "Pray for yourself, that this year's prophesy may find fulfillment in your life," people begin to pray with much vigor and energy. But it is how much you take pleasure in the affairs of the kingdom that determines the quality of response you enjoy from God. 

The psalmist in Psalm 102 vs 12 - 13 says, "But You, O Lord, shall endure forever, and the remembrance of Your name to all generations. You will arise and have mercy on Zion; For the time to favor her, Yes, the set time, has come." When your concern for God's kingdom is deep-seated in your heart, you pray heart-felt prayers for the kingdom and His people. Your prayer shall be that, "The Lord endures forever, and be remembered throughout all generations." Then, He will arise with mercy and favor for you. 

As you begin to seek the enthronement of His kingdom in your prayers, I see every concern in your life become a testimony of answered prayers to you, in Jesus’ name.

Prayer: Abba Father, let the zeal of Your kingdom eat me up, that I may desire to do all the things required for the advancement of Your kingdom, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Live Confident in God’s Sovereign Power

 

The immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe . . . (Ephesians 1:19)

The omnipotence of God means eternal, unshakable refuge in the everlasting glory of God no matter what happens on this earth. And that confidence is the source and power of radical obedience to the call of God.

Is there anything more freeing, more thrilling, or more strengthening than the truth that God Almighty is your refuge — all day, every day, in all the ordinary and extraordinary experiences of life?

If we believed this, if we really let this truth of God’s omnipotence get hold of us, what a difference it would make in our personal lives and in our ministries! How humble and powerful we would become for the saving purposes of God!

The omnipotence of God means refuge for the people of God. And when you really believe that your refuge is the omnipotence of God Almighty, there is a joy and a freedom and a power that spills over in a life of radical obedience to Jesus Christ.

The omnipotence of God means reverence, recompense, and refuge for his covenant people.

I invite you to accept the terms of his covenant of grace: Turn from sin and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ; and the omnipotence of God Almighty will be the reverence of your soul, the recompense of your enemies, and the refuge of your life — forever.

TOTAL EXPERIENCE BY APOSTLE JOSHUA SELMAN

 

UNDERSTANDING THE TWO-WAY COMMUNICATION!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 25, 2022.

SUBJECT : UNDERSTANDING THE TWO-WAY COMMUNICATION!

Memory verse: "I will stand my watch, And set myself on the rampart, And watch to see what He will say to me, And what I will answer when I am corrected." (Habakkuk 2 vs 1.)

READ: Jeremiah 33 vs 3; Matthew 7 vs 7 - 8:

Jeremiah 33:3: ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’

Matthew 7:7: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

7:8: For everyone who asks receives, and He who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 

INTIMATION:

Prayer is not just reporting your case to God, it is communicating with Him. Some people will say when they pray, "I cried to God." Prayer is not about crying; it is a two way communication, and you pay attention to hear the other party in the communication. It is like a telephone conversation. If you are crying, you will hardly hear the party at the other end. Every genuine discussion or dialogue is made up of comments. enquiries and responses from the parties involved. 

But most people do all the talking in prayers, not giving God a chance to speak to them in return, nor pausing to listen to what He has to say. The  right attitude in prayer was expressed by prophet Habakkuk in our memory verse, "I will stand my watch, And set myself on the rampart, And watch to see what He will say to me, And what I will answer when I am corrected."

If you are not watchful, you will miss His answer. The watchman and rampart (watchtower), are often used by the prophets—Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Habakkuk—to show an attitude of expectation, and here they are pictures of Habakkuk's attitude of patiently waiting, and watching out for God's response. To truly win in prayer, it  requires your being alert in the spirit, listening in meditation and keeping your heart open to receive what God has to say to you.

Watchfulness involves patience and perseverance. You also have to engage in intense worship, in order to maintain the communication channel, and be patient to receive your answer. When you ask a question and there doesn't seem to be an immediate response, you begin to worship and call God by His names. Then you ask again, "Lord, what are You saying?" You are sure to get an answer, because He assures us: "Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know"  -(Jeremiah 33 vs 3).

God answers us in various ways. His answer may be through a night vision, a tiny voice, an audible voice, a Scripture reference, indirect message through another person, or Angelic intervention. For instance, in Daniel chapter 2, Daniel and his friends, were faced with a decree of death. The king had a dream, which he forgot and wanted Daniel and his colleagues to tell him the dream and its interpretation or they would all be put to death. The king had already ordered the killing of the wise men in Babylon when they couldn't tell the king his dream.

Now see what Daniel did; "Then Daniel went to his house, and made the decision known to Hananiah (Shadrach), Mishael (Meshach), and Azariah (Abed-Nego), his companions, that they might seek mercies from God of heaven concerning this secret, so that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. So Daniel blessed the God of heaven. (Daniel 2 vs 17 - 19.) 

Daniel responded with praise and thanks giving to God: "I thank You and praise You, O God of my fathers; You have given me wisdom and might, And have now made known to me what we asked of You. For You have made known to us the king's demand." (Daniel 2 vs 23.)

God answered Daniel's prayer through a night vision. I had such experience recently when I engaged in prayer to enquire from God on a particular problem. After my midnight prayer, God gave me a Scripture, "Matthew 4 vs 11," that says; "Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him." And behold, the following days I saw the answer to my prayer manifest clearly, signifying that the devil, the perpetrator of all evil, had flee, and the angels had taken over the affairs concerning the problem I presented to God in prayer.

When you approach God, remember that He is the One before whom all things lay bare. The One that reveals deep and secret things, the Omniscient God. Go before Him and take delivery of your answers, as you engage in a two-way communication with Him. It is time you began to engage in responsive meditational prayers—where you talk and wait for God's response; where you make enquiries and take delivery of divine strategies to deal with the issues confronting you. This is what prayer is all about.

According to the Scripture passages we read today, God is committed to answering your prayer, if you ask, seek, or find, not if you cry. No matter how many demons are connected to your problem, God's wisdom which is released in prayer of enquiry will give them a knock-out. The Bible says in James 1 vs 5, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally, and without reproach, and it will be given to him." Wisdom means practical discernment, and God is willing to give us this wisdom. 

Jesus said, “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds  and to him who knocks it will be opened."(Matthew 7 vs 8.) Note that Jesus said "everyone," including you, no exception. He is a just God, with Him there is no variableness or shadow of turning. He said everyone, and means everyone. Therefore, when you pray, wait for the answer, be sensitive and patient to receive your answer in any of the aforstated ways; a night vision, a tiny voice, an audible voice, a Scripture reference, indirect message through another person, or Angelic intervention. 

People often give up after a few halfhearted efforts and conclude they cannot hear from God, or that He cannot be found. But knowing God, and receiving from Him takes faith, focus, patience, and follow-through, and our Messiah, Jesus Christ, assures us that we will be rewarded. Don't give up in your efforts to seek God. Continue to ask Him for more knowledge, patience, wisdom, love, and understanding, and He will give them to you. Also, note that a ‘no’ from Him can be an answer to a prayer.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are most faithful and compassionate; always mindful of, and watchful over Your children. My absolute trust is in You, to always direct me the way to go. Therefore, I will stand my watch and see what You will say to me in my petition to You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!